Lesson 8: The Proactive Heart of Jesus

PROACTIVE HEART:

Christ is a living example of how to set our minds "on things above" and our hearts "on the Kingdom first". Studying the life of Christ we see that nothing deterred Him from His goal, going to the cross. He was never deterred even though:

•  His closest friends misunderstood Him
• The religious right opposed Him
• The hypocrites accused Him
• His disciples deserted Him
• The courts accused Him
• The Romans beat Him
• His Jewish brethren betrayed Him
• The crowd called out to crucify Him
• and His Heavenly Father turned His face on Him

Jesus' proactive heart kept His path to the cross the focus of His life. No matter what happened externally in His life, Jesus was going to the cross. He was going to fulfill His Father's will. He was going to die for the very folks who misunderstood Him and abused Him.

REACTIVE HEART:

External situations often determine how we as Christians "react" instead of "pro-act". A proactive person with a proactive heart for God determines the correct course to follow and lets nothing deter them from their committed path. A reactive person waits for external circumstances to determine how they will act. The reactive heart is "tossed to and fro by every wind" (Ephesians 4:14; James 1:6). The reactive heart, like a pin-ball machine, turns against any obstacle and heads in a different direction.

People who are easily "offended" (off-ended like a train off its tracks) are folks with "reactive hearts". Our example in Christ is very clear. No matter what others do or say, no matter what circumstances in life confront us we, as Christ must stay true to our calling.

OUR CALLING:
Christians must be committed disciples that are:

• Not easily offended by brethren
• Not dissuaded or turned away from serving God by any internal or external force or event
• Not easily discouraged or depressed about in WHOM they believe.
• Committed to their "Calling", Higher Purpose (reflecting the Light to the World)
• Prepared to prioritize their lives around growing more and more into the image of Christ
• Dedicated to promoting the Kingdom in all areas of their influence.

A proactive heart is one that keeps examining itself to align itself with the will of God. As Christians mature, they recognize different areas in their lives that need to be adjusted as they grow more and more into the image of Christ. These adjustments continue throughout a person’s lifetime.

What effort on our part does the Lord require for us to accomplish our higher calling? Man's purpose is to glorify God in our bodies, our flesh (1 Corinthians 6:20). We do this by allowing the Spirit to produce fruit in us. (Love, Joy, Peace, Patience) Submitting to the Spirit shapes us more and more into the image of Christ. Submitting REQUIRES effort on our part! We must fight against our own fleshly nature and surrender (absolute surrender) to the promptings of the Spirit. To KNOW the will of God in our lives, we must take quality time to LISTEN & RESPOND. The Spirit will add these fruits to our lives if we are WILLING.

 Let's use the following hierarchy as a guide to growing in the Lord:

PRIORITIZING to BECOME MORE like CHRIST

LET's see what we have attended to by responding to the following:

• Where would you go for home improvement supplies?
• What types of diet plans are you aware of? List as many as you can.
• What types of home gym equipment items can you name?

We attend to things that deal with our physical bodies and surroundings.

Have you ever heard of Osteogenesis Imperfecta? It is a disease that affects people who live in extreme poverty. Since we do not live in extreme poverty, we probably do not "attend" to information concerning Osteogenesis Imperfecta. Just as we do not know about Osteogenesis Imperfecta and just as we have never probably cared about researching it or its particular symptoms or manifestations, so too many people have never bothered to research or study the Word of God. This lack of interest may to due to several factors. What might these be?

• Were not raised in a Christian home
• Were not aware that the Bible was more than a few fairy tales
• Were not comfortable with the language
• Were not motivated by other Christians
• and many more reasons the world has not "attended" to the Gospel.

In order to start a journey to become more like Christ, the first step must be "being aware" that there is something to "attend to", something to become aware of. There may have been a news story about Osteogenesis Imperfecta, but even if there were a news story, you did not pay much attention to it. After all there are soooooo many things to listen to. Some things are bound to get lost in the overflow of media information. In the Dark Ages there was not enough information about God's Word. Today, the Devil's new approach to confusing the world by giving them tooooooooooo much information. Too much information makes it difficult for people to glean what is important to "attend to" or vital to their salvation. This is where the Christian comes into play. We are the messengers who can draw people to attend to what is vital for their souls.

STEP ONE:

1. RECEIVING (ATTENDING):

   A. Awareness: 

• I Tim 4:16 "Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you."
• Hebrews 2:1 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.
• 2 Peter 1:19 And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.

EXAMPLE: You mother calls you to dinner while you are watching TV....do you even hear her? The Gospel is being preached over the entire earth...are most people paying attention? What message is God trying to give you...but you aren't paying attention? (APPLICATION: Meditation NOT just study ---"The Lord IS my shepherd")

SELF EXAMINATION:
Perhaps it is time in your life as a Christian that you pay attention to becoming more hospitable, or more loving, or more benevolent. What area of your life needs attention so that you can grow to be more like Christ? Are you paying attention to what God is trying to reveal to you through His Spirit?

   B. Willingness-- Hearing and willing to listen. "Ye have ears, but you do not hear." (Isaiah 6:10); A willing heart is the beginning of understanding. There are over 32 Scriptures which describe people who cannot hear or see what is right in front of them because they have hard hearts and are unwilling to hear.

   C. Controlled or Selected Attention: Willing to selectively hear and concentrate on what God is revealing. In church one person hears a baby cry, another hears the voice of God speaking to their heart through the singing. Controlled Attention means that you have focused long enough to get the message. You can receive the Word. Selective Attention also means that you choose to listen or attend to a message. You might even attend to the message on your "own" time.

EXAMPLES:  Dripping water, a bird's song, a car engine. Eventually, you no longer notice these noises if they are constantly a part of your environment.

APPLICATION: If God's Word is something that you are willing to hear, then you will spend your "own" time meditating on it. You are willing to select it as place to put your attention even during your leisure time. No one will have to "make" you glean from God's Word. You will "pant" for His Word in all willingness.

So the Spirit has given you a message that you have attended to and are willing to keep in your mind and heart. Now what?

In order to grow more into the image of Christ, listening or attending is only the beginning. The next step is to "respond appropriately". If someone yells, "fire" in a theatre, you will probably hear it, but do you do anything about what you hear? You show your "faith" in the individual communicating, "fire" by responding appropriately to his message.

STEP TWO

2. RESPONDING: (Exhibit a NEW behavior)

   A. Acquiescence: Believing...one is touched by the message and responds to it with feeling, emotion, and mental affirmation. Acts 2:37 "Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?"

The heart MUST respond to the message. If the Spirit is telling you that you need to grow in love, then you must acquiesce in your heart.

   B. Willingness: One hears a message, believes it, and is willing to respond to it. Action follows the hearing. "Be ye doers of the word, not just hearers" (James 1:12).

   C. Satisfaction: The response brings satisfaction. Gladness results from the action taken. One is not embarrassed or demeaned by the action taken. The action generates an internal response which is typically a sense of well-being.

Philippians 2:17 "But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all."


Colssians 1:24 "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions."

APPLICATION: Even if your response to the call of God results in suffering, this step will need to demonstrate some type of satisfaction or gladness as the result of the action or the action may never be repeated.

When new Christians come to the Lord, there MUST be rejoicing and satisfaction in this response. If there is no satisfaction in the new life they have chosen, they will soon walk a different path.

If you decide that you need to be more hospitable and you respond by having more folks into your home to share the Light, even if things did not go well, you need to feel joy because you are accomplishing growth in this area of your character.


STEP THREE: When one realizes the need to change then responds to that information by attempting new behaviors and can rejoice at the outcome of those behaviors, then something very special begins to happen.
The person begins to "value" and place priority on those behaviors.

EXAMPLE: When a young boy first plays T-Ball and attempts to hit the ball, he can often end up frustrated and unhappy until he succeeds in hitting the ball where he wants it to go. As the boy becomes more and more accomplished in the task of hitting the ball, he spends more time thinking and planning how he will become a great ball play one day. His goals change. His skills change. He likes the applause of the crowd and gains satisfaction from his new identity as a "ball player". He "values" his involvement in his baseball team and his abilities on the field.

3. VALUING: (Exhibits actions that are characteristic of true INVOLVEMENT)

   A. Acceptance: You accept the message, respond to the message, feel satisfaction from acting on the new value and now you accept this value as a part of your character.

   B. Preference: When faced with a new dilemma, you prefer to react in accordance with your new value system. You prefer the type of people who share your value system.

Romans 12:10: "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor"

APPLICATION: When you begin to "prefer" growing into the image of Christ, you choose the activities which are in tune with the new value you are trying to imitate. You prefer to work in the benevolence center instead of going to the movies. You prefer to worship God instead of sleeping in. You prefer to work for LTC instead of going fishing. You prefeences show what you value.

Philippians 3:8: "More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing (epignosis) Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ"

  C. Commitment: You are committed to the new value and will even publicly proclaim your commitment. People see that you have made choices that agree with the new value system. Commitment implies faithfulness. You will be faithful to your commitment.

STEP FOUR
4. ORGANIZATION: (Value Clarification - Prioritize) A proactive person on the path to becoming more like Christ, will seek to organize their lives in such a way as to give God quality time to do His work in their heart. They will set goals and "press on" to those goals. It does take some effort on our part to stay on the path that God has for us.

   A. Conceptualization: Your life is defined by the way you prioritize your affairs. You organize your life around the new value system.

EXAMPLES: All your friends know that you will be at church on Sunday instead of in a bar.

There are people who organize their lives around hunting. If the season is open, they will not be available for any work of the church. There are people who organize their lives around baseball, dance or music lessons, or vacations.

What is God calling you to organize your life around? Are you listening? Responding? Committed?
   B. Organization: You define your life, schedule, finances, spare time, and friendships around the activities that represent your new values. "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness" (Matthew 6:33)


STEP FIVE
5. CHARACTERIZATION: (Consistently acting in agreement with value )

2 Corinthians 3:19 "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit."

Romans 8:29" For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren

2 Corinthians 9:10-15: 10Now He who supplies seed (alpha) to the sower and bread (omega) for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness;
11 you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.
12 For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God.
13 Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all,
14 while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you.
15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!


   A. Generalized Set: You have a set of values (Christ-like characteristics) that are predictable and holistic. There are no values in the set that conflict with any other values in your "set". You are not caring and mean. You do not serve two masters. The set of characteristics that define your life are not hypocritical (two-faced) by nature.

   B. Value Complex: Your life is so ethically and completely aligned with the value set that you become the very representative of the set of values.

EXAMPLE: Someone might say, "When I think of caring, I think of Irene She is the very essence of caring."

Who do you think of as caring? What name comes to mind?
Who do you think of as benevolent? What name comes to mind?
What do people associate with your name? What characteristics come to mind?
What characteristics do you still need to grow in?

As you come to characterize one of Christ's traits, you will find that you need to grow in another trait. This is the life-long pursuit of the Christian with a proactive heart....growing into the image of Christ.

Educators often use hierarchies to determine growth. In matters of the intellect, they use Bloom's taxonomy for the Cognitive Domain. The Affective Domain refers to matters of the heart. To learn how we can grow in our efforts to have a more Proactive Heart, we need to understand how we can prioritize (have goals for) growing more like Christ.

The KEY to a PROACTIVE HEART:

Hearing (Attending), Believing (Commiting), Repenting & Being Baptized (Responding),  Continually Confessing (Valuing), Being Faithful (Organizing), Growing in His Image: Sanctification (Characterization).

Questions to Ask:
Does it benefit the Kingdom?
Does it please God?
Does it make the angels rejoice?

HOMEWORK:
Chapter 7: Absolute Surrender
Define the following words: righteousness, glory.

Lesson 7: Twelve Meditations to Realize a Victorious Life

What is Impossible with Man is Possible with God (Luke 18:27)

Resource: Absolute Surrender: Chapter 5

Man cannot do ANYTHING to gain salvation except trust in the power of God and accept the free gift of grace in obedience and submission.

Fallen man is helpless until he bows down and acknowledges the working of God which is able to transfer him from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of Light. When we accept our utter helplessness and God's utter helpfulness which He offers through His Beloved Son, we begin our journey of faith.  

We must understand that our Faith is based on the work of God and not the work of man. Our baptism into Christ (Romans 6:3-11; Galatians 3:26-27) which begins our spiritual walk is also not a work of man, but a work of God (Colossians 2:12). So then, why do we think we have any work to accomplished that is not the work of God? Is there anything worthy accomplished without the power of God? Do you know that God is working in you to do His will in His way? (Philippians 2:13)

How do we begin this journey with God?

Let's look at Christ's example in Luke 3:21-22. Jesus was perfect and certainly did not need to be baptized, but He did so to fulfill "all righteousness" as an example for us. His entire life on earth was to give us a path to follow. What do we learn about His example in baptism?

5 events took place. Please note each: 

21 Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened,



22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased."


(1) Jesus was baptized
(2) Jesus was praying
(3) Heaven Opened and the Holy Spirit Descended
(4) Heaven claimed Him as "Son"
(5) God was well-pleased.


When we go into baptism (immersion in water), we are to call on the name of the Lord (praying) as commanded in Acts 22:16. What are we praying for?


While we submit to baptism, we call on God, in faith, to give us all spiritual blessings that are found in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3) and to send us the Holy Spirit, (Acts 2:38) who will enlighten us (1 Corinthians 2:10-13) and empower us to live Holy unto God (Ephesians 1:13-18). God, then, claims us as his "child". We become "sons" of God (Romans 8:14). God is well pleased with us when we submit to Him in baptism and faith according to His Gospel (1 Corinthians 1:21; Colossians 1:19-23).


It is in baptism that we contact the blood of Christ which has the power to reconcile us to God, IF we continue firmly in the faith without wavering (Colossians 1:22-23) away from the Gospel of our Salvation.


The exact 5 STEPS take place in our baptism as took place in Christ's baptism.


(1) We are buried in water (Romans 6:3-11) as we
(2) call on God (pray) to do His work in baptism (Acts 22:16).
(3) The Holy Spirit descends on us (Acts 2:38).
(4) We become sons of God (Romans 8:16-17, 1 John 3:1-2) and (5) When we are raised up as Christ was raised from the dead (Colossians 3:1-3), God sees the blood of Christ covering (hiding) us and is well pleased.


We have a "new self" (Colossians 3:10) and are transferred out of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of His Beloved Son (Colossians 1:13). We need only to SUBMIT. We submit in baptism to the blood of the Lamb. We submit in our Christian walk to the Lordship of Jesus Christ (1 John 1:7).


God grants us power in the inner man through His Spirit to strengthen us as we walk in Him (Ephesians 3:16). Salvation is wholly a work of God and not a work of man. Growing more and more in our salvation is also a work of God and not a work of man.
Once we have the Holy Spirit as our guide, we have the opportunity to claim the Almightiness of God by giving glory to Him in all things. "In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path".


12 Mediations to Realize a Victorious Life


(1) My God is not small. I acknowledge His Power & Majesty throughout my day (Isaiah 57:15; Proverbs 3:6).


(2) My Lord is not dead. I accept His Kingdom and Lordship. He reigns (Revelation 19:6)


(3) I am not alone. The Holy Spirit lives in me and in His church (1 Corinthians 6:19).


(4) My life is not mine. Submission, as a slave of Christ, ensures my inheritance (Colossians 3:24).


(5) My mind is dedicated to being renewed daily. The Christian life is one of growth by partaking of the Bread of Life (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:23).


(6) My heart is overflowing. Joy, love, mercy, peace are fruits of the Spirit which God has placed in my heart (Philemon 1:7; Galatians 5:22).


(7) The cross of Christ is my Salvation. I deny self and cricify the flesh daily (Matthew 16:24). My battle is against my flesh.


(8) My lips praise Him all through the day. I give witness to His glory among the nations (2 Samuel 22:50).


(9) My hands are not too busy to serve. I reserve quality time to serve the Lord (Exodus 23:19; Numbers 18:13; Revelation 14:4).


(10) My mission is to expand the Kingdom. I am to share the Light with those in darkness (2 Corinthians 4:6; 2 Corinthians 5:18; Ephesians 5:14; Matthew 5:14). If Christ shines in our hearts, we will reflect that to the world.


(11) I am Holy Clothed (hidden) by the Power of God (Galations 3:27; Revelation 3:5).


(12) I wait on God only (Psalms 25:5; 40:1; 62:5; 69:6; Isaiah 30:18; 64:4; Hosea 12:6; Micah 7:7; Jude 1:21)




If it is God who works and wills in us, what can we do but to wait on Him (1 Corinthians 12:11). He works all things! His is the victory. If we are to have a victorious life, we will need to wait on Him. In the quietness of prayer, wait on God. In the renewing of your mind, wait on God. In the filling of your heart with fruits of the Spirit, wait on God. Give God quality time to express Himself to you.
 
Our relationship with God must include waiting with expectancy. Expect His compassion, mercy, grace, and power. Praise Him in expectancy.
 
Homework:
Write in your journal on the topic: "Wait on God only".
Read - Absolute Surrender: Chapter 6

Lesson 6: If Only You Believed

“What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?”~unknown

If only you had as much faith as a mustard seed

Matthew 17:18-20

And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.

19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

2 Thessalonians 2:13: But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith (pistis/belief) in the truth.

A major part of being sanctified by the Spirit is being filled with faith. How does one exhibit faith?

Reference: Absolute Surrender, Chapter 4 by Andrew Murray

Why do you think Peter betrayed Christ?

In what way is Peter's betrayal comparable to modern situations?

Often we say we believe in God, but live as if we do not believe it.

What does it mean to believe?

Strong's Lexicon: http://www.eliyah.com/lexicon.html

http://www.eliyah.com/cgi-bin/strongs.cgi?file=greeklexicon&isindex=believe


What do we say with our actions?

Do we sing His praises on Sunday and then deny His power on Monday?

Last week we were to find additional passages that

Consider the life of John the Baptist (Born to Die)
What was he born to do? Luke 1:17, 76
Did he do what he was born to do? Was he considered a great success? Luke 7:28
When he completed his calling what happened to him? Matthew 14:10

Consider the life of Jeremiah (Born to Cry) Jeremiah 4:23-28

Consider the life of Ezekiel (Born to lay on his side) Ezekiel 4:4

What has God called you to become? Matthew 5:14; John 8:14

What does it mean to pass out of death into life? If we truly appreciated this translation from death to life, how should we express ourselves?

What is self-life and how can it fill us so much that the power of God cannot work in us as mightily as God is willing that it should?

We are going to study Romans 10 and its historical envelope.
We need to know:
(1) Who wrote it? Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:1)
(2) When was it written? Written the same time as 1 Corinthians 15:26 - 16:1-2 or ~ AD 58 during the time of Nero's persecution of the church . Nero reigned from 37AD to 68AD.
(3) To whom was it written? To those who have been "called as saints", Christians. (Romans 1:6-7)
(4) For what purpose was it written? Even though the Roman church had faith proclaimed throughout the world (Romans 1:8), they still had problems they needed to overcome. Some of these problems involved peer pressure from the heathen world in which they lived. Paul wanted them to "not be ashamed of the Gospel for it is the power of God unto salvation" (Romans 1:16)
(5) What does it say to me? Reflect

During this time Nero had proclaimed himself to be Dominos Deus (Master Deity or God Supreme) and had erected large statues of himself in prominent locations in Rome (near the Colesseum for example). Once a year citizens were to bow before this statue and give Caesar homage.  Refusing to do so was treason. To declare anyone else Supreme Lord was also considered treason. If you did not worship Caesar you were considered to be an "atheist".


Study Romans 10: 8-15 ... The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
12For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

If Paul knew that when Christians said these words alloud, "I believe Jesus Christ is Dominus Deus", this would bring death to them, why did he require a confession with the lips?

Why could faith not come by "seeing someone who does righteous acts"?

If faith comes by hearing, then someone must be speaking. If someone is speaking, then someone could be heard. If someone was heard, then someone could be sentenced to death.

Was Christianity successful in Rome? Did Christianity spread because Christians remained silent?

Are Christians more silent today than during Nero and other Caesar's reigns?

Watch Video:



What is your goal? What consumes your time?




God's purpose;

• God wants you to enjoy life Eccl 5:18

• God sees your posibilities--saw Peters possibilties

• God calls us to a higher purpose--to overcome sin and to live in Him--as a solution to our sin problem



Meditation: My purpose

• what are we going to become?-- Joshua 24:15 choose who will serve
• be willing to pay the price--Luke 14:23--willing "to go" into the hedges
• willing to lose our lives--must be a priority for God's way
• be willing to accept the responsibility

Watch Video: Tamara

Proclaiming the Lord Among the Nations.



HOMEWORK:
(1) Memorize: Phil 4:4-5 
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. "

(2) Listen to 100% Natural Evanglism #2
(3) Read Chapter 5 Absolute Surrender
(4) Look up: http://truediscipleship.org/priority/priority15.htm Spiritual Blessings.

Lesson 5: The Joy of My Salvation

“…it is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.”

~David Steindl-Rast


-----------------------------------------------------------
The definition of Hell is given to us in 2 Thessalonians 1:9:
"These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,"

Being in the presence of the Lord, then is the opposite of Hell! Being in His glorious power is the opposite of Hell! Who would not want to be in the presence of the Lord? Buy there are those who do not understand what is available to them when in the Lord's presence.

Because the Lord is all truth, all light, all knowledge, all wisdom, all patience, all kindness, all forgiving, all comforting, and all loving, to be away from those attributes would truly be Hell. Yet, we can be in the presence of God while we still live upon this earth! However, we often take that for granted or shun the devotional time to remind ourselves of the blessings of His presence.

Andrew Murray (Absolute Surrender, p 32):  "But, oh! we are far more occupied with our work than we are with prayer. We believe more in speaking to men than we believe in speaking to God....if in our ordinary Christian work there were more prayer, there would be more blessings in our own inner life. If we felt and proved and testified to the world that our only strength lay in keeping every minute in contact with Christ, every minute allowing God to work in us -- if that were our spirit, would not, by the grace of God, our lives be holier? Would not they be more abundantly fruitful?"
(p 33) "What a wonderful blessing comes when the Holy Spirit is allowed to lead and direct..." our lives.

How can we be led by the Spirit, if we do not "attend" to His voice?

LAST WEEK: We read a little about how to discipline ourselves so that we might grow spiritually in the Lord. Paul disciplined himself daily ( 1 Corinthians 9:27) If Paul had to discipline his body daily, how much more do we need this?

Growing spiritually allows us to appraise spiritual blessings. Being too busy to meditate, pray, journal, or study the Will of God takes us farther away from discerning His presence in our lives.

TIME: Every one who has ever lived has had the same amount of time in a day. Yet, somehow, we have been fooled in modern times into believing that our time is more precious and more valuable than in earlier centuries. We think we are "out of" time because we busy ourselves with activities that are not under the Lordship of Christ. What does Christ demand of my time each day? If I am a slave of Christ, then what schedule does He desire for my time?

LET's TAKE TIME for REFLECTION:

Psalm 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,And in His law he meditates day and night
Psalm 4:4 Tremble, and do not sin; Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.
Psalm 27:4 One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek:That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,To behold the beauty of the LORDAnd to meditate in His temple.
Psalm 63:6 When I remember You on my bed,I meditate on You in the night watches,
Psalm 77:6 I will remember my song in the night;I will meditate with my heart,And my spirit ponders:
Psalm 77:12 I will meditate on all Your work And muse on Your deeds.
Psalm 119:15  I will meditate on Your precepts And regard Your ways.
Psalm 119:23 Even though princes sit and talk against me,Your servant meditates on Your statutes.
Psalm 119:148 My eyes anticipate the night watches,That I may meditate on Your word.
Psalm 143:5 I remember the days of old;I meditate on all Your doings; I muse on the work of Your hands.
Psalm 145:5 On the glorious splendor of Your majesty And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.

Meditation, Reflection, Examination require time, energy, and prioritizing our lives to "attend" to God's voice. Fasting is said to be naturally linked to mediatation and prayer. Discuss why you think this is or is not the case.

And what good comes from such meditations? These mediatations change our ability to not only grow in the Lord, but change our perspective on life and how we live it.

Have we lost the Joy of our Salvation? Let's examine ourselves.
Do I rejoice always? What does the lack of true thankfulness and true conversion look like?

Deut 28:47-50 “Because you did not serve the LORD your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity, therefore in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the LORD sends against you. He will put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you. The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the ends of the earth, like an eagle swooping down, a nation whose language you will not understand, a fierce-looking nation without respect for the old or pity for the young.”

What does true conversion look like?


Ps 51:10-13; 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.

What does it take to "restore" the joy?
Having Joy in God's Salvation results in what action on our part?

Ps 13:5-6; 5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me.

Do you think this "singing" was done only in an assembly? How do we "sing" praises of those we
admire?

Are our songs of praises accompanied by our hearts?  Eph 5:19

Ps 9:14; that I may declare your praises in the gates of Daughter Zion, and there rejoice in your salvation.

Ps 35:9: Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and delight in his salvation.

The result of true Joy in our Salvation through Jesus Christ is ongoing Praise and a williness to share our conviction.

Understanding the depth of His love will help us to understand the imperitiveness of our calling.

Our calling in a general and literal sense is to praise and glorify God in word, deed, and all that we do.

Will it be any different in Heaven? Revelations 19:1-9:

After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; BECAUSE HIS JUDGMENTS ARE TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and HE HAS AVENGED THE BLOOD OF HIS BOND-SERVANTS ON HER."
3And a second time they said, "Hallelujah! HER SMOKE RISES UP FOREVER AND EVER."
4And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, "Amen Hallelujah!"
5And a voice came from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great."
6Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.
Marriage of the Lamb
7"Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready."
8It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
9Then he said to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb '" And he said to me, "These are true words of God."


Nobody Goes to Heaven who doesn't Want to!  How do you know if we want to go there? What relationship do we have with "praise" and "joy" and "honoring our God" now?


How do we love the Lord with all our STRENGTH, Mind, and Soul? Mark 12:30-33. Is this a part-time job?

Paul found a reason to Pray, Prioritize, and Praise:

Eph 3: 16-21"that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Paul demonstrates here that if we understand the love of Christ and make a priority of being filled up to all the fullness of God, the result is praise!


Reflect on: What has Christ done for me? What is Christ doing for me? What will Christ do for me?

Am I able to do anything for myself?

What Blessings do we have in Christ that we can mediate on to bring Joy back into our lives?

Let us consider Ephesians Chapter 1 GO TO:  http://joyofbiblelearning.blogspot.com/2010/08/spiritual-blessings-in-christ-ephesians.html

Lesson 4: Addendum to the Will of God

We begin our lesson with a Reflection: Discuss your thoughts on the Handout - "Evidence of Surrender" (Brokenness)

Meditate:
In 1 Corinthians 11:27-31, Paul tells us to examine ourselves, to judge ourselves, before we eat and drink of the Lord's Supper. How long do you think it takes to examine yourself in order to be ready to take the Lord's Supper? 30 seconds? 30 minutes?

Our Example: Before Jews partook of the Passover, they had a "Preparation Day". (Luke 22:7-9; Matthew 26:17-19; Mark 14:12-16; Exodus 12:15) Does the Lord's Supper represent a "better" covenant than the Passover meal? (Hebrews 7:22) If our promises are better, or covenant is better, or blessings are better, then should we not be more thankful, more prepared and more meditative about our relationship to our Lord than the children of Israel to their covenant?

Application: Should Saturday night be the night we decide to stay out late at the movies? Should our week be filled with over exertion and worldly activities so that we are too tired to worship on Sunday? Is worship really that important on Sunday? Should we listen to Rock & Roll music filled with suggestive lyrics on the way to worship? How long and in what manner should we "prepare" for the Lord's Supper? There is no law on this subject. There is only thoughtful contemplation for the spiritual Christian.

THOUGHTFUL CONTEMPLATION: Psalms 27:14; Psalms 33:20; Psalm 37:7-9; 37:34; Psalm 40:1; Psalm 130:5-6; Isa 25:9; Isa 40:31; Lamentations 3:25; Micah 7:7; Jude 1:21)

The opposite of "waiting on the Lord" is "having ears, but do not hear" and "eyes that do not see". (Psalm 135:17; Isa 42:20; Jeremiah 5:21; Ezekiel 12:2; Mark 8:18; Romans 11:8)

Question: How will you KNOW the Will of the Lord for your life?

Understanding the Will of the Lord: Read Ephesians 4:30-5:17


Question: What does it mean to be "led by the Spirit?"  (Romans 8:14 vs 2 Peter 3:17)

Homework: Read http://www.directionjournal.org/article/?502 (Christian Discipline Handout)
Write in your Journals something about this article that you will be willing to share in class next week.

Teaching Bible in the 21st Century

Visit: http://joyfullearning.org/Lessons/index.htm

Lesson 4: The WILL of GOD

POWERPOINT:  http://joyfullearning.org/Lessons/Lesson4/BeingFilled.ppt


In 1 Corinthians chapers 1 & 2, Paul describes three kinds of men: (1) Natural Man, (2) Spiritual Man, and (3) Carnal Man (1 Corinthians 2:14; 3:1, Galatians 6:1)

---Are all Christians spiritual? (1 Corinthians 3:1) What term is used to refer to non-spiritual Christians?
---Does going through spiritual activities make you spiritual? (1 Corinthians 10:1-5)
---What is the difference between Ritual and Relationship?
---What does it mean to be "spiritual"?  (2 Corinthians 4:18-5:1)

A Spiritual Person is shaped by their convictions, by that which is ETERNAL, (Eph 6: 10-12) and to that which they are ATTUNED to such as unseen realities. (I KNOW whom I have believed")

A Spiritual Person connects their material lives with their spiritual convictions. The hallmarks of a spiritual person are strength and knowledge (dunamis & epignosis) to rise above temptation and to act on their convictions.

As spiritul beings we must trust in the Power of God to fill us as we SURRENDER & SUBMIT to the WILL of GOD.

A metaphor for the spiritual heart is a two-chambered room.  One of those rooms is a throne room and one is a crucifixion chamber. You are either on the Cross and Christ is on the Throne OR You are on the Throne and Christ is on the Cross in your spiritual heart.

(*) Surrender and Submit: Take up your cross daily and follow Him. The mercy of the cross and the grace given us through Jesus Christ demands that we slay ourselves daily, to become SLAVES to the will of God.

What "rights" do SLAVES have?
Do Americans VALUE humility and/or independence? Watch excerp from The Last of the Mohicans.

WILL OF GOD

To be in the right relationship with God we must understand His WILL. As followers of Christ, we believe the Scriptures enlighten us through the Spirit, mediataion, and prayer. Revealed clearly in the Scriptures are explainations of the different aspects of the Will of God. Below are some examples for our considertation.

• God has a Sovereign Will (Ultimate Will): Rev 5:13, Dan 4:3; 7:14, and Ephesians 1:21 describe the Sovereign Will of God. The Ultimate Will of God will judge the world and all the Hosts of Heaven.
• God has a Cosmic Will, a will for the stars in the sky, man, and the birds of the air. Isaiah 34:4 This is the will that PROVIDES (Provisional Will) natural law, order, and holds the Universe in its place.
• God has a Universal Will, a will that delivered His Son into the hands of blasphemers to die so that all men might be saved. It is God's Universal Will that desires that all men come to know Him and be saved through His Son's sacrifice and resurrection.  Acts 17:30; Matthew 18:14; 2 Peter 3:9.
• God has a Permissive Will, a will that allows every soul to have a choice about who they will serve. God did not make us robots. He gave us ONE RIGHT, the right to choose.  Joshua 24:15
• God has an Active (Interactive) Will that intercedes, allows God to change His mind and answers prayers delivered in the name of His Son. Jonah 3:10; John 14:13

FOR OUR CONSIDERATION:
We often use the term "providencial" to describe the Will of God. But this term is only used one time in the New Testament and not in reference to God.

Under what circumstances is it used? (Acts 24:1-3) Is "providence" ever used in reference to the Will or Power of God? Then why do some use it to describe how God "works" in our lives?

--Why not use the phrase "provision or supply of the Spirit of Christ" (Philippians 1:19-21)? To acknowledge that the Spirit of Christ actively and continually provides for us according to the will of God.


FOR OUR MEDITATION: TRANSLATED, TRANSFORMED, &; TRANSCENDED

FOR OUR HOMEWORK: http://joyfullearning.org/Lessons/Lesson4/BROKENNESS.pdf  (Contributed by Ruth Ann Morgan)

The Evidence of Brokenness: Read and Reflect on these pages. They will help you determine APPLICATION for what we have been talking about.