Cyber Corps Friday Bible Study

[Abiel]

OK I'll kick off. I will post a small passage, and we can then share questions, thoughts and ideas. I have called it 'friday' so perhaps we can post a new passage each Friday.

[Abiel]

Romans 12:1-2(CEV)

Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That's the most sensible way to serve God. Don't be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.

[SonOfThunder]

Romans 12:1-2(CEV)

Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That's the most sensible way to serve God. Don't be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.

In the OT a sacrifice ws offered to God on an alter. If you gave your best to God He was pleased, often the first sacrifice was pure and the first born.

God wants 100% of us, He wants surrender. Just like when the lamb would be laid on the alter he wants our will to surrender to His ways. If we follow His ways and obey His commandments we are not like the people of the world, we are separated just because of our obedience to God.

This Scripture is confirming that we can't do it alone, but we can do it with the spirits help. God can help us and desires to help us to change if we ask.

the final bit is what most of us have experienced at some time or another... the inner peace and joy in knowing that you are pleasing our Great God.

I look forward to reading more.


James

[Evangelina]

Last Easter, someone in our church made the comment, 'when Jesus gave his life for us, to save us from sin... isn't the obvious response to give our lives to him?'

Well, I thought about that, and thought, 'WHY is that the obvious response?'

The answer I came up with was, God showed an incredible love that day. And he showed us a path that, though it may at times seem incredibly harder than a normal path in life, provides us with a huge amount more joy and fulfilment - life in all its abundance. THAT's why it makes sense to respond to Jesus' sacrifice of his life, by giving our own lives. Because in doing so, we're giving something that didn't really belong to us anyway, in return for incredible spiritual riches. None of us on this earth really own our lives. Natural disasters can take away our homes and loved ones. Other humans can, deliberately or accidentally, take away our health and/or livelihood. We can't control what happens to us. But when we give up our entire lives to God, those lives are in the hand of the most powerful person around. And we know that he can interweave all the events of our lives, good and bad, and bring good out of them.

God is good. We SHOULD give our entire lives to him, and let him change us from the inside out. He loves us, he is powerful, he will bring good things out of something that it wasn't doing us any good to hold onto.

(wow - i promise a couple of thoughts and write a mini-sermon. whoops! :D )

[Andy Broadley]

Romans 12:1-2(CEV)

Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That's the most sensible way to serve God. Don't be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.

It also places a responsibility upon us to be good stewards of the bodies we are given, in order to keep pleasing to God.

[Abiel]

The first thing that hits me is that Paul addresses his audience as 'friends'. Just looked it up in my interlinear and it has 'brothers and sisters'. So this are people already in the faith I suppose.

[BillR]

We have to make sure we imitate Christ and not the world.

[Abiel]

God is good. We SHOULD give our entire lives to him, and let him change us from the inside out.


I wonder if anyone ever really achieves this. I have given my life, in its entirety, to God on several occasions. Yet still...

[something from the fridge]

anyone doing 40 days of purpose should recognise that one!!! it was in bible study on friday night and then church today. that is happening a bit to me a the moment. i'll read a verse at a study or a camp, then read it again in a completely different place a day or two later. God is trying hard to get his message through, i better start listening!!!

but on that verse, one of the kids said about suicide bombers, and i commented that i am glad we don't have to do that stuff to get into heaven. she asked why, which stumped me, so i did the usual, i'll get back to you on that one. turned the page in the guide and there was this verse. the "living sacrifices" bit was the important bit in this case for us as God want's us alive and living for him.

[Abiel]

good point 'living sacrifice'

[Evangelina]

I wonder if anyone ever really achieves this. I have given my life, in its entirety, to God on several occasions. Yet still...

Mmmm... good point. I think it's a case of being willing to give the next little bit of our life that God asks for... sometimes it's trust, sometimes it's a relationship, or maybe our pride...?

I guess the point is, there's no really good reason NOT to give our entire lives over to God, when we know he'll make so much more of it with us than we would by ourselves. But it's still so HARD! :sigh:

[Abiel]

Ithink you are right. Eugene Peterson wrote a book called 'a long slow walk in the same direction' or something. It's a moment by moment, day by day thing.

It's like holiness. If God were to demand instant perfection of us, we would collapse under the weight. Instead his makes us instantly holy, through his son, and we embark of a life long process, of God bringing us up a bit higher in one area then another. I feel fear whenever I think I've got something sorted! I am now Patience personified! That feeling is bound to be followed by a test which proves once more my utter reliance on the Lord. Bold humility before the Lord is the position I try (and fail) to maintain.

[Andy Broadley]

Or as Petra put it 'Get on your knees and fight like a man'

[Blueskies]

I am glad to read this today. I have been struggling with this very issue, with the sin nature versus the spirit. I am saved, sanctified, justified, and yet, temptation beckons at every corner.

How do we sacrifice ourselves in the practical application? Speaking it? If we place our faith in the cross and him crucified, pray diligently, and have patience will this be something that manifests itself in time, or is it a more sudden experience, like the baptism of the spirit?

Am I just overthinking it? Is this something that will come through my work? I love my job, but I answer the phone for a living. Is this only a step? I long to work day to day serving him, but don't know what capacity that will be in. Should I pray for that revolution of life so that I may serve him directly, daily, or should I only pray that I serve him where I am right now?

Any insight and wisdom will be welcomed.

Shalom.

[Abiel]

I
Am I just overthinking it? Is this something that will come through my work? I love my job, but I answer the phone for a living. Is this only a step? I long to work day to day serving him, but don't know what capacity that will be in. Should I pray for that revolution of life so that I may serve him directly, daily, or should I only pray that I serve him where I am right now?

Any insight and wisdom will be welcomed.

Shalom.

yes.maybe.possibly.yes nonono!

[Abiel]

What I mean is- clearly you are in a position of holy discontent. There's something, but you are not quite sure what it is, but it's real, and ever so slightly beyond your grasp. Start where you are. Be a bright and shining light for him (as I am sure you are). Pray yes. But also research. What are your gifts? Where do you think the Lord could be calling you to work. What aspects of Christian ministry give you delight? Pray these through. See what God says to you. And dont rule out God speaking to you in the oddest of ways...I remember the time he spoke to me through a tulip...but that's another story!

Be encouraged! God has got you itching. He will show you soon I'm sure.

[Abiel]

Oh and also, dont be waiting for a perfection revolution. It will never happen. God will use you way before then. There will be temptation and sin until the day we die. God wanted perfect sacrifices in the OT. How can we be that? We cant--except Jesus has made us into perfect living sacrifices, it is his blood not ours, if we just offer ourselves.

Anyway. I'm talking too much.:doh:

[Evangelina]

A small addition, Blueskies... try to keep in mind, throughout your day, the fact that God is on hand for you. Try asking him at various times, whenever it occurs to you, what HE thinks of something you're about to do or that you just did. I found this very useful in becoming more open to letting God work through me... and in hearing that 'still small voice'!

[Abiel]

Okay- so it's Saturday, sorry! I was at the hospital last night woth my friend and just didnt get round to it!

We had the divisional soliders rally last Sunday. The focus was that story of Elijah hiding in the cave, and the Lord passing by in the still small voice. The focus was the following tiny bit from 1Kings19:
v9...why are you here?
v13...why are you here?

Have we ever had a time when we have been so discouraged that we have hidden in a cave, so to speak? Why are we here? What can the story of Elijah teach us at times like that?

[Blueskies]

Thank for your insight. I think what you might be saying is that I must be trusted with a little before I might be trusted with much. I see that I am a beacon for him at work. Praying for fellow believers in hardship, speaking to people about living reasonably and responsibly. Most recently I discussed with a young friend reasons not to leave her husband. I may not be on the front lines fighting the battle, but I am doing good work for the resistance in the rear. Thanks for the uplift. I think I really needed that!

[Evangelina]

Hi guys... sorry I didn't contribute last week. Abiel.. I just read 1 Kings 19 and noticed that God told Elijah to get out of the cave and get into God's presence. I guess that's the best thing we can do in discouragement - go talk to God and get new inspiration... or a new battle plan.

Just came across this, thought it might be relevant (haven't read it all through) -

How to Study the Bible - Max Lucado (http://www.maxlucado.com/pdf/study.pdf)

[Evangelina]

Have we given this up for lack of participation? :)

[Abiel]

Looks like it. I have had very little response, and if people arent really wanting to do it, that's fine by me. Also, I never intended that I should 'lead' it so to speak. Anyone can post a passage for us to ponder on.

[elm0]

1 Kings 19:11-13

"Go out and stand before me on the mountain," the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

One thing we really need to do is recognise God, as Elijah did here. We can rely on God in the middle of the storm, but we have to remember that God isn't the storm. An earthquake would be a terrifying thing to endure, even more so in a cave which might collapse on you, but we have to trust that God knows whats going on and is in control. Imagine how you'd feel standing in a cave while a fire went by outside. I know I'd be worried about being overcome by the smoke or the heat. Then again Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were in a fiery furnace and weren't even singed.

All these things may have been of God, but God wasn't in them. He came as a 'gentle whisper'. This always reminds me of Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God." If we aren't still, how will we hear the gentle whisper?

Hope that makes sense.

[Abiel]

bump

[restore]

How do u know God is so powerful and He knows and controls everything?

sorry i m a new believer