Fellowship Bible Church     For March 19, 2010

Lesson 23

I Corinthians 7:17-24

In this week’s lesson Paul will be discussing the Corinthians’ status in life when they became Christians and how they should not try to change their status or position but instead remain where they are.  Some of the Corinthians were slaves when they became Christians.  None of us were slaves when we became Christians, so this section might seem unprofitable for us, but that is not the case.  “All scripture is God-breathed and useful for” our benefit.  One thing we can do is when Paul talks about slaves we can try and think what the closest thing is to this in our life.  For instance, in other parts of the Bible, Paul tells slaves to submit to their masters and many people who work for an employer use that passage to understand how to glorify God as employees.

I think there will be lots of application for us in this passage if we just take time to think through how it might apply to our own lives.

So, let’s get started.

Section One

1.      Read 1^st Corinthians 7:17.  Paul uses the word nevertheless to start this section off.  Nevertheless means we need to look backwards in order to understand what he means.  So go back and see what he is saying in this verse.  Write out in one or two sentences exactly what Paul is saying in verse 17.

2.      Are you willing to obey Paul’s instruction?

3.      What do you think Paul means when he says “when you were called?”

4.      Explain why every single adult person in the Corinthian church would have been called as an adult.

5.      Some people know exactly when they were called by God and others know they have been called but might not be able to tell you exactly when that was.  If you know when you were called, what was your position in life at that time and what was your calling like?

6.      Before we move on in this lesson, explain why you think Paul wants everyone to remain in the position they were in when they were called.

7.      Try to come up with a practical application from this verse.

Section Two

8.      Read 1^st Corinthians 7:18-19.  There were generally two types of people that Paul dealt with - the circumcised and the uncircumcised.  What would be two different names for these people?

9.      Try to explain why someone would want to change and become part of the other group?  Give an answer for both sides.  See Galatians 3:26-29 for help.

10.    According to Paul, what is important, found in verse 19?

11.    In what areas of your life has God been especially showing you the need to obey Him lately?

12.    Can you think of groups of people (social, educational, ethnic, etc.) that you have wanted to become part of, that Paul might say to you stay where you are?  If you can, please try to state some of the emotions and feelings you have struggled with in this area.

13.    How could we apply or use the phrase “circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing” to help us or others to overcome this desire we often have to want to be someone or something different than what we are?

14.    Try to come up with a practical application from these two verses.

Section Three

15.    Read 1^st Corinthians 7:21-22.  Why do you think Paul would want a slave to remain in that position once he became a Christian?  See Colossians 3:22-4:1 for help.

16.    Try to take your principles from the last question and apply it to your own life.

17.    Why do you think Paul would also encourage someone to become a freedman and not stay a slave if that were possible?

18.    In what ways do you become a slave to Christ once you become a Christian?

19.    Try to put this concept into a positive vein.

20.    Try to come up with a practical application from these two verses.

Section Four

21.    Read 1^st Corinthians 7:23-24.  Paul says in this passage each man should remain in the situation God has called him to.  Try and think of five or six situations (lifestyles) where Paul would contradict his own teaching and tell someone to get out of that lifestyle if they came to Christ in it.

22.    Have you ever been in a situation that you knew it was not healthy for you and you knew that God would not want you in it?  If so, please explain and say how you got out of the situation.

23.    How would you help some other woman who became a Christian and was in a lifestyle in which the Lord would want her to move out of it?

24.    Have you ever had to help someone in a situation like this?

Section Five

25.    Read 1^st Corinthians 7:17-24 and try to write a one paragraph explanation of what Paul is trying to teach the Corinthians in this section.

26.    Pretend you are not a Christian but instead are a worldly counselor and someone has come to you who is in a difficult situation in their life.  What do you think your advice to them would be that would be in direct conflict with Paul’s teaching here?

27.    Why is Paul’s advice better and wiser advice than the world’s advice would be?

28. What do you think the Lord wants you to learn from this whole passage?

Fellowship Bible Church     For March 12, 2010

Lesson 22

I Corinthians 7:1-16

In this week’s lesson we will be covering some very sensitive material.  Most likely this material will touch home with several people in our Bible study.  I feel before you answer any questions this week you should ask the Lord to help you be sensitive to others’ feelings.  Grace is a glorious theme.

Let’s get started.

Section One

(1)    Read 1^st Corinthians 7:1-7.  From verse one, why do you think Paul says it is good for a man not to marry, especially since God Himself said it is not good for man to be alone?

(2)    According to verse two, what reason does Paul give for getting married?

(3)    Can you think of other biblical reasons it is good to be married?

(4)    Using verse two, only make a defense of the idea that sex outside of the marriage relationship is a sin.

(5)    From verses three and four, explain what you think Paul is getting at and then explain why this is so important in the marriage relationship.

(6)    Does it bother you that your body does not belong to you alone but also to your husband?

(7)    List several ways in which Satan could tempt someone who has been deprived of sex by their marriage partner.

(8)    What is the one reason that Paul gives for not coming together.

(9)    Have you ever thought about praying with your husband about your sex life and maybe even praying with him before the act?  If you did this, how do you think it might affect your sex life?

Section Two

(10) Read 1^st Corinthians 7:8-9.  Using this passage alone, make another argument as to the concept that sex outside of the marriage relationship is out of God’s will.

(11) What would a non-believer’s answer be to avoid burning with passion?

(12) Some people think God forbids things in order to make life tough on us.  That is not good theology.  God forbids things for our good, to help us and because He loves us and doesn’t want us hurt.  Try to think of five or six reasons why God does not want people having sex outside of the marriage relationship.

(13) At what age do you think it is appropriate to start teaching your children these biblical precepts?

(14) Do you think it is the responsibility of the parent to teach their children about sex and about God’s standards in relationships?  Explain your answer.

Section Three

(15) Read 1^st Corinthians 7:10-11 and Matthew 19:1-15.  According to these two passages combined, what reason does the Bible allow for divorce and remarriage?

(16) Why do you think God is so adamant about people staying in the marriage relationship?

(17) Read 1^st Corinthians 7:15.  Would you say this is another possibility for a divorced person to be remarried?

(18) Can you think of other reasons where a person who has gone through a divorce could biblically get remarried?

(19) Your job is to create a biblical stance on divorce incorporating the glorious theme of grace in your statement.

Sections Four and Five

(20) Read 1^st Corinthians 7:12-16.  In verse 10 Paul says he says something, not the Lord, and in verse 12 he says the Lord says it, not him.  Do you think that means what he says has less significance or do you think he means something else?

(21) According to this passage, what must a person do who is married to a non-believer who wants to stay with them and then give all the reasons why?

(22) Read 2^nd Corinthians 6:14-18.  Would you say this applies to marriages?  In other words, should a believer marry a non-believer?

(23) If you answered yes to question #22, try to think of several different ways a believer could end up getting married to a non-believer.

(24) Verse 14 is a very difficult passage to interpret.  See John 1:12-13 and try to give it a shot at trying to interpret what you think Paul means here.  Include in your interpretation whether or not you think your children are saved just by being associated with you and your salvation.  If you don’t think your salvation saves them, then try to explain what you think Paul does mean here.

(25) According to verse sixteen, what is one possibility of living with a non-believing spouse?

(26) If someone is married to a non-believer, do you think they should continually badger them to come into a saving relationship with the Lord, go to church, repent, quit living in sin or do you think there is a better way?  See 1^st Peter 3:1-6 to help with your detailed explanation.

(27) What do you think is the most significant thing the Lord wants you to learn this week?

Fellowship Bible Church      For March 5, 2010

Lesson 21

I Corinthians 6:12-20

In last week’s lesson Paul reprimanded the Corinthians for suing each other in pagan courts.  He also deemed the reason to be their demand for their own rights to be satisfied.  This is a good lesson for us as well, because we all struggle with a desire for our rights to be satisfied, and when someone else interferes, we get mad.  Paul’s solution is to rather be wronged than demand our rights.

In the world we live in today that advice flies right into the grain, doesn’t it?  We are told not to roll over, not to let someone get the better of us, to set our boundaries, etc. Jesus says to turn the other cheek.  Paul says to be wronged, and not only that, but let that be your preference.  So for most of us, that requires an attitude adjustment.  I will work on my part and you go work on yours.

This week we will be looking at the freedom and restraints we have in Christ and an amazing concept and that is “Christ in us.”  How cool!

Let’s get started.

Section One

1.      Read 1^st Corinthians 6:12-20 and Romans 14:1-4.  Paul says in the Corinthian passage “everything is permissible for me-but not everything is beneficial.”  Based on the context of this passage and the Romans passage, exactly what do you think he means by this statement.  In other words, would it be permissible to kill someone if you got mad at their driving?

2.      Try to think of several things in your own life that are permissible but not beneficial to you and then describe how they are unhealthy.

3.      Try to share with your group ways in which you have been able to have some victory over these unbeneficial things in your life.

4.      Would you be willing to share with the group areas that you have experienced defeat and ask the group to hold you up in prayer?

Section Two

5.      Paul says he “will not be mastered by anything.”  See Romans 7:15-25.  In the Romans passage he clearly is not master over everything, is he?  There is going to be a big press conference and you are Paul’s agent.  Try to explain what Paul meant by these seemingly two contradictory statements.

6.      Read 1^st Corinthians 6:13.  The Greek word translated sexual immorality is a very general term which basically means any type of sexual immorality.  Try to think of at least ten types of sexual immorality that the world falls into today that would most likely appall Paul if he were here, that the world doesn’t even see as sin.

7.      How many of these things do you think the Christian world is becoming immune to as far as seeing it as sexually immoral?

8.      How many of these things are you becoming immune to?

9.      According to this verse, what is the body actually designed for?

10.    What do you think that might look like practically?

11.    Write a paragraph explaining how you and your husband could have a sexually active life in purity with the Lord.

Section Three

12.    In Paul’s day there were many people who held the view that the body would not go to heaven, only the soul.  As a result of that, they came up with a theology that allowed them to do anything they wanted in the body because they said it wasn’t going to heaven anyway, only the soul.  Read 1^st Corinthians 6:14-15. Have you ever thought much about the fact that one day you will be resurrected with the Lord?  Do you think that means that between now and then a person who has passed is in a state of limbo?  Do you think our souls are in heaven and the resurrection just has to do with the body?  Do you think we have some kind of heavenly temporary body?  How do you think God will be able to do all this?  See 1^st Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 and 1^st Corinthians 15 for help and then write out a statement with your own view of how this will all work out.

13.    How does Paul confront the view that the body is insignificant as relates to sin and especially sexual immorality in verse fifteen?

14.    Do you believe the things you do in the body are significant as relates to your walk with the Lord?

15.    If you answered yes, try to list a few things done in the body that affect your walk with the Lord either in a positive way or a negative way.

Section Four

16.    Read 1^st Corinthians 6:15-17.  You have three assignments today.  Your best friend is going through some marital trials and has shared with you she is considering having an extramarital relationship.  Your job is to use these few verses only and share with her how she cannot do this thing.

17.    Your second assignment.  Your job is to talk to a young teenage girl and use these verses to share the biblical reasons why she should not have sex outside of the marriage relationship.

18.    Someone has come to you and read this passage and is devastated because they have had relationships outside of the marriage relationship, either through extramarital affairs or before they were married, and now they feel they have committed a grievous sin before God.  Your task is to use any scripture you want and help them work through this problem.

Section Five

19.    Read 1^st Corinthians 6:18-20.  From verse eighteen, would you say that sexual sins are more significant than other sins?  In other words, are some sins more heinous than others?

20.    According to this verse, how should we combat sexual immorality?

21.    Try and think of some practical ways to do this.

22.    Earlier you listed several things in your life that might master or control you.  How do you think practically you could use the advice in question eighteen to combat these things?

23.    How significant are verses 19-20 to you?

24.    What do you think it means that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?

25.    According to this verse who owns you?

26.    Put this in a positive twist.

27.    How much did it cost God to purchase your body as His new digs?

28.    Read the last sentence of this passage and meditate on it, then write out in a few words what God wants you to do with this right now in your life.

Fellowship Bible Church              For February 26, 2010

 Lesson 20

I Corinthians 6:1-11

In last week’s lesson we saw Paul call the Corinthians to account because they were allowing a believer to sleep with his father’s wife.  Most likely this woman was the man’s stepmother and a non-believer, because he doesn’t hold her accountable and he doesn’t say she is the man’s mother.

The church seemed to be proud they were allowing this behavior, and not only that, but by not dealing with it seemed to almost approve of what was going on.  Is it possible that they had somehow thought by not holding this man accountable they were exercising grace?  We don’t know, but it is not uncommon in the Christian community to confuse true grace with the concept of allowing licentious behavior to masquerade as grace.  When that happens, we end up being ungracious instead of being gracious because we don’t help the person involved in sin to repent and move away from their sin.

Paul had the church expel the man in the hopes that Satan would deal with him and he ultimately would be restored.  The goal of the Christian community should always be restoration.  Is that your goal when someone is caught in sin?

In this week’s study we will see that the Corinthians are battling against each other and they are embarrassing the church of Jesus Christ.  Paul wants this stopped and reprimands them for their inappropriate behavior.  Taking constructive criticism is difficult but it is often good for us.  Can you take that kind of criticism?  If not, maybe asking God to help you not be defensive would be a good place to start.  I feel defensiveness is one of my character defects and I try to remember to ask God each day to help me not be defensive as I start each day.

Let’s start our lesson and see what the Lord wants each of us to learn this week.

Section One

1.  Read 1^st Corinthians 6:1-3.  According to verse one, what seems to be happening in the Corinthian church?

2.  Who do you think the ungodly and the saints are in this passage?

3.  Try to think of five to ten reasons why an unbeliever would not be as qualified to judge a believer as a fellow believer would.

4.  Paul says “if any of you has a dispute with another.” Why do you think Christians have disputes with one another?

5.  According to this passage, who all will you as a Christian judge at some later time?

6.  If angels are sinless, what things do you think you might be judging when it comes to them?

7.  When do you think this time will be when you will be judging the world and angels?

8.   How do you think you are especially qualified to judge other believers just by becoming a Christian?

9.   Paul says that these matters are trivial cases, but some disputes seem so important to us, don’t they?  First of all, explain how all disputes in this life could be seen as trivial and then say how this could put a whole new outlook on disputes that we get into.

Section Two

10. Read 1^st Corinthians 6:4-6.  According to verse four, would you say Paul is saying that the worst Christian is a better judge of Christians than the very best non-Christian judge?  If you answered no, then try to explain what other reasons Paul might have in mind.

11. Read verse five again.  Try to think of at least ten Christians in your church you would be comfortable sitting in as the judge if you wanted to settle a dispute between yourself and another Christian.

12. Do you think it would have been possible there was no one in the church at Corinth that could have been a good judge?

13. Try to think of several reasons people take each other to court.

14. Why should this whole matter have been a shameful one to the Corinthians?

15. Would you be ashamed to have to sue a fellow Christian or vice versa?

16. With verse six in mind, try to think of all the shameful things the Christian church does that embarrasses itself.

17. So far, how do you feel the Lord is convicting you through this passage?

Section Three

18. Read 1^st Corinthians 6:7-8.  According to verse seven, what does Paul say lawsuits among the Corinthians is causing?

19. Do you think he means that even if they had used Christian judges they were “completely defeated?” Before answering, think through these two verses thoroughly.

20. In this passage Paul asks two questions.  What are they?

21. Think of a time in your life when you were truly hurt by another Christian (wronged or cheated).  Now try to say how hard it would be to answer Paul’s question in the affirmative.  In other words, when you were hurt didn’t you want justice done?

22.Can you think of a very famous saying of Jesus that would apply to this situation?

23. In Paul’s question, does he first want an action or a heartfelt attitude concerning this situation?

24. How do you think we as Christians could have this kind of attitude toward acts against us?

Section Four

25.Read 1^st Corinthians 6:9-10.  According to this passage, who will not inherit the kingdom of God?

26.Do you think this is an exhaustive list or a sampling of sinful character defects?

27.If you answered sampling, try to think of some other sinful character traits Paul could have added.  For help see Romans 1:18-32 and Ephesians 4:17-5:20.

28.Paul says that is what some of you were.  This is a convicting verse because most of us still see some of these things in us.  Read Romans 7:21-25 and write a short praise to God for your salvation.

Section Five

29. Read 1^st Corinthians 6:11.  Look up in a Bible dictionary the words sanctified and justified and try to explain what they mean.

30.Are you glad you were washed, sanctified and justified?

Fellowship Bible Church February 19, 2010

Lesson 19

I Corinthians 5:1-13

Last week concluded the first section of the main body of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.  The issue dealt with quarreling, jealousy and factions within the church.  Paul’s final take on the issue was for the Corinthians to grow up and quit acting like babies and to stop all this nonsense.  If you struggle with jealousy, quarreling or creating factions, disharmony or anything like this Paul would give you the same advice.  As we leave a section like this we should grow and learn as a result of our study.  Have you grown?

This week we will begin the second section of the main body of the letter which will take us through chapter six.  In this section Paul deals with three issues-the Corinthians failure to deal with a severe sinner in their midst, failure to dissolve personal disputes properly and failure to practice personal sexual purity.  There are lessons in all three sections for all of us.

Let’s get started.

Section One 

1.      Read 1^st Corinthians 5:1-2.  According to these two verses, try and figure out exactly what the sexual immorality was.

2.      When Paul uses the word pagan, what do you think he has in mind?

3.      According to verse two, what was the root cause of the Corinthian church’s sin of putting up with this?

4.      Try to figure out how pride might have caused them to allow the guy to do this.

5.      As this story unfolds we will see that Paul doesn’t address the woman but only the man’s sin.  Try and think of two or three reasons why he doesn’t.

6.      According to this passage, what emotion should the Corinthians have had over this sin?

7.      Does it grieve you when someone is caught up in a sin or do you have other emotions that are not appropriate? There is a German word called schadenfreude; it means taking pleasure in someone else’s misfortune.  Do you ever experience inappropriate emotions like schadenfreude when someone is involved in sin?

8.      Without gossiping, can you think of times you have been truly grieved over sin?

Sections Two and Three

9.      Read 1^st Corinthians 5:3-5.  Paul says he is with them in spirit.  Try to relate this concept to someone in your life that you love.  What does it look and feel like?

10.  Read Matthew 7:1-5 and 1^st Corinthians 4:2-5, 4:20-21 and 5:3.  These passages seem to contradict themselves.  Try to give a reasonable defense of how we are not to judge and at the same time it seems there are times we are to judge.

11.  Write out a one or two sentence life statement explaining your position on how you will be a judge of some Christians and yet not be judgmental about them.  This is hard.  Take it seriously.

12.  Is it possible that Paul has in mind only the leadership of the church in judging this man and himself as an apostle?  In other words, do you think maybe only people who are actually in a position of leadership are to judge?

13.  What do you think Paul’s purpose in having the man expelled from the church actually was?

14.  Do you think there was possibility for the man to be restored to fellowship with the church at some point in the future, and if so, what would that have looked like?

15.  What do you think he means by the concept of handing him over to Satan?  What is Satan going to be able to accomplish that the church couldn’t?

16.  This whole passage deals with what is nowadays called church discipline.  Do you think churches should exercise church discipline today, and if so, when do you think it is appropriate?

Section Four

17.  Read 1^st Corinthians 5:6-8.  According to verse six, how does Paul feel about boasting?

18.  In what ways do you think the Corinthians might have been boasting about this situation?

19.  How do you think we boast about sin today in the Christian community?

20.  Have you ever been guilty of this yourself?

21.  Explain how “a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough” applies to this story.

22.  Do you think that happens today in the Christian community?  Use some real life examples to defend your position.

23.  In what ways do you think God might be nudging on your heart to give up areas in your life where the yeast is infecting your Christian walk?

24.  Read Romans 6 and give a number of reasons from this passage explaining why we are to move away from sin as we grow in our Christian walks.

25.  Grace and forgiveness is something the Lord requires of us.  How do you think we can be loving, gracious, forgiving people and yet still hold people accountable for their lifestyles and their sins?

Section Five

26.  Read 1^st Corinthians 5:9-13. According to this passage, Paul says we are to associate with the sexually immoral non-Christians but not with sexually immoral Christians. What do you think our view towards non-Christians should be?   Should it be one of love and concern for their salvation?  Should it be hatred towards them?  Should it be indifference?  How do you feel about non-Christians today who don’t live Christian lives?  Do you hate them? Do you talk about them with other Christians dishing them? (for example, political conversations)  Do you send out emails running the non-Christian world down? What is your position?  Do you feel your position about non-Christians lines up with Jesus Christ’s position?

27.  Read John 3:16, Romans 5:8 and Matthew 28:18-20 and give a report of how Jesus feels about the non-Christian world and how you think he wants you and me to feel.

28.  According to these verses, how seriously should we take sin in the Christian community?

29.  Where is the first place you should start examining to see if sin needs to be addressed?  See the Matthew 7:1-5.

30.  Try and write out in one or two paragraphs what you think the Lord wants you to learn from the study this week.

Fellowship Bible Church February 12, 2010

Lesson 18

I Corinthians 4:1-21

In last week’s study Paul encouraged the Corinthians to stop acting like babies.  This whole discussion had centered around the factions that had developed over who to follow - Paul, Apollos, Peter or Christ.  Paul made the point that he and Apollos were just servants and everyone’s foundation should be built on Jesus Christ and Him alone.

In this week’s study we will conclude this section of the letter, which we began way back in 1:10.  Paul will discuss the roles and problems he and others had faced by serving the Lord as apostles.  The word apostle has multiple meanings.  One is to be a messenger and the other is the highest place of office within the church.  Paul was both, whereas Apollos was a messenger.

Today there are no more apostles in the sense of holding the position of apostle within the church.  That was a one-time position held by the twelve and Paul.  Some churches think there are people who hold that position today but that is an error caused by improper interpretation of the scriptures. However, there are apostles in the sense of being a messenger for Christ. You and I are messengers and in that sense we are apostles too.

So if there are no more apostles in the sense of authority, as we read a section that deals with the struggles of Paul as an apostle, we need to ask how we can apply this section to our lives today.  The closest position today of an apostle is a senior pastor in a local church.  Although he doesn’t have the same authority that an apostle did, he does have many of the same responsibilities for his local church and he often deals with many of the same struggles.

So as we approach this chapter, think about your pastor as you review the struggles that Paul and Apollos and the other apostles were going through. He is not the same, but your attitude on how you view him and how you treat him can come from some of the things you learn in this passage.

Let’s get started.

Section One

1.      Read 1^st Corinthians 4:1.  What two things do we learn about apostles from this verse?

2.      Would you say these men deserve the respect of the Corinthian church? As we go through this letter we will discover that Paul does not always get the respect he deserves.  Why do you think that was and why do you think pastors often times don’t get the respect they deserve?  Don’t answer this question based on pastors who really don’t deserve respect but on those who do but don’t get it.

3.      Try and think of four or five ways in which you could show the pastors in your life a certain sense of respect.

4.      Read 1^st Corinthians 4:2.  According to this verse, what must the apostles do with their responsibilities?  Explain what you think this might look like.  See James 3:1 also.

5.      Try and think of several things in your life that the Lord has entrusted to you that you should be proving yourself faithful with.

6.      From all you have learned in your studies so far and from the lectures you have heard on this subject, explain what you think Paul means by “the secret things of God.”

Section Two

7.      Read 1^st Corinthians 4:3-5.  According to verse three, what two types of people does Paul not care if they do or do not judge him?

8.      Why do you think he feels that way?

9.      What do you think Paul means when he says he does not even judge himself?

10.  Sometimes the Bible seems to contradict itself.  What we should do in those cases is ask the Lord to help us marry things that seem contradictory.  In most cases, using good ole common sense and asking the Holy Spirit to guide us helps immensely.  Read 1^st Corinthians 11:23-32 along with this passage and then write a theological statement describing how we should apply judging ourselves or not.

11.  From verse 4 try to explain different situations where we could have a clear conscience and still be guilty of some sin/crime before the Lord.

12.  So do you think this means we should not let our conscience be our guide or is there a better way?

13.  What does Paul say the Lord will do when He comes to judge us?

14.  From verse five, why should we not be afraid of God’s judgment?  See 1^st Peter 1:3-9 and 1^st John 4:16-18.

15.  Explain in your own words what you think it will be like when you stand before the Lord at the time of judgment.

Section Three

16.  Read 1^st Corinthians 4:6-7.  In this passage Paul says don’t go beyond what is written.  We can almost be certain he means scripture when he says what is written.  Try to think of ways in which modern day teachers of God’s word go beyond what is written.

17.  In what ways do you think you might go beyond what is written?

18.  How do you think you could guard against this?

19.  Read 1^st Corinthians 4:8.  In this verse, Paul is using sarcasm and he is being serious all at the same time.  Explain how he is doing both.

20.  In this passage Paul says the Corinthians had (1) become rich, (2) have all that they want, and (3) become kings.  Make three lists of all the different ways you have all you want, become rich and are a queen because of the saving work of Jesus Christ at the cross.

Sections Four and Five

21.  Read 1^st Corinthians 4:9-21.  Paul says it seems like the apostles had been put on display before men and angels.  In what ways do you think he had been put on display?

22.  In what ways do you think pastors and their wives today are put on display?

23.  In what ways do you think this is fair and in what ways do you think it might be unfair?

24.  List all the problems and troubles that Paul and the apostles are going through as church leaders.

25.  What do you think Paul’s warning is about in verse fourteen?

26.  Verse fifteen says the Corinthians have ten thousand guardians in Christ, this means you do too since the letter is to all Christians.  How does that make you feel and who do you think these guardians are?

27.  Do you feel you have ever experienced this guardianship?

28.  Try and think of at least ten things about Paul that you would like to imitate.

29.  Now that you have the list, make another list of how you could specifically do this in your life next week.

30.  In what ways do you think you might be arrogant?

31.  The Bible calls us to be _ _ _ _ _ _ instead. How do you think you might work on this?

32.  Answer Paul’s question in verse 21.

Fellowship Bible Church          February 5, 2010

Lesson 17

I Corinthians 3:1-23

In last week’s lesson Paul explained to the Corinthians they were able to understand spiritual things because they had the mind of God in them by way of the Holy Spirit.  What a blessing and privilege that is, don’t you think? However, with privilege comes responsibility, and ours is to be holy as Paul says.  We are able to understand what the holy life is and we have been given the ability to live that life through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Awesome!

This week Paul will focus on the Corinthians’ immaturity as Christians. Sometimes this is called carnality.  That simply means being a Christian but living like a non-believer.  All of us do that at different times, so this lesson will be good for you whether you are currently living a carnal life or walking in step with the Spirit.

So, let’s get started.

Section One

1.      Read 1^st Corinthians 3:1-4.  The NIV uses the word worldly, whereas the NASB uses the word fleshly, a more literal translation.  What do you think Paul means by fleshly or worldly?  Another word often used here is carnal.

2.      Since Paul says that he could not address them as spiritual, do you think he means they were not saved?  Use scripture from this letter to prove your point.

3.      Paul calls them “mere infants in Christ.”  Do you think it is possible to be a long time Christian and still be a mere infant?  Explain your answer.

4.      What is the cause of Paul’s assumptions about the Corinthians?

5.      In today’s world we might say to someone, “Quit acting like a baby.” These Corinthians were doing just that.  Can you think of different ways that you act like a baby, and if so, would you be willing to share this with your group?

6.      According to this passage, what do we need whenever we are acting like babies?

7.      Milk tastes good and is good even for the mature.  What is some spiritual milk that tastes especially good to you?  For example, I have read Proverbs no telling how many times but I still love to read them over and over.

8.      What do you think the Lord particularly wants you to learn from this passage?

Section Two

9.      Read 1^st Corinthians 3:5-9.  In this passage, Paul calls himself and Apollos several different things.  List each thing he calls them from this passage and then write in one or two sentences what that means or looks like to you.

10.  What gift will Paul and Apollos get from God according to this passage?

11.  Do you think this reward came to them in their lifetimes or when they got to heaven?  Explain your answer.

12.  Read 1^st Corinthians 3:8; Psalm 18:20, 62:12; Matthew 25:21 and 1^st Corinthians 9:17.  Write down something about how you get rewards from each one of these passages.

13.  Write out a statement defending that we are saved by grace, should live under grace but that we receive rewards based on works.

14.  If we get rewards for our good works and service, what do you think our view about working for rewards should be?

15.  What do you think we will do with these rewards?  See Revelation 4 for a possible answer.  How does the Revelation passage make you feel?

BTW, as a point of interest many people call the book of Revelation “Revelations.”  That is a mistake; it is one revelation that God gave John so it is technically “The Revelation.”

Section Three

16.  Read 1^st Corinthians 3:10-15.  According to verse 10, how does Paul feel about the work God has given him?

17.  Do you feel that the work God calls you to is a gift of grace or do you often times resent serving Him? For example, do you enjoy serving in different ways in your church or do you consider it an obligation?

18.  According to Paul what level of builder does he see himself as?

19.  What lesson should we learn from that as relates to our own acts of service for the Lord?

20.  What do you think Paul means in verses 11-12?

21.  Can you think of several types of foundations other than Jesus Christ that people try to build the Christian faith on today?

22.  According to this passage, what will happen to their rewards?

23.  This passage can be a little scary, can’t it?  Based on the context of the passage would you say Paul is talking about the loss of rewards or some other type of judgment as we go into heaven?  See Romans 8:1-4 and your answer to #13 before you answer.

24.  Write out in one or two sentences a working definition of spiritual rewards.

Section Four

25.  Read 1^st Corinthians 3:16-17.  Even though there is a negative statement in this passage, it is one of the coolest statements in the entire Bible as relates to the Christian.  Looking at both verses, write a prayer of thanksgiving to God for what He has done for you and the privilege you have here.

26.  Read 1^st Corinthians 6:19-20 and say what that verse means to you.

27.  Try and think of five positive ways you can honor the temple of God (you) and five negative ways you can honor that temple. By negative I mean things you should get rid of, by positive I mean things you could add into your life. Ex: See Colossians 3:5-17 and Ephesians 4:17-5:15.

28.  Read Romans 12:1-2 and add to your thoughts about being the temple of God.

29.  Write out in a few sentences how you could explain the temple of God thing to a child without being heavy handed but instead in a very positive way that would make them really feel important and good about themselves.  Now consider doing this with a special child in your life.  You could even write them a letter, note or card.

Section Five

30.  Read 1^st Corinthians 3:18-23.  What is Paul getting at in verses 18-20?

31.  In what ways do you think you might see yourself wise in the ways of the world that might not be so good for you?

32.  According to verse 21 and following, what does Paul want them to do?

33.  What was most meaningful to you from your study this week?

Fellowship Bible Church   January 29, 2010

Lesson 16

I Corinthians 2:6-16

In last week’s lesson we saw that the message of the cross was foolish to Gentiles and a stumbling block or repulsive to the Jew, but the power and wisdom of God to those who are being saved.  Hopefully that’s you.  If you have never put your trust in Jesus Christ for salvation you can do that now. All you have to do is believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and surrender your life to Him and you can have life eternally, starting right now.

In this week’s lesson Paul will discuss how believers have a special wisdom that comes from the Holy Spirit of God.  He will speak of a “secret wisdom.” Throughout the centuries Christians have gotten this confused.  There was a group of people in the second and third century called Gnostics who thought this secret wisdom was for an elite group of Christians and that it didn’t come from the Bible but instead from their secret teachings.  This, of course, was heresy and was recognized and rejected by the church early on.

Since then there have been many people who have tried to teach special secret wisdom types of Christianity and this always leads to elitism and heresy.  So one of our jobs this week is to try and understand what the secret wisdom is that Paul is talking about and also understand that it is available to all who call on the name of the Lord.

Elitism in any form is bad.  Examine yourself this week and make sure you don’t have any form of elitism within you.  If you do, own it and then get rid of it.

Let’s get started.

Section One

1.      Read 1^st Corinthians 1:18-2:16.  In verse six, Paul refers to “the mature.”  Some people hold that Paul is referring to mature Christians in contrast to infant Christians, which he definitely does later in the letter, while others hold that Paul is simply contrasting Christians with non-believers or the world.  After looking closely at the passage, say which you think he means and then defend your answer.

2.      In verse six, Paul refers to “the wisdom of this age, or of the rulers of this age.”  Some Bible students hold this is referring to Satan and his demons.  Other Bible students say no - that although Paul definitely sees Satan as a ruler of this age that is not meant here, but instead he is referring to the human or worldly wisdom and human rulers of this age.  Looking closely at the whole passage, say which one you think he means and then defend your answer.

3.      Regardless of how you answered question number one, what do you think a mature Christian looks like?

4.      Would you consider yourself a mature Christian or an infant Christian? When you answer this question, explain your answer and make sure you don’t fall into some type of false humility.

5.      Many people might see themselves as mature in Christ, but almost no one sees themselves as perfect in Christ.  Try and think of four or five areas where you would like to grow in Christ and share these with your group.

Section Two

6.      Read 1^st Corinthians 2:7-10a, Romans 16:25-27 and Ephesians 3:1-6. From these passages and any others you like, try and explain what 1^st Corinthians 2:7 means.

7.      Based on what you have learned and said about this secret and about what Paul means in this passage about mature Christians, would you say this secret wisdom is not a secret anymore to Christians or would you say there is still a secret wisdom out there only available to especially mature Christians?

8.      From verse ten, try to think of at least ten things God has prepared for you as a believer, and out beside each one say how this makes you feel.

9.      According to verse 10a, how does someone receive this secret wisdom?

Section Three

10.  Read 1^st Corinthians 2:10b-12.  Pretend you are a Bible teacher and you are going to explain this little section to your group.  Write out what you would say and then write down a principle to live by from your teaching.

11.  According to this passage, do you think we can surmise that God’s Holy Spirit knows our thoughts?

12.  If you answered yes to this question, how should this affect your thought life?

13.  Would you say that this could mean that God would have a record of your thought life at the judgment of believers?

14.  What do you think Paul means by the phrase “spirit of this world?”

15.  How many different spirits are referred to in this passage?

16.  According to verse twelve, what is at least one purpose of the Holy Spirit?

17.  Can you think of a time in your life when it seemed that God through His Spirit opened up your heart to understand the scripture at a more profound level?  Would you share this with the group?

Section Four

18.  Read 1^st Corinthians 2:13-15.  Paul says in this passage that the spiritual man is not subject to any man’s judgment.  Do you think this means neither believers nor non-believers alike are to judge the spiritual man?

19.  Read Romans 14 and try to explain what this passage in Romans is all about.

20.  Romans 14:4 is an interesting statement.  Some students believe this means that we will stand before the Lord and some will stand and some will fall based on their works as Christians.  Others, however, believe Paul is saying that every believer will not fall because he will stand before God under the banner of the cross.  So in that case, “stand he will” means Christ will make him victorious at the judgment.  What do you think this little verse means?

21.  Taking Romans 14:9-11 and 1^st Corinthians 2:15, write out a statement about what our stance as Christians should be as regards judging others.  In your statement, remember we are forced at different times to stand in judgment over each other. For example, we are called to hold each other accountable for our sins.

Section Five

22.  Read 1^st Corinthians 2:10b-12, 16 and Romans 11:33-36.  Are these passages meaningful to you, and if so, in what way?

23.  Read Job 38-42 and write down everything you cannot know that God knows from this passage.

24.  Read Job 42:1-6.  Do you have these same feelings that Job had after your study today?  In what ways is this passage meaningful to you?

25.  What would you like to tell God after your study this week?

Lesson 15                      For January 22, 2010

I Corinthians 1:18-2:5

In last week’s lesson we looked at some apparent divisions that had sprung up within the church.  Hopefully we were convicted not to be a part of that type of thing.  Hopefully the Corinthians were as well when they received Paul’s letter.

In this week’s lesson Paul will be teaching the Corinthians about how gracious God was to open up their hearts to receive the Lord Christ Jesus.  He will help us see that the world looks at spiritual matters from a different set of lenses than we do as believers.  I think it is a passage that should cause us to think more about the grace of God than we normally do.  I hope you enjoy.

Let’s get started.

Section One

(1)   Read 1^st Corinthians 1:18-2:5.  Divide this passage into four different paragraphs.

(2)   Now write a sentence for each paragraph describing what you think is the central theme of that particular paragraph.

(3)   Now write in one or two sentences what you would hold the central theme of the whole passage is using your four sentences from the previous question, not by looking back at the passage.

(4)   Now write out three or four principles from your study so far.  A principle is a truth you can use as a life lesson.

Section Two

(5)   Read 1^st Corinthians 1:18-19.  Paul uses the phrase “message of the cross.”  Look up the following passages and write out a short concept of the “message of the cross” from these verses.

Romans 3:21-31

Romans 5:6-11

Romans 7:24-25

2^nd Corinthians 5:16-21

Galatians 3:13-14

Hebrews 9:11-14

Hebrews 10:1-18

(6)   Now write in your own words what the “message of the cross” is.

(7)   Are you grateful for God’s gift to you of the cross?

Section Three

(8)   Read 1^st Corinthians 1:20-25.  Can you think of some examples of how the “wisdom of the world” is really foolish?

(9)   A philosopher is a person who determines things by chiefly speculative means.  How do people today philosophize about God?  In other words, how do they invent the God of their choosing?

(10)  What is the danger of inventing your own God?

(11)  Try and explain how the cross and Christ crucified would be a stumbling block to Gentiles because it seems foolish.

(12)  How do Christians sometimes fall into the trap of demanding miraculous signs from God to strengthen or grow our faith?

(13)  Paul says that the cross and Christ crucified is a stumbling block. Do you think we should try and couch the gospel message in a way that it would be more palatable to people today?

Section Four

(14)  Read 1^st Corinthians 1:26-31.  Paul asks the Corinthians to think of what they were before they were called, that means saved.  Can you think of what you were before you were saved and share this with the ladies?

(15)  When Paul says that not many were wise, influential or noble, do you think this means that some were?

(16)  Explain why we should never boast about our salvation.  See Ephesians 2:8-9 and Romans 3:27-31.

(17)  According to verse 31 of the Corinthian passage, what should we boast about?

(18)  Write out a boastful statement about your salvation.

Section Five

(19)  According to this passage, what kind of emotional state was Paul in when he arrived in Corinth?

(20)  Skim Acts 16 through 17 and try and explain why Paul would have been in this state.

(21)  Have you ever been discouraged about your own ministry, wanted to give up or been afraid to go on?  If so, please share this time with your group.

(22)  What did Paul decide to do when he arrived in Corinth?

Most scholars believe that the church in Corinth became a mega church for those days.

(23)  Would you say Paul’s decision about how to preach the gospel was a good one?

(24)  Back to the question, should we change the way we present the gospel for today’s culture?  Do you think the message of the cross is still a good one today?

(25)  What do you think God wants you to learn this week?

Lesson 14                        For January 15, 2010

I Corinthians 1:10-17

Last week we studied Paul’s introductory remarks to the Corinthians.  It is interesting that he was so thankful for them, for their spiritual blessings and gifts and how well prepared he claimed they were for ministry, because now he is going to spend the next six chapters railing on them for immature Christian behavior.

Paul has received a letter from the Corinthians that asks numerous questions, which he will answer beginning in chapter seven.  However, he also seems to have heard some very disturbing reports about their current church lifestyle, probably from the party delivering the letter, and so he will address these issues first.  These issues are dealt with in the first six chapters (see 7:1).

Each one of these items are right on target for our current trends and culture of today.  For me anyway, I am convicted at every turn of the letter.  In today’s study we will deal with the issue of divisions within the church.  I hope it is helpful for you as you work through the study.

Let’s get started.

Section One

1.      Read 1^st Corinthians 1:10-17.  From your first reading, write out a short paragraph describing the problem the Corinthians had gotten themselves into.

2.      Now write a short story of how that might look in a modern day church. The story might begin, “In Clunkersville, Texas the Church of Love had a falling out over…”

3.      Now write a short letter to the church admonishing them for their behavior and give them three or four assignments that should help them overcome their sin.

Section Two

4.      Read 1^st Corinthians 1:10-12.  In this passage, Paul uses the word brother or brothers twice.  Brother or sister in Christ is a well used metaphor in the Bible.  Write out in several paragraphs why this is such a wonderful concept.  Think about how brothers and sisters relate to each other in a real family.  Think about what causes them to have this relationship.

5.      Picture in your mind’s eye a Sunday morning at your church.  Think of all the people you see there on a regular basis.  People you love and those that irk you.  Do you think of these Christians as your brothers and sisters, really?  If you did actually think this way how might this change the way you treated them?  How might it affect whether we looked up to one another or looked down upon each other, whether we judged them or not?

6.      Make a list of four or five people in your Christian community that you don’t view or treat like a brother or sister that the Lord might like you to do just that.  Ask God to help you change your view of them.

7.      Try and think of three or four practical ways in which you might begin to treat these people like a brother or sister in Christ.

Section Three

8.      Read 1^st Corinthians 1:11.  Pretend you are a Bible commentator.  Your job is to write a short commentary defending the view that Chloe’s relatives were the people who delivered the letter Paul received from the Corinthians that prompted this letter to them (see 7:1).  Include in this argument how Chloe’s relatives might have told Paul about all the problems he has heard about.

9.      Read 1^st Corinthians 1:13-17.  Paul puts in parenthesis that he also baptized “the household of Stephanas.”  It is almost like someone was right there reminding him.  It most likely was not Chloe’s household, because they are probably not there as he pens this letter.  Who do you think might have reminded him of this?  Hint: you should be able to get this from your studies in Corinthians so far.

If you figured these two questions out you did well.  These are the types of questions that dig a little deeper than normal.

10.  From verse twelve, what do you think was behind these divisions of some following Paul and some following Apollos?  Read Acts 18:24-28.

11.  Have you ever seen anything like this happen in a church you attended?

12.  Have you ever been part of this kind of disunity?

Section Four

13.  Look up the word self-righteous in a dictionary and/or out on the internet.  After having done this, write out your own definition of self-righteousness.

14.  There is a theory that no one sees themselves as self-righteous.  Why would this be so?

15.  Read 1^st Corinthians 1:12.  In this verse, there were some that said they were following Christ.  How might this have seemed to be a very righteous statement but instead really have been a very self-righteous statement?

16.  Do you think you could have convinced these people they were being self-righteous?  Defend your answer.

17.  Can you think of other ways people say and do very self-righteous things that are designed to appear righteous?

18.  What could God be teaching us all through today’s study?

Section Five

19.  Reread 1^st Corinthians 1:10.  This is a sticky statement on Paul’s part. Do you think Paul means there is never to be any disagreement amongst Christians on any matters?

20.  How do you think this statement fits in with all the different denominations among the protestant faith and all the different views on things like tongues, can you lose your salvation, what about end times, etc.

21.  Read Galatians 1:6-10 and try and explain how Paul could hold both teachings.

22.  Sometimes we get so technical when looking at biblical statements like this one, which is what I am doing now in the previous three questions, that we often overlook the very practical point the Bible is making.  Try and come up with a very practical principle to live by that you can write out in two or three sentences that would fit for you in how you are going to live within your own church.

Lesson 13                               January 8, 2009

I Corinthians

This study will begin our studies in 1^st Corinthians.  Paul started the church in Corinth on his second missionary journey.  Corinth was in a Roman province known as Achaia in Greece.  Corinth was a very immoral city where idol worship was the theme of the day.  There was a saying in those days called “to Corinthianize,” which basically meant to be sexually immoral.  Since sexual immorality was prevalent anyway during those years, if someone viewed you as a Corinthianizer you were really impure.

Much of the immorality that was so prevalent in those days was a result of the way the Greeks and the ancients went about worshipping their gods.  For instance, there was a lot of temple prostitution that went on.  This was for the purpose of appeasing the different gods and getting them to do what you wanted from them.  There were over 1,000 temple prostitutes in the goddess Artemis’ temple.  BTW, there were both male and female prostitutes in many of the temples.

Many of the people that came to Christ and joined the church came out of this type of background.  In other words, they were very immoral.  And their views of right and wrong and even how you were to worship God were much skewed.  As a result, Paul had a lot to overcome and the Corinthian church, although a real blessing to Paul, was also his biggest headache.

Paul either wrote three or four letters to the Corinthians.  Only two have survived and both of them found their way into the Bible.  Both letters are highly pragmatic and deal with all types of life issues.  So the letters teach us not only about God, but also teach us a lot about how we are to live.  We will definitely not finish the letter this semester.  Towards the end of the year, we can talk about whether to stop our study and pick it up next fall or whether the church should keep studying it through the summer once the ladies Bible study breaks for the year.

Let’s get started.

Section One

(1)   Read 1^st Corinthians 1:1.  From this verse, who is the letter from?
 

(2)   Look up the word apostle in a Bible dictionary or on the internet and write out a working definition of this word.  Like many words, apostle has more than one meaning.  After discovering all you can about this particular word, which meaning do you feel Paul has in mind when he addresses himself as an apostle?

(3)   According to this passage, how did Paul come to be an apostle?

(4)   Cross-reference Sosthenes and discover all you can about him.  What seems particularly inspiring to you about this man?

(5)   Can you relate to Sosthenes’ story in any way in your own life?  If so, please share this with the group.

Section Two

(6)   Read 1^st Corinthians 1:2-3.  From these two verses, to whom is the letter addressed?  Be thorough.

(7)   Would you say from this passage this letter is to you?  If so, list four things about yourself from these two verses.

(8)   Look up the words sanctified and holy in a Bible dictionary or on the internet and after making your notes on these two words, write out your own definition of what they mean.

(9)   Now write out a personal statement of how you will view yourself as a sanctified person and what it specifically looks like for you to live the sanctified and holy life.

(10)  Do you feel you are receiving God’s grace and that you are at peace with God?  Don’t just say yes or no but elaborate on this question.

Section Three

(11)  Read 1^st Corinthians 1:4-9.  According to verse 4, how often does Paul thank God for the Corinthians salvation?

(12)  Make a list of ten people you either pray for or should be praying for.

(13)  Read Romans 1:8, Ephesians 1:15-20, 3:14-19, Philippians 1:3-11, Colossians 1:3-14, 1^st Thessalonians 1:2-3, 2^nd Thessalonians 1:3-12 and Philemon 4-7.  From these passages, make a list of worthy things to pray for your friends and loved ones.

(14)  Now make your own list of things you ought always to pray for when you pray for your ten people and then sit down and pray that prayer for them.

Section Four

(15)  Read 1^st Corinthians 1:4-9.  In this passage, Paul says the Corinthians have been enriched in every way.  From this passage, list all the different ways the Corinthians had been enriched.

(16)  Now go back and list the things he has already said about them that would have been enrichments.

(17)  Read Romans 12:3-8, Ephesians 4:9-13 and 1^st Corinthians 12:27-31 and make a list of all the different gifts found within the body of Christ.

(18)  You have at least one of these gifts and possibly three or four.  Which of these gifts do you feel the Lord has enriched you with?

(19)  How are you currently using the gift God has given you?

(20)  Can you think of times in your life when another believer has used their gifts to enrich your life?  If so, would you share this with your group?

(21)  How does it make you feel that God enriches you through the Lord Jesus Christ?

Section Five

(22)  Read Ephesians 1:8-9.  What do you think it means that God will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ?  See also Philippians 1:6.

(23)  According to this passage, how much part do you play in keeping strong?

(24)  There are many other verses in the Bible that call us to be strong or keep strong.  See Philippians 2:12-18.  Try and explain this paradox that God does the work and yet somehow we play a part in our sanctification process.

(25)  What do you think is meant by “the day of our Lord Jesus Christ?”

(26)  What does being in fellowship with Jesus Christ mean to you?

(27)  The Bible says that God is faithful even when we are faithless because He cannot disown Himself (2^nd Timothy 2:13).  How does that help you in your walk with the Lord?

(28)  Look back over your study this week and try and say what was most meaningful to you.

Lesson 12                     December 11, 2009

The Birth of Jesus

This will be our last study for the year 2009.  As stated earlier, we will start studying 1^st Corinthians when we begin again next year in early January.  This week we will focus on the birth of Jesus as told in the gospel according to Luke and John.  As you study, be thankful for what God did for you through the incarnation of the second person of the Trinity.

Let’s get started.

Section One

(1)   Read Luke 1:1-4.  From this passage, Dr. Luke (the author) says he received his information from eyewitnesses about the Lord.  Who do you think might have been some of the eyewitnesses he talked to concerning the birth of Jesus and John the Baptist?

(2)   Read Luke 2:19.  If Mary was one of Luke’s eyewitnesses, what things do you think she would have told Luke that would have been most beneficial that almost no one else could have told him?

(3)   Try to think of what that scene would have been like when Luke was interviewing Mary the mother of God about her experience and all that happened.

(4)   From verse three, what are some of the words Luke uses to describe how his gospel was presented?

(5)   According to verse four, what is the most important thing Luke wants his friend Theophilus to know?

(6)   According to this passage, when does Luke begin his report about the incarnation?

(7)   Write out in one or two sentences what are the most important points of this passage.  Before you do this, spend about ten minutes pondering or meditating on the passage.

Section Two

(8)   Read Luke 1:26-28.  According to this passage, God sent the angel Gabriel to give Mary a message.  What do you think it would be like to have a visit from an angel?  See Luke 1:12, Luke 2:9-10, Daniel 10:2-12 and Isaiah 6:1-7.  From each one of these passages write out one or two things we can observe about their encounters and about the angels.

(9)   From this passage, write down everything you can learn about Mary.

(10)  If you have an expository word dictionary, look up the word favor and try to say what the angel means when he says she is highly favored.  If you don’t have this book, see what you can discover on the internet or in the amplified Bible.

(11)  Would you say that the Lord has favored you in your life?  If you said yes, try to list a few of the more significant ways in which He has favored you.

Section Three

(12)  Read Luke 1:29-38.  Make a list of everything the angel says about the coming Messiah and then say how that particular thing might have significance.

(13)  According to this passage, how will Mary, a virgin, conceive this baby? See Matthew 1:18.

(14)  Why do you think it is important that the Messiah was both man and God?  See Romans 5:12-21 and Romans 3:23.

(15)  Are you glad that God saved you and not just some ordinary man?  See John 3:16.

(16)  Read Luke 1:34 and 37.  Is it comforting to you that “nothing is impossible with God?”

(17)  Try to think of things in your life that you are powerless over that you could turn over to God, because He is clearly not powerless over them.  (question continued on next page)

Make a list and then ask God to take these problems over for you. Remember what the angel said to Daniel. “From the moment you began to pray, God heard.”

Section Four

(18)  Read Luke 2:1-7 and Micah 5:2.  God knew five hundred years earlier where Jesus would be born.  Micah prophesied this for us and many people in those days also knew.  Do you think God intervened in Caesar Augustus’ mind to cause him to issue this decree or do you think this was a result of God’s foreknowledge of what Augustus would do?

(19)  Do you think God ever directs your steps, which would mean sometimes you really don’t have as much freewill as you might think?

(20)  Do you think God knows in advance the decisions you will make in the future?

(21)  There is a new theology going around called “process theology” or “open theology” that holds that God chooses not to know what man will do and never intervenes in his free will.  How does this passage disagree with one or both of these concepts?

(22)  Would you rather God give you complete freedom or would you rather God get so involved in your life that sometimes He actually directs your every step?

Section Five

(23)  Read Luke 2:8-20.  From verses 8-11, list all the things that were good about the news the angels brought to the shepherds.

(24)  Shepherds were considered the lowliest of all people in those days. Why do you think God chose to tell them first?  How does that make you feel?

(25)  Pretend you were there that night.  Try to describe to a friend what the event reported in verses 13-14 would have been like.

(26)  What did the shepherds do after they left the manger?  What do you think we should do with the information we have about Jesus?  Who will you take this news to in 2010?  Be specific.

(27)  From verse 19, what do you think that night was like for Mary?

Lesson 11

Thankfulness

In this week’s lesson we will be doing a study on thanksgiving.  Most of you know I am a member of Alcoholics Anonymous.  A.A. oftentimes holds discussion meetings where people share on selected topics.  Sometimes it could be about recovery or one of the twelve steps, our powerlessness over alcohol or even troubled times we had during our drinking days.  One topic that comes up in the rotation is gratitude, or in other words thanksgiving. Interestingly, that meeting is often our shortest meeting because people don’t have much to say.  That’s incredible because a recovering or sober alcoholic should be one of the most grateful people in the world.

I’m not sure why we don’t share much on this topic.  Maybe people enjoy focusing on the negative more than the positive, but that shouldn’t be, should it?  I want to challenge you this week to make this study one of your more meaningful meetings because as a Christian you have more to be thankful for than anyone.

Let’s get started.

Sections One and Two

It seems to me one of the foremost things we should be thankful for is our salvation.  Let’s look at some of the things we receive as a result of our salvation.  BTW, these are just some of the things.

(1)   Read Ephesians 1:3-14.  In this passage Paul speaks of about fifteen to twenty things we receive as a result of our salvation.  Make a list of everything you can find.  Out beside each item look up in a dictionary, Bible dictionary or from the internet the meanings of each one.  Then say why you should be thankful.

(2)   Read 1^st Peter 1:3-9 and do the same assignment as question #1.

(3)   Read Romans 3:21-26, Romans 8:1-4 and 9, 26-39 and do the same.

Section Three

(4)   In today’s study you will write a psalm for your group and for yourself. Read Psalm 136:1-9 and use it as the beginning of your psalm, then finish the psalm with your thanksgivings. Ex: for me the 10^th verse might say, “To Him who delivered me from my alcoholism; His love endures forever.”  Remember this is your psalm to the Lord, so do a good job.

Section Four

(5)   In today’s study give thanks to God for your family.  Make a list of all the wonderful things you love about all the members of your family. Call them or write them a note and tell them how thankful you are for them.  Then bow down before God and thank Him for your family.

Section Five

(6)   “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good.  His love endures forever.” Break this verse down and say exactly what it means to you.

Bible Study Questions November 20, 2009

Lesson 10     

Acts 19:23-20:38

In this week’s lesson we will complete most of Paul’s third missionary journey.  This will conclude our studies in the book of Acts.  I recommend that you go ahead and read the rest of the book on your own over the Christmas holidays.  Make some notes or ask yourself some questions as you go through the final chapters of the book.

I hope you have enjoyed this study and I hope you know a lot more about the history of the first century church as a result of your study.

For the rest of our study in 2009, we will do a one week study on Thanksgiving and then a couple of weeks on the birth of Jesus.  Then you will take a break and come back a couple of weeks after the New Year begins.  At that time we will start a study in 1^st Corinthians.

Let’s get started.

Section One

1.     Read Acts 19:17-31.  List all the reasons you can find as to why the non-believers of Ephesus were so disturbed that the believers were spreading the gospel message.
 

2.     Look up the goddess Artemis in a Bible dictionary or on the computer and describe who she was and how she was worshipped.

3.     Read Exodus 20:1-6 and Matthew 6:19-24.  List several ways in which this community was out of God’s will based on the passages you just read.

4.     How do you think people today get out of God’s will in similar ways?

5.     Can you think of ways in which you are tempted to fall into some type of similar sin?

6.     Why do you think it was so important to the believers that Paul not get involved in this?

Section Two

7.     Read Acts 19:32-40.  From verses 32-34, what was the condition of the assembly and why were the people in this state?

8.     According to verse 34, what did the crowd end up doing for two hours?

9.     Do you think it is easy to get caught up in what is called “group think” and end up doing something that is clearly out of the will of God?

10. Have you ever participated in something like that in your life, and if so, how did you feel later or what lesson did you learn?

11.  According to verse 35, who quieted the crowd down?

12. Do you think he was a believer?  Review the rest of the passage before answering.

13. Have you ever had God come to your rescue through someone who doesn’t even believe in Jesus?  If so, could you share your story?

14.  Looking at the whole story, what lessons do you think the Lord wants us to learn?  Be sure and take the whole passage (19:17-41).

Section Three

15. Read Acts 20:1-6.  Make a chart of all of Paul’s companions and show the churches and cities from which they came.

16. It seems that Paul’s mission entourage is growing.  How do you think this made Paul feel?

17. Trace on a map everywhere Paul went in this section.  Make a chart of each place that Paul started a church and then say on which journey he started each church.

18.Paul is leaving behind a pretty good legacy, wouldn’t you say?  Without being modest, try and say some of the ministries that you have left your fingerprints on.

19.How does it make you feel that you have had an influence on other ministries and other people?

Section Four

20. Read Acts 20:7-12.  From this passage, exactly how long did Paul end up teaching the people?

21.Do you think these people were glad or mad that Paul took up so much of their time?

22.What lesson can we learn from this today?

23.Read Acts 20:13-16.  Trace everywhere Paul goes in this little section.

24.Why is Paul in a hurry and why do you think he was so interested in celebrating this Jewish holiday if he wasn’t under the Law of Moses any longer?

25.Do you think there are things we can do today that are no longer required of us but are still worshipful and rewarding for us?  If so, try and think of some of these things.

26.If you shared some things in question 25, now share how you use them to benefit your spiritual walk.

Section Five

27.Read Acts 20:17-38.  As you read through this passage, which is a very relational passage, try and say which things are especially meaningful to you.

28.From verses 17-21, which things about Paul are most meaningful to you and which ones would you like most to emulate in your life?

29.In verses 22-24, Paul tells us what task the Lord wants him to complete and how important it is to him.  Describe the words he uses to say how important it is to him.

30.What task or tasks do you think God wants you to do in this life and how important are they to you?  In other words, do you feel you have a life mission?

31.From verses 25-27, why is Paul able to say he feels no responsibility for someone not coming to Christ?

32.Have you ever had the feeling God wanted you to share Christ with some one person in particular?

33.From verses 28-31, what challenges does Paul give the elders in Ephesus?

34.Who in your life do you feel Paul might give you this charge to watch over?

Bible Study Questions    November 13, 2009    

Lesson 9            

Acts 19:1-22

Last week we saw Paul conclude his second mission journey and begin his third journey.  We met Apollos and saw that he knew a lot about the scriptures and a lot about Jesus, but had not been indoctrinated to the concept of the Holy Spirit.

Priscilla and Aquila gave him further instruction and then he went off to Corinth and most likely became the senior pastor in that church.  We will meet him again next year because we are going to start studying the first letter Paul wrote to the Corinthians.

This week we will see Paul travel to Ephesus and begin serving the Lord there.  Paul will stay there for some time and this was probably the place where he spent the vast majority of this third journey.  Paul will basically host a seminary class for the church there.  How cool it would have been to sit under Paul’s teaching for a long period of time, to be able to ask questions and be in conversation with him.  We will see a glimpse of this period in today’s study.

Let’s get started.

Section One

1.        Read Acts 19:1-7.  In an earlier study we talked extensively about the concept of being a disciple.  We talked about true disciples and about seekers.  Paul asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed.  Reviewing this passage, exactly what do you think they had believed up until the time Paul met them?

2.        Write out a summary statement of what you believe is entailed in the word disciple when the Bible uses it.  In other words, does this always mean true believers or not?

3.        Would you say they had a genuine conversion experience before Paul explained the whole gospel message to them?  See Romans 8:9 to help with your answer.

4.        Would you say there are people that God is preparing to become true believers but have not yet been truly converted?  If your answer was yes, would you say these men would have fit in this category?

5.        Why do you think the men spoke in tongues and prophesied when they received the Holy Spirit?

6.        Do you think it is necessary to speak in tongues or prophesy today in order to become a born again Christian?  Explain your answer.

Sections Two and Three

7.        Read Acts 19:8-10.  It is interesting that Dr. Luke says Paul spoke about the kingdom of God instead of saying he proclaimed the gospel. “Kingdom of God” terminology is a very hotly debated topic in theological circles.  We won’t resolve all the issues about it today but it might be good to think about it some.  Some people hold that whenever this phrase is used it is talking almost always about the future millennial kingdom, others that the kingdom of God is the church and still others that the phrase is like an umbrella that includes every area of God’s domain.  Also included in this discussion is whether or not the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven are synonymous or whether they are speaking of two different things.  So look up the following verses and write out something about each one. Use this as a time of worshiping your King.

Matthew 4:17

Matthew 4:23

Matthew 5:3

Matthew 5:10

Matthew 5:19-20

Matthew 6:10

Matthew 12:28

Matthew 13:1-58

Mark 1:5

Mark 4:11-12

Mark 4:26-34

Luke 1:29-33

Luke 7:28

Luke 9:1-2

Matthew 25:31-46

Luke 23:42-43

John 3:3

John 18:36-37

Acts 1:3-8

Acts 28:23-31

1st Corinthians 15:20-28

1^st Corinthians 15:50-58

Ephesians 5:3-7

Revelation 11:15

This is a very short sampling of kingdom terminology.

8.        Now write out in a few short sentences what you think the kingdom of God is and all that it encompasses.

Section Four

9.        Read Acts 19:8-16. How long did Paul teach while he was in Ephesus?

10.   Today you are going to Paul’s Bible study.  Everyone has been assigned the task of asking Paul three questions.  What are your three questions?  They can be about him, his travels, his experiences or they can be Bible questions, anything you like.  This is a big opportunity.  What are you going to ask?

11.   Why do you think God gave Paul such miraculous successes?

12.   From verses 13-16, what do you think we should learn?

Section Five

13.   Read Acts 19:17-22.  What happened as a result of the demons beating up the seven sons of Sceva, according to this passage?

14.   Why do you think there was such transformation, repentance and church growth as a result of this event?

15.   Many people today criticize the church for not holding up the holiness of God and Christ and instead watering down the gospel.  The holiness of God is the idea of His wrath and hatred toward sin and how we should fear Him when we do sin.  In other words, the criticism is kind of like we have tamed God to the extent that He is not held up in honor of His majesty and wonder.  We sing of the wonder of His grace, but we miss the depth of His grace because we overlook or play down His wrath and holiness, His absolute abhorrence of sin.  Try to explain how understanding God’s holiness, wrath and the fear of God should help us appreciate the cross at a deeper level and how teaching in the church today about God’s holiness could actually cause the church to grow.

Bible Study Questions  November 6, 2009  

Lesson 8            

Acts 18:18-28

In last week’s lesson we saw Paul go to Corinth.  He stayed there for over one and a half years.  When he arrived in Corinth he was afraid, weak and discouraged.  God, however, sent him encouragement through several different sources: first, through Aquila and Priscilla; second, through his traveling companions Silas and Timothy; and last of all, through a first hand revelation from God Himself telling him not to be afraid.  How cool!

All of us need encouragement from time to time, don’t we?  All of us find ourselves afraid and discouraged from time to time, don’t we?  And God does encourage us as we serve Him, doesn’t He?  I bet God has encouraged you in many different ways at different times in your life.  I bet He has used you as a means of encouragement for others as well.

However, often times we miss what He has done for us, through friends or other avenues of encouragement.  Before you start this week’s study look back over your life and reflect on different ways and times in which the Lord has encouraged you.  Think about times you might have been an encouragement to others and how this might have happened as a result of God’s sovereign grace in someone else’s life.  Then spend some time thanking God that He would stoop down and engage in your emotions and also that He would use you to help someone else in a time of need.

This week we will see Paul leave Corinth and continue on his journey.  He will meet a new friend.  And he will even begin a new journey.  Life is full of journeys and you are on one too as you do your study each week.

So let’s get started.

Section One

1.        Read Acts 18:18-22, Acts 21:17-26 and Numbers 6.  Before you read these passages, look up in a Bible dictionary and discover what a Nazirite vow was.  From the Bible passages and your dictionary study, write out a working definition of the Nazirite vow.

2.        Why do you think Paul took this vow?

3.        What would be similar to a Nazarite vow in the Christian world today?

4.        Have you ever participated or do you participate in some type of setting aside or discipline that is like this vow Paul did in your life, and if so, could you share the purpose and the outcomes?

5.        Before leaving this topic, do you think there is anything you should be willing to cut out of your life for a period of time in order to more clearly focus on and worship the Lord?

Sections Two and Three

6.        Read Acts 18:18-22.  Looking at a Bible atlas, trace all the places Paul went in these verses.  Try and discover about how many miles this would have been.

7.        From your research in the previous question, what significant event ended?

8.        The Jews wanted Paul to stay on in Ephesus but he declined.  What did he say would need to happen in order for him to return and teach them?

9.        Read Acts 19:1 and say if it turned out to be God’s will for Paul to return to Ephesus.

10.   Read Matthew 6:10.  How do you think God’s will is done differently in heaven than it is here on earth?

11.   How is God’s will done differently in your life than it is in heaven?

12.   Read Matthew 6:10.  Rephrase this verse and make it very personal, for example, “Lord may your will be done in my child’s life as it is done in heaven.”

13.   Write out a statement that describes how we can know what God’s will is in different circumstances in our life.

14.   Can you think of times in your life when you worried that God’s will was going to be very different than what you wanted?  Were you willing to accept God’s will?

15.   Read Matthew 26:36-46.  Try and think of all the things you can that ended up being better for Jesus and the world as a result of Jesus submitting to the Father’s will instead of not going to the cross, which is what He wanted to do.

Section Four

16.   Read Acts 18:23. From your atlas and your previous studies of Acts, try and trace all the places Paul would have gone.

17.   According to this passage, what was Paul doing in each one of these places?

18.   What all do you think the term “strengthened the disciples” actually entailed?

19.   Try and think of five or six things in your Christian walk that could use some strengthening.

20.   Write down as many people as you can that are in your life that you think the Lord might want you to strengthen.  This could be your children, friends, someone you led to the Lord, a co-worker, etc.

21.   Each one of those people most likely need to grow in different ways. Out beside each of these people you wrote down, try to make a list of things they might need that would strengthen their walk with God.

22.   Now write down a plan in which you will try and accomplish this strengthening.

Section Five

23.   Read Acts 18:24-28.  Make a list of everything this passage tells you about Apollos.

24.   According to this passage, what did Aquila and Priscilla do for Apollos?

25.   According to verse 27, do you think he was prepared to go into ministry after this couple had helped him along in his theology?

26.   Look on a map and see what significant city is in Achaia.

27.   Read 1^st Corinthians 1:10-17 and try and say what problem cropped up later for both Paul and Apollos.

28.   Have you ever been guilty of comparing ministry skills of one pastor to another or of setting someone up against another?  How do you think God feels about this?

29.   Read verse ten of the Corinthian letter and then write out a philosophical statement on avoiding divisions and divisiveness.

Bible Study Questions      October 30, 2009

Lesson 7            

Acts 18:1-17

In last week’s lesson we left Paul in Athens.  He was alone because he had left Timothy and Silas in Berea, presumably building and growing that church in the Lord, and from the tense of the grammar in Acts it seems Dr. Luke had stayed in Philippi.  Paul preached the gospel in the Athens synagogue and then gave a very intellectual sermon at the Areopagus to the intellectual philosophers.  He won a few people to Christ in Athens, but it seems he did not start a church there and enjoyed less success than he did in most other places.  He also experienced no physical persecution and basically no persecution at all.

He will now leave Athens and go to Corinth, where he will preach and teach for quite some time.  However, before he does, he will need some encouragement, as we will find him down in the dumps.  His encouragement will come from the greatest encourager of all.  Paul will also meet a couple who will become lifelong friends and fellow workers in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.

There are quite a few lessons for us to learn this week, so let’s get started.

Section One

1.        Read Acts 18:1-4, 18:24-26, Romans 16:3, 1^st Corinthians 16:19 and 2^nd Timothy 4:19.  Try to discover as many different things as you can about Priscilla and Aquila.
 

2.        From question 1, what things about this couple do you particularly like about them and what things would you like to emulate in your life?

3.        It would have been almost unheard of in Paul and Luke’s day to address a couple with the woman’s name listed first.  However, we see on several different occasions Priscilla is listed first.  Why do you think this was so?

4.        Paul is often times seen by the feminist movement as a chauvinist. Read Galatians 3:28-29 and take the passages you have looked at today and in a few sentences make a defense that Paul might have been seen as a feminist in his day and a great defender of women’s rights within the church.

Section Two

5.        Read Acts 18:1-6.  According to this passage, how did Paul earn his living?

6.        Does it appear to you that Paul quit making tents after Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia?

7.        Read 2^nd Corinthians 11:7-12.  Taking our Acts passage of today and the 2^nd Corinthian passage, try and describe how Paul survived while he was in Corinth for the year and a half that he was there.

8.        Why do you think he had to live that way or that he chose to live that way in this particular town and church? See 1^st Corinthians 3:1-4 for help.

9.        Do you think today we should be willing to go to extra efforts to help immature Christians grow in their faith?

10.   Can you think of someone who might have sacrificed for you when you were immature and needed some special attention?  Can you think of someone in your life right now that the Lord might want you to go the extra mile for in order to minister to them?

Section Three

11.   Read Acts 18:7-11, 1^st Corinthians 2:1-5 and 2^nd Corinthians 11:23-33 (several of the things listed in the last passage had not happened to Paul at the time of his ministry in Corinth but many of them had). Beginning in Acts 15:36 and going all the way through Acts 18:6, try and list as many different reasons as you can as to why Paul might have been weak, trembling and afraid.  Include in this the possible theory we postulated last week about Paul’s sermon to the Athenians.

12.   Have you ever been afraid, weak or discouraged as a result of trying to serve the Lord or lead a Christ-centered life?