Reader220 Bible Study : Volume 1 Lesson 4 Obey

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Volume 1 Lesson 4 Obey

Lesson 4 Obey

A Story of Obedience
Numbers 13
Numbers 14

The following is a block quote from New Song Christian Fellowship:

"The Definition of Obedience

What does it mean to obey?

Read 1 John 2:3-6

To “obey” means to follow a command or guidance of another, or to conform or comply with the directives of another. Just as the practice of obedience is critical to the success and safety of a military unit, obeying the commands of the Lord is critical to the safety and success of His entire people. However, understanding the full meaning of obedience is more than just outward actions or behavior. It engages your heart and mind. God says that what He had in His mind for you, from the beginning, is that your life would be patterned after the image of His son, Jesus.

“Obey” in the original Greek language is the word "Hupakouo," which means to listen to something, hearken, give heed to and follow. It is the manifestation of one's faith in doing what is commanded in the Bible and denotes a continuous submission to the will of God. To obey is two-fold: it is both to hear the Lord and to do what He is asking you to do.

In the middle ages, a Latin word that came from the root word “obey” is the word “obeisance.” This was used to describe a posture of humility and an attitude of the heart that a common person would render to a king. “Obeisance” was closely associated with the concept of worship. You do not merely obey what the Lord says in your actions, but you intentionally conform your thinking to His way in your mind, rendering your heart humbly before Him because of who He is. To “obey” is to follow the commands and guidance of the Lord in your heart, mind and actions, so that He is seen through your life." Disciples Handbook Vol 1, New Song Christian Fellowship [1]

John 15:9-17
Romans 8:293 4
John 14:23-24
Philippians 2:8
Hebrews 13:17
John 14:26
John 14:23-26
John 14:23-26

“The cross is laid on every Christian. It begins with the call to abandon the attachments of this world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of his encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with His death... we give over our lives to death. Since this happens at the beginning of the Christian life, the cross can never be merely a tragic ending to an otherwise happy religious life. When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die. It may be a death like that of the first disciples who had to leave home and work to follow Him, or it may be a death like Luther's, who had to leave the monastery and go out into the world. But it is the same death every time... death in Jesus Christ, the death of the old man at His call. That is why the rich young man was so loath to follow Jesus, for the cost of his following was the death of his will. In fact, every command of Jesus is a call to die, with all our affections and lusts. But we do not want to die, and therefore Jesus Christ and His call are necessarily our death and our life.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

[2]

Start Your New Life Today

“The natural people – those whose minds have not been enlightened by the Holy Spirit – scoff at us. What we do doesn't always seem logical to them. But then, who says our actions have to be logical? The Bible tells us the natural or carnal mind doesn't understand spiritual things (see 1 Corinthians 2:14). Too often, we push aside thoughts, saying, ‘This doesn't make sense,’ and we actually ignore divine guidance. It's true of course, the devil can flood our minds with wild thoughts that we do need to ignore, but if we pray and open ourselves to the Spirit, we soon know the difference. This is an important principle of obedience we must grasp: obeying instead of reasoning, or as one of my friends calls it, ‘The Nevertheless Principle.' She says sometimes she feels God leading her to do things that don't always make a lot of sense. When she hears herself expressing that sentiment, she quickly adds, ‘Nevertheless.’ Then she obeys. That is really all God asks of us: to obey instead of reasoning against something He is telling us to do. The best policy is to check with your spirit and see if you have peace rather than checking with your mind to see if what God is asking is reasonable.” Joyce Meyer [3]

"Just as a servant knows that he must first obey his master in all things, so the surrender to an implicit and unquestionable obedience must become the essential characteristic of our lives." Andrew Murray [4]

"Wicked men obey from fear; good men, from love."
Augustine [5]

Appendix / Bibliography

[1] Disciples Handbook:Volume 1 Copyright 2016 New Song Christian Fellowship published in Nashville TN by Crowned Image Publishing www crownedimage.com

[2] www.christianquotes.org, Dietrich Bonhoeffer - German Lutheran
Pastor/Theologian, 1906-1945

[3] Joyce Meyer, Start Your New Life Today, pages 118-119, FaithWords Hachette Group USA

[4] Andrew Murray http://christianquotes.org/author/quotes/51

[5]Augustine http://christianquotes.org/author/quotes/19/23/1

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