ross_laoshi

Q1. Read Exodus 32:1-14. What had the people done that was so bad? The people had broken the first commandment, by making an idol and worshiping it. They had mixed the worship of God with the idol worhip and pagan revelary of Egypt. How can a loving God be angry? God is a jelous God, and will have no other god's before Him. Is God's sentence to destroy Israel and raise up a new nation through Moses justified? Yes it's justified, because the people had so quickly turned away from the way the Lord had commanded them to live.

Q4. Why should we continually ask forgiveness? Though we are born again of the Spirit of God, and we have the new nature from God in us, and God's grace to help us, we also still have the sinful nature inherited from Adam. Because we still have the sinful nature, we are going to sin, though hopeflly less and less, this is why we constanstantly need God's forgiveness. How can unforgiveness on our part block God's blessing? To the degree that we are unforgiving towards others sins, God will be unforgiving towards us. This sin will cause bondage and stop the flow of God's blessing. How can unforgiveness block God's forgiveness? Unforgiveness is sin, and must be confessed and repented of to bring the forgivness from God. God expects his people to be forgiving, as He is forgiving.

Q3. Why do we seek to be independent of asking anyone for help? We want to apear strong and competent, we don't want to look weak and vunerable, this is really pride and we need to change this attitude to one of interdependence. Why do we seek to be independent of God? We have the fallen nature from Adam, that seeks to go its own way and not to depend apon God. We need to live through the new nature, the creature that is born of God and to abide in Jesus. Why should we ask God to "give" us daily bread so long as we can earn a living for ourselves? God gives us the ability to earn a living, God gives the sunshine and the rain that makes the crops grow. We can have nothing without Him.

In what sense are we asking that the Father's kingdom should come? We are asking for His kingdom to reign in us, we are also awaiting for Jesus to return and fully establish His kingdom on the Earth. Why are we asking for the Father's will to be done here on earth? Where His will is being done, His kingdom is being established. How should this prayer affect our living? We should be desiring His will all the time and doing our part to help bring it about.

What about our lives and words "hallows" the name of our Father? When we keep God concious, keep abiding and being thankful. When we are loving others, praying for them, talking to them about our loving heavenly Father. What desecrates and besmirches it? When we act in a carnal way, bad temper, swearing etc. especially in front of others. How should we "hallow" the Father when we begin to pray? Loving Him for who He is, aknowledging that He is the giver of every good gift, being thankful.

Q5. (Galatians 2:20) In what sense have we been “crucified with Christ”? What does that mean? In what sense do “I no longer live”? Whose life now motivates us? How does this verse relate to Paul’s closing comments about the “new creation” (Galatians 6:15)? What does Galatians 2:20 teach about Christ’s attitude toward us? Christ died for us and as we are in him our own flesh was crucified with him. We are no longer our own, we belong to God, and we are to lay down our own lives that Christ may live in us. I no longer live to the extent that I deny myself and lay my life down and yield to the Christ life. Christ wants us to give our lives to him as he gave his life to us.

Q4. (Galatians 2:15-21) What happens to the importance of Christ’s death if circumcision is deemed necessary to salvation? Why was this issue of the sufficiency of the Messiah’s death so important in Paul’s day? Why was this issue important to Luther and the reformers? Why is it so important in our own day? How does it affect the relative legalism of our congregations? Christ's sacrifical death on the cross to provide for God's salvation of humanity is central to Christianity and no conditions of man must be added to it. This issue of the sufficiency of the Messiah’s death is so important because any legalistic requirements added to it change the gospel in to a false gospel; salvation is by faith and faith alone in the gracious gift of our savior!

Q3. Why is it so hard to take the gospel to different peoples without wrapping it in our own cultural practices? Can you think of examples of this in Church history? What is the danger? How can we avoid such cultural faux pas in our church’s missionary enterprises? If we have only lived within our own culture and are used to sharing the gospel in that culture with success, it's easy to make that mistake. I can't think of any specific examples, but I'm sure it's been done where one culture is very different to another, like some of the Amazonian tribes in the 1960's for example. Missionaries need to be properly trained and to study the culture and language of the people they are trying to reach.

Q2. (Galatians 2:14) Why do you think Paul confronted Peter publicly rather than privately? Do you expect Paul had talked with Peter about this previously? How did a public discussion of this benefit the Jewish Christians? How did it benefit the Gentile Christians? What kind of pressure do you think this put on Paul? Paul confronted Peter publicly because they were both leaders of the people present and the matter was a serious one that had to be corrected, not only in Peter but in the believers who had seen his behavior and may have been tempted to follow his example. A public confrontation and discussion benefited everyone by correcting the error publicly and bring unity between Jew and Gentile believers. Paul would have been under considerable pressure, but he knew he had to obey God rather than man.

Q1. (Galatians 2:11-14) Why do you think Peter first embraced the Gentile believers in Antioch and later withdrew from them to eat only with Jews? What does this tell us about his character? Why should he have known better? What does this tell us about Barnabas? What does it tell us about the political clout of the visitors from Jerusalem? Have you ever acted like a hypocrite to impress others? What should you do when you recover your senses? He first embraced the Gentile believers because that's what he should have done as a church leader, so he was doing his job. He later withdrew from them when the Jews arrived to avoid critisizim from the Jews. He should have known better, because he had made a similiar mistake in denying Jesus three times. Barnabas was similiar to Peter in this. The visitors from Jerusalem must have had a lot of political clout. I have acted like a hipocrate in the past, putting on a false image of a 'perfect' Christian. I try to be genuine and confide in trusted friends, and keep seeking God for wisdom, courage and to be more like Jesus.

Q4. (Galatians 2:1-10) Why do you think Paul seems to distance himself from the leaders of the Jerusalem church (2:2, 6, 9)? Why does he at the same time write of their approval of his ministry? How does this further his argument to the Galatians in this letter? Paul wants to make it clear to the Galations that his his ministry and his approval come from God. Though he writes of the Jerusalem church leaders approval of his ministry, he wants to make it clear that it's God's approval that matters. His argument is backed by God's approval.

Q3. (Galatians 2:1-3) Paul is arguing that the Jerusalem leaders support his position on circumcision, rather than that of the Judaizers. What is the significance of Paul’s mention that Titus was not required to be circumcised? Titus was a non-Jew, a Greek. The significance of him not being circumcised is that it means Gentiles who become believers do not have be circumcised.

Q2. (Galatians 1:13-16) What factors in Paul's background made him an ideal apostle to the Gentiles? How did God use his being different from others? To ponder: How has your unique background fitted you for ministry? What uniqueness has God given you? What will it take to see that uniqueness as a God-given strength rather than as an embarrassment? The facts that Paul was formally a highly educated Pharisee and a Roman citizen made him an ideal apostle to the gentiles. Because of these differences he was able to debate well with the religious leaders and to appear before Roman officials and Caesar. I am unique in that no one has been through the exact same things as I have. I have a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, and I have compassion on those that are suffering, especially the downtrodden. I still need emotional healing, which I am seeking God for to be more effective in prayer and ministry.

Q1. (Galatians 1:11-12) What is the source of Paul’s gospel? How do we know that it is a true revelation? How does it conform to our other foundational sources of Christian teaching? What is the danger of taking the teaching of contemporary leaders as our doctrinal basis without checking it with the Scripture? Paul received the gospel by revelation from Jesus Christ (v.12). We know it is a true revelation because of the fruit it brings forth and the fruit and transformation in Paul and in his life. There is no contradiction to other Christian teaching. If we listen to contemporary leaders as our doctrinal basis without checking it with scripture we can easily get into error and be lead away from Christ.

Q2. Paul called the Judaizers’ message as a “different gospel,” a perversion of the true gospel. How is this dangerous to the Galatian believers? How do twisted gospels (or an unbalanced interpretation of the gospel) affect Christians in our day? The Judaizers' "different gospel" was dangerous to the Galation believers because it took those following it away from grace and back under the law into a "works" gospel. Going away from grace and the Christ-centred life is also included in twisted gospels and unbalanced interpretations being taught today, this affects people in many ways such as getting them into striving, following a human leader instead of Christ or Paul's example, bondage, loss of joy and love, cults, being a bad example to the world and ultimately if not corrected leading people to hell instead of heaven.