Katy

Q1. The servants must be alert and awake in preparation for their masters return. Even when the master is delayed they cannot go off duty but must remain ready and waiting for his return. They must be ready to open the door without any delay. There is no consideration for their tiredness or their families. They are servants and must be ready to serve at all times of the day or night. Q2.The servants can give no thought to their own feelings or commitments to family. Their master expects that he comes first both day and night. They also had to be prepared, to have enough oil ready to keep the lamps burning no matter how long the master took to arrive. Q3. The master rewards his servants for their faithfulness to him by going against all societal norms and going into the kitchen to prepare a meal for them. This gives us a picture of service to others. It is the way Jesus acted, He washed the feet of the disciples at the last supper. In Matthew 20v28 we are told that the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a random for many. It is also an example to us as Christians and followers of Jesus that we must serve others especially those who are in need. Q4.This mini-parable follows on from our passage warning us about being prepared and being alert. It is pointing forward to the second coming of Jesus. This mini-parable takes up that theme telling us that as the thief does not announce his pending arrival nor will the Son of God. We will not know the day nor the hour but we must be ready and waiting. It is also a warning to those who are not walking with Jesus that now is the preparation time because nobody know when Jesus will return and it will be too late to do anything when He returns. Q5.For me I need discipline. I have certain times of the day where I spend my time in the word, pray etc. I don’t allow anyone or anything to interfere with church , prayer times, Bible study etc. Being the only believer in my family, can make it difficult at times and that is why I need a strict routine, and not allow distractions. Everything becomes more difficult when I am away from home out of my routine etc. However I try to stay alert and get up earlier . I find if I leave it until evening I don’t concentrate so well. I am better now than I was years ago at being creative about getting time with my Lord. It is more important than any entertainment I might be asked to join. I am going to visit my son in the US soon and I have started praying that I will stay close to the Lord during that disruptive but joyful time.

Q4. Yes God can speak to us today through the Holy Spirit who dwells inside us, if we are walking with Jesus. We have to be careful that we are not putting thoughts into our own heads and attributing them to the Holy Spirit. We will never be prompted to do something that is wrong or unbiblical. As we walk close to God and pray, meditate,and listen it becomes easier to discern the promptings of the Holy Spirit. It can be very exciting to do something that the Holy Spirit has prompted you to do, and realise it was the correct way to go. Especially if you probably would have normally chosen a different option! I have found times when I would love guidance but cannot discern what the Lord wants me to do. These times require patience and prayer.

Q3.The root of Simon Magus’s sin is pride. We are told in v9. “ He boasted that he was someone great”. This is pride, and it is sin. He then follows Philip and watches him, and decides that he wants to buy the ability of being able to fill people with the Holy Spirit. This shows that he has no understanding of God and the ways of God. His is trying to further his own reputation by being able to perform another ‘trick’. Using money to buy anything to do with God is deeply offensive because it shows a complete lack of understanding of God and His ways. Everything God gives us is free, it has been bought at great cost, Jesus has paid the price for all our sins. All He asks is true and humble repentance for our sins , no money or shoddy acts. Nothing we have could pay the price, because we are all sinners. Only Jesus was worthy. Unfortunately in some churches money is being paid for prayers, and services.

Q2. When the people heard Philip speak and saw the miraculous healings he performed they paid attention! It was the combination of him speaking and miraculous signs that caught their interest and caused them to believe what Philip was saying about Jesus. Preaching and healing the sick is the pattern the apostles saw Jesus practise. God withheld the Holy Spirit until Peter and John arrived. I think that Peter and John needed to be there to be part of the process of the Samaritan’s becoming Christian so that they would accept that they were now part of the Christian Family of God. They would then report back to the other apostles and their word would be accepted.

Q1.We know that God is in control of all things and He will walk with us through every difficulty we have. Even when our situation is dire , we can find things to thank God for. It may be a friend who calls to the door, it may be a card sent by someone unexpectedly. It could be an understanding Doctor, or a kind nurse. These are the blessings we have to hold onto and thank God for when life is painful. God can use every situation in our lives both good and bad to work out His purposes, and to further His kingdom. The short term effect of Saul’s persecution was to cause great fear and to scatter all the Jews except the apostles to other areas and lands, they traveled as far as Phoenix’s, Cyprus and Antioch. The long term effect was that it spread the gospel to all the places they went. We are told in v4, “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went “.

Q4. Jesus is the righteous one because He is the only person who has ever been on earth who was pure and spotless and without sin, He was perfect in every way. Jesus righteousness challenges our sinfulness because there is such a huge chasm between us. Jesus is the sinless , spotless Lamb of God. We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Our hearts are evil. Jesus is our Advocate because He was the unblemished sacrifice, who willingly gave Himself to die on a cross to redeem us from our sins. He gave up the splendour of Heaven to come to this sinful world, He who was without sin and lived among sinners and then went out into public ministry where He was rejected and ridiculed and eventually sentenced to death on a cross. All because He loved us sinners. Jesus fills the gap by His great work on the cross and His continual work between us and the Father. We must come to the Father through Jesus. If we believe in what Jesus has done on our behalf and accept that He is the Son of God we will be saved.

Q3. I have not thought about myself as being stubborn, hard hearted, and resistant towards God! It is something I am glad has come up in our study as it makes me wonder if I am not self examining myself sufficiently! I am sure I am no less sinful than anyone else. There are times that I am busy doing things and it occurs to me that I have started this task without consulting with God , to know His will, or seek His guidance. I should know better. Is this being resistant towards God? This is not a very satisfactory answer but an honest one. I will be more aware of my actions in future and try to detect areas of stubbornness, hard hearted ness, and resistance. When I do detect these traits, I must change my attitude with the help of the Holy Spirit through prayer and petition.

Q2, Stephen is a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit Acts 6v4. He also has a powerful ministry of signs and wonders. Acts 6v8. He is full of Gods grace and power.v8. So Stephen meets all of the apostles criteria! Ministry which combines preaching the word with miracles will have more of an impact on listeners because they are hearing and seeing things of God. The miracles confirm the teaching of the word. The miracle is the proof of the word.

Q1. The root problem is disunity within the church. The Greeks speaking Jews complain that their widows are not getting an equal amount of food in the daily distribution of food for the poor of the congregation. When this type of disunity occurs within a church fellowship it distracts from the work of the church and nothing runs smoothly because so many are involved in trying to find solutions to the problems this can also detract from the spiritual life of the church. Less time is spent in prayer and ministry of the word. The apostles in our passage of Scripture act decisively and call all the fellowship together and tell them to pick out honourable people to take over the job they are doing in order to free them up to be able to get on with the work of praying and ministry of the word. At this moment in our church for the first time in many years there is a problem which has resulted in our Pastor having to take sick leave. It is being dealt with but it has distracted and saddened all of us. I think some leaders may avoid dealing with problems for multiple reasons, they may not like confrontation and so put off dealing with the problem. They may feel if they ignore the problem it may go away! They may not want to cause upheaval and disunity within the church. They may be too worn out to cope with problems within the church.

Q1.v 23. Life is more important than our immediate needs. 2.v24.God looks after the ravens, and we are far more valuable to Him than the birds of the air. 3.v25. Worry does not achieve anything, so why do it! 4.v27-28. God looks after all of nature, which comes and goes very quickly. How much more will God look after us and our needs. 5.v29. Don’t concern ourselves with things of little importance- God knows what we need. We must put all our efforts into seeking God and the Kingdom of Heaven. Q2.Both the sparrow and the raven are cared for by God. Both these verses mean the same thing. In Jewish law the Raven could not be eaten because it was considered unclean because it feeds on blood and carrion. A sparrow is considered a clean bird because it feeds on seeds. Q3.Worry, little faith, Fear. These are all sinful. If we worry it is a sign of our unbelief , we do not think that God can deal with the present situation in our lives and so we worry. If there is little faith in our lives again it shows we do not believe fully in God. We are half believers because we doubt we are like a wave of the sea blown and tossed by the wind. James 1v6.Fear in our lives is the result of lack of trust and belief in God. Q4.I consider it a great privilege to be part of God’s Kingdom. But I think I can lose sight of this privilege at times, but as time goes on it becomes clearer and clearer. Why should I a sinner saved by Grace be given such a calling to be known as a child of God and to have an inheritance waiting in Heaven for me. It makes me strive to lay up treasure in Heaven rather than on earth. Sometimes I wonder am I still too attached to some things on earth. I know I love to be doing the things of God, studying, learning, listening, praying, meditating, and meeting with the family of God. I long for the day I will be in His presence. I realise I have not put in my list above of the things I like doing, speaking to others about Jesus! I struggle with this but do try. It should just flow from me and does sometimes but not at others. Q5.This I enjoy doing, but am limited because my husband is not a Christian and finds it hard to understand but I try to sell what I can and pass the money on to different charities. It is a sign we are not too attached to material possessions. I was an avid collector of ‘ things’ in days gone by so have had plenty to sell. Q6. I hope my treasure is in Heaven! I long for the things of God. But sometimes I wonder if I still am a bit too attached to some things of this world. But I try to keep my focus on Him every day.

Q5. A passage like this is relevant to us all and has been since this was written by Luke. Christians are being persecuted now and have been throughout the centuries. It is especially applicable today as we are being browbeaten into submission to the way of the world it is a different type of persecution to how our brothers and sisters suffer in the East. I hasten to add that we do not suffer anything like as badly in the west. It is still difficult to speak to people about God because there is a pervasive indifference to the things of God. I find it difficult to even get started if I am in a group. On an individual basis it is somewhat easier. I have been told I am arrogant and self righteous even though anything I say I attempt to say with gentleness and respect. However as I get older and know Jesus better I do find it comes more naturally and I don’t care so much about what anyone thinks.

Q4.Ananias and Sapphira sinned in a few different ways in this passage but their main sin was to lie to the Holy Spirit and consequently to God. It was a sign of unbelief that they thought they could lie to God and get away with it. Peter is God’s appointed leader and His representative on earth, so to lie to Peter was the same as lying to God. If we act towards the church as a human institution we are showing that we do not realise or believe that it is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore sin against the church is sin against the Holy Spirit and it will be punished by God. The testing of the Spirit means unbelief , that we test God to see if we can get away with sin, we do not believe that God sees all things and knows all things. It is arrogance on our behalf and sinful and will be punished.

Q3.Having everything in common is at the root of true Christian fellowship because it is a sign of deep love for each other. Which is just what Jesus wants from each of us. “By this all men will know you are my disciples if you love one another.” John 13v35. We live in such a materialistic age that people are not always as generous and open as the early church. People are very wary about who the give things to. They are afraid resources may be wrongly used. I know this happened many years ago in our church. It makes people wary. We are all responsible to watch out for areas where we can help people in difficulty . I feel in our church it is disjointed. We all tend to do our own thing unless our Pastor asks for help for a particular situation. When doing our own thing I think people are trying not to let the right hand know what the left is doing. I am afraid it is far from the example of the early church. There is also the question of some being more able to help than others. I think it is something that I will ask my Pastor about to see if there could be a more coordinated approach to helping those who need help. Thinking about it maybe I am being too harsh. We do give to missionaries on a regular basis, also pay our Pastors salary, and a part salary to our part time assistant Pastor. I am not sure if these are part of a modern sharing of our resources!

Q2. When we become Christians and commit to following Christ we are filled with the Holy Spirit. We need refreshing and a refilling of the Spirit often but especially when we are about to do something in the way of ministry or doing something out of our comfort zone. By praying and asking God for a fresh filling of His Holy Spirit we are acknowledging our dependence on the Holy Spirit and our own inadequacy in the face of the job in hand. By doing this we are giving God the glory and not taking it for ourselves.

Q1. The disciples had witnessed what had happened to Jesus for preaching and teaching the gospel. Why would their fate be any different as they were doing the exact same thing. However they now had the Holy Spirit following Pentecost, but they needed to be filled afresh . So they prayed for boldness to speak out unafraid in the name of their Lord and Saviour. They were well aware that they were public enemy no 1! But after praying we are told that they were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.?Acts 4v31. We can tell from these verses that their faith was strong and they trusted God. They were determined to be faithful to God no matter what happened to them.

Q1. I counted nine personal pronouns , I did not count the first one used by Jesus, in verse 14. The significance of all these personal pronouns is the total absorption with self. No thought is given to anyone else not even to God. As Christians we are called to carry our cross and follow Jesus, only in this way can we be disciples. Luke 14v27. There is no place for being absorbed by ourselves, if we are to love and serve Our Lord and Saviour. Q2. Greed is wanting more and more of something beyond what is good for us, or more than we need. Greed can affect many areas of life, but food and drink spring to mind. Today in the West we have so much food that many including myself, find it hard to control our eating and it results in greed. At the same time many many people do not have sufficient to eat! Alcohol is another area of greed especially here in Ireland. It is the norm in most household for children to see their parents driving alcohol and most children have started drinking by their early teens, which progresses to more and more, resulting in greed and addiction. Most young people don’t know how to enjoy themselves without alcohol. Q3. I don’t think concern for justice always involves greed. God is a God of justice. God has no objection to us getting justice if we have been wronged. Provided it is to have a wrong put right and not to obtain something that does not belong to us as we see in this portion of Scripture. If we are seeking justice we need to examine the motives of our hearts do we just want justice our are we seeking more than what is ours? Jesus warns us in Luke 12v15. “ Watch out ! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed. A mans life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” Q4.I find this a very interesting question! I don’t know the answer. Everyone is different. Who is to say a poor person would not be greedy if he found himself in a position where he could be greedy, but how can we judge? Maybe he would become greedy for fear of ever having to go hungry again or buys lots of possessions because he is used to having nothing. I would hope he could see beyond his own needs and be able to share his new found fortune with those who need it. As for the rich man, I have known/ read about rich men who are very generous to certain charities and others who spend millions on buying art, while children starve. Some have a social/ moral conscious while others don’t! As Christians we must ensure we husband our resources well and not become greedy for the baubles of this world. Especially as long as there are hungry children in this world or people without clean water or children being sold into prostitution. Q5.Jesus faults him for his total lack of thought towards God. He was a good agribusiness man because God gave him gifts and abilities, but he acts and thinks as though it was all down to himself. No thought or consideration toward God. He didn’t even seem aware that God decides on every breathe he takes. He was planning for the future never doubting his life was going to continue or looking to God for guidance. It is a warning to us! Q6. We become rich towards God by living our lives humbly, following His footsteps. Instead of being greedy ourselves we should give to the needy, help those around us who need help or are lonely, study His precious word , pray, fast , help in our church family. Spend our time in thinking about things that are pure, right, noble, lovely, whatever is admirable,if anything is excellent or praiseworthy. Philippians 4v8.

Q4.We should submit to our parents and government only if what they ask is not forbidden in the Bible. If it is forbidden by God then we must walk away and refuse to obey no matter what the consequences may be. If we are walking with the Lord closely, we know that pride is a sin and God wants us to be like Him especially humble like Him. We cannot really make ourselves humble it is something that happens as we walk with God and realise how sinful we are in the light of God’s righteousness and sinless ways. Therefore I think as we serve God faithfully we gradually become humble.

Q3.The implications of believing that Jesus Christ is the only way to God are that unless you believe Jesus died on the cross and God raised Him from the dead you will not go to Heaven. Romans 10v 9 That if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved. This conviction should energise us to greater lengths with evangelism. Unless each of us as individuals goes and talks to people about Jesus they will be lost. We have to cooperate with God in at least telling people, and then pray that the seed we sow will be blessed by God. Our culture is too comfortable with their lives to feel any need for God. They are arrogant thinking they know better than God just what this world needs. But they have to make their own choices if they choose to rebuff efforts made by others to speak about God to them, We can do no more other than pray and lead good and upright lives before them.

Q2. Repentance is the only way to have our sins forgiven, it must be a complete turning away from sin. This in turn will bring us into fellowship with God which brings us renewal, peace and times of refreshing. The ultimate time of refreshing will come when Jesus returns to take us to be with Him. To spend eternity in His presence! Alleluia!!

Q1.We have the power as followers of Christ to act on His behalf. We must first of all pray to find out His will and them we need to act on it. God will be with us and give us the power to do His bidding. We conclude our prayers “ In Jesus name” as a sign of our utter dependence on Jesus, to answer our prayers. We need Jesus to answer our prayers but they will only be answered in the way that God will’s it to be answered according to His purposes. If our prayers are only selfish prayers for our “wants” rather than needs, I think it would be a misuse of praying “ In Jesus name.” This kind of prayer gives absolutely no glory to God.

Q4. Jesus is teaching his disciples about how loved they are by God. He uses the illustration of a tiny sparrow, a little bird of insignificance but God looks after them all. So how much more is He going to look after us humans who are made in the image of God. Especially when we are standing up for Jesus! As if to drive His point home Jesus then goes on to say that He knows every hair on our heads. We are loved by God and He has promised in His word “ I will never leave you nor forsake you”. Joshua 1v5,Hebrews 13v5. Q5.All of Jesus teaching about persecution applies to us. We should be know as Christians in all our spheres of life. I think it is best when we meet new people or we are in a new situation to immediately or as soon as possible make it clear that we are Christians. It makes it easier to refuse to take part or go to places that we don’t want to. I think you also need to develop a thick skin so that we are not offended when people snigger behind our backs or leave you out of things. It is good to take every opportunity to explain just what you do believe in, as many people don’t understand or have very wrong idea about what being a Christian is all about. As I write this I am very conscious that I am writing very much from a Western point of view, I have not as yet experienced real persecution and therefore cannot write about it. I am conscious that many of my brothers and sisters in Christ are at this moment suffering real and severe persecution day after day. I pray for you daily. Q8. I understand that God gives grace to persecuted Christians to go through the most horrendous suffering. I find that hard to imagine but He will give us the grace we need when we need it. Many persecuted Christians use their time in prison to minister to others. God is very real to them as they suffer. Many feel privileged to suffer for Christ. That does not mean they don’t experience fear and grief as well as pain and suffering. Many never recover from the injuries inflicted upon them. Most Christians would not think of denying Christ but count it a privilege to share in His sufferings.

Q1. 1. Jesus tells His disciples not to fear those who kill their bodies, and after that can do any worse. Jesus is teaching the disciples not to fear death, He is teaching them about heaven so that it will reduce their fear of death. We fear death because we don’t really know what is coming next, it is the same as fear of the unknown! We must fear God instead because He has the power to throw us into hell. 2. We do not need to fear if we are following Jesus. With God’s mercy and grace and forgiveness and His death on the cross He has redeemed us from all our wrong doing and He will bring us to Heaven after death. We are reminded that God cares for all the birds of the air so He will also care for us as we are more important to Him. God will not abandon us or forget us, He loves us too much. We must keep our eyes firmly fixed on Him all the days of our lives. 3.We must acknowledge God before Man. We must in every situation “ nail our colours to the mast” , in this way people will know what or who we stand for. No matter how hard it is Jesus will give us the grace we need to withstand any pressure. If we disown God , He will disown us before the angels in Heaven. 4.We are promised that when we do need to speak out the Holy Spirit will be there to give us the words we need to say. He will equip the disciples and us to speak out clearly and boldly. Even if it means conviction and going to prison but God will us the experience to bring someone else to faith in Jesus Christ. Q2.I think at times maybe we do need to hear uncomfortable truths. It may serve to jog us out of complacency. We need to be careful how we use fear in speaking to others about Jesus. We need to balance fear with God’s great love, mercy, grace and death on the cross. We need to hear both the positive but also about what will happen if we walk away from God. Also that there is no one whom God will not welcome when they turn from their sin and follow Him. I think there has to be a balance struck between the things that cause us to fear and all the wonderful things about knowing God and being in His family. Q3.Only God has the power to condemn people to hell. Satan can only do what God allows him to do. We see this in the book of Job where Satan has a conversation with God about Job, and God only allows Him to go so far with his persecution of Job.

Q5. They devoted themselves to teaching. True Bible based teaching. They devoted themselves to fellowship. A place where people are loved because Jesus has told us to love one another. There should be a sharing of anything we have , if anyone is in need. They devoted themselves to the breaking of bread. It should be done often and with great reverence. They devoted themselves to prayer. Prayer needs to be frequent They cared for those who were in need. All these aspects are important today just as they were for the early church. In my church Teaching is Bible based and covers all of the Bible including the difficult parts. At the moment our Bible study mid week is spent going deeper into the previous Sunday’s sermon. There has been some fracture in fellowship since COVID but attempts are now being made to get everyone to come back to fellowship. I must add that our Pastor was great during the year in contacting individuals via zoom or phone. Also having online sermons , Bible study and daily devotional. It was our place to join in. We celebrate the Lords Table every second week. It is done with great respect and rejoicing. We pray before everything that may be happening in the church eg last night we had a prayer meeting for the start of the youth work as we come out of restrictions etc. We gather for prayer once a week. This I think is our weak point, very few turn up to prayer meetings, and it’s always the same people who turn up. We have a number of missionaries that we support as a church. We do very little in our local area unless we do it as individuals.

Q4.Our repentance must be a full turning away from our sin. It is a conscious decision to go in a new direction. We can’t have true repentance without faith. Baptism is part of repentance which acknowledges the need for forgiveness of sin. Baptism does not save us , we are saved by God’s grace, which is a gift from God , not by works. The Holy Spirit will be given “for all whom the Lord our God will call”. Some will reject His call but those who do respond will receive the Holy Spirit. We must have a dependent humility in order to avoid corrupt cultures. We must walk closely with our God every day, and accept just how easily we can be led astray. In this way we will avoid the snares of the evil one.

Q3.Peter talks to the crowd and tells them that nobody was drunk! He talks to them about the prophecy of Joel and how with the presence of the Holy Spirit all may experience visions dreams and speak prophecy. Peter then links the Holy Spirit to the miracles they saw Jesus perform while here on earth. He goes on to tell them that Jesus was crucified by God’s set purpose and for knowledge. But he blames the Jews for condemning Jesus to death with the aid of the Romans. But God raised Jesus from the dead and declared Him Messiah! Peter quotes Psalm 110 to show how it predicts Jesus exaltation to The Fathers right hand. The people were cut to the heart and asked “ What should we do”.