Prayer is something that God wants us to do. When we pray, we are coming before the Eternal’s magnificent throne to talk to our Heavenly Father. You may be curious about how to pray and wonder if you are doing it correctly. No worries! You are in good company; the disciples also wanted to learn how to pray (Luke 11:1). Jesus Christ left us instructions written in His word so that we can know how to pray.
Discuss:
What does Christ say about prayers that are recited to get attention? Where did Christ say we should go when we pray? Does this mean we have to be in a specific place when we pray?
How often should we pray? Can you think of any examples of people in the Bible who prayed regularly?
To Whom did Jesus say we should address our prayers?
What does the word hallowed mean? How can we hallow God’s name?
Why did Christ say that we need to pray for God’s kingdom to come? What are some reasons that we need His kingdom to come?
What are some things we should regularly pray about? For each thing that you mention, why do you think God wants us to pray about those things?
Imagine someone you are close to. How did you build a relationship with them? How does praying help us build a relationship with God?
Why does God want us to pray?
Memory Challenge:
Matthew 6:6
“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”
https://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/CL-feature-image-3-11.png6111651Jonathan McNairhttps://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/logo_basic-website-300x94.pngJonathan McNair2021-04-28 15:57:572026-02-26 15:18:03Children’s Bible Program – Level 3: NT Lesson 6 “The Model Prayer”
Jesus was becoming popular, and everyone was talking about Him. Who was this man? Was He the prophet of who Moses had written about (Deuteronomy 18:15)? Was He the Messiah who had come to save them, or was He just deceiving people? Jesus’ own family did not even believe Him, and the Pharisees and chief priests were out to kill Him! It was time to keep the Feast of Tabernacles as God had commanded. Jesus needed to keep the feast in Jerusalem, but how could He go when it was so dangerous?
Discuss:
What did Jesus’ brothers tell Him to do? What was Jesus’ response?
Why did Jesus not go up to Jerusalem with His brothers? What did He do instead?
Why were the people arguing about Jesus?
Where did the people believe Jesus was born? Why did it matter?
What is doctrine? From whom did Jesus say He received His doctrine?
How did Jesus make His presence known at the Feast?
What did Jesus preach about on the eighth day? What do we call the eighth day of the feast?
Why do you think God did not allow the Jews to capture Jesus?
Memory Challenge:
John 7:28-29
Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, “You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.”
https://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/CL-feature-image-2-11.png6111651Jonathan McNairhttps://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/logo_basic-website-300x94.pngJonathan McNair2021-04-28 15:57:532026-02-26 11:09:01Children’s Bible Program – Level 2: NT Lesson 6 “Jesus Goes to the Feast”
Peter told his listeners on the day of Pentecost that following repentance and baptism they would “receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). What is receiving the Holy Spirit intended to accomplish in our lives?
https://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/kaleb-tapp-DNrjKP3srT4-unsplash.jpg10001500Jonathan McNairhttps://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/logo_basic-website-300x94.pngJonathan McNair2021-04-28 13:30:002021-03-24 14:48:49Course Spotlight: The Role of God’s Holy Spirit
Author: Mr. Kenneth Frank | Faculty in Theology, Living Education
Estimated reading time: 7 min., 22 sec.
Did you know that God’s redemption is described in Scripture as plenteous?
Bible readers discover through diligent study that God has set in motion a plan to redeem those willing to confess their sins, repent of them, and seek God’s forgiveness. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, as the Redeemer. One may wonder if there are limits to His redemption. We will encounter in this study a fitting psalm that is often recited at funerals because of the comfort it affords. This Digging Deeper introduces our topic with an inspirational verse that will encourage and strengthen God’s people through His commitment to save them.
Our focus verse is: (Psalm 130:7 KJV) “Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.” Psalm 130 is the sixth of seven traditionally-named Penitential Psalms that include Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143. They are expressive of sorrow for sin, repentance, and change of behavior. The Book of Psalms was Israel’s hymnbook of praises to the Almighty. Believers have found solace time and again from its abundant instruction and assurances.
The Dake Annotated Reference Bible under its note for Psalm 130:1 calls this “A Backslider’s Psalm” and outlines the psalm in this manner:
1. “His state or condition (Psa 130:1)
2. His prayer (Psa 130:1-4)
3. His questioning (Psa 130:3)
4. His promise (Psa 130:4; 130:7-8)
5. His sincerity and longing (Psa 130:5-6)
6. His hope (Psa 130:5; 130:7)
7. His faith and assurance (Psa 130:4; 130:7-8)” (Bible Analyzer 5.4.1.22)
A price paid for deliverance
The word redeem means “to deliver by paying a price.” Redemption is a major New Testament doctrine. The CARM Theological Dictionary defines this noun more fully: “Redemption means to free someone from bondage. It often involves the paying of a ransom, a price that makes redemption possible. The Israelites were redeemed from Egypt. We were redeemed from the power of sin and the curse [penalty] of the Law (Galatians 3:13) through Jesus (Romans 3:24; Colossians 1:14). We were bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23)” (e-Sword 13.0). Sinners were held captive by the archenemy of humankind, the Devil. Christ the Liberator sets them free when they trust in Him through the ransom He paid by His sacrificial death.
There is more than one nuance to the word redemption. The Bridgeway Bible Dictionary elaborates redemption further: “In Bible days a slave could be set free from bondage by the payment of a price, often called the ransom. The whole affair was known as the redemption of the slave (Leviticus 25:47-48). (The words ‘redeem’ and ‘ransom’ are related to the same root in the original languages.) The Bible speaks of redemption both literally (concerning everyday affairs) and pictorially (concerning what God has done for his people) (Psalm 77:15; Titus 2:14)” (e-Sword 13.0). Our God has come to our rescue, remitting the full price for our liberation from Satan’s kingdom.
Sinners must be redeemed from the penalty for violating God’s law. Concerning God’s transaction through redemption from sin, Webster’s 1828 Dictionary offers this summary definition: “In theology, the purchase of God’s favor by the death and sufferings of Christ; the ransom or deliverance of sinners from the bondage of sin and the penalties of God’s violated law by the atonement of Christ” (e-Sword 13.0). This older dictionary so well defines this doctrine since it drew many of its definitions from the Bible unlike many modern dictionaries.
The Scofield Reference Bible in its note for Exodus 14:30 elaborates on this major biblical doctrine: “Exodus is the book of redemption and teaches:
(1) redemption is wholly of God Exodus 3:7; 3:8; John 3:16.
(2) redemption is through a person. (See Scofield “Exodus 2:2“). John 3:16-17
(3) redemption is by blood Exodus 12:13, 23, 27; 1 Peter 1:18.
(4) redemption is by power Exodus 6:6; 13:14; Romans 8:2.” (e-Sword 13.0).
Perfect and plenteous atonement
There are other doctrines related to redemption. B.J. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible elaborates: “When applied to the sacred work of the Lord Jesus Christ, it generally means ‘deliverance through atonement.’ Thus understood, it means both atonement and deliverance” (e-Sword 13.0). Christ is the great Deliverer whose blood atonement sets us free from our sins. This source further adds: “Man has always been endeavoring to find some atonement for his sin, and has always failed, but we have received a perfect atonement in Him; it is plenteous. (1) Plenteous to cover the sins of the whole world. (2) Plenteous to cover all the sins of each one” (Ibid.). God’s grace is truly all-sufficient! This is what our focus verse means by using the word plenteous.
Let us explore this theme even further. Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible provides this additional note: “It is ample; it is full; it abounds. It is not limited; it is not exhausted; it cannot be exhausted. So we may always feel when we come before God, that his mercy is ample for all the needs of all the sinful and the suffering; that the provisions of his grace are unexhausted and inexhaustible” (e-Sword 13.0).
The following quotation from The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary, edited by Joseph S. Exell, should leave us awestruck: “’And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities’ (Psalm 130:8). It is no temporary, or indistinct, blessing that is so anxiously sought; it is nothing less than a complete deliverance from all iniquity. Redemption from sin includes redemption from all other evils: it is the greatest and most perfect work of God, and bestows the most exalted blessings on man” (e-Sword 13.0). Does this not remove any lingering doubts? This source continues: “LESSONS: —1. Redemption is a Divine work. 2. The most degraded soul is not beyond the hope of recovery. 3. Redemption must be eagerly and prayerfully sought” (Ibid.). Only God can accomplish this consequential redemption.
In this light, look at this supporting scripture: (Hebrews 7:25 KJV) “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost [most extensive degree] that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Christ delivers believers not only from the consequences of sin but even from sin itself. Sinners who imagine themselves beyond redemption will find it if they turn to the Savior in sincere repentance, confession, and contrition. It must be accepted on God’s terms, not as we would imagine it. This is true for returning sinners as well (1 John 1:8-2:2).
Not willing that any should perish…
We have multiple examples of God’s enduring mercy. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges illustrates one notable example for us: “Observe how the thought that God’s manifold mercy and patience have not been exhausted by Israel’s persistent rebellion runs through the confession in Nehemiah 9; Nehemiah 9:17; 9:19; 9:27-28; 9:30-31; 9:35. Cp. Isaiah 43:25; 55:7” (e-Sword 13.0). Bible readers are awed by God’s abiding patience and desire for Israel to turn back to Him since He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
The Dake Annotated Reference Bible for its note on Psalm 130:7 offers “Five Reasons Israel Should Hope in God:
1. God does not mark iniquities for punishment without extending mercy (Psa 130:3).
2. There is forgiveness with Him (Psa 130:4).
3. There is mercy with Him (Psa 130:7).
4. There is abundant redemption (Psa 130:7).
5. He shall redeem from all sin (Psa 130:8).” (Ibid.)
This is not a purely individualistic endeavor. It is essential to realize that this process is a family experience. Bob Utley’s You Can Understand the Bible explains: “Remember biblical faith is corporate. It is a family! Be careful of the modern western over-emphasis on the individual. Salvation has a corporate focus! We are saved to serve. The goal of individual salvation is the health and growth of the body of believers” (e-Sword 13.0)! God’s church is to be filled with consecrated and spiritually clean sons and daughters of God who have received and continue to receive His plenteous redemption.
Kenneth Frank was born and raised in New Jersey, USA, and attended Ambassador College, graduating in 1973. He served in the Canadian ministry from 1973-1999, after which he returned to the USA to pastor churches in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina for 15 years. Having earned a BA degree from Ambassador College he later earned a MA degree from Grand Canyon University before being assigned to the Charlotte office to teach at Living University, now Living Education. Currently, he teaches the Survey of the Bible course to the on-campus students and writes the Digging Deeper column for our online Bible study program. He is married, has four children, and seven grandchildren.
Author: Juliette McNair | Student, Living Education Charlotte 2021
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes, 20 seconds.
Mr. Wallace Smith, the executive editor for Editorial, walked into the classroom with a homemade lightsaber hilt, a replica Star Wars lightsaber, and a samurai sword. A young man built the hilt for Mr. Smith last year as a gift. It consisted of various pipes and fixtures, along with some electrical tape and rubber bands. Mr. Smith borrowed the glowing green lightsaber—sans accompanying sound-effects—from one of his sons. While it looked deadly, the lightsaber was essentially a harmless prop—compared to the sword he pulled out next.
“Some swords are battle-ready, and some are not.”
“This is a katana, actually formed in Japan, according to the traditional methods.” These samurai swords have a single-edged blade, curving in the traditional Japanese style. The blade does not end at the handle but extends into it—a characteristic of well-built swords. Underneath the cloth binding of the handle, on the metal of the blade that lies within, the creator etches his signature. Mr. Smith explained a samurai warrior’s daily business was deeply connected to the concepts of life and death. The making of a katana was a work of passion, and the creator would purify himself before forging the sword—a process that took months to complete.
The Steel
The forge used to make a katana is kept extremely hot by containing and turning the fire in on itself. “A katana,” Mr. Smith noted, “is made up of multiple metals that are forged into one thing, but not necessarily mixed.” Iron ore, coal, sand, and sometimes other materials are added. The steel is hardened by adding carbon. But if too much carbon is used, the blade will turn brittle. Iron, which is a softer element, provides the necessary flexibility in the weapon. The metals are mixed at different stages and the swordsmith produces a material called tamahagane—translated, “steel jewel.” This material is broken into different-colored cubes, which contain varying amounts of carbon. The cubes are sorted depending on the level of carbon and hammered into sheets. “The real work,” Mr. Smith said, “goes into forging the blade.”
Forging the Sword
“If you take a piece of paper and fold it, it doesn’t take many folds, and it gets almost impossible to fold.” Some of the hammered sheets are selected to make the kawagane, “leather steel,” and the hagane, “blade steel.” The steel is layered, hammered, and folded several times over until a plank with thousands of layers is formed. At this point, the smith prepares the “heart-steel,” the shingane. The low-carbon shingane is more flexible and is placed inside the folded kawagane. “You need the edge to be extremely hard.” Mr. Smith said, “What is the hardest substance that we know of? Diamonds. The carbon bonds are capable of making it extremely hard.” The swordsmith fuses the steel, creating a blade with a “diamond-hard” exterior and a flexible core that can absorb the force of impacts.
The Blade
To temper the weapon, it is plunged into water or oil to drop the temperature of the metal. But before it is dipped in liquid, the spine of the sword is encased with a protective clay layer that allows it to be tempered differently across its width and leaves tell-tale markings on the edge of the blade—another sure sign of an authentic katana. Even at this final stage, the edge hardens as the metal changes molecularly. When a katana was completed, the quality of the sword was normally tested on prisoners. “How sharp is it? They say, made properly, you can throw a piece of silk in the air and a master would be able to slice right through the silk, not having to hold it taut—just allowing the silk to float in the air.”
Embrace Your Trials
“Of these three weapons I’ve shown you today,” Mr. Smith held up the katana, “this one has been through the toughest time.” The steel was heated up to 1600 degrees Fahrenheit, hammered, fragmented, pounded, and tempered with a drastic drop in temperature. Mr. Smith explained Christians are forged into weapons of righteousness (Romans 6:13). “Too often, we think of trials as what God is supposed to deliver us from.” He pointed out that God is not like the “genie” from the Disney movie Aladdin. James 1:2-3 reads, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” The “testing of your faith,” Mr. Smith said, does not mean one’s faith causes the trial to end. Faith is developed and forged through hardship.
Mr. Smith concluded his Assembly with a lesson he had learned from another pastor. There are different levels to trials. He said, “We can go through the middle level where we begrudgingly go through them… But it’s not quite the same as embracing it, where, when you go to God, you can say, ‘Father, I don’t know why I’m going through this. But I do trust You are working the ‘long game’ in my life, not just for now but for eternity. If this is a burden I have to face for a month, a year, or a lifetime, I trust you.” Trials are the heat, hammering, and tempering God uses to forge His people into the perfectly balanced tools He desires.
This post is part of our new series of student-written content for LivingEd-Charlotte. These summaries cover topics originally presented by our faculty and guest speakers in our weekly Forum and Assembly. For more Assembly-related content check out our Second Thoughts posts.
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As Jesus taught and worked many wonderful miracles, the Jewish leaders were becoming very jealous and angry. One day, when Jesus was teaching in the temple, He said something that made the Jews so mad they wanted to stone Him! Jesus quickly hid and escaped out of the temple, but as He was leaving He noticed a man who had been blind from birth. Jesus’ disciples asked Him why the man was born blind and He told them God had something very special planned for this particular man.
Discuss:
What explanation did the disciples say was the reason the man was born blind? How did Jesus answer them?
What did Jesus do to heal the man? What instructions did he give to the man?
On what day of the week did this miracle occur?
When questioned, who did the man say had healed him? Why do you think the Pharisees wanted the man to deny that Jesus had healed him?
Why did the Pharisees question the man’s parents?
What did the Pharisees say was their reason for not believing Jesus was from God? Why did the man who was healed believe that Jesus was from God?
What did Jesus mean when He said, “those who see may be made blind”?
What things did you learn about who Jesus is in this passage?
Memory Challenge:
John 9:39
“For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.”
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In the message He gave on the mountain (often known as “The Sermon on the Mount”), Jesus first encouraged His disciples in the attitudes they should have to be blessed and happy. He then began to address the importance of keeping the Commandments – emphasizing that Christians should keep the spiritual intent of the law and not just the letter of the law. Jesus Christ continued the message by talking about everyday circumstances that people have and the usual concerns that this life brings. Christ told them, and tells us today, that the answer to life’s problems is to put God first.
Discuss:
What does it mean to do “charitable deeds”? Can you think of some charitable deeds that you could do?
When we do a good deed, should we tell everyone? Why or why not?
What does it mean to fast? What are some instructions Jesus tells us about fasting in this passage?
Do you worry about things? What does God say about worrying? What are some solutions to keep from worrying about things?
What things did God say we should seek first? What is righteousness? How do we seek the kingdom and God’s righteousness?
Memory Challenge:
Matthew 6:33
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
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After Jesus healed a man who was blind from birth, the Pharisees wanted to know who He was. Some of the Jews thought He was evil and crazy, while others realized His good works could not be performed by an evil person. Jesus had compared those who did not understand His message with those who could not see, saying they were spiritually blind. He then spoke a parable to them about something most people understood during that time – sheep and shepherds. The Pharisees, not satisfied with Jesus’ answer, surrounded Him hoping that this time He would not get away!
Discuss:
Why did Jesus often use parables when speaking to the people? (Hint: Look in John 10 or Matthew 13 for the answer)
Who are the sheep in the parable? What do you think sheep can teach us about being Christians?
What does Jesus mean when He calls Himself the door to the sheep? How does Jesus describe those who do not come through the door?
How does Jesus describe a good shepherd? In what ways is Jesus the good shepherd?
What reward does Jesus have for His sheep?
Why did the Pharisees want to stone Jesus?
Memory Challenge:
John 10:11
“I am the good shepherd. The shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”
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Jesus Christ taught His disciples about how they should conduct themselves as they go through this life. After giving principles of how we should not worry but seek the kingdom and put God first Jesus concluded His message with some very wise and very important advice for Christians. One thing He made clear is that trying to follow God and His teachings is not easy, but it is worth it!
Discuss:
What does it mean to have a “plank in your eye”?
How does a person ask, seek and knock? What does God promise to those who do?
Verse 12 is often called the “Golden Rule”. What is the “golden rule” and how can you follow it?
What did Christ mean when He spoke of the narrow gate and the broad way? How does a person enter through the “narrow gate”? Why would you say it is worth it to take the difficult, narrow gate even though the other way is way easier?
Christ used the analogy of a wolf in sheep’s clothing to describe false prophets. How did He say we could tell the difference?
What does Christ say about those who call Him Lord, but do not obey the law?
When Christ tells us to build on the rock, what does He mean? How can we make sure we aren’t building our house on the sand?
Memory Challenge:
Matthew 7:13-14
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
https://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/CL-feature-image-3-11.png6111651Jonathan McNairhttps://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/logo_basic-website-300x94.pngJonathan McNair2021-04-26 12:00:002026-02-26 15:17:31Children’s Bible Program – Level 3: NT Lesson 8 “The Narrow Gate”
It was nearing the time for the Passover, and Jerusalem was beginning to fill with pilgrims traveling from many different places near and far. The streets were abuzz with talk about a man from Nazareth called Jesus. Many had witnessed His miracles of healing the sick and heard about His unique teachings. Some said they knew for a fact that He had raised a man, Lazarus, from the dead (John 12:1, 9-11). Many wondered, could this Jesus be the Messiah, the Savior of Israel who would come from the line of David? Imagine their excitement when they saw Jesus entering the city in a way which fulfilled a special prophecy about the Messiah.
Discuss:
How did Jesus enter Jerusalem? How did the multitudes respond as Jesus entered the city? What do you think it would have been like to be there? (This fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9)
What happened when Jesus arrived at the temple? What did the religious authorities think about all this?
What lesson did Jesus intend the disciples to learn from the death of the fig tree?
When the chief priests and elders questioned His authority, Jesus asked them a question in return. Why do you think they would not answer Christ’s question?
In the parable about the landowner who leased his vineyard, who represented the landowner, vinedressers, and the son? What punishment did the elders say should be administered to the vinedressers?
What was the point Jesus was making when He quoted Psalm 118:22? Do you think the chief priests and Pharisees knew what Jesus was talking about?
Memory Challenge:
Matthew 21:9
“Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’”
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