Bible Study #1 - Romans 12:1-13

[Bubblegum Bandit]

Ok, I get the joy of starting off our bible study threads. A few things before we start. I have been doing a bible study with friends from church for the last couple of years, so I'm basically posting from a study guide that is entitled "Life Lessons with Max Lucado"Book of Romans. I intend to offer up 4 or 5 questions that are pretty basic, "pull from the reading" questions just to get you thinking about what you read, and then I will post some that maybe pertain to us as individuals and how this might pertain to our lives. Feel free to answer all or none of these questions. We are just glad that you are participating. And to leaders in the future, please don't feel like you must use the same format, other than the title and date on the thread, present the content how you feel best.

 

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Romans 12:1-13 (NCV)

 

(1)So brothers and sisters, since God has shown us great mercy, I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him. Your offering must be only for God and pleasing to him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship. (2) Do not change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but be changed within by a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to decide what God wants for you; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect. (3) Because God has given me a special gift, I have something to say to everyone among you. Do not think you are better than you are. You must decide what you really are by the amount of faith God has given you. (4) Each one of us has a body with many parts, and these parts all have different uses. (5) In the same way, we are many, but in Christ we are all one body. Each one is a part of that body, and each part belongs to all the other parts. (6) We all have different gifts, each of which came because of the grace God gave us. The person who has the gift of prophecy should ust that gift in agreement with the faith. (7) Anyone who has the gift of serving should server. Anyone who has the gift of teaching should teach. (8) Whoever has the gift of encouraging others should encourage. Whoever has the gift of giving to others should give freely. Anyone who has the gift of being a leader should try hard when he leads. Whoever has the gift of showing mercy to others should do so with joy.

 

(9) Your love must be real. Hate what is evil, and hold on to what is good. (10) Love each other like brothers and sisters. Give each other more honor than you would want for yourselves. (11) Do not be lazy but work hard, serving the Lord with all your heart. (12) Be joyful because you have hope. Be patient when trouble comes, and pray at all times. (13) Share with God's people who need help. Bring strangers in need into your homes.

 

-Questions from the reading:

 

1)What does it mean to be a living sacrifice?

2)What does Paul mean when he tells us to be changed within by a new way of thinking.

3)What hinders Christians from thinking and acting like parts of one body?

4)What advice does this passage offer about getting along with each other?

5)How should we react during times of trouble?

 

-Thought provoking:

 

6)Why is it difficult to wait for God to act on our behalf?

7)Is it difficult for you to be patient when you face trouble? Why or why not?

8)How is it possible for troubles to be a blessing?

9)What does it mean to serve God with all your heart?

 

 

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I'm going to post my thoughts on the reading ones and then wait for responses before I post on the thought ones.

 

1) vs 1-2....Live your life for God, to please God

 

2)I think this kinda pertains to the way many Christians feel like they have to put on a good front for people. I feel like vs. 2 tells us to not worry about what everyone else thinks of our problems. Hiding your problems aren't going to make them better. I think the new way of thinking means you have to face your problems with God and ask him to help you work through them. He has to help you kill the problem from the roots, hiding them will do you no good.

 

3)I think a huge part of this is semantics. So many Christians argue over little inconsequential things and it tears us apart. I think if everyone was looking more at the big picture and concentrating on their own hearts, we would get along much better.

 

4)Pretty much straight up VS 10 "Love each other like brothers and sisters. Give each other more honor thn you want for yourselves."

 

5)Again pretty plain I think...VS 12 "Be joyful because you have hope. Be patient when trouble comes, and pray at all times."

[Fatty]

Being a living sacrifice...putting God's will in front of our own. This is hard. What's more, it seems that we can always examine ourselves and find areas of our live that we're "holding out" on God.

 

Challenging to being a living sacrifice ALL the time, isn't it? But joyous are the times when we give up another part of our heart that we've been holding onto.

 

5) Times of trouble....pray. Pray first, cause patience...enough patience, adequate patience...won't come w/o prayer.

 

I'll go for one of the others.

For 7, when we face trouble, our emotions kick in, we react with our gut....and our gut and nature is many times wrong. We react out of ego, selfishness, pride. Me personally, I'm a type A problem-solver. I see trouble, I start plotting solutions. My problem is that I don't often enough consult the master problem solver.

[Playaa]

just so ya know, I will look at this when I get more of a chance...sorry it's taken so long to reply...I love the idea of the Bible study thing

[dwEEziL]

1) Living Sacrifice - To give up of yourself and give to God. You give up everything that you desire daily so that God's desires can be worked out in you and through you.

 

2) It's the "old man v. new man" struggle that we go through daily. The bible says not to be conformed but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Allow God, through prayer and study of the scriptures, to change our thought processes away from our human, ego-centric thinking, to His kingdom-view.

 

3) Our "old way" of thinking rearing it's ugly head. In earthly thinking, some positions are more prestigious. Everybody wants to serve God when they get recognition, acclaimation, and praise publicly for it. But scrubbing the toilets at church is just as honorable a service in the eyes of God. No one part is better than the other and without each part functioning properly, neither does the whole body/unit function properly.

 

4) Put others before yourself. Treat them better than you yourself would like to be treated. Serve others willingly with your gifts. Notice, the passage doesn't say to do this in expectionation of likewise treatment from others. This is a giving of yourself to them out of love, knowing that God wants you to do it.

 

5) With patience and prayer, knowing that whatever the situation, God can save you from it or save you through it, faithfully believeing that at the end, you will be stronger in your faith and love for God.

 

6) Sometimes it is scary to wait because, while we might still have fail, we also don't know what is going to happen. Fear does not show a lack of faith. It is acting on that fear and not being patient for God to work His will out that shows lack of faith.

 

7) Yes, it is difficult. I am a logical, analytical person. It is hard for me to be patient and wait on God's timing when, in my mind, there is something I can be doing to help the situation. I often struggle on knowing whether a decision I made was based on what God has shown me to do or whether I merely worked it up in my head that it was God and not me. Even in times like these, I have to be faithful and believe that, if I did move before God moved, God is still there for me and will speak to me if I just wait upon Him.

 

8) Well, one thing I remember my pastor saying is that, when you are doing God's work, it annoys Satan and he will try to come against you so when you are being hounded, it is because you are working to build God's kingdom. It is when everything is going smoothly that you have to be concerned . But seriously (and I do take my previous statement seriously), troubles or strife is just another way for me to glorify God by standing strong against the attacks of the enemy. I can use it as a witness because it is not by my own strength that I stand but by the power of the all mighty. Through my perserverance in times of trouble God is glorified and lifted up and I am made stronger.

 

9) It means to give everything up to Him. Your possessions, your popularity, your pride. Then He will teach you how to be renewed in Him and give things back to you for the benefit of the kingdon, which also turns out to be for your own benefit as well. With all your heart means with all your being in everything you do, whether it be as a missionary to Africa, a pastor of a big church, or as a mother raising her child. Do all things to the glory of God with all your heart, because that is what God is concerned with, your heart. Not the millions you bring into the fold. not the number of churches you start or the number of people you heal. Stopping to help a little one with a skinned knee is greater than all these things when your heart is focused on God and His vision for the world and every individual on it.