Tess Raven

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? This is the same tactic that Satan has used since the beginning of time; take the Truth and tweak it just a bit so that it still "seems" legitimate, but leaves the Believer with a false sense of security in his new found "knowledge". Once the Truth has been manipulated, it is no longer truth. When the truth pertains to one's life or death, either you live or die depending on if you are following THE Truth or a perversion of it. The blackness and whiteness of the Gospel has been so watered down in our present day that many people are lead into the false sense of their own salvation.

Q1. (Galatians 1:4) According to verse 4, for what purpose did Jesus give himself? How does Jesus rescue people today? How does he keep people from falling back into their old ways? Jesus gave Himself as the ultimate sacrifice to pay for our sins. His death and resurrection was for all mankind past, present and future. When we accept His sacrifice on our behalf and recognise His deity in the Trinity, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to strengthen us as we continue as redeemed children of the Living God. Devoting ourselves to His Will gives us guidance in the face of temptation and, though there may be times of weakness, His grace and love will bring us back again if we will submit our will to His.

One important point this parable makes is that the Word is for everyone. We are not to try to determine the quality of the soil on which we scatter it, but are to share it with everyone. It is not intended for a select few, but is meant to be shared with all. The harsh reality that not all seed will take root and mature due to circumstances beyond our control comforts us when we see that our efforts have fallen short. I do appreciate Pastor Ralph's picture that even the slightest scratch in hard packed soil can allow the seed a better chance to flourish. With each effort to share the Gospel, the ground is further prepared. With many contacts with God's laborers, even the hardest soil may one day grow into a fruitful harvest.

I love that you thought this out with you included as part of the harvest, not strictly the soil on which the seed was scattered. Through proper care, by means of Bible study, Christian fellowship and relationship with God, you as a stalk of wheat will be healthier to produce much fruit.

Adopting the Christian faith without repenting of our known sins begins an immediate battle between our will and God's Will. The indwelling Spirit that we receive upon accepting Jesus as our Saviour will begin its work in convicting us of our wrong doing. As we mature in our faith, our realization of our need to put away old things becomes stronger as we commit more and more of ourselves to our new found love and devotion to Jesus. Avoiding repentence is childish willfullness that will slowly desolve as our trust in Jesus grows and we come to the awareness that He knows and wants what is best for us.

Joash seems to have been noncommital to any particular stance. An early practicer of pluralism. Any god will do just so long as he gives me what I ask for. His devotion to Gideon is stronger than his devotion to God. In order to save his son, he is forced to take a stance. Joash stood up in defense of his son's actions, not for his belief in the one true God. There was no need for Gideon to stop and ponder what impact this act might have on his father. He was certain that it was God who had instructed him to tear down the altars, and even if that had lead to his own death or his father's death, he knew he was acting in God's Will. If you are in God's Will, the rest isn't your problem.

As big as this first task was that God asked Gideon to do, it was a baby step compared to what lay ahead. Not only did the removal of the altars to the false gods serve to help set the Israelites back on the right track, but it also allowed Gideon to see that God was indeed with him in the successful completion of a dangerous task. By going about it at night, Gideon is actually insuring that he is able to complete what he has been asked to do. He does not brashly make a show in front of everyone opening himself up to the likelihood of his mission being thwarted, but instead carefully plans to make sure that he is indeed able to accomplish what God has asked of him. Not weakness, strategy.

God saw Gideon as fully capable of fulfilling God's purpose for him. Gideon saw himself in the worldly terms underwhich he had grown, the least of his family from the least of the tribes. God's assesment is more accurate because He knows our potential. Lack of trust in God diminishes our self perception. We do not live in the power of the verse that states "I can do all things through Him that strengthens me", but instead live under the shadow of self doubt. God's answer to Gideon's self deprication is that He will be with him. It will be in God's power, not Gideon's that these things will be accomplished. My prayer would be that my trust in God's promises be strengthened, that I live in the courage of knowing that He is with me always, in all things.

Seems to me.. that if you can blame God for your troubles, in a backhanded kind of way, you're acknowledging the fact that He is the source of all our blessings. But, you need to understand why the blessings seem to have fallen off. It reminds me of the saying my sister always used, "If you don't feel close to God, guess who moved". We blame God because we are too weak to accept the responsibility of our own weakness. But, again ironically, acknowledging our weakness and need of God is exactly where we will find our strength.

Israel turned away from God by breaking the commandment of having no other gods before Him. Their lack of listening seemed to stem from their short memories of what He had done for them in the past. They failed to recognise Him as the source of their salvation. When times are tough, we are quick to turn to God for help and recognise Him as the source of protection and comfort, but when times are good we quickly forget that without Him there is nothing to sustain us.

Q1. How could David dare to ask anything from God after the shameful things he had done with Bathsheba and Uriah? How does God's grace and mercy function in the face of our sins? How could he dare not to? He is at his lowest emotionally and spiritually, where else could he possibly turn? When we admit our weakness, we allow God to display His Greatness.

Why is recognition that God loves you the basis of all faith? What does this realization bring about in your life? Everything that has ever been built started with that first stone, that first brick, that first board. If that first piece of the structure was weak, everything added to it was in danger of collapse. The first stone in our relationship with God is "That God so loved the world....." If our belief, our faith, in that first stone isn't sound and strong, no other element of our relationship with God is safe from caving in. There are days I wonder, days I doubt, but no matter my days of weakness, I trust that what God says is Truth and God says He loves me. Hard as it is to comprehend or accept, I will take Him at his word.

What is the psalmist feeling during this spiritual struggle? How does he combat his spiritual depression? Have you ever felt this way? How did you reach out to God at this time? Such tormented struggle is a sure sign of growth taking place. So much easier to realize in hindsight. It's a Job period when everything he knows to be true is tested. He draws on his memories of when he felt closest to God to see him through this dry spell. Our Faith Walk isn't on level ground. It travels so many mountains and valleys. I must pay close attention, take vivid note of the mountaintops when the view is unobscured and God's glory is so clear so that when I find myself bushwhacking my way through the lowlands, I can rest on those images, knowing they are still there, only temporarily obscured. I heard it once said that though mountain tops have wonderful views, all the growing takes place in the valley.

What does it mean that David desires to "dwell in the house of the Lord"? What does it mean to "seek his face"? How does David provide hope at the end of this Psalm? Whenever I ponder my relationship with God, I always do so in terms of Father and child to try to put such an amazing connection into terms I understand. "To dwell" in my Father's house would mean enjoying the comforts of His care, His food, His shelter, his security. To snuggle into bed each night feeling safe, well fed and loved. But beyond the comforts provided, I, as a loving child, would also yearn to have personal time with my Father. I would "seek His face" to sit and share my heart with His. The hope at the end of the Psalm seems to stand bravely in spite of all the trial and evils we face each day in the confident knowledge that our Father's goodness will prevail.