10 June 2019 The Seventh-Day Adventists of Southern Asia Division Facebook page is reporting that employees from the Usilampatti Seventh-day Adventist School in Tamilnadu are protesting their dismissal by the school administration by donning dress of leaves. All of them claim to be of a low caste, and say that the treatment is a result […] Source: https://atoday.org/adventist-workers-don-leaves-to-protest-caste-abuse/
11: Families of Faith – Singing with Inspiration
Our memory text this week, has us looking to Jesus as does
Hymn 507, “Moment by Moment”. With Jesus guiding us, the cultural changes that challenge us, should not have great sway as we sing
Hymn 301, “Nearer, Still Nearer”.
Sunday’s study instantly shows us
Hymn 600, “Hold Fast Till I Come”. With this in mind, we will go forward and
“Tell It to Every Kindred and Nation”, Hymn 202 (Hail Him the King of Glory) as is told in the story of Peter and Cornelius.
We need God’s abundant blessings on our families to sustain us through seasons of change. We pray this in
Hymn 650, “Our Father, by Whose Name” and
Hymn 654, “Lord, Bless Our Homes”.
Commitment is the main word in Wednesday’s lesson:
Hymn 634, Come, All Christians, Be Committed”.
We are the “Twenty-First-Century Runners” (Thursday) who are to
“Go, Preach My Gospel”, Hymn 378.
2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
Amen!
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11: Families of Faith – Discussion Starters
1. Hold Fast what is Good. The title of this week’s lesson could be, “Families in the whirl of cultural change.” It’s certainly true, as the lesson author points out, that any church member who ventures forth on a mission assignment confronts cultural differences and needs to learn how to minister to those with such differences. Cultural differences abound. How do we keep from judging them as harmful or just plain wrong? How can we accept and minister to people from cultures that are different in a striking way from those arising from our background? How sure are we that “our” 
culture is the “right” one in every dimension?
culture is the “right” one in every dimension? 2, The Power of Culture on Family. You probably won’t find the word, “culture,” in the version of the Bible that you are using, but would you agree that culture as we understand it is tied closely to the Biblical values and beliefs of the families in the church we attend? Explain, if you can, the impact of culture on the families related to Sarai and Abram and their lack of children born to them. What about the earrings hidden under a tree by Jacob? Or the ravenous love of Solomon for women from completely different cultures compared to his own? Are you aware of stark cultural differences in families or individuals you know that belong to your local church? What is their impact on the church as a whole?
3. Sustaining Families through Seasons of Change. What is the lesson referring to by the expression “seasons of change”? Spend some time discussing examples of uncertainty brought about by upheavals in the way we think about life. Be sure to link current examples with those we find in Scripture, such as culture-related issues faced by Abraham, Sarah, Lot, Hadassah, Daniel and his companions. How can you and I deal with uncertainty and change in our relationships with family members without losing our trust in God? Does it sometimes seem impossible to deal with circumstances that disrupt everything we know about family life and the way it should be?
4. Toward a First-Generation Faith. What is so special, so “right,” and so compelling as the beliefs we embrace when we first find the setting that enables us to believe our religious faith will prosper? Do members raised in the church have a better or stronger commitment toward the church’s beliefs and practices than those who join at a later time? Is it the church’s responsibility to be sure that every family and every member has a first-generation set of conviction for the beliefs of the church? Or should we try to require uniformity of belief and practice by all of our members? Why or why not?
5. Runners of the First Century. What urgent message did the first “runners” of the Christ-led church proclaim? Do you and I sense the same compelling sense of moving forward as did our forefathers (and mothers) in the faith? Wait a minute. It seems to many that the Lord has delayed His coming. We may feel disappointed, even discouraged as a result. Does God want us still to have a longing for the Second Coming even after what seems like such a long wait? How can we as individuals help to restore in our church and in our families a “first runner” mindset and action mode?
Amen!(0)
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11: Families of Faith – Teaching Plan
Key Thought: Christian families confront cultural challenges all the time. Most times these challenges have a negative influence. The gospel gives us light and strength to deal with these challenges.
June 15, 2019
1. Have a volunteer read Acts 10:14-17. 28.
- Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
- Does this tell us anything about our attitudes in sharing our faith with people of other cultures or religions?
- Personal Application: How much is your faith determined by culture and how much by Biblical truth? How do we discern the difference? Share your thoughts.
- Case Study: One of your relatives states: “How do you deal with someone who thinks that because culture changes over time, so does Bible principles and truth? Many Bible principles they relegate to being culturally biased and irrelevant today.” How would you respond to your relative?
2. Have a volunteer read Genesis 18:19.
- Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
- How can you best adapt your faith to your culture without comprising essential truths?
- Personal Application: What things in your culture are helpful to family life and what are not? Share your thoughts.
- Case Study: One of your friends states, “In our American culture today, many things are allowable now than were before the 1960’s. Living together, divorce, recreational drug use, and abortions are all social norms today. What was sin years ago is just normal behavior today.” How would you respond to your friend?
3. Have a volunteer read Judges 2:10-13.
- Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
- What crisis developed in Israel after Joshua and his peers died?
- Personal Application: How difficult is it to pass your faith and obedience to God down to your children and grandchildren? Share your thoughts
- Case Study: One of your neighbors states, “I’m going to raise my children to follow what they want when they get old enough. I’m not going to force my religion on them. When they get old enough, they can choose what they want to do.” How would you reply to your neighbor?
4. Have a volunteer read Matthew 28:5-7.
- Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
- How do your family and culture reflect the kingdom of heaven in your environment?
- Personal Application: How can we better improve our family circle to share the gospel with others? Share your thoughts.
- Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.
(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).
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Sharing Scripture, June 9-15
This is a tool for you to use if you lead a Sabbath School (SS) class or small group. It is keyed to the Bible texts used in the current week’s Adult SS Lesson and includes a brief story from current news you can use to introduce the discussion and then a series of discussion […] Source: https://atoday.org/sharing-scripture-june-9-15/
