|
2008-01-19 19:20:22 |
Ms.
Young |
Hi
Everybody |
|
2008-01-19 19:20:57 |
Kat
(Admin) |
First, let's begin with a prayer. If there are any
specific requests, please voice those to the Father as I
pray. Father God, please touch us this evening as we
read and study Your Word and as we join together in
fellowship in Your name. Lord, there are so many things
that are unknown to us at this time; but, one thing we
know - that You are almighty and that You are always in
control. Thank You for allowing us this time to come
together for the sake of being edified and being in the
presence of Your Spirit. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen. |
|
2008-01-19 19:21:53 |
Kat
(Admin) |
OK
let's get started. We are on Section 3 "Victory in Your
Life" Lesson 1 "Abundant Life" |
|
2008-01-19 19:22:16 |
Kat
(Admin) |
Question # 1 said What kind of life does Christ make
possible for me? |
|
2008-01-19 19:22:49 |
Kat
(Admin) |
The
way we usually do the study is to answer the questions
prior to the chat and then discuss all of the different
insights, interpretations, and answers we got to the
questions. |
|
2008-01-19 19:23:09 |
Kat
(Admin) |
I
will give you a couple of minutes to look up the
Scripture references and then we will begin the
discussion :) |
|
2008-01-19 19:29:01 |
Ms.
Young |
In
John 10:10 Jesus clearly states that Satan comes to
kill, steal and destroy. He came so that we could have
life and that more abundantly. In my opinion that looks
like a promise |
|
2008-01-19 19:29:11 |
Kat
(Admin) |
The
Scripture references for the main and sub question #1
are:
John
10:10 MKJV
The thief does not come except to steal and to kill
and to destroy. I have come so that they might have
life, and that they might have it more abundantly. |
1
John 5:4 MKJV
For everything that has been born of God overcomes
the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the
world, our faith. |
Romans 5:10 MKJV
For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to
God through the death of His Son, much more, being
reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. |
Jude
1:24 MKJV
Now to Him being able to keep you without stumbling,
and to set you before His glory without blemish, with
unspeakable joy... |
|
2008-01-19 19:29:52 |
Kat
(Admin) |
When
you look at the sum of these Scriptures, you see that
Christ made possible for all of us a life FULL and
ABUNDANT! |
|
2008-01-19 19:30:03 |
Ms.
Young |
correct |
|
2008-01-19 19:30:09 |
Kat
(Admin) |
A
life full of LIVING instead of just existing in the
process of dying - A life that is FULL and COMPLETE - a
life above the perils of the world... above all, every
one of these things come BY and THROUGH our FAITH |
|
2008-01-19 19:30:50 |
Ms.
Young |
Faith...key word |
|
2008-01-19 19:31:06 |
Kat
(Admin) |
1
John 5:4 tells us that the victory that overcomes the
world IS our faith, so this answers the sub-part to #1
which asks HOW we know that an abundant or victorious
life is possible - we know that as children of God, we
are able to defeat the world and because of that, we are
victorious! We are saved by Christ's life - by our FAITH
and belief in Christ Jesus and the sacrifice He made. |
|
2008-01-19 19:33:26 |
Kat
(Admin) |
Abundance and victory in our lives is possible THROUGH
our faith and God's grace FOR God's glorification. 1
John 5:4 also gives us the answer for question #2 which
asks us HOW we are to experience this life... |
|
2008-01-19 19:33:41 |
Kat
(Admin) |
can
you tell me what you think the answer to that question
would be? |
|
2008-01-19 19:35:14 |
Ms.
Young |
by
believing in God |
|
2008-01-19 19:35:27 |
Kat
(Admin) |
EXACTLY!!!! By believing - BY FAITH!! John 3:16 also
illustrates this point as it tells us that WHOSOEVER
BELIEVETH in Him shall not perish but have everlasting
life... it is made possible through BELIEVING - our
BELIEF is essentially our FAITH... faith is the KEY to
victorious and abundant living! |
|
2008-01-19 19:35:53
|
Kat
(Admin) |
What
does the word FAITH mean to you? |
|
2008-01-19 19:36:23 |
Ms.
Young |
Faith means believing the impossible |
|
2008-01-19 19:36:35 |
Ms.
Young |
Believing that God's promises are real and true and will
come to pass |
|
2008-01-19 19:36:49 |
Kat
(Admin) |
To
me, it is not necessarily believing the impossible,
but believing that NOTHING is impossible for God |
|
2008-01-19 19:37:59 |
Kat
(Admin) |
It
is a strong belief - a TRUST - that something WILL come
to pass because it is God's word... faith is believing
that God's word CANNOT lie and that we can lean WHOLLY
on His Word without doubt because we trust that it will
never come back void. |
|
2008-01-19 19:38:16 |
Ms.
Young |
I
believe that |
|
2008-01-19 19:38:27 |
Kat
(Admin) |
Have
you had a chance to get to #3 or do you need a couple of
minutes to look up those references? |
|
2008-01-19 19:38:37 |
Ms.
Young |
I
need a minute lol |
|
2008-01-19 19:38:46 |
Kat
(Admin) |
OK
:) |
|
2008-01-19 19:39:35 |
Kat
(Admin) |
Question #3 has two parts as well. The Scripture
references are:
Romans 10:17 MKJV
Then faith is of hearing, and hearing by the Word of
God. |
Hebrews 11:6 MKJV
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for
he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He
is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. |
|
2008-01-19 19:40:29 |
Kat
(Admin) |
One
other reference that can be used for the main part of
question #3 is
2
Corinthians 13:5,
which says "(MKJV) examine yourselves, whether you
are in the faith, prove your own selves. Do you not know
your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you, unless you
are reprobates?" |
|
2008-01-19 19:40:39 |
Kat
(Admin) |
Let
me know when you are ready to proceed |
|
2008-01-19 19:40:49 |
Ms.
Young |
We
get faith by being taught how to actually depend on God.
If a person knows nothing about God they will not be
able to just go on that but by taught they get the
understanding of faith and how to depend on God |
|
2008-01-19 19:41:10 |
Kat
(Admin) |
I
agree with you - One thing that I have to remind myself
when I am struggling in my doubt and worry and stress is
that I AM BLESSED because of my trials and that I find
the TRUE nature of God in my trials! |
|
2008-01-19 19:42:26 |
Kat
(Admin) |
If I
never HAD to lean on Him, then how can I FULLY and
COMPLETELY know that I can trust Him? If I have never
seen Him come through for me, how can I KNOW that He
will? We definitely get faith by learning how to
COMPLETELY depend on Him. |
|
2008-01-19 19:42:39 |
Ms.
Young |
so
at that point you are exercising your faith by trusting
that He will bring you out victoriously |
|
2008-01-19 19:43:20 |
Kat
(Admin) |
We
get faith through hearing the message of God's Word -
and by TESTING and EVALUATING ourselves, constantly
asking ourselves if we are living in FAITH. |
|
2008-01-19 19:43:29 |
Ms.
Young |
right |
|
2008-01-19 19:43:53 |
Kat
(Admin) |
In
reference to what Hebrews 11:6 tells us, what is it that
we must believe? |
|
2008-01-19 19:44:43 |
Ms.
Young |
That
without faith its impossible to please God |
|
2008-01-19 19:45:59 |
Kat
(Admin) |
Yes,
we MUST believe that God exists and rewards those who
seek Him - if we believe God exists, then we also must
believe every Word that is His - thus we know that
Christ's message is the truth... if we have that faith,
then we are able to please God... however, we must have
the WILL to please Him... it must be important to us;
and that is exactly right - we have to live on the
premise that without faith, it is impossible to please
God. We should ALWAYS welcome opportunities for our
faith to increase! |
|
2008-01-19 19:47:30 |
Kat
(Admin) |
1
Corinthians 15:57 MKJV
But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ. |
John
15:5 MKJV
I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in
Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit; for
without Me you can do nothing. |
|
2008-01-19 19:48:07 |
Kat
(Admin) |
John
15:5 was one of the Scriptures that came up on the
prayer call a few weeks back. How does this Scripture
apply to living victoriously when you think of it in
terms of the question in #4? |
|
2008-01-19 19:48:39 |
Kat
(Admin) |
Am I
supposed to ask God for victory or thank Him that I am
already victorious? |
|
2008-01-19 19:48:48 |
Ms.
Young |
God
says if we stay with Him we will bear fruit meaning the
desires of our hearts |
|
2008-01-19 19:49:15
|
Ms.
Young |
We
should thank Him because He gave us His Son and that was
how we are now able to live victoriously |
|
2008-01-19 19:49:25 |
Kat
(Admin) |
I am
definitely supposed to THANK Him that I am already
victorious!!! It is through the life of Christ that my
victory is sealed as long as the Spirit of God indwells
in me. |
|
2008-01-19 19:49:54 |
Kat
(Admin) |
What
does it mean to you when you think about the promise God
made that you will bear good fruit? |
|
2008-01-19 19:50:28 |
Ms.
Young |
I'm
thankful first that He even promised me something |
|
2008-01-19 19:50:36 |
Kat
(Admin) |
Amen
to that! |
|
2008-01-19 19:50:39 |
Ms.
Young |
I
mean come on now that's a blessing in itself |
|
2008-01-19 19:50:59 |
Kat
(Admin) |
Because we are only empowered through the life, death,
and resurrection of His son! |
|
2008-01-19 19:51:06 |
Ms.
Young |
Knowing that as long as I am obedient and keep His
commandments He will give me my hearts desires keeps me
humbled |
|
2008-01-19 19:51:48 |
Kat
(Admin) |
We
are only entitled to ANY kind of inheritance because He
lives within us. Without Him we are nothing; so we
should always be thankful that He thinks enough of us to
give us anything, let alone make PROMISES to us... that
shows exactly how much He loves us! |
|
2008-01-19 19:51:58 |
Ms.
Young |
There is NO ONE on earth that can promise you something
and you know it will come to pass. He keeps His promises
so we just have to walk in faith that the fruit will
come to pass and even if does not happen on earth we
will live VICTORIOUSLY in heaven along side Him |
|
2008-01-19 19:53:04 |
Kat
(Admin) |
I
know this particular lesson probably means a lot to many
of us because of the experiences that we have had. At
one point, you had a much different view of what an
abundant and victorious life was supposed to be like,
right? |
|
2008-01-19 19:53:43 |
Ms.
Young |
Yeah
it does mean a lot to me because I have been praying for
a further explanation of some things and this lesson has
helped me |
|
2008-01-19 19:53:59 |
Ms.
Young |
I
don't always get it clear but I'm getting it |
|
2008-01-19 19:54:22 |
Kat
(Admin) |
I
think that as humans, we define a life of abundance much
differently when we are in the world |
|
2008-01-19 19:54:45 |
Ms.
Young |
yes
we look for success in the eyes of the world and not the
eyes of God |
|
2008-01-19 19:55:03 |
Kat
(Admin) |
it
is not until we actually begin to study and gain an
understanding of God's Word that we actually begin to
"get it" and see that the world's idea of abundant life
is actually just a road to hell! |
|
2008-01-19 19:55:20 |
Ms.
Young |
the
world cares nothing about us and yet God loves us so
much that He gave His only child for us. How many people
would give a child let alone their ONLY one!! |
|
2008-01-19 19:55:54 |
Kat
(Admin) |
yes,
and what we fail to realize most of the time is this:
God gave His only Son with the risk of losing Him |
|
2008-01-19 19:55:56 |
Ms.
Young |
So
pleasing Him should be our #1 purpose before seeking or
getting the fruits of our labor |
|
2008-01-19 19:56:05 |
Kat
(Admin) |
Jesus could have fallen into temptation at any time |
|
2008-01-19 19:56:15 |
Kat
(Admin) |
He
was tempted in every way we are - and WE know how easy
it is to fail! |
|
2008-01-19 19:56:19 |
Ms.
Young |
yes
Satan tempted Him for 40 days |
|
2008-01-19 19:56:33 |
Kat
(Admin) |
God
gave His Son to go through all of the things He had to
endure - and it wasn't easy for Him; He had a spiritual
element, but He also had a human (fleshly) element... He
had decisions and choices to make. The difference
between JESUS and many of us is that He spent MUCH time
in prayer about EVERYTHING and allowed the Spirit - not
His flesh - to determine His ways... |
|
2008-01-19 19:56:43 |
Kat
(Admin) |
so
it was truly a sacrifice... being surrounded by all that
corruption and still walking and living righteously;
then giving His own life for the sake of those who loved
Him - and even those who hated Him! |
|
2008-01-19 19:57:12 |
Ms.
Young |
Well
to me it was more being obedient to God than a sacrifice |
|
2008-01-19 19:57:15
|
Kat
(Admin) |
luckily, for all of us, even though Satan tried to
entice Jesus into sin by offering Him the world, Jesus
remained pure and innocent - preciously perfect, knowing
that His inheritance, like ours, was so much greater
than that... so He was able to be the ultimate sacrifice
and we are able to be washed clean by His blood |
|
2008-01-19 19:57:31 |
Kat
(Admin) |
on
Jesus' part it was obedience - but He was also a
sacrifice to God for the atonement of God's people |
|
2008-01-19 19:57:46 |
Ms.
Young |
yes
that is what I meant |
|
2008-01-19 19:57:50 |
Kat
(Admin) |
It
was also a sacrifice on God's part... as the Scripture
reads - God GAVE (sacrificed) His only son - gave Him to
this world in order to save it! |
|
2008-01-19 19:58:14 |
Kat
(Admin) |
It's
awesome that He loves us that much |
|
2008-01-19 19:58:22 |
Ms.
Young |
Yes
it is!! |
|
2008-01-19 19:58:34 |
Kat
(Admin) |
and
it's a shame that even those of us who are STRONG in the
Word still falter with doubt and worry, myself
included... being human is not easy |
|
2008-01-19 19:59:01 |
Kat
(Admin) |
Dealing with fears and struggles of the flesh can be
quite difficult! |
|
2008-01-19 19:59:04 |
Ms.
Young |
yes
don't exclude me lol |
|
2008-01-19 19:59:20 |
Ms.
Young |
its
an everyday struggle |
|
2008-01-19 19:59:43 |
Kat
(Admin) |
but
we have to be able to remind ourselves - as 2
Corinthians says: to EXAMINE ourselves constantly and
determine whether we are actually living in our faith or
not |
|
2008-01-19 20:00:13 |
Ms.
Young |
that's a great reminder |
|
2008-01-19 20:00:44 |
Kat
(Admin) |
OK
that was a great lesson! Do you want to lead us in
prayer as we dismiss? |
|
2008-01-19 20:00:50 |
Ms.
Young |
yes |
|
2008-01-19 20:02:35 |
Ms.
Young |
Father, I thank You for leading us to go ahead and learn
Your Word. We came together to fellowship and just speak
life. I thank You in advance for everything that You are
going to do in our lives. I'm not speaking of in the
natural but in the Spirit. In Jesus' Name Amen |
|
2008-01-19 20:03:16 |
Kat
(Admin) |
Amen. |
|
2008-01-19 20:03:24 |
Kat
(Admin) |
I
would like to leave with this Scripture on our minds:
Acts
14:22 MKJV
confirming the souls of the disciples, calling on
them to continue in the faith and that through much
tribulation we must enter into the kingdom of God. |
|
2008-01-19 20:04:19 |
Kat
(Admin) |
It
is not an easy feat to make it into God's Kingdom;
rather, it is through MUCH tribulation that we enter
into God's house... that tribulation encourages our
faith and it builds our capacity for endurance and
perseverance! |
|
2008-01-19 20:04:34 |
Kat
(Admin) |
So
the next time you feel overwhelmed, remember Acts 14:22
and be encouraged! |
