Katy

Q1.Jairus knows Jesus can heal his daughter. He comes in humility to Jesus and asks Jesus to come with him to his home so Jesus can puts His hands on her so she will be healed and not die. He believes that by Jesus just putting His hands on his child all will be well. Jairus daughter is very special because she is his only daughter. On the way to his home one of Jairus friends arrives with news of the child’s death, but Jesus tells him “Don’t be afraid, just believe and she will be healed”. Jairus took Jesus at His word and continued with Jesus towards his home. Jairus faith was rewarded when Jesus raised the child from the dead and returned her to her family. Each stage of Jairus journey showed us clearly that he believed in Jesus and the power that He had. Even when events appeared to go wrong he still trusted Jesus and did as Jesus told him. Q2.For many years I waivered between strong faith and weak faith but no matter how bad things were, I knew if I committed the situation to God and pleaded with Him to help me , He always answered and those were the times I believe He picked me up and carried me through the situation! I always experienced a change in how I felt, not so isolated, or that just maybe I could carry on, or a sense of His peace which passes all understanding, or a feeling of forgiveness or tenderness towards the person who was causing me hurt or frustration. Yes I am back on my feet and have a must stronger faith than doesn’t wax and wane as it used to. Q3.Jesus loved Jairus as He does each one of us. Jesus will not allow Jairus to give up despite the desperate news he has received. Jesus immediately turns to Jairus and tells him not to be afraid, just keep believing and all will be well. Jesus will not abandon him but when Jairus faith is weak , Jesus will ‘carry him’ with his faith, until his faith grows stronger. And this is just what Jesus does for each one of us, we just have to turn to Jesus and ask for help. Q4.When Jesus arrived at the home of Jairus the mourners were already there and the wailing had begun. Even when Jesus arrived it continued until Jesus told them” Stop wailing”she is not dead but asleep”! Their response was to laugh and scoff at Jesus. Jesus did not want this negativity present in the room as He spoke words of life to the child. The people were speaking from a physical point of view, whereas Jesus wanted her parents to have faith and believe that He could raise their child. Jesus was training their faith, He also allowed John, James and Peter because He was training them to have faith as well even in dire circumstances. Jesus may have been preserving this young woman dignity by keeping those present to a minimum. At age twelve or thereabouts she was probably shy and self conscious. Q5. It has shown me the importance of believing what God says. We can only see things from our own human perspective and God’s ways are higher and different from our ways. We must see beyond the obvious! I think Jesus is showing us that He is always ready to prop up our limping faith in times when we feel wounded and bruised and feel like giving up. We must follow His lead when He says to us “ Don’t be afraid , Just believe, I will help you”! We must keep going and not give up, Jesus will always answer our cry for help.

Q1.This lady had a numbers of things against her: Because her bleeding was continuing she was regarded as “unclean” all the time according to Leviticus 15v25-27. Her bed, her chair and anything she touches is unclean. Any person she touches is considered unclean. They would have to carry out the prescribed rituals to become clean again. They would have to bathe themselves and wash all there clothes to be considered clean again. Because of this people would have shunned her. She couldn’t take part in everyday life without affecting those around her. She couldn’t do a simple thing like going to the market or attending synagogue. She is doomed to a life of isolation and loneliness. She is also poor as she has spent anything extra she had on going to Doctors trying to be healed. Q2.Jesus would not have healed her if it was just superstition that motivated her to touch his hem. Many people touched Him but we are told about one lady who was healed because her faith was exceptional. She was used to going around alone unnoticed, not drawing attention to herself. This occasion was to be no different but Jesus intervened. Jesus said in verse 48. ‘ Daughter your faith has healed you’. Q3. I do think there was a flow of power in verse 46 of our passage Jesus said” Someone touched me?”; I know that power has gone out from me”. Jesus tells us that power went out of Him. Q4.Jesus was not being unkind her He was helping the lady to be able to get past her shame and lift the huge burden she has been carrying all these years. He is accepting of her , He blesses her with God’s peace He calls her His Daughter,and He gives her back her standing in her community. Q5.This lady was determined to get to Jesus because she believed beyond doubt that He would heal her and this was her chance she just had to touch Him, not bother Him by speaking to Him but she had to touch His hem. She was not going to be put off by the crowd or the fact she had to go near people this was her opportunity to be healed and she was going to take it no matter what happened.People fail in prayer for many reasons but lack of true faith is probably one of the main reasons. They pray for a while and become weary. They don’t hold on to the many great promises in God's word about prayer.”If you remain in me, and my word remains in you ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you” John 15v7. If we are asking for something out of God’s will , God in His mercy will not give it to us. We always must trust Him to answer if it is for our good and not answer otherwise or maybe He will answer in a different way or He may keep us waiting for some time.

Q1. From this lesson I have learnt that there are varying degrees of demon possession from a sinful habit, or thought to an addiction to being possessed by a single demon or being totally demonised by many demons. Some mental illness may be as a result of demon possession. It is not a phenomenon that is readily accepted today. Demons know and recognize who God is unlike many people today. Demons make life miserable for people whether they are afflicted with a temptation, addiction or full possession. Demons are terrified of the abyss. Q2. I think if people apologize when there is a small response to an outreach event it is usually more to do with the effort and possibly expense that has been incurred to make the event happen! Every single person is precious to Jesus, therefore if just one person is saved it is wonderful! We don’t know what that person may do for Jesus in bringing people to Him! In this passage of scripture it’s a great example to us not to be content with each single person won to Christ. We see here all the effort Jesus went to in order to deliver one man in great need. It is a great lesson. Q3.I learnt that demons can possess pigs, that had never dawned on me before. Pigs were considered the right animal for the demons to possess because Jews regard pork as being unclean and do not eat it. The fact that the pigs were drowned shows us the power of the demons. Q4.For the first time in a long time the demon possessed man felt loved and cherished by someone. Jesus was the first person who had come near him and been interested in him wellbeing for a very long time. The man just wanted to be with Jesus who he knew loved him and he wanted to follow him. Jesus however had other plans for his life . He needed to stay in his home town and be a witness to those who had rejected Jesus and had no time for Him. He also needed to be accepted by his townspeople and gradually weaned back into normalcy. As he lived among his people he was a living witness to the love and power of Jesus to the Gentiles as well as the Jews. Q5.The mans nakedness shows us how badly possessed he was, he had lost all sense of dignity so much so that he wasn’t even aware of his nakedness. When Jesus cured him, he would have been conscious of his nakedness and so Jesus gave him clothes to wear. Jesus went across the Sea of Galillee just to reach this man. Jesus knew what He was doing and what He was going for so I am sure He came prepared by having a few extra garments with Him. Another possibility is that Jesus gave Him a garment of His and one or two of His disciples followed suite. Q6. Jesus must be devastated he has come all the way to their town and they are upset at the loss of the pigs and appear to blame Jesus. They ask Him to leave the town. And this is what is happening today so many close their hearts to God and just want Him to go away so they can continue their sinful lives. But Jesus is merciful He leaves the man he has set free to be a constant witness of His love and power.

Q1. Jesus was once again showing his disciples who he was. They asked each other “Who is this ? He commands even the winds and the waves and they obey him”.!Luke 8 v 25. Prior to this they had seen Jesus teaching and performing miracles. Jesus had shown them what the Kingdom of God was going to be like, He had made it a reality to them and they loved him. But had they thought about Him as ‘The Messiah’ , probably not up to this point. Now they have just witnessed something no man could possibly do, they knew this Lake, and they had never witnessed anything like this before. This was something only God could do. Q2. Jesus was disappointed at their lack of faith. They had seen His power so many times and in so many ways and yet they were afraid even with Him in their presence. They didn’t realize that the boat with Jesus in it was not going to sink. Jesus wanted them to trust Him completely! Q3. We can often be like the disciples, we can see God’s power in answered prayer and read and memorise His word about His presence with us and still panic and not trust Him when stress and difficulty comes into our lives. In order to banish this fear we have to be fully focus on God. Every day we must trust him for everything both big and small. We can only get away from fear when we have learnt to trust God for everything in our lives. Only when we have given over everything to God and have surrendered all to Him can we have no fear or worry because we know He is in charge and control of everything in our lives, and nothing happens that He hasn’t allowed to happen! Q4.If our faith is built on self- talk and convincing ourselves it will fall flat as soon as we come under pressure. This kind of faith has no foundation. We need to know God from His word, study, sermons, other Christians and by our own personal experiences through prayer and spending time in His presence before we can develop a solid faith which stand the test of time and life experiences.

Q1. I have always understood that the lighted lamp represented the word of God present in a person. When we learn about Jesus and understand all that He has done for us and ask Him to be part of our lives, we are like a lamp alight with the presence of God dwelling within us. When this happens we must share this good news with those we come into contact with, we must stand up for Jesus when we are in company, that maybe say something not accurate or maybe something derogatory about Jesus. We are not to hide our light under a bushel. We must speak up and there by put our light on a stand to give light to all around us. Q2.I think this is like “nailing our colours to the mast”. In whatever situation we are in eg. A new job, a new circle of acquaintances, etc, we should ASAP be open about being a Christian. This will help us to be able to say “no” to any situation that may arise which would be contrary to what we believe in. We must also take every opportunity to develop friendships with unbelievers in the hope of leading them to Christ. We must share the good news we have with those around us, and not keep it to ourselves. Q3.I find this hard to answer, in my experience someone who thinks they know all there is to know about being ‘right’ with God , very often are not interested in hearing anything different. They have the answer. They are 100% sure they are right, and do not want to engage in conversation about it. I have a couple of people in mind , and after many attempts of approaching the subject in different ways, and failing to make any headway I am bringing them to the Lord in prayer. A key message of this verse is the need to obey .It is pointless hearing the word of God unless I obey what I hear. Q4.This was a difficult thing for the disciples to hear Jesus say about His Mother and brothers. Jesus was emphasising the importance of hearing and really listening to what God is saying in His word , and then going and putting it in to practise! We must never walk away and not think, meditate and then obey all we have heard. Obedience may have a cost but that is part of being a follower of Jesus. By our obedience we show the caliber of Christian we are or are not! Q5. Hearing, listening, meditating, obedience!

Q1.Satan is represented in verse 12,by the birds. The seed which is the Word of God falls on the path which is hard because people walked on it, therefore the seed sat on top of the hard soil and didn’t penetrate the soil. Then Satan rushes in to snatch away the seed just in case the seed would take root, and flourish and the person become a follower of Jesus. The soil represents unbelievers who hear the word of God and are unreceptive and have closed minds. Q2.These people hear the Word of God and are joyful and are happy to hear and believe but their faith doesn’t flourish, they don’t go on and study and pray so they have no deep roots into Jesus, they don’t get to know Him personally. Unfortunately when times of difficulty and hardships comes into their lives they don’t turn to Jesus and they fall away because they have no roots. Q3.I think Worries, riches, and pleasure can be equally dangerous because they can do the same thing in peoples lives. If we are taken up with worry and anxiety we are not trusting God to help us, and to walk with us through the problem. We are not keeping our eyes focused on God we are distracted by earthly problems. Riches can also distract us from the things of God. We can become absorbed with accumulating more and more riches . This can lead us to a belief that we don’t need God. We may just be to busy to think of the things of God. Pleasure seeking May lead us away from God ! We may know that what we are doing is not pleasing to God and turn away because of a guilty conscience. We may be so taken us with amusing ourselves that we have no thought of God, and our lives become spiritually fruitless and barren. Q4.I don’t know. Only God knows. Genesis 18v 25b Will not the judge of all the earth do right? We have to leave these people to God to judge, only He know what is really going on in their hearts. If we feel someone is not doing what is right, we can pray and ask God to help them. Q5. A disciple who loves the Lord and longs to serve Him in a meaningful way. One who study’s God’s word, daily spends times in prayer, is faithful to their church and elders, loves to show God’s love to others in practical ways, and who speaks to others about their Lord and Saviour. Q6.There are two reasons Jesus told this parable: the first reason He told it was to encourage us to be faithful in telling others about Jesus but also to show us that not everyone who hears will immediately believe everything we have told them. Every time we tell someone about Jesus it is like a link in a chain hopefully many links will eventually lead them to accepting Jesus as Saviour. If we understand this it can help us not to be disappointed that someone we think are interested in what we told them, doesn’t make any commitment. The second reason Jesus told this parable was to help us to look at our lives and to diagnose how genuine are we? Are we following Jesus closely, quietly, faithfully, or are we halfhearted, pretenders, or hypocrites! May the Lord help us to genuinely evaluate our walk with Him!

Q1.Jesus is saying “He who has ears to hear let him hear! because He wants His listeners to sit up and take notice of what Jesus is saying, not to hear, dismiss and turn away! Jesus wants the people to hear understand, and act. However it takes honesty and humility to do this and a lot of people turn away when they are challenged by Jesus. Q2. Jesus sometimes spoke in parables, which are stories to illustrate the point He was making. Jesus sometimes used illustrations that were familiar to his listeners, this made His illustration easier to follow and understand. Sometimes people were following Jesus as spectators they weren’t interested in His teaching, they just wanted to see what was going on and nothing more. No interest in hear what was really being said by Jesus. No interest in finding out the reasons why Jesus preached and healed people, they were only there out of idle curiosity! They heard what Jesus said but did not try to understand or seek after it’s true meaning. Q3.When people turn away from the gospel without making any commitment they can become immune to it and their hearts become hard. In future they refuse to listen and don’t want to have anything to do with the things of God. This is the effect of living in a fallen world. It is a consolation to us to know that this happened even when Jesus was preaching, some people hardened their hearts and walked away. Q4. I have this situation in my own family. I don’t say very much out loud anymore but I pray and plead with God for their souls and I try to live my life in such a way that it brings glory to God. Hopefully it may at some stage speak to my family even after my death, if not before.

Q1.Jesus proclaimed the good news of the gospel. Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of God not as something in the dim and distant future but as being here now and being powerful. He cures people of illnesses and disabilities they have had all their lives and this proves to the people that He is different , He speaks about God in such a way that it feels real. Q2.Jesus was always on the move, He knew He had a limited time and He wanted as many people as He could reach to hear the gospel message. He didn’t just go to the major cities and big towns but took the time to visit every small village and hamlet to ensure that the people living there had as much chance as anyone else to hear His life saving gospel message. He loved all people equally whether they grew up in a rich environment or a poor and humble environment. Q3.Women at this time in history were treated as chattles. It was unusual to have unmarried men and women ( or widows) travelling around together on equal terms. I am sure critics would have questioned their roles, or their purpose in being part of this band of itinerants or nomads following Jesus. There was probably some suggestion of improper behavior between the men and the women. Jesus needed these women to provide for Him and His disciples, also for the practical things like shopping and cooking. Because they were constantly hearing Jesus teach they began to understand more deeply the things and ways of God, if they didn’t understand anything they had the opportunity to discuss it with Jesus in the evenings . Jesus needed people who throughly knew His ways and His gospel to be able to continue after He went to Heaven. Jesus couldn’t depend on the Pharisee’s to teach His ways properly! Jesus wasn’t worried about what people thought He was fixed on what His father sent Him to do, and nothing else mattered. Q4.and 5.The women had been healed by Jesus of various afflictions, Mary had seven demons cast out of her, some of the other women had diseases cured. Because of this they were thankful to Jesus and expressed that thankfulness by following Jesus and providing for Jesus and His disciples out of their own means. Their lives had been so remarkably changed that they were happy to be with Jesus and soak up His teaching and look after Him. Q6.Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of Heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. Malachi 3v10. God is no man’s debtor. Whatever we give to the Lord finds its way back to us in some form of blessings. We are only giving back to God what He has given to us. We were never able to save for our retirement as there was never any to save, but God has graciously provided us with sufficient to meet our needs. Praise Him!

Q1.The expression on Simon’s face would have been one of disgust, mixed with wonder and judgement! Simon has judged this women as being sinful, the only reason she is in his home is that it was the custom for people to come into homes to listen to the dinner conversation when the guest was a Rabbi. If he had tried to stop her it would have caused a fuss and made him look bad. Simon also made the judgement that Jesus could not be a prophet because if He was he would know the woman’s sinful background and He would not allow her to touch Him. Simon wonders why would Jesus allow this woman to attend to His feet in this manner it was scandalous especially given her reputation in the community. Q2.The sinful woman had probably heard Jesus teaching and accepted His forgiveness and is now overwhelmed with gratitude for the peace she is experiencing in her life. She has heard that Jesus is dining in this house and has taken the opportunity to humble herself in front of everyone present to show her thankfulness, her love, and her willingness to serve Jesus. Q3.Jesus is no respecter of persons, if this woman was humble enough to wash His feet and loved Him so much to use her expensive perfume on Him , He was not going to stop her. He also knew the motivation of her heart and just how pure and loving that motivation was. Jesus did not care what Simon and his friends thought, they were all wrong! However Jesus did take the opportunity to try to show Simon and those listening the difference between himself and the woman by telling them a story. Jesus then went on to compare Simons lack of warm hospitality to the woman’s overwhelming love for Him. Q4.I think my love for Jesus is somewhere between Simon’s and the woman’s! I don’t think I would have had the nerve to do what she did . If I am honest I would fear public opinion. I would do things more privately. I do know my love for Jesus and the things of God are increasing all the time. I long to walk closer and closer to Him. And look forward to going home when He calls me!

Q1. John was one of the greatest and the last prophet of the Old Testament. He was the herald telling the people that the Messiah was about to come. He was the watershed between the era of law that gave way to the era of grace. John and many of the Old Testament prophets had an inkling about the era of grace and the Kingdom of God they say it in a mist, but knew something wonderful was coming. They had a sprinkling of the Holy Spirit from time to time. Those of us who accept Jesus as our Saviour and give our lives to Him have the Holy Spirit living in us because of what Jesus did while here on earth during His public ministry He brought in the new era. He fulfilled and completed the law when He died on the cross for our sins. So although John was one of the greatest of men in the Old Covenant he is one of the least in the New Covenant. Q2. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law refused to be baptised by John because of their pride, they knew the law they were not going to humble themselves to be baptised! Because of this they missed out on God’s purpose for them. They refused to see John for who he was or Jesus either they thought they had all the answers . Because they expected the Messiah to be different there was no place in their hearts for being open minded. They had hardened their hearts towards both John and Jesus. They said untrue and bitter things about them putting their own twists on them. The acted the very opposite to the was men of learning and teaching should act. Because of this they were totally loosing out on all the purposes God had for them. We must learn from this to be open to what God may put in our hearts. It may be something you may never have considered but it needs to be explored and prayed about. We also must please God rather than man. If we look to people for our affirmation in life we will be disappointed because people are fickle and usually have an agenda of their own at work. With God as our leader and guide we will be in safe hands. Sometimes it may be difficult to walk away from pleasing people but ultimately it is the right thing to do and we will eventually reap the rewards. Q3.Unfortunately I know many people who have “rejected God’s purpose for himself “. I don’t need to go further than my own family! My husband has never accepted Jesus. My three children did make a commitment years ago but walked away from it. I have three grandchildren one of whom we brought up, but who is not walking with the Lord. The other two have not had any exposure to Christian teaching and have no interest. I have tried in many ways over the years but have always come up against brick walls. Their hearts are hard towards the Lord. Some are more resistant than others. Now I pray for them daily and have put them into the Lords hands. My husband just cannot get past suffering and pain in the world , I have given him various books on this subject but he is not convinced. My children have great abilities and skills which I feel could be used by the Lord in wonderful ways. It is so sad. God is faithful and He may allow it to happen yet. Genesis 18v25. Will not the Judge of all the earth do right!

Q1.John the Baptist was in jail in a place that was in a desert and very high up, so it was difficult to get to. He was downhearted with lots of time to think and no one to discuss anything with. He heard reports of Jesus doing wonderful things for people as it was described in Isaiah 61v1, Preaching about the kingdom of God, healing the lame and the sick, raising people from the dead. John was expecting Jesus to bring judgement not salvation. He didn’t seem to be able to distinguish the first coming from the second coming. Jesus had to come first to provide a way of salvation, but He will come back to defeat His enemies and to bring judgement on the world. Q2.John the Baptist , would have been taught the Scriptures by his father Zechariah who was a priest. John would have known them well and would have understood what Jesus’s message to him meant. Q3.We don’t always understand everything we hear and read about Jesus and John was the same. We have to put it to one side and not allow it to interfere with our relationship with God , which would interrupt our spiritual growth. We may never understand but we must trust God because we know that He is faithful and everything He says is true. Deuteronomy 29v29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. Q4. I have always found that if I am in distress of any kind that once I turn to the Lord and spend some time with Him I always walk away feeling calmer, and more able to deal with the situation. It doesn’t take the problem away but it brings assurance that God is in it with me, leading, guiding and comforting. During this time of lockdown, I keep in contact with a few women that I normally visit, by phone, and by text. It is not the same as personal visits but it does help. I sometimes pray with them especially if there is a new worry troubling them. I think sometimes just keeping in contact can help people. They realise they are not alone. When we are not in lockdown I would give some practical help as needed.

Q1. We know that Jesus healed many sick people, I don’t know that He healed then all though. There are just three people that Jesus Himself raised from the dead recorded in the bible, the widows son at Nain, Jairus’s daughter, and His friend Lazarus. Q2. We are told in Luke that when Jesus saw the widow “ His heart went out to her and He said ‘Don’t cry’. Jesus had compassion on this lady because she was a poor widow who had no other family members to support her. He may also have seen it as an opportunity to bring glory to His Father. All the people who saw what Jesus did were awe struck and said”God has visited His people “. And they praised God not Jesus they realised that Jesus was sent from God. Q3.Compassion is never a whim, but a deep spiritual feeling of empathy which compels action to alleviate suffering. It is much more than feelings alone. Q4.Compassion is costly it means getting involved where many people would keep their distance. Compassion requires action which very often may not be a once off action but action that is ongoing. It will therefore be time consuming and may cost financially. When we are involved in something that requires Compassion, we are living our lives as Jesus lived His. It is also the way Jesus wants us to live, by being involved with people helping them, being compassionate and loving, and taking opportunity to speak about the compassion and love of Jesus. Q5.We cannot be a true disciple and be dispassionate towards people in need.The Scriptures contain many verses telling us to be compassionate, Ephesians 4v32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. 1Peter3v8. If we are truely following God we want to be like Him and God is compassionate, there are verses all through the Bible which speaks of God’s compassion. In 2Corinthians 1v3b God is described as “The Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. The Psalms tell us of the compassion of God Psalm103v8,Psalm 145v 8-9. Also Matthew 9v36 and many more. I should have started with the following reason and not left it until last! Where would each one of us Christians be were it not for the love and compassion God had for us in sending Jesus to earth to pay a debt we could never pay on our own. In the light of this great privilege how could be possibly be anything but compassionate to those that need our help. Q6.If we are compassionate we are more aware of those people and situations around the world that need God’s help and compassion, this in turn helps us to pray more intelligently and in a more meaningful way.

Q1. Temptation is inevitable because we are in a battle with Satan. He is desperate to get us to sin, so that we will join him in hell. We all have sinful natures, because of the fall of Adam and Eve. Temptation is necessary for us to grow in faith and for our faith to be strengthened. Our faith needs to be strong. Before we were Christians, Satan controlled us, when we give our lives to God a battle begins, the Spirit helps us avoid sin, but Satan continually tries to get us to compromise ourselves. This battle is necessary to help us to experience spiritual freedom. Q2.Satan is not only trying to get Jesus to eat but he is trying to get Jesus to prove that He is the Son of God. When someone doubts or questions us about our role, our human nature rears it’s head and we want to prove ourselves! This is our pride and insecurity showing itself.Of course Jesus needed to eat, but meeting this need had to be done in a legitimate way, In meeting these basic human needs it must be done obeying God’s laws.God will supply all our needs but we must do things in God’s way and not our own self serving ways. Q3.Satan true to form starts by lying to Jesus, offering Him all the kingdoms of the world, and saying that Jesus can have them all, If Jesus worshipped Satan. He was offering Jesus power and authority, but not by the right and honest way. We can be tempted in this way especially if we have a love of power and material possessions. We must maintain our integrity at all time , one slip and we are in Satan’s and possibly other people’s clutches! Q4.Satan tries to tempt Jesus by offering Him a following and fame. But Jesus answers Satan and does not sin or compromise Himself in any way. He uses Deuteronomy 6v16. “Do not put the Lord you God to the test”. He is telling Satan not to try and manipulate God! Most of us have some desire for recognition or fame or popularity. We must ensure that we follow the example of Jesus by not allowing Satan a foothold. We must also beware of using manipulation in our lives. It may be very subtle, in that we may not be aware that we are using it but God can show us if we ask Him. Q5. Jesus had the Holy Spirit and Scripture. We were told in v1 that Jesus was “full of the Holy Spirit “. Jesus used words of Scripture to answer Satan. We are fortunate to have both the Holy Spirit and Scripture today to help us resist temptation. Q6.We need to study our Bibles and know it well enough to be able to bring it to mind when we are in trouble and need help. We also need to be in constant contact with our Heavenly Father asking for guidance and protection.

The Centurion was a good man, he is also humble. He felt he was not worthy to come into the presence of Jesus. He believed in God, and was seeking after the God of the Jews. He had been generous to the fund for building the temple. Instead of going to Jesus himself he send his messengers to ask Jesus to cure his servant , he didn’t feel worthy to have Jesus inside his home. His faith was so great that he said “ Just say the word and my servant will be healed”. The Centurion knew that Jesus had the power and authority to heal his servant, he also understood that Jesus could delegate that power to another, just as he delegated power in his work as a centurion with soldiers under his command. The disciplines differ because they do not have faith they still weren’t sure who Jesus truely was. Q2.Mark 16v15.”Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation”. This command was not just meant for the disciples but for me also. I must speak to those I come in contact with about Jesus and what He has done for me and what He has done for us all. Q3. The power I receive from Jesus is limited by my lack of faith. If I believe 100% that Jesus is the answer to everyone’s problems, then I will have the power I need to share Jesus with people. Personally I think I am still at times too ‘worldly’ . I fear people instead of God. I don’t want to offend people, if I know they don’t believe in God. I never seem to have the correct words to day, even when I pray about a situation. And yet I have people who are quite happy to talk about faith in God, but they are fewer than those who ‘don’t want to know’.

Q1.Jesus had just been baptised, this was the beginning of his public ministry. Maybe He was entrusting His public ministry to His Heavenly Father. Jesus was human and needed the help, leading and guiding of His Father, just as we do each day. We read in the New Testament of Jesus getting up before dawn or drawing aside from people to pray to His Heavenly Father. Q2. Jesus wanted to fully identify with us human beings so that He could eventually take our place and redeem us by dying on the cross in our place. Jesus was only interested in doing what the Father wanted Him to do, He needed to fully identify with the people. He didn’t care what people thought about Him. Q3. Maybe it was a visible sign to John so he made no mistake that this man was Jesus the Messiah. John had been preparing the way for the Messiah. Maybe it was for the people to recognise Jesus as God Son. Jesus was identifying Himself with the people, but maybe God wanted them to know” This is my Son”. Maybe we as reader need the visual sign showing us that at this point, the beginning of Jesus ministry He was anointed with the Holy Spirit and this continued through His ministry. Q4.Jesus was being sent out into His public ministry with the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was fully human and needed the Holy Spirit to enable Him to carry out the will of His Father. Q5.Jesus was fully human and knew all the struggles of being so. He had to learn and develop and grow just as we did. He also would have learnt how to pray and probably gradually learnt about His Heavenly Father and His mission to this earth. We know from scripture that He learnt obedience and submission. Jesus would have been encouraged to hear His Fathers voice saying”You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased “ Luke 3v22. Q6. Jesus was always the Messiah from the time He was born. He was still fully God and fully man. But He had emptied himself of everything. “Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” Philippians 2v6-7. I understand this event to be about God filling Jesus with the Holy Spirit as He embarks on His very difficult three years of ministry. As He was human He needed that help and guidance for the difficult times ahead. He was misunderstood by many, reviled and rejected, ever before He came to His passion and death. He didn’t even have the necessities of life , a home , belongings, He was dependent on others for food etc. Maybe this didn’t worry Him as He knew His Father would provide for Him.

Q1.John’s statement is not overstated . None of us are worthy of serving Christ because we are all sinners, however when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour and we turn away from sin, something wonderful happens we become “new creations”, the old has gone the new has come. We become sinners saved by God’s grace and we become children of God. As such we can serve God in thankfulness and humility. Q2.John’s baptism of water was a symbol of cleansing, but baptism of the Holy Spirit was being immersed in the Holy Spirit who is the agent of cleansing and empowerment. Q3.The disciplines when they received the Holy Spirit were filled with power and all fear was gone. They went out and preached the gospel unafraid of any opposition. To be Spirit filled means to be flooded and overflowing with power from God. To be fixed on working for God and not easily distracted by worldly happenings. Q4. We need to make sure we are ready ourselves for the return of Christ. We also need to share Jesus with those around us. We need to pray for family members who know the gospel and yet reject it. If we can we need to direct them to verses about The Lord’s coming. Q5. I don’t think there can be any greater motivator than knowing that this coming of Jesus will not be Him coming in mercy like His last coming but that He will be coming in final judgment. No more chances , it will be final. We need to have a healthy fear of God and prepare for that day. And help others in their preparation, and by praying for those who will not listen.

Q1. When Jesus was born He had emptied Himself omniscience. He was like any other baby, in that he was dependent, vulnerable and needed His parents to look after Him. As He grew His parents had to teach him everything, He needed their leading and guidance. We are told in v40 The child grew and became strong ; He was filled with wisdom and the grace of God. Although Jesus had to learn just like all children, He was specially gifted by God. He was “filled with wisdom “ and “the grace of God was upon Him”. We see this when Jesus was twelve, He was in the temple listen to the discussion going on and asking them deep and insightful questions. We are also told in v52. Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. As the years went on Jesus was growing in His wisdom, and spiritual discernment,also physically, He was blessed by God and people who came in contact with Him liked Him. Q2. I am sure Jesus would not intentionally do something that He knew would cause His parents to worry, or cause them to have to turn back to find Him. I wonder was He so interested in the teaching and conversation in the temple that He didn’t realize it was past time to set off home. Maybe He thought that His parents would not leave without Him, and kept expecting them to call Him to come. Maybe they should have made sure as to where Jesus was before they departed. It is so easy in retrospect to see what we should have done. I am sure most people have experience in life where they realise they have been careless or have not communicated properly. Sin is where someone wilfully does something they know to be wrong. An error in judgement is where we unintentionally do something that causes harm or discomfort of some kind. Q3.The temple is where Jesus is eventually going to spend a lot of time teaching and reasoning with the teachers of the law. By listening to what was being said He could hear what was being taught and reach a greater understanding of the state of the hearts of the teachers. Jesus also needed to learn and discern for Himself with God’s help. Q4.Jesus had to obey His parents so that He could learn about obedience and submission,. It was a time of preparation for His ministry. If God has placed us in a situation where we must submit to authority we must do it because it is the correct thing to do. If we don’t we are deliberately committing sin, which puts a barrier between us and God. Q5. We won’t do well in our spiritual lives if we don’t have God’s favour on us. We may get on to a certain degree with our God given abilities but only so far. Q6.Our relationship with people around us is very important because if we don’t have good relations we are not being obedient to God . We need to be on good terms with others before we can build relationships with them and share the gospel with them. If we have a bad relationship we need to do all in our power to repair it, if we have offended someone we need to go in humility and ask forgiveness. We cannot have spiritual growth in our lives unless we are on good terms with all people. We also need God’s favour in our lives because without it we cannot have blessings and spiritual growth. Jesus needed to grow “ in favour with God and men” to enable Him to carry out Gods will and to be able to talk to people and tell them about God.

Q1. John calls the church leaders a brood of vipers because they have heard about John and they have come to watch him, with feelings of superiority and feelings that they don’t need to listen and take on board all that John is saying because they are the “ religious teachers.” Q2.Some of the Jews think that because they are part of the family of Abraham they the chosen people therefore they don’t need to listen to John and need to repent of their sins. Some people may think that because their parents are Christian , and because they go to church regularly that they are Christians. They are not Christians until they have repented of sin and dedicated their lives to Jesus, and accepted Jesus as Saviour. Q3.By sharing what we have we are being less greedy and less materialistic. We are helping those in need just as Jesus did. We are doing God’s work. In my everyday life I try to do things like I have a few people older than I that are lonely and I visit them, I have a few ladies that I meet with for coffee/ lunch who have different problems in life, who benefit from these outings. I have a few Christian charities that I support. I have a child that I sponsor. And I help in a charity shop which provides for a shelter for homeless children in India, we also provide funds for local charities which look after those who are in hard circumstances. Q4.I am now retired but I was in charge of a small hospital ( just 23 beds) so there were always ways I could be dishonest but I was always aware I was being watched by the staff and tried to insist on honesty in all of us. Rereading this it sounds like I am saying I was honest because I was being watched by staff! I was very aware of my testimony as a Christian in the hospital because none of the other staff were Christians. Q5.We have a peace with God after repentance. Also we have do as Micah describes in chap6 v8 “To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God”. Q6.Discontentment in our lives means we are not focusing on God. We are trying to get other “things “ and more money, therefore not trusting in God’s provision. It can lead us into other sins by causing quarrels with spouses because we don’t think we have enough! We are so taken up with what we don’t have we have no time to think about others less well off. We can also influence our children into the same way of thinking. Repentance in this situation would be to have a complete change of attitude to ask God’s forgiveness and to start thanking God for all you have got and refuse to think about things you haven’t got. At the end of the day we cannot take anything with us when we die, “ things” are very temporary.

Q1. Mary and Joseph’s consecration of Jesus is a great example to all parents of how to raise children in a ‘Godly’ way. Although Jesus was God they did not feel they were above the law, but obeyed everything asked of them in the law of God. Although they knew Jesus was God they treated Him as a normal boy with all the love guidance and discipline that it entails.We are told in Luke 2v40 “And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.” Q2.Simeon and Anna’s lives would have been important because of their dedication to God. When someone is walking close to God it infiltrated every aspect of their lives. When they met others , they would have been overflowing with love, graciousness, kindness and many other fruits of the Spirit. They would also be praising God and speaking to others about God. My life is important to God because He loves me, and He died for me. I try to live each day for Him by depending on Him for everything, and by honouring Him in all I do even when it is just the mundane things of life. I try to pray, read and meditate to learn more about Him and to learn more about how He Qantas me to live for Him. Q3.Very often we cannot hear the Holy Spirit because we don’t stop long enough for us to listen and recognize the prompting of the Spirit. Sometimes we may be led by the Spirit but not recognize it at the time, but in retrospect realise the Spirit’s prompting and guidance. Anna and Simeon were sensitive to the voice of the Spirit because of their nearness to God. They were aware of the prompting of the Spirit because their minds and their eyes were fixed on the ‘things of God.’ Q4.Praise and thanksgiving were very much part of their lives as they spent time in the temple with God. I am sure it was in all aspects of their lives not just when they were in the temple. We nurture these in our lives by being positive and realising all that Jesus has done for us, and give Him praise and thanks. Also we have so much that others don’t have we need to be thankful and grateful and find ways to share our good fortune. Unfortunately many people have no concept of God and don’t want anything to do with God, therefore don’t understand the need or the value of prayer. Anna spent most of her time in the temple worshiping and praising God, she realised that it was the best place to be. It is a little bit of heaven on earth when one can come away from the world and spend uninterrupted time in Gods presence. Q5.Simeon and Anna expected the Messiah to deliver their people from the bondage of oppression. The Messiah came to deliver us from sin. However some thought the Messiah would deliver Jerusalem from the oppressive regime of the Roman Empire. Jesus came to save all people both Jews and Gentiles from their sins. Jesus offers the same salvation today if a person is sorry for sin and believes that Jesus died on the cross for them , they will be saved.

Q3. The three names of Jesus in this passage are Saviour, Christ and Lord. Saviour:is the name that shows what Jesus has done for us He is our Saviour because He died on the cross to redeem us from our sins. Jesus was the only one good enough to be able to pay our ransom, Jesus was the only sinless man to even walk this earth. Lord: this refers to one above us. We can call Jesus, Lord if we have humbled ourselves and accepted His as being over and above us. Christ: means anointed one, or Messiah, The Jewish nation knew from scripture that a Messiah would be sent from God. The Jews had differing expectations of how and when the Messiah would come and what His purpose in coming would be. Q4.The good news of the gospel is for all mankind regardless of race, gender or creed. Jesus had shepherds come to see Him in the manger, they were the first to be told of the birth of Jesus. Jesus also had magi visit Him, they brought expensive rare gifts to Him. They were in a different position to the poor shepherds. They were all welcome to go and pay homage to the new born king. The Good news is restricted by sin and pride and unbelief. God’s favour also has to rest on us, but God will never turn anyone away who earnestly seeks Him. Q5.I am amazed that God has chosen me to be privileged to belong to His family. I am constantly curious to study more and learn more about God and what I must do to please Him. I love to spend time thinking and meditating on the things of God, I try to practice having thoughts of God or His word in my mind as often as possible during the day and night if I am not sleeping. I praise God and thank Him daily for everything I have otherwise it is so easy to take things for granted. I try to use every opportunity to speak to family and those I meet about Jesus, this is an area I am not good at but do try. I don’t know that I feel great joy as much as I should but I do feel joy when I think of what lies ahead if I remain faithful and true to my Lord and Saviour. Q1. The Shepard’s were humble men, who were not respected by people in general. Their job although full of responsibility was considered to be lowly and unimportant. However in Scripture some very important characters were shepherds eg Abraham, Isaac , Jacob and David. Although the shepherds were afraid initially,they were joyful and went immediately to see for themselves, they did not worry about sharing the good news with everyone they saw and they praised and glorified God. God is making the point that to Him , status or any of the things we consider important are irrelevant to Him. God looks at the heart not at the outward appearance. Q2. The glory of God that the shepherds experienced was the brightness of the sky around all the angels, wherever God is there is light and brightness. In Isaiah 6v3 we are told “The whole earth is full of His glory”. God’s glory is present even if not visible to the human eye, we are so taken up with the here and now that we can miss so much that is spiritual. We must fix our eyes of Jesus and think about eternal things rather than temporal things John the Baptist was chosen by God for a particular task of laying a foundation for Jesus to build on. John was to draw people to the things of God , to tell them that the Messiah was coming and to get them to repent and turn away from sin. He baptised then with water to purify them. God prepared John by being with him as he roamed the wilderness near his home. John spent more time with God than with other people. He was a hermit and as a hermit he did not adhere to the norms of society, and he didn’t care about convention! He needed to be like this to withstand the political and religious pressures he would encounter as he carried out his ministry.

Q1.John the Baptist was chosen by God for a particular task of laying a foundation for Jesus to build on. John was to draw people to the things of God , to tell them that the Messiah was coming and to get them to repent and turn away from sin. He baptised then with water to purify them. God prepared John by being with him as he roamed the wilderness near his home. John spent more time with God than with other people. He was a hermit and as a hermit he did not adhere to the norms of society, and he didn’t care about convention! He needed to be like this to withstand the political and religious pressures he would encounter as he carried out his ministry. Q2.I don’t think we can be sure all our differences are part of God’s plan and purpose. I think part of our ways and personality are formed by the environment we have been brought up in and the experiences we have had in life both good and bad. However God can use us complete with faults, and quirks to carry out His purposes, if we are walking close to Him and are obedient to Him. We also need to have a willing heart and be striving to overcome anything we know that is wrong in our lives. Q3. I have had a number of difficult situations in my life , as a result I find it easier to help others going through similar situations. Q4. As I become more and more steeped in the things of God, I find I care less about the opinion of others but if someone says something untrue or cutting I do feel wounded. Sometimes it can be easier than others but I think my sinful nature is always lurking in the background, so I feel hurt and sorry for myself. There are so many beautiful verses about how God loves us as His children that there is no need to feel injured for too long! Psalm 31v7. I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul. Q5. Once we have confessed our sins, and are truly sorry, and turn away from all sin we must trust God’s forgiveness. It is as though our sins are caste into the sea, never to be thought of again by God. Guilt can be healthy if it makes us turn away from sin and turn to God for forgiveness. Guilt can be unhealthy if we keep going over and over things in the past which we have asked God to forgive. This is sinful in itself because it shows we do not trust God and we do not believe in what the Scriptures tell us. Romans 5 v8 God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were yet sinners , Christ died for us. Romans 5v 18.Romans 6v6. Q6.Humility comes when we realise how wretched and sinful we are. We then realise how we need a Saviour and how dependent we are on Him for absolutely everything in life. Both material things but also leading , guiding, protection both physically and spiritually and in so many other ways. When the ways of God become the most important part of our lives, we become fit to be a true follower of Jesus and His disciple. Q7. There are a number of sinful ways in my life that I need to correct with God’s help. I sometimes feel I am making progress and then take a couple of steps back! God has a hard job with me, but I am a work in progress.

Q1. Jesus was really born , He is not a make believe figure. By stating who was in power and ruling at the time of Jesus birth, Luke is placing Jesus within a set time frame. He is a person in history, He has a historical context. Jesus can be found also in the writings of people like Josephus,Tacitus and also in the Talmud. Q2. Because Joseph belonged to the house of David he had to travel from where he was living Nazareth to register in the town of his birth which was Bethlehem. God promised King David almost a thousand years before Jesus birth that he would have some one of his line on the throne. Samuel 7v16 “ Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me;your throne will be established forever. Micah prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem Ephrathah and He would rule over Israel and that His origins are from long long ago. To fulfill prophecy Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem at the time Mary was ready to have her baby. It was not an accident that a census was called for at this time. Q3. Joseph and Mary were pledged to be married, but not married yet, and Mary was expecting a baby! There would have been gossip and Mary would have been treated as an outcast. But Joseph was looking after her following words from God about the circumstances of Mary’s pregnancy. Q4.Mary was advanced in her pregnancy and undertook a four day journey to be in Bethlehem to sign a register because both she and Joseph were of the house of David. Today a journey towards the end of pregnancy would be hard but in Mary’s day it would have meant walking or riding an animal. Enough to put any women into labour. But we see no evidence of Mary complaining , she just got on with what she had to do. A great example to me. Mary was certainly in God’s will, but life was difficult for her. Even when she completed the journey, nothing improved , she had to give birth in a dirty stable with animals around her. An example from my life, I know I am in the Lords will being at home looking after my husband, I long to be working in countries where I could help refugees or children who have no parents, or helping girls who have been rescued from prostitution, but it is not to be and I must fully embrace where I am. But I feel there is so much need in the world and I am doing nothing about it!! I have been on three short trips. My husband needs me and I know the Lord has me here. It sounds as though I don’t want to be here but that’s not true either, I want to be in two places at once! Q6. Jesus emptied Himself of every privilege He had as part of the Godhead and became nothing.Philippians 2v7. He came to serve us all and He started His road of humility from the first moment of life by being born in a stable. Jesus set an example for us to follow, to serve our fellow human beings , both when it suits us and when it doesn’t. We must not do it for praise from people but we must do it as a way to serve our Lord and Saviour. Q7. Bigness and success may bring satisfaction for a while but it doesn’t last. Jesus humility may bring a fresh way of living to people worn out from pursuing greatness. Also within each person God has put a desire for Him into their hearts , but many just don’t realise it is God they need/ want. Romans1v 19-20.Ecclesiastes 3v11. This is a challenge to us to take every opportunity to share Jesus with those we come in contact with.

Q1.Paul obviously felt he needed to send a message to either encourage or to remind Archippus of his God given duty. Q2.Archippus appears to be of the family of Philemon. His parents may have been Philemon and Apphia. They held a church in their house so they were fervent believers, and Archippus was part of that influence. He is described as “our fellow soldier “. He was possibly pastor of the house church. He may have needed encouragement, he was facing problems as all pastors do if they are pastoring a church, unfortunately wherever there are human beings there are problems. Paul reminds Archippus that his ministry is a gift from God, but God will give him all he needs to faithfully carry out His duties, despite the discouragements which may arise. This is a reminder to us all to be an encouragement to our Pastors and deacons and to pray for them . There is so much apathy and distracted ness in the world that we don’t always put the things of God in their right place. I am sure this must so often be discouraging to our church leadership. Archippus reminds me of myself when I am on fire about something and how discouraged I get when I realise that others don’t feel the way I feel. This was usually at work, trying to introduce something new which I felt was going to make life easier for staff or enhance quality of life for our patients. I often wonder about our Pastor if he is discouraged when people don’t come to prayer meetings, or don’t turn up to help with some project in the church. Then I pray, and make sure I am as faithful as I can be.

Q1.In Jewish culture it is customary to name the first born son after the father, so they expected Elizabeth to name the baby Zechariah but of course Zechariah had a number of months to communicate to Elizabeth all about what had happened in the temple when the angel appeared to him. Zechariah probably used a small wooden writing tablet to tell Elizabeth all the angel had spoken to him about. When Zechariah confirmed that the baby was to be called “ John”, he was immediately able to speak, this amazed the neighbours and they knew this was no ordinary child. Q2. Both in the Old Testament and the New Testament it speaks of being filled with the Holy Spirit in order to speak by the Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost we are told in Acts 2 v4 “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Q3. The Messiah was to be from “the house of his servant David”, from the tribe of Judah. Both Mary and Joseph were from the house and line of David. Jacob said when he was blessing his son Judah “ the sceptre will not depart from Judah, nor the rulers staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nation is his”. Q4.Salvation is the main theme of the message.In the Old Testament salvation often meant deliverance from military or political deliverance from their enemies but in the New Testament it usually refers to God’s deliverance from the power of sin. The purpose for deliverance from sin is to enable sinners to live free from sin and to live in ways that are pleasing to God our Saviour. The Messiah brings spiritual deliverance as soon as we humble ourselves and seek forgiveness for our sins and ask Jesus to take control of our lives. Q5.The purpose of the Messiah’s salvation is to rescue us from Satan and to enable us to serve Him without fear. We must live our lives in holiness and righteousness until we meet Him face to face. Q6.John the Baptist job was to go before the Messiah and prepare the way for Him by engaging with the people and drawing them back to the things of God , and to teach them about the need for repentance. He was laying a foundation on which the Lord could build on, so that He could accomplish what he had come to do.

Q1.The angel Gabriel had told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was also going to have a baby, this was an extraordinary event as Elizabeth was well past her childbearing years . Mary and Elizabeth had there pregnancy’s in commen and both in very unusual circumstances. So Mary may have felt Elizabeth was the person who could help her to process and understand all that was happening to her. Mary was in a hurry to go and spend time with Elizabeth to share with her, to be advised by her, to be mentored by her and to be encouraged to face everything and everybody on her return in an obvious state of pregnancy. Q2.Mary is blessed among women because she has been chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus. Elizabeth recognises this by the power of the Holy Spirit who gave her special knowledge of Mary’s blessing. Q3.Mary said to the angel “I am the handmaiden of the Lord. May it be to me as you have said”. Mary then prepared eagerly to go and visit her cousin Elizabeth who was also expecting a baby. She was the one person who would be able to understand what was happening to Mary. Q4.Psalms and Praise bring benefit to God when we acknowledge all that God has done and is doing for us in our lives. We also reminds ourselves of who God is, and of all His beautiful characteristics. It makes us humble as we realise that we are sinful and just how holy God is. We also realise again just how dependent on Him we are and how gracious He is to us always. Q5.Mary would have been nurtured and encouraged in the Lord by Elizabeth. She would also have been older and therefore been able to instruct her, be her confidant , and friend during a time of confusion and excitement. I have been blessed to have a couple of people in my life that have mentored me when I became a Christian at forty. I have also helped a few ladies in the same way. It is a role I love just to be able to talk freely about the Lord and share the ways He helps each day with the ups and downs of life. And also to be able to listen, so often that is all that is needed to help someone.