Raph

Q2. (Matthew 18:23-35) In the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, what is the purpose of contrasting the huge debt with the small one? I think the purpose is to illustrate the point that before God there is no big sins and small sins; whatever serious the sin is, God forgives and He wannts us to be forgiving each other in the same way as He forgives our sins. If we were to put ourselves in the parable, which debt would we owe? The big one. Which debt might be owed us? The small one. Why was the king insulted by the unmerciful servant

Q1. (Matthew 18:21-22) Jesus says we must forgive 77 times or 490 times. Should we take these numbers literally or figuratively? I think we should take this number figuratively. If figurative, what are they figurative of? They are figurative of the fact that, there is no limit in forgiving a person who wrongs you. What does this teach us about God's willingness to forgive us repeatedly for the same sin? This teaches us that, God is willing to forgive us every time we sin.

Q4. (John 3:16) Why is this verse so famous? The verse is famous because it shows God's love to the sinful humanity. What does it teach us about God? It teaches us that, God is LOVE, He does not revenge. What does it teach us about salvation? It teaches us that, in order to be saved we should believe in Jesus, His only begotten Son he gave for our salvation. Since "entering eternal life" is a synonym for "entering the Kingdom of God," what does this verse teach us about our destiny? That if we believe in God, we will enter the Kingdom of God and have eternal life.

Q3. (John 3:5-7) What does it mean to be "born of water and the Spirit"? I think it means to be purified and receive the holy spirit. What do you think "water" refers to? I think "water" refers to the process of purification. Why have you come to this conclusion? I came to this conclusion by the fact that, water is used to cleanse, to make something pure and Jesus taught that, we cant enter the Kingdom if we dont receive the power of the Holy Spirit. How, then, would you paraphrase "born of water and the Spirit" to best bring out the meaning? I can paraphrase as folows: " purified and empowered by the Spirit".

Q2. (John 3:3-5) What does "entering the Kingdom" have to do with being "born anew"? The two are related in that, in order to enter the Kingdom, one has to be born anew - the spiritual change. Which do you think is the best translation here: "born again," "born anew," or "born from above"? Defend your reasoning. May I start by pointing out that, sometimes we dwell too much on the grammatical meaning of the words Jesus used to the extent that, sometimes we are put aside by these words. We must always remember that, Jesus always spoke in parables. Now for me all the three are correct but the main issue is the message from the three. It is that, in order to enter the kingdom, one has to change spritually i.e. to trully believe in Jesus as our Saviour. Such spiritual change makes a person new; he/she becomes born again (spiritually).

Q1. (John 3:3, 5) What does Jesus teach here about the nature of the Kingdom of God? Jesus teaches us two things: 1. The Kingdom is spiritually discerned, that is, you can't see it or grasp it spiritually unless you are "born from above," unless God enables you to see it. 2. The Kingdom is spiritually entered, that is, you can't enter into the Kingdom, which is a synonym for inheriting eternal life, unless you are changed spiritually. Do you think Nicodemus understands him? Why or why not? I think Nicodemus does not understand because God has not opened it to him as yet and that is why he is stil asking questions about it.

Q4. What does Jesus teach us about the value and worth of the Kingdom? Abouit the value and worth of the Kingdom, Jesus teaches us that we should be ready to leave everything and follow Jesus in order to inherit the Kingdom just like a farmer is willing to sell all he has to purchase the land containing the buried treasure; or just like a wealthy pearl merchant is willing to liquidate all his holdings to purchase the ultimate pearl of great price. we should not be like a rich young ruler who, despite being invited by Jesus,is unwilling to do the same, because he values his wealth more than the Kingdom. Why are we tempted to value it so little? We are tempted to value the Kingdom so little because of our love to wealth. What helps us to appreciate its true value? What helps us to appreciate its true value is our willingnes and readiness to surrender ourselves for the sake of the Kingdom and not to worry about the riches of the world. How might your testimony help a seeking friend to value the Kingdom more? My testimony must be real, straight and firm, not having double standards. Such testimony should be supported by my deeds.

Q3. (Mark 10:22) Why is poverty and self-sacrifice an inadequate religion? Poverty and self-sacrifice is an inadequate religion beacuse being poor or to make self sacrife does not guarantee salvation. Why does Jesus ask the man to follow him? Jesus asked the man to follow him beacuse of His love to this man, He wanted this man to be His disciple. In what senses was this a great privilege that the man was offered? It was a great privilege in the sense that, this man was offered an opportunity to be with Jesus and learn more from Him in a daily basis. Why did he reject the offer? The man rejected the offer because of his love to wealth. He was not prepared to part with his wealth.

Q2. (Mark 10:21) Why do you think Jesus requires the rich young ruler to divest himself of his fortune? I think Jesus requires the rich young ruler to divest himself of his fortune because of the fact that, riches of the world corrupt people to the extent of failing to live according to the word of the Lord. Jesus says: "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." (Matthew 6:24) Why does this trouble us so much? This troubles us so much because it shows that we have not fully surrendered ourselves to God; we still care about wealth. If there was no other way for the man to be saved, what does that say about the spiritual dangers of wealth? Very very few people could be saved.

Q1. (Matthew 13:44-46) What do the Parables of the Hidden Treasure and Pearl of Great Price have in common? They both indicate the importance of selling everything a person has in order to acquire or purchase something more valuable. What is the main point of these parables? The main point of these parables is to indicate the great value of salvation. How should it affect our values? It should affect our values by understanding that, there is nothing greater than salvation. We should then be ready to leave everything in order to acquire salvation i.e.in order to be saved. Our lives? By living lives that do not offend the Lord.

Q4. (Luke 17:33-36) What does our passage teach about the separation and judgment that will occur when the Kingdom comes? The passage teach us about the Rapture - the gathering of all God's people to him at Christ's coming, both the living and the dead. How should this affect our lives? This will affect our lives in that, some of us will be taken to be saved and others will be left out to suffer destruction and severe punishment. Our testimony? This will affect our testimony in that, during the separation and punishment, genuine testimony according to the will of God will be clear and those with such testimony will be awarded, but those with fake testimony will be punished. Our love for our neighbors? This will affect our love for our neighbours in that,we will be separated from the neighbours who we love but are not taken by the Lord.

Q3. (Luke 17:24-32) What indications does Jesus give in this passage that he will suddenly come in his Kingdom without further warning? The indication that Jesus gives is that, the day He will come people will be going about their normal lives as if nothing is going to happen. What are the implications of this for our attitude? The implication for our attitude is that, if we dont care about the warning and follow the word of God, we will be caught unprepared and there will be no time to correct the mistake. But for those who hear the word of God and abide with it, they will be ready to recieve the Messiah. For our lives? the implication for our lives is that, for those who are abiding with the Word of God will be saved but for those who do not will be destroyed.

Q2. (Luke 17:22-24) What do Jesus' words about lightning teach us about the nature of the coming of his Kingdom? The words teach as that, when Jesus comes back everyone will see Him; beleivers and unbelievers.

Q1. (Luke 17:21) In what sense was the Kingdom of God present in the Person and ministry of Jesus? In the sense, that Jesus was present among them in person and that the Kingdom begun as Jesus taught, gathered disciples, and exercised God's authority here on earth. In what sense is the Kingdom of God present today? In the sens of Jesus' Spirit being in us.

Q4. (Matthew 11:12; Luke 16:16) Admittedly, this is a hard passage to interpret. However, if you take the "forceful" or "violent" people as seekers who are doing whatever it takes to press into the Kingdom, then what is Jesus teaching us here about the nature of the Kingdom? Jesus is teaching us that, the Kingdom of God is there for those seek, look for it. In order for us to enter the Kingdom we must actively, aggressively, and forcibly seek entrance; thus it is not all smooth entrance.

Q3. (Matthew 7:7-8) Why is continual asking, seeking, and knocking so essential to our looking forward to the Kingdom? It is essential because God our Father desires to hear our petitions and as such, we are to be entirely open with him. Why do we give up so easily? I think we give up so easily because of our impatience - we want our prayers to be answered at once; and also because of our little faith - we are full of doubts as to whether our prayers will be answered. How do we gain boldness and persistence in prayer? By knowing and believing that God loves us and understands us and seeks good for us. We should have full trust in Him.

Q2. (Matthew 6:33) What does it mean in verse 33 to

Q1. (Matthew 6:24) Jesus seems to make it sound like you can

Q4. What did Jesus intend the Parable of the Soils to teach us about the "message of the kingdom"? I think the intention of Jesus was to let us know that, in our desire to make all people turn to God, some will turn and others will not. thus, we should expect this to happen. Why are these truths so important for keeping disciples from becoming disillusioned? These truths are important as they teach us the reality and by understanding that reality, we should not be disillusioned but continue spresding the Work of God knowing that, no matter what there are seeds which will still fall on good soil.

Q4. What did Jesus intend the Parable of the Soils to teach us about the "message of the kingdom"? I think the intention of Jesus was to let us know that, in our desire to make all people turn to God, some will turn and others will not. thus, we should expect this to happen. Why are these truths so important for keeping disciples from becoming disillusioned? These truths are important as they teach us the reality and by understanding that reality, we should not be disillusioned but continue spresding the Work of God knowing that, no matter what there are seeds which will still fall on good soil.

Q3. (Matthew 13:23) Even good soil can have factors that hinder growth in various parts of the field, or make some areas grow taller and fuller wheat. What factors make a disciple especially good soil for the growth of the word or message of the Kingdom? The factors are the acceptance of the Holy Spirit in ouir life and the efective use of the spiritual gifts we are given by God. What might be the reasons for 30-fold, 60-fold, and 100-fold growth? Reasons might be the diversity of the spiritual gifts as given to us by the Lord.

Q2. (Matthew 13:22; Luke 8:14) Which of the thorns that Jesus mentions do you think is the most dangerous: Riches, worries/cares, or pleasures? I think the most dangerous thorn is riches. Why do you think so? I think so because riches can bread the other thorns i.e. worries/cares or pleasures. A person who is rich he/she can be so much concerned of his/her riches and if anything goes wrong with the riches, he/she becomes worried and with little faith he/she can fall away. Furhter, a person with riches is in a position to have all the pleasures to the extent of forgetting the Word of the Lord.

Q1. (Matthew 13:20-21) Why, according to Jesus

Why is repentance so central to the Kingdom of God? The Kingdom of God is for the righteous people. So,in order to enter, people should repent their sins. Why is baptism important to converts to the King? Baptism is the "cleaning" of the converts and as such in order to enter the Kingdom of God, people should not only repent but should also be baptised. Can Christ reign in an unrepentant heart? I think not. Christ although has authority to all, but his reign is for those who repent.