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Q2. (Matthew 13:22; Luke 8:14) Which of the thorns that Jesus mentions do you think is the most dangerous: Riches, worries/cares, or pleasures? Why do you think so? My initial reaction was that pleasures is the most dangerous of the

Q1. (Matthew 13:20-21) Why, according to Jesus' teaching here, do some people fall away so quickly? What is their problem? Jesus is speaking about people who impulsively accept the message with enthusiasm. They even, for a short time, may be affected by it. Once the spell has subsided, or at the first signs of trouble they forget the message and return to their former sinful life; so there is no thought of repentance. These, so called,

Q4. Why is repentance so central to the Kingdom of God? Why is baptism important to converts to the King? Can Christ reign in an unrepentant heart? Repentance is a spiritual turn, a turning away from sin to Christ. Sin separates us from God and it is not enough to have sorrow for our actions, or even deep remorse over our actions, we have to forsake all our sins against God, only then can we enter into His Kingdom. We have to be baptized or filled with the Holy Spirit to help us live a sinless life. We cannot do it on our own. Even with the Holy Spirit we will stumble but straight away we ask for forgiveness and our relationship with Jesus will be restored. It will be a continuous struggle against sin but we are not on our own. We will only reach perfection when we go to be with our Lord.

Q3. (Matthew 3:11) What is the point of comparison between John's action and the Messiah's action? What is the point of difference? Do you really long to be overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit? What might prevent this in your life? What might encourage it? As John explained there was a significant difference between his ministry and that of our Lord and Saviour Jesus. John

Q2. (Matthew 3:5-10; Luke 7:30) How would John's baptism have offended a Jew's national pride? Who welcomed John's baptism? Who resisted it? Why? Gentiles who converted to Judaism were baptised and were expected to forsake there old ways and agree to follow the teachings of Moses. However, when John began baptizing, the Jews were greatly offended. Instead of Gentiles being baptized, we now have Jews being baptized and told to forsake their old ways and follow the teachings of Jesus; no wonder this must have offended their national pride. Jesus welcomed John

Q1. What happens when people adopt the Christian faith without repent of their known sins? Why do people avoid repentance? What percentage of Christians today do you think are unrepentant, unprepared in heart? In becoming a Christian we sincerely repent of our sins and place our trust in Jesus for our salvation. It is a turning from sin and at the same time a turning to God. The turning from sin is called repentance, and the turning to Christ is called faith. For us to truly become Christians both must occur together; resulting in a radical change within our hearts and us seeking a new direction for our lives. Unfortunately, today there is often no mention of the need for repentance, and we only hear

Q9. (3:21) How can God receive more glory in your local congregation? How can you help this happen? As a congregation we should be honouring Him in everything we do. We need to speak the truth about God, telling all about His goodness, grace, and mercy; praising God with words and prayers. We must evangelise, preach and teach His Word, and also worship Him with our singing. There must be unity in the church

Q8. (3:20) How should verse 3:20 of the doxology energize your prayers? What happens when we limit God by our own ability to comprehend? How can we get past this failing? Knowing that God is able to do more than we can ever ask or think for, is a most comforting thought. It really is soul-inspiring. The only trouble is we tend to limit God to our own capabilities, forgetting that He has unlimited powers. With Him anything is possible. It is only by drawing closer to Him and getting to truly know God that we can get an inkling of His greatness. We know that the more we yield to Him, the greater will the Holy Spirit be effective in our lives, and the more we will conform to the likeness of His Son.

Q7. (3:19) Have you ever prayed for a fellow believer that he or she might be "filled with all the fullness of God"? What would you be praying for with that kind of prayer? How does this prayer relate to Ephesians 5:27 and Colossians 1:28? No, I never thought of praying this kind of prayer. I would be asking our Heavenly Father for them to reach spiritual perfection; to be perfect in Jesus Christ. I think this is a wonderful prayer. Asking God that they will become perfect mature Christians well grounded in the truth, filled with the Holy Spirit, their hearts indwelt with Christ, anchored in love, and experiencing Christ

Q6. (3:17-19) Why does Paul pray that the believers grasp the fullest extent of Christ's love for them? How does comprehending this love change a person's spiritual life? Is there any end to Christ's love for a person? Paul knows that it is when Jesus has unrestricted access to our hearts that we become rooted and grounded in love. In other words we live a life of kindness, selflessness, and meekness. We read in 1 Cor 13:4-8a,

Q5 (3:16-17) Why does Paul pray for strengthening of the inner man? How would we pray this prayer today? Why does he pray that Christ dwell in the believers' hearts? Isn't this already an established fact? Paul prays for believers to be spiritually strengthened. He is asking that we would be strengthened with power through the Holy Spirit in the inner man so that we can have the strength to mature as Christians. The inner man is the spiritual part of our nature, and it is this inner man that delights in the law of God,

Q4. (1:18) Why is a revelation of "his incomparably great power for us who believe" essential to a vital faith? How do you develop this faith in yourself? How do you pray for it for others? If we think about it, the same almighty power that raised Christ from the dead was used to bring us to life. We were dead in our sins, but through the grace and mercy of God our Father we have been brought to life, and raised up together with Christ. This all happens when we put our faith in Christ. We must ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten our hearts so that we will realise these great truths revealed to us in Scripture. We have to put our faith and trust in our Saviour Jesus Christ. We must be careful not to pray only for wealth, health, comfort, and achievements when we pray for others. We might focus mainly on their job situations and material needs; rather we should be concentrating and praying for their drawing closer and getting to know God and His doctrines.

Q3. (1:18) What is the result in prayer and faith if believers think that God is poverty-stricken? How does knowledge of a "glorious inheritance" motivate our lives? Our prayers? How can you pray for others to glimpse this inheritance? I cannot imagine any true believer ever thinking that God is poverty-stricken. We know everything in the universe/s belong to Him

Q3. Why did Gideon name the altar "the LORD Is Peace"? In what sense did the Lord offer peace to Gideon? Gideon prepared a sacrifice and sensing he was in the presence of the Lord asked for a sign. When the offering was placed on a rock, fire miraculously burnt the offering. Gideon now knew he was in the presence of the Lord and feared he would die. Instead the Lord assured him with the words

Q2. (1:18) How has your Christian "hope" changed your way of living? What is the result of Christians with only a meager or minute hope? How would you pray for hope to be borne in others? Because of my faith I completely trust God for my present and future life. I live in the present with confidence, knowing that with the help of Christ, I will always be able to overcome any trials that may pass my way. This has not always been like this; it is only since my personal relationship with Jesus. And as to the future; I know I shall be spending eternity with my Saviour and that I shall be like Him. To think I will reign with Him! We need to be as firm as a rock in our faith to be able to withstand the pressures of doubt, failure, and despair in the present age. We need courage, hope, and masses of love to be strong for God. We will not cope with emotionalism and sentiment, we have to be part of Christ

Q1. (1:17-18). What do you learn from Paul's manner of prayer for the Ephesian believers? If Christians stopped praying for people to receive a revelation of God, would people come to know God on their own? Would God work in them at all? How important is this kind of prayer? I note that Paul persistently prayers for fellow believers, with a thankful heart, and aware of their specific needs. Being believers we know they have already received the Holy Spirit, but we ask that He reveals more of the things of God, and that this specific knowledge will be used more wisely. That in all this they will draw closer to God and get to know Him better.

Q4. What kind of shalom will the Prince of Peace bring about in the New Heavens and the New Earth? What do we have to look forward to? We all await the new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness will dwell. We will be spending eternity with our Heavenly Father, our Lord and Saviour Jesus and will all the other believers. There will be absolute peace, no sin, no pain, and no decay or death.

Q2. "Save" and "Saviour" are used so much in Christian circles that they have become almost jargon words that we don't even think about. What are synonyms for "save" and "Saviour"? What does a "Saviour" actually do to earn the name? Save, for example

Q1. What was the responsibility of the next of kin to someone in his family who was in trouble? How did Jesus play the role of Kinsman-Redeemer for us? What does this say about God's love? What does this say about our worth? For example, if a relative had incurred debt and was about to lose his property and be imprisoned, the next of kin would be obligated to reclaim the property involved; or if taken prisoner for whatever reason he would try and obtain a release. Even if the relative was murdered he would try and avenge this killing. So, if the relative was in any kind of trouble or danger the next of kin would be there to help. In the same way, we all as sinners are in bondage to sin and need someone to provide redemption and thereby pay a ransom to get us out of that bondage. Jesus Christ is that Kinsman-Redeemer, for He Himself said in Mark 10:45,

Q4. (1 Peter 5:10) How has God shown his grace to you and your family? Why do you think Peter describes him as the God of all grace? This lovely title,

Q4. (22:43) Did Jesus get "special treatment" because he was the Son of God to have angels help and strengthen him in his spiritual struggle? Do we get that help, too? In His humanity Jesus suffered terribly and God the Father sent an angel from heaven to strengthen His Son, and comfort Him. Also to let Him know that His Father had not completely forsaken Him. I don

Q3. (22:42) When Jesus prayed "not my will, but yours be done," was the Father pleased? Why is the Father not pleased when we are passive and uncaring and dispassionate in our prayers that his will be done? What is required for us to pray the prayer of submission with authenticity? Jesus completely submitted to the will of His Heavenly Father. His prayer was that if the Father was willing, this cup might pass from Him; nevertheless He wanted the will of God to be done, not His own. Jesus asked if there was any other way by which sinners can be saved than by Him going to the cross, would God reveal it

Q2. (22:42) Why did Jesus pray that the Father take the cup from him? According to Mark and Matthew, Jesus repeated this prayer three times. Why was he so intense about it? What did this mean? Why was Jesus resisting the Father's will? Or was he? Jesus asked for the removal of the cup, the symbol of His sufferings because of God

Q1. (22:40-41, 45-46) Why did he ask his disciples to pray? What temptation did Jesus know they would be facing? What was the content of their prayer to be? Did they actually pray this prayer diligently? How does the Lord's Prayer word this kind of prayer? Why do you think Jesus wanted to be alone during his own prayer? Jesus urges His disciples to pray and to keep on praying so that they may resist the temptation to abandon God and Himself. He knew they would soon be facing extreme opposition from all sides. They were to pray that God

Q3. How does God's steadfast love in the Old Testament relate to his mission of love in John 3:16? In OT times the act of offering sacrifices to God had become a mechanical deed, it was done without any remorse or a broken heart - their inward lives were still sinful and corrupt. If the person