Lottie

It means that He is the only one who I should worship and the only one who is worthy of my praise. He is the only one who is exalted above all others. The only one who can answer my prayers and the one who I will see in heaven. This means I ought to praise Him first of all for who He is before I praise Him for what He has done for me.

Abraham and Melchizedek believed that God was the supreme God and the creator of the earth.

Q4. (Philippians 3:13; Revelation 2:4) What does it look like when a person "loses his first love"? Has this ever happened to you? How can you regain a personal intimacy with Christ? What might you need to repent of to restore this? It means that we lose interest in getting to know Him more. We focus more on doing good works than on spending time with Him. We lose sight of what our greatest goal should be and end up becoming cold. Our heart is no longer on fire for Him as it once was and we put other things before Him.We lose interest in Bible studies or witnessing. Yes, it has I became focused on worldly things and forgot about Him. I know I can spend more time in His word and praying. More time listening to what He has to say to me.I need to repent of spending time on things that are less important and ask His forgiveness.

Q3. (Philippians 3:8-9) How can pride in our own righteousness and religious achievements actually get in the way of "knowing Christ"? Has this ever happened to you or someone you know? Pride can cause us to lose the close intimacy with Jesus we had before. it can cause us to rely on our own strengths or abilities. It can cause us to become too puffed up like the Pharisees were. It can cause us to look down our noses on others who struggle and are are not as far along as we are in our walk. It can cause anger, bitterness and ultimately divisions in churches. It can totally stop the work of God. Not to me as much to someone I knew a few years ago. Someone who is from the Pentecostal church and instead of focusing on the major things she focused on appearances. We were going to the church and her attitude drove us out.

Q2. (Colossians 1:14-20; Romans 8:1) What does it mean to be "in Christ"? Why is such union with Christ so important? It means that we are joined to Him. We are one with Him and in His sphere. We are in the same family because we are adopted into the family of God. We have been bought with the precious blood of Christ. We share the same Spirit and the same Father, who is God. It is important because without Him we can do nothing. We must be a part of the vine in order to produce fruit. If we are not a part of Him then we are lost. Only when He comes to live within us can we do anything. He gives the power and strength to do His work.

Q1. (Philippians 2:5-11) How did Jesus demonstrate the importance of humility and forego his rights in order to do God's will? What happens when we try to exalt ourselves, rather than waiting for God to exalt us? What do you call this tendency? Jesus humbled Himself by giving up his divinity and being born, and dying a humiliating death on the cross. He chose to be obedient to God by letting go of His power, and knowledge and becoming like us. He chose to die in agony rather than have the angels come to save Him. He chose to endure the insults and mockings and beatings to show His love for mankind. He chose to become a slave so that we could be free. He let go of it all in order to bring us to salvation . When we try to exalt ourselves then we completely lose our witness for the Lord. We become no better than other men and cannot have an impact on others when they see that we are no different. Then we become full of pride and arrogance and think we are better than others. We are so full of ourselves that we cannot see anyone else's needs than our own. We tend to alienate others when we put ourselves above them. Then it is about us instead of Him. I would call this tendency is called self-indulgence or glorification. When we think that we are the most important beings instead of the least and forget about hIM.

Q4. (Philippians 1:20-23) In what way is death "gain" for Paul? (verse 21). Which is better for him? Life or death? (verse 23) How does Paul decide which he prefers -- life vs. death -- according to verses 22-24? Death is gain for paul because he will be with the Lord then. Paul does not know which is better; he longs to die and be with Christ which is better for him personally but he laos longs to remain and help the churches and believers become stronger in the faith. He says that death is far better than life because he will be with the Lord then.

Q3. (2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans 14:10) Why should appearing before Christ as Judge make us fearful? Will we be condemned at that judgment? What saves us (Romans 8:1; Revelation 21:12)? How will our works be judged on that day (1 Corinthians 3:12-15)? It makes us fearful because we know in our hearts that sometimes we did things to look or make ourselves feel good instead of doing it out of love for Him. Because we know that He can see into our hearts and he knows all things. He knows our true motives and intentions. He knows what we are capable of and we cannot hide from Him. We will not be condemned because we are saved because of His blood. We have passed from death unto life. Our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. It will be tested with fire and the fire will reveal what sort of work it is. The foundation we build on is our faith in Jesus Christ and the good works are things done for others in love, sacrifice and humility and the works done out of selfishness and hatred and from the old nature. God as a consuming fire will see through us and discern what things we did for Him and which we did for other reasons. The ones that will last will be the ones that were done for Him and nothing else.

Q2. (2 Corinthians 5:8; John 14:2-3) In what ways is heaven like your "home"? Which is eternal? Which is temporary? What kind of faith would it take for you to walk or live with this as your belief, rather than holding on to your earthly possessions, status, and life? Heaven is like my home because it is where Jesus will be and i will see Him as He is . He is with me now residing in my body but then I will be like Him. I will have a body like His and I will finally see Him. Here I long to become more like Him and know Him more. There I will know Him fully as He knows me. This home I have now is temporary but heaven is eternal. it is where I will be with Jesus and the ones who died before me, forever. It will take me saying to Jesus that I want to know Him more than anything. It will take me surrendering all and trusting Him to take care of me. It will take spending more time with Him in study and prayer; learning to love Him more than anything or anyone; even my own life. It will take me giving over to Him all my fears, anxieties, and doubts and realizing that he loves me and wants the best for me.

Q1. (2 Timothy 2:3; 3:10-12; 4:7) Why are we quieted so quickly by mild societal disapproval of our witness? What would enduring hardship "like a good soldier of Christ" look like in your life? What would it look like to "fight the good fight" for you? I think that we long to fit in and be like those around us. We do not like it when people make fun of us or ridicule us for what we believe. We like others to think well of us. If we do not have a strong faith and relationship with God. We fear man more than we fear God. We are comfortable where we are and do not want to be disturbed. Unlike the Apostle Paul we have lost our love and zeal for the Lord. In its place is the love of a comfortable life and pleasure in all forms. It would probable mean having others tell me I am foolish or crazy. It would mean sending more time studying and praying and witnessing. More time doing what the Lord wants ande not what I want. More time really getting to know Him so that I have no fear of man anymore. More time centered on heavenly treasures and less on the things of the world. It would mean doing all that He asks of me. It would mean giving of myself to others whether monetarily or through good deeds. It would mean that I always put Jesus first and then others. Speaking up when I should and being quiet other times. It would mean that at the end of my life people could say I had been faithful to Him.

Q4. (Acts 20:24b; Ephesians 6:20; 2 Corinthians 5:20) In what sense was Paul an ambassador? In what sense are you an ambassador? Why is sharing your testimony important in your ambassadorship? Paul was an ambassador because he was an official representative for Christ. He had a message to tell others about what Jesus had done for Him. He had a mission to go and tell the Jews and Greeks about the grace of God. I am an ambassador in my neighborhood, church and with the people I know. I have the same message to tell them; how he saved me and how He is working in my life.

Q3. (Acts 20:24) Our life is valuable to God, of course, and we are to value it. However, what problems result from valuing our life for its own sake? What does it mean to "take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23-25)? What keeps us from doing that? What does it mean when Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ" (Galatians 2:20)? Can we follow Christ, if we are actually trying to hang on to our own life? When we value our lives more than what He wants us to do than we are saying that we love ourselves more. That we are not ready to give up anything for Him. That we are too comfortable and we do not want to change anything. Then, He cannot use because we have not fully surrendered ourselves and everything we own. He will put us on the shelf until we realize we need to be sold out for Him. Our witness will be hurt by it as well and we will be ineffective and useless for the kingdom. Taking up the cross means to surrender your life and do what He asks you to do. It means laying down your will and letting Him guide and lead you. I think that a lot of the times fear keeps us from doing it. We are afraid of what other people might think if we went all out for Jesus. We are afraid we will lose everything we have. We like things the way they are and do not like to be put out of our comfort zones. Being crucified with Christ means that your old way of life is dead and that there is new Spirit inside of you now. It is stronger than your own and because of it you cannot resist anymore. Because God has changed you from the inside out and now your spirit longs to do the will of God but your old nature says no. Once you are truly surrendered your only desire is to follow Him. No, we cannot follow Christ and hang onto our own lives at the same time. We cannot serve two master at the same time. We have to choose between the two.

Q2. (Acts 19:21; 20:22-23; 21:11) Are the prophecies about imprisonment in Jerusalem in conflict with Paul's leading from God? What, then, conflicts with Paul's leading to go to Jerusalem? Why do you think Paul actively encourages prophecy in the churches he establishes (1 Corinthians 14:1, 5)? Why do you think many Christians despise prophecy today (1 Thessalonians 5:20)? No the prophecies are not in conflict at all; Agabus and others are just telling what will occur when Paul goes there.The conflict comes when the others try to dissuade him from going because of what will happen when he gets there. Paul actively encourages prophecy because it helps to edify and build others up in the church and encourage them. I think many Christians despise it and no longer do it because they believe it is no longer needed. That they have seen others acting in strange ways in meeting and are against it. Some of them probably think that the way they do things now in the church is fine. They have become rigid in their services and no longer follow the example in the New Testament.

Q1. (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2) Why did Christians worship on "the first day of the week"? Why is it called "the Lord's Day" (Revelation 1:10)? What does it mean that they "break bread" (Acts 20:7, 11; 2:42, 46; 1 Corinthians 10:16)? Why is that important to believers (Luke 22:19)? Christians worshipped on the first day of the week in honor of the Resurrection. It is called the Lord's' Day because it was the day Jesus arose from the dead and was seen by Mary Magdalene and others.They are remembering that He suffered, died and rose again. And because of Him all of us can have eternal life and are freed from our sins. Breaking bread means that they celebrated the Lord's Day together through singing of hymns and having communion. Breaking bread is important because it reminds us of what Jesus did fo us on the cross. That he was crucified for us and that His blood was poured out for us on the cross. It reminds us of how much He loves us and that one day He is coming back again. That He paid a great price for us and that we should be preparing and watching for His return.

Q4. (2 Chronicles 20:15-17a, 21-22; Acts 16:25-26; Philippians 4:4-9; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17) What do praise and thankfulness have to do with faith? Why do you think praise and thankfulness are such powerful weapons in our warfare? Praise causes us to take our minds off of our problems and focus on God instead. Praise helps us to remember that God is in charge and sovereign. God is the one fighting for us and all we have to do is start singing and praising Him and He will make it happen. Praise tells God and everyone else that we believe what He said; that His word is true. Praise reminds us who God is and helps us to focus on his traits. Thanksgiving helps us to remember all the things He has done for us in the past. It helps us to remember that God is faithful and He will do as He promised. Praise and thankfulness are powerful weapons because they help bring us closer to God. We are to remember His goodness to us and be thankful even when trials come. Because we know they are for our benefit. Praise helps us to remember that it is all about Him and not us. He created us for His glory and pleasure and it does not please Him when we are unthankful and complain like the Israelites did. Praise and thankfulness draws us closer to God and lifts us up.

Q3. (2 Corinthians 2:10-11; Ephesians 4:26-27) How do you think anger and unforgiveness give Satan an opportunity to damage you? For you, who is the most difficult person to forgive? Why is your unforgiveness more damaging to you than to the person who hurt you? Anger and unforgiveness give Satan a foothold or opportunity to damage me when I choose to hold onto all my bitter feelings about the persons who hut me. Then I cannot pray anymore because my unwillingness to forgive hinders my relationship to God.And Satan will use it to remind me of their offenses ands cause me to become bitter and angry. He will use it as wedge between me and God. If I refuse to repent of my sin and forgive then I become useless in reaching out to others because I am so immersed in myself and my feelings. For me, the most difficult person to forgive was one of my former supervisors. I had given all of myself to the job and in the end she treated me as if I was rubbish. When I left I was really hurt and bitter. I had to learn to let it go and put it in the past away from me. Though now and then I still talk about what happened. My unforgiveness damages me more then the one who hurt me because they do not know I harbor it. And if they do they probably do not care. It hurts my relationship to God when i do not forgive others. Then I lose that sweet fellowship I had. It hurts me by making me angry and embittered and it affects the people around me. Instead of acting in love I act out my feelings and in the end hurt the ones I love. It hurts me because I lose my witness and testimony for God.

Q2. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4; John 8:44) What are Satan's chief tools to keep people under his control? Why is the sharing and preaching of the gospel so threatening to him (John 8:31-32; Romans 1:16)? Why do you think it is so difficult to share your faith or preach in the world outside the church? Satan blinds people to the truth of the gospel. They cannot understand ti and they think it is foolishness. They think that the gospel and the Bible are just fairy tales made up by mere men. He deceives us with lies and makes us blind to the truth. He has people believing that they do not need God at all; that they can believe in whatever they want to get to heaven, That any road will take you to heaven. That Christians are narrow minded and prejudice against others. He points fingers at ones who fell and tells people that they are fake. Sharing and preaching the gospel is important because it has power to change lives and set people free. It has power to heal the sick and lame and the brokenhearted. It has power to open people's eyes to the truth. It is difficult because Satan does not like when we attack his dominion and he attacks us by causing us to be fearful. He makes us afraid of talking to people about the gospel. He makes people come against us when we try to reach others for the Lord. He causes problems in our relationships at times or in our jobs to deter us from doing it..

Q1. (2 Corinthians 4:4; Psalm 24:1) What is the difference between legitimate authority and usurped authority? Which kind of authority does Satan have? How can Satan be defeated at the cross (Colossians 2:14-15), but still be dangerous (John 10:10a, 44; 1 Peter 5:8-9)? Legitimate authority is when someone has a legal right to something. It is his own and he has a right to lay claim to his own property. Usurped authority is when you take something by force from someone else. It is not yours but theirs and you have stolen it from them. Satan has usurped authority that he takes from us when we do not legally claim what is ours through faith;. Satan was defeated but he still is a t war with us and he waits like a roaring lion to devour us. We must be on our guard and have our armor on to defeat him. We must resist him and he will flee.

Q4. (2 Corinthians 1:8-9; Ephesians 6:18-20) What portion of Paul's "overwhelming pressure" was due to spiritual warfare, do you think? How much can be attributed to the "normal" struggles of life? Why is intercessory prayer for leaders and for one another so important? I think that the major part of his pressure was from spiritual warfare. He had opposition when he started to turn people away from the goddess Artemis or Diana and towards God. Then the silversmiths lost a lot of their business and wanted to get rid of him. Also the some of the Jews who rejected him and the gospel were always causing trouble for him. The more people he converted the greater pressure Satan exerted through others. Also he was having a lot of problems with the church at Corinth as well and all this was stressing him out. He had the normal stuff of teaching and preaching the Word in Ephesus as well. Intercessory prayer is necessary for leaders and each other because our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the devil and his angels or demons and they are invisible but real. We all need to hold each other up in prayer and be vigilant to discern good from evil. We have to be on our guard and be watchful and ready for Him.

Q3. (Acts 19:11-19) Why do so many contemporary churches expect to evangelize effectively in the 21st century without signs and wonders? What are we afraid of? How do we identify people in our congregations whom God has gifted with ministries of healing, faith, and miracles? What will it take to move in this direction for you? For your church? I believe that many churches today believe that the time for signs and wonders has passed. That it was done in the early church when the apostles first began. In order for people to realize that it was God who sent these men to preach about Him and salvation. That once the Bible was finished signs and wonders ceased as well. That all we need to do now is to just preach the Word and people will listen. That God does not cause miracles to happen just because we ask Him to and like Jesus stated the multitude only came to Him to see miracles happen and not to hear the Word. I think we are afraid that people will place more importance on signs and wonders then on the hearing the gospel preached . That denominations cannot agree on the main points and so some let it go. We are afraid that we will construe emotionalism for real faith and some will be lost. That preaching is more important than healings or anything else. That Charismatics and Pentecostals have taken this thing too far and totally misunderstood what the scripture says about it. We are afraid that we all will become a bunch of holy rollers and be made fun of by people on the outside. We can use spiritual gift tests to discern who has these gifts in our churches. Yet some pastors like mine believe that it no longer exists and they are unnecessary now. I myself speak in tongues and mainly use it at home to pray to God or pray over my daughter when she is not doing well.For my church it will take God showing my pastor that he is in error before he changes his mind and it will take that for some of the other members too.

Q2. (Acts 19:9-10) How did "all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia" hear God's word from one apostle, who taught daily in Ephesus and didn't travel around. What do you think was going on that caused this kind of expansion? Why is it vital to evangelize in our great cities? All the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the Word of God from Paul's disciples who sat under him each day. His missionaries are spreading the good news throughout the city and causing people to turn to the Lord. It is vital to evangelize in bigger cities so that more people can hear the gospel; be saved and then go and tell others they know. One person cannot reach a whole city but disciples can do it. They can tell their families, neighbors and friends and it can spread that way.

Q1. (1 Corinthians 1:11-12; 2:1; 3:3-6) What seems to be the primary difference between Paul's ministry approach and that of Apollos? Why does this create competing allegiances at Corinth? How does Paul address the issue? Can you think of any divisions over style within the Christian community in your region? What should you do as a result of those divisions? The primary difference is that Paul does not speak as eloquently as Apollos does. He doesn't use Greek rhetorical speech to persuade people. Paul speaks in his own style from what he has learned as a rabbi and what the Lord told him. He did not use anecdotes or examples to get listener's attention as Apollos did. He did not try to get them on his side by appealing to their emotions. He stated the truth as found in the Bible and what revelations given from the Lord.. He used facts to argue and make his points and the Greeks were used to more eloquent speeches. Some of the people that were won over by Apollos are jealous because Paul has come and want to affirm their allegiance to Apollos. They feel threatened by Paul and try to make him feel bad by saying that he is not a good speaker and holds no weight. Then some others say they belong to or follow Cephas or Christ. And suddenly everyone is fighting with each other instead of working together. Paul tells them that they are still worldly and acting like mere men. That it does not matter who did what only that one planted and the other watered but it was God who made it grow. It was God who made the church in Ephesus grow. It was God who brought men to Him not paul or Apollos; they were only servants doing what they were told to do.That everything was theirs and they belonged to Christ and God was over Him. That everyone should work in unity. The only thing I can think of is in the music area before; that ones in our church and from other places said they liked some musical groups better than others who came. It was just a matter of opinion and taste and nothing to get upset over. The only time there was a problem was years ago when we had a church split. An older member stated she liked the old hymns better than the praise music. She eventually left the church; i did not feel it was worth it to defend my likes and dislikes to her.

Q4. (1 Corinthians 15; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17) How important was belief in a bodily resurrection to the gospel that Paul taught? Why is Christ's resurrection foundational to our faith? What will happen when we die? When Christ comes? Bodily resurrection was very important to Paul and what he preached. That if Christ was not raised from the dead then their faith is in vain or useless. And that the ones who died before them have no hope either. It means that there is no life after death and no heaven and their lives have been wasted. Christ's resurrection is foundational to our faith because He was the one who came to die for us and give us life eternal. He came so that we could be forgiven of sins and have a home in heaven. If there is no resurrection then our faith is only good while we are living. It all centers on Christ's death and resurrection and the fact that one day we will be raised from the dead too and be with Him. If it false then we have no hope beyond the grave. When we die our bodies will decay but our souls will spirit will be with Jesus in heaven. When Christ comes all who are dead will be raised first and then those who are still alive will be changed and be transported to meet Him in the air.

Q3. (Acts 18:7) How important are the economics of house-churches and bi-vocational ministry in the rapid spread of the first century church? What are the advantages of a house-church model? What are the weaknesses? During the first century house-churches were very important to the spread of the the gospel. Ministers could rely on people who had bigger houses to host the meetings in. It saved money for other things like giving to others in need. Bi-vocational ministry was important because it took the burden off of the churches to support them. In this day and age in other countries when believers gather together in house-churches underground they are hidden from the government's eyes. The problem with house-churches that meetings would have to be held more than once because the gathering were so large. Another problem with house-churches today is that people's neighbors could be watching them. They have to be careful and do it when it late at night when they are sleeping. They cannot sing out loud or preach too loud for fear of being heard. In some places they do not have a Bible at all to read or any hymn books to sing with. They have to walk or bike many miles to get there in any kind of weather.

Q2. (Acts 18:3; 20:34-35; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-10; 1 Corinthians 4:12) Why does Paul earn his living by skilled labor rather than through offerings from the church? Why do you think Christians believe that "full-time Christian ministry" is better than bi-vocational ministry? What lessons did Paul teach the believers by his example of working for his living? Because he wants them to understand that if a person wanted to have food to eat then he should find some work to do and not be idle. That some were free-loading off of the church instead of working and this was wrong. So paul decided to work instead of asking them to give him money. I think that some Christians think that a preacher will not give his full attention to the ministry if he has another job or vocation. That they think that pastors are not being obedient to the gospel when they refuse to be paid. That by them giving the pastor a salary that they can keep him in line and dictate to him what he should be doing. That they should have a say in what he does and by him refusing he thwarts their plans. 1. Support your family and yourself by working hard and not being lazy. 2. Work and make money so you can help the poor and weak in your community, 3. Do not covet after money or the things it can buy. 4. By preaching the gospel without charge you will be blessed by God.