Fellowship Wrap Up 11/6

We hope you had a wonderful week! Here's what we ate on Friday ...

**************************************

Thanksgiving and Prayer Requests from the week:

Thanksgiving

- Praise God for giving Jennifer the opportunity and boldness to be a more contagious Christian in her everyday life.

- Enery praises God in the completion of his Greek test.

- We thank the Lord that Jonathan is safe after a brief hospital visit for an allergic reaction. (Stay away from the buckwheat noodles, Jonathan! ;))

- We thank God for delivering Kenny and his family to China safely to visit his grandmother who is ill.

Prayer Requests

- Please pray for Michael and the other Coast Guards who were affected by a tragic helicopter collision in San Diego. Pray for them as they work to figure out what happened and for the opportunity to rest in this tumultuous time. Pray for the family members of those who've lost loved ones.

- Pray for Jenn's friend who has testicular cancer.

- Pray for Enery as he is facing a lot of assignments due in the next couple of weeks.

- Pray for safety for Kenny as he is in China. Pray the health of his grandmother who recently suffered a fall. Pray for the glory of God to be shown to Kenny and his family.

- Pray for Jenn's dad who is currently looking for a job. Pray that he will be confident and encouraged in the process.

Even if you can't join us on Fridays, Please send your prayer requests to charis@sgvconnections.com. It encourages us to pray for you!

*******************************

Bible Study: Hebrews 6

Philippians 2:12: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." We continue to be sanctified by His teaching and His grace as He reveals to us the truth of His word. Last Friday, we stared Hebrews 6 squarely in the eye and by God's grace, we grew in our knowledge of Him. In case you missed it, here's what we discussed:

v. 1:

What are the "elementary doctrines about Christ?"

v. 2: NOT laying the foundation for:
- dead works/faith
- washing and laying of hands
- resurrection/eternal judgments
--> Is this referring to the Old Testament Hebrew practices or Christian practices?

Implications:

If the author is referring to ...

- OT Hebrew practices --> author is encouraging his readers to leave behind the OT practices that are elementary and all point to Christ.

- Christian practices --> the author is referring to Christian practices, he is pointing readers to issues of faith beyond those he lists above.

v. 4 – 5:

Qualities of the people who are cannot be brought back to repentance if they "fall away":
- Enlightened: to know
- Tasted the heavenly gift: What is the heavenly gift?
- Shared in the Holy Spirit: How do you share in the Holy Spirit?
- Tasted the goodness of the word of God
- Tasted the powers of the age to come

Is the author speaking about Christians or non-Christians who've been participating in the Christian community in this description?

Implications:

- If the author is speaking about Christians --> It is possible to have salvation at one time and lost it.

- If the author is referring to non-Christians who've been participating in the Christian community but never put their trust in Jesus as Savior --> Salvation is secure. There are people who may fully participate in the community and taste the Christian experience and are unsaved.

The Land Analogy:

v. 7 - land that drinks the rain and produces useful crop for the sake of the those for whom it is farmed.

--> bearing fruit. Christians are to bear USEFUL fruit in their lives for the glory of Christ and the encouragement of those around it.

v. 8 - land that produces thorns/thistles is to be cursed and burned

--> In NOT producing a useful crop (fruit), one produces that which is detrimental to the body (thorns/thistles)

Application: Apathy/inaction does not keep us neutral but rather actively hinders the growth of the body.

How does the land analogy relate to the discussion of the impossibility of returning people to repentance?

******************************

This outline intentionally provides more questions that answers. Hebrews 6 is arguably one of the most debated passages in the Bible. The issue of whether or not a Christian can lose his/her salvation forces consideration of how one is saved and formulating a position on this topic becomes foundational in how we understand and live out our faith.

While we know there is no right answer for this particular question on this side of heaven (though there is indeed one correct interpretation), we did draw some important conclusions on Friday night and we encourage to study this passage on your own! Ask God for wisdom and whatever your position is on this issue, our prayer is that you live faithfully and boldly according to the truth of the Word that He gives you.

What are your thoughts? Questions?