warrior

How could a person have the spiritual gift of pastor or teacher without having an official position in a church? What must a church do if its "senior pastor" doesn't have the spiritual gift of pastor? Who gives these gifts? The gifts are given to those that make themselves available not just those that qualify through training or schooling and no office can dicate who has the gifts or not. Any pastor who is over the flock should have the spiritual gift of pastor and teacher if not I would say he needs to check up and see if he is God called or by his own desires or another's. God is always the giver of gifts and they are always His gifts to use how he wants them used not ours for our use.

Ephesians 4:7-10) Who gives spiritual gifts? Can our "natural" talents be related to our "spiritual" gifts? How? What is the difference between a natural God-given talent and a spiritual gift? Christ gives spiritual gifts, they are His gifts not ours and He gives them not based on how we qualify as He qualifies all whom he gives to but on availability. Are we available to Him to be empowered with gifts that will be used for His kingdom, His glory and not try to exalt ourselves. There is no difference in the giver whether it be "natural" talents or "spiritual gifts" Christ gives them all. Our so called natural gifts are given for pleasure of worshipping God in different ways. The spiritual gifts are for drawing people into the kindgom and making them stronger.

How much energy must we expend on Christian unity? What is "the bond of peace"? How do we strike at peace when we are intent on argument and dissension? It is not a suggestion but a commandment so we should put as much energy into unity as we do obeying all His commandments. Our love for people and unity could never be as much as Jesus paid by laying down His life so who are we to worry when I feelings get hurt and want to hold a grudge. Bond of Peace will cement us together in spite of any personal differences. We may feel we have to do this or not do that, wear this or not wear that but the basic Bible principles we should all accept without strife those things that are written is instruction for us all. By keeping our mind and heart to doing those things that are set in writing for us all and looking through love as Jesus, trying all the harder to look in love when there is intent to argue.

(Ephesians 4:2) Why are patience and humility so important to preserving unity? What happens to the reputation of Jesus Christ when we have right doctrine along with a sense of arrogance towards those who disagree with us? How are we to be both "gentle" and to "fight the good fight of faith"? Without humbleness we are full of pride and arrogance which is a sin and cause us to fall. Jesus was humble all the way to the cross laying down his life in love, since we are made and are called to live in his image and character then we to must be willing to laying ourside ourselves. Humble in love to the will of the Father that His kingdom will be preserved in unity. How we react and do when we claim to be a christian brings either glory or dishonor to Christ. Other blood will be required at our hands if we offend to the point they are turned away from Christ due to what we show others in our lives. Gentle in spirit and our actions holding fast to what we have learnt to be the true.

The Lird call each of us once our lives are converted through salvation to be witness for him he gives us his spirit to direct us and give us the boldness to do so. He also gives special gifts of callings to individuals willing to accept and do what he has called them to do. No matter what we choose to do for the Lord the real anointing is in the calling he has prepared us to do. It may be singing, preaching, teaching, withnessing or a might prayer warrior but he eqiups us for what he has called us to do. We can do nothing in or on our own to make us worthy of the calling it is through the blood of Jesus that makes us more like him as we die daily to our will to take on His will. As the dying process of self happens as we communicate with Him then he is exalted and the calling takes on the power of God.

What does Ephesians 3:12 teach us about the manner of approaching God? What happens if we try to pray without these qualities? We should have boldness to approach God with openess, frankness and able to speak whatever we feel knowing if we have His righteouness within us we will find favor with Him. We need to come with the confidence that we can rely and trust Him. We will lack the faith to believe that whatsoever we ask will be given. We will let Satan make us feel unworthy but the the blood has made us worthy the flesh can never be worthy and without the character of God we cannot understand the things of God

Why is Paul so careful to be humble about his call and apostleship? How can his example help us remain as humble servants? He remember who he had been and the things he had done against God and His people. He knew he was a servant of God dedicated to doing only what God commanded. What had been given him in service to the Lord was a gift he (nor us) deserve, but unmerited favor. Not matter what status we obtain in life we are all on equal ground at foot of the cross, no little "I's" or big "U's". But for the blood that covers our sinful nature we would be as the worst of sinners that we meet everyday. We have nothing in ourselves to glory over, it is a gift that was bought with a great price, the blood of my Lord.

Why is God's revelation to "his holy apostles and prophets" our authority for faith and practice? What is the danger of minimizing or straying from that revelation? What is the danger of superceding that revelation? What is the danger of denying that God reveals himself to us and to his church today? For God moved on the prophets and apostles with revelation of His Words that they may serve as a written record in the Bible and be taught us through the prophets, ministers, teachers of our day. His Word has been proven and withstood the trials and fire that it is the truth, the living Word to accept any other puts us in danger of loosing our souls and leading others astray. We are not to add to not take from the Word, it is complete and does not need man to add his personal opinion about the Word. God reveals His truth as we seek Him and He is the ultimate authority. We still only understand that which God has revealed. The danger in denying is that we raise up a generation that will not know God and His truth. We also condemn ourselves and can be a stumbling block to those that are seeking to hear God for themselves.

Just what is the "mystery" that Paul is talking about? Why was it important to the Gentile Christians in Paul's day? It is the revelation of God and his plan of Salvation that can only be understood by the spirit which draws us, that which was and is revealed through God's prophets and ministers. It is important to the Gentile because it makes us all equals heirs to the Kingdom of God where under the law the Jews and Gentiles had a wall between them created by the law they were under. We are now under Grace and not under the legal system which man could not obey in full and need a sacrifice yearly by the priest to atone for the laws (sins) he broke.

What is the significance that your congregation was made to be "a dwelling place for God in the Spirit"? What hinders that from being fully experienced? What can you do to help that become more fully experienced and appreciated? Gods dwells in His house (His church as a whole) made up of true believers in every denomination, every nation. A house require many different parts to be a whole just like a body does and it takes everyone in their own place to make the dwelling place complete. It is hindered when we fail to be a part of the building, when we think of ourselves above others and forget except by grace we would all be lost. We must daily sacrifice ourselves (our wills) that His will is the center of our lives. We must as indiviuals keep in close fellowsip with other beleivers encouraging them, lifting each other up in prayer that we can come together in one mind and that is to worship the one who saved us and keeps us daily.

In what sense did Jesus as Messiah "fulfill" the Mosaic Law? What is the significance of that for Jewish people? For us Gentiles No longer was a Priest required to atone for our sins which could on be by sacrifice of a perfect unblembished animal once a year. No longer did Jews and Gentiles have a wall between them due to the law the Jews tried to force the Gentiles to live under. No longer could only the Priest have access to the Holy of Holies but the veil was rent that through the blood of Jesus we now have access. It has the same significance to Jews and Gentiles in that by Grace through the blood of Jesus is the only way for either one to be reconiled to God. No flesh could fulfill all the laws but Christ fulfilled them making a perfect convenant through His blood that can not be abolished.

What does it mean to have "access to the Father"? In what way does the Holy Spirit facilitate this access? In what way does Jesus enable this access? Before Christ only Priest could go into the tabernacle, common men had to stay in the outer court. Jews and Gentiles had a wall between them because of the laws but Jesus tore down the walls, rent the curtain and gave us all access to the Father that we may come bolding to the throne room. The Holy Spirit intercedes for us when we are even unable to prayer. sometimes only tearing or groanings will come but the Spirit understands even when we don't know how to pray. He is the teacher of how and what to say and the power to give us the boldness and staying power to remain in Christ.\ Jesus died as the ultimate sacrifice that all the laws was fulfilled in him and through Him and the work at Calvary we now have access to His Father and Our Father.

Why does being out of touch with what it means to be "lost" impede our willingness to witness? In your own words, what is the spiritual condition of a friend or co-worker who doesn't know Christ? If we can't remember when we were lost and without God and accept we were unlovable and just as bound by sin as those that don't know he today then we will not be able to witness with an heart full of grace. Our attitude will be self righteouness and our words will sound like we are looking down on them because we are judging them for being bound forgetting the grace of God which set us free. A friend or co-worker that is lost is as bound as I was and may not see their need they are dead to the saving grace of Jesus Christ and needs to see their condition as sinful and shamful to Christ before they will be willing to change. Our job is to live, talk and act like Christ so they will be brought under conviction and get saved.

Ephesians 2:14-15) In what sense did Jesus as Messiah "fulfill" the Mosaic Law? What is the significance of that for Jewish people? For us Gentiles? He gave grace in place of the law which man could not keep and had to have the priest make atonement for them each year. He replaced the animal sacrifice for those who broke the law and sacrificed himself that all who sin might live and not die. He broke down the veil for us to come bolding to the throne of God to make our needs known and to ask forgiveness without having to have a priest or anyone else do it for us. For the Jews it was the fulfillment of what the prophets told them and they looked forward to the cross in the days before Jesus knowing the law was not complete and that Jesus was coming to fulfill the law. The old covenant kept the Jews and Gentiles seperated Jesus brought them together and reconciled them both to God. The Gentiles were included under the convenant of Grace brought by the blood of Jesus, reconciled through him to God. It broke down the wall that seperated the Jews and Gentiles that peace might be brought through Christ all men could be brought under one union. He was not just a peacemaker to bring all men together but He is OUR peace. In the world there is always worry, problems, trials and persecutions but Jesus is our peace. Our minds in the flesh may be in turmoi but our spirit man inside knows the peacemaker will bring us out on top everytime.

What exactly is faith? Can we take credit for having it? Can we be condemned for lacking it? Define "faith" in terms a 10-year-old could understand. Faith is totally relying on Jesus instead of our own selves. It is believing when you are in the midst of trials that say it can't be done. We can have determination but faith is a gift from God, we receive a measure with salvation but it grows as our relationship with Christ grows. To explain it to a child it's like believing when you get hurt that a kiss from mommy will make it well.

According to Ephesians 2:10, what were we created to do? Why? (Matthew 5:16) What is the difference between these works and the works Paul discredits in verse 9? Before the foundation of the world God has always had a plan and nothing man has done or will do will stop that plan. We can however stop the will of God in our lives by not sumitting to him and allowing him to lead us into the fullness of what he planned for us before we were even born. If you are saved and submitting to God we will be full of the good works of God but we can not be saved by our works they are a result of being saved.

"Saved" has become Christian jargon. How can you "translate" this word into modern speech so people can understand what it really means and why they need it? We need to be rescued from our own way of life, our own way of thinking that keeps us feeling like something is missing, that life that is leading to death. We need to be rescued from our sins not in our sins which we try to justify without Jesus who came to rescue us from death to life. If you were in a burning building and I ran in and pulled you out you would be pretty stupid to run back in to be burned to death that is what Jesus did he pulled us out of a burning hell but without him we choose to run back in.

Q1. Why is it so hard for us to understand grace? What commonly held life principle does it demolish? Translate the word "grace" into language a 10-year-old child would understand. It is hard to understand getting something we don't deserve and being told we don't have to give anything back. It demolish our whole life of thinking that no one get something for nothing and that we must work or give something to get something in return. To explain it to a child when so many of us fail to totally understand is hard but I would say it's like doing everything you know your parents don't want you to do, talking back hatefully to them, striking them and then having them put their arms around you, kiss you and tell you they still love you and always will.

What does it mean that we are seated with Christ in "the heavenly realms"? What does this say about God's grace? What does this say about our spiritual authority? How should this knowledge affect our prayers and our boldness? By His power we are seated with Him above the demonic attackes we face here on earth, above our own flesh by faith we rise above it all. God's grace isn't just for getting saved but it is the staying power to keep us victorious from day to day going from Glory t Glory. We have all the spiritual authority we need to overcome anything that life offers if we exercise it through Jesus Christ . We should boldly pray and expect those prayers to be answer. We are the instuments that God uses in this world to accomplish his will and by trusting in Jesus Christ and using the power given us we can do all things through Christ when strengthens us.

Ephesians 1:4-5) In verses 4 and 5, which words describe God's motivation and character? Which verbs describe what has happened to us in Christ? God's love in that he has provided the way that none make perish but all who will can have everylasting life. It is through grace that we are saved for we did not and could not earn it, it was offered out of His Love. His Charachter is one of longsuffering, rich in mercy, offering redeemption to all who will accept it. He had made us alive in Him where we were once dead in our sins.

Ephesians 2:1-3) Few people would knowingly follow Satan. How can people unwittingly follow Satan? In what sense are we responsible for unwitting rebellion against God? How can God, in all fairness, blame us? We follow satan when we don't consult God about what direction He wants us to take, we unwittingly think that we are in control of our own lives and make decisions based upon our own understanding. We somtimes forget that it is not a little mistake when we disobey the commandments but it is sin and there is no little or big sin. It is rebellion against God because we have the Word to give us the understanding we need and if we go to him in prayer we will receive correct instructions. God is always fair and gives all the same chances to seek His way. We can not remain in a neutral state, we may think we are our own person but we are choosing to serve satan through the flesh or God. One or the other has control and you have the choice to make.

(Ephesians 2:1-3) In what sense are our non-believing friends, neighbors, and relatives "dead"? What's the difference between us and them? If we really believed that they were "dead" and subject to God's "wrath," what would we do? We were all dead because of our sins and we walked according to the darkness of the prince of this world. By nature through the fall of Adam the flesh is always weak but with Christ the spirit makes us more than overcomers of the flesh. When by Grace we accepted Jesus our past sins were covered in the blood and to be remembered no more, we are created new with a future not a past. If we really believed we are dead because of our sins the spirit would draw us to a change of life through Jesus that we could be obedient children of God and not subject to his wrath. Without truly believing we are wrong there may be some regrets but no real repentence and that is the only thing that will save us, His saving grace through repentence of our sins and living according to His commandments.

Q4. (Ephesians 1:20-22) Why do we so often take a "pass" when it comes to spiritual warfare? Why is Christ's exaltation, demonstration of complete victory, and superior rank over all spiritual powers important enough for Paul to mention it to his readers? Why do we tend to feel powerless in the face of spiritual enemies? What was Paul assuring the Ephesians of? What does this encourage us to do? We often pass because instead of looking at the battle in the spiritual we feel it with our flesh. It is not a battle that can be fault anyother way except by the spirit. It takes the same thing for us it took for Jesus, death. Not the physical death but Jesus died to everything except the Father's will and we will have to die to everything but the will of Jesus Christ. Christ is our example and he overcame the power of His enemies. With the conquering done by Jesus as His heirs and co heirs we also have the power to overcome our enemies. We feel powerless because our eyes see the natural that says it is impossible but by the spirit we can say and know that all things are possible through Jesus Christ. Paul assured them and encourages us that Christ is real, he is alive not just a idol God that sits there unable to deliver and save but Christ paid it all for us and all that Christ has is ours if we abide in Him and He in us.

Q3. (Ephesians 1:18d) Why are we powerless sometimes? Is it an inadequacy with the source or with our faith? Why do some congregations and movements produce disciples with miracle-believing faith and others produce disciples with wimpy faith? How can this be changed? We are powerless when we fail to stay in close communication with God through Jesus Christ. His promises are true but we have to know them to have them working in our life. It is our fault if the power is not flowing, if the flow is stopped up we need to check up what is in us that needs to be re-newed in Christ to keep the power flowing. Some churches know the importance of worship and getting into God's presence for in His presence is the faith we need to accomplish anything. Teaching people that the power of Acts is still going on and how to worhip and praise God until the spirit starts to move and change things

(Ephesians 1:18c) If you knew that in a few years you would inherit $10 million, would it affect your life now? How should our expectation of an inheritance in God's presence temper our present-day concerns? Since this inheritance will be shared with "the saints" -- our Christian family -- how should that affect our fellowship with them? As a person still having being in a fleshly body I am sure I would spend more time than I should thinking of what I would do with the money. But spiritually we should be like Christ always the same for what we have with Christ is far richer than any amount of money. We will inheritance heaven with no death, no sorrow and all we know we be ours but our inheritance is now not just in the future. We have inherited peace of mind knowing all our needs will be supplied, we have inherited healing by his stripes. Everything Christ is and has is ours from the day of our salvation and by keeping our eyes on the problem solver and not the concerns we will not be effected spiritually. Our flesh man may sometimes get our eyes on the concerns and we have to guard against letting it take hold. Fellowhip is important for to have true fellowhip you must have something in common, the same desires and sames goals. As christians we all have the same desires and goal, heaven, no matter what church we attend.