Paul H

**** is destructive, it eats away at us and Jesus said that we should view it very seriously (as seriously as adultery. Agape love is the opposite of ****. It sees everyone as a child of God and with agaape love we see everyone as we would a brother or sister. When a person is looked at in this way, there can be no room for ****.

First; prayer, second; prayer; third; prayer!! As I go through life Jesus is standing right next to me the whole time. There is no need to imagine this, it is just a fact. Most of the time this is a great comfort and strength and frankly is what keeps me going some of the time, but there may be times when you might wish that Jesus wasn't there when temptation like this arises. He is there. If I would not be happy doing something with Jesus standing right beside me, then the liklihood is I should not be doing it and ultimately it will damage my relationship with Him. That sense of having Jesus right next to me and communicating with Him as a friend on a regular basis (as I would with any other friend who I was with) has helped me immensely when these temptations come along (as they will).

P*********y is most obviously a breach of the 10th commandment. However, more importantly, it is a breach of one of what Jesus described as the one of the greatest commandments, namely to love your neighbour as yourself. P*********y is the diametric opposite of love. It is l*st with no care or thought for the object of that l*st, who is after all a child of God. Going to prostitues takes the whole thing one step further moving from a breach of the 10th commandment to comitting adultery. Fundementally though it is still a breach of the commandement to love our neighbours as ourselves. The most obvious victims are the subjects (both men and women) of the p*********y and the prostitutes themselves but in fact everyone is a victim - the whole of society loses from this.

Q1. (Matthew 5:27-30; Exodus 20:17) What is the point of similarity between adultery and lus+? The similarity is that they are both breaches of God's commandments and both flow from the same problem which is a lack of love. What is the difference? **** is desiring to have sex with someone, adultery is taking the next step and actually doing it. How does lus+ break the Tenth Commandment? The tenth commandment clearly states that we should not desire in a negative lustful way our neighbours wife (or I would suggest husband) or their maidservant or manservant. ******* after someone is in clear breach of this commandment as well as in breach of Jesus' commandment to love your neighbour as yourself.

"Love your neighbour as yourself".

As so often with Christ's teachings, I think that there are 2 levels to this. The first is the practical human level. Here He is saying that it is always better to settle a wrong before it gets before a judge because once a judge has passed judgement, there is no room for negotiation, the judge will impose the full penalty required under the law, which might result in you having to pay every last cent of the amount due and, in Jesus' time (and in fact up until quite recently in many countries) thrown in debtors prison until full payment had been made. This is bad enough, but on the second level, Jesus is using this as a parable to show how important repentance is before God. Settling with God now by a true repentance avoids appearing before Him as our judge and the judgement of God will have much more serious consequences than the judgement of any human judge.

If we seek to honour God by offering Him our worship whilst we are still in sin, then it makes a mockery of the whole thing and the worship which we bring will not be pleasing to God. Therefore, we need to go back and seek reconciliation and, only having sought reconcilitation and having asked forgiveness, return to our worship. Of course, reconciliation is a 2 way affair, whoever is in the wrong and if our brother or sister refuses to be reconcilied despite our efforts, then provided that we have done everything that we can to effect a reconciliation then, from our point of view, we have offered our reconciliation and it may be impossible to do more (you can lead a horse to water but cannot make it drink, as the saying goes). God looks at our hearts though and if our attempt to reconcile was genuine and heart felt then that will be in line with what Jesus was teaching here.

Jesus is simply saying that calling someone a fool in this way is a sin in the same way that murder is a sin... and sin is sin. It is wrong and offends God. I don't think that He is saying though that having angry attitudes towards others is murder, because quite clearly it isn't. It is just that both are an offence against God and in God's eyes any sin is a sin.

Q1. (Matthew 5:17-20) Can you see any tendencies in the church today to effectively "abolish" the Old Testament from our Christian faith? I don't see any such tendencies. Of course, the Old Testement has to be read in the light of the New and in particular in the light of the life of Jesus, but in my experience I don't see any tendency to sweep the Old Testament away completely. What does a "Christian" legalism look like in a church? The same as it did in Jesus' time. Essentially, this comes back to the old issue of us thinking that we can save ourselves by our own efforts; by complying with a set of rules or a set format of doing things. That is not to say that there is anything wrong with the rules or the set format of doing things, but it isn't that which is going to save us. What does it look like in a church where there are no moral standards and no obedience expected of Christians? It isn't a church, or at least not a Christian Church. I am not sure what it is, but it certainly is not a Christian Church.

Q4. (Matthew 5:13-15) How do verses 13-16 relate to verses 10-12? Together they set out a profile of a true disciple of Christ. How does hiding our light affect the glory of God? Because our light is a reflection of God's glory. Why must glory and suffering go hand in hand? Was Jesus' suffering necessary? Is ours? I think that whilst suffering is to some extent to be expected by Christians and if we are suffering for our faith we should be glad, I don't think that an absence of suffering in a Christian's life necessarily points to the fact that there is something wrong with that person's faith or relationship with God. Being realistic, Christian's do not generally really suffer in places like the UK (and the rest of Europe) and the US. For sure people may laugh at us and make jokes at our expense, but people get laughed at and have jokes made about them for all sorts of reasons. However, if this is suffering and we are suffering it for our faith then we should rejoice because it means our faith is obvious enough to those making the jokes to convict us of being Christians. Jesus' suffering was necessary as a sacrifice to reconcile us Man to God. What does this have to do with Romans 12:2? By following the guidance set out in the Beatitudes and the following passage, we put ourselves at odds with the world and therefore invite its scorn and ridicule. In Romans 12:2 Paul says that we should no longer conform to the pattern of the World but be transformed into the profile which Jesus is describing here.

The danger is of hiding our faith and Christian witness from those around us (except maybe on a Sunday!) It would be absurd to light a lamp and then hide it under a bowl, so it is just as absurd for Christians to hide their faith in Jesus who is the light of the world. One other point to note. If you were to place a lamp of the type which Jesus was describing under a bowl, the likihood is that it would go out as a result of a lack of oxygen fueling the flame.

It is like trying to cook a delicious dish with all the best ingredients, but with a spice which has gone past its best before date. Something is missing, as time goes on the flavour that it was meant to add to the dish fades until it is not detectable. That can happen to Christians and it is obvious to all, believers and non believers alike. The crucial symptom is when we seem to be blending in with the World around us, we have lost our distinctive flavour and become a part of the general bland taste of the World. Only one cure; return to the spice jar which is God, feed on His word. go to Him in prayer and for sure the spice will be replenished.

Q1. (Matthew 5:13) In what sense are Christians the "salt of the earth" using the preservation analogy? In 2 ways. First of all in a spiritual sense by holding back the wrath of God from a corrupt world. As with Abraham and his arguments with God about the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah so God spares the corrupt world for the sake of His saints. Second; in a physical sense Christians are preservers of the world and working for the saving of the world from physical corruption. So I think that Christians have a duty to be at the forefront of the fight to retain the beauty of God's creation here on earth. This can be seen in the examples which Pastor Ralph gave as well as in Christians who were at the forefront of the campaign for nuclear disarmament and now at the forefront of the debate on global warming. We have a duty to preserve God's creation in every form and as such are a preserving element like salt. In what sense are Christians the "salt of the earth" using the seasoning analogy? Whoever you serve with a good curry will always be able to taste the spice of the curry. Some people might not like curry, but everyone will be able to taste it. So it is with Christians. Everyone should be able to taste the spice of our faith in everything we do and are. Some people might not like it, but it should always be there. If it loses its flavour then it is time to top up our jar of spice.

Where the persecution comes as a result of our righteousness, because we are standing up for our faith and not denying it, then we should rejoice because we are sharing in Christ's sufferings and, like Christ, we will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Of course, there is an element of "pie in the sky" in this, but it is so much more than that. First; pie in the sky suggests some kind of vague hope of something which might happen but ultimately is unlikely ... I might win the lottery! However, we know that it is not a vague hope it is a certainty because that is what Jesus has promised. Second; even leaving aside any thought of our inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven in the future, in the here and now, by being a part of Christ's sufferings in the here and now we are (in the here and now) in Christ. That in itself would be sufficient to make me rejoice.

Q5. (Matthew 5:8) Why can people with a pure heart see, know, and discern God? Why can't "chronic" sinners see God? Because God desires a pure heart and without it, we are cut off from God. As we sin, which we inevitably will, a barrier goes up between us and God until we bring ourselves back to God and ask for His forgiveness. The more we sin and don't ask for forgiveness, the more opaque that barrier becomes until eventually we just can't see God at all. How do we obtain the pure or clean heart that Jesus describes? With the help of the Holy Spirit by reaching out to God for Him to cleanse and purify us. This isn't something which we can do on our own, but only through God with the help of the Holy Spirit.

In the eyes of the world, righteousness is viewed as sanctimonious or holier than thou and this is seen in a negative light. What Jesus meant and what we should be striving for can be seen in His analysis of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5. We should strive for what is right, for the truth and for real justice. If we desire righteousness, then Jesus promises that we will be filled with righteousness not by our own striving, but by God's grace.

Q3. (Matthew 5:5) How does this sort of gentleness contrast with the world's ideal? It is the complete opposite. In the World, it is true to say that blessed are the arrogant and the pushy for they will and, in practice do, inherit the World... but that is all they inherit and this World will pass away and they will find that their inheritance will crumble to dust. What Christ promises is that the meek will inherit the Earth and we are told that God will build His kingdom on Earth ("thy Kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" we pray). This Earth, the Earth referred to in the Lords prayer, will not pass away but will endure forever and it is in that not in the World that the meek have their inheritance. How is humility important to Christlikeness? It is a key factor. Christ was humble and we should strive to be like Him.

It is only when we come to the realisation that we can do nothing for ourselves and that we are dependent 100% on Gods grace that God can start to work in us. At that point when we realise that we are lost totally and utterly (as did Isaiah before God in Isaiah 6) then we will mourn our loss. It is at that point that God can come in and turn our mourning into dancing (Psalm 30 v 11). As Christians we continually mourn the isolation of the World in which we live and those around us from God, but we rejoice in the knowledge that through Christ we now have a path to God and that this isolation will be gone when Christ returns.

Q1. (Matthew 5:3-11) Each Beatitude consists of two parts. What are these parts? The first part identifies the character or nature of the kind of person who Jesus is identifying and the second part identifies the gift which such a person shall receive from God. So for example a person who is meek will inherit the Earth Why do you think Jesus made each Beatitude a paradox? God's mercy and grace to us is in itself a paradox. It just isn't logical in worldly terms that God should extend His grace to us, but He does. This paradox is highlighted in the Beatitudes What is the relationship of the Beatitudes to the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)? They refer to the same types of characteristics. Compare for example meekness and gentleness, self control and merciful, peace and peacemakers etc etc

Now that Onesimus is a Christian, there needs to be reconciliation between Onesimus and Philemon who are now brothers in Christ. Onesimus needs to go back to make amends to Philemon and Philemon needs to forgive Onesimus for the worng which he has done. This is really a practical worked example of the way in which Paul tells the people of the Colossian chucrh to conduct themselves in Colossians 3 v 12 - 14

He was singled out because Paul felt, for whatever reason, that he was in need of some encouragement to continue the ministry which he had been called to in Church. Obvisously, he was some kind of leader in the Church and Paul is encouraging him to continue in the work which he is doing in that church. We all need encouragement to carry on in what we are doing. Sometimes a particualr difficulty associated with what we are doing throws us off course, sometimes just the simple passage of time can blunt our original zeal and purpose. This can be fired up again by just a few words of encouragement and I think that this is what Paul is doing here.