haar

1. In Jesus' parable, should a slave expect his master to prepare dinner for him, or should the slave expect to prepare dinner for his master after doing his other chores? For me and as it relates to human relationship and my culture in my village, there is division of labour. One fact is clear, the women prepare meals. The slave and other male family field workers will not expect the master to prepare dinner for them. Neither are field workers expected to prepare meals for the master. The reason is, in my set up, the women prepare meals for everyone. They may from time to time prepare a special meal for the master. But generally, the meal prepared by the women is for everyone. Usually a meal is prepared and taken to the workers in the field while dinner is prepared by the women for everyone in the evening. 2. In the parable, the slave should not expect thanks for fixing the family dinner. Why? From my answer in question one, the set up I explain does have room for a slave preparing mean and thus the question does not apply here. However, as regards God our heavenly father, whatever service we offer to God is a privilege. We do not expect Him to thank us. 3. What does this parable say to the Pharisees, who expected God's special favor towards them because of their strict observance of the law? God does not have to grant them any special favour. God chose them as a preferred race in the first place by grace. They are to appreciate and thank God for that. 4. In what ways do we citizens of the twenty-first century take God for granted, expect him to do our bidding, and become petulant when he doesn't grant our wishes? We as human beings naturally expect God to fulfill His scriptural promises eg. Matthew 7.7 that says we should ask and we shall be given. Thus when we ask and the answer has not come, we start to worry and may even wonder why the answer has tarried! May He help us not to see such as a right but as unmerited favour. 5. Why is "duty" such a bad word in our culture? It makes everything looks like we are under slavery. But as for me, I don’t really mind the word.

1. Why do you think Jesus warns his disciples so strongly about not being a cause of temptation to others? Why does Jesus use a millstone to make his point? (17:1-2) He warned his disciples strongly against being a cause of temptation because temptation leads to sin. The Millstone would be used to tie round culprit’s neck and thrown into the deep sea so that he would sink without escaping. This was to demonstrate the ugliness of temptation that causes sin of the little one. 2. Who are the "little ones" that Jesus seeks to protect from sin? (17:2b) Little ones can mean young or newly born Christians but can also refer to the young by age. 3. Why are we tempted to keep silent in the face of the sins of our Christian brothers and sisters against us? Why do we disrupt God's redemptive process when we fail to rebuke them when they sin against us? The reason may be because it is easier for each party to just go his own way and let the sleeping dog lie. 4. Extra Credit. Why is it important for every Christian to be regular part of a congregation? If churches are filled with such sinners, why bother? So that everyone can love, support, carry the burden of one another, and forgive one another despite our differences or level of hatred for one another. 5. What kind of repentance is necessary for us to forgive our brother or sister? What are the things we're looking for in their repentance? Why is it so difficult for us to confess to our brother or sister that we have sinned against them? We need to show deep remorse to the one we have offended and ask for forgiveness. But this is usually difficult for most of us to do due to pride. 6. What does it mean to forgive a Christian brother or sister who has repented of a sin against you? Is it possible to maintain a meaningful relationship with a person who is unwilling to repent of sin? Why or why not? It means that we have waived the offence and be ready to move on again. We generally find it difficult to continue the relationship with someone who sins against us but refuses to repent. But this should not be so. 7. Isn't there a danger in forgiving a person who isn't "truly" repentant? How repentant is repentant enough for us? Enough for God? I think we should forgive whoever sins against us and repents even if the repentance doesn’t seem genuine. 8. Why does Jesus add the "7 times" and the "7 times 70" part of his teaching? What is his intent? He means we should continue to forgive each tine the sinner repent without stopping. 9. Why do the disciples balk at this by asking for more faith? What does Jesus' answer about the mustard seed and the mulberry tree mean? What is his point? The disciples concluded that they needed a bigger faith to obey such teaching. Jesus simply implied we just need a small faith by our willingness to obey and we can do it by the help of the Holy Spirit.

1. Jesus has been teaching about money in chapter 16. What has been the essence of his teaching up to this point in the chapter? Money is not bad but how we use it matters. We should not be selfish but selfless with it by caring and giving to the needy and for service for the things of God and society. 2. What word brush strokes tell us that the rich man was rich? Which tell us of Lazarus' poverty? “…rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day” “…At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores” 3. In this parable, why was the rich man punished? He was punished for his selfish use of his riches. 4. What does the Old Testament teach about helping the poor that the rich man was responsible for knowing and obeying? (See Exodus 22:25-27; Exodus 23:11; Leviticus 19:9-10; Leviticus 23:22; Leviticus 25:25-28; Leviticus 25:35-37; Leviticus 25:39-43; Deut. 14:28-29; Deut. 15:2-14; Deut. 24:12-21; Deut. 26:12-13; Neh. 8:10; Psalm 37:21; Psalm 37:26; Psalm 41:1-3; Psalm 112:4-5; Psalm 112:9; Proverbs 28:27; Proverbs 29:7; Proverbs 31:9; Proverbs 31:20; Isaiah 1:17; Isaiah 16:3-4; Isaiah 58:7; Isaiah 58:10; Ezekiel 18:1-32; Daniel 4:27; Zech. 7:10) Most of the above references contain provisions for provision and protection of the poor and needy of the Jewish community. 5. Is Jesus teaching justification by works in this parable? If not, what IS he teaching? Jesus is not teaching justification by works. We are justified by grace and faith. This should lead us to do good works and care for the needy. 6. Why do some people have struggles being around poor people? What are the difficulties we face in giving to the poor? I am not sure of the struggle some people have being around poor people. 7. What ministries and agencies in your community could you give to that directly aid the poor?

Q66. (Ephesians 6:20) Developing this analogy of an ambassador in a foreign land.... What nation has sovereignty over the embassy and its property? Who does the ambassador represent? What responsibilities does he or she have? How do these relate to being an ambassador of Christ? An ambassador represents his country in the foreign land that he has been sent to. He builds diplomatic, economic ties and ensures the protection of interest of his country. The embassy and the property therein are for his country that he represents (I think). An ambassador for Christ represents Christ here on earth. He presents Christ to people through his character by being the light of his neibourghood and proclaims the Gospel to the unreached. But I am afraid, I have not performed well in this regards. Lord help me to be your ambassador here and now.

Q65. (Ephesians 6:19) Why would Paul request prayer for boldness? Why is boldness necessary in war? What is the opposite of boldness? What happens if this is our accustomed life-posture? Paul requested for prayers so that he would be able preach boldly to his captors. Without boldness in a war situation, fear will make us to give up and retreat. Some of us that are not bold like me, this is an encouragement for me to be bold and seek prayers from others to pray for me for boldness in my engagements in the ministry of God.

Q64. (Ephesians 6:18b) Why is alertness in prayer vital to success in spiritual warfare? How is perseverance in prayer important to success? Why do we need this exhortation? Alertness is vital because our minds wonder away when praying. The evil one exploits this to derail us and thus the need for us to stay fully alert when praying. To succeed in our spiritual battles especially as regards to praying, we must prevail to the end or until the answer comes. This then calls for perseverance to continue until victory is secured.

Q63. (Ephesians 6:18) Why is prayer vital to spiritual warfare? What does it mean to "pray in the Spirit"? Prayer is communication to Headquarters seeking divine intervention of our God to help us with Divine missiles. This is vital because our battle is spiritual warfare with spiritual forces with powers that can be overcome only by superior power of our God. Praying in the Spirit is to pray with the influence or power of the Holy Spirit.

Q62. (Ephesians 6:15-17) Why is it important to have your "shield" up each day? So as to be able to repel the arrow of the evil one all the time. In what way does the "helmet of salvation" protect you? Our salvation places us in the family of the Almighty God and thus under his protection or his protective power. Is the "sword of the Spirit" an offensive or defensive weapon? How do you keep it sharp and ready for the battle? The Word of God is an offensive weapon because it can be used to demolish the lies of the evil one. We can keep it sharp by regular reading, meditating in it and memorizing it. Sadly, some of us are now finding it hard to memorise scripture.

Q61. (Ephesians 6:15) What would be the characteristic of a person who didn't have his feet ready to run with the Gospel? He is one who is not really born again, does not know the Gospel, is not interested nor fully prepared to take the Gospel to the point of need [near or far] and has no resources that include financial and logistics needed. How does heart preparation make you more ready to share the Good News with those around you? How does this help defeat the dominion of darkness? Heart preparation should include going through proper discipleship training, studying the word and fervent prayers. In addition, should involve ensuring that one puts on the full amour of God as the evil one will oppose the plan.

Q60. (Ephesians 6:14) Why are such simple things as truth and personal holiness such powerful armament? Are they defensive or offensive weapons? Truth and personal holiness are powerful armament because they are part of the breastplate righteousness that shields us from the darts of the devil. These pieces of weapon are defensive because I learnt that the piece of offensive weapon is the sword of the spirit [and it doubles as offensive as well as defensive weapon]

Q59. (Ephesians 6:13) What is difficult about standing our ground in today's world? I think what makes it difficult for us as Christians to stand our ground in battles in today’s world is our failure to put on all the full pieces of the armour of God and failure to back up by prayers. In what way can standing our ground be considered victory? Standing our ground in spiritual battle is considered victory just as falling or failure to stand is a loss of the battle. Why are the saints in Revelation 12:11 considered victorious over the devil? How did they stand their ground? They were considered victorious because of the blood of Jesus and furthermore, they refused to give up but stood firm despite the danger of losing their lives.

Q58. (Ephesians 6:11-13) Why is it difficult to believe in the devil and demons in our day? There different reasons, I think one is unbelief especially due to the fact that we cannot see the devil and demons. How does their existence help explain the struggle humans face on earth? The extend of so many challenges all over the world like conflicts and wars, sickness and diseases, infidelity even in the church etc., is a confirmation of the existence of evil spiritual forces at rampage. With all their power, how do we stand a chance? By being in Christ and putting on the full armour of God and standing firm to overcome. Did "the devil make me do it"? What kinds of things can't we blame on the demonic? Whatever we willfully yield to such adultery, when the Holy Spirit is prompting us to resist and flee.

1. Extra Credit: How did John the Baptist's message (3:3, 16) differ from the prophets who came before him? The prophets proclaimed the Laws given by God and declared penalty for violation. Though John was a prophet too, he preached repentance from sin followed with baptism in water. He pointed to the coming of the Lord Jesus who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. 2. Just what is the "good news of the Kingdom of God"? Put in your own words what this good news is. The good news is that although man has sinned, separated from God due the Adamic sin and destined for eternal death. However, God loves us so much and cannot imagine heaven without man. So he sent his own Son, Jesus Christ to die, pay our penalty and redeem us unto eternal life in heaven. 3. Why do you think Jesus was accused of doing away with the Law? Did he? The Pharisee were too blinded by their jealousy because the crowd Jesus was attracting that they could see clearly that he was not doing away with any law. Jesus told them that he did not come to abolish any iota of the law but to sustain and maintain it. 4. Is it possible to hold a high view of the sanctity of marriage at the same time as we love as Christian brothers and sisters those who have been divorced and remarried? 5. Why do we need to "force" our way into the Kingdom of God? Why should it be so difficult? Shouldn't salvation be easy? Salvation is not supposed to be easy because Jesus said anyone who wanted to follow him must take up his cross, deny his relatives, sell off his property, weigh the cost and consequences first etc before following him. 6. How can we both press fervently towards perfection and at the same time have peace and contentment in Christ? Aren't these mutually exclusive? We can do so only by the leadership of the Holy Spirit who enables us go through any stress or difficulties or challenges yet remain calm and peaceful in our walk with and work for the Lord.

Q57. (Ephesians 6:9) How should Christian employers conduct themselves towards their employees? How should church boards conduct themselves towards church employees? How do you determine a just wage -- not merely the one you think you can afford? Christian Masters and employees should beware they have a Master in heaven. They should thus be transparent, just, pay appropriate reward or wages and should not be segregation in their dealing with employees or servants.

Q56. (Ephesians 6:5-8) What are the characteristics called for in a truly Christian employee, according to Ephesians 6:5-8? How can these attitudes help us in difficult work situations? We should work for our employers as if unto the Lord. That means working in obedience, diligently, faithfully, whole heartedly; with integrity etc. whether he is there or not. Any employee found to work faithfully like this is likely going to retain his job in hard job situations.

Q55. (Ephesians 6:4) What kind of behavior by fathers (or mothers, for that matter) can embitter or cause a child to lose heart? What do you think the "training and instruction of the Lord" involves? Parents can embitter their children when they angrily descend on erring children without pity. I recall an incident that made me caned my son angrily in my early Christian life and regretted afterwards. It is interesting that I did not have such bitter experience with my two girls. Now as a grandfather, I treat the grand children when they around for holidays, more lovingly by teaching and training by correction.

Q54. (Ephesians 6:1-3) What kind of obedience and honor is appropriate for adult children to show towards their parents? What might be the exceptions? How do respect and forgiveness figure in this relationship? Adult children need to obey their parents in the Lord. It thus implies that their obedience is required as long as it is line with word of God.

Q53. (Ephesians 5:32) In what sense is Christ our Husband as individuals? As a church? What are the implications of this for our lives? What does this say about Christ's responsibilities towards us? Christ is our husband as individuals in the sense that he loved us so much as individuals to die for us on the cross to make us collectively forming a church. We are the body of Christ and should be happy that one of His responsibilities is to take care of us.

Q52. (Ephesians 5:28) In what sense is a husband's care for his wife's needs just common sense in taking care of his own needs? What is the principle from Genesis 2:24 that underlies this? The Bible says that we are one, one body. It thus implies that I should not just focus on my own needs but to also consider her needs too.

Q51. (Ephesians 5:25-30) Does being head of the wife involve being "boss"? Why or why not? What does being "head" require of a husband? What is the example husbands are to follow in headship? No, being the head of the wife does not mean being bossy. He is to love her as Christ did for the church. This means loving sacrificially, being ready to 'wash her feet', tolerating and forgiving her and so on.

Q50. (Ephesians 5:22-24) Why should a wife submit to her husband? According to these verses, to what degree is a wife required to submit to a husband who is not a Christian or who is a carnal Christian? Does submission mean a wife doesn't verbally disagree? What if there's a conflict with the wife's conscience? A wife should submit to her husband because he is the head just as Christ is the head of the church. A wife is required to submit to her non -Christian husband or carnal husband only to the extent that her action does not contravene God’s word. Where a wife has a reason to disagree with her husband on an issue, she should

1. Why was the steward in Jesus' parable (16:1-8) being fired? What in the passage displays his character? He was said to be wasting his master’s money. He proved this accusation right by cutting down his master’s accounts receivables from the customers so as to find favour from them. 2. In what way did the steward use money to secure his future? See b- part of Q1 please. 3. What about the steward's actions does the master commend? What is the point that Jesus draws from this parable? The master considered him as being shrewd. I personally have some challenge with his master’s description of the steward as being shrewd and also Jesus use of the steward’s craftiness because it is misleading to some of us. 4. Extra Credit: In what ways should we use money to secure our eternal future? (16:9) (This is a difficult verse for most of us. Study the exposition for clues to the answer.) This thinking is based on some scriptures that teach that giving to others especially the poor and needy is giving unto to God Who rewards the giver accordingly. 5. In what kinds of experiences does Jesus test and seek to mould our trustworthiness with money? Is it possible for a money-obsessed person to become a committed disciple of Jesus? If not, how might this occur? We cannot be completely committed to God if we cannot commit our money to Him. Furthermore, when we allow money be our main focus and attention, we would have money our God. 6. Why are giving alms and tithing (or sacrificial, generous giving to God's work) so difficult for money-obsessed people? (Let's not debate tithing, but look to the heart issues instead that are the focus of Jesus' teaching here.) It is difficult to those who have not fully surrendered their lives to Christ. 7. In what ways are we not property "owners" but property "stewards" of what God owns? What are the implications of this for our lives? Everything we have belongs to God. It therefore means we are merely stewards taking care of God’s property and will give account of our stewardship one day. So help me to be a good and faithful steward Lord. 8. Why is it so difficult to try to serve both God and Money? One cannot serve two masters, one will be pleased and one left. Too much attention to money and money matters will lead to idolatry. This then makes God to abandon the idolater. 9. Extra Credit: Jesus states that high human values tend to be the things most detestable to God. How can we know that we have really conformed our lives to God's values rather than just kidding ourselves? From Pastor Raph's summary, we should ensure that: - We exhibit financial wisdom by using money for purposes that please God - Not allow money to become an idol and to remember that we steward of whatever we have as God is the owner. - We should be surrendered to and completely owned by God.

Q47. (Ephesians 5:15-16) Why does Paul exhort us to make the most of every opportunity? Why do we resist that? What must happen in our lives so we can be ready for the opportunity? Paul’s advice on making the best opportunity is based on the fact that there is time for everything. For example, an opportunity to share (or witness) a word to an individual may be lost if you do not have a second chance of doing so due to different reasons including departure (physical or death) of any of the parties. Most of us especially myself, need to take this teaching more serious so as to able to serve the Lord through every opportunity that comes our way without missing the opportunity.

Q46. (Ephesians 5:2-3) Why does Paul warn so strongly against sexual sin? Paul strongly warned against sexual sin because God strongly warned against it. Sexual sin just like any other sin can robe us of heavenly inheritance. Is sexuality part of our spiritual life or can it be (should it be) partitioned from our spiritual life? Sexuality is rightly part of our spiritual life and God is concerned in how we honour him or not by our sexual attitudes.

Q45. (Ephesians 4:32) Why is it so difficult to forgive those who hurt us? We find it difficult to forgive because of the pain of being hurt but most importantly, we fail to remember that we too have been forgiven and we are commanded to forgive too. According to Ephesians 4:32, who is our example of forgiveness? The Lord Jesus Christ is our example of forgiveness. On the cross he asked God to forgive those that molested and crucified him, and also died for our sins to be forgiven. What heart attitudes toward people are evidence of a forgiving spirit, according to verse 32a? Kindness and compassion are the heart attitudes for forgiveness. I need and hunger for these attitudes Lord, so help me develop and apply them.