Peggie

How can fathers and husbands strike the right balance -- of being godly, caring leaders without being dictators? Being the head of the household means to be the spiritual head of the household. That in turn means leading a Godly life and leading by a Godly example. A husband needs to be sensative and still be firm at times. Husbands need to be respectful of their wives, discussing things with them before making decisions. But they must keep in mind that God holds them responsible for the decisions they make regarding the welfare of their family. How can mothers and wives strike the right balance -- of being submissive and at the same time being open about their needs and desires? (I know of no Christian cookie-cutter answer to this. It must be contientiously worked out within the crucible of marriage.) Being a submissive wife does not mean being a doormat, but instead being a woman who respects the position of her Christian husband, the position God has put him in. It's much easier for a wife to be submissive toward a loving, caring husband than one who tries to be a dictator. A husband needs to listen to the needs of his wife and vice versa.

How can we tell if we really believe in God's present willingness to do miracles in our day? By recognizing what are often the small miracles in our lives, of which when we really look at them, there are many! Is there any indication in Scripture that God will stop doing miracles? No, there is no indication in Scripture that God will stop doing miracles. The Bible says that God is the same today, yesterday and forever. So, the same God of miracles in the Old Testament is the same God we serve today. Is there any indication that God continues to do miracles? Absolutely! His miracles are all around us, often in things we take for granted. Many of these things are miracles when we think about them. How can we regain an active faith in the God of miracles? By dedicating ourselves more to prayer and the study of God's Word. "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God".

In your own words, how would you explain why circumcision is now obsolete for Christians and that baptism is now sign of the covenant?

What does it mean to have your heart circumcised? It means that your works are out of love for God, not just going through the motions for show or just to say you did the right thing. Why is this a necessity for all true believers, both Jew and Christian? Because it shows our love for God. How can we keep our faith active as an inward expression of love rather than become only an external religion? Through prayer and reading of God's word. Have you ever struggled with this? Yes, at times I have been so busy serving God that I did not take the time to ask Him how HE wanted me to do it.

What does circumcision signify for Abraham, his household, and his descendents? Obedience to God Why is some kind of definite act on Abraham's part important to confirming the covenant? He was showing again his obedience and his faith in God's covenant. What does Abraham's obedience the very same day signify? That Abraham was anxious to obey God.

When God tells Abraham, "Walk before me and be blameless," is he requiring moral perfection? No, God is not requiring moral perfection because He knows no man was or ever would be perfect except for His Son Jesus. What kind of blamelessness does he require of Abraham? I believe God required Abraham to keep the covenant, to raise His sons according to them, to keep his household a Godly household and for him to live a Godly life....to love God with all his heart, all his soul and all his mind. Does he expect more (or less) of Christians under the new covenant? I think perhaps that God expects more of Christians since we have experienced the love of Jesus the Messiah whom God promised to send.

What lesson is God teaching you out of Hagar's experience? To submit fully to His will and to stay out of His way while He directs my life. Which situation that God is calling you to is most difficult for you to submit to? A particular family situation that is taking place right now....too lengthy to go into. There is much pain over it and it's hard to be Christ minded through it.

What is the significance of Hagar's name for God -- El Roi, the God Who Sees? For one thing, it shows our God is a living God! Also that our God is a caring God who is all knowing and all seeing. What does it mean to a person who is discouraged and losing hope? It means the difference between hope and no hope. What does it mean to you personally? That I'm special to God, for He has numbered the very hairs on my head, I am fearfully and wonderfully made by HIM! He has given me my own set of fingerprints, and there are no others like them:)

Why does the angel ask Hagar something that the angel already knows? ("Where have you come from, and where are you going?") I think the angel asked Hagar these questions to possibly get her to say or admit her own situation. Sometimes when we stop long enough to evaluate things, we realize how hasty we've been. That would be very understandable in Hagar's situation. Why does she send her back to Sarah? To fulfill God's plan. Have you ever reacted and got yourself out of the place God wanted you? Yes I have. I'm reminded of one situation in particular and it took me forever to get back to where I needed to be.

Why does Sarah take her anger out on Abraham? Probably because Abraham may have been paying more attention to Hagar than Sarah at the time. I doubt that Sarah fully realized what this situation would be like once it came to be. Why does she take her anger out on Hagar? Probably because of jealousy. Is she trying to get rid of Hagar or the baby? Hagar In what sense is Hagar's pride Abraham's fault? As I stated above, Abraham was probably paying a good deal of attention to Hagar, thus boosting her ego quite a bit. In what sense is Hagar's affliction Abraham's fault? Abraham was probably not paying much attention to Sarah since Hagar was pregnant with his child. With this being Sarah's idea to start with, Abraham probably never gave it a second thought that this would cause bad feelings in Sarah toward Hagar. Also, Abraham should have taken a stand instead of leaving it in Sarah's hands. What situation in your family does this reminds you of? As is true with anyone, we should be careful what we ask for....we might get it. I know I've said to my own grown children before, "Remember, this is what you wanted!"

Have you ever been frustrated with God for not fulfilling his promise to you immediately? Yes I have, even knowing that God's timing, not mine, is perfect. Why does God sometimes delay the fulfillment of his promises to a future time? So that things will work to His glory and my benefit in the long run.

What is so amazing about this verse? What is so amazing is that Abraham did what God asks us to do, which is to simply believe. When we beleive that Jesus died for our sins and we accept Him as our savior, God counts that as righteousness, not through our reighteousness, but as the righteousness of Jesus Christ His Son. On what basis does God declare Abraham a righteous person? Because of his faith. What significance does this have to our New Testament understanding of justification by faith? Because the righteous live by faith.

What does it mean to you personally to call God your "Shield"? It means to me that God is constantly covering me, even when I'm not thinking about it, He's there, Jesus has promised to never leave me or forsake me. Nothing can happen to me that God does not allow for His divine purpose in my life. What does it mean to you that he promises to you (as heir of the promises to Abraham) "an exceedingly great reward"? I'm His child, that is reward enough, I'm promised to be able to live with Him forevermore...AMEN! What does it mean to you to call God your Suzerain or Sovereign? To me it means He is total perfection, Lord God of the universe, there is simply nothing greater!

Abraham would not accept the spoils of war from the king of Soddom because that would have been "sordid gain". Abraham's mission in all this was never for gain to begin with but rather to rescue Lot. This shows what a man of integrity Abraham was and how he wanted to please God, not man.

What is the significance of Abraham giving one tenth of the spoils of war to Melchizedek? Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek in order to honor God. Does tithing today represent the same kind of worship? Yes it does. We are to give the first fruits of what God has given us. Why should we tithe to God first (like Abraham did) before dividing up our paychecks to pay our bills? We should tithe first to God in order to honor Him, the One who has given to us to begin with.....for that we give Him back a portion. It is an act of putting God first above everything else.

Q2. (14:13-16) What does Abraham's military expedition to rescue Lot from the Mesopotamian kings tell us about his character? To me it shows that Abraham was showing his faith in God more than he did in last week's lesson. It shows that even though Lot had chosen the fertile lands for himself, he was still family and Abraham carried no grudges against him in his time of need. About his abilities? Because of Abraham's faith, he had great abilities that God allowed him. The surprise attack at night shows what great strategy he could come up with. About the way he deals with neighbors? Obviously Abraham had the respect of his neighbors. What is here for us to emulate? That we should always reach out to those in need, even those who have wronged us. That is where our true Christian spirit shows.

Q1. (13:2) Does Abraham's material wealth reflect God's blessing on him? Under the circumstances at the time, I'd have to say that Abraham's wealth did reflect God's blessing on him. I think maybe his wealth served partly as a type of witness to those he was encountering who did not believe in the One, true God. Does material wealth always reflect God's blessing? No, not always. I know plenty of people who are financially wealthy but are spiritually poor. Does physical poverty always reflect God's curse? No. The late Christian financial advisor Larry Burquett once said he could not answer the question as to why God blessed some Christians with material wealth and not others.

What relationship does God's promise to Abraham in 12:2-3 have to do with the incident of Sarah's abduction in 20:10-20? This promise reasurred Abraham of God's faithfulness and that He was the one in control.

What do you think about Abraham's and Sarah's ethics and faith? Without trying to be judgemental here, I'd have to say that Abraham and Sarah were not depending upon God to protect them. God had made a promise to Abraham so he should have known from that alone that God would protect him in order to fulfill the promise. But instead, Abraham came up with his own brainstorm...something we have all done! Are they ethically and morally wrong? How often have we all said, "I didn't lie, I just didn't tell everything I knew". When you leave out a vital point, one that can make a huge difference to the person you are talking to, it's a lie. Given that, I would have to say they were wrong. Does the Scripture intend to show that their actions as a lack of faith? I believe so. What lessons should we disciples learn from these stories? We should learn that God is always in control and that He never breaks His promises. We all need to put our faith into practice more and quit coming up with our own answers and solutions.

What does this story teach us about God's view of adultery? This story reinforces and reminds us again just how much God hates adultry and how sacred marriage is in His eyes. Can God forgive a person who has committed adultery? My God can forgive anything when a person turns to Him in true repentance, turning completely away from the sin.

Why did Pharaoh and his household get sick? They got sick because the Pharaoh had taken Abraham's wife as his own. What effect did this have? It caused the Pharaoh to release Sarah and allow her and Abraham to leave in peace. This reminds me of the Pharaoh in Moses' time, when he finally let God's people go because of the death of his own son. What was God seeking to accomplish through this affliction? To bring Abraham and Sarah together again and fulfill his promise to Abraham. Did it have the desired effect? Yes it did.

What dangers faced Abraham and his family as aliens and sojourners in Egypt and elsewhere? As Pastor Ralph said, Abraham and his family were vulernable...wide open strangers where no one knew them. After having lived most of my life in the South (Arkansas) I made a move out of state a few years back. Being single, I never realized how alone I would feel and how vulernable. My daughter's young family lived there, but they were not very well established themselves. If I needed help, it wasn't like I could just pick up the phone and have a friend come running, as I was used to for so many years. When you move to a new place, you are going in bline to your surroundings. In Abraham's case, he was going to have to deal with ungodly people which was scary. He should have trusted God to take care of him. Who might oppress them? Those who were ungodly would oppress them, and those with authority...rulers, etc. What "aliens and sojourners" live in your community? A few years ago our town built a huge power plant that brought in many, many Mexicans to build it. Also, there are many of them that work at the chicken plant here. Why did they come? Most of them were transfered from a previous job or were hired on from out of state through other sources. How are they being oppressed or discriminated against by employers and others in the community? They were not discriminated against by employers because they had jobs waiting for them upon arrival here. As for the rest of the community, I think people would have been much more open to them if they would have just made an effort to learn our language. For the most part, these people stuck together in their own groups, which I thought was kind of sad because it would have been nice to get to know some of them better. For the most part, our town was glad to see them. They worked hard, paid state and city taxes, and helped our economy. What can you and your church do to "love those who are aliens"? Reach out by inviting them to your home, church or maybe a civic function. Even if a person does not speak your language, everyone recognizes a smile

God's part is sheilding our salvation. Our part is accepting His Son who died for us and then to follow Him.

I'm a bit late on getting started here so there is only one thing I can really add to the many answers already given. Forgiveness and obedience are a package because as Paul said, "It is no longer I that lives, but Christ who lives in me". Once we accept Christ as saviour for the forgiveness of our sins, we are to follow his example just as He obeyed His Father, so we are too. We are to show our faith BY our works.

A person who is focusing more on this life than the one we will have in Heaven is like alot of us, this life is all we have ever known and when our faith falls short at times, we have difficulty thinking about what is to come. I have done this many, many times. Keeping our focus on Jesus, staying in His Word and in prayer with Him is what keeps me focused on eternity in Heaven.