Q2. Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit

[EB1]

Coming to the end of ourselves facilitates true mourning. When we realize that there is nothing good with in us, that we are totally desperate and in need of God this is what brings devotion and relationship with Christ. Our flesh mourns the loss of self yet our spirit rejoices with new life in Christ. Mourning is apart of letting go of what we hold so dear.

[hanks]

Q2. (Matthew 5:3-4)

Why is it necessary to be aware of your spiritual poverty before you can become a Christian?

Only if we are spiritually poor will we be willing to look to the Lord for blessing. Meanwhile those who think they have it all worked out have no need for the blessedness that God offers. They think they can fabricate their own blessings and happiness. The truth is that it is impossible to achieve blessedness or happiness apart from the Lord. All blessings flow from Him and from Him alone. We cannot be happy until we find ourselves in the perfect will of God and until God fills that void within us. We have to recognize this spiritual poverty

[Misty Dawn]

Why is it necessary to be aware of your spiritual poverty before you can become a Christian?

If we aren't aware of our own spriritual poverty, then we will not yearn for God or desire to seek out His word and we will continue living in the same life pattern.

What kind of mourning is necessary for a person to become a Christian?

We first must mourn our own unrighteousness and wrong doings, then seek Gods forgiveness and mercy for our own sins.

What kind of mourning is a common experience of Christians?

The mourning that is a common experience of Christians is that we mourn for the degradation and unrighteousness and injustice around us. We also mourn for the souls that are not saved.

[Jake]

Q2. (Matthew 5:3-4) Why is it necessary to be aware of your spiritual poverty before you can become a Christian? What kind of mourning is necessary for a person to become a Christian? What kind of mourning is a common experience of Christians? (See Isaiah 61:2-3; Ezekiel 9:4.)

Being a Christian ( a child of God) is perhaps the greatest blessing bestowed on a man. When all of lives glitter and splendor cease there is no hope but in our creator and maker. Being born again is no decision that is pre-emited but it is only by god's tender mercy that we have been chosen. For we were enemies of the gospel before we were saved yet now God has made us partakers in this devine calling.

No king of self mediated mourning would ever bring us to the Lord, except when the process is initiated by the Spirit where we are brought before the cross, where we realise our nakedness, filth and wretchedness and the greatest gift that is bestowed on us.

Mourning as a christian is for the lost and perishing. A christian would also mourn for his own standing before the Lord. Mourning for the unbeliever is our necessary responsibility.

[jr4624]

Q2. (Matthew 5:3-4) Why is it necessary to be aware of your spiritual poverty before you can become a Christian? What kind of mourning is necessary for a person to become a Christian? What kind of mourning is a common experience of Christians? (See Isaiah 61:2-3; Ezekiel 9:4.)

We need the realization that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God", "There is none righteous, no not one", "The wages of sin is death", and "I am the way,and the truth,and the life, no man comes unto the father but by me", all apply to us personally. If we don't know how broken we are, we can't know how badly we need to be fixed, or by whom we can be fixed. There are many things to mourn such as the state of the world, the number of lost people who aren't being reached, loved ones and acquaintances who seem to be on the wrong side of the spiritual battle lines, etc. One thing I mourn a lot is the role of my own sin and my personal responsibilty for Jesus' death on the cross. Mourning for the lost and the judgment that will come upon them seems to me to be the type of mourning most common to all Christians.

[chuieycuzca22]

Q2. (Matthew 5:3-4)

Why is it necessary to be aware of your spiritual poverty before you can become a Christian?

If you feel you are spiritually high and full, you are not truly seeking the Lord's blessings because you won't feel a need for it. Only when you realize that you are lacking spiritually and you truly need to be filled, will you truly search for the Lord.

What kind of mourning is necessary for a person to become a Christian?

I think we need to mourn our emptiness of spirit. we need to mourn that yearning for something stronger to warm our hearts and souls and give us a purpose.

What kind of mourning is a common experience of Christians? (See Isaiah 61:2-3; Ezekiel 9:4.)

I think the mourning of evil done by others and the sins that humans engage in are common mournings of Christians. Christians naturally feel a sense of broken heartedness when they hear of sinful acts being committed (ie. murder, violence etc.).

[smithj7]

Q2. (Matthew 5:3-4) Why is it necessary to be aware of your spiritual poverty before you can become a Christian? What kind of mourning is necessary for a person to become a Christian? What kind of mourning is a common experience of Christians? (See Isaiah 61:2-3; Ezekiel 9:4.)

This is a power pact question!

First, I feel it is necessary for a Christian, in a social environment like the U.S., to be aware of spiritual poverty because it is so easy to listen to the culture values around us. We are given message after message that one must be RICH, RICH, RICH. Humility, spiritual poverty, basically being teachable are needed by all.

The second and third part of this question are somewhat of a paradox to me. The idea of NEEDED mourning with the reference of Isaiah 61: 2-3 is not computing with my experience as a Christian. In Isaiah, God says He gave me beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that I can be a tree of righteousness ... I came from a very dysfunctional home. I was abused. This verse and Timothy, I have not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and love and strong mind, have been what sustain me. God has and does provide me with the oil of joy for mourning!!

I never equated, Blessed and happy are you who mourn, you will be comforted, with you MUST mourn... I believe there are other verses that speak to repeating and therefore feeling regret and "mourning" but I don't think this particular verse is speaking to that. Perhaps that is what this question is looking for. I'm here to learn and will look forward to comments regarding this paradox.

[smithj7]

This is a power pact question!

First, I feel it is necessary for a Christian, in a social environment like the U.S., to be aware of spiritual poverty because it is so easy to listen to the culture values around us. We are given message after message that one must be RICH, RICH, RICH. Humility, spiritual poverty, basically being teachable are needed by all.

The second and third part of this question are somewhat of a paradox to me. The idea of NEEDED mourning with the reference of Isaiah 61: 2-3 is not computing with my experience as a Christian. In Isaiah, God says He gave me beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that I can be a tree of righteousness ... I came from a very dysfunctional home. I was abused. This verse and Timothy, I have not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and love and strong mind, have been what sustain me. God has and does provide me with the oil of joy for mourning!!

I never equated, Blessed and happy are you who mourn, you will be comforted, with you MUST mourn... I believe there are other verses that speak to repeating and therefore feeling regret and "mourning" but I don't think this particular verse is speaking to that. Perhaps that is what this question is looking for. I'm here to learn and will look forward to comments regarding this paradox.

After re-listening to the lesson, I begin to under the manner in which the question means Christians must mourn. We must feel sadness and mourn injustice and unrighteousness. And we can look forward to that time when there is no need to mourn.

[alogrippo]

Without the awareness of our total necessity of God, and need to call on Him, depend on Him for everything, without the realization that without Jesus' sacrifice we would be completely lost and unable to do a thing to save ourselves, without the realization of how blind we really are without the light of Jesus, we are unable to humble ourselves enough to want and to accept the beautiful gift that we receive when we acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and savior!

The mourning that comes when we become Christian is a deep repentance and realization of our sinfulness and true need of Jesus, it is sadness in one way, but beyond that it is a mourning that i think we feel often, but it is coupled with peace: b/c our hope is in Jesus, thank God we need not rely on ourselves to be better than ourselves!

Often as Christians I think we mourn our own sinfulness and the struggle to be better Christians, we also mourn for the world and the people around us who are lost. We also mourn the injustice and pain and hurt that iis often nflicted on innocent people.

I also think that mourning doesn't necessarily mean crying--it is something we feel deep inside our spirit. something i often feel when i read things like proverbs or the Sermon on the Mount. These are Gods perfect Words, and i am looking in the mirror, and though i do not grasp all of what i read, i grasp enough to feel the sting of my own faults and humaness, but at the same time, the peace and gratitude of God's provision in Jesus, and the hope to little by little, change more and more into who He wants me to be.

Mourning doesn't have to be a depressing or sad thing, it is an acknowledgement of truth, a true repentance and desire to change even if we don't know how.

[Lory]

Q2. (Matthew 5:3-4) Why is it necessary to be aware of your spiritual poverty before you can become a Christian? What kind of mourning is necessary for a person to become a Christian? What kind of mourning is a common experience of Christians? (See Isaiah 61:2-3; Ezekiel 9:4.)

1.A

Having awareness of our spiritual poverty creates in our hearts humility, if we are honest with ourselves, we can't measure up to God's standards on our own, we fall short of the glory of God, our good works are but filthy rags to Him. Enough to make you want to cry. We see in Christ Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, the unblemished life, the power of God living in and through Christ that makes Salvation possible for all who will submit to His Light and authority. As we become aware of our brokenness, we can now become aware of Gods' promises as Christians, for those who have faith in Him and believe.

B.

The kind of mourning that is necessary after you realize your are poor in spirit, it's necessary to die to self and surrender up your will. The process can be very painful. Jesus said that we are to take up our cross and follow Him. Our flesh and spirit are at constant war with one another. The ways of God's Spirit wants to save you and the ways of our flesh wants to kill and lead you to hell. The choice is ours.

As we desire and seek more of God in our brokenness, and through obedience towards God will, there will be consequences to dying to self; you will loose friends, there are times when you will feel alone, people will call you names, in some places you will be thrown into prison, lose your job, give up sinning, etc. The list goes on, giving your life up to Jesus, changing your life for the better can bring your flesh sadness and pain for awhile, you will mourn because your life will be literally turned upside down. We must have faith in order to recieve the promises. The goodnews is that Jesus promises that we will be comforted through our trials. Amen!

c.

As christians we become witnesses of the light, and we know that the Light of God is good, we have seen it, we have tasted it, and know for ourselves that God is true and is who He says He is. We know we have all be given a choice, choose life or death, we mourn together over those who choose hell over life. Because we've been given a choice we don't have to see our earth blown up to pieces, wars and wars, the selfish greed that keeps us down. Jesus came so that the world may be saved through Him.

God's peace and blessings be with you all! Lots of love, Lory

[Marloes]

vs 3. Only if you know that you miss something, you’re going to look for it. For example, if you think that you have the perfect religion or that you know God just fine, you’re not going to investigate.

vs. 4. We must be sad about all the sin in this world (Ez. 9:4) included our own sins. Mourning in this context means to repent, say you're sorry, thank Him for His sacrifice. We have to do this so we don't become hypocrites who pretend to be perfect. God will comfort the mourning (Is. 61:2-3).

[Prayer1995]

Before I could be saved I had to realize how horrible I was. I needed a savior. The world was my best friend, I though God was only for Sunday. The people who lived by faith were crazy. Now. I AM PROUD to be crazy

[saskheather]

I think that we have to be aware of our spritual poverty because we have to realize that we still have a lot to learn and that we can't do everything for ourselves. We must recognize our need for God in our lives.

The mourning which we do is about our lack of faith and our troubles in this worls. I think Christians mourn the way Jesus had to die for us because of our weakness and wikedness.

[JimOtt]

I have to agree with saskheather, it is necessary for us as Christians to recognize what life is like without God as the leader in our lifes and that so much more is possible with him leading us.

I think that all Christans do mourn for the common things such as death of a friend, but we also mourn for those that we know that aren't believers for we have read what their fate is.

[royk]

Q2. (Matthew 5:3-4) Why is it necessary to be aware of your spiritual poverty before you can become a Christian? What kind of mourning is necessary for a person to become a Christian? What kind of mourning is a common experience of Christians? (See Isaiah 61:2-3; Ezekiel 9:4.)

We have heard that true JOY is Jesus first, Others second, yourself last/lowest. With the satisfaction of getting God's love and by the Grace of Jesus life, death and resurrection, we are offered something we don't deserve, and can never pay en ought for.

Having been given such a priceless gift from the son of God, is hard ot believe, but since he loves us more than we can imagine, we are wise to accept this gift in our state of poverty, and then we get the JOY he intends.

Tall talk, tough sometimes to walk, easy to be selfish and be needy of other humans, even if they can't give us what Jesus gives us. Why settle for less that His gift of salvation and eternal life, why focus on earthly things? We have so much going on around us to train us to do the wrong thing. heaven help those who don't ingest this deep into the heart. For those like me, keep reaching for Him, despite ourselves, He is always ready to give us the helping hand, if we reach for it.

[Paul H]

Q2. (Matthew 5:3-4) Why is it necessary to be aware of your spiritual poverty before you can become a Christian? What kind of mourning is necessary for a person to become a Christian? What kind of mourning is a common experience of Christians? (See Isaiah 61:2-3; Ezekiel 9:4.)

It is only when we come to the realisation that we can do nothing for ourselves and that we are dependent 100% on Gods grace that God can start to work in us. At that point when we realise that we are lost totally and utterly (as did Isaiah before God in Isaiah 6) then we will mourn our loss. It is at that point that God can come in and turn our mourning into dancing (Psalm 30 v 11). As Christians we continually mourn the isolation of the World in which we live and those around us from God, but we rejoice in the knowledge that through Christ we now have a path to God and that this isolation will be gone when Christ returns.

[Vaiden Rochelle]

Q2. (Matthew 5:3-4) Why is it necessary to be aware of your spiritual poverty before you can become a Christian? What kind of mourning is necessary for a person to become a Christian? What kind of mourning is a common experience of Christians? (See Isaiah 61:2-3; Ezekiel 9:4.)

It is necessary to be aware of your spiritual poverty before you can become a Christian because you need to recognize that you have sin in your life that needs to be forgiven and cast out by Jesus.

The kind of mourning necessary for a person to become a Christian is the one where that person is sincerely sorry for his or her sin and wants nothing more to do with sin itself. This also the common experience of Christians.

[Pastor Bob]

Q2. (Matthew 5:3-4) Why is it necessary to be aware of your spiritual poverty before you can become a Christian? What kind of mourning is necessary for a person to become a Christian? What kind of mourning is a common experience of Christians?

A foundational truth is that salvation is by Grace, not by our works, lest any should boast. We must acknowledge with Paul that even our good deeds are "filthy rags" that earn no merit with God. We must also acknowledge that we are sinful people, deserving God's condemnation. Only then can we graciously receive God's free gift of forgiveness by faith. If we think we are already good enough, Christ's death may seem unnecessary.

When we recognize our position as a sinner before a holy God, it is appropriate to mourn our lostness like Isaiah, "Woe is me!" The common way this is expressed is in confession of our sin and our inability to please God perfectly.

[Melvin]

For me, 'spiritual poverty' was beyond my understanding way back when. It means the same thing to say 'I'm empty' or to have fear that you have lost whatever connection you had to God while still reaching out to Him in desperate hope. To be aware of that and find a renewed faith in which one simply believes because he MUST is the first step in an honest look at oneself.

As humans, the way we behave is adequate stimulation for those who can mourn. That mourning is the abject helplessness we experience when faced with the overwhelming cruelty and deceit (sin) from others and even ourselves which can only be genuinely addressed by God. Humility comes not from being humble but from a cold honest look at ourselves coupled with a sincere and deliberate effort to become what we are supposed to be. The best place to find the 'supposed to be' is in Matthew 5,6 and 7.

[Highohfaith]

Q2. (Matthew 5:3-4) Why is it necessary to be aware of your spiritual poverty before you can become a Christian? What kind of mourning is necessary for a person to become a Christian? What kind of mourning is a common experience of Christians? (See Isaiah 61:2-3; Ezekiel 9:4.)

As Christians in order to repent of our sins we must be terribly aware of what our sin cost our Savior and how they have led to our spiritual destruction and separation form God. For many of us this realization comes when our lives have hit 'rock bottom', and we understand that we MUST give up our own will. We must feel utterly humiliated, and humbled,and realize that there is a higher power, Jesus Christ, who must take control of our lives.We must give all our will over to Him to relieve our spiritual poverty, our 'loneliness ' our isolation from God. To be sanctified in Christ we must realize the price paid for our sin. And the grace given to save us from damnation! And be willing to repent from our old life of sin and begin anew in Christ.

For myself, I mourn because I sin. Sin is a state of human nature and not a Godly quality., As a Christian, one seeks perfection through Jesus Christ. I know this struggle with sin is a daily struggle. I long to be perfected in Christ Jesus. I mourn because the road to repentance is hard, and I want to be able to make my Lord happy. I mourn because sometime I feel as though I won't be able to do this, and I will disappoint our Lord. I feel at times I still carry scars of past sins (which I know are forgiven-and I am a new person in Christ). That sometimes I put up walls which block the works of the Holy Spirit perfecting, because of this quilt. I still revert back to the 'bondage' of my own guilt and self shame at times. So, I equate quilt and self shame with mourning.I want to be able to stand before the Lord on Judgement day and hear "Well done, thou good and faithful servant". My ultimate cry of mourning is for the COST of my sins. For the terrible price,for the terrible, horrific, suffering of our Lord, on my account. The price Jesus paid for my transgressions is what saddens me the most. Because of His grace, His faithfulness,He took away my sins and made atonement for them, I want to be a good and righteous person, to Please the Lord and to thank Him for His most ultimate sacrifice.

I mourn for all the injustices of the world, for all the lost and unsaved, the oppressed, the unwanted, the tortured, and lonely. For the Lost souls of depravity and those who hunger and thirst yet never find righteousness. I mourn for those whose lives have never been touched by love,forgiveness and grace. I long to gather them together into the "flock" under the graceful care of our Lord.

.

[Raph]

Q2. (Matthew 5:3-4)

Why is it necessary to be aware of your spiritual poverty before you can become a Christian?

It is necessary to be aware of ones spiritual poverty before becoming a Christian because of thee necessity to know one is alone and distant from God and only by accepting Jesus as one's Saviour that one can be comforted and saved.

What kind of mourning is necessary for a person to become a Christian?

The kind of mourning that is necessary for a person to become a Christian is spiritual poverty.

What kind of mourning is a common experience of Christians? (See Isaiah 61:2-3; Ezekiel 9:4.)

The kind of mourning that is common experience of Christians is wrong doings; doing something that is not right.

[johnj]

It occured to me, as I read others' replys, that spiritual poverty might be likened to financial poverty. A native lost in a remote jungle may be perfectly content with little. When exposed to the vastness of the modern world, this person might then realize his poverty. Until there is some point of comparison, there is no measure.

Jesus gave us similar examples. Most of which I did not grasp. A blind man given sight would certainly understand the void of blindness. Giving health to the lame again makes the point, too, that experience gives one a measure. It seems that many times Jesus used examples from daily life as a micro view of how we need to become the person who understands what nothingness is like in order to grasp the grandure God. .....and the grace He shows to us. How must the blind man and the lame have responded to Jesus' gifts. And these gifts were not eternal!

We, lost in our sins - our nothingness- can not truely comprehend the vast riches of God's grace until we first realize the 'poverty' in which we live. Anything of this world on which we may rely, could be that crutch that clouds our vision. Maybe we must first come to realize our true situation as dirty rags, before can we appreciate the vastness of the void between us and perfection of God.

[tgandy]

Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.  Holy sorrow is part of conversion, repentance.  We must mourn over sin and suffering of all mankind and be repentant, and to be fully at peace on comforted in Jesus.  We must let go of our past, of the things that are not good for us, because there is something better waiting for us.  When  we mourn it is because of a loss.  If we mourn in our emptiness and pain we look to Jesus for that perfect shalome. Christians loose their "bad" past for the awesome future with Jesus.  We look forward to the day when we are united with the Father. 

[DebLam3teach]

We must be aware of our spiritual emptiness and sin to see our need for Jesus.  We must mourn how our sin spearates us from God and repent from it.  Christians mourn when we sin or grieve the Holy Spirit, mourn over lost souls and the depravity of society.  God comforts us through His Holy Spirit, and encourages us forward.

[Eager Bver]

Q2. (Matthew 5:3-4) Why is it necessary to be aware of your spiritual poverty before you can become a Christian?

 

If you are not aware that you are poor spiritually, you would live life without any thought of God.  You must know that you lack something that only God can fill.  

 

What kind of mourning is necessary for a person to become a Christian?

 

Those who are hurt, feel lonely, despondent, and in pain.  Jesus promises to comfort them, heal, help and save them.

 

What kind of mourning is a common experience of Christians? (See Isaiah 61:2-3; Ezekiel 9:4.)

 

The kind of mourning that is a common experience of Christians is seeing the world in its sinful state, men and women refusing God's way in their lives.  Also, seeing injustice and wondering when will judgment come.