Spring 2015 Seek Theme

Freelance submissions due by April 15, 2014 All about us: SEEK® is a magazine created to encourage adults in their walk with Jesus Christ. SEEK® corresponds to the topics of Standard Publishing’s adult curriculum line and is designed to further apply these topics to everyday life.

Dos and Don’ts of writing articles/stories for this theme list: DO read the Scriptures (these will be studied in class), as well as the suggestions of what to write in the Lesson Aims.

DO dig in deeper. DON’T use obvious material the students will likely have studied in class.

DO employ supplemental Scriptures beyond the most well-known passages. DO quote from the King James Version.

DON’T put words in God’s mouth or suggest what God thinks. Quote what He says.

DON’T submit your first thoughts. DO some research (include the sources that verify your information).

DO stick to the desired word count: 850 words minimum, 1000 maximum.

DO use good grammar and spelling. DO rewrite, tighten, and proofread your work.

DO put the intended issue number and its date at the top of your manuscript, or it will be rejected.

No decision will be made on any manuscript prior to the submission due cutoff date. Please e-mail your submissions to seek@standardpub.com.

Quarter titles for Spring 2015: Unit 1, The Pledge of God’s Presence (Issues 1–5); Unit 2, The Community of Beloved Disciples (Issues 6–10); Unit 3, One in the Bond of Love (Issues 11–14).

Issue 1: The Lamb of God (Reliable Testimony) March 1, 2015 Scripture: John 1:29-34 Lesson Aim: John the Baptist testified that Jesus was the Son of God; write something like “10 Ways We Can Testify About Jesus.” Referring to Old Testament passages, explore the significance of Jesus as “the Lamb of God.” Discuss the uniqueness/superiority of Jesus as the Son of God compared to the gods/religious leaders of the world religions, and express gratitude for faith in Jesus.

Issue 2: Another Comforter/Advocate (A Friend by My Side) March 8, 2015 Scripture: John 14:15-26 Lesson Aim: Today’s passage speaks much of obedience and love; discuss why those topics would be related to the upcoming bestowing of the Holy Spirit. List the qualities of a Christian you know to whom people tend to run for comfort/advice. Provide readers with ways to remember—when they feel as if God is absent—that the Holy Spirit is with us and is God himself. Use other Scriptures to show specific things that the Holy Spirit does, and sprinkle in examples of how those things were manifested in the lives of modern-day people.

Issue 3: The Spirit of Truth (Sorrow Turns to Joy) March 15, 2015 Scripture: John 16:4b-15 Lesson Aim: Verse 8 says that the world is wrong about sin, righteousness, and judgment; contrast how the world views those three things against what God’s truth says about them. “Nothing but the Truth” would be a good title for an article that looks at Scriptures that associate truth with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the Gospels, Jesus began many of His statements with “I tell you the truth” (see v. 7); use that idea as the basis for encouraging readers to live daily in the joy of serving a Lord who is truth personified.

Issue 4: The Spirit of Peace (Peace, Power, Presence) March 22, 2015 Scripture: John 20:19-23 Lesson Aim: Testify about a time when the presence of a strong Christian friend brought peace to your heart. Contrast the elusive wish for “world peace” with the attainable reality of living daily with the Spirit of Peace. In this passage, what was Jesus sending the apostles to do? How do we know He sends us in the same way—or does He? Expound on the implications of the apostles’ emotional state prior to Jesus’ post-resurrection appearance here (perhaps they experienced the absence of those three Ps in parenthesis above).

Issue 5: The Son of David (Hail to the Chief) March 29, 2015 (Palm Sunday) Scripture: Mark 11:1-11 Lesson Aim: Note what we expect from earthly leaders, kings, celebrities . . . and compare how Jesus did/didn’t meet similar expectations in His day.

About the borrowed colt, today’s Scripture says, “The Lord needs it” (v. 3, NIV); transfer that thought to modern day—how do we know what we need to put at the Lord’s disposal, and when? In the Luke 19 account of this event, we find in the crowd those who were hostile to Jesus; share true stories of praising Jesus in the midst of a hostile environment.

Issue 6: Believe in the Resurrection (Fully Alive) April 5, 2015 (Easter Sunday) Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, 20-22 Lesson Aim: Without offering any other clues, ask 10 friends to simply finish the sentence: “The most important thing is ____.” Use those responses in an article about why Paul said the resurrection of Jesus is “of first importance” (v. 3, NIV). Report on significant events that shaped how you think/act . . . and include Jesus’ resurrection as one of them. Luke 16:31 says that people determined not to believe in the Lord won’t believe even if they see someone rise from the dead; challenge readers to pray for their unbelieving friends who have head knowledge about Jesus’ resurrection but suffer from “heart problems.”

Issue 7: Love One Another (All We Need Is Love) April 12, 2015 Scripture: 1 John 3:11-24 Lesson Aim: Gather stories about Christians who responded to hate with love. Verse 23 is reminiscent of the two greatest commandments: love God and love each other (Matthew 22:36-40); unwrap the connection between the two loves. Write something like “Must I Show Love When . . . ?” that speaks to acting in love, regardless of feelings, just because God said so.

Issue 8: Trust in God’s Love (Beloved Child) April 19, 2015 Scripture: 1 John 4:13–5:5 Lesson Aim: This passage names several qualities of the person within whom God lives; use those as subheads in an article in which you showcase individuals who exemplified those qualities. A variation of that idea: help readers evaluate themselves in light of those qualities, and provide how-to for improvement. “Perfect love casteth out fear” (v. 18) is a great quote; but what does that mean?—and is it possible to live fearlessly in “perfect love”? Use supporting Scriptures.

Issue 9: Watch Out for Deceivers (Fraud Alert) April 26, 2015 Scripture: 2 John Lesson Aim: “Watch Out!” would be a good title for an article in this issue. Describe two foundational doctrines that Satan typically attacks—the deity of Jesus and the authority of the Scriptures—and prove the importance of Christians standing firm on those. Give readers a number of ways to become better acquainted with the real thing (the Word) in order to recognize the phony (false teachings). Detail some false views of the nature of Jesus (i.e., that He was just a great human teacher, that He was a man who worked His way up to Christhood, etc.). Verse 7 indicates that any spiritual deceiver is an “antichrist”; look up other Scriptures about deception and equip readers with ways to spot deception.

Issue 10: Work Together for the Truth (Let’s Work Together) May 3, 2015 Scripture: 3 John Lesson Aim: Verse 11 tells us to “follow . . . that which is good”; research Scriptures that mention specific “good” things we are to follow and suggest practical ways to do so. The hospitality in verses 6-8 seems to be in connection with assisting Christians who were traveling as they did the Lord’s work; enumerate various ways we can partner with Christians who are doing the Lord’s work today—both with regularly scheduled efforts and also with spur-of-the-moment needs. Use the verse 7 phrase “for his name’s sake” as the launching point for reminding readers of our purpose for working together.

Issue 11: Gifts of the Spirit (Unity in Diversity) May 10, 2015 Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 Lesson Aim: Address the danger of our becoming jealous of others’ gifts/talents rather than praising God for the way He has brought the right people together to accomplish His purpose. Write something like “Spiritual Gifts from the Dark Side,” warning readers about occult “gifts” like clairvoyance and mediumistic abilities; reference Scripture, and use other authoritative sources. Report on a time when God worked in unusual ways to reveal someone’s special gift.

Issue 12: One Body; Many Members (The Whole Is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts) May 17, 2015 Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 Lesson Aim: Talk about seasons when we feel forced to fill a need and are, therefore, frustrated at not being able to serve in our area of giftedness/passion. Show readers how to develop an attitude of “I get to do” vs. “I have to do” when it comes to serving. Answer the question: How can I remain humble when my gifts put me in the spotlight? Share Bible or modern-day stories of people who remained in the background but had significant impact. Challenge readers to let their understanding of today’s passage spill over beyond their church circle and into their attitude in the everyday workplace.

Issue 13: Gift of Languages (From Nonsense to Sense) May 24, 2015 Scripture: Acts 2:1-7, 12; 1 Corinthians 14:13-19 Lesson Aim: In Acts 2, God provided an amazing way (a way we’d never have thought of!) to overcome the language barrier; review some other Bible accounts where God’s solutions were astonishing—and then lead readers to praise Him for His wonderful involvement in our lives. Looking at verses 15 and 19, write a three-point article about how to pray, sing, and speak with understanding. Testify of a time you visited a church where a foreign language was spoken; what enabled you to worship effectively there, in spite of the language barrier?

Issue 14: The Greatest Is Love (Love Never Ends) May 31, 2015 Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13 Lesson Aim: For this issue we need more than a shallow overview of love. Dig deep. One example: take one of the ideas in this Scripture (like “love is patient”) and share details of a single story about someone who exhibited patient love in a difficult situation. The four “all things” words in verse 7 would be good subheads for an article; profile four different people who each lived out one of the four actions. Write something like “So Much More Than Romance,” in which you explain some deeper meanings of love—and offer Scriptures that will help readers imitate those. Offer practical advice about focusing on eternal things rather than temporary things.