The Process of Accomplishment

Our topic last evening was "The Process of Accomplishment."  We studied the conversion of Cornelius in Acts 10 and noted the steps he took in this story.  In our lives, we need to take certain steps in order to be in the right relationship with God.  Believing in God, praying to Him and showing through our actions that we believe in Him are some of the crucial steps in this process.  After we learn the basics, we need to grow in our faith and knowledge, as we learn more about God and how we can enjoy the salvation He offers all mankind.  

The notes of our discussion are below.

August 15, 2011

The Process of Accomplishment

Opening Question: What is something that you have achieved or accomplished recently and what has it been the steps or the process in which it took place?

In order to complete a project or a task, there is a specific process, with chronological steps that should take place.  These steps need to be in the right order and should be taken one after the other for the project or the task to be accomplished.

Today we are going to look at a story from the Bible and talk about a few steps in the process of accomplishing salvation in our lives.

First of all, it is important to note that God offers us salvation as a gift.  In Ephesians 2:8-9 we read that: 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.  However, there are certain steps that need to be followed in order to receive this grace of God.

In Acts 10, we read the story of how Cornelius became a Christian.  In verse 2, we read that Cornelius had been doing several things in his life.

What were these things?

Cornelius was devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.

What do these things mean?  What do they show us about Cornelius?

Cornelius had taken the first steps in getting to know God and building a relationship with Him.  He was God-fearing, meaning respectful of God’s person and His commandments, he was generous (showing through his acts his beliefs) and he communicated, he talked to God regularly through prayer.

The story continues in verses 3-8: 3 One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”  4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.  The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.  5 Now send men to Joppa to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter.  6 He is staying with Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”  7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants.  8 He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.

Cornelius had certain preconditions (which we just mentioned) in his life, which made for God to send an angel and to talk to him directly.  In the Old Testament and the New Testament times, God used visions and direct interventions of angels to give people His message.  This was a time when there was no writing of the New Testament.  The stories that we read about today were happening or had just happened, like the accounts we read in the Gospels.

However, today, God does not intervene anymore in this way.  We have the Bible that teaches us about what we need to do.  In fact, this story that we are reading comes from the Bible.  Cornelius had to listen from Peter explanations about those things he did not know or understand and about the things he needed to do.  Today, we can read about the same message that Peter spoke to Cornelius in the words of the Bible, recording for us and for all the people in the world.

In verses 36-38, we read that besides Cornelius being a good, generous men, who prayed to God, he also had certain understanding about God and about Jesus.  We read in these verses that word that Peter says to Cornelius:  36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.  37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

It was important for Cornelius to have a basic understanding of what God had done and who Jesus was, in order for Peter to continue teaching him more advanced truths of the Word of God.  Like in other areas of our life, our research, we have to follow certain steps in order to advance in our knowledge and to achieve the wanted results.  In order to know God, we need to start at some point, at the beginning, with the basic truths and facts and then move to more in-depth studies and understanding.

Furthermore, Peter instructs Cornelius in those things we did not know.  In verses 39-43, we read his words: 39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen.   41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.  42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.  43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Peter explains to Cornelius how Jesus died and was raised on the third day.  More importantly, Peter says in verse 43 that everyone who believes in Jesus, receive forgiveness of his sins through His name.  Forgiveness of one’s sins allows for us to have a true relationship with God again.

Finally, after Cornelius had learned everything that it was necessary for Peter to teach him, in verse 48, we read that Cornelius is baptized: 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

We will study more about baptism in our next lessons, but for now it is important to mention that baptism is always a crucial step in the process of being saved by the grace of God.

Conclusions

In order for us to be in a good relationship with God, we need to follow a few steps in our life.  Believing in God, praying to Him and showing through our actions that we believe in Him and are trying to live good lives are preconditions to moving forward in our faith.  Learning the basics about God and the Bible is essential, before we can move along with more advanced teachings.  And finally, baptism is a crucial step in the plan of salvation created by God for all mankind.

What does the Bible Teach about Repentance?

Last Monday we talked about "What does the Bible Teach about Repentance".  We discussed how we all make mistakes and often need to change our ways and repent of our old actions.  If we have faith in God, we can seek and find him.  As we understand God's kindness shown toward us in Him sending His son to die for our sins, we will try to act in such a way as to be appreciative of this kindness.  When we realize that we are in our sins and we need to change in order to avoid certain death, we can turn our lives around, repent of our sins and look up to God for salvation.

Here are the notes from our discussion.

August 8, 2011

What does the Bible Teach About Repentance?

Opening Question: What does it something that you have noticed you have changed recently in your life or in the life of a close friend and what cause you to make that change?

Sometimes we can make mistakes in our life and once we realize them, it is time to change.  Other times, we may not have all the information when we make a decision.  Once we have all the facts, we may need to change our mind about our previous choices.

What does the Bible say about change?

The Bible uses the word “repentance” – but the Greek word in the original language of the Bible means “to change one’s mind.”  How does this changing of the mind happens?

In 2 Corinthians 7:8-10, we read: 8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while—  9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us.  10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

Paul’s letter had caused “sorrow” to the Corinthians, but this “sorrow” had motivated them to “repentance” or a change of their previous ways in which they acted.  Paul noted that this “godly sorrow” lead to salvation and leaves no regret.

If you are trying to give up a vice, let us say “driving over the speed limit” and you are caught by a policeman, the sorrow you feel about this act (and not just sorrow about being caught) should lead you to change, in this case, toward a behavior of respect for the traffic rules and regulations.

For most people, repenting or changing your ways happens as a process.  What are the stages or what is the way in which this repentance, this changing of heart and mind happens?

1.         Faith in God

If you believe that you are always doing the right thing, you will not see a need to change.  We change things in order to make them good or to make them better.  If you do not see a need in your life to change, you will not change.

So, in order for you to change in conformity with the Word of God, you should have faith in God and see the need that some change should happen in your life.

In Hebrews 11:6, we read that: 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

What does it mean to have faith in God?

So, first we must have faith in God and trust in Him that He will reward those that earnestly seek Him.

This faith comes from hearing the Word of God as we read in Romans 10:17: 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

2.         Understanding the kindness of God

In Romans 2:4, we read: 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

What is the kindness of God?

Understanding how much God loves us (by sending Jesus into the world) and what God has done for us (by Jesus dying on the cross for our sins).

Kindness if a very strong motivator for people – we usually respond positively to people who are kind and polite to us, even if they do not do anything for us (imagine the situation of calling someone for servicing a broken computer ).  The kindness of God is much more than what people can do for us.  No one can give us the same kind of peace and eternal life that God can only give.

3.         Understanding the sin in our life

In John 16:7-8, Jesus says that: 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment:

We have studied in the past that the result of sin is separation from God, spiritual death and eventually physical death.

One of the tasks of the Holy Spirit is to prove the world to be in the wrong about sin.  We do not have to look far in order to realize that many things are wrong in the world today.  And until we come to the understanding that we need to change and we need to change in accordance with the Word of God, we will not make meaningful changes in our life.

The realization of the sin in our life should make us full of godly sorrow, a strong desire in our heart to become better, to change for the best, to the full potential of our abilities. 

Conclusions

While we sin and fall short of what is expected of us, God offers us the opportunity to repent.  As we learn of God’s kindness and of the effect of sin in our lives, we can come to the point of repenting, changing our hearts and our minds and live our lives pure and holy while following the Word of God.

On Lying

We spent some time last evening talking about the topic of "Lying".  We noted that lying usually makes us feel angry, disappointed, sad and overall is something we would prefer it did not take place in our lives.  We looked at the way the Bible describes lying, as a sin and we talked about practical way of avoiding lying and trying to always tell the truth.

The notes of our discussion are below.

July 25, 2011

On Lying

Opening question: How do you feel when your find out that a close friend has lied to you about something?

Often we may find ourselves in situations in our lives and in our relationship with other people when we either say or are told a lie.  Our feelings in these cases may range from guilt, to sadness, to anger, to rage.

Today, we are going to look at a few Biblical examples of lying and how to address this issue in our lives.

1.         Is lying a sin?

Some people in the world do not have a problem with lying.  People lie for many reasons: to avoid the consequences (I didn’t do that); to move along in their careers (taking the merits for things they have not done); to impress their friends and relatives (that is why fish grow even long after their dead).  Some lies are justified by the outcome from them, for example a general lying to the soldiers in the fields about reinforcements arriving in order to boost their spirits or the doctor lying to the patient about the state of their disease, to increase their courage to fight the disease.

In the Bible, we are introduced to the sin of lying in the Garden of Eden.  In Genesis 3:4, the serpent (the Devil), told Eve that she was not going to die, even though God clearly commanded Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  The consequences of this “lie” that Eve believed were both spiritual and physical death for all mankind.

The position that God takes with regard to lying is expressed very clearly in Exodus 20:16, the verse that commands the Hebrews: “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour. 

We are told in Colossians 3:9: “Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices.”  Lying is an evil practice and we should have none of it.

If the sin of lying is such a detestable things that God hates it, according to Proverbs 6:16-19, how do we deal with it?

2.         Stop lying and start telling the truth

As with other kinds of sin, the solution to the sin of lying is to stop doing it and start telling the truth.  This may be difficult, if lying is something that you have struggling in throughout all your life.  But many things do not come easy in life and the more you try, the better you will be at telling the truth.

Avoid putting myself in a situation where I may be lying or forced to lie.  If you have friends who are lying to you all the time or you feel like you have to lie to them when you go out with them, then you may want to consider your friendship.

An alternative to lying is choosing not to answer a question if you believe it is quite sensitive.  If you believe that it is too sensitive to tell someone how much money you make, don’t lie, but say something to the effect of “I’d rather not talk about that” or “that’s something I don’t like to talk about.”  People may not get your clue the first time, but eventually they will.

At times, lying is only the cover for a greater sin in our life, the symptom of another disease we may have.  If that is true, we need to address the underlying sin.  If you did not do anything sinful yesterday, there is no need to lie when you are asked “How was your weekend?  What did you do?”  If there is nothing sinful in your activities at work, there is no need to lie when co-workers ask you about something and so on.  If you are actually working and not playing solitaire, you will not fear questions such as “What are you doing”?

3.         The benefits of telling the truth

First of all, lying is sinning and we are commanded not to live in sin.  The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).  Revelation 21:8 reserves for liars in the lake of fire and definitely I do not want to be there.

Moreover, telling the truth is always beneficial, not just for you, but also for the people around you.  If you are honest, you have nothing to fear or stress out in your life (oh, what if people found out about this or that – I have to make up an explanation for this or that) and you can be a good influence about God and Christ to other people.  We all know the story of the boy crying wolf and definitely we do not want to be that boy.  Other neighbours, acquaintances, friends will tell sooner or later whether we are truthful or not and will not believe us even when we are trying to tell them about the truths of the Gospel.

Jesus himself said in Luke 16:10 that “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much."  The more you are truthful and honest in your life, in everything that you do, the more God will use you in his plan of saving the world and proclaiming the gospel to the lost.  If you show that you can be trusted with little things, the truths of daily life, God will entrust you the truths of His kingdom as well.

Conclusions

Lying is a sin and God hates all kinds of sin.  It is important for us to stop sinning and be honest with everyone and about everything.  In this way, we will be able to reach the lost souls of this world and proclaim to them the Gospel of salvation from God.

Campus Bible Talk 2011

A Lesson in Leadership

Last evening we discussed the topic of "Leadership" and what qualities should a leader have, in order to be able to face difficult situations and address them in a proper way.  We looked at Acts 6 and how the Apostles handled a disagreement among believers and what qualities they displayed while resolving this dispute.

Here are the notes from our discussion.

July 18, 2011

A Lesson in Leadership

Opening question: What is a quality that you value in a person of authority or a leader?

There are many qualities that we would like to see in a leader or qualities that we strive to achieve, such as courage, wisdom, asking for help from others (delegation), etc.

An event from the Bible gives us some insights on a situation where the Apostles provide a great case of leadership, along with some qualities that we will discuss today.

In Acts 6:1-7, we read:  1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.  2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.  3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them  4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.” 

5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.  6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

This is a case of a disagreement among brothers and sisters in the early church, because some of the widows were being overlooked or neglected in the daily distribution of food.

What did the Apostles do to show leadership in addressing this situation and what qualities did they display in this case?

1.         Courage

First, the Apostles did not deny that there was a problem, but showed courage in facing the problem and working to find a solution for it.

There may be situation when people do not want to even acknowledge that there is a problem and try to sweep away the complaint(s) as unfounded or too small to pay any attention to them. 

The Apostles did not do that.  They did not go into the merits of whether this complaint was founded or not and whether this neglect had taken place or not.  They realized that it was important not to have disagreement in the church and to strive toward unity. 

They had the courage to face this problem and to work toward a solution for it.

2.         Wisdom

Sometimes people may feel that the best solution is to tell the people what to do.  We may have even told people, given people a solution when they came to us with a problem. “You need to do this” or “you should do that.”  However, there may be problems when you give people the solution.

What may be these problems?

The Apostles did not give the solution to the people.  They did not chose people and put them in charge of the distribution of the food – instead they asked the people – all the people (we see here the wisdom of including everyone who is affected by this situation and inviting them for their thoughts on the matter) to chose seven men whom they trusted and who were able to work on this issue.

3.         Seeking help

In verse 2, we see that the Apostles had been tasked by God to minister to word of God, to preach the Gospel to everyone.  So, it would have been difficult for them to do both, as they would have had to give us some of the time dedicated to preaching the word to taking care of the distribution of the food.

So, the Apostles asked for help from people chosen by the general gathering of the believers and they also made sure that these people were capable to doing this job.  It is important to ask for help, but it is also important to ask for help from people that are actually able to give you efficient help with the job you need them to do.

Conclusions

Whether you are in a position of leadership or not, we need to show certain qualities that God has indicated are pleasing and acceptable to him.  We cannot run from problematic situations in our lives, but we need to face them and resolve the problems.  We need to be wise to the best way to resolve problems and whenever it is possible, if our plate is full, we can seek help from people who can truly help us in our situation.

Campus Bible Talk 2011

Generosity and Hypocrisy

"Generosity and Hypocrisy" were the topics of our talk on Monday evening.  We looked at the example of the early church, how they shared everything they had and the generosity displayed by believers who sold their lands and homes so that there would be no needy people among them.  Then, we studied the story of Ananias and Sapphira, focusing on their sin of hypocrisy and its tragic consequences.

Please find below our study's notes.

July 11, 2011

Generosity and Hypocrisy

Opening question: What has been an act of generosity that has really affected you personally or someone close in your life?

We can mention many occasions when we see generosity in our lives, whether it is by receiving a scholarship or a charity event or whether it is providing a few items for someone less fortunate.

Today, we are going to look at a famous example from the Bible and talk about a lesson in generosity and hypocrisy.

In Acts 4:32-27 we read: 32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.  33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all  34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales  35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.  36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”),  37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.

These are general and specific examples of generosity.  The believers shared their possession, meaning they gave to the ones who did not have.  Note that “there were no needy persons among them.”  The process was simple: The people who were blessed to the extent that they had property to give to the less fortunate believers, did so and gave the money to be distributed for food, clothing, shelter, etc.

This was a time when there were many believers in Jerusalem and many of them did not have a place to stay, extra clothes or food and definitely needed or could have used the help provided to them in this way.

What does this example teach us about being generous today?

In Acts 5:1-11, we read the story of Ananias and Sapphira:  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.

What did Ananias and Sapphira do?

Ananias and Sapphira pretended or tried to appear as they were giving everything (all the money from the sale), when they were not.

Why was this wrong?

Because it was a lie, both to the Apostles, and to God.  Ananias and Sapphira hid some of the money, but said that they were giving everything.

There was no obligation for Ananias and Sapphira to sell their land and give any of the money.  This is not expected to be done by all and it was not done by all (those who could/had).

How do we feel when someone has been lying to us?  Why is lying a problem?

Why Ananias and Sapphira were punished in this manner?

1.         Their sin of impurity – hypocrisy and lies could not be allowed in the new community of Christians that was just being started.

2.         God showed his displeasure for insincerity – God does not lie (Titus 1:1–2) and he does not approve of people lying.

Conclusions

We may not be punished immediately for our sins, but we can rest assured that God is aware of them and that we will give account one day for everything we are doing in our lives - Revelation 20:12

Campus Bible Talk 2011