* Live Bible study held on the 20/6/22#

Bible study for 20/6/22
My name is Ajah Kelvin and this post is for yesterday's Bible study with Bro Eli .
For the purpose of better understanding,I would segment the post according to the teachings during the Bible study;
(A) How to study the bible
According to Bro Eli, studying the Bible is quite different from the way we study every other book. That the target isn't just to read through the book, but to read, meditate and internalize it(ie put it into our daily living) and this can only be achieved via the help of the Holy spirit because it's the Holy spirit that can teach us the word of God.
When studying the word of God, it's best to start from the New testament before proceeding to the old testament; this is because most of the new testaments were written in the old testament, most are the words of the Prophets in the old testament. The old testament formed most the basis for the teachings by the Apostles in the new testaments. It helps us not to be confused when we observed changes in the teachings of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Prophets in the old testament. The new testament teaches us that those changes in the law are expected since there is a change of priesthood ie from Moses to Jesus.

Hebrews 7:12
[12]For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

We get more refreshed studying the Bible study from the new testaments to the old testament.

(B) Keeping the family intact
There's no guarantee way of keeping the family intact other than teaching and installing the fear of God among members of the family. To fear God means to obey His Will and keep His commandments. It means to reveal God in our daily conducts by keeping His commandments.

Ecclesiastes 12:13
[13]Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

We have to live by the laws and there would be no broken home if we live according to the fear of God.
Parents owe God the responsibility to bring up their children in the fear of God and to do this, they must first learn and master the law before they can effectively instill it in their children.

Ephesians 6:1-4

[1]Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
[2]Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)
[3]That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
[4]And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord

Paul admonishing in 1Pt 1,:17,that wherever we find ourselves,that we should conduct ourselves in the fear of God.

1 Peter 1:17
[17]And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

(C) Does God decide the fate of man?

According to Gen 2:16-17, Adam was given the free choice to choose either to obey God's instructions or disobey and face the penalty. God always give us warning ahead of time of we fail to keep His commandments and this shows the love of God for us.

Genesis 2:16-17
[16]And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
[17]But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

We have to answer for the consequences of our decisions.
God has control of the fate of man if we are to obey His commandments but if we are to disobey God,then our destiny is going to depend on our actions.
2 Thessalonians 2:11-12
[11]And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
[12]That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Proverbs 16:9
[9]A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
Jeremiah 10:23
[23]O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.
James 4:7
[7]Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Philippians 2:13
[13]For it is God which worketh in you
both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

If we submit ourselves to God, then God would be more than willing to operate through us, He would guide us, but if I'm the contrary, He would allow us to go our own way, which is the way of prediction.

(D) Does God listen to Idol worshipers?
God doesn't listen to Idol worshipers. He has no business with them.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18
[14]Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
[15]And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
[16]And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
[17]Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
[18]And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Idols are just given glory due to the lost of the eyes because of what they are made up of ie silver, gold, etc. They lack the capacity to hear or talk.
Habakkuk 2:18-19
[18]What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?
[19]Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.
Psalms 115:4-8
[4]Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.
[5]They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not:
[6]They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:
[7]They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat.
[8]They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them.

(D) How can I overcome Addiction?
Any body can be addicted to drugs just as we can get adapted to anything.
Anything the body forcefully adapt to would eventually form addiction to it.

When the body is firstly exposed to something strange, it rejects it. But with continuous exposure to it, the body would try to adapt to it and eventually becomes addicted to it.

Addiction takes time to eliminate. It requires sacrifice and faith in God to get rid of addiction. The determination to follow the ways and personal sacrifice can help us come out of addiction. God can only help one that is in addition if he or she is willing to help him or herself

(E) Why do people die if there's God?
Only God is immortal and no other being.
1 Timothy 6:16
[16]Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
God has appointed for every man to die and after that comes judgement where we shall give account of our we have lived our lives on Earth.
Hebrews 9:27
[27]And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Acts 17:31
[31]Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

No man has the power to retain the Spirit when the day of appointment comes, we have no choice than to answer to it. We don't live on our own

Ecclesiastes 8:8
[8]There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.
Acts 17:28
[28]For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

Death is not necessarily something that is evil It's a way God uses to take us away from evil to come that we can't bear.
Isaiah 57:1
[1]The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.

Death teaches us of the existence of God.
Deuteronomy 32:39
[39]See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.

Other lessons from the teachings are;

1. The sufferings we see in the world today are already been told before now. They are happening because of our misdeeds.
   Deuteronomy 28:16-25
   [16]Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.
   [17]Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.
   [18]Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
   [19]Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
   [20]The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.
   [21]The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land,
   (2) Eating pork was only restricted by God to the Israelites when they were in the wilderness and not to everyone. Leviticus 11:2 and Gen 9:3 respectively, shows that Naoh and Abraham were allowed to eat all walking creature.
   When Jesus came, he pronounce everything cleanse and edible.
   1 Timothy 4:4-5
   [4]For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
   [5]For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
   (3) Evil spirit can possess those that are not born of God. but the Devil and his cohort can't touch those that are born of God.
   1 John 5:18
   [18]We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

In conclusion, friends may come and go but we need God in our daily lives.