randy777

Q4. In what way does Abraham show persistence? He continues to ask God to be forgiving for the sake of less and less Godly people but in my own mind his prayer is really for his brother Lot and for his own love of Lot. It surprises me that he is not praying for those who might turn to God by some cause or does he not dare to assume that God already has decided all is beyond salvation for these people. Why is persistence necessary in prayer? We come to God first in our own mindset, praying amiss and if our hearts are open God will answer us with what we should have been praying for. In this case the actual prayer of Abraham's heart is answered in God allowing him to get Lot out of Sodom. Have you ever experienced "praying through"? What was it like? Emotionally debilitating

I think Abraham pleased God and though very imperfect in his fath in God he had accepted a relationship with the Father and had out of that relationship a boldness to do as the Lord ask and to present a type of Jesus for those who were to be God's children.

Q1. What is the basis of Abraham's argument that God should spare Sodom? How does it relate to God's character? The rain falls on the just and on the wicked likely speaks to natural blessing more than disaster and of couse in it doing so is not about judgement or grace and I mention it because it comes to mind not because it has been mentioned in the lesson. There is so much of the Protestant work ethic that goes back to the nature of God. Abraham's brother Lot had pitched his tent toward Sodom and some say his position at the gate would be that of Mayor and Abraham had before this gone out to save him and his goods from other invading Kings and had tithed to the King of Salem from what he took back which one would guess was more than just Lot's stuff but also of the King's and all else but he did not keep it. So he had saved his brother and Sodom and returned them to their lives. There was not a call to right though one tends to think that comes from the heart and mind and from the Holy Spirit in such circumstances though having witnessed Rita and Katrina I can say that it does not seem to have come for many who wish to return to debauchery instead of seeing a clean slate where God has given an opportunity to build on the Good and desert the sinful. Randy

2Pe 3:9 - The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. I plan to live through this hurricane but there are many millions of permutations on how that might happen and if God's plan is for me to go home then I am all for that as well. I am praying selfishly that the storm will pass us by. God's will though is on a level beyond my life or death though he may have plans for me he will be glad to raise up rocks to take my place if I choose to be stupid.

Eph 4:26 - Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: This to the question of a loving God and an angry God. I love the music that comes from New Orleans. I am saddened, sickened, and angered by all the perversions that keep me from enjoying that music live because of all the things that go on where it is played live. God has created a happiness beyond music if we just could learn to hear it pure and it might be smooth or it might be like a mighty wind but it would be as he is and he just is. I cannot place on God my definition of love or my sin that anger might cause me because in him it is pure and sin is not added to it because he knows the end and so even if he takes our life here from us he has provided beyond that for us.

Just wanted to say tha I am still enjoying the study though I have not had the energy to maintain the study as I would have liked. I find that at least reading the question and recalling the time in the story from memory is a help as I help others move and in my own daily seeking of God's will. Randy

Q3. (20:3-6) What does this story teach us about God's view of adultery? It would be a fate worse than death. Can God forgive a person who has committed adultery? Yes, David as an example but there were consequences.

Q2. (12:17-20) Why did Pharaoh and his household get sick? To cause them to seek answers. What effect did this have? They learned what they had done wrong. What was God seeking to accomplish through this affliction? To show Pharaoh what he had done wrong as well as to show Abraham how he had misjudged God and his relationship to the unbeliever. Oh also to have him let his people go as his people were at this point the DNA of two people. Did it have the desired effect? I will ask when I see him in heaven since all of this was not covered in the scriptures. Of course it also is working the same lessons in us now.

Q1. (12:10) What dangers faced Abraham and his family as aliens and sojourners in Egypt and elsewhere? Without proper supplies and timing I would guess they could starve and as they are coming into this land wher rules of folks along the road being cared for they may actually trespass against these folks and become criminals. Who might oppress them? People not following God. It seems odd to others what we as Christians will not do and what we will do as we are a different people. What "aliens and sojourners" live in your community? On a state basis we have many folks from Mexico as well as Central and South America but we also have many people form many nations including refugees. One fellow I know who was a project manager in his country building large communities and facilities is here and has been working folding towels in a hotel for the last seven years as that is the job the refugee folks got for him. On another level though I am a sojourner in my own church as there is a good history of families in the church of which I am not a family member. Why did they come? Wars, famine, economic unrest, religeous persecution. How are they being oppressed or discriminated against by employers and others in the community? Oddly enough the church itself may discriminate against them in that we do not look on those outside our family/church/nation as being deserving on the same level. What can you and your church do to "love those who are aliens"? I have not been able to completely answer that question except to pray for them since my personal resources are like manna or perhaps closer at the moment to a bit of flour and oil to be made into cakes but it would seem that the answers could be worked out between church and government to allow them to be productive among us.

Q4. (12:9) What was the significance of Abraham "calling on the name of Yahweh"? That Yahweh was who Abraham had decide to trust. Abraham will move sometimes into trusting the end God has given him while trying to supply his own means but this lack of understanding of God's timing and God's methods did not keep him from being chosen as God knew ahead that this would happen and it did not keep God from fullfilling his promises and pointing us to Abraham's faith.. What does it mean for you to "call on the name of the Lord"? Far too often far me it means frustration and a lack of self worth for me as Satan tears at my perception of all the Lord gives me and trys to tell me I am not anything but a thorn to others and to God. I call anyway.

Q3. (12:1 with Hebrews 11:8-10) Why does it take special faith to begin to do something in obedience to God before we see how it will turn out? Have you had any of these "opportunities"? Are you in the midst of this adventure now? I think we are always in the middle of these when we are trying to follow God and so yes I am in the middle of such a task and at the moment not sure what my next step should be but praying for God to show it to me.

Q2. (12:2-3) In what ways was Abraham blessed? Abraham was first blessed in that God revealed himself to Abraham and provided him with purpose and the means to fulfill that purpose. How have all the peoples of the earth been blessed? Through Abraham's example of faith and trust in the coming Messiah which all of us have now in turn been able to recieve as well after his coming. In what way does Abraham continue bless people through your life? As I step out from time to time when the Spirit reminds me and gives me the grace to move forward by remembering Abrahams faithfulness.

Q1. (11:32) Have you ever begun something in response to God's urging and then stopped? Did God want you to stop? Is it time now to renew your obedience and begin again? (Don't take this question lightly. Sometimes circumstances prevent us from doing what we once felt God wanted us to do. However, he is able to redirect you into his will for you now. Seek him diligently to learn his will.) Though I would love it right now to be called to do almost anything except what I am doing I am already engaged in doing that which I was called. I am also though standing and watching as storms brew in the Gulf and in the gulfs of many to whom I minister while praying that we can keep our eyes on Jesus and not on the storms.

It has been very good to get me back on track with many things in my life I had begun to neglect. As I seek to seek his kingdom first I am becoming ready to accept his will in all the other things he will add or not add at his will. I have missed an interaction between members even though at times that can become a distraction to the study.

I rest while working when I let him show me the work to do.

Q2. (Jude 20a) Why does God make you responsible to "build up" your own Christian faith? In the definition of the original languge the word 'corporate' is mentioned and I think that is an important part of the building process. Each of us has the ability to tap into God's wishes for our lives and just as Jesus often gave individuals task to perform such as washing in a stream or as God the Father gave for Abraham to go he gives us things to do that uplift us and also gives us the ability to uplift others. What are you doing on a regular basis to obey this command? I am always fearful when I say these types of things because in having shared them with others Satan will come with circumstances to derail me. I go to church and Sunday School. I tithe and give to ministries within my church and outside of it in a very tenuos and shakey process of prayer and growth. I volonteer my time and my abilities to ministries in the community. I pray for a specific area around me and for the growth of the individuals around me of which I only know a few but I seek to know others and to offer my prayers and my help to them. I study here and I read a daily devotional based on scriptures that I also read to begin the process of calibrating my thoughts to those of God. This looks like a lot but is important to understand that even though these things are done because God has shown us through example of himself and others these things are done in a fashion such as picking up manna with which I will feed myself and my family and because when I do them in his will and without seeking more than he wishes to give then I am blessed also as I allow him to bless me. Even though I am aware of being blessed less than some in an area I have grown aware that blessings from God come with a purpose and I see those purposes for which he has given to some so that they can bear burdens for themselves and for others that are not part of his purpose for me so I take as he gives and just pray that I do not neglect his will for what I do receive. What should you begin to do that will help you be built up better? After many years of being ill I looked around me and thought this place is a disorganized mess and so I began to clean and organize. In doing so I am finding blessings I have forgotten. I came across thank you notes I bought and never wrote as some from ten years ago when my physical problems began that I had written after a hospital stay but did not send. I need to see and talk to my christian friends more.

I am eternally Grateful for having been called and I bask in the warmth of God's love but at the moment I am tired and have a few hard days ahead of me so the thought of being kept by Christ is important to me not only as he will keep me in his fold and bring me to the kingdom but that he will carry me for the next few days. I am blessed in that my current work is not the longshoring or carpentering I did when I was young but being kept reminds me of how we often carried one another through short illnesses that were enough to sit us down for a while but not enough to give up the for the day. Randy

Q5. (2 Peter 3:11-12, 14-16) What effect should a belief in Christ's return and coming judgment have on your life? Every effort I put forth should be guided by my desire to please him if I were to know that he were coming with my next breath or if I were to know that he would never come and to know that I would never die. What effect does an underemphasis on Christ's return have on a Christian's life? We seem spurred to complete task by either fear or anticipation of reward. I wish thatI could seek God and his pleasure in all that I do just as Jesus does.

Q3. (2 Peter 3:9) According to Peter, why has Christ's coming been delayed? He is patient with me/us/all. What does this teach us about God? Same answer. I am not sure to say that his coming has been delayed is a correct sense of what is happening though. God is interacting with us but I would not believe that what we do actually changes anything in his plans. He has known always what we will do and has rocks prepared to take our place.

Q2. (2 Peter 3:7-13). Why is it important for us to understand what it means to "perish"? This is important because we not only bodily parish but if we are living according to our human/sin nature then we are dead already but if we are living according to the Holy Spirit which is within us once we are saved then we live. Why are these truths underemphasized in our day? To emphasis them is a process of giving up one's self, perhaps a family self, a self we are with friends, our dependence on our and others abilities and the reality we see before us to come to see a reality beyond that which I have not found to be an easy or quick thing as I continuously find new things within myself to remove and new wonders of the rest of reality to accept. What effect does that have on us? It means that we are caused to question our own faith and lose some of our blessings while also losing many blessings that would be a part of others around us being strengthened in the faith who ar under the shepherding of those who are not encouraging them. How can we get an understanding of judgment into proper balance in our churches and teaching? Loving others and continuing to study and teach the whole word of God.

Each day Satan reminds of the lies and God who loves us reminds of how much he loves us. Freely we have recieved and freely we need to give so that the flow of God's love continues. I am reminded of a story of a woman who each week went to the front of the church and would pray loudly "Lord fill me up." During the week the Pastor would see her out being mean to others and sinning in other ways. One Sunday she came to the front and in spite of all of his training to seperate the sin and the sinner, hating the sin and loving the sinnner when she offered up her prayer to be filled he prayed "Lord, do not do this, she leaks." Well I am afraid we all leak as did the woman and her pastor so we need reminding even when the world and satan are not filling us with garbage thoughts we need to be filled more and more with Jesus.

Q4. (2 Peter 2:20-22) If open sin is so spiritually dangerous, why have we churches stopped talking about it so much? I do not know that all churches have stopped talking about it in terms of generic open sin but I do believe that all churches have an open sin that they do not talk about because it is just easier to work on that splinter in someone elses eye and we are all in the process of being shown our own rail road ties in our eyes and the process of actually looking at our own sin is very unpopular because of a teaching that equates God's forgiveness as a removal of the tendency and then when we go back to our vomit we certainly have many issues of our own and of others who God would have minister to us where we fall short. Drastically short!

Q3. (2 Peter 2:19) In what way can flagrant, defiant sin enslave a person? The same way a non-defiant, non-flagrant, not yet convicted of sin enslaves us and keeps us from God's will for our lives by filling our lives with that which is not his will. Is there any way out of these sins? If we are faithful and just to repent of our sins he is faithful in keeping what we give him. If so, what is the path? A - Admit our sin B - Believe God died and will forgive us that sin as well as all others C - Confess his power over all sin in our life How can we truly love the sinner and hate the sin? Not easy, not easy at all, but when we see our rightousness as filthy rags and realize all sin is that same filth knowing that God loves us anyway and sent his Son to die for our sins then we seek to be like Christ and die to our own prejudice for a particular sin. How can we steer clear of a quick judgmental attitude toward those who sin? If your as slow and dumb as God has allowed me to be it helps because it means I do not do anything fast and somme time I will have to show from the scriptures all the neet things God gives us to be slow in doing his will.

All sin denies Christ and is incompatible with our salvation. That does not mean we are not saved but that we are not accepting the power that comes with our salvation. Our hearts contain all sins and continue to contain the possibility of any sin but as we accept God's power and look at our hearts we find they can all be overcome.

Q1. (Jude 3) Why must we "contend for the faith"? What is the danger in not challenging the doctrines of false teachers? What is the danger inherent in challenging them? How can we keep the correct balance? These questions have been well answered by several here. Keeping the balance is very hard especially if you have a teacher who has ninety percent down and is teaching something not as doctrine or to the entire congregation but is teaching something on the side to a "elect" and secretive few knowing that the teaching would split the church, teaching it anyway, and not recognizing because of his position as a teacher that many will take it as doctrine or essential and that it can then become for them works overshadowing grace.