hanks

4. Why was the shift of focus from the Jews to the Gentiles so significant? Initially the focus was on Jerusalem, the very city where our Lord was crucified. The Jews were the first to receive the call to repentance and faith in Him. However, never was the Gentiles outside the scope of God’s reign (Deu 10:17; Rom 3:29). As we know, the Lord Jesus Christ did not die for one race of mankind but for the whole world of sinners. The offer of full and free salvation goes out to whosoever will, Jew or Gentile. It was God’s plan to bless all nations, and now that time had come. To do this He used Israel and Jesus Christ to bring salvation to all. But of course, before sending the glorious message out to the Gentiles there must be the coming of the Holy Spirit. We read about this in Acts 10:44-46 when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Gentiles.

3. What does it mean to preach or do some action "in His name"? (Luke 24:47) To preach or do some other good deed “in His name”, is a mandate of authority. It means in preaching for example, we have the authority to preach, direct from our Lord Jesus. No other authority or permission is required, we have this Divine authority to preach the gospel under His orders. Here the term name is important since it includes the whole person. Hence, the name Jesus refers to His birth, His ministry, His suffering, His death, His resurrection, and His ascension. Jesus Christ’s name also points to the Messiah, who is the exalted Son of God. It is not some magic saying or formula to be used. When used in healing as an example, there has to be complete faith in Jesus’ name and trust in Jesus’ divine power for healing by the person needing healing. However, sometimes healing miracles do not occur, especially when God wants to strengthen our faith to His glory. “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9).

2. Is forgiveness of sins possible without repentance? Is repentance possible without the forgiveness of sins accompanying it? (Luke 24:47) Without repentance there can be no forgiveness of sin. This is not an option; it is a must. It is not a message we often hear today, for preachers do not like to tell folk they are sinners. However, Peter faithfully preached repentance in his sermons after Pentecost (Acts 2:38). If we don’t recognise or acknowledge or confess our sin, how can we be forgiven for something we don’t even realise exists. There has to be deep sorrow, and sadness, that we have offended and have been disobedient to our heavenly Father. This is not asking for forgiveness out of our fear of unpleasant consequences, that may result because of our actions, and a desire to avoid them. No, this is an awareness of God’s mercy to sinners and our need for a Saviour. This faith presupposes repentance. Confirmation of true repentance will be shown in our future actions: to show faith apart from works is impossible (James 2:18). True repentance is always accompanied by forgiveness. No repentance means no forgiveness. Many fear their sins are too great for God to save them, it is not the magnitude of our sins but the refusal to repent that will send us to hell. God has promised that once we have truly repented to forgive us our sins, and He always keeps His promises. “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chron 7:14). “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

1. What does repentance consist of? What synonyms can we use to describe repentance to our generation? (Luke 24:47) Repentance consists of changing one’s mind, that is a complete and irreversible change of mind, heart, and actions. This occurs once we recognise that our sins are offensive to God; we turn away from the sin, and ask Him for forgiveness. In Acts 11:18 we read that repentance is a necessary part of salvation. God has commanded us to repent and have faith in Christ (Acts 2:38); it is by trusting the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, we are regenerated and receive eternal forgiveness of sins. If we think of it, how does an unbeliever truly accept Jesus Christ as Saviour if he/she does not realise the need of a Saviour? Repentance is a response to the work of God, who convicts and convinces us that we are in error. This realisation, that is brought about by the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit, is repentance. God is waiting to forgive us if only we will come to Him in confession and repentance. Remember what Jesus said (15:7), that there is joy in heaven among the angels over every sinner that repents. He will not withhold repentance from anyone, it is so often that we are unwilling to admit that we are wrong. Some synonyms are: acknowledge sin to God; a complete about-face; a change of mind; change of direction; a change of attitude; turning away; turning about; sorrow, go another way; conversion.

6. What basics about the Messiah did He teach them on that occasion from Moses, from the Prophets, and from the Psalms? (Luke 24:44-46) The affirmation Jesus gave the disciples of His resurrection was not only in the showing of His wounds and His eating of food, but it was also a basic summary of the Saviour’s teaching between His resurrection and His ascension. He taught them that all the OT prophecies concerning Him had to be fulfilled. All things must be fulfilled that was written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms, concerning Jesus. For example: that He must suffer (Psalm 22:1-21; Isaiah 53:1-9); that He must rise again from the dead on the third day (Psalm 16:10; Hosea 6:2). This confirms that Scriptures are infallible. All this had to occur in order that the good news of salvation through conversion and forgiveness of sins might be proclaimed to all the nations. He reminded them that God must open their minds to perceive the great truths of Scripture, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

5. What things do we learn about the nature of the resurrection from Jesus' appearance to His disciples on this occasion? There are at least eleven different bodily appearances of Jesus to the disciples after His resurrection and before His ascension. This appearance was His fifth and occurred on the First Easter Sunday night, and was a great surprise to them all but in the end it lifted their spirits and started them back on the road of faith. We learn from His miracle appearance into the room in spite of the fact that all the doors were shut, that the resurrection body did not have the limitations that the human body does. It could pass through the doors or walls, and it could vanish instantly, as noted in His visit with the two at Emmaus. In 1 Corinthians 15:35-50, Paul speaks of this change, and mentions that this change will apply to all believers. “Our resurrection body will not be subject to the limitations of the mortal body” (Pink).

4. What point was Jesus trying to make by eating in their presence? (Luke 24:41-43) The disciples were so glad and so amazed that they could not believe what had happened, so Jesus asks them, "Do you have something here to eat?" (24:41). This after He told them to look at His hands and at His feet. Even telling them to touch Him. Feel, and see that He was made of flesh and bones. Previously they had the report of the women, Peter’s account, as well as that of Cleopas and his friend. I think the news must have been too great for them to process, so that they could scarcely believe their own senses of seeing and feeling. To prove further that it is Him in bodily form, that He had truly risen from the dead, and was not a spirit or apparition, He asks them for something to eat. He takes the fish and eats it before them. They can but wonder at the sight of their risen Lord, at the power of God, in raising His Son, and the wonderful confirmation of the truth of His deity, Sonship, and Messiahship.

3. What point was Jesus trying to make by asking them to handle His flesh and bones? (Luke 24:39b) Jesus is explaining to them that a ghost/spirit does not have flesh and bones. That His is a bodily resurrection, and that He was alive with a body of flesh and bones, but in another dimension. We read here that Jesus in His resurrection form could walk through walls and eat a fish. Our bodies are sown in dishonour; raised in glory. Sown in weakness; raised in power (1 Cor 15:43). With the coming of old age, our weakness increases until death itself strips us of all strength whatever. However, as a believer, this same body will be raised in glory, and it will be free from wrinkles, scars, the marks of age, overweight, and the traces of sin. In eternity, these same bodies will not be subject to these sad limitations, but will be possess powers we cannot image. The difference is that our natural bodies are suited to life here on earth. Our new spiritual bodies will be suited to life in heaven.

2. What point was Jesus trying to make by showing the disciples His hands and feet? (Luke 24:39a, 40) Jesus noticed that that His disciples are still filled with fear and doubt, so He proceeds to prove to them that He is not a ghost and that He has a body. He does by first showing them His hands and His feet - still, pierced, and with the wounds made by the nails still open. He invites them to touch Him, feel Him, see Him, and be convinced that it is Him, His body, and not some spirit or ghost. A week later He appeared to His disciples again, and this time Thomas was with them. Our Lord again, gently and patiently invited him to prove the reality of His resurrection by putting his hand into the spear wound in His side (John 20:27). By showing them His hands and feet, He proves to them that He is not a spirit/ghost, but the Lord and Saviour. Our Resurrected Christ is the same sympathetic and loving Saviour as before His crucifixion.

1. Why were the disciples so terrified when Jesus suddenly was standing among them? How did they explain this phenomenon? (Luke 24:36-37) Late Sunday the disciples had gathered together in a house in Jerusalem. By this time, they had known that He had risen. Angels had reported to the women at the tomb that Jesus is alive. Cleopas and his friend had walked with Him, talked with Him, and broken bread with Him. Our Lord had appeared to Peter earlier the same day. For fear of the Jewish leaders the doors are locked (John 20:19), and all of a sudden Jesus is standing in their midst. They were totally surprised, startled, and afraid, thinking that they had seen a ghost, not knowing how He had entered. I think the sudden appearance, and the fact that no one had seen Jesus enter the room may account for their reaction. All at once He was there, as if He had materialised out of thin air! Later Jesus proved to His disciples that He had really been resurrected. Not only did He stand in their presence so they could see Him and His wounds (24:39-40), but He also ate a piece of broiled fish before them to show that He was not a ghost. After recovering from the initial shock, all they could think was that the resurrection body must have certain properties which do not pertain to our earthly bodies.

Q33. (Ephesians 3:21) What might be different in your own congregation if bringing glory to God were considered the very most important function of the church? What would be different in your life if bringing God glory was your most important job, bar none? I feel our church is doing a good job in bringing glory to God. We are very much focused on our Lord Jesus. Of course, there is always room for improvement. It is only when we start putting ourselves first that we have internal bickering. As far as my life is concerned, I feel there would be much room for improvement. I’m happy about my growth in the Lord Jesus but to only bring glory to God; I would have to change my whole lifestyle. Unfortunately, one has various commitments to wife and family and in today’s world this does not seem plausible to do this.

Q32. (Ephesians 3:16, 19) What does it mean to be "filled with the Spirit" (verse 16)? Is this a one-time experience or a continual reality? What can we do to be filled with the Spirit? Is it different or the same as being "filled with all the fullness of God" (verse 19)? In John 14:16 Jesus tells us that we will possess the Holy Spirit from the moment we believe. He also promised that the indwelling would be permanent. So, we distinguish the indwelling from the filling of the Spirit. Ideally we should be so completely yielded to the Holy Spirit so that He can possess us fully and, in that sense, fill us. However, in Ephesians 4:30 we read that the Holy Spirit can be grieved, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” We also read in 1Thessalonians 5:19 that His activity can be quenched, “Do not put out the Spirit's fire;” When we allow this to happen, we do not experience the fullness of the Spirit's working and His power in and through us. To be filled with the Spirit implies freedom for Him to occupy every part of our lives, guiding and controlling us. It is then that His power can be exerted through us so that we can do what is fruitful to God. The filling of the Spirit does not apply to outward acts alone; it also applies to the innermost thoughts and motives of our actions. Sin is what hinders the filling of the Holy Spirit, and obedience to God is how the filling of the Spirit is maintained. It is only by our obedience to God's commands that the Spirit can work within us. It is impossible to be filled with the Spirit all of the time, this is because we are still infected with sin. When we sin, we should immediately confess it to God and renew our commitment to being Spirit-filled and Spirit-led. To be filled with the Spirit is the same as being filled with all the fullness of God.

Q31. (Ephesians 3:18-19) What kinds of things prevent us from comprehending the far reaches of Christ's love? What happens in the way we live when we do comprehend, know, and experience this love? What would be different about your life if you could grasp this? We understand that God is love, but this is not enough; we need divine power to understand the deeper dimensions of the love of Christ. To fully experience the Christian life, we need to be filled with the love of Christ, a love that surpasses understanding and knowledge. To grow in Christ, we as Christians must consistently stay in fellowship with our Lord through confession of sin, and learning and applying Bible teaching. The growth of our Christian love is a sign that we have been learning and applying doctrine. "By their fruit you shall know them..." Occupation with the person of Christ is the ultimate result of love, and love is the means of reaching maturity and growing and knowing how to apply this love to our fellow human beings. I know I can never fully comprehend this love of Christ.

Q30. (Ephesians 3:16-17) Do the concepts of (a) strengthened by the Spirit in the inner person, and (b) Christ dwelling in our hearts say the same thing, or are they separate and distinct ideas? What do you think? I think they mean the same; as Pastor Ralph says “these are two ways to express the same truth”. Christ and the Spirit cannot be thus separated. When we as believers have the Spirit within ourselves we have Christ within ourselves, as is very clear from Romans 8:9-10, “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.” Christ's precious indwelling is through faith; and faith is full surrender to God in Christ.

Q29. What does Ephesians 3:12 teach us about the manner of approaching God? What happens if we try to pray without these qualities? The three important words here are access, boldness, and confidence. Our access is our liberty to speak to God in prayer. It could be a very frightening experience to come into the presence of our mighty God, but thanks to Christ, by faith we can enter directly into God's presence through prayer. We know we will be welcomed with open arms because we are God's children through our union with Christ. Since Christ Jesus is ours and we are his, bought with His blood, indwelt by His Spirit, we know that we have free and unrestricted access to the Father. Our boldness is the respectful attitude and absence of fear we have as children addressing their Father. Such boldness is possible only through our faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. Now we can and should approach Him without restraint, telling Him all our troubles, asking Him to help us in all our needs. Our confidence is the assurance of a welcome, a hearing, and a wise and loving answer. What an awesome privilege to be able to approach God with this freedom and confidence.

Q28. (Ephesians 3:7-9) Why is Paul so careful to be humble about his call and apostleship? How can his example help us remain as humble servants? Anyone who sees Christ in His glory realizes his own sinfulness and uselessness. This is what we see in Paul, who followed Christ in humility, rejection and suffering. We will do well to follow his example. Paul was not proud and arrogant being rather wise and understanding. Those that are truly wise, like the Apostle Paul, will have the hallmark of genuine humility. We should note that the divine character is made up of holiness, love, humility, meekness, kindness and forgiveness. This we can only aim to reflect from our association with the Lord Jesus.

Q27. (Ephesians 3:6) Just what is the "mystery" that Paul is talking about? Why was it important to the Gentile Christians in Paul's day? It was the complete union of Jew and Gentile with each other, that God had revealed specifically to Paul. Besides their union with each other, they were all also united with Christ. It was a new revelation that was not made known in other generations (3:5); hidden for ages (3:9). It was hinted at in the OT (Isa 49:6b) that the Gentiles would receive salvation, but it was the complete union of Jews, Gentiles, and Christ which was basically new. The Gentiles are to be co-heirs with God’s chosen people, the Jews. But it was only revealed now by Paul that all Gentile and Jewish believers would become equal in the body of Christ; Jews and Gentiles would comprise one body, the church. In Paul’s day Gentiles were despised and looked down upon, now they would be accepted as fellow believers.

Q26. (Ephesians 3:2-5) Why is God's revelation to "His holy apostles and prophets" our authority for faith and practice? What is the danger of minimizing or straying from that revelation? What is the danger of superseding that revelation? What is the danger of denying that God reveals Himself to us and to His church today? The apostles and prophets wrote what was directly revealed to them by the Holy Spirit. They did not write their opinions by their own initiative. The OT is revealed to us through the prophets, and the NT through the apostles. The result is an inspired message by which the will of God is made known to us. It is God’s Words speaking to us, and is our absolute authority in life. It is not for us to add or subtract from what God has revealed to us; only for us to obey. We land up in all sorts of trouble, strange teachings, and false doctrines once we subtract words or add our own opinions to His Word, or even try to manipulate it to fall in with our understanding and opinion. The same happens when we stray from His Word. We are actually warned not to tamper with His Word, not to add or subtract from it (Rev 22:18-19).

Q25. (Ephesians 2:22) What is the significance that your congregation was made to be "a dwelling place for God in the Spirit"? What hinders that from being fully experienced? What can you do to help that become more fully experienced and appreciated? We, as believers, together provide a dwelling place for God, where He can fellowship with His people. Each one of us is a building block with our Lord Jesus as the foundation and the cornerstone. Since the dwelling place of our Lord Jesus, is the congregation itself, we have to be united in our love for each other and in our worship of our Heavenly Father. The quickest way to suppress Christ's love is to be friendly with only those people that we like. We have to be united, one body, in spite of differences in race, colour, nationality, culture, language, and temperament. All our man-made divisions will be swept away when our Saviour returns. Eventually Jesus will knock down all these barriers and we will be all unified in one family.

Q24. (Ephesians 2:17) What does it mean to have "access to the Father"? In what way does the Holy Spirit facilitate this access? In what way does Jesus enable this access? Jesus has removed the barrier, due to our sin, that existed between God and us. A state of peace now exists between God and believers, and we now have access at any time into the presence of God. This is in sharp contrast to the OT times when only the high priest could go into the Holy of Holies, the place of God's presence. And he could enter there on only one day of the year. It is such a blessing and privilege to think that we can through prayer have direct access to our Heavenly Father. We also have the Holy Spirit who helps us in prayer since we don’t always know what we should pray for. He is always there for us, to guide and intercede on our behalf. The Bible says in Romans 8:26, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express”. This is all made possible through our Lord Jesus Christ. He acted as Mediator between God and man. His death, burial, and resurrection removed every legal obstacle to our admission to God's presence. We approach God in His name; we have no worthiness of our own. Before the resurrection of Christ, men stood before God as creatures before the Creator. It is through the redemptive work of Jesus that we are looked upon as His children, and are therefore able to address God as Father.

Q23. (Ephesians 2:14-15) In what sense did Jesus as Messiah "fulfil" the Mosaic Law? What is the significance of that for Jewish people? For us Gentiles? The ceremonial law and the civil law created a barrier between Jews and Gentiles. They were alienated from one another and at enmity with one another. By His death on the cross Jesus paid the penalty of the law that had been broken, satisfying the righteous claims of God, for all who are “in Christ”. He became a substitute for their sin and removed the barrier between both Jew and Gentile, as well as between God and man, giving them direct access to God. So that they are no longer under the law but under grace. Both Jew and Gentile can come to God via Jesus; both have the same privileges; both become Christians; they are both members of the body of Christ, one new humanity out of two – the church.

Q23. (Ephesians 2:14-15) In what sense did Jesus as Messiah "fulfil" the Mosaic Law? What is the significance of that for Jewish people? For us Gentiles? The ceremonial law and the civil law created a barrier between Jews and Gentiles. They were alienated from one another and at enmity with one another. By His death on the cross Jesus paid the penalty of the law that had been broken, satisfying the righteous claims of God, for all who are “in Christ”. He became a substitute for their sin and removed the barrier between both Jew and Gentile, as well as between God and man, giving them direct access to God. So that they are no longer under the law but under grace. Both Jew and Gentile can come to God via Jesus; both have the same privileges; both become Christians; they are both members of the body of Christ, one new humanity out of two – the church.

Q22. (Ephesians 2:11-12) Why does being out of touch with what it means to be "lost" impede our willingness to witness? In your own words, what is the spiritual condition of a friend or co-worker who doesn't know Christ? We need to recognise the urgent need of the lost in this world today. It is only when we realise that there are so many people in the world today that are without hope and without God, that we will be motivated to witness to as many as possible. Until we come to see this urgent need, we will remain out of touch with reality. I pity unbelievers in our chaotic world of today. Life is difficult enough, and certainly unbearable without our Lord as our anchor in life. They don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus and don’t experience His peace and help/guidance in life. They are spiritually dead, and without God in the world they are in a desperate situation; they have no meaning, no hope, no purpose, and no direction in life.

7. In what sense is Jesus revealed to us today in "the breaking of bread"? (Luke 24:31, 35) The breaking of bread, is used in the NT to refer to either the Lord’s Supper, or to eating and enjoying a common meal together. Here it obviously refer to having a meal together with our Lord. He took bread, blessed and broke it. Both these men were unaware of the sacramental nature of breaking bread, since they were not with Jesus at the Last Supper. This was a frugal supper in a village home of two tired travellers, and another. Yet it was then - in the breaking of bread, and not in any vision of resurrection splendour - that they knew that their companion was the Lord. Their eyes were opened and they knew Him. We don’t know how they recognised Jesus after the breaking of the bread. Maybe the marks of the nails in His hands? Whatever the answer, His resurrection body now possessed qualities enabling Him to appear at will and also, as here, to vanish at will. So, almost before they fully realized what had happened, He was gone.

6. Why do some Christians seem to be proud of their unbelief? How should we deal with the doubts we have? Ignore them? I don’t think one can be called or be a true Christian, and at the same time have doubts about our Lord Jesus Christ. There has to be total commitment and faith in Him as our Saviour. As an unbeliever we come to Christ seeking to have sin and guilt removed and to enter into a genuine personal relationship with Jesus that will last forever. We should find that our faith in Jesus should increase as our knowledge about Him increases. When we have true information about Christ, we will be better able to put our total trust in Him. But this faith or belief, which is an attitude of trust and confidence, is not something we can obtain without help (Mark 9:24); for faith is a gift from God (Eph 2:8-9). It all originates with the grace of God: He takes the initiative in providing it. Growing in faith is a constant process of daily renewing our trust in Jesus. However, Satan will attack us and try and convince us to have doubts, especially about our salvation. If this does happen, I feel we should deal with immediately, repent, and ask Jesus for forgiveness and help to strengthen our belief. Remembering that salvation is given to those who are utterly unworthy of it, and on the basis of the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.