Oh, the beauty of studying this quarter’s lessons. We will learn so much of the Love of God (and our Saviour, Jesus) which stands out in so many pages of this quarter. Trying to choose just one hymn for the Theme Hymn was almost impossible, but these ones stood out all through the lesson pamphlet from which you may choose:  
Hymn 79 – O Love Of God, 
Hymn 349 – God Is Love and then in seeing God’s amazing love we can
Hymn 600 – Hold Fast and 
Hymn 602 – O Brother, Be Faithful.

Another great resource is for when there is a hymn you wish to sing but can’t find it in your hymnal. Go to https://www.sdahymnal.org/Search and in the search bar type a special word in that is in the hymn. I am sure you will be amazed at the help you will be given.

 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.”

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/3-unity-in-christ-singing-with-inspiration/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=3-unity-in-christ-singing-with-inspiration

Daily Lesson for Monday 13th of July 2026

The formation of cliques constituted here a denial of one’s allegiance to Christ (1 Corinthians 1:10). God called us “into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9, NKJV). Our Lord is Christ, and we must be centered on Him. Thus, the answer to the rhetorical questions “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Corinthians 1:13, NKJV) is a resounding “No!” Christ is not divided. It is Christ who was crucified for us. We were baptized “in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19, NASB).

Image © Erik Stenbakken at Goodsalt.com

Paul mentions that we are “the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27, ESV; emphasis supplied). While the body has many parts—each one with its function—it is still one body. For the body to function properly, each part has to do its work according to its capabilities. This metaphor indicates that Paul is looking for unity, not uniformity. He is looking for unity in the diversity. More than that, he is looking for unity despite diversity.

However, all thoughts and opinions must be submitted to Christ, our Lord. The fact that Christ is our Lord is such an important concept for Paul that he resorts to it repeatedly, in the opening of 1 Corinthians (1 Corinthians 1:2,7-10). Thus, before Paul deals with the issue of cliques and human leaders, he first emphasizes that all of us have Jesus as our Lord. The church is not centered on human leaders. Christians are centered on Jesus.

The emphasis on the Lordship of Jesus in the early verses of 1 Corinthians helps us understand what Paul meant by the words: “Be united in the same mind and the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10, ESV). The Greek term translated as “united” comes from the verb katartizō, which suggests that something is to be restored to its proper condition. When cliques are formed around human leaders, relationships within the church must be restored to their proper condition, and that can happen through unity in Christ and the death to self it entails.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26c-03-centered-on-jesus/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26c-03-centered-on-jesus

Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School Class on 18 July. 

Photograph by William Earnhardt

Key Text: “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10, ESV).

Read in Class: 1 Corinthians 1:10-17.

Study: What did Paul mean by being united in the same mind and the same judgment? How does this passage help us understand the importance of being united in Christ, rather than being a groupie of a preacher or any human leader? 

Apply: During the past few decades, some parts of the Seventh-day Adventist Church have emphasized small group Bible studies. What is the difference between cliques and small groups? How can we be careful that small groups do not turn into cliques?

Share: Every time the district pastor is gone, and a local elder speaks at your church, one of your friends says she is just going to stay home watch the livestream broadcast where the pastor will be preaching from the other church in your district. What do you tell your friend? 

Read in Class: 1 Corinthians 3:1-4.

Study:  How does Paul here describe the spiritual immaturity of the Corinthians?

Apply: What has been your experience with being greatly disappointed by someone whom you had greatly admired? If you have had this experience, what lessons did you learn from it?

Share: How would you advise a friend to deal with the envy, strife and division going on in his church? What practical ideas would you suggest for him to be a peace maker? 

Read in Class: 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 and Philippians 2:5-8.

Study: How can we as human leaders have the mind of Christ? What does being a servant-leader look like today in your church culture? 

Apply:Prayerfully dwell on the message of Philippians 2:5-8. How do we grasp what this tells us about God’s self-denying love for us? Why, too, do we need to die to self in a way so that, in our own sphere, we can emulate this love?

Share: A freind of yours who is an elder in the church tells you he would be a lot more humble if the other elders were not so arrogant. He says he can’t be humble because then the arrogant elders will just bully him. What do you tell your friend?  

Read in Class: 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 and Colossians 1:24.

Study: What does it mean to suffer for Christ’s sake? 

Apply:How much have you suffered for Christ’s sake, whatever your role in the church? What lessons might be found in your answer? 

Share: Your friend asks you if you have ever rejoiced because of your sufferings? What do you tell your friend?

Mission: Find a prayer partner to pray for unity in your church. 

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/3-unity-in-christ-sabbath-school-lesson-teaching-plan/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=3-unity-in-christ-sabbath-school-lesson-teaching-plan

Daily Lesson for Sunday 12th of July 2026

Paul’s appeal that “there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10, ESV) dominates the first four chapters of 1 Corinthians. In fact, most scholars agree that unity is the all-encompassing theme that binds all the parts of the letter together.

Image © Lifeway Collection at Goodsalt.com

Paul employs strong words to portray the lack of unity among the church members in Corinth. He uses the Greek terms schisma (“division,” 1 Corinthians 1:10, NKJV) and eris (“contention,” 1 Corinthians 1:11, NKJV). The noun schisma (as well as the verb schizō, “to split”) is used elsewhere in the New Testament to describe differences of opinion resulting in factions. In turn, the noun eris (“contention”) frequently appears in lists of vices that must not be practiced by Christians.

The disagreements in the church of Corinth came to the surface—even in the form of lawsuits against one another (1 Corinthians 6:1-3). “I say this to your shame,” Paul told them (1 Corinthians 6:5, NKJV), concerning these lawsuits between church members. In fact, they didn’t lay aside their differences even when celebrating the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:17-22).

The problem of lack of unity among church members is so terrifying, and Paul is so worried about it, that this is the first issue he addresses in this letter to the Corinthians.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26c-03-the-problem-of-cliques-in-the-church/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26c-03-the-problem-of-cliques-in-the-church

For good Sabbath afternoon viewing, see the video below created for our first lesson. I believe it will help us understand the rest of the two letters to the Corinthians, which we are studying.

I know that, even after reading the letters multiple times, I gained a deeper understanding of them through a better grasp of what Paul and his converts were up against in Corinth. So take a little time this Sabbath afternoon to watch the video below.  

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/corinth-the-backdrop-for-pauls-letter/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=corinth-the-backdrop-for-pauls-letter