oblay

Q2. "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? As Pastor Ralph said, rescue would be a better word. Rescue from our oftentimes worldly bad habits through provision of grace or favor.

Q1.1 Why is it so hard for us to understand grace? Q1.2 What commonly held life principle does it demolish? Q1.3 Translate the word "grace" into language a 10-year-old child would understand. A1.1 Because, we are used to be required training first before we are allowed to do something for a living or for recreation (when handling expensive equipments like a car or computer) or whatever other activities. A1.2 The principle of education, training and even ancestral blood related traits, which we worldly believe to to be responsible for our "evolved" capabilities and characters. A1.3 Grace - a favor, given out of mere love, care or like for a person or thing or whatever.

Q4. (22:43) Did Jesus get "special treatment" because he was the Son of God to have angels help and strengthen him in his spiritual struggle? Do we get that help, too? Yes. Because God's answer to His prayer is providing Him more strength to face the ordeal. Maybe, His case was special since after all, His mission was very special. Yes. If we are receptive to this, we can surely get this help too.

Q3.1 (22:42) When Jesus prayed "not my will, but yours be done," was the Father pleased? Q3.2 Why is the Father not pleased when we are passive and uncaring and dispassionate in our prayers that his will be done? Q3.3 What is required for us to pray the prayer of submission with authenticity? A3.1 I don't know. But surely God understood Jesus then. A3.2 God wants us to be specific in our needs. To make sure, just as Jesus made sure of His Father's will. Then, He decides. A3.3 Give God our preferences. Then surrender when God makes and manifests His decision.

Q2.1 (22:42) Why did Jesus pray that the Father take the cup from him? Q2.2 According to Mark and Matthew, Jesus repeated this prayer three times. Q2.3 Why was he so intense about it? What did this mean? Q2.4 Why was Jesus resisting the Father's will? Or was he? A2.1 We really do not know. Perhaps, He was doing His father a favor by letting His father off the hook of Pain as well. Perhaps, he was anguished by the thought of the pains He was going undergo. A2.2 and A2.3 He was probably making sure that it is really His father's will and being His will, He has to have a guarantee that His efforts and pains will not go to waste at all. A2.4 He wasn't. He was just making sure of His Father's will before, during and after, thereby ensuring that His efforts and pains will not become futile.

Q1. (22:40-41, 45-46) Why did he ask his disciples to pray? Q2.What temptation did Jesus know they would be facing? Q3.What was the content of their prayer to be? Q4.Did they actually pray this prayer diligently? Q5.How does the Lord's Prayer word this kind of prayer? Q6.Why do you think Jesus wanted to be alone during his own prayer? A1. So that they will not succumb to temptation. A2. Temptation to give way to sleep and not pray anymore, to the body weaknesses etc. A3. That God will deliver them from temptation and give them grace. A4. Maybe, in many occassions, but not when they were waiting for Jesus at Gethsemane. A5. ..."Your kingdom come. Your will be done..." ..."Do not bring us to the test, but deliver us from evil..." A6. With this, He can be relaxed and focused on His own petitions when praying. He can also commune this way better and let Him open up to God without inhibitions, unlike when one is in a group prayer, one usually thinks of others and try to jibe with their petitions in order for the prayer to be like as one.

Q4.1 (2:4) What danger is Nehemiah in? Q4.2 Why does he pray quickly and silently before he answers the king? Q4.3 How does this quick "arrow prayer" relate to the four months of prayer he has just finished? A4.1 He was in danger of being dismissed had the king been angry at what he said. A4.2 He was terrified of the king. He needed God's help ver badly at that time. A4.3 He had been praying for his people for months already and yet, still, he did not know what to do in asking favor from the king for his people. But God brought him the answer to his prayer by the question of the king. He was constantly praying. His "arrow prayer" was just an overflow of his previous and constant prayers. It was easy for him to do that as it has been his "utterance" for months already.

Q3.1 (1:11) In what way does Daniel's situation compared to Esther's? Q3.2 Why does God place his people in strategic positions today in the community, in business, in the military, in government? Q3.3 What responsibilities do we have to God that can cause danger to our positions and our lives? Q3.4 Has this ever happened to you? How do you pray in situations like this? A3.1 Daniel is in a situation like Esther's, where he can use his position to gain personal favor. A3.2 God probably has a later mission for this people, like the way He had for Daniel and Esther. A3.3 Responsibility for our people and God's people. Resposibility in helping or saving them at the expense of our own safety. A3.4 Yes, with my sister. Unfortunately, even if I asked God to help me, I was still abandoned by my boss, as if my boss does not care about me at all, even if he was/is supposedly religious. I guess God wanted me to be out of my boss system then. But, I really don't understand as I still came back to working with his company. This is still a mystery and confusion to me. Only God knows.

Q2.1 (1:7-11) What is the basis of Nehemiah's appeal? Q2.2 How does he argue his case before God? Q2.3 What do we learn from this about intercession? A2.1 His basis is God's promise to His people. A2.2 By reminding God of His promise. A2.3 Oftentimes, intercession is effective when we invoke past words or promises given by the one to the people or cause we are praying for. God needs reminders I think. It makes Him happy to hear that His believer(s) remembers His words.

Q1. (1:1-6) Why does Nehemiah pray day and night for four months? Why does he fast and weep? Isn't that excessive? A1. His Jewish brothers and sisters are again suffering so much shame and disgrace in their own city Jerusalem because of the Samaritans' doings. This made him very sad. Their sufferings are his sufferings too. He took it upon himself (good as he was), like Daniel, the sins of the all the Jews, and prayed and knocked on God persistently for the deliverance of the people from pain and suffering. His fasting and weeping are all manifestations of his extreme sadness. For him, it isn't excessive because he believes that his people have really sinned against their awesome God.

Q4.1 (Ephesians 2:6) What does it mean that we are seated with Christ in "the heavenly realms"? Q4.2 What does this say about God's grace? What does this say about our spiritual authority? Q4.3 How should this knowledge affect our prayers and our boldness? A4.1 Since Jesus is exalted to the right hand of the Father "in the heavenly realms," far above all demonic and human authorities and powers, with everything "under his feet" so, we are seated "with him in the heavenly realms" and are elevated above the demonic and human authorities in this spiritual sense. A4.2 God gives us the grace not to be victmized by the enemy and know how to exercise spiritual authority. A4.3 When we learn our place of authority and learn how to use it, we have power over the enemy and make him the victim of Christ's victory very often.

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions -- it is by grace you have been saved." (2:4-5) Q3.1 (Ephesians 1:4-5) In verses 4 and 5, which words describe God's motivation and character? Q3.2 Which verbs describe what has happened to us in Christ? A3.1 ...His great love for us... and ...God, who is rich in mercy... A3.2 ...made us alive with Christ... and ...by grace you have been saved...

Q2.1 (Ephesians 2:1-3) Few people would knowingly follow Satan. How can people unwittingly follow Satan? Q2.2 In what sense are we responsible for unwitting rebellion against God? How can God, in all fairness, blame us? A2.1 Satan is great deceiver, that's why people can unwittingly follow Satan. Usually, its the idea that everbody's doing it after all, so it must just be okay. This is the idea that oftenly misleads people. A2.2 Having a "free will" makes us responsible for unwitting rebellion against God. This is why God can do blame us.

Q1.1 (Ephesians 2:1-3) In what sense are our non-believing friends, neighbors, and relatives "dead"? Q1.2What's the difference between us and them? Q1.3If we really believed that they were "dead" and subject to God's "wrath," what would we do? A1.1 They are spiritually dead to God and about Him. They oftentimes feel emptiness. A1.2 Nonbelievers have emptiness which they fill with worldly pleasures that provide only temporary and superficial "highs", while believers are usually filled with the Holy Spirit and act according to God's ways. Believers may feel emptiness at times, but they fill it not with worldly pleasures but with spiritual ones. A1.3 Maybe, we can try to influence them by getting into their lives and try to attract them and/or court them towards our Godly ways or our beliefs in God, that they may facilitate good change in their own lives at their own will.

Q5. (Ephesians 1:22-23) Q5.1 When we neglect to be an active part of a local congregation, what particular blessings do we miss out on according to Paul in this verse? Q5.2 How do we, by our absence, withhold this blessing from others? A5.1 We missed out on Christ's headship over our lives, on being His fullness as co-models and teachers of His ways and teachings. A5.2 When we are absent, we miss things out and we don't get it well. Because we didn't get it well, we missed important things or messages in our lives. And because we missed and we don't have, we therefore cannot give it to others as well. We withheld something from others which we could have had and shared with them, if we hadn't missed and lacked at all.

Q4. (Ephesians 1:20-22) Q4.1 Why do we so often take a "pass" when it comes to spiritual warfare? Q4.2 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? Q4.3 Why do we tend to feel powerless in the face of spiritual enemies? Q4.4 What was Paul assuring the Ephesians of? What does this encourage us to do? A4.1 We take a pass because we feel inadequate, powerless and weak. A4.2 Because Christ should be our model. In Him, we saw that God works good for those who obey and follow Him. And Christ followed His father's will. To get what Christ got while He was battling with the evil forces of earth, we should just follow Christ and have faith in our God. Q4.3 Because probably, we slackened in our faith in God. And because we do, we are no longer sharp recipients of the grace and spirit He always try to bestow to people who believe in Him. Q4.4 Paul assured the Ephesians of the strength and power that comes from God, of the headship of Christ, whose ways and teachings we are supposed to follow, if we are to get this strength and power.

Q3. (Ephesians 1:18d) Q3.1 Why are we powerless sometimes? Is it an inadequacy with the source or with our faith? Q3.2 Why do some congregations and movements produce disciples with miracle-believing faith and others produce disciples with wimpy faith? How can this be changed? A3.1 We seemed powerless sometimes out of our inadequacy with our faith. We have wimpy faith, so to say. A3.2 Some congregations and movements who produced disciples with wimpy faith, probably have not reached yet the spiritual maturity needed in order to understand what spiritual journey with Christ means. God has to work on them more and they need to fine-tune more their connection with God, if they are that sincere in pursuing and doing according to God's ways. This can only be changed if they open their hearts, minds and eyes 100% toward God.

Q2. (Ephesians 1:18c) Q2.1 If you knew that in a few years you would inherit $10 million, would it affect your life now? Q2.2 How should our expectation of an inheritance in God's presence temper our present-day concerns? Q2.3 Since this inheritance will be shared with "the saints" -- our Christian family -- how should that affect our fellowship with them? A2.1 Yes, for sure. I will prepare myself for this $10 million inheritance, so I won't be too overwhelmed and I will be prepared on how to spend it, when the time comes. A2.2 We should be confident that no matter what happens to our life, God is always there and have even prepared an inheritance for us to be shared with the rest of all His saints. We should not be concerned with the minute details of this material life, but rather on the minute details of spiritual life with Him. We put our trust in Him that everything will just work out fine, with Him in our journey. A2.3 Since, they did what we are trying to do now, then it would do us good to also try to make them models of our life. Modeling our ways from one or more of their characters when trying to be saints, will hopefully make us saints ourselves and deserve that promised eternal blissful life with God

Q1. (Ephesians 1:18b) Q1.1 What do we Christians have to look forward to? Q1.2 How should this hope be a major motivation in our present-day lives? Q1.3 How should this hope affect our decisions and our lifestyle? Q1.4 How does our great hope differ from the hope of the average non-believer? A1.1 We look forward to our good and blissful future with Christ. A1.2 By becoming eager for it in a way that we really become serious and committed followers of Christ, always hoping and anticipating for His active participation in our lives, in preparation for the eternal blissful life with Him in the end. A1.3 Since this is hope based on Christ, then our decisions and lifestyle will surely be affected in a way that in everything we do, we always try to put Christ in the center, His teachings and rules. A1.4 Our great hope is inspired by the very thought and belief in the triune God - the father, son and holy spirit. Without God, we can do nothing. His mighty strength and spirit empowers us to go through life along the lines of His ways. Because of this, we are more spirited than an average non-believer.

Q4. (139:23-24) Why is this prayer of surrender to God so difficult to pray? When was the first time you prayed this kind of prayer to God? What was the result? Can a person be a genuine disciple without praying this kind of prayer? Ans to 1stQ: Quite difficult if we are not that serious and committed. I takes a strong will to surrender to God totally. Ans to 2ndQ & 3rdQ: Just recently. And yet, I still failed to live up to my prayer. I'm like being double standard, wanting this and yet doing that which goes against the goal I want. Ans to 4thQ: I guess so. But without surrendering to God and being dependent on Him, at least partly, doesn't make sense in trying to be a genuine disciple of God. For me, being a genuine disciple of God means, "eating, digesting and breathing" Him practically in my daily life. Integrating Him in me and being one in Him so to say, in order to be a genuine and effective disciple of God.

Q3. (139:13-16) How is an awareness of God's involvement in your prenatal development meant to encourage you? What might this mean to a young woman carrying a child? A young father-to-be? Why is such knowledge overwhelming to us? Ans to 1stQ: It should encourage me to think and consider very seriously that I am a child of God, even by physical conception and birth. That He was always there from the time even before I was conceived, to the time of my conception in my mother's womb until birth and so on. Thus, I am special and should offer myself to the works of God. Ans to 2nd Q: The young woman carrying the child should consider her child as sacred from the start, just like her. That even if physically, the child was conceived through the sperm of her husband and her egg, still, God did something more to make the child inside her as sacred according to God. God, after all, is the magic creator and molder ever since. Thus, she should take care of the child very well, according to God's standards. Ans to 3rdQ: The father should also think and act the way a mother thinks. Ans to 4thQ: It is overwhelming because its seems to go with a great and awesome responsibility. But if it is God's will, nothing can stop us from acknowledging and performing his will. Nothing is impossible with Him - is the best consolation and assurance we have.

Q2. (139:5, 10). In verses 5 and 10, how does God's hand touch the psalmist? Have you ever felt God's hand on you in a special way? Was it for your good? What was it like? Ans to 1stQ: As said, God holds the psalmist, guides him and protects him. Ans to 2ndQ: In many occassions, yes I did. Ans to 3rdQ: Yes, it was for good. I never consider anything bad happening to me as God's doing, except perhaps if before, I committed a grave sin that must have caused him to punish me. Ans to 4thQ: It felt wonderful and flattering at the same time. Imagine, me thinking that God was there for me when I needed Him and helped me all the way? This is very inflating for the heart, mind and soul.

Q1. (139:7) Why do people sometimes want to flee from God? Why do people imagine that God doesn't know what they do? Have you ever felt this way? Ans to 1st Q: As mentioned, sometimes we are tempted to do our favorite sin. Why do we call it favorite? Because it gives us pleasure, quite different from the pleasure we find in God. Thus, we oftentimes succumb to it. Thus, we seemed to want to flee from God. Ans to 2nd Q: God cannot be seen. He is invisible. Thus, it is very easy to imagine Him as not seeing us, especially when we are in the state of temptation. Ans to 3rd Q: Yep, a few times. I often rationalize my engagement in some temptations, but still I end up feeling bad eventually. Then, I start all over again, trying to build-up my resistance against such temptation. I just wonder if God has ever forgiven me for my repetitive sinfulness, especially when it was done deliberately. I can hardly forgive myself you know. But I try to somehow and eventually feels light about it.

Q4. (1:13-14) These verses contain two analogies: (1) seal and (2) downpayment, with the balance to be paid in a lump sum at the end of the term. When does the "end of the term" occur? How do these analogies help explain how the Holy Spirit functions in our lives? These verses contain two analogies: (1) seal and (2) downpayment, with the balance to be paid in a lump sum at the end of the term. When does the "end of the term" occur? Answer: When Christ returns and reigns in the endtimes and the rupture of the church. This is where the Holy Spirit will fully redeemed us, if we have followed faithfully Christ and His ways. How do these analogies help explain how the Holy Spirit functions in our lives? Answer: We are identified by the Holy Spirit through our seal, of which He is the one responsible for. He placed a redemption deposit on us when we accepted Christ as our redeemer, with God the father as Creator and all three, God the father, the son and holy spirit as our holy triune God. If we allow ourselves to follow Christ, the holy spirit will allow us to see a glimpse of God's glory once in awhile or in the process of our purification. He also allows us communication to God and God to us, if we are open to God's teachings and ways.

Q3. (Ephesians 1:11-12) According to verses 11 and 12, what is God's purpose for our lives? What do we need to do to fulfill this purpose? How does this purpose relate to Matthew 5:13-16? According to verses 11 and 12, what is God's purpose for our lives? Our purpose is to bring Him praise. To reveal to others His nature as God. To let others see God in our very self, deeds and all. What do we need to do to fulfill this purpose? Adopt and accept God as our God. The creator, redeemer and spirit, from whom all comes and all goes. Practice his rules and teachings to the fullest if we can, to His delight and for His glory and praise.