Paul H

Q3. (Luke 2:7-8) Why do you think the message of Jesus' birth comes to shepherds, of all people? Why is Jesus born in a stable with a manger for a bed? This has to be intentional. What point is God making? The circumstances of his birth; in a cattle shed or a cave with a feeding trough for a cradle, are just about as humble and low as it is possible to get. In this, Jesus is completely emptying himself of His glory and taking on the form of the humblest. As He later said to His disciples "whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave" (Matt 20 : 26-27). Jesus came into the world amongst the lowest of the low. He is now seated at Gods right hand. The message of Jesus is for everyone just as the message of his birth was for everyone, from the shepherds in this account, to the three wise men in Matthew Chaper 2. Jesus knows no boundaries, no rich no poor, no male or female, no nationality or colour. He came to save everyone with the same message, a message of love and humility.

Q2. Why do you think the journey to Bethlehem was difficult for Mary? She had to take a journey, mostly on foot, ut when not on foot an the back of a donkey (not exactly luxurious comfort) in winter when she was around 9 months pregnant. On top of that, she had the issue that she was pregnant before she was married, and most people didn't belive her story of events, even assuming she had told anyone her story, which maybe she hadn't. All in all, I think it makes for a pretty uncomfortable trip!! Is pleasure an indication that we are in God's will or not? It depends what you mean by pleasure. The only real pleasure I get is when I am in God's will. Whenever I am outside His will, whatever I am doing is deeply unsatisfying and ultimately unfulfilling. Any examples from your life? I spent very many years of my life pursuing whatever pleasures the world had to offer and wandering far away from God. I don't pretend that life was miserable throughout that period, it wasn't, but ultimately there was nothing there. Now God is the centre of my being, of my life and of everything I do. The joy and peace which I get from this is the greatest pleasure anyone can have, and I wouldn't change it for any other way. Extra Credit: Argue for or against this proposition: "Being a consistant Christian causes more hardships than just going with the flow." I don't think that being a consistant Christian causes either more or less hardships, just different hardships. Going with the flow is always the easier option, at least on the surface, and that is true in our Christian lives or at work or just about in anything we do. It is the path of least resistance, and therefore at least on the surface is bound to be easier. However, what following Christ gives us is the strength, courage and peace which can only come from God and with which we can deal with any hardship. No other path can give this and therefore although on the surface it may seem harder to follow a path of greater resistance, in the end, it is the path of Christ which gives the greatest true pleasure.

Q1. (Luke 2:1-2) Why does Luke name the rulers in 2:1-2? What point is he making? By doing so, he puts the events which he is describing in a real historical context. This really happened at a specific point in time.

Q5. (1:24-25) What does Joseph accepting Mary as his wife say about his character? It shows that he was righteous, as it says in Matthew 1:19 and someone who obeyed God. What is the significance for prophetic fulfillment of Jesus as a Son of David that Joseph "named" the child "Jesus"? Joseph was a direct descendent of David. Although Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus, by naming the child, Joseph legally adopted Jesus as his son, thereby, as a matter of law at the time, making Jesus a legal descendent of David as prophesied.

Q4. (Matthew 1:23) How did the prophetic concept of the virgin conception and the name "Immanuel" find their fullness in the birth of Jesus to Mary? A search of Isaiah 7 on Google reveals that a lot has been written about this and there is a lot of theological debate about the extent to which the prophesy of Isaiah in chapter 7 was indeed a prophesy of the birth of Jesus. In my view however, it is simple. Matthew says that the prophesy of Isaiah is effectively a prophesy of of the birth of Jesus and therefore, it is, irrespective of whether Isaiah intended it as such and irrespective of whether the prophesy related both to an immediate event at the time of Isaiah and King Ahaz (the defeat of Judah's enemies, which is something which historically happened at that time) and to the event of Jesus' birth far in the future. The prophesy found its fulfillment as Matthew describes it when Jesus was conceived by a virgin, Mary, and thereby came to save us in human form, but remained divine by being conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and in that sense was also Immanuel, or God with us.

Q3. (Matthew 1:21) What is the significance of the name Jesus? The name means Yahweh saves. This describes the mission of Jesus very simply; he is being sent by his Father to save us from sin. Why do you think the angel gave the name to both Mary (Luke 1:31) and Joseph independently? Because it was so important that both Mary and Joseph fully understood the significance of who the child was. By telling them both that the child was to be named Jesus, in the light of all of the other things which the angel had said to each of them it would have been clear that Jesus was the Messiah.

Q2. (Matthew 1:19) What were Mary's options being pregnant and carrying a baby not her husband's? What kind of character did Joseph exhibit by deciding to divorce Mary quietly and leniently? Mary's options were limited and in reality probably outside her control. In fact, as she knew, her options were in the control of someone far higher than her local community or family or even than Joseph! Joseph's reaction showed him to be a righteous, caring man, which is no doubt why God chose him in the first place.

Q1. What would Jesus have learned as the son of a carpenter? What experiences would this have exposed him to? He would have learned the skills of a carpenter; how to saw and plane measure and drill etc. He would also have learned other skills necessary to maintain his living in this kind of society, maybe subsistence farming to provide food for the table. Finally, he would have seen Joseph interacting with other people and in particular clients of his carpentry business and would have learned from that. All of this would have exposed Jesus to the experience of being human and he would clearly have understood the trials and emotions that humans go through, all of which is a part of his essential character of God made man.

Q5. (Luke 1:42-43) In what sense are the titles "Blessed Virgin Mary" and "Mother of God" appropriate for Mary? These titles are based entirely on what is said about Mary in the Gospels and in particular what is said by the angel Gabriel and by Elizabeth as evidenced in Luke, and in Matthew. The bible tells us that Mary was a virgin, and in Luke the angel tells her that first; she was "favoured of God", and second "the Lord is with" her. To be favoured of God is to be blessed and therefore the first title is clearly appropriate. In Luke we are told that the son she will conceive "will be called the Son of the Most High" and "the Son of God". Even clearer, in Matthew (1:23) the angel speaking to Joseph tells him that the son will be called Emmanuel, which means God is with us". It therefore seems completely appropriate to call her the Mother of God. Why are we sometimes hesitant to exalt her as "blessed among women"? I don't believe that there should be any hesitation in exalting her as "blessed among women" for that is what she clearly was and is. The hesitation among some protestant christians however stems I think from the final sentence of the Hail Mary prayer which says " Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death" (at least that is the way we say it in my Church). There is nothing wrong, and in fact everything right, in asking Mary to pray for us, in the same way as we might ask anyone else to pray for us. This however is sometimes misinterpreted, in my view, as putting Mary in the same position as Jesus as a mediator, and even a sole mediator to God. I do not believe that this is what this prayer is saying and I certainly don't think that it should in any way make us hesitant in exalting Mary as "Blessed among women".

Q4. (Luke 1:38) What is the essence of Mary's positive response to the angel? Mary's response is one of absolute submission to the will of God as his servant. What can we learn from her response for our own lives? That we should submit to his will in everything and to trust him for everything. In what sense was Mary's response an "informed consent"? In response to her question, the angel had told her everything that would happen. In that sense she knew exactly what she was letting herself in for. However, she did have faith that God would provide for her. When we respond to God, what do we consent to? We should be giving ourselves absolutely to his will having faith that His will is the best course for us.

Q3. (Luke 1:35) What does the virgin conception teach us about Jesus' nature? The Oxford English Dictionary first definition of "Incarnate" is "embodied in flesh esp. human form". This was the nature of Jesus following the virgin conception. He was, always had been and always would be divine and one with God, but for our sake, He became embodied in human form and the divine co-mingled with the human. In the words of the Nicene Creed "for us men and for our salvation [He] came down from Heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man", but also, remained "of one substance with the Father". How central is the doctrine of the virgin conception to the Christian message? It is crucial and central. If Jesus did not become a man, then he could not have taken our sins on himself and the crucifixion would be meaningless. On the other hand, if He did not remain divine, then the resurrection and ascension could not have happened, both of which are central to the Christain message and without which we would have no salvation.

Q2. (Luke 1:34) In what way does Mary's "How?" question (1:34) to the angel's declaration differ from Zechariah's "How?" question (1:18)? Why was Mary rewarded and Zechariah disciplined? Whereas Mary is asking the question how is God going to do this? - fully believing that He would do it. Zechariah is asking the question how do I know that God is going to do this or prove it! This is a subtle but very important difference. Mary believed that it was going to happen but wanted to know what the mechanism would be (a fair question for someone in her position) whereas Zechariah didn't believe that it would happen at all and wanted a sign that what Gabriel was saying was true. Zechariah was disciplined for his unbelief, although ultimately he was rewarded with the birth of a son. Mary was rewarded for her faith.

Q1. (Luke 1:31-34) What did the angel's announcement say about who Mary's Child was and who he was to become? The child would be a son and would be called Jesus. He would be great and would be the Son of God reigning over the Kingdom of God forever. In other words, He was to be the Messiah.

Q4. (3 John 9-10) What character flaws does Diotrephes exhibit? Self centred, domineering and wanting to be in control and a gossiping slanderer. Can a person be a strong pastoral leader without developing these traits? Yes. A person can be a strong leader without being self centred or domineering and certainly without being a gossip. I suppose that having other people look up to you as a leader might tend to fill you with your own self importance, which might lead to these traits, but I don't think that leadership necessarily leads to these traits. If you have tendencies in yourself towards pride and a controlling spirit, how can you fight against them? Look at the example of Christ and remember what Christ said to His disciples that "whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all" (Mark 9:35)

Q3. (3 John 5-8) What are the reasons given in these verses for supporting Christian workers in their ministry? Because they are going out to serve Christ without looking to non believers to provide funds for them, therefore as fellow Christians John is saying that we should support them and in doing so we will actually be participating with them in serving Christ. What reward comes with becoming a "co-worker," by assisting Christian workers? Eternity in the presence and glory of God How effective can Christian workers be without those who support them? God will always find a way to support His workers, but support these workers undoubtedly need and it is our duty, as commanded by Jesus Himself to provide that support.

Q2. (2 John 10-11) Why does the Apostle John tell his readers to refuse hospitality to the false teachers? Because by inviting them into the church, as John means here, it gives them an opportunity to spread their heresy an divide the Church itself. What would refusing hospitality mean for a congregation (as opposed to an individual)? I think that it means refusing to give false teachers a platform for their false teachings within the Church. What is the border between tolerance and stupidity, when it comes to false teachers? It is a very fine border but we need to be led by the Holy Spirit within us. However, where we are talking about false teachers in the way that John is referring to false teachers, then I think that the message is clear. We should not tolerate false teachers end of story. Do the divisions of denominationalism find justification in this verse? Why or why not? The answer to this depends on how broadly you define denomination. Where we are talking about denominations which teach the risen Christ as the son of God who came into the World to die for us, rose again on the third day, ascended into heaven and who will come again in glory, then I think that the answer is no nor should there be any need for them to seek justification in this verse. If however, we are talking about so called denominations which have gone beyond the teachings of Christ, as John puts it, then if those who continue in Christ's true teachings do not seek justification in this verse, then they should. We should not tolerate deviations from the teachings of Christ, for to do so is to open the way clear for the antichrist.

Q1. (2 John 9) What is the danger of "running ahead" of Christ's teachings to "deeper truths"? Running ahead of or going beyond Christ's teachings is effectively perverting the teachings of Christ and amounts to false teaching. As such it is against Christ, or antichrist. Following such teaching takes us away from Christ. What is the danger of "running ahead" of Christ's guidance for our lives? Christ will becoame more and more distant from us as we walk away from His teachings and we will become more and more a part of the World. What does it mean to "abide" or "continue" in Christ and his teachings? Why is this so important? John tells us that if we abide in Christ's teachings, in other words continue to follow Christ's original teachings, then we will continue to abide in Jesus and His Father, and with this "He has promised us eternal life" (see 1 John, 2:24 & 25). To abide or to continue in Christ involves our continuing to make Christ the centre of our lives on a day by day, hour by hour and minute by minute basis and involves prayer and study of His teachings in the Bible.

Q4. (1 John 5:21) Why does John exhort his "children" to "keep yourselves from idols"? What idols distract us from the true God? What idols compete with God for attention in your life? An idol in this sense is anything which takes over, even for a short time, the central position of God in my life. That's not to say that we shouldn't do other things and have interests and hobbies, but God has to be central to everything that I do, and everything I do has to be to His glory. I suppose that my idols are similar to those of others namely work, money, possessions etc. Those things used to be everything to me and what I lived for. Now when I feel them starting to take over, I pray and I give everything I have and everything I am into God's hands. I look back at what He has done for me since I turned back to Him and that refocusses my attention to where it should be.

Q3. (1 John 5:14-15) What are the two conditions to answered prayer in 1 John? (See also 3:22) First; obedience to His commandments and doing what pleases Him (3:22) and second; asking things in accordance with His will (5:14). How do we determine God's will so that we can pray boldly, confidently? By reading the Bible, by following the guidance of the Holy Spirit within us and by prayer. How often will our prayers be answered when our main motive is to achieve our will? The main motive of our prayers should never be our own will, or we are not in full contact with God. That is not to say that our own will and God's will never coincide, and in fact as we grow in faith and spiritual maturity, they will coincide more and more often, but always the starting point for our prayers should be Gods' will ("Thy will be done" as we say in the Lord's prayer). The words of Jesus in Luke 22:42 are an inspiration here. I am sure that Jesus knew what God's will was when He said these words. I am also sure that if there could have been some other way to achieve God's will Jesus would have preferred to not go through the agonies which He was to suffer. I think that what He is saying here is I know that this is going to be terrible, but I also know your will, and I submit to your will. I need to be prepared to put God's will first, whatever the cost.

Q2. (1 John 5:11-12) What is the difference between saying "this life is in the Christian Church" and "this life is in his Son"? What should we be doing differently so that we teach a faith relationship rather than a religion? The Christian Church and religion are important and without a doubt, we need the Christian Church in order to grow in our relationship with God. However, that is what it is, it is a means by which we develop our relationship with God and Jesus. It must be a part of that relationship, but it is the relationship with God through His son Jesus that is the key. The Church and religion and everything that forms a part of those institutions, which will be different from church to church, from denomination to denomination, are temporal. They will pass away but God and Jesus will exist forever. In fact, the Church (its buildings, its rituals, its songs etc etc) could all cease to exist today, but God would remain and so would our relationship with Him. It is our relationship with God through Jesus inspired by the Holy Spirit which gives us life. What is the difference between "faith" and "faith in Jesus"? You can have faith in anything, but it is meaningless and ultimately futile without Jesus.

Q1. (1 John 5:4-5) How does a defeatist mentality differ from a belief that in Christ we have overcome the world? If we have a defeatist mentality, we are assuming that we are powerless in the face of the world and Satan. We sit back, and let the world take its course simply because there is nothing we can do about it. That is wrong. Jesus has already overcome the World and Satan and, as His representatives on earth, we have the right to assume that victory has already been won and that as a result we can overcome the world, whatever it may throw at us and no matter how hopeless our actions seem to us. Whenever faced with a seemingly hopeless situation, rather than adopting a defeatist mentality, I always go back and read Matthew 17:20 where Jesus tells His disciples " truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed you will say to this mountain "move from here to there" and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you." It is this faith which overcomes everything the World can throw at us. What part does faith have in this overcoming? Everything, as Jesus makes clear in Matthew 17:20 What part does unbelief have in a defeatist mentality? We can only overcome the World if we believe that Jesus the son of God has already won the victory for us. On our own, we will fail and it would be reasonable to adopt a defeatist mentality, but through faith in Jesus, we can believe that the victory is already ours.

Q4. (1 John 4:11-18) What kind of fear should we have towards God? God is the creator of everything, me, the planet I live on, everything on that planet and everything in the universe around that planet. He has always been there, and always will be there. We should be awe inspired, we should be reverent, we should fear Him,as Isaiah feared Him in Isaiah 6, but we have no need to be afraid of Him because of His love in us. What kind of fear is extinguished by his love perfected in us? His love perfected in us casts out the fear of judgment. So we are in awe of God but do not fear His wrath. What kind of attitude should we have towards future judgment? We should be confident and look forward to Christ's return because we have no fear of coming judgment. Personally, I look forward to Christ's return, but then I look at those around me who I know and love who would be lost and subject to God's judgment if Christ were to return today. Sometimes that fills me full of a feeling of helplessness. With the guidance and strength of the Holy Spirit in me though I am not helpless and I pray that through me these people will come to see the reality of their situation and the simple way in which it can be fixed.

Q3. (1 John 4:7-8) Why is the statement, "God is love," so important? What does it say about God's nature? Love is the central core of God's nature. It is central to everything that God is; just, merciful, holy etc. If God were not love, He would have given up on us long ago and certainly would never have sent His son to die that we might be forgiven. God's love for us is often compared to the love of a parent for a child, and it is, except that it is more than that, because it is perfect and, thank God, never ending. How does love being the essence of God's nature affect us? Without it we would be lost. Without it, God would have abandoned us long ago and would certainly never have sent His son to die for us. Without it, we would therefore have been lost and without hope. If we were created in God's image of love, but fell, what does this say about the road to healing in our lives? Jesus commanded us in John 15:12 to "love one another as I have loved you" or, as John puts it in his letter "since God loved us so much we also ought to love one another" (4:11). Thus our road to healing is the road of love for God and for one another. Why does love demand a willingness to forgive? Unforgiveness leads to hate and hate is the antithesis of love. Think where we would be if God had been unwilling to forgive us. We should love as God loved us and forgive as God forgave us. As the Lord's prayer says "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us".