Can you believe how close to the end of the Bible we are? It has been a fun time of learning, reading and just grounding our faith. I hope these studies has helped you see things in a different way, that you’ve had several “ah – ha” moments and that your desire to continue to dig deeper into God’s word will grow.
This week’s reading schedule:
- Day 78 Acts 6:8 – Acts 16:37
- Day 79 Acts 16:38 – Acts 28:16
- Day 80 Acts 28:17 – Romans 14:23
- Day 81 Romans 15:1 – 1 Corinthians 14:40
- Day 82 1 Corinthians 15:1 – Galatians 3:25
- Day 83 Galatians 3:26 – Colossians 4:18
- Day 84 1 Thessalonians 1:1 – Philemon vs 25
Faith is a funny thing. For many of us, it can seem like it changes a lot. One minute our faith seems unsakable and we feel 100 % certain about God, Christ or the Holy Spirit. But, if we are completely honest withourselves, many of us will admit that every once in a while there’s this lingering question mark in the back of our minds.
As we read the Gospels, faith is a core issue that gets a lot of attention. In the Gospel accounts we meet various people who could be plotted in a wide range on the Faith-O-Meter. (The Meter being – Perfect Faith; Big Faith; Middle Faith; Little Faith; No Faith)
1. Based on Matthew 14:25-31 & Matthew 26:69-75, where do you think Peter should be plotted on the Faith Meter?
2. Can you think of some individuals in the Gospels who deomnstrated greater faith than Peter? Who were they? Where should they be plotted on the Faith meter?
3. Has Peter’s faith changed by the time he addresses a crowd of Jews in Acts 2:22-24? If so, Why? Where would you place Peter on the Faith Meter now?
4. In general, what happens to the faith of the disciples after Jesus’ resurrection?
5. What does Matthew 9;29-30 suggest about the benefits of Faith? Does one’s degree of faith seem to be important?
6. Discuss Matthew 17:19-20. What does it tell you about faith.
7. What does Matthew 13:58 tell us about the consequesnce of a lack of faith during Jesus’ ministry? What does this suggest about the relationship between faith and God’s use of his power to, say, move mountains.
8. Where would you place YOUR faith on this faith meter?
9. How would you apply Jesus’s statements in Matthew 21:21-22 to the “mountains” in your life? Based on your reading to date, is there a qualification to the promise in verse 22? If so, what is it? how do you or could you apply this in your everyday living?
10. For a moment, try to imagine setting aside all of your doubts and limitations. What would you do if you had perfect faith?
Books you’ll encounter this week:
Romans – The first of Paul’s Epistles, this is a letter from the apostle Paul to the early church in Rome. In it, he covers several foundational themes such as faith, life in the Spirit and God’s acceptance.
1 Corinthians – Paul appeals to the church in Corinth to avoid division by following Christ rather than competing disciples. He then describes what it means to be followers of Christ and encourages people to give themselves always to the work of the Lord.
2 Corinthians – In a second letter to the church at Corinth, probably written within a year of 1 Corinthians, Paul is replying to an evidently chilly reception by the Corinthians to his previous letter.
Galatians – In this letter to the church in Galatia, Paul establishes his authority before warning the Galatian to accept no other gospel than the gospel of Christ.
Ephesians – Writing to the church in Ephesus, Paul focuses on unity in Christ and living as children of God.
Philippians – Paul core message to the church in Philippi is to imitate Christ’s humility.
Colossians – Paul writes to the church in Colosse regarding rules for holy living.
1 Thessalonians – Following a positive report from Timothy about the church of the Thessalonians, Paul writes to encourage them to continue strong in their faith.
2 Thessalonians – Writing soon after the first letter, Paul reiterates that the Thessalonians should stand firm and not be alarmed by false prophecies.
1 Timothy – Paul writes to his protege Timothy to instruct him in his leadership while in Ephesus.
2 Timothy – Paul encourages Timothy to preach the Word, since all Scripture is God-Breathed and prepares Christians to be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Titus – Writing to another young disciple, Paul gives him qualifications for ordaining church elders and instructions on what must be taught to a variety of groups.
Philemon – In this brief letter to his friend Philemon, Paul asks him to free his slave Onesimus and charge anything Onesimus owes Philemon to Paul.
Click here to Listen to the Bible as you read it.
This Weeks Study Guide. Week 12: Paul There is good stuff here, don’t pass this by!
Here is the audio lesson . (You’ll need to log in!)
Please listen the lessons. I have the dvd’s but can’t post them here…copyright rules. We can discuss what you heard here as well. Listen while you cook, clean or are just taking time to enjoy this journey. I hope you’ll take advantage of this free resource. Listen towards the end of the 7 day time frame, as THIS would be what we would be watching/discussing if we were to be meeting weekly.
If you are seeing this for the first time, we started on June 1st, but you can start right now, just go to Session 1 and begin. Here is the main information page as well.
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