Reuben

Q4. (1 Timothy 2:9-10) How did women dressing in fancy clothes threaten to compromise the church's witness in Ephesus? How do we apply the principle of Paul's directive in twenty-first century churches without instituting a new legalism? In those days there would have been little choice and fancy dress would be expensive and rare. The woman would have division because it would be those who have and those who have not. It does not allow for common ground where most would feel welcome or included, simply because of attire. The woman can also cause problems by distracting men from their focus in church, and possibly cause friction between partners as jealousy could set in and destroy the harmony in a church community. Today we see woman dress classy and appropriately and this can be done with or without braiding your hair or wearing jewellery, or hat on or hat off.

Q3. (1 Timothy 2:8). What problem among the men of the congregation is Paul referring to in this verse? What is so serious about worshipping with the opposite of love in your heart? Paul refers to the infighting and petty arguments that the men have between them. This causes division and resentment in their hearts and would cloud their minds and hearts. When you worship with the above feelings in your heart and mind, you can not connect to God in the loving , caring relationship that He wants us to have with Him. We have to be clean of these feeling to be honest to others, ourselves and God. We can pray to God and ask him to solve the issue and help calm us and remove the bad feelings, but we can not worship in the deeper sense without being hypocritical, if we carry anger , resentment, revenge etc. in our hearts.

Q2. (1 Timothy 2:5-6) In the context of the salvation of all, why do you think Paul emphasizes the roles of Mediator and Ransom? In what way did Christ fulfill both these roles? Paul puts emphasis on the fact that we as normal humans have come to a point, and were always going to get there , where we could do nothing anymore ourselves to get in right standing with God, and we were at the point of no return in our relationship with Him, unless we could reconciliate is some way. This "way" was only through His Son Jesus Christ. When we are in a situation in our lives , at work, or personally where we need a mediator to resolve the issue, and then still have to pay a ransom to settle, it is pretty tarnished and ugly. If somebody with authority , knowledge , understanding and empathy, ( and in Gods case love), does it on your behalf, and even covers the debt on your behalf, WOW, thank you Jesus! And that is how he fulfilled these roles, by dying for us and doing both these actions in mediating and settling the debt.

Q1. (1 Timothy 2:1-4) Why does Paul emphasize salvation of all mankind in this letter? What does this suggest about the practice of evangelism in the Ephesus church? Paul emphasize what Jesus emphasized, and that is that the Gospel should be heard by all, and he wants none to perish but all to hear the Truth and come to salvation. It is a statement of total inclusion, and includes male, female, and all races and nationalities, absolutely everybody. By making this statement it indicates to me that the church in Ephesus was not including everybody as part of their church and evangelism.

Q4. (1 Timothy 1:18-19) Why does Paul need to remind Timothy about the prophecies spoken over him? In practical terms, what does "fight the good fight" really mean? Why does Paul tell Timothy to "hold on to faith and a good conscience"? What temptation is Paul trying to counter in his prot Paul needs to encourage Timothy and reassure him, taking him back to the day it was confirmed about him, that he has every ability to do the job at hand. Fight the good fight means fighting for restoration of the good, and fighting it in a caring, loving, and considerate way. Holding on to faith and a good conscience is the weapon, and ammunition you will need to fight this fight , because the one can not work without the other. Here Paul shows his concern as to what challenges will face Timothy. The fact that Paul reminds Timothy to " hold on to faith and a good conscience", gives me the idea that Paul knows that Timothy , being alone might be influenced by the false teachers and give in to easily, not believing in himself, his ability, and loosing a good conscience, further weakening him to do his task effectively.

Q3. (1 Timothy 1:17) What do we learn about God from this doxology? What do we learn about praise? Have you ever tried speaking out a doxology in your personal prayer or praise time? What effect does a doxology have on the speaker? We learn 4 attributes stated by Paul pertaining to God. He is eternal, immortal, invisible, and the only God. Praise is a way of honouring someone for who they are and what they have done. It also gives us the opportunity to bless someone by giving them praise, after all we feel blessed when we receive praise. It also blesses the person giving praise because I feel good when I make someone else feel good? I enjoy speaking out a doxology when praying, or even singing in worship, and it is very satisfying and uplifting. I should do it far more and this will encourage me to be mindful of doing just that, thank you.

Q2. (1 Timothy 1:12-14) Why does Paul comment on his own life after a paragraph on the law (1:8-11)? Why does he share this with Timothy and the church that will read the letter? How might sharing this help get the church back on center? Paul is making it clear that he himself was once one of those lawless people that did wrong, and sinned. He uses this example of himself to once again state that the patience , love and grace of God is abundant. Paul also states in verse 13 that he did what he did " ignorantly in unbelief". That last statement is what Paul wants the church to realise. If you do not believe something you believe another thing, and this is the danger of false doctrine. Being ignorant can create a whole "new", that is "wrong", gospel and the flock is lead astray. It is important for churches and church leaders to stick to Biblical truths and not adhere to man made doctrine where some "mature" believers and theologians put their own spin on things and bring it in to the church. If is says so in the Bible do it, if not , don't. I have been to various churches and have observed and experienced strange habits , rituals etc. Kind of makes me wonder where did Jesus command us to celebrate his birthday by bringing a pagan tradition in to hid church? Now this will stir things up and controversy already started!

Q1. (1 Timothy 1:3-7) What were some of the results of false doctrine in the church at Ephesus? How does doctrinal controversy hurt the spirit of a church? How does it prevent growth? How does it keep the church from its mission? The false doctrine at Ephesus is causing controversies, and confusion with believers, and this would only lead to quarrels and anger and separation within the church community. It will bear the fruit of the spirit of the church and you will see people going elsewhere looking for sound doctrine. The leadership of such a church are not functioning with that sincere faith and that would mean they are in it for themselves to some degree, and this is always a bad example and will not grow a healthy church. The church can not function as one body of Christ and that keeps it from growing as it should in a healthy sound way. It will produce believers who are not sincere and this is not what Jesus wants to see, and sadly will cause many to err because of the poor influence of bad leadership, and also the lack of knowledge the believers have to test the doctrine. In the days of the early church it was certainly not a case of everybody having a Bible to study and they absorbed mostly what they were taught by their leaders.

Q4. (2 Thessalonians 3:9-16) Why do so many churches avoid exercising any church discipline? What is the result of a thoughtful and appropriate application of church discipline? What is the result of neglect of church discipline? Churches avoid church discipline because it is probably the most difficult thing to do in a community of people that should be loving, caring and inclusive, as well as applying Christian principles, like " seeing the speck in your brothers eye, rather than the plank in your own". We all have flaws, but the Bible instructs us clearly how we should deal with these flaws, especially the ones that causes harm to the body of Christ. Considerate, and loving discipline is very necessary to keep the church community healthy. Without it we will have a group of people where one half carries on like they want, and this is no standard or example for new Christians who look at fellow believers and get confused as to what the standards are. It will also cause the congregation to be divided, and will be unhealthy towards the growth of the church. Strong, faithful, and loving leadership with consistency in disciplining will control this in a healthy way.

Q2. (2 Thessalonians 3:7-9) What kind of example did Paul set with regard to work when he was in Thessalonica? As a Christian worker, did he have a right to support? Why didn’t he exercise that right? Paul states it clearly in the letter that he worked day and night, and did not stay or eat for free from any man while he was in Thessalonica. Yes he had a right to get support from others as long as was not a freeloader, which he obviously was not. Just doing the work Christ can take time and dedication, and some people does not see this as labour, and that is why Paul went the extra mile to set the example that he could not be blamed for doing "nothing". It seems to be clear that there was some element of gossip and negative influence as well as others that abused the hospitality of some fellow believers. One can deduct from Pauls letter that he clearly does not like the fact that they might think he has set the example to these freeloaders , and reminds them in all seriousness how he has conducted himself rightfully when he was with them. No wonder he had to work day and night , since he had to run two jobs, and only earned a income from one. I still see that today where some pastors do two jobs to support themselves and their families.

Q1. (2 Thessalonians 3:6-15) What does the Bible teach about sloth and idleness among those who can work but refuse to? Summarize it briefly. What is our Christian duty? The Bible teaches us that if we are lazy we should not get the help from others whom we are actually abusing, and should work, or work at getting work, to be able to rightfully deserve such help for we are in need. We are to help the poor and needy and we don this in love, but at the same time if a brother abuses your hospitality and charity he surely is NOT acting in love and this is against what the Bible teaches. Being idle is giving the enemy an opportunity to attack, and this will be prevented if we keep busy and provide for our own needs, or even just try to provide. As Christians we should help in love but we should also draw the line and lovingly point the errors out to our brothers and sisters. This is the perfect opportunity for the enemy to pounce , that is why we need to be discreet and wise in our actions.

Q4. (2 Thessalonians 3:1-5) Why is perseverance so important as we see wickedness increasing? What happens if we stop believing and being patient? How can we help one another persevere? What part does faith and perseverance have in our salvation? What part does God’s redemption and grace have in our salvation? We need to persevere to be the lamps in the dark so that the world will see there is the other side to darkness and will realise that they are on the wrong path , and we need to persevere and be grow in our strength for the challenges of this world will not stop. We will put out our lamps and not be different when we stop believing, and loose patients. That means we will only disappear in the darkness and not be seen anymore. As Christians we encourage each other when we see a brother or sister stand up to the challenges, and we also need to lovingly remind fellow Christians what it means to say we are Christians. The Bible states it clearly that it is not by faith alone, but faith first and then perseverance through that faith that we are assured of our salvation. If it was not for the grace of God, we would have had no chance of salvation, because we will always fall short. Thank you dear God for sending your Son Jesus to show us the way, and if we believe in Him, and do as He commands us to do, we are redeemed by this act of love and the gift of grace towards us.

People are gullible at the best of times, we can only look at what the reaction of people is when things pop up on social media, and how easily they go with a story or not. This is only because they respond to something they have no facts and knowledge about. That is why they will believe the Antichrist so easily because it will impress them, and they will go with it, but not having the knowledge of the Biblical truth and warnings they will not know any different. God gives them over to their deception because we have choices in life, and choosing makes us so special in this life, and separates us from other living things as humans created in Gods image. If they choose to believe and cling on to deception it is what God has allowed them to do, because they have choices, and He can not force these choices upon them, because that will remove the freedom to choose and True love to God will be a forced or automatic choice and this will be no loving relationship that God wants. We have to seek God's truth fearlessly, and this means not allowing to be misled by false prophets or any person changing the truth, and speaking out fearlessly when you do to correct them and prevent yourself from falling deeper into the lie. The bible says it clearly that the truth shall set us free, and preaching the truth will not lead to deception, and misleading new or weaker Christians so they will not be able to discern a lie later.

Q2. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-5; Revelation 13:5-8) What are the characteristics of the Antichrist that Paul gives in this passage? What does Revelation 13:5-8 add to our basic understanding? The Antichrist has all the characteristics that are against what God wants us to be like. The Antichrist exalts himself, proclaiming to be God himself, and wants to take the place of God. He is against those that follow the true God, and makes "war" against them because he knows they know the Truth. He is lawless, so he will make rules and new laws and change the biblical laws to suit his own agenda and promote his power, by increasing his followers that worship him. He will reign for 42 months and it will feel like 42 years for the saints because they will be persecuted , and he will speak blasphemes against God as he proclaims to be God, and he will be powerful in that he will lay down the rules for all the nations, and he will "unite", and lay down the rules for all the religions, claiming to be the only authority. All will worship him because they will think he is the ultimate solution, and problem solver for this world and its future, but the saints, the true Christians will see him for what he is and NOT bow down to him, and this he will hate.

Q1. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3) In what way were the Thessalonians confused? What is the order of Christ’s coming in relation to the revealing of the Antichrist? The Thessalonians were confused thinking Jesus has already returned and that they were not "gathered" , and were left abandoned by the Lord. Paul states that there will be a falling away, meaning a false gospel , or rebellion against God first , and then there will be someone that will appear to be from God, as he will have marvels and wonders that will deceive people, but he will think he is God, and will give the impression falsely to many that he is God and will take his position where God should be and this will be the final deception before the Lord returns, to sort him out.

Q4. (2 Thessalonians 1:9) How might you describe Christ’s glory? How will his glory be terrifying to unbelievers? If heaven involves sharing this glory forever, what would it be like to be excluded forever from the glory? In what ways is the phrase “outer darkness” a helpful description of hell? To describe Christ's glory can only be limited and restricted to what I have in my mind as a human. Even if I think of all the descriptions, awesome, glorious, breath taking, almighty, splendid, powerful, overwhelming, even frightening, I still can not get close to describing it. Unbelievers will be terrified because they will know that they are facing God, the one they rejected is REAL, and by seeing His glory they will realise His power. To be separated from this glory, means you are separated from Jesus. I cannot think of anything worse than to be apart from God, forever, and have no love, or peace, but only hate and torment forever. God is light and it refers to it many times in the Bible, and to ne in darkness, means away from the light, away from God. I would not like to find myself in this position, and hope to be able to tell, and influence others that this is something that needs to be avoided at all cost.

Q3. (2 Thessalonians 1:9) According to verse 9, what kind of punishment will unbelievers experience? One definition of “hell” is “a place of eternal conscious punishment for the wicked.” What parts of this definition are confirmed in verse 9. Which parts of the definition trouble you? Why? They will experience everlasting destruction. It means two things, firstly it lasts forever, eternal, and secondly is associated with destruction, pain, harm, severe trauma. This experience of punishment also is two fold in this passage, firstly His presence , and secondly His glorious power . The heathen, and rebellious will not be in awe at Gods presence, and will not experience His power as glorious, rather they will be absolutely terrified. What is a reality , as it says in Revelation, even with this happening the unbelievers will STILL shake their fists at God in rebellion? Everlasting destruction is not something I would like to experience, and this is the description of hell. It is a reminder of why we need to continue our walk with God and help preventing others from falling in this place called hell. I am always reminded of how blessed I am that grace was given by a sacrifice of Gods only Son, and by this I am free, and when I get it wrong, I have a Father to ask forgiveness, and a shelter to find rest in.

Q2. (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7) Would God be just if he did not punish sin? What is the difference between rehabilitation and retribution? When does a Christian’s rehabilitation take place? When does a sinner’s retribution take place? How do you balance love and justice? No God would not be just if he did not punish sin. It would mean it is a free for all, and what does it matter how you live or what you do, because there is no consequences. Rehabilitation would take person and change their action and behaviour, and hopefully keep them from doing what they did wrong in the past, but retribution would mean, you got revenge and the person was punished or hurt, having more negative impact . The person that suffered retribution could then continue to hate , or would think of his own revenge again, and I think in a small percentage of cases they may regret what they did and refrain from doing it again. Christian rehabilitation takes place when you accept Jesus as you Saviour and regret your wrongs in the past, repenting and then starting the rehabilitation process, and I think it is a life long process. A sinners retribution takes place when he faces the law, and ultimately if he does not repent, the wrath of God. Justice is retribution in a fair and right way, and it is giving someone what he deserves and no more. This is also given in love for that person firstly to make them stop doing the wrong things and hopefully rehabilitate them, if it is not to late, but it is also given to protect those that we love , and God loves, from the injustice done to them by others.

Q1. (2 Thessalonians 1:3-5) In what ways do persecution, pressure, and stress help us grow strong in Christ? What would we be like without the testing of our faith? When we are tested in our faith it serves as a mirror in which you can look and answer yourself in regards of where you are standing in your faith, and relationship with God. We are all in different scenarios when we are tested , some life threatening others less severe, but it is so rewarding when you are tested and make a stand and come out stronger on the other side. It fills you with joy when you persevere, and grows your strength and when you endure with other Christians, it strengthens the bonds between you as well. It makes us lamps visible to others, because if we are to be a glowing lamp for God, what use do we have if we were under the bed the whole time. Without testing we would not keep growing in certain areas, like perseverance, strength, courage, and we will be put down and not be counted when we face those moments. If the early church had not been tested it is possible that it would have kept growing but how strong and pure would that have been, and id it was weak, and corrupted what would it have looked like today?

Q5. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24) If you met a true Christian who had no assurance of salvation, how would you explain to him or her God’s power to protect and present them blameless before Christ at his coming? What is the problem of having no assurance of salvation? What is the problem of having a false assurance of salvation? I will ask this person firstly why he/she thinks they are not assured of their salvation. There has to be a reason, and this might make them reflect on their relationship with God, and might point to something in their lives that need correction, some evil, or addiction, etc. I will then also remind this person we are human, and make mistakes, and remind them that it is through our faith, and by the grace of God, and our act of acceptance, believing and obedience, that we can rest assured God has promised us that he will not let us go and finish the good work he started in us until the end. I will remind this person that their is no limit to the power of God, and by making Him your rock, you will be protected from evil if you lean on Him in times of weakness and doubt as it is promised in 1 Peter 1:5 Having no assurance harms the joy and peace you should experience as a Christian, and will prevent you from growing in Christ, and getting closer to God. A false sense of salvation, means you are saved no matter what. I do not think if you live a life of no matter what, that you will be blameless, and spotless when the day comes, and if you have lived a life serving two Gods you have a problem, because God Himself has said, there is only One.

Q4. (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22; 1 Corinthians 14) Why do churches sometimes despise or prohibit prophecy? What guidelines does Paul give here and in 1 Corinthians 14 to keep prophecy in a congregation healthy? It is a problem when people in churches start prophesying and are convinced that it is something that is from God, and they have the responsibility to tell everybody. The problem is too many are from the person thinking something or visualising something and not from God. This can cause a weakening in the faith of other believers when they see prophecies not happening. It can also cause disorder id people convinced everything is a prophecy go up on the stage and make continuous announcements. It can also cause bad feelings in the church when someone who wants to share a prophecy are told they can not. The advice Paul gives makes sense in that we need to be certain, patient and discerning when we allow people to speak prophecies boldly. They need to council the leaders of the church and pray and test the prophecy with scripture before it is announced.

Q3. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) In your own words explain how a person can rejoice and pray continually. Are there any circumstances we might be in the midst of where we should not give thanks to God? You can rejoice and pray continually, only if you have Jesus on your mind continually. We delight in the small and big blessings in our lives, whether it is to us personally, or seen around us. This is when we keep rejoicing at how wonderful it is to know God. We need to keep God in our prayers not only for needs, but certainly for praise and thanks as well. And by praying it could mean just talking to God in your thinking as you drive your car, having your lunch, doing your work, etc. Paul says we should give thanks in all circumstances, and it will be difficult in some instances to give thanks, I am just thinking, what if you loose child? The sadness, and heartache must be unthinkable, and to give thanks in such circumstances would be so difficult, BUT thanking God that you had the gift of that child, and precious time, and memories would be how , " all the time" should be looked at.

Q2. (1 Thessalonians 5:15) What happens to people who seek revenge on those who hurt them? What happens when they neglect to forgive those who have wronged them? What happens in a congregation that has an unloving, superior attitude towards outsiders? How do these attitudes reflect on Christ? How can people or congregations get healthy after have been vengeful, proud, or unforgiving? People who seek revenge darken their hearts, and although we instinctively want to get even, we are not living in love and expressing that Christ like attitude when we are all about taking revenge. By seeking revenge we are sinning as it is a commandment in the Bible that we should not act this way. If you cannot forgive those who have wronged you , you are giving in to the devil poisoning your mind and letting you walk a life away from the peace that Jesus wants you to have. More important Jesus himself has said, how can we ask and expect forgiveness from God if we can not forgive one another. He has also said it is a sin to go to bed angry with someone at the end of the day, and you should make your peace before you go to sleep. I have never experienced an unloving congregation, but I would only assume that it will be a congregation, set in their ways, not growing since outsiders will not feel loved or welcome. Superior attitude I have experienced in some churches, where the leaders only mingle with the influential members, and that does not lead to an inclusive , loving feeling in the congregation. Jesus is all about love, inclusion, and humbleness, and most importantly forgiveness. All of these things will create a congregation that is Christ like , and can only grow and get stronger. Congregations that do not have these attributes need to reflect deeply on the spiritual health of their church, and they need to repent from these bad attitudes, and ask God for forgiveness, and ask for spiritual revival and healing in the church. Nothing angers Jesus more than church leaders, and members that act like they are superior to others, but are nothing more than hypocrites.

Q1. (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13) What happens in a congregation when people don’t show respect for their leaders? What happens when the disrespectful spread their disrespect? Will getting rid of the leader fix the problem, or is there something deeper going on here? When a congregation shows disrespect for their leader it results in a breakdown in the unity of a congregation and community. If the leader is a faithful servant of God and not someone who talks the talk and not walk the walk, then it is very sad and unhealthy and sinful to disrespect the leader. Such a church will have small factions and clicks that all caused an unwelcome, unloving, and spiritually unhealthy environment to be in , especially where you need to feel the opposite in serving and worshipping God, and having fellowship with fellow Christians. No , if the leader is not the real problem but the individuals who have an agenda against the leader, it will not fix the problem. It is to be found in all areas of life where people come together, at work, clubs, sport, church etc. there will be some that want to have it their way, and if they don't, or they do not agree to something, it leads to a breakdown in relationships and fractionalisation. Sadly it points to the self, being more important, and more sadly not showing the loving spirit that we would like to see in fellow Christians. We have a duty as members of the church of Christ, to point out these flaws in attitude, and behaviour to these people, after all , do we want their approval , or the approval of Jesus when it comes to matters in His church.

Q4. (1 Thessalonians 5:4-8) What effect should a belief in Christ’s soon coming have on believers? What does it mean to be “sober” or “self-controlled” (verse 6)? What does it mean to be “alert” or “watchful” (verse 6)? How does this differ from our normal Christian lifestyle? The belief of Christ soon coming should have an effect of waking you up with a real sense of earnestness and anticipation of the reality that it could be any day any time, and not just something that is somewhere on the horizon. This should make a believing Christian put oil in his lamp every day and not have the flame go out and he was caught asleep, and unprepared. Being sober means to have a clear understanding of what your actions should be like and how you should be living your life as a Christian believing that Jesus is returning for His people at any moment. You should not be careless and irresponsible in your walk with Jesus, like a person that is the opposite of sober, being drunk. It is very much the same as being alert, but I think being alert could refer to Christians who are sober, but they are in autopilot mode and go about with the same daily approach and lukewarm relationship in their faith. Time to wake up and draw closer to God, for your redemption is near. This is what our Christian life should be like, being sober, and alert every day, but we are often drawn away from this by our lives being here and now, and life with work, family, self, etc, taking over our days and hours and God and what he wants not always being first. If we remind ourselves that God comes first in everything that we do we will be more ready and alert on a daily basis.