Kathy45

Q1. Read 1 Samuel 8:15 and Malachi 3:8-10. How did tithing relate to a person's acceptance of God being their King in the Old Testament? How about for those of us who live under the New Covenant? What place does tithing have for us? In both the Old and New Testament, submission to God as King is vital to the life of those who wish to be led by Him. Tithing is an act of obedience and worship as you acknowledge God as the provider of all you possess and ruler of your life.

Q4. Define "justice," "vengeance," and "mercy." Can a Holy and Righteous God forgive sins justly without punishing them? What is the significance of the cross in God's righteousness? Justice: a person receiving what they deserve Vengence: execution or administration of justice Mercy: witholding deserved punishment The only way God can forgive sins is by Jesus, God's Holy Son, taking the all the punishment for our sins that we ourselves deserve. In this, God has acted according to His Holiness and Righteousness by exercising justice and vengence by the cross and mercy and forgiveness toward us. For this, our proper response can only be one of repentance and worship.

Q3. (Psalm 68:5) Since our God is the Helper of the Fatherless and the Protector of Widows -- that is, the poorest and weakest of society -- what does this say about a Christian's commitment to social justice in our communities? How should it affect our actions? We are to be Christ's hands and feet so we should be standing in the gap for those who are unprotected and uncared for in society. The proper order for a Christian is to care for our own families and prayfully and wisely reach out to others in need as He brings them forward in our lives.

Q2. If we believe that truth and morality are all relative to one's culture, how can we know and understand the Righteous and Upright God? Extra credit for present-day evangelists: How can we declare God and his Son Jesus Christ in a relativistic world? What is an effective approach? (There is no simple answer here. What is an effective communication strategy in your community?) We cannot understand a Righteous and Holy God while believing in moral relativism. Moral relativity is a very slippery slope. It sets the self up as a god deciding right and wrong from a self-oriented perspective. When we decide truth and morals for ourselves, there is no need for God or atonement because we would say there is no sin. Holy and Righteous cannot be relative. Only a Holy and Righteous God is qualified to decide right and wrong, moral and immoral. Therefore, the only way to know and understand the Righteous and Upright God is to accept that His Word is Absolute Truth and that He has set the moral standard by which we are to live. Every community has its particular characteristics ao knowing your audience is important. One strategy is to allow discussion that follows through on the effects of moral relativism and what happens to those who do not believe in an absolute truth as well as how people around them are affected by decisions based individual truths and standards. Questions regaring internal guidelines (conscience) are also good converstion starters to help people think and be open to the possibility of Absolute Truth and moral standards which then leads back to God and the necessity of Christ's sacrifice.

Q1. (Isaiah 6:1-8) How does a realization of God

Q4. (Isaiah 40:21-31). In this passage on the "Creator of the ends of the earth," which words are repeated in verses 28-31. What application are we disciples to derive from this passage so that we might understand God's might as Creator? Weary is the primary word in these verses. He compares our weakness and weariness to His strength that holds us up. According to the passage, weariness is inevidible in His creation; even youths whose vitality and strength we tend to admire, He says WILL grow weary. This is then compared to the LORD who will NOT grow weary. Not only that but He possess the strength to hold and strengthen those whose hope is in Him. He provides the strength for us to walk, run and persevere. He created and sustains. Its comforting to know that weariness is not a bad thing but a sign for me to depend on Him. For that I am thankful.

Q2. What inherent rights does a Potter, Creator, or Maker have over what he has created? How should that effect our lives, our self-image, our sense of purpose? The Potter, Creator, or Maker holds ALL rights over His creation. He is in control, He creates according to His purposes. Our image is established in and a reflection of Him. Our sense of purpose should line up with His. The world tells us our purpose is to succeed and attain material wealth, social status and respect. This is generally an exercise in futility as everyone has his own view of success. Our Potter has created us with a purpose that has been planned for us in the beginning. Instead of chasing man's futile purpose, we should be following our Maker, walking in His plan and discovering His purpose for us. That "success" has eternal value with rewards waiting for us.

Q1. (Isaiah 45:9-12) Why is it ridiculous for a pot to second-guess the Potter? How do we Christians do this? What is a better attitude and behavior before our Creator? It is ridiculous for anything created to second guess the Creator! The Potter or Creator is always and forever over and above His creation in every way imaginable. The Creator has complete control over his creation which makes Him sovereign and omnipotent. A creator would not and could not create something higher than himself. As a young Christian and at times even now, I catch myself disregarding God's way or questioning His method or why something had to happen a certain way. A better way that I am learning is to accept that God knows the way better than I - He knows how to mold me and shape me so that I can be useful for His purpose no matter what the capacity. I have learned that I would rather be a plain and well used vessel than something beautiful but worthless sitting upon a shelf. Allowing myself to be molded is not easy but so much better as I get to know the Potter and understand that He is remaking me with love and purpose.

Q4. (1 Samuel 17:26, 36; Hebrews 10:31) How do you think David's understanding of the Living God enabled him to challenge Goliath? Read Hebrews 10:31 in context. Why should the Living God inspire fear and dread? David, a man after God's own heart, was confident in God's faithfulness and power, knowing that he was an instrument in God's hands. David understood that, because the Philistines defied the army of God, he did not have to fear Goliath. God would indeed defeat Goliath through David. God is not going to tolerate rebellion or disobedience. He is a faithful and just God which demands action on His part. He is only slow in vengence to allow repentance but, when the time is perfect, He will repay. Therefore, we should indeed fear and dread but that should, in turn, cause us to take Him seriously and act in obedience to His Word.

Q3. (Isaiah 44:6; Revelation 1:8) What does the idea of "first" and "last" tell you about God? How does Revelation 1:8 relate to God's revelation to Moses, "I AM THAT I AM"? Being the first and last tells me about God's eternal nature. He was in the beginning, He is now and He will be in the indefinite future. Because He is eternal, He knows the beginning from the end and the end from the beginning. Therefore, He knows right where I need to be and what I need to get there. It also tells me that I am never on my own - He is forever present. The first and the last is very much related to "I AM THAT I AM". He IS who He says He is and He will faithfully reveal His nature as He works in and through us.

Q1. (Exodus 3:1-15) What does God's name Yahweh reveal about his person and his power? How would an understanding of Yahweh's name contrast him with the idols worshipped by the Egyptians? "I AM" speaks of God's eternal nature, sovereignty and omnipotence. In this text, He knew the suffering of His people, He understood the question of Moses and gave Him a reply that revealed the attributes Moses and the Israelites needed to be encouraged in their faith to follow in obedience. God's sovereignty and omnipotence reveals His position and power over the Egyptian idols. The Israelites had been enslaved in Egypt for generations. There are times when being in captivity feels secure. There are times when fear of the unknown is so overwhelming, people will choose to remain in captivity where they are familiar with their discomfort. Having an understanding of the name of Yahweh gave the Israelites confidence to let go of their captivity.

Q5. How should the knowledge that the battle is the Lord's affect the way we approach life? In what way do both timidity and brashness get it wrong? Are there any instances in which the Lord will not fight our battles? Knowing that the battle is the Lord's enables us to approach life with confidence! However, we must take care that confidence does not fall into the extremes of reckless pride or lack of action on our part. The battle being the Lord's means that His pre-ordained outcome will prevail but He uses our willing and obedient participation to fulfill that plan. Only then can we be truly blessed. He does not fight our battles - we participate in His.

The LORD is always so generous with His grace toward His people. While we are expected to participate in battle, it does indeed belong to Him. Raising the pole or banner identified Israel with the LORD as well as encouraging those in battle and those waiting. It can also be used as a symbol of faith. When the banner was raised, Israel prevailed and when the banner was lowered, they did not. The same with our faith; when we hold our faith high and are focused on what the LORD can do through us, we too prevail. When we waver in our faith or look at the world instead of our LORD, we are vulnerable to our enemies and loss. We need to recognize the importance of unwavering faith and looking to the LORD for strength and guidance. At times, He will bring others alongside to encourage, strengthen and support - but He is still the One we are to look to.

Jesus knew very well his purpose of coming to earth as the savior for all mankind. In order for that purpose to be fulfilled, he had to be the perfect sacrificial lamb. If he had called upon the host of heaven, his purpose would have been short-circuited and we would have no way out of our spiritual death. I am incredibly thankful that he did not call upon the heavenly host and stood in my place on the cross so I now have access to the Father and a place in heaven. When Jesus took his place on the throne and all authority was passed to him, he called on the heavenly host to ride with him as he alone is now qualified to pass judgment on all the earth and make war with his enemies.

Being able to "see" as Elisha did has much to do with faith. Faith is a gift of God but it is one we need to exercise for growth. As we anticipate, watch, and see God working in our lives, our faith grows. Elisha saw what God promised. His servant had yet to experience what Elisha already knew to be true. God, in His Grace, opened the servants eyes to see instantly what many take a life time to see. When we can truly see that God is greater than all things of the world (He is the creator of all which makes Him sovereign over all), and He is, by His Spirit in me, then no one or nothing can prevail against me. It is Him who is at war for me. I only need the faith to "see" that He is.