Re-Fuel

Wow! This study has been a blast. We hope it has been a blessing to you. This week we will be studying Matthew 5:38-48 (Kingdom responses; Love of Enemy) . As we continue in this study we are going to give you bible study tools at each session to help you find what each teacher is finding in the text. In other words we want to teach you to feed yourself. Bible teachers are wonderful but in the end we need to take responsibility for our own study of the Word and make it a part of our life. That’s why we will be emailing you tips and resources so that you can go deeper in your personal study time. You may have been thinking during the study, ‘How did Bill find that in the text, I don’t see that. Well, here are some tools Bible study tools used:

IVP set of New Testament Dictionaries:
• Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels – Authors: Joel Green or Scot McKight or I. Howard Marshall
• Dictionary of The New Testament Background – Craig Evans or Stanley Porter
• Commentaries on Matthew by Craig Blomberg or Donald Hagner or Richard France or Donald Carson

Dallas Willard’s Divine Conspiracy
NT Dictionaries, NT Backgrounds, NT Surveys, NT Introductions, NT Theology; Commentaries on Matthew

Each week we will email you some questions to help you take the study to another level:
Questions from last two week’s:

Week #1
• Why do you think Jesus lowered the "bar" of access to the kingdom of the heavens?
• When the bible refers to the heavens, it is referring to it 3 ways: The 1st heaven is the space around your ears, the air you breathe. The 2nd heaven is the sun, moon, stars, atmosphere, etc.. The 3rd heaven is the dwelling place of God, the “other realm”, what does this mean to you and how you live?
• If the "blessed are..." categories and aren't necessarily qualities to aspire to, then how are we to live?
• When Jesus tells us that we are to be act as preservatives and illuminators in our world (family, job, neighborhood) what is he calling you to do with that declaration?

Week #2
• Is it ok for us to be angry, why or why not?
• Why did Jesus speak so much about how we ‘objectify’ things in our world?
• We either live in one of two the thoughts, we try to be holy by trying harder OR we know we are holy and then live, which are you and what impact does that have on your life?

We would love to hear from you. Let us know how this study is impacting you and what God is teaching you!!

In His Hands,

Patrick Detken
Pastor of Grow Ministries