Part 2 of Lesson # 1 :)

After writing so much (too much probably! LOL)last night, I actually found a few more things to mention in the same vein before we get to next week's study. SORRY!!!! But, it has to be written b/c it's part of the study and God keeps nudging me to write it even though it's tough to read!!!! Yes, this segment is important so thought I better go ahead and add them while you were in the mindset of discipline.  Bruce says there are 3 degrees of intervention. Here goes:
(remember I put Bruce's words in purple)! From:"Secrets of the Vine"--"love by degrees"


"Do you have a clear sense of how God communicates His wishes for you when you need His correction? If we look at the verses from Hebrews 12, we find 3 degrees of intervention.You'll never again need to live in confusion about how God is acting on your life to bring you back to fruitfulness.
Degree 1: rebuke--"my son, do not be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him (vs.5)
A rebuke is a verbal warning. God can make Himself heard in many ways: A prick of our conscience, a timely word from another person, a Scripture, the preaching of God's word or conviction by they Holy Spirit.  These verbal cues, like the frequent pleas of a mother with young children--are by far the most common kind of discipline we experience in God's family. we should always have our ears open for them. IF, however, we harden our heart and close our ears, we force our Father to intensify the correction".


Me,again! I can't tell you how many times I have had the prick of conscience or a scripture touch my heart but generally I do one of 2 things. ONE, think "that's not for ME" or TWO, "I'll do that another day" (my Scarlett O'Hara persona)!THOUGHTS? WHat do YOU do??


2. Chastens--"For the whom the Lord LOVES He chastens" (V 5)
Chastening is something you feel as emotional anxiety, frustration, or distress. what used to bring you joy now doesn't. Pressures increase at work, at home, in your health or finances.  Many CHristians bump along in this level of discipline, yet fail to read the signs. They feel  unfulfilled at church, critical of their Christian friends and "on the outs" with God. When they pick up their Bible, it feels like a lead weight instead of welcome relief. Their relationship with the Lord, seem blighted by a sadness or lethargy they can't quite trace. If any of these symptoms sound familiar, you don't need to go to church more or try to read your Bible with a better attitude. you need to look for ongoing sin in your life, the dirt crusting over your leaves and cutting you off from God's best. If you don't respond, love will compel your Father to take more drastic measures.


ME:WHOA, NELLIE!!!!! I get all fidgety when I read things like that. WHY? NOT TO POKE FUN AT MY DENOMINATION, but it recent years it seems that our  Methodist churches preach less on judgment and more on grace. (I'm not worried about any Methodist preachers reading this either so I'm not scared of reprecussions! HAHAHA! I mean, if they are any Methodist ministers reading this, please reveal yourselves and set me straight!!!!!)! ...AND OF COURSE, we all want the GRACE PART!!!!!!!! ME TOO! But, I do remember a time when I was little when we had a little wiry old minister who preached a hellfire and damnation series that almost blew the ladies underwear off! He would rant and rave and wake me up from my long hour nap (where I would lay across my parents lap and snore so loud my mother would pinch me!). When Dr. Chitwood (I think that was his name) preached, people listened. Maybe we need some more fire.Or it's quite possible that maybe I have missed this portion of Bible teaching somewhere along the line or, as usual , had my listening ears OFF. Whatever the case, I don't think I've EVER heard a sermon on Chastening. I'm glad I'm hearing one now b/c obviously it's something Biblical and needs to be heard! So on it goes. Number 3 which, get ready, is scary. Get ready....


 From the book:
Degree 3: Scourge "And scourges every son whom He receives" (v. 6)


"To scourge is to whip, to inflict punishment. It's the same word the Gospels use to describe what the Romans did to Jesus just before they crucified Him. Not a pretty picture! In FACT, for the word scourge you could substitute CAUSE EXTREME PAIN.  What percentage of Christians do you think  have experienced scourging? It may shock you to read that God scourges "every son". That means you have most likely already been scourged in your life. At this level of discipline you are living in open sin with a flagrant disregard for what you know is right. You have not heeded previous attempts by God to rescue you from rebellion and return you to fruitfulness. Therefore He must resort to intense pain to bring you to your senses. PAIN--everyone hates it, but it sure does get your attention, doesn't it? C.S. Lewis said that God whispers through pleasure but shouts through pain. Sometimes our Father has to shout.  He takes long-term sin very seriously, and He will act. The consequences are more drastic than most Christians understand. Paul said that unconfessed and unrepented sin in the Corinthian church had cast an alarming pall over that little community. Members were living openly in grievous sins, yet sharing at the Lord's Table as if nothing were wrong. Paul said that their acts brought judgment to themselves and others,   Because of continuing sin among believers, many were weak, many more were ill, and some had already died!!! ....Since so many Christians in our churches acknowledge that they are producing no fruit from God, could it be that many among us are suffering dire consequences as a result? What would you say to the evidence?
Having said that remember:
*God would never hurt an innocent person to indirectly discipline a sinning person. In other words, your mother won't get cancer because you're living in an affair.
*When God does disciplines us, it is never out of meanness, impatience, or wrath.
*God offers each of us opportunities to respond to Him, right up to the moment we leave this earth.


If you realize you have issues, embrace truth, discarding lies that have kept you stuck in unnecessary pain.  Turn wholeheartedly away from the sin that has kept you from thriving and your basket empty.
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The Bible word for this unforgettable, hope filled change of direction is REPENTANCE. Repentance is a turning away from the sin that ails you to the bounty God promises you. One day you will look back on your former determination to stay in the dirt and wonder how you resisted your Father's kindness for so long and at such cost. Responding to God's discipline brings immediate benefits. Hebrews talks about the 'peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it' (12:11). repentance doesn't just get us back to zero--God takes us from a minus ten to a plus ten. Neither is repentance a one-time act. It is a lifestyle, and ongoing commitment to keep putting aside our rebellion and receive God's forgiveness. Each of us are invited to give God permission every day to shape and cleanse and redirect us. with each turning we enter more directly into an experience of God's pleasure. 


In the next lesson you'll discover the secret of moving from "fruit" to "more fruit". Every vinedresser knows that once a barren branch starts to thrive, it holds great promise for an abundant harvest ahead".


WHOA!!!!!!! That's a lot of stuff to digest. And most reading don't have the kind of serious sin that Bruce it talking about. BUT, if there is just ONE who does,then I am glad they can see it in black and white (or purple, in my case! HAHA).  There have been instances in my life where I have wallowed in something or other. One recent one I'll share is that I just kept eating unhealthy while KNOWING God was upset with me about it! I KNEW He was. But I kept on. And ON. ANd then one day, RECENTLY,I had some kind of attack (I think gall bladder), have had them before but this one lasted 2 weeks and I was miserable, hurting and feeling like God was frowning at me. (can we say BURP FEST?! HAHA).I did the ole"Beg- in- the- shower -to -make- me- feel- better" while promising  God to eat better. This time I'm sticking to it. I hate it when God chastens me like that, but sometimes there's just NO OTHER WAY! (I'm STUBBORN!)!!!!! God wants us to be healthy so that we can do our best for  Him. Plus, I just hate it when I think God's mad at me! LOL




Now read below a couple of comments from today.Thanks girls.


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Love/love/love the Bible Study.  Will be thinking about it and journaling about it and praying for you as you prepare this study!!

Love ya!!

and from another dear friend who I will keep anonymous....




I don't want to be the first to comment but please know this is a good thing you are doing.  I read John15 and the Holy Spirit clearly convicted me!!!  I know this sounds like a confession but it isn't...I just realized that recently I have not "been in Him and He in me" and that's why I've been out of sorts...big time out of sorts!  Only in Him do I EVER have peace, and joy which is a result of His LOVE.  I have been too busy with worldly things and not putting Him first.  OMGosh, how sad is that?!  Thank you again for your time and effort in renewing folks like me, so that I may be FRUITFUL again!!!


BTW, friend, you're not the only one who has been too busy with worldly things. Um, can we say, me, too?! I did this study for selfish reasons, too! (like, mostly for ME!)! ...love you---(you know who you are).