April 5, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Repentance and Freedom

Matthew 28:18-20 – New International Version (NIV) – The Great Commission

¹⁸ “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Repentance and Freedom

Matthew 21:28-32 – New International Version (NIV)

²⁸ “What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

²⁹ “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

³⁰ “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

³¹ “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. ³² For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”

What did the man say to the first son (verse 28)?

How did the son answer (verse 29)?

What happened later (verse 29)?

How did the other son respond when the man ask him the same question (verse 30)?

What did the other son do (verse 30)?

Which of the two sons did what the father wanted (verse 31)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus tell the chief priests and the elders that “the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you” (verse 31)?

Who believed John about the “way of righteousness” (verse 32)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 21:28-32 show us about the Great Commission?

Jeremiah 31:27-34 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁷ “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will plant the kingdoms of Israel and Judah with the offspring of people and of animals. ²⁸ Just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down, and to overthrow, destroy and bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” declares the Lord. ²⁹ “In those days people will no longer say,

‘The parents have eaten sour grapes,
    and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’

³⁰ Instead, everyone will die for their own sin; whoever eats sour grapes—their own teeth will be set on edge.

³¹ “The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
    “when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
    and with the people of Judah.
³² It will not be like the covenant
    I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
    to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
    though I was a husband to them,”
declares the Lord.
³³ “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
    after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
    and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.
³⁴ No longer will they teach their neighbor,
    or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
    from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
    and will remember their sins no more.”

What will happen in the days to come (verse 27)?

In your opinion, why did the Lord say that “just as I watched over them to uproot and tear down” “so I will watch over them to build and to plant” (verse 28)?

Why are the children’s teeth on edge (verse 29)?

What will happen “instead” (verse 30)?

Who will the Lord make a “new covenant” with (verse 31)?

Why won’t it be like “the covenant I made with their ancestors” (verse 32)?

Where will the Lord put the law (verse 33)?

In your opinion, what is it like to have a relationship where “I will be their God, and they will be my people” (verse 33)?

Why won’t “they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord’” (verse 34)?

What will the Lord forgive (verse 34)?

When will the Lord “remember their sins” (verse 34)?

In your opinion, how does the Lord’s statement about the new covenant in Jeremiah 31:27-34 that “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” help in understanding the statement that Jesus made in Matthew 21:28-32 about the “way of righteousness” that John came to show and that the tax collectors and prostitutes believed?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Jeremiah show us about the Great Commission?

Colossians 1:15-23 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

²¹ Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. ²² But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— ²³ if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.”

Who is “the image of the invisible God” (verse 15)?

What has “been created through him and for him” (verse 16)?

In your opinion, what is the connection between the “beginning and the firstborn from among the dead” and having supremacy in everything (verse 18)?

What is God pleased to “reconcile to himself” in Him (verse 20)?

Why were we alienated from God (verse 21)?

How is God “reconciled” to us (verse 22)?

In your opinion, why are we “holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (verse 22)?

What “has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven” (verse 23)?

In your opinion, how does the breaking of the covenant and then the forgiving from wickedness and the remembering sin no more of Jeremiah 31:27-34 foreshadow the statement from Paul that “once you were alienated from God . . . but now he has reconciled you” in Colossians 1:15-23?

In your opinion, how does the son saying that he would not go work in the vineyard and then changing his mind in Matthew 21:28-32 provide an example of being “enemies in your minds” and then not moving “from the hope held out in the gospel” in Colossians 1:15-23?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Colossians show us about the Great Commission?

Revelation 1:4-8 – New International Version (NIV)

⁴ “John,

To the seven churches in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶ and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

⁷ “Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
    and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
    and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
So shall it be! Amen.

⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Who does John bless the seven churches with “grace and peace” from (verses 4 and 5)?

In your opinion, why is Jesus Christ described as being “the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth” (verse 5)?

How has Jesus freed us from our sins (verse 5)?

What has Jesus made us into (verse 6)?

How is Jesus coming (verse 7)?

In your opinion, why will people “mourn because of him” (verse 7)?

How does God describe Himself (verse 8)?

In your opinion, how does the reconciliation that Paul talks about in Colossians 1:15-23 find a fulfillment in the “kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father” of Revelation 1:4-8?

In your opinion, how does the promise of Jeremiah 31:27-34 that “I will be their God, and they will be my people” fulfilled by the relationship of the “him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness” and the “kingdom and priests” of Revelation 1:4-8?

In your opinion, how does the discussion of Jesus about repentance and belief in Matthew 21:28-32 become complete when we have Jesus described as “the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth” in Revelation 1:4-8?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Revelation show us about the Great Commission?

Next, back to Matthew 21:33 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

March 29, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Authority and Mediation

Matthew 28:18-20 – New International Version (NIV) – The Great Commission

¹⁸ “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Authority and Mediation

Matthew 21:23-27 – New International Version (NIV)

²³ “Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?”

²⁴ Jesus replied, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ²⁵ John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?”

They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘Of human origin’—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.”

²⁷ So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Then he said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

Who came to Jesus as He was teaching in the temple courts (verse 23)?

In your opinion, why did they ask Jesus “By what authority are you doing these things” and “And who gave you this authority” (verse 23)?

How did Jesus respond to the questions (verse 24)?

What did Jesus ask about John’s baptism (verse 25)?

Why did they not want to say “from heaven” (verse 25)?

Why did they not want to say “of human origin” (verse 26)?

In your opinion, what can we learn about what was important to them from their discussion of how to answer Jesus (verses 25 and 26)?

How did they answer Jesus (verse 27)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus say “neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things” (verse 27)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 21:23-27 show us about the Great Commission?

Joshua 24:2-15 - New International Version (NIV)

² “Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. ³ But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac, ⁴ and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau, but Jacob and his family went down to Egypt.

⁵ “‘Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I afflicted the Egyptians by what I did there, and I brought you out. ⁶ When I brought your people out of Egypt, you came to the sea, and the Egyptians pursued them with chariots and horsemen as far as the Red Sea. ⁷ But they cried to the Lord for help, and he put darkness between you and the Egyptians; he brought the sea over them and covered them. You saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians. Then you lived in the wilderness for a long time.

⁸ “‘I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived east of the Jordan. They fought against you, but I gave them into your hands. I destroyed them from before you, and you took possession of their land. ⁹ When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you. ¹⁰ But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.

¹¹ “‘Then you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The citizens of Jericho fought against you, as did also the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites, but I gave them into your hands. ¹² I sent the hornet ahead of you, which drove them out before you—also the two Amorite kings. You did not do it with your own sword and bow. ¹³ So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.’

¹⁴ “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. ¹⁵ But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

What did the ancestors, “including Terah the father of Abraham and Nabor” do “beyond the Euphrates River” (verse 2)

Who did God take from “the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan” (verse 3)?

How did God treat the Egyptians (verse 5)?

Who pursued the Israelites to the Red Sea (verse 6)?

What did the Lord do when “they cried” for help (verse 7)?

In your opinion, why did the Lord say “you saw with your own eyes what I did to the Egyptians” (verse 7)?

How did the Israelites obtain victory over the Amorites (verse 8)?

Why did Balaam bless “you again and again” (verse 10)?

What did God do the “the citizen of Jericho . . . the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites” (verse 11)?

What drove out the “two Amorite kings” (verse 12)?

In your opinion, why did God say “I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build” (verse 13)?

What were the Israelites to do with “the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt” (verse 14)?

Who were the Israelites to serve if “serving the Lord seems undesirable to you” (verse 15)?

What were Joshua and his household going to do (verse 15)?

In your opinion, how is the decision that Joshua was asking the people of Israel to make between “the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River” and the Lord in Joshua 24:2-15 similar to the question that Jesus wants “the chief priests and the elders of the people” to answer in Matthew 21:23-27?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Joshua show us about the Great Commission?

Acts 4:1-22 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. ² They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. ³ They seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. ⁴ But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand.

⁵ The next day the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. ⁶ Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. ⁷ They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”

⁸ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! ⁹ If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, ¹⁰ then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. ¹¹ Jesus is

“‘the stone you builders rejected,
    which has become the cornerstone.’

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.”

¹³ When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. ¹⁴ But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. ¹⁵ So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. ¹⁶ “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. ¹⁷ But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”

¹⁸ Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. ¹⁹ But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! ²⁰ As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

²¹ After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. ²² For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.”

Who came up to Peter and John (verse 1)?

What were the apostles proclaiming (verse 2)?

Where did Peter and John spend the night (verse 3)?

What question were Peter and John ask (verse 7)?

What filled Peter (verse 8)?

How does “this man stands before you healed” (verse 10)?

In your opinion, how did “the stone the builders rejected” “become the cornerstone” (verse 11)?

Where else can salvation be found (verse 12)?

Why were they astonished (verse 13)?

In your opinion, why did they want to “stop this thing from spreading any further among the people” (verse 17)?

What command is given to Peter and John (verse 18)?

What question do Peter and John ask (verse 19)?

Why were Peter and John not punished (verse 21)?

In your opinion, how does the question of Joshua to the people of Israel to choose between the Lord and the “gods your ancestors worshiped” in Joshua 24:2-15 become even stronger in Acts 4:1-22 when Peter and John ask “the rulers, the elders and the teachers of the law” “which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you or to him”?

In your opinion, what had changed from Matthew 21:23-27 when the chief priests and the elders were unwilling to answer the question that Jesus ask about John the Baptist’s authority to Acts 4:1-22 when they are publicly opposing the witness of Peter and John for Jesus?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Acts show us about the Great Commission?

1 Timothy 2:1-7 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— ² for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ³ This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴ who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. ⁷ And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.”

Who are “petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving” to be made for (verse 1)?

Why are “petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving” to be made for kings and all those in authority (verse 2)?

What does “God our Savior” want (verses 3 and 4)?

How many mediators are there between God and mankind (verse 5)?

Who did the mediator give “himself as a ransom” for (verse 6)?

Who was Paul “appointed a herald and an apostle” to (verse 7)?

In your opinion, how is the statement that “salvation is found in no one else” in Acts 4:1-22 expanded on in 1 Timothy 2:1-7 in the statement that “for there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people”?

In your opinion, how does the statement in Joshua 24:2-15 that outlines some of the things that God has done and then asks the people of Israel to throw out “the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living” foreshadow the statement of Paul in 1 Timothy 2:1-7 that “there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people”?

In your opinion, how does the question that Jesus ask in Matthew 21:23-27 about John’s baptism, “was it from heaven, or of human origin” outline the decision that each of us needs to make about the truth of Paul’s statement in 1 Timothy 2:1-7 that “there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people”?

In your opinion, what does this passage from 1 Timothy show us about the Great Commission?

Next, back to Matthew 21:28 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

March 22, 2015 – The Great Commission – A Study of Matthew – Prayer, Doubting and Maturity

Matthew 28:18-20 – New International Version (NIV) – The Great Commission

¹⁸ “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Prayer, Doubting and Maturity

Matthew 21:18-22 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁸ “Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. ¹⁹ Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered.

²⁰ When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

²¹ Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. ²² If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

How did Jesus feel as He was heading to the city early in the morning (verse 18)?

What was on the fig tree that He saw beside the road (verse 19)?

Why did the tree wither (verse 19)?

In your opinion, why were the disciples amazed (verse 20)?

What did Jesus say that the disciples needed in order to be able to get the mountain to throw itself into the sea (verse 21)?

When will the disciples receive whatever they ask for in prayer (verse 22)?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Matthew 21:18-22 show us about the Great Commission?

2 Kings 5:1-19a - New International Version (NIV)

¹ “Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy

² Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. ³ She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

⁴ Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. ⁵ “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. ⁶ The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

⁷ As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!”

⁸ When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” ⁹ So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰ Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

¹¹ But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. ¹² Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.

¹³ Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” ¹⁴ So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

¹⁵ Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”

¹⁶ The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.

¹⁷ “If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord. ¹⁸ But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.”

¹⁹ “Go in peace,” Elisha said.”

Who was Naaman and what was wrong with him (verse 1)

Why was an Israelite girl in Naaman’s house (verse 2)?

Who did the Israelite girl think could cure Naaman (verse 3)?

In your opinion, why did the King of Aram send a letter to the King of Israel (verses 4 through 6)?

How did the King of Israel respond to the letter (verse 7)?

What did Elisha tell the King of Israel that Naaman would know (verse 8)?

In your opinion, why did Elisha send a messenger to tell Naaman to bathe in the Jordan (verses 9 ad 10)?

How did Naaman react to Elisha’s instructions (verses 11 and 12)?

How were Naaman’s servants able to change his mind (verse 13)?

What happened when Naaman dipped himself seven times in the Jordan (verse 14)?

In your opinion, why did Naaman tell Elisaha that “there is no God in all the world except in Israel” (verse 15)?

Why did Naaman request all the earth that a pair of mules could carry (verse 17)?

What did Naaman ask the Lord to forgive him for (verse 18)?

How did Elisha send Naaman off (verse 19)?

In your opinion, how does understanding that Naaman almost missed getting the answer to his prayer because it did not come in the manner he expected in 2 Kings 5:1-19a help us to understand part of the message of Jesus about having faith and not doubting in prayer to get what we are praying for in Matthew 21:18-22?

In your opinion, what does this passage from 2 Kings show us about the Great Commission?

James 1:2-12 – New International Version (NIV)

² “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

⁹ Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. ¹⁰ But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. ¹¹ For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.

¹² Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

What are we to consider “pure joy” (verse 2)?

How is perseverance produced (verse 3)?

When will we be “mature and complete, not lacking anything” (verse 4)?

How does God give when we ask for wisdom (verse 5)?

In your opinion, why should we “believe and not doubt” when we ask for wisdom (verse 6)?

What should the person who “is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” expect to receive from the Lord (verses 6 and 7)?

In your opinion, how is a double-minded person “unstable in all they do” (verse 8)?

Who should “take pride in their high position” (verse 9)?

Who should “take pride in their humiliation” (verse 10)?

What will happen to the rich “even while they go about their business” (verse 11)?

How will the “one who perseveres under trial” be blessed (verse 12)?

In your opinion, how does the fact that Naaman was blessed by healing when he not only doubted but was angry in 2 Kings 5:1-19a help us to understand what James says about “God, who gives generously to all without finding fault” in James 1:2-12?

In your opinion, how does the statement that James makes about “the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” in James 1:2-12 help us to understand about what Jesus meant when He said “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.  If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” in Matthew 21:18-22?

In your opinion, what does this passage from James show us about the Great Commission?

Ephesians 4:11-16 – New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

¹⁴ Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. ¹⁵ Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. ¹⁶ From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

Who gave the “apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers” (verse 11)?

Why are Christ’s people equipped for works of service (verse 12)?

In your opinion, why do we need to “reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature” to attain “the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (verse 13)?

What happens to infants in the faith (verse 14)?

How will we speak the truth when we “grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ” (verse 15)?

What does “each part” do as “the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love” (verse 16)?

In your opinion, what can we learn from the fact that both James 1:2-12 and Ephesians 4:11-16 urge us to become mature and both also talk about being blown and tossed about?

In your opinion, how does Naaman, who went from doubting and anger to faith that was strong enough that he wanted the earth of Israel to take back to aid him in worshipping the God of Israel in 2 Kings 5:1-19a help us to understand what Paul meant in Ephesians 4:11-16 when he talked about “infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching”?

In your opinion, how does Paul emphasizing love in his discussion of the mature, who are not “tossed back and forth by the waves” in Ephesians 4:11-16 help us to understand the statement of Jesus in Matthew 21:18-22 “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. ²² If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”?

In your opinion, what does this passage from Ephesians show us about the Great Commission?

Next, back to Matthew 21:23 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)