April 8, 2018 – Kingdom Planting – Devotion and Grace

Devotion and Grace

Joshua 7:1-13 - New International Version (NIV)                

¹ But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel.

² Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, “Go up and spy out the region.” So the men went up and spied out Ai.

³ When they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there.” ⁴ So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, ⁵ who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water.

⁶ Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. ⁷ And Joshua said, “Alas, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! ⁸ Pardon your servant, Lord. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? ⁹ The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?”

¹⁰ The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? ¹¹ Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. ¹² That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

¹³ “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.

How did the Lord react to Achan son of Karmi taking some of the devoted things (verse 1)?

In your opinion, what were the devoted things (verse 1)?

Where were men to go to “spy out the region” (verse 2)?

Why were only “two or three thousand men” needed (verse 3)?

What happened to the three thousand men that went up (verse 4)?

In your opinion, why did the rout of the Israelites cause the hearts of the people to melt in fear and become like water (verse 5)?

How did Joshua and the elders of Israel react to the rout (verse 6)?

Who did Joshua think had delivered the Israelites “into the hands of the Amorites” (verse 7)?

In your opinion, why did Joshua say “pardon your servant, Lord” (verse 8)?

What will the Canaanites and other people do when they hear about the rout (verse 9)?

Who told Joshua to “stand up” (verse 10)?

What had Israel done (verse 11)?

What did Israel need to do before the Lord could be with them (verse 12)?

Who was to be consecrated (verse 13)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Mark 2:13-17 - New International Version (NIV)

¹³ Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. ¹⁴ As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

¹⁵ While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. ¹⁶ When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹⁷ On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Where did Jesus go (verse 13)?

What did Jesus do when the large crowd came to him (verse 13)?

Where was Levi son of Alphaeus when Jesus said “follow me” (verse 14)?

In your opinion, why had the tax collectors and sinners gathered at Levi’s house to eat with Jesus (verse 15)?

Who ask Jesus’s disciples “why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners” (verse 16)?

Who did Jesus say needs a doctor (verse 17)?

Who did Jesus come to call (verse 17)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how might Achan son of Karmi from Joshua 7:1-13 and Levi son of Alphaeus from Mark 2:13-17 be similar?

Acts 5:1-12a – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. ² With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.

³ Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? ⁴ Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

⁵ When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. ⁶ Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

⁷ About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. ⁸ Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”

“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”

⁹ Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”

¹⁰ At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. ¹¹ Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.

¹² The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people.

What did Ananias and Sapphira do (verse 1)?

What did Ananias do with Sapphira’s “full knowledge” (verse 2)?

Who did Peter say Ananias had lied to (verse 3)?

In your opinion, what does Peter mean when he says “wasn’t the money at your disposal” (verse 4)?

How did Ananias react to Peter’s statement (verse 5)?

What did the young men do (verse 6)?

When did Sapphira come in (verse 7)?

How did Sapphira respond when Peter asked her “is this the price you and Ananias got for the land” (verse 8)?

What will the men who buried Ananias do (verse 9)?

What happened to Sapphira (verse 10)?

Who was seized by “great fear” (verse 11)?

Where were “signs and wonders” performed (verse 12)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how is Achan’s action in Joshua 7:1-13 similar to the actions of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-12a?

In your opinion, how are Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-12a different from Levi and the tax collectors and sinners from Mark 2:13-17?

1 Corinthians 15:1-10 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. ² By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

³ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. ⁶ After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, ⁸ and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

⁹ For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

What have the Corinthian Christians done with the gospel that Paul preached to them (verse 1)?

What does the gospel do (verse 2)?

What did Christ do (verse 3)?

When did Christ rise from being buried (verse 4)?

Who did Christ appear to (verses 5, 6, 7 and 8)?

Why does Paul say he does not “deserve to be called an apostle” (verse 9)?

Why is Paul what he is (verse 10)?

Who “worked harder than all of them” (verse 10)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what is the difference between the Corinthian Christians that Paul is talking to in 1 Corinthians 15:1-10 and Achan son of Karmi in Joshua 7:1-13?

In your opinion, what are the similarities between the Corinthian Christians that Paul is talking to in 1 Corinthians 15:1-10 and Levi, the tax collectors and the sinners who were dining with Jesus in Mark 2:13-17?

In your opinion, what do the actions and words of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-12a reveal about their attitude concerning what Paul told the Corinthian Christians in 1 Corinthians 15:1-10 was “of first importance”?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Joshua, Mark, Acts, and 1 Corinthians teach us about who Jesus is calling?

How does our devotion change when we move from being sinners to being the recipients of God’s grace?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

April 1, 2018 – Kingdom Planting – Choosing

-            The

Choosing

Joshua 24:5-15 - New International Version (NIV)              

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.”

Who did God send (verse 5)?

How did the Egyptians pursue the Israelites (verse 6)?

What did the Israelites see (verse 7)?

Who destroyed the Amorites (verse 8)?

In your opinion, why did Balak son of Zippor and king of Moab send for Balaam son of Beor to curse the Israelites (verse 9)?

What did Balaam do (verse 10)?

How did the citizens of Jericho and the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites and Jebusites respond to the Israelites (verse 11)?

How did the Lord drive them out (verse 12)?

How did the Israelites get “a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build” (verse 13)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to “fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness” (verse 14)?

Who does Joshua ask the Israelites to choose from to serve (verse 15)?

Who will Joshua and his household serve (verse 15)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Mark 16:1-8 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. ² Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb ³ and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

⁴ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. ⁵ As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

⁶ “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

⁸ Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

When did Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome bring spices to anoint Jesus’ body (verse 1)?

What time of the day were they “on their way to the tomb” (verse 2)?

In your opinion, why did they ask “who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb” (verse 3)?

What did they see when they looked up (verse 4)?

Why were they alarmed (verse 5)?

What had “Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified” done (verse 6)?

Who were they to tell “He is going ahead of you into Galilee” (verse 7)?

What did the “trembling and bewildered” women do (verse 8)?

Why did they say “nothing to anyone” (verse 8)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how is God bringing the Israelites out of Egypt and through the Red Sea in Joshua 24:5-15 similar to Jesus rising from the tomb in Mark 16:1-8?

Acts 28:23-31 – New International Version (NIV)

²³ They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus. ²⁴ Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. ²⁵ They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet:

²⁶ “‘Go to this people and say,
“You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
    you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”
²⁷ For this people’s heart has become calloused;
    they hardly hear with their ears,
    and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’

²⁸ “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!”

³⁰ For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. ³¹ He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!

What did Paul do “from morning till evening” (verse 23)?

How did people react to what Paul said (verse 24)?

When did the people begin to leave (verse 25)?

In your opinion, what is the difference between seeing and perceiving (verse 26)?

What has happened to “this people’s heart” (verse 27)?

Who has “God’s salvation” been sent to (verse 28)?

How long did Paul stay “in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him” (verse 30)?

What did Paul do “with all boldness and without hindrance” (verse 31)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s quote of Isaiah’s passage “for this people’s heart has become calloused” in Acts 28:23-31 reveal about how the Israelites responded to the instruction that Joshua gave them “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve”?

In your opinion, how does the “trembling and bewildered” response of the women to the empty tomb in Mark 16:1-8 foreshadow the response of the Israelites in Rome to Paul’s witnessing about Jesus in Acts 28:23-31?

1 Peter 5:6-10 – New International Version (NIV)

⁶ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. ⁷ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

⁸ Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

¹⁰ And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

Why should we humble ourselves “under God’s mighty hand” (verse 6)?

What should we cast on God (verse 7)?

In your opinion, what does it mean to “be alert and of sober mind” (verse 8)?

Who “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (verse 8)?

Why should we “resist him, standing firm in the faith” (verse 9)?

What will “the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ” do (verse 10)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what similarities are there between Joshua’s message to the Israelites in Joshua 24:5-15 and Peter’s message to Christians in 1 Peter 5:6-10?

In your opinion, how is the empty tomb witnessed by the “trembling and bewildered” women in Mark 16:1-8 the most powerful testimony to the anxious people that Peter is encouraging in 1 Peter 5:6-10 to stand “firm in the faith” that God “will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast”?

In your opinion, how is Paul’s quote from Isaiah “they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them” in Acts 28:23-31 similar to Peter’s instruction to “humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time”?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Joshua, Mark, Acts, and 1 Peter teach us about how people choose to respond to the empty tomb?

Who do you choose to serve?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

March 25, 2018 – Kingdom Planting – Speaking, Saving and Spreading

-            The

Speaking, Saving and Spreading

Joshua 6:15-21 - New International Version (NIV)              

¹⁵ On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. ¹⁶ The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! ¹⁷ The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. ¹⁸ But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. ¹⁹ All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.”

²⁰ When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. ²¹ They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

How many times did the Israelites march around Jericho on the seventh day (verse 15)?

When did Joshua command the army to “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!” (verse 16)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that everything within the city is “to be devoted to the Lord” (verse 17)?

Why are Rahab and those in her house to be spared (verse 17)?

What would people bring about if they took some of the devoted things (verse 18)?

Where are the articles of bronze and iron to go (verse 19)?

What happened “at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout” (verse 20)?

What happed to every living thing in the city (verse 21)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Mark 2:1-12 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. ² They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. ³ Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. ⁴ Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. ⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

⁶ Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ⁷ “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

⁸ Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? ⁹ Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? ¹⁰ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, ¹¹ “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” ¹² He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

What did people hear when “Jesus again entered Capernaum” (verse 1)?

Why was there “no room left, not even outside the door” (verse 2)?

Who did the four men carry to Jesus (verse 3)?

How did they get the man to Jesus (verse 4)?

Whose faith did Jesus see (verse 5)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus tell the man “your sins are forgiven” (verse 5)?

Who was thinking to themselves “Why does this fellow talk like that?  He’s blaspheming!  Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (verses 6 & 7)?

What did Jesus immediately know (verse 8)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus ask “which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’” (verse 9)?

What did Jesus want the to know (verse 10)?

What did Jesus tell the man (verse 11)?

What did the man do (verse 12)?

Who praised God and said “we have never seen anything like this” (verse 12)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how is the Israelite army confronting the might of the city of Jericho in Joshua 6:15-21 similar to Jesus confronting authority of the teachers of the law in Mark 2:1-12?

Acts 4:8-20 – New International Version (NIV)

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.”

What filled Peter (verse 8)?

In your opinion, why would Peter start his statement to the rulers and elders of the people by saying “if we are being called to account today for an act of kindness” (verse 9)?

How did Peter say that the lame man “stands before you healed” (verse 10)?

What has become the cornerstone (verse 11)?

What “is found in no one else” (verse 12)?

Why were the rulers and elders of the people astonished (verse 13)?

Why did they have nothing to say (verse 14)?

What did they do after ordering Peter and John to “withdraw from the Sanhedrin” (verse 15)?

What did “everyone living in Jerusalem” know (verse 16)?

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

What command did they give to Peter and John (verse 18)?

How did Peter and John reply (verse 19)?

What can Peter and John not “help speaking about” (verse 20)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how is the confrontation of the Israelite people with the established might of Jericho after entering the Promised Land in Joshua 6:15-21 similar to Peter and John’s confrontation with the Sanhedrin after receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in Acts 4:8-20?

In your opinion, how does Jesus proving that He has the authority to forgive sins by telling the lame man “take up your mat and go home” in Mark 2:1-12 similar to Peter and John proving that salvation is found in Jesus Christ through the lame man standing in front of the Sanhedrin in Acts 4:8-20?

1 Timothy 2:1-6 – 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.

Who does Paul instruct Timothy “that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for” (verse 1)?

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

Who wants “all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (verses 3 and 4)?

Who is the “mediator between God and mankind” (verse 5)?

What has “now been witnessed to at the proper time” (verses 5 and 6)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how is “Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house” being spared in Joshua 6:15-21 an example of Paul’s statement in 1 Timothy 2:1-6 that God our Savior “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth”?

In your opinion, what role does Jesus’s authority to forgive sins, proven by causing the lame man to walk after first forgiving his sins in Mark 2:1-12, play in establishing the truth of Paul’s statement in 1 Timothy 2:1-6 that the is “one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people”?

In your opinion, how do Paul’s instruction in 1 Timothy 2:1-6 that “first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people” and Peter and John’s statement to the Sanhedrin that they “cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” in Acts 4:8-20 provide a foundation for Christians when dealing with people or establishments who have not accepted “the cornerstone”?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Joshua, Mark, Acts, and 1 Timothy teach us about Jesus Christ desires for all people?

In your opinion, how should Christians respond today to a world that rejects Christ and seeks to stop Christianity “from spreading any further among the people”?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

March 18, 2018 – Kingdom Planting – Christ Crucified

Christ Crucified

Joshua 5:13-15 - New International Version (NIV)              

¹³ Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

¹⁴ “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”

¹⁵ The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Where was Joshua (verse 13)?

What was the man in front of Joshua holding (verse 13)?

In your opinion, why did Joshua ask “are you for us or for our enemies” (verse 13)?

How did Joshua respond to the answer “neither, but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come” (verse 14)?

What instruction did Joshua receive from the commander of the Lord’s army (verse 15)?

What did Joshua do (verse 15)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Mark 1:21-28 - New International Version (NIV)

²¹ They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. ²² The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. ²³ Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, ²⁴ “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

²⁵ “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” ²⁶ The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.

²⁷ The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” ²⁸ News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

What Jesus do on the Sabbath (verse 21)?

Why were people amazed (verse 22)?

How was the man who cried out described (verse 23)?

What question did the man ask (verse 24)?

What did the man know about Jesus (verse 24)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus tell the man to “be quiet” (verse 25)?

How did the impure spirit respond to Jesus command to “come out of him” (verse 26)?

Why did the people ask “what is this” (verse 27)?

What spread “over the whole region of Galilee” (verse 28)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, why is there similarity in the question of Joshua, “are you for us or for our enemies”, in Joshua 5:13-15 and question of the impure spirit, “what do you want with us”, in Mark 1:21-28?

Acts 3:1-10 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. ² Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. ⁴ Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” ⁵ So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

⁶ Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” ⁷ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. ⁸ He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. ⁹ When all the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰ they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Where were Peter and John going “at the time of prayer” (verse 1)?

Why was the man who was lame being carried to the temple gate (verse 2)?

What did the man ask Peter and John for (verse 3)?

What did Peter tell the lame man (verse 4)?

In your opinion, why did the lame man expect to get something from Peter and John (verse 5)?

What did Peter not have (verse 6)?

What did Peter tell the man to do “in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth” (verse 6)?

When did the man’s feet and ankles become strong (verse 7)?

In your opinion, why did the man go with them “into the temple courts, walking and praising God” (verse 8)?

What did the people see (verse 9)?

Who did they recognize the man as being (verse 10)?

Why were the people filled with “wonder and amazement” (verse 10)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how does the question of Joshua, “are you for us or for our enemies” in Joshua 5:13-15 and the lame beggar’s request for money from Peter and John in Acts 3:1-10 both demonstrate a lack of awareness about what is possible?

In your opinion, how does Jesus command to the impure spirit to “come out of him” in Mark 1:21-28 and Peter’s command to “in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” in Acts 3:1-10 both demonstrate that Jesus is not limited by people’s expectations?

1 Corinthians 1:18-25 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁸ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
    the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

²⁰ Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ²¹ For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. ²² Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

What is the “message of the cross” to those who are perishing (verse 18)?

What is the “message of the cross” to those who are being saved (verse 18)?

In your opinion, why will God “destroy the wisdom of the wise” and frustrate the “intelligence of the intelligent” (verse 19)?

Who has “made foolish the wisdom of the world” (verse 20)?

How does God “save those who believe” (verse 21)?

Who demands signs (verse 22)?

Who looks for wisdom (verse 22)?

In your opinion, why is “Christ crucified” a stumbling block for the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles (verse 23)?

What is Christ to “those whom God has called” (verse 24)?

What is “wiser than human wisdom” (verse 25)?

What is “stronger than human strength” (verse 25)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how does Joshua’s misunderstanding of what the Commander of the Lord’s army was doing near Jericho in Joshua 5:13-15 demonstrate the difficulties that the Jews and the Gentiles have with the “message of the cross” in 1 Corinthians 1:18-25?

In your opinion, how does the statement of the impure spirit, “have you come to destroy us” in Mark 1:21-28 help us to understand why the wise and the intelligent that Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 might consider the message of the cross foolishness?

In your opinion, how is Peter’s response to the lame beggar of Acts 3:1-10 “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you” help us to understand how Paul’s statement “but we preach Christ crucified” in 1 Corinthians 1:18-25?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Joshua, Mark, Acts, and 1 Corinthians teach us about the world’s difficulty in accepting “Christ crucified”?

In your opinion, what do we have to give to the Jew’s and Gentiles of today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

March 11, 2018 – Kingdom Planting – Called

-            The

Called

Joshua 5:2-12 - New International Version (NIV)             

² At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.” ³ So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.

⁴ Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age—died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt. ⁵ All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not. ⁶ The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord. For the Lord had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. ⁷ So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. ⁸ And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.

⁹ Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal to this day.

¹⁰ On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. ¹¹ The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. ¹² The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.

Why was Joshua to “make flint knives” (verse 2)?

Who had died in the wilderness (verse 4)?

What had not happened to all the people born in the wilderness “during the journey from Egypt” (verse 5)?

Who had promised to give the “land flowing with milk and honey” to their ancestors (verse 6)?

Why were the sons still uncircumcised (verse 7)?

How long did they remain “where they were” (verse 8)?

In your opinion, what did the Lord mean by “today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you” (verse 9)?

What did the Israelites do on the “evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal” (verse 10)?

When did the Israelites eat “some of the produce of the land” (verse 11)?

What changed after “they ate this food from the land” (verse 12)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Mark 1:16-20 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁷ “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” ¹⁸ At once they left their nets and followed him.

¹⁹ When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. ²⁰ Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

What were “Simon and his brother Andrew” doing (verse 16)?

Who invited Simon and Andrew to follow (verse 17)?

What would Simon and Andrew be sent to do (verse 17)?

How did Simon and Andrew react to the invitation (verse 18)?

What were “James son of Zebedee and his brother John” doing (verse 19)?

How did James and John react when they were called (verse 19)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how is the circumcision of the Israelites in the promised land in Joshua 5:2-12 similar to the response of Simon, Andrew, James and John to Jesus in Mark 1:16-20?

Acts 2:37-41 – New International Version (NIV)

³⁷ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

⁴⁰ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ⁴¹ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

How did the people respond to after feeling “cut to the heart” by the words of Peter (verse 37)?

What did Peter tell them to do (verse 38)?

What “gift” will they receive (verse 38)?

Who is the promise for (verse 39)?

How did Peter warn them (verse 40)?

What did Peter plead for them to do (verse 40)?

How many “accepted his message” that day (verse 41)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how is the circumcision of the Israelites and God rolling “away the reproach of Egypt” in Joshua 5:2-12 similar to those who were escaping “from this corrupt generation” through repenting and being baptized “in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” in Acts 2:37-41?

In your opinion, how are Peter’s call to “repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins” in Acts 2:37-41 and Jesus’ call to Simon, Andrew, James and John to follow Him in Mark 1:16-20 the same?

Philippians 3:3-14 – New International Version (NIV)

³ For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— ⁴ though I myself have reasons for such confidence.

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵ circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

⁷ But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Who puts no confidence in the flesh (verse 3)?

How could Paul’s confidence in the flesh compare with other people’s (verse 4)?

What does Paul list that would give him confidence in the flesh (verses 5 and 6)?

In your opinion, what does Paul mean by “whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ” (verses 7 and 8)?

What “comes from God on the basis of faith” (verse 9)?

What does Paul want to attain through knowing Christ (verses 10 and 11)?

Why does Paul “press on” (verse 12)?

What “one thing” does Paul do (verse 13)?

Where has God called Paul (verse 14)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how are the Israelites, who celebrated their first Passover in the promised land and then started eating the food of the land instead of the manna in Joshua 5:2-12, similar to Paul who is “forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead” in Philippians 3:3-14?

In your opinion, how is the magnitude of what Simon, Andrew, James and John gave up when Jesus called them in Mark 1:16-20 illustrated for us by Paul as he lists the things that he could have had confidence in in Philippians 3:3-14?

In your opinion, how is Peter’s call to “save yourselves from this corrupt generation” by repenting and being baptized in Acts 2:37-41 echoed by Paul in Philippians 3:3-14?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Joshua, Mark, Acts, and Philippians reveal to us about the difference between those who are of the “corrupt generation” and those who are pressing on to win the prize that God has called then heavenward in Jesus Christ for?

In your opinion, how do we react to God calling us today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)