PATCH

Why do you think Jesus sets up the hero of the parable as a Samaritan? How does the Samaritan show undeserved favor? In your community, who are the “neighbors” that are resented? In what ways can you and/or your Christian community show God’s grace to them? The Jews hated the Samaritans so much that they labelled them as dogs! And the Samaritans were resentful towards the Jews for destroying their temple. In this parable, the priest and the Levite chose to ignore the injured traveller. But the Samaritan treated him like a human being not an enemy and helped him. The Samaritan showed grace, love and care - he shared God's heartbeat. In your community, who are the “neighbors” that are resented? There are many who are resented - the homosexuals, the poor, the sinners (because those who go to church do not sin apparently), the ones who do not excel in their studies and in life) . In what ways can you and/or your Christian community show God’s grace to them? I do what I can. I start by not judging them.

Q10. (John 3:16) How does John 3:16 display "favour that is neither earned nor deserved" without using the word 'grace'? God gave his one and only son to take on the sins of the world - even the sins of those who persecute and hate him. Who would give their one and only son to save a perverse and ungrateful world? Only God because of His great love for us. His love for us also caused him to grieve that man will perish because of man's sinful nature and state. Because of Jesus's love for us, he struggled at Gethsemane and suffered on the cross for all of us. Because of God's grace, he gave.

Q9. According to Bonhoeffer, what attitudes cheapen the understanding of grace in Christians? Does “costly grace” mean we have to work for it? What is costly about grace? The attitudes which cheapen the understanding of grace are : 1) taking grace for granted - not confessing and repenting of our sins 2) no discipline in our Christian walk 3) no discipleship Costly grace is what cost Jesus. For God to be borne as a human, to take on our sins and to bear the painful punishments of the world - past, present and future. Yes we do have to work for grace - the bible says we have to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We have to acknowledge that the forgiveness of our sins came at a heavy price. Although grace is bestowed to us freely, we should not abuse it. We should revere the gift of salvation.

Q8. (Jeremiah 17:9) Is there good in humankind? Are humans basically good or basically bad? Or both? What are some of the ways a “deceitful heart” shows up in our lives and motivations? If the heart is the innermost person, how does a “deceitful heart” corrupt us in a pervasive way? Yes there is some good in humankind. We were made in the image of God; we were made by God. Some of us are blessed to be born into spirit filled Christian homes and we grew up in an environment which allowed the good in us to manifest. Some of are good because we are morally upright. But God gave us free will too and we tend to sway to the bad. Whilst the world views man outwardly, God sees the heart. So even though we can appear to be good on the outside, we can be bad on the inside of our desires, thoughts and intentions.

Q7. (Ephesians 2:1-3) What do these verses teach us about humankind’s fallen nature? What motivates our actions before we come to Christ? Which of these motivations might be conscious? Which might be unconscious? Humankind's fallen nature is to sin and sin repeatedly. Since we did not follow God, we followed the prince of this world and became objects of wrath and gratified our sinful nature with ****, greed, pride, desires, evil thoughts, jealousy, envy, strife, selfishness, etc. Conscious motivation - we are aware of right and wrong. Our education and the laws of the land and even a good upbringing make us conscious of sin and the difference between right and wrong. Unconscious motivation - subtle influence of the world. The bible says we are in this world but not of this world. Christians work and live in hostile environments. In order to "survive" many of us are sucked into polluted surroundings. As Christians we STILL sin but we have the conviction of the Holy Spirit and God's forgiveness. We should be grateful !

Romans 5:6-8) What do verses 6-8 say about humankind’s situation? What is so remarkable about Christ’s death for us? What motivates that sacrifice? Because of our sinful state, humankind is condemned. There is nothing we can do to save our souls. That is why Jesus became the atonement for our sins. What is remarkable about Christ's death for us is that it is sacrificial, he died for all, he dies for sinners and his enemies. It is mind boggling and it is because of God's great and unconditional love for us. Who can actually comprehend this great love !

To be in a state of grace means to constantly have God's grace and favor extended us. We can see the evidence of His grace and favor in our daily lives. Our faith in God gives us access to His grace. When we trust in Him, his bestows his grace upon our lives. When we are disobedient, we become at odds with God. The constant wrestling with God will give us no peace.

Why does Yahweh tell his prophet to marry a girl of ill repute? What does the story of Hosea and Gomer teach us? How does the story illustrate God's relationship with Israel? What does it teach about grace? Yahweh tells his prophet to marry a girl of ill repute to show us that he has a greater plan in both Hosea and Gomer's (and in our lives) that we can possiblly comprehend. How many men out there would marry a prostitute? He will be a mockery, bringing shame to himself and his family. Hosea shows us the importance of obeying Yahweh even in things we do not understand / do not like. Gomer continued to sin after her marriage but Hosea continued to show her mercy and grace God bestow us grace in our wretched state. Israel is the apple of God's eye. God will not let her go even though she mocked Him with her sinful state and outright defiance. God keeps showing us mercy time after time. It is his mercy and grace, his constant wooing that will break the chains of sinful rebellion.

Q3. (Exodus 34:7) What sins will Yahweh forgive those who repent? How might the sin of rebellion find its way into a believer’s life? Why doesn’t God forgive those who refuse to repent and surrender to him? God will forgive all sins if we repent - sins of outright rebellion, deliberate defiance, wickedness and missing the mark. The sin of rebellion can find its way into a believer's life if the person chooses to live outside of God's ways and refusing to repent. God is merciful. When we sin, he calls us to repentance repeatedly. But if we hardened our hearts and ignore his repeated calls of mercy and grace, he will punish us. When we are unrepentant, we set a bad example for our family members especially our children. We might even encourage them to sin hence perpetuating a vicious cycle of unrepentant unbelievers in the generational line.

Q2. (Exodus 34:6) What do we learn about Yahweh’s character in his self-revelation to Moses on Mount Sinai? What does this have to do with grace? He granted Moses' bold request to reveal Himself yet protected him as Moses was not pure or holy enough to see God in the fullness of His glory. It has been said that God is a Judge yet he revealed himself first as forgiving, longsuffering, patient, merciful, gracious, loving, compassionate. When he speaks about punishing the guilty, he is referring to those who are hardened, recalcitrant and has rejected his grace and mercy. His grace and mercy towards us comes first! For me personally, to know God's character is important in my daily walk with Him. I even appeal to His character in my prayers.

How does grace (Greek charis) differ from earning wages? From earning favor by being good? What is a helpful working definition of Biblical grace? In what way does grace characterize "the God of all grace"? We only earn wages when we work. The more we work, the more we earn. In certain Asian religions, you have to be a good person and do good deeds in order in order to receive good in your lives. The level of blessing you receive is dictated by the number of good deeds you perform hence people participate in religious cleansing and charitable works in order to receive a blessing from their spiritual leader and their god. As a Christian, God's grace is free and unconditional. His grace/favor is a gift not because we are deserving of it all the time but because of his nature and his heartbeat, and his infinite love for us. He is a good and merciful God. God's grace also points us to the right direction and help us turn away from our sinful ways. Whilst we may suffer from the consequences of our sinful lifestyle, most of us are not punished as we should be if we repent. This is because of his never ending grace which we extends to us over and over again, every time we fall short. His grace also gives us the strength to do what we might not be able to do if we rely on our own strength and thinking. In life we suffer setbacks and disappointments. Because of His grace, we are able to carry on and even emerge victorious. God's grace covers every aspect of our lives.

It's difficult to find positive spiritual lessons in these sad and grim chapters. What negative spiritual lessons do you find? We take God's goodness and mercy for granted. He is the ultimate judge and his judgement is inevitable.isciple Lessons Our children learn from us - especially our bad ways. As parents we are to be godly examples to their children. We must never assume that our children will never sin the way we do. Parents must discipline their children so long as they are under their authority. The problems with today's parenting style is that parents give their children too much freedom and freewill and discipline is seen as abuse. Also parents and children alike prefer that children leave their homes earlier (in age) than they can actually manage. Showing favoritism among chidren is also something that parents should never do. The favored child may use this fact to his advantage whilst the less favored child may feel hopeless and develop a low self esteem. We must be alert at all times. We cannot assume that just because the things happening around us involve family members, close friends and even church friends/members, they will ultimately sort themselves out. If we get a sense of something not working out right from the start, the best things to do is to take action early so that things do not escalate to an unmanageable situation.

What are the elements of Absalom's public relations campaign to win over the people to his side? How effective is it? What should David have done differently? Which of David's weaknesses does Absalom exploit? Absalom was the crown prince and he used this to his advantage. He went everywhere with a chariot, with bodyguards running head of him, giving the impression that he was a very important and great man. When people had complaints or a case, he would bemoan about the failings of the judicial system. He even went further to imply that if he were apppointed judge, he would ensure that justice would be servied. It was like asking people to vote for him and give him the ultimate power. This went on for four long years. Absolom also endeared himself to the common man. Whenever someone bow down before him, Absolom would take hold of him and kiss him. Through such actions, he was seen as a "people-person" - an approachable leader. His actions though hypocritical were effective. He managed to garner the support of the people. David, though he loved his son very much, should have punished Absalom once and for all by stripping him of all his powers and benefits as son of the King. Absalom knew his father loved him very much and by this time, his father was tired, aging and even grieving that his own household was in shambles.

(2 Samuel 13:39-14:24) Why do you think Joab conspires to get David to bring Absalom home? Why do you think David does not immediately show Absalom his favor? Joab knew that even though David had banished Absalom, deep down David longed to see Absalom again. Joab also realized the importance of having a successor to the thronw in place so that they will not be a bloody civil war. Absalom was next in line and was thus the logical choice. He may be headstrong but he had a looks of a king. I think in a way David was punishing Absalom for killing his brother by not showing him his favor. It must have been dreadful for Absalo to be able to return home to his country and yet not being able to step into court and see the King.

(2 Samuel 13:21-22) Why do you think David doesn't discipline his son Amnon for his sexual assault on his half-sister? What are the consequences of David's inaction? David favoured Amnon because he was the first born. Amnon was also heir to the throne - it could be that because he favoured Amnon so much he did not want Amnon to lose his throne. Also, David was perhaps guilt ridden over his own sexual sin and did not want his own son to point fingers back at him. He must have realised that he himself brought this grave sin into his household because of what he had done in the past. The consequences of David's inaction is : 1) Tamar went from being a beautiful princess to a very dejected woman - losing all hope. Still young in years but old and shattered in spirit. 2) Amnon must have felt very protected because even though his father knew of his son, he was not punished in anyway. 3) Absolom became a very angry man 4) Friction and diunity between siblings.

Why do you think God condemns occult practices of communicating with the dead and channeling spirits of the dead? How might such practices open Christians to victimization and oppression by evil spirits? What should you do if you've been involved in such practices in the past? God condemns occult practices because they are of the devil and the devil does not play fair. He does not tell the truth and instead of peace, he puts in fear, worry and guilt in out lives. We will then find ourselves spiralling out of control. Also, once we have sought the help of such spirits we find it hard to break away again because of fear. If we have been involved in such practices in the past, we have to confess our sin, repent and plea the blood of Jesus for cleansing and protection. And no matter what happens, we have to be steadfast in our faith in God, to pray unceasingly and put our trust in Him.

Why is Nathan so quick to give David approval to build the temple? What should have Nathan done instead? What is the danger of leaders and followers too quickly approving major spiritual directions without really waiting upon the Lord? David's heart is partly right about building the temple though. Which part does David have right? Nathan knew that David was a spiritual man who walked closely with God. Also David was his King. It is always good when we have godly leaders but we tend to assume that out leaders hear from God all the time. That was what Nathan assumed. He also assumed that just because God was with David, David could do whatever he wanted. Nathan should have prayed and waited on the Lord to see if God gave him the same instructions. When leaders and followers do not wait upon the Lord, they can make mistakes which can be costly. Disagreements and conflict may take place as a result. Some may even feel disillusioned and may choose to walk away from God. David's heart is partly right about building the temple because the ark of God was in a tent and David I am sure felt that the ark wa not appropriate (good/big/grand enough) for his God. Thus he wanted something much better to place the ark.

What do we learn about David's character in this incident with Nabal and Abigail? What do we learn about Abigail's character? Nabal's character? Why do you think this story was included in 1 Samuel? What important knowledge does it add to our understanding? We see a complete turnaround in David's character in this incident. Earlier we saw David as humble, respectful and righteous. However when Nabal insulted him, David became so angry that he wanted to take 400 of his men to slaughter Nabal and plunder all he has. He allowed his anger to get the better of him and didnt stop to think as he made a foolish vow that God should deal with him severely if he didnt kill every male in Nabal's family. Abigail was a woman of strong character. When she heard of her husband's foolishness, she took action immediately to appease David. She brought many gifts as a peace offering, asking for forgiveness on behalf of her husband. She was also intelligent as she appealed to David to consider his righteous standing with Yahweh. Thus I cannot understand how she ended up marrying someone as foolish as Nabal !!!!! Nabal was foolish and rude, perhaps even self-righteous. A good lesson for parents to be very careful how they name their children. Proverbs 17:28 says Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue. I think he is one of those who shoots off his mouth without thinking. I think this story tells us that we need to depend on God at all times to do the right thing. David stayed close to God but for one moment, he allowed anger to rule him. God was faithful to send Abigail. Abigail could have had fainting spells but instead armed with the wisdom of God managed to soothe David's ruffed feathers and prevented a bloodshed. Nabal obviously did not seek God's counsel. He preferred to spend his time drinking.

How do we apply the principle of not lifting a hand against the Lord’s anointed in our day? What provisions are there in 1 Timothy 5:19-20 for calling leaders to account. What do you think God will do to those who slander, persecute, and martyr his appointed leaders? We are not to speak ill, slander, gossip or in any way harm those whom God had appointed leaders. We must be mindful that there are people who will malign their leaders because of personal grievances. However this does not mean that God will allow sinful leaders to go scot free, without answering for their sins. If there is reason to believe that a leader is living in sin (eg drinking, adultery, etc), in the presence of 2 or 3 witnesses, he should be given a chance to admit his wrongs or prove that he is innocent. If indeed he has done wrong, then he should be counselled and restored. God will punish those who slander, persecute and martyr his appointed leaders. After all all of us have sin and do continually to sin. While our leaders are supposed to be good examples we must remember that they are human and can be susceptible too. God wants us to exercise grace to our leaders just as he has shown grace to us.

Q1. (1 Samuel 24:1-15) Why doesn't David kill Saul when he has the chance? What motive do David and his men have for killing a king who is trying to kill them? What is David's rationale for sparing Saul? What does this tell us about David's character? About his faith? What does it say about David's leadership ability that he is able to dissuade his men from killing Saul? David didnt kill Saul because he honored God and those God had chosen. David recognised Saul as God's anointed. He even called Saul "my Master". David and his men would have been freed from Saul's tyranny if they killed him. They would be able to stop running away. David understood that even though Saul was a wicked king, it was not in his place to king the one God had chosen. If Saul were to be punished, it would be God to do it not David. David was a man who understood honor. He was not a cruel man neither was he one to make rash decisions. In everything he put God first and trusted that God will deliver. David was a strong leader. His men must have hated Saul too and all of them would have been keen to kill Saul. David was the minority voice but inspite of that he was able to dissuade his men from killing Saul. This showed he had earned the respect of his men. He was a true leader.

(Psalms 18, 34, 54, 56, 58, 59, 142) In these ascriptions to these psalms, how many celebrate happy occasions? How many arise from struggles? What does this tell you about David's relationship with God? What does this tell you about his faith during trials? Which is your favorite among these psalms? Why? All of the psalms arise from David's struggles, helplessness and fears. However, in the end, it speaks of righteousness, comfort, deliverance and triumph. This is because David walked with God at all times. He depended solely on God. He knew that apart from God, he could do nothing. I love both Psalms 18 and 34. Psalm for the promise that I am more than a conqueror and nothing is impossible when I put my trust in Him and Psalm 34 for the promise that He delivers me from fear. Many years ago I was plaqued by the spirit of fear when a fellow christian told me something bad about my child. The fear stayed with me for about 4 years and everyday I claimed the promise in Psalm 34.

Why does Jonathan visit David in the wilderness? What risk is there for David? What risk is there for Jonathan? What do you think it meant to David? Have you ever received a visit from a friend when you needed it most? Both Jonathan and David were not only good friends but they were true friends. Jonathan must have been aware of David's troubles and he visited David to encourage him. This showed courage on the part of Jonathan because Saul could have tailed him and killed David. Jonathan could also have been killed by his father for his support for David. David must have been extremely grateful and touched that Jonathan would actually "betray" his own father for a friend.

David is led by the Lord, while Saul acts in the dark. Out of tragedy, God brings light. What did Abiathar and the ephod have to do with "inquiring of the Lord?" Why did David inquire of the Lord? What huge advantage does the person have who seeks God's will before acting? How can you find God's will at key points in your life? Abiathar was the son of a a high priest. The ephod which was part of the high priest's garments included a pair of lots, the Urim and the Thummim, which provided the answers "yes", "no" and "maybe". When both lots are cast, if the same answer appeared, then the answer is clear. David inquired of the Lord so that he made the right decisions which will ensure his success. We all have to seek God's will before acting so that we do not make the wrong decisions and act rashly. We can find God's will when we pray and when we read and know His word. When we read His word, we will know his character and his promises and personally, I find that these help me a great deal in also knowing His will.

Why were David's men attracted to him? What did they have in common? Why kind of men were these? What difficulties do you think David probably had in leading them? These men must have heard of David's exploits - that he slayed tens of thousands. Like him, they too were being pursued by Saul. Some of them were criminals, others were rebelling against Saul and some were being hounded for their debts. By nature, these men were troublesome, ruthless and rebellious thus making it difficult for David to lead them.

What is the nature of the covenant between David and Jonathan? The nature of the covenant between David and Jonathan is one of mutual trust and peace with the Lord as their witness, and the covenant does not end with their respective deaths, but is extended to their descendants. What does David receive? Jonathan will help David escape and he will not betray David to his father, King Saul. David will get a chance to be king. What does Jonathan receive? When David becomes king, he will not do anything to harm Jonathan and his descendents. Usually a new king would kill all the potential rivals to secure his throne. This was evident later when David not only spared Jonathan's son but invited him to feast at the King's table. Who benefits the most from this covenant? Is it self-serving – or not? I believe both of them benefitted from the covenant, and thus was not self-serving. David and Jonathan had a special friendship - they were almost like brothers. David was aware of Jonathan's great sacrifice and Jonathan recognised that God had chosen David to be king. What is the significance that God is witness to the covenant? Both were bound to keep their part of the covenant and if they did not, God will be their judge,