Highohfaith

Jesus says we must forgive 77 times or 490 times. Should we take these numbers literally or figuratively? If figurative, what are they figurative of? What does this teach us about God

Q4. (John 3:16) Why is this verse so famous? What does it teach us about God? What does it teach us about salvation? Since

Q3. (John 3:5-7) What does it mean to be

Q2. (John 3:3-5) What does “entering the Kingdom” have to do with being “born anew”? Which do you think is the best translation here: “born again,” “born anew,” or “born from above.” Defend your reasoning. ANSWER. I think all three reference are correct and here is why: We are born to SIN, we are born spiritually DEAD, and are risen UP ( brought back to life - from above by GOD)! We are born to our spiritual life as LITTLE BABIES in this sense we are born again. We are also continually being RENEWED AND REGENERATED, born anew as we GROW in our spiritually life. We MUST be born again to life ( come alive again as children) in order to experience regeneration and growth in our spiritual life.

What does Jesus teach here about the nature of the Kingdom of God? Do you think Nicodemus understands him? Why or why not? What does Jesus teach here about the nature of the Kingdom of God? ANSWER: Jesus is teaching that, besides one's biological birth, one must also experience a supernatural, spiritual birth. Just as surely as a Christian is not merely biologically begotten but born, there is no such thing as a non-born-again Christian. To be a Christian we must be born again to Christ! Do you think Nicodemus understands him? Why or why not? Answer: ANSWER: Nicodemis is perplexed by the second occasion of being born. His reply to Jesus indicates, not that he is contemplating being conceived again and entering his mother's womb, but that he is thinking of the end of the pregnancy, departing the womb in birth. He obviously does not understand that, in God's view, despite being physically alive, he is a spiritually dead man who needs God to resurrect him and give him the spiritual life that he lacks. He immediately relates Jesus' words to physical, earhtly birth, thus his thoughts take him in the wrong direction.

Q4. What does Jesus teach us about the value and worth of the Kingdom? Why are we tempted to value it so little? What helps us to appreciate its true value? How might your testimony help a seeking friend to value the Kingdom more? What does Jesus teach us about the value and worth of the Kingdom? ANSWER: He teaches us that it is more valuable then any earthly relationship or possession. He teaches us of it's great value by likening it to something we can relate to here on earth, like a precious stone, a desired gem, or like a hidden treasure. Why are we tempted to value it so little? Answer: Because we want to see something far more tangible than the Kingdom of God. We do not want to have faith without sight. We want tangible proof! What helps us to appreciate its true value? ANSWER: Growing our faith, living in the spiritual realm where Jesus is. Searching, seeking, to know Him more and more. How might your testimony help a seeking friend to value the Kingdom more? ANSWER: This is a very personal question for me, as I just started writing out my testimony for the first time. I pray for the Lord to help me find a way to truthfully, and elegantly tell my story, a way which will encourage and inspire others to get to know our Wonderful Lord and Savior. By giving my testimony I'm hoping that another may read it or hear it, and see and hear the way in which the Lord has changed my life! Thus, drawing them into a better relationship with God!

Why is poverty and self-sacrifice an inadequate religion? Why does Jesus ask the man to follow him? In what senses was this a great privilege that the man was offered? Why did he reject the offer? Why is poverty and self-sacrifice an inadequate religion? ANSWER: Poverty and self sacrifice are not in themselves spiritual. Poverty is a condition. Being poor is not a religion. God does not want us to be POOR in the SPIRITUAL realm. He wants us to be ENRICHED by his spiritual gifts. God does not want us to engage in self sacrificial practices in order to gain entry into his Kingdom, He gives us entry free, all we have do is seek Him,turn from our sins, repent and seek His Holy Word. Why does Jesus ask the man to follow him? ANSWER: He ask the man to follow him because No 1. He loves the rich young man. No.2 He knows the rich young man sincerely wants to follow Him. In what senses was this a great privilege that the man was offered? ANSWER: It was a great privilege because the Kingdom of God is the greatest treasure of ALL!!! Greater than anything the young man had here on Earth. Why did he reject the offer? Answer: The young man rejected the offer because he loved his rich relatives, and his money and wealth here on Earth more then the Ultimate Treasure of The Kingdom.

Q2. (Mark 10:21) Why do you think Jesus requires the rich young ruler to divest himself of his fortune? Why does this trouble us so much? If there was no other way for the man to be saved, what does that say about the spiritual dangers of wealth? Jesus requires the young man to give up his fortune, because he knows and loves the young man,and he knows the young man loves being wealthy! Jesus is testing the sincerity of the young mans request.He wants to see if the young man is so sincere that he is willing give up the one thing that he treasures most to gain something more valuable.The young man fails Jesus' test. The reason why this troubles us so much is many of us value our relationships and possessions here on earth. We don't want to hear that we may have to give them up to gain something of greater value. We want to keep everything here, including our sin, and not give it up, repent, to gain entrance into the Kingdom of God. We want to walk right in,no sacrifices, and Jesus is saying we must make sacrifices, we must give up our sins, repent and follow him, ABOVE ALL! The spiritual dangers of wealth are immense, one can become so attached to his money and material things that nothing will separate them from their possessions here on earth. Whereas, Jesus is saying it should be the other way around: Another example of this: Romans 8 verses 38-39. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the LOVE OF GOD that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8 verses 38-39. NOTHING SHOULD SEPARATE US FROM GOD! In the same way Jesus is saying in following verses don't put any relationship here on earth in front of your love for me..I must come FIRST!! LUKE 8,verses 19-21 Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press. And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it. It is not that Jesus did not love his earthly family but he was prioritizing and putting his Heavenly and only Father, and HIS Word FIRST! Jesus want us to know that HE and the Kingdom are far greater then any possession,or relationship, we have here on earth! In the same way he is making an example of the rich young man who was not willing to give up his 'treasure' to gain the kingdom of God! Jesus is making an example here, because he is not willing to put the relationship with his earthly brethren in front of the work he is given to do by his Heavenly Father. DO NOT VALUE ANYTHING OR ANY RELATIONSHIP MORE THAN YOU VALUE GOD!

I cannot distinguish God form Jesus because to me they are one in the same!!! Notice I said to me.I truly don't know statistically speaking, how many people in the United States believe in God as opposed to how many believe in Christ, or how many believe in both. But it is an interesting statement and for curiosities sake, I will research it a bit later. However each being the same, it doesn't really matter. Even if one does not know it, if they are putting their TRUST in God, they are also putting their trust in Christ. They are Not however receiving REDEMPTION, because redemption can only be received by Christ and Christ alone. And only if one comes to Christ and ask him into ones life. And that is a good point you are making about our country. Our country needs to Put God and JESUS back into the forefront of everything we do. It is so true that our country has slipped far from the values our our forefathers. We have removed prayer from school, which I believe, certainly among other factors,of course, has played a major part in the downward fall of our society. We have separated Church and state, we have in a sense denied our God. And the consequences of doing that is being felt not only here in the U.S. but throughout the world. I can only pray that as a society we can become a more God, Christ, oriented society again and get back to the values of our forefathers. As a Nation, bring more people to Christ, move more,and more people toward redemption, so we as a nation can be redeemed! WE must each do our part to achieve this by serving God and seeking to bring more and more of us into his Glory. We must believe through GOD all things are possible, EVEN the redemption of the U.S.!

Q1. (Matthew 13:44-46) What do the Parables of the Hidden Treasure and Pearl of Great Price have in common? What is the main point of these parables? How should it affect our values? Our lives? I think the main point Jesus is making is that in order to enter the HIS Kingdom and gain salvation and eternal life, we must be willing to DO WHATEVER it takes!! The kingdom is more valuable then any worldly possession or relationship we have.Jesus want to be very FIRST in our life's! Above ALL EARTHLY things. In the parable of the hidden Pearl the man finds the pearl and buries it very deep so no one will find it. Then to secure it even more he spends everything he has to buy the field so he will never lose the treasure. In the same way we should be so protectant of our relationship with Our Lord..never let go of our grip and willing to do whatever it take to hold on.. even giving up EVERYTHING we have to keep the prize! Do not put earthly possessions or relationships BEFORE Christ,our relationship with Christ should come FIRST always! In the parable of the rich young man, whom Jesus loves and wants to save, he cannot because the man is lost to possessions of this EARTHLY world. Not willing to give up his earthly treasure to obtain an even greater, the ultimate treasure, a relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus. He is to attached to his worldly possessions and think they are more important then the salvation and grace of our Lord and Savior JESUS! What the two parables have in common is both men have found the prize! Ultimately, only one man is willing to do what it takes to keep it and to secure eternal life and salvation. The other is not. The rich young man walks away and choses his OWN EARTHLY treasure, more then the ultimate treasure of salvation and grace with our Lord Christ Jesus!! The parables should affect our values in the sense that we must value our relationship with God. And make whatever sacrifices it takes to secure,and protect it from the ravages of this earthly place, we must live in the spiritual realm with Jesus as our ONLY Master,let NOTHING or NO ONE come between us and our relationship with GOD!

Q2. (Luke 17:22-24) What do Jesus words about lightning teach us about the nature of the coming of his Kingdom? The end of times here on Earth will come in a FLASH and be seen by ALL of mankind. So, be always prepared, awaiting, and looking forward to the day of the rapture!Like Lightning it will burn out the evil ones, and good and evil will be separated, so be prepared always!! Be ready, grasp on to the coming of the Kingdom when it comes, and do not look back for even a split second!!In only a split second, you must make a choice to leave all material possessions behind and run, RUN, toward the coming of the Lord thy God and his kingdom! Be prepared NOW!! NOW!!! Judgment will be swift and complete on that day..no turning back. No more than a strike of lightening can be returned to the sky can we have a second chance to enter the kingdomn of God.So, prepare yourself now, accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and always seek to live a Godly life.

Q1. (Luke 17:21) In what sense was the Kingdom of God present in the Person and ministry of Jesus? In what sense is the Kingdom of God present today? Jesus is the one and only Messiah,Son of God, sent to us to preach the Kingdom of God.Jesus and his Kingdom lives within us. As Christians we must always seek the Kingdom of God by living a Christ centered life. A life filled with strong faith and reverence for our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus. We must always seek to follow the Kingdom of God which resides in our hearts through living a Godly life honoring and putting God FIRST in our life, above all things! We can do this through accepting Jesus as our Saviour, following his wrod, and seeking to live a life of redemption.. The Kingdom is ALWAYS present in the life of a Christian, one must know that the Kingdom is here NOW among us in the person of Jesus Christ who resides among us and resides in our heart. And it will be completed at the end of times when it's judgment, the rapture, comes as a flash of lightning. Then the kingdom of God will be completed here on earth and continue to be lived in all of eternity, never to meet destruction!

One must actively seek the Kingdom of God at all times.I remember as a newly dedicated believer in Christ and his Kingdom in 2005 I would literally WAIL out to Jesus,there have been times when I have fallen to my knees and wailed out to him in despair,begged him, pleaded with him to enter into my life, dwell inside me. I went after Jesus and the kingdom with all my might, with all my FORCE and continue to go after Jesus our Lord and Saviour everyday, perhaps not as "forcefully" as in the beginning of my newfound spirituality but I certainly do remain DAILY seeking and searching for Jesus and the kingdom of God. I know Jesus and the Kingdom of God are near always!!I KNOW JESUS walks with me everyday and is with me every second, there are many times in which I fall to my knees in despair and seek him with all my heart.I have committed myself to Jesus fully and will continue to wail out to him in times of need and to thank him always for his everlasting blessings..most importantly to actively seek the Kingdom of God on a daily basis! TO grasp hold of Jesus and seek his Kingdom with all my might(forcibly) and not let go!!!

Q1. (Matthew 6:24) Jesus seems to make it sound like you can

Jesus wanted to convey that the Kingdom could be easily sabotaged by earthly things, such as riches, pleasures and worries among other things. He intended us to know that there are several types of faith. The one which we should seek always is the one ROOTED in deep, rich, soil. Or faith must take ROOT and GROW to be healthy. We must seek a true personal relationship through asking for forgiveness and repenting our sins,in order that we may have a closer walk with the Lord. Worries, pleasures and greed can impede our relationship with Christ. We must open our hearts to true repentance in order to grow our faith and enjoy the fruits of the spirit. And to receive God's complete and utter gift to us, the gift of forgiveness and salvation.Jesus's teaching in this parable is to get us thinking about what we let impede our growth in him. And what we can do to enhance and grow our faith. AND what types of things can destroy our faith and carry us away from Jesus and his Kingdom instead of leading us to him.

I feel all these THORNS EQUALLY distract us form our Spiritual growth. All are things of this EARTHLY world, worry, pleasure and riches. I can only speak personally for myself, the thorn that is most dangerous for me is the thorn of WORRY. Worry separates us from Christ, worry suggest to me, that I have not fully trusted Jesus, OR, am not fully trusting Jesus when I CHOOSE to engage in worry of any kind. We live in a stressful world. NO EXCUSE! Jesus says come to him and to trust him for our every need. I personally pray to Jesus and ask him daily to take worry from my heart to let me fully fall back and trust Jesus in everything!! It is different for each of us, we All have our thorns. The question is what do we do to weed them from our lives. So, in conclusion, the three thorns mentioned here, riches, pleasure, worry are equally destructive to our spiritual growth.

In this lesson Jesus is teaching us that people have many different types of faith,those whose faith is not rooted securely in good soil fall away quickly.These are people who start off with good intentions, but do not seek Jesus fully with their entire being. They hang on to SELF, do not surrender their entire existence to Christ Jesus.. I had this problem when I first came home to Jesus and recommitted myself to him in 2005 through water baptism. I was so enthusiastic and had a great outward show of FAITH! But inwardly I had not matured spiritually enough to let go of Self, REPENT, and ACTIVELY seek Christ. Through many trial Jesus has brought me to, and through, since then (and I thank you Jesus for the trouble and trials!) I have began a new process of growth.I think every new Christian goes through times where they may experience one or any number of the types of faith Jesus mentions in his message here. Through trial and tribulations I have truly gained a repentant heart, not just an outward public show, but a true spiritual growth. Sin separates us from Christ Jesus, repentance brings us back home! SO in conclusion, many people fall short because they refuse to repent,refuse to turn from "self' and the evil of the earthly world and enter the realm of true spiritual growth .I pray fervently that Jesus continues to grow me (spiritual growth is a lifelong process) so my faith is deeply rooted in the finest of soil.

Repentance is a central part of Christian life.Repentance is important because we must admit that we are all sinners, born to sin.In order for us to do this we are admitting we are not perfect.In order to admit we are not perfect we cannot be full of "self". We must humble ourselves before the Lord. Baptism is a public display of this commitment, and a spiritual commitment that we are giving ourselves to Christ, to be made over again , reborn to a new life in Christ Jesus.It is a commitment to throw off the old coat (leave our old self) and put on the new coat of Jesus Christ. To repent away from our old ways and walk cleansed anew by the blood of our savior and Lord. Christ cannot live in an unrepentant heart. Turning form sin is an integral part of our journey with Christ an unrepentant heart is ruled by evil, not the works of Christ Jesus!

Johns action was to announce the coming of the one greater than he, one whose sandals he was not even worthy to latch. John was directed by God to announce the coming of the messiah, by being baptized of fire and water, one was denouncing sin, accepting the coming of the new messiah as Lord and beginning a journey of repentant of sin. Jesus action was to obey his fathers command to be baptized of the Holly Spirit, the dove ascending from heaven is the metaphoric Holy Spirit entering the Christ Jesus, and his Father announces "You are my son whom I am well pleased symbolizes the love for his son and all of mankind. I LONG to be overcome with the Holy Spirit!! I devote much of my prayer time asking God to give me the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life. The Holy Spirit is Christ the TEACHER. I can only reach him through asking Christ to intercede with him on my behalf and come to me, helping me to comprehend the word of God. And to reveal to me the gifts of the Holy Spirit especially, LOVE,KINDNESS,PATIENCE ( I have a particular hard time with this one, however, I FEEL the Holy Spirit changing me, and is walking me through the journey to gain a better understanding of patience, and it's meaning in accordance to my living a Christ filled life.) PEACE, JOY, LONSUFFERING, among other gifts the Holy Spirit has to offer. I pray the Lord Christ Jesus commissions the Holy Spirit to point out areas in my life that need change. Encouraging this change from the Holy Spirit for me is to stay steadfast in the presence of Christ Jesus who lives in me and is with me always. Seek him with a ALL my heart! To live a Christ centered life. I have surrendered myself to him. Through the Lords steadfast love I have thrown away the old self and put on a new coat! One that honors and revels in God awesome power to change and love and endure forever and ever! [/size]

The Jews were offended by the mere presence of John the Baptist, claiming he would baptize them with water and fire. Because he was a lowly man in the Jewish society, they rejected his baptism because of their pride. They were offended that he called them Vipers and told them they were workers of iniquities and were not worthy of baptism. They thought they were sinless and followed the law of Abraham and that is all they needed.They did not need this out cast of society, John the Baptist, to tell them they were VIPERS and needed to be saved.They did not believe Jesus was the Messiah. Many of the poor of Judea, and lowly in statue, the gentiles, believed in Johns baptism..because of their lowly statue in society,they were amazed that the Lord of all mankind would love them and want to baptize them, forgive their sins and give them eternal life.

When I first became a Christian, I literally did not know the meaning of the word repent. I looked it up in the dictionary. I feel repentance is a continuous part of our journey with the Lord. I must repent every day. For I was born to sin. Oftentimes, I ask God to reveal my sins. Many are heart changes needed. A lot of people don't realize that some sins are not the actual PHYSICAL act of sinning but many sins reside deep within in our heart. These are the sins we must ask God to reveal to us through the Holy Spirit. If as Christians, we do not repent, I feel it is because we have not truly grown enough in our Christian life to to repent, As Christians we must GROW in God each day. As I said when I accepted Jesus into my heart, I didn't know the meaning of repentance. I knew from my Pastors' teaching that is was a requirement of salvation, however, I was unable to wrap my mind around the word, REPENT. By growing in Christ and praying daily for him to grow my faith, I have learned what true repentance is. One of the main reason people avoid repentance is because they are ignorant to it's true meaning, they are afraid of what God may reveal to them if they ask him to reveal their sins. So, in fear they turn from repentance.They hang on to SELF and refuse to give everything to GOD. Pride is another reason people avoid repentance, they do not want to admit to themselves or to God that they have been born to a sinful life, and that their life and heart need to be changed so as to ready themselves for the kingdom of God. I cannot say what percentage of Christians do not repent, this is for God to know. Only God knows if true repentance lies in the heart of his believers.