Nandita

Q3. (2 Corinthians 2:10-11; Ephesians 4:26-27) How do you think anger and unforgiveness give Satan an opportunity to damage you? When we let anger and unforgiveness take root in our heart we give Satan the opportunity to turn those emotions into hatred, resentment, bitterness, and vengefulness. And just as saltwater and freshwater cannot flow from the same spring, a love for Christ and hatred for our fellowmen cannot coexist in our hearts. For you, who is the most difficult person to forgive? There were people who were responsible for my life going wildly off-rail when I was younger. There were people who took advantage of me when I was older. There were strangers who hurt me accidentally and friends who hurt me deliberately. It took work to be able to forgive all of them. Knowing how much of forgiveness I've received in my life helped me forgive. Seeing how God took the ashes of my life and turned them into diamonds helped me forgive. Remembering that they, too, are children of God, also helped me forgive. I know how upsetting I find it when two people I love don't get along. Imagine what God feels when two of his children can't forgive each other. Even now there are times when smaller matters crop up and I find myself holding grudges. Remembering I am forgiven, remembering that the person who hurt me is loved by God, and trying to understand the situation from my offender's point of view helps me release forgiveness. Why is your unforgiveness more damaging to you than to the person who hurt you? Unforgiveness goes hand-in-hand with emotions like bitterness and resentment. The burning in your heart and churning in your mind doesn't hurt the person who hurt you. It does, however, make life unbearable for you. It makes you unhappy, it makes you hard, and it can interfere with your sleep, your motivation, your productivity,.and your personality. Worst of all, It can create a barrier between you and God. As Travis81 said, so perfectly and beautifully, it's a matter of us deciding between "No forgiveness, no peace" and "know forgiveness, know peace".

Q2. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4; John 8:44) What are Satan’s chief tools to keep people under his control? I once heard a pastor say that pride is the sin from which all others stem. I see how that could be true—especially with non-believers. Pride gives people a false sense of self-sufficiency. It tells them they can manage on their own. It tells them that they need to be in control of their own lives. It tells them that if they can't understand something then it isn't possible—that if they can't see something it doesn't exist. Satan uses humankind's pride against it. When people think that surrendering control of their lives is a sign of weakness, Satan prevents them from turning to God. When people think that they can solve their own problems, Satan prevents them from seeking God. When people think that their intelligence is vast or their powers of reasoning are supreme, Satan prevents them from believing in God. There's a reason why meekness and humility are qualities God appreciates. Satan may also use fear and worry to weaken a believer's relationship with God. When we give in to fear we often lash out, act on our own, doubt God, or behave selfishly in order to protect ourselves. That's the sort of behaviour that turns us away from God's protection and pulls us into Satan's domain. Why is the sharing and preaching of the gospel so threatening to him (John 8:31-32; Romans 1:16)? Light drives away darkness. When people learn about the light that is God and Jesus, they recognise Satan for the darkness he is. Understanding the love and goodness of God and feeling that love and goodness makes people want to please God. You can't experience a shaft of God's powerful love and not want to live in him. Satan knows that. He keeps people away from God because he knows that when they go to him they won't leave. They may fall, struggle, and sin, but they will know that through repentance, forgiveness, and God's great love they can always come back. They know this because that's what the gospel teaches—and they've heard the gospel. Why do you think it is so difficult to share your faith or preach in the world outside the church? Sometimes it's as simple as a lack of opportunity. People are in a hurry. They don't want to stop and listen to a stranger. Sometimes it's fear. In my case it's fear of laughter and rejection (which is ridiculous considering that many Christians preach and practice their faith on pain of torture or death). Sometimes it's because I don't have the right words. Ours is a simple message. But the questions people raise can be very difficult to answer. I'm working on all three. I've begun looking for opportunities to share my faith, trusting that God will lead me to the right person and at the right time. I've realised that I'd rather be laughed at than discover that my reticence is the reason someone is perishing in hell. And I've begun researching the answers to the questions that non-believers typically raise. Most of all, I'm asking the Holy Spirit to fortify me and power me through these encounters. If I think I can do it with my own courage, willpower, and knowledge, I will probably fail.

Q1. (2 Corinthians 4:4; Psalm 24:1) What is the difference between legitimate authority and usurped authority? Which kind of authority does Satan have? Legitimate authority is power that has been lawfully given. Usurped authority is power that has been wrongfully seized and exercised. Satan's authority is an example of the latter--he has no claim over us except the cause that we give him. As children of God we are protected by his power for as long as we accept it. But sometimes we reject God's will and go our own way. We stray out from under his protection, and it is during those moment of spiritual vulnerability that Satan is able to attack us and claim us. At no time did God assign people to Satan—or Satan to people. How can Satan be defeated at the cross (Colossians 2:14-15), but still be dangerous (John 10:10a, 44; 1 Peter 5:8-9)? Our life on Earth is a journey. Our birth was the starting point and God is our destination. When Jesus defeated Satan, I think he did it at the end of all times—a temporal point in our journey we haven't yet reached. Satan's defeat is assured—it has already happened from an overarching point-of-view. But all the pitfalls he dug along our path, all the traps he laid for us, all the wrong turns he tempts us to take, all the bandits he sends to rob and demoralise us, all the car crashes he uses to weaken us—those still lie on the road ahead of us. To avail of Jesus' beautiful gift of salvation we need to accept it consciously, with faith and trust, before we reach the end of our journey. This makes avoiding the temptations and traps of Satan crucial because those are the mechanisms by which he erodes—or tries to erode—our trustful relationship with God. Satan is a dangerous opportunist—but the Holy Spirit is more than a match for him.

Q4. (1 Corinthians 15; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17) How important was belief in a bodily resurrection to the gospel that Paul taught? Why is Christ's resurrection foundational to our faith? Our bodily resurrection is an integral part of the gospel. God is eternal. Christianity is eternal. Our relationship with God would be greatly devalued if it only lasted for the few decades we spend on Earth. God's love for us wouldn't be remarkable if it were to last only for the time we spent on our planet. One of the wonders of Christianity, to me, is knowing that God actually wants me around for eternity. There are very few people I would want to see day after day, year after year. Those exceptions are all people I like immensely and love intensely. To know that God likes me and loves me enough to want me with him for all of eternity is part of Christianity's breath-taking beauty. If our relationship with God ended with the grave there would be nothing extraordinary or sacred about it. Jesus' death was the price that bought us freedom. But Jesus' resurrection is proof that we are free. His resurrection was proof that God endorsed him, proof that life after death is possible, and proof that all Jesus claimed was true. Without the resurrection Christianity becomes a collection of rules to live a moral life by—beautiful rules, but only rules. What will happen when we die? When Christ comes? According to the Bible when believers die our physical bodies are discarded and we go to Jesus in spirit. At the time of the second coming the dead—who are with him in spirit—are given transformed bodies and the living believers are caught up from the Earth and are united with him (and the transformed dead) in the air. And then we join the Heavenly family and live in God's love for all of eternity.

Q3. (Acts 18:7) How important are the economics of house-churches and bi-vocational ministry in the rapid spread of the first century church? Christianity was radical for its time. It all hinged upon Jesus' resurrection from the dead—something that went against everything people knew about life and death. It propagated 'unnatural' views—charity at the cost of your own comfort, forgiveness at the cost of your own pride, service at the cost of your own safety, and love at the cost of everything else. Christianity required people to alter their thinking completely. It turned people inside out. And such change could only be effectively fostered in close, intimate, groups of fellow Christians who could help them make sense of all they'd learned. To be given the message of Christianity and then thrown into a congregation of hundreds of similarly new believers wouldn't have solidified faith or helped people's understanding grow. It would have also have attracted greater and more hostile attention and Christians would have been martyred before Christianity had the chance to spread. Bi-vocational ministry was important to the spread of Christianity because a) it didn't burden limited resources b) it showed that the apostles were people of integrity who practised what they preached c) it demonstrated that the apostles spoke only for God—their positions and views weren't influenced by people they would otherwise have been dependent upon. What are the advantages of a house-church model? For some people or in some regions house-churches are the only feasible way people can come together to know God and deepen their relationship with him. Unless a church has a provision for a Parent's Room, for example, with a live-feed transmitting the celebration from the main hall, new mothers or fathers have no way to actively participate in a Sunday service. Unless they live in a region or country that doesn't persecute Christians, people may not be able to attend—or even form—a formal church. There are also some people who feel more comfortable with small gatherings than they do with large—people whose relationship with God is nurtured by more intimate fellowship than a larger and possibly more distracting one. What are the weaknesses? I think there are very few shortcomings to this model. What matters is having fellowship with Christians—Christians who come together to sincerely seek an ever-deepening relationship with God. The size of the gathering or the name and interior decoration of the building isn't important. The strongest shortcoming may be the dangers of misinformation. If a group holds a prejudice or clings to an erroneous interpretation of a verse they may never be corrected. If a leader chooses to focus only on a few matters or presents only certain aspects of Christianity believers may not grow in their relationship with God. The more people there are, the more leaders who visit, the easier it is to stay true to the word of God.

Q2. (Acts 18:3; 20:34-35; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-10; 1 Corinthians 4:12) Why does Paul earn his living by skilled labour rather than through offerings from the church? What lessons did Paul teach the believers by his example of working for his living? Paul had several reasons for earning his living through his own labour. Firstly it meant that nobody could have any claim over him or accuse him of being someone's agent. Secondly it allowed him to teach the new Christians several important lessons—many of which were radical for the time and culture he was in (all of which are valid for us today). Two of those lessons are: 1. Productivity. God has given us all gifts. He has given us all purpose. Even if we can afford not to work for a living, we should be productive. 2. Charity. When people go through seasons of hardship we are not to allow them to suffer saying "it's their fault because they aren't working hard enough" or "this too shall pass". We are supposed to help them actively with compassion and generosity. Even if the hardship is of their own making we're called to help them. Remember, the help God gives us always exceeds what we deserve. We never complain that God has blessed us too much, do we? In the same way we should never withhold help because we think we're giving people more than they deserve. Why do you think Christians believe that "full-time Christian ministry" is better than bi-vocational ministry? People tend to ascribe full-time work with more value than part-time work. A full-time worker, we believe, has more skill. A full-time worker, we think, is more engaged. A full-time worker, we say, is more dedicated. And all of this is wrong—especially in the context of Christianity. There is no such thing as a part-time Christian. We are Christians for every minute of our lives. Sometimes we're Christians in a church. At other times we are Christians 'out in the field'. But we're always guided by God, always following his plan, and always working for him. Christian ministry needs to happen everywhere. Christian ministers need to go to people who need to be saved—just like Jesus did. Christian ministers need to be living examples of God's will—just like Jesus was. Perhaps God chooses some ministers to work within the church alone. But he has different purposes for us, according to our skills and circumstances, and he therefore calls us to operate in different ways (and different places). Bi-vocational ministry is a wonderful form of ministry, especially since, in an era of corruption and greed, it assures us that our ministers are beholden to nobody but God.

Q1. (Acts 17:27-31; Romans 1:19-20; 2:14-15; Acts 4:12) How close is God to non-believers? God has accepted all of us as his children whether we accept him or not. God has chosen all of us for salvation whether we choose to believe in him or not. God has made himself accessible to all of us. The amount of closeness we feel depends upon the extent to which we've embraced him. Is he working in them? God works in Christians directly through the Holy Spirit. I think he works in non-believers in a different way. God has given everybody a conscience. He has given everybody the capacity for curiosity and intelligence. I think that if people were to put aside their pride in themselves and their fear of not being in control of their lives they would see the glory that infuses creation. They would devote their intelligence and passion towards finding out what that glory indicates. And if they reach out with their hearts and minds, in sincerity, they will find God. Since God shows forbearance for sins of non-believers, why do Christians act so judgemental? How should we act? I think Christians sometimes confuse the message we're charged with carrying with the behaviour we're called to display. God's message is one of love and forgiveness—it's his alternative to the consequences of sin. There will be judgement and there will be condemnation. But we're not supposed to be the vehicle of God's judgement. We're supposed to love, serve, respect, and forgive. Jesus made that very clear, very many times. He forgave every sinner and every sin he came across. The only people he ever lambasted were the Pharisees who took it upon themselves to condemn people for not following their meaningless or unloving interpretations of God's laws. We're called to carry God's message of love and judgement in full—but we, ourselves, are only called to love and not judge. Is faith in Jesus necessary for salvation? Yes. We can try to be good as often as we can but we'll never achieve the purity that is necessary to enter Heaven. Jesus paid the penalty that washed away our impurity. The only way we can go to Heaven is if we're clean and the only way we can be clean is by availing of the cleanliness Jesus' sacrifice provides us with. And we avail of Jesus' sacrifice through our faith in him. What about the people who lived before Jesus' time? What about the children who die before they know Jesus? What about the people who have never heard the gospel? I don't know the answer to those questions. I do know, however, that God is the embodiment of Love and Justice. He wants us all to be saved—he will go after a single straying sheep even if he already has ninety nine. We don't know how he'll do it, but we do know God. Those people won't experience God's justice without experiencing his love. All we need to do is carry the gospel to the people that we can reach.

Q4. (Romans 3:25; 5:6-8; 8:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Mark 10:45; 1 Peter 3:18a) What is the Substitutionary Atonement? Substitutionary Atonement refers to the fact that Jesus cancelled our debt of sin when he died on the cross. He didn't just come to Earth to show us the way—he became the way. He took on the penalty for our sin and freed us from our obligation to pay for it. How is this such good news? This is wonderful news because we are now assured a place by God's side for all of eternity. It's wonderful news because we know that every wrong thing we've done in the past has been forgiven. It is wonderful news because we know that if we were to sin in the future, our repentance is all that it will take for us to be right with God again. How does it give us assurance in our struggles with sin? It's typical of people to give up if they fail at something too many times. Knowing that we haven't truly lost our battle with sin—or that Satan hasn't won—can be quite motivating. Knowing that God loves us—so much that his only Son took our place and atoned for our sins—keeps us going even after we've said and done things that make us burn with guilt or shame. I know that my struggles aren't in vain—not because I believe that I can win God's favour with my righteousness (because I can't ever be capable of the true righteousness that God requires) but because I know that my constant desire to be better and live by God's Way pleases God.

Q3. (1 Corinthians 1:18, 23-24; Romans 1:16; Acts 17:2-3) Why might Paul be tempted to underemphasize a "crucified Messiah" when preaching to the Jews? Jews expect the Messiah to be strong and victorious. The facts that the Messiah was beaten, bloodied, and killed directly contradicts their beliefs. Many of the Jews rejected Jesus simply because they couldn't let go of their preconceived notions about what the Messiah was going to do (lead them to glorious victory in this world). It would have been tempting to gloss over the crucifixion just to win these Jews over. Why are we sometimes tempted to tell others how great it is to follow Christ while not telling them the other aspects of the gospel? I think there are three main reasons we may present the gospel selectively: a) Because revealing everything to people, especially unbelievers, can give rise to awkward questions that we don't know how to answer b) Because attributing any sort of (imagined) weakness to God is abhorrent to us. We know God is strong and mighty—but we want to hide anything that might make him look weak to unbelievers. c) Because we think that we may not win unbelievers over if they are exposed to certain difficult aspects too early in their faith. Of course there are Christians who go to the other extreme. The cornerstone of their ministry is condemnation and their approach to people is through fear. Perhaps the best way to find balance is through prayer. God knows what the right words are—and when the right time is. His wisdom is perfect and he'll know exactly what we should focus on and when. Why is it so important that we are honest about the gospel? Our honesty about God is important because: a) We can't convince people about God's integrity and honesty if we conceal or sugar-coat things that are hard to swallow. We are reflections of God and if Christians try to be manipulative we devalue God's goodness to unbelievers. b) God is the epitome of power and goodness. To be less-than-honest about the gospel is to be disloyal to God. It tells God that we're ashamed of some aspect of himself or that we reject a message he's given us c) If we conceal, distort, or lie about our faith in order to make God look good we're insulting God. We're behaving as if God is dependant upon our prevarications or manipulations for his glory.

Q2. (Acts 16:25; Philippians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) Why do you think we are commanded to "Rejoice always"? A joyful heart is one that is most conducive to hearing God's voice. When you train yourself to look at life with appreciation you live with perpetual inner joy. You may not always be happy, especially in times of stress, but you can always experience the warm glow of inner joy that comes from your relationship with Jesus. An attitude of gratitude shapes your perspective—and perspective is the filter through which we experience and understand life. What is our natural tendency when we're under stress? What does rejoicing and thanking have to do with faith? In what circumstance do you find difficulty praising God? When we're under stress we tend to worry or panic—and that behaviour is the antithesis of faith. Faith in God is not just believing in his existence. Faith is believing that he loves us, believing that he is good, believing that he wants what's best for us, knows what's happening to us, and will stay true to his promises to protect us. With active faith in God you know that you can always turn to him for help, no matter the circumstances. Whether it's something earth-shattering like the health of a loved one, something urgent like a deadline at work, or something small like a personal insecurity, you can commit your trouble and fears to God. He may take away your problem himself or give you the tools to do it. He may lead you to the right people or he may give you peace of mind and resilience of spirit. He may choose to help you in ways you never thought possible. Whatever happens, you can be sure that our all-loving and all-powerful God is watching your footsteps and listening to your prayers. I always find it helpful, during times of stress, to think of situations in my past when things looked desperate or lost beyond measure. God always brought great fortune out of the ashes of my misfortune. The plans that fell through were replaced by plans that were far worthier. I lost the friendship of the people I cared for only to be led to people of greater integrity. I lost the love of the person I wanted only to be led to a husband so perfect that it feels like God had him tailor-made for me. I lost the life I was building only to have it rebuilt in a way I could never imagined possible. God's way is infinitely better than my way. If I'm in a stressful or impossible situation I can't always instantaneously stamp out the worry. I can, however, keep it under control or eliminate it completely when I remember that God has brought me through all sorts of adversity. We always have a lot to be thankful for. In times of stress we have this: God is with us, watching us, loving us. No problem is too big—or small—for him. When we walk on God's path with a joyful heart that nurtures our faith, we walk towards peace, happiness, productivity, and love.

Q1. (Acts 16:1-3) Why does Paul circumcise Timothy, even though his principles don't require him to? Why does Paul "become all things to all people" (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)? Paul has been called, by God, to carry the good news about Jesus to as many people as he can. Being as sensible as he is dedicated, he carries out his mission with intelligence. He doesn't just barge into a city and batter people with his message. He makes himself acceptable because that's the first step towards getting their attention. He finds common ground with them, tailors his approach to them, sets aside his dignity for them, and explains the good news to them. In this instance he circumcises Timothy so that the Jews accept them into the synagogues. "Become all things to all people" merely means that he does whatever is necessary to get people to hear and accept his message without distraction—as long as it isn't morally unacceptable to God. In what ways does the path of serving Jesus require humility rather than demanding our rights? When people start thinking about their rights they make themselves the centre of the world they carry about with them. If Paul and Timothy were to think about their own dignity and what they deserve or are entitled to they wouldn't be able to serve God effectively—they would have put themselves first. They were successful only because they were willing to give up their rights and subject themselves to humiliation, discomfort, and ill-treatment. They replaced love and concern for themselves with love and concern for God and their fellowmen and women. That may be something that Christians today should remember. If we want to win people to Jesus we need to go them on their terms and not demand they come to us on ours. What unites us is a relationship with Jesus, not shared customs and traditions. We shouldn't confuse social expectations with Christian principles.

Q4. (Ephesians 2:13-15; Galatians 6:16) In what sense are believers in the Messiah the "New Israel"? Who makes believing Gentiles one with believing Jews? Who makes believing Protestants one with believing Catholics? The New Israel isn't a geographically-bound land ruled by a body of elected human politicians. It is the community of believers who are united by their faith in Christ. I don't know whether 'New Israel' refers to the spiritual kingdom all believers populate today or whether it refers to a kingdom that God will set up after the second coming. I do know that through our belief in Christ we are all citizens of New Israel. We are united whether we are Gentiles or Jews, Protestants or Catholics. Our faith in Jesus is what makes us one body and our adherence to Jesus' commands—to love God and each other—is what binds us closer.

Q3. (Acts 13:48; Romans 10:13-15) How does an understanding of God's pure grace fit together with the idea of predestination? God's grace is a gift of redemption offered to all of humankind out of his great love. Predestination (especially according to Calvinists) seems to suggest that God has called only some of us to be saved. This is clearly a paradox. Why would God offer everybody something but only allow some people to accept it? I think the answer is simple: there are aspects to predestination that our limited brains just can't grasp. It may seem like a paradox to us but that just means that there's something about predestination that only God, in his infinite wisdom, can fathom. We should concern ourselves with the knowledge that God offers everybody his grace and therefore we should bring the good news to everybody Jesus leads us to. I personally believe that God has destined all of us for salvation—it's our choice that determines whether we accept or reject that destiny. The common argument about predestination may therefore be problematic only because of our definition of the concept of predestination. How might a belief in predestination make us lazy with regard to evangelism? Does God "need" us to bring salvation to the world? When we use 'if God wants something done he'll manage it with or without me' as an excuse not to do something we've fallen into a trap of ignorance and laziness. God doesn't need us. But think back to the book of Esther. God saved the Jews from the wickedness of Haman by putting Esther and Mordecai in the right place at the right time. God's will was done because Esther and Mordecai did what they were supposed to. What would have happened if Esther had refused? Mordecai told her himself. "If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish." God's Will will be done with or without us. The difference is simply this: if we accept God's call then we have acted out of love and obedience and our relationship with him grows. If we reject his call somebody else will take our place but we would have acted with disloyalty and ingratitude.

Q2. (Ephesians 2:8-9) What is a simple definition of "grace"? Why aren't legalism and "works" to please God compatible with grace? Grace is undeserved compassion, mercy, and love that stems from the goodness and holiness of God. Grace is something God freely gives us. We cannot earn it or claim it as a result of something we've done. If we believe that legalism and good works can earn us God's grace we're reducing this to trade—we're acting like we can make God give us his grace. That belief would be rooted in entitlement, arrogance, and falsehood. What part does our faith have to do with our salvation? Think of a club whose membership is open to everybody. You may be eligible to join the club but you're not a member, obviously, until you've signed up. In the same way you're eligible for salvation but you're not saved until you have faith in Jesus. Our faith in Jesus is our acceptance letter in response to God's invitation into Heaven.

Q1. (Acts 15:1,5) What is the essential demand of the Judaizers? How does that contradict the idea of salvation by grace? What is the danger of excessive legalism in our Christian congregations? The Judaizers wanted the Gentiles to be circumcised They believed—and tried to teach the Gentiles—that before you can avail of Christ's sacrifice you must become a Jew. That belief is not one Jesus taught or Paul endorsed. Jesus and Paul were very clear that there's no action or ritual that makes you qualify for salvation. Only God's grace can save you. A developing, growing Christian is one whose relationship with God is loving, meaningful, and ever-deepening. Legalism destroys the spontaneity of our love. It lessens our ability to express free will. And, far from allowing us to expand our relationship with God, legalism forces us to stay within tightly-defined boundaries. Whether it's our relationship with God, with fellow Christians, or with our families and friends, legalism replaces free and joyous expressions of love with robotic, fearful, compulsory obedience. In the church I grew up with legalism defined a good Christian as somebody who went to church every Sunday and knew how to recite learned prayers at prescribed moments. Very few Christians felt obliged to put God's word into practice and even fewer understood that God wanted more than memorised prayers.

Q4. (Acts 13:43b) Why is “continuing” or “abiding” in the faith so important? What does Jesus’ Parable of the Sower teach about “continuing” (Matthew 13:5-6, 20-21)? Why do new believers need basic instruction and discipling before the task of evangelism is complete? (Acts 14:21b-22) Our faith manifests in the form of our relationship with Christ. Every meaningful relationship is something that is 'alive' and constantly worked upon. If we just say "I'm a Christian" but go our own way that's like marrying someone without ceasing to date other people. We need to keep our faith alive and we do that by talking to God, reading Scripture, and Christian fellowship. Jesus' parable talks about seeds that fell on shallow soil. They blossomed briefly but soon died because there was nothing to keep the seeds alive. People who convert to Christianity but don't make a concentrated effort to deepen their knowledge of God eventually have their faith die. Christianity is radical in so many ways. Its core principles don't come to humans naturally. And if you've lived your entire life believing something very different the sudden shift from being a non-believer to being a Christian can be chaotic. For example, you may now be a new Christian, but you may still be a member of unChristlike clubs. You may still have friends who drag you away from God. New believers don't have all the defence mechanisms or knowledge that other Christians have spent a lifetime developing. That's why it's necessary not just to evangelize but also to teach people and sustain their faith. Christian fellowship also helps keep us all on track and creates a truly Christian family that pleases God.

Q2. (Galatians 2:11-16) Why does Paul call out Peter publicly in Antioch? What is the reason for Peter's hypocrisy? What is the central issue on which Paul feels they must not compromise? Why is it so important? When Paul went to Jerusalem he saw that Peter was segregating himself from the uncircumcised (at least during meals) which is what the law recommended. Both Peter and Paul knew that this was wrong—Jesus died for everybody and God is everyone's father. Peter was a public figure and the work he was doing was for the public. If there was opposition or correction, therefore, it needed to be done publicly because the public modelled its behaviour on Peter. Peter's hypocrisy may have been, in part, a product of our human desire to fit in and be accepted. The central issue that cannot be compromised upon is God's grace. It didn't really matter whether believers were circumcised or not. What was important was that the Jews and Gentiles realised that circumcision was meaningless. We are saved only by God's grace and that is given to us through our faith in Jesus—not by our own actions Remembering and understanding God's grace is important because it's the foundation upon which Christianity rests. We aren't saved by following the Ten Commandments. We aren't saved by our good deeds. Why? Because nobody is perfect—none of us follows every commandment for every second of our lives. When we call someone a good man or woman we're not measuring them with God's ruler but comparing them with other people. That means we're imperfect and nothing less than perfection can go into Heaven and before God. The only thing that can save us is God's grace—we avail of that through our faith in Christ.

Q1. (Acts 9:4-5; 26:14) Why does persecuting Christ's people constitute persecuting Christ himself? What kinds of goads or prods have you seen God use on you to move you along Christ's path? When you "kick against the goads" is it harder on you or on God? Jesus loves us. When someone hurts the ones you love you feel their anguish. If we, in our imperfect love, can be wounded by the pain of the ones we love, how much more will it grieve Jesus who blankets us with perfect love? Our connection with him is particularly strong because of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. Sometimes God lets me face the consequences of my disobedience or my disloyalty. That doesn't necessarily mean I suffer pain or loss. Sometimes all he does is withdraw his presence (or perhaps his absence is because I've moved away). Sometimes he puts me in situations of fear and worry. All of that drives me back to his path. When I'm scared, worried, or in trouble, or when I can't feel his presence, I run back to him for protection. I realise the consequences of not being on Christ's path and find myself turning towards God again. When I stray it grieves God more because he is capable of more love and understanding than I am. He knows where my rebellion is leading me. But when I resist his goads it's harder on me. God can bear my discomfort because he knows it will bring me back to him.