Lisema Ralitsoele

Q10. (James 2:4) In what way does favoritism make one a judge? My favoritism of the Joyful Heart Bible study makes me a judge through my predetermining that my personal needs to grow spiritually and get closer to God freely but qualitatively are best met through this Ministry. How does favoritism make one a judge with "evil thoughts"? When I was a bachelor, I used to be good at judging which pretty girl would be a good candidate as my one night stand companion.

Q9. (James 2:1-3) What kind of person or what kind of sinner do you tend to discriminate against? Women, with means, who dress indecently, smoke and drink in public “like men do” and downplay Christianity. Men who seem to overspend their time and money in bars. Sometimes I’m filled with pity for both categories. What kind of people are you (or your church) trying to make a good impression on? Whenever I can, I like it when, on Sundays, when I’m well dressed and carrying my bag of hymns and the Bible, I go past the bars and I greet or be greeted by the young men who’ll be already drinking. I’d say since my Church is poor and in debt, there is some emphasis on the well-positioned and well to do. http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/topic/279-q9-discrimination/

Q8. (James 1:26-27) Why does James make taming the tongue and caring for the poor the prime tests of pure religion? James is aware that life and death are in the power of the tongue which can lead us to the path of unrighteousness. But through prayer and supplication, we can ask God to help us clean and manage our tongues, in order to praise Him and to avoid grieving the Holy Spirit. Helping the poor is done out of love and gratitude for what Christ has done for us. There is no ulterior motive of personal gain. Why not the quality of our quiet time or worship? Only God Almighty can make a judgement on the quality of our quiet time or worship.

Q7. (James 1:25) What is this "perfect law" that James mentions? It is the law that is given to us when we are born again, so that we may have and live life according to Jesus Christ’s mandate. How would you define it? It is the law of liberty from sin and death through Jesus our Lord and Savior. How does it relate to the "royal law" (James 2:8)? The perfect law frees us from the burdensome Mosaic law through Jesus Christ, by whose blood He washed away the sins of all men, took them to the grave with Himself Whereat He conquered death at His resurrection. However, in its actualization, the perfect law incorporates the royal law - love thy neighbor as thyself. In what sense does it bring liberty? It brings us liberty by our reading the Word of truth, not forgetting and doing as it says. In other words, by obeying Christ’s commands

Q6. (James 1:22) Why are we so easily fooled into thinking that listening to Bible teaching means that we are living out righteous lives? Listening to the preacher in Church during the Sunday sermon, reading the Bible and watching Gospel programs on tv are all very good practices; but they only fortify our sense of Christian-ness and lead us to self-satisfaction. It doesn’t mean that we’ve got it – that compelling must obey the Word of God sense. And it leads to live life by self - deception until we put what we hear, read and watch into practice by, for example, continual self - chastisement and repentance. What is the nature of the self-deception? It is easy to be captivated by the blessings in Deuteronomy 3 to 13. So, the nature of the self-deception is that we are happy with the promises, but ignore that which qualifies us to receive the blessings. Also, as is written in Luke 13 to 15: Jesus laid His hands on a woman suffering for 18 years with a spirit of infirmity, and healed her. And the ruler of the synagogue remarked with indignation that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath. To which Jesus chided him: You hypocrites, you untie your ox and your donkey to lead them to drink on the Sabbath but you object to the deliverance from affinity for this daughter of Abraham!

Q5. (James 1:18) In what sense are we given spiritual birth by the "word of truth"? We were given Jesus through the Immaculate Conception. Jesus is the Word. The Word begets faith. Therefore, Jesus, in whom we are, is Faith Personified. By being born again, we are spiritually resurrected and purified by the blood of Jesus. What does spiritual life have to do with the Word? God sent Jesus to us to give us life by, amongst others, performing the signs and miracles He did by faith in the Father. Since we are in Christ, we should have and display Christ-like faith in our spiritual life.

Q4. (James 1:5-8) What is the promise to claim in verse 5? It is the promise of wisdom that we will receive if we ask God. What is the condition attached to this promise in verse 6? We shall receive the wisdom if we ask for it with such faith in God that He sees no conflict with His will for us in our hearts. How do trials help us receive this wisdom? Trials help us reach the point of hopelessness where we are convinced of the futility of our efforts to do it on our own strength and therefore turn to God with full repentance and ask for the wisdom that is of Christ in nature.

Q3. (James 1:5-8) How do trials help cure us of "doublemindedness"? We are double minded for as long as we have the devil’s options which are easy to turn to. As soon as we grow weary of Satan’s options, we become moldable and chastised by the Holy Spirit. As we repent, Satan’s sin power over us is broken and we are free. How do trials help us grow in faith? Despite Satan’s lies, trials are unpleasant and debilitating. Getting on the other side of trials, therefore, is a victory worth celebrating by etching it in our hearts with gratitude to God, realizing that we truly are nothing without Him; thus growing in faith.

Q2. (James 1:13-15) Why do people blame God for evil? People blame God for evil because they are ignorant that God is just and righteous and abhors evil. People conceive their sinful **** urged on by the Master of lies working on their ‘free will’. When the results are bitter, their fingers don’t point at them, Satan swiftly disappears, but our Omnipresent God is there and it is easy to blame Him. Does God tempt us with evil? No, because Jesus taught us to pray “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil…” Does he tempt sinful people with evil? No, God isn’t a tempter at all. Why does he allow people to sin? People do not consult God and ask for permission to sin. Instead, they give in to their sinful nature. Why does he allow evil to exist at all? As long as Satan exists, evil coexists with him. However, like Job, God might submit us to tests in order to strengthen and confirm us in our faith.

Q1. (James 1:2-4) What value have trials had in your life? I think the best way to describe their value in my life, is that they have developed in me the attitude of “never go to bed angry” no matter how heavy the trial or late the hour. I have to maintain my level of contentment at a constant or higher level. Have you let Satan destroy you with those trials? Yes, Satan hit me with some tough blows, and I did stagger and fall on my knees but he never knocked me out flat. Or allowed God to refine you? God was waiting for me to ask Him for forgiveness and repentance and He gave me a loving embrace that I in no way ever want to get out of ever again. How have you changed? I am more loving, joyful, peaceful and patient with others. While I still get angry, I’m slow to speak instead of bursting out. I think I am also more forgiving.

Q50. (Ephesians 5:22-24) Why should a wife submit to her husband? According to these verses, to what degree is a wife required to submit to a husband who is not a Christian or who is a carnal Christian? Does submission mean a wife doesn't verbally disagree? What if there's a conflict with the wife's conscience? I see two premises to this question: (i)God did not come to bring chaos and anarchy, but good order. Marriage needs good order. And it helps to have submission to headship in the sense of a voluntary placement of oneself under another, as our life model, Jesus the Christ so lovingly submitted to the Father’s will. I shudder to think where we would be without this utter and noble submission. (ii)Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. We regard Christ in awe, we admire Him, we respect Him. And so our love for Him flows freely from our hearts. It seems that the word submission in the secular world immediately evokes emotions of one being bossed around by the husband; whereas in the Christian sense it is a loving and admirable state of the heart which focuses on Christ. And in a loving marriage, the husband ends up loving and cherishing his wife in an awesome manner because he is blessed by this wifely submission. However, in the case of a husband who is not a Christian, or is a carnal Christian (which sounds like an oxymoron), it becomes more challenging for the wife because she should still submit to her husband to the same degree while bearing in mind that the Lord is the supreme head, and that his commands take precedence over those of a husband when husband and wife are in conflict. This ensures that the wife does not compromise her faith and conscience to uphold the principle of submission.

Q35. (Ephesians 4:2) Why are patience and humility so important to preserving unity? The USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) has fallen into disarray or disunity. They have split and become alone (lonely) because their foundation was on sand. On the contrary, the United States of America – USA- continues to stand because their unity is founded on the cornerstone that withstands any storm from hell. This is living testimony that long suffering/serenity coupled with meekness in love have played a crucial role in empowering the Americans to bear with each other and preserve their unity. What happens to the reputation of Jesus Christ when we have right doctrine along with a sense of arrogance towards those who disagree with us? The reputation of our Lord and Savior falls into dismal disrepute. How are we to be both "gentle" and to "fight the good fight of faith"? We do so by deliberately holding on to our fruit of the spirit known as gentleness while at the same time fiercely adhering to, and uncompromisingly professing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Q35. (Ephesians 4:2) Why are patience and humility so important to preserving unity? The USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) has fallen into disarray or disunity. They have split and become alone (lonely) because their foundation was on sand. On the contrary, the United States of America – USA- continues to stand because their unity is founded on the cornerstone that withstands any storm from hell. This is living testimony that long suffering/serenity coupled with meekness in love have played a crucial role in empowering the Americans to bear with each other and preserve their unity. What happens to the reputation of Jesus Christ when we have right doctrine along with a sense of arrogance towards those who disagree with us? The reputation of our Lord and Savior falls into dismal disrepute. How are we to be both "gentle" and to "fight the good fight of faith"? We do so by deliberately holding on to our fruit of the spirit known as gentleness while at the same time fiercely adhering to, and uncompromisingly professing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The standard of/or our normal behavior as individuals is/should be typical of Jesus' behavior while on earth. As a community of Christians we should act in unison toward that goal of our behavior reflecting His whilst He was with us. God has called us to be representatives of Christ, to be one in Him.

It is scary because that long, long time ago, before He could even knit my great grandparents in their mother's wombs, He chose me: and I blew it. He knew already that I would fall into sin and by His Grace, He already had a plan for my redemption. I believe predestination is a critical principle in Christianity that has to be laid out to the born again from the beginning. In my limited knowledge not enough is done particularly in our native languages where the translation may dilute the meaning. Paul has to praise God in the "hearing " of the Ephesians because that is proper worship- to sing to God's glory in the assembly. Paul has to evangelize them, bring them the good news.

This is very profound. Spiritually it means we are inseparable from Christ, He being in us and we being in Him. For me it has frightening implications. It is really overwhelming because it drives me to commit to act out my life with Jesus as my model. It is a huge task that requires me to be humble and to pray constantly and keep seeking the Lord as through this current lesson.

Q3. (John 20:22) 1. Why do you think Jesus commissioning the disciples (verse 21) is so closely linked with his giving the Holy Spirit (verse 22)? The disciples will speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel and this approval comes only through the Holy Spirit. 2. Why is Jesus sending the Holy Spirit? Jesus is sending them the Holy Spirit as the source of Power for them to accomplish the mission with excellence. Without this empowerment by the Holy Spirit, the mission is doomed. 3. Why do you think the work of the Holy Spirit tends to be neglected and misunderstood in our day? I think the Church does an excellent job in detailing the wonderful works of the Father from the Old to the New Testament, as well as giving us prophetic works of the Son in the Old Testament, and their fulfillment in the New Testament. However, I think that the Church pays lip service to the Holy Spirit. As a result, we have to do a lot of private reading to improve our understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit.

Q2. (John 20:21) What is the relationship between the way the Father sent Jesus and how Jesus sends us? It is really very well put in the notes above and I cannot express it any better: that we are sent in the same way Jesus was sent. We are under orders just as Jesus was; we bring another's message, and are charged to bring it accurately and clearly. Sometimes we're tempted to water down parts of the message that are difficult for the world to receive. Yes, we must communicate the Word in ways that are clear to our own culture, but we do not have freedom to alter the message to make it more palatable. It is not our message, it is his. The Father sent Jesus. Now Jesus sends us on this holy relay team. And we are to pass on this responsibility to those who follow us. Amen! Amen! Amen. 2. How careful are you to listen and get directions from Jesus in serving the Lord? Really, as just a layman I would answer in the words of this verse: Just as I am though tossed about, With many a conflict, many a doubt, Fightings and fears within without O Lamb of God I come, I come.

Q1. (John 20:19-20) 1. What do we know about the relationship of Jesus' physical body to his spiritual body? Like the physical body, the spiritual body consisted of flesh and bones, could eat, could be touched and handled by others, could walk and talk and even cook just as a normal human body and the wounds were still visible. The spiritual body could be recognized by others -- but only when he wanted to be, and the timber of the voice remained the same. 2. Was Jesus' resurrected bodily? Yes, Jesus was resurrected bodily. 3. How is his resurrected body similar to his physical body? The resurrected body has continuity with the old flesh and bones and all the wounds of the crucifixion. 4. How is it different? It is different in that it has new powers and abilities- it can appear and disappear at will.

Q4. (John 20:1-18) 1. What are the evidences for the resurrection presented in this passage? When Mary Magdalene arrived at the burial scene, she saw that the stone that closed the entrance to the tomb had been removed and she suspected that it was a grave robbery. Jesus was not easily recognizable after the resurrection. So Mary, who was grieving and wailing, mistook him for a gardener, until she recognized his voice when he called her name “Mary”. Those who had been with him were mourning and weeping because they had witnessed Jesus’ death and burial. When Mary told them that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. 2. Why is the truth of the resurrection so important as an indispensable foundation stone of the Christian faith? Without the resurrection, there is no Christian faith. As the Apostle Paul puts it if Christ has not been raised, our faith is futile; we are still in our sins....” If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men." 3. What does Jesus' resurrection mean to your outlook on life? Jesus’ resurrection reassures me that he is indeed my Savior and my Redeemer, my sins are forgiven and left to rot with Satan in the tomb;Jesus is always with me and I am with Him eternally.

Q3. (John 20:14-18) 1. What has been Mary's emotional state prior to recognizing Jesus? Mary has been emotionally distraught as we can imagine after seeing Jesus die a most barbaric, undeserving and horrendous death, topped by her believing that the body of Jesus had been stolen. 2. Why does Jesus tell her not to "hold on" to him? Jesus tells Mary not to “hold on” to him because he is yet to return to the Father. 3. What is the mission he gives her? He gives her the mission of informing the disciples the good news that He is returning to God our Almighty Father.

Q2. (John 20:3-9) 1. What is the significance of the presence and position of the grave clothes in the tomb? The significance of the presence and position of the grave clothes is that Jesus emerged from the clothes rather than the clothes being unwrapped from His body. When He was dead, Joseph and Nicodemus had to cover Him up with the clothes; but at Resurrection He just emerged like when He showed Himself to His disciples in a locked room without asking to have the door opened. 2. Why do you think it was difficult at this time for Peter to believe that Jesus was raised from the dead? The resurrection was really too difficult an occurrence to mentally bring to realization after the gory death that Jesus had gone through. The drama beginning with the arrest, the trial and its humiliation, the sentence of crucifixion all coupled with the heavy sense of frustration at being unable to protect their beloved Rabbi is all that a natural mind could meditate on.

Q1. (John 20:1; Luke 8:1-3) 1. What do we know about Mary Magdalene? Mary is from a wealthy family, and so was able to help support Jesus and his disciples from her personal fortune. She had been troubled, and had been healed by Jesus from seven demons which he had cast out of her. She is single and devoted to Jesus. She traveled with his party throughout Galilee, and was with him in Jerusalem at his crucifixion and resurrection. 2. Why do you think a woman was given the honor of seeing the risen Christ first? I think that since the woman Mary was given the glory of being first to witness the birth of Jesus- the WORD becoming flesh-it is a befitting honor that a woman should be the first to see Christ victoriously emerge from the womb of death. Besides that, in Christ’s Kingdom we are all equal.

Q5. (John 19:38-42) 1. Who were Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus? Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus were prominent Jewish leaders members of the Sanhedrin. Joseph is also reported to have been wealthy. 2. Was it good that they were "secret disciples"? Who am I to judge? Perhaps the Holy Spirit descended on them to put away their fear and do what is good. 3. What risk did they incur by participating in Jesus' burial? They certainly incurred the risk of the wrath of the rest of the Jewish Sanhedrin with definite expulsion from that august body, and perhaps even death. 4. Why is the burial account important to Jesus' story? The burial account is crucial to Jesus’ story as it leaves no room for doubt that Jesus suffered horrendous death by crucifixion and was securely buried by Joseph, a wealthy member of the Jewish Sanhedrin who did not stealthily steal the body, but got permission from Pilate, and completed the burial process with Nicodemus, another member of the Sanhedrin. So the burial account proves that Jesus died, was buried and was not just left exposed to later claim to have risen. 5. To our understanding of who Jesus is? It seals our understanding that Jesus IS our Redeemer who took away our sins to the grave where He left them and was resurrected to declare us new creatures righteous in the eyes of God the Father.

Q4. (John 19:31-37) 1. Why do you think Jesus died in such a relatively short time? Physically, Jesus died in a relatively short time because of the enormous torment and loss ofblood He went through; but significantly, He died in a relatively short time so as to avoid having any of His bones broken in fulfillment of Scripture. 2. What does the water and blood flowing from Jesus' side indicate? The water and blood flowing from Jesus' side is indisputable evidence supplied by the Roman soldiers that He actually, really did die for my sins, paving the way for Him to defeat death through the miracle of the resurrection. 3. How did it fulfill Scripture? It fulfills Scripture by actualizing the prophecy in Zechariah 12:10: They will look on me, the one they have pierced.