Kingdom of God
Each week day in February 2010 our pastor Jonathon Sciola will add a new section to this “Kingdom of God” Bible study – the same study he undertook as a new Christian! As he is refreshed and reminded of what “good news” we have believed in, you too can join in and be changed!
Why not take 5-10 minutes per day to read, study and walk the journey…
Part 1 – From the beginning
Why do we need a Saviour?
God’s plan for us is to have a relationship with Him. There is a place in each person’s heart that can only be satisfied by a relationship with Jesus Christ.
We all have lived our lives far away from God, separated by sin (Isaiah 59:2), whether we like it or not, we are all guilty of sin. Sin is doing our own thing – living our life in a way that does not measure up to God’s standards.
In Romans 3:23 the Bible states that we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. Not just that we sin, but that sin is in our nature. We are not sinners because we have sinned, we sin because we are born sinners.
God cannot tolerate sin in His presence. In our sinful nature we cannot come before God. Romans 6:23 says that the just result of sin is death. That is the reason that we need a saviour – someone to stand in the gap between us and God, to allow our sins to be forgiven and enable us to partake in a relationship with God.
Salvation
The gap between man’s sinfulness and God’s holiness is only filled by Jesus. In John 14:6 it states that there is no other way to approach God.
We are unable to save ourselves, and meet God’s requirements but because of His love for us, God sent Jesus to bring us to Himself (John 3:16-17 and Romans 5:8)
God loves us unconditionally. No matter what we have done, He accepts us, even in our worst moments. That is the good news – all we need to do is to believe it to be saved and accept God’s gift of salvation (Romans 10:9)
When we accepted Jesus as our Saviour, we began our relationship with God. Now we need to continue to live our lives like God wants us to. Christianity is a journey with God – as we travel together, we learn to turn from our ways to follow those of Jesus Christ.
Three of the essential keys in our journey with God are those of repentance, forgiveness and faith. These three go hand in hand with each other – they are gifts from God that are ours to accept.
1. Repentance
Repentance itself has 2 different actions:
a) A change of heart. This is where we express sorrow towards God for our sin and repel the sin in our heart – to be disgusted with the sinful attitude.
b) A change of direction. We are to turn around 180 degrees, never to return to that from which we are repenting – forsaking it entirely.
Repentance in a nutshell is a humble surrender to the will and service of God.
Repentance is a doorway – it is a place we pass through.
God will continually uncover sin in our lives as he is ready to deal with it. If we confess our sin, He will forgive us (1 John 1:9). When we are aware of sin, we need to repent from it, accept Jesus’ forgiveness and it is finished with.
Galatians 2:20 says that if Jesus is now our Lord as well as our Saviour, life is to be lived for Him. We now live, by faith, for him.
2. Forgiveness
We have just seen that God forgives us when we repent of our sins against Him. But what attitude does God require us to hold toward those who have sinned against us.
Let’s face it, we’ve all experienced offense, hurt and rejection to some degree at the hands of others and we have probably done likewise to people – knowingly or unknowingly.
We see in Matthew chapter six and verses twelve, fourteen and fifteen (”Matthew 6:12,14-15“) that forgiveness is a two way thing – we receive forgiveness from God and we forgive others. In fact, our forgiveness from God is conditional on our forgiving all others (See Matthew 6:15).
It is an act of our will in obedience to God (and in thankfulness for the forgiveness we have received from Him). It is not a feeling. We choose to forgive.
This actually sets us free – it doesn’t mean that what the other person did or daid or didnt do was right, but it means we’re leaving it to God to deal with them. Romans 12:17-21.
Read: Matthew 18:21-35; Mark 11:25; Colossians 3:13.
3. Faith.
Faith is a living room – it is the place where you live.
Faith is talked of in the Bible as:
Hebrews 11:1 – a sure knowledge – a title deed
Hebrews 10:35 – confidence
Hebrews 10:36 – requiring perseverance
Faith is absolute surety of something that you cannot see or grasp at the present time. It’s where hope, after a revelation from God, turn into unshakable reality. For example, we have an assurance that heaven exists though we can’t see it.
Let’s look at how faith works in our journey with God.
Romans 1:17 says, “The righteous will live by faith”. If we base our faith on our emotions or what we know in our mind, life can be pretty much like a roller coaster ride. However, when situations come along that try to throw us off the track our faith and assurance in God and his love for us will ensure that we continue along the right track instead of being thrown out of the carriage.
We get this faith to live life from reading and listening to the Bible (Romans 10:17)
When we “have faith in God” (trust Him. As far as our journey goes, faith starts out as a trust that Jesus is Lord and Saviour and that we are going to heaven. As we continue in our relationships with Jesus, we put more and more trust in Him and our faith in Him grows. As our faith grows, we have faith in God for our need; physical, emotional and spiritual. From that we can begin to live in a way that pleases God.
A new start
We have been given a clean slate and a chance to start – what God requires of us (Micah 6:8)
1. To love God
2. To love others.
Well done! You have completed part 1.
Part 2 – Relationship, Getting to know God
Introduction
Having started on the journey with God by repenting and asking Him into our lives, we need to make a decision to go on. We grow in our relationship with God by spending time and effort to get to know Him, what He likes and dislikes and how we are to live our lives. Basically, we get to know Him by seeking Him. We do this by reading His word, the ‘Bible‘, and by speaking and listening to Him, which is called “prayer”. Remember the quality of any relationship is determined by how much we give to it.
The Bible
What is it? Bible means “Book of books” – and that is because it is! It is God’s word to humanity. It is a total of 66 books written by a variety of authors as they were inspired by God, that blend together to tell the wonderous story of God’s love for us.
It has been conveniently divided into 2 sections:
1. The Old Testament – which consists of 39 different books that take us from creation to just before the birth of the promised Saviour, Jesus Christ.
2. The New Testament – which consists of 27 different books (and letters) that take us from the birth of Jesus Christ to the first century of the Christian church.
Interesting facts about the Bible:
Longest book in the Bible: Psalms
Chapters in the Bible: 1189
Middle chapter of the Bible: Psalm 117
Shortest chapter in the Bible: Psalm 117
Longest chapter in the Bible: Psalm 119
Verses in the Bible: 31,173
Shortest verse in the Bible: John 11:35
Longest verse in the Bible: Esther 8:9
Words in the Bible: 773,692
Why read it? There are several important reasons for reading the Bible, apart from the fact that it is good reading:
To know God
2 Timothy 3:16-17 states that all scripture is inspired by God. The Bible is an expression of God’s thoughts and feelings and will. The more that we read the Bible the more that we will understand who He is and what He wants for our lives. (See Luke 4:4 where Jesus quotes scripture to overcome the devil). One of the ways that God speaks with us is through His word.
To know ourselves
That same scripture (2 Timothy 3:16) also talks about the Bible being profitable for teaching, correction and training in righteousness so that we may be adequate and equipped for every good work.
We could think of the Bible as the ‘manufacturers handbook’ that when followed will allow us to live our lives in a way that will not only please God but also fulfill our reason for being and satisfy us as well. (Proverbs 3:1-2, “My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart,for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity”. If ever there is a time that we feel unsure or inadequate or ill-equipped, the Bible is the place to find the answer for our short comings.
www.bibles.net – great bible reasource
www.biblegateway.com – great bible resource
www.blueletterbible.org – great for deep study in the original greek.
*Tip: When getting started, grab a paper Bible, a pen and a highlighter and highlight and circle all the scriptures that “stand out”. You will remember them better that way and God will use that exercise to teach you.
To change
Since birth we have formed many of our attitudes reactions and habits from how we saw ourselves and by what the world told us. When we ask Jesus to be our Saviour (He is also our Lord and Master and Friend and Brother), He makes us a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) – our spirit is changed. However, we still tend to think in the same old way and need help to change.
Romans 12:2 says that change is made by the renewing of the mind. To do this, we read the Bible and make God’s attitudes and reactions part of our thoughts.
How do you read it? You could start at the beginning (Genesis) and read right through to the end (Revelation), but that is probably not the most inspiring way to approach it.
Since Jesus is the One who is our Saviour, let’s read about Him. Start in one of the gospels it doesn’t matter which but John or Mark are good choices as they are action-packed accounts of Jesus walk on earth.
Next, you may like to try the book of Acts which is the establishment of the church and how many adventures did they have! Acts talks about the “acts” of the early church, and then continue on into the New Testament.
Set a goal for yourself, ie “In one year I will read all the New Testament and psalms”
Hints to help with reading your Bible
Do you need a Bible? Call us and we’ll organise one for you…
C3 Northern Connections<.em>
(03) 9837 2942 – leave a message with your address
email: northern.connections@cccw.org.au
1. Make a set time each day to read your Bible. Remember that reading your Bible is meeting with God. Jesus is the “word of God” as written in John chapter 1. It may be the first thing in the morning (recommended), or lunchtime, or whatever time is appropriate to you.
2. You may use technology to help you especially if you are not a “great reader” like daily Bible emails or podcasts of an audio Bible and so on. Just make a realistic target such as “I will read one chapter a day” or “15 minutes a day”.
3. Psalms may a good place to start, such as one Psalm and one proverb each day. Combine those two with a small slab of news testament. Make it a daily thing.
4. Have a purpose, initially you may like to read “one book of the Bible” or “all of the psalms” or write down all the scriptures mentioned on Sunday in church and read them at home that week, asking the Holy Spirit to teach you!
PRAYER
What is it?
Prayer, quite simply put, is communication with God. The reality is God is always speaking to us, however when our spirit is dead and not yet born again we cannot see him. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says, “the god of this age (the devil) has blinded the minds of unbelievers”. The good news is you believe, you can see & hear God! When we communicate with people we both speak and listen. With God it is no different. We speak to Him and listen to Him.
Why pray?
Prayer is how our relationship with God develops. It is how we spend time with God. Unless we communicate with God, we wont be able to learn about Him and our relationship with Him will not grow.
The Bible is quite specific about prayer. Jesus continually took time out to pray to His Father and also gave His disciples a model for prayer (Matthew 6:5-13)
We also are urged to:
We are also encouraged to pray:
We are God’s children (Romans 8:16) and our prayers please Him (Proverbs 15:8). God delights to answer the prayers of His children – he is both willing (Luke 18:7-8, Matthew 7:9-11), and able (2 Corinthians 9:8, Ephesians 3:20).
Praying is fulfilling God’s desire to have a relationship and partnership (Philippians 1:16) with us. The more our relationship grows the easier it is to trust and to have faith in Him to ptovide for our every need.
Who do we pray to?
The Bible teaches that God is made up of 3 persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Three persons yet One – just like water has three “states” (water, ice, steam) but it is the same chemical makeup.
We should pray to God the Father (Matthew 6:6,9). We are able to do this because of what God the Son, Jesus Christ, has done for us (Hebrews 4:16). We are helped by God the Holy Spirit who lives in our hearts (1 John 3:24, Romans 8:26-27)
How do you pray
Since prayer is just talking to God, just speak to Him. Treat Him like you would treat your best friend. Tell Him about your day and how things affect you, things you have difficulty with – anything! God is interested in it. Ask Him for His advice in situations you are in.
To good way to start as you develop your personal relationship with God may be to use the acronym “ACTS” for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication (means Asking).
Adoration sets the tone for your prayer time. You may like to recall God’s attributes that He is all powerful, all knowing and ever present. You may want to tell Him how awesome He is and what He has done for you. Remind yourself of who God is and worship Him. (Revelation 4:11, 5:12,13)
Confession Be honest with God and confess any sin (1 John 1:9, Luke 11:4) and receive cleansing and forgiveness. If we do this early in our time of prayer it gives us a clean slate before God and removes barriers we have erected so we can receive from Him. It also puts us in a right place before God and allows Him to be the one we depend on.
Thanksgiving One aspect of prayer that God loves is praise. We need to thank Him for all the good things He does in our lives. Spend time each day telling God how much you love Him and what he has done for you. The Bible is full of praise e.g. Psalm 86:12-13
I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths of the grave
And Psalm 100:4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
Supplication is bringing our request to God. The Bible is full of examples of people praying for other people as well as for their own physical needs.
Matthew 7:9 – “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Hebrews 4:16 – Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
How do I hear from God?
A most obvious question is “when I speak to God, will He speak back?” Yes He will. How? Rarely people hear an audible voice. More commonly people have an inkling or “gut feeling” that they know is God. The most common experience of people hearing from God is through their reading of the Bible.
You may have the question or a request that you want God to deal with. He will lead you to read caertain scriptures or as you are reading your Bible, the words will “jump out at you”! You will know what is God’s will for you and you will feel the peace of God which surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7) fill your heart about the issues which God has just answered for you. That’s it – you’ve heard from God. You know His will as it is expressed in His word.
Romans 8:16 – The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
The power of prayer
The Bible says Ephesians 6:12, that we fight against spiritual forces, not flesh and blood. The devil is real and active (John 10:10). Now that you have become a Christian, the devil is angry and he will try to harass you. This may occur by you having very negative or pervasive or depressing thoughts or you may have a of run circumstances that just don’t add up! Don’t go looking for devils behind every door, but if you do feel a demonic influence in your life (usually something unexplainable or extremely enticing or unusual in some way), there is good news!
The way to deal with the devil is quite plain in the scriptures. When Jesus died on the corss and rose again, He defeated the devil – FOREVER! It is only the NAME OF JESUS that caused the devil to stop struggling against us. Mark 16:17, and 1 John 4:4 as well as many other Scriptures, tells us that the devil MUST go when we resist him in the NAME OF JESUS (James 4:7). Jesus always wins!!! Never fear the devil.
Part 3 – NEXT STEPS
Introduction
In Romans 10:9-10, the Bible tells us salvation results from believing in our heart and confessing with our mouth . However, after taking those initial steps that will lead to salvation – receiving the D.N.A of heaven so to speak – we need to continue in our journey with God. There are other fundamental steps that need to be taken if we are to fulfill our purpose and potential. These include the steps of baptism (which may happen in different order for different people):
Water Baptism
“Water Baptism” is being fully immersed in water in accordance with the Bible. It is something that is important in the life of the believer and our chief example in the Bible is Jesus Himself. When He was an adult and not a child, He went tpo the river Jordan to be baptised by John the Baptist.
Read: Matthew 3:3-17
Jesus also baptised His disciples and told them to do likewise.
Then, in the early church, we are told in the book of ACTS, that after people asked Jesus to be their Lord and Saviour, the next step was to be water baptised.
There are 2 important reasons the Bible speaks of water baptism in the life of a believer. These can be found in Romans 6:3-11 and Colossians 2:12
1. Symbolic Significance: We get water baptised to declare firstly that we are prepared to be identified with Jesus’ death and resurrection and that we are committed to Him. It is an act of faith that says that just as Jesus died and rose again, we have counted ourselves as one of His, and publicly declare our commitment to His as our Lord and Saviour.
2. Spiritual Importance: Romans 6:3-11 tells us that when we go down into the waters of baptism, we are identifying with the death and burial of Christ.
As we are immersed, our old self, the sin nature or the body of sin that we had before our conversion, dies and is buried . When we come up from the water, we are united with Christ and identity with His resurrection. We leave our old nature lying in the water and we come out with the new resurrection life of Jesus empowering us to the new life that God has made available to us. In God’s sight we have been joined with Jesus in His death, burial and resurrections.
Just as sin and death were not able to hold Jesus in the grave, the power of sin and death is rendered powerless in our lives. Sin no Ionger had dominion over us and no claim on us. We are made new creations, able to live free from the power of sin (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Having dies to our old nature we live forevermore in the victory that Chris’s nature has made available to us. In 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 the Bible talks about these two natures. The nature of Adam resulting in death and the nature of Christ resulting in life.
As we continue to walk in God, He will convict us of areas of our lives that we need to die to on a continual basis. Because we died to the nature of Adam at water baptism it is much easier to take on the nature of Christ and overcome the sin we are convicted of that if we weren’t baptised.
Baptism in the Holy Spirit
What is it? When Jesus left for heaven He said that he would not leave us abandoned but that He would ask God the Father to send the Holy Spirit to be with us always (John 14:16-17, 15:26,16:7-8).
In the book of Acts, we see that early church was told by Jesus to wait for the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5). They were saved and they had been baptised in water but Jesus said that they would receive something more – the gift of the Holy Spirit as a testimony of God’s love. As we look in Acts 1:8, we see that the reason Jesus asked the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit was so they would receive power to witness and as the believers gathered together they receive the promised “Baptism in the Holy Spirit” Acts 2:1-4. The Holy Spirit was given so they would have power to live their lives in such a way that others would know about the Gospel of Jesus.
Jesus promised an outpouring of the Holy Spirit but he never said that it would stop. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is still available for us today. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is designed by God for us as believers to have the same power of god that the early church had, to strengthen us and comfort us, as we witness and tell others about what Jesus has done for us (Romans 8:11).
The Holy Spirit is also given to bear witness that we children of God (Galatians 4:6) and as a guarantee of our salvation (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)
What do I need to do?
(This section will be added tomorrow…)
In the meantime you may like to read our blog: www.northernconnections.wordpress.com
What’s coming up next? …
How can I be sure it is the Holy Spirit?
What about this tongues business?
Taking action?
Part 4 – CHURCH LIFE
Introduction
Fellowship
Praise and worship
Communion
Preaching
Tithing
Prayer Meeting
Praise and worship
The worldwide church
Mission
Part 5 – FULFILLING YOUR DESTINY
Introduction
CCCW
C3 Church
SEM
Where to know?
