COMMITMENT

Rev. 3:15-19 What will God do to the lukewarm person (the worldly, carnal apathetic believer)?

[“spit you out of My mouth” – means Jesus utterly abhors or rejects with extreme disgust fellowship or a close relationship with these believers, vs. 20. That these people were believers can be established by the fact that God loves and, therefore, reproves and disciplines them, vs. 19, which He only does to believers/sons of His, Heb. 12:5-8; Jn. 1:12.].

How does the lukewarm person view himself, vs. 17?

What does God think of the lukewarm believer, vs. 17?

What advice does God give to the lukewarm person, vs. 19?

[“zealous” (Gk. “zeleuo”), means “intensely determined and serious”, here, toward being spiritually hot].

[“repent” (Gk. “metanoeo”), means “to change one’s mind”].

What is your spiritual temperature: cold, hot, or lukewarm, and how did you come to this conclusion?

If it’s not “hot” (being a Holy Spirit filled/controlled, obedient believer), do you want to be, and if so, how do you plan to be spiritually hot?

Will you be zealous (intensely determined and serious in pursuing an obedient life for God/Jesus) and repent (change your thinking from one of self-sufficiency to one of God-dependency and appreciation)?

Rev. 2:2-5 What does God have against these people?

Though the believers in Ephesus were doing a lot of good things, what three things does God tell them to do, vs. 5?

What or who is your first/supreme love in life, and why?

If it’s not God/Jesus, was it ever? And if it ever was God/Jesus, then will you think back to discover where you got side-tracked from (“fell from”) your first love of Him, change your thinking so as to make God/Jesus the first love of your life again (“repent”), and obey the commands of the New Testament Epistles once again (“do the deeds you did at first”), and why?

Lk. 9:57-62 Is the love for material comforts, like the first person (e.g., both foxes and birds have the materials comforts of a home of their own), keeping you from being a disciple/follower of Christ? If so, what material thing(s) specifically, and why?

Is the “permit me first to…” of a task, job, or career keeping you from being a disciple/follower of Christ?

If so, what task/goal/pursuit specifically, and why?

Is the “first permit me…” of close family ties or girl/boyfriend keeping you from being a disciple/follower of Christ?

If so, who specifically, and why?

Which one of the following (material comforts, personal goal/pursuit/career, or close personal ties) would be more important to you in contrast to the eternal value of being a disciple/follower of Christ, and why?

What should you do to make being a follower of Christ (by evangelizing the lost, 9:60) the top priority of your life?

2 Pet. 1:5-11 What does possessing and increasing in these qualities render you, vs. 8?

Are the following qualities yours and increasing:

“diligence” (Gk. “spoude”) means “intense effort to do one’s best”?

“faith” (Gk. “pistis”) means “trust”, here, the daily trust in God and His Word, the Bible, as shown by your actions?

“supply” (Gk. “epichoregeo”) means “lavishly provide”?

“moral excellence” (Gk. “arete”) means “vigorous action for good”?

“knowledge” (Gk. “gnosis”) means “seeking information”, especially spiritual truth?

“self-control” (Gk. “egkrateia”) means “holding the passions and desires in hand”?

“perseverance” (Gk. “hupome”) means “persistent endurance with courage”?

“godliness” (Gk. “eusebeia”) means “conduct and conversation reflecting and/or conforming to God”?

“brotherly kindness” (Gk. “philadelphia”) means “affection or fondness for one’s Christian brethren”?

“love” (Gk. “agape”) means “intelligently, intentionally willing the best for another”?

How can they be true of you and increasing (Eph. 5:18; Gal. 5:16, 22, 23; Col. 3:12-14)?

What is true about the person who lacks these qualities, vs. 9?

Are you spiritually and eternally short-sighted and blind by living for this world instead of for God and the next world in heaven, and why?

What will practicing these qualities result in, vss. 10, 11?

[“stumble” – means “trip up” or “experience a reversal”, here, in your spiritual life].

Have you as a believer forgotten that you’ve been forgiven of all your sins and will, therefore, have a right relationship with God and eternal life in heaven?

Are you committed to seeing these qualities in verses 5-7 become a normal part of your life in an ever-increasing degree, and why?

Lk. 11:23 He who is not with Christ (in the battle against evil and Satan) is what?

Are you with Christ (in the battle against evil and Satan)? If so, how do you show it?

If you are not gathering (souls for the kingdom of God) with the Lord, what are you really doing?

Which are you doing? How, and why?

What would need to happen in or to your life so that you’d be committed to being “with” Christ by obeying Him fully in being against evil and demonic powers and gathering souls/people with Him by evangelizing the spiritually lost?

Matt. 20:25-28 Whoever wishes to become great must do what?

And whoever wishes to become first must do what?

What did Jesus come to do?

How do you try to become great or first?

How committed are you to serving other people (whether it’s in spreading the gospel even when it’s inconvenient or to places or people you normally wouldn’t go to, or in building up spiritually and training other Christians to be Christ-like at the expense of your time, energy, and resources), and why?

Lk. 10:38-42 Which sister most closely represents you, and why?

Are you committed to learning about Christ, and His words, as found in the New Testament, by spending quality time in reading, studying, and meditating upon the Bible and making this a top priority, or are you more committed to doing your own personal desires according to your own ideas (like Martha), and not making learning God’s will and ways in the Bible a top priority, and why?

Lk. 17:5-10 How are we to regard ourselves even when we do everything we are commanded to do?

After you’ve done a lot of evangelizing, spent a lot of time and effort helping other Christians to grow spiritually, and lots of time, energy, and resources training Christians to serve God, do you feel like God owes you something, or do you think that you’ve done only that which you ought to have done, and why?

Lk. 12:42-48 What does God require from those He has given or entrusted a lot (of information/revelation about His will and word), vs. 48?

Are you committed to doing as much of the will of God as you know about (e.g., evangelism, Matt. 28:19, 20; building up Christians spiritually, Rom. 14:19; 1 Thes. 5:11; and living a holy life, 1 Pet. 1:5)? If so, how?

Matt. 20:1-16 How do you respond to the Lord after having worked hard for Him and then seeing the Lord bless someone else as much as you who didn’t do nearly as much as you, and why?

Lk. 16:10 How faithful are you in the little things God asks you to do, and why?

What will be the result if you have not been faithful in the small areas of responsibility that God has given you (vs. 11)?

Are you committed to being faithful even in the small areas of responsibility God has given you?

If so, give an example.