Thoughts on Discipling Part 2 Gospel Part B

C3 Messiah

D1 Sin must be punished.

D2 Either I must be punished for my sin or a voluntary substitute.

D3 The substitute must be sinless or else the substitute must die for their own rebellion.

D4 The only sinless human is the eternal Messiah, Jesus (Yeshua). Hebrews 4:14-15 NRSV Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.

D5 He had to NOT have Adam as an ancestor. Adam’s sin brought the curse of all the universe and as part of that curse, gave each descendant a sinful nature. Exodus 34:7 NLT I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected--even children in the third and fourth generations.

D6 His death was not only for you and me but for all humans. John 1:29 NLT The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

D7 He would have to be resurrected to prove He was sinless and God.

E1 Romans 1:4 NRSV and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.

E2 Many witnesses: Acts 4:33 MKJV And the apostles gave witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power. And great grace was on them all.

C4 Faith

D1 Faith is believing God, that is, what He has said, what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do.

D2 In faith, we must ask for salvation.

E1 Luke 18:13-14 NLT But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, 'O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.' I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

E2 Romans 10:13 NLT For "Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved."

B2 Application—Have you believed?

B3 Assurance—Knowing you are forgiven

C1 Faith is not a feeling.

D1 John 1:12-13 NLT But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.

D2 John 3:15-16 NLT So that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life. "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

C2 Change of thoughts, desires, words, and deeds. For example, King Manasseh of Israel. 2 Chronicles 33:2-5, 10-13, 15-16 NLT He did what was evil in the LORD's sight, following the detestable practices of the pagan nations that the LORD had driven from the land ahead of the Israelites. He rebuilt the pagan shrines his father, Hezekiah, had broken down. He constructed altars for the images of Baal and set up Asherah poles. He also bowed before all the powers of the heavens and worshiped them. He built pagan altars in the Temple of the LORD, the place where the LORD had said, "My name will remain in Jerusalem forever." He built these altars for all the powers of the heavens in both courtyards of the LORD's Temple. ... The LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they ignored all his warnings. So the LORD sent the commanders of the Assyrian armies, and they took Manasseh prisoner. They put a ring through his nose, bound him in bronze chains, and led him away to Babylon. But while in deep distress, Manasseh sought the LORD his God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. And when he prayed, the LORD listened to him and was moved by his request. So the LORD brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh finally realized that the LORD alone is God! ... Manasseh also removed the foreign gods and the idol from the LORD's Temple. He tore down all the altars he had built on the hill where the Temple stood and all the altars that were in Jerusalem, and he dumped them outside the city. Then he restored the altar of the LORD and sacrificed peace offerings and thanksgiving offerings on it. He also encouraged the people of Judah to worship the LORD, the God of Israel.

Thoughts on Discipling Part 2 Gospel Part A

B1 What it is

C1 God’s character, kingdom, laws

D1 God’s character

E1 God’s character regarding the Gospel

F1 Holiness

G1 The summary of the Law: Mark 12:28-34 MKJV And coming up one of the scribes heard them reasoning, knowing that He had answered them well, he asked Him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord; 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength." This is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. 32 And the scribe said to Him, Right, Teacher, according to truth You have spoken, that God is one, and there is no other besides Him. 33 And to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love the neighbor as himself, is more than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices. 34 And seeing that he had answered intelligently, Jesus said to him, You are not far from the kingdom of God. And no one dared to question Him any more.

G2 The Ten Commandments

H1 A set of 10 commands (Exodus 20:1-17). These are broad sets of all types of sins.

H2 For example, Exodus 20:16 MKJV You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

I1 One article lists 7 lies: White lies, Bold-faced lies, exaggerated lies, deceptive lies, compulsive lies, lies of fabrication, duplicitous lies.

I2 These lies can be in thoughts, desires, words, and/or deeds.

H3 One can do this for all of the 10 commandments.

F2 Consistency

G1 What God believes and how He acts today has been, is, and will always be the same.

G2 Hebrews 13:8 MKJV Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today and forever.

E2 God’s character traits (see below under doctrine)

D2 God’s kingdom operates under His laws. There can be no disobedience.

C2 Obedience or rebellion

D1 We obey; we live. We disobey; we are punished.

D2 Obedience is based on

E1 Believing God

F1 John 14:1 MKJV Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me.

F2 Hebrews 11:6 NLT And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

E2 Loving God: John 14:15 NLT If you love me, obey my commandments.

D3 Rebellion is based on

E1 Me first. The Bible has much to say of selfishness. I’ll paste 2:

F1 Matthew 16:24 NLT Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.

F2 James 3:16 NLT For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.

E2 God’s way is this: Romans 15:1-3 AMPC WE WHO are strong [in our convictions and of robust faith] ought to bear with the failings and the frailties and the tender scruples of the weak; [we ought to help carry the doubts and qualms of others] and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each one of us make it a practice to please (make happy) his neighbor for his good and for his true welfare, to edify him [to strengthen him and build him up spiritually]. 3 For Christ did not please Himself [gave no thought to His own interests]; but, as it is written, The reproaches and abuses of those who reproached and abused you fell on Me. [Psalm 69:9]

E3 Punishment is forewarned to those who rebellion.

F1 God warns. His warning is not symbolic or to be taken allegorically.

G1 Matthew 10:28 NLT Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

G2 Ezekiel 18:4 NLT For all people are mine to judge—both parents and children alike. And this is my rule: The person who sins is the one who will die.

G3 Romans 3:10 NLT As the Scriptures say, "No one is righteous—not even one.

F2 Eternally conscious torment and suffering. It is also not symbolic or to be taken allegorically. In the verses below the emphasis is mine.

G1 Luke 16:24 NLT The rich man shouted, 'Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.'

G2 Jude 1:12-13 NLT When these people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord's love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots. They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds. They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to blackest darkness.

G3 Revelation 14:11 NLT The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.

G4 Revelation 19:20 NLT And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

G5 Revelation 20:10 NLT Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

F3 It never ends. The door to hell only opens to let someone in; it never opens to let someone out. Matthew 25:46 NLT And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.

A Few Thoughts About Discipling Part 1 Introduction

Definition:

B1 To train in accordance with rules or principles (Source)

B2 DISCIPLE, verb transitive to teach; to train, or bring up. (Source)

B3 Process of making disciples. The apostles went about discipling the believers in Jesus Christ. (Source)

Every Christian must know and defend 3 things

· The Gospel

· Doctrine (teaching, beliefs, precepts)

· Christian life (lifestyle, worldview)

Side note

All Christians need to know what the Gospel is, our teachings are, and our way of life. These have been given to us in the New Testament, by the Lord Jesus, Jesus’s Apostles, and prophets. I just have a few topics here for a start. We are all responsible to study the Scriptures.

I have not covered everything or a defense of the faith, which you will have to find elsewhere. For doctrine, I am briefly covering the attributes of our God, Yahweh. For a Christian worldview, I am only giving a few thoughts on its necessity.

Sometimes I have a question or two for you to ponder.

For my studies, I used the Bible in many different translations. For general reading, I recommend New Living Translation, Good News Translation, and God’s Word. For more serious study, I use Modern English Version, My own translation (WEL), New American Standard, New King James, New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, Young’s Literal Version, and Pickering New Testament. For Greek, I use the Byzantine Text (the Majority Text) mainly. Other books I used are Dictionary of Bible Themes by Manser, Nave’s Topical Bible, Thompson Chain References, Torrey’s New Topical Textbook. For electric Bible Software I use e-Sword, theWord, and Bible Analyzer 5. My main online study Bible is Blue Letter Bible.

It is so very important to know what we believe and why. We have a reasonable faith. We have answers. The Lord Jesus does not change; He gave us the Gospel and the teaching we need to know what He believes and what He expects from us in living the Christian life.

May God bless your study.

Broad Way or Narrow Way Destruction or Life

Matthew 7:13-14 WEL “Enter in at the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the road is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in there. 14 “Because the gate is narrow and the road difficult that leads to life and there are few who find it.

What is destruction?

B1 The Greek word is ἀπώλεια apṓleia. It means destruction and destroy. Often, the idea is the effects/punishments of the sentence of a judge.

C1 2 Peter 3:7 NIV By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

C2 Philippians 1:28 NIV without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved--and that by God.

C3 2 Thessalonians 2:3 NIV Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.

B2 It will be spiritual and physical destruction. It does not have the idea of disappearance as in composting or annihilation.

God opens the eyes and mind of all people, calls them, and offers salvation. Most resist His call. Pride is usually the reason for refusal. God frees our will from our darkness and bondage to sin. With a freed will, then we can make our choice. God is omniscient and omnisapient. He knows how to communicate perfectly. God does not lie. The offer is for all people. In His sovereignty He desires and initiates salvation. If He did not initiate, then no one could or would be saved.

B1 1 Timothy 2:4 NIV who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

B2 Isaiah 45:22 NIV Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.

B3 Isaiah 55:1 NIV Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.

B4 Ezekiel 18:32 NIV For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!

B5 John 3:15-17 NIV that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him." For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

B6 2 Peter 3:9 WEL The Lord doesn’t procrastinate in keeping his promise as some think, but is longsuffering towards us not willing that anyone should perish but that all should repent.

A Few Thoughts on Proverbs 27:17

Proverbs 27:17 NKJV As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

As Christians, we have a large body of wisdom.

• God has taught us through precept and laws.
• God has taught us through people's lives both good and evil.
• God has taught us through people seeking/praying for wisdom. This is especially so in the Bible book of Proverbs.
• God has taught us through the life of His Son, the Lord Jesus, the Son of man and God the Son.
• God has taught us that He will give us wisdom when we ask for it. James 1:5 NLT If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

A harden steel file can be used to sharpen a knife, ax, shovel, etc.

Countenance

• The Hebrew word is פָּנִים pânîym and means face. It is used in many difference ways
  • The face
  • A person
  • A seraphim or cherubim face
  • An animal face
  • The face of the ground, etc.
  • When used with a preposition it indicates a position relative to person, etc.
• Here, it is used for people

Sharpen

• Used to illustrate a truth
• Used to show edification and grow in our Christian life.

How do we sharpen each other?

• Encourage each other to Bible reading, study, and prayer
• Kindly pointing out our errors in life, thinking, actions, etc.
• Thanking each other when appropriate
• Listening to each other
• Finding a solution to a problem together
• Discussing a topic
• Using our spiritual gifts together. For example, one might have wisdom and the other mercy, teaching, etc. We need to be open to each other's gifts.
• Answering questions. For example, I don't understand the problem of evil, but another believer has spent hours on that very topic. It doesn't mean that we have to believe them, but we can listen closely.
• Praying for each other

Some other verses

• Good counsel: Proverbs 27:9 NKJV Ointment and perfume delight the heart, And the sweetness of a man's friend gives delight by hearty counsel.
• Encouragement: Isaiah 35:3-4 NKJV Strengthen the weak hands, And make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, "Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you.
• Encouraging each other to live a Christian life: Hebrews 10:24 NKJV And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
• Encouraging each other when facing difficulties: 1 Peter 4:12-13 NKJV Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.

I do not believe the proverb refers to an argument where each person's face shows anger.

Deuteronomy 31:6

Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Moses is speaking to Israel

He gives these truths
• Be strong
• Be courageous
• Do not be afraid or terrified

He tells them why
• God (Yahweh) goes with you
• He will never leave you
• He will never forsake you

God's protection
• He is able
• Jude 1:24-25 GNB92 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to bring you faultless and joyful before his glorious presence— to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, might, and authority, from all ages past, and now, and forever and ever! Amen.
• 2 Corinthians 12:9 GNB92 But his answer was: “My grace is all you need, for my power is greatest when you are weak.” I am most happy, then, to be proud of my weaknesses, in order to feel the protection of Christ's power over me.

He is encouraging. What God told Israel can be applied to us: Isaiah 41:9 HCSB I brought you from the ends of the earth and called you from its farthest corners. I said to you: You are My servant; I have chosen you and not rejected you.

He is reliable: 1 Corinthians 1:8-9 Weymouth who will also keep you stedfast to the very End, so that you will be free from reproach on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is ever true to His promises, and it was by Him that you were, one and all, called into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Listening versus Offering Opinions

Proverbs 18:2 NIV - Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.

How many people do we know that do not fully listen to another person?

People need to communicate to each other.
• Husbands and wives
• Children and parents
• Teachers and students
• Pastors and congregation
• Bosses and those under them
• Leaders and those under them
• Medical professionals and their clients
• Legal advisers and their clients

Understanding
• We must know what the other is saying
• We must clarify what they are saying if we are not sure
• We must be listeners
• Remember that we too have issues
• We are one family (Christian)
• Listening is showing love
• Listening is a virtue
• Listening is showing mercy

Good listeners
• Sit quietly
• Do not stare at the speaker but have enough eye contact that the speaker knows they are listening
• Do not give their opinion
• Do not talk except to clarify
• Do not offer solutions unless asked or absolutely necessary (for example a crime has been committed)
• Do have body language that reflects their interest in the speaker
• Do not judge until they understand what the speaker is saying
• Do not ask for details except to clarify. Example, evil pastors wanting details of sexual abuse or molestation
• Will relisten if necessary. Sometimes what someone tells us is so upsetting, they must repeat themselves.
• Don't gossip. This is private information, unless the speaker requests others know or a crime is committed (which must be reported)

After understanding, then
• Believe them
• Give advice briefly
• Refer as necessary (especially after abuse, molestation, and crimes)
• Pray with them seeking wisdom and comfort
• Offer to help ("How can I help you?")
• Follow up and make sure the person is receiving help

The fool
• Does not listen
• Quickly offering advice instead of listening
• Interrupting with conversation not related to what the speaker is telling them
• Using their cell phone, reading, or doing something else instead of listening
• Interrupt the speaker with their own experience
• Will not believe them
• Accusing them
• Will not refer
• Will not comfort
• Will not offer to help
• Seeks revenge
• Takes advantage of someone when they are susceptible to further damage
• Makes excuses
• In cases of abuse, etc. believes the abuser instead of the abused
• Gossips
• Mocks them
• Insults them

God (Yahweh) is a good listener
• Matthew 11:28 NIV - "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
• 1 Peter 5:7 NIV - Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
• Romans 8:26-28 GW  At the same time the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we don't know how to pray for what we need. But the Spirit intercedes along with our groans that cannot be expressed in words.  27  The one who searches our hearts knows what the Spirit has in mind. The Spirit intercedes for God's people the way God wants him to.  28  We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God-those whom he has called according to his plan.
• Luke 6:12 GW  At that time Jesus went to a mountain to pray. He spent the whole night in prayer to God. (So if we need too, we can. If the Father listened to the Lord Jesus, so He listens to us as well).