Janissi

(Galatians 1:13-16) What factors in Paul's background made him an ideal apostle to the Gentiles? Paul stated that he was "beyond measure" in the Jewish faith, far surpassing his own peers. He knew the Jewish faith like none other. Paul was personally called by God before his birth, so God prepared him throughout his life. He literally had a personal relationship with Jesus on the road to Damascus. He was cut for the task God had set before him long before Paul himself knew it. Also, let me add, Paul's zeal was another thing. As zealous as he was as an enemy of Jesus, Paul became as zealous for Jesus. God used that zeal for His glory. How did God use his being different from others? Since preaching to the Gentiles was something the other disciples weren't used to, God had to pour something new into the one set for the task. This was huge. He emptied Paul, and he started something new. It's hard for me to put into words. Paul was unique in that he learned this ministry from God Himself and not man. To ponder: How has your unique background fitted you for ministry? Because I was rejected a lot in my life, and because I really never seemed to fit in, I believe God has given me compassion for those whom have experienced the same. What uniqueness has God given you? What will it take to see that uniqueness as a God-given strength rather than as an embarrassment? I must ponder the above two questions very deeply because I don't think I have the answers.

(Galatians 1:11-12) What is the source of Paul's gospel? The revelation of Jesus Christ (vs. 12) How do we know that it is a true revelation? Because it was based on the "authorative" revelation of Jesus Christ Himself as well as the Old Testament scripture. It was also revealed through Paul and the other disciples. What is the danger of taking the teaching of contemporary leaders as our doctrinal basis without checking it with the Scripture? The danger is of being lead astray and following the wrong doctrine. Once we start following false teachers/doctrine, it draws us away from the true Word of God which can lead to a path of destruction. What comes to mind is what happened with Jim Jones (Guyana) which was a disaster.

Paul called the Judaizers' message as a "different gospel," a perversion of the true gospel. How is this dangerous to the Galatian believers? It will lead them off God's path to salvation. They would miss the work of Jesus Christ and be headed toward condemnation. Any path that is not the path God has paved leads to destruction. The Galatian church was headed in the wrong direction thinking works would lead them to salvation. How do twisted gospels (or an unbalanced interpretation of the gospel) affect Christians in our day? I believe it causes undo hardship because they are trying to work on something that's all ready been done. Satan uses twisted gospels to keep peace, joy, and freedom from affected Christians, and could lead them to a path of worry, fear, and eventually they give up on God because they will fail. They never receive the fullness of Christ that He has planned.

(Galatians 1:4) According to verse 4, for what purpose did Jesus give himself? Jesus came as a sacrificial Lamb to take away our sins. He stood in our place. It was the will of God the Father for Him to talk away our sins and to deliver us from the evil of this world. How does Jesus rescue people today? He rescues people the same way He did long ago. He offers the gift of salvation to anyone who will believe on His name. If we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved/rescued from the present darkness of this world. Hallelujah! How does he keep people from falling back into their old ways? I believe it's through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our Keeper. When we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, He made a promise of the Holy Spirit. If we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the **** of the flesh (fall back into our old ways).

(Romans 8:35-36) What kinds of perils were the early Roman Christians likely exposed to? Famine, persecution, imprisonment, death, and destruction. What kinds of perils are Christians exposed to today? Persecution, death, imprisonment, rejection, and physical abuse. How does this passage reassure us? That no matter what we go through, even death, we are more than conquerors through Him. The battle has been won. We are victors through Christ Jesus and that His love will forever be sealed with us. Nothing or no one can take that away! In what sense do we Christians "overwhelmingly conquer" (NASB) despite the obstacles we face? We overwhelmingly conquer because of Jesus. He intercedes for us. He fights our battles. He walks with us and holds our hand as we "walk through the valley of the shadow of death." As we are lead as sheep to the slaughter, we know He's by our side, and that just because our enemies can do harm to our bodies, they CANNOT touch our spirit!

(Romans 8:31-32) What is the significance of the statement: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" This statement signifies that God has our back. God is the ultimate. He is the great, "I AM," so for Him to stand for us, anyone on this earth who is against us is insignificant to God Himself. Who is more important than God. Who might our enemies be? Our enemies are those who are against us because of our faith. Those who persecute us. Those who hate God. Jesus told the diciples that since they hated Him, who is light, they will hate us to because we walk with Him. The world is going to hate us because they hate him. They are the enemy. What is the evidence presented that God is for us? He gave His Son. If He freely gave up His son for us, He'll clearly give us all things. He said nothing can separate us from His love. That's enough evidence for me! How does this statement make you feel? Loved, secure, wonderful, joyful, hopeful, and ecstatic! How does it affect hope? It makes me secure now and in the future. I have hope because I now that He does not lie, and His Word is my security blanket. How does it allow you to act? I can walk in confidence IN HIM (not in myself) knowing that everything that happens will work out for the best if I walk with Him. What might: "...graciously give us all things" refer to? I think it would refer to all that we need, desire (if it's God's will), and things pertaining to life. He "graciously" (to give freely as a favor - not because I deserve it) gives us what we need.

(Romans 8:29) What does it mean to "be conformed to the likeness of his Son"? It means to acquire the characteristics of Jesus. To be an image of Him. We become more like Him. In practical terms, what does that involve in our lives? Renewing our minds. It means we are His mouth, hands, feet, and we have His heart (the Holy Spirit) living in us. We begin to think like Him and agree with what He says.

(Romans 8:28) What is the actual promise contained in verse 28? "All things work together for good to them that love God, to are the called according to His purpose." What does this promise mean? Put it in your own words. It means that whatever happens in my life, the event will work together for my good (in accordance with God's plan) and God's glory. It doesn't mean that all things are good, they just work together for good. What are the two qualifications to the recipients of this promise? This promise is to: 1) Those who love Him, and 2) Called according to His purpose. How does verse 28 give you hope? It gives me hope by showing me that no matter what comes my way, God is in control. He can take any situation or circumstance and turn it around for my good and His glory! Nothing happens by accident. Nothing gets by the eyes of God, even if the cause is by my own doing.

(Romans 8:24-25) What are the characteristics of a person who has lost hope? Depressed, sad, suicidal, lost, defeated, they don't care about themselves and/or anyone else. How does this person typically conduct his life? Sometimes they are very careless. They often want to bring others down as well like the old saying goes, "misery loves company." Sometimes they do drugs or drink heavily to numb the pain. How does this differ from a person who holds an eager expectation of a better future? When one has hope like us (Christians), we know the pain, suffering, and trials of this world are temporary. We have a mansion waiting for us where there will be no more pain, suffering, tears, death, or sorrow. What we suffer on earth is only a blip to the joy we will have in eternity! Hallelujah! What is the "Christian hope"? That we will be face to face with the Lord. Our hope is a future beyond this earth to an unimaginable one! How should it motivate us and affect our lives now? It should motivate us to keep running the race set before us. It should help us to stand in the midst of difficulties knowing that we have a Helper who's with us. He'll never leave us or forsake us. It reminds me of the scripture, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the earth." <---This is how I want to conduct my life.

(Romans 8:26-27) How does the Holy Spirit act as a Helper or Mediator or Intercessor in verses 26-27? Since the Holy Spirit lives within us, he knows our heart. Since He's God, he knows the mind of God. He sees what's in our heart and prays according to the will of God. He stands between my heart and God's mind. What similarities do you see between the Holy Spirit's ministry here, with Jesus' teaching of the Spirit's ministry as Counselor/Comforter/Paraclete in John 14:16 and 15:26)? In John 14:16, Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit abiding with them/us forever. He says in 15:26 that the Holy Spirit will be "their Comfortor." Romans 8:26-27 states the Holy Spirit "searches our hearts" (He abides with us - John 14:16) and He lives within us. John 14:16 says, "that He (the Holy Spirit) may abide with us forever." These are the similarities I see between these scriptures. Why do you think we tend to take the Holy Spirit for granted or fail to understand His ministry to and through us? I thinks it's sometimes because our pride might get in the way. Sometimes we think we know what's best. We don't always stop, look, and listen. We tend to be impulsive and do whatever comes to mind. If we are taking the Holy Spirit for granted or fail to understand His ministry, we might want to look at growing up a bit more in the Spirit, taking in the Word of God more, and asking the Lord to help us BE AWARE of Him in our daily lives. He's with us all the time. Maybe we ignore Him and/or His works in and through us.

(Romans 8:17-22) In what ways was suffering Jesus' lot in life? Because He is the Son of God, when He walked this earth, He was sinless. Because He was a sinless man in a sinful world, a world that was an enemy of His/God's, He suffered because of it. His suffering was being shunned, rejected, lied on, misunderstood, and He was hated. Why? All because of us. Because He took on my/our sin, He had to pay the ultimate price. Why do we suffer? We suffer for all kinds of reasons. We suffer because we share in Christ's suffering. We suffer for our faith because they hated Him, they'll hate us. We suffer because we live in a fallen world. We suffer because of the first Adam. Why does all creation seem to be suffering? Because of the Adam and Eve's disobedience. Rebellion against God and the sinful nature of mankind creates all kinds of havoc on creation. The ground was cursed. What will signal the end of that downward cycle of suffering, decay, and death? I would say, vs. 19: The manifestation of the sons of God. Is there anything good to look forward to in this present life? Yes! We life for Christ, and while we will suffer, we also have work to do. We will glorify God, and that's something good to look forward to!

In Romans 8:14-21, 28, how many times is the idea of being sons and daughters of God alluded to? Seven (7) What are the promises made to these sons and daughters? We are heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. We will inherit all at a future date. We suffer with Him and will be gloried with Him as well. What do we learn about our future and our role in the future of all creation? We shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption and will be liberated.

(Romans 8:15-16) How does the Holy Spirit inspire us to pray "Abba, Father"? He inspires us by confirming that we belong to Him, thus we can cry, "ABBA FATHER!" We are His children and have the right to call Him Abba! What is the significance of us referring to God as our Dad? Calling God as our Dad signifies that we are truly His children. His Spirit confirms with our Spirit that we are His children. It should an intimacy and closeness with Him. What happens in our lives if we don't have some kind of personal assurance of our salvation? Oh, we miss out on the blessings of our salvation. We won't walk in victory and assurance. We'll probably live in fear never knowing where we stand. We would not be able to accept all of what God gave us through salvation. How do we receive this kind of personal assurance? We receive it by earnestly seeking God in prayer.

(Romans 8:13-14) What does it mean to "mortify" or "put to death" the deeds of the body by the Spirit? When something is dead, it ceases to have control, so to me this means the nature of sin ruling our bodies has died. We are no longer slaves to it or it's control. We do not have to be live a life of sin. I believe this does not make us perfect, but this does say that, thankfully, through the Holy Spirit, we are not subjected to it's call. This cannot be done in our own strength, but in that of the Holy Spirit. I see it like this: A person comes up to me and starts yelling, screaming and calling me names. The fleshly nature wants to retaliate, but the Spirit without me keeps me from doing so, thus I can remain calm and not repay evil for evil. The "new me" loves that person, but the "old me" could get out of fellowship and retaliate. That is my example of putting to death the deeds of the body. I could use another example. Say I go to the store and the cashier give me change, but inadvertently give me more more than she should. Do I keep the money or do I inform her that she made an error? If I "put to death" the deeds of the body, I immediately return the money. I am compelled to do that because I walk in the Spirit, and it would be wrong to keep the money. The Holy Spirit in me would not permit me to do this. What would it look like to watch a person do this? See example above. What does it mean to be "led" by the Spirit? It means that the Spirit whom lives within me guides me, talks to me, I listen, and I follow His lead. He is the captain of the ship. What does this look like in actual practice? For example, say the Lord shows me that he wants me on the mission field, but I want to move to another city. I can either obey Him, or I can resist. If I'm "led" by the Spirit, I'm going to do exactly what he commanded me to do. How do "putting to death" and being "led" by the Spirit fit together? When you "put to death" something, it means that you are being led by the Spirit. Again, walking in obedience. The Spirit is leading me, thus I'm putting my will and desires to death. How much of this is the Spirit and how much is us? To me, it is the Spirit of God that leads me to do His will. Man tends to be rebellious; thus, I think it's 100% the Spirit. He is not going to force me to do anything, but it's my volition that decides what I do.

(Romans 8:12) Do we have to sin? Are we compelled to sin? Is it possible to live for two hours of wakefulness without sinning? Four hours? One day? Two days? Where do we Christians get such a defeatist attitude towards sin? From Scripture? I believe that as long as we live in this body, we will sin. There are times when we don't even know we are sinning. A wrong thought, an unkind word, or even a lustful thought can often pop into the minds of believers. Is that sinning? Yes? That is why we must confess our sins daily. Because we contend with the world, the flesh, and the devil, I believe we don't have to be slaves to sin. By that I mean we are not compelled to walk in the flesh nor are we obligated to do so. We are human beings. We are not perfect. If we were sinless, I believe we'd be gone from this world. If we can go without sinning, why are we told to confess our sins. Can we go a certain length of time without sinning? I'm going to go against the crowd and say "no." As stated before, there are times when we don't even know we are sinning. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying we LIVE in sin, but what I am saying is that as long as we live in these sinful bodies, we will sin. However, thank God for 1 John 1:9.

(Romans 8:9) Is it possible to be a Christian without the Holy Spirit residing in us? What is the difference (if any) between the indwelling of the Spirit and the fullness of the Spirit? How do we remain "full" of the Spirit? Well, we can accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and trust in Him for salvation, but LIVING the Christian life is impossible without the Holy Spirit. The Spirit lives in us (indwelling), but to me, the fullness of the Spirit is when I allow Him to lead me and I listen to Him. We remain "full" of the Spirit by obeying the Spirit, not quenching the Spirit, and allowing Him to control our lives.

(Romans 8:5-6) Exactly what does it mean to set your mind on the things of the Spirit? How do you do this? How can you recognize when the things you're setting your mind on relate to your sinful nature? How much of this is deliberate? How much is habit? What part does the Holy Spirit have it this? Or is this primarily right living by force of will? I Googled the term, "Set." and it states, to put, lay, or stand (something) in a specified place or position." I also think of when a cake sets. It mean the cake is firm and any movement won't keep it from falling. To me, to set my mind on things of the Spirit, my mind is firmly fixed on the leading, guilding, words, and moving of the Holy Spirit and those things that pertain to holiness. In order to do this, we must go back to the Word of God, get it in our hearts, and meditate on it daily. For me, it means keeping unGodly things out of my mind and thinking on those things that are pleasing to God and His kingdom. I'll realize when I'm setting my mind on unGodly things is when I am not following the lead of the Holy Spirit. When my mind starts focusing on the things of the world/flesh, and I follow its lead. When my actions are not Godly, then I'll know.

(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? Because it's weak and powerless in the flesh. The Law isn't the problem; our flesh is the problem. The blood of Jesus Christ and His work on the cross saved us. Salvation is through Christ, and Christ only.

(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 Paul is talking about himself and others. Just my opinion

(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 states that man's heart is wicked and flawed. There is some good that shows through, but man's basic nature is wretched. Modern man is arrogant. It's easier to believe man is basically good because they feel they earned their way into heaven. Man cannot or will not see himself. It's hard for some to acknowledge that they are wretched men. The world teaching that if one is good enough, one earns his way into heaven. If one treats others right and "does good," he's an okay person. This notion is built on man's arrogance and pride. Also, as far as "good" is concerned, who determines what's good or not. Man's interpretation of "good" will not fly because "good" can mean different things to different people. Man does not set the standard. The above way of thinking is totally opposite of what the Bible says. God knows that heart of each and other man, woman, and child on the earth. He says it's wicked, and since he knows all things, he's the authority.

(Romans 7:12; 8:3) What does the law do well? What does it do poorly? Why is the law (knowing right and wrong) powerless to save us? What is the problem here? The Law is holy. Nevertheless, the Law could not fix the issue of the flesh. It was weak. It became hijacked by sin. In other words, knowing something is wrong, drive us to it, and the Law cannot do anything about it. Only Jesus could do something about the sin problem.

(Romans 7:7-8) The law reveals 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? I don't think we would be better off. As stated in the lesson, ignorance of sin does not excuse it. However, once we KNOW something is a sin, and we continue in the action, we are now accountable to it because we KNOW it's wrong. To answer the second part of the question, I thought of children. The more you tell them not to do something, the more they want to do something. It's the same as adult. We want what we can't have. We covet more because our flesh rebels against the Spirit. It's human nature.

(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? The flesh is in reference to the old sinful nature; the old man, as it were. It relates to that part of us that is prone to sin. It's the desire or urge to sin. It's our carnal nature.

(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? If we allow it, good doctrine penetrates our heart. We become closer to the Lord, thus it affects the way we live. If we love Him, we will want to obey Him. Our love for Christ should have a major affect on our lives because we don't want to willfully grieve the Spirit. We honor good doctrine because it draws us closer to Christ; it teaches us how to live effective lives for Him, and it causes us to be obedient to His Word, thus honoring God and making Him pleased with us. The kind of teaching we should avoid is FALSE doctrine. Doctrine that goes against the Word of God and its principals.

(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? The thing you obey, is the thing you are enslaved to. When doing acts of righteously, you are a slave to righteously which leads to eternal life. When we sin, we are slaves to sin. It becomes our ruler. To me, if I'm a slave to righteousness, I'm a slave to God. If I'm enslaved to sin, I'm a slave to the enemy. Such bondage is broken when we do not YIELD to sin. We have been freed from slavery to sin, so why would we want to become slaves again. The bondage to slavery to sin was broken on the Cross. The more we obey, the more of a habit we get into of doing so. We want to do so because we love Jesus. The areas of obedience for me is to wait on Him and to trust Him through the grief of my mom's death. It seems as if my heart will never heal, but I know that all things work together for good to them that love God and who are called according to His purpose. I know He said, "Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted." I stand on these words regardless of my feelings.