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 Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2010 11:07 pm
I just came back from my college group bible study and I really liked this message on accountability.
We looked at Matt 18:19-20
"I also tell you this: If two of you agree down here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together because they are mine, I am there among them."
For these verses, we talked about how when we get together with others, we are less likely to be selfish in our praying. Instead of making it about ourselves, we would make it about other people and about God.
I had never thought of it that way; I agree with it.
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The next verses we looked at was James 5:16, 19-20
"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results."
"My dear brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back again, you can be sure that the one who brings that person back will save that sinner from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins."
It goes along with the verses above. We shouldn't just pray for ourselves, we should be praying for each other.
And because we will wander away from the truth, it is that much more important for us to have accountability and for us to watch over each other. We can't be a Christian by ourselves; we need other people and other people need us. If one of us misses church, we should call or text them and tell them that we missed them. Hold them accountable.
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And the last group of verses that we looked at were Hebrews 10:23-25
"Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for god can be trusted to keep his promise. Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and wan each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near."
This reminded me of the parable of the farmer and the different types of seed he planted. We might get together and grow really rapidly but in the end, we might neglect our meetings together and fall away from each other. We should hold together without wavering.
My college leader said something that got me thinking differently. He said that often times and in today's society, people go to church looking to get something out of it for themselves. He proposed that we should go to church not for that reason but so that we could give encouragement, accountability, anything and everything to others.
If everyone did this, not just a few people here and there, wouldn't that be amazing?
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Lastly, for all of these verses we went through, he had us split up into small groups of all boys or all girls. The reason for it was that women have issues that only other women would understand and the same for the men. It's good for us to get together with the same gender and just pray and encourage one another.
Discussion Stuffs:
What do you think about these verses?
What do you think about accountability?
How important do you think encouraging one another is?
Do you think that we are selfish in our praying?
How willing to give to others are you?
Anything else related
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Posted: Sun Aug 29, 2010 3:50 pm
There's a Time to Laugh "Ephesians 2: 8-9"
I think these verses are all wonderful in showing that we need to hold each other accountable in our actions, but in a loving way. Here are a couple of verses that I think go well with this too:
"Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. - Galatians 6:1"
"Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. - Philippians 2:4"
I think accountability is very important. Because we can't do it on our own. God didn't intend us to walk out our lives in solitude. We are to be with others loving, sharing, and lifting each other up. If we try to go about our lives without someone there to help hold us accountable then it will be so much easier to fall back into old behaviors. We need those encouraging words from others to dust ourselves off and get back up when we have fallen. Without encouragement from another person it will be easy for the enemy to bring us down. As human beings we need that occasional "Job well done" or the "Keep trying, you've got this, I believe in you". When we don't hear those words it's easier to think no one cares and then start thinking "why should I even bother?"
I don't think I could answer for anyone but myself about prayer. I will say that those who only ask for themselves are being selfish. I pray for others as well as for myself and when I pray for myself I pray that I will be in God's will at all time. And I remember that all the glory in my life goes to him.
I'm very willing to give to others. I love helping others when they need it. Just being a friend to someone give me delight. Knowing that when I have helped someone else that I give that praise to God for allowing me to be a bright light in someone's life is a very uplifting feeling! I'm learning to give more to others who aren't exactly enemies but to people I don't know, and I don't expect anything in return. Though I do hope that by my helping them that God will be praised for it.
The separation of the men with the men and woman with the woman is very important when it comes to dealing with most issues. When a woman and a man connect it's easier for the boundaries to become unhealthy or blurred. Mixed signals can be picked up on and that may set the other off and cause strife. I know so many things can happen with that of the same sex, but I think it's easier to see things more clearly when with the same sex.
And a Time to Cry "Romans 5: 3-5"
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