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Lesson Abstracts & Introductory Stories |
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Lesson 7 - Developing our relationship with God
In order to really relate to God we must relate to Him in spirit. Our spirit must interact with His Spirit. Of course, this means that the first step is for us to have a personal spirit by accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. After the spirit has been born within us we can now relate to God. John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” In war torn parts of the world, it is not uncommon for children to be the victims. Abandoned, lost and maimed, children wander aimlessly, looking for their families--forsaken and broken. Fathers and mothers wail inconsolably, searching in the rubble, praying for their children to be safe. Some children die--never found--never rescued.
Today, we are in the ultimate battle between sin and purity, darkness and light, good and evil. Without God, we may wander aimlessly, broken and scarred, afraid of death, looking for a safe haven. Without God, we may die alone and never found. But Jesus, the very Son of God, brought hope and peace to the world through his teaching and ultimately His death on the cross. He brought us the good news that we are God’s adopted children. Our Heavenly Father searches for us and removes the brokenness of our souls, our sins, our scars, and our hopelessness. Through Him, we are pure and sanctified. We are safe. Through Him, we have eternal life. |
Lesson 8 - The food of the spirit. How to study the bible. Bible study tools.
The Bible is God’s inspired word. It was written in three languages, (Greek, Aramaic & Hebrew), by 34-40 different authors, in 12 countries and 3 continents, over a 1400-1800 year period. Yet, most pastors teachers and biblical scholars say that there are few if any contradictions. Indeed, when you find what may seem to be a contradiction, a little further study with a good teacher will help clear them up. 2 Timothy 3:16. “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;”
We have heard it dozens of times over the years from people in every walk of life about every type of written word imaginable. “I couldn’t live without it…it’s my bible.” The executive assistant may be referring to a daily planner; the auto mechanic to his technical manual; the airline pilot to a checklist; the writer to her thesaurus. Thousands of people everyday pick-up well thumbed books marked with important notes. The expression is given to a work considered authoritative in a discipline or occupation. The Daily Racing Form is considered the bible of horse racing, the Sporting News the bible of baseball, A Dictionary of Modern Language Usage, the bible of the English language.
But the Bible (always written with a capital letter) refers to the sacred book of Christianity. The Bible is meant to be well thumbed, re-read, referred to daily, and never disputed or doubted (although healthy discussion and study are integral to its use). The Holy Bible is the answer to every question, the final word on every issue, the guideline for happiness, and the whole truth in absolute final and perfect form. How could any Christian ever compare something as minor as a manual or textbook to God’s Holy Word?
Lesson 9 - Repentance - Old Testament. Repentance - New Testament.
Repentance is a very important concept in achieving spiritual maturity. Repentance is between each of us and God. It is not simply saying I am sorry. It has a much deeper meaning. It goes beyond the expression of regret because it recognizes that we have committed a sin against God. Repentance means that not only are you sorry and that you deeply regret the sin, that you ask for forgiveness but that you will turn away for the sin and not sin again. Jeremiah 4:1,2. “If you will return, O Israel,” declares the Lord, “Then you should return to Me. And if you will put away your detested things from My presence, And will not waver, And you will swear, ‘As the Lord lives, In truth, in justice, and in righteousness; Then the nations will bless themselves in Him, and in Him they will glory.”
“Sorry” is a game manufactured by Parker Brothers that has been part of American family entertainment for more than 60 years. As each player advances on the board, he makes a distinct (and usually verbal) wish as the dice roll to absolutely demolish the other player by landing and sliding across the board and sending the poor guy back to a previous space where he has to work toward regaining his advantage. This deliberate attack is then mollified by an insincere and sappy “Ssssoooooorrrrrry” accompanied by a devilish grin. If you are the victim of this type of purposeful attack, you know that the person is not really “Sorry”; in fact, they are not the least bit sorry and at the very next opportunity they are going to get you again.
So it is with understanding the difference between a Christian being sorry or truly repenting. If you sin and are sorry; odds are that you deliberately planned the sin (or had an opportunity to stop it). In likelihood, you may deliberately do it again even if you are really, really sorry. If you repent, you understand that you have sinned against God and will not only say you are sorry but you will turn away from the sin and not do it ever again. It’s not a game. Sorry isn’t enough. Your actions must reflect a change that restores honor to your commitment to God.
Lesson 10 - Prayer - What is it? How to pray.
Some of the ways we communicate with God include; living in harmony and observing nature, praising God with music and song, feeling God’s presence without the use of words, reading God’s Word and God communicating with God through other people. However, one of the most effective ways of communicating with God is through prayer. In this course, “Newness of Life”, one of our objectives is for each person to develop and mature spiritually. Effective prayer is essential in the achievement of that objective. Jeremiah 33:3. “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
Imagine yourself in a room. Imagine being in great pain. Life threatening pain. Place that pain in your heart. Add numbness in your left arm. Add burning sensations to your entire chest area. Add shortness of breath. Add fear. Now, imagine that you know that a great physician just happens to be in the next room. Amazing grace! Now imagine yourself doubled over in agony, walking right past him, out of the building, driving home, getting a drink of water, and telling yourself that you can handle it on your own. You even curse him a little under your breath for not noticing that you were walking by his room. Surely, in his great wisdom, he sensed that something was wrong with someone nearby even though you did not call out to him. He is a great healer after all, isn’t he?
The scenario sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? It is. Sadly, though, it is the same philosophy that many Christians use in their prayer life. If God knows everything about us then he should be able to anticipate our needs, help us, and heal us…shouldn’t he? Why should we cry out for help? Why should we pray?
Just as the physician cannot assist the patient who does not communicate with him, God cannot help (i.e. answer the prayers) of those who do not ask Him for help through prayer. When we do pray and ask God our Father for help and understanding, he will do more for us than we ever asked for in the first place.
Lesson 11 - How to develop our prayer life.
God is the most loving, merciful and powerful being in the universe. He is to be worshiped, thanked for his many blessings and protection and treated as a Holy Being. One of the ways we can tap into God’s love, compassion and power is though prayer. 1 Thessalonians 5:17. “pray without ceasing;”
A drop of water becomes a steady drip. A drip becomes a trickle. A trickle becomes a small flow. The small flow joins another small flow. They race together to meet other small flows. And as time inevitably passes, the drop is part of a raging river that cannot be stopped by anything-- not man, nor beast, nor mountain. So in the ancient history of our earth, the Grand Canyon of Arizona was formed by the Colorado River.. From rim to rim, the canyon measures 600 feet to an awe-inspiring 18 miles wide. It is a mile deep, and the canyon itself is over 277 miles long. It started with something without much strength on its own. Something small. Something simple. A drop.
So it is with prayer. A small prayer. A simple prayer. A prayer that you pray sincerely and without ceasing. It joins your other prayers, and soon your prayers are a powerful voice that transcends all time. Because you speak directly to God, your prayers move mountains. Your prayers carve the future and ring gloriously throughout all Heaven. Your prayers are a beautiful sight and sound to the eyes and ears of our mighty God.
Lesson 12 - Faith Alone - The Doctrine of Justification.
Justification means to Paul God’s act of remitting the sins of guilty people, and accounting them righteous, freely, by His grace, through faith in Christ, on the ground, not of their own works, but of the representative law keeping and redemptive blood shedding of the Lord Jesus on their behalf. The basic meaning is to declare righteous. Romans 5:1. “Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,”
It is all too common in educational circles for students to cheat, and sometimes, these students get caught and are given a failing grade. Surprisingly, even though the student knows that a wrong was clearly committed, it is human nature to want to justify the action. “The professor didn’t give me enough time to write the paper.” “If he hadn’t left his paper wide open, I wouldn’t have looked.” “It’s only one homework assignment…what’s the big deal?” However, in its true definition, to “justify” something means to prove it to be just, valid, right…to declare free of blame, to absolve. To “justify” something that is clearly in violation of established rules will never make it right. To justify a wrong will never erase it. To justify cheating is failure on many levels…failure to complete the work as expected, failure in living up to the expectations of the teachers, failure in potential, failure in self esteem and mental strength. The result, which is clearly justified, is failure on the assignment.
As sinners, we know that our past is filled with justifications for our actions. As much as we may want to purify our sins and make them seem O.K., we simply cannot do it. But, through Jesus Christ, not only are we forgiven of past sin, but we can claim righteousness and receive full credit for being LIKE CHRIST. Through our Savior, we get a perfect score and then by grace He adds extra credit to this divine peace.
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