pastor neal

Q1. (Romans 8:3-4) Why can't obedience to the law save us? What is the weak link? What then does it take to save us? Obedience to the law is unable to save us for the law is weakened by the flesh of human-kind (sinful-nature). The weakest link is the sinful-nature of mankind. The rebellious human nature and the human value-system stand in opposition to God's value-system. We are saved not by living to our sinful-nature but instead according to the Spirit.

Q5. (1:8-9) According to 1 Peter 1:8-9, what is the basis of Christian joy that is "inexpressible and glorious"? How does this joy interplay with human emotions? Is it essentially emotional? How does it differ from what is generally regarded as the pursuit of "happiness"? Extra Credit: How can you tell the genuine article of joy from the counterfeit? Although we have not seen God we love Him, even though we don't presently see Him we believe in Him. It is a true joy inspired by a vision executed by faith of God. This is not emotionalism for we would have to physically work into our joy. This is receiving the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls (Romans 1:8-9) {Paraphrased} Extra Credit: These two differences are easily distinguishable as in the counterfeit joy people will physically work into their emotion while the true joy can be found in the truly inspired vision of God.

Q2. (1:2) Why do forgiveness (sprinkling) and obedience come together as a package? Why is it deceptive to think you can have one without the other? Extra credit: If true faith requires obedience, how can we say that we are saved by grace rather than works? (Ephesians 2:8-10) Forgiveness and obedience come together as a package. One depends on the other...without obedience to God how can we expect His forgiveness? Believing that we can have forgiveness without obedience is a deception for we must learn to obey and follow Jesus, have faith and work diligently @ living by His teachings.

Q1. (1:1) How would you describe the behavior of a Christian who identifies more with his present homeland than his heavenly one? Have you ever caught yourself doing this? What has to happen to get our spiritual priorities straight? A Christian who identifies more with his present homeland than his Heavenly one is, in my opinion, a lost and unprepared Christian. By focusing upon his earthly goods this Christian ends-up stockpiling sins instead. No, I have never found myself doing this...because of serious and chronic illnesses I am well aware that attachments to earthly goods serve no importance. In order to get our Spiritual priorities straight, barring any actual natural disaster, we need to exercise our insight and consider how our earthly endeavors can be of future value. We need to meditate upon, and prioritize what should take precedent in our present homeland; balancing our needs for our next home.

Q5. (Romans 7:14-25) Christians disagree about who is the "I" in Romans 7. Is Paul referring to himself or others? What is your opinion? (We won't all agree here, but we'll learn what the issues are by taking and arguing for a position -- lovingly). I believe that although Paul is using the pronoun "I" he is actually including everyone. He is telling this to the Roman readers and by professing "I" he brings his readers in on a personal level

Q4. (Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 15:18-20; Romans 7:24) What is the doctrine of "total depravity"? Put it in your own words. Does it mean that none of God's original goodness shows through? Then what does it mean? Why does modern man tend to believe that man is basically good? How does this differ from what the Bible teaches? The Doctrine of Total Depravity, a phrase coined by Theologians, exposes the fact that man is basically corrupt. This is not to say that some of God's original goodness does not show through, for it does. However, this goodness cannot be totally trusted since we are a mixture of good and evil. Modern man tends to believe just the opposite of what the Bible teaches believing that man is basically good with a degree of corruption blended in and that this is all fixable. In his naivet

Q1. (Romans 7:5) Paul uses the word "flesh" (or NIV "sinful nature") many times in chapters 7 and 8. In your own words, what does Paul mean by "flesh" in these verses? In Chapters seven and eight the word "flesh" actually has four definitions. The first three, which are morally neutral, are: the physical matter ( making up the human body), the human body itself, and a human being. The fourth is the actual description of our being...the rebellious human being and our Human Value Systems (the flesh), dominated by an opposition to God's Value System.

Q2. (Romans 7:7-8) The law reveal sin for what it is. Why wouldn't we be better off just not knowing that we should not covet, for example? Why does the flesh respond to being told "Do not covet" by coveting all the more? The law does, in fact, reveals the nature of sin. These boundaries and foundations are needed so that we know when we are sinning. These are important in establishing right from wrong. The flesh responds negatively to any sort of boundaries. When faced with such do's and don'ts we become rebellious against God's value system; seeking to sin all the more.

Q5. (Romans 6:18-22) In Paul's analogy in these verses, is there a place of independent freedom apart from "slavery" to sin or to Christ? Why do we long for this kind of independent freedom? Why do we hesitate to firmly take sides and make our allegiance clear to all? Absolutely not! One must choose to be either a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness...no middle of the road. The reasons, I believe, that we long for independent freedom is that it would allow us to live in both worlds with little or no regret. When we are hesitant to take a particular side and make it known we are actually allowing ourselves room to choose whatever side moves us at a certain situation. Maybe a friend wants to do something sinful, so we chose this side of the street, but when engaging in something Christian we can claim the narrow path.

Q4. (Romans 6:17b) How does good doctrine affect the way we live? Why should we honor good doctrine? If we shouldn't look down on doctrine itself, what kind of teaching should we be avoiding? A good doctrine would effectively teach God's word as it is written without flavoring by mans' ideas. Honoring a good doctrine steers us away from the practice of sin to the practice of Good over evil. When viewing the doctrine it is important to be certain that what we are digesting is a true teaching of Christ and not a twisted, diluted version created by man's heart and mind.

Q3. (Romans 6:15-18). What does obedience have to do with slavery? In what way does doing acts of righteousness demonstrate your slavery to God? In what ways does doing bad things demonstrate a slavery to sin? How is such a slavery or bondage broken? What part does obedience have in breaking this bondage? In what areas is God speaking to you about a fresh obedience in your life? Once you allow sin to run your life you will obey it without question. It demonstrates your acceptance and obedience to God's law. By obeying God and His laws we begin to break the bondage of sin. Prayer, Bible Study, Proper use of Member, Honesty, etc.

Q2. (Romans 6:13) In what ways do you "offer the members of your body" to either sin or God multiple times in a day? Why is it that we can sin unconsciously? How can we begin to offer our members deliberately to God? What changes will it take in our daily life to do this? We offer our members to sin by partaking in circles such as those of gossips or bashing. whenever we allow our minds to story to negative or unclean thoughts or as to avenging a wrong. To God we we offer our member when we assist other people, pray, honor God and apply his teachings to our daily lives. Sinning unconsciously can happen at any time. Perhaps a cashier under-charges and instead of pointing this out our first instinct is to just keep the difference. A situation may result out of anger and an individual is flipped-off because of road-rage; or their boss causes them extra work. Offer to God by praying diligently and live the way that He expects. Be aware of our actions at all times, stopping when we begin to falter. Focus and restart...apologize for any wrongs.

Q4. Which of Abraham's achievements inspires you the most? As you reflect on his life, what stands out for you? Genesis 14:13-14 (ASV) 13 And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew: now he dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner; and these were confederate with Abram. 14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued as far as Dan. I respect and applaude Abraham for his quick gathering 318 men to take on a large army in order to recuse Lot. This courageous individual demonstrate an act of faith and trust that should be practiced by everyone. Reflecting upon his life I am sincerely moved by unwavering faith and trust in God. God had told him to leave his country, his kin, his home, and set out for Canaan. Abraham was apparently unfamiliar with this area but he heeded Gods request. What amazes me even more is how cool he was when he went about preparing the altar to sacrifice his only son Isaac. This deed demonstrated a true love to God...not once did he stop to ask the reason for such a deed. Perhaps he knew in his heart that God would not allow him to sacrifice his only son since they had been blessed with him so late in life. What ever may be the reason I am totally inspired by the true love, faith and devotion that Abraham had for God.

Q3 (24:12-14) What do you think of the servant's prayer and test of God? Did the servant find the right girl on the basis of his hasty prayer? If not, then how? I believe that the prayer was heart-felt, honest, sincere and asked with the utmost of love with respect to God. I am not so sure that this was a test of God since the servant had made the request on behalf of Abraham in a quick and hasty well informed prayer just as Abraham had directed. Perhaps some scholars and theologians will consider this the result of the servants effrontery with the young lady who happened by the well. I however, believe that Rebekah was taught to respect all men and that it was through faith and prayer that she came to fulfill Abraham's request.

Q4. How does Abraham's near sacrifice of his beloved, only son Isaac help you understand better Jesus' crucifixion? When reading of Abraham's' near sacrifice of Isaac I experienced a sense of sadness and anxiety combined with faith and love that what he was doing needed to be done in order to fulfill God's will. Although God never said that He experienced any negative feelings while preparing His only son for crucification I believe that despite His return, there was some discomfort.

Q3. (22:14) How have you learned to trust God to provide for you? How has he provided for you in the past? What are you facing right now that will require God to be your Provider, your Jehovah-Jireh Absolutely, its truly a matter of turning (surrendering) your life to him without fear, doubt or second-guessing. God has made sure that my family and I have the necessities in order to survive as-well-as offering a helping hand and a tender ear during our physical challenges.

Q2. Can we really know God until we can trust him with our whole lives? Have you surrendered your life to Jesus Christ? If not, why not now? If you have, what has that surrender entailed for you? How has God blessed you in return? This question can be both confusing and misleading. It is not a matter of "testing" God to see if he is going to live-up to our standards. No sir! we are to turn our lives over to Him the moment we are old enough to understand God's love and grace. Absolutely, I have surrendered my life to Jesus Christ. By surrendering my life to Jesus Christ I have found an ever-lasting peace and a sense of knowing that someone is always looking after my needs; keeping me on the straight and narrow, and being a friend when I need someone with whom to talk. God has blessed me with an excellent family, many talents, wisdom to be His messenger, many chronic medical and financial challenges which has built strength, confidence and a stronger relationship with God.

Q3. In what ways has God blessed Abraham in this difficult chapter 21? Given what we know about Ishmael's character (16:12; 25:18), how has Abraham been blessed that he sent him away? How has Isaac been blessed? What might have happened if Ishmael hadn't been sent away? Have you ever been rejected or sent away? Were is God in all of this? God had blessed Abraham by giving him Ishmael with whom he shared 16 (apparently) wonderful years watching him grow into a fine young man. Despite the sadness following the eviction of Hagar and Ishmael we find Abraham once more blessed with his one and true heir Isaac with whom he would spend the remainder of his life. Had Ishmael remained in the family unit and continued to taunt Isaac I would say that it is in the realm of all possibility that there could have been eventual blood-shed as Hagar fought for what she thought Ishmael should receive and Sarah fighting against the non-heir. The step-brothers could have easily ended in a domesticated violence instigated by their mothers.

Q2. (Romans 6:3-4) In Paul's reference to baptism in 6:3-4, what does "buried" (6:4a) correspond to in the act of baptism? What does "Christ was raised from the dead" (6:4b) correspond to in baptism Buried refers to the immersion as raised from the dead referees to the coming up from the water.

Q1. What effect does Satan want trials to have in our life? What effect does God want them to have? The effect really depends upon how we respond to the trial. Have you ever been through a trial that strengthens and invigorates you at the end? Have any of your trials inspired others or have you been inspired by another's trial? Satan wants all trials and tribulations to wear us down so that we begin to doubt the existence of God or if we believe in God we begin to question his fairness regarding the love and peace which He is suppose to bring to us. On the other hand...God wants these trials and tribulations to build strength, patience, perseverance and character while learning to trust Him and understand that He is doing what is right even if it seems that at times we don't understand. Absolutely! I have endured more than my share of health and financial challenges, often occurring at the same time. However, trusting in God led us to answers as-well-as making my family and I stronger and more trusting of our Lord.

Q4. (21:33) How does the realization that God is El-Olam, the Eternal God, effect you? How does it alter the way you live your life? Realizing that god is El-Olam, the Eternal God brings a sense of peace and joy knowing that He will always be with me. My life will not alter too much since I have always tried to live in harmony with our Lord through His teachings of peace and love not only of myself but to my fellow man

Q2. (21:8-10) What motivates Sarah to demand Ishmael's expulsion from Abraham's family encampment? Is she righteous in this? Have you ever tried to force your spouse to act against his or her principles? Have you ever been forced yourself? According to Sarah she sees Ishmael "mocking" Isaac at a feast that Abraham had thrown. However, her motive may had been more on the selfish side since she did not want Ishmael to collect any part of Abraham's' estate. Is she righteous? NO! She is working against the will of God. However, I believe that this becomes more of a Moral dilemma. She should allow Ishmael to inherit at least a small portion of Abraham's' wealth since he had been their son before she was able to conceive one of their own. Of course no one could force her to comply but had she any scruples she would had made the gesture of her own will. No, I have never tried to force my wife to do anything that is against her principles. I have had someone who attempted to push me this far but I refused to buckle under the pressure.

Q1. (21:5-7) The name Isaac means "he laughs." What is Sarah's laughter like now compared to her laughter in 18:12-15 and Abraham's laughter in 17:17? What does this tell you about God's sense of humor? In verse 18:12-15, Sarah's laugh was one of contempt and disbelief. At the birth of of Isaac her laughter became a giddy sense as she realized that God can do what He promises. I believe that Abraham's laughter was partially at Sarah and partially at the fact that he now had an heir to his wealth. Someone with whom he could raise without Sarah's negative input. Does God have a sense of humor? Look at the platypus!

Q3. (19:26) After nearly being delivered, why did Lot's wife stop and gaze rather than escaping? What was in her heart? Have you ever struggled with this in your heart? What lesson does Jesus draw from Lot's wife in Luke 17:31-33? (19:26) After nearly being delivered, why did Lot's wife stop and gaze rather than escaping? What was in her heart? Why Lot's wife stopped to gaze at the destruction taking place behind her is merely conjecture. Perhaps she still harbored some doubt as to the true identity and mission of their visitors, wanting to see if they were on the up-and-up with their revelation...too bad since she was solidified as salt as as she got her answer. Maybe she was the "mother"to today's accident gawkies. Their curiosity is so great they just need to see the mayhem first-hand. Again, her pause cost her her life. May haps she was so overcome by the prospect that she paused to look back at her friends never realizing her imminent danger. Have you ever struggled with this in your heart? Absolutely not...I have always had a great relationship with the Lord and when He says move it...I leave dust trails. What lesson does Jesus draw from Lot's wife in Luke 17:31-33? Luke 17:31-33 (ASV) 31 In that day, he that shall be on the housetop, and his goods in the house, let him not go down to take them away: and let him that is in the field likewise not return back. 32 Remember Lot's wife. 33 Whosoever shall seek to gain his life shall lose it: but whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.

Q4. (Romans 6:2-5) According to this passage, at what point do we move from being under the headship of Adam to the headship of Christ? Is there anything we must do to bring about this change in headship? What are the implications of us having died with Christ? According to this passage, at what point do we move from being under the headship of Adam to the headship of Christ? When we are baptized and resurrected. Romans 6:2-5 (ASV) 2 God forbid. We who died to sin, how shall we any longer live therein? 3 Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him through baptism unto death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection; Is there anything we must do to bring about this change in headship? Accept Christ as the Son of God and that He came to earth as mand and we must be baptized. What are the implications of us having died with Christ? That we have been resurrected and dead to sin.