Go ahead and read Romans 15 and 16. This lesson’s questions focus mostly on Romans 15:14-21.
** If you want, share about how the positive example of a another believer encouraged you.
1. What was the basis of Paul’s confidence in the Christians in Rome?
2. List some of the things God has accomplished through Paul’s life.
3. What things have you seen God use your life for?
4. Why did Paul prefer not to minister where others had already ministered? Was this a wise decision?
5. What principles of evangelism from Paul’s life could you apply in your life?
6. What do you think it means to “witness for Christ”? Share your understanding and/or experiences with evangelism. (Either you engaging in evangelism or someone trying to evangelize you.)
7. Are you reluctant to talk about God with others?
8. If you would like to share… do you remember who shared the gospel message with you? Tell us about your walk with God up to this point in your life.
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More bible passages on evangelism:
Matthew 5:13-16
Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 28:18-20
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Acts 1:8
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
2 Corinthians 2:14-17
14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? 17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.
1 Thessalonians 2:8
8 so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.
1 Peter 3:15,16
15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
This is a very good read i think you will all enjoy it luv mom/lynda
Subject: Fw: Shirley & Marcy
Subject: Shirley & Marcy
> > > > A good email. This is a good one...... > > > > > > > > > > Shirley & Marcy > > > > A mother was concerned about her kindergarten son walking to school. > > He didn't want his mother to walk with him. > > She wanted to give him the feeling that he had some independence but yet > > know that he was safe. > > So she had an idea of how to handle it. > > She asked a neighbor if she would please follow him to school in the mornings, staying at a distance, > > So he probably wouldn't notice her. She said that since she was up early with her toddler anyway, > it would be a good way for them to get some exercise as well, so she agreed. > > The next school day, the neighbor and her little girl set out following behind Timmy as he walked to school with another neighbor girl he knew. > > She did this for the whole week. As the two walked and chatted, kicking stones and twigs, > > Timmy 's little friend noticed the same lady was following them as she seemed to do every day all week. > > Finally she said to Timmy , > > 'Have you noticed that lady following us to school all week? > Do you know her?' > > Timmy nonchalantly replied, 'Yeah, I know who she is.' > > The little girl said, 'Well, who is she?' > > 'That's just Shirley Goodnest ,' Timmy replied, 'and her > daughter Marcy .' > > > > ' Shirley Goodnest ? Who is she and why is she following us? > > 'Well,' Timmy explained, 'every night my Mum makes me say the > 23rd Psalm > > with my prayers, 'cuz she worries about me so much. > > And in the Psalm, it says, ' Shirley Goodnest (surely goodness > ) and Marcy > > (mercy) shall follow me all the days of my life', so I guess > I'll just > > have > > to get used to it!' > > > > The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine > upon you, > > and > > be gracious unto you; the Lord lift His countenance upon you, > and give you > > peace. > > > > May Shirley Goodnest and Marcy be with you today and always > > > > I know you smiled! > > I sure did, Pass this on > > And brighten someone's day! > > > > Please pray that Shirley & Marcy go with everyone you love
We spent the weekend at Paul and Lori’s. We dragged our new ‘baby house’ there to give it a test run for the weekend. Plus there was Josh’s 17th birthday party and their garden to plant. It was really nice to get away for the weekend.
This week we tackled lesson 11, the definition of acceptance, and Deanna opened up about some of her reservations about acceptance, feeling loved, being judged, feeling unloved and more. It was a really great afternoon. And after all that we tackled a large platter of bbq ribs. :)
Here are the few notes I took this week:
- read Romans 14 and discussed
- Paul shared how he sees the word “righteous” now… “it is how God sees me, not anything I do or how I view myself”
- We discussed the idea of pleasing God. Lori had said that we cannot please God, and Jordan raised his eyebrow in question to that statement. He had a hard time swallowing that we cannot please God. So we discussed back and forth and I think what we came up with was that without Christ, we cannot please God. (If somebody has more memory about how this discussion went, please chime in in the comments section. Thanks.)
- Paul shared (I think to do with the above discussion) that, “I don’t do things to gain God’s love, I do things because I love God.”
- Wes said we needed to continue to read into chapter 15 because it pertained and wrapped up what was being taught in chapter 14.
Lesson 11 questions:
1. What issues caused division amongst the believers in Rome?
Johanna – “1 Eating/not eating certain foods, What was clean/unclean, which days are holy, etc.”
Nicole – “1. ditto Johanna”
Lori – “judging others”
Josh – “difference of opinion”
Jordan – “eating”
Jordan – “petty arguments”
Paul – “Holy days”
Paul – “disputable matters”
Wes – “wrestling with Jewish law”
Lori – “are you doing it right? are you doing it like me?”
2. How did Paul counsel the Roman believers to deal with these issues?
Johanna – “2 Respect each others boundaries, Don't deliberately do things that go against what your fellow believers believe.”
Wes – (in his best New York gangster voice) – “forget about it!”
Pam – “meet people where they are in their journey with God. If they say that today is holy, then take the time to celebrate the holy day with them.”
3. What is the key point Paul made in this passage?
Pam – “accept one another for where each is on their journey with God”
Jordan – “don not judge others or do things to make them stumble”
Johanna – “3 If someone believes that Certain things are holy or unholy we should respect that and not cause a fight over it, in the interest of keeping the church together”
AND it was about this time that we followed a rabbit trail in our discussions and did not get back to the questions but yet when we read the last few questions out loud we saw that we had answered them in our own way throughout our rabbit trail.
I don’t have much for notes at this part of the discussions but we did start the rabbit trail with the question – what does acceptance mean? Does it mean that I approve of all a person chooses? Can I accept a person but not approve of their choices? What does acceptance look like?
Wes came up with this statement – “When an issue/choice/topic destroys the relationship between people, acceptance has left and judgement has taken its place.” So from that we can see that acceptance preserves the relationship. We can accept a person for who they are, and have relationship with that person, but it does not mean we agree to all their choices, opinions or actions.
From here we had a very revealing discussion that seemed to revolve mostly around Deanna but was very informative to everyone there.
So many people Have entered my life Some having consoled me With some, came strife
But each person That I have met Taught me something On that, you can bet
They have taught me Compassion, peace Tolerance and restraint Giving me a new lease
I may not agree with All the things that are said Each person will state Their pleasures or dread
The best I can do At any given spell Is to listen openly At what they may tell.
If it is discussed with love Acceptance and grace Then there is nothing That anyone can't face.
A community is safe Where one is not judged No matter what the situation An inkblot or smudge
People that have entered As I look on my past Teaching me lessons That I hope will last.
And then this morning I listened to the latest podcast from The God Journey. It fit right in with our latest lesson and discussions yesterday. It is called “With You, God Is Pleased!” Here is a description from their website:
“Both the cruelty of the world and the conformity demands of religion teach us to live inside a shell of our own self protection and only present to others the illusion we think they want to see. Shame and fear combine to make us feel lost and isolated in the world, unable to be who God simply made us to be. Wayne and Brad find themselves talking about how God is not waiting for us to crawl out of our brokenness before initiating relationship with us, but that the Incarnation itself testifies to his desire to crawl into our shell with us, and as he wins us into his affection, to invite us out of it without fearing how others might respond. He has always been pleased with his creation and seeking to win it back into his wholeness.”
Here are a couple of things I wrote down while listening:
what will the power of acceptance do in a person’s life?
Yesterday Deanna had shared that in our community we talk a lot about love and being happy and it irritates her. I don’t remember where we went with that discussion but in this podcast Wayne shares an experience about being in Russia, in a room full of believers, and they are all talking in Russian and he cannot understand and feels left out. As I was listening to Wayne share this experience I thought of Deanna’s statement yesterday about how all this “love” talk irritated her and wondered if it was like Wayne in that room… she is part of the community but doesn’t feel like she belongs, like she is left out and doesn’t understand, and does not feel like she has experienced this love we are talking about all the time.
In the podcast, this thought was shared – that our interactions with others either leave us like we they have been “life giving” or leave us with the feeling we have been shut down. I think this tied in with what Wes said about acceptance or judgement.
And that is all I have for you at the moment. Loved our discussions yesterday. I am appreciative of Vana’s role right now, she is able to ask questions and “poke” my kids in a way that would not be well received from me. And I have seen Deanna open up with Vana that has been great to see. Thanks Vana!
Time to take on the day. I am off to town to take mom for her Mg infusion today. TTYL
Perfect love is perfect self-forgetfulness. Hence where there is love in a home, unselfishness is the law. Each forgets self and lives for others. ~ J.R. Miller
Prayer becomes what we live when we want to get hold of God, not just get a hold of what we want.
And real prayer isn’t about changing God’s mind but about finding God’s heart — and letting His heart change my mind.
Without prayer, we have nothing in common with God. Without prayer — we have no fellowship, no relationship, no worship. But when we enter into prayer, He enters into our thoughts and then we have much in common and the conversation never ends and we have our heart’s real desire — communion with Christ.
How has everyone been? Life has been hectic here! I can’t believe it is Thursday already! I guess I had better get the next lesson posted. There are only two left, so next week will be the last one. Any ideas on what we should study next?
I didn’t take notes last week. We met at Vana’s back yard and had some great discussion but I didn’t take any notes.
So I guess we shall just move on to the next lesson. Lesson 11 – accepting one another.
READ ROMANS 14
1. What issues caused division amongst the believers in Rome?
2. How did Paul counsel the Roman believers to deal with these issues?
3. What is the key point Paul made in this passage?
4. When should Christians defer to a fellow believers beliefs?
5. Explain why it is more important to maintain unity than to maintain our personal rights.
6. How can believers handle controversial issues in a way that builds up the church rather than harms it?
7. How can believers show love and acceptance to one another, in spite of differing opinions on certain issues? How can you avoid causing fellow believers to stumble in their faith?
"People who follow Jesus, though, are no longer typical - God is constantly inviting them into a life that moves away from typical. Even if they have normal jobs, live in normal houses, and drive normal cars, they're just not the same anymore."
Over the past few years of writing and talking to people about grace, God’s sovereignty, His choosing, and the adversity He brings us to and through, a question has laced itself through my journey.
“burning coals on his head”? what does this mean? My bible study notes said that it was an Egyptian custom for someone who was repentant to walk around with a pan of burning coals on their head and this could be referencing that custom. The important thing to focus on is that the person come to repentance.
“do not conform to the pattern of the world” --- conforming is different than doing, meaning you could participate in a ‘worldly thing’ without conforming yourself to those ways.
it says “YOUR mind”, not to make sure that others around you do not participate and conform.
“distributing to the needs of the Saints” = all of us… we are saints :)
1. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A LIVING SACRIFICE?
“serving God while your heart is still beating” – Josh
“putting your self-preferring nature to death” – Wes
“not giving dead sacrifices which would be like going through the motions, only doing a checklist with no love, obedience, etc” – Lori
we are taught the lie that it is not a “sacrifice” unless it hurts BUT Jesus said his burden is light, His yoke easy.
my study notes say – “Sacrifice was important, but even in the OT God made it clear that obedience from the HEART was much more important.”
2. WHAT DOES PAUL MEAN WHEN HE TELLS US TO BE CHANGED WITHIN BY A NEW WAY OF THINKING?
“getting into His pattern allows you to see His ways and what He is doing.” – Wes
Instead of asking “what would Jesus do?”, look around and ask, “what is Jesus doing?”
3. WHAT HINDERS CHIRSTIANS FROM THINKING AND ACTING LIKE PARTS OF ONE BODY?
“denominations” – Lori
“arrogance, etc” – Vana
we are not taught we are THE body… His Body
you have to interact with all the other parts
“you must participate and experience functioning as The Body… and once you do it is a Holy Wow moment!
teaching (words) are not enough
when we think of the body we think limbs, and eyes and ears BUT what about looking smaller… the cells that make up the body that have just a single task???
continuing with the thought of we are one body, Jordan came up with this analogy – “when there is pain in the body, all parts of the body are notified and do what they can to react to the pain and to help take care of the hurting part.”
“it has been the practice of Christians to always keep ‘machine’ alive (the building, the programs, the religion) instead of working as a Body.” – Wes
referring to the Body of Christ, Lori asked – “if one had never seen nor participated as a Body, could we still function as the Body? Would we still know it when we saw it? Perhaps the capacity to function as the Body would be there but the development would be determined by the programming that we knew.”
4. WHAT ADVICE DOES THIS PASSAGE OFFER ABOUT GETTING ALONG WITH EACH OTHER?
“your love must be sincere” – Vana
“don’t LOOK for work…. seek God and where He is leading you at this time.
“it is hard to live in harmony because there is always that ONE!” – Josh…. which then led into a discussion of what harmony is or isn’t
what is the definition of harmony? the dictionary says being in agreement of feelings or opinion. There was a strong dislike of this definition in the room :)
peace and harmony… verse 18 says, “as far as it depends on you”
you can’t change others, only yourself
Then we got into a big discussion about world peace and involvement in politics. Josh said he believes that world peace is impossible and that he has no plans to get involved in politics to make his voice heard on different topics. After this statement we had some great and passionate discussions on our views about this.
how can we participate? put away our selfish ways and look to what is good for the whole (others) and thus become “living sacrifices”.
loving our enemies… who is our enemy? anyone who goes against our self preferring nature???
we then discussed harmony in music… how we all the notes are different, make thier own sound but when they come together for a purpose… a song… then they are in harmony. So when WE come together with all our differences under one purpose (Christ) we are in harmony with each other.
“being kind creates harmony” –Noah
Josh shared that we need to respect each others opinions BUT he feels if you disagree with anothers opinion then you don’t respect it.
Lori shared – “even though there is disagreement, you can still live in peace”
Wes shared – “how to create harmony? when I serve, I put myself last” (living sacrifice)
Paul started singing the Beatles song “Let it Be” :) “
“When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me Speaking words of wisdom, let it be And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me Speaking words of wisdom, let it be Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be Whisper words of wisdom, let it be”
Jordan said he usually tries to find a way to fix it.
Deanna said it depended on what kind of trouble she was in, which then led to what does trouble mean. We usually think of trouble as in we have done something wrong that is punishable.
We discussed how our first reaction to trouble is usually fear or panic.
our reaction to trouble shows us our reaction to God… is God a safe place or a judge?
I shared that my hope with my kids is that we have such a relationship that when they find themselves in trouble, that don’t think – “man my mom is going to kill me” but instead “man I am in trouble, I need my mom!”
Paul asked the question – “have you ever made the decision to go and confess what have done wrong the moment you find yourself in trouble?” showing a repentant heart.
6. WHY IS IT DIFFICULT TO WAIT FOR GOD TO ACT ON OUR BEHALF?
because we are so IMPATIENT!!!
7. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE FOR TROUBLES TO BE A BLESSING?
“learn from our mistakes” – Josh
“helps my relationship with Him” – Jordan
“builds character” – Wes
“we go to God more and we learn He is not a wrathful God. It improves our relationship with God.” – Lori
8. WHAT SPIRITUAL GIFTS DO YOU THINK GOD HAS GIVEN YOU?
“good sense of humor” – Josh
“good with kids” – Jordan
“serving others, encouraging others” – Pam
“a good talker” – Paul
9. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SERVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART?
“what does it mean to serve God with part of your heart?”
RETHINKING HOW AND WHY YOU READ THE BIBLE The Pharisees read the Bible daily and memorized large portions it, but when the Lamb of God stood right in front of them they didn’t recognize Him. We have a tendency to judge our Christian walk by how much time we spend reading the Bible and feel guilty for not studying it every day. Down deep we often believe God is upset because we are not reading it more. This is a performance-based legalistic view of Bible reading that leads more to guilt and even resentment instead of love, joy and peace.Read more at http://heartofwisdom.com/blog/rethinking-how-why-you-read-the-bible/
5:58 PM Last Sunday, while driving in Dallas, I noticed time and again several Catholic churches that had the word "community" in their marques. Good for them. That is precisely the way I would translate the Greek word ekklesia. How can the church be the church? A good place to start is by paring away all the non-essentials and the verbiage that clutters and confuses. The basic meaning of ekklesia is a group of people that come together and have something in common, as opposed to a group of people that have come together and have nothing permanently in common (this latter idea is usually behind the Greek word ochlos, which is translated "crowd"). The great danger in most of our churches is that we confuse the physical plant with the church. The church is a people! So let the church be the church! What is the basis of this kind of human relationship? The New Testament teaches that the church is Christ's very own Body. Amazing but true: Because we are united with Him, we are united with everyone who follows Him in obedience and love. What a high view of the "church" we must have and teach! The church, this Christian "community," is God's laboratory in which we work out our functions as members of His Body. The Bible doesn't say we are to create this community. Jesus has already made it. But we are maintain it, we are to express it, and we are to extend it. This is such a unique concept that I wish our churches could express this concept better in our names. "Wake Forest Community Church" would be redundant: Wake Forest Community Community! Oh, may our churches become the communities of faith God intends for them to be!
OK, I wrote some bizarre stuff that likely worried some of you in a recent post called: Stop Calling The Bible The Word Of God. I want to clear the air and confirm that I love the Bible.
Not sure what verse we were discussing (I guess this is what happens when you don’t look at your notes for a week!), but I have the question written down – “bound all men over to disobedience???” What does this mean?
- bound = imprisoned = committed them
- Lori said – “God gave us all freewill and knew beforehand we would be disobedient”
1. Why did some people think that God must have rejected the Israelites?
if anyone rejected… it was the Israelites rejecting God BUT we always blame God as if He must responsible.
2. What does God’s answer to Elijah show us?
there is a remnant chosen by GRACE.
3. How do people try to earn God’s grace?
so many ways!
Susan wrote: “3. I wish people would quit bashing daily Bible reading. I don't know whether to feel guilty when I don't read it every day or to feel guilty when I do!”
* Susan, we say chose the no guilt route. Do what you need to do and don’t worry about what other s are saying.
* Teri said that she comes and gathers with us because it makes her feel less guilty (for not meeting the checklist in her mind).
* So when someone asks you if you are in the Word each day, say yes. I am in the Word and the Word is in me. Yes, I am with Christ.
* Christ = the Word (John 1)
4. Why are some people open to the Good News and others are closed?
because God gives them over to their hardened heart
Discussed “religion”
Paul was saying we all had a religion that we follow, a belief system. I said I had no religion, that religion was man made.
Does belief system = religion?
What is the definition of religion? “a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.” according to http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/religion
Is religion an individual thing or a group thing?
In the book of James, he shared the one “religion” that was good – “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
It was asked, do we (meaning all of us gathered this Sunday) have a religion, a repeated practice?
My answer would be no.
5. Why can we be confident that God’s grace is for all who will receive it?
As Nicole said… because God said so!
There was also some discussion about the unforgivable sin.
6. How are some people misled about the true way of salvation?
Some answers:
- religion
- men messed them up
- God said – “I am the good shepherd not go find a good shepherd!”
7. In what different things do people put their hope for salvation?
We all loved Johanna’s response:
themselves (scary right?) in works (still no) in their pastor (aaaaah) in what they do with their possessions (important but not that important)
8. Why is it important that we not take our salvation for granted?
- because we forget then we forget that God loves us
- we get complacent
- it then gives Satan a foothold
- creates doubt
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We discussed how words mess us up. We can’t be sure someone truly understands us by the words we use because they have different meanings to each of us. Words like – religion, law, love, rules, church, etc.
Paul joked that because words mess us up no wonder that quote tells us to go out and share the good news, only use words if you have to. Or maybe better would be… please don’t use words. LOL
_______________________________
So here are some new truths we know… maybe we should get t-shirts made up that say…
2. WHAT DOES PAUL MEAN WHEN HE TELLS US TO BE CHANGED WITHIN BY A NEW WAY OF THINKING?
3. WHAT HINDERS CHIRSTIANS FROM THINKING AND ACTING LIKE PARTS OF ONE BODY?
4. WHAT ADVICE DOES THIS PASSAGE OFFER ABOUT GETTING ALONG WITH EACH OTHER?
5. HOW SHOULD WE REACT DURING TIMES OF TROUBLE?
6. WHY IS IT DIFFICULT TO WAIT FOR GOD TO ACT ON OUR BEHALF?
7. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE FOR TROUBLES TO BE A BLESSING?
8. WHAT SPIRITUAL GIFTS DO YOU THINK GOD HAS GIVEN YOU?
9. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SERVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART?
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FOR MORE BIBLE PASSAGES ON PATIENCE IN AFFLICTION SEE:
JOB 36:15 He delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity.
PSALM 22:24 For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.
PSALM 107:41 But he raises up the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks.
ISAIAH 49:13 Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted.
ROMANS 5:3-5 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
2 CORINTHIANS 1:6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.
COLOSSIANS 1:11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,
JAMES 5:10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
1 PETER 4:13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
REVELATION 1:9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus
We already know and have experienced what this author is writing about but I figured I would share his thoughts anyway. It neat to see when others have come to know and experience what you know as truth in your own life.
