The purpose of these pages is to engage in some group study focussing specifically on the mid-week period of Tuesday to Thursday. We will post some scripture verses, and a few thoughts before throwing the conversation over to you. This is not a teaching session, use the prompts (and Google) to explore scripture and share relevant verses. Log in to the conversation as often or as infrequently as you like and if you wish to join in put your thoughts in the comments box at the bottom of the page.
The right frame of mind
Before you start to dive into this week’s bible study, take a few moments to calm your spirit. Get comfortable with your beverage of choice, your Bible and something to write with. Pray that God would give you the time to study and put to one side the concerns of the day. Breathe deeply for a few seconds and focus on who Jesus said he was….
58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was born, I am. John 8:58
When you are ready move on…
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Faith
From last week…. Faith and hope are tied together. We see God moving in our lives, answering prayer and we have faith and hope for the future. 1 Peter 1:21 We see and sense the Holy Spirit working, and our faith grows; our hope is a strong and confident expectation that God will do all that He promised. The things unseen.
Definition
There are many definitions of faith along the lines of believing in things that don’t exist – Mark Twain remarked “faith is believing in what ain’t so.” – however Scripture defines it as… 1. Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen. Heb 11:1
Martin Luther, “…faith is a living unshakable confidence,”
Faith is mysteriously tied up in the core of our being with hope, belief and service to others. Believing in the Lord Jesus is what gives us our salvation; an act of faith. It is also what allows us to see the purposes of God unfolding in our day to day lives. James 1:6, Jn 11:40
What does scripture tell us about the development of faith? Rom 10:17, 1 Cor 2:4-5
Core relationship
Read Ephesians 3:14-21 a couple of times and try to reduce it to just a few words.
Do the same to Galatians 2:16-20 note the comparison to the vine – ‘life in the body’. There are many more verses in scripture that point to life in the spirit being a mixture of hope, faith and belief. The three are intertwined and build each other up. they form the core of our walk with God and allow us to please Him and do things in His name. 2 Cor 5:7, 2 Tim 4:7, 1Cor 16:13, Heb 11:6
Hebrews 11 is the Faith Hall of Fame and contains the stories of some of the great individuals of faith from the Old Testament.
James 1:5-6 comes with a health warning- God often works in the weak and untrained so that the individuals involved know that it could have not been anything else but God working through them.
What does Faith Do?
Faith empowers you…. T / F?
Matt 14:29-31, Matt 17:20, Matt 21:21-22,
The more we practice our faith, the more it grows. Faith give us vision; the ability to believe God for the impossible.
ooo ††† ooo