gripofhisgrace

Having served in many parts of the world persecution of Christians is alive and well. I especially think of Afghanistan and Iran. I was going to say that in America we don't have such a problem but the more the government and other elements begin to push separation of church and state, the more I feel pushed. Personnally, I can see how people can derive strength from Revelation. Standing fast in the middle of immense persecution and focusing on God . Unfortunately, it would probably be the last book I would think to turn to . I hope that this study will change that. susan

Testimony and witness are two of the things that help us reinforce our beliefs. When we are afraid or lost, the witness and testimony of others can restore our focus and build our strength. Jesus is a "faithful witness" because He is the truth and always will be. (John 14-6). Even in the darkest times Jesus' truth shines like a beacon in the night. We are afraid to be clear witnesses because we are afraid of being rejected or offending anyone who doesn't share our belief. We are afraid because when we make ourselves stand out as Christians we open ourselves to judgement and usually fall short. Peace and love susan

Hi !! My name is Susan, married, mother of two, retired military and living in Southwest FLorida, USA. I love Pastor Ralph's study. Revelation is so confusing and so many preachers have so many interpertations. I look forward to this study because I trust pastor Ralph and the honest interpertation he'll give us. I look forward to working with you all. In the Grip of His Grace and The Arms of His Love susan

Where do I begin? This lesson has reminded me in the strongest sense that it is not "our" church - it is His church. Our church is going through growing pains. We are all putting our heads together trying to facilitate this change. I think we forgot. It is His church and if we pray about it, He'll tell us what needs to be done. Collectively, we can achieve it. For those of you still looking for a church family. Don't give up. After having the experience of moving I am firmly convinced that God will put you each where you are needed. The best part of this study is hearing from all of you. The questions you ask, the situations you share, and the insights you have. It adds such a wonderful dimension to the study. Thank you all. Pastor Ralph you've done it again !!!!! susan

I think that the act of unity and the part where I need to repent are the same. I need to be more tolerant of other people and too look harder and deeper at the good things God put in all people.

Christ is the head of the Church. It is to Him we should look to for guidance, growth, lessons and answers. It is He who heads the worship committee, it is He who is the Choir Director, it is He who brings the word to us. It means that people may have titles, but He has Power and Authority. Reminds me of the sign "Leave all egos at the door". Our focus as a church should be on relationship and direction from Him. susan

Paul was trying to tell the Ephesians that Jesus had absolute power and authority over everything in all realms of the universe. He was trying to point out the vastness of His power and authority. In effect, what he was saying was "Why rely on all these miniscule beings when you have access to the greatest power ever known.?" susan

The animal sacrifice is repulsive to us because, as someone has mentioned, we don't have to practice it and we prefer our lives and our lies to be clean and sanitized. I have often wondered about animal sacrifices and why they were prescribed like they were. I think that this was an outward and time consuming process that forced people to focus on their sin and their repercussions. susan

Hi everyone and welcome to all the first students!! You are in for a real treat as Pastor Ralph, well, he is the best. Don't be intimidated-a new voice can be like a breath of fresh air. My name is susan and this is my third study with Pastor Ralph. I live in Florida with my husband and two kids. We belong to the Pine Island United Methodist Church where I teach two classes and attend Discipleship III. By the way, Pastor Ralph - I have to teach on Gideon this week and I feel mightly prepared !!! God's blessings to all susan

Gideon was not wrong taking a reward for his victory. I think it was historically acceptable and I don't think God would have denied it. Gideon's mistake was not the gold ephod. Gideon's mistake was that he compromised. The people wanted to make him King and instead of being satisfied with a victory and finding satisfaction in God's release from bondage - Gideon compromised to accept a lesser reward than offered. The word "compromise" is something we all battle daily. The worshipping of the ephod was the sin of the people. Gideon didn't have it made as a object to be idolized (I don't think) He made it to commerate a victory. The people turned it into an idol. susan

You know, I thought I had the answer to this until I read Vickie's response. Now I am all confused. I did however, appreciate Mindy's response. I can say, without a doubt, that Gideon did not have access to Romans so I think he acted within the prevailing law. The question would be did he do this to fufill the law or did he do it with vengence in his heart?? susan

This is far from a gimic - this is a great tactical battle plan. Divide up the company, make the appearance of more than their are. Attack at night,when men are weary, and their is a heightened fear of things that "go bump in the night" and their vision is limited. Break the jars and expose the lights. Sudden exposure of lots of light will one, mess up their night vision and two, create the appearance of massive fires surrounding them. susan

I think the problem here is that we want to put God to work in our world. We should be looking to be working in His world according to His divine Plan. I think we often forget how big God is and has plans and ideas for us bigger than we could ever dream. The danger is that by doing this we could miss the opportunity to serve God. Could we be perceived as religious kooks ? Of course, but we probably would be anyway. I mean how sane did Noah look building an ark in the middle of the desert. susan

I agree with Peggy. There is a huge difference between asking for a sign because of fear or weakness and asking for a sign of confirmation. Let us not forget the great deceiver is also capable of giving us signs strong engough and loud enough for us to confuse the source. I am equally impressed with the answer that we have the Bible to give us direction in God's will. Gideon did not. susan

What kind of leader has Gideon's father Joash been up to this point? (6:25b) How does Gideon's action affect his father? (6:30-31) Shouldn't Gideon have considered the impact on his father? How should this have affected Gideon's action? In what sense is Joash a follower of Yahweh now? Joash was walking on both sides of the road. He may have believed in God but he tolerated the ways of Baal. Much in the same way, we worship and profess God and still take advantage of worldly things. Gideon's actions force him to make a decision. I think Gideon did consider the impact on his father. Gideon was devoted to God and made the only decision he could. I read somewhere that you can never say "No, Lord" in the same breath because if you say "no" then He is not Lord. Joash is now singularly focused instead to trying to live on both sides of the street. susan

Did not Elisha head for the hills running for his life from Jezebel ? Did not Abraham detour to Egypt during the famine ? Did not Jonah flea in the opposite direction God told him too ? God chose human disciples and unfortunately, obeying our natural instincts, comes automatically. The art of discipleship is to reign in those natural instincts and rely on the Lord. I strongly feel that our journey is never complete, we can never be the perfect Christian or perfect disciple on this earth. susan

What better way to honor your mother and father than to lead them to the Lord ?????

Gideon was told to bash the altars of Baal because they were an affront to the One true Living God. Gideon was told the same thing that the generations before him had been told- and ignored. We look back with a bit of smugness and say "how dumb can they be ?" "How many times do they have to be told ?" But as Kat so aptly put it, we are no better off than Old Testament times as we have our own idols. Gideon complete the mission at night because that was the only way he could finish the project. A finished project makes a statement that invokes contemplation. A project in progess is easy to oppose and divert. The good that came out of this was a new relationship between Gideon and his father. A new understanding and new direction for Gideons people. And a new strength and determination when they overtook the Midannites. susan

God saw Gideon as a mighty warrior. Gideon saw himself as a wimp. We do tend to limit our actions because our own self perception but we also tend to discount God's power. We forget when He gives us a mission, He also gives us the capability to carry it out. susan

They worshipped other gods and forgot the King of Kings. Much like we can worship work, power, money, status and time, the Israelites worshipped false gods. When they worshipped false gods, they tune out the one true God. As we get wrapped up in the activity of our day to day lives, it is easy to forget God. We like to compartmentalize everything - even God. "Oh, worship, that goes in the Sunday drawer". One hour late it goes back in the drawer and out comes the"football drawer" We need to focus on God everyday and put Him first and all else will fall into place. Easier said than done. susan

Gideon Blames God because Israel has fallen onto hard times and God has not rescued them like he had in the past. Unfortunately, the people of Israel feel that they are under the Lord's protection because of heritage. They do not correlate behavior to divine relationship. Israel behaved sinfully and turned from the Lord We too blame God. It is easier to blame God than to accept responsiblity for our poor behavior, lack of relationship and failure to repent. As I study more and guided more by the Holy spirit, I find that when I behave badly, I catch myself and condemn myself and ask forgiveness. This restores my relationship with God. Susan

Hi, my name is Susan and I'm a "graduate" of Jesus Walk study of Luke. It made such an impact on my life, I couldn't resist this study even though my plate is pretty full. Pastor Ralph is awesome. I am retired, United States Army, and live in Florida. I am a Methodist, participating in Disciple III studies at my church, teaching two classes and a Women of Faith fanatic. Loving every minute of my life now. Hope to hear from all of you Susan