Riverside's Discovery Hour happens at 9AM every Sunday morning except on Holidays. Adult classes and discussions are offered to help adults at various stages in their spiritual journeys develop relationships with others and engage the Bible in relevant and meaningful ways. Most adult classes are held in the sanctuary, but some are occasionally held in other parts of Riverside's facility. Click here to learn more about our Children's Ministry Promiseland Discovery Hour</a>, which also takes place at 9AM.
Discovery Hour
E100 Week 8 Discovery Hour
Thursday, March 11th, 2010Lesson from Sunday March 7th, 2010
Today we will focus on the book of Proverbs from which we read two days this last week. Proverbs is a particular type of writing in the Bible, referred to as Wisdom Literature. This includes the book of Ecclesiastes and parts of Job and the book of James in the New Testament. Proverbs are concise statements which capture key insights about life in a memorable manner. Key features include this memorableness, the way they work with word pictures (one commentator calls the book of Proverbs the photo album of the Bible), their poetic form (particularly the use of metaphor and parallelism), and their focus on experience. There is an interesting twist on this last point, however, in that even as proverbs focus on concrete human experience, they also teach profound truths. This combination of simplicity and complexity is a hallmark. For example, “he who loves money will not be satisfied with money” is a profound statement based on a very understandable first premise (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
Importance of Prayer: Session 8 "Intercessory Prayer"
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010Lesson from Sunday, February 28th, 2010
What is it? In normal English usage, intercession is the act of interceding (intervening or mediating) between two parties. In our Christian framework it is prayer to God on behalf of another person or persons.
Intercessory prayer invites us into God’s care and concern for us, our families and friends, and the entire world. No concern is too trivial for God to receive with loving attention. The importance of intercessory prayer can be measured by the prominence given to it in the Scriptures. So, let’s examine:
E100 Week 8 Discovery Hour
Sunday, February 28th, 2010Lesson from Sunday February 28, 2010
This week the passages covered the fall of Israel as the nation moved from being united under one king to being divided, under separate kings. David’s sin with Bathsheba and Solomon’s failure to pass a strong faith on to his son play a large part in this. Still, both David and Solomon do great things for God. This continues what is now a familiar pattern: God uses flawed people to lead his people and advance his kingdom. When the Lord appears to Solomon and asks him what request he might grant for him (passage) he asks for wisdom, saying, “I am only a child” (3:7). He is generally thought to be about 20 years old at this time as he takes on the role of king.
Importance of Prayer: Session 7 “Conversations with God”
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010Lesson from Sunday, February 21st, 2010
Conversational Prayer
Reflect on some N.T. experiences of early Christians in group prayer.
- Peter went to the house of Mary where many were gathered for prayer. Acts12:12
- “They all joined together constantly in prayer“. Acts 1:13-14
Reflect on your personal experience of praying aloud in a group.
___Almost never? ___Occasionally? ___Often?
E100 Week 7 Discovery Hour
Sunday, February 21st, 2010Lesson from Sunday February 21, 2010
The readings for this week focus on the transition in leadership from Samuel to Saul to David. We will focus on Saul, as David will be the focus of the message this week during the service. Saul takes up the throne reluctantly, hiding among the baggage so Samuel cannot anoint him (10:22), and then, to put it mildly, makes a mess of it. In his last speech, which takes place as he is retiring from leadership and after he has anointed Saul as King, Samuel repeats the language of the covenant that is to between the people and Yahweh. It is the covenant first made with Abraham, then Isaac, Jacob, Moses and the Judges:
E100 Week 6 Discovery Hour
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010Lesson from Sunday February 14, 2010
There is a very obvious pattern presented in the book of Judges, it is one of cycles in which the people fall away from their faith commitment, experience the consequences, cry out to God for help, receive the help, and then, sadly, start the cycle again. To wit: “After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord …” (Judges 2:10-11). This last phrase is repeated at Judges 3:7, 12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6. This has been referred to as the second generation syndrome and/or as the spiritual law of entropy and some feel it can be observed not only in individuals but also in organizations like churches and schools as well as countries like our own. Another way this same idea is expressed is that God has no grandchildren, only children. This emphasizes the need every person has to be in relationship with Christ.
