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TO THE GLORY OF GOD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Study No 8 CHRISTIANS - Part 2
HOW TO STUDY THE WORD OF GOD
How to study - just as we eat food to live and grow, we
can "eat" the Word of God! This is spiritual food.
Matt. 4:4, 1 Pet. 2:2. If we don't read the Bible, we
become weak in our Christian life, just as our physical
body does when it goes without food. Here are some
practical ways to "eat" God's Word and grow strong and
healthy spiritually:
a. Ask God to speak to you through His book as you read
it. Read it with the purpose of finding something to
apply to your life, such as a promise, a prayer, a
provision, or a principle. The Bible is written for
you!
b. Read the Bible every day. Schedule 15 or more
minutes at the same time each day. This could be in
the morning or evening or even during lunch, but
preferably when you can be alone. This time of
reading will soon become a habit and you will look
forward to it. Reading aloud is helpful.
c. Follow a systematic plan. One way to study is to
read the whole Bible through in a year. There are
plans available in any Christian bookstore that
outline good schedules to follow. It should include
reading the New Testament along with the Old
Testament. Don't start at the beginning of the Bible
and read straight through to the end or you will go
too long without the New Testament.
d. Read book by book. Read through a whole book once or
twice. This gives you the whole context and message
of that book. Start with the Gospel of Mark and
other New Testament books. After you have read
several of these, go to the Old Testament books.
e. Memorize scriptures that speak to you. A favourite
passage of verse will be always available to you this
way. This will transform you as you run God's
thoughts through your mind. A good way to do this is
write them on cards. Carry these with you and
whenever you have a spare moment, take them out and
memorize them. It's amazing how many verses you can
memorize this way!
f. Buy a small Bible Handbook, such as Halley's Bible
handbook or Unger's Bible Handbook. These are very
informative to read along with your Bible. They will
give you information on the people of the Bible, the
writers, the background of the books and other
interesting information.
Why People Backslide?
During a Bible study some years ago, it was said that
if there were 500 backsliders outside the church,
every one had become a backslider through neglecting the
Bible.
After the meeting a lady said, "I cannot understand how
you can be so sure that every one of the 500 backsliders
through neglecting the Bible."
"Well," the person said, "do you have a mirror in your
bedroom?"
She answered, "Yes".
"Do you use it?"
"Yes".
"Suppose, you did not use it for a week; would you be
quite sure that your personal appearance would be what
you would like your friends to see"?
"No", she replied.
"Now, in the epistle of James, the Bible is spoken of
as a mirror in which we see ourselves. If we do not open
the Book, we cannot be sure of our spiritual appearance".
Then the person said, "You have soap and water in your
home?"
"Yes", she answered.
"Do you use it?" She smiled a little, then the person
added, "suppose you did not use it for a week, would you
be quite sure of your personal appearance?"
"No", she said.
"Now, in the epistle to the Ephesians the Word is
compared to water: 'The washing of water by the word'."
As water is to the body, so is the Word of God to the
soul. It cleanses. If we do not practice cleansing we
cannot be cleansed.
The person then said, "When you get up in the morning,
do you have breakfast?"
"Yes", was the answer.
"Now, suppose you went without food for a few days; you
know what the result would be. The reason people are ill
in body is because they are 'Below Par'. If people are
strong and vigorous they can resist germs".
"So it is in the spiritual life. God's Word is spoken
of as food. If we eat God's Word we are strong; but if
we do not, we become prey to the microbes of temptation:
they find us below spiritual par, and the result is we
fail and become ill and diseased spiritually speaking.
But when we can say with Jeremiah, 'Thy words were found,
and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and
rejoicing of mine heart' (15:16): when we use the water
and the food and the mirror found in God's Word, there
will be no backsliding."
She said, "I see it now."
As long as we keep the mirror before us in which we see
ourselves, at the same time "beholding as in a glass the
glory of the Lord," we become transformed. As long as we
use the water of God's Word for the cleansing of our
inner life, and the milk and the honey of God's Word as
the food of our souls, we will not backslide but will go
on from grace to grace and from strength to strength.
FELLOWSHIP
"They continued stedfastly...in Fellowship..." Acts
2:42.
"That all men might see the Fellowship of the
Mystery..." Ephesians 3:9.
Another vital area which will help you develop your new
Christian life quicker is to fellowship with other
Christians as often as you can.
You will find that the new life in you through Jesus no
longer enjoys the company of people who are not saved and
whose interests is only in worldly things. We begin to
develop new values as we grow in our faith and one of
these values is fellowship with people who have also
given their lives to Jesus.
Keeping Good Company
There is a saying, "You grow like the company you keep"
and this is certainly true of all of us. If we mix
mainly with ungodly people they will tend to weaken our
faith by their criticism, the temptations they put in our
way and even just their ungodly attitudes to life.
What is Fellowship?
A Greek word being used much today is 'Koininia', from
which two words are translated:
a. Fellowship Meaning, "The act of using a thing in
b. Communion in common."
Meaning of The Words:
a. Fellowship - companionship; mutual sharing; gathering
of people having the same interests.
b. Communion - to have in common; to share by all;
participation, partnership.
What Happens When We Fellowship?
Some of the good things that happen when you join in
fellowship at the Church meetings is that you are taught
the Word of God by the preacher, inspired by the
testimony of others, and express yourself with the
congregation in singing worship to God. You will sense
the presence of God in these meetings and be helped by
the special supernatural ministries such as prophecy,
healing and specific prayer for your needs.
Who Are We To Fellowship With?
Fellowship Vertically - Godward
Fellowship with the Father 1 John 1:3
Fellowship with the Son 1 Cor. 1:9, 1 John 1:3
Fellowship with the Spirit Phil. 2:1
This fellowship is expressed in prayer, worship, praise
in the Spirit, and in truth. John 4:23-24.
Fellowship Horizontally - Manward
There must also be a two-way communication with
believers: fellowship one with another, 1 John 1:7; the
right hand of fellowship, Gal. 2:9, the fellowship of the
ministering to the saints, 2 Cor. 2:4.
1. Spiritually - Acts 2:42.
a. Praying together
b. Singing, praising and worshipping together
c. Sharing together in testimony, exhortation,
encouragement; edifying one another in the Spirit's
operations.
d. Ministry of the Word; Apostles' doctrine. Acts 2:42
e. Getting to know and appreciate each other. Visit,
etc. Fellowship becomes the way of life. There is
joy in real fellowship, meeting and sharing in
spiritual, practical and social needs.
The pastors and leaders have a big responsibility to see
you are correctly taught God's Word and led to a deeper
relationship with the Lord. Learn to be submissive to
them and absorb all you can from them.
You are now part of "The Church". This is not a
denomination, but is made up of all believers world-wide.
The Bible also calls the Church the Body of Christ, Eph.
1:22-23.
This is because Jesus is the Head, and everyone who is in
His Church has a contribution to make - though it may be
different from other members. Just as a human body is
made up of many different parts, though all are
necessary, so the Church - the Body of Christ, is
composed of all types of people with different talents
and abilities and ministries.
The Church is special, and it is powerful. Jesus said in
Matthew 16:18, "That the gates of Hades shall not prevail
against it". Satan's power cannot hold out against the
church of Jesus Christ when it moves in His authority.
There is great spiritual power released when the church
prays or worships together. You are now a part of the
greatest authority on earth. Keep close to your brothers
and sisters and they in turn will help you to keep close
to God.
SPIRITUAL WARFARE
All men are subject to temptations; even Jesus was
tempted to sin. As a Christian, you have already been
tempted many times though you may not have known it.
This lesson is going to show how to respond to temptation
just like Jesus did with victory!
NOTE: James 1:12-15.
1. The Enemy - The Bible tells us clearly that we have
an enemy. 1 Peter 5:8 says, Satan goes about like a
lion looking for someone to devour! He has two allies
working with him, the world, and the flesh. These
three are your enemies and seek to draw you away from God
and His abundant life. To the degree that you allow them
to win in their war against you, you are robbed of rich,
full, abundant life with God.
The world does not mean God's physical creation for
that is good, it means this "world system": the society
of man. This has been distorted and corrupted by man
living for himself and not God. The basic drive is
selfishness, not Godliness.
The flesh is not your physical flesh, but those
desires in you that are not right. These desires seek to
be fulfilled in a wrong way and would draw you into
wrong actions instead of right living.
2. The Attacks - The battlefield is in your mind.
The enemy will put wrong thoughts in your mind suggesting
that you do something you know is wrong. This could be
inspired by something you see, something someone says,
something you read, or just about anything. They often
come right out of "nowhere", suddenly presenting
themselves to you.
Our flesh desires to respond to these attacks. The
desire will be to think about doing something, then
actually to do it. At this point, you have not sinned.
You are being tempted as all Christians are and don't
need to feel condemned or sinful. How you respond to
these thoughts is what determines whether you sin!
3. Our Warfare and Victory - The first thing we must
decide is, "Who is our captain, ourself or God. When
you became a Christian, you gave yourself to God and now
are totally His. Through repentance and baptism, you died
to your old life and took on God's new life. This
settles whether you should sin or not. The key to
victory is who you 'yield' to, to sin, or to God. To
yield to God is life and victory: to yield to sin is
death and defeat. (Romans 6:1-3, 16).
Since God is on your side, you have total victory
through Him. You have a greater power in you, Christ,
than the whole world!
You have God's promise that no temptation will ever
come that you can not have victory over, (1 Cor.
10:13). You see, you wage war from a position of
victory!
When the temptation comes, you must recognise it and
resist it, then it will flee. If you are in a situation
that is tempting you and you can leave, do it! 2 Tim.
2:22 tells you to flee youthful lusts. Remove anything
you have that reminds you of past sins, and stay away
from bad friends. This is critically important!
Meet the enemy with the Word of God. The Word is
your sword. (Heb. 4:12, Eph. 6:17). When Jesus was
tempted, He fought back with scripture to combat the
temptation. Learn by memory several of these so you can
quote them when tempted. This brings the authority of
God's Word into the battle.
4. Walk in the Spirit. - Galatians 5:16, 25.
a. We do this by living a life of prayer and communion
with God. When all other motivations to live right
and pure fail, the inward love relationship with God
will keep you, His keeping power is mighty to those
that love Him! Loving God and your brother is the
thing that will keep you from sin, because love
doesn't want to harm anyone. Cultivate this love
between you and God, and you and others. Don't
allow a "hard heart" to cut off fellowship. Don't
allow bitterness to have a place in your heart.
b. This is also done by feeding on God's Word. You
must have it available for battle so you need to
hide it in your heart.
Scripture tells us the Word will cleanse you, wash
you clean, and wage war from a position of victory!
END of STUDY EIGHT
