QC and small group accountability (12/9/16)
Today Joshua semi-led the cell. I had thought my oral surgery today would incapacitate me but it turned out not to be the case :)
We first mentioned how when faced with morally ambiguous choices we need to have a body of life experience and Scriptural knowledge that we can quickly and automatically draw on so that we can make right decisions. This is the equivalent of being spiritually wise. The author of the book "The DNA of D6) calls this a "biblical worldview" - "the unconscious intellectual ability to make decisions, render value judgements, and form opinions from Scripture without deliberation", a "second-nature way" of responding.
Grace then shared about her experience encountering a sense of spiritual discomfort during her recent homestay in Vietnam. This then led to discussion on demonic/Satanic influence on Christians, where we said that Christians can be influenced or deceived (Peter in Mt 16:23, Ananias and Sapphira in Ac 5:3) or oppressed and disturbed (Paul's thorn in the flesh, 2 Co 12:7). Satan can kill (Mt 10:28), either directly (Job 1) or indirectly, through his agents (e.g. Judas). And yet he cannot cause us to lose our salvation (Jn 10:28), and he must always seek God's permission before he afflicts us. God's power and wisdom will always be superior to his.(1 Jn 4:4). This should reassure us and give us confidence when we encounter overt spiritual warfare, which is unseen but all around us (Eph 6:11).
We shared our experiences on sleep paralysis and noted that there were times we discerned that it was a purely physical phenomenon (e.g. when very tired), but also times when there was clearly an element of demonic oppression.
Dreams in the Bible are given to tell the future and to give direction, sometimes even to non-believers.We interpret spiritual experiences such as dreams, visions and prophecies with care, because these can deceive Jude 1:8), and spiritual gifts are imperfect (1 Co 13). We must therefore not rely alone on our feelings about what is shown or told us, but test all these things (1 Jn 4:1, 1 Thes 2:4) with Scripture. Also, because we know that the same Spirit dwells inside all believers, we should seek for confirmation from more than one source. There should be a subjective impression as well, since we who are Christ's sheep should know His voice (Jn (Jn 10:4, 27).
We first mentioned how when faced with morally ambiguous choices we need to have a body of life experience and Scriptural knowledge that we can quickly and automatically draw on so that we can make right decisions. This is the equivalent of being spiritually wise. The author of the book "The DNA of D6) calls this a "biblical worldview" - "the unconscious intellectual ability to make decisions, render value judgements, and form opinions from Scripture without deliberation", a "second-nature way" of responding.
Grace then shared about her experience encountering a sense of spiritual discomfort during her recent homestay in Vietnam. This then led to discussion on demonic/Satanic influence on Christians, where we said that Christians can be influenced or deceived (Peter in Mt 16:23, Ananias and Sapphira in Ac 5:3) or oppressed and disturbed (Paul's thorn in the flesh, 2 Co 12:7). Satan can kill (Mt 10:28), either directly (Job 1) or indirectly, through his agents (e.g. Judas). And yet he cannot cause us to lose our salvation (Jn 10:28), and he must always seek God's permission before he afflicts us. God's power and wisdom will always be superior to his.(1 Jn 4:4). This should reassure us and give us confidence when we encounter overt spiritual warfare, which is unseen but all around us (Eph 6:11).
We shared our experiences on sleep paralysis and noted that there were times we discerned that it was a purely physical phenomenon (e.g. when very tired), but also times when there was clearly an element of demonic oppression.
Dreams in the Bible are given to tell the future and to give direction, sometimes even to non-believers.We interpret spiritual experiences such as dreams, visions and prophecies with care, because these can deceive Jude 1:8), and spiritual gifts are imperfect (1 Co 13). We must therefore not rely alone on our feelings about what is shown or told us, but test all these things (1 Jn 4:1, 1 Thes 2:4) with Scripture. Also, because we know that the same Spirit dwells inside all believers, we should seek for confirmation from more than one source. There should be a subjective impression as well, since we who are Christ's sheep should know His voice (Jn (Jn 10:4, 27).
Comments
Post a Comment