Jen

Q2. (John 6:28-29) What kind of "works" do people sometimes pursue to please God? According to Jesus, what is the most important "work" that God requires of us? Well one of the works they do is to show up at church to look good. Not out of love for Jesus and what He did for us. Society itself has lots of works to make you acceptable to the whoevers that dictate these man made rules. We do busy stuff and like places of importance in the church. We think God is pleased. Sometimes maybe He is depending on our heart attitude. God desires a heart that loves Him above all else. The idea of being a servant is not pleasant to many however Christ came to serve. Maybe the works God loves are the fruit of the Spirit ; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22, 23. God Bless! Jen Numbers 6:24-26

Q1. (John 6:26-27) Why were some of these “believers” following Jesus? What were their selfish motives? For what motives do true disciples seek Jesus? ​Some were following Jesus for what they could get out of Him i.e. a free meal. ​Their motives were for themselves, to satisfy themselves, me, myself and I. True disciples will seek Jesus because they love Him, want to know Him, be like Him, to spend time with Him, to give Him praise, to ponder His every word. God Bless Jen Numbers 6:24-26

When I read the people plan to think they can take a "prophet" by force to be king I am amazed and it seems not much has changed through the centuries. We still think we have power and one person does something good and we immediately start thinking of that person as someone who can solve our problems. Where does God enter in in all this? Sadly the One who can solve or take care of us is no where considered. If the people succeeded in their plans the person (in this case they wanted God Himself, doesn't that just frost the cake) would be under their control and just another person. He would have no power of his own if they could force him (in this case Him). Jesus came to do the will of God. Period. He knew it and never deviated from it because He was pure spotless Lamb of God. What would have happened to God's plan of redemption if Jesus had listened to the people? He couldn't listen to the people. He was and is God. He is so one with God that it was an impossibility for Him to rule over them in the way they wanted. He would rule over them but as God, Savior, Redeemer. Not just a present fix but a permanent King who would live forever and reign and rule over those who would accept Him as who He is. God Bless! Jen Numbers 6:24-26

I would assume it was not to waste that the Lord had the disciples pick up the leftover bread and that it would be distributed to the any needy. Also it showed the disciples it that the Lord is able to do above all we need, ask or think. God Bless! Jen Numbers 6:24-26

Jesus had the people to sit to receive the food. The disciples were at this point getting used to the unexpected and did what Jesus said. He leads us step by step and we trust and obey. We trust Him with the consequences. God Bless! Jen Numbers 6:24-26

The disciples would be faced with a job impossible for humans to do on their own. How would they respond? Thank God and ask for Him to provide or say it cannot be done for whatever reason. The few fish and loaves in the hands of Almighty God is enough. He takes the little we do and multiplies it. He is God who can do all things if we just ask and trust Him. God Bless! Jen Numbers 6:24-26

What should be the role of Scripture in our lives? How is it possible for a person to be great student of the Bible but so lacking in spiritual discernment and lifestyle? How can we keep our churches more orthodox but not legalistic and judgmental? Scripture should be of primary importance in our lives. It is our road map and it is how we understand and know the Lord and how to live the Christian life, pitfalls to avoid, our enemy and his cunning devices. It is everything we know about our future move, from one who has moved often to totally unknown cultures and places I value what I can learn about my new home ahead. All that there is to look forward to. There is so much in scripture. How can we be so lacking? Its the value we put on living scripture, our willingness to be at odds with the culture and whether we just read words or if we really believe. Love God and His Word, be forgiving, don't gossip, pray for each other, let all that you do be done in love. God Bless! Jen Numbers 6:24-26

Why do you think we don't have more miracles in our day? How much is that dependent upon a congregation's attitude and unbelief towards the importance of modern day miracles. Maybe we find iPod's, smart phones, hearing each others voices, making plans for our next entertainment with friends, our next drinking bash (I don't drink or take part and my friends don't either however I know people who do) ,the local gossip about someone in the church etc. more exciting than the word of God and miracles. Very important. If we are really sincere in our faith we will love God more, spend more time with Him and pray more often and humbly ask Him for help. I find the Christianity where I am to be lukewarm at best in most people and I find myself on that path to often. All the distractions, I find I want to be fully committed to God but I want it to just happen. The work is hard and it takes effort. And I am tired like the disciples who couldn't stay awake for one hour. Who lacked the urgency of the hour. And the hour right now is urgent. God Bless! Jen Numbers 6:24-26 We need to pray for each other!

Why is Jesus so dependent upon the Father for wisdom? How dependent are you upon the culture to approve of your way of life and validate your wisdom? To what degree do you depend upon God for wisdom. The Bible says we are to ask God for wisdom who giveth to all and upbraideth not. Not much! In heaven we will have unity. It is not to be found here yet. Our approval comes from God. I would like to say 100%. Sometimes I just handle things on my own and feel the consequences. However I do turn to God after the initial response so it really is 100%. God Bless! Jen Numbers 6:24-26

According to John 5:24 when does eternal life begin? What is the default position without Christ - life or death? How can people come to eternal life if they never" hear my word"? How do your neighbors normally hear Jesus word? What might be your role in seeing that they hear His Word? The moment we first believe and receive Christ as Lord and Savior. Death Word of mouth Living for Jesus! God Bless Jen Numbers 6:24-26

I listened to a sermon on this very topic this morning. Yes we should emulate Jesus and spend time alone with God everyday. It is also important to read the Word everyday. One cannot substitute for the other in my view. God Bless! Jen Numbers 6:24-26

Is it possible to be blessed outwardly but lost inwardly? Why did Jesus confront the healed man in the temple with his sin? How was this necessary for a full healing, his salvation? Does this man seem to respond with faith to Jesus rebuke? First I will say it depends on what being blessed means. To me being saved by the blood of Christ is being blessed, being chosen by God from before the foundation of the world. That is being blessed. If speaking of having the world's wealth without salvation then yes it is possible I guess. However without Christ what blessing is there. Jesus confronts the man in the temple to remind him to sin no more. The mans first act was to go to the temple to give thanks to God. Some assume it was a rebuke Jesus gave him and I assume that the Lord was cautioning him not to forget where he was for thirty eight years and why. And to caution him that something worse could happen if he fell back into sin. While we are in misery we are quick to ask for God's help however when the misery is lifted how quickly we can forget. I don't look upon him as tattling, he didn't know it was Christ but when he realized he acknowledged it was Christ and therefore put himself in possible harms way. There was great hate among many of the Jews against Jesus and they looked for a reason to kill Him and possibly anyone associated with Him. Instead he acknowledged Christ publicly. These evil mongers wanted to kill Christ for healing a poor sick man. They were deranged with their hate. They could easily have turned on the healed man and clubbed him. Did he know all this? I don't think scripture makes it clear what was going on in his mind. I believe the events of the one or two days were a lot for him to process and he simply spoke the truth. It was not for him to know what the Jews would do. Jesus did not tell him not to say who healed him. He simply said "sin no more". God Bless! Jen Numbers 6:24-26

Why are the sabbath police (the pharisees) to upset at the man who is healed? How can a man be so intent on the rules that they miss what God is doing? Have you ever bought ourself doing that? Has someone in your church been so intent on "how we do things here" that they don't see God At work? What is the sin of the Pharisees here? In one middle eastern country we were in there were the religious police who would go after the stewardesses at the souk with their stick (forget the term they had for it) for not being dressed appropriately. They could do some real damage on those young women. Every culture has its self appointed police with the self appointed mindset that it is "my duty". There is nothing like religion to bring out the "its my business and my job" in people. It is the mind of man not of God. Now some of those stewardesses and some other westerners asked for trouble and they sure got it. In the case of this man I do not see that he asked for trouble but he sure found it in the Pharisees who went by "the letter of the law to the extreme" who were hardened by the law and loved the power of the law and were arrogant by the excuse the law gave them to maybe just decipher the law their own way, and be the judge, jury and executioner of anyone who had the audacity to challenge it in anyway that gave them (the Pharisees) the excuse to do what they wanted which was to satisfy their pride and also to satisfy that inward desire in the human psyche to hate and to cause much pain. They are merciless. That is the mind of an unredeemed person, a person with out Christ. The sin of the Pharisees was that they made themselves God to satisfy the desires of the flesh. God Bless! Jen John 3:16 Amazing love how can it be that though my God could still love me.

Why do you think Jesus asked the invalid if he wanted to get well? Why is it important for us to not make assumptions but to seek discernment about people's needs before we pray for them. I am not sure why Jesus asked except that if the person isn't willing I don't know that Christ would make him well. Also many times we don't think out what we want until we are asked and we form the thoughts or ideas in our minds. Another thought was that at this point the man was going there everyday by routine so to speak. This was his life. Did he want it to change at this point? Yes he probably did however did he realize that there would be difficulties to the life after the change of being made well. Was he sort of 'institutionalized' now and would he be able to adjust. God Bless! Jen Romans 15:13

How would you describe the invalids character? His faith? How does healing here demonstrate the grace of God? Why do we humans find it difficult to accept grace when it is offered to us? Why do we resist the concept that God's gifts are entirely by grace? I would assume that the man felt pretty hopeless right about now, maybe a little bitter about life with the why me attitude, also after many disappointments he could no longer believe. As to whether these speak about his character I don't know, however I do think they reflect our human nature. Maybe he had faith early on and that as the years went by it wavered. I do not see that he expressed gratitude for what he did have, food, clothing, warmth, air to breathe or even a pool to go to to hope. I think we all to often think about what we don't have and not about the things that we take for granted and think we are entitled too. Everything we have, every breathe we take is by the grace of God. Funny how we have no problems accepting air to breathe, water to wash with, cool breezes to refresh us when it is hot, because we don't associate those things with God. They are our entitlements. We are also entitled to be healthy. So why do we find it difficult to accept that God's gifts are entirely by grace? I think because it shows we have no power and that we are basically dependent on God, we are weak. This flies in the face of our human nature. It makes us bitter and instead of being grateful to God for providing for us we complain. Funny also we will accept handouts from big government but not from a loving God. What a sorry lot we are! God Bless! Jen Numbers 6:24-26

What do we learn about the royal officer's faith from his actions? Why did he travel 20 miles. What does this say about his faith? When he departs for home and takes "Jesus at his word" what does this say about his faith? He had faith that Jesus could heal his son. I think it was as simple as that and the officer loved his son. Why did he travel 20 miles? He was willing to travel the distance because of his love for his son and so to see Jesus in person. Did people understand then that you could pray and ask. I don't know but we see many instances of people making great efforts to see Jesus to implore Him to heal. When Jesus gives his reproof about seeing miracles and signs the official persists in imploring Jesus to come and Jesus answers his request saying you can go , your son lives. The official believes and leaves. I believe it says a lot about his faith. It is one thing when it is some little inconsequential detail we are concerned about however when it is our child or someone very dear to us it requires a deeper faith to believe before we have seen. The official showed trust in Jesus and belief that what He said would be so. God Bless Jen Numbers 6:24:26

Many of the Galileans believe mainly because they have seen miracles. In what ways do miracles help build faith? Why does only seeing miracles not build a mature faith? Why does jesus rebuke the Galilean in 4:48? To a new believer or potential believer in Christ miracles can open hearts and minds to "see" themselves that God is who He says He is. It produces a sense of awe and wonder. It is a beautiful manifestation of the love and power of God. We are not meant to constantly see or even want miracles. We are meant to have a deep abiding faith in the God of glory That is worked in us by the Holy Spirit slowly over time as we see God's hand in our lives silently working faith in us, trust when we don't see and willingness to believe and follow Him when there is no apparent answer or when the times are dark and fearful indeed. I am not sure that He was rebuking that Galilean or just miracles seekers in general. The Galilean persisted and Jesus answered his prayer. God Bless! Jen Romans 15:13

Why do you think Jesus stayed two days in Samaria, when elsewhere he instructed his disciples not to preach in Samaritan village? What does it mean that Jesus is the Savior of the world: What are its implications for our lives? For your churches mission? I don't know why, although perhaps because the people were so receptive to his words. I am glad he did. The samaritans in this village must have clung to every moment they had with the God of love and light. They asked Him to stay, they wanted more of Him. They wanted to hear and learn. They had left the kingdom of darkness and were now in the kingdom of God's Son. They looked at life, the despised woman, themselves, each other and God Himself with new eyes. They were softer and gentler. They no longer had to live with the same attitudes and emotions, they had a new joy, an awe of life. They were once blind but now they could see. Jesus came through the Jews however He is the Savior of the whole world if the whoevers want Him. We are planted where we are for a reason. There are people around us who don't know about this kingdom of light, only the kingdom of darkness they have grown up in. Let us look at them through God's eyes. God Bless! Jen Romans 15:13

Sowers and reapers usually get paid when the crop was harvested. According to this analogy, what will the Christian workers receive at the end of the age when the final harvest takes place and Christ comes. Everyone will rejoice together when they see the large crop of lost souls harvested for our precious Lord and Savior who gave us the privilege of serving Him. We praise you Lord because You are worthy of praise! God Bless! Jen Numbers 6:24-26

What caused the harvest to ripen so quickly in Sycar? How likely is it that the testimony of one discredited woman could make an impact? What might God do with your testimony if you were to share it? Why is it necessary to open our eyes to see the potential spiritual harvest? It was a normal day in Sycar. The townspeople were going about business as usual and suddenly this not so popular woman ran breathless into the town calling to the people who she didn't normally speak to and who normally didn't speak to her "Come see this man who told me everything I ever did. Could he be the Christ?" She was excited and happy and they were caught unawares before natural skepticism could creep in and they were receptive. When people see great change they want to see how it was accomplished. It is the change in her that they saw and reacted to. I believe God can bless any of our testimonies. We forget we are dealing with God here. It is only about us in that we are the vehicle God uses to do His work. The yield is His. To Him be the glory. To those who receive it is the beginning of their new life in Christ and what a testimony those people in Sycar had to share and to rejoice in. God Bless! Jen Numbers 6:24-26

What does Jesus mean "by food" in these verses? What was his passion? What is your passion? What will it take so that your passion is to do the Father's work? In your life what do you think that might look like? By food in these verses Jesus is referring to doing the Father's work which glorifies the Father and brings lost souls into his kingdom. Jesus' passion was to do the Father's work? My passion right now is to develop a closer walk with the Lord and to take care of my husband. I believe right now taking care of him is the Father's work. As to the future I will leave that in His hands because none of us know what the future holds. However I hope to be a good ambassador for my Lord and to finish the race set before me in a way that brings Him glory. God Bless! Jen Numbers 6:24-26 We need to pray for each other so that we can each accomplish what the Father sets before us.

What does it mean to be born of water and of the Spirit? What do you think water refers to and why have you come to this conclusion? Our first birth is by water and we are born spiritually dead. Our second birth we are born again or anew, made spiritually alive, through receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior and the Holy Spirit resides in us. In this case the water refers to being cleansed, a changed person, a new person, made right in God's eyes though the redeeming work of Christ on the cross and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. God Bless! Jen Numbers 6:24-26

What does it mean that God is spirit? What does it mean to worship in spirit and in truth? Have you ever gone through the motions of worship in spirit w/o worshipping? How can you worship in a way more pleasing to God? God is invisible In that He does not have a physical nature as we do. To worship in spirit and in truth means you have been cleansed by the Holy Spirit of your sin and that you know the truth which is Jesus Christ and that He died on the cross for our sins that we might come before a just and holy God in true worship. Yes especially when the pressing needs of family or the immediate world around me are right there in my face. I read once of a lord in England who came home every night dropped his robe and said lie there lord so and so. I need to take off my mask and say lie there Jen. Praise Him, praise Him praise Him, adore, adore, adore, confess my sin, repent, repent repent, tell Him how much I need Him every minute , every second and ask Him to give me a right heart and do unto others as I would have them do unto me. God Bless! Jen Numbers 6:24-26

What motives cause the woman to bring up a religious controversy to Jesus? Why do people try today to generate religious controversies with us What are their motives? I believe she grew up being taught this and probably by people who were insecure about what they are doing and trying to justify what they are doing. I believe the woman out of good faith brought up something that was a festering sore among the samaritans to hear what Jesus had to say. She wanted to know what this unusual Jew had to say. She wanted to know who was correct on the issue. I would imagine that some of the samaritans had some good size chips on their shoulders. Why do people today try to generate religious controversies with us? I think to justify their unbelief when they are not quite so firm in their convictions as they let on. So you must destroy any opposition so you can ease your own mind and conscience. God Bless! Jen Numbers 6:24-26

What was the effect of Jesus special knowledge of the woman's history with men? What effect did it have on her faith? How can such gifts of the spirit work today to bring people to faith or deepen their faith? The woman perceived that this was supernatural and that Jesus was a prophet. The effect it had on her faith was that she wanted to know more. She wanted to know of Him where to worship. It is the Holy Spirit that works in the hearts and minds of all who would know Christ to open them to receive the light and to grow. But imagine going to the well as you do everyday at a time when you hope not to see anyone and there is someone there who talks to you like no one else ever has. And He just knows about you not condemning like everyone else. And you don't realize you are talking to God Himself just sitting there tired like you are. Imagine as the conversation started unlike any other. No shunning. He is talking to me, why is He talking to me, no one else talks to me and you are drawn in, reeled in by the Master of reaching people and bringing them into His kingdom. God bless! Jen Numbers 6:24-26