Nic

This may seem like a simplistic question, but give it thought before you answer, and then answer thoughtfully. What is the significance to you personally that Jesus bore your sins in his own body on the cross? This is significant to me on so many levels. This says to me that I am truly set free from the bondage of sin. That is significant because sometimes i live like I have no choice but to sin. The truth is I do have a choice. Jesus already took my sins and in effect made me free. This makes wanna sing and dance. Hallelijah! Jesus has set me free and I free indeed! I shall walk in my freedom today. Thank you Jesus.

Why is Jesus' sinlessness important to understanding your salvation? The price of my sin was death and the shedding of blood. In the Old Testament sin was atoned for by the sacrifice of a lamb without spot and blemish. Jesus' sinlessness represented such a lamb. Therefore, he was able to pay the price in full for my sin. In what way do you think Jesus suffered when your sins were poured into his soul? Sin is a heavy burden and along with it comes guilt. I believe Jesus bore a heavy weight that day on Calvary. He also suffered when His Father distanced Himself from Him so He suffered alone. How could a sinless Man stand this kind of corruption? I think Jesus recognised and embraced His purpose. I also believe that God gave Him the grace to complete this mission. Jesus had the power to come down from that cross but then we would still be in bondage to sin and Jesus was committed to completing the task set before Him.

If we are to submit to our employers and respect them, what is that saying about God's expectation that we do a good job? God expects us to do our very best while we are on the job. I believe that we honour God when we give our best effort. I believe that when we give our best effort God will bless us. It is not important what the job is unless it is something which is contrary to the word of God. In every job, whether we enjoy it or not respecting our employee and working hard is an act of worship and God is glorified. It also shows your willingness to submit to earthly authority which is also something commanded by God. In what sense do we dishonor God when we don't give our full effort to our jobs? When we give a partial effort God is not glorified. Other people at work speak negatively about this behaviour and sometimes refer to the Christian as a slacker and God is not honoured in this. When we don't give our best it we are being dishonest and it may also be seen as unwillingness to surrender to the authority on earth which also places our willingness to submit to God in suspect.

Q2. (2:5) If your praise is primarily for God's benefit, not your own, how should you be offering praise? I should be offering praise not just from my lips but from the depth of my being. My praise should be a sacrifice. There will be times when we feel as though it makes no sense praising God but we are reminded that we praise God because in the final analysis only He is worthy of the praise. The situation may seem gloomy and hoepless but God is still worthy of our praise. In addition, our praise should not half hearted, but we must praise God will all that is within us. We must also praise the Lord at all times like the Psalmist said: "His praise shall continually be in my mouth".

Have you ever felt you were of no worth or of no value? There have been times based on things that I have done when I feel completely worthless. They have been days when I think that no one could possible love me or want me. What does 1 Peter 1:18-19 say about your worth? It tells me that I have value and that I am precious to God. I say this because Jesus bought me back with His precious blood. His blood is priceless, yet He allowed it to be spilled to redeem me. What does it say about God's love for you? It says that God's love for me is real and it is the most powerful love I will ever know or experience. What does it indicate about the long-term value of your balance sheet and financial assets? It indicates the fact that my debt has been paid. I have no outstanding balance, I owe nothing. What are your true long-term investments? Why? My true long-term investments are the things that I do for the kingdom of God. Those are the things which will last and matter in the end.

What about Christ's coming should get our undivided attention? The fact that Christ is coming back at a time which is unknown to us. In addition, He is coming back to find a church without spot or wrinkle. This should get our undivided attention as we seek to be the spotless bride who will be ready to receive her Bridegroom when He comes. Why should it inspire hope? Christ's coming should inspire hope because we are reminded that the world as we know it will cease. Injustice, pain, sufferring will all come to an end. Why should it inspire self-control and soberness? It should inspire self-control and soberness because we are noty living for now but we are living in the light of eternity. Therefore our actions and thoughts are not based on what we see before us today but what we know will come when Christ returns. What happens in our lives when we don't really expect Christ to come soon? We live life for the now. We engage in all manner of behaviours which are not Christlike or fit for the spotless bride of Christ.

Q7. (Luke 23:46) What does Jesus mean when he says, �Father, into your hands I commit my spirit�? Why does this saying comfort us so much? I believe that Jesus meant that He was about to return to God in His pre-incarnate form after completing His purpose on earth in His human form. We are comforted by this statement firstly because it reinforces for us the fact that Jesus was indeed the Son of God who came, died and returned to His father. It also comforts us because it tells us that when we die and we are in right relationship with God we will be with Him. This is a great comfort because many fear death but we are reminded here and other places in the Bible that when we depart this world we will be with our Saviour and King.

Q2. (2 Corinthians 12:10) What was the life-changing lesson that Paul learned from God when God denied his prayer? Paul learned that sometimes God wants to use us in pur place of weakness. He learned that God is mighty and powerful and that his own weakness provided a great opportunity for God's strength to be seen. How does our self-sufficiency limit God’s power through our lives? Our self-sufficiency basically tells God that we do not need Him or His help. God will not force His power on us. We must willingly give up our right to ourselves and our natural tendency to fix situations ourself and allow God to work on our behalf. Can we become dependent upon God without having to experience some “thorn in the flesh” ourselves? We can, but it is harder. when we get the idea that we are perfect then it is more difficult to let go and let God. We get a superhero complex where we believe it is all about us and what we can do. However, when we have the thorn in the flesh it is easier to look to God, recognising our own shortcomings and trust God to work for us.

Why was this “thorn in the flesh” given to Paul? Paul was a man who had some awesome experiences with God. To many he may have seen like a super apostle and to himself he must have felt pretty special. I believe that the thorn in Paul's flesh was given to keep him humble, to realise that he was only human: flesh, blood and full of weakness. What purpose did God want to achieve through this in Paul’s character? I believe that God wanted to keep Paul humble but also to increase his capacity to understand those who were struggling. It is easy when we have no afflictions to consider that those who do must be somehow inferior to us, or perhaps living in sin. I am reminded of Job and his friends all of whom were convinced that he had sinned against God because of his suffering. However, this is not always the case and sometimes we can only see that when we have our own struggles. How can something be both used by God and be caused by Satan’s destructive work? Satan has some power over the world today and at times he will tempt us or allow things to happen to frustrate us or discourage us. However, our God is all-powerful and so even satan's best attempts can be used by God to teach us patience, endurance, or to elevate us in His time. I think that sometimes this happens so that we may know it was indeed God who brought us through because we know that on our own in that particular situation we would be powerless. How does this verse relate to Romans 8:28 and Genesis 50:20? This verse reminds that even a thorn in the flesh can be used to accomplish God's purpose for our life. When we acknowldge that all things work together for good for those that love the Lord then we can accept our thorns. Also, like Joseph we can acknowledge that sometimes the enemy has evil intentions in doing the things he does but God's intentions are always good and so what another may intend for evil, God will make it good. Hallelujah!

How do Paul’s sufferings help authenticate his claim to be an apostle? A false apostle would not have to endure sufferings and hardships. In addition, Jesus also suffered and He predicted that those who are called by His name will be persecuted. As His disciples suffering will come because the enemy will be attacking us to get us to renounce the faith. Satan recognised Paul as threat, therefore his mandate was to eliminate him or try to win him back to his side where he persecuted and killed Christianity. as long as we are working for the Lord, persecution and suffering will come. What do these sufferings tell us about Paul’s commitment? These tell us that Paul was committed to his task. Just as he was committed to destroying the Christian church he was equally zealous to promoting it after his encounter with the risen Christ. After that nothing meant more to Paul than to share the gospel of Christ with all who would hear. How does this account inspire you – or convict you? I am inspired to press on for God. I am reminded that persecution will come but I am in good company. I am also convicted because there have been times when I have been ashamed to confess that I am a Christian because I feared the persecution it would bring. How will you be different from having pondered it? I will declare that I am a Christian and seek ways in which I may share the gospel with someone else without fear of the persecution I receive.

Why do you think Jesus requires the rich young ruler to divest himself of his fortune? Why does this trouble us so much? If there was no other way for the man to be saved, what does that say about the spiritual dangers of wealth? Jesus recognised the young man's attachment to his wealth and the priority which it had in his life. He recognised that it could be a hindrance, serving as an idol thereby preventing true discipleship and this is why Jesus required him to divest himself of it all. I believe it troubles us because we also want to acquire wealth and we may be slightly afraid that Jesus will ask us to give it all up in order to follow Him. It says that wealth can trap us and give a feeling of false security. At this point we do not see a need for Jesus in our lives and that is a dangerous place to be Spiritually.

What riches did Christ have according to this verse? Jesus is the Son of God, a part of the Triune Godhead. Everything in this world belongs to Him, all of the splendour of the world is His. More than that He sits at the right hand of God, on the throne of God. The worship of the angels and all creation is His. All of the glory, honour, dominion and power is His. He is rich beyond measure. How did he become poor? He gave it all up to become human like us. He stripped Himself of all that He is and became like His creation and sought a lowly place among us. In what way were we poor? We were dead in trespasses and sins, serving the god of this world while refusing to serve the true and living God. In what way have we become rich? When we accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour we become co-heirs with Christ. We have a new Spirit, a new name and a new home, Oh Hallelujah! We have peace which surpasses understanding, we have joy unspeakable and full of glory!

What does grace have to do with giving? Grace is God's unmerited favour extended to us. When we understand this then giving becomes easier. We have done and can never do anything to deserve God's grace. As a result we owe Him everything. It is because of this that we can let go of our possessions and give back to Him and to others. What does giving look like when it isn’t accompanied by grace? Without grace giving is a chore, an empty action which comes from the pocket but bypasses the heart. What does it look like when grace prompts your giving? A generous, genuine, selfless act. It is a joyous act even when it is sacrificial to the point of pain.

Why is it so difficult to give when we are stressed by circumstances and bills and pressures? It is difficult because sometimes we only see the small picture. We see the pressure that we are under and we figure that it makes more sense to hoard and keep it all for ourselves than it does to give. Sometimes it does make more logical sense but being a Christian is not about making sense of every detail, it is about faith so even though it is difficult, we must still give. Consider it an investment in the Kingdom and know that God will take of you. What can we learn from the example of the Macedonians and the poor widow? We learn that the greatest gift is the gift our ourselves. After that all other gifts will flow naturally. When we give ourselves to God then we would not withhold anything else from Him. We can also learn to give in faith. How will this lesson affect your own giving? It will help me to ensure that my life is given over to God. It will also help me to give to others as I see the need arising in their life.

Why do you think Paul shares so much about his various struggles with the Corinthians? I think that Paul shared his struggles in order to validate his ministry,as well as to give them a realistic view of Christianity. Even in our day today there are some who teach that as long as you are a Christian then your life will be perfect and nothing bad will ever happen to you. Paul's life speaks to the error of such a belief. By sharing his struggles he also identifies with Christ who suffered in His ministry. In all of the struggling though Paul was never alone and he kept the faith . How does this help them accept his apostleship as authentic? It helps them see that he was not a rich, well fed, untouched apostle but that he was committed to Jesus whatever the cost and this shows true apostleship. Have you ever complained about what you’ve had to put up with in your ministry? Yes, there have been times when I have complained. In recent times especially as I have resigned from a good job with a great salary and am currently attending Bible School full time in another country I have complained somewhat. How does it compare to what Paul faced? It does not compare because even though I am in another country I can still call home and speak to my family. People send me gifts regularly, I always have food, etc. Even though it may get rough at times my experience can never measure up to the experience which Paul faced.

If you, then, are called to be an urgent agent of reconcilia-tion, how is this likely to affect your daily life? My daily life must be spent bringing reconciliation, not division. It means that I must seek to reconcile any fractured relationships and aim to keep all those which I currently have while. It also means that I must daily ensure that my relationship with God is in good standing and I must be actively seeking to bring others to Him thereby reconciling their relationship to Him. How will it affect how people perceive you? People will find me more thoughtful because as an agent of reconciliation my aim is to keep relationships whole and to mend broken ones. Therefore I would be more careful about the things I say and do and people will notice this because usually I just say what is on my mind. Also as I work on bringing them into the kingdom they will see that I am serious about my father's business. How will it affect how God perceives you? I am not sure if it will make a difference to how God sees me since He already sees and knows my heart but I would like to think that He would be proud of me.

In what sense did Jesus “become sin” on our behalf? The sin of all mankind was laid on Jesus. He who was blameless took our sin upon Himself. It was like a transferral; He, the spotless Lamb took all of our lies, stealing, sexual sins, murder, unforgiveness, etc on Himself at the Cross and in exchange gave us His righteousness. He poured out all that He was as He became all that we are so that by His death the price for sin for all mankind would be paid. In what sense do we “become righteousness”? We have Jesus' righteousness for we cannot be righteous on our own. When He died He excahnged our sins for His righteousness. We just need to accept His free gift of salvation and we will have this righteousness from God.

What does verse 17 teach us about the nature of a new believer? What changes in a person when he puts his faith in Christ? Why don’t old habits disappear immediately if everything has become new? Verse 17 teaches us that the nature of a new believer has been renewed / changed. When a person puts his faith in Christ He becomes a new creature. His master changes and his heart begins to change. His focus also changes, it is no longer about living for self but it is about living to please God. There are some cases in which old habits disappear immediately. However, in those cases where they don't I believe that it is a battle of the wills. Even though we may realise that we are new and that our lives should be different our old nature still struggles with our new nature. I use this analogy: your old self and your new self are like two dogs; for all your life you have fed one dog (your old self) and then you feed your new life and put them to fight. The one you have been feeding all your life is stronger and is the one most likely to win. However, over time and you begin to nurture your new self by reading the Word, spending time in prayer, fasting, etc then the new self becomes stronger and is more likely to succeed in the face of temptations.

Q4. (2 Corinthians 5:10-11a) How does Paul’s mention of the Judgment Seat of Christ fit the context here? Prior to these verses Paul was talking about our home in the body and our home in the Lord. He was convinced that when he died he would be present with the Lord. Actually, it seems as though Paul was eager for the time to come when he would be absent from his body and present with the Lord. What he said though is that regardless of where we are in the body or with the Lord our goal is to please God and then he gave the reason why this should be our primary goal; because we must all face the judgment seat of Christ. I think he is trying to bring home to his audience that there is no escaping, all must give an account so we should live to please God in all things. How should our belief that we Christians will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ to be judged for our works affect (1) our desire to please him? Second to love, this should serve as our motivation to please God. Knowing that we have to give an account to God should guide us daily as we make various decisions. (2) Our motivation to persuade people to receive Christ? We should already be motivated to do this from our obedience to the great Commission and because our the love of Christ that dwells in us. Love that wants all to be saved. However, this knowledge of the judgment seat should motivate us even more to tell our loved ones and those we come into contact with about Jesus because we know that there is no escape and if they do not accept Jesus, their fate is eternity in hell. We should also be motivated because we know that we will have to give an account for the lives that we allowed to go without presenting them with the gospel of truth.

What does it mean to walk by faith, not by sight? Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). To walk by faith means to live your life in the place of hope and trust in God believing that He will come through even if the circumstances seem impossible. It means believing God's report when all other reports differ and even make more sense. It means trusting God when you do not get the result you were hoping for and knowing that His ways are not our ways nor His thoughts our thoughts but that He is a faithful God who always comes through for us. Why can’t nonbelievers understand this kind of living? Honestly, this kind of living makes little sense to most people. Unbelievers have not yet acknowledged the supremacy of God and His ability to work out difficult situations. They are still of the mindset that they must fix their own problems and that God helps those who help themselves so they 'help' themselves and then ask God to bless it. What aspects of your life are guided by your senses rather than by your faith? I believe that I have surrended all aspects of my life to God and that I live my entire life in faith. However, there are times when I want to jump in and take matters into my own hands. That desire quickly passess as I realise how truly helpless I am most of the time. How can you bring a faith perspective into these areas? What I do is pray for these areas especially the ones that challenge me the most. I tell God all about the situation, my desire and fear and ask Him to take control and work it out. When I see Him work it out my faith is strengthened so the next time I am tempted I recall the previous time and how God worked it out and it is easier to let God and let God.

In what way do problems and physical deterioration help us toward “an eternal weight of glory”? I think they help to keep our focus on God. Why is it so easy to focus on temporal matters to the exclusion of eternal things? It is easy because temporal matters are present now. They are wants and desires which are present now and can be satisfied now. Eternal things seem so far away that sometimes we think we cannot wait so we consume ourselves with a series of temporary things. Why is a focus on eternal things so important to our spiritual growth? it keeps us grounded and helps to curb the urge to satisfy every desire that comes our way. What can we do to help shift our focus? The simple answer is to focus on God. However it has been my experience that I need a more detailed solution. What I had to do was create a list of the things that tend to distract me and find the corresponding Bible verse which speaks about the particular issue and repeat the verse or verses to myself when the distraction presented itself.

How does it encourage you to know that Paul went through tremendous stress and pressure? I am encouraged not only by knowing that Paul went through pressure but seeing how he handled it. It reminds me of the sermon on the Mount when Jesus said "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:11-12). Like Paul I will also endure stress and pressure as long as I seek to live for God and like him I have to assurance that Jesus predicted this but He also promised a great reward. What effect did these sufferings have on the way people could see Christ in Paul? The way Paul handled these sufferings in humility was a portrait of Christ. Christ suffered willingly and was silent. Paul refused to exercise some of his rights and suffered silently. In addition Paul continued to minister even though he knew the risks involved. This was also a reflection of the persistence of Jesus as He continued to minister on earth even though He was fully aware of the ramifications of His actions. Why is pain necessary to spiritual growth? I think our pain is a reminder of our frailty and humanity and of our dependency on God. Pain is a sure reminder that there is a God who promises to heal our pain and we are driven to seek Him. Just as we seek relief from physical pain we seek relief from emotional and Spiritual pain and we seek it in God and this helps us to grow. How does our pain allow others to assess our authenticity as Christians? I believes it helps people to see that we are not perfect people and that we are still afflicted yet because of who we serve we respond favourably to the pain. I think the authenticity is seen not so much in our pain but in our response to the pain we endure.

Since Satan has blinded people’s eyes to the truth, is there any hope for them? There is always hope for sinners. My eyes were once blinded, all I could see were my wants and desires. Nothing else was important me until I had an encounter with God one Sunday morning. I slept through the sermon, so adamant was I not to hear the Word but God woke me up and the words of the altar call stirred me. I responded but I wanted to remain blind until I understood that my obedience to God was a measure of my love for God and so I allowed God to open my eyes so that I can see and He sees and go where He is sending me. So yes there is hope. I have unsaved family whom I love very much but they are blinded. There is hope for them too. What strategies must we use to overcome spiritual blindness? Prayer is essential. Preaching the Word as well. Maybe we can take the church service into the community and pray with the members of the community. Most importantly we must live the gospel. People may refuse to go to church or may leave the area when the church visits but they cannot ignore the radiance that is reflected when you live a life sold out to Christ. How many people are likely to find Christ without intercessory prayer? I do not know the answer to this question but I know that I was prayed for generally and specifically. I believe that it is our duty to pray for the unsaved. If we know unsaved people we should call them by name as well. In that way we will do our part to increase the Kingdom of God.

How do questionable ethics and ministry practices hurt the work of Christ? Questionable ethics and ministry practices hurt the work of Christ by destroying the authenticity of Christianity. For Christianity to be effective, it must be authentic and transparent. We must understand that we live in an age where everything around us is the anithesis of Christianity. Already it is difficult to "sell" Christianity because our believes and practices are so peculiar. When we have ministers of the gospel who even appear to be questionable in some detail in their life it hurts the Church because the world is just waiting. Satan is always waiting to point an accusing finger at the children of God and turn the world against them. This damages the witness of that particular individual and the entire church of Jesus Christ suffers as a result. What is Paul’s alternative in verse 2b? Paul's alternative is to set forth the truth plainly before men and God. In other words be true to God and transparent to men. The truth of the gospel should easily be heard in our words and seen in our actions. This will help the work of Christ and not bring shame to ourselves or to our God.

Why is character change directly related to time deliberately spent in God’s presence? God is a Holy God; very much different from the world today. When we spend time with God we too become different, changed and when this time is deliberate and repeated then gradually we become more and more like God. What is the theological word for the process of maturing in Christ? Sanctification Have you noticed a change in the “degree of glory” you’re experiencing now compared to a few years ago? Why or why not? Yes I have noticed a change in the degree of glory I experience today compared to a few years ago. I believe it is because I spend more time in the Word of God now than I did then.