Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,

that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him,

for He cares for you.

The Apostle Peter encourages us to humble ourselves before God. What does it bring? Above all, it brings us the light of knowledge that God gives us. Otherwise, without us even knowing, this light of knowledge is blocked by the self-centredness of our sin-infected nature, which Scripture calls the old self. Humility is truth. It liberates us from our own sense of self-importance, pride and unwillingness to admit our weaknesses and mistakes. This selfish sense of self-importance prevents God from working through us. Yet it is through humility that we would gain the greatest benefit, both spiritually and otherwise, not only for others but mainly for ourselves. Scripture says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Humbling ourselves before God, from whom we derive our existence, all that is good in us and all our good works, is not humiliating. It is merely an acknowledgement of reality, that is, of the truth about ourselves. We develop this attitude of humility in interior prayer beneath Christ’s cross. Without true prayer, we will spend our lives in illusion.

You call Me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’, and rightly so,

for that is what I am.

Jesus Himself says to you: ‘You call Me your Teacher and Lord,’ and He adds: ‘and that is what I am.’

In this short Bible study, we will examine some quotes from Scripture and consider whether Jesus truly is my Lord. If He is not, and if my ego is my god, then I must pray: Jesus, be truly my Lord! Let us call out to Jesus from the depths of our hearts. Only then can we confess with the repentant Thomas: ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus, be truly my Lord and God!

Jesus Christ is Saviour and Lord. Of all the titles of Jesus, the title ‘Lord’ became by far the most commonly used, wide-spread and important. It would hardly be going too far to say that the word ‘Lord’ became a synonym for the name of ‘Jesus’.

As for His gifts, to some He gave to be apostles, to others prophets,

or even evangelists, or shepherds and teachers.

So He prepared those who belong to Him for the ministry,

in order to build up the Body of Christ.

These are gifts and at the same time vocations, the purpose of which is not to glorify the individual, but to prepare those who are chosen perfectly for the ministry. For what ministry? For the building up of the Mystical Body of Christ. Previously, there was a mistaken idea among people that when someone becomes a priest or bishop, he is competent in all the ministries, as if he were an apostle, teacher, prophet, shepherd and evangelist at the same time. However, if someone is to perform one ministry thoroughly and gain experience, he cannot fully devote himself to another ministry. In fact, it is not possible to perform any of the ministries without a common denominator, which is self-denial, that is, denial of our ego. We should serve with the awareness that we serve Christ Himself and His Mystical Body – the Church – and we should not seek our own glory or self-realization in doing so. When someone holds an office without being a true Christian and striving to follow Christ, he automatically makes the office a means for building his own career and manifesting his proud ego. In that case, these ministries are ineffective, if not harmful.

And do not be conformed to this world,

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, 

that you may prove what is that good and acceptable

and perfect will of God.

Today’s world is characterized by many inventions which meet people’s needs quickly and easily: instant foods, instant electronic communication, instant information stored in high speed computers, etc. These are the hallmarks of today’s ‘instant’ generation. Christians must remember, however, that there is no such thing as ‘instant maturity’ in the Christian experience. Becoming a Christian begins a lifetime adventure of knowing God better and loving Him more.

God’s Word says: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,  that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Rom 12:2) Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God re-mold your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all His demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may

see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

During the previous two weeks, we reflected on the Scripture verse from Acts 1:8: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” In other words, we are called to bear witness to others, as we discussed in the short reflection on witnessing. This means being witnesses, or martyrés, like the apostles, even at the cost of persecution, ridicule or the loss of our lives. We must be witnesses to the living Jesus, who was crucified and rose from the dead! For forty days after His resurrection, He appeared not only to the apostles, but also to several hundred other people, thereby proving His divinity.

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;

and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,

and to the end of the earth.

It is the Holy Spirit, not we, who converts an individual. We, the privileged ambassadors of Jesus Christ, can communicate a verbal message; we can demonstrate through our life what the grace of Jesus Christ can accomplish. But let us never naively think that we have converted a soul and brought him to Jesus Christ. No one calls Jesus Lord except by the Holy Spirit (1Cor 12:3).

THE CHALLENGE

1. In Mark 5:18-19, notice Jesus’ words to a man He had healed.

a) Where did Jesus send him?

b) What did Jesus tell him to do?

c) Why do you suppose Jesus gave these particular instructions?

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us,

that we should be called children of God!

Therefore the world does not know us,

because it did not know Him.

The Church is the body of Christ. Every Christian is a member of that body. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the head who directs the work of the whole body. While each organ has a different function, each one is necessary for the health and functioning of the whole body. The Holy Spirit gives life to the body. It is His presence that unites the whole body.

WHAT IS BIBLICAL FELLOWSHIP?

1. Read 1 John 3:1. If you are God’s child and He is the Father of all, what does this tell you about your relationship to other believers?

2. “Fellowship” is derived from the Greek word koinonia, which means “sharing in common”. God has given you much to share. As you examine the following verses, determine what you can share with others and one practical way to share it.

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace,

that we may obtain mercy and find grace

to help in time of need.

Communication is essential for any growing relationship, including our relationship with God. When you pray, the Holy Spirit helps you know what to say and how to say it.

We may master the technique of prayer and understand its theory. We may have unlimited confidence in the veracity and validity of the promises concerning prayer; we may plead them earnestly. But if we ignore the part played by the Holy Spirit, we have failed to use the master key.

PRAYER – YOUR COMMUNICATION WITH GOD

1. As a believer in Christ you have been given a special opportunity.
   What is it and why is it given to you? Heb 4:16

All Scripture is inspired by God, and is useful for teaching,

rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

The sword is good for both offense and defence. God has armed us for spiritual warfare with the perfect weapon – the sword of the Spirit – the Word of God (Eph 6:17). The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to accomplish God’s work on earth. Today’s spiritual seekers need two things above all else:

– the knowledge of the Scriptures, outside of which there is no truth necessary for man’s salvation,

– the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, without which Scripture cannot be understood.

THE WORD OF GOD – A MEANS OF COMMUNICATION WITH MAN

The Bible is the most remarkable book ever written. It was written by some 40 authors of different nationalities and walks of life over a period of some 1,500 years in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Yet the Bible has only one major theme and one central figure – Jesus Christ. This would not be possible if the Bible did not have a single author: the Holy Spirit.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts,

and always be ready to give an answer to everyone

who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you,

with meekness and fear.

The Apostle Peter encourages us to sanctify God in our hearts. How should we sanctify Him? Especially in interior prayer, where we talk to Him, listen to Him and ask Him to help us know and do His holy will in specific situations.

The Apostle then says that we should be ready to give an answer to everyone. But no one will ask us unless we apostolize. We must be ready to witness. In prayer we must ask God to whom we should witness, how we should witness and when we should witness. Then we have to overcome some shyness and take the first step ourselves. Strategic is the word first (Gr. proton). If we are to remove the speck from our brother’s eye, we must first judge ourselves. Similarly, when our brother has something against us, we must first take the step of reconciliation, even if we are not aware of any guilt. When we do this, only then will our eyes be opened. This is a special spiritual law.

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light,

we have fellowship with one another,

and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Think about the word of life and answer these questions:

What does it mean to “walk in the light”?

What does it mean to “have fellowship with one another”?

… if we walk in the light …

1. What must you do to walk in the light? Jn 8:12

2. What is true of a person who is not walking in the light? 1Jn 1:6

Beloved, if God so loved us,

we also ought to love one another.

When you say the word “love”, what especially young people imagine is de facto fornication, impurity, even homosexuality. All of this is thrown together into one bag labeled “love”. It is in fact anti-love, egoism and perversity. It is unfortunate that many world languages only have one expression for the word “love”.

The Scripture here talks about the God’s love, pinnacle of humility, pinnacle of suffering, pinnacle of self-sacrifice. Greek language uses three expressions for love and we need to be aware of it. “Agapé” is a selfless love for God. Jesus asks Peter: “Agapas me?” Do you love Me with divine love? Peter replies: “Filo se.” I love you with a human love. “Filia” is the second term for love. It is love for parents, siblings, or nation. The term “eros” means carnal love, associated with sexuality, and such love is exclusive to man and woman who have duly entered a holy matrimony, because it is related to the giving of life, raising children and thus sacrificing oneself for the future posterity.

For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Think about the word of life and answer these questions:

What is walking by faith?

What is walking by sight?

For we walk by faith…

1. Why is faith necessary? Heb 11:6

2. How does faith grow? Rom 10:17

3. Paul based his faith upon ……………………… Acts 27:25

4. What must accompany your faith?

As many as are led by the Spirit of God,

these are sons of God.

Think about the word of life and answer these questions:

Who is led?

Who does the leading?

What does being led indicate?

…as many as are led by the Spirit of God…

1. What are some other names for the Holy Spirit? Rom 8:9

2. Whom does the Holy Spirit glorify? Jn 16:13-14

3. What should be your response to the Holy Spirit? Gal 5:16

4. What do you have to do to live according to the Spirit? Rom 8:5

So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word

of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you

an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

Think about the word of life and answer these questions:

What is God’s Word able to do?

Why is the Bible called “the Word of His grace”?

…I commend you to God and to the Word…

1. How should you regard the Bible? 1Thess 2:13

2. What did Jesus say about the Word? Jn 17:17

I am the vine, you are the branches.

He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit;

for without Me you can do nothing.

(Review 1Jn 1:9, 5:11f; Jn 16:24; 1Cor 10:13; Prov 3:5-6)

Think about the word of life and answer these questions:

Who is the vine? Who are the branches?

What relationship do you see between a branch and a vine?

How is the relationship between a branch and vine similar to the Christian and Christ?

…abides in Me, and I in him…

1. What should be the primary objective of every believer? Mt 6:33

2. What will be true of your life if you are abiding in Christ? 1Jn 2:6