At the end of each chapter, there are 10 reflection questions. You will be required to respond to 1 reflection question of your choice for each chapter. Post your answer in the comments section below the prompt in the Spaces App. Answers must be at least 2 paragraphs, grammatically correct, and spell-checked.
Read the post of one class peer and comment one paragraph on what they said. Due each Friday. Class discussion may be based upon these reflections.
2. What obstacles do you find in your own life that make studying the Bible difficult?
Even though I have a hunger for God and to be in His Word, I find myself rarely reading the Bible. Through going to Toldeo School of Ministry, I am reading more passages of Scripture. However, I never find myself doing what I want to do, which is to read the Bible from cover to cover.
The obstacles that make it most difficult for me are trying to balance everyday life and not overdo myself. I realize it's the same challenges that most people have. Working 40+ hours a week, doing household tasks, spending time with my husband, giving attention to my five cats. Also, although I love being involved in my church, I have a tendency to overcommmit myself. I help in so many areas that I don't always get to enjoy service myself. Luckily, Sunday service is available online for me to get to watch later on (when I make time to watch/listen to them). Another way that I can be more in the Bible is through the Bible app and have it read the verses or chapters aloud. I am learning ways to overcome the obstacles in my life by God's grace and mercy.
#6 Paul's prayer in Ephesians
Ephesians teaches that the Gospel makes way for a new multi-ethnic family of God. It will transform how we live as a new humanity unified in love.
Paul prays a prayer that should be our desire to pray. He explains how not only have we been forgiven and redeemed, but we have been CHOSEN by God to be adopted as His sons and daughters! Once adopted at salvation we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, identifying us as belonging to Christ. He is the down payment of our eternal inheritance.
He prays that the eyes of our minds (our heart) would be enlightened to our call from God. That we would know we are to be one people of God. The Bride for Christ. We need to be in a loving relationship with Jesus and all of our neighbors of this earth. Faith and love are Paul's main theme. We are to put in action our calling. We are to remember what God has done through Jesus, what he will do, and live life in participation, response and reflection of what God has done. We are to never be in the disunity of the community around us. We are to search and ask Christ just how we are to fully live this transformed life rooted in love, and active in faith. Paul prays constantly "in order that God might give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation. This is the hope that God will make known to the whole community His wisdom, riches, hope, and power. These are for the whole community to live and love in relationship with one another and the surrounding world. These ways we are to live, are seen as foolish by the normal systems of the world. Remember we are called by God, to love Him, serve Him and unify in one accord to the community of all nations for His purpose. We are Jesus inheritance.
This called by God, is energized by the very same call on Jesus, as the power that raised Him from the dead. It is the very power that placed everything under His feet and placed Christ as the head of the church.
To know that we are so precious to Jesus creates a stirring in my heart. Our identity is in Christ, our spiritual identity, how God sees us, we are His objects of affection. We are transformed when we can see that value, dignity, honor and beauty that God sees in us. He delights in us! If that isn't life changing, I don't know what is. Wouldn't it be wonderful and a huge blessing to receive that kind of reception from those around us each day. This type of powerful prayer of thanksgiving is to Christ and from Christ to us.
Let us all desire to have that "called power" to touch and transform lives, each and everyday that his breath of life is in us!
9. Why do you think eschatology is more on the minds of Christians and non-Christians today than any other time in history?
I think eschatology is interesting and important to Christians today because the stage is being set. What do I mean by that? Well, the world is coming into alignment with what the end-time world will look like. Israel is once again a nation. The world views wrong as right and right as wrong. There are wars and rumors of wars. It is difficult to ignore the fact that the potential is there. Even if the end times aren’t always talked about in church, people are curious and want to know more. Also, many people have had dreams about Jesus’ Second Coming. While someone else’s dream doesn’t generally inspire people to think hard about their life and the future, when someone has a dream like that for themself it does something in their heart.
Now, why are non-believers interested in the end of everything as we know it? Probably because they think of it like that: the end of everything, and yet, not the end of everything. There is a very natural curiosity about what “the end” looks like. Recently I was reading my science book and realized that believing in the theory of evolution must be very depressing. This book essentially said that eventually, the sun will die and as it’s dying it will start to consume the earth in its flames and heat. And that’s the end of that. Then there’s the end of the universe, there are two theories and they depend upon how much total mass there is in the universe either the universe keeps on expanding forever or it reaches a maximum point of expansion and implodes in on itself, this is called the Big Crunch and is the opposite of the Big Bang. The saddest part is from these scientists’ point of view they will never know if they were right or wrong, no one will be around anymore to see (except maybe aliens). Most people want to know about the end, the same as they wonder about the meaning of life, the beginning of life and the universe, and so on. Why do you think there are so many stories about zombie apocalypses? I don’t think anyone actually believes in these (at least I hope not), but the fact remains that the secular imagination enjoys portraying the end, and generally this end is very sad and disturbing. Some believe in aliens that will invade the earth and wipe out humanity, while others that we humans will destroy ourselves through wars and diseases, and global warming. The truth is people of the modern era are more or less obsessed, whether they will admit it or not, with the end of the story. Why? I believe that the reason for this obsession is that people love to know, we are in the Age of Information and anything that remains a mystery is impossible to deal with, also people love a good ending in a story. Unfortunately, they can't come up with one so instead, they say the end will be a tragedy or meaningless. We know the truth and it is our responsibility to bring the good news to a world that desperately needs it.
#7 and 10 (What aspects of eschatology have felt irrelevant to you in the past? How has this chapter helped address some of those areas? What beliefs within the church that are not from the Bible threaten to undermine a biblical view of the end times in the return of Jesus?)
I used to believe in and end-times pre-tribulation rapture where I would be spared from tribulation because I was a “Christian”. I have since learned that this is a very self-centered and self-protective lie from the pit of hell to keep believers from victory. I now believe that if I live long enough, I may be a part of the tribulation, first, because I am needed in the Church to help prepare a spotless Bride, and second, to help reveal the Father heart of God. ❤️
The return of Jesus will reveal Him as Bridegroom, King, and Judge. We are here on earth to help prepare others to see Him that way, and to prepare them to overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony. People need the Church in the end times to witness to them. We will have supernatural protection, as in Psalm 91 and God will be with us to the end. 
Hi Sarah! It is great to have a support system in place and a healthy church family that is available to lift you up and keep you encouraged. As I grew in my walk with Jesus, I learned to talk all day with Him. My morning devotion and my quiet time of listening for him, are still most precious to me. I like to ask Jesus to show me what he wants me to see or experience each day.
To help me be in the Word more, I use the audio Bible in my truck. I find listening to scripture read to me, helps me to hear the message better sometimes.
I played scripture kids music whenever traveling with my kids and our home was always full of worship music. I bought all the dollar store Bible story books and read and read them to my kids, soon they read them to me.
I love that you pray with your son, just as we are to watch and learn from Jesus, our kids watch and learn from us. Your strength and determination is amazing and your son will see that too. In
Proverbs 22:6 it says train up a child in the way he should go..
We are to dedicate our children to God and point them in the way that they should go, and the values they've learned from us will be with them for life.
You are doing a great work in your son!
#5 I’ve went through quite a few seasons where I was more hungry for zGod because of circumstances & situations. I always make sure I reach out to the church for help and support . It helps someone keep accountable. When desperately in search of God I always fight through prayer in my prayer room. Having a specific area to talk to God is important.
There’s been many times we have gotten off schedule because of being gone in summer. Last year I strategized and left a bible on the boat so I could always have it to read. I never ever not pray with my son, its a habit engraved in me. We never miss prayer night at our church. We always make it priory to find a church when we even when we travel, it’s a priority. Those are a couple things to stay schedule. My bible reading is what I get off track with.