Friendly Bible Study - participants must agree to Nicene Creed.

[Rita]

Ephesians chapter 6 comes to mind though , it often reminds me who is the true enemy and often as not we put an emphasis on the so called ‘ evil men ‘ but forget that they are being used by those in the spiritual realm to achieve the destruction of Gods people. Are those men equally blind of what they are truly doing ?

Just adding it in to the mix as this passage of scripture came into my thoughts as I reflected on what has been added to the thread xxxx

 

[Carl Emerson]

Ephesians chapter 6 comes to mind though , it often reminds me who is the true enemy and often as not we put an emphasis on the so called ‘ evil men ‘ but forget that they are being used by those in the spiritual realm to achieve the destruction of Gods people. Are those men equally blind of what they are truly doing ?

Just adding it in to the mix as this passage of scripture came into my thoughts as I reflected on what has been added to the thread xxxx

Good question, My guess is that some are and some aren't.

One aspect of being deceived is that deception blinds you to it's bondage.

 

[Carl Emerson]

OK study 3...

The Name of Jesus.

Scriptures to read.

Luke 2:21

Eph 1:19-23

Phil 2:9-10

Acts 4:17-19

Acts 4:29-31

Acts 5:39-41

Acts 8:12

Acts 19:11-17

Acts 26:8-10

1 Corinthians 5:4

John 17:6

John 17:11-12

John 17:26

Consider the meaning of the name.

Consider where the name came from.

Consider what "in the name of Jesus" means.

Consider what the disciples were forbidden to do.

Consider that the Name of Jesus is The Name of the Father.

Again your input greatly appreciated - may we learn from each-other as we consider this very important topic.

Holy Spirit open our ears to Your Everlasting Truth in Jesus Name we pray.

 

[Rita]

Thanks Carl, I am out most of today but will take a look later and tomorrow xx

 

[GTW27]

OK study 3...

The Name of Jesus.

Scriptures to read.

Luke 2:21

Eph 1:19-23

Phil 2:9-10

Acts 4:17-19

Acts 4:29-31

Acts 5:39-41

Acts 8:12

Acts 19:11-17

Acts 26:8-10

1 Corinthians 5:4

John 17:6

John 17:11-12

John 17:26

Consider the meaning of the name.

Consider where the name came from.

Consider what "in the name of Jesus" means.

Consider what the disciples were forbidden to do.

Consider that the Name of Jesus is The Name of the Father.

Again your input greatly appreciated - may we learn from each-other as we consider this very important topic.

Holy Spirit open our ears to Your Everlasting Truth in Jesus Name we pray.

Blessings in Christ Jesus Carl. Thank you for taking the time to do this. On the day you put it here, I got excited(like a little child) and could not wait to read all the verses. These classes reminded me of the beginning of my journey 1996 as The Lord would do it the same way. An assigned reading and discussion. I still remember being in fear(fear of The Lord) back then. I never knew back then, that what I was taking in(The Word of God) would someday be leaving my lips as The Lord wills, later in life. If you take note in my words on Christian boards I use the term "The Lord" a lot. Most use the term God. In the old you will find these words "The Lord" is my Name. I am The Lord. When at work somebody asked, why do I never hear you say Jesus but I hear you say "The Lord" And I simply said Jesus is Lord. So when I read your lesson Carl I did learn something, And I have kept you in His Name and I have made His Name known to you. Thank you for that Carl. Some where along this journey I must have picked up a greeting like the others before me. My greeting to you is a truth known by me as The Lord knows those that are His. So I have written here I hope you are encouraged.

 

[Rita]

The name of Jesus came directly from God, but way before he was conceived ‘ in the beginning was the word and the word was with God ………..
His name has authority, it’s above everything in the spiritual realm, here on earth, and ( I presume below means those who have died ) It’s states in Ephesians that it is over every name that is invoked, which means other names are invoked at times.
In order to invoke, plead draw from ect, Jesus you have to be known by Him, it cannot be merely by using the phrase ( acts 19 ) or by third party. It’s has to be personal.
Man will always try to stop preaching the word, dealing with suffering , healing ect , but as the apostles state in acts, they have to obey God.
One thing that stood out to me was from the passage in Acts 29-31 Prayer came first , it wasn’t merely speaking the words but asking God to work through Jesus, through his servants.
’ Enable your servants to speak ‘ it’s not something we can do in our own strength.
In John 17:11-12 ‘ Holy Father protect by the power of your name- the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one ‘ Jesus prayed
17:26 The love God has for Jesus needs to be known, Jesus makes us aware - once again he prays for us to know - it needs to be revealed , experienced within us. Living, real.
1Corinthians 5:4 Jesus is present, his power , through his people.
We are the body of Christ and as such we can function as he did , but equally we need to pray as he did.
Sorry that’s not really a good summery.

 

[Carl Emerson]

Yes... it is well to remember that "In the name of Jesus" is a positional statement.

Best not used if you are not in right relationship with Him.

And certainly not an incantation or 'magic words'

However the other truth you touched on is that the Father Gave Jesus His own Highest Name, The Father Himself has no name higher than Jesus. If this were not so, it would not be The Name above all names.

 

[Behold]

the Spirit of God within us as a genuine believers. And how we use all of them (the 7 spirits

God is A Spirit.

"A".... = ONE... and not manifested as 7, or 27, or 2347.

So those other 6, you are "using", are not His.

Be careful with that "legion".. as it can be a real issue for you.

 

[Carl Emerson]

God is A Spirit.

"A".... = ONE... and not manifested as 7, or 27, or 2347.

So those other 6, you are "using", are not His.

Be careful with that "legion".. as it can be a real issue for you.

Mmmm...

OK then - no wisdom or council or strength or knowledge or understanding or fear of the Lord...

But Hey - welcome to the friendly Bible Study @Behold - we all agree with the Nicene Creed here and don't debate the trinity - are you OK with that ?

 

[Behold]

OK then - no wisdom or council or strength or knowledge or understanding or fear of the Lord...

Try it like this @Carl Emerson .

"In Christ.....are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge".

Where is Christ?

Where is He @Carl Emerson ?

He's Here....>"Christ IN YOU, the hope of Glory"., and "You that do not have The Spirit of Christ, are none of Gods".

See that 1 = "Spirit of Christ" that YOU have to have in you,.. unless you have the wrong spirit.

That "Spirit of Christ, is.."In Christ are hidden all the treasure of WISDOM and KNOWLEDGE"..

So, how many "Spirit's" is that ?, and in HIM, are "all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge".

Understand?

So, Christ is Truth, Knowledge, Wisdom, and He is IN Every Born again Christian.

Do we need more "Spirits"...

How many more do you think we need, @Carl Emerson ?

What was that you said?

You need 6 more?

 

[Rita]

I don’t think the study is suggesting that you need more than one Holy Spirit , the seven consists of seven aspects , not gifts or fruits but attributes.

 

[Angelina]

We do not need members who come into this friendly study group to override the teacher and/or disrupt this class.
Behold has been removed.

 

[Carl Emerson]

Thanks Mod's... sad really as I would have been more than happy to address any concerns but the aggressive attitude shown confirms that we are on the right track to create this safe space to work issues through together with Love and sensitivity.

 

[Carl Emerson]

How are we going with Study 3 ??? (POST 343)

Are we happy with the approach and format ?

Feedback appreciated.

 

[Rita]

I am a bit disappointed that there wasn’t much feedback from the 3rd study from people in the group ….it was interesting listening to what others have to say about the passages. The study is fine, I like a List of verses so that I can reflect and think about it all.

 

[Brakelite]

I find myself second guessing, so it’s only a partial doubt ! lol
With so many other Christian’s having so many voices that contradict the compassion ( often making out that it’s misplaced because of how awful or sinful they perceive the people or person to be because of what they do or believe ) You can feel in the minority for how you feel, which then makes you question.

Compassion increases toward those who need it more. The greater the sin, the greater the forgiveness. But Compassion should never, ever, preclude anyone from telling the truth and exposing the sin of institutions and churches and nations that habitually and repetitively commit crimes against God and His people. In fact, telling the truth ought to be a fruit of Compassion and love. Do we abstain from exposing sin and calling sin by its right name, allowing others to live in ignorance and continue to offend God thus incurring threatening judgement? Jesus did this. Those He aimed His rebukes at were particularly church leaders who lived hypocritically yet boosted of their own holiness. They didn't listen. Yet Jesus even included them in the quote above... Forgive them Father...

 

[Carl Emerson]

OK study 4 is about the Character of God.

This is a critical issue because without a clear and balanced understanding of the Character of God, theologies become skewed.

Many folks struggle to marry the Compassion of Jesus with what seems like the unjustified judgements of God in the OT - this should not be so.

When understood correctly the so called 'negative aspects' of God's Character are actually for our good.

The destruction of Sodom for example teaches us about how deeply God cares about the poor when they are neglected by the wicked.

We will do this Study a little different to encourage more members to participate.

Instead of my giving you the verses - lets all dig into the Scripture and post verses that bring a balanced understanding of God's Character..

For background reading - I post this essay I wrote some years back on this topic.

Restoring Reverence for God.​

There is another issue that has contributed to a weak church today.
Our Father wants to express Himself to the world today through the family of God - in His fullness.
Social pressure has led to us presenting a palatable Gospel without the aspects of God’s nature that might offend.
We have failed to allow expression of many of His attributes and in doing so have made our God ‘PC’
To get a balanced picture of His character it is necessary to consider the whole of scripture and not just the New Testament.
Many believers have struggled to reconcile the Christ from the New with the God of Israel from the Old.
The aspects of God that have been conveniently ignored are in fact crucial to a strong Church. These could be called the ‘negative’ attributes of God, are not ‘nice’ and include the following…
Our God judges, is jealous, hates sin, is terrible, destroys, gets angry, consumes like a fire, takes vengeance and is intolerant.
Presenting a soft view of God has lead to having a generation of believers that have little comprehension or experience of the “fear” of God. There is a corresponding lack of wisdom among us, compounded by the modern trend towards young leadership in some Churches. By fear, I mean to honour and respect for a God who is Awesome and Holy. This is not to be confused with an unholy fear associated with sects and cults to control adherents.
This failure to represent of the fear of God to the Church has also meant that the Church’s voice in the world is muted.
How do we correct this lack of knowledge of such an important part of God’s character?
Three things come to mind.

Firstly, these aspects of God’s character are more often than not expressed through God’s prophets. You may ask - where are they? In many cases the structure and dynamic of our churches fails to make room for such a ministry. The one who is brave enough to say that we need to repent is often seen immediately as imbalanced ‘flakey’ or plainly deceived. In the early church there was a fellowship of prophets serving the family of God to bring His word. This is virtually unheard of today and would likely be viewed as a dangerous clique. This grouping of prophets in a district should be welcomed and serve to bring God’s Word to the Shepard’s in the area.

Secondly there has been a trend away from preaching and towards teaching. It is not surprising that preaching the Gospel has less appeal in the modern church as we are exhorted to go out and preach whereas most preachers stay in and preach. In staying in, they are all too often addressing a convinced audience. As in the early church, preaching should be done in public where the unsaved are. This is where the word of judgment has a significant place. Preaching with signs following in the market place results in radical conversions, which in turn challenge the church and stimulate renewal.

Thirdly our current generation seems to lack the personal close encounters with the Almighty that many of us remember, permanently changing our lives. I still recall a prayer time with students at Otago University in the 70’s when ‘God passed by…’ I was speechless for several hours. An encounter of that nature leaves one with a permanent deep respect and healthy fear of our Lord for a lifetime.
We sing about His awe, but if there was revelation knowledge of His holiness our gatherings would be more likely to command His respect and fear.

Scriptures on this important topic please...

 

[Rita]

Exodus 34…
6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”

The journey through the wilderness reveals much about God Character, he saves, redeems, nurtures, teaches, provides, but also allows consequences of wrong choices to be experienced. Many years ago I had to write an essay on the relevance of the Ten Commandments in the 21st century. I had always looked upon them as orders, commands from an demanding God, and yet as I reflected I realised that they are given out of love and concern for people who God knew would need help walking through life.
‘ If you do these things you will make good choices and that Will impact your experiences in a positive way ‘ …………
Psalm 103:1 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love , he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities .

‘ slow to anger ‘- and in the New Testament we are told to ‘ not sin in our anger ‘
So anger exists , for us and for God. ( but needs to be understood within a relationship - good parents get angry, but equally love unconditionally - motivation is one of concern and wanting what is good )
However one thing that I have only realised recently , but questioned much over the years is understanding the Old Testament in relation to the spiritual battle and Satan. I didn’t know that the Jews don’t believe in Satan, and this would have influenced how things were written. Understanding that often, when God is attributed with something, it actually means he allowed it , but Satan is part of the story. ( applying Job is helpful )
Jesus represents God character , and we know that God doesn’t change. Jesus addressed sin , expressed righteous anger - so there is a time and place.

 

[Carl Emerson]

Exodus 34…
6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”

The journey through the wilderness reveals much about God Character, he saves, redeems, nurtures, teaches, provides, but also allows consequences of wrong choices to be experienced. Many years ago I had to write an essay on the relevance of the Ten Commandments in the 21st century. I had always looked upon them as orders, commands from an demanding God, and yet as I reflected I realised that they are given out of love and concern for people who God knew would need help walking through life.
‘ If you do these things you will make good choices and that Will impact your experiences in a positive way ‘ …………
Psalm 103:1 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love , he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities .

‘ slow to anger ‘- and in the New Testament we are told to ‘ not sin in our anger ‘
So anger exists , for us and for God. ( but needs to be understood within a relationship - good parents get angry, but equally love unconditionally - motivation is one of concern and wanting what is good )
However one thing that I have only realised recently , but questioned much over the years is understanding the Old Testament in relation to the spiritual battle and Satan. I didn’t know that the Jews don’t believe in Satan, and this would have influenced how things were written. Understanding that often, when God is attributed with something, it actually means he allowed it , but Satan is part of the story. ( applying Job is helpful )
Jesus represents God character , and we know that God doesn’t change. Jesus addressed sin , expressed righteous anger - so there is a time and place.

Great start Rita, and some very good points.

Your opening verse would have been mine as well...

 

[APAK]

OK study 3...

The Name of Jesus.

Scriptures to read.

Luke 2:21

Eph 1:19-23

Phil 2:9-10

Acts 4:17-19

Acts 4:29-31

Acts 5:39-41

Acts 8:12

Acts 19:11-17

Acts 26:8-10

1 Corinthians 5:4

John 17:6

John 17:11-12

John 17:26

Consider the meaning of the name.

Consider where the name came from.

Consider what "in the name of Jesus" means.

Consider what the disciples were forbidden to do.

Consider that the Name of Jesus is The Name of the Father.

Again your input greatly appreciated - may we learn from each-other as we consider this very important topic.

Holy Spirit open our ears to Your Everlasting Truth in Jesus Name we pray.

Carl. I did not notice this post until seeking this thread this am. I never got any email notice.

So let me look at it when I get some time.

Well to add to the study for now:

Looking at 'in the name of Jesus': we communicate this phrase to direct our hearts towards him in spirit, and invoke his new founded and given identity, as King, his power and his authority for whatever reason. His actual real Hebraic name is in one form,, and can be translated as 'Yah-shua' or a variant of it to mean God saves or is our salvation. And his Son wears that label and goes with his 'nickname' Emmanuel, also. And in my view, this means that the Father is ultimately the Savior and his Son is his instrument of salvation. They work as one, as the Spirit of God is in his Son as he is also in a Believer. And we 'get to' the Father only through the Son.....
ref:

• Matthew 1:21: “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
• John 14:13: “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
• Acts 4:12: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”