dtredo

Can we truly know God’s will if we are not really willing to obey the truth we know? Why not? Jesus says "No, we can't" - so apparently we can't. Jesus says to know if His teachings are from Heaven, we must first "do" what he teaches (John 7:17). I suppose that simply means obedience to His Word. Of course you can't be obedient to something you know nothing about. So God wants us to study His Word and to do it. It's easy to do superficial things and think all is fine (like attending Church). Or gaining only 'intellectual' knowledge without ever incorporating it into our life. This is what the Pharisees did and also the teachers of the law. They prided themselves on having knowledge of Gods Word but were hypocrites because they didn't live it out in love. Jesus called them 'white washed tombs' - clean on the outside but dead on the inside. God desires His Word to be in us - as we are in His Word. It's the only way to conform our lives to the image of Christ and bring Him glory! A Personal Testimony: I was recently looking for a job and a company called me after submitting my resume. I must have passed the phone interview because they called me a few days later for a face-to-face interview. I had the interview (it was with one person) and it went well enough for them to call me back for a 2nd interview about a week later. The second interview was more intense because it was before a panel of 3 people. It lasted almost 90 minutes, and I thought it went very well. In fact, I thought God had me peak just at the right time - I thought I nailed it! By this point in the process, I was getting really excited about getting this job and thought God had paved the way. But guess what happened? After the 2nd interview - a week passed and they never called me back! I never even got a courtesy call from them letting me know the position was filled. I was devastated! It was a total rejection. Boy did I take it hard. I couldn't believe it because I thought everything went so perfect and God was making it happen. So do you know what I did? I got mad at God and yelled at him for a whole day. I was so angry with Him because I thought He threw me under the bus. I started doubting Him, and even toyed with the idea in my head that maybe He doesn't exist after all. Maybe all my prayers are nothing more than talking to the walls. Wow! How weak my faith really is!! After a full 24 hours of complaining, moaning, and doubting God - I finally came to my senses, ask forgiveness, repented, and recovered. From this experience, I realized three things: 1) That I could never leave God completely because He's so much a part of me now. 26 years of seeking Him has got Him into me. I'd be totally lost without Him and I told Him so. 2) That His ways are far above my ways and maybe He was protecting me from something I might never know about. Perhaps He has a much choicer place for me in another company. I reminded myself that His plans are intricate and precise and timed perfectly. 3) That no one on earth was ever rejected more than Jesus. His rejection made mine pale in comparison. And yet, He never responded so immaturely like I did. Under the worst of rejection, He was undeterred from His mission. He moved forward and never once doubted! He always transcended his circumstances. He walked by faith and not by sight. He was a rock! So in faith, we must stay with God no matter what and keep our eyes on Him. We must trust His plan and His timing and walk in His Strength by waiting patiently. So I asked Him to forgive me and I received that forgiveness (In Christ, there is no condemnation). THAT IS HOW WE KNOW JESUS TEACHINGS ARE TRUE - WE HAVE TO LIVE BY FAITH ESPECIALLY WHEN IT LOOKS LIKE ALL IS GOING WRONG. That's what Joseph did (the son of Jacob).

Q2. (John 7:15-17) How were rabbis trained in Jesus’ day? From age 4 or 5 up to age 12, they were trained to read, memorize, and repeat out-loud the scriptures. This was done mainly in the schools which were part of the synagogues. By age 12, they could continue their religious studies by studying under a Rabbis or choose a career. If they chose to study under a Rabbis, the training would continue on for years. At some point in the future (someone said age 30), they could become a Rabbis and begin teaching and training other students to become Rabbis too. How was Jesus trained? As mentioned above, he was trained in the scriptures (often through scripture memorization) from age 5 to age 12. In Jesus case, by age 12, He was already astounding the religious teachers with his breadth of knowledge into the Scriptures. This early education took place in the elementary schools that was part of the synagogue (called "Beth-Sefer") and higher level schools (called "Beth-Midrash"). It's interesting to note that the Beth-Midrash held even more prominence than the synagogue itself. The Jews put a high value on education! Even though these schools apparently started sometime after 70 AD, it gives you an idea of the rigid training young boys had in Jewish society. After about age 12, Jesus was probably given a choice to choose either a career or to continue his studies under a Rabbis. It seems he chose to go the path of a career in carpentry, probably following in the footsteps of His adopted father Joseph (rather than to study under a Rabbis like the Apostle Paul did). During the next 18 years of being a carpenter, I believe Jesus was being instructed by the Spirit of God (rather than by a Rabbis) into the deeper things of God and the scriptures. Because Jesus was a student under God's Spirit, His depth of understanding went far beyond even the most learned Rabbis of His day. The Spirit taught Him to cut through all the unnecessary and layered traditions of the Jews that went way beyond what God originally intended. In those 18 years, Jesus must have learned many revelations about Himself, For example, He learned 1) His true identity: He learned He was the Son of God and the eternal Word incarnate (Wow - that was some heady stuff!), 2) That His life fulfilled Scripture: He learned that all prophecy in scripture actually pointed to Him! (Wow - more heady stuff!), and 3) HIs purpose for coming into the world: He learned that his mission here one earth was to (1) preach the kingdom of God to people, (2) pay the price for all our sins by dying on a cross, (3) fulfill God's promises perfectly, and (4) be resurrected back to His rightful place in heaven at the right hand of the Father (really REALLY heady stuff!). By the time Jesus was 30 years old, He already was recognized by a wide range of people as a Rabbis (Master, Teacher) and was addressed in that way. He reached the level of Rabbis not because He studied under another Rabbis (as Paul had done), but because He studied directly under the Spirit of God. This probably went on since He was 5 years old. By the time He was ready to start His formal ministry at 30 years old, He already knew exactly who He was - the Son of God, the Messiah! When He was baptized in the Jordan and the Holy Spirit came down upon Him like a dove, at that moment He essentially became the first Christian! (a true Christian is one who received the Holy Spirit). Obviously, the Prevenient Grace of God had already been on His whole life. These events would set the pattern for all of us believers today who put our faith in Him and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit just as Jesus had. The whole thing is just so amazing it blows me away. Praise God! How were his disciples trained? They were trained directly by Jesus - the best Rabbis around and the Son of God Himself - the Christ!. They listened to his teachings as He taught the crowds. They listened to His private teachings where he taught them intimately and more 'plainly'. The disciples followed Him around for 3 years and learned by watching him in different situations and interacting with all kinds of people. Finally, the disciples were taught by 'doing' and participating themselves. They got their hands dirty. For example, Jesus would delegate tasks to them (like sending them out in 2 x 2's), or allowing them to participate in some of the miracles For example, Jesus asked them to organize all these people into groups of 50, and to hand out the multiplied bread during the feeding of the 5000, and to pick up the 12 baskets of left overs. They learned by being right in the mix of things with Jesus. Side Note: even with all this training and teaching, the 12 disciples were still mostly dull and did not understand what He was saying. They seemed to be clueless most of the time. That deep understanding (and power) would come later when the disciples received the Holy Spirit for themselves. (I like this about the disciples - it's a great encouragement to my own clueless nature!) What is the value of formal theological training? Formal theological training teaches you how to study the scriptures effectively, how to interpret them rightly, how to ask questions to deepen your understanding of scripture, and how to effectively communicate Gods truths to the world. I also feel the best (and choicest) theological training is when they teach you how to seek God's Spirit for yourself. Theological study is fine, but by itself it can sometimes become mere head-knowledge. Head knowledge alone can bring pride and arrogance (but not always). I saw this in college with some pretty arrogant professors who always wanted to show their students how smart they were. Some (not all) didn't like to be challenged as it seemed to make them feel threatened. Some professors were more interested in showing off their credentials than teaching students. Later when I became a Christian, I learned that "knowledge can puff up" if it's not mixed with the right attitude. Paul repeats this proverb in 1 Cor 8:1 and puts in an interesting addition: "but love builds up". I believe Paul was saying that when a person abides in the Spirit, then his theological training can have GREAT value because it is be mixed with love and serving others (not arrogance and showing off). God wants us to keep learning, but he wants scriptural knowledge to be overlapped with true humility, love, wisdom, and desire to help others. This is what it means to 'walk in the light as He is in the light'. It's what impacts the world in a way that honors God and makes a difference. In this way, theological training starts firing on all cylinders. Maybe a good living example of all this is shown in our course teacher - Dr Ralph F. Wilson!. He has theological training, but also seems to really want to make a difference in peoples lives with his online courses and books. What is the value of learning to hear and obey the voice of the Spirit? Invaluable. Learning to walk by the Spirit is what empowers you to apply the Scriptures directly into your life. I understand this wonderful experience to be the 'Rhema' of scripture - a deep applicable revelation just at the right time. For example, the Spirit can show you how to apply a specific scriptural truth at exactly the right moment to deal with a specific situation today.Tomorrow you may have a completely different circumstance arise and the Holy Spirit can use the same Scripture to show you a different application. Or He may lead you to a completely different Scripture all together. Or He may give you insight into someone's else's issue where you are enabled to discern exactly what the problem is - sometimes without even being told about it. The point is - the Holy Spirit takes the scripture (the logos, the Word) from merely head-knowledge to specific and personal application for your life (Rhema). Then God gets all the Glory. NOTE: some Bible teachers interpret 'Rhema' to be essentially the same as 'Logos'. They may be right, I'm not sure. But I've heard other respectable Bible teachers teach 'Rhema' to be a little different than Logos - a bit more personal and tailored to help you in a specific situation. I like that definition better because I've experienced God doing that at times in my own walk. So to give it a name, I choose Rhema. It's a great subject and I encourage you to study it on your own and make up you own mind.

Why did Jesus stay in Galilee and avoid Jerusalem? It was simply not yet His time to be of maximum effect in Jerusalem. Jesus walked in the Fathers perfect time through the Holy Spirit. He never lagged behind or rushed ahead. He also never let people push Him around. A SIDE NOTE: It's been said by some people that Jesus actually lied to his brothers, telling them He wasn't going to the festival and then later going anyway. But if you look carefully, Jesus used the word 'yet' in John 7:6 (in response to His brothers urging Him to go now). This indicated that Jesus intended to go to the festival but just not at the time his brothers were urging Him to go. One lesson we can learn from this is that no man can every 'force' the hand of God. He will do things at the right time according to His plan. We must be patient and trust His perfect timing. What is the balance between taking precautions to protect yourself and trusting yourself into God’s care? One of the challenges for believers is to live in Gods time. It requires maturity (in the Spirit) so we don't get ahead of God or lag behind Him. When we live in our own strength and 'force' our agenda, we get ahead of God or miss His will completely. On the other hand, if we operate from fear or laziness and hesitate, we fall behind God. Fortunately, Jesus never had any of these problems - he always walked in the Fathers perfect time. I wonder if it's possible for us to live in Gods time? I think we can get better at it. Having a posture of total surrender, constant prayer, and seeking His Will puts us on the right path. We must stay very alert in the Spirit.

What was the difference between the Twelve and the crowd of “disciples” that turned away from Jesus? The main difference is that The Twelve were directly chosen by Jesus, on the basis of Gods Prevenient Grace. The crowd of Jews were not chosen by Jesus - they simply were following HIm around because He was different from the religious authorities, He spoke differently, and He was exciting because He did miracles and provided for them in the physical sense (the feeding of the 5000). The Twelve were not chosen on any merit of their own - it was just God's soveriegn choice. The Twelve proved this because they were just as dull as the rest of the crowd. They were fickle, shallow, bickering, jealous, flaky, and confused. However, because they had the Prevenient Grace of God upon them (pre-destination, election) - they believed in Him, they knew essentially who He was, and they were wiling to stick with Him while the others peeled away. It was God's favor upon them that made them believe, despite their flakiness. What is the mark of true disciples according to John 8:31-32? The mark of a true disciple is persevering with Jesus and not deserting Him in difficulty. For example, The Twelve stayed with Him even though they were dull and confused most of the time. Even deeper than this, is that true disciples have the Prevenient Grace of God on their lives. Without God's previous work in their hearts - The Twelve would never have believed onto Jesus on their own. They probably would have deserted Him just like the crowd did. It's God's election and special Grace that enables us to believe. Otherwise, none of us would come to Jesus. Jesus taught very clearly that it's always the Father who 'draws' a person to Jesus supernaturally (John 6:44) before he chooses to believe. The great part of this is that once a person responds to the Prevenient Grace of God - nothing on earth will snatch them away. A Lesson For Today: When trouble hits us today, I wonder if we'll start questioning God, blaming Him, and end-up walking away? Lots of so-called Christians do this when life deals out a heavy hand. As an extreme example, just 2 days ago there was the mass murder at Umpqua College in Oregon. I understand 10 kids will killed and several wounded. The maniac apparently targeted Christians. I can't imagine what the parents who lost their children are going through. Still, I wonder if any of the parents who identified themselves as Christians will blame God and eventually walk away from Jesus forever. This is a tough question because it hits so close to home - it's not just crowds of Jews 2000 years ago. True disciples (according to John 8:31-32) stay with Jesus no matter what. They may go through a time of anger, doubt, and questioning, but they never leave Jesus totally, and always return to pursuing Him again.

What is “eating the Bread of Life” a metaphor of? The bread of life appears to refer to 'belief' in Jesus. This is not just an intellectual assent, but a wholehearted surrender and trust in Him. In order to believe, there must be a certain degree of understanding (which I believe is called 'light' in the Bible). So there's a close association between life and light. When God gives us the 'light' of understanding and we believe in Jesus, we are born again and receive eternal life. At that moment, God justifies us and we are made righteous in His eyes. I also think eating the bread of life is for our life in the here and now too. God desires us to continually feast on Jesus (His Word) through study, meditation, and prayer each day so that we can become more 'like Him'. Once we have 'eternal life' through believing in Jesus, that life starts NOW while we are still in our physical bodies. The Scriptures tell us to be 'conformed' to His image while we are here on earth. What is “eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood” a metaphor of? I think these phrases are a continuation of what I described above. Jesus is a Master Teacher and He uses both metaphors and hyperbole to make unforgettable impressions on his audience. He is concerned with impressing upon His listeners the gravity of the truths He teaches. His method seems to be one of 'escalation'. He starts with metaphors (manna, bread of life) and then escalates to hyperbole (eating flesh, drinking blood) to really make an emotional appeal to the heart. How are these metaphors similar to each other? They are similar in that they all point to the same truth - that believing in Jesus is the only way to eternal life. And living His life in us is the only way to living a God-honoring life here on earth. Why do you think Jesus used such a vivid and repugnant metaphor? First, I think Jesus wanted these word-pictures to be unforgettable and memorable in the minds of his audience. We are so dull and flaky as humans - we forget about God at the drop of a hat. Remember how the people of Israel kept forgetting about how God freed them from bondage in Egypt? God kept reminding them about that as they constantly grumbled and complained. And it's easy for us today to forget about God too, especially when life becomes hard and disappointing. Second, I think Jesus was showing us today how impossible it is to discern spiritual truth without the help of the Holy Spirit (prevenient grace as we discussed earlier). The Jews kept misunderstanding His teachings - but so did the disciples! None of them could understand as they did not have the gift of the Holy Spirit yet (except for Jesus). Jesus would say later that 'The Counselor' would be given (the Holy Spirit) and would make them all remember these words (and comprehend them). But that was for a little later. As for now, Jesus speaks out the truth using colorful and profound language (metaphor and hyperbole), and then lets the crowd react as they may.

What does the metaphor of “eating the Bread of Life” mean in practical terms? To extend the same metaphor, what do you think might be the difference between nibbling the Bread of Life rather than actually making a meal of it? For me, "eating the Bread of LIfe" means trusting the Word of God and letting it speak to us, guide us, and direct us. We don't have Jesus anymore in the flesh, but we have His Word. The Word is Jesus (In the beginning was the Word...and the Word was God, and the Word became flesh). Complimenting the Word, we also have the Holy Spirit living in us. As we prayerfully read and study the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit will illuminate the Word and bring understanding - which is light. We are to 'walk in the light as He is in the light'. All of this rests squarely on our faith, which is the evidence of things not seen. So for us today, eating the bread of life is the same as walking by faith in His Word. Reading the Scriptures prayerfully, believing it with all of our heart, and letting it guide our inner disposition is the foundation of our faith. It may not be easy but fortunately it's not about being perfect. It's about growing in our desire to know Him. As another member rightly said, 'we don't want to get to Heaven and find ourselves a distant acquaintance of Jesus'.The extent to which we do this is the difference between making a meal of Him or just nibbling. I suppose it's the carnal Christians who are the nibblers, while the spiritual Christians are the ones feasting on His banquet every day.

What is the significance of Jesus’ teaching that only the ones the Father “draws” to him can come to him? In what way does this sound like predestination? How does the Holy Spirit prepare people to put their faith in Christ? Predestination is a hard one for me and if we are not careful, it can divide Christians. I know from my own testimony that before I put my faith in Christ, God worked in my heart for years. For example, back in the 80's I was 'drawn' to go to a bookstore and buy a Bible just to see what was in it. About the same time, I was 'drawn' to start watching a certain tele-evangelist and listen to his Bible teachings. There were other things that happened too where God was apparently planting seeds in my heart. All this happened before I was a Christian. Then the time came (in 1989) where I was invited by my best friend to come to California for his wedding. We had some time alone together at his house. While talking about life, He suddenly got up and disappeared for a few minutes and then came back with a Bible. He laid it on the table, opened it to John 3:16 and asked me to read it. Then he asked me boldly if I wanted to receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I said yes and we prayed together right there. I was born again in that moment. So looking back, I do believe that "no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him" because that's exactly what happened to me. It seemed that God's Spirit was first chasing me down, and at the right moment, He gave me the gift of faith so I could believe. I don't think I would ever have 'chosen' Jesus just on my own. God had to first do a work to break the 'blindness' that Satan creates across the whole world of people. It says in 2 Cor 4:4 that the god of this age [satan] has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they might not see...... How can a blind person (like I was) 'choose' on his own to start seeing?? I don't think he can. An outside agency must intervene. I believe it is God Himself, using His Power, that must first intervene in order to overcome the blinding influence of Satan (Prevenient or Previous Grace). So from what I see in Scripture, and from my own personal testimony - I do believe in Predestination - as being a 'Prevenient Grace' that precedes human decision. We have a free-will, but we can't (or won't) choose Christ unless God does a work in us first. Faith is a gift from God, and you must first possess the gift in order to be able to use it. Otherwise it's just human effort (which is never enough). To me that sounds consistent with the God of Creation who always came first before His creation (Genesis 1:1). He precedes everything! In Christ, we are also 'new creations'. So just as He came first in the creation of the universe, He must also come first in the new spiritual creation of a person. That's why Jesus said "no one can come to Me unless the Father draws him" . That's about as far as I can understand it. I don't know if my decision for Christ was only of my free will (Arminians) or if it was 'irresistable' (Calvinist). I really don't know that part, but I consider it 'splitting hairs'. We don't need to divide over the issue. Besides, from what I learned, the Arminians and the Calvinist actually AGREE on a whole lot more than they disagree with.

What kind of “works” do people sometimes pursue to please God? Many people do religious type work - going to church, being greeters, collecting the offering, singing in the choir, helping the pastor, volunteering for jobs around the church, etc. Others try to live 'moral' lives and say "I never hurt anyone" or "I try to be good to everyone I can". There's nothing wrong with any of these things per se, as long as you don't believe they will make you acceptable to God. Then there's others who do things just to impress people - they want to show how smart they are or how good they look. They are about image and impressing people. They are always concerned with what others are thinking about them. We have to be careful not to be "man-pleasers", which is really just be showing-off. God teaches there really isn't anything we can do or be that will gain His acceptance - accept to live by faith with humility. Romans 3:10 says "There is no one righteous, not even one". A pastor taught me years ago that "We don't do good works to be saved; we do good works because we already are saved". Guitar Jim (above) said it nicely. He said "Faith should produce good works, and it does. But good works won't produce faith ". That's excellent. According to Jesus, what is the most important “work” that God requires of us? There appears to be only one work that God requires of us - and that is to believe onto our Lord Jesus Christ. It seems that means a wholehearted entrusting of our lives to Him. When we walk by real faith - asking Him into our lives, coming into His presence, praying, reading His Word, surrendering our circumstances to Him, living in His plan, in His time, and in His strength - that heart attitude is what pleases God and moves His Hand in or lives. That truth probably throws a monkey wrench into all the religions that require a boatload of works to please God and get into heaven - but so be it. I like God's system better anyway.

Why were some of these "believers" following Jesus? What were their selfish motives? For what motives do true disciples seek Jesus? They saw Jesus as someone who might satisfy their immediate and temporary needs. Their seeking him was shallow in the sense of remaining only in the realm of the physical and temporary plane (earthly). They missed the spiritual truth because of their physical reality. It's true, some may have been selfish in the sense that they wanted Jesus only for what they might gain. But perhaps some were not really selfish - maybe they had an actual and legitimate physical need (for example, real hunger) and saw Jesus as a way to fulfill that hunger. That doesn't necessarily make you selfish. I mean when I'm starving and see a lonely McDonalds glimmering in the distance - you can be sure I will head in for a burger. I don't know if that automatically makes me selfish. But whether selfish or not, most of them missed the point of the miracle entirely. They missed the fact that here standing before them was the very Word of God personified, the one all the prophets of Israel spoke of. Here was the gift of eternal salvation and the fulfillment of God's Law - Jesus - the answer to true joy, peace, and eternal settlement - and they didn't know it, never comprehended it, and apparently couldn't see it. They were too earthly minded to recognize the spiritual truth before them. The miracle of the 5000 certainly was a 'miracle of compassion', but much more so a 'miracle of revelation' - a revealing of who Jesus really was. The question I'm left with is: do I do the same thing today? Am I so caught up in my life here on earth, my problems, my setbacks, my disappointments, my striving, my dreams, my goals, -- that I hardly give Jesus a second thought - until I really need him only when things go wrong. Or am i looking to Him every day, casting all to Him, resting in His presence, and learning to go by the way of trust. That is what He really wants, and I believe the mark of a true disciple.

According to the Apostle John, is Jesus fully God? Yes Jesus is fully God. Verse 1:1 says "and the Word was God". Later in verse 1:14, it says "and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us". That seems to indicate that Jesus was fully God, and it was He who walked among men for a brief time. The question regarding Jesus is how could He exist as both God and Man at the same time? I suppose it is taken on faith, since that is the truth which the Scriptures proclaim. Later we learn that Jesus 'set aside' His Godly attributes and walked fully as a man. I believe that when Jesus (the man) was baptized in the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit came upon Him exactly in the same way the Spirit comes into us when we first believe. What that means to me is, amazingly, Jesus essentially became the first Christian! (that could be a trick question - who was the first Christian?). That pattern makes sense to me since Jesus was providing for us an example of how all believers would live. In that context, the only difference between all of us and Jesus (after HIs Baptism) is that He never sinned. He listened and obeyed exactly what the Father told Him (via the Holy Spirit living within HIm) and never disobeyed. He always did exactly what the Father said and fulfilled His mission perfectly. As for us - we sin over and over practically every day (at least I do) even after becoming a Christian. Fortunately for us, God provides forgiveness of sins when we confess them and repent (change directions). Jesus never had to ask for forgiveness and repent for Himself because he never sinned (He was tempted but did not sin). How great is that? What does it mean that Jesus is the “Word”? It means that Jesus is the very expression of God's thoughts, plans, wisdom, and desires. The Greek word Logos (the Word) seems to refer to that part of God which are His thoughts, thinking, and expressions. Words are carriers of thoughts, and they reveal what's on our mind. The words we speak make our thoughts known to the world. What is amazing about God is that when He speaks, He literally creates (and God said. Let there be light...). What better way to express yourself than to create! When God speaks - amazing things happen. And here's the kicker: God's expression, through Words, is what the Bible claims is Jesus!! Jesus is the the very 'Word of God'. Jesus therefore is the 'expression of God' to the created order. So for us to know God, we must know His Word, that is, Jesus. Apparently, they both are the same. It makes you wonder how important are the words that we speak? I think we must be very careful with how we speak - both to ourselves and to others. Just like God, our words have a certain 'creative power', We can't call a universe into being - but we do create by speaking. How we talk to ourselves and to others has an effect on how things turn out. That is amazing! As one pastor teaches, we must "speak in the direction we want our life to go". Wow, let's all remember the power of our words! What does this say about him and his ministry? It says that all of the Father's thoughts, knowledge, and infinite wisdom are expressed in Jesus. Jesus is the manifestation of Gods mind. And so the ministry of Jesus was one of 'revealing' the will of the Father to all of us. Thank you Lord that you loved us so much that you gave us Jesus so we could receive the light of understanding and have the abundant life both here on earth and in the age to come!

According to the Apostle John, is Jesus fully God? Yes Jesus is fully God. Verse 1:1 says "and the Word was God". Later in verse 1:14, it says "and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us". That seems to indicate that Jesus was fully God, and it was He who walked among men for a brief time. The question regarding Jesus is how could He exist as both God and Man at the same time? I suppose it is taken on faith, since that is the truth which the Scriptures proclaim. Later we learn that Jesus 'set aside' His Godly attributes and walked fully as a man. I believe that when Jesus (the man) was baptized in the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit came upon Him exactly in the same way the Spirit comes into us when we first believe. What that means to me is, amazingly, Jesus essentially became the first Christian! (that could be a trick question - who was the first Christian?). That pattern makes sense to me since Jesus was providing for us an example of how all believers would live. In that context, the only difference between all of us and Jesus (after HIs Baptism) is that He never sinned. He listened and obeyed exactly what the Father told Him (via the Holy Spirit living within HIm) and never disobeyed. He always did exactly what the Father said and fulfilled His mission perfectly. As for us - we sin over and over practically every day (at least I do) even after becoming a Christian. Fortunately for us, God provides forgiveness of sins when we confess them and repent (change directions). Jesus never had to ask for forgiveness and repent for Himself because he never sinned (He was tempted but did not sin). How great is that? What does it mean that Jesus is the “Word”? It means that Jesus is the very expression of God's thoughts, plans, wisdom, and desires. The Greek word Logos (the Word) seems to refer to that part of God which are His thoughts, thinking, and expressions. Words are carriers of thoughts, and they reveal what's on our mind. The words we speak make our thoughts known to the world. What is amazing with God is that when speaks, He literally creates (and God said. Let there be light...). What better way to express yourself than to create! When God speaks - amazing things happen. And here's the kicker: God's expression, through Words, is what the Bible claims is Jesus!! Jesus is the the very 'Word of God'. Jesus therefore is the 'expression of God' to the created order. So for us to know God, we must know His Word, that is, Jesus. Apparently, they both are the same. It makes you wonder how important are the words that we speak? I think we must be very careful with how we speak - both to ourselves and to others. Just like God, our words have a certain 'creative power', We can't call a universe into being - but we do create by speaking. How we talk to ourselves and to others has an effect on how they turn out. This is amazing! As one pastor teaches, we must "speak in the direction we want our life to go". Wow, let's all remember the power of our words! What does this say about him and his ministry? It says that Jesus was God from the very beginning. All of the Father's thoughts, knowledge, and eternal and infinite wisdom are expressed in Jesus. Jesus is the manifestation of Gods mind. And so the ministry of Jesus was one of 'revealing' the will of the Father to all of us. Thank you Lord that you loved us so much that you gave us Jesus so we could receive the light of understanding and have the abundant life both here on earth and in the age to come!

Why do you think Jesus went against the social norms to communicate with the woman? Jesus didn't allow differences between people to stop his mission of love. We often allow these differences to divide us because of our prejudices and pre-judgments and biases. But Jesus didn't do that. He was the Word incarnate, and the Word said to love your neighbor as yourself. There is no division between people in that statement. I sure could learn a few things from His example of pure non-judgmental love. Why do we hesitate to go against social norms to share the good news? For me, it's mostly fear mixed with preconditioning about not making waves. I'm too worried about what others think about me. Will they think I"m a weirdo or a religious nut? Will they judge me as being 'different' from the crowd? These fears are all focused on me and not God. It shows my inability to trust God and take appropriate risks. But real faith entails taking risks sometimes. Perhaps a good place to start is to start small. I must learn to gently turn conversations over to spiritual matters when I'm prompted. I must learn to take some action in spite of fear. So many times I miss opportunities and let them pass. I blow it all the time and I know it! I'm starting to practice memorizing some questions to have readily available in my arsenal. Simple questions like: Do you believe in God? How do you describe God? What does God expect of us? How are we meeting those expectations? Do you believe in heaven? Does everyone go to heaven? Do you believe you will go to heaven? Why or Why not? Would you like to know about what the Bible says about these questions? (Boom - there's the chance to share the gospel and perhaps even your own testimony - since YOUR story IS the gospel story for you!) Memorizing questions like these can go a long way to overcoming our fear of starting gospel conversations. The key (I believe) is listening - really listening with the intent to understand. We certainly don't want to ram the gospel down their throat - that never works. In fact, we may not even get to the gospel when asking these questions - but at least some seeds might be planted. How do we balance our need to obey God and our need to live peaceably in our culture? We all know God is calling us to share the gospel more. I"m sure I"m not the only one who feels like I'm missing opportunities. Fear can be such a paralyzing force. But I think spending time with God, praying consistently, reading and studying the Word more, and asking God for BOLDNESS is the key. The more we become like the master, the more He will begin to seep out of us. Also, memorizing practical questions like the ones I listed above can really help. And if we just start small and take a few risks, God will honor us. He is faithful - He will always honor our smallest and most bumbling efforts. Also, when we start practicing moving conversations over to spiritual matters, we certainly don't have to be idiots about it. We don't have to be judgmental or authoritative or pushy or be correcting others all the time if their beliefs happen to be different than our own. We can be gentle and just simply listen more. We shouldn't feel like we have to 'force' a conversion right there - that never works! We are mostly just seed-planters. In fact, most of our conversations will not lead to a born-again experience! But if we start doing this more often, we will become more effective and God will honor it. And what a joy it is to be the vessel for someone's salvation!

How does the people’s desire to make him king relate to the third temptation Jesus met in the wilderness (Luke 4:9)? Jesus was tempted by an offer of earthly power and influence over people. This happened to Jesus both in the desert (Luke 4:9) as well as on this occasion after feeding the 5000 men. Both temptations came from Satan (in the desert more directly, but in this occasion the devil was working through the crowd). Jesus could easily have taken this offer and become an earthly king, but it would only have been temporary and would not have amounted to anything because God the Father would not have been in it. What would have happened to God’s plan of redemption if Jesus hadn’t retreated to the hills on this occasion? Just as Saul's kingship ended in disaster because he would not listen to God, so Jesus kingship (if he had followed through on the temptation and actually accepted the crowds offer) would have been a disaster too (only this disaster would have been of much more monumental impact). The whole plan for man's salvation would have been diverted and ended. I'm glad Jesus did not give-in to this short-sighted desire from the crowd. Why must we resist giving in to people’s plans for our lives? I think it's important to note that Jesus REALLY WAS tempted. Some have stated Jesus could not be tempted, but I believe he really was. Remember, Jesus was both God (the Son of God) and man (the Son of Man), but he purposely laid-aside his divine attributes to become a man and walk among us (see Phil 2:5-8). So since he walked as a man, he was able to be tempted just like us. But remember - he was tempted AFTER he received the Holy Spirit (which descended upon Him) at the Jordon river. So whenever Jesus was tempted, he was tempted as a man walking with the Holy Spirit in him - just like a christian is today. He avoided sinning by relying on the Holy Spirit and the Word of God - just like we are called to do. His divine nature was never tempted because 'God cannot be tempted', but Jesus set that divine nature aside and emptied himself for our sake. When he walked in his human body, he was FULLY human and was fully capable of being tempted in his human nature. It was his human nature that was tempted. The reason he did not sin was because he consistently, without wavering, relied on the Holy Spirit in him and the Word of God - something we all can do as born-again believers. Of course, we often blow-it and sin anyway because we choose to rely on the flesh - which must be daily crucified. The bottom line - never follow the crowd or any person who tempts you with delights, power, money, good feelings, etc etc. I learned the crowd is usually wrong, and peoples expectations of you are often self-serving and not good for you. Always look to God first, trust in Him, believe what He says about you in His word, and be patient and wait on Him. Learn to live a life of trust. Look increasingly to the invisible world of God that is eternal, and not to the visible world we live in now - which is very temporary and controlled by satan. That is the basis of faith and it is our victory. The Lord will never let us down.

Q4. (John 5:36-37) According to John’s Gospel, what is the value of miracles? The miracles were a powerful confirmation that Jesus really was who He said he was - the Son of God. Miracles were so important because remember - Jesus was ministering primarily to the Jew. The ordinary Jew knew only the ways of the old covenant - the tabernacle, the rituals, and the law. Most did not understand the idea of a Messiah coming in the flesh to sacrifice Himself for sin and fulfilling the law. This was a monumental change in the way the Jews were used to living. The Jewish people had walked in the ways of the Old Covenant for centuries. It was all they knew. This Jesus who opened up the fullness of what God was doing was so completely revolutionary and dramatic - most could hardly believe it. I don't think I would have believed it myself if I were a Jew in that day. Most of us Christians today lose the drama of all this knowing what we know now. But when Jesus first started making these claims, especially to say he's come to forgive sin, to be crucified for sin, and to die for the whole world to bring people back to God - most Jews of that day did not believe Him and said He was a blasphemer - even with the miracles he performed. But God knew this was going to be their reaction - especially from those of the religious elite. So Jesus confirmed His own authenticity by doing earth-shaking miracles. He healed, he changed the molecular structure of water and turned it into wine, he reproduced food to feed thousands, he walked on water, and he brought people back from the dead. Certainly the miracles were acts of mercy to show Gods love, but primarily they were to prove to a very set-in-their-ways people that this guy (Jesus) was for real! THAT was the main reason for miracles. Most of us Christians today take the miracles for granted when we read about them in the gospels. But they served a very much needed role of convincing the Jew that Jesus was the long prophesied Messiah - the very fulfillment of their Law. What is the weakness of faith that depends solely on miracles? God tells us that in this day - 'faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God' (Rom 10:17). It does not say that faith comes by waiting for miracles. Today we have the word of God which gives us a tremendous advantage over the Jew of Jesus day. We are encouraged to read, study, understand, and rightly divide His Word. As we do - faith grows. I believe God still does miracles today - but the Word should be our primary focus. When God does miracles - it is usually done in an environment where FAITH resides. And faith is always in the spirit and in the truth (the word). If we put our focus only on dramatic miracles - we won't grow in our faith. In fact, we might actually weaken in our faith if we find ourselves discouraged when we don't see miracles! We must always look to the Word. It's true, God can (and still is) performing miracles today. But they are always done where faith resides. My take is we should never let miracles alone be the basis for our faith. I don't believe God enjoys seeing his people become 'miracle-seekers'. God knows how often people who witnessed Jesus miracles still lived in complete rebellion after the excitement wore-off.. In fact some of the Jews who actually saw Jesus miracles still agreed to crucify Him.

According to the Apostle John, is Jesus fully God? Yes, Jesus is fully God. In fact, all three persons of the Trinity are each fully God. And yet there is only one God. In the end, this is a mystery - no one can fully comprehend the Trinity, but I have no problem accepting it by faith. What does it mean that Jesus is the "Word"? I've always thought of John 1:1 as describing Jesus to be the complete 'expression' of God. God 'expresses' himself to us through Jesus, not too much different than how we express ourselves using words. No wonder Jesus is called 'the Word'! Jesus came to live among us so we can know God better. Everything God wants us to know in this lifetime about himself is expressed in Jesus. So we are encouraged 'to know Him'. I believe we are living in fantastic times because we can actually know Jesus. The Israelite's back in the old days didn't have that privilege because of the times in which they lived. They could not possibly know God the way we can know him through Christ (even though they witnessed all those incredible miracles and had the Law). If we could fully grasp this privilege, we might cherish God more and be grateful. What does this say about him and his ministry? Since Jesus is the Word of God, his ministry's purpose was to express Gods desire for 'the elect' to be saved. It seems God is actually patiently waiting (tarrying) until the fullness of His people come to a saving knowledge of Christ. We don't know how many people that is (or who they are) - but God does. This ministry is one that Jesus started, and now through us he carries on with it!