Bible Study - Class meets on Thursday from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM CST.

[LadyLionness]

18 Hnub tom qab thaum sawv ntxov, Yexus taug kev rov mus rau tom lub nroog, nws tshaib plab.  19 Nws pom ib tsob txiv ncuavpias nyob ntawm ntug kev, nws txawm mus saib, tiamsis tsis pom muaj txiv li, tsuas muaj nplooj xwb. Yexus hais rau tsob ntoo hais tias, "Txij no mus koj yuav tsis tau txi txiv ib zaug li lawm!" Tamsim ntawd tsob txiv ncuavpias txawm cia li qhuav lawm.  20 Thaum cov thwjtim pom li ntawd lawv xav tsis thoob thiab hais tias, "Ua li cas tsob txiv ncuavpias no yuav tuag sai ua luaj li ntawd? "  21 Yexus teb hais tias, "Kuv qhia tseeb rau nej hais tias, yog nej ntseeg tiag tiag, neJ yeej muaj cuabkav ua tau ib yam li kuv ua rau tsob txiv ncuavpias no. Tsis tas li ntawd xwb, yog nej hais rau lub roob no hais tias, 'Cia li txav lawm nram dej hiavtxwv,' ces lub roob yeej yuav mus raws li nej hais.  22 Yog nej ntseeg tiag, nej thov yam twg, nej yuav tau yam ntawd."

[reAP]

Hi K,
Someone with username, Hmong-Everything, needs your help.

[LadyLionness]

 Matthew 21:18-22 Discussion

So, why did Jesus curse the fig tree?  This was not a thoughtless, angry act, but an acted-out parable.  Jesus was showing his anger at religion without substance.  Just as the fig tree looked good from a distance but was fruitless at close examinatioin, so the Temple looked impressive at first glance, but its sacrifices and other activities were hollow because they were not done to worship God sincerely.  If you only appear to have fiath without putting it to work in your life, you are like the fig tree that withered and died because it bore no fruit.  Genuine faith means bearing fruit for God's Kingdom. 


Fig trees, a poplular source of inexpensive food in Israel, require three years from the time they areplanted until they can bear fruit.  Each tree yields a great amount of fruit twice a year, in late spring and in early autumn.  This incident occurred early in the spring fig season when the leavers were beginning to bud.  The figs normally grow as the leaves fill out, but this tree, though full of leaves, had none.  The tree looked promising but offered no fruit.  Jesus' harsh words compared the nation of Israel to the fig tree.  Fruitful in appearnce only, Israel was spiritually barren.



In today's Hmong Christian lives, I also see this play out as well.  Hmong people by nature and discipline are kind and generous people, so from the outside and to the community, the "look" like Christians... however, their heart - what God really looks at - may not be at the right place.  So, as a Hmong Christian, make sure that your actions matches the motives of your heart.

[LadyLionness]

Hi, reAP.  Thanks.  Can you copy the link of the thread and PM it to me?  Thanks!

[LadyLionness]

Matthew 21:18-22 Discussion

Many have wondered about Jesus' statement that if we have faith and don't doubt, we can move mountains.  Jesus, of course, was not suggesting that his followers use prayers as "magic" and perform capricious mountain-moving acts.  Instead, he was making a strong point about the disciples' (and our) lack of faith.  What kinds of mountains do you face?  Have you talked to God about them?  How strong is your faith? 

[LadyLionness]

Matthew 21:18-22 Discussion

This is not a guarantee that we can get anything we want simply by asking Jesus and believing.  God does not grant requests that would hurt us or others or that violate his own nature or will.  Jesus' statement is not a blank check.  To be fulfilled, our requests must be in harmony with the principles of God's Kingdom.  the stronger our belief, the more likely our prayers will be in line with God's will, and then God will be happy to grant them.

[LadyLionness]

Lord,

Thank you for your day and your love.  I pray that as each of us go about our day, we will reflect on your words, and seek to live a life of fruitfulness.  May we learn from the example of the fig tree, that not only should be we full of leaves, to be also bear fruit.  Father, may we live a life that is not misleading to others by our appearances and doing things that would seem as if we are living spiritual hypocrisy and fruitlessness. 

Father, help us to remember that whether we want others to watch us or not, many are watching us to see what we are going to do or not do... how we behave and how we treat others.  Lord, may our words and actions be edifying to others and may they glorify your name.

All this I pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

[LadyLionness]

September 25, 2013

Dear Lord,

Please with us today as we study your words.  Open our hearts, eyes and mind so that we can understand and learn the lesson that you want to teach us.  Father, be with us and help us to understand.  All this I ask for in the name of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, Amen.

[LadyLionness]

 Matthew 21:23-27; Matthew 21:37 (New Century Version)
  23 Jesus went to the Temple, and while he was teaching there, the leading priests and the older leaders of the people came to him. They said, "What authority do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?" 24 Jesus answered, "I also will ask you a question. If you answer me, then I will tell you what authority I have to do these things. 25 Tell me: When John baptized people, did that come from God or just from other people?" They argued about Jesus' question, saying, "If we answer, 'John's baptism was from God,' Jesus will say, 'Then why didn't you believe him?' 26 But if we say, 'It was from people,' we are afraid of what the crowd will do because they all believe that John was a prophet." 27 So they answered Jesus, "We don't know." Jesus said to them, "Then I won't tell you what authority I have to do these things.

[LadyLionness]

The pharisees asked, "By what authority are You doing these things?" 

"These things" refers to both His public teaching and miracles.  They may have also had in mind His act of cleansing the temple on the day before.  That incident was the second time Jesus had cleansed the temple.  The first time he did it, John 2:14-16 tells us that the temple officials confronted Jesus immediately afterward.  However, in this second cleansing, there was no mention of any such confrontation.  Instead, Jesus addressed all who were present and made it into an occasion for public teaching.

[LadyLionness]

They were forced to acknowledge that He had some source of indisputable authority.  His miracles were too obvious and too numerous to be fraudulent.  Even His teaching was with such force and clarity that it was obvious to all that thee was authority in His words.  Matthew 7:29 stated that "for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes."  What this means was that the scribes quoted others to establish the authority of their teachings;  Jesus was His own authority.  This matter of authority was a major issue between Jesus and the Jews, who felt their authority challenged.

[LadyLionness]

In Jesus' world, as in ours, people looked for the outward sign of authority - education, title, position, connections.  But Jesus' authority came from who he was, not from any outward and superficial trappings.  As followers of Christ, God has given us authority - we con confidently speak and act on his behalf because he has authorized us.  Are you exercising your authority?

[LadyLionness]

The Pharisees demanded to know where Jesus got his authority.  If Jesus said His authority came from God, they would accuse Him of blasphemy.  If he said he acted on his own authority, the crowds would be convinced that the Pharisees had the greater authority.  But Jesus answer them with a seemingly unrelated answer to their question; they only wanted to trap him.  Jesus showed that the Pharisees wanted the truth ONLY if it supported their own views and causes.

[LadyLionness]

Jesus caught the Jewish leaders in their own trap.  they had no doubt hoped that he would answer by asserting this authority came directly from God (as he had many time before).  they then accused him of blasphemy and used the chard as an excuse to kill him - as they had also attempted to do before. 

Here, however, he asked a question that placed them in an impossible dilemma, because John was widely revered by the people.  They could not affirm John's ministry without condemning themselves.  And if they denied John's legitimacy, they feared the response of people.  In effect, jesus exposed their own lack of any authority to examine Him.

[LadyLionness]

The pharisees were afraid that if they say that John's ministry was from God, then Jesus would ask them, "Why then did you not believe him?"

John had clearly testified that Jesus was the Messiah.  If John was a prophet whose words were true, they ought to believe his testimony about Christ.  On the other hand, it would have been political folly for the Pharisees to attack the legitimacy of John the Baptist or deny his authority as a prophet of God.  John was enormously popular with the people, and a martyr at the hands of the despised Herod.  For the Pharisees to question John's authority was to attack a national hero, and they knew better than that.  So they pleaded ignorance.