open2itall

What kind of fear should we have towards God? What kind of fear is extinguished by his love perfected in us? What kind of attitude should we have towards future judgment? to lose God would be terrible, fear of judgment vanishes with God and we look forward with confidents

Why is the statement, "God is love," so important? What does it say about God's nature? How does love being the essence of God's nature affect us? If we are children of God, then we can be like our Father and live the life of love. If we were created in God's image of love, but fell, what does this say about the road to healing in our lives? God is love, and healing comes with love. Why does love demand a willingness to forgive? Forgiveness brings peace... it's in a field of peace that love grows "...you are to be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" Sermon on the Mount

What in us is greater than false prophets and even Satan? The Holy Spirit is gentle but powerful, and with The Holy Spirit in me, Satan's energy is nothing but a weak undercurrent. In what sense have we overcome them? We live the life of love. In what way will we overcome them in the future? How should this truth affect fear in our lives? By staying aware of our Lord Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit within us, we will stay strong. And slowly we will become fearless and more and more like Him. Prayer is important. This is perhaps my favorite prayer. It is certainly the prayer I most often repeat. Lord make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love Where there is injury, pardon, Where there is doubt, faith, Where there is despair, hope, Where there is darkness, light, Where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek To be consoled as to console, To be understood as to understand, To be loved as to love, For it is in giving that we receive, It is pardoning that we are pardoned, It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life The Prayer of Saint Francis

Why is believing that Jesus was God in the flesh so important? Why doesn't Satan want us to believe that? What are the implications of the fact that Jesus could live out his divine life in a human body like ours? What significance does it bring to the crucifixion and to the resurrection? What is the significance for your Christian life? Jesus experienced life on earth and yet lived a divine life, with his help I can aspire to be like him. I am filled with an optimism, a positive expectation of God

We know that God doesn't "owe" us anything. So what is the relationship between obedience and answered prayer? Do we "earn" God's favor through obedience? obeying God gives us the confidence to ask for anything we want, like a well-behaved child asks a father.

What does it mean to "lay down your life for your brothers"? It means to love them, and ultimately it means to reduce my self-will to zero and put their needs before my own. What are some concrete examples of this kind of love in action within the Christian community? helping in practical way. helping others in financial trouble. offering help with shopping or household chores during an illness. If you are in a large congregation, how can you get to know other members so you'll be able to lay down your life for them -- and they for you? In order to really bond and feel connected, I can see that I have to spend time working together and sharing leisure activities with a small group of people.

How can anger turn into hatred in our hearts? it

Why did Cain resent Abel? Cain resented Able

How does John's teaching on sin and righteousness in this passage relate to combating the false teachers? What did they seem to be teaching about sin and righteous living? "just as you can identify a tree by it's fruit, so you can identify people by their actions" The Sermon on the Mount John seems to be saying that they claimed to be righteous despite their sin. John names them as antichrists and the devils children, these phrases bother me no end. There is nothing wrong in the phrases themselves... but there's something wrong in the way some people have used them to fuel infectious undercurrents in the masses and bringing about mob rule... a good example of this was during the dissolution of the Catholic Church in 16th century England, many Catholics were murdered. The story of one particular woman who was tortured to death rather than renounce her faith brings me to tears when ever I think about it. Let us always be conscious of the light in our hearts

How does John's teaching on sin and righteousness in this passage relate to combating the false teachers? What did they seem to be teaching about sin and righteous living? John teachings are saying that... if we look at what a teacher does in life, we can tell if they have the Lord with them "just as you can identify a tree by it's fruit, so you can identify people by their actions" The Sermon on the Mount I feel I must add this.... There is a great danger in Demonising people by calling them antichrists or devils children. The danger is that we can over-react and get caught up in some evil energy that leads us to commit terrible crimes including murder. We must be careful about what streams of energy we step into. We need to be careful about how we react. God willing, may our inner strength be always as strong as a mountain and yet as fragrant and soft as rose petals.

How does the presence of God's seed in us keep us from habitual lawlessness and sin? With God's seed there is a purity in us, and we can tell when we do wrong because it stands out like a sore thumb against the purity. How does the Holy Spirit sanctify us and make us like Jesus? The holy Spirit gives us the strength to correct ourselves when we do wrong and slowly but surely we become more and more like Jesus.

How does lawlessness show up in a person's attitude and actions? lawlessness shows up as sin In what sense is an attitude of lawlessness the cause of sin in our lives? The law limits sin, with lawlessness there is no control. With an attitude of lawlessness we ignore the difference between right and wrong.

In what way does our expectation of Christ's Second Coming motivate us to purify ourselves from sin? How awful it would be to shrink back in shame from Christ How wonderful it would be to run into His loving embrace How does purifying ourselves from sin relate to God's grace? We can slowly but surely purify ourselves because... through God

In what sense are we "children of God"? "Children of God" what a beautiful phrase, we are beyond doubt blessed We have taken on the Spirit of The Son. We are now spiritual beings What does the Holy Spirit have to do with this "new birth"? We have been awakened to new life and the Holy Spirit is our fuel (our power) How does the new birth change us? we are at peace we have love we have strength we have God

If we have the Holy Spirit, why do we need teachers in the church? The Holy Spirit starts the process that will sanctify our natures, and enable us to live righteously. It