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Q1.(Ephesians 4:7) In what way does verse 7 teach that all Christians have received spiritual gifts? (See also Romans 12:6; 1 Corinthians 12:11; 1 Peter 4:10). If all have received spiritual gifts, what is the implication of this in light of the clause in Ephesians 4:16 that mentions "each/every part"? God

Q6.What act of Christian unity could you practice over the next two weeks that would help you live out this truth in your life? I

Q5.(Ephesians 4:5) In what sense should "one baptism" unite us rather than divide us? There is only one baptism

Q5. (Judges 8:18-21) Why does Gideon slay Zebah and Zalmunna? Both these kings had executed brothers of Gideon and he was thus obligated to extract revenge by killing them both. Is he unjust or fulfilling his just obligation? (Numbers 35:16) Fulfilling his obligation. He was killing enemies of Israel who had done much killing themselves of innocent Jews. Numbers 35:16 does not apply in this case. Why does Romans 12:19 prohibit Christians from taking vengeance? As Christians we are not to take vengeance but rather let God deal with it. We should not

Q4. What are the implications for you personally, when you realize that in the Lord's Supper you are becoming a sharer in the sacrifice of the cross? It makes me ever so grateful for the sacrifices our Lord made for me, and I now look forward to taking part in remembrance of our Saviour. How does that affect you? It draws me closer to Jesus. How does it change your understanding of the Lord's Supper? To think I share in Christ

Q4.(Ephesians 4:4-6) What are the seven elements that unite all Christians mentioned in verses 4 through 6? One body; one Spirit; one hope; one Lord; one faith; one baptism; one God. Which one or two are most compelling to you? One Lord - Jesus Christ. One God. Why? Jesus Christ - through whom are all things, and through whom we live. We are all one in Christ. God

Q4. (John 3:16) Why is this verse so famous? I feel it sums up the Scriptures so simply and clearly. What does it teach us about God? God is love. He does not want anyone to perish, but for this not to happen we must acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour. What does it teach us about salvation? Salvation is only through Jesus Christ. Since "entering eternal life" is a synonym for "entering the Kingdom of God," what does this verse teach us about our destiny? As believers, we have been empowered by God to be able to spiritually discern the Kingdom of God; we know about it, and we know our eternal future is secure!

Exercise. For one of the psalms in this lesson - or another psalm with a similar theme - do one of the suggested exercises to help you experience the Psalms. These include such things as praying a psalm, meditating, reading to a shut-in, paraphrasing, writing your own psalm, singing, preparing a liturgy, and memorizing. Then report to the forum what the exercise meant to you personally or share what you've written with others. I have memorized Psalm 15. I think it is a good reminder of righteous living. There is so much more in each of the psalms that we have done. One cannot just read them, I

Q4. (Judges 8:4-17) Why do the cities of Succoth and Peniel refuse aid to Gideon's army? Both cities fear reprisals from the Midianites if Gideon is defeated. Why does Gideon punish these cities later? He saw them allying themselves with the Midianites. Gideon and his men must have been exhausted by this time, and rightfully expected help from their fellow Israelis. What is their sin? Siding with the Midianites against the Lord and His chosen deliverer. Is Gideon just? Yes, I feel for the standards of that period it was a just sentence. Times were harsh and both cities had acted liked traitors towards Gideon, and his army, and against Israel itself. Can you think of a circumstance when a Christian might be guilty of the sin of Succoth and Peniel? When we sin or when we do not obey God

Q3. (John 3:5-7) What does it mean to be "born of water and the Spirit"? To be born again

Q3. (Judges 8:10-12) Why must Gideon vanquish the Midianite force of 15,000 men in Karkor? Israel had suffered seven years under the tyranny of the Midianites, and Gideon was right in vigorously pursuing them into their own territory with the aim of capturing or killing their leaders. Only them would there be a chance of the Midianites being restrained permanently from further invasions. What danger do we face when we deal with problems only half-way? It is the same with us today. We cannot deal with our problems half-heartily or only half-way. To be guaranteed of success we have to persist in completely solving or eradicating any troubles we may have. We do this in love and prayer with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Q3. (Psalm 133) What about this short psalm seems to attract you? The way unity among believers is depicted; it is good and pleasant, fragrant, refreshing, and a sure guarantee of God

Q3.(Ephesians 4:3) According to verse 3, who brings about the unity? The Holy Spirit who has made all true believers one in Christ. Who is to maintain it? We are to live at peace with one another and thus maintain the unity of the local church. What is a "bond of peace," do you think? Peaceful ties between believers. According to the wording in verse 3, is Christian unity to be a prime goal or a secondary goal for us? Christian unity is a prime goal. Paul says we are to make every effort to keep the unity. There is enough sinfulness and selfishness in each one of us to destroy any local church or any other work of God. Therefore, we must forget our own petty and personal desires and attitudes and work together in peace for the glory of God.

Q3. In what way did the priests participate in the altar by eating of the Old Testament sacrifices? In the OT by eating the offering, the people identified themselves with God, with the nation of Israel, and with all that the altar represented. How does Paul connect this observation with our participation with Christ's sacrifice? I think Paul is saying that eating at the Lord's Table signifies fellowship with Him. The same was true of those Israelites who ate of the sacrifices. It meant that they had fellowship with the altar. Whereas when we take part in the Lord's Supper we are having fellowship with the Lord.

Q2. (Psalm 15) The Wisdom Psalms are meant to instruct us. How would you use this psalm in your family to instruct your children? I would ask them to memorize this psalm or at least refer to it often. I notice in verse 2 it covers our walk, our works, and our words. They will then learn that to have an intimate relationship with our Lord, they will need to be of upright integrity. I will tell that as believers they need to make sure they are walking in the will of God thereby enjoying fellowship with Him. What topics of right living does it cover? Tell the truth at all times (2c) Do not slander (3a) Fairness to neighbours (3b) Do not discredit others (3c) Do not approve of unbelievers (4a) Honour believers (4b) Always keep your promises (4c) Do not let money/greed control you (5)

Q2. (Judges 7:24-8:3) What does Gideon ask the Ephraimites to do? Gideon had blocked off the escape route to the north and west, but he needed help from the Ephraimites to help block the Midianites escaping towards the south, and particularly the south-west. Why are they so angry? They were angry because they had not been invited sooner to partake in the battle. They felt left out of this great victory and I suppose they also wanted to share in the glory of this triumph. What do you learn from Gideon's approach to the Ephraimites' arrogance? Gideon was very diplomatic in his dealings with the Ephraimites, at the same time showing leadership skills. He did not want to get into an argument with them so he minimized his victory and then compliments them on their achievement in killing two Midianite leaders. This he did so as not to delay the pursuit of the fleeing Midianites.

Q2. (John 3:3-5) What does "entering the Kingdom" have to do with being "born anew"? To enter the Kingdom of God there has to be a spiritual rebirth

Q1. (John 3:3, 5) What does Jesus teach here about the nature of the Kingdom of God? The Kingdom of God can only be spiritually discerned, and only entered if we have been regenerated. Do you think Nicodemus understands him? No, Nicodemus did not understand Jesus. Even although Nicodemus was a learned man he did not recognise Jesus as God manifest in the flesh. Why or why not? He could only understand from a worldly perspective. Nicodemus only thought of Jesus as a great man or teacher. As a Jew, he had been looking for a Messiah to come and free Israel from the bondage of Rome. He did not fathom the concept that a man must be born again. Just as the first birth is necessary for physical birth, so a second birth is necessary for divine life.

Q2.(Ephesians 4:2) What characteristics or attitudes are necessary for maintaining unity with other Christians according to verse 2? Attitudes of humility, gentleness, and patience encourage unity among Christians. When we come to think of it, all of these are dimensions of love. Love is the inclusive Christian virtue; but even more than that, it is the incentive that helps us keep going on our Christian walk. That is why Paul states we have to bear with one another in love and we are to make every effort to keep the unity. Which of these do you think is most important? I would think it is humility. The opposite is pride, and pride promotes disunity. Having said this, we have to be careful about false humility. Which is most difficult? I have read somewhere that humility has been called the first, second, and third essential of the Christian life. Being humble means we are slow to insist on our rights; we realize that all our rights have been secured by grace, and we have nothing to boast about. I have found a few verses that mention a person being humble.

Q2. What does koinōnia mean? Participation; partnership, communion. What does it mean to "participate" or "share" in the blood of Christ? We are participants in all the benefits and blessings that flow from the blood of Christ. We are in fellowship with Christ; participating and sharing in His sacrifice made for us.

Q1. (Psalm 1). This short psalm seems to reaffirm what we already know: the righteous will succeed and the wicked will perish. Why do we need to be reminded of this? We most definitely need constant reminding that only the righteous will succeed. We live in a predominantly ungodly world. With so much time for pleasure, it is very easy to be distracted from studying the Word and getting closer to our Lord. In our media-centred world we are continually bombarded with worldviews that are in conflict with our Christian teaching, so here again, it very easy to start backsliding and become easy prey for

Q1.(Ephesians 4:1) What does "living a life worthy of your calling" in 4:1 have to do with maintaining unity in the Church in verses 2-6? Since God has called us into His Kingdom, we must behave as adopted children of God. We are to obey His will; this includes living in unity with our brothers and sisters. What is "worthy" about unity? It is worthy because we are told to live in unity.

Q1. Why was Paul exhorting the Corinthians about the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons? Paul was warning the Corinthians that by drinking from the cup of demons they were identifying themselves with pagan gods and demons. That is similar to belonging to the world and at the same time belonging to our Lord

Q1. (Judges 7:16-22) Why does Gideon divide his army into three companies? To be able to spread his men all around the Midianites camp

Q6. (Judges 7:13-14) What does the rolling barley loaf mean in the Midianite's dream? The rolling barley loaf symbolically described the sword of Gideon destroying the Midianite camp. We read that Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream about a round loaf of barley bread which came tumbling into the Midianite camp and overturned a tent which it struck. The other Midianite responded, perhaps in jest, that this must refer to the sword of Gideon