Upcoming Bible Study Dates

Nov. 20   Bible Study -Sharing Praise and Thanks Together

Dec.4      Bible Study-Katy Key

S.O.A.P. Bible Study Method

S.O.A.P.

 

Scripture:

Write out and take note of any verses that stand out to you.

 

 

 

Observation:     

What do you observe about the scripture you are reading, especially those that are significant to you?

 

 

 

Application:

How can you apply those verses to your life today?

 

 

 

 

Prayer:

Write out a prayer that shares with God how you can apply the truth of your observation and application to your life today.

 

 

 

Hebrews Chapter 1 & 2

Recap:

Just to review what I taught last time. The book of Hebrews was written to a group of Hebrews around 70A.D. The author is unknown. The purpose of the letter is to encourage this group of believers to stay strong in their faith as some were going back to the traditions and faith of Judaism as a result of growing persecution.

In the first 8 or so chapters the writer of Hebrews (under the indwelling of the Holy Spirit) makes his case as to why this group of believers needs to stay firm in their faith in Jesus. His case is that Jesus is superior to anything or anyone else that they had previously believed or put their trust in.

Rock, Scissors, Paper: 

Remember the old children’s game to decide who wins at something or who goes first. One, two, three, shoot. Rock, Scissors, Paper.

Rock beats scissors, scissors cuts paper but paper covers rock.

That is what this passage reminded me of. Jesus, Prophets, Moses, Angels….

Jesus beats them all. He is superior in every way.

As you study this book I have asked you to make a list of all the persons/beliefs that Christ is superior to. Let’s begin.

Jesus is superior to the Angels:

In the Jewish faith, angels were revered creatures. The word angel means messenger. There are numerous examples in the OT of God speaking or leading by angels.

God recognizes the position that angels have in the mind of the Jews. There was even a Jewish sect at that time that worshiped angels. But in this section God reminds the Hebrews that angels are created beings, actually created by Jesus and therefore Jesus trumps angels.

Jesus is superior to the prophets.

We need to remember that the prophets had a huge role in the Jewish faith. They were rock stars to the Jews. They were the direct line from man to God and God to man. Most scholars believe that Abraham was the first prophet. God certainly spoke to Abraham as He did to others and I will elaborate on that in just a few minutes.

What makes Jesus superior to the prophets and the angels?

Jesus is Superior:

He is heir of all things. (v.2.)
That means that everything belongs to Him.

He is the exact representation of God.(v.3)
Jesus says, if you see me you have seen the Father because I and the father are one. (John 14:9)

He sustains all things.(v.3)
He not only is the creator of the universe but He sustains it as well. He doesn’t just start things in motion and let them go on their way.

He is the purifier of sin.(v.3)

 He is our redeemer. He has paid for our sin through His death on the cross. He is the only sacrifice needed; which for the Jews would be a huge selling point. They no longer had to go to the temple and offer sacrifices to maintain their holy standing with God. Because Jesus was the sinless sacrifice, He met God’s holy standards.

He is God’s firstborn.(v.6)

Another selling point. Jewish culture placed tremendous value on the firstborn son. He was the one that received the Father’s blessing and the majority of the worldly possessions. That Jesus was God’s firstborn gave Him even more stature if that were possible.

His throne will last forever.(v.8)
The writer is encouraging the Hebrews to hang in there because Jesus’ throne is eternal.

He is the creator of all(v10)

He is immortal(v.14)

Because of all of these truths about Jesus, God then says:

PAY ATTENTION!!

Don’t ignore Salvation.

What is salvation? What exactly did Jesus do for us?

He came to earth and took on the form of a man.

He was fully God and fully man and after He had lived on earth, taught and healed and lived with the disciples, he surrendered his life to be crucified.
He became obedient to death, on a cross, a humiliating, painful death.
He had all things under him, yet chose to humble himself to die so that the fear of death would no longer have power over us if we would accept “so great a salvation.”

Jesus was the only one to ever defy death.

Vs. 14 says that:

“Jesus shared in our humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is the devil and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Vs. 16 “For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

In Old Testament times there were various ways that God spoke to his people. Of course in the beginning in Genesis, God spoke with Adam and Eve face to face as we speak to one another. Once Adam and Eve disobeyed God that relationship changed. They were banished from the garden but He still had relationship with them. In Genesis 4 it is recorded that the Lord spoke to Cain. He also speaks to Noah in Genesis 8 and to Abraham in chapter 12. In chapter 15 it states that God spoke to Abram in a vision and that “the word of the Lord came to him.”

Another way God spoke in the O.T. was through angels. Genesis 19 we see 2 angels arrive at Sodom to rescue Lot.

God spoke through angels (Gen. 16)

God spoke through dreams (Gen. 28:10-19)

God spoke through visions (Gen. 15)

God spoke through the use of the Urim and Thummim (Ex. 28:30)

God spoke through symbolic actions (Jer. 18:1-10)

God spoke through a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:12)

God spoke through miraculous signs (Ex. 8:20-25)

And of course, God spoke directly Himself (Gen. 3:9)
Relationship:
As I studied this passage I was struck by 2 things that I want to share.

First, are the lengths that God has gone to to have relationship with us.

He created us and has looked for communication with us ever since.

In the Old Testament He used so many creative ways to speak to His people. He shows grace and compassion time and again.

He says, Rev. 3:20, “I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

Access:

Then I looked at how He provided an even better way to have relationship with us through Jesus. I wrestled with this at first. I thought, why is Jesus better than the way God spoke in the Old Testament? I mean, he spoke to Moses face to face as we speak to each other. That sounds so much better to me.

As I thought about it and I prayed about it, this is what I discovered.

When God spoke through the prophets, the message was received third hand. You heard what God said through someone else.

When God sent his messenger angels, it was the same thing~third hand.

When he spoke through dreams and visions they were uncommon occurrences.

Jesus is better because He fills in what we lack. Because of the Holy Spirit we have immediate, constant access to God. 24/7 communion.  And we have a high priest that “gets it.” He lived on the earth and understands our frailties. He has compassion and self-giving love. Because we have been left the Bible we get to see the character of God. Because of what Jesus has done we learn to understand what true self-giving love is and as a result of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we are able to truly have our spiritual eyes opened.

Application:
So I have 2 questions for you today.

1. Have you ignored so great a salvation? Have you heard Jesus knocking at the door of your heart? Open the door.

2. Are you paying careful attention to Christ so that you don’t drift away?

Hebrews 3:8 says, “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…”

Are you listening for His voice?
 

Chapters 1 and 2 Discussion Questions

How has your view of Jesus changed as a result of these chapters?

What are some things you tend to put your faith in before you turn to Christ?

Given the excellency and supremacy of Christ, why do you think human beings still tend to trust other things more?

What are some of the ways that God speaks today?

What restorative steps would you advise for those who have drifted away from God or failed to pay attention to His word?

How does knowing that Jesus suffered and was tempted help you when you are being tempted?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction to Hebrews

Hebrews

Introduction

Why study the book of Hebrews?

 Have you read The Hunger Games?

Imagine coming into that story in book two.

Knowing absolutely nothing about Catniss or Peeta.

Not knowing their history or the relationship between them.

Knowing nothing about the Capitol, President Snow, Haymitch, Gail, or Prim. Not knowing that Catniss not only willingly took Prim’s place in the Games but the experience of the Games themselves.

Knowing the history behind the story adds a depth to understanding.

When choosing for Bible Study my preference would almost always be to study an epistle or a gospel.

A gospel because it gives such a rich picture of the humanity and deity of Christ; an epistle, (that is a letter written by one of the apostles) because they contain such practical application to the Christian life, for what is needed for today. I have never been much to concern myself as to the why; I am mostly interested in the how.

But saying that; I know that the Bible needs to be treated as a whole book.

Mentally, we can separate the Old Testament from the New Testament. But God doesn’t separate them. The O.T. points to the N.T. and one can’t fully grasp who Jesus is and what the Jews were freed from without understanding the O.T. and learning the history and relationships it contains.

It would be like coming into a movie in the middle and trying to get an accurate picture of the major characters and what has gone on before.

Hebrews is a wonderful book to study because it gives the back story if you will for us of what the Jewish religion and tradition meant and how Christ’s coming impacted them in every way; spiritually, culturally, socially and even economically.

Setting the Scene:

The author of Hebrews is unclear. He makes no mention of who he is in the letter. What we do know is that he is completely familiar with the Jewish religious system and that he and his readers knew each other because in chapter 6:9 he calls them beloved and in 13:18 he expresses the hope that he will be returned to them soon.

We also know that Paul’s aide Timothy was known to both of them as in 13:23 he calls Timothy, “our brother.” He is also believed to be a “second generation” believer because he refers to his conversion as one who wasn’t converted to Christianity first hand as those who had actually encountered Jesus.
Regarding time period that it was written, Timothy was still alive because he refers to him so somewhere around A.D. 75?

Who received the letter?
Well, since the book is called Hebrews because when it was written it simply said “to the Hebrews,” I think it would be safe to assume that the people that received it were a group of Hebrews.

Some were believers in Jesus, some were unbelievers that were intellectually convinced of the gospel but had not put their faith in Jesus and some were unbelievers who were attracted to the gospel but who had reached no final conviction about Him.

However, the primary group addressed was Hebrew Christians who suffered rejection and persecution by fellow Jews.

The Situation:  This letter was written to Jewish Christians who were experiencing severe persecution and because of that and some false teaching they were in danger of “falling away” from the truth.
For a first century Jew to become a believer in Jesus required great sacrifice.  

They were expelled from the synagogue which meant that their children were not able to go to the synagogue school; they may have lost their means of employment in areas controlled by the Jews. Accepting Jesus broke up families. It may be similar to the losses that a Muslim experiences when he/she convert to Christianity in religiously oppressed countries.

Also the Jewish high priest had the authority in Judea and in some other provinces to throw troublesome Jews in jail. At first, these Hebrew Christians joyfully accepted persecution;

Hebrews 10:32-34:
 ³² Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. ³³ Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. ³⁴ You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possession^"

After time had passed, the persecution became too much to handle and their endurance weakened.
Hebrews 10:35
"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. ³⁶ You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. ³⁷ For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay. ³⁸    But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back,I will not be pleased with him.”

The Hebrew Christians were an immature group of believers that were facing many temptations.
~For one thing they were becoming lazy. Hebrews 6:12.

“We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. ¹² We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”

Secondly they had begun to grow weary and lose heart.

Hebrews 12:3. Their initial zeal was beginning to cool.

12    “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ² Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Thirdly they had not matured in their faith.

Hebrews 5:12-14. “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! ¹³ Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
Some of them had stopped meeting together (Hebrews 10:25) and sadly

Some were about to give up their faith entirely. (Hebrews 3:12)

^{12 “}See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.”
They were also facing the temptation of going back to the traditions of Judaism.
One of the purposes of this letter is to persuade them how foolish that would be. Imagine me trying to persuade you that you should give up your comforts,
perhaps relationships in your family, your reputation and maybe even your life.

If I was trying to persuade you to do that, you would need to know that I had something far superior to offer.
In the first 8 chapters the author is persuasive that Christ is supreme and that He is worth any sacrifice.

The overarching theme of Hebrews is the supremacy of Christ and our responsibility as His followers to grow up into mature faith filled believers.

Christ is superior to the angels and all Old Testament characters. He is superior to any Old Testament institution or ritual.

Hebrews is a book that not only defines faith but illustrates it as well. In Hebrews chapter 11 the famous hall of faith is rehearsed. During this study we will have the opportunity to go back into the Old Testament and examine those who lived by faith and be inspired by them.

The author of Hebrews has four purposes for writing:

1. To remind them that salvation and eternal life only come through Jesus.
2. That He is worth any suffering that they may be enduring.
3. That there are huge blessings to being a follower of Jesus.
4. That we need to take faith seriously, the warning is that if we turn away, God’s judgment will be upon them.

Of course the purpose of Bible Study is not just for knowledge. The purpose is to allow what we read and discover to transform us into the women God wants us to become.

My prayer is that as we look at this book together we will examine ourselves.

 ~Have we become lazy?

~Are we stuck in immaturity?

~Are we afraid of suffering or are we willing to suffer to be brought closer to Jesus?
~Are we in danger of “falling away?”

~Are we weary and losing heart?

~Do we recognize the supremacy of Christ and give Him first place in our lives?

~Do we live with eternity in mind?

Discussion Questions:

Define faith.

What are some things in which you place your faith?

What makes faith difficult?

Many opinions abound about who Jesus is. What are some common ideas about the identity of Jesus that you have heard?

Who do you believe Jesus is and why?

Homework: Read through the book of Hebrews. Concentrate on Chapters 1 and 2. Use the S.O.A.P. method of Bible Study. Take note of the supremacy of Christ. Begin a list of the ways that the author says that Christ is superior.

S.O.A.P.

 Scripture:

Write out and take note of any verses that stand out to you.

Observation:

What do you observe about the scripture you are reading, especially those that are significant to you?

Application:

How can you apply those verses to your life today?

Prayer:

Write out a prayer that shares with God how you can apply the truth of your observation and application to your life today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

                          

 

Hebrews Introduction

I am so excited to begin the study of the book of Hebrews. This is a challenging book to study and teach. There are some difficult passages that I am looking forward to tackling. In the past my reading of Hebrews has been concentrated in the Hall of Faith chapters. I find those Bible characters an inspiration even though I never think I can live up to their examples. But then I realize that for the most part God uses ordinary men and women. I definitely fit into the "ordinary" category. So as a result, I have been thinking alot about faith lately and in what I place my faith. Do I place my faith in myself, my health, abilities, intellect, financial resources, modern medicine or the people around me?
What is faith? What/who deserves my faith? These are some of the questions that I am hoping to answer in my study of Hebrews.

1 Peter 4:1-11

My husband has taken to collecting clocks. He found a lovely grandfather clock on Craig’s List and purchased a clock from Ebay. The clock he bought on Ebay cost $60.00 and it retails for $960.00. Hmm, doesn’t that seem too good to be true? After the clock arrived and it was wound and set we discovered that it wasn’t keeping time. It was consistently fast. So Mike discovered a clock maker in the area and took it to him to evaluate what might be wrong. He discovered that the clock had a pendulum that was too short. The clockmaker had to build a pendulum to fit the clock and now the clock runs perfectly. Keeps time to the minute.

I have been thinking about pendulums and how out of balance life can become if the pendulum swings too far one way or the other. I believe that this generation of Christians may be out of balance because of a pendulum swing.

Let me compare what I perceive as a parenting pendulum to help you better understand what I mean.

My generation was mostly raised by parents that were raised by parents that believed that children were to be seen and not heard. That parents were to be obeyed and that a child’s job was to assist the family in whatever way that was needed. My husband’s grandfather’s father died of pneumonia leaving his wife and children with no financial support so Mike’s grandfather quit school at 14 and started driving a milk wagon to support his family because he was the oldest son.

Now we would never consider doing something like that today.

So as the next generation raised their children, they treated them more as children, not as work force for the family. Once child psychology came on the scene, parents began to accept responsibility for the emotional well-being of their children.

Judith Harris a child development psychologist has this to say:

“In the early part of this century, parents didn't worry about shoring up their children's self-esteem or sense of autonomy, and they didn't feel called upon to provide them with "unconditional love." They worried that their children might become spoiled, self-centered, or disobedient. In those days, spankings were administered routinely, often with a weapon such as a belt or a ruler. Kisses were exchanged once a day, at bedtime. Declarations of parental love were made once a lifetime, from the deathbed.

The gradual but dramatic change in parenting styles over the past 50 years occurred mainly because more and more parents were listening to the advice of the "experts," and the experts' advice gradually changed. Nowadays parents are told that spankings will make their children more aggressive, that criticism will destroy their self-esteem, and that children who feel loved will be kinder and more loving to others. As a result of this advice, most parents today are administering far fewer spankings and reprimands, and far more physical affection and praise, than their grandparents did.

But that's only half the story. The other half is the results, or lack of results, of this change in parenting styles. Are today's children less aggressive, kinder, more self-confident, or happier than the children of two generations ago? If anything, the opposite is true. Rates of childhood depression and suicide, for example, have gone up, not down. And certainly there has been no decline in aggressiveness.”

A pendulum swing in parenting.

What about a pendulum swing in how Christians live their lives?

Ever since I heard the term, The Emerging Church and read Donald Miller’s book, Blue Like Jazz (and in the process raising young adults with differing generational views, even though being raised by us with our world view), I have struggled with the way this generation lives out Christ in the world.



On the one hand, I am greatly challenged as this new generation of believers takes on a grander world view in the areas of adoption, disaster relief, clean water initiatives, child abuse prevention, and feeding the hungry programs. Their sense of social responsibility seems greater.



And yet, their sense of personal holiness responsibility seems lacking.

Their dislike of being identified as being a Christian~particularly a born-again believer. This seems distasteful. I assume because of the failures of noted Christian and as a result of what some might consider being legalists, many followers of Jesus want to divorce themselves from any of these stereo types.



To the place where sometimes I fear, we are too soft on sin. Too embracing of other’s beliefs, for fear of being thought judgmental.  A pendulum swing.

Turn with me to 1 Peter 4:1-6.



In the NIV Bible this section is titled:



Living for God

4      Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. ² As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. ³ For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. ⁴ They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. ⁵ But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. ⁶ For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit. ^[1]



Once you have accepted what Jesus did on the cross, dying for your sins, you become spiritually alive with Him. This world ceases to be your home. You have a new allegiance. Your allegiance is to Christ and your home is in heaven.

We need to consider ourselves as on foreign soil.

God expects that we will turn from our old way of life. Turn to such an extent that our friends that we used to do those things with will think it strange and may “heap abuse on you.”

I know there are many here that have lost friends because of the way they have changed their lifestyle.

Now there may be some here that have a hard time identifying with this verse, they didn’t live in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing or detestable idolatry.

But wait, what else does verse 2 say? It says that we no longer live our earthly life for evil human desires. But we live for the will of God. What is we took the world evil out of this sentence.

We no longer live for human desires but for the will of God.

Now can you identify with the life and heart change that needs to occur? If you begin living your life for the will of God, the purpose and direction of your life changes. It isn’t as much about what you don’t do, but about what you do.

Live your life here in such a way that it will create an interest in what it means to be a Christian.

We are citizens of another land.

We live in a pagan culture.

We are left here on purpose to demonstrate what is like to have a citizenship in another land to create a thirst for that other land.

Chapter 4 begins with a therefore. So we need to go back to see what the therefore is there for? What is the context?

Therefore, since Christ…..

Vs. 18 Christ also died for sins, the just for the unjust, in order that he might bring us to God.

Died for sin

Seated at the right hand of God.

Since Christ has suffered in the death we are to arm ourselves with the same purpose He had when He was here on earth.

Arm ourselves with the same mind Christ had during His unjust punishment.

In light of what we have to face, we are to ready ourselves for life lived on foreign soil.

We are not left here to be tourists, to sightsee and relax. Our purpose is the same as Christ.

Just as Christ faced unjust suffering so will we.

When you suffer in the flesh, you are no longer under the control of sin. We have the power now to resist sin because Christ is in our lives. (Romans 6)

Sin is no longer our master

We no longer have to live in the flesh

We now live for the will of God

We have closed the book on Godless living

        I feel compelled to take a moment to discuss our responsibility toward our weaker brother or sister. Especially in light of how public our lives have become because of social networking.

1 Corinthians 8:9 says, “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, won’t he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.”

During this time period in history, food was regularly sacrificed to idols and some Christians, believed that to eat that food was no big deal. They didn’t believe in the idol therefore the food was ok to consume. Other believers had a real problem with it and therefore it would have been wrong for them to eat the food. Paul is saying here that we should never encourage by our behavior something that someone else would find inappropriate for their own behavior. Their conscience would be bothered or they may fall into temptation or sin.

Drinking alcohol is one such example today. You may not have a problem with alcohol. There may be no temptation for you there, and yet we have no idea how someone else might respond to this temptation. For them it could be a real stumbling block.

For example, at a super bowl party you may want to serve beer. Because to the world beer and football go together. But you may have a brother who has a substance abuse history in his past and needs not to go down that road again. You may not know that about him. But I am here to tell you I have been in the church long enough~there are people that have that in their past and some in the not to distant past.

You are asked to give up your freedom to drink out of love for your brother and because if you lead him into sin, you will be held accountable.

When you leave your children with at sitter, you make the assumption that she will forego watching things on TV that would be inappropriate for your child. It is the same with the weaker brother.

And you never know who may be watching.

Why do we want to emulate the world when what the world has to offer is so empty? It doesn’t satisfy.

So, because you no longer embrace your old way of life:

That causes a reaction. People who knew you then won’t recognize you and may not embrace your new life.

In all of this they are surprised and they malign you.

Have you had that happen in your life?

Your former friends will be surprised that you no longer do what they do. You may have to lose friends.

Now I am not suggesting that you shouldn’t try to have non-Christian friends. You need a mission field. But you also need to be careful not to be led into that former way of life or even into that former way of thinking.

You need to maintain your standards, recognize that you may lose friends but keep a tender heart for their lost-ness. Don’t attack their lifestyle.

That’s not the way to win people to Christ. The heart is what needs cleansing and only Jesus can do that. Why should you expect anything other than the behavior you see?

How then should we live?

1. Be Clear minded

2. Be self-controlled (spirit controlled)

3. Be prayerful

4. Love each other deeply

 “Deeply” (ektenē, “stretched” or “strained”) was used to describe the taut muscles of an athlete who strains to win a race  A Christian’s unselfish love and concern for others should be exercised to the point of sacrificially giving for others’ welfare.

 Love covers over  lit., “hides”) a multitude of sins. This kind of strenuously maintained love is not blind but sees and accepts the faults of others.

5. Offer hospitality:

Christian love may be displayed through extending free food and lodging, offering hospitality  lit., “being friendly to strangers”) without grumbling to those who are traveling. During times of persecution, hospitality was especially welcomed by Christians who were forced to journey to new areas.

6. Use your gifts

7. Live your life to bring praise to God

Be different on purpose

Expect to be misunderstood

Earlier we read that we should all be prepared to give an answer to the hope we have within. Sometimes I think we want to blend in so much that we don’t want to identify ourselves with Christ. Witnessing has gotten a bad rap. We don’t want to be seen as judgmental or legalistic. There is only one way to heaven? How intolerant. The road is narrow and few will find it? How exclusive. But these aren’t my words, these are God’s words.

So how do we know if the pendulum has swung too far in our lives?

A clock needs certain things to keep good time. It needs regular winding and needs to be kept in balance.

We also need regular winding. (Exposure to the Word) and balance.

The only accurate way I know of discerning truth from a lie is to measure it with God’s word. Satan is the father of lies and uses subtlety. He won’t make it obvious. You need to spend time in the Word, it is the only way to keep your path straight.

Proverbs 3:5-7

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.”

---

1 Peter 4:1-11 Questions

Day One

Read 1 Peter 4:1-11.

1. What are some of the things you spend your time on each day?

2. How can we make our time count for eternity?

3. Why do you think suffering in the body causes us to release sin?

Day Two

4. What kind of attitude should we have toward sin?

5. What attitude should we have toward unbelievers? Why?

Day Three

6. What is the difference between “covering over” sin and excusing sin?

7. What commandments did Peter give believers to help keep balance concerning the Lord’s return?

8. How can we obey these commandments in specific practical ways?

Day Four

9. What does Biblical hospitality look like?

10. Is hospitality difficult for you? Why?

Day Five

11. How should Christ’s return impact the way we live our lives today?

12. How is doing the will of God a good investment for the rest of our lives?

For Reflection:

What will you do this week to make your time count more for eternity?