Question:

What did we learn today in the Bible reading in Haggai that the Lord asked the people to “consider?”

Answer:
“Your ways” (Haggai 1:5).

Question:
Do all who read this joy in the salvation of the Lord? Are YOU saved?

Answer:
We rejoice first of all when we know our “names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). It is easier to rejoice when you’re not worried about something. If you’re not saved you can’t rejoice because you don’t have peace. Peace is needed for us to rejoice. “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). Isaiah said, there is no peace for the wicked (Isaiah 57:21).

Question:
What sin is so great that it will make us lose our salvation? What about someone who chooses to turn from God?

Answer:
The Lord Jesus says that if we are saved “no man” (person) can take us out of the Lord’s and the Father’s hands—this includes myself  is not able to remove me from their hands (John 10:27-30)!

The Scriptures tell us that if a person merely “tastes” but does not swallow “the heavenly gift” (Hebrews 6:4-6), and has “knowledge” of the Lord but has not believed on Him in his heart, “The latter end is worse with them than the beginning” (2 Peter 2:1921). So it is a serious thing to merely profess we have received Christ as our Saviour, but have not!
Nothing we or anyone else may do can change the value God places on the work Christ did on the cross to save our souls. If a true Christian turns away from God, God must deal with him as a son. If my son sins, he is still my son. “Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth” (Hebrews 12:6; 1 Corinthians 5:1, 5).
“The Lord knoweth them that are His” (2 Timothy 2:19). We don’t always know who is the Lord’s for we can’t see the heart. We only see the “fruit” or actions (Matthew 7:20).
If we mess up, Philippians 1:6 is a help: “Having confidence of this very thing, that He who has begun in you a good work will complete it unto Jesus Christ’s day.” He won’t let us go. He has chosen us (Ephesians 1:4), and though He may have to chastise us, He will finish the “good work” He has begun in us.If we don’t have eternal security, we can’t grow spiritually, and we can’t enter into the privileges God gives to each Christian. If we are not sure we are saved, how can we thank the Lord for our salvation? How can we worship Him? How can we tell others of His good news? Also, if we are not saved, Satan couldn’t cause us to doubt our salvation.

Question:
Philippians 4:4 – What can make us more joyful? How can we rejoice?

Answer:
Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”
Isaiah 61:10: “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh Himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”We must be saved to rejoice. We rejoice when we know that we are clothed with garments of His salvation. There is no true joy other than “in the Lord.”

Question:
How do you go about either increasing your youth group or starting a new one?

Answer:
Make it fun.

Have activities along with a Bible study.
If the Lord’s stirring your spirit to have a youth group or increase the one you have, talk to someone, maybe the Lord is stirring their heart too to help in this work.
Assume there is interest.
“NOW THEN DO IT” (2 Samuel 3:18)!

Question:
What have we learned is the answer to the question: “When we become saved, are we always saved?”

Answer:
If truly saved we are saved forever, because Jesus finished the work on the cross that was needed to save us. And when we repent of our sins and trust Him, He gives us “everlasting” life.

God also gives a saved person many things that show he is saved forever. The moment we believe on Christ:We have the “SEAL” of the Holy Spirit (so Satan cannot harm us); the “EARNEST” or guarantee of our “INHERITANCE” (Ephesians 1:13, 14). We are “ADOPTED” as sons of God (Ephesians 1:5), “ACCEPTED” in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6), “REDEEMED” through His blood (Ephesians 1:7), “FORGIVEN” of all our sins (Ephesians 1:7), and many many more blessings, each of which are forever.

Question:
What role do emotions play in our Christian walk? Should the emotional level in the assembly be increased? If so, how?

Answer:
We should have joy (1 Peter 1:8). Joy comes from the Lord and is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

The Lord stirred up the spirit of the people (Haggai 1:14).
Rejoicing in the Lord is a choice we make. The Lord commands us to rejoice (Philippians 4:4).
Joy and happiness are two different things. Happiness depends on circumstances. Joy, the joy of the Lord, is in the heart even if we have problems. “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, 0 God” (Psalm 42:1).
Our singing should be led of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:15). We may have joy in the Lord even if the singing in the assembly is sung slowly. Sometimes in the remembrance meeting we have joy and sorrow mingling as we remember Christ’s suffering for us.Our focus in the meetings should not be on how we’re feeling, but our focus needs to be on the Lord. Priorities – we need to give God the first-fruits, not what’s left over.

Question:
Who has the authority to edit the law?

Answer:
Jesus has this authority, for He is God the Son, whom the Father sent to be the Saviour of the world (1 John 4: 14).

“When Jesus had ended these sayings [in Matthew 5-7], the people were astonished at His doctrine: for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Matthew 7:28, 29). We praise the Lord that He has put us “not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:15).

Question:
What are some suggestions on how to talk to the unsaved about the Lord? What about talking to some friend we have had for years but never talked to him/her about the Lord? How do you bring the topic to spiritual things?

Answer:
FOLLOW THE LORD FIRST – Jesus said “Come ye after Me, and I will make you to become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17). It is the Lord Himself who teaches us how to reach souls for Him, and He will if we follow Him by doing what He tells us in our lives.

TALK about what you have learned about the Lord in the meetings or in your private study (John 1:45). –INVITE them to the meetings.
ONE-ON-ONE talk, be a friend, give advice, counsel.
PRAY for unsaved friends. Praying for them will make us more aware of opportunities to reach them for Christ. Pray and then be ready to be used by God. When the opportunity comes the Lord says: “Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it” (Psalm 81:10). He promises that the Spirit of God will bring all things to our remembrance that He has told us (John 14:26; Matthew 10:19). He will do the work; we are merely His instruments. It is only by prayer and dependence on God, that we will have the strength and boldness to tell others about Jesus. When we depend on Him, the Spirit of God, Who is in us who are saved, gives us the power (Acts 1:8).Look at people as souls that will live forever and that Jesus died for. Keeping this in focus will help to allow the Spirit to give us boldness to tell them of the Saviour.

Question:
What about the man in the parable in Matthew 18:23-35? Did he lose his salvation?

Answer:
The Lord is not talking in this parable of the unjust steward about salvation. He is talking about how we should use what we have, and about forgiveness between two people. He is not talking about forgiveness from God.

In this parable He is giving instruction about how we should act in “the kingdom of heaven,” which is that aspect of His kingdom today, when Christ (the King) is in heaven. As disciples in His kingdom, we should forgive those who offend us just like He forgave us of all our sins. We should forgive them so many times that we lose count: even “seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22).Christ’s instruction for us today is quite different from the law of Moses. Jesus said that the children of Israel were told “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil; but whosever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also….Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:38, 39, 43, 44). The Lord talks about the law, but then changes it for us now. “The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).

Question:
If we sin in front of Christians, we feel terrible. Why?

Answer:
Because we have the Spirit in us, we are convicted, and we’ve lost communion with Christ and with our brethren. But as soon as we confess it to Christ, He is faithful to forgive us our sins. Confess and then believe that He’s forgiven you (1 John 1:9). Then continue on for Him even if others have not forgiven you. God will take care of them.

An example is Peter, who denied the Lord three times. And three times the Lord asked Peter in front of his brethren: “Lovest thou Me?” (John 21:15-19). Peter had a clean slate with the Lord and the Lord restored Peter to his brethren and then told him to feed His sheep.

Question:
What if I believed once, but don’t believe any more?

Answer:
If you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, He saved you forever. The jailor asked Paul and Silas: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved’” (Acts 16:31).

What God doeth…it shall be forever, nothing can be added to it or taken away from it (Ecclesiastes 3:14).

Question:
Why is it important to restore our testimony?

Answer:

So we can continue to live and work for the Lord. If we don’t confess our wrong, the Lord may take us home.

If saved, we are fit for heaven, but if we don’t confess our sins the Lord can no longer use our testimony in this scene! “For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged” (1 Corinthians 11:30, 31).

Question:
How do we hear the voice of the Son of God today? (John 5:25)

Answer:
John 5:25: “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear shall live.”

We hear His voice in the Word, the Bible. God showed He was satisfied with Christ’s death on the cross when He raised Him from the dead. God is satisfied, but the question now is: “Are YOU satisfied with Christ’s work?” Your answer to this question and faith in Him determines your eternal destiny! Do you rest in the finished work of Christ for your sins? At the end of His suffering on the cross Jesus cried with a loud voice, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Do you trust yourself completely on Him and on the work He finished for your eternal salvation?

Question:
What are some suggestions on how to restore your testimony after ruining it in front of people you see often at work, school, etc.

Answer:
We are watched by people (1 Corinthians 4:9). So go to them and explain that what you did was wrong, and that you’re sorry about it, and then ask for their forgiveness.

We may never receive forgiveness from them, but our responsibility to them and to the Lord is to admit wrong, and repent—turn from wrong—don’t repeat it. We cannot do this in our own strength but we can if our minds are daily renewed by the Word and then we will experience God’s will in our lives (Romans 12:2).

Question:
Saved from what?

Answer:
Saved from the eternal punishment for our sins in the Lake of Fire. “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).

“Truly, truly, I [Jesus] say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (John 5:24). Has passed from eternal judgment unto eternal life!

Question:
What things will keep us from serving the Lord? How can we overcome them?

Answer:
Satan desires to use anything in our lives to keep our eye off of the Lord, and thus keep us from serving Him.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:12, 13). The “whole armor” we are to put on is in Ephesians 6:14-18.

Question:
How do we get saved?

Answer:
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. . . . For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:9, 13).

Confess with your mouth and believe in your heart. Call on the Lord!
Jesus said: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24). Hear His voice and believe on Him.

Question:
How can we build the house of the Lord?

Answer:
Yes, the Lord desires us to! “Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the LORD” (Haggai 1:8).

EVANGELIZE – start at home. Show Christ’s love by your actions, and tell of His great love that was shown by dying for sinners (James 3:5).
ENCOURAGE – build up believers in Christ (Ephesians 4:29). Everything we say should be said to edify and build up. Young people who have an interest in the Lord’s things and show it, are a big encouragement to older believers (Galatians 6:6).
STUDY the Word so we will know how He wants us to build His house (2 Timothy 2:15).
PREACH the Word. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes; that’s how we grow (2 Timothy 4:2).DO EVERYTHING to please God (1 Corinthians 10:31). We were created to bring glory to Him (Isaiah 43:7), and He has given us the ability to glorify Him since we are saved (Ephesians 2:10).

Question:
When you become saved, are you always saved? Is there anything you can do to become lost?

Answer:
Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand. I and my Father are one” (John 10:27-30).

The moment we are saved we are given eternal life. People think of eternal life as being out in the future—when you die; but you get eternal life the moment you are saved and you have it from then on. “He that…believeth on Him…hath everlasting life” (John 5:24).
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8, 9). We are saved by grace through faith, and not of any works of our own. Some people think that if they get saved, they have to do good to keep themselves saved. If works cannot get you saved, how can they keep you saved? They cannot.
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38, 39).
If we are saved, we cannot separate ourselves from the love of God. The blood of Christ cleanses from all sin (1 John 1:7). God’s Word in Romans 8:28-30 gives us security. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” So His blood makes us safe, and His Word makes us sure.

Question:
How old must we be to glorify the Lord in our lives?

Answer:
If you are old enough to be saved, you are old enough to glorify Him. “Let no man despise thy youth” (1 Timothy 4:12).

Question:
Psalm 126:5, 6 – How can we sow the precious seed of the Word of God while weeping? These verses tell us that it is very important that we “weep” while we sow if we are going to see souls blessed. So, what does it mean to “weep?”

Answer:
Weeping shows that we are sincere. We should ask the Lord for a sincere heart, because our hearts are deceitful above all things and incurably wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). A sincere Christian will read, meditate, believe, and rejoice in God’s precious Word—realizing that God is speaking to him personally. “Thy Words were found, and I did eat them; Thy Words were unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart” (Jeremiah 15:16).

Weeping shows someone who is soft-hearted, who really cares for people, and really loves people so much that they cry for them. Christians should have the same love for the people in the “world” as God does (John 3:16), and realize that unless they are saved they will “perish.” “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord we persuade men” (2 Corinthians 5:11). The Lord’s love caused Him to weep over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44).
Weeping should be done before God in prayer, crying to Him for lost souls as Paul prayed for Israel. “My heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved” (Romans 10:1).
Weeping would show dependence on God. Cry to the Lord: “Help me to be an empty vessel, filled with You, so I can speak the words You want me to.” There is nothing wrong with the seed we are sowing for it is God’s Word, and only God can save a soul. “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever” (1 Peter 1:23). Just as we can’t take credit for our own salvation, we can’t take credit for someone else’s salvation. God alone saves souls even though He may give several people a part in sowing the seed to one precious soul, as Paul said: “I have planted, Apollos watered; BUT God gave the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6).
Weeping will come from joy when the Lord lets us know that He has brought blessing. When we least expect it, He’ll show us how He has used us for His honor and glory and the eternal blessing of others. In this scene we may have tears of joy, tears of sorrow, and when we are challenged we have tears of joy and sorrow mingled.There will be no tears, however, when the Lord comes (Isaiah 25:7-9), for He will wipe them all away.

Question:
What is forgiveness?

Answer:
Forgiveness is giving up my right to return a hurt to the person who hurt me.

Restoration or reconciliation of two people being brought together again is a different matter. We should forgive one who hurts us, but we can only be reconciled to them when confession of the wrong is made. Even after forgiveness, punishment for wrongdoing may have to be carried out.
God has forgiven ALL our sins, past, present, and future, but not until we confess our sins are we restored to communion with Him.The power to forgive others is not within ourselves, but in the new nature we receive upon salvation. The Lord and Stephen are examples of those who forgave their enemies (Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60). Ask the Lord to help us forgive those who have hurt us. When people hurt us it gives us the opportunity to show the love of Christ by forgiving them.

Question:
How can we who are Christians have joy under the circumstances we live in?

Answer:
We shouldn’t be “under the circumstances.” We need to believe that the Lord is really in control–even if the circumstances don’t look like it. God’s Word says that the Lord is in control of “all things” (Ephesians 1:11).


His Word also says that He will finish the work He began to do in us the moment we were saved–of making us like Jesus (Philippians 1:6). If we have joy and peace—by trusting the Lord—we will show it, and this will have a good effect on others.

Question:
What does God say about forgiveness? What about someone who is living continually in sin? Should we forgive him/her?

Answer:
We are to forgive as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:30-32). “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12).

Question:
How do we get faith?

Answer:
Faith comes to us by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). God gives us faith to accept what He says if we listen to His Word.

We owe everything about our salvation to Him. Even though God says that we must choose to trust in Christ: “Whosoever will may come,” yet God chose those who do believe in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4; Romans 8:29, 32).

 

Since God’s thoughts are far higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8) we cannot understand how both God and we must chose for us to be saved, but nevertheless, this is the truth of God. Any pride we may have is taken away when we realize that God chose us before the worlds began. This causes us to want to please Him who loved us so much that He wants us to be in His presence as His sons for all eternity.

Question:
What should we do if we realize that we are living for our own interests instead of for the One Who loved us and gave Himself for us?

Answer:
Confess our selfishness to the Lord (1 John 1:9). Ask Him to search us and reveal to us any wicked way we have, and lead us in the way everlasting (Psalm 139:23, 24).

God has a plan for us to “consider” for our “ways” in the future. He wants us to go up to the mountain and get wood to build the house of the Lord (Haggai 1:7, 8). We must go up to Mount Calvary to get material to build God’s house. This is why He wants us to remember Him in His death each Lord’s day. If we are telling God about Christ, we will then be able to tell the world about Christ.He promises to guide us (Psalm 32:8). If our eye is on Him, we will desire to do all to His glory (Colossians 3:17, 23).

Question:
If faith is a gift from God as Ephesians 2:8 says, why are there some people who don’t have it?

Answer:
As with every gift, we either accept it or reject it. Sarah “laughed” (Genesis 18:13-15), but Mary accepted the promise to have a child (Luke 1:30-38).

Question:
Whose ways does the Lord want us to consider?

Answer:

My ways. The Lord wants us to think about not what other people are doing, but what each of us personally is doing. The people in Haggai’s day lived for themselves instead of for the Lord. They ate and drank, but were not filled; clothed themselves, but were not warm; earned wages, but put it in a bag with holes (Haggai 1:6). This will be the result for everyone who lives for self and not the Lord; who builds their own house and not the Lord’s house.

Question:
If I’m not experiencing joy in my life am I having too much fun doing other things?

Answer:
Joy is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Joy only comes from God, and if we lose our joy, only God can restore it (Psalm 51:12).

We may not always be happy in this world, but we can rejoice in the hope we have of Christ’s coming to take us to heaven and to set the world

right. Going through trials gives us the opportunity to show others that we trust in the Lord. Trials are tests of our faith, and these tests are precious, more than gold . . .  (1 Peter 1:6, 7).