Less than $1 from Amazon. Downloadable to a variety of E-book readers. Or view an earlier transcript on this page right now. A Discipleship Bible Study for teachers, pastors and anyone who wants to help students obey God's Word and walk in obedience with Christ.
Discipleship Training Manuel Confession > Repentance > Righteousness > Faithfulness > Holiness
Introduction Open and close each study in prayer. Studies may last thirty minutes, an hour or longer. A brief study is ok. A long study is also fine. Let the Holy Spirit lead you by praying as the study moves along. Have fun with your students. Get to know your student. Find out about their families, upbringing, defeats, victories, and their romances. Get to know about the important things that happened in their life that shaped their values. Build a friendship. Share about your own life. Be open and humble about yourself. Please take notes for the student to take with him. You can do this by having a young baptized Christian sit in on the study and take notes, perhaps someone you are discipling. Involve the young Christian in the study. Frequently ask the student how they are feeling, and what they think about each Bible passage presented. Don’t just talk at them. Let your student talk. Be a listener. Don’t rush through the studies. Rather go slowly and talk with the student as they learn. Let them sound off. But don’t let them lead you. Stay focused. Don’t get distracted on one question for too long or you will find you have lost ten to twenty minutes on one minor point. Move on and come back to it at the end of the study by providing some Bible passages they may take with them. This may help for something the student had trouble understanding. The study should always end with some Bible passages for the student to read at home along with instruction on how to pray. “Love the brotherhood of believers.” Love your student. This is the key to your success in the study. Do not be harsh–simply present the truth impartially, gently. You must dedicate a great deal of time to prayer, before you arrive and after the study, pleading with Jesus to bring your student to lasting repentance and knowledge of the truth and be a fruit that lasts. “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things,” 1st Peter 1:10-12. Begin your opening prayer with, “Father, we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit, in the name of our Lord Jesus.” Always finish your prayer with, “In the name of our Lord Jesus.” Have the student read the full context of each Bible passage being presented. If they have trouble reading, you or another disciple can read the Bible passage. Please read slowly, thoughtfully and carefully. Don’t read fast and rush through God’s Word! Let your student answer each question without the use of the answers in the book. Use the answers provided when needed, not every time. Some studies begin with the understanding that the student will have no background in Christianity. Tailor the studies and illustrations to each student, presenting the Bible at a level they can understand. Add your own Bible passages. Answer your student’s questions gently with Bible verses, not your own ideas.
Table of Contents Introduction Prologue Jesus the Only Way Idols Word of God Prayer and Praying in Tongues Discipleship The Church Righteousness, Faithfulness, and Holiness Eight Sin Nine The Cross Resurrection Repentance, Grace and Restoration Baptism
Jesus the Only Way Why is Jesus different from the gods of other religions. What does the Bible says about Jesus? Mark 1:40-42 Jesus, God with power and love [Please read each passage of Scripture] Disciplier: What was the man’s disease? [Leprosy.] [Give your student a chance to answer. Then gently answer together with your student] Disciplier: How did Jesus react to him? [With love, gentleness and great power, verse 41.] Jesus had power over sickness. He was able to heal leprosy on the spot. Jesus had great power that the gods of other religions do not have. Jesus healed many people in the Bible of being deaf, blind, crippled, and demon possession. He even raised the dead. He was born by a miracle of a virgin, Matthew 1:29-34. Jesus loved him. There is one God in 3 persons, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, John 17:23-24. Jesus is the Son of God, the 2nd person of the Trinity. Jesus is God, Genesis 18. Disciplier: From time indefinite, on heaven and earth it has always been about Jesus. For all time it will always be about Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World. There is no other, Deuteronomy 4:35, 39. Micah 5:2 Jesus has no beginning of days, Jesus is God Disciplier: Why does Jesus have a birthday, Christmas? [Give your student a chance to answer then gentle work together to understand. Be gentle and patient] Jesus was in heaven before he was born a baby in a manger, John 1:14. 2. Jesus came to live on earth as a baby, grow up as a child and become a man living on earth for 33 years, Matthew 1:18-25. 3. After Jesus died on earth he returned to heaven, Revelations 1:4-6. Disciplier: What do many false religions have in common? [They reject Jesus as God.] Hindu, Buddhism, Islam, Mormon’s, Jehovah Witness, even Atheists believe that Jesus may have lived and walked the earth as a man as one of many great prophets. But they reject Jesus as God Himself who we are to love, worship and be thankful to for having created us, Luke 17:11-17. They reject the Savior of the world. They reject eternal life for themselves, Psalm 2:12. Revelations 13:8 God planned that Jesus would redeem us before creation Disciplier: How many saviors are there? [One. Jesus.] Disciplier: How many ways is there that are powerful enough to get your sins forgiven? [One. Jesus.] Disciplier: How many gods have the power to rescue you from the pit of hell? [One. Jesus.] Hebrews 4:14-16 Jesus never sinned After Jesus died on the cross, preached in Sheol, he entered heaven itself to sprinkle his blood on the true altar in heaven, verse 14. Jesus was “the firstborn among many brothers,” Romans 8:29. Disciplier: Jesus was completely God and completely a man. Disciplier: Can Jesus understand our problems, verse 15? [Yes, he was completely a man.] Disciplier: Do the gods of other religions understand the problems of the average man? [No.] Disciplier: Verse 15 says Jesus was tempted in every way just as we are. What are some of the ways we are tempted to do wrong? [To tell lies, be angry, selfish, and lazy, have lust, using tobacco, or alcohol.] Disciplier: Did Jesus ever sin, verse 15? [No.] Disciplier: Can anyone else make this claim? [No. Jesus was the perfect Lamb of God without blemish or defect, 1st Peter 1:18-20.] Disciplier: Do you love your parents? Have they ever done anything that really hurt you? [If the student says yes, have them share and then challenge them to forgive their parents completely from their heart. The teacher should also share how they had to change, who they had to forgive to help the student to open up and give him some support and love, Exodus 20:12, Proverbs 30:11-12.] Disciplier: You must realize that your picture of who God is, was formed in part from your childhood by the way your parents treated you, especially your father. Who you think God is, is likely not completely accurate. To follow Jesus you must understand who he truly is. The Bible gives us the truth on who God is. Let’s learn together. You may have to change who you think Jesus is. God is patient, but He disciplines us to help us do the right thing. Jesus loves us and expects us to obey Him. We can pray and talk with Jesus as our personal friend. Jesus is not far away as many people think. Jesus is near for those who seek Him. Jesus will listen to us if we seek Him. If you cry out to Jesus loudly in tears, beg Jesus to help you find Him. He will answer you.
Disciplier: If we do not believe in Jesus, where do we stand before God? [Condemned.] Disciplier: Can we believe in Jesus with just our mind or what we say? [No. To really follow Jesus we must show it with our actions and change.] Hebrews 9:27-28 Destined to die once Disciplier: How many times do we live? [Once] Disciplier: How many times do we die? [Once.] Disciplier: Does the Bible say there will be reincarnation? [No.] Disciplier: After we die what will happen? [Judgment.] Disciplier: How do you feel when you sin, doing what is wrong? [Bad, guilty, unhappy.] Disciplier: Why did Christ come? [To completely take away our sins, guilt, and sadness.] Disciplier: Suppose someone hits you and then buys you an ice cream. Would that make you even? Student: [No. Why not?] Reason together with your student: Because he hit you. The ice cream does not change that. In the same way we cannot pay for bad deeds by doing more good deeds. Nor can we do penance, punish ourselves or do hard work to have our guilt taken away. Only the forgiveness that comes from the blood of Jesus can wash away our sins and take away our guilt. John 14:5-27 Jesus is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life Disciplier: How many ways are there to heaven, verse 6? [Only Jesus.] Disciplier: How many gods are there? [One. Jesus is the only Way.] Disciplier: What happens if I reject Jesus the only Way? [Have your student read Psalm 2:12 Student: Kiss the Son, lest you be angry and you will be destroyed in your way.] What does “destroyed” mean in Psalm 2:12? Your soul would cease to exist. The essence of who you are would be gone. Who you are would be no more. Some people lie and make up a false hope for themselves. They justify themselves and say God would not do that so they do not have to change. You want to reject Jesus so they can carry on in your sin. Believe the Bible. If you refuse to repent and follow Jesus you will be destroyed. You will be gone, the essence of who you are will be no more, you will cease to exist, burned up in a lake of fire, Revelation 20:14-15, 2nd Thessalonians 1:9; 2:10. Disciplier: When Jesus says “I am the Truth” in verse 6 what does this mean about other religions? Reason together with your student: There is truth only in Jesus. Sometimes other religions seem to have some things in common with Christianity, but they are attempting to find peace without God. Sometimes Satan tries to copy what Jesus did when Jesus redeemed the world. But the Bible calls Satan a liar and that there is no truth in him. The only truth is in Jesus. Other religions and gods are a trick by Satan to take us away from Jesus our only hope for glory. We must walk away from every lie completely and follow Jesus. Disciplier: In verse 6 what does Jesus mean by saying, “I am the Life?” [Jesus is the only Way to eternal life and He shows us how to live the fullness of that life by His own example on earth.] Disciplier: Can anyone get to God the Father without going through Jesus? [No, there is only Jesus.] Disciplier: Can any man, even me, bring you to God the Father? [No, only Jesus.] Disciplier: When we know Jesus, who do we know? [When we know and understand Jesus, we know and understand God the Father.]
Disciplier: How can I truly love Jesus? [When we obey him, verse 15 and verse 23.] Disciplier: Are you worthy? Does God love you? Does God want you in his family? [Yes, 1st Timothy 2:4.] John 12:32 When I am lifted up I will draw all men to myself Disciplier: How does Jesus draw all men to himself? [Being lifted up on the cross, shedding his blood, redeeming the world, John 4:42, Watch “The Passion of the Christ” Film.] Conclusion Disciplier: How many ways are there to God? [Only Jesus.] Disciplier: Who is Jesus? [There is one God in 3 persons. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus is God.] Disciplier: Do you want to become a Christian? [Student: Share a candid answer.] Disciplier: What would your family think about that? [Student: Share.] Disciplier: I want to give you a challenge If you want to become a Christian, start reading the Bible every day, study regularly with us and come to all the meetings. Also, speak to your family about your interest in Christ.
Idols This study can be more effective when done in the students home, so the disciplier can notice any altars, statues, pictures or symbols of false religions. Use the Bible verses in this study to identify them. Do NOT talk about them without the use of studying Bible verses. By the end of this study these things need to be removed and destroyed. If you leave the removal of these idols and symbols to the student, they will often just hide them from view and the idols will reappear later. The disciplier must be present as the idols are removed, even take them and destroy them. Acts 17:22-23 City full of idols Disciplier: What kind of city was Athens? [A city full of idols near every street corner.] Disciplier: Does this describe where you live? Disciplier: What were the people of Athens like? [Religious, wanting a god, but not finding the only true God our Lord Jesus, missing the mark.] Acts 17:24-28 Before we were born, God planned that we would meet Disciplier: What do we see about God in verse 24? [He is our Creator.] Disciplier: Watch Illustration (optional) Suppose you were walking in a forest, and you found a watch. What would you assume about that watch? [Someone must have lost it.] Yes, the watch was made by someone and it belongs to someone else. It didn’t simply materialize out of thin air. Nor did you and I just accidentally come alive. The Creator of all things created us, the one true God of the entire universe. Disciplier: Does God need our flowers, incense, sacrifices or money, verse 25? [No, God created all things.] Disciplier: What does verse 26 say God did? Student: God decided when and where we would live, even before we were born. Disciplier: Why did God plan exact times and places where you would live, work and play, including you and I meeting today, verse 27? [So that we might reach out for him and seek Him.] Disciplier: How did you meet me your teacher and the disciple that brought you to this meeting? Let the student share. [That was no accident. God planned it so that you would reach out for him. God has given you this chance to seek him. Do not turn your back on your Creator. Keep coming to the meetings and studies. You being here now is a gift from God so that you may learn how to have the salvation of your soil.] Acts 17:29-31 God commands us all to repent of having idols Disciplier: What does God look like? [Bible tells us God is Righteousness Acts 22:14, God is Love 1st John 4:8, God is the Way John 14:6,God is Truth John 14:6, God is Life John 14:6, God is the Resurrection John 11:25, God is Merciful Luke 6:36. In part this is what God is. In part this is who God is.] Disciplier: Can you have faith about what God is made of from what the Bible says without having to see or touch? [Yes.] Disciplier: Do you need an idol to replace God, to trade the truth for a lie, to betray your own soul? [No.] Disciplier: We even know in part what God’s throne is made out of. Grace, Hebrews 4:16, From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder, Revelations 4:5, The River of Life flows from the throne Revelations 22:15. Was God’s throne made with human hands? [No.] Disciplier: We even know in part what the foundation of God’s throne is made out of. Righteousness and justice, Psalm 89:14 and Psalm 97:2. Is God a picture or a clay statute? [No.] Disciplier: Can you reject all this and believe a lie? [No.] Disciplier: Yet when you cling to your idols you reject the truth. Do you want to do that? [No.] Disciplier: What are you going to do with your idols? [Give them to you and destroy them.] Disciplier: Is God like an Idol? [No, of course not.] Disciplier: Is God made out of silver, plastic, plaster, or a picture? [No, this makes no sense.] Disciplier: What does God want all men everywhere to do, verse 30? [Repent.] Disciplier: What does it mean to repent? Repentance comes from 2 Greek words, “meta” which means change and “naos” which means mind. Simply put “change mind”. Repent simply means change your mind. Repentance is not a religious word that means we must go through pain and torture to please God. Jesus took this punishment for our sins on the cross. Repentance simply means change your mind and stop sinning. Stop going your way and go God’s way. Without repentance you cannot please God. Tell me now if you are unwilling to change. Because to continue in the studies you have to be willing to change your life and obey the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ as we learn in the Bible. Do you want to repent? Do you want to change? Disciplier: If you were to become a Christian, what things would you need to change? [Share.] Ezekiel 7:20 Beautiful jewelry and used it to make their detestable idols Disciplier: Do you have a Hindi or Buddha ring? [Student: Please take it so that we can destroy it in front of us right now.] Disciplier: Do you have a black cord around your waist, shoulder or ankle? [Student: I am giving it to you so we can destroy it in front of us right now.] Disciplier: Do you have any jewelry, necklace, rings or other symbols from false religions that you are wearing on your person? [Student: Please take that from me and we can destroy it in front of us right now.] 1st Timothy 1:17 We are to believe in an unseen God Disciplier: Man’s desire is to worship and honor what he can see with his eyes and touch with his hands, false gods, statues and pictures. However God wants us to believe in Him even though we cannot see Him. It takes faith to believe in an invisible God. Do you have enough faith in Jesus to turn away from your false gods and follow Jesus commands? [Share.] Exodus 20: 4-6 Punish to the fourth generation for idols Disciplier: Do you want to go to eternal life in heaven or hell? [Student: Heaven.] Disciplier: If you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and you keep your gods, it will be very harmful for you. God will discipline you. You will be miserable. Disciplier: When you keep your idols, what will God do? [Student: Once I know the truth and I turn away from the truth, God will discipline me to bring me back to him.] Leviticus 19:4 Do not turn away from Jesus by choosing idols Disciplier: Where is God? [Heaven, everywhere.] Disciplier: Do you think God is made of stone? [That is a lie. Your real God, the Father is in heaven all over creation. God does not look like that. He is not made out of mud and stone.] Leviticus 17:7 Do not offer sacrifices to goat statues Disciplier: How stupid are idol worshippers?[It is silly, embarrassing. God created goats. God created all things.] Disciplier: Does God need sacrifices? [No. Jesus became the sacrifice one time for all men who obey Him.] Disciplier: God does not need sacrifices. But you need to obey God. Leviticus 26:1 Do not set up a likeness of a god or a sacred stone Disciplier: What does God look like? [We don’t know. So how can we set up a likeness of God?] Disciplier: Believe in the truth, not a lie. Disciplier: Is a likeness of God true? [Student: No.] Disciplier: Is obeying the Bible true? [Yes.] Numbers 33:52 Destroy all carved images, metal idols, false places of worship Disciplier: Some time ago in a taxi in Calcutta with a brother, we were destroying false gods. We burned, smashed and threw them in the Hooghly River. The taxi driver kept saying, ”What’s your job? I don’t get your job.” Destroying false gods is a good job. Disciplier: Can you destroy all your idols? [Share.] Disciplier: What will happen if you destroy your idols? [Read Jeremiah 10:4-6.] Exodus 32:3-5 Deep devotion to an idol, is betrayal to the One True God Disciplier: God rescued the people from the Egyptians who enslaved them. God did this so they would be thankful and worship Him. Instead they turned away from their Creator who loved them. Disciplier: What about you? Are you thankful to God? Disciplier: Then why do you have these pictures and/or statues here? [Student: Share.] Exodus 34:17 Do not make metal forged idols, do not make statues Disciplier: Who are we giving all the credit to? [The Devil.] Disciplier: How do you give all the credit to Jesus your God? [Destroy your false images and obey the Bible.] Jeremiah 17:5 Treating your pastor like God is idol worship Disciplier: Is treating any man like God is idol worship? [Yes, obviously.] Disciplier: What does it mean to uplift and highly honor a man? [That honor is reserved for Jesus, not a man.] Disciplier: What does it mean if I trust in a man to rescue me? [My heart has turned away from Jesus.] Disciplier: What does it mean if I give great honor and praise to my Church leader? [That honor and praise belongs to Jesus. It means my heart is going to someone else and turned away from Jesus.] Disciplier: What does it mean when I fear my boss or my enemy or any man? [To fear a man is a type of worship. In doing so my heart has turned away from Jesus. I am only to fear Jesus.] Disciplier: Do you fear the face of man? [Don’t! Fear God only, Job 28:1-28, Deuteronomy 4:35, 39.] Leviticus 26:1 Do not make idols, set up an image or a stone for yourselves Disciplier: What does it mean if I pray toward a sacred stone, any rock or stone? [That is Idol worship.] Disciplier: What does it mean if I honor or show reverence to a special stone? [That is Idol worship.] Jeremiah 10:1-16 Are pictures or statues a custom in your family for generations? Disciplier: Do you or your parents, grandparents or relatives have plastic, ceramic, or wooden statues of Jesus, Mary, angels, or other gods? Do you have pictures of Jesus or Mary or other gods on your wall at home, school, work, or church? Do you carry or wear a cross or emblem of Saint Jude? Disciplier: Do any of your relatives have statues or pictures of Hindu gods or their dead parents on their walls at home or work? Disciplier: Please describe what things like this you have in your house, your parent’s house or other relative’s house. Describe these things at your place of work, school or church. Disciplier: Do these things help protect you from evil? [No.] Disciplier: Do we submit to the Word of God when we do these things, Exodus 20:3-7; 32:1-6, Ezekiel 14:1-8, Deuteronomy 16:21-22? [No.] Disciplier: Who made the world? [God.] Disciplier: Who made idols? [Man.] Disciplier: What do they look like? [Something that was made by man.] Disciplier: An idol cannot help us. An idol cannot harm us either, verse 5. Disciplier: So we should not be afraid of idols, verse 5. [Jeremiah 10:4-6.] Disciplier: If you keep your idols you are rejecting God. [Share.] Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell, Matthew 10:28. Disciplier: The Bible tells us God is Righteousness Acts 22:14, God is Love 1st John 4:8, God is the Way John 14:6,God is Truth John 14:6, God is Life John 14:6, God is the Resurrection John 11:25, God is Merciful Luke 6:36. In part this is what God is. In part this is who God is. What does God look like? [Explain.] Disciplier: Can you have faith about what God is made of from what the Bible says without having to see or touch? [Yes.] Disciplier: Do you need an idol to replace God, to trade the truth for a lie, to betray your own soul? [No.] Disciplier: We even know in part what God’s throne is made out of. Grace, Hebrews 4:16, From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings, and peals of thunder, Revelations 4:5, The River of Life flows from the throne 22:1-15. Can humans make God’s throne? [No.] Disciplier: We even know in part what the foundation of god’s throne is made out of. Righteousness and justice, Psalm 89:14, Psalm 97:2. Just seeing God’s throne would be terrifying. Should we try and build a throne for God? [No.] Disciplier: Can you reject all this and believe a lie? [No. That doesn’t make sense. Who would do that?] Disciplier: Yet when you cling to your idols you reject the truth. Do you want to do that? [No.] Disciplier: Name each of your idols and pictures, crosses, and symbols in your house and at work. Disciplier: Name each religious symbol you are wearing. A cross, a Saint Jude metal, Hindi cord, ring, bracelet, and things like this. Disciplier: What are you going to do with your idols? [Share.] Disciplier: Please break the black cord on your waist and give it to me. Please remove all your crosses, rings and religious symbols of all types and give them to me. I will not be returning them to you and I cannot tell you what is happening to them, except to say that I will obey what the Bible says to do about them. At this moment I need you to give me all your idols. Isaiah 44:9-20 Defend your pictures, images, statutes to your shame Disciplier: Is a Madonna, a family heirloom, a picture of Jesus in your family for generations, a very valuable artifact from a trip with religious significance, a small jade frog worshipped in Buddhism—are any of these an idol? [Yes. They all are.] Disciplier: Are your idols a family tradition passed down from generation to generation? [Student: Share.] Please destroy them in front of me right now. Disciplier: Are they just for decoration and they don’t mean anything to you? If they are meaningless, give them up. If you will not then they are an idol to you. They are idols. Please give them to me now. Disciplier: If they don’t mean anything to you then grind them into powder or crush them, DEUTERONOMY 9:21, 2nd Chronicles 34:7. Disciplier: If that is painful to hear? Then they are definitely an idol to you. Disciplier: Do you really want to defend your idols to try and rescue them? Then you are a longing for them. Disciplier: Our desire must be for Christ. . Disciplier: Do you love your idols or do you love Jesus? If you love Jesus, then let go idols of your idols. Psalm 135:15-18 Those who trust in pictures and statutes will be like them, a face of stone Disciplier: A house with pictures on the walls or statutes sitting around on furniture is disobeying this Bible passage. [Student: Share.] Disciplier: Even a picture of Jesus or Mary is disobeying Psalm 135. [Student: Share.] Disciplier: Do you have a statue or picture of a god that was passed down in your family for generations? Is this family statute worth money? Would those around you be mad if you destroy it? What are you going to do? [Student: Share.] Disciplier: "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, Exodus 20:3-7. Can you pray to a cross or pray facing a cross? Would it be disrespectful to turn your back to a cross while praying? [Share.] Disciplier: Wearing a cross, having a cross or praying toward a cross is hating God. Do you hate God? Then don’t do this. Disciplier: Those who trust in pictures and statutes will become like them, a face of stone. Have you ever seen the face of some of these people who keep or honor these statues and images? You may notice some older worshippers in these false religions who have shown reverence to these statues their whole lives now have faces that are without expression, more like wood and stone than flesh, verse 18. Jonah 2:8 Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs Disciplier: What happens if I refuse to stop wearing idols on my body, crosses, pictures of Saint Jude, Mary, the black cord around my waist, and wrist, etc. [I forfeit the grace that could have been mine.] Disciplier: What happens if I refuse to remove from my house, car or work--pictures, statutes, and religious symbols that I have for good luck or to fight evil. [I forfeit the grace that could have been mine.] Conclusion Disciplier: When you wear a cross or carry a Rosary or a good luck charm and also believe in Jesus--now you have two gods. Jesus is one of your gods and the cross is another one of your gods, 2nd Kings 17:1-41. Disciplier: How does Jesus feel about this, Exodus 20:4-6? Student: Share. Disciplier: Will God answer your prayers when you behave like this? Student: No. Disciplier: What is the condition of your soul right now? Student: Share. Disciplier: Where would your soul go if you died right now? Student: Share.
Word of God 2nd Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed Disciplier: How much of the Bible is from God? [All of it] Disciplier: Can we pick and choose the parts of the Bible to believe and obey what suits our desires? [No.] Restaurant Illustration Which is your favorite restaurant? When you go there you can decide what to get. Milk tea. Black tea. Lots of chili sauce on your meal. Some people try and do that with the Bible. I’ll accept that teaching from the Bible. But I won’t obey the command in the Bible to tell other people about Jesus. We cannot treat the Bible like a buffet at your favorite restaurant. We cannot pick and choose what Bible passages to obey. We have to obey the entire Bible. Disciplier: Is the Bible a practical useful book? [Yes.] Disciplier: How is it useful? [Productive, effective, truly for everything.] Disciplier: What is teaching? [What we are doing now.] Disciplier: What is rebuking? [Gently using Bible verses to convince someone to change, stop bad habits.] Disciplier: What is correcting? [Challenging someone that what they are doing is sin by using the Bible.] Disciplier: Does the Bible teach us everything we need to live a Godly life, verse 17? [Yes.] Disciplier: Does the Bible teach us everything we need to be Holy? [Yes.] Disciplier: Do we need anything else? Student: Love, mercy, gentleness. Disciplier: Does mankind get confused about the truth? [Yes.] Disciplier: How can mankind stop being mixed up and find the truth? [Seek the truth in the Bible.] 2nd Timothy 4:3-4 False churches that preach an easy false gospel Disciplier: What do people do? [They follow false teachers who tell them what they want to hear.] Disciplier: Why do they do this? [So they don’t have to change.] Disciplier: What do people want to hear? [We don’t have to change to be saved. It’s ok to smoke and tobacco, “nobody’s perfect”. But the Bible says we are to be perfect, James 3:2.] Disciplier: Do you want to be with a group of people who says what you want to hear? [No.] Disciplier: Do you want to have a teacher who teaches the truth, even if it hurts and you are challenged to change? That is what we do. We teach the truth. The truth will sometimes hurt you. When that happens will you leave? [Share.] 2nd Peter 3:15-16 Unstable, sinful teachers distort the Bible Disciplier: Where did Apostle Paul’s writings in the Bible come from? [God.] Disciplier: How do some people misuse with the Bible? [Distort and twist the words of the Bible.] Disciplier: What kind of people distort God’s Word? Student: Ignorant (unstudied) and unstable (sinful). Disciplier: What does it mean to be ignorant? [They don’t spend time studying. So they don’t know.] What does it mean to be unstable? [It means you are full of sin.] Disciplier: Do any of these things describe yourself? [Share.] Lamppost Illustration (optional) A man walks out drunk after a wedding. He sees a lamppost. Instead of using it for light, he leans up against it to support himself. That is what some people do with the Bible. Instead of following it, they try to use the parts they want to fit their lifestyle. Matthew 15:3, 7-14 Disobey the Bible, Obey Traditions Disciplier: What did Jesus call these people? [Hypocrites.] Disciplier: Were they religious? Student: [Yes.] Disciplier: Did they go to church? [Yes.] Disciplier: Did they pray? [Yes.] Disciplier: Why were they hypocrites, verse 7-8? [They say they obey the Bible, but in their actions they do not.] Disciplier: What kind of teachings did they follow? [Traditions of men.] Disciplier: Are traditions always wrong? [No, only when they have us disobey the Bible.] Disciplier: Give some examples of traditions that have us disobey the Bible. [Acting good only on Sundays in church, acting out repetitive rituals to try and please God, idols, worshiping parents.] Disciplier: Are you willing to give up traditions in your life that have you disobey the Bible? [Share.] John 8:31-32 Those who obey the Bible are truly disciples of Jesus Disciplier: Who was Jesus speaking to here? [God’s people the Israelites]’ Disciplier: Is believing with words enough? [No, we must also obey the Bible] Disciplier: When do we understand the truth, before or after we obey it, verse 32? [After] Disciplier: One reason for all the confusion in the Churches today is that so many people even church leaders hear the Bible, but don’t obey it. So they never understand the truth, Romans 1:18. A Disciplier: re you willing to obey the truth? [Share] John 12:42-43 Afraid to say I love Jesus Disciplier: Did these people believe? [Yes] Disciplier: Why didn’t they stand up for the truth? [Afraid of the opinion of others] Disciplier: We all have people who influence our behavior. Who influences your behavior the most? [Friends, family, spouse, boss, neighbors] Can you tell them you love Jesus? Hebrews 4:12-13 The Bible is living and active sharper than any sword Disciplier: Is the Bible a dead book? [No, the Bible is different than any other book. God’s Word is alive and powerful] Disciplier: Why is the Bible compared to a sword? [God’s Word, like a sword, is sharp. God’s Word can destroy, crush and break a bone, or gently perform an operation to heal, restore and save.] Disciplier: What would you do if someone pointed a sword at you? [Run, so be gentle and soft as you handle the Word of God] Disciplier: When confronted with the Bible many people get defensive, proud or run away when confronted with God’s Word because they do not want to change. Doctor Illustration Suppose a man came to you with a sword. What would you do? [Either defend yourself or run away.] This is exactly how some people react when confronted with the Bible. Yet what if you went to a doctor and he told you that you had a tumor in your leg. The doctor told you the only way to save the leg was to cut it open and take out the tumor. The doctor had a reputation for being gentle, accurate and skillful. Would you undergo the operation? [Of course.] In the same way don’t be afraid of the Bible. In the same way Church leaders should develop a reputation for being accurate (2nd Timothy 2:15) gently handling the Word of God, instead of being harsh. Perform an operation. Be a skillful surgeon, use gentleness, Galatians 6:1. Disciplier: The Bible is like the doctor’s scalpel. It is very precise. It can cut the sin out of your life. But as we study you’ll be tempted to run away and disappear or get defensive when the Bible starts causing you pain. Disciplier: Have you been corrected by a brother and been tempted to disappear and not fellowship with us anymore? [Share] Disciplier: Are you willing to follow the Bible even if it hurts? [Share] Disciplier: Who judges our thoughts and attitude of our heart, verse 13? [God’s Word] School Exam Illustration On the first day of class the teacher told you to learn everything in one book by the end of the course. On the last day of class there was a final exam. You raise your hand and tell the teacher you haven’t read that one book. Would the teacher pass you? [Of course not] In the same way, at judgment on that last day–how can you expect God to save you if you have not read and obeyed the Bible? Disciplier: How important is it to read and obey the Bible? [The salvation of your soul] Disciplier: Does God know our thoughts, all our thoughts, verse 13? [Yes] Television Illustration If there was a TV screen on your shoulder that showed your every thought to everyone who walked by, would you change the way you think? [Of course. The Bible says we have a great cloud of witnesses, Hebrews 12:1.] Isaiah 28:10-13 Find the Truth in God’s Word “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little and there a little,” Isaiah 28:10 in the New King James Version. The Bible word “line” means a single sentence in the Bible, one Bible verse. The Bible word “precept” means a doctrine or teaching derived from a passage of several verses of scripture, also called a “context.” The Bible phrase “here a little, there a little” means that you may find a passage of scripture say in John 3 that helps explain another Bible context in Acts 19 for example. However by trying to understand just one of these Bible passages alone has caused many false churches to arise, around the world. We are not to mishandle God’s Word. We are not to teach a lie or follow a lie. We are to get ourselves and those we teach to heaven. We must submit to God’s Word, not man’s ideas. What does “precept upon precept” mean? [Each context (passage of scripture) will have other passages of scripture in other places in the Bible that partner with it.] What does “line upon line” mean? [We understand each line (verse) of the Bible in the context of the surrounding verses, when seeking the truth. However if we take one Bible verse out of context and try and learn the meaning of that verse by itself, we can be mislead into believing a lie.] The Bible Phrase “stammering lips and another tongue” means the gift of the Holy Spirit of speaking in tongues. The Bible phrase “weary to rest” means those truly seeking the righteous life with Jesus will find rest in speaking in tongues as the Holy Spirit inside them cries out to the Father on behalf of their sin sickness with utterances known only by the Father. Yet, as remarkable as it may so sound some refuse to enter that rest by lack of faith, Hebrews 4:1-12. The phrase “might go and fall backward, and be broken and snared and caught” means when they say no to Jesus, no to obedience to the Bible, no to speaking in tongues they fall into Satan’s trap and are taken away by their sin. Project: Get a concordance. Take a word about a subject you where you want the truth. If you want to be a little bold pick a tender subject where there is someone dispute. Baptism is a great word for this. Look up all the verses on baptism in your concordance. Study the verse and the surrounding context, usually about half a chapter. Have several brothers’ study separately without consulting each other. Take a few days. You will find everyone comes to the same conclusion, even if doing the studies hundreds of miles from each other. Isaiah 34:16-17 Search the Book of the Lord “Search the Book of the Lord, and read: not one of these shall fail; not one shall lack her mate. For my mouth has commanded it, and his Spirit has gathered them. He has cast the lot for them, and his hand has divided it among them with a measuring line. They shall possess it forever; from generation to generation they shall dwell in it,” Isaiah 34:16-17 in the New King James Version. The Bible phrase “Book of the Lord” means the Bible. The Bible phrase “not one of thee shall fail” means every word of the Bible has a purpose and power, Hebrews 4:12-13. The Bible phrase “not one shall lack her mate” means every Bible verse has another verse in scripture that sounds the same, that brings a more complete meaning when the two verses are understood together. The Bible phrase “the Spirit has gathered them” means a person with the Holy Spirit will be able to find the two scriptures that are to be together. The person who disobeys God’s Word has a more difficult time and may choose the wrong mating verse and not realize it (teach a lie). The Bible phrase “He has cast the lot for them” means when a righteous man full of the Holy Spirit searches in God’s Word he will correctly handle the Bible and find the truth and teach God’s will. The Bible phrase “they shall possess it forever” and “they shall dwell in it” means build your house. Truly build your house that others may visit and bring out good things to share and get them to heaven also, Matthew 12:35. Truly live in your good house forever. Acts 17;10 -12 Noble character received the Bible with eagerness Disciplier: What kind of people were the Bereans? [People of Noble Character] Disciplier: If God called you noble how would that make you feel? [Share] Disciplier: Why were Bereans noble? [They were eager. They read their Bible daily] Disciplier: What does it mean to be eager? [Meet frequently, not being late, getting involved, helping out, really wanting to read the Bible, not making excuses.] Disciplier: Are you eager? [Share] Disciplier: If you are going to become a Christian you really need to be eager. We don’t want to force you. You must prove your eagerness by coming on time to meetings and studies, by reading on your own, by being a real friend to us. We are eager to be your friend too. We are eager to help you find the truth and obey it. Disciplier: How often did they read the Bible? [Daily] Disciplier: How did they read? [They examined the teachings to make sure they were in agreement with the Bible.] Disciplier: We want you to read the Bible carefully. Make sure what we say is in agreement with the Bible. Conclusion Disciplier: Has this study helped you understand why there are so much division in today’s churches? [Share] How can you avoid this confusion? [Study with us. Read and obey your Bible.] Challenge Read the Bible everyday for at least 30 minutes per day beginning with the Gospel of Mark. Please read about 3 chapters even if it takes longer. Please report back to me at each meeting or whenever you see me on how you are doing on your daily Bible reading and early morning prayer time. Prayer and Praying in Tongues Prayer Prayer Matthew 6:9-15 Jesus teaches us how to pray Pray with reverence for the Holiness of our Father’s name and Jesus’ name, verse 9. Praise the many Biblical names of God and Jesus. Sing about God and the great things he has done. Praise God. Praise Jesus’ name with zeal and excitement. Shout out loud. Jump for joy. Pray that God’s will be done even if it is not what you want, verse 10. Beg, plead ,and cry out in tears on your knees with a broken and humble heart for God to answer your prayer. Pray that God will provide us with our daily bread and food, verse 11. Forgive us for our sins as we forgive those who sin against us, verse12. Genuinely forgive everyone each time you pray. If you are unwilling to completely forgive don’t expect your prayer to be heard. Go make things right with your brother. Then come back and pray so that your prayer can be heard, Matthew 5:23-24. Lead us away from temptation, verse 13. Genuinely ask God to keep you away from things that cause you to be tempted to disobey God’s Word. Deliver us from evil and those who would harm us or our soul, verse 13. Ask for God to rescue you and those you love from those who would try and harm you. If you don’t forgive you won’t be forgiven, verse 15. IMPORTANT-- Jesus instructions are not to just repeat the Lords prayer. The Lords prayer is a guideline on how to pray to the Father. Use the Lord’s prayer to help you talk with your real Father in heaven, God the Father, your Dad! Mark 1:35 Wake up and go pray while it’s still dark Disciplier: What time did Jesus go pray? [Early in the morning before day break] What should you do? [Copy Jesus] Where did Jesus go pray? [To a quiet solitary place where he could be alone.] What should you do? [Copy Jesus] Proverbs 4:18 Pray while seeing that first “gleam” of light break through the darkness Disciplier: Those seeking the righteous life, start praying early and are there watching that first gleam of dawn. What does the Word “gleam” mean? [While it’s still dark, there is that first small light that begins and eventually becomes full day light.] Can you get up that early? Do you want to be part of God’s family that has a reputation for “early morning prayer”? Genesis 17:1 Walk before me and be blameless Prayer keeps you in the presence of God, Genesis 17:1. Scripture commands us to pray without ceasing, 1Thessalonians 5: 17. Prayer is turning our heart towards God, and we receive his love in return. We are to meditate on God’s Word in prayer. Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink,” John 7:37. Obey the commandments of Jesus. Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself, Matthew 22:37-39. Then you will be sure that you are praying in God’s will. For God to answer prayer, you’ve got to acknowledge that you are a sinner and lost and have been called by grace from the blood of Christ. Give God all the praise and glory for the grace and mercy that he has shown and pray for the will of God. God knows what we need. The Holy Spirit is with the brethren. Jesus himself says to the Father I know that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here that they may believe that you sent me. So we must allow the Holy Spirit to lead us in prayer and not let our mind to lead us. He who searches our hearts, knows the mind of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit intercedes with God’s will, Romans 8:27. Mark 1:40-42 A man with leprosy came begged Jesus on his knees Disciplier: How earnestly did the man ask Jesus to be healed? [He begged and pleaded with Jesus] Disciplier: What was the man doing when he was talking with Jesus? [He was begging Jesus on his knees in worship.] Disciplier: There are so many examples in the New Testament of someone on their knees begging Jesus for a healing and Jesus answering their prayer. How do you want to pray? Disciplier: Do you want your prayers answered? How are you going to pray? Disciplier: Psalm 51:1, 17 King David pleads for mercy to God with a broken and contrite heart. Disciplier: Psalm 42:1 The Psalmist says his very soul pants God, thirsts for God. Disciplier: Psalm 6:6 “I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.” Do you think God wants you to cry out to him, to plead for mercy, to need him, to desire God, to thirst for him, to weep and cry out in tears with a broken and contrite heart, to have your sins forgiven, to be healed, and to have your prayers answered? If you pray like this you may be very near to God’s throne.How are you going to pray? Student: Share. James 5:16 Prayer of restoration for those who are searching for repentance, but cannot find it Disciplier: Is this Bible verse about physical illnesses? [Certainly. It can be. But the deeper meaning is something is far more important. Sometimes a brother cannot overcome a sin no matter how hard he tries. The person may be trapped in smoking, alcohol, drugs or immoralities. No matter how hard they try, they just cannot stop sinning. What can the sinner do? God will not listen to the prayer of a sinful man, proverbs 15:29. So when the sinner confesses his sins and church leaders (“Elder’s”) with a reputation for righteousness and faith pray for a soul that is dead, God will hear the prayer of the righteous man and heal the sinner. What this means is God will heal the sinner of his sin sickness so that he can find repentance and get his righteousness back.] Disciplier: What can the sinner do? The sinner will have to change his heart to be healed. God gives us an example of how the sinner should pray in Psalm 130. The sinner should pray the Psalm directly to God on his knees, with tears, crying out, begging God and change their heart. Disciplier: Once the sinner is healed, finds repentance and gets his righteousness back they will experience unspeakable joy. Their soul is alive again. Psalm 126 gives a wonderful description of that moment. Anyone trapped in their sins, needs hope and should read, even memorize Psalm 126. 2 Chronicles 35:20-27 A righteous king dies in battle because he did not pray first Disciplier: Throughout the Bible there are examples of righteous kings winning again and again. Josiah was a famous king among God’s people and his prophets for his righteous rule. Love and devotion came to him from everywhere. Now already in battle he finds out God’s will and does not listen. Josiah the righteous king dies in battle from not praying first. Zeal without knowledge is not good. Disciplier: Prayer before going into battle or after, before getting into a car or after, before going on a trip, doing business, making plans or after? [Before!] Disciplier: Do you have to pray and get permission from God our Father before everything you do, Mark11:24, Philippians 4:6? [Yes!]
Praying in Tongues Hebrews 4:1-16 Praying in tongues, the Sabbath Rest Resting on the seventh day was the Old Testament shadow of what was to come. When Christ came, God revealed something better. We rest in our work everyday. Our job becomes relaxing enjoyable everyday we work, resting in our physical labors as we pray in tongues softly while we work. When we pray in tongues the Holy Spirit in us prays to the Father on behalf of our sin sickness, or for someone else or for whatever we have in our heart while praying. So instead of obeying a seventh day physical rest, we speak in tongues everyday. This is the true Sabbath Rest God has always wanted for His people. We are no longer required to rest on the 7th day from physical work. We however must pray in tongues because praying in tongues is obeying the 4th commandment, observing the Sabbath rest, the true deeper meaning of the Sabbath rest God has for His people, if a man can accept it. We are resting in God from our work, from physical work, yes, but something more important. When we pray in tongues we rest in our labor and work to overcome sin. We cannot overcome sin by ourselves with human effort. No matter how hard we try, we will fail. But by praying in tongues we are trusting God to help us overcome our sins. Apostle Paul said he “speaks in tongues more than all of you,” because he wanted to win the battle against sin, overcome his sins and go to heaven. Also we must pray in tongues continually as we begin to win that war against our flesh—our desires for sin. God offered the gift of praying in tongues to his people Israel even in Old Testament times. Israel refused to enter that rest. People also refuse today. Some false churches go to the other extreme and become obsessed with speaking in tongues, pushing it forward in every aspect of their home life and all church activity. Church services become like a circus. Even worse some claim speaking in tongues is required for salvation. The Bible warns us NOT to fall away after every wind of doctrine. The truth we know. Obedience to the Bible brings eternal life. Romans 8:26-27 The Holy Spirit within us helps us pray directly to the Father on behalf of our weaknesses, our sinful desires We can try and pray for help when we sin. We do know what we need, although God knows. “With groans that words cannot express,” we speak in other tongues as we cry out to the Father for our sin sickness as the Holy Spirit speaks in a language only God knows, so that we may be healed of our evil desires. Are you afraid of this? [Share] It is not something that you maybe used to or that you may be familiar with. But can you trust God in this? Can you put aside your own understanding and logic and just trust Jesus? [Share] Isaiah 28:11-12 With foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people The King James Version uses the wording “with stammering lips”. Then how do we speak in tongues? [The Bible gives examples of people getting the gift instantly like on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-21. But many brethren get the gift slowly over time. The first step is to take baptism and receive of infilling of the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:38. When alone or when walking by yourself: 1. Think of this like a new baby learning to talk. It takes a baby a long while before he can say “ma ma ma” or “da da da.” After sometime a baby will begin to formulate full words, then put words together and then full sentences. Perhaps a year or 2 goes by before you can really understand what a young child may be saying. 2. Speaking in tongues is much the same. However, you are learning the language of angels or in some cases languages long ago extinct that may have been used in heaven or on earth. Almost too wonderful to believe! But just trust God. 3. When alone in your room and while walking by yourself begin to try. Begin making one syllable words, short sounds, groans, grunts. Once you have been baptized the gift of speaking in tongues is within you. You have it. You just may not know it yet. 3. Once you begin to speak in tongues your soul will have tears of joy. You may experience overwhelming relief like never before in your life as you rest in God. You may cry. You may laugh. You now have communion with God. Your words that you speak in most cases are known only by the Father. Evil spirits, our enemies and those who want to capture our soul cannot understand the language we speak. You may NOT need 2 years. Many brethren learn to speak in tongues in a few weeks. C. If you have pride or get embarrassed it will be difficult to practice. You must crush your pride. 1st Corinthians 14:14-15 Pray and sing in the Spirit, pray and sing with your mind What does pray and sing in the spirit (in tongues) mean? [Praying or singing in tongues. You can do this out loud when you are alone. You may pray or sing in tongues in your heart silently or softly while in the assembly worshipping.] What does pray and sing with your mind mean? [This is not in tongues. This is praying or singing out loud or to yourself as you normally talk with anyone. Anytime you talk with God, this is praying. When singing to God this is actually a type of prayer and can also be worship. Discipleship Mark 1:14-20 Follow Jesus What was the first thing Jesus said to these men? [Come follow me] Why did Jesus come to earth? [To save sinners, to die for our sins, to seek and save the lost] So if we follow Jesus what should our purpose be? [The same, by using the Bible] What does it mean to be a fisher of men? [Bring men to God] Fisherman’s Illustration A seasoned fisherman knows when to reel in a fish on his line and when to let the line out a little so as not to loose a fighting fish. A professional fisherman often has several fishing lines out at the same time. There maybe times when an enemy comes along and cuts the lines. In the same way, when discipling new students wanting to learn about righteousness and the truth, there is the right time to ease off a little and the right moment to reel the line in. Knowing the difference comes with prayer and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Be a good fisher of men. Get some fishing lines out there. Tend to your fishing lines. Don’t wander off. So what is the purpose of a disciple? [To be a fisher of men] James and John left their father in the boat and followed Jesus, verses 19-20. How do you think their father felt about this? [This may have made it more difficult to run the family business and may have upset their father.] How can you tell what is most important in someone’s life? [By how they spend their time and money and what they talk about.] Football Fan Illustration What does a football fan talk about? How does he spend his time? What does he think about? Does he know about the top players? In the same way if someone is a disciple of Jesus, he will spend his time, money, energy and talk about Jesus and making disciples. Matthew 28:18-20 Disciple, baptize and teach to obey the Bible What does Jesus tell his disciples to do? [Disciple, baptize and teach others to obey the Bible] What is Discipling? [Evangelizing and leading others to Christ by teaching the truth, obedience and by the example in our own life. Discipling is becoming best friends with your disciples and leading them to righteousness, faithfulness and holiness. ] Once baptized what do we do with a new disciple? [Teach them to obey the words of Jesus, the Bible] DISCIPLESHIP DIAGRAM To teach people to obey Jesus includes 3 things: BE AN EXAMPLE We must be a Godly example to others. Someone will never believe a teacher who is a hypocrite. You cannot disciple others by just telling them not to lie. You have to be an example by not lying yourself. LOVE We must love people to teach them. Someone will never learn from someone who does not truly love them. TEACH We must devote the time and effort to really teach them what we are talking about. Disciples aren’t made in a minute. So what will the new disciples go and do? [They will also go and make disciples] If you, the brother taking notes and I each made one disciple every year, how many disciples would there be at the end of the first year? [The 3 of us would make 3 more for a total of 6] How many disciples would there be at the end of the 2nd year? [The 6 of us would make 6 more for a total of 12] How many disciples would there be at the end of the 3rd year? [The 12 of us would make 12 more for a total of 24]
At this rate how long would it take to bring the whole world to Christ? [32 years] In the 4th year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 48 In the 5th year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 96 In the 6th year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 192 In the 7th year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 384 In the 8th year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 768 In the 9th year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 1536 In the 10th year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 3072 In the 12th year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 6144 In the 13th year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 12288 In the 14th year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 24576 In the 15th year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 49152 In the 16th year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 98304 In the 17h year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 196608 In the 18th year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 393216 In the 19th year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 786432 In the 20th year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 1572864 In the 21st year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 3145728 In the 22nd year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 6291456 In the 23rd year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 12582912 In the 24h year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 25165824 In the 25th year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 50331648 In the 26th year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 100663296 In the 27th year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 201326592 In the 28thear if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 420653184 In the 29th year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 841306368 In the 30th year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 1682612736 In the 31st year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 3365225472 In the 32ndth year if each brother made one disciple the total would double to 6730450944 In the 32nd year there would be six billion, seven hundred thirty million, four hundred fifty thousand, and nine hundred forty four disciples. 6,730,450,944 disciples, roughly the current population of the whole world. How many churches do you know who make disciples? [Share] Do the members of your church go and make disciples? [Share] Have you been making disciples? If they say yes, then ask them who are they discipling? How many disciples have you made? What are their names? This is the first mark of a disciple: he makes other disciples. Luke 11:1-4 Pray Q. What did the disciples ask Jesus to do, verse 1? [Teach them how to pray]
God is our Father. He wants to take care of us. He wants us to have a relationship with him. This is what becoming a disciple is all about, a relationship with God. We should ask God for our daily bread, verse 3. How often do we eat? [3 times a day or more] So how much should we pray and depend on God? [For everything. All the time. He wants us to be His children.] Christianity is not a list of things to do. Christianity is a relationship with God, to fall in love with God, pray every day, the early morning prayer, to pray without ceasing read your Bible and to be with those who obey the Bible and truly love Jesus. John 8:31-32 If we obey the Words of Jesus we are truly Jesus’ disciples Who is Jesus talking to here? [God’s people the Israelites, the brotherhood of believers] To be a disciple is it enough to believe in Jesus with your heart, James 2:19? [No, Jesus says we have to obey His words.] To be a disciple is it enough to say with your mouth you believe, James 2:19? [No, Jesus says we have to obey His words.] How much have you been reading your Bible? [Share] If you want to be a true disciple, you must read the Bible everyday and obey the Bible, Matthew 4:4. If you have not been reading the Bible please read everyday for at least 30 minutes per day beginning with the Gospel of Mark. Please read about 3 chapters even if it takes longer. Please report back to me at each meeting or whenever you see me on how you are doing with your daily Bible reading and early morning prayer time. John 13:34-35 A New Command I Give You: Love One Another Why are we to love each other? [We are part of God’s family, the family of believers] Our deep love for one another is called “the love of the brethren.” Why this new command? [Because Jesus wants us to love each other as He loved His disciples] One reason we have a deep love for each other as Christians is that we have a common purpose, to make disciples. War Buddy Illustration People who fought in war together will be friend’s years later because they risked their lives for each other. In the same way if you are in the trenches together fighting for the gospel, defending Jesus’ name and making disciples together, you won’t fight over petty things while the bullets fly overhead.
What are some of the ways Jesus loved his disciples? [He served them, washed their feet, rebuked them, taught them, shared his feelings with them, had communion with them, went to weddings with them and mostly just spent time with them.] If we love each other as Jesus loved us, will we be willing to spend time together? [Of course] If we love each other in this way will we sacrifice money for each other? [Of course] If we love each other this way, will we teach each other? [Of course] If we truly love each other, will we listen to each other? [Of course] If we love each other, will we get involved in each others lives and challenge each other? [Yes just like we have been doing.] What is it like in your old church when people did not show up for services? Were those attending on Sunday also together every day? Did they notice when someone was not there? Did they really love each other? Dead Church Fellowship Illustration In some churches at the end of the service, each person says to the person next to him, “My name is.......Peace be with you” and leaves. People are not giving their time to one another. Is your church like that? Is there a difference between your church and our church? How many close friends do your really have from your old church? How can we know if people are really disciples, verse 35? [By their love for one another] The mark of a disciple. A disciple really loves other people. Are you willing to get involved in deep close relationships with the Christians in our church, become genuine friends and spend your time with the brethren? [Share] Are you willing to come to the meetings of the church? What is your schedule like? [Share] Luke 9:23-26 Deny yourself, take your cross, and follow Jesus If you want to follow Jesus what must you do? [Deny yourself] What does it mean to deny yourself? [Deny yourself extra sleep so that you can have the early morning prayer, Mark 1:35; deny yourself sexual pleasure; deny yourself smoking, drugs, or alcohol; deny yourself personal time so you can spend time evangelizing.] What does it mean to carry your cross daily? [Be willing to suffer for being a Christian daily, share with Jesus the suffering he made on the cross like: humiliation, being rejected, turned down for a job for being a Christian, denied promotions at work, being jailed, being beat up, tortured or even murdered.] What will be the hardest thing you will face in living the Christian life? What if your family objects to you becoming a true Christian? Will you give into them and conform to your families desires for you or submit to God’s Word and put Jesus before your family, Matthew 10:37-38? If we are ashamed of Jesus and his words what will Jesus do on judgment day, verse 26? [Be ashamed of you] What good is it if we gain the whole world and then go to hell, verse 25? [Have it good now for a short period and then spend all eternity separated from our Creator—that doesn’t make sense. It wouldn’t be worth it.] King of the World Illustration During your working career you keep getting promoted until you are the CEO of a large company. You make a lot of money. You get a wonderful house and a new car. You rise to the top of your profession and are honored everywhere you go. You have interviews with TV stations and magazines. You have it all, everything you ever wanted. You are at the top of the world. Just one problem. At the end of your life you go to hell. Would all the success be worth it? Is there anything more important than going to heaven? Luke 14:25-33 The cost of being a disciple What must we do if we want to be his disciples, verse 25-26? [Love Jesus more than our own families, put Jesus first in our lives before our own families] Does Jesus mean that we are to literally hate our families? [No, but sometimes we have to make hard choices when family members get between us and Jesus. Then we must choose Jesus and our family members may accuse us of hating them. When family members fight against the truth we must defend Jesus’ name even if they threaten to never talk to us again. We must choose Jesus not our family. Many will say they hate you when you choose to follow Jesus. But we must adhere to the truth and follow Jesus even at the cost of losing our entire family.] What is more important than Jesus in your life right now? [Share. An impure relationship, problems with lust, tobacco, alcohol, the love of money, cheating. To follow Jesus you must give up everything that you love more than Jesus.] What if your family tries to stop you from becoming a Christian? What will you do? Before we build a tower what should we do, verse 28-30? [Count the cost] In the same way count the cost of becoming a Christian. Think about it. Are you sure you want to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus daily for the rest of your life, forever?
Which king wins the war, the one with 10,000 soldiers or the one with 20,000, verse 31-33? [The one with 20,000] Since the king with 10,000 cannot win what will he do? [Ask for terms of peace] Who will dictate the terms of peace? [The army with 20,000] What are the terms of peace? [Total unconditional surrender] The meaning of Jesus’ parable is that you are that smaller army. You can’t fight God and win. And Jesus requires total unconditional surrender of everything in your life that is more important than Jesus. Conclusion If Jesus were sitting here right now and He is, would you say you have been living like a true Christian? Do you want to be a true Christian? Challenge: If you want to become a true Christian, you need to keep reading your Bible every day, pray every day especially the early morning prayer. You need to meet us frequently to study the Bible, come to all the meetings, start inviting people to church and start to give up the sins in that part of your life where you know you have to change. Try living like a true Christian for a few weeks, leaving your old religion and old church completely. Taste and see that the Lord Jesus is good! Talk with your family and loved ones about the truth you have found in Jesus!
The Church Have you been reading the Bible every day since the last study? What have you read this past week, how much daily? Colossians 1:18 In everything Jesus has supremacy What is the church? [The body of Christ] Who is the head of the body? [Jesus] Is the Pope the head of the Body Of Christ? [No, Jesus is.] Is the Pope the head of the Church? [No, Jesus is.] How many heads does a body have? [One] How many bodies does a head have? [One] Multi-bodied Illustration If a man walked into this room and he had 5 heads, would that be normal? What if another man came in and he had 10 bodies, could he survive? In the same way there is only one true church, the body of Christ and one true head and that is Jesus. There are so many denominations with differing beliefs. Which one is right? Any church that teaches obedience to all the Bible, that teaches righteousness, that rightly divides the Word of God is a true church, 2nd Timothy 2:15, Isaiah 34:16-17. The only true Church with Jesus as it’s head is the one that obeys what Jesus said to do. Ephesians 2:19-22 God is building one Church for the Holy Spirit to dwell in Before we became Christians what were we in God’s sight? [Foreigners and aliens] When we become Christians what do we become part of? [God’s nation, God’s family] How many brothers and sisters do you have? [Share] [The disciple should share] How old are they? Family Dinner Illustration Suppose back in your childhood you had a 10 year old brother that didn’t come home for dinner one evening. How would your family feel? [Very concerned] Would they say, “Most of us are here. Let’s eat and be happy”? [Of course not. They would search for him] In the same way, the body of Christ is a family. We are concerned when someone misses a meeting or does not spend personal time with us. We are concerned and worry about him. What is the true Church built on, verse 20? [The foundation of the apostles and prophets as recorded in the Bible] What if a Church is not teaching obedience to the Bible or the Church leaders and members are not doing what it says. Is it a true Church? [No] Does your old Church teach obedience to the Bible? Do the church leaders and members do what it says? Do you do what the Bible says? 1 st Corinthians 12:14-21 Understanding the Body of Christ Can your foot say, “I want to be a hand and if I can’t I am not part of the body,” verse 14? [No, but the foot and the hand work together as different parts of the body and need each other.] In the same way, everybody in the body of Christ has different gifts, but we all need each other and share a common purpose. What are we all supposed to be doing as the body of Christ? [Make disciples, Matthew 28:18-20] Can my eye say to my hand, “I don’t need you”? Foot Illustration Where do you work (study)? How do you get there? Suppose it is time for work (school) and you go out the door. As you walk along you notice your left foot was missing, so you quickly hop back home on one foot. You go to your room and see a lump under the covers. You lift up the covers and there is your foot reading a magazine and smoking a cigarette. You say to your foot, “We have work to do. I need you. Come on. Let’s go.” But your foot says, “No I have more important things to do.” How long would your foot survive there in bed by itself?” [Not long] How well would you do without a foot? [You may survive, but it would be painful.] In the same way we need the body of Christ, God’s Church, our family–in our personal daily lives to survive spiritually. We need to come to all the meetings and spend our time together. We can’t be like the foot lying in bed thinking we are okay. The Church may survive without us, but we cannot spiritually survive without God’s family. Hebrews 3:12-13 A sinful unbelieving heart turns away from God How did you feel the first time you sinned (Told a lie, stole something, had a lustful thought)? [Felt guilty, felt bad, share]
How did you feel after you kept sinning? [The feeling of guilt started to disappear didn’t it] After sinning too much, sin hardens our heart so we don’t feel bad anymore. We are turning away from God when we do this. Has this ever happened to you? [Share] How can we prevent sin from hardening our hearts? [Fellowship. Encourage one another.] Who should do this? [All the brethren] How often should I be with the brethren? [Everyday] Coal Illustration Once there was a Christian farmer in England. He started missing some of the meetings of the church and wasn’t reaching out to others. One of the brothers came to his house to help him. These two men sat down by the fireplace to warm themselves in front of red hot coals. This brother wasn’t sure how to help the farmer. Then he picked up one of the red hot coals with a pair of metal tongs and put the piece of coal on the ground. It turned grey and stopped burning. Then the brother picked up the piece of coal again and put it back into the fireplace. The piece of coal became red hot again. Then the farmer said, “I understand. I’ll be there Wednesday night.” In the same way, when we stop attending meetings, spiritually we start to die. The answer to this problem is to start attending the meetings again. Be faithful. Do not get weary of doing what is right, Galatians 6:9. Do not get tired of righteousness. How important is it to come to all the meetings of the church? [It is difficult to survive away from fellowship with the body of Christ.] What if we took one live coal and placed it in a fireplace full of ashes? Would the ashes catch fire? [No] In the same way we cannot spiritually survive in a dead church. Those disobedient to the gospel of Jesus Christ will lead us astray. Jesus said, “Come out her my people,” (means come out of the false church] Revelations 18:4. Many Bible scholars recognize this to mean, come out of the false church so that we do not share in her sins. Hebrews 10:24-25 Spur one another on toward love and good deeds What do we do in church? [Spur one another on toward love and good deeds] How does a horse react to a spur? [It hurts him and he moves] In the same way we should spur one another to change, obey the Bible, evangelism, seek out the lost sheep of Israel, do good works and not miss the meetings. What are some people in the habit of doing, verse 10:25? [Missing meetings] Some people are in the habit of getting up on time, others are late. Some people are in the habit of lying, some telling the truth. Some people are in the habit of going to all the meetings, some are not. [Share your habits] You need to change your habits if you want to follow Jesus. You need to be on time and come to all the meetings. We need to be truthful with the family of believers and everyone, read your Bible and pray every day and be productive like evangelizing. How do you feel about this? Acts 2:42-47 Devoted to teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, prayer What does devoted mean [Seriousness. Great commitment in time, money and much of what you talk about] Tell about something you are devoted to. [Share] What were they devoted to, verse 42? [Teaching, Fellowship, Breaking Bread, Prayer] How did they feel about their personal possessions? What did they do, verse 44-45? Were they glad to be together? [Yes] How fast did the Church grow, verse 47? [Daily] Does your old Church do these things? Does this Church do the things Jesus said to do? Conclusion What have you learned in this study? Why is it important to come to all the meetings? [We are your family, the family of God. If your are devoted to the truth and on following Jesus, you will need to come to survive spiritually, so that we can challenge one another to change.] Are you willing to leave your old church and come to a true church? How devoted are you to the truth? Challenge Come to all our meetings from now on. Spend your personal time with us. Truly make us your family. Leave your old Church. Stop spending time with old friends unless you are talking with them about Jesus. Righteousness, Faithfulness and Holiness Righteousness Righteousness is obeying the Bible for a length of time, one day or 50 years. Faithfulness is obeying the Bible with no backsliding for the rest of your life, forever. Holiness is obeying the Bible faithfully, joyfully suffering for Jesus, even through hardship, jail, torture and death, sharing the cross with Jesus. Psalm 11:19 Eternal life What is God’s promise to you for truly obeying Him? [Eternal life] Deuteronomy 28:1-68 Obey God and blessings, disobey God and curses Count how many blessings for obeying God are in this Bible passage? [Have the disciple count the actual number. The disciple will remember and understand obedience better] Count how many curses for refusing to obey God are in this Bible passage? [Have the disciple count the actual number. The disciple will remember and understand disobedience better] Joshua 1:6-9 Promise of God’s blessing for the righteous Choose to live this Bible passage and what will God do? [God will surround you, love you, and treat you like one of His own children. Choose to live this Bible verse and you will not be alone. You will be part of God’s family. Choose this Bible verse and you make God your Father.] Joshua 5:13-15 Go to Jesus for help to be righteous and overcome sin How can you become righteous? It is so difficult with so much sin and temptation around? [Jesus is commander of the Lord’s army and can help you win this battle. The Old Testament battle victories and defeats were for our benefit. They were to teach us about the spiritual war we have today, when Jesus takes us to heaven. Jesus is commander in this war and he can do it. No matter how hard you feel it is to obey, you can do it. Don’t listen to false teachers who tell you, “You can’t win the battle”. Lying prophets say “You don’t have to stop sinning.” They say this because they are trapped in their sins and have lost the battle themselves. But listen to Jesus. Jesus overcame sin, stood up to temptation and was the firstborn of many brothers to enter heaven itself. Let Jesus take you to heaven. You can do it. You can be righteous.] Ephesians 6:10-20 Put on the full armor of God and prepare for war Verse 14, Be a person of truth in all things Verse 14, Obey the Bible in all things. Always ask yourself: What would Jesus do, WWJD Verse 15, Tell your friends and people you meet about Jesus. Verse 16, Believe Jesus who is your brother is walking with you everywhere you go, when you obey Him. Verse 17, Get baptized and walk in obedience with Jesus. Verse 18, Pray in Tongues on behalf of your sin sickness, praying directly to your Father in heaven that nobody can understand but your true Dad who loves you, God your Father. Joshua 6:20 How to get victory in the battlefield and overcome sin • Early morning prayer, Mark 1:35, Proverbs 4:18, Psalm 37:6, 57:8, 108:2, 119:47 • Pray without ceasing, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 • Wake up in the middle of the night and pray, Luke 6:12 • Pray in tongues, Romans 8:26-27, 1st Corinthians 14:14-15 • Read Bible daily, Colossians 3:16, Psalm 119:1-176 • Wake up in the middle of the night and read your Bible, Psalm 1:2 • Master memory verses, Psalm 119:11 • Quote Bible verses out loud at the moment temptation comes, like Matthew 4:4, Matthew 4:7, Matthew 4:10, Matthew 6:13 just like Jesus did. It worked for Jesus. So you can do it too. • Fellowship with the brethren, Hebrews 10:25 • Be around the love of the brethren, 1st John 4:19-21 • Have a brother or the brethren pray for you, James 5:16 • Confession with God, Psalm 32:5 • Confess to your disciplier, Proverbs 28:13, Matthew 3:6, James 5:16, 1st John 1:9, Job 31:13 • Open confession before the brethren, Acts 19:18, Nehemiah 9:2-3 • Worship God on your knees, Luke 17:11-19 • Forgive others for sinning against us, then we will be forgiven and find repentance, Matthew 6:12 • Forgive your brother if you want to find righteousness, < Matthew 5:21-26, 1st John all five chapters • Physical fast like Jesus, which includes reading your Bible and Jesus was still drinking water, Matthew 4:1-11 • Spiritual fast, the “true fast”, Isaiah 58 • Praise God day and night, Psalm 119:164, Psalms 145-150. • Give thanks to God day and night, Psalm 119:62 • Sing songs of worship, even on your knees, Psalm 119:172 • Ask God in deep prayer for discipline so you will change, love discipline, Proverbs 3:12, Proverbs 12:1, Hebrews 12:6, Revelations 3:19 • Walk in the nine fruits of the Spirit like self-control, Galatians 5:22-23 • Put on the full armor of God, Galatians 6:10-20 • Take captive and crush with your mind every thought you get that is opposed to God, 2nd Corinthians 10:4-6 • Believe God your Father is a loving Father who will help you win the fight and overcome sin, Psalm 73:23-24 • Believe and know Jesus is your brother and best friend and will help you if you ask Him, John 15:1-17. • Humble yourself begging Jesus on your knees, crying out in tears all night long for the gift of obeying the Bible, Mark 1:40-42, Psalm 6:6. • Fix your eyes directly in front of you, not to the right or the left, Proverbs 4:25 • Fix your thoughts on Jesus, Hebrews 3:1 • Shout to the Lord, Joshua 6:1-20, Psalm 100:1-5, internet link for Shout to the Lord: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzw45z_QK7g Faithfulness There are many sincere people who have a real heart for God and say they love Jesus. This does not make them a Christian. They have to obey Jesus. Do you obey the words of Jesus Christ? Will you continue to obey Jesus the rest of your life, and never turn away from Him? Hebrews 2:1 Pay careful attention to what we have heard so that we do not fall away Is it possible to fall away? [Yes] What are you going to do? [Follow Jesus] This decision is for the rest of your life. How do we pay careful attention not to fall away? [Fellowship. The brethren are your family, the family of God. If you get offended with someone or for some other reason start to miss meetings you are walking away from your family. If you stop confessing your sins and become unfaithful in your prayer time you will begin to drift away.] What will you do if others fall away? [Follow Jesus always, 2nd Thessalonians 3:13] How do you get lasting repentance and not return to your sin, faithfulness? Self-control (Galatians 5:23), early morning daily confession (Nehemiah 9:2-3) and prayer (Mark 1:35) with a prayer partner, reading your Bible (Psalm 1:2), take captive every thought (2nd Corinthians 10:15), fellowship (Hebrews 10:25) the joy of the Lord is my strength, (Nehemiah 8:10).] What if your family disowns you or pressures you to go back to a false religion? What will you do? [Follow Jesus. Put Jesus before your family, Psalm 106:3. What would you do if you were going out of town, out station for a week or more? [You would continue you in early morning prayer, read your Bible, take captive every thought and keep the joy of the Lord by staying obedient. In addition you will need to evangelize.] What would you do if you were going to move? [Evangelize and start a Church. If you cannot do this you cannot move. If you leave the brethren you will drift away.] Leviticus 26:23 Those who do not accept correction continue to be hostile toward God What causes us to be hostile toward God? [Refusing to accept correction] When the brethren correct you, sometimes it can be very painful. Will you give in to denial? Will you give into the desire to run away, stop fellowshipping? Will you stay the course and continue to try to change? We love you and want you to change. The brethren want you to get baptized and go to heaven. Proverbs 5:11-13 How my heart spurned correction Some people--there whole life never learn how to accept correction and have a hard time changing and following Jesus. Will you get offended if the brethren see sin in you and ask you to change? Do you have pride? If I tell you I see pride in you, will you be offended? Proverbs 13:18 He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored Not being able to accept correction will cause you to fall away before and even after you are baptized. Can you accept correction? I want you to know today I will be asking some of the brethren to correct you on things they see where you need to change. If you are grieved, do not hide it. Come talk to me or one of the brethren and pray about it. What do you have to say about that? Hebrews 7:2 And Abraham gave him a tenth of everything Abraham tithed a tenth of everything he had to the Holy Spirit? Are you willing to obediently follow the example of Abraham and faithfully tithe a tenth of all your income? Malachi 3:6-16 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse In the Hebrew language which the Old Testament was written in, the word “tithe” means 10%. Therefore if we give less than 10% we are not being obedient to Gods Word. How do we rob God, verse 8-10? [By not giving God tithes and offerings] Ten percent of what you earn belongs to God. God has entrusted you with his money that is to be delivered to him, before expenses, taxes or anything else is deducted from your salary. Are you willing to tithe ten percent of what you make to God? What is the most difficult thing for you to give up to follow Jesus? [For many it is tithing. They can’t do it. It is too high a price to pay and they won’t follow Jesus. The rich young man chose his money and left Jesus very sad. Everything else he obeyed. But this one thing he could not do.] Zacchaeus said yes to giving up his money for Jesus. Zacchaeus repented in the very presence of Jesus. Jesus said, salvation has come to this house today, Luke 19:8-10. What about you? What are you willing to trade your soul for? Will you tithe to this Church on your very next paycheck? [Share] Do this in the presence of the brethren, in the presence of the Holy Spirit. 1 st Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. Weekly or every time you receive your salary Apostle Paul instructs us to be obedient in our giving. Giving to the poor is to be done in secret, not before the eyes of men. However, the Bible has no example of a tithe being done in secret. A tithe is done in the presence of the brethren with accountability. Write your name on the envelope when you give. If you complain about being broke all the time among the brethren, expect one of the brothers to quickly ask you if you are tithing. If you are falling away, not dedicated or lack zeal, expect one of the brothers to ask if you are tithing. If you take baptism and are not faithful in tithing, believe Malachi 3, you may become poor. Are you sure you want to be baptized? The brethren will notice if you are tithing even before you are baptized. What do you have to say about this? Does God need your money? [No, God has the whole world that he created. But you must give faithfully as part of your Christian walk.] Proverbs 20:6 Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find? Have you ever had a friend that was a friend only when times were good, but when the going got tough they ditched you? Have you ever had a friend that was there for you through thick and thin for years, but one day when they saw your dark side, when you went gut level with them and told them everything about yourself, everything you ever did--they deserted you? [Jesus will never desert you, John 4:29] Have you ever had a friend that has been faithful to you with every dark secret you have ever had. They have always been there for you, your whole life. They have always been faithful, even when you needed money, or even when they were put at risk. A faithful friend who can find? When you have found a friend like that, you have really found someone rare. [That is who Jesus is to us. Jesus is that faithful friend.] Jesus is willing to be your faithful friend. Are you willing to be a faithful friend to Jesus? [Not righteous for one day, one month or even one year, but righteous for the rest of your life. Always. Unconditional. Without limits. That is faithfulness.] Can you always obey the words of Jesus? [If you can do that, you have proven that you really love Jesus, that you really are Jesus’ friend, John 14:21-24] Psalm 73:27 You destroy all who are unfaithful to you What happens if I don’t follow Jesus? [My soul will be destroyed. My soul will die, Psalm 2:12, Psalm 1:6] 2nd Chronicles 26:16-21After King Uzziah became powerful, his pride lead to his downfall Pride can come from wealth, success, beauty, intelligence, skill, praise, even pride from righteousness. If you choose obedience to Jesus and God blesses you with these things, will you become like King Uzziah? [Share.] What can you do to not let this happen? [Wear the battle gear, see righteousness study.] Conclusion Can you choose Jesus and put your best friend Jesus before everything, your own spouse and children, money, all the sin that you love? Can you do it from this moment on, for the rest of your life, Psalm 106:3? [Share] Can you be faithful to Jesus the rest of your life? [Share] Are you worthy of eternal life? [A truly righteous man attains life, Proverbs 11:19] Holiness Galatians 6:17 Bear the Marks of Jesus How do you bear the marks of Jesus? [Go through some of the things Jesus did when he went to the cross. Be humiliated for Jesus name. Get turned down for a job because you are a Christian. Get beat up, tortured or murdered while telling people about Jesus.] Have you ever accidentally stepped on a nail stuck out from a piece of wood? [It hurt so badly. You shared with Jesus what he went through on the cross. You have “the marks of Jesus.” One of the most important questions brethren need to ask each other: “How much will you suffer for the Name (Jesus Name)? Not denying Jesus name even in suffering abuse is Holiness. Acts 8:1-60 The stoning of Stephen Steven continued to preach Jesus to unbelievers as they stoned him to death! [Holiness] Would you die for Jesus? [Holiness] In verse 55 Stephen sees Jesus standing at the right hand of God as he is about to die. In many other examples in the Bible, we are told about Jesus sitting at the right hand of God. But in this verse Jesus stood up as he welcomed Stephen into glory. The Bible doesn’t say here, but perhaps Jesus even clapped, like a standing ovation, “Good job Stephen.” In this passage of scripture, our Father in heaven offers us a glimpse into the personal intimate life of His family. Jesus was so happy, so proud of Stephen because he found holiness and went home to be with his family, the family of God. Steven was baptized with fire and the Holy Spirit as he met God! Matthew 3:11 Baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire The word baptism in the original language means to be completely overwhelmed, immersed. For example, water baptism means to be completely immersed under water. Baptism with the Holy Spirit means to be completely immersed in the Holy Spirit. Baptism by fire means to be immersed in the sufferings of Jesus life what happened to Stephen as discussed in Acts 8 in the above teaching or what Paul went through in2nd Corinthians 6:13 and 2nd Corinthians 11:1-32. False teachings abound on this subject. Do not follow false teachers who say we can come near to God without righteousness. God wants to bring the righteous to faithfulness and the faithful to holiness by fire, Romans 12:1, Ephesians 5:3, 2nd Timothy 1:9, Titus 1:8, 1stPeter 1:15-16, 2nd Peter 3:11. Conclusion Pray and ask Jesus to baptize you with Holy Spirit and fire. Righteous: Obeying the Bible for sometime. Faithfulness: Obeying the Bible for the rest of your life, not returning to sin. Holiness: Obeying the Bible, never denying Jesus Name even when humiliated, suffering for Jesus Name, even being tortured for Jesus name, dying for Jesus Name, sharing the burden Jesus went through as He died on the cross Baptized with fire: Undergoing all the suffering for Jesus Name to become Holy, bearing the marks of the cross. Baptism of the Holy Spirit: The overwhelming gift of the Holy Spirit as you obey God’s Word, even while sharing the marks of the cross with Jesus, Acts 5:32. You may have seen many unusual things in front of your church on stage, where the church was told they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit as if it were some type of special ritual. Don’t believe these things. Stay away from TV preachers and pastors who do not demonstrate obedience to the Words of Jesus in their own life. If a church leader cannot stop sinning, how can they preach to you and I the path of freedom from sins? Jesus said to stay away from them. They are blind guides, Matthew 15:14.
Sin This is a very personal study. This study is the turning point for many, to be able to change, break their old habits and follow Jesus. We want you to believe that this study will change your life through God’s power. I want to challenge you to be totally open. Do not hide anything. We really love you. During this study you may experience some emotional pain as we correct you and challenge you. That feeling is to be expected. Remember we genuinely care about you as you go through those feelings. Just hang in there. We want you to change and go to heaven. Romans 3:23 All have sinned, fallen short of the right to enter Heaven Who has sinned? [All, everybody] Swimming Illustration You, brother John and I decide to swim to Canada. John goes first. He swims one kilometer, gets tired and drowns. Next you go. After 5 kilometers you get eaten by a shark. Then I go. But I trip in the sand, bump my head and drown in shallow water. Who made it to Canada? [None of us] Did any of us get close? [No, not really. Even though you went 5 kilometers, your were still 10,000 kilometers from Canada.] In the same way we have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. We cannot compare ourselves to others and say, “I’m pretty good. At least I haven’t murdered anyone.” None of us are righteous in the sight of God. Isaiah 64:6 says: “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” Only repentance and baptism from those who walk in the truth can wash our sins away, so that we can receive the Holy Spirit and be given eternal life. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord What do we deserve because we sin? [Death. Death here is not referring to our physical death. This Bible verse means the eternal death of our soul and separation from our Creator for all time.] When you work at a job and get paid, what is that called? [Wages. You earn it. We earn death because of our sins.] When someone gives you a gift is it earned? [No] Did you work for it? [No] Eternal life is a gift from God for those who reach out and take it. James 5:16 Confess your sins to each other What is God’s promise for confessing our sins to each other? [We would be healed] Healed of what? [Healed of that which we are praying for, healed of our sin sickness.] Mark 7:20-23 Sin comes from within men’s hearts Where does sin come from? [From within, out of a persons heart.] Can you blame your sins on your environment, your family, and your friends? [No. We are tempted by our own evil desire, James 1:13-15] Evil thoughts Why are “evil thoughts” the first sin listed in this passage? [Sin often starts with evil thoughts.] What kinds of evil thoughts do you have? [Share] Sexual immorality What is sexual immortality? [Multiple partners, homosexuality, touching each others private parts even with clothes on, pornography, masturbation, lust.] When was the first time you did (each one of these things)? How often? When was the last time you did (each one of these things)? [Share] How many times have you been married? How did you get married? Is the person you are with now married? How many relationships do you have right now? How many wives/husbands do you have? How many children do you have? Have you ever had an abortion or encouraged someone else to have one? Theft What is theft? [Stealing, going on buses without paying, taking what is not yours.] When you don’t pay your taxes or lie about your taxes, is that stealing? [Yes] When was the first time you did each one of these things? When was the last time you paid your taxes? Have you lied about your taxes? Do you think God wants you to pay your taxes in a truthful way, Romans 13:1-6, Matthew 22:15-22? Murder Have you ever murdered anyone? [Share] Adultery Have you ever committed adultery violating the marriage bed of someone else or your own? With whom? [Share] Does your husband/wife know? [Whether to tell them or not is something you have to approach God in prayer] Greed What is greed? [Never satisfied, constantly wanting more material things, a love for money]. Are you greedy? Malice What is malice? [Wanting something bad to happen or making something bad happen to somebody else.] Have you felt malice toward someone? When? What happened? Deceit What is deceit? [Lies, half-truths, concealing a matter.] When was the last time you lied? About what? How often do you lie? Can you go to heaven if you tell lies? [No, Revelations 21:8] Have you lied to me? Other brethren? [Share.] You need to go to these people you have lied to and tell them the truth, restitution. Lewdness What is lewdness? [Flirting, wearing skimpy clothing intended to arouse others, dirty language, sneaking a look down someone else’s clothing.] When was the first time you did something lewd? What happened? How often? When was the last time you did this? Envy What is envy? [Wanting what someone else has, material things, their house, their car, even their wife.] How do you feel when you have envy? [Burning desire, jealous, sometimes hiding it.] When was the last time you had envy? About what? What did you do about it? Slander What is slander? [Talking badly behind someone’s back. Even if truthful, it is still slander. The fact that makes it slander is that it is murdering the person’s reputation. Look at the standard set by the Archangel for what a person can say bad about another person, Jude 9. Remember the power of this angel is from his righteousness!] Can you slander and go to heaven, Psalm 15? [No.] When was the last time you slandered someone? Was anybody’s reputation hurt? What happened? Arrogance What is arrogance? [Pride. It is difficult to recognize your own pride. Has anybody ever told you, you have pride? If I told you that you have pride, would you accept the truth?] How do you get rid of pride? [Own up to your sins and mistakes. You have to accept that you must stop having pride to go to heaven. You have to change. You have to accept correction from the brethren when we see pride in you.] Folly What is folly? [Foolishness, wasting time, money. Spending all your paycheck right away. Spending your rent money. Gambling. Laziness. Not thinking about the long term consequences of your actions.] Have you been foolish? [Share.] Which of these sins we have talked about has been the biggest problem in your life? Proverbs 28:13 He who conceals his sins does not prosper What happens if I hide my sins? [I will not prosper] What happens if I confess my sins? [I will find mercy] Acts 19:18 Many who believed openly confessed their evil deeds What are you going to do? Please confess what you are holding back. What are you hiding? Galatians 5:19-21 Acts of the sinful nature are obvious Can you tell if you’ve sinned? [It is obvious.] What is impurity? [Having an impure heart, lust, sexual desire, sexual thoughts for someone other than your husband/wife, Luke 6:43-45..] Is it a sin to have sexual thoughts toward someone you are not married to? [Yes, 1st Thessalonians 4:3-7. Living in lust as many do does not gain our salvation, only punishment awaits us.] What if you can give up everything to follow Jesus, but this one thing, lust, you just cannot win the battle? [“Nothing impure will ever enter (heaven)”; your name will not be in the “Lamb’s book of life, Revelations 21:27.”] Are you in a relationship with someone in our church? What is your relationship? Why do you want to become a Christian? Are you here because you are seeking a relationship or marriage with anyone? That may or may not be okay. But you have to be truthful. What do you have to say about this? What is debauchery? [Notice the first three sins on this sin list: sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery. They are sexual sins listed in greater and greater degree. First a man commits sexual immorality. Second, after this sin has taken a man captive and he is given over to it, his heart becomes filled up with sexual thoughts all the time, impurity, more and more and eventually overflowing, Luke 6:43-45. Third, if he does not repent he gets worse and worse. This sin grows. Finally he gives his body over to all kinds of sexual sin without restraint, which is debauchery. Debauchery includes sex with more than one person (orgies 1st Peter 4:3), perversions, and according to the meaning in the Greek, homosexuality. These things often take place in front of foreign gods “made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf....drink and got up to indulge in revelry,” Exodus 32:4-6. Debauchery also includes lust and sex in a party environment (carousing, 1st Peter 4:3), with alcohol (drunk on wine which leads to debauchery, Ephesians 5:18) or drug use. The end result of doing these things without restraint, with unceasing lust–is going into a depraved mind and the death of your soul.] What is witchcraft? [The Greek word for witchcraft is “pharmakeia,” where we get the English word for pharmacy. Witchcraft includes drug abuse, putting any form of tobacco in your mouth, including pan product, khani, chewing tobacco, smoking cigarettes/biris or ganja/marijuana, tablets, drugs or putting any chemical inside your mouth that is harmful to your body, Deuteronomy 18:9-13. In Revelations 22:15 the Greek root word for witchcraft is the same as the Biblical phrases magic arts and sorcery used elsewhere in the Bible.] Does using tobacco products, taking drugs or drunkenness harm the human body? What does the Bible say about doing these things? [We are not to harm our body. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and when we harm our body, God will destroy our body. God will put us to death for treating the Holy Spirit (whom we asked for) as unholy, 1st Corinthians 3:17, 1st Corinthians 6:19-20, Romans 12:1, Colossians 1:22-23] Tiny Bats Illustration: I had just enjoyed using some chewing tobacco and I feel asleep. I saw tiny creatures that appeared to be bats leave my mouth and get bigger and bigger as they moved further away from my mouth. Once they were about 50 meters away their size grew to about 5 meters in height. At that size I saw what they looked like. They had a broad wing span with a body that resembled a human body, but more like a monster than a man. Then they would return to my mouth growing smaller as they went. Some came and went back and forth in and out of my mouth at will, thousands of them like my body was a nest of them, a nest of demons. Jesus said, “You snakes! You brood (nest) of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell,” Matthew 23:33. Every time you use a tobacco product, inhale a cigarette or ganja/marijuana/drugs you make your soul a nest for demons and in Jesus words, how will you escape being condemned to hell? If you can understand the meaning of this, then you realize how wicked smoking cigarettes and consuming drugs are. [This kind of activity is becoming a partner with God’s enemies. Using these things is inviting demons to come live with you. When you use drugs or tobacco products you are offering yourself to the Evil One. You are turning your back on God and making God’s enemies your friend. There will be lots of demon activity around a person like this. Is this what you want?] You cannot do these things and become a Christian. In fact if you do these things you cannot come to our meetings and will be told to leave. Otherwise we would be inviting demons into our worship services. We are a people seeking God. Join us and stop doing this sin. Are you a self-indulgent person? Do you smoke? Is it a sin to put any type of tobacco products in your mouth, smoking cigarettes or ganja/marijuana/drugs? [Yes.] What is idolatry? [Worship of idols, trusting idols, putting statutes of false Gods, or even copies of heavenly beings, Mary, pictures of Jesus on an altar, a mantle, a table, a wall for decoration or even as a reminder. These things are sin. Putting any person or anything ahead of--or in place of God is idolatry, Exodus 20:1-6. The Bible says sexual immorality is idolatry.] Have you committed idolatry? [Catholic rituals, burning a candle under a statue or image of Mary, a saint or a cross, a picture of your dead parent, etc.? Hindi rituals, marriage in a Hindi temple or putting something or some person before God? Do you put up a Christmas tree? Do you have statutes like a Christmas manger scene? Do you have a cross? Do you have a picture of Jesus? Do you have a Saint Jude Metal or wear or carry a cross? Is there a cross on your church? What does the first commandment say about these things, Exodus 20:1-6?] What kind of rituals have you done? Do you believe in astrology (reading the stars, charts, cards, reading palms, etc.)? [Astrology gives a false appearance as something to believe in with the help of evil spirits. Astrology is not from God. When was the last time you did this? [Share] [Only severe judgment awaits those who participate in these things, Isaiah 47:13-15.] Do you read about Astrology? Do you listen to mediums? Do you believe in it? Do you read about horoscopes? When was the last time you did this? Do you understand this is a filthy dirty thing before the eyes of God? What is hatred? [Thinking about harmful things happening to someone else.] Who do you hate? [Share.] Can you forgive them like Jesus did on the cross? [Share] What is discord? [Being quick to argue, taking the opposite point of view, causing others to argue or have problems with each other.] What is selfish ambition? [Thinking about yourself and your own needs before others.] Are you selfish? How? [Share] Have you ever been drunk? When? Has your drinking ever caused anything bad to happen? Is getting drunk the right thing to do? [No] Which of these sins do you have the most problem with? [Share] Will people who do these things go to heaven? [No] 1 John 1:8-10 If we confess our sins, we will receive forgiveness If we claim to be without sin? [We deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.] If we confess our sins? [God will forgive us of our sins and purify us, help us fight the battle and overcome our sins.] 1st Thessalonians 4:3-7 Passionate lust (masturbation) This is a turning point discussion. If you can be truthful on this subject, you will find this whole study and all the studies to go much smoother and quicker. This is a regular part of our studies with disciples. You must not try and hide your sins. God knows what is in your heart. What is God’s will concerning masturbation? Does he want us to do it or not? [No. We are to “control our own bodies...not in passionate lust...not to be impure, but to live a holy life.”] When was the first time you masturbated? How often? When was the last time you masturbated? Are you willing to give this up? Are you willing to take this to God in prayer? If a man spends most of his time thinking about what is right and how to do the right thing and controls where he puts his eyes, not dwelling on lust, what is he storing up in his heart? [Purity.] If a man seeks God by reading the Bible, obeying what it says and in prayer, what is he storing up in his heart? [Good things, righteousness, wonderful things in the Word of God to share and will bring others to the path of obedience, pureness, to heaven, to a wonderful highway, Isaiah 35:8]. If a man spends his time dwelling on lustful thoughts, plotting trickery on how to hide his lust and wickedness so that no one will know what he is thinking about, so that no one will see him-- what is he storing up in his heart? [Lust, evil things, impurity.] Describe the meaning of this Bible verse, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks,” Luke 6:45. How do you fill up your heart with lust and impurity? [By lustful thoughts, sometimes brought about by where you look. Matthew 6:22-23 says: “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body is full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!] Can you describe what it means to have a pure heart? [Mind free from immoral sexual thoughts] When having sexual thoughts about your husband wife is that impurity [No sexual desire between a husband and wife is a gift from God. God created a man and woman to desire their mate, Genesis 5:18-24] Do you have a pure heart? [Matthew 5:8] We know many brethren who have been completely freed from the sin of lust toward unmarried individuals. Trust God and you can win this battle by daily confession, Bible reading, fellowship with the brotherhood of believers and continuous prayer. If you give up and don’t stop living in lust, can you go to heaven? [No. Matthew 5:8, Revelations 21:27]
Daniel 6:10-11 A young man keeping his life pure Daniel was a youthful male, perhaps a teenager. A teenager is the most difficult age to have a pure heart. Yet Daniel did it! What is one of the things that contributed to Daniel having a pure heart? [Prayer.] How did Daniel pray, Daniel 9:20? [Daniel prayed while confessing his sins, the sins of those he loved and all of God’s people.] How did Daniel pray that was so humble and reverent? 1. Prayed on his knees 2. Prayed three times a day. 3. Asked God for help, out loud Is it possible to keep your way pure? Can a youthful male keep his way pure? [Yes. “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your (Jesus) word. I seek you (Jesus) with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands,” Psalm 119:9-10. “Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you,” Proverbs 4:25, Fix your thoughts on Jesus, Hebrews 3:1] 1st Corinthians 6:9 Sexually immoral will not Inherit the kingdom of God Having multiple partners with no life long commitment. Is this sexual immorality? Being sexually involved with a married person? What kind of sin is this? What is adultery? Are homosexual thoughts a sin? [Yes.] How old were you the first time you had homosexual contact with someone? When is the last time you had homosexual contact with somebody? Are you having a homosexual relationship with someone now? You have to give up all homosexual relationships and stop doing these things and thinking about them if you want to become a Christian. Do you agree with this? [1st Corinthians 6:9-11] Can you live a homosexual lifestyle and go to heaven? [ No. Matthew 5:8, Revelations 21:27] Out-house Illustration: Have you ever gone into a broken down out-house toilet and had a fear that the worst thing that could happen to you is that the floor would break and you would fall in. That is what you are doing when you participate in an active homosexual lifestyle. You are falling into the most filthy disgusting place you can think of. You are participating with those who hate God. Do you want to do this? [Share]
2nd Timothy 3:1-5 A sin list What does it mean to be a lover of yourself? [Thinking about how to satisfy your own desires and needs, thinking about yourself all the time.] Who do you think about most of the time? Do you seek pity or fall into self-pity? Are you a pleasure seeker? [Alcohol, drugs, sexual immorality, spending money on yourself instead of buying food for your family.] Did you leave your wife/husband/children so that you would not have to provide financial support? Are you selfish? What is a lover of money? [Spending most of your time thinking about money and how to get more.] Do you love money? What is boastful, proud? [Bragging or promoting yourself.] Do you disobey your parents in your adult life? Do you have to obey your parents once you are an adult, John 2:1-5? [Yes.] Are you a grateful person to God no matter what happens, Philippians 2:12-18? [Share.] How much do you grumble and complain? Philippians 2:12-18, The whole book of Exodus. Unholy is the opposite of God, choosing sin. [To be holy is to be like God. Without holiness we cannot see God.] Do you really love others? [Share.] Who in your life have you not forgiven? Is there somebody in your life that did something so bad you simply cannot forgive them, Matthew 6:9-15? What did they do? Do you forgive everyone? Do you have to forgive the brethren to go to heaven, Matthew 18:21-35? [Yes] Do you have an unforgiving heart? Do you have problems with food, overeating or making yourself throw up? Are you a person of self-control? Are you a lover of what is good? Do you plan in your mind how do things the right way? Do you find your mind planning how to do things that are wrong, trickery, cheating, lying, having a mind hostile to God? Are you treacherous? Do you harm other people? When someone says something bad or does something evil to you, do you plot and plan getting even, hurting them, payback, and violence? Do you have a heart of betrayal? When was the first time you betrayed someone? Do you still have this problem? Are you rash? Do you make decisions when you are emotional? Have you made decisions too fast and were sorry later? What does “Having a form of godliness but denying its power” mean? [Pretending to be religious, but secretly sinning, living a double life. A preacher, church leader or simple sheep, going through the actions, reading your Bible, showing up to church but not changing your life, refusing to confess your sins--is living a double life, is pretending and will result in the death of you soul. “Having a form of godliness but denying its power” is living as the Pharisees.] Does this describe you? [Share.] James 4:17 Knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins If you know that you should do something good but you do not do it, is that a sin? [Yes.] What are some good things you know you ought to do? [Attend all the meetings, read the Bible, pray, evangelize, stand up for what is right even if you are alone.] Ephesians 5:3-8 There must not be even a hint of sexual immorality How close should we get to sin? [Not even a hint.] What do you think obscenity is? [Talking about sexual acts, saying out loud dirty thoughts, cursing, swearing.] What do you think foolish talk is? [Useless talk, not helpful to anyone.] What do you think coarse joking is? [Rough talk, big talk, sarcastic remarks, dirty jokes.] How do you talk when you are with your friends? [Share.] What will some people do according to verse 6? [They’ll try to rationalize their sin, making it sound okay. We should not be deceived by them, participate with them, follow them.] Do you have anyone like that in your life? If you are immoral, impure or greedy can you go to heaven, verse 5? [No.] Before we found obedience to the Holy Bible where were we, verse 8? [Darkness.] When we are faithful in obeying the Bible we are, verse 8? [Children of light!!!–Thank you Lord Jesus!!!] How are you separated from God, Isaiah 59:1-2? [Sin.] Are you walking in darkness or light? If you died tonight where would you go? [Hell.] What should you do? [Stop sinning. Repent. Change your mind and go God’s way. Seek repentance, faithfulness (lasting repentance). Choose the forgiveness of your sins that takes place at baptism. Love Jesus. Love the name of Jesus. Love the brotherhood of believers. To do this you must brake your pride and take ownership for the great harm that has been done by you from your sins that took place before God who sees all.] Conclusion The sin list: Please write down a complete list of your sins past and present. Include everything we talked about today. Also add anything you may have forgotten and write it down. Keep it with you and keep adding your sins to it as you remember them in the next few days. Keep praying every morning daily. Begin doing the early morning prayer that begins before daylight, Mark 1:35. Start praying at least 3 times a day. Keep reading your Bible daily and inviting your friends. Please have your sin list complete and turn it into me at the beginning of our next study. If we ask you to your sin list more than once, don’t worry. This is common for new disciples. The Cross This is a very serious study. We will be looking at the physical, emotional and spiritual sufferings of our Lord Jesus as he went to the cross. We will open in prayer. Mark 14:32-42 Prayer needed to overcome temptation, betrayal How was Jesus feeling at this time, verse 34? [“Deeply distressed and troubled....My (Jesus) soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.”] Did Jesus want to go to the cross as he started to pray? [No.] What was Jesus attitude by the end of his prayer, verse 42? [He was willing to obey his Father, and die on the cross. God strengthened him and he was able to overcome temptation, James 5:16.] You and I also need to pray to Jesus to overcome our sin, to win against temptation and obey. Are you willing to pray to do overcome your sins? How many times that night did Jesus pray? [3 times] How long did Jesus pray? [One hour the first time and likely about one hour each time.] How many times did you pray today? How long? Not how long did you think about God, but how long did you actually pray to the Creator of all things, today? Was Jesus sitting, standing, or on his knees when he prayed, verse 35? [Jesus “fell to the ground and prayed.”] Q. Do you need to follow the example of our Lord Jesus and pray the way Jesus did? [The Bible records individual after individual who came before Jesus and begged him on their knees, when their prayer was answered.] What did Jesus say when his friends were falling asleep? [He warned them that they may “fall into temptation” by sleeping instead of praying.] How would you feel if your best friends fell asleep when you needed them? [Don’t you think Jesus was also hurt?] What will happen to you if you choose to obey Mark 1:35 and get up very early while it is still dark and pray as the day breaks and beg Jesus for strength to overcome sin? [Victory over sin. Crush temptation and walk on “streets of gold!!!,” Revelations 21:21.] Have you ever been let down by a friend that you were relying on? Have you ever had someone betray you? Have you ever had a friend betray you and murder you for money? Why did Jesus have to suffer betrayal, verbal and physical abuse and die such a painful horrible death nailed on a cross lingering in pain? [Jesus became the substitute for us where we should die. He took the punishment we deserved, upon himself. He was the lamb of God, John 1:36, Revelation 13:8. The lives of the people as recorded in the entire Old Testament (1st Peter 1:12) were for the preparation of the coming of our Lord Jesus (Hebrews chapters 8-10), so we could understand that only through sacrifice and blood could our sins be redeemed, although the sacrifices of an animal could not actually redeem a man, but were a covering of sins until Christ would come with that one powerful righteous act of dying on the cross. Only the pure sacrifice of Jesus who never sinned could take away the sins of mankind for all time. That one act of righteousness redeemed all those who repented (Hebrews 10:26-31) for all time from thousands of years ago (from the man Abel, Matthew 23:25) through even today and for all time yet to come.] Mark 14:43-50 A crowd armed with swords and clubs, betrayal Have you ever been betrayed? How would you feel if that betrayer came up to you with a crowd armed with swords and clubs? Could Jesus have stopped this? [“Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels,” Matthew 26:53] What did Jesus’ friends do when he was arrested, verse 50? [They deserted him and ran.] Have you ever felt lonely like no one cared about you? [Share] Jesus knows how you feel and Jesus promises he “will never leave you....never forsake you,” Hebrews 13:5. Why would Jesus do all this for you? [Because Jesus loves you, John 3:16, 1st John 4:8] Mark 14:53-65 Unfair trial, false accusations, physical abuse, alone How would you handle yourself at an unfair trial like this? [Jesus allowed it with no resistance.] Have you ever been treated unfairly? Has your hard work and the good things you’ve done gone unnoticed or received accusation? [Jesus knows how you feel. How do you think Jesus felt?] How would you feel if a crowd worked up into a frenzy and demanded that you be killed? They blindfolded Jesus, mocked him, spit on him, and beat him. Have you ever been spit on? Have you ever been beaten? One of Jesus’ best friends denied even knowing him, when Jesus needed him most. Have you ever had anyone disown you and slander you behind your back? How did that make you feel? Mark 15:1-15 Next morning, flogged and sentenced to death, to be crucified Jesus has been up all night, beaten, spit on. Then he faces yet another trail. Jesus was compared to a murderer (Barabbas). The crowd was asked to choose between them. How do you think Jesus felt? Pilate tried to wash his hands of the matter, Matthew 27:24? Did washing his hands make him innocent? [No.] What does the Bible mean when we read, Jesus was flogged? [A flogging is when they take a leather whip and tie broken pieces of something hard and sharp like bone or metal. They take the whip and a strong man will strike the flesh ripping whip again and again with all their strength. The law of the Bible, the nation of Israel followed, was to strike this whip a maximum of 40 times on the back of the offender. But Jesus was being tried by Roman law with no such rules. Jesus was whipped, beaten and tortured severely. What was the purpose of this? [Jesus took our place, where we should be punished for our sins and took our punishment that belonged to us. With his blood he redeemed us completely if we choose repentance.] Mark 15:16-20 Jesus mocked, beaten again and again, led away, and crucified The soldiers put a robe on his back, probably his bare back because Jesus was just flogged. The blood and hanging pieces of flesh on Jesus’ back would now begin to dry onto the robe. While the robe is now drying onto Jesus’ back, they crushed a crown of thorns on his head that broke through Jesus’ skin, digging into the flesh below his skin right into the skull bone. The soldiers caused Jesus terrible pain again and again. They mocked Jesus. They spit on him and beat him again and again on the head across the crown of thorns. Then they took the robe off him, forcibly ripping the robe off his now partially dried back, tearing open sores that were just beginning to heal. How did the back of Jesus feel when they ripped the robe off him? [Very painful. The pain was beyond understanding.] What happened to the crown of thorns as they beat Jesus? [The thorns dug deeper and deeper into Jesus’ scalp causing great pain and injury.] Why did Jesus allow these things to happen to him? [Jesus was the substitute for the punishment we deserve for our sins. We should die for our sins, but instead Jesus was murdered for our transgressions.] Luke 23:26-49 Jesus nailed to the cross with two criminals, still forgiving Jesus carried his own cross that he was to be murdered on until he collapsed from exhaustion and then received help reluctantly from Simon of Cyrene. Jesus was nailed to a cross through his hands and feet. As a person deteriorates while hanging on the cross, the human body can no longer breathe on its own. To accomplish the task of breathing, the person being crucified must pull his body up every time he needs to take a breath by the only leverage he has, his flesh hanging on the nails. What was the first thing Jesus said on the cross? [Father forgive them.] Who did Jesus forgive? [The Pharisees, the soldiers, the crowd, the thief next to him.] What happens to those who are forgiven, if they repent, Luke 23:43? [Salvation.] What happens if we refuse to repent and keep sinning, Hebrews 10:26-32? [The death of your soul.] Mark 15:33-40 Jesus’ last words and last breath near those who loved him What did Jesus mean by: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me,” Psalm 22? [According to the tradition of God’s people at that time, saying the first line of a Psalm meant the meaning of the entire Psalm. You might call the first line of a Psalm, the title of the Psalm. Psalm 22 written by the hand of King David was like other portions of Psalms, a prophesy about the Messiah. And not just any prophesy. God put this entire Psalm into the heart of King David for this very moment on the cross when Jesus spoke these words, thousands of years before the event happened. No wonder these Old Testament prophets had such a longing for the coming of the Messiah, something they never lived to see, but we now have. Bible scholars call these Old Testament prophets like King David as having the spirit of the Messiah. Imagine the longing ness in the heart of these righteous men as they prophesied about the coming of the Chosen One, the Messiah, whose name they didn’t know, because God had not yet revealed it. How they desired or that day, but never saw it. How blessed are we that we live in that short time span of 2000 years when the name of Jesus has been revealed. It is this generation, right now, you and I, that may have our sins washed away by the blood of Jesus if we follow him and obey his commands. Yet some will reject the name of Jesus and not follow him. Can you imagine? Read all of Psalm 22 to understand what was in Jesus’ heart as he was dying on the cross.] In Psalm 22 what does the last verse, verse 31 mean, “For he has done it”? [Jesus saved the world by his obedience on the cross, to those who would reach out for him. This one act of righteousness, this one act of love, saved so many and without the cross all men would have been doomed for destruction. Now we have hope, hope for glory, hope for eternal life, hope for the salvation of our soul, “for Jesus has done it!!!”] Isaiah 53:1-12 The Suffering Servant What does “he was crushed for our iniquities” mean, verse 5? [Jesus suffered and died instead of us --if we choose repentance.] What does “the punishment that brought us peace was upon him” mean, verse 5? [The punishment that we deserve for our sins that causes us guilt and the death of our soul was upon Jesus on the cross.] What does “he was pierced for our transgressions” mean, verse 5? [Zechariah 12:10-13:1 explains the power of these words. These words mean so much. Can a man even begin to understand what Jesus did? But we can try and see a glimpse. If you walk in the truth with Jesus, imagine that moment when Jesus was pierced and his blood gushed out to be a fountain of Jesus blood that never stops pouring over you washing your sins away.] 1st Peter 2:21-25 By Jesus’ wounds we have been healed How do the wounds of Jesus on the cross heal us for all time, verse 24? [The power of that one righteousness act of obedience to death on the cross. And from the wounds of Jesus, not only do we receive physical healing, but most important to God we receive the healing of our sin sicknesses, if we reach out and take repentance.] When Jesus died on the cross what did he bear? [Our sins.] Why did Jesus have to suffer so much? [Jesus was the Lamb of God, the perfect, pure, spotless Lamb of God, slain before the creation of the world, Revelations 13:8.] What authority do we now have because of what Jesus did on the cross? [Die to sins and live for righteousness.] What does “die” and “live” mean? [We say no to the longing (the desire) of our flesh. If we say no long enough, our flesh eventually dies to that desire. For example, when you stop smoking for one minute the longing ness is still their, but after the passing of time eventually the desire “dies” completely and our flesh then “lives for righteousness.” Matthew 16:24 Take up your cross and follow Jesus What does it mean to “take up your cross and follow Jesus? [We are to follow the example of our Lord. When people slander us, abuse us, falsely accuse us when actually we are doing what is right, when we are mocked, excluded, beaten or murdered for following Jesus, we are to take joy in suffering for Jesus’ name and keep going and not shrink back, Matthew 5:10-12.] How much are you willing to suffer for Jesus name? Are you willing to be beat up for Jesus name? Mocked? Go to jail? Tortured? Are you willing to die for Jesus’ name? 2nd Corinthians 5:14-15 No longer live for our self but for Jesus Q. Now that we know that Jesus died on the cross for us, what are we to do? [We are to let our flesh filled with desire for our self to die to sin This means stop sinning for good. Then have our flesh will live for Jesus, which means obedience to his words, righteousness.] Who do most people live for? [Themselves.] Up to now, who have you been living for? [Yourself.] What motivated Paul to follow Jesus with all his heart? [Love.] Why are so many in this Church motivated to follow Jesus? [Love.] What would motivate you to follow Jesus and let your flesh die to sin to what you want and live for Jesus? [Love. Fear of God. Believe his Word.] Tell me about your plans for coming to all the meetings, prayer, and reading your Bible.] The Crucifixion of Jesus Please have the student sit down and quietly read a medical doctor’s account of what happened when Jesus died on the cross. A medical account of the Crucifixion written by a medical doctor Source: Medical source unknown, taken in whole from the internet About a decade ago, I realized that I had for years taken the Crucifixion more or less for granted -- that I had grown callous to its horror by a too easy familiarity with the grim details and a too distant friendship with our Lord. It finally occurred to me that, though a physician, I didn't even know the actual immediate cause of death. The Gospel writers don't help us much on this point, because crucifixion and scourging were so common during their lifetime that they apparently considered a detailed description unnecessary. So we have only the concise words of the Evangelists: "Pilate, having scourged Jesus, delivered Him to them to be crucified -- and they crucified Him." I have no competence to discuss the infinite psychic and spiritual suffering of the Incarnate God atoning for the sins of fallen man. But it seemed to me that as a physician I might pursue the physiological and anatomical aspects of our Lord's passion in some detail. What did the body of Jesus of Nazareth actually endure during those hours of torture? This led me first to a study of the practice of crucifixion itself; that is, torture and execution by fixation to a cross. I am indebted to many who have studied this subject in the past, and especially to a contemporary colleague, Dr. Pierre Barbet, a French surgeon who has done exhaustive historical and experimental research and has written extensively on the subject. Apparently, the first known practice of crucifixion was by the Persians. Alexander and his generals brought it back to the Mediterranean world -- to Egypt and to Carthage. The Romans apparently learned the practice from the Carthaginians and (as with almost everything the Romans did) rapidly developed a very high degree of efficiency and skill at it. A number of Roman authors (including Tacitus) comment on crucifixion, and several innovations, modifications, and variations are described in ancient literature. Without any historical or biblical proof, Medieval and Renaissance painters have given us our picture of Christ carrying the entire cross. But the upright post, or stripes, was generally fixed permanently in the ground at the site of execution and the condemned man was forced to carry the patibulum, weighing about 110 pounds, from the prison to the place of execution. Many of the painters and most of the sculptors of crucifixion, also show the nails through the palms. Historical Roman accounts and experimental work have established that the nails were driven between the small bones of the wrists (radial and ulna) and not through the palms. Nails driven through the palms will strip out between the fingers when made to support the weight of the human body. The misconception may have come about through a misunderstanding of Jesus' words to Thomas, "Observe my hands." Anatomists, both modern and ancient, have always considered the wrist as part of the hand. A titulus, or small sign, stating the victim's crime was usually placed on a staff, carried at the front of the procession from the prison, and later nailed to the cross so that it extended above the head. This sign with its staff nailed to the top of the cross would have given it somewhat the characteristic form of the Latin cross. But, of course, the physical passion of the Christ began in Gethsemane. Of the many aspects of this initial suffering, the one of greatest physiological interest is the bloody sweat. It is interesting that St. Luke, the physician, is the only one to mention this. He says, "And being in Agony, He prayed the longer. And His sweat became as drops of blood, trickling down upon the ground." Every ruse (trick) imaginable has been used by modern scholars to explain away this description, apparently under the mistaken impression that this just doesn't happen. A great deal of effort could have been saved had the doubters consulted the medical literature. Though very rare, the phenomenon of Hematidrosis, or bloody sweat, is well documented. Under great emotional stress of the kind our Lord suffered, tiny capillaries in the sweat glands can break, thus mixing blood with sweat. This process might well have produced marked weakness and possible shock. After the arrest in the middle of the night, Jesus was next brought before the Sanhedrin and Caiphus, the High Priest; it is here that the first physical trauma was inflicted. A soldier struck Jesus across the face for remaining silent when questioned by Caiphus. The palace guards then blind-folded Him and mockingly taunted Him to identify them as they each passed by, spat upon Him, and struck Him in the face. In the early morning, battered and bruised, dehydrated, and exhausted from a sleepless night, Jesus is taken across the Praetorium of the Fortress Antonia, the seat of government of the Procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate. You are, of course, familiar with Pilate's action in attempting to pass responsibility to Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch of Judea. Jesus apparently suffered no physical mistreatment at the hands of Herod and was returned to Pilate. It was in response to the cries of the mob, that Pilate ordered Bar-Abbas released and condemned Jesus to scourging and crucifixion. There is much disagreement among authorities about the unusual scourging as a prelude to crucifixion. Most Roman writers from this period do not associate the two. Many scholars believe that Pilate originally ordered Jesus scourged as his full punishment and that the death sentence by crucifixion came only in response to the taunt by the mob that the Procurator was not properly defending Caesar against this pretender who allegedly claimed to be the King of the Jews. Preparations for the scourging were carried out when the Prisoner was stripped of His clothing and His hands tied to a post above His head. It is doubtful the Romans would have made any attempt to follow the Jewish law in this matter, but the Jews had an ancient law prohibiting more than forty lashes. The Roman legionnaire steps forward with the flagrum (or flagellum) in his hand. This is a short whip consisting of several heavy, leather thongs with two small balls of lead attached near the ends of each. The heavy whip is brought down with full force again and again across Jesus' shoulders, back, and legs. At first the thongs cut through the skin only. Then, as the blows continue, they cut deeper into the subcutaneous tissues, producing first an oozing of blood from the capillaries and veins of the skin, and finally spurting arterial bleeding from vessels in the underlying muscles. The small balls of lead first produce large, deep bruises which are broken open by subsequent blows. Finally the skin of the back is hanging in long ribbons and the entire area is an unrecognizable mass of torn, bleeding tissue. When it is determined by the centurion in charge that the prisoner is near death, the beating is finally stopped. The half-fainting Jesus is then untied and allowed to slump to the stone pavement, wet with His own blood. The Roman soldiers see a great joke in this provincial Jew claiming to be king. They throw a robe across His shoulders and place a stick in His hand for a scepter. They still need a crown to make their travesty complete. Flexible branches covered with long thorns (commonly used in bundles for firewood) are plaited into the shape of a crown and this is pressed into His scalp. Again there is copious bleeding, the scalp being one of the most vascular areas of the body. After mocking Him and striking Him across the face, the soldiers take the stick from His hand and strike Him across the head, driving the thorns deeper into His scalp. Finally, they tire of their sadistic sport and the robe is torn from His back. Already having adhered to the clots of blood and serum in the wounds, its removal causes excruciating pain just as in the careless removal of a surgical bandage, and almost as though He were again being whipped the wounds once more begin to bleed. In deference to Jewish custom, the Romans return His garments. The heavy patibulum of the cross is tied across His shoulders, and the procession of the condemned Christ, two thieves, and the execution detail of Roman soldiers headed by a centurion begins its slow journey along the Via Dolorosa. In spite of His efforts to walk erect, the weight of the heavy wooden beam, together with the shock produced by copious blood loss, is too much. He stumbles and falls. The rough wood of the beam gouges into the lacerated skin and muscles of the shoulders. He tries to rise, but human muscles have been pushed beyond their endurance. The centurion, anxious to get on with the crucifixion, selects a stalwart North African onlooker, Simon of Cyrene, to carry the cross. Jesus follows, still bleeding and sweating the cold, clammy sweat of shock, until the 650 yard journey from the fortress Antonia to the Golgotha hill is finally completed. Jesus is offered wine mixed with myrrh, a mild analgesic mixture. He refuses to drink. Simon is ordered to place the patibulum on the ground and Jesus quickly thrown backward with His shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire feels for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, square, wrought-iron nail through the wrist and deep into the wood. Quickly, he moves to the other side and repeats the action being careful not to pull the arms to tightly, but to allow some flexion and movement. The patibulum is then lifted in place at the top of the stipes and the titulus reading "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" is nailed in place. The left foot is now pressed backward against the right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees moderately flexed. The Victim is now crucified. As He slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists excruciating pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain -- the nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the median nerves. As He pushes Himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, He places His full weight on the nail through His feet. Again there is the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the metatarsal bones of the feet. At this point, as the arms fatigue, great waves of cramps sweep over the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push Himself upward. Hanging by his arms, the pectoral muscles are paralyzed and the intercostal muscles are unable to act. Air can be drawn into the lungs, but cannot be exhaled. Jesus fights to raise Himself in order to get even one short breath. Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically, he is able to push Himself upward to exhale and bring in the life-giving oxygen. It was undoubtedly during these periods that He uttered the seven short sentences recorded: The first, looking down at the Roman soldiers throwing dice for His seamless garment, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." The second, to the penitent thief, "Today thou shalt be with me in Paradise." The third, looking down at the terrified, grief-stricken adolescent John -- the beloved Apostle -- he said, "Behold thy mother." Then, looking to His mother Mary, "Woman behold thy son." The fourth cry is from the beginning of the 22nd Psalm, "My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?" Hours of limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain where tissue is torn from His lacerated back as He moves up and down against the rough timber. Then another agony begins...A terrible crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart. One remembers again the 22nd Psalm, the 14th verse: "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels." It is now almost over. The loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level; the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues of the body; the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air. The markedly dehydrated tissues send their flood of stimuli to the brain. Jesus gasps His fifth cry, "I thirst." One remembers another verse from the prophetic 22nd Psalm: "My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou has brought me into the dust of death." A sponge soaked in posca, the cheap, sour wine which is the staple drink of the Roman legionaries, is lifted to His lips. He apparently doesn't take any of the liquid. The body of Jesus is now in extremes, and He can feel the chill of death creeping through His tissues. This realization brings out His sixth words, possibly little more than a tortured whisper, "It is finished." His mission of atonement has completed. Finally He can allow his body to die. With one last surge of strength, he once again presses His torn feet against the nail, straightens His legs, takes a deeper breath, and utters His seventh and last cry, "Father! Into thy hands I commit my spirit." The rest you know. In order that the Sabbath not be profaned, the Jews asked that the condemned men be dispatched and removed from the crosses. The common method of ending a crucifixion was by crucifracture, the breaking of the bones of the legs. This prevented the victim from pushing himself upward; thus the tension could not be relieved from the muscles of the chest and rapid suffocation occurred. The legs of the two thieves were broken, but when the soldiers came to Jesus they saw that this was unnecessary. Apparently to make doubly sure of death, the legionnaire drove his lance through the fifth intercostal space between the ribs, upward through the pericardium and into the heart. The 34th verse of the 19th chapter of the Gospel according to St. John reports: "And immediately there came out blood and water." That is, there was an escape of water fluid from the sac surrounding the heart, giving postmortem evidence that Our Lord died not the usual crucifixion death by suffocation, but of heart failure (a broken heart) due to shock and constriction of the heart by fluid in the pericardium. Thus we have had our glimpse -- including the medical evidence -- of that epitome of evil which man has exhibited toward the Man and toward God. It has been a terrible sight, and more than enough to leave us despondent and depressed. How grateful we can be that we have the great sequel in the infinite mercy of God toward man -- at once the miracle of the atonement and the expectation of the triumphant Easter morning. Resurrection 1st Corinthians 15:12:19 When Jesus rose from the dead, this proved his teachings were true When Jesus rose from the dead what hope do we have? [With obedience to Jesus’ words we also will receive the resurrection from the dead, hope for eternal life, hope for glory, Romans 5:2] John 2:18-22 Jesus knew what was about to happen to him What was about to happen to Jesus? [He was going to be tortured, murdered and after 3 days rise from the dead.] Who knew about this? [Jesus told his disciples openly and declared this prophesy about himself in parables to the crowds, so not everyone understood.] Matthew 27:59-66 The prophesy that brought hope to the world How many people knew about Jesus’ declaration that he would rise from the dead, Matthew 27:64? [Jesus’ prophesy was so well known, they used it at his trial to condemn him to death. The prophesy that would bring them eternal life, they used to condemn the Lord of Glory] What did the Pharisees do about this prophesy when it came true, the prophesy that could bring them eternal life, Matthew 28:11-15? [They used bribery, lies and trickery to try and fight against God.] Luke 24:36-52 Jesus stands with his disciples What did Jesus do when he rose from the dead? [He showed his disciples the wounds on his body from the cross and ate a piece of fish as they watched] How did the disciples react to seeing Jesus, verse 52? [They worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple praising God.] Acts 4:12-13 Those who were with Jesus declare salvation in His name These men who were witnesses of our Lord’s life, death and resurrection then boldly preached salvation in Jesus’ name.What about you? Do you have enough faith to tell others about the salvation in Jesus’ name? [Share. Tell us what you are going to do.] 1 st Corinthians 15:3-8 Jesus appeared openly to the crowds after his resurrection What if Jesus did not take your place on the cross and die for your sins? Instead what if you died for your own sins? What would happen to your soul? [Your soul would die and be destroyed.] How do you get washed by the blood of Jesus and get eternal life? [Obey the words and teachings of Jesus Christ and get baptized by those who walk in the truth, 3 John 1:1-3.] Conclusion Tell us what you are going to do? [Live like a disciple from now on, obey the words of Jesus, pray all the time, pray with your disciplier and work on overcoming your sins, read your Bible, fellowship, come to the meetings.]
Repentance, Grace and Restoration Repentance Repentance is translated from the two Greek words “meta” and “nous” which means change mind. Repentance accurately translated simply means change your mind. Repentance is not a religious word at all. To obey Jesus and repent, all you have to do is change your mind and stop going your way and doing what you want and to go God’s way and do what he wants. 2nd Peter 3:9 The Lord is patient wanting everyone to come to repentance How does Peter describe God? [Patient] Does God want us to perish? [No] What does God want for all of all mankind? [Repentance] How many choices do we have, Luke 13:3? [Repent or perish] If we don’t repent what will happen? [Perish, go to hell.] What are you going to do? [Share] Acts 26:19-21 Prove their repentance by their deeds Who did Paul preach to? [Everyone] What was his message? [Repent and turn to God] How did the Jews react to this message, verse 21 [Tried to kill Paul.] How long does it take to prove your repentance by your deeds? [When you stop doing what is wrong and do what is right.] Repentance is more than just giving up bad habits. It means replacing the bad with the good. It means speaking positively instead of slandering. It means spending time with Christians instead of spending time with worldly friends. It means coming to Church instead of goofing around. It means reading the Bible instead of watching TV. It means evangelizing instead of being lazy. How can you tell if someone has repented? [By their deeds.] Have you ever had a radical change in your behavior that made people around you ask: “What’s happening to you? You seem so different.” [Share] 2nd Corinthians 7:10-11 Godly sorrow or worldly sorrow How many kinds of sorrow are there? [Godly sorrow and worldly sorrow] What is worldly sorrow? [Being sorry you got caught or got in trouble] Speeding Illustration A man was driving his car down the road at 70 miles per hour. A policeman stopped him and wrote him a ticket for going 30 miles per hour over the speed limit. The man said, “I am sorry. I won’t do it again.” After sometime he started speeding again. What kind of sorrow was that? [Worldly sorrow] What does worldly sorrow bring? [No change. The death of your soul.] What does Godly sorrow bring? [Change. Repentance that leads to salvation.] What does Godly sorrow produce in us? [Earnestness, eagerness to clear yourself, indignation, alarm, longing, concern, readiness to see justice done.] Q. What is earnestness? [Putting great effort forward to stopping a bad habit such as smoking or sexual immorality.] What is eagerness to clear yourself? [Seeking the truth with the brethren. Reasoning with the brethren as to what participation you have in sinning and owning up to your part of it.] What is indignation? [Zeal, being irritated by this filthy sin in your life and wanting to change.] Are you irritated that you are having trouble giving up any of your sins? [Share] What are you going to do about it? [Share in detail about these sins.] What is alarm? [You fear that your sin may be found out, that you may be shamed, that your soul may die.] When are you going to take care of these sins? [Share] What is longing? [You should desire to give up your sins more than you love your sins] God has to be number one in your life. Who do you love more than Jesus? [A family member, your sins, what, who? Share.] Who should you be concerned about if you have Godly sorrow? [Those you have hurt, your own salvation, the salvation of others, making restitution.] If you have Godly sorrow would you want to evangelize to a lost world? [Yes.] If you have Godly sorrow you grieve at injustice and yearn for justice to be done. Right now are you eager to do God’s will or do you have to be forced? [Share] Are you eager to come to all the meetings? Are you eager to read your Bible? Are you eager to evangelize? Optional Greek definitions of 2 nd Corinthians 7:10-11 for deeper understanding of repentance: Earnestness [KJV: Carefulness. Strong’s #4710: With haste. Earnestness in accomplishing, promoting, or striving after anything. To give all diligence, interest one’s self most earnestly.] Eagerness to clear yourself [KJV: Clearing of yourselves. Strong’s #627: Verbal defense, a reasoned statement or argument.] Indignation [KJV: Indignation. Strong’s #24: Indignation, irritation, vexation.] Alarm [KJV: Fear. Strong’s #5401: Fear, dread, that which strikes terror.] Longing [KJV: Vehement desire. Strong’s #1972: Earnestly desire, vehemently desire.] Concern [KJV: Zeal. Strong’s #2205: Excitement of mind, ardour, fervour of spirit, zeal, ardour in embracing, pursuing, defending, zeal in behalf of a person or thing, the fierceness of indignation, punitive zeal, and an envious and contentious rivalry, jealousy.] Readiness to see justice done? [KJV: Revenge. Strong’s #1557: Revenging, vengeance, punishment. Meeting out of justice; doing justice to all parties. See Luke 18:3, 21:22. The word also has the sense of acquittal and carries the sense of vindication.] Mark 9:42-43 And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck . In Saudi Arabia if you steal they cut off your hand. If you rape someone they stone you to death. The crime rate in Saudi Arabia is amongst the lowest in the world. A citizen of Saudi Arabia believes something bad will happen to him if he commits a crime. Do you believe God will destroy your soul in hell if you don’t change, Psalm 108:1If you have a problem stealing and they cut off your right hand, this would make it hard to steal. So make a choice, do you want to forfeit your very soul or cut away your sin? Tell me about some sins you have repented of since we began these teachings. When did you repent? Have you gone back to Please explain what Jesus means by Mark 9:42-43. [The penalty for your sins --the death of your soul is so great, anything you can do to prevent it is worth it. If your hand causes you to sin loose your hand. The point is since nobody wants to do that, simply have enough faith to believe Jesus will reward you with eternal life if you obey him. If you disobey him and refuse to repent your soul will be destroyed.] Acts 2:36-37 Jesus whom you crucified is both Lord and Christ Peter tells these people they crucified Jesus? Did they literally put the nails through his wrists, Acts 2:23? [No. But you and I did crucify Jesus by our sins, Hebrews 6:6.] When people realized they killed the Son of God, how did they feel? [Convicted, cut to the heart.] How do you feel about the fact that your sins put Jesus on the cross?What kind of sorrow did these people have? [Godly sorrow.] What did they ask Peter? [They said, “What shall we do?”] What do you have to say? [Share.] Acts 2:38-47 Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins How did Peter respond to the question what shall we do? [Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call." ] Who is repentance and baptism for? [Everyone, verse 38. For all whom our God calls, verse 39.] What is the Biblical purpose of baptism? [To have your sins washed away, eternal life, to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.] What do we do before we are baptized? [Repent.] What if the people had said, “We’ll get baptized but we won’t repent? Would they be saved? [No. Their baptism would have no value. They would need to repent and then get re-baptized.] What if the people said, “We’ll repent but we don’t need to get baptized? Would they be saved. [No. They rejected there salvation, Luke 7:30.] Peter said, “Save yourself from this corrupt generation, verse 40. When they said this were they saved yet? [No] When they agreed with Peter about this were they saved yet? [No they hadn’t been baptized yet.] So what did those who accepted Peter’s message do, verse 40? [They got baptized immediately.] How did they feel after their baptism? [Great. Totally committed to God, verses 42-47.] Do you want to be baptized? When? [Share] According to the Bible what name are we to be baptized into? [Jesus, Acts 2:38 and the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:38.] Getting baptized into the name of a church or a person will have no value. [There is salvation found in no one else. Only Jesus! The Bible says there is no other, Philippians 2:9-11.]
Grace Zechariah 12:10 God will pour out a spirit of grace and supplication What does the Bible mean by grace? [In the Hebrew and Greek “grace” means favor and mercy.] God created you with love. You turned your back on him and choose to walk in sin. God now offers you his favor. You don’t deserve it, but God’s mercy is waiting for you. The grace of Christ Jesus is waiting for anyone who chooses to turn toward God and stop sinning. What do you want to do? [Share] Romans 3:24 We are justified freely by his grace What does justified freely mean? [When Jesus died on the cross, he does not charge us for his salvation. The blood of Jesus is offered to us free of charge. All we have to do is reach out and take the gift by choosing repentance.] Why do so many preachers teach us we don’t have to change and stop sinning to go to heaven? [Many preachers are trapped in their own sins (Proverbs 5:22) and do not understand the road to heaven. What apostle Paul said here is confusion to them. Their own sins hide the truth from their eyes (Romans 1:18). Apostle Peter described this when he writes in his 2nd Epistle about Paul, “His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people (full of sin) distort, as they do other Scriptures, to their own destruction,” 2nd Peter 3:14-16.] Jeremiah 1:11-16 God is watching to see that His Word is fulfilled How do you and I receive grace that leads to eternal life? [Obey God’s commands. Repent and take baptism from those who walk in the truth.] The gift of God is eternal Life. We cannot work for it or earn it. But we have to reach out and take it, by obeying God’s word. God is waiting for you to do that. Just like reaching out and taking the almond branch as described in Jeremiah chapter one. God is offering eternal life to anyone who will take it. We reach out and take the gift of grace by choosing repentance and baptism from those who walk in the truth. Rejecting repentance and baptism is like choosing the boiling pot, verses 13-16. Rejecting baptism is rejecting God’s purpose for ourselves, Luke 7:30. Q. What kind of a person rejects God’s grace and mercy? Is it even possible that someone would destroy their own soul, Proverbs 11:3, Psalm 92:7? What will you do? [Share] Jonah 2:8 Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that would be theirs Do you want to forfeit the grace that God is offering you? [Then what are you going to do?] Grace Church Illustration In a dream I was looking for the friends of my youth in my old denominational church. I noticed the churches name on the outside of the building had changed. It was now called Grace Church. After going inside and not recognizing anyone, the people told me I might find my old church friends upstairs. So I went up a normal set of stairs to the next floor. I was trying to see if I could recognize anyone. I noticed that they seemed to have just finished a party or a feast of some type. There were half eaten plates of food all over. So I decided to help clean up. I went to pick up some plates of food sitting on the steps of another staircase in the middle of the room. I noticed that the stairs were quite steep and went down very far, perhaps a thousand feet, unlike the ones I came up. I decided to sit down and pick up the plates of food so I wouldn’t fall. The staircase was made out of a very beautiful marble. I carefully sat down on the top steps to reach for some of the plates. Just as I reached out my hand, all the stairs but the last few steps I was sitting on--broke apart and went tumbling down. It was so far down. I was so scared. I carefully climbed back up, moved away and said to those in the room, “I am not going anywhere near those stairs.” They answered with the same fear I had, “Neither are we.” The interpretation to the dream: The half eaten plates of food were disciples having their fill of sin, all they wanted. They thought they had grace and would go to heaven but instead they fell into the pit of hell. Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace Can we work or pay for what Jesus did on the cross? [No. What Jesus did on the cross is God’s grace, His favor. To receive God’s grace/favor requires us to repent, Jeremiah 1. To receive grace from communion repentance comes first, 1st Corinthians 11:27-30. To receive grace from baptism repentance takes place first or the baptism is meaningless. The Holy Spirit will not enter and live in a dirty temple, Acts 2:38.] Hebrews 10:26-29 Keep sinning and no sacrifice for sins is left Since we cannot work for God’s grace, does that mean we can keep on sinning and still have God’s grace? [This false teaching “treats as unholy the blood of Jesus and insults the Spirit of Grace.”] Do you want to mock the blood of Jesus? Do you want to insult the Holy Spirit? If we keep on sinning after choosing to walk in the truth, there is no more forgiveness of sins left. Revelations 21:1, 7-8 He who overcomes will inherit all this heaven Overcome what? [Overcome sin! “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile....all liars–their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.”] Again, overcome what? [Clearly–overcome sin. Grace is offered to us so that we can win the battle against sin. The grace, the favor that is offered to us is greater than anyone ever dreamed. Picture if you can, the Creator of the universe, the Creator of all things is willing to be your friend, your very best friend. Wow! Just choose to walk with God, choose obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.] Though grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness, Isaiah 26:10. Can you learn about how to be set free from your sins by a man who is still trapped in his sins himself, John 8:31-32? [Of course not.] Can you learn to walk with God from a righteous man who is himself walking with God? [Yes.] Luke 15:8-10 The lost coin, finding repentance Verse 10 teaches us the joy our Father has when a sinner repents. God could be angry with us. But instead like a loving Father, God opens his arms to take us back in his arms if we can find repentance. We will work together to help you change. You’ll have to accept correction. But we believe in you. All of us had to change. I am sill repenting and changing. Conclusion Repentance means changing your mind about sinning, stop sinning for good, being faithful, having Godly sorrow, an eagerness to clear yourself and change your life. We will work together to help you change. You’ll have to accept correction. But we believe in you. All of us had to change. I am still repenting and changing. How do you feel about that? Are you willing to change? Do you want to be with God’s family, a people who walk in the truth and teach others to walk in obedience to the sayings of Jesus? Join us and learn about righteousness. But that is the problem, many people cannot find repentance. Some people spend their whole life trying to repent, but the sin they are in is so strong that can’t beat it, Proverbs 5:22. Does sin have a grip on you and no matter how hard you try, you can’t beat it? [Share] Restoration James 5:13-20 Confess to a righteous man, let a righteous man prayer on your behalf Does God hear the prayers of an evil man? [Of course not] Does God hear the prayers of a righteous man? [Yes, verse 16] Confess to a righteous man. Have a righteous man anoint you with oil and prayer for your sin sickness. God promises you will be healed. Your soul was dead, but now is alive. Now put on the whole armor of God, the battle gear described in the righteousness study, so you do not fall back into temptation. Psalm 126:1-6 We were like men who dreamed, our mouths filled with laughter The complete forgiveness of God is so wonderful. Do you want this? [Then fight. Don’t give up. You can do it!!! You can overcome your sins with God’s help, Psalm 18:16-19.] Shout out with songs of joy as you return to God. Do you want that overwhelming joy back in your heart? Do you want to be so full of laughter that you can’t hold it in? [Go to the righteousness study, put on the battle gear and fight the good fight, win the battle and take hold of eternal life. Turn away from sin, with the help of your God Jesus, Psalm 40:1-3, Psalm 14:4-5.] Baptism Baptism is translated from the Greek word “baptizo.” Greek is the original language much of the New Testament was written in. The Greek word baptizo means full immersion in water, water baptism. Optional: Infant Baptism Were you baptized as an infant? Were you sprinkled? The word sprinkled is not the meaning of the word baptism in the Bible. The Bible word baptism means full immersion. As a baby, could you repent of your sins? [Of course not.] Q. Was Cain’s partial obedience accepted by God, Genesis 4:3-7? [No, and look what happened to Cain when he refused to repent and fully obey God.] C. Partial obedience will not meet God’s approval. Baptism by “sprinkling” falls short of obedience to God’s Biblical command and rejects the truth. Do you want to reject God? Were you “confirmed”? Did you dedicate your life to your church and it’s beliefs and doctrines? Did you repent when you were confirmed? Are you still doing the same things you repented of? [If you obeyed the truth, you would have stopped sinning.] You may have to face that you were in a false church. When you were confirmed did you receive full immersion water baptism? [No. Then do you think if you died right now you would go to heaven?] Then what do you need to do? [Repent and be baptized by those who delivered to you the truth in God’s word, request baptism from those who walk in obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the righteous.] When did you receive the Lord into your heart? Were you saved at that time? Have you stopped doing your bad habits? Do you still do your secret sins, Hebrews 4:13? 82 If you died right now would you go to heaven? Did you receive water baptism? In what name were you baptized? Do you truly remember? What was the purpose of your baptism? Do you truly remember? Acts 2:38: Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” In what name did Peter tell them to be baptized? [Jesus Christ] For what purpose did Peter tell them to be baptized? [For the forgiveness of sins.] Partial obedience will not meet God’s approval. If you were baptized to join a church (or you really don’t remember), than that is what you will get. “Then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved,” Acts 4:10-13. What name do you think you need to be baptized in? [Jesus!] Have you been baptized in full obedience to Scripture in absolute purity --as Apostle Paul says in the “pure water,” Hebrews 10:22? Do you think you need to be baptized in full obedience to the Bible? We have brethren at this church that do speak in tongues? Do you speak in tongues? Do you believe speaking in tongues means you’re saved? What does the Bible say? “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:26-31 If you speak in tongues and keep on sinning are you saved? [Of course not.] Many non-Christian people of other religions all over the world who do not believe in Jesus, speak in tongues. Are they saved? [Of course not.] Proof of your salvation comes with your own knowledge that you obey God’s Word and not an outward sign that you can touch or see, like tongues. The Bible teaches us speaking in tongues is a gift of the Holy Spirit. The Bible teaches speaking in tongues is right and correct and a real blessing, Acts 19:1-7. But we must not add more than what the Bible teaches. Acts 19:1-7 Optional: Do you need to be baptized again? As Paul walked through the city of Corinth he ran into a group of people that loved Jesus very much, but who were not properly baptized. When Paul informed them they needed to be re- baptized they submitted, Acts 19:1-7. Please do not take a chance with such a great salvation. If we told you we thought you needed to be baptized again would you submit? How many times in your life have you had a religious experience, conversion, baptism and you thought you were saved? Now it is time to take joy in submitting to God’s Word, obey the Bible. Refusing to take Bible baptism comes from pride. Skull Bone Dead Soul Illustration In a dream, I heard breathing noises from behind my back. At first I couldn’t see what it was. Then I was able to see as if I were looking directly at my back side. There were 3 or 4, one foot long, fat oval shaped, brown colored living things attached to my back. As I looked closely, I could see eyes, ears, a mouth and a nose that were flattened into the oval shape. Then I could see them breathing. It was really disgusting and creepy. Then the next thing I knew they were cut away and gone. Just the stubs of these creatures remained in my back. As I was trying to figure out what they were, the next thing I saw was that I was completely gone, my body, everything. The only thing that remained was my empty skull, the skull bone of my head. Then a small piece of bone from the top of my skull fell off and I heard it fall onto the bottom portion of my skull. Then I woke up. The interpretation: At this time I was trying to decide if I truly needed to be baptized again. I was convinced I was baptized properly in a true church years before and that a second baptism was unnecessary. I asked a church leader the meaning of the dream. He told me he thought he knew, but that it would be too much for me to bear right then and wouldn’t tell me. Eventually I did confess all my sins, even the ugly filthy sins and took baptism. Not long after, God gave me the interpretation directly to me. I went to the church leader who baptized me and said, “They were demons weren’t they? And my soul was dead. I had repented which caused the demons to leave or perhaps to be cut away by angels. But repentance wasn’t good enough. Before being baptized I was a walking dead man.” The church leader explained to me, demons are cowards and like to attach themselves to the back side of people. This church leader told me, sometimes crying can really be our soul crying out because it knows it will die. I did need baptism. I submitted. My soul is very glad for that. Optional: Greek word definition from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Strong’s definition #907 baptizo, bap-tid'-zo from a derivative of definition #911; to immerse, submerge; to make whelmed (i.e. fully wet); used only (in the New Testament) of ceremonial ablution, especially (technically) of the ordinance of Christian baptism:--Baptist, baptize, wash. Acts 2:36-37 Jesus whom you crucified is both Lord and Christ Review from Repentance Study Peter tells these people they crucified Jesus. Did they literally put the nails through his wrists, Acts 2:23? [No. But they did crucify him and so did you and I by our sins, Hebrews 6:6.] When people realized they killed the Son of God, how did they feel? [Convicted, cut to the heart.] How do you feel about the fact that your sins put Jesus on the cross? What kind of sorrow did these people have? [Godly sorrow.] What did they ask Peter? [They said, “What shall we do?”] What do you have to say? [Share.] Acts 2:38-41 Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins Review from Repentance Study How did Peter respond to the question what shall we do? [Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."] Who is repentance and baptism for? [Everyone, verse 38. For all whom our God calls, v. 39.] Q. What is the purpose of baptism? [To have your sins washed away, eternal life, to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.] What do we do before we are baptized? [Repent.] What if the people had said, “We’ll get baptized but we won’t repent? Would they be saved? [No. Their baptism would have no value.] What if the people said, “We’ll repent but we don’t need to get baptized? Would they be saved. [No. They rejected their salvation, Luke 7:30.] Peter said, save yourselves from this corrupt generation, verse 40. When they said this were they saved yet? [No] When they agreed with Peter about this were they saved yet? [No. They hadn’t been baptized yet.] So what did those who accepted Peter’s message do, verse 40? [They got baptized immediately.] How did they feel after their baptism? [Great. Totally committed to God, verses 42-47.] What if a person said, “I am already saved but I’ll get immersed as a symbol, as a ceremony? Would this baptism have any meaning? [No.] What if a person wanted to be baptized as an outward sign of an inward cleansing? Would this baptism have any meaning? [No.] A pure baptism is in full obedience to Scripture. Do you want to be baptized? When? [Share] Acts 8:26-31 Ethiopian eunuch, an important official, baptized What job did the eunuch have? [Treasurer to the Queen] Was he a busy man? [Yes] Why had he gone to Jerusalem, verse 27? [To worship] What was he doing on the way home? [Reading the Bible.] Was he a humble man or a proud man, vs. 30-31? [Humble, he knew he needed help] The eunuch was a good man, religious and dedicated. But he wasn’t saved. Phillip and the eunuch studied the Bible together in the chariot just like we have been doing. Phillip opened the mystery of the Scriptures to him and told him about Jesus and water baptism. Acts 8:32-39 The eunuch got baptized immediately without delay As they were driving along what did they see? [Water] What did they do? [They both went down into the water where the eunuch was fully immersed under water and submitted to true water baptism. “They came up out of the water.” Why didn’t the eunuch wait until they got back to Ethiopia? [He wanted his sins washed away by the blood of Jesus. What if he died in an accident on the way and wasn’t forgiven. The eunuch had enough faith to believe he would go to hell without having the blood of Jesus to wash his sins away.] How did he feel when he was baptized, verse 39? [Full of joy] Why was he so happy? [He knew he was forgiven and had eternal life] Like the Day of Pentecost when the first believers were baptized the eunuch also felt a sense of urgency and the need for baptism without delay and immediately after baptism shined with the joy of the Lord. Acts 16:13-15 We sat to speak to the women who had gathered there This passage has encouragement for women who want to follow Jesus. Who was Lydia? [A cloth saleswoman who worshiped God] Who opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message? [God] Why didn’t she delay baptism? [She had a good heart. She wanted salvation.] How did she feel? [Eager to have a celebration meal] Acts 16:16-38 Believed and immediately were baptized What were they doing in jail? [Singing and praying] Why did the jailer want to kill himself? [If even one prisoner escaped, as a soldier his punishment would be death, Acts 12:19] They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized, Acts 16:31-33. Have you been correctly taught about the Bible words: believe and baptized? [The Greek word for believe is “pisteuo.” The original language the Bible was written in--defines “pisteuo” as an action. The word Believe in the Greek language is not merely a thought or feeling, but requires the one who believes to do something. To believe: an action is required, such as “trust” or “commit,” Strong’s definition #4102] What was the action that Lydia and her family did to show they believed? [Immediately she and all her family were baptized.] “The sum of Your Word is truth,” Psalm 119:1.60 New American Standard Bible Can you take one Bible verse out of context and teach the truth? [No] How did they feel after being baptized? [Full of joy] His family “believed”. An infant does not have the ability to “believe” or “repent.” So only those old enough to believe and choose repentance were baptized, verse 34. John 3:1-21 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of the water and the Spirit. If we want to go to heaven what must we do according to Jesus’ own words, verse 3? [You must be born of the water and the Spirit] What does Jesus mean to be born again? [To be born of the water and Spirit] You are a temple, either with or without the Holy Spirit, 1st Corinthians 6:19. Can you get the in-filling of the Holy Spirit before you are baptized? [No. The Holy Spirit will not dwell inside a temple that is not clean, 2nd Corinthians 6:14-16. The Holy Spirit will not live inside someone who has not had their sins washed away by a true pure baptism.] According to verse 18 if we do not believe in Jesus, where do we stand before God? [Condemned] According to verse 18 is believing in Jesus something we do with just our mind. [No. We prove we believe in Jesus by our actions and changing our lives, following Jesus.] According to verse 21 why don’t people follow Jesus? [They are afraid their evil lifestyle will become known. They do not want to confess their sins.] The Holy Spirit is a promise to those who have had their sins washed away by a true pure baptism by those who walk in the truth, Acts 2:38. Based on what we have learned from these Bible verses do you have the in-filling of the Holy Spirit? Does the Holy Spirit live inside you? What about John 3:16 where people say just believe and you are saved? [They don’t read the whole context, the surrounding verses. If you believe, you will choose repentance and baptism. If you do not believe you will walk away and hide in your sins, John 3:20-21, 2nd Peter 2:19.] Can you take one Bible verse out of context and teach the truth? [No] Acts 22:1-16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away! What was Paul like before he was a Christian? [A violent man who stood by as brethren were put to death.] What happened to him? [Jesus appeared to him] Did he believe in Jesus, once Jesus spoke to him? [Yes] But was he saved yet? [No] Did he obey Jesus? [Yes. Paul went into Damascus, verses 10-11.] For three days Paul didn’t eat or drink anything. He was praying, Acts 9:9-12. What do you think Paul was thinking about during those three days? [Repenting, thinking about his sins] But was he saved from just repenting and thinking about his sins? [No. His sins hadn’t been washed away yet.] How did Paul get saved, verse 16? [He was baptized] What is the purpose of baptism, verse 16? [To wash our sins away] Did Ananias want Paul to wait to get baptized, verse 16? [No. He said “What are you waiting for.”] Once again we see the urgency and joy as Paul was immediately baptized, Acts 9:18. What are you waiting for? When will you be baptized? Romans 6:1-23 Buried in baptism, rise to live a new life When Christ died we were also buried along with him. We died to sin. So we are no longer to live in that sin. So when we are baptized into Christ, all our sins are buried and then we get a new life. Just like Christ was raised from the dead through the Father, we too live a new life. We should not let sin continue to hold us and reign in our bodies. When we allow sin to stay in us, we continue to give into our evil desires. We should not offer any part of our body to evil desires like the world does. We should offer ourselves to God because he brought us from death to life. Sin should not be our master anymore, because we no longer live under the law but under grace. What happens to our desire for sin, wanting to please our self, verse 6? [For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with.] How do you get lasting repentance and not return to your sin, faithfulness? [Self-control (Galatians 5:23), early morning daily confession (Nehemiah 9:2-3) and prayer (Mark 1:35) with a prayer partner, reading your Bible (Psalm 1:2), take captive every thought (2nd Corinthians 10:15), fellowship (Hebrews 10:25) the joy of the Lord is my strength, (Nehemiah 8:10).] When we choose baptism, we are choosing to say no to sin. We are choosing the righteous life. How does baptism do that? [Cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross,” Colossians 2:14.] We are not under the written code of the Old Testament. With baptism we now listen to the Holy Spirit. When we read our Bible we store up God’s Word in our heart. Then when choosing between right and wrong the Holy Spirit brings it forward to our conscience and the Holy Spirit leads us to righteousness in everything, Hebrews 8:10. If we look back to our old sins, then we will start to desire them, Luke 9:62. Then the Holy Spirit living within you grieves, Ephesians 4:29-32. Doing this brings our old self back to life, Hebrews 10:26-31. “That we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been freed from sin,” verses 6- 7. How do we die and become free? [Because when we stop sinning long enough the desire fades over time and eventually dies. We are no longer slaves to sin.] Will it be easy? [Temptation will come and desire for sin will be thrown in front of you. You may have many attacks right after baptism and through out your life. But you can master it.] You can master your sin when you refuse to give into it. And you have to master sin. This is the righteous life. God instructed Cain but he refused to listen, Genesis 4:7. The Psalmist asked God for it, Psalm 119:133, Paul declared he would not be mastered by anything, 1st Corinthians 6:12, and Peter chose not to be mastered by depravity, 2nd Peter 2:19. What will you be mastered by, sin or righteousness? [Righteousness, Romans 6:14.] What will you be a slave to, Romans 6:16? [Obedience which leads to righteousness.] Not giving in to the craving for sin is what it means to follow Jesus. Are you sure you want the righteous life? The reward is something great. The reward is something very wonderful. The reward is eternal life. This is what baptism is all about. Is this something you want? What does rise to live a new life mean? [“Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you,” Ephesians 5:14. Yes, when you come up out of water your soul is rising from the dead and for the first time your soul is alive!!!] You will have risen from the dead to take your rightful place as a child of God, free from the sin that entangles the world, free to operate as an ambassador for Christ holding out the Word of life and trampling on everything that stands against the name of Jesus, when you live the righteous life and walk with God. Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed, John 8:34-36. Conclusion I would like to invite you to join our family, God’s family, Colossians 2:13. Do you want to live the kind of life we live? Are you ready to walk away from all your sins, Matthew 3:6, Mark 1:5?Is it time for you to get baptized? “Were saved through water, and this water [that overcame Noah’s Ark] symbolizes [means example] baptism that now saves you also–not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It [baptism] saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand–with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him,” 1st Peter 3:20-22. You need to follow Jesus’ example when he got baptized, Luke 3:21-22. You need to get baptized by the brothers who obey Jesus. You need to be baptized by those have the infilling of the Holy Spirit. You need to go to heaven. You need to get baptized by those who walk in the truth, Psalm 26:3. What are you going to do? [Share]