Special Mid-Summer Bible Conversation on Hard Sayings in the Bible (Reserve Question E - hate you mother and father so that you can become a part of the Christ's kingdom)

 

Reserve question E. In Luke 14:26 Jesus says that unless we hate family and self we can have no part in His kingdom. Whaaat? What does He mean? 

• So, when you hear the word “hate”, what comes to mind? ……….
  In our culture today when we use the word hate, we are speaking usually of a strong negative emotion about or against something or someone, a very strong dislike or disregard, right?
  
  
• For Jesus to actually mean hate -  as in despise, abhor, one's mother or father, would be a blatant contradiction of the Mosaic law to honor mother and father. Was Jesus a lawbreaker or promoting sin? 
  
  
• So, for an understanding we have to examine the original language in which this was written or spoken. As we are seeing, in the Greek and Hebrew languages in which the Bible was written, there are times when a word carries more than one meaning. Is that true in anyone’s mother tongue or possibly a new language someone is learning?
  
  
• The Greek word for hate, miseo. carries different meanings, with the word we commonly use as “hate” being only one of them. But that meaning is not in this context. The Greek word carries these meanings: miséō, mis-eh'-o; from a primary μῖσος mîsos (hatred); to detest (especially to persecute); by extension, to love less, to regard with less affection than. 
  
  
• Therefore, when Jesus says that unless we hate family and self we can have no part in His kingdom, He is effectually saying, unless you love less or love Me more than family and self, then you can have no part in His kingdom.

Blessed Are The Meek, For They Will Inherit The Earth

 

 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Some   interpret the meekness mentioned here as “when we act like doormats; or, to feel insignificant and without value.” That is not what Jesus is referring to here. The Greek root word for meek used here is also the same one Jesus uses to refer to Himself in Matthew 11:29, namely, humility, gentleness and forgiving; He is our greatest example of what meekness looks like, our greatest example of humility, gentleness and forgiveness, and mercy. Do you think of Jesus as a doormat?  This meekness is not weakness; it is a fruit of the Spirit that we are to cultivate – imitating Jesus’ gentleness and forgiveness; growing in humility. It takes Divine strength to be meek and humble in a self-absorbed and ego-driven culture. Why? Because we are made weak by Adam’s sin in us, and because we live in satan’s evil world. God plants in His redeemed children the ability to become gentle through the power of the Holy Spirit in us - surrendering to His work, He teaches us to forgive like Christ – even forgive those who mistreat us. We let our gentleness grow by applying God’s Spirit-wrapped Word in study and meditation, allowing it to shape our prayers and perspectives (Colossians 3:16). It is by allowing the Spirit of God to transform our prideful hearts into hearts that are humble, for the proud will not inherit God’s kingdom, they will not inherit the earth; we are blessed to be God’s children (James 4:6-7; Luke 18:16-17)! That the meek shall inherit the earth carries a couple of meanings: through God’s grace we become His children when we repent of our rejection of Jesus, return and receive His eternal Spirit within us; we are adopted by God. As His children, we are heirs. We inherit what the Father has. He tells us at Psalm 24:1 that “the earth is the LORD’s and all that is in it.” We also can add to that the fact that in becoming God’s children through the Blood of Christ and the Holy Spirit, we become regenerated here on earth into a new life with Christ and enter into God’s kingdom here on earth. He re-sets us towards becoming the rightful stewards of creation as He intended, and thus joint heirs. (Genesis 1:26-28; Titus 3:6-7; Revelation 5:9-10)

Explore

1.     Is it hard or easy for you to be gentle and forgiving? Give a reason for your answer.

2.     In the coming days and weeks, how might you act gentle, kind, and forgiving to family, school or work mates, friends?

3.     Imitating Jesus. Do you know someone who imitates Jesus’ gentleness and kindness that you would like to imitate? Without naming the individual(s), give an example of their gentleness.

4.     How meaningful is it for you, personally, that the meek will inherit the earth?


Double bonus: "I Get on My Knees," Nicole Mullen; "Known", Tauren Wells

Blessed are Those Who Mourn, for They Will Be Comforted

 

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. The word translated “mourn” here means a deep grieving. It is true that God is a God of comfort to those who mourn the death of a loved one or lost relationship (2 Corinthians 1:3-5), and that God’s comfort surpasses any other, as we know that all perfect healing will happen in heaven. Yet, the inference here in this beatitude  goes beyond even that. It is one of deeply grieving our sins that have separated us from God, so the translation from Greek would be “Blessed are those who deeply grieve their sins that have separated them from God.”  As Ephesians 2:1-2 indicates, before our surrendering our lives to God, we were like “dead men/dead people walking” - we had no way to rectify that situation on our own. We were helpless. We rejected Jesus, and so lived and walked in the darkness of the world under the power of satan. (Romans 1:20-22; Ephesians 5:8) The ruler of this world – satan – is doing everything he can to keep us away from the only true God. Yet, by God’s amazing grace, God reaches down through all eternity to call us out of the mire of sin and darkness. God the Holy Spirit prods us and pings us, even allowing us to make choices that will bring despair or suffer troubles if we don’t immediately respond to His call, so that we can call out to Him and seek His face. The Holy Spirit pursues us – like the Father in  Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son, so that, by God’s grace, at some point we, too, may respond to the Spirit, falling down on the rock and hard place of sin and grieving the mess we’ve made by rejecting all God has done in Christ for us. The Spirit delights when we respond to His insistent call to us to “wake up” and to lament our sins – both “gross” and “respectable”. To recognize that the only source of release from the captivity and oppression of sin and its penalty – eternal death – is through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul, in his letter to the church at Corinth, refers to this recognition as “godly sorrow” – a sorrow or mourning generated through the Spirit’s prodding that leads us to repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10). In response to our grieving and repentance, God forgives us, surrounds us with His comfort, pouring out His grace on us and His Spirit into us. We receive the bounty of blessings – entrance into forever relationship with God, finding our true comfort—our peace -- in Christ, and in knowing that because of what He did at the cross, God has guaranteed our eternity with Him, and that He will lavish His love, grace, and mercy upon us (Ephesians 1:3-14). Have we mourned our sins? Do we mourn the sins that still befall us even though we are saved? It is never too early or too late to do so.

Explore

·       Do you remember a time when you grieved the loss of something or someone? How did that make you feel? Did you cry?

·       Why do you think that Jesus wants us to mourn our sinfulness? What might mourning the sinfulness of rejection of Jesus look like?

·       Is Jesus’ blessing of peace enough for you? Why do you answer that way?

Bonus: "Forgive Me, Lord, For I Have Sinned", Nathan Surgenor

The Spirit at Work in Believers' Lives, Part 7

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Pray in the Spirit at all times

A key part of a believer's spiritual armor is prayer - prayer in the Spirit. Ephesians 6:18 speaks about this defensive/offensive weapon in our spiritual armory, "Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints."

Let us pray.

Holy Spirit God, attend our prayers and make this house and our hearts Your home. Lord, descend with all your gracious powers, we pray, Holy Spirit come!

Come as light, teach us, and reveal our need – our hidden and secret weaknesses show us. Stir within us a desire to have peace with You, to turn from darkness and to become light. Lord lead us in that narrow path of life where all the righteous go.

Come Holy Spirit fire! Purge our soul with your Spirit-wrapped Gospel. Cause our hearts to burn with desire to know You and worship You in truth, so that our soul and body may be a holy offering in our Redeemer’s name. O Spirit, shape us to look and be like Christ, and empower us to do His will always.

O Spirit - Come as the dew and refresh us with a fresh anointing of You. O Emmanuel – Spirit of God with us and in us, may Your life-creating power move freely in this place and through us, and unify us in Your purpose.

Holy Spirit come as the dove of true peace founded in Your precious love. Produce in us Your Love, so that it flows into us deeply and teaches us how to be a humble community ready and eager to do Your will and glorify Your name in our thoughts, in our words, and in our deeds.  May You draw us nearer to the Father and the Son, may you speak your Word into us and sanctify us with your truth.

O Holy Spirit, come. In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.

                                                         Adapted from Hymn #509, 1982 Hymnal.