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HOLY SPIRIT
The
First
Steps 1 and
2
FOR THE NEWLY BAPTIZED IN THE SPIRIT
Digitization: Gabriel Rendón email:
greccco@gmail.com 10/04/2009
FP. MERCEDARTOS
With great joy and satisfaction we thank the Lord that our first steps in the
knowledge and love of Him in this new life, in the Renewal in the Holy
Spirit, although slow, are becoming more and more solid.
The result is this booklet "First Steps", which, with difficulties and through
experience. We have been forming in this Community of San Juan
Bautista.
Its study, and above all "LIVING IT", will hopefully be a path that will lead
us to receive the Lord Jesus, who will lead us to the Father. We want
everyone who studies and lives it to say "Come" and whoever hears it to
say "Come". May this entire Community, through this little book and the
following ones that will soon follow, be a continuous chorus of praise and
expectation: "Come, Lord Jesus".
It was thus that the Lord inspired us this course "First Steps", which we
have used for Growth 1 and 2, in which we have tried to continue the
simple language of the Life in the Spirit Team Manual, removing
everything that could be an intellectual or literary embellishment, leaving
only what should be lived by those who receive it.
After experiencing this Course for a year, and having realized that it has
really helped people baptized in the Holy Spirit who had only received the
Preparation Course, or "Life in the Spirit", and then did not know how to
continue on their way in this new life, we decided to print this Manual for
Growths 1 and 2, which we hope will be useful, not only in our community,
but also in other Spanish-speaking Communities that have had the same
problem of how to continue in this new life.We decided to print this Manual
for Growth 1 and 2, which we hope will be useful, not only in our
community, but also in other Spanish-speaking communities that have
had the same problem of how to continue helping people who have
experienced a new encounter with Christ through our Renewal in the Holy
Spirit.
We consider that this Manual is an essay that has no other purpose than
to be a help at this time of our Renewal in which there is nothing published
in this field, and we do not doubt that later, other communities published
better things, since the Holy Spirit that helps and enlightens the people of
God, will surely continue inspiring us what is useful for the Spanish-
speaking people.
We place this modest work at the disposal of all the Communities, aware
that each one will have to make the adaptations it deems necessary for it
(Eph. 1:17-19) and we ask the Lord to bless it, making it useful to all who
wish to make use of it.
A) PURPOSE
The basic purpose of this course is to guide the newly baptized in the Holy
Spirit, to take the first steps in the Life in the Spirit, confirming their Faith,
and directing them to pray and read the Word of God, motivating them to
practice new teachings. (Heb. 6: 11). It is also to prepare and warn them
about the problems they will have to face.
B) CONTENTS
1, -The course is divided into two cycles: GROWTH I
AND GROWTH II.
GROWTH I
1a. week....................... Introduction
2a. week....................... Class 1
3a. week....................... Class 2
4a. week....................... Class 3
5a. week....................... LIVING AND SHARING
6a. week....................... Class 4
7a. week....................... Class 5
8a. week....................... Class 6
9a. week....................... Class 7
10a. week...................... LIVING AND SHARING
11a. week...................... MASS OF THANKSGIVING (A week of rest or
spiritual retreat for leaders, shepherds and sheep).
GROWTH II
MARANATHA..........................................................................4
INTRODUCTION.............................................................................5
"THE FIRST STEPS"........................................................................6
FOR THE NEWLY BAPTIZED IN THE SPIRIT....................6
MEMO APPOINTMENTS
At the end of some of the classes, we will provide some Bible verses,
which help to remember the theme of the class, so that during the week,
you can try to learn them. We suggest to memorize these, write each one
down, taking it everywhere you go to read it (to work, to school, to the
kitchen, etc.) remembering it until it is engraved in your minds and hearts.
EXTRA TASKS:
In order to be able to distinguish which people will be qualified for each
ministry, in each class they will be given an extraordinary task, that is to
say, that we do not expect everyone to do it, but that will show us the
commitment, dedication, and capabilities of each person. We can suggest:
GROWTH 2
Class I. Offer one communion a week for some need, or for some person,
who seems to us to be acting badly (even within the community).
Class 2. Offer to work in one of the services of the community and begin
to pray to find each one his or her ministry.
Class 3. Propose not to participate in critiques during this week.
Class 4. During this week, let us strive to accept our brothers and sisters
as they are, showing them our love.
Class 5. Review our lives to realize how the Lord has guided us and thank
Him for it.
Class 6. Letting go this week of something we were especially attached
to; for example. A dress, an amount of money, a person, etc.
(These can be handed out in class and then distributed to those
in need).
Class 7. Talk about Christ with a person you meet on the road this week
whom the Lord inspires to witness; share this in the small group.
Class 8. Think about what you have gained during the course, and take
stock of your life, putting in one column "what I achieved and in another
"what I lack".
NOTE: In classes 4 and 5 that deal with prayer, all those who do not pray
in tongues, and who wish to do so in order to complete their prayer life,
will be invited to stay after the class, and once the group is already
gathered, make a short explanation, leading them to put their faith in God
after which all will pray yielding to the Lord.Once the group is gathered,
make a short explanation, leading them to put their faith in God, after
which all will pray yielding themselves to the Lord. (The leader will only
help those who see the need).
NOTE: With the V.E.S. cards. The number of sheep can be estimated and
distributed to the shepherds in time so that if any sheep are missing, the
shepherd can talk to them and invite them to continue in the Growth
Course.
It will be in the small groups, where the sheep will receive and hand in
their questionnaires and extraordinary tasks.
The course will end with a mass, together with the participants of the other
courses.
The team meeting will be held weekly and will include the following:
a) Review past class (problems, suggestions, etc.)
b) The questionnaire (give them the correct answers).
c) The class to be taught (questions, goals, extra assignments).
d) General sheep problems.
The whole team must agree to have such a meeting, at a fixed time, day
and place, but always before the class.
During the course, the shepherd must carry a control card for each sheep,
by means of which we will obtain the personal, spiritual and delivery data
of each person. The pastor should show these cards to the assistant
(when requested) so that the general status of the group and the pastor
can be known. These cards will be called: GROWTH CARD I and
GROWTH CARD II.
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In turn, the leader's assistant will keep track of the shepherds, asking
them for a list of all their sheep with telephone numbers and addresses; a
list of which each shepherd will make as many copies as the number of
sheep he has plus two, one for the leader's assistant and one for
himself.The list of which each shepherd will make as many copies as he
has sheep plus two, one of which will be for the leader's assistant and the
other for himself; the others will be to distribute among his sheep so that
they can begin to talk to and get to know each other.
In the control of shepherds that the assistant will keep, he will make an
evaluation of each shepherd, which he will do with a card or list, in which
he will write down: the personal data of the shepherd, No. of entry ewes,
name and phone number of each of your ewes, ewes' absences from
class, No. of finishing ewes, general condition of the group, etc.
At the end of the course, the team will make an evaluation of the course,
looking at the overall work, problems and fruits, and make suggestions in
order to adapt and improve the course more and more.
(An essay by Isaac Group). When evaluating the 2nd cycle, a part will be
added for the "GRUPO SAN JUAN", so that at the end of the course and
when moving on to Growth III, those with good results can be permanently
formed as "ISAAC GROUPS". Those that do not turn out will be
incorporated into those that are bearing good fruit. We consider that any
person who takes "First Steps" growth faithfully and joins Growth III,
already belonging to a group, will already be aware of his or her
commitment to God and will be a good member of the Community.
SUBJECT META
INTRODUCTION Clarify what the course has and
lead them to make a commitment to
God.
1. - "START-UP PROBLEMS Encourage them to move forward,
warn them.
5. -HOW TO FOLLOW THE VOICE Make them aware that God guides
OF GOD". us, encouraging them to be docile,
and teach them how to distinguish
the voice of the Lord.
NOTE:
"GRAZING EQUIPMENT".
The Growth Courses 1 and 2 have as their norm and objective, to be the
means by which the Holy Spirit changes the way of life of all new
believers, and to form all of them into the image of Christ. (Philippians
2:5).
The members of the shepherding team have a very important role in the
life of the "Newborns" since they will be directly in charge of the attention
they will receive and much of their future as children of God will depend
on the care they receive at this age.
In this way we will see that his obligations to his sheep are:
Their attitudes during shepherding will be very important for each person;
and that is why they need to be nourished in turn, not neglecting their
growth and their relationship with the Lord, their attendance to the
community, prayers, mass, sacraments, not accepting or living in sin.
They should be ready to listen, slow to judge and slow to anger, being
docile to the Word, practicing it and testifying to it. They should be open to
the gifts of the Spirit, and be manifesting the fruits, striving for perfection in
them.
Any person who has these qualities, even if he is "new" can be a good
servant of the Lord (as long as the new person is showing maturity and is
being shepherded) and the basis, in anyone who is going to work as a
Pastor, must be Faith. (Gal. 3:5). If he does not have this FAITH he will
not please God and much less men, since he will do more harm than the
good he is trying to do.
He should give all the glory to God, remembering what José Ma. Escrivá:
"Squeeze with your will, helped by Grace, each of your actions, so that
nothing remains in them that smacks of human pride or complacency of
your ego" (WAY).
REMARKS
A specific title for the different "positions" of the servers in the
communities has not been achieved. -Each one chooses the one that best
suits them at the general level and ministries, for example: Leader,
The groups that form after the presentation are called Small Discussion or
Sharing Groups.
GROWTH INTERVIEW What have you learned from the talks at this
seminar?
What testimony do you give in your home: Do you know how to love?
Can you forgive?
Do you know how to share? How is your sacramental life: Mass,
confession, communion; how often? Do you already do your daily prayer?
Do you read the Bible every day?
A. - In the Life Course in the Holy Spirit they saw: That they had
to be born again in order to be God's; He fulfilled HIS promises and
gave them His Spirit and calls them sons. (Jn. 1:12-13). Some have
already begun to see the work of God in their lives, through very
deep changes, but there is still a long way to go and much to learn
about the Christian life.
1 .- MATEO12 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 14 15 16 17 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28
Jesus fulfills the Scriptures.
2 .-I Peter 1 2 3 4 | Status of Christians
3 .-II PETER 1 2 3 ' Fulfilling the Sacraments
4 .-GALATIANS 12 34 5 6 Fulfill the Old Testament Laws.
5 .-EPHESIANS 12 3 4 6 Christ, head of the Church and goal of humanity.
6 .-PHILIP 1 2 3 4 Be generous.
7 COLOSSIANS 12 3 4 Christ, head of the Church and goal of humanity.
8 MARK 1 2 34 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Jesus. Son of God.
9 I CORINTHIANS 1 2 3 4 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1314 1516 Jesus crucified.
10 II CONRINTHIANS 1 2 3 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Jesus crucified.
11 I JOHN 1 2 3 4 5 The Son of God in us.
12 II JOHN 1 The Son of God in us.
13 IIIJOHN 1 The Son of God in us.
14 JUDAS 1 The Faith of the Apostles in Jesus.
15 - LUKE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Christ Jesus.
16 .- FACTS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 The Church of Christ - Community.
17 ROMANS 1 2 3 4 4 5 6 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Church - Community
18 .- I TESALONISENSES 1 2 3 4 5 Community
19 IITESALONISENSES 1 2 3 Community
20 .- I T1MOTH 12 3 4 The Early Church
21 II TIMOTHY 1 2 3 4 The Primitive Church
22 TITUS 1 2 3 The Primitive Church
23 FILEMON 1 Community - Freedom
24 JOHN 1 2 3 4 5 6 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Christ Jesus
25 .- HEBREWS 12 3 45 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 FAITH
26 .- APOCALYPSE 1 2 3 4 5 6 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 Christ Jesus
27 .- SANTIAGO 12 3 4 5 FAITH
ENSENANZA:
a) The table is divided into 4 parts which are set out 4 main topics.
b) Number of New Testament books
c) Number of chapters per pound
d) Number of Evangelists
e) Acts is the 2nd. part of Lucas Libra
f) Paul's letters are 14, Peter's are 2, John's are 3, Jude's is 1 and Jude's is 1.
Santiago is 1
g) Reading 2 weekly chapters of the Gospel takes us 43 weeks out of the 52 weeks of the
year. - It is recommended to read the INTRODUCTION of each pound.
h) The total number of N.T. Chapters. are 258 that can be read in less than 1 year, 1 daily.
VACCINES
It is natural that as a child you are not yet able to do great things, and that
you are rather totally dependent on your Heavenly Father, who, like all
loving parents, will take care of you and protect you against all spiritual
sickness.
Like every child, you will be exposed to diseases that hinder growth, but
God wants you to be properly protected, so that these diseases do not
harm you, and for that you will have to be immunized or vaccinated, and
this you will do with the WORD OF GOD, PRAYER, the SACRAMENTS,
etc..
The immediate problem you will face will be the disease of DOUBT, which
can be very dangerous (even deadly to your spirit) if you are not properly
protected. We are going to give you the main doubts that will come to your
mind, and you will see how the word of God will answer them:
a) Why should you trust God? (Heb. 6:17-19).
b) Why should you believe in Jesus as your son? (1 Jn. 5:9-12).
c) Why believe in God's promises through Jesus? (Gal. 3:29).
Nusiom
INCAPABLE OR UNWORTHY
ANTIDOTE = PRAYER
This disease can be very healthy. We are incapable of doing God's work,
both in ourselves and in others. But it can also be very dangerous, for not
only will it prevent us from being instruments of the Lord, but it can also
hide feelings of selfishness, pride or lack of love.
LACK OF FAITH
ANTIDOTE = PRACTICING PRAYER, FREQUENTING
COMMUNION AND READING THE WORD OF GOD
It could be thought that lack of faith is the same as Doubt, but " now, we
are referring to that Faith that makes us be sure that God is going to act in
us and for us, not because of our merits, but because He wants it and
promised it. This disease can make us believe that "our Faith", and not
God's mercy, is the one that works wonders, and therefore, not feeling
that we have "much Faith", we do not pray, or we cannot be instruments
of God, not knowing that, even if it were like a mustard seed, we can
move mountains. (Mat. 17:20), (Heb. 11:1 y 6). We must be sure that
through us, if we believe, he will heal the sick, send messages and spread
the Faith to others.
Faith is a GIFT from God, and is given to us at our baptism as a seed. But
that Faith that knows what God wants, is a FRUIT, product of a life of
exercise of Faith, which is making this, our Faith, to be greater and
greater, until it can become, in some, like that of Abraham, who based on
the promise of God, did not hesitate to sacrifice his only son, (in whom all
his promises were to be realized) sure that if God so commanded,
powerful was He to realize them in another way. However, this Faith
would never be enough to perform miracles, if God did not give a Faith as
CHARISMA, by means of which man stops trusting in himself, in the
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normal circumstances, and surrenders himself trusting totally in the power
of God, charisma that at that moment is given to him and manifests itself.
We could talk about other diseases that can attack us, such as
selfishness, self-sufficiency, falsehood, irreligiousness, vainglory,
sectarianism, self-pity, etc., but if you continue to belong to one of these
diseases, we will not be able to find a solution.
community, the Pastors of this community, the brethren mature in the
and the Spirit, can help you to come out healed from all them, counting
of them always with the strength of GOD.
TASK:
Begin Bible reading in an orderly fashion.
MEMORIZE:
I Ped. 2:2-3, Heb. 6:17-18, Phil. 4:13, I John 4:4.
5.- We have to combat the3 DOUBT AS by means of Faith, which is: (Heb.
11:1)………………………………………………………………………
6.- Resentment damages our spiritual life. Jesus taught us that we must
forgive those who offend us in order to receive His forgiveness: ( )
a) The Creed b) The Lord's Prayer c) The act
of contrition.
9.- Indicate to what kind of Faith each of the following three quotations
refers: Seed, fruit or charism.
Rom. 12:3...........................................
1Cor 12:9 ...........................................
Gal 5:22 .............................................
IF YOU AND HE
HAVE WILL
STAINED MAKE
AGAIN YOU
A child is helpless, and must rely on his parents, God promises to help
you, if you are weak, if you recognize before Him, that in every minute of
your life, you will need Him to help you.
The cry expresses that the child has some need, it is a call, with this you
can understand what it means for you, cry to God, seek Him, ask Him for
help, (Jeremiah 33:3) ask Him to supply your needs, to relieve your pain,
to quench your hunger, your thirst to recognize the truth, to forgive your
miseries (Matthew 33:3). 7:7-8) asking him for everything as his son.
(Rom. 8:15), asking him in the name of Jesus, his beloved son. (Jn.
16:23-24).
THE
WORD I AM
OF GOD THE
IS ALIVE BREAD
OF LIFE
Resting in the Lord is like the confidence that a child has when he wakes
up and knows that his parents will take care of all his needs that day, it is
to be able to say as the psalmist did "my soul rests in God alone..."
(Psalm 62:2). Have confidence that He will take care of you, as of a
beloved child, and do not let the cares and worries of this world make you
doubt Him, but rather, place them in Jesus, (I Pet. 5:7) to walk in faith and
trust in God. (Psalm 91:1-2) Believe that if he has promised you
protection, you can rest in HIS PROMISES, for he will keep them. Your
faith will grow, the better you get to know your Father God, and you will
feel more and more confident that you will not be disappointed, trusting
that God is truthful and that he always fulfills his promises.
promises and his word.
Like every child, you were not born knowing the good Christian habits, you
will have to learn to know and practice them and like every child, you will
not like these rules very much at the beginning, but later you will
understand and be grateful that you have been taught to live as children of
God.
MEMORIZE:
(1 Cor. 10:13, 1 Jn. 1:9, I Pet. 5:7 James 1:22)
MOTTO QUOTE:
Hebrews 6:11-12
(To be put on the blackboard or read at the end)
If in each of the following questions, you look for the corresponding Bible quotation
and meditate on it, you will be able to answer this questionnaire correctly. If you
encounter any problems, review your class notes.
1.- Can any problem or difficulty separate you from the love of Christ?
(Rom. 8:35-39) YES NO
3.- According to Jn. 1:9, What should you do if you have defiled your soul
again? ................................................What will God do in that case?
…………………………………………………………………….
If you do not recognize that you are weak to sin, you will continue to fall
4.-
because you want to act in your own strength. If you recognize your
weakness, it will dwell in you............................................................. (II
Cor. 12:9)
5.- Put what for you, in your present life with the Lord, is equivalent to what
for a child is Alorar (Mt. 7:7-8) (Jer. 33:3)....................................
6.-
Two ways to nourish your spiritual life are: Deut. 8:3
Jn 6:35 ............................................
7.- To trust, to walk in faith, not to worry or fret, to believe, is what it means
for a Christian to REST. Find the correspondence between the following
quotations and sentences:
( ) In God alone is the rest of my soul a) I Pet 5:7
( ) He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High.... b) Psalm 62:2
( ) Entrust your concerns to him,
for He takes care of you c) Psalm 91:1-2
9.- In which of the following verses are you said to be a child of God?
Upload them to
a) Romans 15:16 b) Ef. 2:8-9 c) Jn. 1:12
GOAL: To help them to know themselves, and to receive the help of the
Holy Spirit.
Verses to ask: 1 Cor. 10.13, 1 Jn. 1:9.1 of Ped. 5:7, Sant. 1:22.
All this is mainly because, although it is true that you already have new
life, this life is in spirit, but sin still remains in your body and soul.
BODY = matter
It is the matter that we have, legs, eyes, etc. But it is also everything that
governs the needs, appetites, desires, impulses, passions, vices, manias,
bad habits, etc. (Col. 3:5).
The soul could be said to be the thoughts, knowledge, emotions, will, etc.
(Eph. 4:22-23 Lat. Am.) And may produce idolatry, hatred, jealousy, wrath,
ambition, strife, envy, etc. Gal. 5:19).
SPIRIT
BODY
It is the part that identifies us with God, which produces the fruits (Gal.
5:22) and where the Holy Spirit dwells, who strengthens us (Ephesians
3:16) who guides us, (Rom. 8:14) that helps us to pray, (Rom. 8:26-27)
will teach us (I Cor. 2:12-13) gives us the love of God (Rom. 5:5) and that
it will bear witness that we are children of God.
The Holy Spirit previously had no part in your life, since it was governed
solely by what your soul (mind, will, desires) or your body (instincts,
needs, habits) decided should be done, even if it was not the best, or what
was most convenient for you.
In reality, it is not that your body or soul are not good, they ARE, since
they are created by God, but they can be better if they are at the service
of God, submitted to the spirit, and this is united to the Holy Spirit.
When you received the Holy Spirit, you obtained the peace, joy,
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assurance that God sent (along with His Spirit) into your heart (Rom. 5:5)
and it was from the bottom of your heart, that you felt longing to read the
Word of God in the Bible, desire to pray as His child, to praise Him, to
fellowship with your brothers and above all TO FOLLOW HIM; but notice
well, at that moment you submitted your mind, your will, your feelings, ALL
your being to God and He could penetrate your spirit (inner man) and
guide you as He wanted and knew was best for you. But today the thing is
not so easy, because even if you still have the desire to do it, your
thoughts or your body prevent you at every moment, because the soul
and the body are not used to be managed by ANYONE and it is logical
that they rebel because they want to rule your Life.
Letting oneself be led by the Holy Spirit produces life and peace, but
letting oneself be led by the old nature produces death. BECAUSE THE
OLD NATURE THAT IS IN US, ALWAYS REBELS AGAINST GOD, has
never obeyed God's law, and will never be able to obey it.
The secret is that you are the one who decides by whom you will let
yourself be led; this decision is NOT TAKEN BY GOD, since He respects
our free will, our freedom, and this consists in being able to choose on our
own, the path we wish to follow at any given moment.
If you want to succeed as a Christian, you must make the decision to let
yourself be led by the Spirit at every moment, in every situation or
circumstance, and submit your body and soul to the authority of the Spirit,
so that these (being instruments of God) may reflect the fruits of the Spirit,
that is to say, the Lord's transformation of the "old man"; but this decision
must be conscious and definitive, it must be a total renunciation of the
works of the world, in order to find our Christian vocation.But this decision
must be conscious and definitive, it must be a total renunciation to the
works of the world, in order to find our Christian vocation.
TASK:
Make a list of my bad wishes by looking for examples in Gal. 5:16-21 Eph.
4:25-31 and Col. 3:5-9, making a thorough examination of "my flesh".
MEMORIZE:
Rom. 8:14, Rom. 8:7-8 Gal. 5:25 Col. 3:5-9.
With each question we will give you one or more quotes that will give you the key
to the re" put: so, look up each quote and answer according to the question by
underlining true or false and filling in the blanks.
4 In Romans 8:6 and 8 it says that they do not please God those who follow
the
EXTRA TASK.........................................................................11
GROWTH 2.............................................................................12
C) PRACTICAL APPLICATION.....................................12
D) the team that will work.................................................13
E) DURATION. VARATIONS, COMMENTS......................15
SAN JUAN GROUPS AND ISAAC GROUPS......................15
GROWTH 1.............................................................................15
NOTE:......................................................................................17
"GROWTH COURSES I and 2".............................................18
"GRAZING EQUIPMENT"....................................................18
WITHIN THE CLASSROOM:...............................................18
OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM:.............................................18
REMARKS..............................................................................19
GROWTH INTERVIEW What have you learned from the talks
at this seminar?........................................................................20
FIRST CYCLE GROWTH 1..........................................................22
B.-The new life............................................................................23
E. -The steps you have to take are:..............................................24
GROWTH No. 1 CLASS No. 1 "TEETHING PROBLEMS" 25
TASK:......................................................................................28
MEMORIZE:...........................................................................28
A) GOD WILL ALWAYS HELP YOU............................30
B) WHAT IF YOU HAVE SINNED AGAIN?.................30
C) WHAT CAN YOU DO AS A CHILD?.......................31
D) GOOD CHRISTIAN HABITS.....................................32
TASK:......................................................................................33
MEMORIZE:...........................................................................33
MOTTO QUOTE:...................................................................33
GROWTH No. 1 CLASS No. 3 "THE FIGHT BEGINS"......34
A) WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?................................35
B) NOW THE FIGHT BEGINS!......................................36
C) WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?.......................................37
TASK:......................................................................................38
MEMORIZE:...........................................................................38
GROWTH No. 1 CLASS No.4 THE SPIRITUAL MAN.......35
FOLLOWING THE LORD MEANS:.....................................36
MAKE YOUR COMMITMENT TO THE LORD TONIGHT.
.................................................................................................37
TASK:......................................................................................37
MEMORIZE:...........................................................................37
MOTTO QUOTE:...................................................................37
GROWTH No. 1 CLASS No. 5 "SONS AND HEIRS OF
THEIR WEALTH"..................................................................39
A-YOURPRIVILEGES AND YOUR DUTIES AS A SON...39
8- HOW SHOULD YOU PRAY?........................................40
C.- WHAT IS YOUR INHERITANCE?................................40
D. -TO FORMGOOD PRAYER HABITS..............................41
TASK:......................................................................................42
MEMORIZE:...........................................................................42
MOTTO QUOTE:...................................................................42
PRAYER AND PRAYER.......................................................44
GUIDE FOR SHEPHERDS....................................................47
LET THE SPIRIT FLOW FREELY........................................47
GROWTH No. 1 CLASS No. 7 THE TEMPTATION...........48
MEMORIZE:...........................................................................67
TASK:......................................................................................67
SUBJECT QUOTE:.................................................................67
GROWTH No. 2 CLASS No. 4...............................................69
"HOW TO SHOW OUR LOVE TO OUR BROTHERS".......69
MOTTO QUOTE:...................................................................71
GROWTH No. 2 CLASS No. 5 "HOW TO FOLLOW THE
VOICE OF GOD"....................................................................73
A.- ACTION OF GOD THAT GOES UNNOTICED BY US 73
B-WHERE TO START...........................................................74
C -IMPEDIMENTS TO RECEIVING THE LORD'S
GUIDANCE............................................................................76
D - GIFTS AND WONDERS..................................................76
MEMORIZE:...........................................................................77
TASK:......................................................................................77
GROWTH No. 2 CLASS No. 6 BREAKING TIES...............79
A- GOD ABSOLUTE OWNER..............................................79
B - TITHING IN MEXICO.....................................................79
C.- TWO TYPES OF PERSONS............................................80
D -WE MUSTGIVE AS THE LORD ASKS US TO GIVE...81
MEMORIZE:...........................................................................83
GROWTH No. 2 CLASS No. 7 WITNESSES OF CHRIST. .85
A- OUR MISSION AS CHRISTIANS....................................85
D. -BEING FISHERMEN.......................................................87
PRACTICAL E-TIPS..............................................................88
PLAN FOR USING THE BIBLE IN WITNESSING.............89
GROWTH No. 2 CLASS No. 8 WATCH AND BE
VIGILANT..............................................................................90
B.- THE PROMISED MESSIAH............................................90
C.-THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.............................91
D.- THE COMING OF CHRIST FOR EACH OF US............91
E.- WATCH AND BE VIGILANT.........................................92
12 List what the fruits will be if you decide to let the Spirit guide your life from
now on: (Galatians 5:22).
A.- In this class we see that there are two kinds of men, according to
whether they allow themselves to be dominated by the flesh or by the
spirit.
Just as in the bud of a rose its beauty is not noticed until the sepals open
and the interior is revealed, so also the carnal man has to gradually strip
himself, his selfishness, his passions, etc., so that little by little the spiritual
man may be discovered in him.
In the parable of the sower, we are told of four types of "hearers"; three of
them die (they are camales) and only one survives because he hears and
makes the word bear fruit (Lk. 8:11).
The seed had to die and be buried in order to have life and bear fruit; (Jn.
12:24-25) thus, the spiritual son is the one who has died to his desires, to
himself; to his plans, to his world. Without looking at what he left behind,
what is left behind, he follows Christ.
Jesus came to bring us a new message of truth, of life, but he did not plan
for his teachings to be something added to our lives. He gives us a choice:
to be with Him or to be against Him. (Mat. 12:30).
B.- Therefore, whoever wants to follow the Lord, must think if he is willing
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to follow him to the end.
3 .- Accept that the world will attack and hate you for being a true Christian.
(Jn. 15:19).
4 .- Accept that you will have to acknowledge it in front of the men and accept
to be insulted. (Mat. 10:32).
7 .- To stop doing the bad things we used to do and imitate them in order to
have
the same feelings he had. (Philippians 2:5).
To follow him is to love him more than anything or anyone else, with all
your heart, with all your mind, and with all your body, keeping his
commandments. It is to have ears and listen to Him: it is to say to His call,
or to all that He asks of you: "YES LORD" and dying to yourself, to
resurrect for Christ and to bear Fruit.
C.- This is the life of the spiritual man: it is the life of an obedient, loving
son, who has succeeded by his daily communion with GOD in gaining a
special place in his love and for whom God has promised a crown of life
(James 1:1). 1:12). He is the man who manages to overcome evil bydoing
good. (Rom. 12:21).
It is not a matter of a passive and easy life, but of exercising one's free
will, making choices, deciding between good and evil, refusing temptation,
constantly seeking to improve one's spiritual life and becoming more
Christ-like every day. But the secret is to be willing to let yourself be led.
Trying to do this by our own means is equivalent to trying to push a train,
but the moment we accept to let ourselves be led by the Holy Spirit,
saying "YES" is equivalent to the action of the engineer in starting the
train.
D: Now that you are aware of this, are you willing to follow the Lord, to say
"YES", to be a spiritual child? If so, you have made the best decision of
your life.
TASK:
Write your testimony for the glory of God, (do it as if you were writing to try
to convert someone who does not believe).
MEMORIZE:
1 Cor. 2:14-15; Jn. 8:12; Rom. 12:21; 1 Jn. 2:3-6.
MOTTO QUOTE:
"I EXHORT YOU THEREFORE, BROTHERS, BY THE MERCY OF GOD,
TO OFFER YOUR BODIES AS A LIVING SACRIFICE, HOLY, PLEASING
TO GOD: SUCH SHALL BE YOUR SPIRITUAL WORSHIP. AND DO NOT
BE CONFORMED TO THE WORLD OF PRESENCE, BUT BE
TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, SO THAT YOU
MAY DISCERN WHAT IS THE WILL OF GOD: WHAT IS GOOD, WHAT
IS PLEASING, WHAT IS PERFECT. (Rom. 12:1-2)
In the way you have solved your quizzes before, find the appropriate quote, and
choose the correct answer. Remember that you should pray before you start
solving it; try to answer only three questions a day, so you can understand them
better.
2 What did the teacher of the law say to Jesus? (Mat. 8:19).
3 What made the Rich Young Man desist from following Jesus? (Mat. 19:21-22)
a) his sickness b) its wealth c) its
vanity
5 To whom does Jesus refer when he speaks of the "Dead"? (Mat. 8:22).
8 In the parable of the sower, mention is made of four types of listeners; mention
which are: (Matt. 13:18).
1. —......................................................................
2. —.....................................................................
3. —.....................................................................
4. —.....................................................................
8 What should you do if you want to follow Crista (Marc. 8:34) Explain.
9 What will the world miss about you? (la. Peter 4:4) ()
a) that you are a Christian b) that you do not go out c) that you do not
follow it
12 Because you believe in Jesus they will hate you, but he who believes in
Jesus will hate you....................................................................................
UNTIL THE END.................................. (Matthew 10:22)
13 God will give as a reward the crown of life if: (James 1:12).
a) You support testing b) You avoid testing c) You allow testing
In the last class, you saw the need to make a definite decision as to
whether you would let your desires lead you or whether you would submit
them to GOD and let the Holy Spirit lead you totally.
If your decision was to let yourself be led by the Spirit of God, "this is
equivalent to being the Son and Heir of the richest family in the Universe.
(Rom. 8:14).
The way to achieve the fulfillment of promises is to ask for them. The best
way to take possession of your heavenly goods will be to put in balance
the PRAYER AND THE BIBLE. Remember this:
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Reading the Bible without prayer can be coldness, study, aridity, etc.
God has given his children that fortune which are the promises deposited
in his word. You will have to fulfill the requirements of the pledge as a
condition.
For example: (Jn. 1:12).
Condition 'To all who received it'."
Promise: "He gave them the right to become children of God".
All of God's promises will only be fulfilled in your own life if you wait for
them with faith. You must take ownership of them, putting your faith into
action. Example:
Recommendations:
a) Do not use the Bible to acquire knowledge or information, but as the
means by which God can speak to you.
b) Do not run or rush, examine slowly, meditate.
c) Ask yourself:
What sin should I abandon e.g., gossip, greed, lying, rancor; stop,
confess it to God and renounce it, and make a resolution to receive the
Sacrament of Reconciliation with God if necessary.
What promises it contains, to make it mine; stop and claim it.
What example should I follow: make up your mind to do it.
What commandment should I obey: stop, execute it.
What stumbling block (or stone) or mistake should I avoid.
What a new thought you offer me about God; stop and praise Him.
4 Be silent and listen. Delight yourself the rest of the day with what you
have talked about and allow it to be in your thoughts in everything you do.
TASK:
List of unconverted friends and relatives to pray for.
MEMORIZE:
Mark 11:24; John 14:13; John 15:7; Matthew 21:22.
Answer each of the questions, according to what the verse tells you. Don't forget
to underline your Bible and pray before answering this questionnaire.
3.- Why does God not answer some requests? (Sant. 4:3).
4.- What requirements are mentioned in Jas.1:6, indispensable for when you
ask? ()
a) That you prevent yourself b) That you humble yourself c) That you
do not doubt
5.- With what intention is the prayer made in the following passages?
Matthew 26:41..................................................................................
Matthew 7:7.....................................................................................
6.- Who helps you when you don't know how to express your thoughts or
desires to God? (Rom. 8:26).
11.- God says he's going to give you everything you need?
YES NO (Phil. 4:19).
13.- It shows what the condition is and what the promise is in these verses;
Jeremiah 33:3 Mt. 21:22
CONDITION..................... CONDITION.......................................
Pledge............................ Pledge..............................................
GROWTH COURSE NO. 1
CLASS No. 6
Let's start by thinking about what our prayer life has been like since our
Baptism in the Holy Spirit: has it been constant? Have we had an answer
from the Lord, either granting us what we asked for or giving us an answer
that without being exactly what we asked for we know is the best for us?
Has it been cold or reluctant, just to "comply", or out of fear of not pleasing
God and having consequences. . ."? Let us meditate on this for a few
minutes, being sincere with ourselves, recognizing the faults we have had
in this life of prayer, so that God may act in our weakness.
Let us also reflect on whether we have had a fruitful prayer, that is, one
that increases in us the fruits of the Spirit, prevents us from falling into
constant faults and keeps us in joy and peace.
We are not going to talk about PRAYER, known to all, but about
PRAYER. Prayer is direct dialogue with God, and for there to be dialogue
there must be two people (otherwise it would be a monologue). We might
think that praying is like dialing a telephone number, with the assurance
that someone will answer on the other end. God is always ready to
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dialogue with us, to answer when you dial the number and call, to listen to
us and to answer us, so that everyone listens to Him and accepts Him. If
this communication is frequent, we can be assured that He and we are
getting to know each other better, we are getting to know His will and what
He wants us to ask of Him, that is to say, we will ask "in His will" and thus
God will always listen to us and answer us. A good sentence has
indispensable elements that we will now explain:
FAITH: (Hebrews 11:1 and 6) We must have faith that God is present,
that He is our best reward. If we ask for something, do not doubt that we
will receive it, for doubt prevents the answer. (James 1:6-8).
(desiring to look good, to be thought well of) our stinginess to give to the
Lord (our time, our money, our love, our loved ones, our life). (1 Jn. 3:18-
24).
1º We will pray with Thanksgiving : Ex. Thank you for my family, for the life you
give me, for the problem I have at this moment, for this class, for the community,
etc.
2º Of Confession Conf essing our weaknesses before our brothers, asking the
Lord to forgive us for them. Ex. Lord, forgive me for being a liar, forgive me for the
fault I had with my husband, my lack of charity, my pride, my laziness today when
I got up. That is, we place before the Lord and ask for forgiveness for our faults,
both past and present, both general faults as well as any particular fault of today.
3º Of Arrow: It is a phrase addressed to God with few words, and which contains
an ardent and quick petition. Ex. "Give me your light to speak" "Help us, Lord" (in
an accident). "Guide my steps".
4º Of Petition: Asking especially for some problem that at the moment worries us,
and joining the petitions of all. Ex. I ask you for my husband, for my job, for my
daughter's boyfriend, for my financial problems, etc. (The whole group can join
each petition, saying after it "Lord, we ask you").
5º Meditation: In silence, leaving our thoughts for a while for God, His glory, His
Majesty, His Lordship, His Benevolence towards us, His Redemption, His
Forgiveness.
7º Of Intercession: In this prayer we will pray for the brother on our right, asking
together with him to the Lord, to solve his problem, to grant his request, etc. We
can also ask for his growth in the Lord, as the Holy Spirit inspires us for him. A
prayer of intercession for things or persons that are not present can be made later
in a second round of prayer; e.g., a prayer of intercession for a person or things
that are not present, in a second round of prayer. For the unbelievers, the
unemployed, the rulers, the loveless youth, etc.
8º Praise and Adoration; Praising the Lord for his greatness, for his power, for
his love, for giving us Jesus, using our own phrases or phrases from the Bible or
the Church: Ex: Praise be to you, Lord, for your beauty. Bless the Lord, my soul,
from the depths of my being,' his holy name. Holy, Holy, Holy, Thou art, Lord God
of the Universe!
Rethink your prayer life and seriously propose to have a time dedicated to the
Lord. Only in this way will you be able to see the fruits of the Christian life. Think
also of serving your brothers and sisters, praying for those who have problems.
4. Should you pray only when you are in good spirits? (Col. 4:2)
5. Can you ask God for something that you are not willing to give?
YES NO (Rom. 9:15) (Mc. 11:25)
7. When you know that it is in God's will, and he asks for something, you
know that it is already in God's will. what you ...........................................
1 Jn. 5:14-15)
GOAL: To show some of the methods Satan will use and how to deal with
him.
In the last class, we learned about different forms of prayer, what prayer
requires and the difference between prayer and prayer. Now let's get to
know our enemy, Satan.
A-YOUR FACES
Satan is a spirit, who not only exists, but is our worst enemy, since he has
an interest in every person and especially sets traps for Christians to
make them fall. It is strange that Satan fights less against non-Christians,
since they are following his own path and he has no problems with them;
on the other hand, he has big problems when it comes to Christians and
worse when they are good Christians. That is why we must know that we
2 .- It fights against good, against God and his work in the world.
His best strategy is that no one believes in him, and for that he wears
masks, works in darkness, has a variety of masks and costumes
according to the occasion. He knows how to hide the reality of things with
a veil of innocence. (2 Corinthians 11:14). So, BEWARE.
Satan has direct access to the file that is in your mind, and he manages
you through it, using your every weakness, only suggesting and you will
propitiate that temptation to take the form of sin, falling into it. (Jas 1:15).
He uses your every desire, making it natural, to enslave you. Example: "It
is natural for me to worry more about my work than about GOD".
The Christian who does not live as such, obeying the promptings of the
Holy Spirit, is a nullified Christian. Who plays Satan's game.
One of the most frequent mistakes Christians make is to think that the
devil cannot do anything to them, and with this, they do not realize that
they are nullified and how he has control over them.
If even Peter, an intimate friend of Christ, was shaken by the devil, how
can we not be? (Luke 22:31).
Satinas is a spirit, he has no figure, he needs to be able to control the
mind to control the works.
He controls people, in direct PROPORTION to the influence he has over
their minds.
So if he knows your desires, your weaknesses, and YOU DO NOT KNOW
HIM, he has all the advantage over your life.
C-UNMASK IT:
Once you discover that Satan is intervening in your life, and you know his
tactics, (knowing your weaknesses) which he will use to deceive you,
denounce him! (Ef. 5:11-13.) There is nothing that can frighten Satan
more than to be discovered, and to know that he will be resisted using the
authority and name of Christ. He is already your worst enemy, so you
must prepare yourself for the fight, this will be a spiritual war and only
through the help of the Holy Spirit, GOD will be able to prepare you
spiritually to face your enemy (Eph. 6:10-18).
Any Christian who wants to succeed in his life as a Christian will have to
face Satan. If he does not find out, he will control your life with covert
suggestions. The presence of Christ does not remove the possibility of
Satan presenting us with temptation, nor does it imply the automatic
victory of the Christian. But isn't Satan an enemy
defeated? Yes, he is, but he is still an enemy. Our Lord defeated him, but
we cannot appropriate that victory, unless we resist Satan. (Sant. 4:7).
When we fight him in the name of Christ, only then does Satan flee from
us.
We must constantly remember that: "The God of all grace, He who has
called you to His eternal Glory in Christ, after brief sufferings, will restore,
strengthen, strengthen and consolidate you." (I Peter 5:10).
TASK:
Renounce in writing all causes of sin in their lives. E.g.: vices, bad habits,
etc.
MOTTO QUOTE:
SUBMIT YOURSELVES THEREFORE TO GOD; RESIST THE DEVIL
AND HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU.
6. What should you do once you discover Satan's work in your life? (Ef. 5:11-
13)...............................................................................
11. Finally, cite five of your weaknesses and look up the verses that will serve
as a defense in the temptations that the devil may put you in. For example:
METIRAS Ef. 4:25 "Therefore do not lie any longer, but tell the truth to your
neighbor."
A. -GRACE
Before receiving the Baptism in the Spirit we fell so often into sin, that we
became indifferent; we were dead, we became SLAVES OF SIN. When
Christ came into our lives, He cleansed us from all unrighteousness and
freed us from sin. (Rom. 8:1-2) giving new life to our spirit through Grace.
(Rom. 6:14).
One of the first things that happen to us when we are led by the Holy Spirit
is that our consciences become "sensitive" and we perceive what is of
God, what pleases Him, and what is evil; that is why some things that we
used to do without seeming bad to us, now, by the light of the Spirit, we
understand or pre-sense that they are not good. This is what we can call
the grace of God: it is the presence of God in us when we remain in
communion with Him, it is that the veil has been removed from our eyes,
and we distinguish what God asks. (2a. Cor. 3:16-17).
Our old nature had only the law to know the will of God. By receiving the
Baptism in the Holy Spirit, God's grace increases in us and can guide us.
As long as we remain obedient, we will not be under the law, but it will be
through Divine Grace, that, obeying the law easily, we will remain in
friendship with God.
B. - THE DEVIATIONS
When we are led by the Holy Spirit is when we are on the best path, but
there are several ways to deviate and mistake that path.
In any of these cases, we will not be forced to return to the right path, God
will let us walk in "our will" until we see that we cannot do it alone. God
loves us, and He will let us suffer the consequences of our rebellion so
that we will decide to SIN NO MORE, not to go for other -friends, against
His will. (Heb. 12:5-11).
C- THECONFESSION
The way to reestablish communication with God again will be repentance
and confession of our failure. The gratia divina is communicated to us
especially through the sacraments, but following the external rites without
an interior commitment does not communicate the divine life to us. The
confession will have value in relation to the repentance we have of having
sinned, sincerity is the key point . By confessing our sin, we renounce it
and we will have to refuse to do it anymore, we will have to get used to
say NO to sin. Do not come to the priest and confess that sin which you
are not willing to abandon, for you not only deceive yourself, but you
offend God by the insincerity of your confession; even if you lack strength,
by the grace of confession you receive the strength of God to resist, if you
sincerely confess your weakness, as long as you are willing to renounce
further sinning. There are some faults for which you will also have to
recant with the person given (e.g., lies, insults, theft, violence, etc.) in a
spirit of humility, courage and love for God. Confession is the means of
committing yourself before God and the priest (Christ) to renounce your
sins and to try to lead a holy life. The longer you keep yourself clean, the
closer your life will be to Christian perfection.
D-THECOMMUNION
The Eucharist is the sacramental presence of Christ. If we receive it with
Faith, through it, our life is deepened and washed. It is the means placed
by God for us to have a PERSONAL encounter with CHRIST: communion
When you approach the altar to receive communion, think of Him, do not
look for yourself, give yourself to Him, have communion with Him. May
your face and your attitude show the joy of knowing that Christ is in you.
MOTTO QUOTE:
YOU DID NOT RECEIVE THE SPIRIT OF SLAVES TO FALL BACK IN
FEAR, BUT YOU RECEIVED THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTED SONS, WHICH
MAKES US EXCLAIM: ABBA, FATHER! (Rom. 8:15).
Answer each of the questions below and mark the correct answer. Locate in your
Bible the quotations given to you and underline each one of them, preferably with
the color of the theme.
2 .- Because we are no longer under the. but under the....... (Rom. 6:14)
GOAL: To show the need for community and love for our brothers and
sisters.
In the last class we understood what grace is, the ways to increase it
through confession and communion and how it is lost or diminished. In
this we should understand the richness of having brothers and sisters,
knowing their problems and sharing with them their sorrows and joys,
praying together, "etc.". If we have truly converted to the Lord, when we
receive the gift of the Spirit we feel the need to unite with other brothers
and sisters to walk together with them towards the Lord and share what
the Lord is doing in each one of us.
B- THECOMMUNITY
There are gifts of God that are only manifested in community, with the
group of people who have the same spirit, the same Father, sharing as
brothers and sisters, having in common their Faith, their LOVE, their
GOALS, their LIVES and who learn together to live the new life that God
points out to them. (Ef. 4:13). Like the multitudes that followed Jesus, we
now also feel the need to unite, stripping ourselves of our selfishness,
living to serve others, loving all. And just as then, Jesus responds to us by
nourishing us, making us live the gifts of His Spirit, impelling us to
proclaim the Good News to every creature. He sets us free from the
rigidity of the Law, so that we may become servants of grace, so that in
obeying the Spirit, we may find life. But this submission to God is obtained
through order and obedience to the Pastors and to the brothers, and only
in community life can we truly practice this obedience. This is how we will
be able to grow as a
C-COMMUNITY NEEDS
Union with a community helps us to live as good Christians, otherwise we
will not have the strength to do so. God speaks to his people and
covenants with them, so, as a people - it is when we are gathered
together that He distributes his special gifts, which would have no purpose
if we were alone: prophecy only serves the prophet if he can communicate
it to others; discernment is to be applied to others; and so are the other
gifts. A community receives grazing. Personal support, encouragement
and example. We receive these and many other blessings to the extent
that we also begin to serve others, to the extent that we begin to integrate
ourselves into that community.
D - LIVING AS BROTHERS
The friendship that should unite us with our new brothers and sisters will
form for us a "new world", to which we can consider that it is God himself
who integrates us. In this world of new brethren, we will all pray for one
another, we will help one another (Rom. 15:5) we will counsel one
another, we will allow fraternal correction. We will feel safe, just as the
sheep are safe as long as they are united and the shepherd can guide
them; the moment one of them wanders away, it is exposed to the wolf's
attacks. (1 Thess. 5:11-14) (Mt. 18:12-14).
Among new siblings, we have to. Know that there are no perfect people,
we are all progressing together, growing together in the Lord. There are
many mistakes in everyone, but God shows patience and love for those
who fall, and we must also be willing to forgive the mistakes and
deficiencies that we are SURE to find (Rom. 15:7). Even the most senior
members of the community, the pastors themselves, have errors and
deficiencies that God will smooth out with our help, which we should give
them with love, and in this way we will all understand together the voice of
God. We love each other and we need each other, so we must learn to
love each other with the love of the Father, not produced by human
feelings, by the greater or lesser holiness of one or the other, but by our
surrender and union with God. This love between brothers is the best sign
that a community is on the right path (Col. 3:1415) or includes the
responsibility to serve others.
MEMORIZE:
Acts. 2:42 1 Thess. 4:11 Col. 3:14-15 Eph. 5:21
TASK:
Offer to work in a community service.
MOTTO QUOTE:
"BE YE ONE BODY AND ONE SPIRIT AS ONE IS THE HOPE TO
WHICH YE ARE CALLED".
5. la. Cor. 12:12 says that the............................has many parts and all of
them
form a...............................
6. In Hebrews 10:24-25 find three rules that you can apply in your own life.
1.........................................
2.........................................
3.........................................
8. What exhortation does St. Paul make to the believers in the. Tes. 5:11-12 ?
9. la. Peter 2:12 says: "Have in the midst of the Gentiles...............a end of
that the same people who slander them in the face of the... den glory
to God.
10. Why do you think it is necessary to love other brothers and sisters?
(1a. In. 4:11) (1a. Jn. 4:20)
GOAL: To show which are the factors of division in a community and how
not to participate in them, achieving unity through Love.
In the previous classes we saw how it is through friendship, unity and love
with our brothers and sisters in faith, that is, through community, that God
can guide us as a people, and it is also how we can best serve him and
give witness to the world of God's love.
But we also know that our enemy, Satan, does not remain indifferent
where the work of the Holy Spirit is bearing any fruit, and that he will also
try by all means to hinder or destroy the work of God, and his best
strategy is division. Jesus has said: "Every kingdom divided into two
camps is lost, and every city or family divided will not be able to survive".
(Mat. 12:25 ff.)
Let us review what some of these instruments of division are, and let us
reflect on the way they are presented, and the damage they do to us:
We must stop backbiting and criticisms, since they are like the cement
that build the walls that divide us; GOSSIP AND BACKBITTING BREAK
THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN BROTHERS, and a good way of not
allowing this to happen is not to become accomplices by listening to them
Accepting our brothers AS THEY ARE, that is, thinking that the Lord will
change and improve them later, we open the channel of Christ's love and
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we place in our heart the assurance that our brother is being transformed
by the power of God.
We are called to be one, as the Father and Jesus are one (Jn. 17:21) and
this means that we must complement each other, and this will only be
achieved through the Love of God pouring into the hearts of all his
children so that all of us as brothers do not live for ourselves but for
others.
MEMORIZE:
Rom. 2:1 la. Jn. 4:20-21 Zech. 8:16-17.
TASK:
Propose not to engage in criticism during this week.
SUBJECT QUOTE:
DO NOT JUDGE AND YOU WILL NOT BE JUDGED (Mt. 7:1)
What does Matthew 12:25 ff. say happens to a divided kingdom, city or
community, or family? ____________________________________________
2. The weapons Satan uses to achieve the division of a Community are: (Find the
quotation that corresponds to each one).
Criticism ( ) a) 2 Tim. 2:23-24
Fights ( ) b) Phil. 2:3
Judge ( ) c) Rom. 14:10
Lies ( ) d) Col. 3:9
Rivalries ( ) e) Rom.2:1
4.______________St. Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians 4:25, tells us: Discarding
the _____________ _speak with all_______________________ each with _______
for we are _______
5. If anyone says "I love God" and hates his brother, he is a: (1 Jn. 4:20).
R. ( ) A) Unadapted B) Liar C) Pagan
7. Point out in which parts of the Bible are the following phrases:
We are to lay down our lives for the brethren a) 1 ()
Peter 4:10 b) 1 Jn. 3:16 c) Sant. 5:19
Help one another to bear your burdens a) ()
Galatians 6:2 b) Heb. 13:16-17 c) Ef. 4: 15-16
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, for someone to say "I have faith"
if he or she does not have
works?
a) 2 Tim. 4:5 b) 2 Cor. 6:3 c) Jas 2:14
GOAL: To teach them to grow not only in love for their brothers and
sisters, but also to show them that love in a Christian way.
One of the first ways to show love to our brothers and sisters is by serving
them. But to take our place in the body of Christ, in order to better serve
our brethren, we must first:
a) PRAY, so that the Lord may indicate to us what we should serve and
how we will use what God has given us for them, especially the charisms,
which we already know are always a gift from God for his Church. (Rom.
12:6-8).
c) To unite ourselves with God the Father, with Jesus, through his
Spirit, allowing him to guide us and docilely following his inspirations to
build the Body of Christ, his Church, of which he is the head (Col. 1:18).
This union with God will make us channels in which He can work at His
pleasure, living stones that He can use in the construction and building of
that Church.
B) We must love our brothers and sisters with a warm, affectionate love,
like the love of Christ. (Rom. 15:1) He loves us as we are, respects us and
never manipulates or forces us. When we do not love our brothers, we do
the opposite of what Christ did, who loved us to THE END. The works of
the flesh are always opposed to love, with anger, quarrels, divisions,
arguments, envy, etc. (Galatians 5:19-21 Ephesians 4:25-32).
Jesus must heal our relationships in the Community (Rom. 14:15). A very
great evil is to argue about unimportant things and to gossip. If we see
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that someone has done something wrong, we should call him alone,
rebuke him with love, and in this way we win him over; but if instead we
tell others, perhaps magnifying it, we turn it into "gossip", and the brother
is lost. (Mt. 18:15) (1 Thess. 5:12-17) To love our brother and show it to
him, we must: WELCOME. FORGIVING AND GIVING.
In Galatians 5:22, we see the same thing the Pope told us at the
Charismatic Congress held in Rome in 1975: that the fruit of the Spirit
must be love.
We must have the same love with which the Lord loves us. I suggest that
in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, put your name in place of Charity, and see how
and where you fail Example: Love is patient (I MARGARITA, or JUANA or
ALBERTO am patient, I am helpful, I am not envious, etc.) In this chapter
we can notice one thing, and that is that when we speak of charity, it is as
if we were speaking of the feelings of Christ, and it is to these that we
should tend. He forgives us always, constantly, repeatedly, every time we
offend Him, because He loves us. Philippians 2:12-15.
Let us not seek, as St. Francis says in his prayer, to be understood but to
understand, to be loved but to love, because it is in giving that we receive
and it is in forgiving that the Lord forgives us.
Love is the very essence of God. Love will never pass away, and we will
remain in love if we LOVE our brothers.
The apostles Peter and John one day saw a crippled man and told him
that they had neither gold nor silver, but what they had they gave him, and
in the name of Jesus they made the cripple walk (Acts 3:1-8). The Lord
has to teach us to GIVE, not what we think we should give, but what our
brother really needs. We have to be attentive to see what he needs and
give it to him.
May no one remain sad for having treated us, may there always be a
reflection of the Lord in us, and for this we have to fill ourselves with Him,
and before going to speak of God to our brothers, we have to speak of our
brothers to God, that is, we have to pray for them, for everyone, especially
for those who have done something that we did not like, even if it is
against us. May our witness, in this Community, be our patience,
forgiveness, joy and Christian attitude, that is, an attitude of love towards
all.
1. In 1a. from John 3:16, we learn that we shall know what love is, in that we
also shall know what love is. ...........................................................
2. One way of demonstrating our love for our brothers is (James 2:14-16)
4. According to Galatians 5:20-21, what are the works of the flesh which are
oppose love?..............................................................................................
5. What should you do if you see any fault in your brother? (Mt 18:15)
8. What did Peter and John give to the crippled man? (Acts 3:1-8)
9. Cite 6 things our brother may need that you can give
him:............................ ………………………. ……………………….
11. How will they know that we are disciples of Jesus? (Jn. 13:34-35)
GOAL: To make believers aware that God will guide them and explain to
them how to be docile to His call and how to distinguish when He is
leading them.
This happens, because the Lord has offered to direct us, and we will see it
in Psalm 37:23 "The steps of man hang upon the LORD, they are firm,
and his way pleases him". In Psalm 32:8 "I will instruct you, I will show you
the way to go; my eyes are fixed on you, I will be your counselor.
Or in Romans 8:14 "Indeed, all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons
of God". And the most wonderful thing about our Heavenly Father is that
we are stubborn, foolish and reluctant to follow God's dictate, the path He
wants us to follow and yet His infinite love always helps us, as one of His
promises says in Isaiah 41:10 "Fear not, for I am with you; be not
dismayed, for I am your God. I have strengthened you and helped you,
and I have laid hold of you with my righteous right hand". Glory to the
Lord!
Our blindness and foolishness often cause us to "miss the target" and in
the Bible this missing of the target is called sin; Jesus does not want us to
miss and when the Holy Spirit comes in fullness to us, He becomes our
But the Lord wants us to consciously distinguish his voice and for that he
has left us his instructions.
Let us now see what is the Lord's way of acting. Just as a parent will try to
guide his child along the best path, God wants to guide us along a path
perfectly laid out for us.
B-WHERE TO START
Jesus taught his disciples many things to prepare them for the task he
was about to assign them; he taught them to pray, to understand the
scriptures and promised them the Holy Spirit who would guide them into
all truth. (Jn. 16:13).
The Holy Spirit guided Paul, as well as the other apostles, to transmit
God's Plan to us. As an example we see in Rom. 12:12-13, the steps to
follow to know God's will, and to allow ourselves to be led as his children.
In the first place we must know that it is possible to know the will of God,
and therefore his direction, and that it is necessary to renounce all other
forms of direction, for the Bible says in James 3:13-18 that we must
distinguish the wisdom of God and the earthly, carnal or devilish wisdom.
Col. 2:8 tells us that we must expressly renounce everything that does not
come from God.
One of the means that God uses to guide us is his work (2. Tim. 3:16)
God's will concerning many things is revealed in the Bible; the more we
become familiar with it, the more we will understand His will.
We can take the comparison made by Bob Munford in his book "Three
sure signs". Three lights lined up are the signal that ships entering a
certain bay in Italy require to be sure they are on the right track. We also
have three sure signs that lead us on God's path, and they are:
3 .- CIRCUMSTANCES.
The word of God is our objective or external guide, since God will never
give an order or serial that goes against what is written in the Bible,
always in the light of the Magisterium of the Church, which interprets the
teachings of the Church according to the time, the special way of
speaking, etc. The authority of the Bible is "supported by the oath of God
upon himself. Jesus says: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my word
will not pass away" (Lk. 21:33). The Bible, then, is one of the main
sources to guide our lives.
We should not, however, let circumstances manage us, but always ask
God to change those circumstances according to His will, and trust that
He will act. Solomon said in Proverbs 3:5-7 "Trust in the LORD with all
your heart and lean not on your own understanding, acknowledge him in
all your ways and make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own
eyes, fear the LORD and turn away from evil."
There are times when these three signs are not enough and we must turn
to a priest for special guidance, for they have among their priestly
charisms, the special and sacramental discernment of spirits. In less
serious cases, a mature brother in the spirit will be able to help us
distinguish the Lord's direction for us.
St. Paul said we are God's co-workers; we should not work for ourselves,
saying it is for the Lord, we should work with, for and in the Lord. Recall: 2
Cor. 5:20: "we are ambassadors for Christ". We have a mission to fulfill
and we will do it well as long as we are guided by the Lord, being docile,
to his call; distinguishing his will, aligning the signs of security, and we
must remember that it is always convenient to let ourselves be guided by
other spiritually mature brothers as José Ma. says. Escrivá in "The Way":
"It is convenient for you to know this sure doctrine: one's own spirit is a
bad counselor, a bad pilot to guide the soul in the barracks and storms,
MEMORIZE:
Jn. 10:14 Sant. 3:17 Ps. 37:23 Lk. 21:33.
TASK:
Review our lives to realize how the Lord has guided us and thank Him.
CHA LEMA:
WHEN HE COMES, THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH, HE WILL GUIDE YOU
INTO THE WHOLE TRUTH.
Answer each of the questions below and mark the correct answer. Locate in your
Bible the quotations given to you and underline each one of them preferably in
color - according to its theme - and write down in your notebook the quotations
that you consider important and that you want to study later on.
Memory verse: Proverbs 3:5-7 Sant. 1:5 Psalm 32:8
1 Luke 6:46, teaches that if you call Jesus your Lord and receive Him as your
Lord, then you can call Him your Lord.
Salvador you should: ()
a) go to church b) give to the poor c) do what He tells you On a regular basis
2 In 2a. Samuel 22:31 David says that the way of God is: ( )
a) Perfect b) rough c) easy
6 If you believe you receive an inspiration from the Holy Spirit, but it is against
the Magisterium of the Church, what would you do?
7 What are the characteristics of the wisdom that comes from above?
James 3:17 and 18 ............................................................
8 Will God guide you if you ask him? (Psalm 32:8) .................................
GOAL: To break the ties that bind them to material things, and as a
consequence, to participate in the work of the Lord.
We can see how marvelous Creation is, since what we now see did not
exist and by the power of His word, it was made. However, let's ask
ourselves a question: Whose is it? The only answer will be: GOD!
In the account found in Genesis 1:26-28, we see that God neither at that
time nor at any other time gave man possession as owner, but that man
was to be God's steward. The administrator was in charge of all his
employer's business and administered the entire estate. In other words,
we are stewards of God's Creation, the Bible guides us and gives us the
basis to exercise this stewardship that we owe to God.
The first case in which an offering is made to God is that of Abel (Gen 4:4)
and later that of Noah, in which his offering was "a sweet savor before
God" (Gen 8:20-21). Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek (Gen 14:18-20)
and although he was not commanded to do so, it implies that there was an
established law; Jacob acknowledged this when he said: "and of all that
thou shalt give me, I will set apart for thee a tithe" (Gen 28-22); with
Leviticus came the law and God established the tithe. (Lev. 27:30-32).
However, many will say that this was under the Mosaic law, and that we
are not under the law, but under grace and that the New Testament does
not emphasize tithing; but this may be because it is taken as a fact, as a
habit, so much so that the Bible says in Mt. 17:24, that Jesus paid tribute
to the temple, for the needs of the temple.
B - TITHING IN MEXICO
We are used to giving alms or offerings and our tithes are limited, in
Mexico, to giving one day's salary a year, but the Church has had to adopt
this emergency measure "because of the hardness of their hearts". This
hardness of heart may have, in part, its historical causes.
Before the Reform laws, all the faithful gave part of what they had: land,
animals, crops or fruits. After the internal war between the Church and the
State, the authorities prohibited the Church from owning property and
Some years ago, the Church began to want to establish the tithe again,
since it needed to subsist, and also wanted to teach the people that we
have the obligation to return to the Lord part of what He gives us. But now
it is no longer a TITHE but a small contribution from the faithful, according
to their economic resources.
Paul had many problems with the Corinthians, and so much so that in his
letters to them is where we see the doctrine of stewardship applied and he
told them: "Since you abound in faith, and in speech, and in knowledge,
and in all diligence, and in mutual love to us, that you also abound in
generosity". (2 Cor. 8:7), and it is that Paul knew the blessings that were
Now, God does not need our offerings, but He tests us to know if we are
with Him or against Him, and we see that the man who does not tithe
STEALS FROM GOD; let us study a sin what God asks his people in
Malachi 3:8, and St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians says: "Each one of
us in his own way, as much as he is able" EACH ONE! the tithe is not
global of the family, but of each member of it; and in 2 Cor. 9:6-7, Paul
says that he who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and he who sows
bountifully will reap bountifully.
Each one will give as God has inspired in his heart, and in gratitude for the
prosperity that each one receives from God.
Synthesizing, we see that we owe the tithe to God and that by tithe we
must first understand what the Church asks of us as a commandment;
then, as much as we can give to the Lord "as He inspires us in our
hearts," which will not be precisely 10%, but even more, because offerings
and alms are separate.We should remember Malachi, "bring the whole
tithe into the treasure house, that there may be food in my house". Which
is the House of the Lord?
We must clarify that the tithe is not to help a needy relative, nor for
personal works; this is voluntary, to whom, how and when, as the Lord
inspires us. The tithe is, as mentioned above, to be given to the parish.
Paul said, "not because I seek gifts, but because I am more interested that
you should earn interest on your account" (Phil. 4:17) and assured: "my
God will supply ALL that you lack, according to his riches in Christ
Jesus". (Phil. 4:19).
Brethren, to deny you the teaching of giving would be to sin against you,
for we have learned through experience that we do not need to protect the
purses of the people, you know how to do this, what we need is to help
them to open them for the glory of God and for their own good.
Let us not forget that in giving, we are not exempt from being accountable
for what we do not give, since we are stewards, and the Lord will one day
say to us as he did to the wicked steward (Lk. 16:8-9) "Give an account of
stewardship because you will no longer be able to be a steward."
Brethren, let us not waste our stewardship, let us use it for the honor and
glory of God our Lord.
2.- In all the stories you will see below, the children of God carry their
offerings to God. Relate the quotations to the passages:
a) Genesis 4:4 ( ) Abraham pays tithes to Melchizedek.
b) Genesis 28:22 ( ) Jacob says "of all that you give, the Tenth part will
be set aside for you".
a) Leviticus 27:30-32 ( ) Abel, the first case of offering.
d) Genesis 8:20-21 ( ) Noah: his offering was as a "sweet savor before
d) Genesis 14:18-20 ( God".
) The law of tithing was established.
5 People like Mary of Bethany are the type of GIVERS (Jn. 12:3) to what kind of
people belong those who are like Judas Iscariot? They are of type R
..........................................................................S
8 St. Paul says in 2a. of Cor. 9:6-7, that he who.................................. and the
one who..........................................................................................
11 The Church asks you to give one day's salary per year; have you done it?
YES NO
12 Are you willing to taste the blessings of giving a part of what you receive to
the Lord's work? YES NO When? ....................
13 Are you already sure that God will give you 100 times more than what you
have given Him, when you have learned to let go of material wealth? YES
NO Comment in your own words what you liked most about this class and
GOAL: To teach them how to be witnesses of Christ before the world and
how to bring new people to know and accept Him.
In the last class we saw that one of the ways to help the Lord's work is to
cooperate with the expenses that it requires. God does not only want your
financial participation, He asks you to give Him a part of your time for
prayer, as well as to use what He has given you and share your testimony
with those who do not yet know Him.
Andrew gave testimony to Simon (Peter) who was his brother, telling him
that he had found Jesus who was the awaited Messiah; Philip spoke to
Nathaniel who was his friend; the Samaritan woman, who could not be
considered a disciple, with her testimony was an instrument for many to
come to Jesus.
Christ's plan for the total evangelization of the world would be simplified if
we were to think of winning for Christ the person closest to him, and that
when this person is reached, he would in turn win another person close to
him, and so on, like links forming a chain, until everyone knows Christ.
The most important testimony will not be with our words, but with our
It is very important to know that this power comes from God through us,
when we are willing to be His witnesses, when like Isaiah we say: "Here I
am Lord, send me" (Isa. 6:8). Jesus said: "Come after me and I will make
you fishers of men" (Matt. 4:19) and it is noteworthy that he only asked
them to follow him. The responsibility of making them Fishers of men
belonged to the Lord.
When Moses said, "Lord, I beseech thee, remember that I have never had
facility to speak, even after thou hast spoken to me, for I cannot find the
D. -BEING FISHERMEN
Perhaps the most difficult thing will be to know how to begin, how we can
approach a person and steer the conversation toward spiritual things
without offending them. We must learn to use natural opportunities such
as: objects, water, a rubber band, a cross, a book, a piece of news, etc.,
or a trade: carpenter, teacher, gardener, etc.
The main objective for now will be to find out as soon as possible your
spiritual position (cold believer, atheist, skeptic, etc.) and the easiest way
to find out will be to ask questions like for example:
1 Are you interested in spiritual things, or in the Bible, or in the things of
the Church, etc.?
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2 Have you known Christ as your personal Savior? Or has he confessed
it with his mouth? o have you had a personal encounter with Christ?
3 If someone asked you what it means to be a Christian, what would you
answer? Or have you ever wondered why you can't live as a good
Christian?
If the person does not want to talk, or gets angry, or changes the subject,
perhaps it is not the right time or it is not God's will for them at that
moment. You must be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. He is the
Lord of the harvest, give him the freedom to lead you to the place where
the harvest is ready; ask God to open the doors, if he wants you to speak
to a certain person.
Find out the common interests that you and the person may have and
then you can use your personal testimony to lead them to understand
what CHRIST DID FOR YOU; you can go deeper, as you see the person's
interest, and once they show a desire to know God's Plan, invite them to
give you 10 minutes to read the Bible (until then you have not shown
them).Once the person shows a desire to know God's Plan, invite them to
give you 10 minutes to read the Bible (until then you have not shown it to
them) and if they accept, you can use certain scriptures to explain the plan
of salvation. You will have to know them by heart, because some of them
you will not be able to read in your Bible (because you don't know or can't
read it) and you must be sure you know that this is the verse you are
trying to show him. Write down at the top of the page where the first
quotation is, the page number of the next one, so you can quickly move to
the next quotation without wasting a lot of time looking for the book and
chapter.
PRACTICAL E-TIPS
1. Try to talk alone with the person; being with others you may be afraid
to be sincere, because of teasing.
2. Do not use difficult words and theological phrases, simplicity is better.
3. Avoid foolish questions, which lead to nothing, such as:
4. Don't be afraid to say "I don't know" but don't hold back, talk about
what you do know" about what Jesus has done for you. Leading
questions are Satan's tricks.
5. Don't argue; if he wants nothing more than to argue, change the
subject.
6. Make sure he clearly understands how to accept Christ so that if he
doesn't do it right there and then, he can do it later alone.
7. Let the person be the primary stakeholder and do not force the
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situation.
8. Don't be disappointed, you will learn even from your mistakes.
9. Make Christ stand out, not YOU, so that he does not admire you but
God.
10. It is necessary to practice, do it with your brothers or with your family,
modulate your voice, use the verses you have learned and TRUST IN
THE LORD.
TASK: Practice the witnessing plan and start looking for people to tell
about Christ.
MEMORIZE: The quotes from the testimony plan.
QUOTE MOTTO: GO INTO ALL THE WORLD AND PROCLAIM THE
GOOD NEWS TO ALL CREATION. (Mc. 16:15).
2 .- Rom. 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is
eternal life". After he has finished reading it, point out what is the wages of
sin and explain to him that it is spiritual separation from the Lord and tell
him that God gives as a gift, eternal life, (a gift is a gift, something we
cannot earn) (Eph. 2:8-9) offer him your Bible and ask him what he has to
do to have that gift from you. You just have to accept it! (read again the
next verse page).
3 Acts 3:19 "Repent and be converted so that all your sins may be
blotted out. And so the Lord will cause times of relief to come." What does
it say we must do to receive eternal life? (Question) and explain that
repentance means to regret your sins and leave them. (look again for the
page of the following quotation).
4 John 1:12 "but to those who have received him and who believe in his
name he has given the power to become children of God". You can say
that he only needs to receive Him in order to be forgiven and accepted as
a child of God. Point out to him that it is not by doing something but by
receiving someone, Jesus, that we can become children of God. (quickly
look for the next page).
5 .- Ap. 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my
voice and opens the door, I will come in to his house and eat with him and
he with me". Make him realize that it is Jesus who is calling him and that
he must respond, so that Christ can then enter his life. Ask him if he is
willing to respond to Jesus' call. If he hesitates, make him reflect that it is
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an opportunity he is refusing, that he is giving up a gift that God is giving
him. If he says "no", thank him for his sincerity and ask him to think it over
that night and let him. If you say yes, look for the following quote.
6 .- Rom. 10:9-10 "For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be
saved". Ask him if he believes Jesus can forgive him and invite him to
pray with you to accept Jesus as Savior. If he accepts, invite him to close
his eyes and lead him to repeat with you a prayer of acceptance and
renunciation, and then have him thank God for having forgiven him and
because he is already his Savior, finish praying for him, and most of all
allow Christ to illuminate his life, allowing your faith to radiate the joy of
trust in God.
Ask him if he has a Bible or New Testament and if not, offer him one.
A.- Read the parable of the ten virgins. (Mt. 25:1) (Lk. 12:35-38)
But the Jewish people were waiting for a Messiah who would institute a
Real and Visible Kingdom, a warrior who through battles and wars would
deliver them from their enemies. That is why they could not understand
the message of liberation and love of Jesus, and are still waiting for their
Messiah, while we Gentiles have received the message and know that the
Kingdom of Christ, Kingdom of Truth, Peace and Love, is already among
us. (Lk. 17:20-21).
During his public life, Jesus spoke several times of that his 2nd. The
coming, and indicated several signs that would accompany it, as we can
read in St. Matthew, in the eschatological discourse of Jesus. (You can
read this at home, as it is very long). He recommended us to be vigilant,
prepared and alert, (Mat. 24:42-44), for we do not know when he will
come. It indicates that there will be a prize for those who are waiting for it.
(Mt. 24:45-51). It also teaches us what are the motives of reward and
punishment, which can be centered on being charitable or not being
charitable (Mt. 25:31-45).
But we must also remember that: "but of that day and hour, no one knows
anything, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father,"
(Mt. 24:36), i.e., that even if all the signs are fulfilled, including the promise
of the conversion of all the people of Israel, we cannot conclude that
immediately afterwards the Lord will come.
But besides that moment of death, CHRIST comes to our soul at all times,
in every instant, when we are alert.
IN FAVOR OF OUR
NEIGHBOR
We have already seen in the Parable of the Virgins (Mt. 25:1), how Jesus
himself tells us that we must ALWAYS BE AWAKE to wait for him; in the
following parable, that of the Talents (Mt. 25:14), teaches us to remain
WORKING and using the talents that God has not given us. In the parable
of the Last Judgment (Mt. 25:31) makes it clear to us among whom we are
to work, that is to say that what we do to our neighbor is like doing it to
Himself, and what we fail to do to our brother is to fail to do to Him. Let us
understand, according to the above, that our attitude of waiting for the
Lord must be filled with these three teachings:
1) TO BE AWAKE.
2) WORKING FOR THE LORD.
3) IN FAVOR OF OUR NEIGHBOR.
At the end of this Course, let these words remain engraved in us: "THE
SPIRIT AND THE BRIDE (the Church, bride of Christ, or our souls, brides
of Christ) SAY COME! And he who hears, say "COME! And whosoever
thirsts, let him come near, and whosoever desires, let him receive the
water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17). Let us draw near to Christ, let us
receive the water of life that he offers us freely, and let us always call
upon him. Maran Atha, the Lord is coming. COME LORD JESUS!