haar

Q21. (Ephesians 2:8-9) What exactly is faith? Trust/ dependable in/ total belief in God/ Jesus Can we take credit for having it? Cannot take credit but our will must be involved, it is initiated by the Father/ Son and the Holy Spirit. Can we be condemned for lacking it? Yes. We are called to believe and I think we can be condemned for rejection. Define "faith" in terms a 10-year-old could understand. Faith is just like trust in a dad’s ability to protect and proved the needs of the child.

Q20. (Ephesians 2:10) According to Ephesians 2:10, what were we created to do? Why? We are created to do good works as evidence of our salvation by grace and faith. (Matthew 5:16) What is the difference between these works and the works Paul discredits in verse 9? The works in Matthew 5:16 mean the works that arise as result of salvation that came free and by grace from God. While the works discredited by Paul refer to the works done in an effort to ‘buy’ or earn salvation from God. Salvation is unmerited, not earned.

Q19. (Ephesians 2:8-9) "Saved" has become Christian jargon. How can you "translate" this word into modern speech so people can understand what it really means and why they need it? I think using Pastor Ralph “rescue” is better translation for me.

Q18. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Why is it so hard for us to understand grace? I personally understand grace as unmerited favour and see myself as the greatest beneficiary of God’s grace. What commonly held life principle does it demolish? The principle of merit is demolished by grace principle. Translate the word "grace" into language a 10-year-old child would understand. I think ‘unmerited favour’ may do, or buying an ice cream for child who has just been disobedient to a parent and deserve a cane!!.

Q17. (Ephesians 2:6) What does it mean that we are seated with Christ in "the heavenly realms"? It means I am in Christ and risen with Him and seated, exalted high up in heaven in and with Him. Hallelujah! What does this say about God's grace? Extravagant and unmerited! What does this say about our spiritual authority? Unimaginably great and awesome. How should this knowledge affect our prayers and our boldness? Bold and in full assurance that our prayers will be answered.

Q16. (Ephesians 1:4-5) In verses 4 and 5, which words describe God's motivation and character? Love, Mercy and Grace Which verbs describe what has happened to us in Christ? ‘made alive’ ‘saved’

Q15. (Ephesians 2:1-3) Few people would knowingly follow Satan. How can people unwittingly follow Satan? By going ahead to do that which they know is wrong and sinful. In what sense are we responsible for unwitting rebellion against God? We are responsible for unwitting rebellion against God if and when we choose to obey Satan. How can God, in all fairness, blame us? He can blame and even punish us for deliberately choosing to disobey Him

Q14. (Ephesians 2:1-3) In what sense are our non-believing friends, neighbors, and relatives "dead"? Dead in the sense of insensitivity in regards to right or wrong to sin. The inability to realize that their sinful ways are not pleasing to God and that such sinful life leads to eternal death. What's the difference between us and them? We have Christ and are alive in Him. We are also sensitive to sin knowing when we need to turn to God for repentance. If we really believed that they were "dead" and subject to God's "wrath," what would we do? Minister salvation to them

1. Why was Jesus' being criticized by the Pharisees and scribes? Jesus was being criticized by the Pharisees for welcoming and interacting/ eating with those called outcast by the Pharisees (also called- sinners and tax collectors). Was Jesus' mission to these outcasts active or passive? I think it was active. 2. Compare and contrast the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin. What are the similarities? What are the differences? The main similarity in the two parables is that something was missing- the sheep or the coin and needed to be found. The difference in my opinion is that in the case of the lost sheep, it strayed away from the flock by itself, while the case of the coin was a case of being misplaced by the owner. 3. What is the ,point of these two parables? How does it relate to the criticism Jesus had received? The point here is that the owner of the lost sheep or coin represent God as the owner. He wants to have those looked down by the Pharisees as sinners and tax collectors to share in the new kingdom by grace. And that is what Jesus was doing, accepting and welcoming them to him. But the Pharisees missed this point. 4. What is the chief lesson here for disciples? What are we supposed to get out of these parables? There are people out there that are not in the Lord’s fold. We should go after them and bring them back to the Lord Jesus. 5. Identify the demographic groups in your community who, as a whole, are presently "lost" to Christian faith. Who in your community should be responsible to reach out to them? Who is their "neighbor"? What are you or your church doing to reach them? The whole Muslim community around me consists of friends and school mates that are outside the fold of the Lord Jesus. The church is not doing much about them neither am I. It is also sad that I have not reached out to my friends and mates by inviting them to come to the fold. Lord help us to minister to the lost sheep in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 6. What are you or your church doing to reach the lost peoples of the world? Are you active in your church's foreign missions program? Why or why not? Pease see part of the answer in question 5 above part of answer.

Q13. (Ephesians 1:22-23) When we neglect to be an active part of a local congregation, what particular blessings do we miss out on according to Paul in this verse? How do we, by our absence, withhold this blessing from others? We miss the opportunity to be part of His body and miss the blessings that come as reward for the services the body does as full body of the church.

Q12. (Ephesians 1:20-22) Why do we so often take a "pass" when it comes to spiritual warfare? I think it may be due to ignorance of the fact that spirits exist and there exist spiritual welfare which we should be mindful of. But the good news is that we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. Why is Christ's exaltation, demonstration of complete victory, and superior rank over all spiritual powers important enough for Paul to mention it to his readers? This in my view, the reason was to encourage and motivate them to hold on to Jesus, the author and finisher of their faith who has power to defend and also to equip them fight and win all battles in His power. Why do we tend to feel powerless in the face of spiritual enemies? Combination of ignorance and lack of faith What was Paul assuring the Ephesians of? What does this encourage us to do? Their faith in Christ and their continued service will be rewarding for many reasons-their security in Him is assured, His power is available for them to fight and win all battles including spiritual battles. As the head of the Church, He is their Head and this further enhances their security and guidance in all situations.

Q11. (Ephesians 1:19) Why are we powerless sometimes? Is it an inadequacy with the source or with our faith? Why do some congregations and movements produce disciples with miracle-believing faith and others produce disciples with wimpy faith? How can this be changed? The promised power is available to only those that believe. We therefore need to earnestly pray for the Lord God Almighty to increase our faith and ignite the power deposited in us and help us to believe so that we will exhibit all the power that Jesus was able to exhibit here on earth.

Q10. (Ephesians 1:18c) If you knew that in a few years you would inherit $10 million, would it affect your life now? May be I will not struggle again for the future knowing that the future is already prepared for me. How should our expectation of an inheritance in God's presence temper our present-day concerns? We should ensure we always seek first the Kingdome of God and His righteousness before anything else and ensure that we remain ever ready for Jesus return. Since this inheritance will be shared with "the saints" -- our Christian family -- how should that affect our fellowship with them? We should ensure a regular fellowship with the saints like the first church did- regular, praying, sharing the word and our possessions. So help me and help the church to do so Lord.

Q9. (Ephesians 1:18b) What do we Christians have to look forward to? Blessed hope for Christ glorious return to take us home and the unrighteous unto judgment and hell. How should this hope be a major motivation in our present-day lives? The hope should be a major motivation to the Christians to look forward to Christ return and our rescue from the present evil world plagued by sickness, high level of crime and economic hardship. How should this hope affect our decisions and our lifestyle? The hope of Christ’s glorious return should motivate us to watch and pray, avoid sinful lifestyle and to be ever ready for his certain but undated coming. How does our great hope differ from the hope of the average non-believer? Our hope is great and certain hope while the non-believers do not look forward to such glorious hope.

Q8. (Ephesians 1:13-14) These verses contain two analogies: (1) seal and (2) down payment, with the balance to be paid in a lump sum at the end of the term. When does the "end of the term" occur? How do these analogies help explain how the Holy Spirit functions in our lives? I think the end of the term means the end of time ushering the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to take us home to the Kingdom of God.

Q7. (Ephesians 1:11-12) According to verses 11 and 12, what is God's purpose for our lives? To praise Him and give Him glory. What do we need to do to fulfill this purpose? To live lives that reflect and express our praise and glorified position; this is to enable others to see that we are really the children of God who are different from non-believers. How does this purpose relate to Matthew 5:13-16?

Q6. (Ephesians 1:9-10) What is the significance that all things will be brought under one head -- Christ himself? The significance that all things will be brought under Jesus is that Jews, Gentiles and everything under the earth and heaven will be under Christ’s sole authority and power. How does this relate to the Creator? What does it say about unity? When Christ has finished gathering the saints together and has destroyed all dominion, authority and power, He will hand over the kingdom to the Creator. I think the unity referred to here is that of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. If so, they three remained one. Extra Credit: How does this verse relate to 1 Corinthians 15:24-28?

Q5. (Ephesians 1:7) In what sense have you been "redeemed" from slavery? What do you think your life up to now would have been like, if you hadn't been redeemed? What would your future be like without redemption, do you think? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/topic/497-q5-redeemed-from-slavery/ I was formerly a slave to sin and Satan but Jesus bought and paid for my release and presented me to God as his redeemed child. Without redemption I would have been walloping in sinful living! I can’t really imagine this.

Q4. (Ephesians 1:5-6) Why is adoption a particularly apt illustration of God's relationship with us? Why is the concept of adoption encouraging to us? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/topic/530-q4-adoption/ God demonstrated his love for us while we were sinners he chose us and adopted us to be his loved children, in the family of the Living God. This is wonderful news, good news for us.

Q3. (Ephesians 1:4) What does it mean to be "holy"? In what sense can you stand "blameless" before God? Being holy is a state of being forgiven and accepted by the Lord God Almighty as a result of Christ finished work of salvation on the cross. Consequently I stand blameless before God because my sin that separated me from has been washed away by Jesus’ shed blood. Hallelujah. http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/topic/529-q3-holy-and-blameless/

Q2. (Ephesians 1:4-5) What is scary about predestination? What is comforting? Why does Paul bring up predestination? Why do you think he is praising God for it in the "hearing" of the Ephesians? I am not very sure of what is scary about predestination given that it is to my good that God thought about me right from beginning of time and chose me to his child. So, it is comforting to me that I mean a lot for God to choose to have me in his plan for salvation even before I came to this world!!! I praise his holy name. Paul praised God to the hearing of the Ephesians to draw their interest to God’s goodness in loving them and including them in his plan for salvation even before beginning of time.

To be in Christ means many things to me but the most significant is, Christ's death and resurrections has reconciled me with God and secured my salvation. it in Him I live and have my being. In him I have my security. In Him I can do all things including power to achieve spiritual and other goals. Without Him I can do nothing.

1. What do "large crowds" (14:25) have to do with Jesus' teaching in this passage? A large crowd followed Jesus but only few were ready to hear the truth and obey. So he challenged them through his teaching. 2. How can we rightfully honor our father and our mother, and at the same time not water down Jesus' command to hate them? (14:26) Jesus did not actually teach hating parents or relatives. He meant that priority should be given to him in all our decisions. It is all about seeking the kingdom of God first…. 3. What does "carrying your cross" having to do with "hating your own life"? (14:26b-27) Being a disciple of Jesus involves suffering and even death just as Jesus suffered and literally carried his cross to his death. Disciples should thus be ready to suffer and even die in the cause of following him. 4. What is the point of the Parable of Building the Tower? (14:28-30) Following Jesus requires examining the cost from the beginning to end to determine whether we will be able to go all the way to the finishing line. 5. What is the point of the Parable of Assessing Military Strength? (14:31-32) 6. What do Jesus words about "giving up everything he has" (14:33) have to do with owning a house and car? With purchasing a refrigerator? With seeking an academic degree? This certainly does not mean that we cannot own things that will help meet our basic needs. It however means that no cost should be too much for us to bear in the cause of following. 7. What does saltiness represent in 14:34? Should people be able to tell that you are a Christian? How? How can we walk the fine line between being a witness and coming across "holier than thou"? It means being able to have and maintain our Christian character that can positively impact on others and drawn them to Christ.

1. What did the pious guest in 14:15 believe about the feast in the Kingdom of God? It is a blessing to everyone that eats in the feast in the Kingdom of God in heaven. 2. How credible are the invited guests' excuses for not coming? (14:18-20) Who do the invited guests in the parable represent? Not credible at all but flimsy excuses. The invited guests are the privileged Israelites/ Jews 3. Why is the host angry? (14:21) He is angry at the audacious rejection of the privilege and favour extended to the invitees to come to the feast prepared especially for them. 4. The host commands his servant to invite the poor and outcast both inside the town and outside in the rural areas. Who do these two groups probably represent? They represent basically the gentiles ie those outside the privileged chosen Jewish race. 5. Why is the host urgent about his invitation in 14:21-23? The master wanted his house to be filled urgently for the feast to commence. 6. What is the fine line between "compelling" people to come to the Lord, and gently leading them, fully respecting their own free will? How can we have both urgency and respect at the same time? Coming to the Lord for salvation is subject to one’s free will. Never the less, a gentle persuasion might be required so as to rescue souls from heading to hell. 7. How does this parable illustrate the Father's judgment and his mercy? The Father is merciful and thus extends grace to us to come and receive salvation. However, He will judge anyone who refuses to reach out to receive the offer of salvation made.

1. What do you think the man with dropsy is doing at this dinner? What was the Pharisees' attitude about the man? About healing the man on the Sabbath? (14:1-2) The man with the dropsy might have been planted there to test Jesus to see if he would heal on the Sabbath so that they would find a reason to accuse him of healing on the Sabbath. The above reasoning is true because the normal attitude of the Pharisee would be to consider the man as unclean and thus prevent him from coming to the meal. They certainly preach against healing on the Sabbath. 2. Why did Jesus ask the Pharisees their opinion first? (14:3) He asked them of their opinion just to test them and to give them the opportunity to oppose his intention to heal on the Sabbath. 3. Why did the guests at this dinner party try to get to the best seats before the others? What does that reveal about them? (14:7-11) It is usually due to the feeling of being important and to be noticed. Selfishness and pride may also be other reasons. 4. In what ways do we try to garner public approval by our actions? How does verse 11 apply to our lives and actions? In several ways. One way is the way we offer gifts just to attract human approval or praise. I think I am guilty of this. Forgive me Lord. 5. What was the host's probable motive for inviting Jesus to dinner? What dinner invitation strategy does Jesus recommend? Why? (14:12-14) The most probable reason was to trap him to take any action that will violate their legalistic self- made laws and attitude so that they will find a reason to accuse him. Jesus however used the opportunity to teach them to invite the poor who cannot repay because that is where reward from God is obtained. 6. What does Jesus' invitation recommendation have to do with the evangelistic and social strategies of our local congregations? How should it affect our strategies? Invitation should not be only to high class but to all and without giving any preference to the well-to do 7. List in one column the character flaws you see exhibited in 14:1-14; in a second column list the virtues that Jesus wants to flourish in their place