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Q1. Revelation is written to encourage and strengthen a church facing intense persecution. Why is the theme of testimony and witness so important to that purpose? Testimony and witness is extremely important to the purpose of encouraging and strengthening the Church, as through these avenues others are uplifted and motivated in Christ, each time a testimony is heard or a witness done, then it makes God appear 'more' real, and present. He is real, but someone just hearing something that he has done for someone will pull you to him, it brings to light the fact that he will never leave you or forsake you, and that he will never give you more than you can bear, it also shows us that once we believe in him and cast our cares on him , he will deliver. These avenues tells us that JESUS is there in the midst of the storms, it reminds us that the Holy Spirit is here to comfort us. How is Jesus as the "faithful witness" (1:5) supposed to encourage us? Jesus is perfect, and we should strive for perfection, he has come in the flesh, died for our sins, was raised and is now interceding on our behalf. Jesus, unlike us , did not succumb to the temptations that faced him, he overcame them all, but he encourages us by being so forgiving and understanding and allowing us to rely and depend on him for guidance and strength. He has left for us a legacy and guidelines to live by, which corrects us and encourages by letting us know the promises that has been made, and how to deal with certain situations and also that Jesus is with is always, even in the deepest depths. Why are we afraid to be clear witnesses in a culture where we aren't persecuted? I think we are afraid because we have not been studying the word and as such we are not fully equipt to deal with the questions that might be thrown out to us, in other words , we are afraid to be "backed up" , the other thing is that we are afraid to be seen in public working for the Lord, but we should remember that if we are ashamed of him then he will not be pleased. We need to keep in mind that it's not about us, it never is, we are nothing, It's all about God.

Hey, I'm Kay, looking forward to yet another wonderful Bible study. Happy to be sharing with you all.

Hi, I'm Kay, I have lapsed in some of previous studis, as I was out of a connection, I'm back now and looking forward to sharing and learning about our Saviour and his 'word' for us.

What inspires Gideon to blow the battle horn and summon an army against the Midianites. The spirit of god ispired Gideon to blow teh horn. Gideon was so obedient to God,and God was so pleased with him that He was able to dwell in his temple (body). The spirit of the Lord came upon him. What does Gideon have in common with other judges and leaders of his era? (Hint: see Deuteronomy 34:9; Judges 3:10; 11:9; 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14; 1 Samuel They had strong faith in God, and trusted God, and in return God empowered them through His spirit. He directed their actions.

What kind of leader has Gideon's father Joash been up to this point? (6:25b) Joash has been a compromising leader up to this point. He compromised by first disobeying God and by allow the people to disobey God by worshipping false gods. How does Gideon's action affect his father? (6:30- 31) It affects in a positive way. It allowed not only to stand up for Gideon but for the Lord, through Gideon's action he now realised that he should be worshipping Yaweh and not false gods. Shouldn't Gideon have considered the impact on his father? Yes, to some extent he should have. But, at the same time when God requests something we should know to do it no matter what the consequences. Once we have a discerning spirit and know that it is the Lord asking something of us, then all we should think of is carrying out his will. How should this have affected Gideon's action? The impact on his earthly father should not have affected his actions. His heavenly Father would have had it all worked out according to His plan. In what sense is Joash a follower of Yahweh now? He has not only declared it, and will now start to live for God again. `

Q3. Can a person be a "disobedient disciple"? Doesn't that represent an oxymoron? Did Gideon have a choice here? Do we have choices? Yes an individual can be a'disobedient disciple', I am a prime example. There are times when i do things that i know the Lord wouldn't approve of, but as His word said, 'all have sinned and come short of the glory of God' It seemingly does represent an oxymoron. Yes, that's one thing with God, He always gives us the right to choose, He doesn't force things on us. Yes, we do. We are free to choose teh wrong of right, the devil or the Lord.

Q2. How are we to obey the commandment to "Honor your father and your mother" in the kind of situation Gideon finds himself? We are to honor our father and mother in accordance with teh will of God. If we know that our parents are doing something wrong, and they want us to do the same, then we shouldn't. Once our parents are working in accordance with the will of God, then this is when we should honor them. God is our heavenly father, our main parent, he has given us earthly parents to guide us along the way, but if they are leading us to the path of destruction, then we should not follow. that is why it is imperative that we as christians study teh bible to know the will of God. We should place no one before our God. What justification does Gideon have for his action? (Matthew 10:37 Gideon knew that God should be obeyed at all times. He knew that he was doing the right thing, and in teh end he would have helped them to come back to God. He knew that when they came back to God, they would be delivered.

Q1. Why does God tell Gideon to tear down the Baal altar and Asherah pole? (6:25) Gideon was instructed to tear down the Baal Alter and Asherah pole, as these were false gods. It is God's command that we should have no other gods before Him, these gods were a distraction for the people of Israel. They were distracted from accepting the love that God had shown them in previous times, and distracted from accepting the point that they needed to repent. He wanted these distractions out the way, He wanted to bring His children to realise that He was the only True God, and have worship only Him as he is the only DELIVERER. What positive thing is he to do in their place? (6:26) Gideon was instructed by God to 'build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God' this new alter would now be a place for true worship to the true God. What risks are involved in this action. Gideon was at the risk of being persecuted by his people, to the point of even death. Why does Gideon do this at night? Gideon believed God had sent Him, but just like the human part of all of us, we think about the things that might happen to us in the process of carrying out the will of God, and as such we are sometimes fearful of man. This happens when we don't totally excercise our faith. Is the night mission a sign of weakness or faith? (6:27) See Exposition. Yes and no. Gideon wasn't confident that God would have protected him come what may. (yes), we should remember that we should take precaution and if things can be avoided, we should. Even though God instructs us to do things, he doesn't want is to go blindly or walk in danger where we can avoid it. The fact of the matter, is that he did do what God asked of him, it mattered not the or day (n this instance) it was about getting the job done, and it was done.

What is God's answer to Gideon's self-image? (6:16) God told him that He would be with him, and he will have be victorious. God is saying to Him , "I have your back". God does not will bad things for us, but when we deveiate from the path He has chosen for us, then that's when we will be defeated. Does this spiritual principle apply to our lives as Christians? It should. We should seek God in ALL we do, and HE will see us through. He is always with us, but sometimes we put Him aside. Once we truly depend on Him and believe He will guide us, then He will. Can you recall any New Testament passages that teach the same principle? John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever. God will always be with us. What is an appropriate prayer to pray in light of what God has taught you from this passage? Lord, I humble my heart before you now. I ask that you may give me the understanding I need to relise that in all things I should depend on you to see me through. Teach me to believe that 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" and not only believe but put this in practice. Help me to realise that size or status doesn't matter when it comes to your work. Lord, help me to make myself available to you and your service. Give me a discerning spirit Father, that I may be able to acknowledge your instructions. Oh Lord, I pray that your people will have a penitent heart and all those who have been running, or has turned away from you will, through us, come back to a knowledghe and belief in you. Your awesomeness has no bounds. I thank you even now, Use me Lord. Amen.

How did God see Gideon? (6:12) How did Gideon see himself? (6:15). Whose self-perception is most accurate? How can our own self-perception prevent us from becoming what God has made us to be? God saw Gideon as a 'mighty warrior' a man of many potentials. A strong individual. Gideon on the other hand saw himself a sbeing weak, the lest in his family. God's perception of us is more accurate. He knows our capabilities, adn if we ask and rely on Him He will reveal it to us. Self perception can prevent us from what God made us to be, because it will cause to have a stereotype of ourselves and as such when things are presented to us, other than what we think w ecan manage, we will run away from it, we won't be confident enough to do what the LOrd has willed for us,and depending on the stance of our relationship with Him, we may not ask Him to assist us, we may just give up before even trying.

2. According to the prophet in 6:7-10, what is the reason for Israel's oppressed state? What commandment did they break? In what way hadn't they "listened"? How does this affect Christians today? The reason for the Isrealites oppresses state is thet they disobeyed the will of God. They borke the first commandment, "Thou shall have no other gods before me". They deciced to rely on other gods instead of God, thier creator. They began worshipping other gods. When we as Christains disobey God, we are robing ourselves of the many blessings that God has in store for us. Sinning has a swift effect on individuals and if we have realised that we have sinned, we have to nip it in the bud, We must e willing to acknowledge when we are wrong and sek fogiveness, if not we could easily be decieved into believing that God cannot deliver us.

In what way does Gideon blame God for his troubles in 6:13? Gideon blames God for the 'wilderness experience" that they were having. He blames God for 'allowing' them to be opressed. He feels that God has abandoned them. Is Gideon's assessment accurate? From the perspective of an individual with no faith, it is very accurate. For people who know and believe in God, then absolutely NO! Why or why not? God allows things to happen to us, things we don't understand in an effort for us to grow and mature in Him. Why do we blame God? We blame God because we can't see beyond ourselves and we fail to accept when we are wrong. We fail to accept that we have a merciful, kind and patient Father that loves us dearly, but He wants us to live by the guidelines He has laid down for us, and when we constantly disobey, we will have to face the consequences that will be meeted out to us. What's the danger and how can we stop short of this in the future? The danger of this is that, we will eventually allow ourselves to give up on God completely, as we will never learn to accept or acknowledge when we are wrong. WE can stop short of this, by dwelling in the word, learning to have faith in God and believe that He is our deliverer. We need to accept when we are wrong and be willing to ask for forgiveness. We need to take heed to the word of the Lord and serve Him faithfully.

Q5. (2 Peter 3:11-12, 14-16) What effect should a belief in Christ's return and coming judgment have on your life? Belief in Christ's return should allow me to make all efforts to meet Him when He comes. This belief should find us living each moment as though it was our last. We sholud seek to prepare ourselves for his coming, carrying out His mandate, doing His will, trusting Him, Building a stronger bond with Him, being faithful. No one wants to be left behind, no one wants to be punished, so measures will be taken to 'make it right with God". What effect does an underemphasis on Christ's return have on a Christian's life? Underemphasis, may result in a wayward way of life, just living every moment for that time only, It's evident in our society today, Christ's return is underemphasised and people live for themselves and human desires, there is no form of preparation.

Q4. (2 Peter 3:9) Why does our culture resist the ideas of sin and repentance? Our culture resists the ideas of sin and repentance because it seems insignificant in this time and era. We have become so accustomed to the ways of the world; we seem to think that God is in not returning so we have nothing to worry about. We have become a foolish people, becoming man fearing and not God fearing. Can there be salvation without repentance? There can be absolutely no salvation without repentance. Can you think of a time in your own life when repentance was difficult for you? Yes, I had deserted God, no devotions, no interest in bible study or the things of God, I was caught up in sin, and it was difficult for me to face the Lord, but eventually God

Q3. (2 Peter 3:9) According to Peter, why has Christ's coming been delayed? The coming of the Lord has been delayed because God is a gracious and merciful God, He wants all of us to get the chance to repent and come to know, He is giving us time to come to an acceptance of him, He wants all to be saved, he is so loving that He doesn