Review of Week 42:

WITNESSES: The method is simple. Come unto Jesus. Go into the world as His witnesses. Disciple, baptize, and teach all that He commands.

ATONEMENT: When we truly grasp the atonement, we worship. When we truly worship, we are sent out as witnesses.

HARVEST: The master knows where laborers are needed. We must be willing to work there.

GREATER WORKS: Our prayer is the connection with the Almighty that stabilizes and empowers us for greater works.

LOYALTY: Are we loyal to our preferences or to God’s purposes?

SOAKED: Have we taken the time to be fully saturated in God’s presence?

TRANSACT: The sanctification transaction requires humility, not pride.

Oct. 21 - BUILT on FAITH

Jude 1:20-21 “...But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life...”

Context:

Jude 1:3 “...I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints...”

Why contend? Jude 1:4 “...For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ...” [licentious: marked by disregard for strict rules of correctness]

Jude 1:5-6 “...Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,...”

Does being saved prevent later destruction? [not if there isn’t belief]

Jude 1:12 “...These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted;...”

What can cause a faith shipwreck?

Jude 1:19 “...These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit...”

Who causes divisions? [worldly people without the Holy Spirit]

What does it mean to be built up on faith?

- the life of a disciple is a life of discipline, which is built by the Spirit over time.

Why is it important to be built up in faith?

- if we’re not, we act impulsively from our flesh

Why do impulse (an abrupt inclination) and temperament (characteristic or habitual inclination or mode of emotional response) fail us?

- they both arise from our fallen nature.

What does a strong desire to justify our actions usually indicate?

- ‘self awareness’ is trumping ‘other awareness’.

Is it easier to walk by faith in a crisis, or in the every day grind of life?

What have you “seen” lately that has rocked your world?

What have you “not seen” but hoped for with assurance? Hebrews 11:1 “...Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen...”

Are we building up our life on things seen or unseen?

Oct. 22 - ASSURED

Romans 8:16 “...The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,...”

When you hear conflicting reports, which do you believe?

What happens when we are led by the voice of the flesh?

Rom. 8:13 “...for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die;...”

Rom. 8:15 “...For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again...”

What happens when we surrender to the TRUTH of the Spirit?

Rom. 8:16 “...The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,...” Assurance of relationship with God.

Rom. 8:17 “...and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him...” Positioned as fellow heirs with Christ.

What is Oswald talking about when he refers to dangerously bartering and debating with God?

- we want the assurance and the inheritance on our terms, without doing our part.

What is our part?

Rom. 8:6-8 “...For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God...”

Rom. 8:17 “...and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him...”

We set our mind and we choose His course.

We are always confronted by witnesses, each with their own perspective on truth.

Who will we believe?

How can we be assured we are living in truth?

- we must surrender to God.

- we must die to self.

- we must be born again.

- we must be built up in faith.

- we must trust and obey, for there’s no other way.

Oct. 23 - NO PREJUDICES

2 Corinthians 5:17 “...Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come...”

What are prejudices?

- judgments made without having all the truth.

Do we have prejudices?

- political, religious, socioeconomic judgments without all the truth

How are prejudices developed?

- by listening to biased witnesses.

- by building a lifestyle based on experiences in the flesh.

- by regarding people according to the flesh.

How are prejudices destroyed?

- by listening to the truth.

- by living a Spirit led life.

- the old must pass away, the new must come.

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 “...Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him...”

Who initiated reconciliation? 5:18 “...these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ...”

Who is to carry on reconciliation? 5:18 “... and gave us the ministry of reconciliation...”

Who wants the world to be reconciled? God entrusts us with the message. 5:19,20 “... we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us...”

Are we the righteousness of God?

Oswald’s description of new creation life:

- no lust.

- no self interest.

- no sensitiveness to pokes.

- love that isn’t provoked.

- love that doesn’t think evil.

- love that is always kind.

Is there old life that has not yet died?

Would we rather have blessings or blessed assurance?

- are we looking for the blessings of God?

- are we assured by the sovereignty of God?

Oct. 24 - TRIUMPH

2 Cor. 2:14 “...But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place...”

Context:

- There was trouble in the church of Corinth.

- There was false teaching.

2:1-4 It was painful for Paul and painful for the Corinthians.

2:5-11 Paul wanted the Corinthians to forgive and comfort the troublemakers. Failure to forgive would result in being outwitted by Satan.

2:12-17 Things may not go as planned, but God, in Christ, always leads us in triumph. We are the aroma of Christ.

Are we watched? What do people see?

What are our lives supposed to produce?

- the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ ...everywhere!

What is the difference between obtaining personal victory and being led in triumphal procession?

   - our personal victories fall well short of God’s bigger goals.

   - proceeding through life with Christ as our leader accomplishes His bigger goals.

Oct. 25 - CHOSEN

1 Corinthians 9:22 ”...To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some...”

Context:

- Paul explains his rights.

- Paul surrenders his rights.

- Paul makes himself a servant of all to win as many as possible.

If we have an interest in something, we do it when it is convenient. If we have a conviction about something, we do it regardless of circumstances.

Do we live in an ideal world? An ideal community? An ideal church?

How can our preferences cause us to be “hustled out of usefulness to God”?

- We prefer to work where it is convenient.

- God wants us to work in our current ignoble setting.

1 Corinthians 9:23 “...I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it...”

Is this how we live?

Do we possess God, or does He possess us?

1 Corinthians 9:26-27 “...Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified...”

Are we fit for Kingdom work?

Have we chosen to work for God or has He chosen us for the work? What is the difference?

Oct. 26 - SENT

John 20:21 ”...So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you..."

Context:

- Mary Magdalene, Peter, and John find an empty tomb.

- Mary mistakes Jesus for the gardener.

- The disciples are hiding behind locked doors for fear of the Jews.

- Jesus makes an appearance, breathes on them, and says “Receive the Holy Spirit”

John 20:23 “...If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained..."

What is He sending them to do?

- What the Father sent Jesus to do - forgive sins.

Are there a few problems in our world?

Are there a few people in need?

Does it matter whether we’re inspired from before or inspired from behind?

What happens when we are inspired by what we see before us?

- we look at human need.

- we formulate plans to meet that need.

- we also formulate a perception of what success will look like.

What happens when we are inspired by what we see behind us?

- we look at what the Father sent Jesus to do.

- we identify with God’s purposes.

- we bring God’s purposes to our present world.

How can human sympathy interfere with fulfilling the purposes of God?

- we try to elevate people.

- we try to educate people.

- we try to meet needs.

- we can misplace the central truth of the gospel.

Why do you think the Father sent the Son? [for God so loved the world]

Why do you think the Son sends you? [for God so loved the world]

Do we love as God loves?

Are we about His business?

Oct. 27 - MAKE DISCIPLES

Matthew 28:18-20 “...And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age..."

Is it our job to save souls? Can we save anyone?

John 3:3 “...Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God..."

John 6:44 “...No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day...”

John 6:63 “...It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life...”

John 6:65 “...And He was saying, "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father..."

Oswald says “there is a passion for souls that does not spring from God, but from the desire to make converts to our point of view”.

Does this happen? Do we ever participate in this?

Matthew 4:23 “...Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people...”

What was Jesus doing? [teaching, proclaiming the gospel, healing]

Matthew 7:21 ”...Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter...”

Who gets to enter the kingdom of heaven? [those who do the will of the Father]

Matthew 9:35 ”...Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness...”

Again, what was Jesus doing? [teaching, proclaiming the gospel, healing]

Matthew 10:1 “...Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness...”

Matthew 10:7-8 “...And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give...”

John 14:12 “...Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father...”

What did Jesus expect from His disciples?

What does Jesus expect from His disciples?

Are we teaching, proclaiming the gospel, and healing?

Are we trying to make converts to our point of view, or disciples of Jesus Christ?