This Bible study, entitled "Gideon - God's Mighty Warrior" is the first new (current) lesson for the blog. We missed my friend's great insight on the Bible, but God allowed this to be an incredibly powerful study. We met on April 10, 2008.
The Bible passages upon which this lesson is built are Exodus 3-4 and Judges 6-8 (it's a little bit of reading, but such amazing histories of God's faithfulness to His people). The premise of this lesson is that God does not see potential in us through our lens of fear and insecurity - God sees what we can be for Him.
Throughout the Old Testament of the Bible, the Israelites have become a perfect picture of humanity (from Adam and Eve to present day); we make a really big mess, God cleans it up, we turn our back on God and make another really big mess, God cleans it up, rinse and repeat. God brought the Israelites out of Egypt through His own power and the obedience of Moses. But why would God pick Moses for such a monumental task? Moses was a man who had fled from Egypt after murdering a man in his anger (the leaders of Egypt were seeking to kill him in revenge), intermarried in the foreign lands to which he fled, and was self-described as one who had "never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue" (Exodus 4:10). But God didn't see Moses through the same scrutinizing lens - God saw Moses as the man that would lead His chosen people out of Egypt and on the way to the Promised Land. Moses wasn't perfect - he made a lot of mistakes - but God equipped Moses to achieve the unachievable. Take a closer look at Exodus 3:11-12: "But Moses said to God, 'Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?' And God said, 'I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.'" God didn't say that He was going to make Moses an intimidating physical presence or transform him into an amazing orator. God simply says, "I will be with you." What else do you need? If God is powerful enough to create the entire universe and personal enough to have a individual relationship with each one of us, this is an incredibly powerful promise Moses receives.
In Judges 6-8, we pick up on the next chapter of the Israelites' "big mess, God cleans it up" cycle. Judges 6:8-10 summarizes their situation perfectly: "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I snatched you from the power of Egypt and from the hand of all your oppressors. I drove them from before you and gave you their land. I said to you, I am the LORD your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live. But you have not listened to me." Because the Israelites had opened themselves up to the godless foreign peoples surrounding the land God had given them, they were living in caves and shelters because of the oppression of the Midianites. Judges 6:3-5 says, "Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it." Only then did the Israelites cry out to God for help. Rinse and repeat.
What an incredible illustration of how we let sin into our lives, and only when we have run out of ways to fix it (which, incidentally, is a lie because Jesus Christ is has the only remedy for sin), do we turn to God for help. And although Israel had ignored God for seven years, the minute the Israelites called upon the Lord, He answered by raising up a leader to end the oppression of His people. But God didn't choose the most handsome, brave, or intelligent Israelite - He chose another "great leader" like Moses who, well, didn't see himself as much of a "mighty warrior."
Another passage, 1 Samuel 16:6-7, clearly describes God's selection process, "When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, 'Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD.' But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.'" God doesn't need our strength or wisdom - He is far too powerful to rely on our undependable abilities: "For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength" (1 Corinthians 1:25).
Just as God has used so many humble men in the Bible to do great things, even Nathan as he confronted King David about his sin with Bathsheba, He chose Gideon to free His people from the oppression by the Midianites and Amalekites. In fact, when God approaches Gideon, he is threshing wheat in a winepress because he is so scared of the Midianites. Nevertheless, God addresses him as a "mighty warrior" instead of the seeming coward he might appear to be upon first sight. Gideon's got the same kind of list that Moses had for God (a number of disqualifying conditions that would prevent them from effectively accomplishing God's purpose for their lives) - he comes from the weakest clan and he is the least in his family. But God gives him the same answer He gave to Moses so many years before, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together" (Judges 6:16). Please continue to read through Judges 7-8 and witness that God is just as faithful to Gideon as He was to Moses. Gideon's first task is to strike at the heart of the matter - the idolatry of the Israelites. But the Israelites move from wanting to kill him for destroying their idols (what was standing between them and God) to following him into a battle that ends in the total destruction of the Midianites.
What is standing between you and fulfilling God's purpose in your life? If you don't know what your purpose is, or if you think God doesn't have one for you, I would challenge you to open the Bible and pray that God will focus you on his purpose for your life. At a bare minimum, we must fulfill the great commission found in Matthew 28:16-20. But knowing how God wants you to accomplish this is essential to your growth as a Christian. Are you afraid of what people will think? Are you worried about the future (how will everything work out)? Will I fail? God has the same answer for you as he did for Moses and Gideon, "I will be with you, and you will ________." Fill in the blank and you will never look back.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
Bible Study #2: The Rich Young Ruler - Knowing God Will Change Your Life
This Bible study, entitled "The Rich Young Ruler - Knowing God Will Change Your Life" was the second lesson I led for the group. I wish I still had my notes from our second great study taught by my friend.
The Bible passages upon which this lesson is built is Matthew 20:1-16, Luke 18:18-30, and Matthew 19:16-22. The premise of this lesson was that God has called you away from sin, or out of sin, depending on your circumstances. This rich young ruler expressed an interest to follow Jesus, but he was unwilling to follow through when Jesus asked him to actually take the first steps. Are you only sincere about your faith or do you desire to become serious about your faith? Knowing God does not mean that you pay Him lip service while you continue in the same behavior - knowing God, truly knowing Him, will make an unbelievable impact on how you approach life.
When I first left the shadow of the Christian community in which I had grown for the past eighteen years, a place where all speak of “being saved” and “going to heaven” with complete ease and no need of explanation, I was at first shocked at how trivially people regarded eternity and their fate after life here on earth. I wondered why so many take such a cavalier approach to their eternal salvation. But I soon realized that they simply don’t know the stakes. Of course, if everyone knew there was a God, then very few would have the courage (and sheer stupidity) to turn their back on their powerful Creator. But through talking to these young men and women, I have discovered that, in differing degrees, they truly cannot see beyond the cloak of the physical. Some turn and run the opposite way when the name of Jesus enters the conversation, some will politely describe an acquaintance called God (with no further explanation or true feeling in their statement), and there are some who are truly seeking. However, they all have one thing in common; none of them truly understands what it means to have a relationship with Christ.
A Christian, to these young people, is something that only their parents and grandparents are (or may be something they have never seen). Maybe they’ll be interested in giving God a chance one day, but right now they just want to drink, party, do drugs, and have sex with their girl/boyfriend. Deep down inside they know that a relationship, a true relationship with God, would certainly jeopardize their “me behavior.” If a serial killer and rapist can acknowledge Christ and gain eternal salvation in his cell before he is given a lethal injection, why can’t I just do what I want for a few years and then get serious about my salvation? If the only thing you have to do to go to heaven is just accept who God is, then doesn’t even the Bible in some way support this sort of mentality?
The parable of the workers from Matthew 20 describes a landowner who sets out early in the morning to find men to work in his vineyard. He immediately finds a couple of hardworking men, and he hires them for the day with the promise of a denarius for their heavy labor. As the day wears on, he hires more and more men, a few more each hour, and the time soon comes to pay the men for their work. The landowner pays each of the men a denarius and sends them on their way. When the men who had worked all day saw that they were paid the same wage as even the men who were hired to work only the last hour, they said, “These men who were hired last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.” But the owner answered them, “Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?”
Without a doubt, the most fundamentally important part of the Christian life is acknowledging that Jesus Christ is the only route to salvation, but this is only the first step of many in pursuing all that God has to offer those who accept his sacrifice. By telling this parable about the workers in the vineyard thousands of years ago, Jesus was making the point that it is never too late to accept his sacrifice on the cross for our sins. However, he was not encouraging us to ignore His calling in our lives. So did the serial killer and rapist who accepted Christ minutes before he died live the best life anyone could have? This man did whatever felt good and still went to heaven. But just like the teenager who turns his back on God so he or she does not “miss out” on whatever feels good, this criminal, who only narrowly escaped eternity in hell, missed out on the most completely satisfying experience a human can encounter here on earth: knowing God.
I leave you with one of the most beautiful descriptions of this transformation through the faithfulness and mercy of Christ:
Ephesians 2:1-10 (the NIV is a little easier to understand):
"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
The Bible passages upon which this lesson is built is Matthew 20:1-16, Luke 18:18-30, and Matthew 19:16-22. The premise of this lesson was that God has called you away from sin, or out of sin, depending on your circumstances. This rich young ruler expressed an interest to follow Jesus, but he was unwilling to follow through when Jesus asked him to actually take the first steps. Are you only sincere about your faith or do you desire to become serious about your faith? Knowing God does not mean that you pay Him lip service while you continue in the same behavior - knowing God, truly knowing Him, will make an unbelievable impact on how you approach life.
When I first left the shadow of the Christian community in which I had grown for the past eighteen years, a place where all speak of “being saved” and “going to heaven” with complete ease and no need of explanation, I was at first shocked at how trivially people regarded eternity and their fate after life here on earth. I wondered why so many take such a cavalier approach to their eternal salvation. But I soon realized that they simply don’t know the stakes. Of course, if everyone knew there was a God, then very few would have the courage (and sheer stupidity) to turn their back on their powerful Creator. But through talking to these young men and women, I have discovered that, in differing degrees, they truly cannot see beyond the cloak of the physical. Some turn and run the opposite way when the name of Jesus enters the conversation, some will politely describe an acquaintance called God (with no further explanation or true feeling in their statement), and there are some who are truly seeking. However, they all have one thing in common; none of them truly understands what it means to have a relationship with Christ.
A Christian, to these young people, is something that only their parents and grandparents are (or may be something they have never seen). Maybe they’ll be interested in giving God a chance one day, but right now they just want to drink, party, do drugs, and have sex with their girl/boyfriend. Deep down inside they know that a relationship, a true relationship with God, would certainly jeopardize their “me behavior.” If a serial killer and rapist can acknowledge Christ and gain eternal salvation in his cell before he is given a lethal injection, why can’t I just do what I want for a few years and then get serious about my salvation? If the only thing you have to do to go to heaven is just accept who God is, then doesn’t even the Bible in some way support this sort of mentality?
The parable of the workers from Matthew 20 describes a landowner who sets out early in the morning to find men to work in his vineyard. He immediately finds a couple of hardworking men, and he hires them for the day with the promise of a denarius for their heavy labor. As the day wears on, he hires more and more men, a few more each hour, and the time soon comes to pay the men for their work. The landowner pays each of the men a denarius and sends them on their way. When the men who had worked all day saw that they were paid the same wage as even the men who were hired to work only the last hour, they said, “These men who were hired last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.” But the owner answered them, “Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?”
Without a doubt, the most fundamentally important part of the Christian life is acknowledging that Jesus Christ is the only route to salvation, but this is only the first step of many in pursuing all that God has to offer those who accept his sacrifice. By telling this parable about the workers in the vineyard thousands of years ago, Jesus was making the point that it is never too late to accept his sacrifice on the cross for our sins. However, he was not encouraging us to ignore His calling in our lives. So did the serial killer and rapist who accepted Christ minutes before he died live the best life anyone could have? This man did whatever felt good and still went to heaven. But just like the teenager who turns his back on God so he or she does not “miss out” on whatever feels good, this criminal, who only narrowly escaped eternity in hell, missed out on the most completely satisfying experience a human can encounter here on earth: knowing God.
God has called you away from sin, or out of sin, depending on your circumstances. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for every sin ever committed. Becoming a Christian isn't about following a bunch of rules - our own sanctification is the result of Christ's sacrifice on the cross and could never result from our "good" works (no matter what Oprah tries to tell you). Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Unfettered by our sin nature and evil desires, this grace of God will shape and transform you into a man or woman that acts, thinks, and believes like God himself. But even in spite of our human nature, God still works a transformation that is too amazing to describe with words. As a result, God does not desire that we continue in the same behavior once we know Him (this behavior was a result of our spiritual ignorance - we thought that sin was the best thing going).
Luke 18:18-30 and Matthew 19:16-22 paint an awesome picture of this concept: A rich young ruler approached Jesus describing himself as one who had kept the religious laws "since his youth" (Matthew 19:20). The Greek word used here for ruler is one that describes a leader or official, while the word young, in this case, implies that he was between 24 and 40 years old. Such a social status for one so young testifies to the man's abilities and standing in the community; he clearly considered himself beyond reproach. Nevertheless, he still realizes that he is incomplete, and he realizes that Jesus can fill that void. But an interesting thing happens in verses 21 and 22. Jesus tells the young man, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." The rich young ruler walked away sad because he was not willing to part with his wealth. Jesus has identified the one thing that this young man has placed before God (known as an idol). What have you placed before God? Have you realized that following God could make a positive impact in you life, "but...I don't want to give up (insert idol here)." Let me say it once again - God desires that we change. This young man who claimed to be so devoted to God was afforded the opportunity to walk with Jesus himself, but he had to take the first step (move away from the things that were separating him from God). Each one of us has the same invitation, but it is impossible to become a new creature through Christ if we do not leave our idols behind (which is very hard on our own, but a joyful experience with God).I leave you with one of the most beautiful descriptions of this transformation through the faithfulness and mercy of Christ:
Ephesians 2:1-10 (the NIV is a little easier to understand):
"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Bible Study #1: Bridging the Gap
This Bible study, entitled "Bridging the Gap" was the very first lesson we studied as a group (we studied this on November 15, 2007).
The Bible passages upon which this lesson is built are Genesis 2:4-15, Genesis 3:1-10, and Romans 5:12. The premise of this lesson was that although mankind has continually refused God's offer of an eternal, meaningful, and vital relationship, God has continually bridged the gap we have created with our sinfulness, selfishness, and pride.
A friend and I were having a talk, one of those deep religious talks that makes you kind of nervous you're going to say the wrong thing (that's why I pray that God will be speaking instead of me). This young man is an atheist - he doesn't believe in any sort of god, particularly the God I know. He began to explain to me that he couldn't believe in a God that would just push man away. It was just one sin - why didn't God just forgive Adam and let that be the end of it?
Well the answer to that question is simple. Man is the one who pushed God away in the Garden of Eden, and we have done it ever since. God never created us to sin. His intention was to enjoy a personal relationship with each one of us, and this relationship is made valuable because God gave us free will in order to choose Him. When man was first created in the form of Adam, God placed him in the Garden of Eden that satisfied all his needs and desires. God walked with Adam in the garden and enjoyed a face-to-face relationship that we will never have until we get to heaven. Adam could do anything he wanted in the garden, except that he could not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. So what did Adam do? He gave up everything God had lovingly created for him to satisfy one urge, and man was forever separated from God.
Romans 5:12 describes the end result of our sin: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” By turning his back on God, man rejected a personal relationship with God and left himself with only the option of death. And although God would have been justified in destroying Adam and Eve at that very moment, He did the opposite, and He sent His only son Jesus Christ to die on the cross and bridge the gap that we have all created between ourselves and God. But while God has forgiven mankind’s ultimate betrayal, and He has taken the first step toward our redemption, the majority of people that I see everyday have still chosen to turn their backs on God. Couldn’t God just have forgiven Adam? God absolutely could have forgiven Adam, and he has extended His forgiveness to Adam and all of his descendants since sin was first introduced into the world. But sadly, only a small percentage have accepted God’s merciful offer.
In the Garden of Eden, we lost the most absolutely fundamental thing in life – a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. We lost the ability to speak face-to-face with the One who created us, to laugh with Him, to lay our worries and concerns at His feet. But God displayed inhuman forgiveness by reinstating that face-to-face relationship in the form of Jesus Christ. Jesus taught us how to pray so that we could regain direct contact with God again; there is no need to speak through a priest or a saint because God was merciful enough to grant us direct access to Him again. And for a period of thirty-three years, the Israelites and those from the surrounding areas were able to speak with God, know God, understand His principles, and be touched by God. And in keeping with our sinful tradition, we hung Jesus on a cross to die so that we wouldn’t have to be challenged, or even offended, by the Truth that was so foreign to a world without God. But even while Jesus hung upon the cross in the most unbelievable torment you can imagine he spoke these words: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Even before we ask, God has forgiven our sins, and all we must do is answer God’s call in our lives.
The Bible passages upon which this lesson is built are Genesis 2:4-15, Genesis 3:1-10, and Romans 5:12. The premise of this lesson was that although mankind has continually refused God's offer of an eternal, meaningful, and vital relationship, God has continually bridged the gap we have created with our sinfulness, selfishness, and pride.
A friend and I were having a talk, one of those deep religious talks that makes you kind of nervous you're going to say the wrong thing (that's why I pray that God will be speaking instead of me). This young man is an atheist - he doesn't believe in any sort of god, particularly the God I know. He began to explain to me that he couldn't believe in a God that would just push man away. It was just one sin - why didn't God just forgive Adam and let that be the end of it?
Well the answer to that question is simple. Man is the one who pushed God away in the Garden of Eden, and we have done it ever since. God never created us to sin. His intention was to enjoy a personal relationship with each one of us, and this relationship is made valuable because God gave us free will in order to choose Him. When man was first created in the form of Adam, God placed him in the Garden of Eden that satisfied all his needs and desires. God walked with Adam in the garden and enjoyed a face-to-face relationship that we will never have until we get to heaven. Adam could do anything he wanted in the garden, except that he could not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. So what did Adam do? He gave up everything God had lovingly created for him to satisfy one urge, and man was forever separated from God.
Romans 5:12 describes the end result of our sin: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” By turning his back on God, man rejected a personal relationship with God and left himself with only the option of death. And although God would have been justified in destroying Adam and Eve at that very moment, He did the opposite, and He sent His only son Jesus Christ to die on the cross and bridge the gap that we have all created between ourselves and God. But while God has forgiven mankind’s ultimate betrayal, and He has taken the first step toward our redemption, the majority of people that I see everyday have still chosen to turn their backs on God. Couldn’t God just have forgiven Adam? God absolutely could have forgiven Adam, and he has extended His forgiveness to Adam and all of his descendants since sin was first introduced into the world. But sadly, only a small percentage have accepted God’s merciful offer.
In the Garden of Eden, we lost the most absolutely fundamental thing in life – a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. We lost the ability to speak face-to-face with the One who created us, to laugh with Him, to lay our worries and concerns at His feet. But God displayed inhuman forgiveness by reinstating that face-to-face relationship in the form of Jesus Christ. Jesus taught us how to pray so that we could regain direct contact with God again; there is no need to speak through a priest or a saint because God was merciful enough to grant us direct access to Him again. And for a period of thirty-three years, the Israelites and those from the surrounding areas were able to speak with God, know God, understand His principles, and be touched by God. And in keeping with our sinful tradition, we hung Jesus on a cross to die so that we wouldn’t have to be challenged, or even offended, by the Truth that was so foreign to a world without God. But even while Jesus hung upon the cross in the most unbelievable torment you can imagine he spoke these words: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Even before we ask, God has forgiven our sins, and all we must do is answer God’s call in our lives.
Bible Study by Correspondence
When I was growing up, my mother used to always ask me "What has God been teaching you today?" Sometimes I had a good answer, and sometimes I didn't. Well I have been realizing that sometimes I still don't have a very good answer - sometimes I have become so focused on the things of this world that I have not opened myself up to what God is trying to teach me today. Jesus Christ has changed my life so completely that all I can ever do is follow Him; I never want to miss out on a single thing He is trying to teach me.
This blog is an extension of the Bible study we have in our home each week. This study has certainly been a blessing because I have gotten to learn more about the Bible not only by preparing some of the topics but also by hearing the extremely insightful comments and lessons of those who attend each week. Recently, my great friend and "co-founder" of the Bible study left for Iraq. However, this is no excuse to miss our Bible study (and still even be able to make comments if he has the time). It will take me a while to put up all of the old lessons, but I will put up each new lesson for my friend (and those who couldn't make it) to see.
This blog is an extension of the Bible study we have in our home each week. This study has certainly been a blessing because I have gotten to learn more about the Bible not only by preparing some of the topics but also by hearing the extremely insightful comments and lessons of those who attend each week. Recently, my great friend and "co-founder" of the Bible study left for Iraq. However, this is no excuse to miss our Bible study (and still even be able to make comments if he has the time). It will take me a while to put up all of the old lessons, but I will put up each new lesson for my friend (and those who couldn't make it) to see.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
