Old Jerry

If they were going to get the word out about their savior then they had to be bold. Otherwise they would not have been able to spread the word. They had everybody against them especially the authorities. This tells us that they had faith and their character was a bold one.

The reason to study that bible is to know what God’s commands are. So we are to submit to civil authorities but we must not to disobey God. So if there is a conflict then we may have to suffer from the civil authorities. We can still be faithful to God and still be humble.

The implications of believing that Jesus Christ is the exclusive way to God is that he is the only way to God. It means that those who do not believe in Jesus as their savior will not be able to go to God. Knowing this we are committed to tell people about Jesus as our savior so that they can be saved. Our culture resist this belief so adamantly because we want everybody to be included but we don’t want to do the work to make this happen.

Repentance means that we know that we have sinned and with God’s help we will turn things around. So knowing that God will help us we can have “times of refreshing,” peace, and renewal. The ultimate “time of refreshing” will be when Jesus returns.

We can ask Jesus for everything in his name. We pray in his name. The bible tells us can do all things in his name. That is the reason we conclude our prayers “in the name of Jesus”. I think in praying in Jesus’ name and praying in God’s name is about the same thing. We are asking God for a favor and we are doing it in the name of Jesus. If we are not praying in will of God and we are praying in Jesus’ name then we are misusing the name of Jesus.

I think that everything that is in Acts 2:42-47 are necessary for a healthy congregation. We need to keep on learning about our Lord and Savior. This would bring this crazy world into a better relationship. I think that our congregation is most healthy in devoting ourselves to fellowship and to the teaching of the Apostles. The unhealthiest is not breaking bread together very often.

I think that repentance is vital for forgiveness of sins but baptism isn’t. Baptism is just a symbol to show that you have joined the Christian community and the Holy Spirit will come upon us at that time. The Holy Spirit is promised to everyone who will believe. Only God can save us from our corrupt cultures so we need to turn ourselves over to his teaching.

I think that the part of message that Peter poured out on the Day of Pentecost was quoting Joel.

The messages in tongues is so convincing to the crowds because they can hear it in their own language. The content of the message it telling the people how great God really is. I think we see this kind of content throughout the whole Bible.

I think that the significance of the sound of the wind is the Spirit entering the room. The flames is the Holy Spirit touching all those that are in the room. The spontaneous speaking of praises of God in other languages is to be able to communicate to all that are there the great work of God. This filling conforms to the Old Testament patterns because it happened in the Old Testament.

They were and asking for Jesus to return. They didn’t know how to go out and teach the Good News as they were probably praying about that since Jesus said to spread the word. I am in a prayer group like that. We pray for the things that are happening in the world and for each other.

The kinds of power that Jesus offers us is being able to witness to the Good News. To spread this new to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8 is an outline to the Book of Acts by telling what we will do when we receive the Holy Spirit and Acts is the account of how that happens. We fit in to fulfilling Acts 1:8 when we witness to others.

The disciples are not to leave Jerusalem and return to their homes because they will be given the Holy Spirit. It will fill the disciples in their hearts and that will give them the power to spread the Good News. It will be as they had been baptized in the Spirit.

Since Jesus was already the Son of God, why did he have to "grow" in understanding and wisdom? (2:40, 52) A. He was born as a human and had to learn human things and grow as a human even though he was God. How do you evaluate Jesus' carelessness in not going home with his parents when they left Jerusalem? (2:43-44) Was Jesus at fault or they? What is the difference between an error in judgment and sin, if any? A. He might not have known that they had left. He was fixated on learning in the temple. They didn’t have to keep tract of their children in those days like we have to today. They just assumed that he was with his friends. An error in sin is against God and as far as I can tell this wasn’t against God. Why was Jesus so engrossed in the Temple? (2:46-49) How was this interaction with Jerusalem's top teachers important for his own development? How did this represent something that was absolutely necessary for him to do? How did this relate to his calling? A. He was so engrossed because he was learning about his Father and maybe he was pointing out some of their errors. This was important for his own development because he was going to have to go out and teach other about his Father. This was the only thing that he was called to do. Why did Jesus have to obey parents who were his spiritual inferiors? (2:51) How can our inability to submit to authority be crucial in our spiritual relationship with God? A. It is one of the Ten Commandments to honor your parents. The Bible says that we are to submit to authority and when we do we are really surrendering to God. What does it mean that "the grace of God was upon him"? (2:40) Why was this necessary for Jesus? Why is it necessary for us? A. It meant that God was always protecting him. It was necessary for Jesus because he was always in and was being rejected. We too are being rejected and being protected by God. Why was it important for Jesus -- and for us -- to grow "in favor with God and men" (2:52)? How is our relationship with people vital to our spiritual growth? A. If we grow in God and man we will be able to spread the Good News.

In what ways do Mary's and Joseph's consecration of Jesus set an example for us? A. We are to follow God where ever he takes us. Mary and Joseph was following the law. If Simeon and Anna had never seen the Messiah, in what ways might their lives have been important? In what might your life be important to God? A. Their lives would be important because they were following God’s instructions. What did Simeon's and Anna's righteousness, devotion, and praise have to do with their sensitivity to the Holy Spirit's voice? What are some of the reasons that we can't hear God? A. They were able to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice. We can’t hear God’s voice because we are not in tune with it. What place do praise and thanksgiving have in Simeon's and Anna's lives? What does this say about them? How do we nurture these in our lives? Why does our culture see long periods spent in prayer as wasted? How did Anna see it? A. Praise and thanksgiving was what Simeon and Anna lived for. This means that they were in touch with God. We nurture these in our lives being in the bible and talking with God always. Long periods spent in prayer is wasted if we don’t believe in the Holy Spirit. Anna saw it as the way to God. What expectations do Simeon and Anna have of the Messiah's salvation? What does this have to do with Jerusalem? With the Gentiles? With Jesus' own life? What kind(s) of salvation does Jesus offer today? A. They were expecting the whole world to praise him. The salvation we have today is the Holy Spirit is living in us.

Why do you think the message of Jesus' birth comes to shepherds, of all people? (2:8) What point is God making? A. The message of Jesus’ birth comes to shepherds because this message is for everybody not just the rich and honored. What is the "glory of God" that the shepherds glimpsed? (2:9, 13-14) Is this glory present if we can't see it? Why are we so conditioned to look to the temporal rather than the eternal? (2 Corinthians 4:18) A. The “glory of God” was seeing the Christ child. This is the same glory that we have in our hearts. We are conditioned to look to the temporal rather than the eternal because we can see temporal with our eyes. What are the three titles of Jesus given in 2:11? What does each mean? What does this tell us about Jesus' true identity? Savior which means we have somebody standing up for is in front of God. Christ which means we have somebody to praise. Lord. We have the son of God at our side. Extra Credit: In what way is the Good News universal? (2:10) In what way is it restricted? (2:14b) The Good News was for everybody. It’s restricted because we have to be believed. Which of the responses to the Good News are present in your life? In what manner do they show themselves? (Great joy, praise, curiosity, amazement, telling others, thoughtful meditation) If some are missing, why? What can you do to recover these responses? A. All responses to the Good News are present in my life. They show themselves in everyday life like the sunrises and the beauty of the earth.

Why does Luke name the Roman rulers in 2:1-2? What point is he making? A. I think that Luke named the Roman rulers to place Jesus’ birth in history. What is the significance of Joseph being a descendant of David? (2:4) What is the significance of Bethlehem in Messianic prophecy (Micah 5:2)? A. The significance of Joseph being a descendant of David is that God promised David that he would have his descendants in charge forever. What is the scandal in verse 5? What hardship is Mary experiencing? What about Joseph? A. The scandal in verse 5 is that Mary was pregnant and was about to have the baby. Mary’s hardship was that she was about to have a baby and had to travel and Joseph was with her to keep her comfortable. Why do you think the journey to Bethlehem was difficult for Mary? Is pleasure an indication that we are in God's will or not? Any examples from your life? A. Mary was about to have the baby and the journey must been very uncomfortable. Comfort has nothing to do with God’s will. His will is for us to do what he has put on our heart. An example is mission trips. Extra Credit: Argue for or against this proposition: "Being a consistent Christian causes more hardships than just going with the flow." A. Being a Christian causes more hardships then just flowing along with the crowd because we are always having to justify ourselves. To what do you attribute Messiah's birth in a stable -- poor planning? (2:7) What message does the manger convey to modern-day disciples? A. I think that the Messiah’s birth in a stable was to tell us that Jesus was a man and He is like us but is also God. If our culture is enamored with bigness and success, and humility runs across the grain, what appeal can the humble Jesus have to people today? A. The appeal that a humble Jesus can have on us today is that we know that He also went through the same things that we did. He can stand at the right hand of God and know our problems. Extra Credit: How far do you think Jesus "emptied himself" by being born a human? What aspects of his divinity did he retain during his time in human flesh? What aspects did he lay aside? A. Jesus completely “emptied himself” by being born human. Some of divinity that he retained as a human was being able to perform miracles, rebuke that devil. He laid aside the aspects of being willing to die on the cross.

Why are the neighbors surprised at Elizabeth's choice of a name for the baby? Why are they so surprised when Zechariah writes "John" on a wooden tablet? (1:60-63) A. I think that they were surprised because in those days it was the practice to name the baby after somebody in the family. Zechariah and his son John were from the house or tribe of Levi. What does it mean when the prophecy refers to "the house of his servant David"? What tribe was he from? How is his lineage significant? (See Genesis 49:10. Also Luke 2:4, 11 and Matthew 2:4-6.) A. The messiah was to be from the house of David so John being of the tribe of Levi means that he is not the messiah but a prophet. How are the terms "salvation" and "rescue" used in Zechariah's prophecy? (1:69, 71, 74, 77). Do they speak of military or spiritual salvation? Extra credit: When does the Messiah bring spiritual salvation? When do we believe Messiah brings about military deliverance to his people? A. They are speaking of spiritual salvation. The messiah brings spiritual salvation when we accept Him as the only way to heaven. I think that the military deliverance to the people will come when he comes the second time. What is the purpose of Messiah's salvation in verses 74 and 75? What kind of lives does he expect us to live? A. The purpose of the Messiah’s salvation is to free us from the evil one. We are to live a holy and righteous live before Him all of our days. What are John the Baptist's chief tasks as outlined in verses 76-77? A. John’s chief purpose is to prepare the way for the Messiah. He was to reach them the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. What kinds of ministries of preparation do we see in the church today? Why is preparation so important for the future? Extra credit: What does the history of revivals teach us about the importance of preparation? Why do we sometimes get disillusioned with ministries of preparation? A. We still see the same preparations for the Messiah in our church today. The pastors are preparing us to enter the kingdom of heaven. Unless repent we can’t enter the Kingdom. The history of revivals teach us that it very important to prepare for the Kingdom. We sometimes get disillusioned with ministries of preparation because it tells us we are still sinners and need to repent.

Why do you think Mary wanted to see her kinswoman Elizabeth? What do you think Mary hoped to get out of the visit? A. I think that she wanted somebody to talk to that wasn’t going to condemn her. She probably wanted an understanding as to what was going on with her. In what sense is Mary blessed among women? A. She was blessed among women because she was carrying the savior of the world. Mary "believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished." How did her actions demonstrate this? A. From what we read in the Bible, she didn’t complain. She knew that God was going to help her and she was doing what God wanted her to do. How does saying psalms of praise bring benefit to God? How do psalms of praise benefit us? A. We are to thank God for all that He dose of us. So saying a psalm of praise must make Him feel good about us. The psalms benefit us because we know that God has accepted our praise. In what ways do you think Elizabeth acted as a mentor to Mary? How has someone mentored you in the Lord? How has God used you to mentor others? A. Elizabeth acted as a mentor to Mary be telling her what her baby did when she entered her house. She was able to confer what the Lord has told her.

What was different about Mary's "How?" question (1:34) to the angel from Zechariah's "How?" question (1:18)? Why was Mary rewarded and Zechariah disciplined? A. Mary’s “How” one of belief and Zechariah’s “How” one of disbelief. Mary was rewarded for her belief and Zechariah was disciplined for his disbelief. Secular people often make fun of the virgin birth. Does this passage actually teach that Jesus was born of a virgin? If so, why is this important to our understanding of who Jesus was and is? A. For me this passage does actually teach that Jesus was born a virgin. It is important to understand that Jesus was also God and did not carry the man’s genes. Why is Mary frightened? Is her fear reflective of unbelief? A. Mary was frightened because she did not understand what was going to happen to her. I don’t think that her fear is reflective of her unbelief. Why is it so hard for us to accept being a servant? Why do we have such trouble being submissive to God? A. It is hard to be a servant because we have our pride and we want things to go the way we planned it. As a servant we are doing things somebody else’s way. Have you had any experiences where God has taught you to be a willing servant? A. I have had experiences where God has taught me to be a willing servant especially when I was on mission trips.

What do we learn about Zechariah and Elizabeth in 1:5-7? What kind of people are they? What is Zechariah's job? A. We learned that they were from the line of Judea. They were righteous and walked blamelessly and they had no children. Why do you think it happened that the "lot" fell upon Zechariah to be the officiating priest for offering incense on this particular day? What does the offering of incense represent? A. The lot fell upon Zechariah by divine providence. The offering of incense is the prayers of the people. The Angel Gabriel's message involves twelve separate points about John the Baptist's birth and ministry in verses 13-17. Which are most important to you? Which do you think would have been most important to the people of John's time? A. The most important to me is that he was filled with the Holy Spirit. The most important to the people in John’s time was turning the hearts back to their father. Specifically, which part of this prophecy does Zechariah question and disbelieve? (1:18) Why do you think he can't believe it? What kinds of things are we unable to believe that God does in spite of us today? A. The part of the prophecy that Zechariah questions is his wife getting pregnant. He couldn’t believe it because she was past childbearing age. What are the symptoms of unbelief in a Christian? How does unbelief hurt a disciple's life? What is the cure for unbelief, do you think? A. One of the symptoms of unbelieving Christian is that they don’t believe in Jesus. This unbelief hurts the disciple’s life because will call him to do something and they won’t believe it can be done. The cure for this is to do what you have been called to do to see how it turns out. Extra credit. What is the difference between unbelief and asking the hard questions? How is the latter necessary to solid faith? A. The difference is that when you ask hard questions you are trying to understand what you are believing. The answer will help you become more solid in your faith. Extra credit. Compare and contrast Zechariah's reaction to the angel's announcement to Mary's (1:34, 38). What is the difference between her question and his? A. Mary’s reaction to the angel’s announcement was one of belief where Zechariah’s was one of unbelief. Why does God "punish" Zechariah (if that is what you call it)? What effect do you think it has in his life? What effect do you think it has on those observing Elizabeth's pregnancy and birth? How do you categorize this -- as punishment, discipline, rebuke, chastisement, or something else? Though we discipline our children, why do you think we resist the concept that God can punish his servants? A. God “punished” Zechariah because of unbelief. It made him think about what he had done. By observing Elizabeth’s pregnancy and birth made him believe again. I think that he was rebuking him.

What is Jesus' reference to the fig tree supposed to teach his disciples? (21:29-30) A. Jesus’ reference to the fig tree is supposed to teach us that we will be able to see the development of the end of the age. We need to watch for the signs that He has told us about. Extra Credit. In verse 31, what does the term "these things" refer back to in the context? A. “these things” that is mentioned in verse 31 is referring to the things that Jesus was saying would happen when the end times come. Extra Credit. If we assume that "this generation" doesn't refer to merely the people who were contemporaries of Jesus, then what DOES "this generation" mean in the context? (12:32) A. I think that “this generation” refers to the end times. Why does Jesus warn us of spiritually-dulling lifestyles? (21:34) How can "the anxieties of life" be just as dulling as drunkenness? A. If we are not careful we will start be complacent about our spiritual life. If we let the worries of this world take control of us it will dull the spirit lifestyles. What are Jesus' direct commands to his disciples in light of his teaching on the end-times? (21:36) What will these commands do for us? What will they do for Jesus' cause? A. We are to keep in communication with God. We are to talk to Him and study his word so we can keep spiritually alive. What does it mean, to "stand before the Son of Man"? What does that refer to? A. The meaning to “stand before the Son of Man” means that on that great judgment day we will stand and account for our actions. Extra Credit. What is the balance between resting in the assurance of the grace of God, on the one hand, and striving to escape the temptations all around us, on the other?

According to Jesus' teaching here, how is the destruction of Jerusalem related to the time of his return? (21:20-24a) A. I don’t see that the destruction of Jerusalem is related to the end times. The Bible just says that it will happen to fulfill that was written about it. What are the Times of the Gentiles (21:24b). What significance does it have for the return of Christ? A. The Bible doesn’t tell us what the Times of the Gentiles represent. I suppose it is when God gives back to Israel the land that was taken away. What words are used in verses 25 and 26 to describe what will take place at the very end? What effects will these have upon people? A. The very end will happen when all kinds of natural disasters happen. The powers of heaven will be shaken. Men will be scared and will faint. What will be the direct sign of Jesus' return? (21:27) What Old Testament Scripture passage is Jesus referring to when he describes his coming? A. We will Jesus coming in a cloud with power and great glory. I think that Daniel prophesied that this was going to happen. If fear will characterize unbelievers at these terrible signs, what emotion should characterize believers? (21:28) A. We believers should have open arms to accept Him. We will be glad about His coming.

In what way are church leaders, both clergy and laity, susceptible to the sins of the "teachers of the law" that Jesus criticizes in 20:45-47? How can a leader walk in humility? What are the keys you've discovered? A. I can see that the sins of the “teachers of the law” can be done by some of the leaders when they insist on long prayers and wanting to be addressed as a leader. They can walk in humility by being just as friendly with the poor as they are with the rich. How does Jesus compare the gifts of the rich verse the poor in 21:1-4? Who put in the most? A. The rich are giving out of their abundance and the poor are giving out of their love for the Lord. The poor are giving the most. How does the widow demonstrate the principle of proportional giving? How large are your gifts to God in proportion to your income? How large are your gifts in proportion to how much you have left after the bills are paid? A. The widow didn’t demonstrate the principle of proportional given, she gave it all. How does the widow demonstrate the principle of sacrificial giving? What did that mean for her? What would sacrificial giving mean for you? A. The widow gave all that she had which demonstrated the principle of sacrificial giving. How does the widow demonstrate the principle of faith-filled giving? Is this the same kind of faith you and I exhibit in our giving? Why or why not? A. She gave it all which is faith-filled giving. That isn’t the same faith that I exhibit in my giving. I give out of my abundance. What are the characteristics of well-to-do people who try to control churches by their giving? A. The characteristics of a well-to-do person who tries to control churches by their giving is one of pride. He isn’t there to praise God, he is there to be praised.

What did the Sadducees believe about the resurrection? What did Jesus believe? What did the Pharisees believe? A. the Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection. Jesus knew that there is a resurrection. The Pharisees believed in the resurrection. What can be the result in a person's heart if he feels there will be no reckoning in the life to come for the things he or she has done during this life? A. The person could run amuck because there is no justice and doesn’t care what happens when he dies. What was "levirate marriage" and what was its purpose in Israelite society? A. the “levirate marriage” is when a husband dies, the brother is to marry his wife and have children with her. That is the way that the widow would have someone look after here when she gets old and her husband’s name would not be forgotten. In what way does Jesus' reply destroy the Sadducees' carefully constructed objection? A. Jesus answered the Sadducees’ by informing them that there is no marriage in the resurrection. What effect does Jesus' question about the son of David being David's Lord have? Of whom did he ask the question? Why? A. Jesus was trying to show that there is a resurrection. He is informing them that He is the Lord and that the Lord is not Lord of the dead. What things should we be doing to be able to live both in the present age and be ready for the age to come? What should we cease doing? A. We should be living knowing that there are consequences for what we do in this life. That the resurrection is real and we should be following Jesus.