Discipleship Matters – What Does Repentance Mean?

Understanding the Message of the Bible: What would you like to see changed in your life direction? What can you do to make that change?

Dig Into the Bible:
Acts 20:20-21,
20 “how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, 21 “testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Before I came to know Jesus I thought a certain way, probably like most people. But after, I learned that my way wasn’t always the right way, and as I learned from reading and studying the words of Jesus my thinking, and my life, began to change. I was no longer conformed to this world but was being transformed by the renewing of my mind. I learned, if my thinking contradicted the Bible, then I had to change my thinking, not the Bible.

Discover what the Bible says by answering the following questions:
1. Who is the speaker of this first sentence?
2. How did he provide teaching?
3. Why does he mention Jews and Greeks?
4. What does he encourage them to do?
5. What are they turning from?
6. How does repentance connect with turning away?
7. What are they turning away from. And to what?
8. What does it mean to have faith in the Lord Jesus?

Apply God’s Word:
9. What kind of experience have you had with repentance?
10. What do you think you need to do to turn to God?
11. What do you need to repent from?
12. How will you make this repentance a genuine experience?

Digging Deeper:
1. What is the most important part of this lesson to you?
2. How do you see applying aspects of this lesson to your life?
3. When do you feel would be the best time to make that application?
4. What do you hear the Lord speaking to you about this right now?

For further information check out: https://coachthebible.com

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Seeking God’s Heart…

Read: 1 Chronicles 3-5
Marked: 1 Chronicles 4:9-10, Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore [him] in pain.” And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep [me] from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.”

Out of all the names listed in the genealogy of Judah, Jabez is highlighted when it says, “Now Jabez was more honourable”, Why was he more honourable?

The reason is given in verse 10. “Jabez called on the God of Israel”. This is an important distinction between Jabez and everyone else. He called on the Lord for blessing. He called on the Lord to enlarge his territory. This shows that he was active in the work the Lord had given Israel to do, to dispossess the wicked and cursed nations that occupied the land. He called on the Lord’s hand to be with him.

Do I want the hand of the Lord to be with me, to guide me, to keep me, and to protect me from the things which can easily ensnare me in this world?

And he called on the Lord to keep him from evil. This can be twofold. To keep evil from coming upon him. And to do rightly, justly, and not be an instrument of evil. Jabez didn’t want to suffer pain, but also didn’t want to be the cause of pain and suffering,

We can and do suffer pain in this world and in turn inflict pain. But when we walk with the Lord, abiding in Him and His Word, we become aware of how we are to live and act and behave.

The prayer of Jabez was a prayer after God’s own heart and Jabez was granted what he requested.