Bible Study October 25, 2012

Hey Gang,


This week we continue our series on "Balancing Your Spiritual Growth." We opened last week with the understanding that measuring spiritual health demands an integrated balance of connecting, growing, serving, and going. These are the 4-themes of our series as we look at a balanced spiritual growth.


Last week we talked about connecting - A healthy Christian connects with God in prayer and worship, relates to others in positive relationships, and connects to the church. What does it really mean to connect with God and others? Paul told us that if we will connect to our diversity and those that are weak and strong then God will bless our connection because it seeks unity of spirit and purpose. We watch an old Mayberry episode and saw how Andy dealt with Barney, a friend, a brother, and a subordinate who just wasn't given the gift of singing. 

This week we look at how we grow - spiritually and Paul offers Timothy advice that we too can use in our own balanced spiritual growth.
   

To grow spiritually, means to know and obey God’s Word so it makes a difference in our lives. 

Little Did She Know

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What have you learned about the world from 9-11? Have you learned anything about your faith? Have you learned anything about the Middle East conflict?

• To ever begin to understand the present Middle East conflict, we need to understand the history of those in conflict—the Jews and the Arabs. Historians often note the "family" relationship between these two peoples; some even call them "cousins" because both trace their roots to the great patriarch Abraham. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all honor Abraham as one of their patriarchs. Calling him "Religion’s Superstar," a Time magazine feature article recently stated this fact of Abraham: "He changed history by espousing just one God, and thus became sacred to Muslims, Jews and Christians. Many theologists theorize that since Abraham is lionized by all three monotheistic religions, perhaps that common thread can be utilized to bring peace and harmony to the world. But a major part of this conflict has to do with the different teachings about Abraham and his sons, and therein lies the roots of this dynamic conflict. In essence, it is a conflict between the teachings of the Holy Bible and the Koran. Thus it is necessary to determine which written record is the record of truth, and which God is the one true God. Unfortunately, many people today think that the Allah and Jehovah are one and the same. Abraham is indispensable to Christianity, but for a far different reason than he is to Judaism or Islam. Christians hold to the same historical account as the Jews; but Christianity makes a further-reaching conclusion. Christians view God’s interaction and covenant with Abraham as a Divine plan leading up to the first coming of Jesus Christ, an appearance that would see Him becoming the sacrificial Lamb of God to cover the sins of mankind. God’s love for His creation was so infinite that He determined to somehow bridge the immeasurable gap that man had made when he sinned. To this end God made the first covenant with Abraham which included the promise of a future savior, Jesus, who would come through Abraham’s descendants, in the land of promise.
• Abraham’s role in Islam is different from that which he plays in either Christianity or Judaism. Arab Muslims trace their lineage back to Abraham through Ishmael. The Koran teaches that Ishmael was the one through whom God’s covenant would be fulfilled. Abraham’s story in the Koran is not as extensive as that of the Hebrew account. The Koranic account of Abraham dwells mostly on a struggle going on between Abraham and his father over Abraham’s father’s idol worship. The Koranic Abraham tries to convince his father not to worship these things that cannot see, hear, feel, taste, or smell, so he leaves his father to become a true Allah worshiper and in return for his faithfulness Allah gives Abraham two sons Jacob and Ishmael, with Ishmael being the one that Abraham offered on the altar to Allah.
• The Commentaries on the Koran indicate that before Ishmael was weaned, Abraham took the child and his mother to Mecca and left them there assuming that Allah would take care of them. Abraham then has a dream that tells him to sacrifice his only son, Ishmael, but before he can do so, God stops him. Later Abraham takes various trips back to Mecca to find out how Ishmael is doing and he builds, with Ishmael's help, a "House a pilgrimage for men" devoted to Allah. The Islamic holiday, Qurbani Id (or Id Al-Adha), is known as the “Sacrifice Festival.” Muslims celebrate this “great feast of sacrifice” on the tenth day of the last month of the Muslim year. According to their doctrinal scheme, this day celebrates the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son by Hagar, Ishmael, and not Isaac as the Holy Bible records.
• This issue is fundamental in understanding the Middle East Conflict and in rightfully examining the story of Abraham. The question is really this: Which book (Bible or Koran) is the revelation of God? Both volumes claim inspiration, but obviously both cannot be inspired. The difference of “Isaac versus Ishmael” is just one of hundreds of discrepancies between the Bible and the Koran. And many of these differences concern crucial themes (the nature of God, the identity of Christ, and God’s plan of salvation). Before one commits to a system of religion, it is necessary to inquire into the source of that religion. If the Bible is from heaven, then Christianity is the true religion. If the Koran is from God, then Islam is the genuine system. Unlike the Koran, the Holy Bible, is made up of a sort of “DNA code,” a set of traits that identifies it as being from God, through self-revelation, from the great I AM himself. There are a number of identifying characteristics that reveal the Bible’s divine origin. The Scriptures, although recorded by approximately forty human writers, over a period of some 1500 years, contain an amazing unity of purpose and doctrine. This includes many prophecies, and detailed predictions, that are later fulfilled perfectly. Although challenged by the most renowned skeptics, the Bible has been found to be without error, and it keeps proving its own credibility over and over as time passes. Men are ever trying to “catch up" with the Scriptures, as we turn to it for archeological expeditions, and we turn to it to find out what is going to happen in the future.
• In studying the story of Abraham and his descendants, we are availed two books. One is flawless and divine. It is the Bible. The other, the Koran, is error-ridden, the product of a self-styled prophet, who was no prophet at all. One encourages us to love our enemies; the other promotes conversion by force and Jihad – “holy war.” The Bible records that Abraham was willing to offer Isaac. The Koran implies that Abraham was willing to offer Ishmael. The issue is: Which volume is God’s? God’s book is perfect, with a high moral tone. It is filled with marks of divine inspiration that are beyond the possibility of human production. That book is the Holy Bible.
• The fanatical cry of the Islamic Jihadists today is, “Ala hu Akbar,” which is not a reference to the greatness of god, but is a direct challenge to the God of Scripture, claiming that the god of Islam (Ilyah or Allah) is greater than Jehovah. The Jihadists believe that by annihilating the descendants of Jacob, (and Christians) that they are hastening the day of the Allah, and the return of the Mahdi.
• While the Bible confirms the blessing of Abraham through his son Isaac, and Jacob, the Bible also offers a promise to the descendents of Ishmael. Jehovah has promised to bless Ishmael’s descendants and make them a great nation too. Ironically, true to the nature of Allah, the Koran offers no such promises to the descendants of Isaac and Jacob. To the contrary, Allah requires that the seed of Abraham descended from Isaac and Jacob be killed. The hatred and animosities of Ishmael and Esau toward the Jews was instilled in their descendants. There has been a continuous, perpetual hatred of the descendants of Esau and Ishmael against the Jews characterized especially by the Ishmaelites, descendants of Ishmael and the Edomites, descendants of Esau. 
• Did you know all of this before 9-11? All part of good Bible understanding - why and what's going on in the world.

Do you think we are living in “the last days”?

• Paul called the last days the time period between Jesus’ ascension into heaven and His return. Paul spoke of his day and time as well as ours.

As Paul awaited execution, he wrote to Timothy and wanted him to know 3 things.

1. Some terrible things would take place in the last days.
2. Be aware of the sins and sinners of his day and be wise enough to recognize and reject evil.
3. But, above all, follow the teachings of the Bible.

I. MAKE GOOD CHOICES – 2 TIMOTHY 3:1-9

1 But know this: difficult times will come in the last days. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, 4 traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to the form of religion but denying its power. Avoid these people! 6 For among them are those who worm their way into households and capture idle women burdened down with sins, led along by a variety of passions, 7 always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so these also resist the truth, men who are corrupt in mind, worthless in regard to the faith. 9 But they will not make further progress, for their lack of understanding will be clear to all, as theirs was also.

Does the time Paul speaks of here resemble our world today?

• Paul spoke of his day and time as well as ours. It does seem like things are getting worse in the world around us. But the saddest part of what Paul says here in 2 Timothy is that these are people in the church. False teachers deceived those in Ephesus where Timothy was a church leader, and similar deception stays among us today.

What good choices is Paul telling Timothy to make?

• When your children were young, what type of people did you want them to avoid? (Strangers and troublemakers)
• Are there certain people that we as adults should avoid? Why should we avoid certain influences? How can we identify them?
• Adults, not just children need to avoid certain influences or situations.
• Maturity for adults is recognizing destructive character and learning to avoid it.

How do people mask these character traits Paul is talking about? What makes them acceptable or respectable? Can we imitate them without realizing it?

• Even someone who behaves religiously may not be of God.
• Appearance, attend church, serve as deacons, teach a Sunday school class, even preach
• We can get caught up in the grey sins we tolerate or practice.

A healthy Christian grows in spiritual maturity by exercising discernment.

 

 

II. PICK CAREFULLY WHO YOU FOLLOW – 2 TIMOTHY 3:10-13

10 But you have followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, and endurance, 11 along with the persecutions and sufferings that came to me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from them all. 12 In fact, all those who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 13 Evil people and imposters will become worse, deceiving and being deceived.

If Timothy was going to grow spiritually during “difficult times” then he needed to do more than avoid certain people. He needed to find and follow godly examples. Timothy’s mother and grandmother had taught him the scriptures, and Timothy had followed in Paul’s footsteps as he traveled with Paul on his missionary journeys.

Do you share any mannerisms, gestures, sayings, or habits from your parents?

• Our lesson wants you to think about this – what mannerisms – such as gestures, sayings, habits, etc. – that you do resemble those of your parents?
• How did you learn these things? In what other ways are you becoming more and more like your parents?
• How do you see your children becoming more like you?
• Isn’t the Israeli Arab conflict just sibling rivalry? Ishmael & Isaac, Esau & Jacob

How can you tell when you are easily influenced? How do we uncover the evil people and imposters?





A healthy Christian grows in spiritual maturity by picking carefully who they follow.

III. LIVE WHAT YOU KNOW – 2 TIMOTHY 3: 14-17

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing those from whom you learned, 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

When you were a teenager or even in college, what was the struggle for you when it came to choices between what you were taught at home and what others were doing around you?



When and what led you to realize that it’s okay and wise to choose what you will and won’t do rather than follow those around you?




Spiritual growth involves continuing to do what we already know we should do just as much as it involves learning more from Scripture.



A healthy Christian grows in spiritual maturity by living out what they already know from the Bible.

Be in prayer this week as you consider how you are growing spiritually. Paul wants us to make good choices, to pick carefully who we follow, and to live what we know as we grow in our faith and walk with the Lord. 

See you on Thursday!

In His Love,

David