Men's Workout #27 - December 9, 2017

We opened our workout with a singing of "And Can It Be" (hymn #180) and a group recitation & review of James 1.
 
After our review of James 1, we studied Colossians 1 together. We went around the table to develop propositions through the chapter.
 
Colossians 1:1-4 (Henry)

• Thankful Christians pray for one another.
• Genuine believers exhibit faith, love, and hope.
  • Reminded of 1 Thessalonians 5:8 ("breastplate of faith and love; helmet of hope and salvation").
  • This proposition challenges us to ask ourselves: "What am I believing in? How am I loving God and others? What do I place my hope in?"

Colossians 1:5-8 (Daniel)

• The gospel has been given to us.
  • There is no self-boasting in its discovery, or that we have found it out for ourselves. 

Other propositions from the group for verses 1-8:

• The gospel continuously bears fruit throughout the world.
• The gospel comes through people (in that faithful servants of Christ teach the gospel to others).
• The gospel is heard, and the gospel is understood.
  • It is meant to be fully understood, not just heard and checked off a list.
• Genuine Christians continually grow.
• Christians share encouragement & praise reports with one another.
• The gospel is the word of truth.
  • Simply put, the gospel is truth. People need to hear the truth. When paired with the understanding that we have the gospel, the truth that comes from God, we are compelled to share the gospel. In simple words, sharing the gospel is merely giving people truth that they do not yet have or understand.
• Believers are in the Spirit.
  • Every genuine believer of God has His Spirit in them.

Colossians 1:9-10 (Sassoun)

• Christians are to pray without ceasing.
• Knowledge of God's will is a gift of God dispensed through prayer.
  • The bearing of spiritual fruit is a result of having this knowledge.

Colossians 1:11-12 (Nate)

• A Christian's strength comes from God's power.

Other propositions from the group for verses 9-12:

• Christians strive to be steadfast and patient.
  • Endurance and patience require strength that comes from God.
  • Real power is demonstrated in submission to God's will and timing. This falls in line with the worldview that God is sovereign and controls all things.
• Christians give thanks to God.
• God allows and qualifies Christians to receive the inheritance of eternal life.
• God wants us to strive to produce fruit in every good work.
  • Not focused in only one specific area, but in a comprehensive way we are to excel in every good work
• Having spiritual wisdom and understanding is necessary to please God.
  • Knowing and practicing God's will requires that we have spiritual wisdom and understanding. We ought to take God's truth and appropriate it in real life in tangible ways.

Colossians 1:13-14 (John T.)

• Christ is our King and our Redeemer.
• We are responsible for our sins and we need forgiveness and rescue.
• We once belonged to the domain of darkness, but we have been transferred to Christ's kingdom.

Colossians 1:15-17 (Ming)

• Christ existed before all things.
• All things have been created through Christ.
• Creation includes things that are invisible.
  • The world is more than what we can see with our eyes.
• All things depend on God for existence and sustenance.

Colossians 1:18-20 (James)

• Christ is preeminent in the church and in all things.
• The church is the body of Christ.
• Christ reconciled all things to God through the blood of the cross.
  • The truth that we need reconciliation shows that we are at enmity with God because of our sins.

Question: The Bible tells us about others who had been resurrected in the flesh before Christ's resurrection took place. Knowing this, why is Christ called the firstborn from the dead?

• Christ is the first to be resurrected in a glorified sense.
• The others who had been resurrected physically before Christ had not been raised unto eternal life and glory. Although those people were physically resurrected, they still eventually died physical deaths. In contrast, Christ was resurrected and is eternally alive.
• The hope of resurrection we have is that we will also be raised unto eternal life and glory.

Men's Workout #26 - November 18, 2017

We began our workout by discussing James 1:18-21 as a group.
 
Verse 18 - God is the one who brought us forth

• God is the sole author of salvation. He is the one who brought us forth out of our sinfulness, wickedness, and hardness of heart.

Verse 19 - Quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.

• We should have this mantra ingrained in our minds.
• Being slow to anger means being slow to wrath. The feeling of anger often results from an injustice done, and what soon follows is a mentality that wrath is justified to come upon the injustice.
• However, God is slow to anger, and so we should be like Him. Our anger does not correct the universe, nor does our anger accomplish right or good, nor does it achieve the righteousness of God (verse 20).

Verse 20 - The anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.
Question: How do we balance what Paul said in Ephesians 4: "Be angry, yet do not sin"? Is there an anger that is right before God? Should we develop anger when we see deeds that are offensive to God?

• Yes, we ought to be angry against sin. Committing sin is a cause for God's wrath.
  • Examples:
    • Jesus overthrowing money changers' tables at the temple. He acted in zealous anger for God.
    • God hates idolatry.
    • We can feel angry when we observe immorality in our lives and in others' lives.
• Although we feel anger toward things that are justifiably sinful, we should never give ourselves permission to act in unrestrained anger.
• When we feel angry, we must trust in God's sovereignty, acknowledging that He is ultimately the one in control of all things. We can have confidence and assurance in trusting that all things are in God's hands.

Verse 21 - To receive the Word, we must repent.

• We must let the Word fill us in all things - in our knowledge, our will, our character, and our actions.
• We can't expect to receive the Word or be truly changed by it if we are clutching onto sin.
• We must receive the Word in order for it to become implanted in us. When we receive the Word, it implants into us via knowledge and meditation, which then ought to be applied in practice.
• Reception of the Word involves more than just translation from words to actions. We must also understand implications for our lives and hearts. When we develop implications that apply toward changing our thought life and our character, those implications will relay into action.
• We should use new learnings and understanding to reflect on past experiences and evaluate ourselves. This should lead to correction and change. This change should not more than just performing actions, though. We must be hearers and continual doers. We must become transformed in our minds, our hearts, and in our characters. We can't just perform "good actions" in isolation, consider ourselves changed, and then turn back to a lifestyle of unrighteousness.

Men's Workout #25 - November 11, 2017

We began our workout with a singing of hymn #35 - "O Great God."
 
MEMORIZATION
As a refresher, we recited/read James 1:1-15 together.
 
DISCUSSION
Question: Why does James bring up the fact that God is not tempted? Why is that important?

• James is teaching us about the character of God. God has nothing to do with temptation, so James is shutting down the very idea; no one should say that they are being tempted by God toward evil and sin. To do so would be impossible because it is against God's nature and character.
• God is not the source of temptation. The source of temptations is our own lusts and desires (James 1:14-15)
• Temptations arise when we pursue and nurture our lusts and desires, in contrast to pursuing the glory of God and the exaltation of His name.

Question: Does James 1:13 apply to all men or only to believers?

• It can apply to all people, because believers and unbelievers alike are all sinners.

Question: What is the time period for the approval spoken of in James 1:12?

• The approval is not given at the end of someone's life, but after reaching the end of a period of trials.
• After having been approved for enduring through trials, one receives the crown of life, which is referring to the eternal life that will be received in the future.
• The approval is given as a result of not only enduring physical pain and suffering, but by remaining steadfast in worship and love for the Lord through the sufferings.

Question: How should we understand "persecution," and what are some examples we can relate to today?

• When somebody is persecuting you, that person is aggressively pursuing you for evil because of your faith.
• Other trials that can be forms of persecution: disease, loss of job, or the death of a loved one.

Question: If there is comfort in our lives, should we be praying for trials in our lives?

• No. On the contrary, Jesus prayed "do not lead us into temptation" (Matthew 6:13).
• It's okay to express humble longing to be spared from trials.
• We should not be naive and think that we won't endure trials as Christians. But at the same time, we shouldn't be sadistic and long for or pursue suffering as if it is something desirable.

Question: We know that God disciplines us. Should we consider those trials?

• Unless somebody's sin is patently obvious, we can't know whether something is a trial or a working out of God's sovereign plan.
• There is no basis in Scripture that tells us that our sins are a cause for our sufferings. They can be, but not always.
• The Lord's discipline is in a different category from temptations and trials. It is possible that temptations and trials can meet in the middle, but it is not often the case.
• Not all trials are discipline. Disciplinary trials are a subset of all trials.
  • 1 Corinthians 11 and Hebrews 12 are passages we can refer to for to read about God's discipline and how He deals with His people.

We briefly previewed James 1:16-21.

• God gives us good things (verse 16)
  • God is good. He abundantly gives us good things; most of all, He gives us eternal salvation.
• The ultimate goodness of God is demonstrated in our salvation (verse 18)
  • He brought us forth in the word of truth.
• Be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God (verse 20)
  • We are called to not get angry, but to be those who are wise, humble, and temperate.
  • Anger doesn’t produce or approximate the righteousness of God. Often we feel like it does!
  • Emotionally charged anger doesn’t result in good.

LEADING DEVOTIONS
Reminder: We should be in the practice of reading Scripture and drawing out and clutching onto obvious truths, and not always getting bogged down in the minute details.
 
Peter's name was chosen, and he drew 2 Thessalonians 1 from the hat.
 
Peter made the following observations from this text:

• [Verse 11] When God calls us to be His followers, we must live according to His truth so that we can be counted as worthy and that the name of Jesus can be glorified in us.
• [Verses 6-7] Vengeance belongs to God. When we face affliction, we are not in any place to repay others with affliction. We should stay away from such action.

Other propositions and observations:

• We have an obligation to give thanks to God (verse 3)
• Christians can grow under persecution (verses 3-4)
• We boast about God's work in other believers (verse 4)
• Endurance through suffering results in worthiness to enter the kingdom of God (verse 5)
• God does not overlook injustice (verse 6)
• The afflicted in Christ can look forward to relief (verse 7)
• The gospel of our Lord must be obeyed (verse 8)
• The gospel is a call to obedience (verse 8)
• Those who reject God pay the penalty of absence from God and His glory (verse 9)
• The Lord is powerful and majestic; comfortingly so for believers, but terrifyingly so for unbelievers (verses 6-10)
• Christians live for the glory of Christ (verse 11)

Men's Workout #23 - October 28, 2017

We opened this week's Workout with a singing of hymn #126: "Behold Our God."
 
LEADING DEVOTIONS

Name 1: James Tan's name was drawn out of the hat, and led us in a devotion through 1 Peter 1:1-12. Some propositions from this text included:

• Believers are chosen unto obedience (verses 1-2)
• God is worthy to be praised for His mercy (verse 3)
• The Lord reserves a place for us in heaven (verse 4)
• Tested faith is precious; salvation is imperishable (verse 7)

Other propositions and observations:

• Arthur
  • We are born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (verse 3)
  • We are protected by the power of God through faith (verse 5)
  • Despite our trials, we rejoice in our assurance of salvation (verse 6)

• Nate
  • Faith leads to salvation (verse 9)
  • Salvation is precious; ancient people sought for it but couldn't find it (verses 10-12)

• Peter
  • Inheritance through Christ in incorruptible, reserved in heaven for us (verses 3-4)
  • The gospel is not only the good news; it is also a mystery that is revealed to those whom He chooses (verses 3-5)

• Pastor Dan
  • Salvation is exceedingly valuable and lasting (verse 4, verse 7)
  • By comparison, everything in this world will not last. Not even "diamonds are forever"! Today's cycles of technology, automobiles, etc. that the world yearns after and pursues will all ultimately fade away.
  • Salvation is dependent on the power of God (verse 5)
  • This is a comfort for believers. We are protected by the power of God.
  • We still face trials, but by enduring them, God produces the assurance/guarantee of salvation in us.
  • Salvation is planned by God (verses 4-5)

• John Lee
  • Salvation was a mystery to the prophets of old and the angels (verses 10-12)
  • Prophets carefully inquired to know about how and when the work of salvation would take place
  • Seeing is not a requirement for saving faith and salvation (verse 8-9)

Name 2: John Lee's name was drawn out of the hat, and he led us in a devotion through 3 John. Some propositions from this text included:

• Ministers have great joy when they see their "children" walking in the truth (verse 3)
• Christians should support those who are doing God's work  (verses 5-8)
• Do good and not evil (verse 11)

Other propositions and observations:

• Arthur
  • Love for the church extends to those who are both familiar and non-familiar (verse 5)
  • God's work is a collaborative effort within the church (verses 7-8)
• James
  • It is biblical to pray for others' good health (verse 2)
    • Health and prosperity enable us to live, but life is more than just these. God blesses us at every level of our lives.
  • Evildoers deny the truth and hurt the brethren (verse 10)
• Nate
  • Gaius is a converted Roman Gentile who is faithfully supporting the ministry.
    • We know he is a Roman Gentile because of his name.
•  John Tang
  • Christians testify concerning good deeds (verse 12)
• Peter
  • Walking in truth brings joy to those who are walking in truth (verse 4)
  • Truth exhorts believers to do good (verse 11)
• Pastor Dan
  • John's joy is grounded in the faith of his spiritual progeny (verse 4)
  • Faithful Christians honor and support the work of the gospel (verses 6-8)
    • We ought to support those who go out for the sake of Christ
    • We can participate in the work of the gospel by supporting those who go out
    • With discernment, we should link arms with other churches and ministries who are faithful in God's work
  • Imitate submission to apostolic authority (verses 11-12)
    • Do not imitate those are evil. Rather, imitate people who submit to Scripture.
    • We are to imitate Christ, and in so doing we also imitate those who have loved and submitted to Him.
  • Affirm faithful brothers (verse 12)
    • The word "everyone" in verse 12 is referring to believers only.
  • John wrote this letter with pen and ink (verse 13)
    • There are things we communicate in writing, but also things we'd rather communicate more intimately in person.

MEMORIZATION
As a group, we recited James 1:1-5, and then discussed the passage together.

• There are three imperatives given to help us navigate through life, with all of its inevitable trials:
  • Consider
    • It all begins in the mind, with our thought life.
  • Pray
    • Christians depend on the Lord for all things, and they ask of Him freely.
  • Glory (verb tense) (verses 9-10)
    • Another way to understand this is to boast.
    • Christians boast in their humble circumstances while looking forward to future glorification.

• How should we understand the words "perfect and complete" in verse 4?
  • The word complete can also be thought of as whole, or comprehensive.
  • Perfect does not mean flawless, but rather a state or point of completion

• We can continually ask God for wisdom (verse 5).
  • God is welcoming and generous. He does not scold those who continually seek and ask for wisdom.
  • This wisdom is general wisdom, or spiritual wisdom.
    • This is the wisdom we need in order to live our lives in a pleasing manner before the Lord.

Next weeks' passage for memorization is James 1:6-11. We spent some time previewing the passage together.

• Verses 6-8 tie back to what is stated in verse 5.
  • When we ask God for wisdom, He will generously give it to us.
  • When we doubt whether He will give, we actually are doubting His generosity and character.
  • The one who doubts is tossed back and forth, and unstable in his ways.
    • A man such as this should not expect that he will receive anything from God.
    • When we go to God, we should absolutely and confidently believe that He hears us and gives generously. We have confidence that God gives lovingly & graciously to His children.
  • When we pray according to His will, He will grant what we ask to us.
• Richness and humility
  • A rich man is always pursuing something. He can continually pursue his goals, but the truth is that has not yet arrived at his final destination.
  • The rich man is to glory in his humiliation (verse 10)
    • Life is a vapor and riches will not last forever.
    • Think of the flowers that grow around the I-680 - the wildflowers bloom after rains all around the freeway, but they fade quickly when the sun comes back, bringing with it heat and wind.
  • Always live with the understanding that this life will come to an end.
    • Leverage what God has given us in this life with this understanding.
    • Thinking about death will help us rightly frame how we live our lives today.
  • Think toward eternity.
    • If we have it good in this life, focus on the fact that we are all going to die and live a more blessed life in heaven.
    • If we don't have it good in this life, focus on the fact that life after death will be better than what we could ever have in this life.
  • Humble circumstances
    • When we are in humble circumstances and conditions, our natural reaction is to sulk. Instead, we ought to think about eternal blessings. We ought to fix our hope in heaven and glory in future blessings.

Matthew 5-7 Memorization Exam - September 23rd through October 14th

From September 23rd through October 14th, we had memorization and review sessions in place of our usual Workout sessions.

9/23 - Review day

9/30 - Review and Recitation of Matthew 7

10/7 - Review and Recitation of Matthew 6

10/14 - Review and Recitation of Matthew 5

As a group, we did the following to help each other memorize Matthew 5-7 (on 9/30, 10/7, and 10/14):

• We broke each chapter up into blocks of a few verses each.
  • Each block length closely followed the length of the previous weekly passage selections.
• Using a timer to keep track of time, we spent 1 minute per verse to review and memorize each block.
• When the timer went off, the group would collectively recite the verses from verse 1 through the last block of verses that was reviewed.

For example, we spent 2 minutes reviewing and memorizing Matthew 7:1-2. After the timer went off, we recited Matthew 7:1-2 as a group. Then, we spent the next 3 minutes reviewing and memorizing Matthew 7:3-5. After the timer went off for this block, we recited Matthew 7:1-5 cumulatively as a group. This pattern was repeated until all of the verses in chapter 7 were reviewed and recited. By the end of the session, we were able to recite the entirety of Chapter 7 from memory as a group.

Men's Workout #19 - September 16th

We started off our time together by singing Hymn #54, "My Lord, I Did Not Choose You."

Afterwards, we turned to the book of James to read and identify propositions.

Trials are a joy and a blessing.

• We don't consider trials as happy or celebratory things.
• The world looks at trials as evil things that just land on your lap. In contrast, Christians know that trials are designed by God and He uses them to produce something good within us.
  • Some examples of pain that yields good results - the pain of a needle, a dentist appointment, the discipline of studying
• It takes effort to consider trials as things to be joyful about.
• When someone goes through serious pain, it can mess with the mind and get you to think things that you wouldn't think otherwise. And yet, there are some believers who have gone through serious pain and still trust in the Lord.
• Question: Could/should a parent "design" experiences or trials for their children in order to sanctify them?
  • No. The trials that James talks about are engineered by God.
  • The role of the parent is more of a benevolent giver, than to go as far as designing experiences. We should leave the design and bestowing of trials up to God.
    • However, parents should aim to foster endurance, character, and maturity in their children.
• Question: Could trials be related to the Lord's discipline referenced in Hebrews 12?
  • Hebrews 12 is more referring to corrective discipline, whereas the trials found in James is is more about training and sanctification.
• Christians can be encouraged when they are in the midst of trials.

God gives wisdom to those who ask in faith.

• We can be confident that God hears our prayers and gives generously to those who ask.
• For the believer, prayers should be made across the whole spectrum of needs: simple things, lofty things, and everything in between.
  • Don't only pray for your heart, attitude, character, and interaction with coworkers; pray also for physical, basic things, like food, success at work, or resolving an issue at work. Trust and have confidence in knowing that God hears our every prayer.
  • Jesus prayed for daily bread! There is nothing too mundane to ask of God in prayer.
  • Praying for all things demonstrates that you have an abiding relationship with God.
• Test your heart.
  • Some people say that "prayer is not a way to change God but to change us"
  • As you pray and ask of God, you have opportunities to test your heart and work out truths in the context of your life.
• Sometimes God's answer to our prayers is "no."
  • God said no to Jesus, God said no to Paul; God can certainly say no to us!
  • James 4 teaches us that God is sovereign. He will say "no" to our plans if they are in oppositions to His own plans.
• Question: Can our prayers change God? Or do they not change God?
  • We don't have the capacity to fully understand how the two interplay. But we do know that prayer is a means by which God does things.
    • This is not to say that God is limited by our prayers. To put it differently, God will act for good even if we don't pray for good.
  • Just to give a sense of how big God is, if you don't pray, He can get someone else to pray - He's the sovereign God!
  • When thinking about the responsibility of the believer vs. God's sovereignty (and other topics for that matter), we ought to properly use the knowledge that God gave us as he intended to give us. He didn't intent for us to hack theology.
• Question: Is wisdom the only thing we can ask for in faith?
  • No . There are other passages that generalize the principle of asking in faith. James is drawing from the broader principle that we should pray in faith.

The source of sin is our own lust

• When we deal with sin, we're dealing with our desires. If you want to break sin's neck, you must deal with your desires.
  • For example, we must deal with what makes money desirable, not just with the surface issue of money (i.e., a materialistic, greedy heart vs. a situational lacking of money)
    • Matthew 6:24 teaches us that we cannot serve both God and wealth.

Question: What is the crown of life?

• This is likely referring to eternal life. If it isn't, we're not sure what else it could be. However, we know for certain that the crown of life is not referring to a works based salvation.
  • For example, the thief on the cross next to Jesus at His crucifixion didn't go through trials or a proving grounds as a prerequisite for receiving eternal life.
• Keep in mind that this is written through believers. A genuine believer will endure through trials. Unbelievers will not have the strength to endure through trials.
• "Once" is idiomatic by NASB. Translated from the Greek, verse 12 reads: "...having been tested and approved, he will receive the crown of life..."

Question: How should we view Peter's denial of Christ in light of this text?

• Peter's denial of Christ is not the best example of the application of this passage in James. The Peter that denied Christ was the Peter before Pentecost. We wouldn't say that Peter didn't exercise faith before that, and we definitely wouldn't say he didn't exercise faith after that.
• A more fitting example of Peter's faith would be his perseverance through his trial of imprisonment.
• When it comes to denying the Lord, it is black and white - if you deny Christ, Christ will deny you.

MINISTRY FORUM

• Sassoun volunteered to coordinate church gatherings for holidays, such as picnics and BBQs. He'll work with the Planning Team on this.
• On Sundays that don't have scheduled homegroup meetings, we should think of things to do with our children.
• Question: How can we encourage one another?
  • We have to be friends. Loving others is predicated on having a relationship with others.
  • When we're task oriented it's harder to think about the people around you. We need to be people-oriented.

Men's Workout #18 - September 9th

OPENING DEVOTIONAL
 
Pastor Dan led us in a singing of "Across the Lands" (hymn #198). Afterwards, we went through a devotion of 1 Corinthians 3.
 
As a group, we discussed and came up with the following prepositions:

• Ministers of the Word are God's servants; they are not authorities in and of themselves.
  • It is interesting that it is Paul who says this. He could have said that he was an apostle and therefore he was special, but he does not say that. Rather, in verse 10, Paul says that the grace of God was given to him.
  • Paul is not denigrating the role that he has - he is a "master builder." Rather, he humbly understands the role of this work, and that God is the one who gave it to him.
• God uses men as His instruments to cause growth in men. Or, to put it another way, ministers are God's instruments.
  • An instrument in and of itself can be valuable, but if it is not being played by a skilled musician, it is impossible to appreciate its true value.
  • For those who minister, this means:
    • We are utterly dependent on the Lord. Our confidence must reside in the Lord and not in ourselves.
    • We participate in God's work, but the glory is entirely His. All recognition should be directed toward God, and not toward us. God is doing the real work, all of its substance is always God's.
    • Paul planted, Apollos watered, but ultimately it is God who causes the growth (v 5-6). It is not any work of man that can cause change in people's hearts; only God can accomplish such a thing.
• Our work will be tested with fire.
  • We should seek to build things that are eternal, not worldly. Christian labor can be wasted and result in worthlessness if they are not built on an eternal foundation.
  • God will evaluate our work, and He will expose its true eternal worth.
  • Not everything that is done in the name of the Lord is necessarily glorifying to God. It is feasible that one could even spend a lifetime pursuing the wrong aims and building the "wrong structures." Therefore, each man must be careful how he builds his works and honors the Lord through them.
  • We can "do church" in such a way that might seem exciting on the outside, but in reality it could potentially not honor or glorify God at all. If our motivations in our service and our works are not for the aims of glorying God and filling the hearts of people with that same aim, then our works are worthless and will be burned up.
• The wisdom of man is foolishness before God.
  • Judge your works and pursuits against this qualifier: does this glorify God?
• The church is precious to God.
  • Factionalism, division, jealousy, strife, and competition within the church demonstrates immaturity in the faith.
  • God destroys those who destroy His church.
• Christ is the foundation that God has already laid.
  • Jesus Christ has finished His work. His foundation has once and for all been laid, and is forever finished. It is not continually being laid down. There is no further development needed.
• There is no glory intrinsic to man
  • The one and only true glory is God's.
  • It is moral and right for God to love His own glory, for it is incomparable to any other glory.
• Spiritual immaturity is unnatural.
  • Believers are spiritual people, not just fleshly. Believers who live like fleshly people, therefore, are unnatural.
  • Immaturity does not exclude the process of growth, but spiritual maturity should be a rapid process that is concentrated in the early stages of one's Christian walk. A good analogy would be to compare to how an infant develops rapidly over a relatively short amount of time; in the same way, a Christian ought to develop rapidly in maturity and understanding early on in his/her walk.
• God uses man's work to build His church.
  • God can use our work for His purposes and His glory. It can be useful and have significance!

We also discussed the following questions:

• Verse 9 says that "we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building." Is this unique to the time and situation of apostles and laymen? Is there a distinction between apostles and the church?
  • This group of people being referred to is broader than just apostles, because Apollos is included and he was not an apostle.
  • We should understand "fellow workers" as any man who does the work of building on the foundation of Christ.
• Verse 22 refers to "things belonging to us" (the church). How do all things belong to us?
  • Servants of God are not people to rally around; they are gifts of God to the church.
  • Benefitting from someone's ministry is not exclusive to any group of people; anybody can benefit from the ministries of any of God's servants.
  • All things in the church - the ministers, the world, life, death, present things, future things - they all culminate into a blessing of God's people for their good.
    • Similar to what is written in Romans 8, all things work together for good to those who love Him. The final good is the glorification of His redeemed people for all eternity.
  • This is why we are called "fellow workers".

MEMORY VERSES
We recited Matthew 7:13-18 together as a group.

• Questions
  • Should there be a distinction between how we treat believers and unbelievers? (Matthew 7:12)
    • This is a principle of considering how we should treat others in general. We should treat others in the same way that we would want to be treated.
    • In general, we should always be aiming to do what is best for others. We should put ourselves in the other's shoes, yet we should not to go so far as to pamper other people either.
    • "This is the Law and the Prophets" - this statement is a corollary of the command to "love your neighbor as yourself."
    • However, there is a special attitude we should have toward fellow believers. Galatians 6:10 tells us to "do good to all people, and especially those who are of the household of the faith." This shows that there is a priority to love those in the church.

Next week's passage for memorization is Matthew 7:19-23.

Men's Workout #17 - September 2nd

OPENING DEVOTIONAL
 
Pastor Dan led us in a singing of "Jesus is Lord" (hymn #102). Then, he led us through a devotion of 1 Corinthians 2.
 
Some propositions that the group came up with are:

• God reveals His power through the Holy Spirit.
• God reveals His mind through the Holy Spirit.
• The Holy Spirit teaches Christians.
• God purposefully intended to reveal His wisdom to His people.
• The wisdom in our speech and in our mind comes from God.
• God revealed His truth through His apostles and prophets, and the church readily received and embraced it.
• There is a difference between natural man and spiritual man.
• There is a difference between merely knowing the truth and living by the truth.

The group then spent some time discussing the topic of knowing the truth, and trying to grasp "the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood". What kind of knowledge is this?

• Empirically, many people can understand the truth of the gospel and yet reject it. This understanding of the gospel means that the individual has an acknowledgement or an intellectual understanding of the facts. They may perhaps also understand the personal implications of the gospel if they were to accept it to be true. In a sense, the rulers of this age could have had to this degree an understanding.
• However, the gospel is more than mere intellectual understanding of facts. It is more, because this is a message from a speaker. In general, when there is a message from a speaker to a particular audience, that speaker has an intent with which he speaks so that his audience would understand. This intent is a crucial element of his message.
  • Sometimes we hear someone say, "I don't think you understand what I'm saying," or, "I don't think you understand what I mean."
  • Comprehension of facts does not always equate to understanding of the message's intent.
  • The gospel is not merely a bunch of facts. We must personally understand its intent from God, the speaker. And the gospel from God has a direct application to us and to our sins against God.
  • It is in this sense that people cannot understand the gospel unless God converts them and enables them. It is also in this sense that people cannot perceive the true nature of Christ's glory in the gospel apart from God opening their blinded eyes (2 Corinthians 4:3-6).
• Can someone be a Christian and not really want to know God?
  • No! One of the natural results of knowing God is to want to understand and seek more of the Lord and to obey Him.
  • 1 John 2:3-6 says that "by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments."
• God has to be working in people to change them.
  • We can't fabricate conversion or rationally convince anybody to faith. What we are meant to do is to match people with God ("matches made in heaven").

CHILDREN'S VERSES

Pastor Dan went over the acronym "ABS" to help us lead our children through understanding the following:

• AGE of 99
  • When Abram was 99 years old, God changed his name to Abraham and confirmed the timing of his son's birth through Isaac and that his name should be Isaac.
• BIRTH
  • God enabled Sarah to conceive and give birth to Isaac.
• SACRIFICE
  • God tested Abraham's fear/obedience toward God through his willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac.

MEMORY VERSES
 
We recited Matthew 7:7-12 as a group.

• In verse 7, Jesus tells us to “ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." This verse is very popular in prosperity gospel messages, but that's not the intent of what the Lord is proclaiming at all!
  • Verse 11 tells us that God gives what is good to His children. God discerns and decides what is good and bad - not our flesh!
  • In the mind of the Lord, the maximum good is God Himself.
  • The Spirit's work in a person's life is the greatest good God can provide to anybody.
  • Other Biblical arguments against the "name it and claim it" philosophy:
    • One cannot serve God and wealth (Matthew 6:24)
    • Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness - not your own kingdom (Matthew 6:33)
    • Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy (Matthew 6:19-20)

 Next week's passage for memorization is Matthew 7:13-18.