Irmela

3. How does Jesus' teaching encourage his disciples to be generous? Our generosity must be in such a way that we do not expect it back. It must be full to overflowing. Using the picure .... a measuring instrument, pressed down, shaken together and running over.

2. What do giving and forgiving have in common? By forgiving someone, you are actually giving that person freedom. (and vice-versa) By giving you are actually setting free, releasing and pardoning that person.

1. Jesus says, "Don't judge." But we have to make judgments every day in order to survive. What kind of judging does Jesus forbid in this passage? Judging of someone and accusing him unfairly by listening to and joining the gossiping that follows without a fair trial i. e., without the person being able to defend himself, is what Jesus is referring to.

3. Why is loving your enemy so much like divine love? What is the implication of this for our salvation? For our lifestyle? The Father too loved so much that He gave what He loved most, expecting nothing in return. John 3:16. We too need to love those who are against us, who oppose us, who treat us badly. We need to do good to them, bless them and pray for them, regardless of what they do to us. So our lifestyle should be one of serving, expecting nothing in return. Unconditionally. 4. What is the difference in effect of stating the Golden Rule as a negative ("Don't do to others, as ..."), as did Rabbi Hillel, rather than a positive ("Do to others, as ..."), as did Jesus? Jesus shows us how to exercise love .... how to live. (that is positive) Using the negative formular is showing how to stay out of trouble.

2. Do you see "turning the other cheek" and giving your enemy your tunic as literal, figurative, hyperbole, or what? What is the point Jesus is making here? Jesus is making a point here, viz., to go out of your way to avoid a nasty confrontation. Loving the ones who are against you in a radical way.

1. Why is the real test of agape love being able to love your enemies? If we fail this test, do we really have agape love? If we would just show love to those who show love back to us, we would do like everyone else. The big test as it were, is loving the unlovely, loving those who hurt and abuse us, those who despise us and despitefully use us. That is loving our enemies. (AGAPE love) Not everyone does that. But being kind to and loving those back who are kind to you ... that is the same love that everyone else is showing not AGAPE love.

1. Why is the real test of agape love being able to love your enemies? If we fail this test, do we really have agape love? If we would just show love to those who show love back to us, we would do like everyone else. The big test as it were, is loving the unlovely, loving those who hurt and abuse us, those who despise us and despitefully use us. That is loving our enemies. (AGAPE love) Not everyone does that. But being kind to and loving those back who are kind to you ... that is the same love that everyone else is showing not AGAPE love.

4. Why do we seek to please people? Why is pleasing people such a trap for Christians? Is there anything good about trying to please people? Why is it necessary to get this in balance in our lives? I guess as human beings we try to curry favour with the next one. We are not made to be alone. Pleasing people can be a trap because it is not necessarily pleasing God. A person might just be living a wrong kind of lifestyle. To try and curry favour with them you might say nothing, even shrug it all off as nothing, even find excuses. Alternatively it could be that you join in with them to please them. So that too has proven to be a trap. Yes, there can be some good about pleasing someone. Depending on the circumstances you can even win them to the Lord. It is very important to get this in balance because God needs to be first and sometimes pleasing God means pleasing the next person, and sometimes it is otherway round.

3. What is wrong with being rich? With desiring to be rich? Why is this such a stumbling block for Christians? How are you getting this in balance in your life? There is nothing wrong with being rich. If the richess are not an idol. Desiring to be rich, I guess, that almost has a coveting ring to it. That is a slippery place to be in. It is almost a start of serving mammon and not God. I would say it is a scary place to be at. I guess i am grateful to the Lord for what He has allowed me to have and having been able to share it with others not as fortunate.

2. Choose one of these four alternatives and then support your choice: (1) Christianity can be accurately characterized by delayed gratification. (2) Christianity can be accurately characterized as seeking a present blessing and experience. (3) Christianity can be characterized by both a present blessing and experience, and by delayed gratification. (4) Christianity can be accurately characterized by none of the above. Why did you make the choice you did? I would choose the 3rd option. The present blessing and experience is knowing that Christ died for me and i am set free from sin and death. Just the knowledge means i do not need to wallow in guilt. The future too is filled with promise in that i can look forward to eternal life.

What does Jesus mean by his use of the words "poor" and "rich" in this passage? Does he intend these words to be taken literally or figuratively? The poor are the ones that are needy (that have place to receive more). They are the ones ready to accept "the kingdom of God". They are the ones that will listen and ponder over what is being said. The rich (not only in material wealth but even the ones rich in being poor) in turn are the ones satisfied with the way they are. They are very much harder to reach to be given something spiritual or material for that matter as they are "filled" with what they have. I think the words can be taken literally and figuratively.

4. Why do we assume that miracles won't happen today? They do happen. I know of many genuine miracles.

What lesson is God teaching you out of Hagar's experience? Which situation that God is calling you to is most difficult for you to submit to? Hagar half-submitted to Sarai's whim. She had no intention of her child being Sarai's child. That part was broken immediately. It was not building an offspring for Sarai or a family for Sarai but it was building a family for Hagar. She was being exalted. Lesson.... When something is put to you that seems faintly doubtful ... Watch out .... be extra careful ... pray with an open heart and mind and unless you are 100% certain it is God's will don't get into the situation. Not being able to just be quiet and alone. Not to be able to go out. Not seeing my family (that is hardest of all)

(16:13-14) What is the significance of Hagar's name for God -- El Roi, the God Who Sees? The realization that, no matter where or what, God sees, means that we truly are never alone. He cannot see if He is not with us. This was very significant for Hagar to come to that realization also. She could pick up courage and go back to Sarai, knowing that God SEES. What does it mean to a person who is discouraged and losing hope? What does it mean to you personally? I guess these two questions can be answered together, as I too was just that, viz., a person without hope. It meant I could get up and go on, knowing that I was not alone. The future too was in His Hand, for there too He would see, therefore He would be present. NEVER ALONE

Why does the angel ask Hagar something that the angel already knows? ("Where have you come from, and where are you going?") Sometimes we react without thinking. We do something on the spur of the moment to get out of a difficult situation. I think this is what happened to Hagar. By asking her the question and having her reply, it gives her a chance to reflect and re-think what she is doing. Why does {she - I don't think there are female angels} he send her back to Sarah? That is where her place is for now. She was in the wrong in despising Sarai. She is given a chance to repent and in doing so, she and her child are given a chance to learn more of God under Abram's umbrella/protection as it were. Have you ever reacted and got yourself out of the place God wanted you to be? Yes, unfortunately, I have. God has shown great mercy and forgiveness, for which I am eternally grateful.

(16:1-6) Why does Sarah take her anger out on Abraham? Abram is closest to Sarai, so it would be that he got the brunt of her anger. Abram lay with Hagar and by this union, it is reflected that Abram is not the one that is unfruitful. It is hard to stare the truth in the face. Now it shows clearly, Sarai is the one that is barren ... the "fault does lie with her and not with Abram". Sarai was jealous. Why does she take her anger out on Hagar? Hagar was successful in conceiving a child and she, Sarai, as "chief-wife" could not conceive. This was a very sore point. Hagar now in her mannerisms was probably making Sarai feel even more unworthy than ever before. Is she trying to get rid of Hagar or the baby? I don't think she was trying to get rid of them, but she was trying to right the wrong she had caused by not waiting on God for His perfect timing. I think she was unsuccessfully trying to fix an unfixable situation. In what sense is Hagar's pride Abraham's fault? Abram had been promised an offspring by God and now Abram listened to a plan made by his wife. Hagar was pregnant and I am sure that Abram let Hagar know or feel/sense, in no uncertain terms, that he was excited about the coming of the child. Hagar, as a slave turned 'secondary wife, in turn was proud to have been chosen to bear the 'chief' a son. In what sense is Hagar's affliction Abraham's fault? Abram should have also spoken things out with his wife and Hagar and shown that he was actually the head of the home. For peace they would both need to toe the line. The only reason Hagar was carrying his child was so Sarai could build a family. That was the agreement in the first place. What situation does this remind you of? This situation often is found in families where there has been a divorce or a death and the second partner is starting to assert his/her status or authority in the family. Children that are involved or other family members need to recognize or welcome a new method in the "fold" as it were. This is not always easy. Lots of prayer and patience is needed.

Q4 (15:17-18a) Why did God go through the covenant ritual with Abraham, with the divided carcasses? Covenants were made like this in the Near East. It showed Abram that God was serious about the Covenant. He meant it. If the Covenant was not kept He would be rent to pieces, just like the carcasses. Why does God bind himself to a solemn promise? God had called Abram out from among his people and led him to the land of promise. Now God is binding Himself physically to a solemn promise. How does Abraham respond to God's promises (15:6)? He believed. What promises has God made to us that affect our futures? God has promied us eternal life, if we but believe. What significance does blood sacrifice have in those promises? Without blood sacrifice we cannot have remission of sins. Christ was the ultimate sacrifice. No more animal sacrifices are necessary.

Why do you think most of the apostles were martyred? Can you think of any Christians in the twentieth century who were martyred? (Incidentally, they say that there were more Christian martyrs in the twentieth century than in all the other centuries combined.) When is martyrdom glorious? When is it inglorious? They were bringing in a seemingly "wonderful, freeing, new thought" (faith in Jesus Christ) and it was setting people free from bondage to state and satan. Satan was mad and used his human pawns to try and stop the spreading of the message. The more that people were killed (martyred) for their faith, the more the msg spread and the more people latched on, as it were to this faith in Jesus Christ. Makes one think of a corn that is put in the ground and dies ... before long that corn has sprung up new corn (much more than just one) Yes, the men who in 1956 attempted to contact the Auca tribe. (Through Gates of Splendour) Then also the many who gave their lives while not keeping quiet in Russia and China etc.

If there are full-fledged apostles today (and let's assume this for the sake of this question), who would be some of your nominees? Why would you nominate them? I do not know the people that call themselves apostle this or that, so it would be hard to nominate. I do not really listen to the tele..... whatever they call it, often. What i have seen has almost scared me. If compared to how i understand Scripture it has not been a real parallel. What I understand an Apostle to be, is one that would encourage others who came to Christ and where churches were planted and this person would then go from one place to the next teaching (sorting out where there are differences), guiding, encouraging etc. Reading about the missionaries that went out early last century, who planted churches and then went from one place to the next encouraging the new church bodies, I would say they had the apostolic mantle.

1. What kinds of situations face us today where all night prayer is appropriate? When people need to be chosen in positions of leadership, because many lives are affected by these. When there is a new job opportunity and the whole family will be uprouted because of this. Schools to be chosen for our children to attend. Direction to study in at a College or University. Pray about life partners or friends etc when this looms in our horizon be it for oneself, a child, a grandchild, a close friend etc, especially when there is uncertainty. Praying for healing or stopping of a pandemic etc

Have you ever been frustrated with God for not fulfilling his promise to you immediately? Why does God sometimes delay the fulfillment of his promises to a future time? God sees the complete picture and He sees all the 'ingredients' as it were that are necessary to complete the picture. (I only see a little bit) This takes time. GOD'S TIME. It is as some of the answers reflect, one wants things to fall into place so our loved ones too are saved and serving God, and that to be now.

(15:6) What is so amazing about this verse? On what basis does God declare Abraham a righteous person? What significance does this have to our New Testament understanding of justification by faith? Abram puts his trust afresh in the certainty of God's promise. Abram saw clearly in the vision, that his desire and longing for his own offspring, was going to be fulfilled. Day and night he had a reminder of this. By day it was the 'dust of the earth' and by night it was 'the stars in the sky'. God declares Abram as righteous on the basis that he trusted God (had faith in Him) and remained steadfast in the Lord. Justification by faith. It is nothing that we have done or can do, it is by faith alone.

(15:1) What does it mean to you personally to call God your "Shield"? What does it mean to you that he promises to you (as heir of the promises to Abraham) "an exceedingly great reward"? What does it mean to you to call God your Suzerain or Sovereign? Calling God my SHIELD is calling Him my protector. I need not fear for He is with me. I am protected by Him. It is awesome to know that the promises to Abram, are also mine, as an heir (because I am adopted and loved as a real child, as part of His household) What a future is awaiting us. God is my SOVEREIGN, to me also means my protector, also the One Who takes care of me, my KING and my LORD.

Why does Abraham refuse to take the spoils of war that the King of Sodom offers him? What does this tell us about Abraham's character? What is the lesson here for us to learn? Abram does not want anyone to be able to say that his riches were obtained through an evil alliance. Abram trusted God. He helped without expecting anything in return. He was definately not greedy. God takes care of us. We do not have to rely on evil to get on in the world.

List some of the traditions that are taken for granted in your church, but are not directly mentioned in the Bible. Church was attended on Sundays not on the Sabbath. The Sabbath is taken as a day like the rest of the week only extra is done there as usually "work hrs" are from Monday to Friday. Now all the added things that could not be attended to during the week get done on Saturday and added to that come the sports or visiting etc.... all gets bundled into Saturday. Alltogether it is an exhausting day. Which seem to aid Christian mission? Which seem to impede the work of Christ? Sunday was set aside as the Sabbath. Teaching that God's rules can sometimes be set aside for the sake of human need, can be dangerous. How can we observe this truth without abusing it? I guess if one would follow God's rules to the letter one would not find that they are put aside at all. Look at the whole picture and you will find that you are not putting any aside but are following another to fulfill the need. Forget about following the trimmings. There are just so many of them that through the entanglement it is easy to think you are or are not following God's rules. Are there any people who you are "looking for a reason to accuse"? (6:7) Why is this attitude dangerous? How can it blind you? It is so easy to look at the next person who does not do the same as you do and to find fault with that. You look eg at the clothes that are worn .... sometimes it is such 'revealing' stuff and that person thinks nothing of it..... Where is that, that we are not the same as the world...... 'painting' their faces (I had to watch out and not think of Jezebel). Also consuming alcohol.... I also had to lay that all aside and not stumble because so many do drink (maybe not excessively but......) So I had to learn not to look at the outside. I have to live, act, dress as I feel God would expect of me and let the next one do the same. Looking at someone else all the time robs one of blessings.