Adult Christian Life: 2nd Quarter 2015

ADULT

CHRISTIAN

LIFE

THE ADULT QUARTERLY

LARGE PRINT

SECOND QUARTER 2015

Vol. 119, No. 2

www.rhboydpublishing.com

Lesson material is based on the International Uniform Sunday School Lesson Outlines, copyrighted by the Division of Christian Education, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and is used with permission.

Scriptures taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Adult Christian Life (USPS 006–480) (ISSN 1947–6604), copyright © 2015 by R.H. Boyd Company, 6717 Centennial Blvd., Nashville, Tennessee 37209–1017. Adult Christian Life is published quarterly by R.H. Boyd Company. Periodicals postage paid at Nashville, Tennessee.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Adult Christian Life, R.H. Boyd Company, 6717 Centennial Blvd., Nashville, Tennessee 37209–1017.

For Customer Service, call (615) 350-8000, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Central, or fax (615) 350-9018.

The publisher, R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation, bears no responsibility or liability for any claim, demand, action, or proceeding related to its content, including but not limited to claims of plagiarism, copyright infringement, defamation, obscenity, or the violation of the rights of privacy, publicity, or any other right of any person or party, and makes no warranties regarding the content.

R. H. BOYD, D.D., LL.D.

Founder (1896–1922)

H. A. BOYD, D.D.

(1922–1959)

T. B. BOYD, JR., D.D.

(1959–1979)

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Dr. T. B. Boyd III

President/CEO

David Groves, D.Min., Ph.D.

Director of Publications

Cloyd Allen

Director of Operations

Lavinia Shearron

Director of Finance

Tanya Henderson, Ph.D.

Director of Marketing

LaDonna Boyd

Special Projects Coordinator

EDITORIAL STAFF:

Jennifer Moorman, B.A., B.S.

(Coordinator)

Jared Austin, B.A., M.A.

Christopher R. Cotten, M.A., M.Div.

Tia Ferrell, B.A.

Jane Ann Kenney, B.A.

Joshua McArthur, B.S., M.Div.

Karissa Taylor, B.A.

Vanessa Lewis, B.A.

Freida Crawley, B.S.

Carla Davis, B.A.

Frank DiLella

Adult Christian Life contains Sunday school material for people ages 25 and older. The exposition of the Scripture, with life-centered insights, is preceded by an introduction to the lesson designed to help learners gain a greater understanding of the text under discussion relative to context, content, and meaning for life.

Know Your Writer

REV. RICHARD MONTGOMERY lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Racquel, and their children. Rick is a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas, and has served as a pastor and director of a community service non-profit organization. He served in Vietnam with the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry of the 101st Airborne Division, and was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds sustained in combat. God led him, from his experience as a combat soldier, to write the book Kingdom Soldiers: A Warrior’s Guide to Winning Life’s Battles, dealing with the spiritual warfare Christians face every day of our lives. Rick is now retired, but he continues to volunteer as an administrator with the Pittsburgh Experiment, an evangelistic workplace ministry serving the men and women of Pittsburgh.

A Message from the President/CEO . . .

Greetings and welcome to this new quarter of thought-provoking and uplifting study of God’s Word. Easter is an appropriate place to begin a new quarter, as it marks our central reason for celebration—Jesus is risen! By keeping Jesus at the center of our material, we continue our pursuit of excellence in quality and doctrinal truth. For 119 years, we have striven to fulfill the vision of our founder, Dr. R. H. Boyd, to provide you with the best literature for the African-American church.

In this quarter, we continue to focus on various Kingdom matters that were introduced in the previous quarter. These issues are still vitally important for the Church today. In the first four weeks, we will look at The Community of the Beloved Disciple. The lessons in this unit come from 1 Corinthians and two of John’s letters. In them, we focus on the community as being composed of those people who believe in Christ and His resurrection, who experience God’s love, and who show our love for one another.

Next, we will turn to One in the Bond of Love, drawn primarily from 1 Corinthians. Paul’s letter called the Corinthians to unity in love. That call is still relevant today in a culture that, very much like Corinth, is preoccupied with individual achievement and fulfillment, often to the detriment of others.

Finally, in June, we transition to Amos Rails Against Injustice. What was true for Israel in Amos’ day is still true for us today: God calls His people to be people who seek justice, not those who wait and watch or even participate in injustice themselves! These lessons emphasize God’s attention to His people and His high calling to us.

All glory and honor to God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—for the blessing of the Word. May He bless you in your studies this quarter.

In His Service,

Dr. T. B. Boyd III

President/CEO

QUARTERLY OVERVIEW

This quarter has three units centering on the overall theme of God’s community of believers. God has expectations for how His people will live: with love and justice.

UNIT I — APRIL

Unit I, The Community of the Beloved Disciple, has four lessons. These lessons consider portions of letters written by Paul and John. The first lesson on Easter focuses on Jesus’ resurrection as the center of our hope and faith. The second lesson focuses on the command to love one another while the third shifts the focus to God’s love for us. The fourth lesson admonishes us to beware of any who preach good news of anything other than Jesus.

UNIT II — MAY

Unit II, One in the Bond of Love, is a four-lesson study done primarily out of 1 Corinthians with insight from Acts. It is an especially appropriate unit for American believers, whose culture is so much like that of Corinth in Paul’s day. The lessons center on what unifies believers. The fifth lesson calls for us to work together in the pursuit of truth. Lesson six discusses the gifts of the Spirit for believers while lesson seven reminds us that unity is through the Spirit, not through any human effort. Lesson eight considers the gift of languages. Lesson nine closes the unit by teaching on the greatest gift—love.

UNIT III — JUNE

Unit III, Amos Rails Against Injustice, all comes out of the book of Amos. This prophet spoke words for God against both Israel and Judah, as discussed in lesson ten. Lesson eleven calls us to remember that we cannot fool God. Lesson twelve admonishes us not to be selfish while the final lesson of the quarter reminds us that God does not forget injustice but will act to rectify what He sees in the world.

Features of Our Adult Christian Life

The Adult Christian Life quarterly (large print) has many features that appeal to Sunday school students ages twenty-five and older. It includes a number of elements to enhance their total learning experience. This quarterly is designed to help students regard their lessons as more than simply a Sunday morning Bible study experience.

Printed Scripture Passages: The King James Version and the New Revised Standard Version are listed side by side so students can easily compare a traditional and contemporary translation of God’s holy Word.

Suggested Opening Exercises: This feature, standard to all Sunday school quarterlies published by R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation, remains a popular feature in all of our Sunday school resources for students and teachers.

Quarterly Overview: This gives a general description of the lessons to be studied during the quarter.

Main Thought: The passage of Scripture most central to the text is featured prominently at the bottom of the lesson.

Online Extras: This feature offers activities, quizzes, and additional resources for outside study via the R.H. Boyd webpage, www.rhboydpublishing.com.

Living the Lesson: This feature contextualizes the lesson truths to stimulate additional questions, interest, or action on the part of the students.

Questions on the Lesson: These questions are designed to help students consider the people involved in the Bible story as they reflect on their own lives.

Home Daily Devotional Readings: This is a traditional favorite feature of our Sunday school books, formerly known as Home Daily Bible Readings.

CONTENTS FOR SECOND QUARTER