2 I See, I Want, I Take – Discussion Starters
- Drunk with the love of money. Do you agree with the lesson author that materialism runs rampant throughout God’s remnant church? What is the basic ploy or strategy the devil uses to make materialism a tool to draw us away from service to God?
- The prosperity gospel. A friend of mine belongs to a popular church. Not long ago he said, “Oh, I don’t believe anything they teach. But I sure like them because they take good care of their members.” Good care? What is that? Food? Clothing? Good housing? Does God’s church have an obligation to keep faithful members from suffering from poverty? Do you think it’s easier to serve God if you are not facing hard times? Read Matthew 13:22 and discuss the spiritual meaning of this key text. What are the “cares of this world” and the “deceitfulness of riches”?
- The steps of covetousness. Imagine you are an unseen visitor in the Garden of Eden, watching and listening as Eve is tempted to sin. You see the three steps she took: (1) seeing the forbidden fruit; (2) wanting to eat the fruit; (3) taking the fruit in her hand and eating it. Which step is the easiest to take? Which is the hardest to resist? According to Paul, what role will selfishness and covetousness play in the final conflict?
- Greed–as easy as breathing. Do you remember when “window shopping” was great entertainment? How easy it is to feed your “greed” appetite while having fun looking at things you’d like to have? What can we do to help children in our lives resist the “greed impulse”? How did Judas demonstrate his dominating motive of greed? If Judas recognized his sin and its final effect, why didn’t he confess and start over? Have you ever struggled with greed? How did you conquer it?
- Self-control. What can you and I do to overcome or fend off our problems with self-control? Where does the lack of self-control inevitably lead us? “Go away for now,” Felix said to Paul, hoping to receive money from the apostle. Do all of us Christians lack full self-control? Are there ways we can help other church members by our example and encouragement to appreciate more fully the eternal value of self-control?
- Dealing with an obstreperous self. This lesson can discourage the most stalwart among us if we look at our shortcomings with honesty. What are some tips you can share to help a fellow Christian overcome the most tempting of our sins that are rooted in covetousness?
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Because I do not have all the facts and if we are the " remnant" church, a proper evaluation may not be accurate. We are individually responsible regardless of our affiliation. Our cultural tendencies have the greatest sway and thus as the lesson about materialism is the bulk of our problems, we search for meaningful answers. We are not immune.
Dealing with an obstreperous self.
Leviticus 6:9-13 “...Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering: It is the burnt offering, because of the burning upon the altar all night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be burning in it.And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire hath consumed with the burnt offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar. And he shall put off his garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place. And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings. The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out...”
Our experiences and emotions can sometimes be said to be a “burning”. Paul says we are to offer up ourselves as living sacrifices, lively stones that fit as a building , Christ’s Church. The war on “self” is very, very, very painful , it is a “Crucifixion” in the sense that as Christ told us to each take up the cross and follow Him, well at the end of that cross we carry is a total , very painful Crucifixion of the self, the “I” must die. We are creatures of comfort and no one wants pain, as we see our Lord in Gethsemane in agony He finally cries take this cup from me but not my will but thine O Father, Thy will be done! This planet has been called the place of sacrifice, here we learn, and finally graduate as Sons Of God and heirs to that Kingdom, but no one gains the crown of victory over sin without going through their own personal Gethsemane and Golgotha. The Father who saw His own Son, who spared not His Son on that Cross was also with Him when He sent a mighty angel to attend , and comfort Him in Gethsemane, is by each of us in our trials and temptations. It is not because God has forgotten , it is because we forget His promises in our Bibles, or we are so busy we never took time for some quiet to spend with Him daily.
"obstreperous" Definition - noisy and difficult to control
I have reached the age where people are likely to describe me as a cranky old man; which is a longer way of saying "obstreperous". It is an easy trap to fall into. We look at the church and we can see all the things that are wrong with it and sometimes we get a bit noisy thinking that they should listen to us with all our wisdom and experience. Sadly, the more noise you make, the less the younger generations listen to you.
Two things have helped me:
1) be a good listener.
2) show genuine interest in others.
I am glad for the two attributes that you share. When Christ is formed in us, these will be natural to us. Blessings.Galatians 4:19