FRIDAY

SCRIPTURE: Colossians 3:17

As we come to the end of the week and reflect on the passages we have considered, let’s return to the Key Verse: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).

Now that you have had time to reflect more deeply, how does this passage speak with richer meaning about what it means to build a sanctuary or a church community in a way that reflects the character of God in our lives and reveals it to those around us?

• What new insights have you gained about what God is seeking to build in us and with us? How have your views of church been changed or strengthened?

• Where are the growing edges for you as you seek to embody what it means to be the people of God before attempting to do the work of God?

• Where do you sense resistance, either in yourself or within the church community, when it comes to embracing the kind of community Scripture describes? What forms does that resistance take? What do you think it may be about?

• How do you see yourself participating in a mature and growing community that supports one another in love and serves those around it?

• The Adventist community often understands itself as part of a movement in which “the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state” as Daniel 8:14 suggests. What additional insights does this week’s lesson offer about what that restoration might include?

• As you reflect on this week, what do you sense God inviting you to consider or more fully embrace? Where might God be gently nudging you?