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QUESTION 4^LESSON 11 (Ephesians 6:18a; Jude 20; Romans 8:26-27) In the list of elements of the Full Armor of God, where does the Spirit show himself? The Spirit shows himself at the mention of the offensive item, the “double-edged” sword of the Spirit in the form of the Word of God and Prayer in the Spirit. Why is Spirit-directed prayer so important for the believer? Once you become a believer with the Spirit living in you, battle lines are soon drawn up in the spiritual world. Paul confirms this when he states that, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12) Basically we do not know how to pray in order to counter spiritual foes, but the Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. In order to fight under the sea, you need to be able to transverse under the seas with weapons that are effective in that environment. It is obvious here that the weapon of choice is the double-edged sword made up of the Word of God and Prayer in the Spirit. How have you experienced this is your life? Yes, indeed when we got married we were childless for 7 years all sorts of tests showed no problems. We then went to a mission where my sister who is a nun was stationed. We were advised to confess and the priest-in-charge of the mission, the friars and nuns joined us in Spiritual prayer and in that year my wife conceived and right now we are grandparents with my daughter giving birth to her second baby boy on Monday 19 November 2018 as I started my 11th Lesson of the Guide to the Holy Spirit. What a wonderful gift from Almighty God as I finish this awesome 11-week course.

QUESTION 3^LESSON 11. (Ephesians 5:18-20) How is singing worship linked to being filled with the Spirit? After admonishing the Ephesians on the danger of getting drunk on wine, Paul does not leave them in a vacuum. He gives an alternative in the form of getting filled with the Spirit. He goes on to explain how speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs would help in getting them filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18-19). How is singing worship linked to joy? When Paul suggested an alternative to drunkenness he implies that the joy the Ephesians realize in drinking and debauchery could be substituted by a purer joy that can be experienced by people filled with the Spirit. When we praise God with all or hearts, all our minds and all our souls we can spontaneously become aware of God’s presence with us and with that awareness comes joy.

QUESTION 2^LESSON 11 (2 Corinthians 3:18) Why is character change directly related to time deliberately spent in God's presence? Because character change is like an apprenticeship. It can also be equated to insects in the pupa or chrysalides stage. It takes time for the morphing to be completed. One needs to be guided gently and to be imparted with new knowledge that did not exist in the subject’s realm. Spending quality time with God is like a tennis player spending a lot of time in the courts practicing in the presence of the coach. When we spend time in God’s presence we learn more about his character and get to trust His Word and listen to His instructions to do the right thing. Have you noticed a change in the "degree of glory" you're experiencing now compared to a few years ago? Yes, indeed I have noticed changes in my character. I am more patient and do not complain at every turn. I no longer have an urge to meet people in a pub. I am more tolerant and forgiving. I accept that I am not the center but a fringe player where serving is more than being at the high table. Why or why not? The changes I mention above are a direct result of my commitment to learn more about the Good News and to take more time in praying and to pray before an assignment whether secular or business. I also realized that all of the successes I attributed to myself were in fact God’s grace and mercy. I now believe I am like a vehicle with no fuel and cannot get anywhere unless I get refilled at the gas station. Jesus, through the Holy Spirit is that gas station where I need re-filling of my spirit by the Spirit of God.

QUESTION 1^LESSON 11 (John 15:1-8) Why do we need to abide in Jesus? Primarily we need to abide in Jesus so that reciprocally He abides in us. Additionally, when Jesus abides in us we can bear fruits, not any type of fruit but fruits that have the character of the ‘vine’ Jesus, fruits that bring glory to God the Father. The fruit from branches connected to a vine is the grape. What is the nature of the fruit that comes from being connected to Jesus? The nature of the fruit that comes from being connected to Jesus have the character of Jesus. The fruit will have characteristics like being compassionate, loving, forgiving, prayerful, patient, serving and humble among others. Is it accurate to define fruit as "souls saved"? No it is not accurate, being saved is like getting a boarding passing, there will still be more formalities to be attended to before you get on the plane and fly. What is the danger in this definition? Using my boarding pass analogy, one could fail to get through the clearance checks and fail to get on board the flight. In Christian terms and relevant to this lesson, one could be saved but because they are not in Jesus and Jesus is not in them those “sous saved” will not produce the expected fruit but instead a variety of unrighteous fruits. Once connected one needs to continuously receive nourishment. This is similar to being connected to the internet with no data bundles.

4_LESSON. QUESTION (1 Samuel 3:1-10) Why is Samuel's servant attitude such an important preparation for hearing God's voice? Being subservient means one is going to be listening to the master and is ready to carry out instructions without question. Obedience will be useful in respecting what is heard. We can conclude that because Samuel was humble and obedient, he was comfortable to honour God and call him Lord. He was ready to do his Master’s bidding as a servant. He was also in listening mode like an athlete waiting on the starting block to hear the sound of the gun before taking off. Samuel was listening so that he would carry out the instruction that he would hear from God. Why is surrender to Jesus such an important element of discipleship? We come across this verse, "He took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray." (Luke 9:28b) It is evident Jesus was grooming Peter, John, James for discipleship beyond his time on earth. Surrendering to Jesus is like signing a contract. The benefits promised by Jesus accrue on surrendering. He promised those who believed in him (surrendered) to be provided with the ‘Comforter or Counselor’ who would guide, teach, strengthen and protect those under his wing. With the pattern which Jesus practiced, finding a Quiet Time to pray and acquainting oneself with God’s will, the task for the Holy Spirit to give gifts for discipleship to believers as made foolproof.

QUESTION 3_LESSON 10 How would you differentiate between (1) the Spirit's voice and (2) the Spirit nudge or prompting? The Spirit’s voice can be soft but it will have clear detailed information or instructions to guide you. On the other hand, when the spirit nudges or prompts it’s like hints and not necessary a complete instruction. It will be like getting a few clues to solve a puzzle. What can you do to sensitize yourself to His voice and promptings? I can start by improving my relationship with God. This can be achieved by establishing a habit of putting aside a slot for Quiet Time in order to be better placed to listen and get acquainted to God. I can also start a habit of asking myself where I had seen God lately. This will make me alert to what happens around me and be able to see patterns and attributes of events and incidents that point me to God.

QUESTION 2_LESSON 10. (1 Corinthians 2:9-11, 16) What connects us to the mind of Christ? Here we are guided by Paul who explains that the Holy Spirit is the link between our spirits and the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:11-12, 16b elaborates, "For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have ... received ... the Spirit who is from God.... We have the mind of Christ." The levels and protocols involved in connecting us to the mind of Christ are explained fully here. Do you have a regular Quiet Time? I do have regular quiet time though I occasionally have disruptions and am working on ensuring that I keep a regular schedule. What could you do to make it more meaningful? My program involves reading from the old testament including the Psalms and a chapter from the New Testament. I sometimes start with a song or chorus of praise or thanksgiving. I find the experience gives me a tuning up to my attitude when I meet challenges as the day progresses. I am more tolerant and can relate to situation better as I am able to reference or draw parallels from scripture to real-life events.

QUESTION 1_LESSON 10. (Mark 1:33-39) What pattern do you see emerging in Jesus' prayer life? (Mark 1:33-39) tells us how Jesus would rise up very early in the morning whilst it was still dark and find a quiet place to pray. He could even spend the whole night on the mountainside. Occasionally he would be with his disciples and he would move some distance from them to pray. He would only preach or heal the sick after he had gone through his daily routine of finding a quiet place to pray. Why do you think he spends Quiet Time with the Father before the day begins? He did not want to be disturbed, he required the peace and tranquility that would be conducive to better communication. He wanted to be given guidance by the Father as well as strategies to employ for his ministry. He needed encouragement and support and reassurance from the Father. How does this prepare him for his ministry? He was like an athlete who exercises each morning before a race. He would be ready for the day ahead. His mind will be focused and his preaching will have been well prepared. He would be able to handle awkward situations from non-believers. He would have been spiritually strengthened to enable him to cast out demons and heal the sick. He would be in a position to reference his discourse with the Father when dealing with the situation on the ground. Why does Jesus minster through the power of the Spirit instead of in his own power? Jesus was born of an earthly mother and was therefore like one of us. What made him different was the Holy Spirit he was able to draw power from. This was facilitated by his daily devotion and the time he spent communing with the Father. He would get his brief from the Father before he began his ministry on each day. His intertwining with the Father is explained in (John 5:19) "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does."

QUESTION 4_LESSON 9 (1 Peter 4:10-11) If people are always promoting themselves and pointing to how God is using them, what does that say about them? It is very disturbing. It is a sign that they are the ones who somehow earned the right to have those gifts. They do not understand what purpose they have been given the gift for. About their sense of self-worth? They are pompous and conceited and seek attention and self-glory. About their maturity? They are very immature and can discredit God as they bungle through their work with self-serving programs. Their realism? They miss the point that their gifts are not by merit but are by the grace of God. Their humility? They need guidance on humility and "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves." (Luke 22:25-26) is a lesson for us all. What spiritual gifts has God given you, and how are you using them to his glory? In order to give an answer that is not arbitrarily conceived I will refer to the results of my Spiritual Assessment results below, which was part of our Assignment for Lesson 9. I have elements of leadership and administration and am comfortable with strangers and visitors and am ready to serve when required. I have served as treasurer of our Parish for nine years and as an elder (warden) for four years. I sing in the church choir and have been invited to oversee the quality control over the construction of a rectory beginning next month. I participate in house group and share the word with members of the group. I am in a committee of an old people association chapter in our neighborhood…non-political and non-denominational.

QUESTION 3_LESSON 9 (1 Corinthians 12:11) What are lessons do you learn from verse 11? Verse 11 informs us that the message of wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing miraculous powers, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, speaking in tongues and the interpretation of tongues are the work of the same Spirit. By virtue of these gifts being allocated to us by the same Spirit we should not boast or feel that one gift is superior to the other. These gifts complement each other and verse 7 confirms this stating that the gifts are “given for the common good.” What is the role of the Holy Spirit in spiritual gifts? The role of the Holy Spirit in spiritual gifts is ü to empower the gifts before allocating them ü to determine which spiritual gift or gifts to give to ü to give each and every believer in Christ Jesus at least a single gift. Believers are therefore passive receivers of spiritual gifts ü to distribute the gifts individually not in groups or pairs ü to distribute the gifts according the Holy Spirit’s will and plan

QUESTION 2_LESSON 9 (1 Corinthians 12:9) In the twentieth century we saw the evangelistic power of preaching combined with healing the sick. Where in Jesus' ministry do you see this combination? Matthew 5 to 7 Jesus preaches and teaches. Matthew 8: 1-17 Jesus heals and drives out demons. Also in (Mark 7:14 – 23) Jesus preaches and (Mark 7:24 – 36) Jesus heals. Where in Paul's ministry? Paul was preaching till midnight when Eutychus fell from a third floor balcony and was pronounced dead. Paul brought him back to life (Acts 20:7 11) In Peter's ministry? (Acts 2:14 – end) Peter addresses the crowd on Pentecost and he heals the crippled beggar in (Acts 3:6) In Philip's ministry? (Acts 8:5-8) In Samaria Philip proclaimed the Christ (preached) many paralytics and crippled people were healed and evil spirits came out of many.

QUESTION 1_LESSON 9 Is it legitimate to use Jesus as our example in the use of spiritual gifts? It is legitimate to use Jesus as our example. Our assignment brief is in the Great Commission – (Matthew 28:18-20) 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” This promise shows us what is expected of us by Jesus. For him to be with us always refers to his spiritual presence and he encouraged us to emulate his ways on many occasions. Or was he so different than we are that we can't pattern our ministry after his example? Jesus was and is different from us as he is way above us in all aspects. However, we were enabled to carry on the work and pattern set by Jesus. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter2:24)This is essentially what qualifies us to carry on his(Jesus’) ministry. It was in Jesus’ long term plan that his example would be our model or template for our ministry. (Matthew 10:1) He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease or sickness and (Luke 9:1-2) When Jesus had called the twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure all diseases and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and heal the sick. The two scriptures above are a report of the same event. The pattern for future ministry was initiated by Jesus himself when he apprenticed his disciples. Where do you see the gift of knowledge in the Old Testament? In the New Testament? In the Old testament I chose the story of the corrupt Gehazi which illustrates the gift of knowledge. (2 Kings 5:26) But Elisha said to him, “was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money…..” In the new Testament I found a good example of knowledge in action in (Acts 5:3) Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?

QUESTION 4_LESSON 8. (Ephesians 4:11) How could a person have the spiritual gift of pastor or teacher without having an official position in a church? One can have a pastoral gift of caring for the spiritual needs of a group of people without having been given any official title. It is not necessary to bestow a title for carrying out this important role. This is because functional pastors in a Christian community are not necessarily the official leaders. What must a church do if its "senior pastor" doesn't have the spiritual gift of pastor? The church that has a “senior pastor” who doesn’t have the spiritual gift of pastor should let the “senior pastor” concentrate on administration, teaching and issues of faith and utilize the other junior pastors who are available, some of whom could very likely have the spiritual gift of pastor. Who gives these gifts? These gifts (spiritual) come from God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ.

QUESTION 3_LESSON 8 (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22; 1 Corinthians 14) How would you define the gift of prophecy? The gift of prophesy is a gift that instructs builds and strengthens those who are recipients of the prophesy. Why do churches sometimes despise or prohibit prophecy? This happens when some churches have doctrines that despise prophesy and feel threatened by the powerful and instructive message of prophesy which could be in conflict with the direction and teachings of that church. What guidelines does Paul give here and in 1 Corinthians 14 to keep prophecy in a congregation healthy? Paul encourages people not to put out the Spirit’s fire. He exhorts the Thessalonians not to treat prophesies with contempt. “Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22). In (1 Corinthians 14) Paul advises the people to follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophesy. In the whole chapter he repeatedly emphasizes the importance of the gift of prophesy and its attribute of being an edifier of the church.

QUESTION 2­­_LESSON 8 Do you think there are modern-day apostles? I do believe there are modern-day apostles evidenced by some vibrant churches which are spreading the Word and upholding the principles set by the earlier apostles. They run institutions that include schools, hospitals and orphanages. If so, who might they be? In our part of the world I would like to believe that some of the missionaries who came to Africa were apostles. I have Robert Moffat and George Wyndham Hamilton Knight-Bruce. These two between them made a great impact in the spread of the Word in Southern and Central African in the late 19th century. Below are a couple of quotes from Robert Moffat: “In the vast plain to the north I have sometimes seen, in the morning sun, the smoke of a thousand villages where no missionary has ever been.” ― Robert Moffat, The Matabele Journals Of Robert Moffat, 1829 1860 “I will place no value on anything I have or may possess, except in relation to the kingdom of Christ. If anything will advance the interests of that kingdom, it shall be given away or kept, only as by giving or keeping it I shall most promote the glory of Him to whom I owe all my hopes in time and eternity.” ― Robert Moffat If you don't believe there are modern-day apostles, identify some people who are doing some of the same things that the early apostles did. In Zimbabwe there is a proliferation of apostles and prophets. I am sure a large number would not pass the test recommended by St Paul. I however have 2 names of men who are doing some of the same things that the early apostles did. They are Ezekiel Guti of the ZAOGA (Zimbabwe Assemblies of God Africa) and Samuel Mutendi (late) of the ZCC (the Zion Christian Church).