Showing posts with label STUDY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label STUDY. Show all posts

Sunday 11 October 2020

4 Benefits of Bible Trivia Questions in Youth Ministry

Benefits of Bible Trivia Questions

The aim of the bible trivia questions is to have fun and challenge participants to know, study, and apply the Word of God to their hearts and lives. Competition is a way to motivate members of a Bible study group. 


Group and team study immensely improve friendships, fellowship, discipleship, and accountability among members, the church, and the community in general. 


The Bible Trivia Questions in Youth ministry is not only competition focus but as good as the realistic, actual, and helpfulness in life ministry improvement that is the result of knowing and applying the Living Word of God.


“How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.” Psalm 119:9


“Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.” Psalm 119:11


“Your word is a lamp to my feet, And a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

 


When you join the different types of Bible Trivia Questions, it is the group and team sole wish that you at all times the center of attention should always be your personal relationship with Christ Jesus our Savior and heavenly Father our God. 


The prayer to God is that every participant in the Youth Bible Trivia Questions will know and experience the joy of a deep personal walk with Jesus Christ. This is an exceptional opportunity to help young individuals in discipleship and evangelism. 



Below are the 4 benefits


1. Bible Trivia Questions in Youth Ministry gives leaders a chance and opportunity to develop and improve close relationships with the young people in the church. 


This developed and improved relationship when encouraged and nurtured is essential to using aBible Trivia Questions group and the team as a ministry, rather than a mere form of

competition. The leader's impact and guidance could be tremendous as the leader models the Christian life before the group or team.



2. Bible Trivia Questions in Youth Ministry encourages and motivates young people to comprehensively study the Bible.


In today’s world of negative social influences, How many young people systematically and consistently have Bible study either as an individual or a group/team? Many do not, this is the reality. Bible Trivia Questions is used as a way of developing a consistent daily Bible study time that even allows an adult ( either a leader or a coach) to assess and evaluate the progress and growth in studying the Bible.



3. Bible Trivia Questions in Youth Ministry allows and enables an atmosphere for in-depth Bible study.


By studying the Word of God in this manner for a period of time, the Spirit of God has the opportunity to help persons with guidance to see the meaning of the passage in everyday lives. 

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” John 14:26



4. Bible Trivia Questions in Youth Ministry forces and encourage young people to work as a  group/team.


In the preparation meetings, youth are positioned or placed in spots or situations that urge complete teamwork. With this, they learn the importance of dependency upon God and each other.

“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25


Thursday 24 September 2020

Pandemic

The word "pandemic" should send shivers down our spines. Worldwide disease epidemics are on the rise, and several authorities are predicting outbreaks of some diseases medical science thought they had all but eradicated.

For us, however, it is not surprising. Jesus Christ plainly prophesied that pestilence of major proportions would arise in the last days (Matthew 24:7). The last of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, pestilence is a pale, or greenish-yellow, the horse was ridden by a being called Death. Hades, or the grave, follows after. They are given the power to kill one-quarter of the earth's population by means of war, famine, plague, and beasts (Revelation 6:7-8).

It presents a striking scenario: War often causes famine. Malnutrition and starvation breed disease, which under the right conditions erupts into epidemics. The bites of animals and insects transmit certain diseases, and sickness and weakness make people easier targets for attack by hungry wild beasts. Though it may be difficult to imagine events like these in our day the Bible shows the progression and the certainty of the prophecy.


Diseases Old and New

Unfortunately, the signs of old and new diseases on the verge of pandemic are already showing. One professor of microbiology at the John Curtin School of Medical Research in Canberra, Australia, told a conference of his peers in Sydney: "We don't know what it [the plague] will be, or where it will be, but there will be one, we only have to look at history." He cites deteriorating refugee conditions worldwide, fast-increasing populations, high-risk sexual habits, and the scarcity of pure drinking water as factors that presage global epidemics (Intelligence Digest, September 3, 1993, p. 3).

Two American researchers, writing in the British medical journal Lancet, warn that the recent cholera epidemic has pandemic potential. A new strain of cholera, called "Bengal cholera," has already infected several hundred thousand people from India to Thailand this year, of which about five thousand have died. Cholera is contracted through sewage-tainted drinking water or food, or following contact with someone who is already contaminated by those means.

Classic cholera is currently infecting thousands in much of the former Soviet Union, where internal conflicts and a general breakdown in sewage and disposal services are common. The El Tor variety of cholera surfaced in Peru in 1990 and spread quickly as far as Colombia and Bolivia, killing sixty-three hundred people.

New forms of diphtheria have surfaced in Russia, where over four thousand cases had been reported within the first eight months of 1993. Several cases of bubonic plague, the Black Death that killed about forty million in medieval Europe, have been reported in Kazakhstan. Ten non-fatal cases of bubonic plague struck Americans in 1992. Tuberculosis, thought eradicated by many, is on a comeback in Russia, Europe, and the U.S.

And new diseases, like hantavirus, which first affected Navajo Indians in New Mexico, have doctors and researchers baffled. It has been found in rodents over the U.S., China, Korea and northern Europe.

On top of all this, the World Health Organization (WHO) believes that several new rodent-borne diseases, like bubonic plague and hantavirus, could be unleashed globally in the near future. To this point, they have refrained from proclaiming war on rats because killing them releases the fleas that actually carry the diseases. They have no idea how to respond to the threat.

Of course, there is AIDS as well. Having surfaced in Asia, WHO predicts that over the next decade more AIDS cases will occur in Asian countries than in Africa, which currently leads the world in infections. Nearly one-third of pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa are currently testing HIV-positive. WHO also predicts that between 10 and 15 million children will be orphaned by 2000 in this region alone as a result of AIDS-related deaths. And possibly one-third to one-half of the children will themselves have AIDS.

The U.S. said to have the best health-care system in the world, is unprepared for any major outbreak of viral infections. Robert Shope, professor of epidemiology and committee co-chairman of the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine, reports that the nation is vulnerable to an outbreak comparable to the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic that killed 20 million worldwide. "It can happen again," he warns (Insight, October 11, 1993, p.16).

Frederick A. Murphy, former director of the Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Infectious Diseases, believes that an influenza-like disease that "transmits fast and broadly" is the most likely candidate for the next pandemic. And the damage will be done before America's "porous line of defense against viral invaders" can respond (Ibid., p. 19).


Promised Protection

Again, we should not be surprised. God warned Israel in their wilderness wanderings about what would happen if they did not obey His commandments. "I will even appoint terror over you, wasting disease and fever. . . . [W]hen you are gathered together within your cities I will send pestilence among you" (Leviticus 26:16, 25; cf. Deuteronomy 28).

But He also promises protection and healing from such diseases. "If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God . . . , I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you" (Exodus 15:26; cf. 23:25; Deuteronomy 7:15; Psalm 103:3).

As we hear the approaching hoofbeats of the Four Horsemen growing ever louder, we have only one refuge from their relentless onslaught.

Surely He shall deliver you . . . from the perilous pestilence. . . . His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid . . . of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. . . . Because you have made the LORD . . . your habitation, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling. (Psalm 91:3-10)

As the Horsemen converge on this nation from every side, we must keep our focus on the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33), forbidding any distraction to hinder us. In doing so, we will be prepared for both the troubles and the joys that lie just ahead.




By Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Forerunner, "Prophecy Watch," January 1994

Tuesday 18 August 2020

Should I Be Fasting?

Should I Be Fasting?


Mark 9 contains a story I’ve read a zillion times before. Jesus and His inner circle were coming down from the mountain where they had experienced the transfiguration, and they were making their way toward joining the other disciples.

While Jesus, Peter, James, and John were up on the mountain, the remaining disciples had an encounter with a heartsick daddy and his demon-possessed boy.

“Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” (Mark 9:17–18)

It was during this encounter that the dad prayed one of my favorite prayers in all of Scripture, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” (v. 24). Jesus cast the demon out of the boy, and he stood up cleansed and healed in front of his dad.

After the dust cleared the disciples asked an important question: “Why could we not cast it out? (v. 28).

Jesus replied, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer [and fasting]” (v. 29).

For me, the two words found inside the brackets of the text are like a gold nugget of truth I’d never noticed before.

“This one can only be driven out by prayer and fasting?”

If that was true for a child afflicted by demons and his desperate daddy, is it true for something in my life? What about the things that seem to throw me to the ground or toss me up against the ropes? Can they only be dealt with through prayer and fasting? What about when I’m in the fire like this boy was? Is prayer and fasting the only way out? What about those things that I’ve tried and tried to fix and cannot? Is fasting the key that unlocks the remedy? Start of a complete life transformation, click here.

Those questions nudged me to run to God’s Word looking for answers to this big question, “Should I be fasting?” Here’s what I found.


Reasons for Fasting

Fasting is a theme throughout all of Scripture. Fasting is never commanded for all believers, but the Bible does give us lots of good reasons to fast including:

Fasting before making an important decision (Acts 13:2, 14:23).

Fasting to overcome addiction (Isa. 58:3–7).

Fasting for God’s intervention (2 Sam. 12:15–17).

Fasting to show humility (Ps. 35:13).

Fasting in response to grief or mourning (Ps. 35:14, Est. 4:3).

Fasting to request God’s protection (Est. 4:15–16, Ezra 8:21–23).

Fasting to set apart leaders for Christian service (Acts 13:2–3).

Fasting with repentance (Joel 2:12–15).

Fasting as a leader who desires God to work amongst your people (Jonah 3:6–10).

Fasting in Good Company

I can find plenty of good reasons to fast from that list. Scripture also shows us that many of the superheroes of our faith, including Jesus, fasted.

Moses fasted before receiving the Ten Commandments (Deut. 9:9–18).

David fasted to mourn his child’s illness and ask God to intervene (2 Sam. 12:1–23).

Ezra fasted to mourn the sins of his people (Ezra 10:6–17).

Esther fasted for the safety of the Jews (Est. 4:15–17).

Daniel fasted for an answer to prayer (Dan. 10:1–3).

The elders of the church in Antioch fasted before sending out missionaries (Acts 13:1–3).

Jesus Himself fasted before starting His ministry (Matt. 4:1–2).

These are the people I want to be like when I grow up. I want Moses’ power. David’s passion for the Lord. Esther’s courage. Daniel’s boldness. The church in Antioch’s gospel focus. Above all things, I want to be like Jesus. If Jesus fasted, I want to follow His example.

If we are looking to the Bible for good reasons to fast, there are plenty of them. But the Bible also offers a few bad reasons to fast.


3 Bad Reasons to Fast

Not all fasts are God-honoring. Here are three bad reasons to fast.


1. To twist God’s arm.

The people described in Isaiah 58 were regular fasters, but they got miffed when God didn’t seem to notice (v. 3). God took the opportunity to teach His people about true and false fasting. What’s the bottom line? Fasting is about positioning our own hearts, not twisting the arm of God. It is not a transaction where we fast and God gives us what we want. (That would make Him a pretty small God, no?) It is a gift He gives to us, not a gift we give to Him.


2. To gloss over our sin. 

The Pharisees were regular fasters too, but they were also very good at missing the point. In Luke 18:9–14, Jesus blasts a Pharisee who publicly declared that he fasts twice a week while simultaneously glossing over his own sin. Fasting is not a substitute for repentance.


3. To show off.

Jesus said we should pray in secret. It’s not because fasting is shameful or something to be covered up, but because it is private—it’s between you and God. If your motivation for fasting is to impress others, to make them see you as super-spiritual or extra holy, go ahead and have the cheeseburger, sista, 'cause that is not what fasting is really about.


Is God Calling You to Fast?

I told you God’s Word has a lot to say on the subject of fasting! And I’m just getting warmed up. There’s still so much to discuss. Be sure to hop back on the blog tomorrow for a follow-up post, “A Modern Woman’s Guide to Fasting,” for some practical helps for how to fast.

In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you. Have you ever fasted? Do you fast regularly? Why do you fast? Leave a comment with your thoughts below.


Friday 7 August 2020

“Yahweh” 10 Meanings

10 Things “Yahweh” Means

By John Piper

Yahweh 10 meaning
Yahweh


God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.” (Exodus 3:15)

God’s name is almost always translated LORD (all caps) in the English Bible. But the Hebrew would be pronounced something like “Yahweh,” and is built on the word for “I am.”

So every time we hear the word Yahweh, or every time you see LORD in the English Bible, you should think: this is a proper name (like Peter or John) built out of the word for “I am” and reminding us each time that God absolutely is.

There are at least 10 things the name Yahweh, “I AM,” says about God:

1. He never had a beginning. Every child asks, “Who made God?” And every wise parent says, “Nobody made God. God simply is. And always was. No beginning.”

2. God will never end. If he did not come into being he cannot go out of being, because he is being.

3. God is absolute reality. There is no reality before him. There is no reality outside of him unless he wills it and makes it. He is all that was eternally. No space, no universe, no emptiness. Only God.

4. God is utterly independent. He depends on nothing to bring him into being or support him or counsel him or make him what he is.

5. Everything that is not God depends totally on God. The entire universe is utterly secondary. It came into being by God and stays in being moment by moment on God’s decision to keep it in being.

6. All the universe is by comparison to God as nothing. Contingent, dependent reality is to absolute, independent reality as a shadow to substance. As an echo to a thunderclap. All that we are amazed by in the world and in the galaxies is, compared to God, as nothing.

7. God is constant. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He cannot be improved. He is not becoming anything. He is who he is.

8. God is the absolute standard of truth and goodness and beauty. There is no law-book to which he looks to know what is right. No almanac to establish facts. No guild to determine what is excellent or beautiful. He himself is the standard of what is right, what is true, what is beautiful.

9. God does whatever he pleases and it is always right and always beautiful and always in accord with the truth. All reality that is outside of him he created and designed and governs as the absolute reality. So he is utterly free from any constraints that don’t originate from the counsel of his own will.

10. God is the most important and most valuable reality and person in the universe. He is more worthy of interest and attention and admiration and enjoyment than all other realities, including the entire universe.


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