All posts by Conan

God is Light

Questions Answered by “Take Me to the Truth”

The framework described in Take Me to the Truth by Nune Sanchez answers the following questions:

  • What does God the Father look like?
  • How did God create the universe by speaking light into existence? 
  • Why was mankind created?
  • Why did God command that Man not aquire knowledge of good and evil?
  • Why is there evil in the world? 
  • Why did God curse Man with working to get what he want?
  • Why did God list His characteristics as: Mercy and Compassion, Grace, Patience, Love, Faithfulness, Truth, and Justice?
  • Why did Satan want Christ to worship him?
  • How was Christ able to perform many cold reads?
  • What is meant by “Your faith has made you whole”?
  • How were people healed by having their sins forgiven?
  • How did Christ’s modeling the ultimate sacrifice save mankind?
  • Why did Christ have to leave the illusion realm so that men can receive the holy Spirit the holy spirit?
  • Did Christ ascend to heaven bodily or spiritually?
  • How is eternity a property and not a time frame?
  • How does prayer actually work?
  • What do we receive when we ask, seek, and knock?
  • What did Christ mean when he said with enough faith, you can cast the mountain into the sea?
  • Why should we cast the log out of our eye before we comment on the splinter in someone else’s?
  • How can imagining a sin be the same as committing it?
  • How is being unhappy with any situation the same as being unhappy with God?
  • I see the parallel between the book and the book of James. James says that every time we face trials we have a choice. We can either have faith in God and trust in Him or we can or we can fall to the temptation to handle it ourselves which leads to bad results.
  • Why do the apostle Paul and the minor prophets all say “the just still live by faith”?
  • What does it mean to be reconciled to God and why is it important?

Hebrews Extra: Comparison to Romans

Paul’s letters to the Gentile believers (Romans) and to the Jewish believers (Hebrews) both emphasize the same theme: “the righteous shall live by faith“. [Romans 1:16-17, Hebrews 10:37]

Romans Hebrews
Jesus Christ is the Son of God Jesus Christ is the Son of God and better than angels
Judgment of God on unbelief (suppressing the truth in unrighteousness) Judgment of God on unbelief
Righteous through faith (Abraham) Righteous through faith (Moses and Joshua)
Set free through Christ’s death and resurrection Resting [Set free] from works of the law.
Perfection through the sacrifice and high priesthood of Christ
The new covenant of grace The better covenant of grace
Living by the Spirit and faith Living by the Spirit and faith
God’s redemptive plan for the Jews Acceptable worship: sacrifices of praise
Exhortation to get out of legalistic Judaism

Borrowed from KWM

Jesus as High Priest

Hebrews 5

Verse 1: What are some of the biggest sacrifices you’ve had to make for others?

Jesus has taken the role of high priest and is the final sacrifice for our sin. Do you think that God requires any further sacrifice from us?

“you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2:5‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Verse 2-4: Why do you think people are so entertained by watching babies learn to walk and talk? They aren’t good at it, they can’t understand everything you’re saying to them, and they are pooping their pants while they’re doing it. Why aren’t we frustrated watching kids learn basic skills?

Do you have people in your life who live in a way that is ignorant and wayward to you? Do you feel frustrated with them? Why or why not?

Why would a priest feel obligated to bring sacrifices before God? Why would anyone feel obligated to make sacrifices for the mistakes other people made? Is it an honor or a burden?

Verse 5-10: Have you ever been in a situation where you’re trying to tell people something but you don’t feel like you’re being heard? What was it and why do you think you felt that way? Why do you think others weren’t listening?

Why did God the Father listen to Jesus? In what way did Jesus approach God?

Have you ever tried to train a pet? What are some effective ways to train animals?

Do you think that learning to be obedient requires suffering?
How do we learn to be obedient to God?
How do we demonstrate obedience to God?

Verse 11: What is a skill you learned when you were younger that you’ve since lost through neglect?
Are there any skills that you’ve tried to learn lately?

In what ways do you find yourself or fellow Christians to become dull of hearing?
To what have we become dull?

Verse 12-14: Have you ever had a bad teacher? What made the teacher bad?

What is spiritual milk vs solid food?
What are the basics of our faith that we need to digest before we can process the deeper things of faith?

Given the amount of time you’ve spent as a Christian, how mature would you expect someone with your experience to be?
What would be the signs of maturity?
How would you rate your spiritual maturity?
How would your peers rate your spiritual maturity?

Excerpt from Veritas church leadership pathway regarding spiritual children:

“A spiritual child can be a relatively new Christian, or it can be a person who has been a Christian for many years. There are spiritually immature people who have attended church services for sixty years. And there are some spiritually mature disciples who have been Christians for just a few years. It’s not the amount of time that passes that marks the difference between mature and immature; it’s what has happened or not happened in a relational discipleship process during that time. How has he or she allowed the Holy Spirit to bring change and develop the likeness of Christ?

Think about the characteristics of a typical child. A child can do some things for himself. Yet they are still quite dependent on the care and guidance of his or her parents. A child can be active and joyful, as well as innocent and fun to be around. Yet they also are unaware that they are self-centered, focused on their own needs and without regard for others. As Romans 14 teaches us, a child can also be dogmatic, seeing the world in rigid, black-and-white terms, even concerning things that are not supposed to be black-and-white. A child can be overconfident, prideful, and full of himself, but they also can be insecure, timid, shy, and full of self-loathing or defeat. Spiritual children may have a connection to a church family, but their world still revolves around themselves. They may serve the church, but usually they serve because it is expected and usually only as long as the benefits outweigh the costs. Children crave affirmation and approval, and they will usually do the right things if they are rewarded in a way that pleases them.

As in the other stages, when someone is a spiritual child, their words reveal it. The key marker of this stage is being developmentally self-centered. The “phrase from the stage” for spiritual children often involves one or more of the following statements:
– I don’t know if this church is meeting my needs anymore. Maybe I should go to a different church that does better.
– Don’t branch my small group into two. We won’t get to be with our friends.
– Who are all these new people coming into our church? The church is getting too big.
It’s too hard to get a parking spot anymore.
– Why do we have to learn new songs? I like the old hymns better.
– I didn’t like the music today. They should play more contemporary stuff.
– No one ever says hi to me at church. No one ever calls me to see how I’m doing. No one spends time with me. The pastors don’t care about me. Today in the lobby, a pastor looked right at me and didn’t even say hello.
– My small group is not taking care of my needs like they should.
– I wasn’t fed at all by that sermon today.
– Why don’t they have a ministry to singles at this church? This church must not care about singles.
– No Christian should ever listen to hip-hop or rock. That kind of music is just unchristian.
– Well, I’d join the worship team, but no one’s ever asked me.
– I was helping in children’s ministry, but they didn’t appreciate what I was doing, so I quit.

I am sure that even now you are remembering one of these statements being made to you by a Christian who had been in the church for years. Again, remember that the amount of time a person has spent in the church building does not determine their spiritual growth. So, what are the needs of spiritual children? Their primary need is a strong relational connection to a mature believer so they can make the transition to a more God-and kingdom-focused life. They need someone who will help them learn how to make the developmental transition from dependency to learning how to spiritually feed themselves.

They need teaching about who they are in Christ, how to have close friendships with other believers, and what to expect (and not expect) from Christians (disappointment comes from unmet expectations, and there are no perfect Christians). They need to learn to trust God in obedience, doing what the Word says rather than what their feelings tell them to do. As they grow, their lives will become more and more about God. They will learn to do the right things for the right reasons. And they will learn what it means to have a servant’s heart, rather than one that is self-centered.”

Hebrews 4

Verse 1-2: What is a technology or service that has arisen only in the last twenty years that you can’t imagine life without (smartphones, Amazon two day shipping, high-speed internet, Large LED TVs, Instacart, Zoom, streaming TV and movies, social media, gluten-free menu options, etc.). Continue reading Hebrews 4
Jesus as High Priest

Hebrews 2

Verse 1: Have you ever had a close call when you failed to pay attention to what was happening? Here are some stories of folks who paid the ultimate price for failing to pay attention when it mattered most: Darwin Awards

Have you ever had a time when you felt you were drifting away from God? Why do people drift? Continue reading Hebrews 2

Jesus at the Right Hand of God

Hebrews 1

Last updated on May 14th, 2021 at 04:35 am

Verse 1-2: What was the last big vacation you took? How did you prepare? Did the destination meet your expectations?

What are some of your favorite Old Testament stories? How did God make himself known to his people?
How is Jesus different than the prophets? Continue reading Hebrews 1

Hebrews

Last updated on June 5th, 2021 at 07:15 am

Here are the lessons from SE, as available:

Here are links to study guides similar to those covered at the Roundtable. The buttons link to an outline with questions.

Introduction to Hebrews

Here is a video overview:

Jude

Verse 1-2: What is the relationship between you and your siblings like? Do you get along? Are they admirable people? Are you close?

What would it take for you to believe your brother is the messiah? Do you think it would be easy to believe your brother is the Christ?

Verse 3-4: Was sex addressed in your church growing up? How does your church body address sex now? Do you think it’s important to address it?

How would you define a holy sexuality?

Do you think sensuality is a problem in the church today? If so, what is the problem and how should we deal with it?

Verse 5-7: Why do you think people develop unhealthy sexual appetites? Is it something you’re born with? Is it developed? Are we slaves to our sexuality?

Verse 8-13: How should we deal with inappropriate sexual behavior among people who call themselves Christian? What is our response to people who embrace sexual practices outside what God intended? What does expressing truth and love look like when the world’s definition of love is to accept people for who they are?

Verse 14-16: Do you think that the Bible is the only source of truth? Why or why not?

What is the difference between a Christian who is proclaiming truth and one who is a grumbler, a malcontent, or a loud mouth? When is it appropriate to bring up concerns and when do we start to become dissenters?

Verse 17-23: What was your wedding day like? How did you personally prepare for the wedding? Was it a big wedding?

What does a life look like today that’s preparing to be with Christ forever tomorrow?

Are there many people that you are inviting to be a part of Christ’s kingdom or are you hoping it’ll be a small party?

3 John 1

Verse 1-4: When you were in school, what were your report cards like? Was there a lot of joy, anxiety, or indifference to them?

In your circle of influence, do you find yourself surrounded by spiritually mature brethren or immature? What is the sign of maturity in a Christian’s life? How can we spur one another to maturity?

Verse 5-8: What would you consider your calling in life? Do you think you have a calling? How would you know?

What would cause Christians in the early church to help people they would never meet? What is our responsibility in the ministry?

If you could be in charge of your church’s resources, how would you use those resources?

Verse 9-10: What are some ways pride can tear apart a church? Do you think pride is an issue in your church?

How can we deal with conflict in a church? Do you think a healthy church has conflict? Why do you think churches have fallout?

Verse 11-12: Have you ever had a brother, sister, or friend that always wanted to imitate you? How did that make you feel?

In order to imitate good, we must see good. Is there anyone you imitate? If people wanted to imitate you, what would they be like? Would you be proud of people who imitated you?