Rosesam

Q3. (Psalm 22:1) Why do you think Jesus spoke the words of Psalm 22:1? What was he seeking to express? What was he feeling? How did God answer his plea? It is our understanding that our sins which separated us from God, was transferred to Jesus as He hung on the cross of Calvary that gives us life. As Jesus spoke the words of Psalm 22:1, it is to say that, because He is separated from the Father, if I believe what He did, I don’t have to be separated from the Father any longer. Moreover, the rabbis had a tradition of quoting the first portion of a passage, so that their students could do their homework by reading the entire passage. Likewise, as Jesus quoted this passage, He was telling them to do their homework and read the passage where His crucifixion was described in gruesome detail even before it was invented, which was about 800 years after this psalm was written. Thus He was not only expression His sorrow of being separated from His Father, but also instructing His disciples to read the scriptures and understand that He is the fulfillment of the scripture and thus realize that He is their Messiah. Verse 2 says that God did not hear because Jesus became sin of the mankind. He was sinless, but every sin of every individual from the beginning of creation till the last man, was upon the Lord Jesus. And God who is too holy to look upon sin, turned His face away from His beloved Son and this is expressed in verse 3. It was God’s holiness that made Him to turn His back on His Son. But He who knew no sin became sin that we might be made the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Q2. (Psalm 110) Why do you think that Jesus asked the Pharisees about verse 1, "If then David calls him 'Lord,' how can he be his son?" What point was Jesus making? How does Jesus combine the roles of Warrior-King and Priest in his ministry to us and to this world? How do you reconcile the violence suggested in verses 5-6 with Jesus as "Prince of Peace"? In this verse the first LORD is the Tetragrammaton with the word in all capitals and refer to Yahweh and the second Lord is “Adonai”. In Jewish culture the elder generation is always considered to be superior to the younger generation. So in Jewish minds David, their sweet psalmist and king, is definitely superior to Jesus, even though He is a descendant of David. Also an older generation will never call a younger generation – Lord. But in this psalm which was considered to be a messianic psalm by the Jews, David – inspired by the Holy Spirit – calls his descendant, the Messiah, Lord. That evidently means that his descendant is superior to him and this superiority would happen only if He is divine and not human. If the Messiah had been human alone then David would have been superior to his descendant. But if the descendant is divine then David was no match to Him and would consider himself to be inferior to his descendant. So Jesus quoted this psalm to prove that He is not just David’s descendant, but also his Lord. Also that He is divine and their Messiah who had been sent for their redemption. In the Old Testament, the offices of Priest and King were never combined. A person could be a priest and a prophet like Samuel, or he could be a prophet and king like David. When king Uzziah tried to burn incense in the temple, he was immediately struck with leprosy, for it was not permitted. The only exception to this that we see in the Old Testament is that of Melchizedek who was both a priest and king to the Lord Most High. But this combination of priest and king is seen in Jesus and by His grace He has made us, His bride, to be both kings and priests unto Him. For we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood and a holy nation to proclaim His praises. As a warrior king He is leading and guiding us and fighting our battles. As a priest He ministers to us and intercedes for us. And for the world, He will be revealed as the warrior king who will ultimately be victorious and sit on His throne to rule the world. Also the world will know that He is the Lamb who was slaughtered for the sins of the world, when the sacrifices will be re-enacted in the millennial temple, as read in the book of Ezekiel. True peace cannot happen unless sin is judged and dealt with, which we experience in our individual lives because of what Jesus did on the cross. We don’t experience peace in the world now because the prince of the power of this world has corrupted it and filled with violence. He has to be radically and violently dealt with. When he is finally chained during the millennial period, satan is dethroned from the rulership of the world and the rightful owner to the throne, Jesus Christ, will sit on it and there will be peace. But satan is not going to easily relinquish his hold on the throne, so there would be violence, which the Bible refers to as the war of Armageddon and then there would be peace, because the Lord Jesus Christ will defeat satan by the breath of His mouth.

Psalm 2 as a dialogue between the three persons of the trinity Holy Spirit: Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His anointed saying, “Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in His wrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure. Father : Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. Jesus : I will declare the decree : The Lord hath said unto Me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee Father : Ask of Me, and I shall give thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel. Holy Spirit: Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.

Q1. (Psalm 2) What does Psalm 2 teach us about Yahweh's "anointed" king? Why do you think the apostles saw this passage as referring to Jesus the Messiah? What does the passage teach about the importance of submission to Jesus the Christ before it is too late? This psalm teaches us that the “anointed” king appointed by Yahweh is His only begotten Son. The Father will give the Son the right to rule over all the nations and that they are given to Him as an inheritance and for His possession. He shall rule over them and those who are in rebellion to His rule will be judged. According to Davidic covenant the seed of David will rule over the throne of David forever. Jesus was the seed of David, anointed by the Father. In Judaism they thought that this psalm referred to David, but the psalm is not referring to an earthly monarch and the relationship between the Messiah and Yahweh is much closer than that of any king, even David. So the apostles saw this passage as referring to Jesus the Messiah. It is so important to submit to Jesus before the time of judgement comes. Now is the time of salvation, now is the time to call upon the Lord, else it would be too late to be saved.

Psalm 117 Praise the Lord, all you nation! Sing Halleluiah to the Lord all you people! Great is His unfailing love towards us, and His ways are forever true. Halleluiah!

Q3. (Psalm 117 and Lamentations 3:22-23). Why are love and trustworthiness so important as the bedrock of the Old Testament faith? What kinds of terms does the New Testament use to talk about these characteristics? Can you think of any New Testament verses that speak of these themes? It was His love towards the nation of Israel that brought the children of Israel from their bondage in Egypt, even though the nation had long forgotten their God. It was His love that sustained the nation throughout. In spite of their unfaithfulness time and time again, God proved Himself to be faithful and trustworthy to save them and lead them through. We see the psalmists extolling His love and trustworthiness, we see Moses exhorting the nation of His love and trustworthiness and the prophets too speak of the same. It was His love and trustworthiness that laid the foundation of the relationship between God and the nation of Israel. He is a sure foundation indeed and an unshakable one at that. The New Testament speaks of love, grace, faithfulness, mercy, redemption. We being translated into His kingdom was made possible because of His great love and amazing grace towards us. Verses abound in the New Testament, but I am sharing what is coming to my mind right now. We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor powers nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Love (Romans 8:38-39).

Q2. (Psalm 145) Which aspects of God's character mentioned in Psalm 145 stand out to you in particular? Why is it important for "every creature," every human being, to praise him? What are you doing to help that happen? All the aspects of His character is worthy of meditation to learn more of Him. I particularly like verse 8, The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. His grace is amazing to have saved a wretch like me. His compassion towards me caused Him to send His Son to save me. His longsuffering is a trait that I need to learn for my own life. He is rich in love towards me and I love Him because He first loved me. We are made to praise Him for we exist for His pleasure. The creation except for His prime creation, man, praise Him by fulfilling the purpose for which they were created. But man is in rebellion to his Creator. Romans says that the creation itself is waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God. The creation as a consequence of the fall is declaring His praises in minor key. But when the sons of God are manifested the creation will declare its praise to the One worthy of all praise in its pinnacle. How glorious that would be!! I want to be a worshiper who will worship in spirit and in truth. When I worship Him, He will seek me out for that’s what Jesus said. And it will so much easier for Him to seek me rather than me seeking Him. Also I want my children and my near and dear ones to praise Him. We praise Him based on our revelation of Him. So my desire is to know Him more and make Him known and I do whatever is in my ability to do just that.

Q1. (Psalm 103) Which one or two aspects of God's character mentioned in this Psalm stand out to you? Why do you think the Exodus was so foundational in Israel's understanding of God? According to Psalm 103:10-12, what are the limits to God's forgiveness? All the aspects of God’s character mentioned in this favorite Psalm of mine stand out to me. If one or two aspects have to be pointed then it would be His forgiveness and His love towards us. Because of the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ we experience His forgiveness and love as adopted sons of His kingdom. Our heavenly Father treated Jesus the way we deserve to be treated so that He could treat us the way Jesus deserves to be treated. This is amazing love. How great is the Father’s love for us that He should translate us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of His love. In Exodus 34:6-7, we see nine characteristics of God laid down. The first characteristic is not that He is a holy God, but a compassionate God. It was His compassion towards us that led to our redemption and the book of Exodus is all about redemption of His people. In Exodus 6:6-8 we see the “I wills” of God, which form the basis of Passover. He says 1) I will bring you out from under the burdens of Egyptians (salvation), 2) I will rid you out of their bondage (liberty) 3) I will redeem you with a stretched out arm and with great judgements (redemption) 4) I will take you to me for a people (adoption) and I will be to you a God (protection) 5) I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob (inheritance) and I will give it you for an heritage (legacy). If they were redeemed from Egypt a picture of the world, we were redeemed from the slavery of sin. Truly He redeemed us with outstretched arms pinned to a tree. It is limitless, for as far as the heavens are high above the earth and as far as the east is from the west so far has He removed our transgressions from us. In an expanding universe the heavens are becoming higher and higher from the earth. It is interesting that He does not use as far as the north is from the south but uses east and west. If a person reaches north then the next step he takes will lead him to the south, but a person travels west he is never going to reach east for he will still be traveling to the west.

Q5. What do we miss in our understanding of God if we remove the metaphor of Father and Son from our church vocabulary? Which feminine metaphors of God especially help you understand God's nature? Bible is all about progressive revelation and this revelation is completed in this era, as we have the scriptures in its entirety. In the revelation of God’s word we do not find God being addressed in a feminine form, even though there are allusions to a feminine role in the way He cares for us, loves and cherishes us. Jesus revealed to us the Father heart of God, how intimate and personal He is toward us which was more revealing than the understanding of Father they had in their day. Jews in Jesus times considered Father to be authoritarian, provider and protector. But Jesus in revealing Him as “Abba, Father” made us to understand the tenderness of His heart toward us. He never changed, but our understanding of God changed because of Jesus. If we remove the metaphor of Father and Son from our church vocabulary, the tenderness and intimacy between us and God will be diluted and lost for future generations. If we try to comprehend this relationship based on the earthly relationships that we experience then we are having a marred understanding of God. But if we pray to the Holy Spirit, He will remove every impaired understanding and give us the healing within to comprehend Him as the loving Father who loves us with tenderness and cares for us with an intimacy that is unmatched to whatever anyone has experienced in this earthly realm. God is referred to as El Shaddai which had a connotation of mountains and multi breasted. Mountains speak of grandeur and power whereas multi-breasted speak of His nurture and care. I like what Jesus said about caring for Jerusalem as a mother hen has her chicks in her wings. This speak of His protective nature as a mother whose heart is tender towards her children. He is not only strong but also tender towards us and loves us with a fierceness of a mother’s love toward her children.

Q4. In what sense was God the Husband of Israel? What is the New Testament extension of this metaphor? What causes God to be jealous? Just as in a marriage covenant where the husband and wife are to be leaving and cleaving to each other, God wanted Israel to cleave to the Lord, for His covenant with them was similar to the marriage covenant. God was committed to Israel and He loved her and He declares in the Old Testament many times that He is the husband to Israel. But Israel was like an unfaithful wife, always cheating on her Husband and going after other gods. The extension of this metaphor that we find in the New Testament, is that of Jesus being the Bridegroom and the church being His bride. Just as in Jewish marriage ceremony where the engagement is tantamount to legally binding marriage, Jesus has espoused the church to Himself. Again in the Jewish marriage analogy, the actual wedding takes place when the Groom’s father declares it to happen, once the house or the addition to the father’s house for the newly-weds is complete. Jesus said, I go to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to where I am. Once He takes us then the marriage celebration happens for the Bride and the Lord. When there is a covenant between the Lord and when we go after other priorities other than God, He is jealous. In our minds jealousy has a negative connotation. But when the Holy God has jealousy it is in a positive sense. He knows what our wandering away from Him can happen to us. He is jealous for us and that’s why He wants us to abide in Him and be close to Him always.

Q3. In what sense are Jesus and the Father one? In what way was Jesus distinct from the Father? Is Jesus God in the sense that the Father is God? Jesus and the Father are one in the sense that they both are divine and they are the first person and the second person in the triune Godhead. They are distinct persons, yet one God. In Exodus 34:5-7 the Lord revealed Himself to Moses – “Then the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him and proclaimed the LORD, the LORD GOD merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children’s children unto the third and to the fourth generation”. These are the characteristics of God and it was fully represented in Jesus. Jesus is the exact representation of the Father. By seeing and knowing Jesus, it is possible to see and know the Father. They are mutually interdependent and share a relationship in which each exalts the other persons in the trinity. They co-existed before eternity past and will co-exist in eternity future. They are distinct in that the Son is subordinate to the Father in His role. We may say that the Father is the architect, the Son is the builder and the Holy Spirit is the executant. All three are active in creation and redemption, incarnation of Jesus, in His resurrection etc. The Father is called God, Jesus is called God and the Holy Spirit is called God in the Scriptures. All three received worship, forgave sins and redeemed man. They are three persons in the Godhead, distinct yet co-equal.

Q2. How was the intimate way that Jesus taught his disciples about God as "Abba" and "Father" different from the Jews' understanding of God as Father? How does God as Abba influence your relationship with him? The Jewish understanding of God was that of a stern, strict disciplinarian. Even in the concept of the father, there was no intimacy, He was considered to be the Father of the nation corporately, not that of an individual. They revered Him so much, that they wouldn’t even utter His name, not wanting to use His name in vain. Even the scribes while copying the scriptures, when they came to His covenant name – Yahweh, they would wash themselves and use a new pen rather than corrupting His name in writing. It was more of a formal relationship rather than a close, intimate relationship. But when Jesus came on the scene, He imbibed a new concept in the relationship with the Father. It was about intimacy and closeness along with respect that is due to Him. Intimacy brings us closer to Him and respect gives us an awe of His greatness. In the New Testament, the words used to describe is “Heavenly Father” which represents both His awesomeness and an affection towards Him. The word “Abba” which Jesus used frequently gives us an impression of an intimate father-child relationship. He sees us tenderly and cares for us knowing our frame. The usage of Abba gives me an impression that we are precious to Him. We are not just His creation but His redeemed ones whereby we have adoption into His kingdom as His children. Because of this adoption, He gives us the Spirit of sonship whereby we can call Him “Abba Father”. This idea just overwhelms me, that the awesome God is my Father. I have been given the privilege of calling Him “Abba”, “my Abba”. I am precious to Him and I want to set my affections on Him who has loved me so much that He redeemed me that I could forever be with Him.

Q1. What does the concept of "father" teach us about God, especially the formal way in which the word is used in the Old Testament? According to the quote from Otfried Hofius above, which two aspects of a father underlie our understanding of Father in the Old Testament? How should they affect our behavior? The concept of “father” in the Old Testament is not intimate as we see in the New Testament. It is more in the sense as the Originator or Creator and the Sustainer of all things. Being our Creator, He deserves the utmost respect and reverence on part of the creation. And as His creation we are to be submitted to Him and honor Him with all of our lives. According to Otfried Hofius, the two aspects of a father that underlie our understanding of the Father in the Old Testament are that of a patriarch – the central authority within the family who is to be respected and revered. He makes decisions for the welfare of the entire family and he has to be submitted to by all the family members. Moreover as the patriarch of the family, he has the responsibility to lead, protect, provide, guard, support and help the members of his family. Likewise the understanding of our Heavenly Father is that He deserves the utmost respect and that He takes care of us and leads us in the way that is right in His eyes. As His children, we are to honor Him and respect Him for who He is knowing that He is our provider, sustainer, defender and our portion in this life. We have to be submitted to His Lordship and be not in rebellion to His ways for our lives knowing that His thoughts towards us are thoughts of peace to give us a future and an expected end.

Q4. Meditate on the concept of God as a Spring of Living Water or a Fountain of Living Water for you. What does this say about God? About your thirst? About your future? Israel was a land that was watered solely through the rains. In Jeremiah’s day people would carve out cisterns in the sides of the hills to catch and store the running water, so that they could serve as reservoirs in times of dry seasons. If the cistern developed a crack, it could hold no water and all the water collected would be depleted. Then these broken cisterns were used to bury the dead. So what the Lord is telling is that He is the source of refreshment, but if we try to find it in ways other than in Him then it will ultimately bury us. Jesus used the term “Living Water” to refer to Himself. When we drink of Him we are satisfied. He said that we will not thirst for other waters. If we drink on the water of materialism, pleasure or relationships, we’ll thirst again. They don’t satisfy us. It will always result in needing more money, more party, more friends etc. But in Jesus we’re fulfilled, satisfied. The thing with drinking of Jesus is we will need more of Him, which will result in growing in intimacy with Him. If our thirst is diminished for the Lord, it means we have allowed other things to take priority of our lives. We have not drunk from the Living Water that satisfies us. Augustine says: “Our hearts are restless until they find its rest in Thee”. We are satisfied in Him. If we are restless, thirsty and unsatisfied we need to drink from the Fountain of Living Water.

Q3. Why do we sometimes resist calling on God to be our Helper? Why do we try to do it ourselves first? What is required of us if God is to be a Helper and Shepherd to us? By nature man is very independent and self-reliant. He wants his own way. When we become born again and accept His Lordship over our lives, we are actually saying You are the Lord over my life and I give the reins of my life to You. But then the old carnal nature is still there in our lives and when situations arise it is as though we take the reins back to ourselves. The reasons could be because of lack of trust, doubt, pride etc. So in Christian walk to continue calling upon Him as our Helper, there should be trust developed. Every doubt that we have in His ability has to be erased from our minds. When our intimacy with Him develops and matures, we know that He has the best for us and He is always beside us when we call out to Him. Intimacy results in submission and this will bring humility and pride inherent in us will slowly diminish. So to continue to call on Him as our helper and shepherd, we need to have a submissive and a humble heart. Then we will resort to Him first when contrary situations arise rather than depending on ourselves. Proverbs 3:5-6 says Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. We lean on our understanding because of the experiences that we have developed over the years. But it is not our experience that we need to rely on, but on Him. This also requires a lot of un-learning of our experience of the past and make new experiences based on our trust in the Lord.

Q2. (Psalm 23) Can you remember any times when God has cared for you as a Shepherd -- in times of blessing and in times of trouble? What are you facing right now where you realize your need to rely on God as your Shepherd? Many times I have experienced His care over my life as a Shepherd. When I have strayed and wandered from His ways, He has brought me right back to Him. When my son was an infant, he had a near death experience, because of breathing difficulty. He rescued him and gave him back to us and thus has been our consolation. There were many instances during our times of financial difficulties, how He provided for us – truly leading us beside green pastures. Since He is our Good Shepherd, who leads us, guides us, protects us, defends us, I need Him every moment of my life.

Q1. (Genesis 22:1-14) Do you think Abraham was really expecting God to provide a sacrifice, or that was just what he told Isaac? What support do you have for your position? Did you ever receive a last-minute provision from God? In what circumstances can we expect God to supply our needs? Any conditions? In the three day journey that Abraham undertook obeying the voice of God, in his mind Isaac was as good as dead. The New Testament commentary of this incident says in Hebrew 11:19 “Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure”. So he believed that God will resurrect Isaac from the ashes. This is thought provoking because Abraham at that time doesn’t even know experientially about resurrection. But still he believed and in that three day journey, none of those around him could gauge the task he was going to undertake. Sarah wouldn’t have sent Isaac with Abraham had she known the purpose for which he is taking their son with him. But so strong was Abraham’s faith that he says to the servants – we will come back after we worship. I believe when Abraham said that the Lord will provide the lamb, he was speaking prophetically. For in the previous chapter God did say to Abimelech that Abraham is a prophet. When the Lord stopped the sacrifice of Isaac, they didn’t see the lamb in the mountain but a ram – a full grown male sheep. And Abraham is naming the “place” Jehovah Jireh meaning the Lord will provide and in the mountain of the Lord it shall be seen. It is talking in a futuristic tense. What shall be seen in the mountain of the Lord in a future time for Abraham? The Lamb of God provided by the Lord, to be a burnt offering unto Him – the only begotten Son whom the Father loved. For Jesus says in the gospel of John – your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad (John 8:56). The parallels of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac and the sacrifice of Jesus is astounding. And I believe that Calvary may have been in the place where Isaac was to be sacrificed. For his sacrifice was supposed to take place in one of the mountains of Mount Moriah where the Temple stood later on. Yes, I have received last minute provisions many times. If God has promised to meet a need, it shall surely be provided for in His absolutely perfect time.

Q4. (Ephesians 6:18a; Jude 20; Romans 8:26-27) In the list of elements of the Full Armor of God, where does the Spirit show himself? Why is Spirit-directed prayer so important for the believer? How have you experienced this is your life? The armor of God contains both defensive elements as well as offensive. Belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation are all defensive pieces that we put on. Whereas the sword of the Spirit is offensive and it is the word of God with which we wield prayers which is the most powerful weapon that we have in our arsenal. Sometimes we think prayer is the last resort because we underestimate the power of Spirit inspired prayer. Prayer is to be directed to God, but not directing God. When we pray self-inspired prayer, it can invariably result in directing God. But Spirit inspired, Spirit empowered, Spirit directed prayer is praying according to the will of the Father. Holy Spirit knows the mind of Christ and He prays according to how the Lord wants our prayer to be made. When we allow the Holy Spirit to inspire our prayers, we align ourselves to what God wants in our life. This strengthens the inner man and the Lord’s name is glorified in the process. Yes, I have experienced this in my life.

Q3. (Ephesians 5:18-20) How is singing worship linked to being filled with the Spirit? How is singing worship linked to joy? We become like the one we worship. If we worship the Lord, we are being changed into His likeness. Bible says at the presence of the Lord there is fullness of joy and at His right hand there are pleasures forever more. When we worship Him, we become more aware of His presence and this presence brings us joy. This awareness is brought about by the Holy Spirit in us and when we are filled with the Spirit of God worship will be our natural response. We were made to worship Him and that’s our purpose and we fulfill that purpose when we worship Him. He is not only the audience of our worship, but it is only through Him that we are able to worship Him. When we sing to Him, He becomes the focus of our attention. We tend to gaze at the Lord and glance at the situations around. He becomes our focus, our priority. When that happens everything else will become shadows in the light of Him. His joy fills our heart like new wine and renews us and refreshes us. The joy of the Lord becomes our strength.

Q2. (2 Corinthians 3:18) Why is character change directly related to time deliberately spent in God’s presence? Have you noticed a change in the “degree of glory” you’re experiencing now compared to a few years ago? Why or why not? We are not changed by striving, following a program or a procedure, practicing certain rules, but by a Person – Jesus Christ. Bible says as we behold Him we shall be changed into His likeness. The more we behold Him, the more we are being transformed. The word used for changed is metamorphoo, from which we get our English word metamorphosis. The most common understanding of metamorphosis is that of a butterfly. From egg to larva to pupa to butterfly – each phase is different from the other and has no resemblance to the final stage i.e. butterfly. Similarly we are being transformed now as we behold Him and it will be completed when we see Him face to face for then we shall be like Him. When we spend time with Him it is like looking into the mirror. In the light of the beauty of Him, our flaws become very evident. But the more we spend with Him it becomes all about Him and as John the Baptist said He must increase and I must decrease, will be the attitude of the motto of our life. So this happens as we spend time in His presence. Yes there is definitely a change compared to years ago, but still a long way to go. I am still a work in progress, being molded in the hands of the Potter.

Q1. (John 15:1-8) Why do we need to abide in Jesus? The fruit from branches connected to a vine is the grape. What is the nature of the fruit that comes from being connected to Jesus? Is it accurate to define fruit as “souls saved”? What is the danger in this definition? Jesus said that He is the true vine and we are the branches and we will bear much fruit if we abide in Him. This is one of His “I am” statements. This analogy is so relevant in our understanding of abiding in Him. For a branch cut off from a very prolific fruit tree is not going to produce any fruit, because now it is not linked to the tree. The nourishment that was flowing through the branch is no longer flowing in it since it is cut off. Likewise, if we are distanced from the Lord there won’t be any fruit. We need to be in His presence daily, in His word continually, else we will lack fruit that will pleasure Him and reward us eternally. Fruit is produced by choosing to abide in Him, intertwine our life with His and be so close to Him that there would be fruit in our lives. Fruit in a tree is not produced by the striving and struggling of the branches, but just by abiding in the tree. Similarly, fruit in our lives is produced by abiding in Him, who is the True Vine. In Romans 1:13 winning lost souls is identified as fruit. Romans 6:22 defines fruit as holiness. Romans 15:28 identifies giving as fruit. Colossians 1 describes fruit as helping practically. Hebrews 13 says that the fruit of our lips – giving Him thanks and praise – as fruit. Ultimately Galatians 5:22 teaches that fruit of the Spirit is love. Love is the ultimate fruit. Joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and self-control arise because of love. So when our life is filled with love everything else that will glorify God – be it in giving, saving souls, giving of thanks, helping others practically, or having the attributes of joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and self-control will be seen in our lives. If we define fruit as only winning lost souls, then there is an element of pride involved, because it will be more as a sense of accomplishment, rather than being submitted and yielded to Him and allowing Him to use us as a channel of bringing His purposes to accomplishment.

Q4. (1 Samuel 3:1-10) Why is Samuel’s servant attitude such an important preparation for hearing God’s voice? Why is surrender to Jesus such an important element of discipleship? Servant attitude speaks of humility. God honors humility, but He despises a proud and haughty spirit. Pride will invariably result in fall, whereas when we humble ourselves in the presence of God, He will lift us up in due time. In preparation to hearing God’s voice a humble, servant attitude speaks of a willingness to listen to obey. Jesus, our role model, lived a life of surrender and complete obedience to the Father, that He proclaimed this is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. If our role model lived like that, we also need to emulate Him, by living in surrender and obedience to Jesus. One of the proof of love is obedience, for Jesus said, if you love Me, you will obey Me. When we surrender to Him, we are laying down self and allowing Him to take the Lordship in our lives. We are handing over the reins of our lives to Him and this is what discipleship is all about.

Q3. How would you differentiate between (1) the Spirit's voice and (2) the Spirit nudge or prompting? What can you do to sensitize yourself to His voice and promptings? The Spirit’s voice is in words making the thoughts and impressions very clear as to what He wants to do through me. His nudges or promptings do not give a complete picture but just the word or thought or impression, to take the step at that point of time. When obedience is followed by me, then He reveals another step to take. By spending time with Him and learning to distinguish His voice among the chatter of many voices that come bombarding at me. Spending quiet time with Him is the most essential thing to do. Also we need to be spending time in the word, for the His voice will never contradict His word.

Q2. (1 Corinthians 2:9-11, 16) What connects us to the mind of Christ? Do you have a regular Quiet Time? What could you do to make it more meaningful? Holy Spirit connects us to the mind of Christ. Yes I have a regular quiet time. But I could do better by spending time to listen to His voice speaking to me.

Q1. (Mark 1:33-39) What pattern do you see emerging in Jesus’ prayer life? Why do you think he spends Quiet Time with the Father before the day begins? How does this prepare him for his ministry? Why does Jesus minster through the power of the Spirit instead of in his own power? Jesus enjoyed His times with His Father and He often withdrew from the busyness of life to spend time with the Father. Nothing would deter Him from making that divine appointment very early each day of His earthly ministry. He often withdrew into a solitary place so that He could spend His quiet time before any distractions sweeps in. He knew the important of being with the Father. Jesus was very busy indeed, during His time of ministry. In that short 3 ½ years He impacted many people. But His compassion for the people did not supersede nor override God’s plan for His life. He sought that from His Father each day so that what He needed to do each day was chartered out to Him beforehand. All these were communicated to Him during the time He spent with His Father. Because He was in so much sync with the Father, He accomplished everything that was intended for Him to do. There was no wasted moments, no wasted hours, and no wasted years. All was carried out according to His perfect plan. Jesus was fully God, but He emptied Himself of His divine characteristics while on earth and lived with the limitations of a human being. So He needed the power of the Holy Spirit to do all things as required by the Father. There was no insubordination to the Father, He was completely surrendered to the will of the Father. To do His will and to be completely surrendered was possible through the Holy Spirit who revealed the mind of the Father to Him continually.