hanks

Q41. (1 TIMOTHY 6:3-4,17; COLOSSIANS 2:18) Why does having an abundance of wealth and knowledge tend to make us feel superior? Why do false doctrines and heresies often come with a feeling of superiority over lesser Christians who believe differently? How can you show humility if you are wealthy? How can the well-educated show humility? It is so easy for us to take credit for everything we have achieved, our wealth, our knowledge, our possessions; forgetting who gave us the ability and opportunities for such success. We push God to the background and become proud of our own hard work and ability. Never thanking our Lord for everything we have, and not realising that all is due to His grace upon grace, and that we are here manage it for Him. Wealth, honour, power, and/or prestige add nothing to our value in God's eyes; only the faithful work we do for Him has eternal value. False doctrines can lead to a feeling of superiority; perhaps it’s the thinking of knowing something others don’t. Being wealthy and well-educated is a great responsibility but a wonderful opportunity to help those in need and to spread the gospel. In both cases we are not to be arrogant and not looking down upon people but rather trying to help others with love.

Q40. (ROMANS 12:16; JAMES 2:1-9) Why does Christ's humility require us to associate those considered lowly? Who are the "lowly" in your community? What are you and your congregation actively doing to break down the barriers between these people and yourselves? What message does lack of favouritism send to a world that is intently watching Christians? Our Lord Jesus demonstrated and taught us that we should treat all people with respect. I feel we should look upon others as made in the image of God – especially those people who are normally looked down upon - the so called lowly. This may humble us as we may be too proud to mix with them. In my country with its extremes of poverty and riches the people that are sometimes looked down upon are the very poor, the unemployed, those of a different race or culture, the handicapped, sometimes the very young and even the elderly. Yes, we are actively involved in a sister church in a very poor area. I doubt whether the world would notice our lack of favouritism, but I feel that it is quick to notice favouritism or any other wrong in our churches and be extra quick to call us a bunch of hypocrites. Very quick to criticize and pass judgment and slow to give, if at all, any credit due.

Q39. (MATTHEW 5:38-39; ROMANS 12:19; 13:4) Why are unforgiveness and humility incompatible with each other? Why must we distinguish between personal forgiveness and judicial determination and sentencing? In unforgiveness there is a focus on self – the injustice done to us. Whereas in humility the focus is on God and others. This point of focus is not compatible with each other. On a personal level our desire should not be for vengeance but rather to love and forgive. Here only the Holy Spirit can give us the strength required. On a judicial level we should leave it to God to apply justice if needed. Vengeance is God's right, and we should not interfere with what is His right. He will repay at the proper time and in the proper manner.

Q38. (MATTHEW 7:1-2; 9:13; HOSEA 6:6; 2 CORINTHIANS 10:12) What prevents a judgmental spirit from being compatible with humility? How can we maintain an attitude of mercy towards sinners in our fallen world while still maintaining godly standards within our Christian community? In what way does comparing ourselves with others work against humility? How do backbiting and a critical spirit betray a judgmental spirit? When we start judging others by worldly standards of success and achievements we might look down upon others – having an inflated opinion of ourselves. Definitely not compatible with humility. We can maintain this spirit of mercy towards sinners by remembering that we are sinners saved by grace. We are prone to judge others more harshly than ourselves, quick to see the extent of evil we think we perceive in others, while being blind to our own much greater wrongs. Careful, for without repentance and faith there can be bo salvation. We must get rid of these hypocritical judgments, judgment without self-judgment and replace it with a sincere care for each other recognising that we are members of the same body of Christ. The moment we compare ourselves with others pride kicks in and we start looking down towards others. What we should be doing is comparing ourselves with God’s standards - how does my life compare to that of Jesus Christ? When we start speaking evil of others, slandering, and gossiping we are criticising them - downgrading them, putting us on a higher level. This is a cause of great grief and trouble in churches.

Q37. (ROMANS 12:16; EPHESIANS 4:1-3) How does conceit make it difficult to live in harmony with others? Why do you think maintaining the unity of the Spirit is such a high value for Jesus and His apostles? What are the tensions in your own congregation that threaten the unity of the Spirit? How can you lessen those tensions and promote harmony? In order to live in harmony with others it is necessary that every existence of sinful pride be banished. Jesus taught us to treat all people with respect, never considering others as being beneath us. It does not matter what their race, ethnicity, or social position is. We are all united in Christ, and all made in the image of God. Do not use people to help us climb the social ladder. Jesus and His disciples are our absolute example of unity of the Spirit. In a congregation unity is threatened when pride takes hold of a person or persons causing division. This can take place in many forms such as impatience, jealousy, boasting, rudeness, inflated self-opinions, and because of our sinful nature the list goes on and on. We can lessen these tensions and promote harmony by loving our fellow believers. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs … (1 Cor 13:4-7).

Q36. (JAMES 1:19-20; COLOSSIANS 3:13) What is the relationship of patience to humility? What in us motivates impatient outbursts? What does it take for God to work in us "long-suffering"? Why is forbearance so vital in a marriage? We often have to humble ourselves when confronted with difficult people by displaying patience and not anger. The pride of self-importance and disrespect for others motivates our impatient outbursts. Humility is often seen in believers suffering patiently, “long-suffering,” thanking and fully trusting God in the midst of the trial – remembering that our Lord is full of compassion and mercy (James 5:11). Marriage humbles us - just as we have to put up with the idiosyncrasies of our partner, we must realise that they have to put up with ours – which may even be worse.

Q35. (TITUS 3:1-2; COLOSSIANS 3:23-25). How is appropriate submission related to humility? Why does opposing church leaders so often exhibit pride? When you have to submit to a harsh person, how can you look at it in a way that is spiritual? How can we submit voluntarily in our hearts without being slavishly servile? Appropriate submission is that made to those in authority over us, and in difficult circumstances we consider it as a service to our Lord Jesus. This applies to a harsh or difficult person, and we gladly submit to our Lord as an honour to serve Him. Even the humblest service can be glorified and dignified by doing it for the Lord. In a true church our leaders are representatives of God and are to be respected. Authority has been given to them, and we as believers should be submissive to this authority, remembering that they will eventually have to give an account to God. Opposing displays the pride of recognition. Rather than destroying the church find another church.

Q34. (1 PETER 3:15; ROMANS 12:10; 1 PETER 3:9) How is humility related to respect for others? To honouring others? How can we minister to someone for whom we have no respect? In what way does insulting speech trample upon humility? How does interrupting a person show disrespect? Humility is related to respect of others as we focus on others rather than ourselves. We honour others as we see them made in the image of God (Gen 1:27), and Christians as our brothers and sisters in Christ. Ministering to a difficult person demands patience, gentleness and respect so that they might see the love of Christ in us and not be put off by any hypocrisy. We should never retaliate and repay evil for evil, the humble thing to do is repay insult with kindness. Interrupting a person is disrespectful in that it send them a message that their answer does not matter, that we are not interested in what they have to say. We would rather hear our voice – less of them, more of us.

Q33. What is the difference between temperance and abstinence? How can use of alcohol and drugs disrupt the humble life? Why is self-control so important in the Christian life? How does self-control differ from the idea of "moderation in all things"? Temperance is moderation – avoiding excesses. Whereas abstinence is avoiding completely, totally. Alcohol and drugs will only disrupt the humble life if used in excess – when we lose control of our actions. Today our Christian communities are made up of people from all different backgrounds, cultures, and viewpoints that there is always the danger of conflict. On top of this we live in a pagan and often hostile world. Self-control is needed and is important and we need the wisdom and power of discernment from the Holy Spirit to guide us in all our actions. Self-control includes moderation, but “moderation in all things” cannot be true Christianity, since we are not to be moderate in our devotion to our Lord Jesus as an example.

Q32. (EPHESIANS 2:10; TITUS 3:1-2; JAMES 2:17-18) How are good deeds related to humility and compassion? What kinds of good deeds were common in the early church? Is it possible to have faith without any fruit of good deeds that demonstrate your faith? Being compassionate towards others and by taking care of their needs is part of humility. It focuses less on us and more on others. In the early church the attention was more on feeding the poor and looking after widows (Acts 6:1). No, without faith there is no salvation - we are God’s handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good deeds (Eph 2:10). On the other hand, our union with Christ has made us a new creation (2 Cor 5:17) – the old things have passed away; all things have been made new. We are saved for good deeds, not by good deeds, but for good deeds. These good deeds, our generosity and acts of kindness, prove the reality of our faith (Jam 2:17). Summed up: Faith leads to salvation. Salvation results in good deeds. Good deeds will be rewarded by our Father in Heaven.

Q31. (JAMES 4:1-3) How does pride fuel conflict? How do fighting and quarrelling prevent a peaceable life? According to James, what is at the root of our fighting? How do we respond to conflict, knowing that peace doesn't depend solely upon us? Since conflict is inevitable, what are some ways we can disagree agreeably, humbly? Conflict arises because of our evil selfish desires that originate from our heart full of pride. This selfishness can dominate our lives if allowed to feed off pride, resulting in fighting and quarrelling. A peaceable life is attained by following Paul’s advice: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves” (Phil 2:3). The root of our fighting are the evil desires battling within us: we want more - more status, more money, more possessions, more recognition, more and more – never satisfied. We respond to conflict by relying on the wisdom that comes from God to help us maintain the peace. All our thoughts, words, and deeds must be peaceable and undefiled. By being gentle and courteous; approachable and willing to yield; anxious to help and find a right solution; compassionate and kind; and sincere without hypocrisy.

Q30. (TITUS 2:15-3:2) How does living God's way require humbling ourselves before God? To live God’s way, we have to humbly surrender our lifestyle to our Lord Jesus. He must be in control – there must be more of Him and less of me. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we live in obedience to His Word; in submission to His will; and turning over control of our life to Him (Rom 12:1-2). We learn from Him as He trains us in His ways, “for I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Mat 11:29).

Q29. (1 PETER 5:1-7) Why does pride make God our adversary? Why is the power of example preferable to the power of one's office? What might God "lifting us up in due time" look like? Proud people tend to be friends of the world, by contrast humble people know that they are completely dependent upon God. A person cannot be friendly with the world and with God at the same time (James 4:4). The world does not tolerate friends of God, for they are considered enemies. The reverse is also true. God regards “a friend of the world” as an enemy. “The person who meets God as his enemy stands alone, for the world cannot help him (John Knox). “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). Pride shuts out grace, but the believer who lives in constant fellowship with God, who desires to do God's will in all things, and who demonstrates the love of the Lord Jesus is the recipient of God's abundant grace. Leaders should be leading by example, not by force, not like dictators, or like high-and-mighty know-alls. Godly leaders do not command from the rear but rather leads as an example from the front. They should be walking ahead, not be driving from behind. Pride should not prevent them from doing this. This humility is to be shown not only in relation to others but to God as well. Humbly obeying God, whatever our present circumstances, will result in Him honouring us – all in His good and perfect time. Although we do not deserve God's favour, He wants to lift us up and give us worth and dignity, despite our human shortcomings.

Q28. (1 JOHN 2:15-16) What role does pride have in worldliness? How can we live holy lives in this world? What does "stealing the glory" look like? How can it be dangerous? For example, we see it when worldly prosperity makes us proud and vain, and we expect to be greatly honoured by others. When we esteem and favour persons purely according to their birth, fortunes, and success. When there is an unholy ambition for self-display and self-glorification. Pride also appears from our wilfulness and our uncontrollable efforts to get what we want – no matter what. A true Christian living in the world is like a ship sailing on the ocean. It is not the ship being in the water which will sink it, but the water getting into the ship. So in like manner the Christian is not ruined by living in the world, but by the world living in them. This world living in us is controlled by Satan. He is the ruler and god of this world (John 14:30). Satan's power exists only because God allows him to act. If we obey Jesus and align ourselves closely with God's purposes, Satan can have no power over us. As soon as we allow anything of love for the world, we shut ourself off from the love of the Father. By taking personal credit for everything that our Heavenly Father has done for us, we steal the glory that is due to Him. Every good thing, everything we have achieved, everything we are proud of has all been made possible through our Lord. There is nothing we can take personal credit for – without Him nothing is and was possible. It can be very dangerous to steal God’s glory as seen in the case of Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:23) when God took his sin of pride seriously and he immediately died a horrible death.

Q27. How can small businesspeople promote themselves without sinful boasting? What are the guidelines? There is no need to boast, they can advertise their awards and achievements letting them speak for themselves. Loyal clientele will quickly accept and acknowledge them. Complete honesty is essential. Also striving to give the best service possible – even going the extra mile. Having a humble give and take attitude, not always one of maximising profits. Reaching out to the community and providing for their needs. Customers are quick to notice the difference between a genuine business and a fly by night one.