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Showing posts with label lesson. Show all posts.

The Spirit of God

Lesson No. 50: The Holy Spirit

  1. Four main things the Holy Spirit does for sinners:
    1. draw them
    2. convict them
    3. give birth to them
    4. keep them
  2. By showing the ten commandments (the schoolmaster) to us.
  3. The Holy Spirit is not allowed to use the main tool He has for preparing sinners hearts.
  4. Godly qualities:
    1. guides
    2. appoints
    3. calls men to the ministry of Christ
  5. Acts 28:25, Romans 8:34
  6. I was not aware of the personal qualities of the Spirit.
The Spirit's personal qualities seem to make Him relate more to God the Father and the Son in a way that helps with the cohesive mental picture of the Trinity. The Spirit also seems involved in every aspect of our faith, especially salvation.

The God-Man

Lesson No. 49: The Deity of Christ

  1. Deity of Christ is understood through scripture.
  2. John 2:24-25.
  3. Matthew 2:11.
  4. Jesus, who demonstrated full understanding of the danger of blasphemy, accepted worship, demonstrating he was actually himself claiming worthiness of the worship.
  5. "...by his Son... through whom he made the universe..." Hebrews 1:2
  6. Man can create from existing material, while God can create from nothing.
I once spoke at church about who Christ was. I compiled a list of names that Jesus was called by in scripture, read them all emphatically, and used the long list for dramatic effect. The last name by which Jesus was called, according to my list, was God, or the I Am.

However, just thinking of his names still doesn't even give us a glimpse into who he really was. As a man, he did miraculous things and spoke many eloquent words. As God, He created the universe. Still, our understanding of the Godhead and of Christ is limited at best. I yearn for the day when I can comprehend in full who He is!

Three In One

Lesson No. 48: The Trinity

  1. The word trinity appears in the Bible... *crickets creak*
  2. The Trinity is that God exists in three distinct persons who are all God Eternal.
  3. Ephesians 1
    1. the Father chooses those in Christ to be saved
    2. the Son redeems them
    3. the Holy Spirit seals them
  4. The three persons are not equal and not all God, and Jesus is a created being only, according to JWs.
  5. The redemptive qualities of the collective Godhead strengthens faith through the knowledge of the perfect harmony of God and his perfect plan for salvation.

Salvation By Baptism?

Lesson No. 47: Water Baptism, Part 2

  1. Salvation by grace becomes salvation by "works" when baptism is a requirement.
  2. Ephesians 2:4,8-10 talk of salvation by grace alone.
  3. Important acts of obedience are:
    • baptism
    • witnessing
    • living holiness and purity
    • fearing and worshiping God
  4. Damnation comes from lack of repentance and belief.
  5. The thief on the cross was never baptized, and who could blame him. Certainly not Christ.
  6. Paul was sent to preach the gospel.
I love how obvious these things are in scripture. Baptism is one example of how easy it is for people to go wrong, but how easy it is to show them the truth. Baptism is not a precondition of salvation, but instead a post-condition of belief. It is a command as the result of our faith, to show our obedience to all of Christ's commands. It is no more a condition for salvation than complete sinlessness is for a saved person.

It is also interesting to note that baptism is more a command for the giver of the gospel than the receiver. Jesus says "Baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit." He didn't say, "I really hope you're reading this because you need to be baptized and if you miss this little tidbit, you're out of luck."

In the Name of Jesus

Lesson No. 46: Water Baptism, Part 1

  1. The Great Commission (Matthew and Mark) demonstrate Jesus command of baptism.
  2. Baptism in Greek (baptizo) means to immerse.
  3. In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  4. Baptism is indeed an outward physical sign of an inward spiritual change or event.
  5. Amen.

Holier Than Thou

Lesson No. 45: Holiness

  1. Holiness can sometimes mean being of high regard, being in a certain religious position, or being detached from the world.
  2. The church is not only a place of solace for most Christians, but also the only place of congregation and isolation, closed off from the world.
  3. Jesus Christ exemplifies true holiness.
  4. Jesus was on earth for a singular purpose of seeking and saving lost souls, and he didn't care about social status or other concerns like "he's a sinner."
  5. Hypocrites are to be avoided at all costs.
  6. Holiness can come from a tender heart or conscience, God's Word, obedience and fear of God Almighty.

Survival of the Most Read

Lesson No. 44: The Survivor's Guide

  1. Survival techniques from scripture:
    1. prayer without ceasing
    2. have endless faith
    3. give God the glory
  2. God has given us all things that pertain to life.
  3. Knowledge of scripture keeps us accountable to God for our sin, and keeps our hearts soft for His work of reaching the lost.
  4. The psalmist rejoiced over the words of God.
  5. Paul subjected his undisciplined spirit, to be an effective minister.
  6. The body is another way of talking about our flesh, and bringing it into subjection is allowing the Spirit to reign in our sinful nature.
God answers prayer, and nine times out of 10 it's in His word. Survival guide indeed.

The Power of Prayer

Lesson No. 43: Prayer

  1. Prayer is the recognition of God's sovereignty in our lives.
  2. Pray without ceasing, always, continuously.
  3. Prayerlessness states "I do not need God."
  4. God's feelings towards prayer are that of delight.
  5. Pray
    1. with faith
    2. with clean hands and a pure heart
    3. genuine heartfelt prayers
    4. to God revealed in scripture
  6. Far too little. Meals, an evening prayer before bed... and on test days.
Prayer is a powerful statement of God's sovereign control of our lives. I feel as though prayer can allow God to act on the things he promises, because of the willful action of the Christian on his knees. God has the power to grant requests regardless, but only a prayerful Christian will beg His attention. Let us pray without ceasing. Excuse me... I need to pray.

For the Love of the Game

Lesson No. 42: The Enemy, Part 4

  1. Unbelievers are blinded to the gospel because of Satan.
  2. Their understanding is darkened because the light would otherwise shine in them.
  3. Satan is seen as an angel of light.
  4. Satan is called the prince or god of this world.
  5. Satan hates our understanding of the law because it harvests true repentance and conversions.
  6. False conversions due to lack of true repentance.
  7. Satan has created a plethora of false religions to confuse the world.
How can we be fearful of an encounter with an unsaved person, when the fire of truth burns in our hearts. I can't believe I myself have given in to this ridiculous and irrational emotion. Jesus Christ, the high priest of our salvation, has filled out the shadow of things to come (the old covenant) in such an amazing way. He is the author and perfecter of our faith, and the lamb slain, who defeated death for the countless sinners of this world. We owe him just one conversation, just one tract handed out, something, ANYTHING!

I can't wait for Saturday!

The LORD God is With You

Lesson No. 41: The Enemy, Part 3

  1. We should become personally involved in the ministry of our Father.
  2. Revivals won't win the war, only "one to one" witnessing.
  3. We are not "fishers" because we are not following the Master closely.
  4. Satan will attack through trusted individuals and words of discouragement.
  5. Satan usually attacks when we are most vulnerable, weak with a burden or personal problem.
  6. Israel was not allowed to talk while marching around Jericho.
  7. Hold your shield high, and keep words of discouragement from affecting you.

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