glory
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Posts posted by glory
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Yes , Jesus is fully God.
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To help you internalize and apply what you’re learning from John’s Gospel, I’ve included several Discussion Questions in each lesson. These are designed to help you think about and ponder the most important points. Don’t skip this. It’s best to write them out. You can post your answers – and read what others have written – by going to the online forum by clicking on the URL below each question. (Before you can post your answer the first time, you’ll need to register. You can find instructions at http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/instructions.htm
Q1. (John 1:1-3) According to the Apostle John, is Jesus fully God? What does it mean that Jesus is the “Word”? What does this say about him and his ministry?
Yes, Jesus is fully God. He is the Word, since the Word is a Person ,and He became flesh and dwelt among us. He was there before time began, with the Father and with the Holy Spirit, the Triune Godhead. All things came into being through Him, He created all things .
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Q1. (Psalm 8). What does this psalm teach about God? What does it teach about human beings? What does it teach us about Christ? What does it teach about our responsibilities?
That He made everything; creation and all of its glory was made by Him. Heaven, the moon and the stars, He ordained and established.He made us, the earth and all it contains. He is Elohim, Creator of the heavens and earth, the birds, the seas, etc..He cares for us human beings.He made us a little lower than Himself, and crowned us with glory and honor.We are God's masterpiece, created in Christ's image.We are to praise and worship Him for Who He is, for His greatness and majesty.
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Q2. (1 Thessalonians 1:4-5) Why is the Holy Spirit’s working so necessary to effective ministry? What happens when the main power behind our ministry is will-power? What is the role of miracles in Paul’s evangelism? What would happen if we saw miracles in evangelism in our day? What is hindering this?
Without the help of the Holy Spirit, everything is all man made. He is the One responsible for the miracles; Paul the Apostle being His yielded vessel. Will-power may work to motivate others but it wont last.We need Word-power to show the world that Jesus Christ is indeed The Miracle Worker of all times.Miracles were significant in Paul's ministry because they attested to the healing power of the One, True, Living God that Paul preached about and drew people to Christ.If we saw more miracles, some would believe and come to Christ, and others would no doubt reject the Gospel even when there's evidence to support the miracles.I do believe a lot of people are hindered by religious spirits and their own man- made traditions.
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Q1. (Acts 17:1-10) Why do you think there was so much strong opposition to Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica? Why do you think Paul keeps preaching the gospel, even though there is often a violent reaction against him? Does a violent reaction to our ministry necessarily mean we should stop?
They were jealous of Paul's ministry..the Bible says the godly in Christ shall suffer persecution..Paul was fulfilling the call God had placed on his life, even though it cost him everything,,we should never stop preaching the gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation...many will oppose us because their minds are blinded by the god of this world.So they love money, power, fame, etc...instead of having to humble themselves beneath the Mighty Hand of a loving God..I pray the Lord will open up their spiritual eyes and ears so they can see and hear Truth.I grew up in Islam and remember hating the Name of Jesus..today it is the sweetest Name I know..praise God He opened my eyes just in time or I would have died.
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Q4. (Galatians 2:1-10) Why do you think Paul seems to distance himself from the leaders of the Jerusalem church (2:2, 6, 9)? Why does he at the same time write of their approval of his ministry? How does this further his argument to the Galatians in this letter?
Paul was definitely not a people pleaser and kept his distance from the leaders of the Jerusalem church, even though he appreciated their approval of his ministry to the gentiles as being by grace only and not through law-keeping.I'm sure the Galatians were happy to know that Paul had the approval of the leaders of Jerusalem; it confirmed to them that we are saved by God's grace through faith in Christ alone.Paul knew Who had called him and therefore was confident in His calling, whether they liked him or not.
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Q3. (Galatians 2:1-3) Paul is arguing that the Jerusalem leaders support his position on circumcision, rather than that of the Judaizers. What is the significance of Paul’s mention that Titus was not required to be circumcised?
He wanted to show them that God's grace was equally sufficient for the Jews and Gentiles, circumcised or uncircumcised. Paul wanted them to see that being circumcised and keeping the law was not how a person was saved, but rather through faith in Christ.
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Q2. (Galatians 1:13-16) What factors in Paul's background made him an ideal apostle to the Gentiles? How did God use his being different from others? To ponder: How has your unique background fitted you for ministry? What uniqueness has God given you? What will it take to see that uniqueness as a God-given strength rather than as an embarrassment?
The fact that God called him and set him apart as a chosen vessel, revealing Himself to Paul by divine intervention on the road to Damascus, ready to kill believers for their faith in Christ, qualifies him as an ideal apostle to preach to the Gentiles. Paul was from Tarsus, highly educated, a murderer, yet God still used him mightily to spread the Gospel . I am able to communicate well with all people groups and I operate a lot by giving others a word of knowledge or words of wisdom at various times.I love to intercede for others, love to sing, praise and worship the Lord, and witness to others about Jesus Christ.
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Q1. (Galatians 1:11-12) What is the source of Paul’s gospel? How do we know that it is a true revelation? How does it conform to our other foundational sources of Christian teaching? What is the danger of taking the teaching of contemporary leaders as our doctrinal basis without checking it with the Scripture?
The source of Paul's gospel is a revelation of the the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. It is a true revelation because it can be backed up by the Word of God as seen in the Old Testament and the epistles, as well as Jesus's teachings to His disciples.Without checking Scripture for ourselves, we can be led astray and end up believing lies and errors since many of these contemporary leaders are not even being led by the Holy Spirit but by the flesh or by their own traditions .Thank God the Spirit of truth dwells within us and He helps us to discern truths from errors, because what we believe affects our eternal destiny.
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Q2. Paul called the Judaizers’ message as a “different gospel,” a perversion of the true gospel. How is this dangerous to the Galatian believers? How do twisted gospels (or an unbalanced interpretation of the gospel) affect Christians in our day?
Accepting another gospel other than faith in the Cross and what Christ accomplisehd for us at Calvary can affect one's eternal destiny. This is extremely dangerous and satan knows it and thus tried to use the Judaizers to introduce salvation by works and trusting in one's own merits to be saved. Today, a lot of christians in the Body of Christ are affected by this same religious spirit that tells them they have to do certain rituals and works to be saved.Basically, man trying to do good works to please God, hoping he will be acceptable and righteous unto God.We can never be righteous apart from the Blood of Jesus, but the devil has perverted so much of the Gospel that I'm starting to see why many christians are falling away or leaving churches and not wanting to go back.
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Q1. (Galatians 1:4) According to verse 4, for what purpose did Jesus give himself? How does Jesus rescue people today? How does he keep people from falling back into their old ways?
Jesus gave Himself to rescue us from our sins, since sin separates man from a holy God. He rescues people today by the preaching of the Cross and sending missionaries and others to spread the message of the Gospel, the good news. He enables us to overcome the past and not go back by leading us by His indwelling Holy Spirit, by giving us His Word,which has the power to strengthen us so that we dont go back to doing the things in the flesh like we used to.
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Q2. (2 Corinthians 3:2-3) In what sense are we “living letters”? In what way can people “read us”? Why is it so important to be authentic, not phony, in our lives? What happens when people “read” something in you that they admire and mention it to you? How might you respond appropriately?
We are living letters to others because they can read us like a book, that's why it's so important we live our lives pleasing unto God and letting others see Christ in us, because we are supposed to be conformed to the image of God's Son, Jesus Christ. People are not stupid, they can recognise phonies and hypocrites in the body of Christ, therefore we need to be transparent since we are ambassadors of Christ's Kingdom and we're supposed to represent Him here on earth.When people mention to me about something they admire, I politely say thank you and I always try to remember to give glory to God and not become prideful or puffed up since all the gifts comes from Him anyways.When I let my light shine, others are supposed to see my good works, and glorify my Father in heaven.
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Q1. (2 Corinthians 2:14-16a) In what sense is knowing God fragrant to people who are open to God? In what way is this fragrance repugnant to people who are closed to God? Have you suppressed your “fragrance” because some people are allergic to Christian perfume? If so, how can you regain the fragrance of Christ’s gospel?
People who are open to knowing God will warmly embrace the message of the Cross and it becomes a sweet smelling fragrance to them while those who want to practice their licentious lifestyle will find the gospel repugnant and offensive because their hearts are closed to God and His ways.Only last week I was trying out some samples of new perfumes at the store and some of them were heavenly smelling. In the same way, I believe the Cross brings a heavenly scent and life to those who are perishing.I do believe I need to regain some of that saltiness and flavor I once had when I first came to Christ.Almost all of my family seem to be allergic to christian perfume and I have gotten somewhat discouraged over the years. I pray the Holy Spirit will enable me to regain the fragrance of Christ's gospel.
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Q4. (2 Corinthians 2:10-11) How does Satan take advantage of our unforgiveness? What are the symptoms in our own heart of unforgiveness? According to Matthew 6:14-15, how does holding unforgiveness hurt our spiritual lives? What would you have to do to really let go of your resentment and give it to God?
When we don't forgive, it opens up the door for the enemy to work in our lives. Bitterness in our hearts and holding onto grudges and not letting go can be symptoms of an unforgiving heart.According to Matthew's gospel, if we forgive others for sinning against us, then will our Heavenly Father forgive us for our sins.Forgiveness is not a feeling but a choice, a decision of the will to pardon someone who has badly hurt us.Once I choose to let go and forgive, the Holy Spirit will enable me to do so and bring healing and peace into my life, but I have to be willing to let it go completely and turn it over to God.
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Q3. (2 Corinthians 2:9) How does obedience to servant leaders help the church of Jesus Christ? How does obedience to self-serving leaders hurt the church? Are you obedient to those whom God has placed over you in the Lord? Why or why not? What is the relationship between obedience and church unity?
Obedience to servant leaders brings peace and unity in the body of Christ, while obedience to self- serving leaders hurts the church because they are looking to control their followers and don't allow people to be led by the Spirit of God.I am obedient to my spiritual leader because God's Word commands us to be obedient to those whom He has placed as our spiritual authority.Obedience to God's Word and to our spiritual leader promotes unity because there is no strife and we are all in one accord when we obey and receive correction; obedience brings the blessings of God upon the church.
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Q2. (2 Corinthians 1:24) What does it mean to “lord it over” someone? What is the balance between (1) good, strong leadership, (2) micromanaging, and (3) a complete laissez-faire approach to leadership? What are the dangers of an authoritative leadership style? What are the dangers of a weak leadership style?
I think to "lord it over" someone is to believe you have personal power over them and that you are in charge of them, and not the Lord.Good, strong leaders have balance in their lives and allow people to make their own choices without constantly manipulating them to do what they want.On the other hand, there are leaders who have no idea how to lead God's people and it can be dangerous to have leaders like this in the pulpit because God hasn't anointed them for this position.Nowadays, as soon as someone can preach, people try to make leaders out of them even though they have not developed character and are not very spiritually mature.Weak leaders can be manipulated very easily while authoritative leaders manipulate to get people to do what they want.
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Q1. (2 Corinthians 1:21b-22) According to this verse, what does the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives signify? How does the Spirit unite us with God? What is the promise of future blessing inherent in the Spirit’s presence?
The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives signify that we belong to Jesus Christ. God's Holy Spirit has been has been given to us as a seal of things to come.We have been established and anointed by the Holy Spirit for service unto God.The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in our hearts and unite us to God our Father. No man can come to the Father unless the Spirit draws him.We who belong to Christ are sealed in His Spirit until that glorious day of His return.
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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?
Paul knew there was power in prayer and that God works on our behalf through our prayers as well as others prayers.When others intercede on our behalf, they are doing spiritual warfare on our behalf and pulling down the stronghold of the enemy in our lives.When I almost died many years ago as a moslem and doctors had given up hope, my sister took me to church and it was because of the prayers and petitions of faithful men and women of God that I ended up accepting Jesus as Lord and praise God I'm alive and not dead because of the power of effective, fervent prayer.Now I am an intercessor who prays for others and with great results.To God be the glory!!!
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Q2. (2 Corinthians 1:9-10) How does facing a harrowing crisis help us grow in the Lord? How has a crisis helped your spiritual life? What is the value of learning not to rely on ourselves? What does this do to our pride? How does this improve our effectiveness as God’s servants?
It's in the trying times of life that most of us tend to look to the Lord and rely on Him because crisis in life have a way of bringing us to the end of ourselves and looking to Him instead.I used to get so angry in the past because it seemed like I had to deal with one crisis after another, but somewhere in the process I have grown to realise trials do make me stronger and more spiritually mature.My problem is that I tend to focus more on the pain than the growth that comes with the pain.Sometimes, when I realise I can't rely on myself beacuse things are way above my head, I get panicky and anxious, but once my pride is gone , I remember it's when I'm totally dependent on Him that's when miracles come forth.Because of some of the persecution I have endured as a christian, I have also felt at times like I despaired of life, but I found out in those times that His divine, supernatural power is more than sufficient to carry me through those harrowing crisis in life.
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Q1. (2 Corinthians 1:3-7) What kind of comfort do you receive from your faith in God? From your personal daily relationship with God? How might you share the blessing of this kind of comfort with a friend or relative who is currently suffering? What words of comfort can you bring to others?
My faith in God is what comforts me through the trials and difficulties of life.It's a peace that passes all understanding and a calm even in the midst of severe pain. The Lord Himself, by His Precious Holy Spirit, is my Comforter. He always comes alongside me and helps me when I totally depend on Him.Even in my daily relationship with the Lord, as I spend time in the Word, I sometimes hear His still, small voice comforting me and speaking peace to my troubled heart.I do share with my christian as well as non- christian friends how God's help and comfort can make all the difference in the world when you are going through struggles in life.Some receive it, some don't because they don't care much about God or the things of God.
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Q3. (2:18-20) How does being an employee "conscious of God" affect the way we act and react to injustice in the workplace? Can a conscientious Christian be a complainer? Why or why not? How do you usually react to prolonged, unfair treatment at your work?
When we are conscious of God's presence with us wherever we are, it will definitely affect our behavior and also the way we treat others.We can endure and bear up under pressure at the job.We can react to injustice with patience and kindness rather than being nasty and throwing a fit.I don't believe a conscientious christian should be a complainer because this does not reflect the character of Christ in us.People look at our behavior when they know we are christians, so if we constantly complain then we're no different from the rest of the world.I think if I was being treated unfairly for a long period of time, I'd definitely want to quit, unless the Lord prompted me to stay .But I know that would be very difficult for me to bear up under such circumstances.
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Q2. (2:18) If we are to submit to our employers and respect them, what is that saying about God's expectation that we do a good job? In what sense do we dishonor God when we don't give our full effort to our jobs?
God expects us to give our best at whatever we do.We are ambassadors of Christ on the earth; we represent Him. So, when our work is always incomplete or we are late all the time, it is a bad reflection on the One whom we say we serve and love.God wants us to work as doing it for Him, and not for people.Recently, I was sharing how discouraged I had become with selfish, ungrateful christians that I know or observe.My friend told me I needed to do whatever I do as unto the Lord and not unto man. That has helped me to overcome that discouragement because I know now that God is going to reward me for being faithful to Him.
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Q1. (2:15-16) In what way is God's glory dependent upon us living submissive, obedient lives? How is God hurt when we get rebellious?
I think of a relative of mine who has claimed to be a christian for a very long time, yet showed no respect to her parents and was actually trying to lay claim to a piece of property that wasn't hers.I remember hearing unsaved relatives expressing concern about whether she was indeed a christian or not, because of her rebellious actions.Her actions did not reflect obedience to God's words or His ways.We can hurt God's kingdom by our disobedience, such as dishonoring authority .We are set free to glorify and serve Him, not set free to sin and do whatever we feel like doing.
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Q5. (2:12) How can the good deeds we commit by living openly as Christians increase God's praise. How does our "blending in" detract from God's praise?
When others see Christ in us, when they see our good works, then our Father is glorified and we stand out as unique among worldly people who don't understand what it means to be Christlike and demonstrate God's love to others.Blending in gives no praise to God because how can God be glorified when we act, dress and talk just like the world.? We need to shine for Jesus and be the light He's called us to be in the evil times we are living in.
Q1. In Christ
in 1. 1 Spiritual Blessings in Christ (Ephesians 1:1-6)
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To be in Christ means to be one with Him, for in Him we live and move and have our being. He also comes to dwell in us when we are born again, we are new creatures in Christ, and as the Word says Christ in me is the hope of glory. So He lives in me and I in Him, which itself is a mystery, a spiritual union.