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"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20.
"He who loves God supremely and his neighbor as himself will work with the constant realization that he is a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. Making God's will his will, he will reveal in his life the transforming power of the grace of Christ. In all the circumstances of life, he will take Christ's example as his guide." —Selected Messages, bk. 1, p. 86.
You can know God loves you! You are a member of God's household! Christ in you is the hope of glory!
Because God belongs to every man, every tribe, every nation, every people, you and I who know Him are under obligation to make Him known to as many people as we can reach. Making God known by our life and words—this is the privilege of every disciple everywhere.
True Christianity is Christ in the life—a living, active principle. It is the grace of Christ revealed in character and lived out in helpfulness to others. In this lesson you will discover—
GOD'S LOVE FOR MAN
1. What kind of God does the Bible declare Him to be? Psalm 144:2, 3.
Psalms 144:2-3 (NIV) He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me. 3) O LORD, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him?
2. How did God show His love for man? Romans 5:8.
Romans 5:8 (NIV) But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
3. What did Christ do for helpless and hopeless man? Colossians 1:13, 14.
Colossians 1:13-14 (NIV) For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14) in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
4. What change has come to the disciple who is a follower of Christ? Ephesians 2:19-22.
Ephesians 2:19-22 (NIV) Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, 20) built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21) In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22) And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
5. What words does the Bible use to emphasize that there is only one true God? Isaiah 45:5, 22.
Isaiah 45:5 (NIV) I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me,
Isaiah 45:22 (NIV) "Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.
6. What distinguishes the true God from the false? Jeremiah 10:10-12.
Jeremiah 10:10-12 (NIV) But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath. 11) "Tell them this: 'These gods, who did not make the heavens and the earth, will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.'" 12) But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding.
Note: "God's claim to reverence and worship, above the gods of the heathen, is based upon the fact that He is the Creator, and that to Him all other beings owe their existence. Thus it is presented in the Bible."—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 336.
7. How is the supremacy of God affirmed? Acts 17:24-27.
Acts 17:24-27 (NIV) "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25) And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26) From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27) God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
8. What prayer and expression of trust is appropriate for modern disciples? Psalm 16:1, 8.
Psalms 16:1 (NIV) Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge.
Psalms 16:8 (NIV) I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9. How is acceptable religion described? James 1:27.
James 1:27 (NIV) Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
10. What are some practical things Christian disciples will do for others?
Matthew 25:34-40 (NIV) "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35) For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36) I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37) "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38) When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39) When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40) "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Matthew 10:42 And if anyone gives a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he certainly will not lose his reward.
11. How did the apostle Paul describe his Christian experience? Galatians 2:20.
Galatians 2:20 (NIV) I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
12. What mystery has God chosen to make known to the world through believers? Colossians 1:27.
Colossians 1:27 (NIV) To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
What does this mean to you?
DISCIPLESHIP COMMITMENT
Christianity is "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Jesus is the perfect revelation of God. He said, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father" --John 14:9. With Christ in you, you will reveal the Father too. The life and character of Christ must be implanted in you through the Holy Spirit—Christ's mind, Christ's thoughts, Christ's feelings, Christ's words, Christ's acts, become the fabric of the Christian life. This experience led the apostle Paul to say, "Christ lives in me . . . the life I live . . . I live by faith in the Son of God." Galatians 2:20.
How can you daily make God's will the source of guidance in your life?
Unless otherwise designated, scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION�. Copyright � 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.