steve.c

Times that God has cared for me as a shepherd. As I mentioned in the last answer, I felt that I was being guided when I was introduced to the Good News and salvation through Jesus. As I started to study the Scriptures I felt strongly that I had been rescued, just like the lost sheep or lost son in the parables. It was a strange and thrilling emotion of being carried up, held firm and protected, sensing Jesus' joy. Since then I have always felt the guidance of Jesus. When I have strayed and responded to the pull of my sinful self I have felt Jesus' corrections, admonitions and comfort. When I have had uncertainties I have found refreshment and encouragement from His teaching. His answers to my prayers have helped me often times not to stray on to the wrong path. Thank you Lord Jesus for being my shepherd, ever watchful, ever loving, ever faith. Who else could I follow but You?

Do you think that Abraham was really expecting God to provide a sacrifice, or that was just what he told Isaac? I am sure that Abraham told his son about the Lord's provision as an excuse. I am sure when he had laid Isaac on the sacrificial pyre he fully meant to kill him as God had instructed and would have done if the angel of the Lord had not intervened. Although there is no mention of a struggle by Isaac, I take that as being obedience to his father and not evidence that he was not fearful of what was about to happen. Did you receive a last minute provision from God? Yes, I believe many times. The first was when I had been invited to a Christian Union meeting at uni. I was indifferent to what I heard and felt certain that I would not be going to another meeting. On the way back, a voice inside me seemed to insist that I ask my host why he was a Christian and what it was like to follow Jesus even though when I asked I thought I would be indifferent to the answer and what "just being polite". The conversation and our prayers together that followed was the turning point in my life. Shortly afterwards I became born again in Jesus when I was baptised and have been His disciple ever since. I often wonder what would have happened if I had not asked the questions I did. In all likelihood I would have not been saved. Instead I would have been another sacrifice to sin. As it turned out, Jesus had made that atoning sacrifice for me. In what circumstances can we expect God to supply our needs? Any conditions? God will supply all my needs and answer my prayers in a manner that will suit His plan for my life. The conditions are that I must remain in Jesus and follow His teaching; I must believe in Him and have no doubt; if I pray it must be for the right motives; I must not habitually sin and I must lead a righteous life faithfully following the Bible's teaching in all I do.

What does it mean God is our keeper? Your own commentary puts it better than I can. God watches over us and protects us always from our coming and for evermore. There is no time that He ceases to protect and shade us and there is no danger or threat that He cannot overcome. In what ways does He "keep" or "guard" us? God guards us from evil, from sin and from false beliefs. He sets out our path, a path that bring us to Him. That path is His word. Ultimately that keeping or guarding leads through Jesus to our salvation and everlasting life

In what way is God a rock in the above verses? The Rock is a place of refuge. God rescues us from our enemies by offering us a place of escape and security. He is our security. It is also a place of strength. The Rock is the foundation on which to build a fortress, a temple or place of worship. God here is the foundation of our lives. The Rock also symbolises the strength and everlasting nature of God; His immutability. There is a suggestion also of His towering dominance. His highness with the image of the Rock rising above us. The Rock is also a quarry. We are carved from it. In a sense being born in Christ we obtain the strength from the Rock, being here our Lord Jesus dwelling in us. What function does a rock perform in Palestine? Historically, in a land which has seen conflict so many times, personal safety and the safety of the community is paramount. The rock offered a place of escape. Caves in rock outcrops were difficult to attack and easy to defend. Often they were in remote areas. Also the rock, like the temple mount, formed a suitable foundation and vantage for a fortress which protected all the community and the prominence for its most important buildings. Sadly, in the modern age, the rock is more often associated with stone throwing and illustrates an intractable problem between Arab and Jew.

In what way is God a shield? He is a shield as He is always our protector. He protects us from evil. He protects us from our sinful selves. He gives us strength when we are tempted. He protects us by his guidance and the plan He has for our lives. He protects us ultimately through the salvation we have through the mediation of His Son, His death and resurrection. Without His protection we would remain in our sinful state which leads to death and eternal estrangement from God. In what way is He our glory? The glory of the Father is reflected in His children. He is our source of strength. As a new creation in Christ, it is He who is within us. It is His love and His teaching which radiates through us. He is our teacher and our example. So we should not take the credit. What is good and worthwhile in us comes from Him. In what ways is He "the lifter up of my head". He is our encouragement. When the world gets us down, He gives us hope and He gives us strength. He will refresh our spirits. He gives us purpose and direction. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 What does that teach us about God? About ourselves? God is both a powerful and a loving God. He protects and guides us. He gives us the direction and the encouragement. He does this because He loves us. In return we must obey and follow Him in all His teaching and through pray and study to get to know Him better so that the more we are a reflection of Jesus and follow Him in everything.

What is the protected one required to do in times of danger? Put simply we must put our trust completely in Yahweh and be completely obedient to Him. He will afford all the protection we need. He is our Rock. What metaphors are used of God's protection in the psalm? The metaphors are: shelter, shadow, fortress, a wing (also feathers), shield, rampart, dwelling and refuge. I hope I have got them all!

What is the significance of the confession "Jesus is Lord"? Jesus is Lord, Jesus is Yahweh and fully God. It is easy to dwell on the humanity of Jesus, which He shares with us, but this does not detract from the fact that He is Yahweh with all the power and might, love, creativity, extent and timelessness that this implies. Jesus is truly God and His incarnation as man has changed the world and the pattern of our lives for ever. Why is it necessary for salvation, according to Romans 10:9? Our salvation comes from Jesus. It is He who is the sole mediator between God and man. Our salvation comes from our belief in Jesus and who He is. Salvation can come in no other way. "For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." [John 3:16] Belief in Jesus is an acceptance too that He is Yanweh. He was sent by the Father and by His death on the cross He died for our sins once and for all and through His resurrection He conquered death for all who believe in Him. "Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved." [Mark 16:16] Belief comes from the heart which leads to repentance and confession which comes from the mouth. We are then baptised so that we are baptised into Jesus' death. We emerge born again in Christ. "I have been crucified with Christ and no longer live, but Christ lives in me." [Galatians 2:20] "No-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." [John 3:3] I rejoice that I declare and believe with all I have that "Jesus is Lord". Through Him I am saved and have life.

What are the implications for governments that Yahweh is King of kings and Lord of lords? Rulers who accept that Yahweh is King of kings and Lord of lords should accept that Yanweh is their suzerain, their overlord. They owe their position to Yahweh and govern in His stead. It means that their government should accept and advance His commands, values and standards whether it is setting standards of justice and punishment, helping the needy and disadvantaged or promoting His teachings within the community. It makes no sense at all to accept his overlordship and then promote policies which undermine His commands and promote immorality. What are the implications from removing "God" from the nations currency and pledges, and ardently securalizing national life? For God's people in a Christian community, they want to live in a society which adhers to the values and commands set out by Yanweh. That does not mean that they want to coerce other people, in God's image we all have the freedom to chose, but it becomes less acceptable to them to live in a society which is stridently secular and which tries to force those value on them. I come from a country where church and state are not separated and religious symbols and references appear on our coinage and other national emblems, including our flag. However, material securalism is the real underlying ethic of the country in which I live and it is deeply and distressingly sinful. It promotes everything that attempts to undermine Christianity: securalism, multiculturalism, relativism and evolution. This is not new. Paul describes it in Romans 1. It is rife: debauchery, binge drinking, teenage sex, homosexuality, rising rates of crime and violence, respect for no-one, broken homes, broken marriages, adultery and fornication everywhere, welfare dependancy, idolatory of evey kind, loose morals, vulgar language and no thought or respect for our Creator. Spirituality is largely regarded as a joke; a faith in Christ, to which we owe everything, as a superstition which the modern world can do without. Although the church to which I belong is an enthusiastic, loving community which is growing, we are a very small minority in an essentially godless place which is the kingdom of the evil one. I work, pray and witness that we can change it as I think we are called to live in and encourage a righteous godly community. Our government does not help when it promotes so many policies which offend Yanweh's commandments: we covet nearly everything our neighbour has, we steal, we worship false idols with our reckless materialism, we kill ( by abortion on a massive scale), single parent families abound, divorce has never been easier, we disrespect our parents (something our laws often encorage); we ignor the sabbath; we encourage the belief in all sorts of cults and fashionable, but false, notions,we blaspheme and through the promotion of relativism the worship of other gods. In short a secular government has allowed things to sink pretty low and the discontent within society shows that the fruits of it are bad. Where does that put a nation with regard to God the King? A nation which promotes secular materialism and the immorality which flows from it is promoting policies which must be offensive to Yanweh, our ulimate ruler and King. It is rebellious. It is ungrateful. It is deeply sinful. Turning away from Yanweh must invite His justified wrath. It follows that we have no right to receive the blessings and bounty that flow from Yanweh to his true people. The Bible has many examples of this and why should we be different. It also creates a very difficult enviriment in which to live for those who are or strive to be truly obedient to Yanweh. Securalism is presented as being liberating but in truth it is the exact opposite; it is ensnaring us in a sinful self-centred and self-regarding world. Sorry for the rant. It is a subject dear to my heart and one of the reasons why I think it is so important to evangelise whenever I can.

What are the personal implications of Yahweh being our King and Jesus being the Messiah sent by God? I am a subject of Yahweh as my King. He is my ruler. It is His decrees that I obey. His commands supercede all others. It means that I follow His teachings and His word completely and unhestitatingly. He is the ultiamte guide and the ultimate authority in my life. The personal implications are as comprehensive. I am His and obey Him in everything. Jesus is the way to the Father, to the King of all nations. The Father sent Him to earth to be the bridge between fallen sinful man and God, our Father and King. Through Jesus I am transformed and reborn in Him. I am justified through baptism and have life in abundance. With Jesus within me, controlling all, I try to radiate His love in everything I do. Following Him is the purpoae of my life. What are the advantages of being subject to Yahweh as King? The advantage is the dedication of my life to the absolute truth; obeying what is absolutely incontravertably correct. Anything else would fall short of this and my life would lose purpose. He is the ultimate authority and the only authority I know should follow. What does it mean to submit to the King on an everyday basis? It means to follow His word in everything I do. It determines how I approach everything: what I believe; how I approach my work, friends, colleagues; how I witness; how I study and pray; how I worship; what my moral and ethical behaviour should be. There is no aspect of my life that is not affected by my total submission to the will of Yahweh. But submission brings with it great joy and peace for God helps us to follow His way so submission to Him is transforming and enpowering. How does a person reject Yahweh from being King over him or her? They reject God by not following His commandments and His teaching. They place something else above Yahweh; they worship something or somebody instead of Him. Their priorities do not place God at the centre in their lives as they should. By rejection they remain in a state of sin and this leads inevitably to death, a state where they will be separated from God.

How does tithing relate to a person's acceptance of God being his or her king in the Old Testament? The Ark of the Covenant housed in the Holy of Holies was the throne of the God of the Israelites. It showed in a physical way that God was indeed the ultimate ruler of the Israelites. As a practical matter the tabernacle and the priests who conducted services in it and taught the people needed to be funded. But paying a tithe out of the product of your harvest went further than this. The payment was a recognition of God's boundless generousity; it was a recognition of His position and His power. It should have been made in gratitude. Failure to pay is a disobedience. The reward in paying the tithe is an opening of the floodgates of heaven with its blessings. How about for those of us who live under the New Covenant? What place does tithing have for us. The church in our community. Christ's body, is the most important institution we have. It gives meaning and purpose to our lives. It directs everything we do. Obedience to the gospel teaching is essential. It needs to be fully provided for so that it can be a vibrant place for worship, support for those that are needy and instruction in God's word. We must give generously and cheerfully to support the church and to the best of our abilities. It should be paid with gratitude for the great gifts that Christ has given us. As in the Old Testament [Malachi 3:8-10] we are told that our giving will be more than simply reciprocated [2 Corinthians 9:10-11]. It will be greatly rewarded. God's bounty will be much greater to those who give unsparingly. As you sow so will you reap.

Define "justice", "vengeance" and mercy. Justice is the fair establishment of whether a crime or sin has been committed and by whom. Justice requires that the appropriate penalty be imposed for the wrong-doing once it has been fairly established. Vengeance is the penalty that follows wrong-doing. Venegeance is not a selfish act. Venegeance is fair and deserved and brought about by the wrong doer's own actions. Justice requires punishment which is commensurate with the crime. Mercy is the act of reducing or cancelling the punishment due to a wrong doer. The wrong doer does not deserve mercy; mercy is a gift or concession. Can a Holy and Righteous God justly forgive sins without punishing them? What is the significance of the cross in God's righteousness? A just God requires that our sins are punished appropriately. A merciful and loving God wants to find a way to overcome the consequences of our sin, being death and an estrangement from God, to bring sinful man back to Him. In His love he sent His Son to us to take the punishment for all our sins. In this way Justice has been done. Through His death our sins can be forgiven. Through His resurrection we can have life. Once we have been baptised into Jesus, each time we sin we show our ingratitude for the personal sacrifice made for our sins. Each time we pray for forgiveness and to be kept from temptation we thank God for this great sacfrice for us. The significance of the cross is this: "Christ died for sins once and for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." [1 Peter 3:18]

Since God is the Helper of the Fatherless and the Protector of Widows...what does that say of a Christian's commitment to social justice in the community? How should this affect our ations? As we have learnt, God is the absolute standard of ethics and morality. His commands, His laws are the absolute standard by which we should pattern our lives and behaviour. It is also how we should be judged. God can be severe, He can be wrathful but He is also tender, loving and compassionate. Where is that compassion most needed? It is by the least advantaged in our society. We too must show compassion and concern for the weakest in our community and put these emotions into practical effect. We too must be helpers. Jesus repeats on several occasions His injunction to love our neighbours as ourselves. In the parable of the sheep and the goats He says, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of the brothers of mine, you did it for me." [Matthew 25:40] "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another. For he who loves his fellowmen has fulfilled the law." [Romans 13:8] The help, support and protection we give to the weakest in our community is an obligation. At times it may not be easy to give and it may not be reciprocated but we must give it unconditionally and cheerfully nonetheless.

How can we declare God and His Son, Jesus Christ, in a relativistic world? What is an effective approach? The absolute truth of the Biblical message is the reason why I became a Christian born again in Christ Jesus and it is how I witness my faith. The truth of God's word persuaded me and I believe will persuade others: it was for all time; it was complete and perfect; and it is for all nations. There are not many ways to God but one way through Jesus as He is the mediator between God and man. Belief in Jesus means complete obedience to Him and His teaching. His teaching is not relative; it is timeless and as valid today as when He was here on earth. That is its beauty and attraction. Why would one devote ones life to anything which fell short of this perfection? I embrace my faith because I know it is true and its direction is sure. I obey Jesus as I know as a matter of certainty that this is what I should do. I want Him within me, controlling all. I want to radiate His love and I treasure His gospel. I do this in certain knowledge. The paradox is that total obedience to Him gives freedom. His Spirit yields the fruits of "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." [Gal. 5:22] Life as a Christian is more joyous, rewarding and fulfilling in this world and that it a small fraction of its promise. I don't think that anyone who has been baptised into the faith and is a diligent disciple ever regrets the decision - it is the best decision I or anyone else could make. We move from sin and death into life. Even if we are called upon to suffer, to take up our cross, it is a small price to pay and it should be paid willingly. Yes, "Here I am. Send me." Relativism, multiculturalism. secular materialism and all their liberal and beguiling off-shoots try to undermine the way God has mapped out for our salvation with siren calls and false promises; the most persuasive being that we should do what ever makes sense to us. There are no absolute values or truth. This is a temptation from the evil one, sugar-coated, seemingly attractive and relavent for today, unlike apparently Christianity, but deadly poisonous inside. As C. S. Lewis wrote, "The safest way to hell is a gradual one. The gentle slope, soft under foot, without sudden turnings, without sign posts." That is the underlying relativistic destination. In contrast, the promise Christians have been given is the only promise worth having. It is a loving promise I want to share., In short, evangelists should expound the good news as the Scriptures tell it. It is a marvellous loving, transforming and liberating message which stands by itself and is completely sustaining. It is for me.

If we believe that truth and morality are relative to one's culture, how can we know and understand the Righteous and Upright God? The character of God, as far as we can ever understand it, must transcend time, nationality, circumstances and represent an absolute standard of moral and ethical behaviour. It must be absolute and perfect for which there cannot, by definition, be degrees. As much as God is completely holy, completely sacred, completely sinless and completely good, his judgement must be completely fair, sound and correct. This must mean that God is completely consistent as He develops His message through the Scriptures. If we believed in a god who was different things to different people at different times, requiring different standards of behaviour, we would have a god which is contrary to the God who reveals Himself in the Bible and he would be a god which was a human construct following particular trends and fashions. This would undermine our religion entirely. We have God's word as it has been given to us in the Bible; what it says about Him; what we should believe; and how we should behave. It sets out for us one way for salvation, not many. That is through the mediation of His Son, Jesus Christ. "There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." [Ephesians 4:4-6] What God has said stands for all time and for all nations. Relativism undermines (and is intended to undermine) our faith and is incompatible with being a Christian.

How does the realization of God's holiness affect Isaiah? Isaiah comes into the presence of God and immediately recognises His immense, radiating holiness; that is His purity and sinless state, His righteousness and sacredness. This is in obvious contrast to Isaiah's unclean sinful state - the state all fallen men are in. The holiness of God places Isaiah's sinfulness and impurity into sharp relief. Why is Isaiah afraid? Isaiah believes that once he has seen God he will die as his sinfulness will displease God. How does God make Isaiah holy? What is the symbolism of the coal from the altar? A seraph takes a burning coal from the altar and touches Isaiah's lips with it. Out of Isaiah's mouth comes sin from his thoughts, from his words and hence his actions. The heat of the coal in a sense cauterizes Isaiah. It is cleansing. It burns away his sins, making him pure. He can now stand in God's presence sinless himself, the coal having expunged his sins. Without sin, Isaiah can be made holy and pure. He can give himself fully to God and God's commands. Now made holy - dedicated to God - how does Isaiah respond? He wants more than anything to serve God. He says, "Here am I. Send me." He wants to dedicate his life that he thought was going to be taken away to the service of God. The Bible is full of echoes or allusions to other parts of Scripture and, I think, this is one of them. There should be a parallel of Isaiah's response to God in our lives. Through our rebirth in Christ, we are justified and our sins are forgiven. What should our response be? Surely it must be to serve the Lord in any way we can. "Here am I. Send me." Send me to whereever you want to do whatever you want. Deny yourself and take up your cross daily and follow Him.

I'm Steve and I come from Hull in England where I now attend a Baptist Church. I became born again in Christ last year. I had never been a Christian before that, nor were most of my mates and family. It has been the best thing ever to happen to me, walking with Jesus, getting to know Him better and following His commandments as best I can. I've also made great new friends who have really helped me. I started the course on "The Names of God" cause I wanted to learn more to deepen my faith. So far I have found the lessons very useful specially in helping me to pray and worship. It is also strengthening my discipleship. "Christ died for sins once and for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." 1 Peter 3:18