Participants 62
Discussion Questions
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Describe, in your own words, ways in which John’s gospel is different from the Synoptic Gospels. Why are these differences important? How would our view of the Christ’s life and work be different without the gospel of John?
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John chose to show where else the ministry of Jesus was especially every time Jesus traveled to Jerusalem. This lets us know that Jesus’ ministry was about three years. John wanted the readers to know about who Jesus was and he was the Messiah and Jesus manifested God’s glory and was sent to be the provision for our salvation. Only in John do you have the famous “I AM” statements and Jesus is saying that you must have faith in acknowledging that Jesus is who He says he is.
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The synoptic gospels share similar stories of the life of Jesus, where as John focuses on different areas of Jesus’ ministry; some different stories, different quotes, etc. It is important because we get to see things from a different perspective, we see more of what Jesus did and at different time frames. This gives us a more rounded picture of Jesus.
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John’s gospel records Jewish celebration which signifies the span of time of Jesus’ ministry. He also wrote stories about Jesus that the Synoptic Gospels did not cover. The differences are important because it gave a wider and more accurate perspective of the time Jesus spent on earth. We would not have a deeper understanding of Jesus’ identity without the gospel of John.
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John is much more of a reflective writer and chronologer of Jesus than the writer of the Synoptics. John gives multiple proofs of the deity of Jesus, important to counter the heresy of the day that continues into our time as well. But he also gives us glimpses of how people felt and interacted with Jesus, a beautiful picture of His humanity. This gives us a more complete picture of Jesus. Facts are fine, emotion is inviting. The 4 gospels will draw a seeker into the life of Jesus and then through the work of the Holy Spirit may become a child of God.
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It locates much of Jesus’s ministry in Judaea, and the synoptic gospels are based on the birth story of Jesus, and also John’s also faces on Christ as the eternal word which becomes flesh. Because they tell two different stories that tell about Jesus’s life Which can be used to encourage people to minister or just learn about what Jesus’s life was. It may not be so easy to understand because everything has place and it fits perfectly.
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What does Jesus say about wealth in the parables of the rich fool (Luke 12:13-21) and the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)? How can you apply this teaching to your life?
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The riches of earth will not save me. They provide temporary joy. True joy and peace comes from living a life that reflects Jesus’s.
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Jesus stressed about those who have no thought for God or those who does not repent. I need to recognize the true value of earthly riches compared to storing riches in Heaven.
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Wealth is powerful and to have it comes with great responsibility. To properly use it in the kingdom of God, you must decide it you own wealth or wealth owns you. If you are owned by wealth, you will fall into sins of greed, pride, arrogance, selfishness. To do so is to show contempt and disregard for the teaching of Jesus and the Kingdom of God, and that will result in serious, eternal consequences. If you own wealth, your commitment to the teachings of Jesus and the Kingdom of God will propel you to use it wisely to meet the needs of those with whom you may come in contact, to be an instrument in the hand of God to bless, which in turn will have lasting consequences as well, favorable in the kingdom. Salvation is not by works, but the calling of believers is to continue the work of Christ on earth during our lifetime.
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Don’t let money go to your head it can never give u as much joy then having a good relationship with God. Also don’t abuse it either because God gave you that He can quickly take it away. To be wise with what gives me and appreciate it.
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Wealth can be a distraction to following Jesus and it can become a god that might provide temporal security but it will not provide eternal salvation. Money is not evil in itself but how I deal with it as a commodity and whether I put my trust in it or God is the essential lesson I must learn and live by.