Had a wonderful morning, well spent, with some of my favourite women in my world!
And now, we enter into another week of Bible Study which carries with it the question...
"If the deeds we do are an outward expression of an inner condition,
if our deeds reflect the state of affairs of our heart and mind,
what do we say to others by the way we live?"
Our next live Comment Cafe Gathering will be here next Tuesday from 7pm - 8pm!
But don't limit your contribution to just that one hour!
Use the Comment Cafe to interact with your sisters throughout the week.
Pray for one another,
ask questions,
offer wisdom,
encourage and champion one another in our common faith!
with joy in serving,
This morning, I am choosing to take this week's homework question personally and to heart. After personalizing it, I attached it to the top of each days calendar schedule.
ReplyDelete"If the deeds I do are an outward expression of an inner condition, if my deeds reflect the state of affairs of my heart and mind, what am I saying to others by the way I live?"
I will carry this question into ALL areas of my life this week, asking God to show me any false way and to guide me in TRUTH.
Remember, even the way we treat ourselves is an outward expression of an inward condition. Self-talk... are you abusive in the way you converse with yourself? Self-care... do you feed yourself junk food, deprive your body of rest, sleep or exercise? What are these 'deeds' saying to yourself and others about God's child... about God Himself?
Just a thought, a practical place to begin....
:)
Cathie, I can't participate on Tuesday nights but I have a question that I keep meaning to ask.
ReplyDeleteEach message to the church starts with "To the angel of the church at..." Why is it addressed to the angel?
Thanks for your insights into this,
Sally
Hi Sally! Good on you for getting your question in early! 😉 There has always been quite a bit of debate regarding these angels. As you know, Scripture will always interpret Scripture and this is the rule that I always follow in inductive study so as not to allow "surmising" to take up space.
ReplyDeleteWhen we were studying Hebrews Chapter One verses 13 and 14 stood out to me and I think they will help you find your answer...
"But to which of the angels has He ever said 'Sit at My (GOD) right hand, until I (GOD) make Your (JESUS) enemies a footstool for Your (JESUS) feet?'"
Are they (ANGELS) not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
- God gave the Revelation to Jesus
- Jesus sent and communicated it by His ANGEL to His bondservant John
- who testified to the Word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ. He (JOHN) did this by writing to each of the ANGELS of the churches
It was the ANGELS that delivered the letters to their respective churches, as ministering servants, they were sent out to RENDER SERVICE for the sake of those who will inherit salvation.
I have heard so many discussions over the years regarding these particular angels, how they are really men, pastors etc., but honestly, God has made it very clear that these were angels! Hmm...I've never heard it even mentioned that perhaps the angel mentioned in 1:1 was some renegade pastor who decided to row out to Patmos and deliver the message to John! So why, all of a sudden, is their debate on whether the angels to the churches were really angels?
There are ALOT more angels to come in the book of Revelation and in inductive study it's always best not to "surmise" what God might be saying and instead just take what He IS saying and let Him build upon our study of His Word, line by line. (I know that wasn't really your question, but I kind of like to cover most of the bases while I'm here anyway!)
And by the by, just to add a little MORE interest into the mix, remember the angels that visited Abraham in Genesis 18? And how about adding to our Hebrews 1:13-14 knowledge of ANGELS and add Hebrews 13:2...
"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained ANGELS without knowing it."
John didn't deliver those letters, neither did a man...ANGELS did! Jesus communicated the Revelation through His ANGEL to John and John gave it to the ANGELS of the churches... and yep, I'm believing God!
Thanks for the question Sally!
Hey girls... what are your thoughts on this?
Sally, I realized late last night that the seed of thought behind your question may not have even been answered! Yeesh!
ReplyDeleteYou were wondering why the message was addressed to the angels.
I referenced Hebrews 1:14 last night to you and we can take what we learned there and add on 1 Peter 1:10-12 and see that angels are ministering spirits sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation and that in regards to salvation and the glories which are to follow, angels long to look, it would follow that angels themselves are in no need nor are they the objects of salvation. So why would they have the messages addressed to them if the messages themselves was to point those who are to inherit salvation towards repentance and walking a walk worthy of the high calling of Christ?
I believe from my study that it is this...
these ministering spirits, angels, were sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation. Each church had its particular strengths and weaknesses and each angel was to know these and then render service accordingly.
The Spirit of God is the One that does the internal work of giving power, leading and wisdom etc. Yet, from reading 2 Kings 6 we see a description of how God provided an army of angels with horses and chariots of fire to protect the prophet Elisha and his servant. God actually opened the eyes of the servant so that he could see the angelic army surrounding them...
The angels of the churches would render service according to the message and the will of God.
There's lots more to all this, but that's the bare bones of it... no time to proof! Hope it helps Sally!
Hi Cathie and any of my sisters who might be out there,
ReplyDeleteI am in trouble (more than usual anyway) this week. I have spent a lot of time on question 4 Day 2 and I can't seem to get anywhere. The story in Zechariah 4:1-14 did not help me at all. I feel completely mystified and completely incompetent. I have gone on to finish Day 3 but Day 2 question 4 sits there blankly, looking back at me.
Can anyone help me?????
Jan
Hi Jan! I was just on an e-mail to Cat when I saw your S.O.S. come in 😉!
ReplyDeleteWhen you say Day 2 Question 4 sits blank... you mean the whole thing? a,b,c,d, 1) 2) 3), e, and f?
I was thinking all last week what to contribute and I have to admit since doing this study on Revelations God is surely refining me. All my past sins have been brought forth into the light and it's a pretty ugly sight. I sometimes wonder if I am even worthy to serve Christ, but I know these all Satan's lies. I have been redeemed by the blood of the lamb and I truly blessed to be God's child.
ReplyDeleteWhat you said about Paul's affliction from last weeks class has resonated with me. Sometimes I think my past sins are my afflictions to help me to stay humble and be used by God to do his work.
I am still a work in progress and there is still a lot of chipping and moulding in my life that God still has to work on, especially my addiction to food. Cathie you are so discipline with food...how do you do it?
p.s. can you pass on to Cat that I won't be there for class this Thursday because I have a school assignment to do in the morning.
All for the Kingdom!
Glory
Jan, I'll be popping in here tomorrow morning around 10am, so if you could perhaps clarify, I'll see what I can add to perhaps help you. But keep in mind that there is no such thing as an incompetent student of the Bible who is filled with the Spirit of God... He WILL lead you into all truth... it just may take a little longer that you would want... but He WILL!
ReplyDeleteOne tip though, don't OVER THINK the questions. Just answer as succinctly as possible and move on to the next. Remember that the Zechariah reference was only given to help you understand the RAMIFICATIONS of the Lord's promise to Zerubbabel.
See you here tomorrow Jan!
Hangeth thou in there oh, baby! 😃
OK, I'm done! Hope you other girls will pop in and add your study wisdom to the mix!
ReplyDeleteAll for Him and in His Name!
Cathie
Hi Cathie,
ReplyDeleteIn answer to your question about what is blank, I have noted short comments on question 4 a,b,c. d 2 and 3 are blank as is e. 4 f is answered. But question 4 5, top of page 56 which is the whole purpose of question 4 is blank as is my mind when I try to answer it. What do the 7 Spirits represent and why?
I will check back in tomorrow morning.
Sleep well,
Love,
Jan
Hi Jan! Cat and I were discussing this very thing yesterday as she raised the same question. What I said to her was that from our study this week you would have seen that the SEVEN SPIRITS that Jesus has UPON Him (remember when the dove in Matthew 3:16 descended and came UPON Jesus? This is the Holy Spirit spoken of in Isaiah 11:2 as RESTING on Jesus) are the eyes of the Lord… that may be hard for us to grasp but it is exactly what the scriptures say… a deeper understanding of this is when God tells us in Romans 8:26-27 that it is the Spirit that helps and intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. When we look at the SEVEN SPIRITS we can know that these are the attributes of the Holy Spirit of God and we can better understand the deep probing eyes of the Spirit in all wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge AND fear of the Lord! Yes, even the fear of the Lord comes by the indwelling of His Spirit!
ReplyDeleteI hope this helps you and that you can share it with the girls that do not pop into the Gathering Place!
love you Jan!
Now, away you go strong into the day, knowing the reality of the presence of your God!
Hi Cathie,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments. This thought of God having 7 Spirits is something I am struggling to understand. I thought that there was only 1 Spirit of God that contained all His attributes. I remember having the same struggle when we did the short version of this study. In Isaiah 11:1-5 there are 6 Spirits mentioned:
Spirit of wisdom
Spirit of understanding
Spirit of counsel
Spirit of strength
Spirit of knowledge
Spirit of fear of the LORD
But that is only 6. I keep looking for a #7. Am I being too literal? I can grasp the message of His eyes roaming the whole earth. Rev 3:6 talks about the 7 Spirits of God sent out into all the earth and I get that. I know the number 7 signifies perfect and complete. Could that mean that the 7 Spirits of God are the complete and perfect Holy Spirit?
The sun is shining, the birds are singing, come let us enjoy this beautiful day that the Lord has given us,
Much love,
Jan
YES!!! That's it! I so wanted you to be able to see this... but you have to discover truth for yourself, it would be so easy for me just to give the answer, but a gentle leading by the Spirit Himself is always the BEST!!!
ReplyDeleteJan, go back to Isaiah 11:2 and look at it again with fresh eyes...
1. The first is THE SPIRIT of the LORD
2. Wisdom
3. Understanding
4. Counsel
5. Strength
6. Knowledge
7. Fear of the LORD
I'm going to leave it at that for now and head out into this glorious day sweetheart... love you! Enjoy the delight of your discovery and let me know how you are doing with it all!
Cathie,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your answers - the explanation was very helpful and enlightening. Even more helpful was what it caused me to see about my own study - I am now going to slow way down - I've been speeding (trying to get thru a day in a day) and I've now had my warning from the Lord, thru reading these posts. I have had this great need to keep up but I will now attempt with God's help to go very slowly (or however he directs) so that I can hear Him, and I don't miss what he is saying to me. Read and re-read until He gives me understanding. I'm excited by this. Very freeing.
Thanks so much for coming along side us Cathie and encouraging us along - you are so appreciated.
Hey Glory... we'll talk on our walk! :)
ReplyDelete