Prepared for Sabbath School Class, September 5.
Photograph by William Earnhardt
Key Text: “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10, ESV).
Read in Class: 2 Corinthians 3:1-9.
Study: In what sense can we be an epistle of Christ?
Apply: How does knowing you are a “letter from Christ” change the way you see your worth and witness?
Share: Share a time when someone revealed God’s character to you by the way they lived, instead of just telling you about it.
Read in Class: 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 and 2 Corinthians 5:11-15.
Study: Tell how these passages demonstrate that Paul’s ministry is Christ-centered by detailing the specific sufferings he experienced and the way he endured them.
Apply: Think about what Christ has done for you. Think about the guilt, the sin, the condemnation that would be yours but for what He did for you at the cross. How should this reality impact how you relate to others, especially those who don’t know the Lord?
Share: You get a phone call from an old friend, who is a special ed public school teacher. She tells you her students are in poverty and live in communities known for high drug use. The students appear disrespectful and show little motivation to learn or grow beyond their environment. She feels like she is trying to swim upstream and making no progress. What do you tell your friend?
Read in Class: 2 Corinthians 6:11-7:1.
Study: According to his passage, what does an authentic Christian ministry-driven life look like?
Apply: What do God’s promises in 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 tell us about what holiness is?
Share: Your friend tells you that he is marrying a non-believer because he is tired of being alone, and if God wanted him to marry a believer, He would have given him a believing wife by now. Also, he says he can convert her later. What do you tell your friend?
Read in Class: 2 Corinthians 7:2-26.
Study: What are Paul’s feelings upon hearing that the Corinthians had repented?
Apply: Have you ever experienced godly sorrow in your life? How did you know that it was sorrow according to God’s will to lead you to repentance?
Share: Your friend asks you what the difference is between godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. What do you tell your friend?
Mission: Can you publicly or privately confirm a Christ-driven ministry in your church?
