Mutsa

QUESTION 2 LESSON 5 What are the implications of having access through the Spirit to the "mind of Christ"? By having access through the Spirit to the “mind of Christ”, it means that the mind of Christ is can be revealed and shared with the human spirit. There is knowledge about the set up in Christs domain that is readily available and in a state which can be understood by the one connected to through the Spirit. This includes how Christ heals, how he can see the future and control the elements of the universe. How does this Holy Spirit connection explain spiritual gifts such as prophecy, teaching, healing, etc.? My analogy of the Holy Spirit connection is like having a big pipe connected to a dam. It is possible to draw the contents of the dam, fish, crabs, water to an inferior reservoir. The Dam is in this example is the “mind of Christ Mind and the Pipe is the Holy Spirit and the reservoir is my spirit. This means that the connection makes all of Christ’s powers and disposition at the disposal of an individual’s spirit making it possible for spiritual gifts to flow from Christ to the individual

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ANSWER TO QUESTION 1 LESSON 5 Do people who aren't Christians have Christ living within them? Anyone who loves Jesus and obeys his teaching, His Father will love that person and they would come to dwell in that person. This is the gist of what we find in (John 14:23) This basically means that those who do not obey Christ’s teaching are not Christians and Christ will not invite his Father to dwell in that person. (Romans 8:9b) defines who is a Christian In what Person do Christ and the Father make their home in us? They will make their home in us in the Person of the Spirit. What should you do to make them feel "at home" in you? As the host of the Most High and His son Jesus I would be guided by (Galatians 5:22-23) to be seen with, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness gentleness and self-control.” How is the Home Analogy like the Temple Analogy? They are both dwelling places with rooms or areas for special use. How might it differ? Not every home will be found with a room set aside for the Ark. The alter for incense and the bronze alter found in the temple cannot be a feature in every home. How does the Spirit living within you affect your holiness of life? The Spirit will dull the senses that yearn for sensual pleasures and this will inevitably raise the degree of holiness through devotions and regular prayers. Your witness to others? As the Spirit convicts sin I will bear witness boldly and with great conviction of my changed person and new experience of a sinless life, convince those still blind to obey the word of Jesus Christ. Your spiritual power? With the guidance from the Spirit I am bound to realise powers of a spiritual nature that I did not possess in the past as well as being certain of the required behavior or action in any situation no matter how challenging.

ANSWER TO QUESTION 4 LESSON 4 What does Jesus' reference to "the wind" teach us about people who have been born of the Spirit? The attributes of the wind when Jesus uses them in explaining to Nicodemus the nature of the Heavenly Kingdom teach us that those who have been born again are outside the control of non-believers. They are controlled by the Spirit in them. Their desires are not based on the demands of the flesh. The Spirit in them seeks for spiritual rather than material things. The life of one born again person is on another plane which has a spiritual element and extra capabilities and dimensions which those who are not born again cannot discern or comprehend.

ANSWER TO QUESTION 3 LESSON 4 What does it mean to be "born of water and the Spirit"? To be born of water and Spirit is to be a new creation after believing in Christ Jesus and repenting from sin whereupon the Spirit finds you clean and fill you up enabling you to become a fountain of life. What do you think "water" refers to? Water is a cleaning agent and when one repents they are made clean as if water has removed the dirt ‘sin’ from them. The water can be said to refer to the act of forgiveness afforded a repentant sinner. Baptism of those who have humbled themselves and have bowed to Jesus symbolically uses water as a sign of life for the new born. Why have you come to this conclusion? I have come to that conclusion because the born again if not forgiven it means the Spirit cannot dwell in her/him. It is essential to be cleaned by the water of forgiveness. How, then, would you paraphrase "born of water and the Spirit" to best bring out the full meaning? Surrender oneself to God through repentance so that the Spirit generates a new personality that has new capabilities.

ANSWER TO QUESTION 1 LESSON 4 A1. a In Jesus' teaching on streams of living water from within, whom does he invite to drink? Jesus invites anyone who was thirsty. A1. b What does he promise to believers? Jesus promises believers that streams of living water would flow from within the believer. Jesus bolsters his promise by referring his audience to Scripture which in this case was (Isaiah 58:11) A1. c To what degree has a spring of living water been fulfilled in your life? Having been born to parents who were believers, I grew up taking a lot of things for granted. The praying and commitment my parents had was just one of those things to me . Much later in life I began to experience that I cannot survive on borrowed belief and took a personal commitment to be a believer of Christ and to read the scripture and partake in sessions such as these in order to be nurtured spiritually. I also take part in committees for bringing more men to the Lord. I have been strengthened by the Bible Study Course I have taken part in.

ANSWER TO WEEK 4 QUESTION 2 When Nicodemus came to Jesus, do you think he was already born of the Spirit? Nicodemus had not been born again. He was not a believer. He had not repented in order to be cleansed and receive the Spirit. He was unable to understand the spiritual aspect of Christ’s teachings. What is the difference between people who have experienced the second birth, and those who have only experienced the first birth? People who have only experienced the first birth will be subject to this world. They cannot ‘see’ the Heavenly Kingdom nor can they live for eternity. Those who have been born again become completely different from who they were and are able to discern heavenly things and experience the workings of the spirit in them. They are also able to bring others to be born again through the spirit in them which will be like a spring. They will be able to enter heaven as they have been enabled by the Spirit.

Q5. (John 16:12-15) In what sense does the Holy Spirit guide us into all truth? Does this promise apply only to the apostolic age and its task of laying the foundations of the faith? In what sense does it apply to us today? In what sense does the Holy Spirit guide us into all truth? Spiritually we can gradually be led by the Holy Spirit to understand the ways of God and of Jesus and in understanding realise what is required of us and how to tap the powers of the almighty and minister with the authority of the Most High through Jesus Christ who is the same yesterday today and forever. Does this promise apply only to the apostolic age and its task of laying the foundations of the faith? This promise is valid for all generations as God’s purpose cannot be stalled or made to pause. In what sense does it apply to us today? Where there are believers today we are equally eligible to the promise. We must keep the commandment symbolically, “not to leave Jerusalem” being rooted and established in love and to have enough faith and humility to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. We must allow the Holy Spirit to work on us and allow Him to live in us by being presentable and shunning evil through prayer and living according to how Jesus taught us.

Q4. (John 16:5-7; 14:12) What benefit is there to the disciples that Jesus goes away? What promise do we have in John 14:12 concerning the Spirit's power in believers? What benefit is there to the disciples that Jesus goes away? The benefit for the disciples will be the coming of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit who will be their guide to all truth, He will tell you what is to come (foretell the future) bring glory to Jesus, reveal what is of Christ, like the powers to heal to remove evil spirits and perform miracles. What promise do we have in John 14:12 concerning the Spirit's power in believers? The promise here from Jesus is that any believer will have the same powers that Jesus had and be able to do even greater things than Jesus when the Spirit’s power is in them.

Q3. (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13a) Why do we believe that the Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force or power, but a Person? What kinds of functions that we attribute to persons does the Holy Spirit do? Why is it so easy to refer to the Spirit as "it" rather than "Him"? Why do we believe that the Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force or power, but a Person? Our belief that the Holy Spirit is a Person is derived from the Scripture. The way the Holy Spirit is addressed in numerous texts of the Bible is very clearly pointing to a Person, a conscious Being. The operative verbs associated with the Holy Spirit in the Holy Bible reflect a Person. In (John 16:7), Jesus says, “Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you.” The ‘Counselor’ and ‘him’ are associated with persons. Comforting, helping, teaching, correcting and testifying are attributes of a person. What kinds of functions that we attribute to persons does the Holy Spirit do? The Holy Spirit has attributes of a person, including the following: - helps, guides, comforts, corrects, teaches, dwells, works, grieves, searches and empowers. Why is it so easy to refer to the Spirit as "it" rather than "Him"? Where Spirit is described in Greek the word in not masculine or feminine but neuter. If the word is thus left in the neuter state, it becomes easy and natural to refer to the Spirit as “it” rather than “Him”

Q2. (John 15:26-27) What does it mean to "testify"? In what way does the Spirit testify about Jesus? Can you testify from personal knowledge about Jesus? Or were the apostles the only first-hand witnesses? What does it mean to "testify"? To testify is to bear witness, to be a witness, to give testimony, to confirm, to have personal knowledge which you can stand up and defend In what way does the Spirit testify about Jesus? One of the ways the Spirit testifies about Jesus is by being on hand to remind or crystalize what Jesus had taught the disciples. The other way is where the Spirit presents Jesus Christ’s case for him before the believers and nonbelievers. In (Luke 12:11b -12) we are presented with a third way where it is stated that, “for the Holy Spirit will teach you at the time what you should say.” This scenario would occur when the disciples or believers were arraigned before the courts on various charges about their faith. Can you testify from personal knowledge about Jesus? Through being a convert of the faith I am able (from formal teaching I have received and from reading the bible) to stand up and testify about Christ to my fellow men. In our case here we used to have ancestral worship and we have people who still do this. I can testify that Christ is qualified to be my intercessor as he was without blemish. My ancestor could have been a murderer or some evil doer and I can convince people that such an intercessor would never be able to stand before God the creator to intercede for me. Besides, the scriptures teach us that Christ rose from the dead, and none of my fore bearers have this qualification, Or were the apostles the only first-hand witnesses? The apostles were indeed first-hand witnesses but in (Luke 1:2-4) we find the author confirming that there were first-hand witnesses but he, Luke carefully investigated everything before writing the account that is the Gospel of St Luke, In Acts 1:8 we read of Jesus’s promise to his disciples that they would receive power of the Holy Spirit and that they would be his witnesses throughout the whole world. It is obvious that the witnessing would be handed down to generations of believers if the entire world was to be covered. In Romans 1:5 – 6 Paul is explaining how through Jesus and for Jesus’s name he received grace and apostleship to call (witness) people among all the Gentiles…And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. The witnessing is therefore privy to the faithfully who have received the Holy Spirit.

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Who sends the Holy Spirit? God the Father sends the Holy Spirit. This has been consistent in the scripture including the Old Testament. The Father or Jesus? The scripture below confirms that the Father sends the Holy Spirit But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, John 14:26 Does it matter? It does not matter because Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Him. There is unison. No conflict. The scripture below illustrates the relationship of Jesus and God the Father. Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. John 14:10

Did Jesus do miracles by reason of being the unique Son of God, or by means of the power of the Holy Spirit upon him? All the written evidence in the scripture indicates that Jesus performed miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit upon him. Acts 10:38 gives us the background of how God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power before he went on to heal the sick. In Luke 3:22 we learn, “and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove”. In Luke 4:1 we are told that, “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit left for Jordan…..and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.in the same chapter (Luke 4:18) “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me. Luke 5:17 is very clear and precise, it states that,” And the power of the Lord was with Jesus, to heal the sick. In what ways does Jesus serve as our example in ministry? Jesus shows us the way by his being obedient to God, in communication with God through frequent payers. He was reliable and loved by his father, Luke 3:22 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love, with you I am well pleased.” In Luke 10:21 Jesus expresses his love for God by praising the Lord of heaven and earth. We can benefit a lot in ministry by adopting the qualities that Jesus lived by. Why is this important for us as his disciples? It is very important for us because it is through emulating Jesus that we can share his experience with the Holy Spirit and with God the Father. We can be trusted to get the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s anointing to do his will. God can reveal things to us (little children) which have been hidden from the wise and learned. We can minister effectively if we comply to the example set by Jesus.

What does Jesus' statement, "the Son can do nothing by himself," indicate about his relationship with the Father? The statement by Jesus came about after he had healed a person on a Sabbath. This was regarded as sacrilege. He tried to explain that he had seen his Father working on a Sabbath on numerous occasions. Here we see Jesus as a son who knew his Father well. He was very close to his Father. He was also obedient to his Father. He trusted his Father and emulated his Father. In saying that the Son can do nothing by himself, he meant that he was in communication with his Father and had his Father’s authority and blessing to do what he was doing. Jesus was delegated to do whatever his Father could do when he so wished. Why did Jesus have to "empty himself" from his heavenly glory when he became a man? His intention, by divesting himself from Godhood to man, Jesus had to humble himself so that he could perform the role of a servant, an ordinary man. He would not be sinful like man but would carry the burden of man’s sins. Whilst in the form of man he was able to relate to man and be able to teach as man and address issues of man in a credible manner. He could live with man, having been born of a woman. He could relate easily to man and teach according to man’s experience. He would die like man and conquer death through his resurrection and giving promise of life eternal to the faithful.

In what ways is the Holy Spirit active in establishing Jesus’ core identity as Son of God as Jesus came to earth? The strategy of the Holy Spirit was to inform all the key players fully so that they would understanding what was happening and where it was emanating from. Here the angel comes with the news to Mary of her pending conception. She cannot comprehend this. The angel in explaining, in Luke 1:35 introduces the role that the Holy Spirit would play in effecting the conception. The power that would cover her would be from the Most High. At that same time Mary is informed of the identity of the child she would carry in her womb… “the Son of God.” The next person visited is Joseph, whose lineage is of the Royal House of Israel. Joseph has found out that Mary is with child and he is contemplating what move to take. This is when in Matthew 1:20, an angel of the lord appears to Joseph in a dream. He is reminded that he is son of David. He is also informed of who is responsible for the conception – the Holy Spirit. This again emphasis the identity of Jesus. At his baptism, Luke 3:21-22 Jesus was amongst others who were also being baptized. In the presence of all the people who were present, they witnessed a physical presence of what looked like a dove descending upon Jesus. This was the Holy Spirit which prepared everyone present for the message, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” There is no doubt here about the link with the Almighty. How does the Holy Spirit establish your core identity as a disciple of Jesus? By the process of being born again through repentance as in Joel 2:12 “Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” We then become a new creation through the Holy Spirit and can effectively be the children (disciples) of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What promises do we find in Joel and Ezekiel concerning the Holy Spirit? The promises in Joel and Ezekiel are centered on God pouring his spirit on the people who are called Israel. The promises also include everyone who calls the name of the Lord. The promises we find in Joel and Ezekiel include: - § S Sons and daughters would prophesy § Old men will dream dreams § Young men will see visions § Wonders will be shown in the heavens and o Blood and fire and billows of smoke on earth § The coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord § The faithful would be saved and there will deliverance on Mount Zion § A new heart and new spirit would see the removal of a heart of stone to be replaced by a heart of flesh § God’s Spirit would make the people follow God’s Laws and follow his decrees § Promise of life and land § God’s face will no longer be hidden from the Israelite Who are the recipients of these promises? The repentant Israelite and their servants, all those who called on the name of the Lord, those who obeyed God’s decrees and upheld his laws.

Through Isaiah, God makes the following promises: · That descendant of Jesse (David) would be born · The Holy Spirit will be upon this descendant · The attributes of the Holy Spirit will be o Wisdom and understanding, o Counsel and power, o Knowledge and the fear of the Lord. · The Holy Spirit would be upon his chosen servant who will bring justice to the nations · The Holy Spirit would be upon an anointed one of the Lord who would o Preach good news to the poor o Bind up the brokenhearted o Proclaim freedom for those in bondage o Release from darkness for captives o Proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, o The day of vengeance of our God and o To comfort all who mourn. We find the fulfillment of the promises of God through Isaiah in the New Testament. In Matthew and Luke, the genealogy of Christ resonates with the prophesy of Isaiah 11: 1-2 thus fulfilling what was promised as Jesus was a descendant of David. In Matthew 3:17 and Mark 1:11 we find the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophesy when Jesus is Baptized. A voice from heaven is heard echoing the very words in Isaiah. In Matthew 12:15 we find Jesus preaching and healing just as it had been stated in Isaiah 61:1-2.

The Spirit of God that came upon each one of the 70 Elders enables them to lead the people. It guides them in decision making and courage to deliver justice. When the holy Spirit comes upon the elders they prophesy. Even two elders who were not present acquire the gift of prophecy. Moses longs for the Spirit to come upon all God’s people because he would not have people complaining about meat and worshiping idols. The people with God’s Spirit would be disciplined, obedient and God-fearing.

Q1. (1 Samuel 16:13; Psalm 51:11) What is the primary purpose of God putting his Spirit upon selected individuals in the Old Testament? What effect does the Spirit seem to have upon their relationship with God? A1. The primary purpose of God putting his Spirit upon selected individuals in the Old Testament is to empower the selected individuals to carry out specific assignments on behalf of God. The individuals become an extension of God’s might. The are able to carry out duties they were not able to on their own. The selected individuals become closer to God and resonate with His commands and enjoy an improved communication status and a heightened understanding of what God’s will is in any given circumstance. They develop an enhanced consciousness of God's presence and knowledge of what is expected of them by God in their daily lives.

Q4. (Daniel 1:8-16) What is Daniel’s first approach to eat a different diet? - Daniel's first attempt was to seek permission from the person incharge to eat a differrent diet What does he do when his first attempt failed? -He challenges the overseer to an experiment. There was no commitment as the experiment could prove what the overseer feared, seeing Daniel and his companions waste away from malnourishment. What is his demeanor towards those over him? -Daniel is respectful and forthright. He is also fearless and has leadership qualities as he represents his friends. In what ways do you think God affects the outcome of Daniel’s request? -He blesses the outcome as the choice of food was based on wisdom. The rich food and wine will always come second best copared to a vegetarian diet.

Q3. (Daniel 1:8-10) Why do you think Daniel took a stand concerning being defiled by the king’s food and wine? - I think Daniel having been humilated and debased by being renamed, assigned duties as servants, made to learn a new language, must have felt that these were external afflictions but when it came to consuming food that had links with Babylonian gods he would be spiritually and physically tarnished. He would be completely taken over by the Babylonians with nothing left of his former self, cut offf from the God he worshipped. How do you think eating the king’s food would cause defilement to Daniel’s conscience? - Daniel had obviously been taught the scriptures about certain foods that were not to be eaten and the Babylonians would offer their food to their gods, this was an abomination to Daniel. What does this tell you about Daniel? - Daniel was a principled young man who had a lot of courage and was prepared to stick to his faith and its teachings no matter what the consequences.

Q2. (Daniel 1:1-7) What changes did Daniel and his friends experience? Daniel and his friends experienced a cultural shock. The religion, the customs, the language, the food, the living conditions the surroundings all changed. What was their status in Jerusalem? In Jerusalem Daniel and his friends were royalty, sons of the king and noblemen. In Babylon? They were reduced to servants in the king's palace, eunuchs. What do you think was the effect of changing their names to Babylonian names? They were stripped of their identity and when they learnt the meaning of their new names they must have felt humiliated. What impact might it have on them to be made eunuchs? They would feel completely hopeless with no purpose to live as they would not be capable of having any offspring to continue their royal line. Did they make compromises? They did not make any compromise. If so, why?

Hi, my name is Mutsa, Andrew Chawota. I am a member of the Anglican Church C.P.C.A. in the Diocese of Harare and I worship at St Mary's Parish Chitungwiza. I have found the online studies very convenient for me and cherish the opportunity to get a greater insight of the background and content of the scriptures. I have found this very useful when sharing the scripture with others, where one is not dependent on doctrine but what is actually stated in the Holy Book. From the studies I have undertaken I have come to understand the improtance of knowing what the scriptures teach or reveal in order to defend the position of Christ when the Adversary tempts. I could not resist taking up this current study though I have very limited time available to me. I know it has precious value for my spiritual development and for those I felowship with.

Before we even begin to pray we should, wherever possible select surroundings that are conducive to communicating with someone extremely important, mighty and loving. Our physical and mental disposition should be one that shows attentiveness, expectancy, humbleness and submissive. The words that we utter first must proclaim God the Father as being Holy, Omnipresent, All-knowing, Just, Kind, Tolerant, Forgiving, Everlasting and Almighty. We should not approach God in prayer with "dirty hands". Our lives and words "hallows" the name of the Father requires us to behave in a manner that would be pleasing to the Father who is Holy and blameless. We should strive to be honest, loving and forgiving. Our speech should be made of well thought words not punctuated with four letter words or false statements. When we are quarrelsome, slothful, devious and cruel or careless with the truth making oaths and promises that we know we will never keep, we desecrate and besmirch God's Holy name.