I hope everyone has a wonderful, joy-filled, Merry Christmas with family and friends. May Christ's gift of salvation be celebrated in all you do!

The teaching helps won't be available again until January 3. If you need some help preparing be sure to check out the following links:

• Reconnect Sunday School Session Commentary
• LifeWay Extra Teaching Ideas
• LifeWay Explore The Bible Blog

Have you ever wished to wipe the slate clean and start over? We all have had times when we wished this to happen. In LifeWay's Explore The Bible Study: Factory Reconditioned (My title for the session "Family?"), we observe a man, Jacob, who was known for deception, get a taste of his own medicine. God was showing Jacob what deception felt like because God was not finished with Jacob. He had a plan and he continued to "recondition" Jacob's heart so that he could experience all God had promised.

The main scripture passage is Genesis 29:16-30. The downloadable teaching helps focus on helping you and your group understand that, while Jacob was very flawed, God still had a plan. Yet, with his imperfections came consequences that weren't very pleasant. He was given a dose of his own deception by his now father-in-law, Laban.

Consider all the problems Jacob experienced. Jacob had a problem with lying. His first wife, Leah, struggled with feeling unloved because Jacob really only wanted to marry her sister, Rachel. Then Rachel struggled with anger over infertility. They all had flaws, weaknesses, and imperfections. Yet God continued to “recondition” their hearts and used them to bring about His purposes and fulfill His promises.

Video Options: The following is a suggested option for guiding the Bible study:

Even today, we see how God works through imperfect people. This does not give us an excuse as believers to live as we wish; for the Scriptures tell us to: “not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires.  And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness.” - Romans 6:12-13 (CSB)

Perhaps you feel as if you can’t be used by God because you are imperfect. Allow God to “recondition” you into a vessel that is still useful. He not only reconditions but remakes you. It is a process, but God has a plan that includes you, and He desires for you to join Him in this plan.

We may feel as if we are alone at times. If we believe in Christ, then we should not forget that God is always present with us. We should be ready and looking for God to speak. When He speaks we should listen; we should commemorate what God says; and we should change the way we live after He speaks. This is the content of this week's Explore the Bible Study: Not Alone.

Loneliness is something we will all most likely experience at some point in our lives. We can be surrounded with people, or walking down a crowded street, or spending time with family, and still feel alone. That feeling of aloneness can be overwhelming.

Whether our loneliness is due to our own sinful choices as was the case with Jacob, or because of circumstances beyond our control, God still desires to redeem us and to realign us with His purposes and plans. Let’s see what we can learn from how God worked with someone who was definitely a flawed human being, to remind him of God's grace, presence, and promises.

The Downloadable Teaching Ideas provide a guide for helping the group move through Genesis 28:10-22.

The following link provides an overview of the passage that you will find helpful as you prepare: CLICK TO VIEW

How far would you go to get what you want? Would you resort to deception, even if it meant destroying your integrity, family relationships, or your Christian witness? Sadly, we see people choosing to deceive all too often. LifeWay's Explore The Bible Study: The Deceiver, will focus on helping us learn to avoid the temptation to deceive one another for personal gain.

The downloadable teaching ideas provide you with some contextual information that should help you introduce and conclude the session. It references two key verses that are important to understanding Rebekah's lack of trust in God and the ungodly motives on which she acted. These verses are:

• And the Lord said to her: Two nations are in your womb [Jacob & Esau]; two peoples will come from you and be separated. One people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger (Genesis 25:23 CSB).
• Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for wild game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. (Genesis 25:28 CSB)

There are two options provided in the Downloadable Teaching Ideas for guiding the Bible Study. 

One idea suggests using the video below to guide the study of Genesis 27:18-29.

Did you actually take a peak before Christmas at your gifts under the tree when you were a kid? I know I did! I just couldn't wait any longer without doing something to find out what was in my packages. As followers of Christ, we can not only look forward with anticipation to the celebration of Christ the baby each year, but we also have the privilege of anticipating the second return of Christ! The Explore the Bible Study: Anticipation, will help us learn what we are to do while we anticipate the return of Christ.

We are coming to the end of our study of James. In James 5:7-20, we are given some imperatives regarding how  we should live while we anticipate the return of Christ.

OUTLINE
The downloadable teaching ideas will follow this progression and make the following points. Be sure to check out the discussion and information provided.

• Be Patient as you Anticipate the Lord's Return - James 5:7-11
• Be Consistent as you Anticipate the Lord's Return - James 5:12
• Be a Prayer Warrior as you Anticipate the Lord's Return - James 5:13-17
• Be a Restorer as you Anticipate the Lord's Return - James 5:19-20

I certainly don't recommend this, but if you search the internet for articles or other information related to the subject of submission, you will discover just how perverted and polluted this concept is portrayed in our culture today. Yet, from God's point of view, this is not a bad or demeaning word. This is what this week's Explore The Bible study: Submission, will help us understand.

Our TARGET this week is this statement: "We are to submit our entire lives to God." The downloadable teaching ideas contain an outline that first focuses on what it means to submit to God based on James' use of the term in James 4:7. It then outlines these areas that we are to submit to God:

1. We are to submit our positions (our view of ourselves) -- James 4:8-10
2. We are to submit our opinions (our view of others) -- James 4:11-12
3. We are to submit our plans -- James 4:13-16

Here is an overview of James 4:1-12 that you might find helpful as you prepare this session.

An undisciplined tongue can wreck homes, inflame emotions, obliterate reputations, destroy businesses, and send nations to war. A committed, disciplined tongue can inspire holiness, encourage forgiveness, and glorify God. Considering the political and social climate of our country today, this week's LifeWay Explore The Bible Study: Control, comes at a very appropriate time.

The session will focus on James 3:1-12 with a TARGET focused on the following:


The downloadable teaching ideas suggest closing out by using the following verses as a means for the group to consider areas in which they need to ask God to help them control their tongues.

1 Peter 3:10 | Colossians 4:6 | Ephesians 4:29 | Proverbs 10:19 | Proverbs 15:4 | Proverbs 15:28 | Proverbs 21:23 | Psalm 141:3 | Proverbs 12:18 | Proverbs 15:1 | James 1:26 | Psalm 52:2

James uses three analogies in order to illustrate the power of the tongue in James 3:3-6

• Bit – The rider of a horse uses a bit to control and govern a wild, unmanageable horse. Though the bit is small, its use gives riders the potential for turning the animal in whatever direction they wish.
• Rudder – In gales and violent winds, pilots use the rudder to guide the ship to safety or point it in the direction of intended travel. Compared to the size of a ship, the rudder was very small, but its importance in controlling the ship demanded careful attention in its use.
• Fire – A small spark can quickly grow to a raging forest fire destroying everything in its path.

Like the bit for the horse and the rudder for the ship, the tongue is small in comparison to the body and yet has powerful potential to achieve great results, both good and bad. It can stir up violence or promote peace. It can crush the spirit or soothe the discouraged. Like a small spark in a parched forest, the tongue can spark a fire that can turn into a raging, destructive force that is virtually impossible to contain without first wielding unimaginable damage on everything and everyone in its path.

James' conclusion in James 3:7-12 that, while humankind can tame wild animals, they can't tame their tongues without outside help. First, we have no hope of controlling our tongue without first surrendering our life to Christ.  Then, we must constantly ask the Holy Spirit to take control of our speech, since we are not capable of controlling it on our own. The good news is, the Holy Spirit can and will help us control our speech if we ask Him to.

Curtis Vaughan ,in James: A Study Guide, has warned, "A ready tongue without an informed mind, a devout character, and a holy life will hinder rather than advance the cause of Christ. It is extremely easy for vanity, self-conceit, and spiritual pride to creep in."

Let’s strive to never be guilty of having a tongue that hinders someone from being saved or growing in their faith.

We live in an age when many people limit faith to the mere verbal affirmation of "I believe." In LifeWay's Explore The Bible Study: Works, James warns us that people who have correct belief and an empty life are quite deceived. They must have a faith which produces visible evidence of commitment to Jesus Christ.

Why is it that when we walk by mirrors we always want to stop and make sure we look o.k.? Maybe it's because it reveals anything that might need to be corrected. James describes the Bible as being like a mirror. When we look into the mirror of God’s Word, we begin to see what kind of people we are. Sometimes that view is not very pleasant. It can be easy to turn away and forget unless we become doers of God’s Word. LifeWay's Explore the Bible Study: Obedience, explores this in the book of James.

We often respond to stressful situations or other pressures with ungodly actions, which derail our path toward growing in spiritual maturity. In today’s passage, James challenges believers not to cave into pressures, treat people poorly, or turn to sin when we are facing trials. In the middle of his challenge, he uses the analogy of a mirror to emphasize his main point.

What do you do when life comes crashing in around you? What if you experienced what people who went through Hurricane Michael experienced? As I spent time preparing to teach this week's Explore the Bible Study: With Perseverance, I searched for video illustrations. As I read comments below the videos, my heart was saddened by the cold, callous, hardened hearts of so many. It seems that they hate God and hate people who love God. While they were making fun of the people of faith, the people of faith were trying to stand strong and demonstrate the hope they have in Christ. 

We must be a light to this dark world when faced with our own trials and temptations. We must stand strong and demonstrate that our trials make us stronger in our faith. Our witness and endurance demonstrate the light of Christ, the light of hope in the wake of dismal circumstances that will pierce the darkness of so many hearts. This is why the book of James is so important. We need to stand strong in our faith and demonstrate through our good works that Christ is real and that the gospel does change everything in our lives.

As you prepare to lead the session, consider using illustrations from one or both of the following recent events: Hurricane Michael and/or the release of Pastor Brunson from prison in Turkey. The downloadable teaching plans provide direction on how to use these events to guide the discussion.

In addition, the following videos could be used as well:

Do you remember the nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty? As you know, Humpty took a pretty bad fall. But, if you recall, "all the kings men tried to put Humpty back together again"! This should remind us of our responsibilities as believers to help restore one another when we are overtaken by sin and take a fall. This is the focus of this week's Explore the Bible study: True Compassion.

There are several options in this week's downloadable teaching helps. You might want to use the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme as a part of the LOOK UP portion of your session.

If you are really brave, or have a younger adult audience, consider opening with the following video as a part of your introduction:


While the Explore the Bible suggested biblical text includes Galatians 6:1-10 and verses 14-15, I plan on only focusing on Galatians 6:1-10 in order to remain focused on the TARGET for the session:

1. Pick Them Up - Galatians 6:1
2. Hold Them Up - Galatians 6:2-5
3. Build Them Up - Galatians 6:6-10

I grew up in central Florida in a town called Frostproof. My dad, as well as many others in our small town, owned fruit (oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, etc) groves. I learned a lot while working with my dad in the grove. While I didn't appreciate it then, I now look back on those days and understand more fully his love for this work. That education in the grove has also helped me understand more fully what it means for me and all believers in Christ to produce the right kind of fruit. This is why the study of Galatians 5:13-26 is so special as Paul describes the good and the bad fruit that can be produced in a person's life. This is our focus in this week's Explore the Bible Study: True Fruit.

The study uses the fruit grove analogy throughout. I suggest you bring a bag of oranges or apples to your group session for illustration. Or, you might want to prepare a fruit tray to share with the group and to use as a part of your ongoing discussion. The downloadable teaching ideas provide more instructions on how to do this.

Paul contrasts the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and the fruit (singular) He produces versus the works (plural) of the flesh. Use your material and additional helps to help your group understand these contrasts and to emphasize the power of the Holy Spirit to produce His good fruit in us.

Video Option: The following video could be used at the end to illustrate how a man, once enslaved to the "works of the flesh" (Galatians 5:19-21), is not producing the fruit of the Spirit in his life.

This is what “works of the flesh” does to a believer. These works sprout up in our lives and rob the good fruit of needed nutrients. They choke out the good fruit that the Spirit desires to produce. This is why constant care should be taken in our walk with Christ. Like a fruit grove or orchard, ongoing nurture, good nutrients, pruning, and other activities are required in order to assure that good fruit is produced. If you are a believer, the Spirit resides in you; therefore you can produce good fruit!

I pray you will be able to communicate this clearly to your group this week.

According to a report from the National Reentry Resource Center, of 404,638 people released from state prisons in 30 states in 2005, 67.8 percent were arrested within 3 years of release, and 76.6 percent within 5 years of release. Why would so many people who have been granted freedom be willing give up their freedom so easily? This question is one we ask when we see people seemingly walk away from the freedom they have in Christ. Why would anyone who has experienced salvation willingly go back to an old, destructive, and enslaving way of life? This was Paul's question in Galatians 4 that is a part of this week's Explore The Bible Study: True Freedom.

This week's session is fairly simple, yet thought-provoking. It will lead your group to think about why people would want to become enslaved again to sin after experiencing freedom in Christ, how we should respond to helping them, and if we would allow someone to talk with us as Paul talked with the Galatian believers when they began to drift.

Ultimately, the session is designed to emphasize the fact that we have a choice in life as believers - to become enslaved by the sins and influences of the past, or to grow in our faith so we can experience the freedom Christ has provided for us.

LOOK UP IDEAS (For Introducing the Session)
Here are a few more statistics included in the downloadable teaching plan that you could use to introduce the session:

According to statistics from Promises Treatment Centers, the following takes place with people who have been freed from various additions.
(source: https://www.promises.com/articles/sobering-look-addiction-relapse-rates/)

I have a wonderful, precious great-niece (I'm too young to have a great niece!), who was adopted several years ago. To know what her life was like before adoption and to see her thriving and growing in her new family is such a blessing! While I haven't personally experienced earthly adoption, I have been adopted into God's family because I received Christ as my Savior. What an amazing gift God has given us! As Galatians 4:6-7 states, we believers are adopted into God's forever family, receiving all rites and privileges of being sons and heirs, and we can call God, "Father". This is what Paul describes in our Explore the Bible Study: True Heirs.

HELPS FOR GUIDING YOUR GROUP
Here are a few things you will find in the downloadable supplemental teaching plans. The image of the adoption certificate above is available as a document that is suggested to be used throughout the session.  CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ADOPTION CERTIFICATE

Video Options for the Introduction (LOOK UP):
Suggestions for Studying the Biblical Text (LOOK IN)

Galatians 3:24-26 - Contrast the difference between being in a guardianship (foster home) with being adopted.

Galatians 3:27-28 - Explain the following phrases Paul uses to describe our relationship with Christ.

• You have been clothed with Christ - Galatians 3:27
• You are all one in Christ - Galatians 3:28. CAUTION: See notes regarding the explanation of Paul's use of the phrase, male and female.

From cults, to world religions, to vain philosophies, everyone feels as if there is something more . . . or less, that they can do in order to experience true life. These views leave people, including many believers, confused and frustrated about what true life really is and how it can be attained. LifeWay's Explore the Bible Study: True Life, will help us focus on what truly, or should I say "Who" truly gives us life!

We have heard the song "Amazing Grace" sung at nationally televised funerals over the past couple of weeks. John McCain's funeral and memorials actually included multiple arrangements and Jennifer Hudson sang an arrangement at Aretha Franklin’s funeral. This special song has endured for more than two centuries, offering hope to those grieving or searching for meaning to life. But, do people really understand grace, or is this just a pretty song that tugs at the heart strings? Paul helps us answer that question in this weeks Explore The Bible Study: True Grace.

BACKGROUND HELPS

Galatians 2: Justification by Faith, Alistair Begg


TEACHING IDEAS
More ideas can be found in the downloadable teaching plans.

Audio Option for Galatians 2:11-14
Listen as Dr. J. Vernon McGee humorously describes what took place between Peter and Paul regarding eating unclean food. The audio continues as long as you desire to listen. Feel free to use the section describing Peter's view of eating with the Gentiles.
CLICK TO LISTEN: http://blb.sc/002iJd

Three Options for closing out your session in celebration of God's Amazing Grace.

Fake news has become a catch phrase for our society today. We are always challenged to verify if something is accurate when we hear or read it. This scrutiny should drive us to be more diligent in accurately sharing the gospel message. Adding additional things to the purity of the gospel turns the gospel into no gospel at all, thus creating fake news! This session, True Gospel, gives you a chance to teach the essential and only elements of the gospel while challenging your group to learn how to accurately articulate the gospel to those who have never heard, are confused, or have been led away by a counterfeit gospel. The gospel is not only good news it is REAL NEWS!

Explore the Bible curriculum focuses on the study of Galatians and James during the coming weeks. We will spend time viewing the gospel from two vantage points. In Galatians, Paul spoke to those trying to obtain salvation by means other than the pure unadulterated gospel, and James speaks to those who claimed to have salvation but their lives did not exhibit any visible evidence. The two books serve as companions to one another as the gospel is clearly defined and explained.

We begin by focusing on Galatians. Paul's heart was broken by the way believers were led astray as ours should also be. We face the same challenges today as the gospel becomes diluted by man's opinions in order to accommodate our sins or to manipulate others.

As you prepare to study and present this week's session consider using the following in your background study:

Trevin Wax blog, 6 Counterfeit Gospels. Use the material to help with leading your group to identify the inaccuracies in each statement that is provided as a part of the downloadable teaching ideas.

Galatians 1:1-5, The Man and His Message, Alistair Begg




The downloadable teaching plans provide a series of inaccurate statements about the gospel that could be used to help your group determine how to avoid embracing these beliefs and helping others understand the truth about the gospel.

By now, many children are returning to school and teachers are preparing to lay out the rules for the classroom and the discipline that would be given to those who choose to break the rules. Teachers work tirelessly, not only to teach, but to provide an environment where individuals learn the consequences of their actions in the classroom. This weeks Explore The Bible Study: Disciplined will focus on David's response when he realized he had "broken the rules" (sinned) God had outlined.

This will be the final session from 2 Samuel. It will focus on David’s realization that he had sinned, the resulting consequences, the discipline of the Lord upon David (and Israel), and the restoration that took place.

As you lead this session, consider using some of the ideas below that are outlined further in the downloadable teaching ideas. There is much more content in this session, so consider working to summarize further the downloadable plan based on the amount of time you have for leading your group.

IDEAS FOR LOOK UP (GETTING THE GROUP ATTENTION)
Display the image at the top of this blog post (Consequences for Breaking a Rule) or write the following on a poster or whiteboard: Consequences (1) Verbal Warning; (2) Loss of Privilege; (3) Seat Change; (4) Meet with Teacher; (5) Call Home; (6) Parent Conference; (7) Meet with Principal.

In order to contextualize the events that created the consequences and prompted God’s discipline, consider using the following:

• Exodus 30:11-16. A census was not something that was wrong, but for David to do it was wrong! Taking the census was a sin for him possibly for the following reasons: (1) David’s motives could have been wrong – possibly for self-aggrandizement. (2) David may have wanted to “know how many” Israelite males above the age of twenty there were in Israel in order to be able to boast more accurately.In addition, much like when David attempted to return of the ark to The City of David, it was not done in the correct manner. David did not require all enrolled males to pay the half-shekel ransom required by the Torah, an oversight guaranteed to bring a plague against Israel.
• 2 Samuel 24:1-4 and 1 Chronicles 21:1-7. We see in these passages that the Lord was angry with the people of Israel for some unspecified reason. This rebellion spilled over into David’s life; therefore, God allowed Satan to “stir up” David against them as further explained in these passages. Notice in both of these passages that Joab tried to warn David, but David ignored his warnings. We should listen to those around us when we are drifting toward sin.

Imagine sitting down with others and sharing everything you have learned and experienced about God. If you are like me, you might begin by describing His work of salvation in your heart; then you might move to sharing about times in your life when God became very real to you because of how He worked in your life. Your story reaches a crescendo and excitement swells within you as you share, and you feel as if you could do the impossible because of God's greatness. This is the story of King David in our passages this week from the Explore The Bible Study: Thankful. He could not contain his praise or his thanksgiving for all God did and all God is. He had to say "thank you," and he wanted everyone to know about it!

As you lead the group to focus on David's thankfulness during the session consider the following:

Compare 2 Samuel 22:26-28 with the following paraphrases in order to lead the group to learn how to communicate God's responses to our virtues and vices.

Copy, cut, and distribute these verses to individuals in the group to read.
The Message (2 Samuel 22:26-28) 26You stick by people who stick with you, you're straight with people who're straight with you, 27You're good to good people, you shrewdly work around the bad ones. 28You take the side of the down-and-out, but the stuck-up you takes down a peg.	The New Living Translation (2 Samuel 22:26-28) 26“To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. 27To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the wicked you show yourself hostile. 28You rescue the humble, but your eyes watch the proud and humiliate them.

Guide the group to identify the descriptions of God David includes in 2 Samuel 22:29-36 as he praises God for who He is and what He has done. 

Below is the list that is included in the downloadable teaching ideas along with some discussion suggestions. The descriptions should cause all of us to say "thank you" and express our praise to God!

• He is a Lamp (v. 29) – “David told God that He was his lamp, the means by which he navigated trough the darkness of life.” (Daily Discipleship Guide, p.105). How is God your lamp in this dark world?
• He is a powerful God! (v. 30) – Did David really believe he could do what he describes, or he is saying, “because of You, I feel as if I could attack a barricade and leap over a wall”? (David's faith was so strong that he felt as if God could enable him to do anything! This is how we should all feel about God when we realize who He is! It means that with the courage God gives him, he is willing to assault a stronghold.)
• His way is perfect (v. 31)
• His word is pure (v. 31)
• He is a shield (v. 31) – When you read that God is a shield, what comes to mind? How has God shielded or protected you?
• He is the only God (v. 32)
• He is a rock (v. 32)
• He is my strong refuge (v. 33) – Describe a time when you have sought refuge in God.
• He makes my way perfect (v. 33)
• He makes my feet like the feet of a deer (v. 34) –Who could describe the way a deer runs through the woods? (Deer are sure-footed on uneven terrain, can leap seemingly without effort and take high ground, can escape danger with great speed, and move with beautiful grace. By analogy, David meant that, with God, he could face obstacles and dangers without being in a stumbling panic.)
• He sets me securely on the heights (v. 34) – Imagine standing securely on the top of a mountain plateau. How does this help you understand David’s description of God?
• He trains my hands for war (v. 35) – How does this apply to believers today? – see Ephesians 6:12. (David is so excited because of what he knows about God, he believes he could bend a bow of bronze!)
• He gives us the shield of salvation (v. 36) – This is probably the source for Paul’s metaphor of Christian armor in Ephesians 6:11-17, although Paul spoke of a “shield of faith” and a “helmet of salvation.” For Paul, armor is a vivid illustration of spiritual conflict; it is waged with prayer and is fought against Satan. David had more literal combat in mind.
• He exalts me (v. 36) – What does Matthew 23:12 say needs to take place in order for God to exalt us? (We must be humble). David knew this first-hand because he had been humbled many times. David was not bragging about being exalted. He was praising God for doing what only God could have done in his life.