IvoryEagle

In what sense are our bodies like tents? A tent by its very nature is temporary and negotiable. If we were to truly look forward to our "house not made with hands," how would it affect our daily lives here? Our decisions would be more consequential. We would not sweat the "small stuff." We would know and respond with the knowledge that on this earth, it is all small stuff compared to where we are going.

In what way do problems and physical deterioration help us toward "an eternal weight of glory" ? As they say in the gym "no pain-no gain." Why is it so easy to focus on temporal matters to the exclusion of eternal things? Immediate gratification, self preservation, and just plain human. What separates man from beast is the reasoning. I doubt a dog thinks about heaven when another dog in heat comes along. Neither does he think about whether the meal he is about to have going to impact others. It is what makes us human and humans read, hear, learn, and decide. We know we will pay now or later; we can anticipate "later" being eternity. Why is a focus on eternal things so important to our spiritual growth? For the same reason we save instead of going on spending sprees. The future means something. Eternity is a permanent future. What can we do to help shift our focus? Stay in the Word...

How does it encourage you to know that Paul went through tremendous stress and pressure? It lets me know that people have always been corodded. It also lets me know I am in good company. If it werent' so disgusting, I would be flattered that I am worh ambushing. What effect did these sufferings have on the way people could see Christ in Paul? It showed conviction and grace under pressure. Why is pain necessary to spiritual growth? Like the gym; it takes a good work out. Unlike the gym, it is NOT by choice and equipment is our hearts, minds, and souls. How does our pain allow others to assess our authenticity as Christians? The same way the love of a parent is displayed. Strong love hides a multitude of pain.

What truth is Paul seeking to communicate by this analogy of a treasure in a pottery jar? Our bodies are nothing more than containers of the gospel as a clay jar is a container for a plant. What does the clay jar represent? Us as a container. What does the treasure represent? The Gospel What's the paradox here? It is in us but not of us; it is not about us. We are just willing containers.

Since Satan has blinded people's eyes to the truth, is there any hope for them? Yes, absolutely. What strategies must we use to overcome spiritual blindness? Speak openly to ensure they hear; the rest is up to God. How many people are likely to find Christ without intercessory prayer? No many, though I believe many will stumble upon the truth. Perhaps that is the prayer of an intercessor.

(2 Corinthians 4:1-2) How do questionable ethics and ministry practices hurt the work of Christ? It literally crucifies it. It makes one question all things spiritual. It makes one question the judgment of the leader. It makes one wonder when we should be praising. It is simply irresponsible. What is Paul's alternative in verse 2b? Let God handle it. Eventually, one gets to this reality. There is only one way to reveal a pig in the mud and that is to get like him. It is God's through the Holy Spirit who must handle such brazen behaviour.

Q4. (2 Corinthians 3:18) Why is character change directly related to time deliberately spent in God’s presence? What we think about, we become. For every minute we spend in God's presence, that minute is dominated by God. What is the theological word for the process of maturing in Christ? "Metamorphosis." works for me. Have you noticed a change in the “degree of glory” you’re experiencing now compared to a few years ago? Absolutely! Why or why not? Years ago, I said I believed. I DID all of the right things. I expected my luke warm, checklist approach to validate me. Now, I live for the illumination I gain from studing, appyling, and faciliting His Word to others. "Metamorphosis" is what is going on moment by moment, day by day. It is like peeling off wet clothes after a good work out; I am stronger but the clothes that brought me to the process must be changed into something different.

Q3. (2 Corinthians 3:18) Moses glowed by spending time with God on Mt. Sinai, in his tent of meeting, and in the Tabernacle. How can we get a similar glow of the Spirit in our lives? By staying in His Presence by STAYING IN HIS WORD. In what way is meditating on Scripture beholding God? In it resides the mind and ways of God. As we internalize His Word, we become more like Him in thought and in deed. Is the low plane of Christianity in our day related to the time we spend in communion with the Lord? Absolutely. What is God leading you to do to increase your glow? Continue to stay in His Word and encourage others to do the same.

Q2. (2 Corinthians 3:16-17) Why is the Holy Spirit essential to help people see truth clearly and be able to grasp it? It is only through the Spirit that we are NOT distracted by the law. Trusting the Spirit takes the finite mind of man out of the way to receive the infinite mind of God through His Spirit to see the truth. What enables people to come to Christ at all? Turning away from Satan and turning to God. What kind of freedom does the Spirit give us when we become Christians? The freedom of audacious ANTICIPATION, HOPE, and BOLDNESS

Q1. (2 Corinthians 3:7-11) Why did Moses’ face glow? The Power of God was in him like a light bulb powered by electricity; he had to glow!!! Why did he cover it when he was out with the people? The people could not handle the Glory without a buffer. It would be the essence of waking up with a light in your face. The Glory was too strong for the average person. Why didn’t more people’s face glow in Moses’ time? God only dealt with Moses on their behalf. The glow is NOT transferable. What’s the difference between the spread of God’s glory in Moses’ time when compared to our own time? Unlike Moses time; we all have the Glory. Those who are walking with God reflect His Glory as well, though many do not understand why, they are just magnitized to that person.

Q4. (2 Corinthians 3:6a) Why is a Christian’s spiritual health so closely related to his or her involvement in ministry? As with any tool, if it is unused, it is dulled. The Bible ways iron sharpens iron, the iron that sharpens us is in others as they sharpen their iron with us interchangeably. What are the consequences of dropping out of church – for the believer? We die with our gift inside of us and never get to see the beauty of our gifts. For Christ’s Kingdom? Souls are lost for the wrong reasosn.

Q3. (2 Corinthians 3:4-6) What is the balance between the need for training in ministry (either in the local church or in schools) and personal submission to the Spirit of God? Balance is essential in all things. Too much of a good thing is bad and one who seeks his own counsel is a fool. That being said, what CANNOT be measured is the real deal. Because of the "skill to study and repeat what one have learned," many just "skip" the Spiritual aspect and present their credentials. To the weak, this becomes a problem. Are you able to “listen to the Spirit’s voice” in your own life? Absolutely to the chagrin of those who would attempt to lead me otherwise. Why would this ability be so important in being a competent minister? If we donot have the heart to live in the Spirit, it is the blind leading the blind.

Q2. (2 Corinthians 3:2-3) In what sense are we “living letters”? People believe what THEY see, not what we SAY. In what way can people “read us”? Our contenance and our words and actions. Why is it so important to be authentic, not phony, in our lives? Nothing to remember, just pure Ivory all day long. What happens when people “read” something in you that they admire and mention it to you? I smile, say thank you and ten I add; it is bigger than me! How might you respond appropriately? "It is the Christ in me that you see." "Have some???"

In what sense is knowing God fragrant to people who are open to God? They see my joy and in essence say, "I want that for myself." In what way is this fragrance repugnant to people who are closed to God? They hate the joy and want to dispel it; it inteferes with their negative perspective. Have you suppressed your "fragrance" because some people are allergic to Christian perfume? Absolutely not, as a matter of fact, I am allergic to their behavior. I works out for me. If so, how can you regain the fragrance of Christ's gospel? The fragrance is intense and I am loving it.

Satan takes advantage of our unforgiveness by DISTRACTING us. We have one mine, one heart, and one Spirit; if Satan is occupying space in either, God is not. It is a spiritual liability. The symptoms in my own heart of unforgiveness is the memory of the atrocity with disappointment for the disruption of God's work. It hurts as I have already described; it distracts. Just Let go and let God; I have.

It keeps order and demonstrates commitment to the church and the position when it is aligned with Scripture. Self serving leaders not only hurt the church, they grieve the Holy Spirit. It demonstrates that they are not Spiritually led and it fragments not only the church but the reputation of the pastor. Always seeking to be encouraging, obedience is simply another way to serve. However, when it is evident that the leadership in question is mal-aligned; the Spirit is grieved when thier motives are not in the best interest of the Spirit or the church. Unity is ALWAYS disrupted when overt disobedience is displayed. It is greater disrupted when it is obvious that the disobeyed leader has reached the "Peter Principle." The credibility of the church suffers, all churches.

To "lord it over" is to assume no one else has the intelligence or the right to make decisions. The balance between(1) good, strong leadership, (2) micromanaging, and (3) a complete laissez-faire approach to leadership, is RESPECT & SENSITIVITY to the needs of the group. Recognizing that individually anyone person can lead; however, when everyone is in charge, no one is in charge. The dangers of an authoritative leadership style is that it implies the group is incapable of knowing what they need and one person acts for the good of all through his/her personal perception? The dangers of a weak leadership style? It is no leadership at all. It creates fragmentation, clandestine activity and eventually destroys the order. It leaves a dangerous opening as devious peopld are always alert and poised to take over in the absence of leadership. Leadership and the choice to be led is just that, a choice. is is The dangeers of a week The The

It means we are not alone, powerless, or double-minded. We belong to Christ. The Spirit is a part of the Trinity and keeps us united to God through Christ; He is our connecting point at all times. It is a forever relationship, the best is yet to come.

Q3. (2 Corinthians 1:10-11) Why does Paul ask people to pray for him? How do the prayers of others have an effect? What happened in your life that has helped you enter into a ministry of intercessory prayer? I believe he asked others to pray for him because :First, he believes the Bible. The second reason is that when one is under so much pressure, it feels like Moses holding up the staff as the Israelites crossed the Red Sea; we just get tired and need others to undergird us. It effects us because we know that God inhabits te praise of His people, all of them. Abraham asked God, "would you have the righeous suffer with the wicked?" Having others pray increases the righteousness of the prayer and gives us blessed assurance that while others would try to drive us to our knees in shame; we know it is a perfect position to pray. It is wonderful to know that others sharing this power are praying on our behalf. What has happened in my life is too great a burden for others to bear. Just know that in my own strengh, I could not have handled it. I know personally that God would not put more on us than we can bear. In those moments when it seemed I could not bear the pain of deceit, betrayal, dissapointment, shame, and attack, my phone would ring and someone would either need my help which would shift the focus from me to them or someone would contact me to express appreciation on how I have uplifted their life. This certainly reminds you that God does indeed have a purpose for my life and I dare not allow Satan to derail that plan. I know personally 1 Corinthians 10:13 is true, he will give us a way out in ways we coiuld never imagine.

When working with a physical trainer, they NEVER let you stop where you think you need to stop. Their command is always, "go to failure." I believe it is God's command as well--"go to failure." A crisis takes us face to face with our spiritual work-out. When standing there in disbelief you must default to God because at that moment, your perceived end is evident. God always picks up a new beginning at our perceived end. When it is over, He reveals that He was just revealing that we have not scratched the surface of His power in us. As for pride, it is truly over-rated. Our effectiveness is enhanced with new confidence when we realize that the battle is now ours anyway. Mostly, we realize that no weapon formed against us will prosper if we keep our eyes on God.

I live and breath in the comfort of knowing that I do not know everything but that God does and if I trust in God; He will take care of what I do not know. I share this by radiating a light that others want to share. When they ask about the source of my glee, I simply tell them. They usually follow me to "Bible Study." It is the place to refill my cup and their cup as well. Truly, I am drinking from my saucer because my cup of God overflowed long ago.