Jesus' Scare Tactics

 There is one example of Jesus using guilt and fear -- scare tactics -- on His listeners. It's an audience He summoned. The scribes. Summoned like demons! The pen-men of the day. Rewriting scripture their own way. And getting it very wrong. 

Check out Mark 3:22-30

Jesus tells them they must stop labeling God's work as belonging to the Devil. That kind of blasphemy will glug up your heart so hard-and-fast you'll be completely deaf to the ever gentle voice of the Holy Spirit. The unpardonable -- because you're unreachable -- sin.

Jesus loved even the religious leaders who hunted and harassed Him. He didn't want them to miss or misname God's voice. He wanted them to be drawn to Him the way Nicodemus was. Seeking. Teachable. Even if it was at night.

Jesus meets people where they are. And if they're hell-bent on leading themselves or others off a spiritual cliff… He will pull out all the stops to save them.

You Already Have the Perfect Church Growth Strategy!

A healthy and thriving Seventh-day Adventist Church has an effective Sabbath School program. Declining Adventist churches are almost always also declining in Sabbath School effectiveness. Since before we had a name, it was our backbone. Sabbath School created the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 

Focused on Bible study, evangelism, and fellowship, Sabbath School is a powerful platform for church growth. When focused correctly, Sabbath School nurtures both the spiritual health of each member and the numerical growth of the congregation. Sabbath School classes, embedded with effective strategies and principles, will grow your church.

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Sabbath School Succession Planning

For healthy Sabbath School classes, having a succession plan ensures continuity of spiritual growth, effective ministry, and the empowerment of new leaders.

Succession planning is not merely a strategy for replacing leaders; it’s a means to ensure that God’s work continues to flourish. When Moses was nearing the end of his life, God instructed him to appoint Joshua as his successor (see Numbers 27:18-23). Moses laid hands on Joshua, commissioning him to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land.

Here are some key principles of succession planning.

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Sabbath School Starters - Meme Texting

As Christians, we are often told to avoid postmodern approaches to life and thinking. In truth, most of us are postmoderns. We were born here in the middle of it. We love a good proof-text (or should I say ‘meme’?) to start our day, a conversation or just for a personal pick-me-up.

A proof text is a lot like a meme. It speaks to us in our context using a simplification of something larger. Memes include pictures for context and a few pithy words for meaning. Proof-texting, likewise, uses just a few words. But, the picture is painted by the reader - and this is where things get messy. 

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Sabbath School Hijackers

We’ve all had Sabbath School hijackers! You know the situation - no matter how much you tried to guide things back on track, one individual kept steering the discussion their way, and soon the group lost its focus. These kinds of "discussion hijackers" can really disrupt the flow of your class. Here’s a great article about four types of hijackers you might encounter and how to handle them effectively.

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