Highohfaith

I think the reason is two fold. The Lord wants Saul to reflect about what has happened to him on the road to Demascus. His transformation took place in the matter of a few minutes. His whole life took an "about turn". So, Saul needs time on reflecting and only for reflecting. I think that is why he is blinded for three days. So he can take in what has happened to him. Without having any distractions. The second reason is Ananasis is both a Jew and a Christian. Therefore they are not only brother Jews they are also brothers in Christ now. Ananasis doesn't exactly ague with God. He simply resist a little probably because he has heard of Saul reputation. But he is willing and ready and trusting of His Lord. And does as the Lord directs him to do. Anytime God's plan is not the same as our own it takes courage because we must submit to a plan that we do not know. We must rely on deep faith in order to carry out God's plan for us. To surrender ones will takes emmence trust. Yes, And I am still following God's prompt.

Christ is fully man and fully God. So whatever any one does to Him they are also doing to His own. He is God's child and we are His brothers and sisters. He loves us. He values us more than His own life. He shows us what Love is when He dies on the cross for us. I think the biggest goad has been my infirmities. Since I've became ill in 2009 and suffer from a lot of pain, become partially disabled. I have grown a lot in my personal relationship with Jesus. I think it hurts Jesus more. He gave His life for us. By " bucking " against Him we are saying His sacrifice was in vain. It also hursts us because we don't enjoy the love, friendship, fellowship,comfort, assurance of eternal life the wonderful provincial care we know, when we are in fellowship with Christ.

Q2. (John 1:7-8) What did it mean that John was sent to “testify” to the light? In what sense are you put here with the purpose of “testifying” to the light? How are you doing in this regard? What happened to John the Baptist? What might happen to you if you testify clearly? What might happen to the people to whom you testify? John was the messenger..the one sent before to testify to the truth about Jesus Christ. John's mission was to "prepare" the Jewish people to receive Jesus Christ, who already walked among them unrecognized, as their savior, righteous, and holy, totally without blemish, a light in the world of darkness!John was trusted among the people, he was at the time baptizing the Jews through water baptism. The people would listen to John's testimony because he was established, and respected among them. John's message would be heard, not all who heard believed. As ministers of God's word, we also testify. And may well be admonished for doing so.We must not be deterred. John died as a result of preaching the righteousness brought to us through Jesus Christ. He was killed ( beheaded )for speaking out about acts of evil such as adultery and incest. We as Christians must be prepared to stand up, be strong and preach the Word of Jesus Christ. Many Christians throughout history, and even in some countries today are persecuted, and yes even tortured and killed for preaching the word to this very day. We must stand firm and strong! Fight the darkness of the world with the LIGHT of the World, Christ Jesus! fight the GOOD fight and don't give up.

Q1. (John 1:1-3) According to the Apostle John, is Jesus fully God? What does it mean that Jesus is the “Word”? What does this say about him and his ministry? 1.) Yes,Jesus IS God come to life. 2.) It means that Jesus is fulfilling prophecy, that He has always been with us, but at this time He is being revealed in the flesh. 3.) Jesus is sent to purify and save us from sin. The main purpose of Jesus' ministry is to be our Savior and extend to us eternal live as the children of God. We are made righteous, and sanctified only through His blood. One sovereign brotherhood, saved from sins, and the sins of the world,by the grace of Our Lord, Jesus.

Q2. (1 Corinthians 5:2b-5) What are levels of correction and discipline short of excommunication? Who should exercise that kind of correction? What do we do when a sinning member repents? Why is excommunication sometimes necessary? Why are we so unwilling to exercise it in our day? The person committing the sin should be brought before the church leader, and laypersons. Hopefully this is done discretely and is kept between the leaders. They should at first be rebuked gently, and counseled. Prayed for, that they will repent of their sins. Repentance means confess, turn away from ones sin. Repentance requires action on the part of the sinner. The sinner must turn away from, and also mourn his sin. When the sinner repents and recognizes his sin, mourns his sin, refrains from his sin, and ask God for forgiveness, he is to be welcomed back into the church with open hands and hearts! Excommunication is necessary when one refuses to confront,repent and ask for forgiveness of his sin. The sinner is proud and boastful of his/her sin. The sinner risk 'contaminating' the rest of the congregation by his sin. Churches today are more interested in quantity than quality. Despite knowing that excommunicating a blatant sinner is best for the congregation, they don't want to send a message which would deter people from coming to their church, thus losing money.

Q1. (1 Corinthians 5:1-2a) Why do you think the Corinthians were so proud of their tolerance of immorality? What does this say about their value system? Man is a prideful being. The Corinthians were full of pride,unwilling to admit they were doing anything immoral, they were in denial of their sin. Excusing it. The humility they were taught by Paul's first visit soon wore off when they did not have him around to nurture their faith. They were babies in Christ and needed a mentor until their faith matured.They did not continue to grow in Christ, their sins continued and even worsened, stunned their growth and their path to perfection, righteousness and sanctification. Their value system was based on earthly values and not Heavenly, Godly values.

Q4. (1 Corinthians 4:17) What qualities about Timothy encouraged Paul to send him on a sensitive mission to the Corinthians – that might have involved some disrespect and abuse? We have all heard the old adage " Actions speak louder than words". Timothy's action have proven him to be a good and faithful servant. Paul trust, and loves Timothy. Trust is something which is earned, it is not given freely. If God were to call you to fulfill a sensitive mission – to a neighbor or across the world – would you accept? Why or why not? YES, I'd like to think that I would. However, If He called me right now, today, for a great mission, I think I would be a bit like Moses, " The Reluctant Leader". I'd have to muster up all the strengths provided by the Holy Spirit, and trust that God will provide what I need to accomplish His mission. As Moses did before he led God's people out of captivity, I might need a little 'convincing' that I can do it, and that God will provide all I need to accomplish His will! I believe God has a plan for me and in the 'right'; time, His time it will be revealed. And,I will be ready, because the Holy Spirit is preparing me for any mission God will give me.!!!

Q3. (1 Corinthians 4:9-13) Why do you think Paul lists the abuse he has to take? Paul wants the Corinthians to realize it is not all 'cookies and cream' when it comes to proclaiming the gospel. Some people will adamantly reject the gospel, some will ague and try to change the gospel. Paul himself has gone to prison, suffered abuse, and he wants them to know that proclaiming the truth of the gospel is a very hard task but they must remain diligent and not sway like a reed in the wind. He tells them of all his struggles in hopes that his struggles will be an inspiration and an example of what it means to be a true disciple. As disciples we must stick steadfastly to our love and commitment to bring the gospel to others no matter what the cost to us! What effect did he want it to have on his readers? He wanted to be an example. What effect does it have on you? It gives me hope that I can be an effective disciple. Do you avoid ministry that comes with abuse? I have in the past. I had a circumstance where someone undermined everything and every augment I gave him about God. This person had once been a Christian, then became agnostic, and now is an atheist. It had a profound effect on me for a long while I struggled with my inability to change his mind and heart. I could not be an effective minister. I could not proclaim the truth in a way that would sway his already made up heart. I prayed a long time about this and God led me to this passage in the bible one day and a revelation came with it.. Matthew 10:14(NLT) If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave. In this passage I realized that I had given my best to bring this person to salvation. If I wallowed around in the pain I felt at not being effective, then I would be undermining my own faith. I realized that no matter what the cost ( being rejected) that I must continue ( and not doubt myself, but remain strong in the word)on to the next 'town' shake the dust ( the disappointment) off, and proclaim the good news! Do not let rejection, nor failure, nor even worst things as Paul suffered, torture, or prison, deter your good work in the Lord.

Q2. (1 Corinthians 4:3-5) Why doesn’t Paul care how others judge him? Because Paul knows that God is his sovereign judge and ultimately it will be God whose proclaims FINAL Judgement. He knows God's judgement will be fair and just! Why doesn’t Paul judge himself? Paul knows he is a man, and men are not perfected. Only God is perfect and without blemish.Paul has trusted his heart to the Holy Spirit. Paul does not feel quilt or condemn himself because he know at all times the Holy Spirit is working in him to perfect in him a clean, and pure heart. He has totally given himself to God and TRUST with all his heart in the working of The Holy Spirit! Because of his great faith, love and trust in God he must love himself as God loves him, if he hates himself or condemns himself he goes completely against the will of God. We love because God first showed us what love is (and that means we love ourselves-and do not judge ourselves) as well. How can we hate of judge something which God created?? He created us with Love and we must love ourselves, as He love us! Why are our motives so important in God’s judgment process? God looks at our hearts. Sometimes our actions do not clearly reflect what is in our hearts, because we are mere men. We are not yet perfected. We make mistakes. When we do it is important to know God allows us to make mistakes as a way for us to learn from those mistakes. We must therefore ask for His forgiveness and KNOW we have been forgiven. He has not given us a Spirit of guilt and fear! Sometimes the lessons we learn are very difficult and may take years to learn. Perfection is never finished until the day of completion when we stand before God! God know our hearts. I know you have read the verse in which he counted every hair on your head. Think about it, if He knows how many hairs we have on our head, how much more does he know our hearts? Matthew 10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. Matthew 10:30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do you see God as a harsh judge? No, I do not see Him as harsh at all. I see Him as a loving Father who sometimes feels the need to exact punishment so that His child may learn from His/her mistakes, An easy judge? Why? I do not see God as a "pushover' either. He is like any strict parent who wants the very best for His child. He loves us and always knows what is best for us! I ask God often to pull me back, and show me, teach me,even if it means punishment how to be good person! I often ask him to show me my mistakes and to lead me to righteousness. I expect to get it 'wrong' in the Fathers eyes,at times, this a part of the maturation of any child, especially God's children. However,I know his punishment will be fair and just, He will deal with me in a way that will show me the right path in a loving manner. My Father will always be my teacher, He will always love me know matter what, He will create in me a clean heart. Whatever the punishment I trust His motives are always in my best interest because I KNOW I AM LOVED!

Q1. (1 Corinthians 4:1-2) In what sense is a Christian worker a “steward”? As Christian disciples it is our responsibility to spread the word with the authority given to Jesus by the Father. According to Jesus' Great Commission, we must move forward with faithful conviction, and be dutiful servants always. This is our life's mission. Matthew 28:16-20 (NIV) The Great Commission 16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Have you ever met a Christian worker who wasn’t faithful? Yes. What effect did this have on the church? I don't know what effect it had on the church, however it was a pastor, and it was my pastor whom I felt was not a faithful servant . It had such a profound affect on me that I subsequently left the church. On this person’s witness. What are the reasons we are sometimes unfaithful in our area of ministry? pride,money, peer pressure, gossip, What can we do to remedy that? Prayer and listening to the Holy Spirit, trusting that He is guiding us always, give ourselves freely to The Holy Spirit. Be a good example to others, by offering understanding, and wisdom as Paul did for the Corinthians. Be faithful at all times to the Word of God and do not be swayed in any other direction by false doctrine.

Q3. (1 Corinthians 3:9-13) In terms of building congregations in our day, how would you assess quality vs. slip-shod building materials and methods? How important is improving your ministry skills through training? Prayer? Practice? Diligence? Faithfulness? Doctrinal accuracy? Devotional life? Openness to spiritual gifts? Etc. I feel many of the "mega" churches of today have lost the foundational truth found only through Jesus Christ.They are more concerned about how many people they get in the door in an effort to make more money so they can grow larger and larger congregations. And that's great if in the process they don't lose their main objective which is to teach and BE the body of Christ. The church is the body of Christ. Christ is a humble man, many church leaders today are not humbled but puffed up on power.

Q2. (1 Corinthians 3:4-9) In what ways do denominations encourage Christian unity? In what ways do they foster disunity? Does belonging a “non-denominational” church make any difference regarding unity throughout the body? How can we tear down the barriers that divide us? Churches encourage unity through Christ by teaching, preaching and service. It is important for us to examine each church's doctrine before attending a particular church. We, as Christians have a responsibility to have a Christlike mind and heart, and be able to discern if the teachings of a church are in line with our true Christian beliefs. We must always examine what we are being taught to us in church, and search out the bible to be sure we are not being taught false doctrine. Our mind and heart must ultimately belong to GOD,not the leaders of our church. I believe the simple fact of splitting up into denominations fosters disunity. Yes, I believe belonging to a non denominational church does make a difference in tearing down barriers. My church is a non-deniminational church and it is not unusual to see people of many faiths attending.

Q1. (1 Corinthians 3:1-3) In behavioral terms according to these verses, how would you classify yourself in terms of hunger for the Word? I have become a bit remiss, in the last couple years in terms of reading and studying the word. I do read my Bible( but no where often as I should) which in my IMO, should, should be everyday. Actually, for a long while I followed Pastor Ralph's Bible reading plan: One chapter from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament and one from either Psalms of Proverbs daily,. plus did additional reading of the Bible outside the plan.However, I have not been reading lately. I DO pray throughout the day. I DO have a personal relationship with God,in which I talk and listen( the promptings of the Holy Spirit) to Him throughout my day.. I do hunger for righteousness. But, my problem is: I have become remiss in studying and reading the word!!! It is very important to eat the 'solid food' all the time, we cannot grow on 'milk' alone In order to grow we must read,hunger, discern and study the Word of God. supporting verse or theme : Luke 14:34 "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? We must keep our saltiness!!! In terms of jealousy and quarreling? – infant, child, teenager, adult? I have had a problem with envy my whole life. I have definitely gotten better since I became as Christian 9 years ago, but I can still fall back into the envy 'stage' at times. That's when the Spirit draws me back, and makes me aware of what I am doing!. I would say I am in the 'child' ( not quite yet a teenager, but not a baby either)i have experienced growth but it is slow. With quarreling I believe I have reached the teenager stage. I used to ague over every little thing, in essence I was an angry, bitter person. God has changed me the most in this area,but I can still have my "buttons pushed" on occasion. And, lose my temper, however, it is rare compared to when I was younger, and before I rededicated myself to the Lord! What will it take for you to grow to the next stage? Continued trust in the workings of the Holy Spirit, and KNOW that at all times He is working in me to lead me to perfection. Be a willing and open participant. Listening and discerning His prompting. Lots of PRAYER for help in your troubled areas!! Don't give up, run a good race and have patience and the Lord will change us! Trust in the Sovereign Master, God the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit, not in the human/worldly messenger. have a personal relationship with Jesus, so at all times you will be able to communicate with Him and He can show you HIS way! supporting verse: ( this pretty much says it ALL)! John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Q5. (1 Corinthians 2:9-16). Explain how we can “have the mind of Christ.” How does this work, according to these verses? How does having the Holy Spirit “circulating” through our minds explain spiritual gifts working through us? We as Christians have been saved by grace, it is by grace we have been given the gift of The Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is oftentimes called the breath of God. We are given, as a gift, the mind of Christ. The Holy Spirit teaches, perfects us, it is an ongoing process, so that we may stand righteous before the Father on the day of redemption. supporting verse: Romans 12-2 NIV Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. Notice how this verse say but "be" transformed. It doesn't say transform ourselves, it says "be transformed" The "be" is the workings of the Holy Spirit. Then and only then will we be able to KNOW Gods, prefect, pleasing and perfect will. We must know and be transformed by the Holy Spirit to know God's will in our lives! How POWERFUL is that????? To powerful for words,supernatural!

Q4. (1 Corinthians 2:1-6) Why didn’t Paul conform to the rhetorical standards of his day in order to communicate more clearly? What is the danger of “repackaging” the message? What does it mean that Paul relied on a demonstration of the Spirit’s power? Paul wasn't interested in impressing the Corinthians with eloquent, rhetorical, speech. He wanted to bring a clear, unadulterated, testimony to the people concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ. He spoke truth through faith and power of the Holy Spirit, not through a 'refined oratorical" style. The danger of repackaging comes when a congregation 'waters down' the message in an attempt to be current. Perhaps, relying not of the Bible as a teaching tool. But other material mixing in with teaching directly from the Bible.Using verses and chapters out of context to make a point that we can apply to our live, standards for today. Instead of relying on the truth as we know it through the Holy Spirit, some congregations want to interject their own "worldly" take on the Gospels of Jesus Christ. For me the power, of the Spirit's power came when I was baptized as an adult in 2005. I literally felt the Spirits presence in my body and soul, as soon as I came up from the water! It was a BIRTH, my BIRTH, the most amazing event in my life! I was BORN that day!!Paul want to use examples of this kind ( baptism,salvation,birth,forgiveness,miracles)of power in his letter.