Blog - Agape Christian Fellowship

Study of Great Bible Truths – Lesson 11

Posted on Apr 8, 2020 in Study of Great Bible Truths |

Lesson 11: The Names of God and the Holy Trinity

In our last lesson we discussed the faithfulness of God. He doesn’t change, and He keeps all His promises.

1. God is personal and as a person He acts and reveals Himself. It is through the names God gives Himself that He tells us the wonderful truths about Himself.

2. God’s names are representative of His character. The names of God stands for the character of God. Psalm 22:22, John 17:6,26 3. The names of God are:

a. El – meaning 1st supreme being.

b. Elohim – is the plural of EL and means mightiness. God is someone to be feared as well as someone who is powerful.

c. Elyon – the hight and exalted one.
d. Adoni – The Almighty God, the Ruler to whom everything is subject to.
e. Shaddai– describes God as possessing all power in heaven and on earth. This name describes God in His power over the elements, His power over nature, and His power over creation.
f. Yahweh(translated Jehovah)-is the most important and the most significant name of God. God describes Himself as “I AM that I AM” meaning I shall be what I shall be. The name describes His unchangeableness, and especially his unchangeableness in regards to His people. Jehovah is the great covenant name of God.

Think about this: The mighty God whom we worship who is self-existent in Himself, nevertheless chooses to reveal and bind Himself to creatures of time, like you and me, whom He Created. He deserves our obedience and our praise.

Next Lesson: God’s Names continued…

Study of Great Bible Truths – Lesson 10

Posted on Apr 2, 2020 in Study of Great Bible Truths |

In our last lesson we discussed the goodness or the love of God. If God were not patient and long-suffering with us, we would have long been destroyed.

1. God is Faithful– We can safely lean upon Him, we can depend on Him. Psalm 36:5

2. God always keeps His Promises, and He never breaks His Covenants. Isaiah 55:11, 1 Cor 1:9

3. Once we give our lives to Christ and live for Him, our ultimate destiny is absolutely sure. 1 John 1:9

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God, my Father.

There is no shadow of turning with thee,

Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not.

As Thou has been, Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by Morning, New Mercies I see

All I have needed Thy hands have provided.

Great is Thy faithfulness

Lord Unto Me.

Next Lesson: The Names of God and the Holy Trinity ( God is a Person)

Study of Great Bible Truths – Lesson 9

Posted on Mar 26, 2020 in Study of Great Bible Truths |

In our last lesson we discussed the Holiness of God. Because He is holy, He cannot look upon sin. He hates sin.

The Goodness or the Love of God:

1. The goodness of God is that perfection of God which prompts Him to deal bountifully and in a kindly way with all His creatures. Romans 11:22, Psalm 145:9

2. God manifests His goodness and His love toward all His creatures in general. Matthew 5:45-B, Matthew 6:26, Acts 14:17

3. The goodness and love of God manifests themselves in the grace of God. Grace is the love of God towards those who do not in any way deserve it. The grace of God is the source of every blessing bestowed upon us. Ephesians 1-2, Titus 2:11

4. The mercy of God manifests the love of God.

Mercy=love and kindness and tender compassion. Psalm 103, Romans 9:18

5. The goodness and the love of God is manifested in His patience and long-suffering toward us. (If God were not patient and long-suffering we would have long been destroyed. Long-suffering means that God bears with the evil and sinners, who in spite of all He does for us, still sin against Him). Romans 2:4, Romans 9:33, 1 Peter 3:15.

Next lesson: God’s Faithfulness (Aren’t we glad He doesn’t change!) Malachi 3:6

Just read a quote by Mohammed Ali which I want to leave with you. “Helping others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.”

Study of Great Bible Truths – Lesson 8

Posted on Mar 18, 2020 in Study of Great Bible Truths |

In our last lesson we discussed the Holiness of God. Because He is holy, He cannot look upon sin. He hates sin.

The 2nd of the moral attributes of God and man is Righteousness:

1. Righteousness is that quality in God which always reveals God as doing that which is right.

A. God gives His laws in order to make righteous demands upon us. And He has penalties for those of us (all of us) who break His laws. His hatred of sin is expressed in His wrath. John 3:36; Ephesians 2:3

B. God reveals His righteousness and justice in forgiving our sins. 1st John 1:9. God prepared the way by providing Jesus Christ’s death on the cross as an offering and sacrifice that was necessary for forgiving our sins. Romans 3:25

C. God always keeps His word. What He promises He will fulfill.

D. God declares us righteousness when we truly receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. He not only forgives the sins of the sinner in salvation, He declares sinners to be righteous. He makes us righteous.

E. God rewards our righteousness. 2nd Timothy 4:8

Next attribute : The Goodness or the Love of God

Study of Great Bible Truths – Lesson 7

Posted on Mar 11, 2020 in Study of Great Bible Truths |

In our last lesson we discussed the attributes that belong only to God. Today’s lesson will discuss the moral attributes of God that are to be found in God and man (men and women).

The 1st of the moral attributes is Holiness:

1.Holiness–holiness means separation from evil. The Bible teaches that God is holy. Because He is holy He hates sin and cannot look upon sin.

A. The Old Testament is primarily a revelation of the holiness of God and what He has done because He is holy. The purpose of the Law and the 10 commandments was to reveal and teach the children of Israel and us the holiness of God.

B. The Tabernacle built in the Old Testament was designed to teach the Israelites and us about the holiness of God. (We’ll discuss more about the Tabernacle in a later lesson. However, if you’re interested look it up in Exodus chapters 25-30).

C. The cross is the supreme declaration and revelation of God’s holiness. (Jesus dying for us that we can be reconciled back to God).
God’s holiness shows us the necessity of atonement. It shows
that without the shedding of blood there is NO forgiveness of sin. God’s holiness demands an atonement for sin.

D. The purpose of the biblical revelation of God’s holiness is to teach us how to approach God. We must approach Him with ’reverence and Godly fear’ at all times.

Scriptures to read: Exodus 34; Isaiah 40:25; 1 Peter 1:16; Habakkuk 1:13; John 17:11; Acts 4:27; Acts 3:4

**We will never have a knowledge of how sinful we are until and unless we realize just how holy our God is.

Next time:
Moral Attribute 2: The Righteousness of God

Study of Great Bible Truths – Lesson 6

Posted on Mar 4, 2020 in Study of Great Bible Truths |

Review from last Lesson: God is Spirit, He is infinite, He is all-powerful and He is all knowing. God is one in unity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

The Attributes of God.

1. What are some of the attributes of God’s Personality?

A. God is eternal– He is without beginning and without ending Psalm 102:25

B. God does not change- ‘I am that I am’ means I am always the same.

C. God is present everywhere– Psalm 139

D. God is all knowing– He has a complete knowledge of

everything. Matthew 10:29, Hebrews 4:13.

E. God is all-wise– He does all things well.

F. God is all– powerful– God tells us what He is going to do, then He does it. And He gives us commands about what we are to do. There is nothing higher or better than God.

** The Glory of God is the biblical way of describing His greatness, His splendor, and His majesty.

Next time: The Moral Attributes of God

Study of Great Bible Truths – Lesson 5

Posted on Feb 27, 2020 in Study of Great Bible Truths |

Review from last Lesson: We start our study of Biblical Truths with God, because He is the creator and sustainer of all things.

The Essential Nature of God’s being.

1. Describe the essential nature of God’s being.

Answer: (a)God is infinite. He is free from restrictions and all bounds. He has no limitations. (b)God is a Spirit, therefore He cannot be discerned by the bodily senses. © God is omnipresent. He is everywhere at the same time. (d)God is omniscient (all knowing), € God is omnipotent (all-powerful), (f)God is a Personality with a mind, intelligence, will, reason, and individuality and (g)God is one in Unity; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Revelation is God showing Himself in order that we may know Him, in order that we may worship Him, in order that we may have fellowship with Him. Unless we understand what the Bible tells us about God, our worship can never be real.

Next time: The Attributes of God

Until then:

John 23:24 ‘But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshiper will worship the Father in Spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.’

Study of Great Bible Truths – Lesson 4

Posted on Feb 20, 2020 in Study of Great Bible Truths |

Review from last Lesson: The Bible is the full and final authority in all matters involving the revelation of God.

The KNOWLEDGE OF GOD

*** The knowledge of God comes before any particular blessing that we may desire from Him.

1. Why do we start with God?

Answer: We start with the truth about God because He is God, and if we put anything or anyone before Him we are dishonoring Him. According to Scripture, no one can believe in God without faith, without the inward work of the Holy Spirit. Hebrews 11:6-’ And without faith, it is impossible to please God, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him’.

2. Can we understand God completely?

Answer: No, God cannot be completed comprehended or understood by man. We can never know Him fully. However, He can be known. The knowledge of God is not complete, but the Bible gives us enough information to lead us to worship and glorify Him.

3. Why should we come to Know God?

Answer: We should desire to come to know God that we might worship Him as our creator and sustainer in the earth. We must approach God with reverence and godly fear for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:28-29.

Next time….The Essential Nature of God’s Being

Study of Great Bible Truths – Lesson 3

Posted on Feb 12, 2020 in Study of Great Bible Truths |

Review of Last Lesson: We discussed how God has revealed Himself in nature and creation, and how He made appearances and spoke directly to men, performed signs and wonders, spoke to men in dreams and inspired men to write His Holy Word.

The Authority of Scripture

*** The ultimate end and object of all who are concerned about the Christian Faith is to KNOW GOD.

1. Where does the Bible get Its authority?

We cannot arrive at God by our own efforts. God must reveal Himself to us. He has done so by His infinite grace and kindness in the Bible. The Bible is the record of God’s revelation of Himself. The Bible claims to be God’s Word. It claims to be divinely inspired and its authority is based on that!

(See Deuteronomy 18:18, 2nd Timothy 3:16, 2nd Peter 1:20-21).

2. How should we view the Bible?

We must agree to grasp the Bible as our FULL and FINAL Authority in all matters of revelation about God. We must accept truths where we cannot understand them and fully explain them. If we could understand God we would be equal to Him. God has revealed everything He wants to reveal to us, and everything that is good for us to know in the Bible.

3. What should we do about the Bible?

We must submit ourselves not only to the authority of the Bible, but also to the guidance, the inspiration and the illumination of the Holy Spirit. We must never arrive at any conclusion from Scripture which makes us contradict something that is stated in Scripture. We must always compare Scripture with Scripture.

Next time… Where do we start?

We must always start with God.

Study of Great Bible Truths – Lesson 2

Posted on Feb 6, 2020 in Study of Great Bible Truths |

Review of Last Lesson: We discussed how God has revealed Himself in

2 ways:

General Revelation and Special Revelation

1. What are the ways God reveals Himself in General Revelation?

God has revealed Himself through (1) Creation and Nature. Everything that has been made is in itself a revelation of God. ( See Acts: 15,17; Acts 17:24; Romans 1:19-20 and Psalm 19:1. (2) God has revealed Himself through the ordering of things in the world, the fact that everything keeps going (examples: life and death, the seasons of the year, sunrise, sunset, etc.) and (3) God has revealed Himself through History.

2. What are the ways God reveals Himself in Special Revelation?

The Bible is God’s Special Revelation of Himself. In the Bible:

(1) God made appearances to men (Moses– Exodus 33 and Gideon Judges 6).

(2) God spoke directly to men and women (Adam and Eve– Genesis 3; Abraham—Genesis 12; and Moses– Exodus 31).

(3) God performed miracles, signs and wonders ( Examples– A Donkey talks– Numbers 22:22-30; Parting of the Red Sea( Exodus 14); The Birth of Isaac (Genesis 21); and the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 24).

(4) God spoke to people in visions and dreams ( Examples: Joseph, son of Jacob, Genesis 37; and Joseph, husband of Mary, Mother of Jesus( Matthew 1:18-25).

(5) God spoke through inspiration to the writers of the Scripture. God inspired men to write the Bible. Sixty-six books were written over a period of 1600 years by over 40 authors, yet the entire Bible is united in its presentation of one theme: God’s Plan of Redemption of Mankind. In the Old Testament it is the Hope of the Messiah and in the New Testament it is Jesus Christ and Him crucified (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Next Lesson: Can We Believe the Bible? The Authority of the Bible.

Until next time… ‘Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed,rightly handling the Word of Truth.’ 2 Timothy 2:15 (English Standard Version—ESV)

To Be Continue…..