New Testament post, Week 4

Choice 3: Matthew 14: 22-33 Walk on the Sea

1.      Review Matthew 14:22-33. Identify in writing what the reaction of the apostles was when they first saw the Savior walking on the water toward them.

a.       " And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear."

b.      They were scared because he was walking on water. They thought he must have been some kind of spirit or ghost.

2.      What did Peter's response indicate about him?

a.       "And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus."

b.      Peter must have had SO MUCH faith to know that if it really was the Savior who beckoned him that he could walk on water. From the beginning he didn't doubt. He simply knew he could. That is pretty impressive to me.

3.      According to Matthew 14:30, why did Peter begin to sink?

a.       " But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me."

b.      He began to sink because he was afraid. :(

4.      What did peter do when he began to sink? What word in the verses describes the expediency or the timing when Jesus responded to Peter's request?

a.       " he cried, saying, Lord, save me."

b.      " And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand"

c.       The second Peter started to sink, he called on the Lord and the Lord IMMEDIATELY reached out to save him.

5.      Read D&C 88:67. Write a paragraph describing what principle from this verse relates to what Peter did to successfully walk on the water. How can this same principle be applied to your life to assist you in walking over the storms of life?

a.       "And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things."

b.      When Peter was able to walk on the water successfully it was because there wasn't a shred of fear in him. He was focused on the Savior and because of that, there wasn't a chance of him failing. There was no darkness because his whole soul was filled with light. I think something that is important to remember as we look at the D&C verse is that when our bodies are filled with light, there is no room for darkness in us. Peter fell because he was afraid. Fear=darkness. Personally, this is something I NEED to apply more often. I am terrified of the idea of getting married again, or even dating someone because I am scared of being hurt and abused again. Yet that fear is what is preventing me from being filled with light. I can't have my eye single to the Lords glory when I am afraid. I have known this for a while, yet it is much more difficult to vanquish fear than it is to say we must do it. I would appreciate your thoughts. How do you get rid of fear? What is that process? I am not talking about small little nervous. I am talking about a deep rooted fear that has almost become the core of who I am. Like they say in The Croods, "Fear keeps us alive." That is very much how I have felt. Fear of being trapped and mistreated has kept me out of relationships which might trap and mistreat me. It has kept me alive, but Fear isn't as good at watching out for my welfare as the Savior is.....so how do I turn it over to him? How can I even find every shred of fear in me to let it all out?

Class posts - Parables

Parables

My Definition: A parable is a story that contains a deeper truth than is easily apparent in the simple story. Parables are effective because the listener understands the story at their own level. Someone who isn't religious at all may only see the simple face value story, while a gospel scholar might see a deep valuable essential piece of gospel truth.

1. What describes the future growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? 
• Matthew 13: 47-50 - Gospel Net
2. Why does the Church send out so many missionaries? 
• Matthew 13: 47-50 - Gospel Net
3. How do you explain the remarkable growth of the Church, considering that it is fairly new compared to most world religions and started small in the American frontier? 
• Matthew 13: 31-33 - Mustard Seed
4. Why are some members of the Church willing to sacrifice so much worldly wealth and recognition in order to maintain membership in the Church? 
• Matthew 13: 44-46 - Treasure and pearl of great price
5. Why do some Church members choose to leave the Church?
• Matthew 13: 24-30 - Tares

Considering the parables of the treasure and the pearl of great price (see Matthew 13:44–46), what sacrifices would you be willing to make to obtain the treasure of the gospel? What sacrifices have you or those you know already made for the gospel?

I am willing to sacrifice and do sacrifice my time and tithing, my talents, as well as the "natural man" desires I have. I know people who have sacrificed their relationship with their family for the gospel, and I feel lucky that I haven't had to make sacrifices like that. For me, my sacrifice was more in the effort it took to gain my testimony. I once knew without a doubt, and then had a crisis of faith and had to start back at ground zero to determine what I actually believed. Each little nugget I gain a testimony of again by studying and prayer is a blessing in my life. 

What does the net represent in the parable of the net cast into the sea? (See Matthew 13:47). What does it mean to be gathered into the net? What is represented by the action of gathering the good into vessels and casting the bad away? (See Matthew 13:48–50).

The net is the kingdom of heaven and the gathering of the good into the vessels and casting the bad away is talking about the last days and the final judgment. 

Beatitudes - New Testament class notes

·         Footnote

o   The Latin BEATUS is the basis of the English "beatitude", meaning "to be fortunate", "to be happy" or "to be blessed". TG Blessings

·         Define Blessed or Blessedness

o   Blessed in this context means that one will enjoy pure joy.

·         Blessed are:

o     the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

§  “those who are spiritually needy, who feel so impoverished spiritually that they reach out with great yearning for help”

o    they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

§  “they that mourn” relates to those who mourn over their sins: 

§  I never realized that this one meant those who mourn over sin, but if that is the case, I can relate. I have felt the sorrow, guilt, grief and pain that comes from sin and the relief or comfort that comes from the healing and cleansing power of the atonement.

o    the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

§  “Godfearing, righteous, humble, teachable, and patient under suffering. The meek are willing to follow gospel teachings”

o    they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

§  The Greek word that was translated as “filled” also means “to feed or fatten an animal in a stall” and connotes the idea of eating until completely satisfied. 

o    the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

§  This is one of the many times the Savior taught that the way we treat others affects how God will treat us

§  I had a super special and sacred experience with this one. Learning how to forgive my ex for not being present in my children's life was an all consuming project for months, and finally I learned how and it has to do with Mercy. I can't expect to have mercy for my sins if I want and expect someone else to be held accountable for theirs. We are all sinners and all need mercy too much to demand that someone else gets justice. It is enough that someone already paid that price and that he can heal all wounds.

o    the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

§  If something is pure, it is not polluted or tainted by things which do not belong to it.

o    the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

§  I love this one. My parents emphasize this for us when we were growing up as irritable teenagers that were always at each other's throats. A peace maker is someone who tries to make everything right after or during contention, even if someone else is the source of that contention. I feel like I almost error on the side of too much for this one. It is good to be a peace maker, but that doesn't mean to be a doormat either.

o    they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

o    ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Samaritan Woman at the Well

Blog post two
(Another post for my New Testament class)
Today I am studying about the Samaritan Woman at the well. The bible dictionary teaches us that Samaritans weren't liked by the Jews because they were part Israelite and part gentile and their religion was also mixed. " though they claimed, as worshippers of Jehovah, to have a share in the rebuilding of the temple at Jerusalem. This claim not being allowed, they became, as the books of Ezra and Nehemiah show, bitter opponents of the Jews, and started a rival temple of their own on Mount Gerizim." This feud caused problems and discontent between both parties. They usually avoided talking to each other if they could, yet Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for water, which was a huge shock for her.
Yet, I love this about the savior. He is fair. He loves all of us and every human soul will be treated equally. We will all be held accountable for our sins. We will all be welcome into God's kingdom if we come unto the Savior and allow his atonement to cleanse our souls.
Because of the issues between the Jews and the Samaritans, it would have been hard for the disciples to go and preach to the Samaritans later had they not already seen the Savior talking to this Samaritan women.
 The Savior speaks of Living Water. When he talks about living water, he is referring to the joy that the Gospel brings into our lives.
1. What words and phrases in John 4:9-30 indicate that the woman's' attitude toward Jesus Christ changed?
a. I think one of the things that changed her attitude was the discussion of the living water and how after drinking of it, she would never thirst again.
b. I think when Jesus called her out on her husband situation it also made a huge difference in her attitude change. She realized there was something special about him because he knew things about her that he simply shouldn't have known.
c. I think those two things shifted her opinion enough that she could accept that he was Jesus Christ, the Savior.
2. What did she finally come to understand about Jesus Christ?
a. She finally came to understand that Jesus Christ was the Savior.
3. What caused the woman's attitude toward Jesus Christ to change?
a. (See number 1)
4. What did she do after she understood who he really was? What was the result?
a. She went to the village and told them Men who was at the well and sent them to him. The result was that they came to know and believe that he was the Savior as well.
5. How has your testimony of Jesus Christ progressed over the years as you have come to know him better? What has caused your testimony to deepen? What responsibility do you have because of what you know about the Savior?
a. I have come to rely on the Savior in a way I never thought possible over the last 3 years since becoming divorced. I have learned that he is the rock that will never abandon me. I have learned that his atonement can help me avoid sin as well as cleanse my soul when I do sin. His atonement can heal my broken heart as well as the hearts of my children. Knowing this means that I have a responsibility to teach my children about his grace and mercy as well as the people around me.
6. What was the effect on the community of the woman's encounter with Jesus (John 4 :39-41)
a. They asked him to stay and he did for 2 days and he taught them and afterwards they knew also that he was the Savior. They were converted to his gospel.

New Testament Assignment

In my new testament class we had an assignment with various options to share what we had learned and one was to post it to our blog. This is what I learned from this assignment.

Choice 4: Luke 1:39–45; 2:8–38; Matthew 2:1–18. Others Who Learned of the Birth of Jesus Christ

1. Fill in the chart below as you study the scriptures indicated:

Who	How they learned about the Savior	What they knew about the Savior	What they did with their knowledge
Elisabeth (Luke 1:39-45)	Mary came to visit her and when she heard Mary's voice John leaped inside her womb	She knew that he was her Lord.	She had Mary Stay with her for several months. She also raised a son that prepared the way for the savior.
Shepherds (Luke 2:8-18)	An angel appeared to them as well as a heavenly choir.	They knew he was a savior and that he was their Lord.	They HASTENED to go see him and be allowed to meet him.
Simeon (Luke 2:25-35)	The Holy Ghost revealed to him that he would not die before he had seen the Savior.	He knew that Jesus was his salvation and that the Lord had prepared him before the face of all people. that he was a light unto the gentiles.	He told everyone around him of the miracle of Jesus and who the child was.
Anna (Luke 2:36-38)	She was a prophetess who spent her time at the temple.	She knew similar things to what Simeon knew	She told the people who looked for redemption to look to Christ.
Wise Men (Matthew 2:1-12)	They saw a new star and knew that it was meant for the king of the Jews. They know because of the writings of the prophets.	They knew that he would be the ruler of the people of Israel and the savior	They brought him gifts and they saved his life by listening to a prompting to not return to Herod.
Herod (Matthew 2:1-18)	He found out about Jesus from the Wise men, the chief priests and the scribes	He worried that Jesus would take over as ruler of his people/land	He tried to have Jesus killed and instead killed all the other male children around that age.
Chief Priests (Matthew 2:1-6)	They knew because of the scriptures	They knew that he was in Bethlehem and that he would be a governor to rule the people of Israel.	They told Herod a general place to look for the savior.
Nephites (3 Nephi 1:12-22)	They knew because the prophets had told them.	They knew he was was the savior and when he was supposed to be born	The bad guys fell to the ground because their plans had been frustrated.

2. Write a response to the question: What do I know about the Savior, how have ​I learned it, and what am I doing with what I know?
1. I have learned many things about the Savior from my experience growing up in the Gospel. I recently had a crisis of faith where everything I had believed and been taught came into question. I honestly wasn't even sure if I believed there was a God. I had to start at Ground Zero to rebuild my testimony. So when I tell you what I know of the savior it will be in reference to everything I know about him NOW, rather than before. I know that he is real. I know that his atonement is real. I know that he cares about me and that he has suffered every pain I have suffered so that I wouldn't have to feel alone. I know that his atonement covers sin as well. I know that Grace is so real that it is actually tangible to me. I know that the entire reason we were sent a savior is because God knew we would make mistake after mistake that would disqualify us to return into his presence, so they sent us savior to make it possible for us to repent of our sins. Everything I know about the savior since that crisis of faith, I know because I have spent months and months praying and searching my soul to know what truth was. I have had to literally fight for every inch gained on my testimony, and I don't claim to know things I am still uncertain about, but I know that the atonement is real and accessible.....maybe even more accessible than we typically make it seem. I believe that Christ is standing on the other side of the door BEGGING us to let him in so he can heal us and cleanse us. I am teaching my children what I know. They are growing up without a father in their lives through no fault of their own and that is BOUND to leave scars. I need them to understand how real the power of the atonement is. The only way I was able to forgive their father for abandoning us, and primarily them was the knowledge that the savior has the power to heal their eventual broken hearts and it is MY job to teach them how to access that miraculous power of the atonement.