Class Notes and Questions for December 23, 2007

Hello All!

I am very excited about this Sunday. While we will have many gone on trips I am sure we will have visitors as well. Please pray for those both new to the area as well as those visiting. Coming closer to God is not just ‘good’ or ‘important’ at this time of year, it is fundamental to the type of life we live now and forever. I pray to the Lord thanksgiving for each of you and what you mean to Kenna and I and our family. It is a true blessing from God our father that you all are our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Please note we will be finishing Philemon this week. Verses 23 to 25 will be our key verses. If you were unable to be with us last week please do read through the first 22 verses. If you need your name added to the class email list please let us know your email address this Sunday and we will add it.

So, class notes and questions for this week:

Read Philemon 23-25 –

What stands out as the most important item for these verses?

Read Philemon 23 again out loud –

Is Epaphrus a prisoner? Of what?

What does it mean to ‘send greetings’?

Who are these greetings sent to? (See v1-3)

Read Philemon 24 –

Who is Mark? What is Mark’s occupation/job?
Who is Aristarchus? What is his occupation/job?
Who is Demas? What is his occupation/job?
Who is Luke? What is his occupation/job?

How is Paul a fellow worker of each of these people? What work is it that he is talking about?


Read Philemon 25 –

Write this entire verse down (do it slowly) and think about each word separately as you write it.


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What is Grace?

Why does Paul call out Jesus Christ as ‘Lord’? Why can or should He be called that? Read Hebrews 1:5-13, 3:1-6, Luke 5:24, Luke 1:32-33, Matthew 8:26, John 7:28, John 3:18, John 8:19, Luke 10:17-18, Revelation 1:5-6, Hebrews 7:26-28, John 1:1-18

What is ‘Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ’? Is there a difference between this and generally ‘grace’?


What does it mean to ‘be with your spirit’? Read Hebrews 10:22-24


In Summary –

What is it that Paul told Philemon and what did he appeal to him about? What attitude should Philemon have and why?

How should we treat, understand, accept, other Christian brothers/sisters?

What is it that Christ told YOU and what did He appeal to you about?

Do you have ‘the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ’ in ‘your spirit’? How do you know?

What circumstances are you in right now? In prison? A Slave? A rich aristocrat? A fraud? A doctor? A minister? An apostle? All of these are in Philemon. All of these are called and encouraged to be ‘fellow workers in Christ’. What is holding you back?

We will begin ‘Experiencing God’ on January 6, 2008. Please do the following:

Pray for the study to be fully glorifying our Lord and specifically that nothing would hinder people coming closer to the Lord or being saved through this study.
Pray for the Lord to guide you through the study and lean on Him for understanding and a willing heart.
Pray for the Lord to lead you to anyone that He would like to be there. If you know someone or
Pick up a book this week or next if you haven’t already. Pray over the material a look through it ahead of time.

We celebrate the savior’s birth and the fulfilling of over 300 prophecies next week. Let us not forget this week that it was Christ himself that told us He must come as a man to fulfill and show us the HE IS GOD. “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.” (Luke 24:44). He, in one man, fulfilled that 1 in 83 Billion chance that all these prophecies would be fulfilled. Praise to the Lord for again showing us He is sovereign throughout the ages.

Have a wonderful week in praising Him,

Andrew