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wifee

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Everything posted by wifee

  1. 2a)When groups assume we will do x,if it is not something feel comfortable with,I don’t join in activity,and say it is against what I believe as a Christian,In groups of non-believers haven’t always spoken of my faith,as fearful they would not understand me.More comfortable with friendship evangelism in one’s ot twos. b)antidote is trusting in Christ &work of HS in us to overcome my cowardice &fears. The Spirit give us the words& confidence to speak of His power working through us to overcome any fears.We must be bold and step out. c)remembering to ask for God's help&power through his Spirit in us,rather than speaking with own words&strength.
  2. 5a)We can guard the faith we have by seeking to grow in our lives with Christ. By humbly,naturally speaking of our hope in Jesus,forgiveness received and the difference He has made in our lives.Staying in the Word&in prayer. Accepting change when it comes,joyfully trusting the Lord. Friendship evangelism through loving actions that give,care,softening hearts of others& sharing truth with them. Being alert to see scripture is preached accurately..A living active faith,is positive,joyful and loving. Galatians 5:22, By the fruit in us will produce and show that the Holy Spirit is in control of our lives . Love, joy, peace, paitence, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, and their is no conflict with being plesent to be around when the Sweet Sweet Spirit of God is in control all and everything about Him is positive.
  3. 4a)Antedote actions=Hope in God at all times;Think of all good can do with money&do what we can;Continually seek to do good deeds of compassion,kindness&charity;Be generous with others;Willing to share out of our plenty of food/ possessions. b)If we have a heart to love others as Jesus commanded us,it shows in our words&actions,we naturally want to share what we have with them,follow the Spirits prompts when to do so,&how can help people in their need.As families it is good to dialogue about money decisions where can&demonstrate generosity.
  4. a)The love of money grows into pursuit of being rich, desire for wealth,sin of greed fed by tv adverts,etc.Love for money grows,when our love for Jesus doesn’t.When covet something,the devil hooks us in. b)It becomes a trap,leads us away from faith&trusting God to provide for us,into thinking self-improvement is through us.God gives, when we desire for more getting something newer,better never stops.We don’t realise how our focus is easily dulled by peers &a desire for latest possessions that promise happiness, can trap us if not alert to the money trap. c) To escape this trap need to seek first the kingdom of God ,watch who we are listening to,watching.Desire to study the Word each day,being grateful for what God has given us.Trusting God for there’ s no other way, to be happy in Jesus,than to trust &obey.
  5. 2a)If seek contentment,we have peace in our hearts.We are learning to be satisfied with our circumstances,getting our priorities right,desiring Him only.Seeing how God is providing for us each day,food,clothing,roof over head,rather than not noticing how God provides for us. No,contentment helps us to trust God will provide enough for what families need, being grateful for everything,rather than straining for more costly things that don’t bring true happiness.Seeing their joy in things of life provided for us bringing peace,real happiness&contentment. c)Balance is praying for God’s help when deciding about a purchase.The less we expect,the more we receive.God knows when we have sufficient.When we are in the centre of God’s will, our priorities become His priorities.Even when we think we don’t have enough,we can look at our lives &see at the blessings all around us.Our inner resources of spiritual riches far beyond that which earth can offer, peace with God, spiritual joy, and assurance of salvation. Knowing that: ...in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
  6. 2a)If seek contentment,we have peace in our hearts.We are learning to be satisfied with our circumstances,getting our priorities right,desiring Him only.Seeing how God is providing for us each day,food,clothing,roof over head,rather than not noticing how God provides for us. No,contentment helps us to trust God will provide enough for what families need, being grateful for everything,rather than straining for more costly things that don’t bring true happiness.Seeing their joy in things of life provided for us bringing peace,real happiness&contentment. c)Balance is praying for God’s help when deciding about a purchase.The less we expect,the more we receive.God knows when we have sufficient.When we are in the centre of God’s will, our priorities become His priorities.Even when we think we don’t have enough,we can look at our lives &see at the blessings all around us.Our inner resources of spiritual riches far beyond that which earth can offer, peace with God, spiritual joy, and assurance of salvation. Knowing that: ...in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
  7. 1a)Distorted truth about wealth coming from godliness,appeals to our sinful human minds distorted by society telling us we need more money to provide for xor y. We are easily deceived,and lose our focus that God does&will provides for all our true needs. in Christ we are rich indeed. Wealth is a dangerous deceive,e.gharder for the rich man to enter kingdom of heaven. b)Distortions I’ve heard are that- gaining wealth is a sign of Gods blessing; living godly lives will produce wealth as a blessing.If people pursue the blessings of wealth, they are putting this before God &his righteousness.Our minds are easily deceived into thinking if we behave in godly way this will automatically bring us wealth. People believe a lie and the truth has been stolen replaced by distorted truth that will corrupt them. They worship God for what they want/expect to receive,perhaps because possessions are more impt to them than seeking to serve others&obey as Jesus did.These people are not content. c) The truth - "but godliness with contentment is great gain." 1 Tim. 6:6.as true fulfilment &happiness comes from the Lord alone,our relationship with Him&following His teachings No amount of money,possessions&wealth can buy this. Jesus asks us in Mt 6:33 seek the kingdom first and His righteousness&all these things will be added unto you. Matthew 6:8 He provides for us we need,not what we want. God blesses us according to the riches of His glory (Eph 3:16, Col 1:27) and that translates to spiritual wealth. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matt6:20-21)Wealth can be used for serving God,however the pursuit of wealth is not godly.
  8. 5a)The gospel declares all humans are united and one in Christ Galations 3:28,Jesus died that we would be set free.The seeds of freedom &true equality have been sown,we are all equal persons in the family God &in the church.He also encourages slaves to gain their freedom, if that it becomes available (1 Corinthians 7:20-23), encouraging Philemon to free his slave Onesimus,(now believer) (Philemon 10-16).He shows Word makes provision for slaves. b)Paul gives guidelines for slaves behaviour,urges believing slaves to serve believing masters even better as their fellow believers,united in christ for the sake of the church.He implied he wanted slaves to maintain their role in societybecause he didn’t want to encourage any rebellion amongst slaves that would encourage further persecution&labelling as a sect.We are all bondslaves to JC,who he sets free is free indeed.How we respect our masters(employers) now irrespective of their faith reflects our relationship with Christ,our witness .c)Paul didn’t want speaking of Jesus&his teaching to be made any more difficult,his prime concern was to spread the gospel.
  9. 4a)Appointing laying on of hands,deacons&elders is not just ceremonial,but involves us as a church sharing in,being responsible in part the deeds of others in ministry Therefore we shouldn’t replace deacons hastily but see if their faith is proven through testing times ,until know them well over period of time.. b)Reason being a persons sin may not be immediately obvious, some sins only become apparent when people serve. c) If after seeking the Lord who the right people may be for a position ,getting to know person &how they have served in church life in lesser roles. they should be appointed first as deacon to see whether they serve with humility in church leadership,before nominating for elder position, this helps discerning of church for future and helps lessen dangers of electing person to position not suitable for.
  10. 3a)Paul had to address problem that some of elders had been teaching false doctrine.Justice is impt to God& to be seen to be done in the church.Accusations need to be supported by 2 witnesses before being considered(Deuteronomy 19:15)to protect elders from maliciousness,but if proved,should be corrected openly,not in private, if person doesn’t repent when challenged,so that justice can be brought into church can become right in time,. b)Temptations to not discipline,but compromise going with flow,come through focusing on person,their good standing,&fear of opposing -ve reaction of some in church who don;t accept accusations causing church upset,rather than trusting God to provide,&let justice be served.It’s easier to avoid,than deal with some aspects, c)Today people tolerate sinful behaviours too often as “part of life” for same reasons.Not realising that when a sinner repents when brought to justice,they are on path to restoration.
  11. 2a)Elders who work full time to teach,direct &lead a church it’s affairs,its mission, should receive “ double honour”,respect for what they do &financial compensation,payment for their work. b)Paul cites in v18"Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain." (Deuteronomy 25:4). Even oxen who thresh the grain after harvesting, but would be allowed to pause to eat some of it during their efforts, inferring should have compassion for workers.Also cites Jesus' teaching on preacher compensation in Luke 10:7workers worthy of their wages, based on commands in O T not to defraud workers, but to pay them promptly for their work (Leviticus 19:13; Deuteronomy 24:14-15; James 5:4)
  12. 5a)As part of love for God we should fulfil the5thcommandment &care for our aging relatives. as it is our responsibily to do what we can,not leave the state to bear cost. b)This is our Christian responsibility putting our faith into practice,our commitment to God, showing them the love&care they have given us.Walking the talk.Matthew25: 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ If we don’t we are denying the faith &worse not caring as much as some unbelievers do looking after their elderly. c)Us caring for our relatives is God’s way of repaying what they did for us,our debt to them. d)Those who refuse this responsibility are losing the faith& are compared as worse than infedel’s,unbelievers.
  13. 5a)As part of love for God we should fulfil the5thcommandment &care for our aging relatives. It is our responsibily to do what we can,not the state to bear this. b)This is our Christian responsibility putting our faith into practice, showing them the love&care they probably would have given us. If we don’t we are denying the faith &worse than the unbeliever who do look after their elderly. c)Us caring for these relatives is God’s way of repaying what they did for us. d)Those who refuse this responsibility are compared as worse than infedel’s,unbelievers.
  14. 4a)Right doctrine does not produce godlines, because godliness is the fruit of our love for God,our heart,mind&soul response. b)If we preach godliness but don’t show evidence of it,we lose integrity of what we say,people neglect/dismiss what we say&go their own way.People learn from what they see in action,not just leaders words,they need to feelGod’s love through us.We need to show our need ofGod’s grace &help in this too&demonstrate godliness by diligently persevering at all times with help ofHS,learning as He guides us how to please Him loving others by our actions&thoughts.
  15. 3a)Godliness is inwardly seeking&serving God in love&seeking to please him,because we love Him more than sin. It is the fruit of our love for God, and is shown by how we chose to think & what we do each day.e.gLiving in peace with our neighbour,work collegues,family,doing good deeds for each other and not participating with gossip,drunken,anger,bitterness or other sinful behaviour.It is our fulfilment of first Great commandment Mark12:29-30 God’s HolySpirit in us helping us listen&yield to the Spirit’s prompting,guidance&correction as a way of life produces godliness in us.Each day as we confess our errors,learn from them &receive God’s forgiveness,we can step forward cleansed in peace&Christ’s power. c)Godliness is different because strict morality is an outward obedience or legalism seeking to not dox out of selfish fear of punishment or to adance self.Godliness however is action withHS help out of love for God&seeking to please Him not self.
  16. 4a)Paul wants to remind Timothy so he is not surprised,that leaders,members of Ephesian church who abandon their faith & spread false teachings, will betray & hate each other&cause chaos in the church.Jesus spoke of the falling away in the last days caused by the antichrist where false prophets deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Matthew 24:10-13) b)This knowledge will help Timothy &us to seek those to preach are emotionally &doctrinally secure to convey clearly biblical teaching,restricting the public speaking opportunities for those who desire to spread false teaching.Timothy will be able to explain to church what is happening if apostacy occurs& how false teaching has come about through satan’s influence, desentizing false teachers consciences so they can no longer recognise truth from falsehood,and to prepare church for it and guard against it by teaching the biblical truth,trusting God not man.
  17. 2a) Doing things because of legalistic rules appeals to us because we feel we are being self-righteous,doing the right thing. b)Outward performance of godliness,without inward submission to Christ produces false pride in self,sense of false superiority and a lack of fulfilment as inwardly always striving. c) Legalism is about what people do to fulfil rules&seek to earn way to salvation,but is unfulfilling. The true gospel is about what God has done for us through Jesus his saving grace, &power, throughHS in us we are cleansed,freed from hold of legalism&in humility empowered to live to serve Him through our thoughts &actions each day.
  18. 4a)Yes. b)Both have need for same character qualities.Differences are in their functions. Deacons carry out more of administrative,service leadership role,caring for practical,business functions of church, visiting sick,distributing funds to those in need.Elders being more of a role in bringing God’s word teaching &prayer, bringing encouragemen and also rebuke if necesssary.Guarding against false teaching, keepiing true to the word at all times.
  19. 3a)Officers need to be able to keep a level head,be measured&fair in their responses, weighing up situations,&seeking the Lord’ guidance before acting.These tendencies mentioned indicate someone controlled by flesh,affecting how person thinks&acts, rather than led by HS.as in Galations 5:22-25 says But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. b)If these factors are not suitably considered,people are hurt, oppressed,leaders lose credibility, people leave, church splits&,chaos follows&a poor witness to community.Serving &honouring God should be first,not self.
  20. 2a)Observing how prospective leaders function in church roles e.g.small gp leading,other leadership roles,children’s work etc as away of assessing their character qualities,how they relate/live out faith with different people&respond to challenges,critiscim etc. This is a way of testing their suitability for office. b)We should look that they have a good reputation&character, willingness to be hospitable, heart for poor&lost,that they are faithful,dependable & trustworthy in all that they do,that they are not open to blame, that they love what is good,and seeking to do the right,just,fair thing. They should be serious about their spiritual life,earnestly seeking the Lord daily,how they speak about Jesus in all they do,be mature in their faith, and have had their faith tested so that it is proven to be genuine, and nothing can be held against them in office.
  21. 1a) I believe Paul is recommending a leader to be faithful to his/her marriage partner, so they will be above any critiscim by the church &wider community. This would be a good example to the church&community of being faithful &commited to one marriage partner, a good witness to their faith& Jesus’ teachings &a stark contrast to the Greek& Roman culture of the day. b)God’s has given man responsibility for&guidelines to follow to care for his family. How a leader follows this in looking after his family&brings up his children, whether the children obey&respect him/her, whether they believe etc are all good indicators of how well, she/he will manage, shepherd God’s household, the church, in a position of leadership.Both family &church leadership responsibilities take much wisdom, patience, love, faithfulness, loyalty, trustiness. For man/woman to do this well, he must depend on the Holy Spirit to lead him/her&be seeking the Lord daily in prayer.Being Christ centred &commited fully to roles called into. If children are wild&disobedient, can be many causes, but this could imply their parents are not behaving in way that encourages respect & obedience.
  22. 5a)Women in leadership positions though scandalous in the Greek and Roman cultures of the time ¬ right time as early Christian churchs trying to avoid alienating people from faith & establish itself as a viable force in society with gospel message of eqality salvation for all &.Galations 3:28. Current day western culture &churches, values more women using their gifting to teach in small gps,teaching in church if specifically gifted&recognised by church, prayer,prophesy &for me with voluntary submission to husband so I dont usurp my husband’s authority in home.This balance keeps the harmony of our marriage relationship.Specific calling for women in ministry I recognise, preferably if they are also involved with children &co-ordinating practical things at home,e.g food,washing,bills. Women are saved in their calling as wives and mothers a well as those who are public leaders in a teaching capacity in the church. b)The fact word gynē, from which we get our word "gynecology and gyneology stresses the importance of child bearing..Women were allowed to prophecy and pray in the service (1 Corinthians 11:5)Wives, according to the teaching of the apostles, are to be in voluntary submission to their husbands who have authority" (NIV, NRSV. Women who, "exercise authority" (NASB)should avoid, "usurping authority" (KJV) is authentet is derived from autos,"self" + entea, "arms," annotfrom an earlier usage, "one who with his own hand kills either others or himself.From Deborah (Judges 4-5) and Huldah (2 Kings 22:14-2 who became leaders against cultural norm, this demonstrates if the Holy Spirit has gifted, we as humans should’nt deny use of the gift. I am still learning each day.Thank you RW
  23. 4a)In Pauls time many of the women would have been slaves, unable to afford costly gold earings,pearls,costly garments, such an act of pretentious display of wealth would have been offensive, in poor taste, and accentuated the divide between the rich and the poor.Paul didn’t want message of lack of concern for poor&drawing attention to themselves instead of Jesus,as this was poor witness of gospel in Ephesis. b)We (women)are to apply Paul’s teaching in current day by dressing with thought of impact on others,not an outward show of costly clothes,loads of lavish jewelery &makeup drawing attention to themselves,bearing little concern for those with little money around them not able to afford this, but rather instead clothing ourselves modestly, sensitive to social/church situation and behaving with good deeds/works representing “the inward person of the heart”1Peter 3:4.in this way loving our neighbour&the Lord as part of our act of worship.It is our hearts that are judged by God &man not appearance.
  24. 3a)Paul is aware some men were lifting their hands,Jewish custom to bless God &bless, whilst in strife &infighting with others.Praising with their mouths,while having hearts of anger& in dispute with false teachers about their teaching. b)Worshipping with a heart of anger,resentment etc between our brother affects the purity of our worship individually &as a church. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift." (Matthew 5:23-24)We cannot worship in spirit &truth in a way that pleases God who is pure,for him to hear us,if our hearts,hands&minds are not clean ,as imprity intrudes in our worship of God."When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean." (Isaiah 1:15-16a)
  25. 2a)Paul encouraged Timothy to emphasise for Ephesians, so it was clear to everyone,that salvation for all,is not based on mere words of Jesus negotiating the forgiveness of our sins,but by Christ Jesus(God in flesh)&fully man’s action.He stood in the gap between us&God since Adam&Eve sinned,none other than Jesus could secure for all our forgiveness&salvation. b)Christ Jesus dying on cross&rising again(resurrection) was the perfect,sinless substitute sacrifice necessary for the forgiveness of our sins.Therefore stressing his dual role mediating with,pleading for us with God the father,and paying the costly ransom for our forgiveness.He died so that we may live life to the full.
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