Lesson (12) Disciple: Red-Hot Passion for God or Lukewarm?

Resources for this Lesson:
Crazy Love by Francis Chan: visit http://www.crazylovebook.com/
YouTube Video: Muslim Demographics and Excerpts from Vanguard American Jihadi

The most important concept we hold to shape our lives, is our own perception of God. (PowerPoint)



How Big is our God? How Great is our God? How Holy is He? Is my God too small to solve my problems? Is my God too small to be acknowledged with total reverence and awe?

Only when we contrast ourselves with God's awesome power and holiness can we be touched by our own insignificance. Creation declares the glory of God. Taking time to contemplate the diversity, creativity, and sophistication of the universe helps us to see the majesty of God.

Heavens declare the glory of God: Ps 19:1-4

We are without excuse: Romans 1:18f 18 “ The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

WE MUST ACKNOWLEDGE HIM (1 Chron 28:9; Prove 3:6 Is 19:21; Jere 10:25; Hosea 6:3)

OR NOT – (John 12:42; Hosea 5:15; Romans 1:28; 2 John 1:7)


Revelation 3:16 “So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit (hurl) you out of my mouth”

This is why we are called to worship Him. He is glorious, King of Kings, and the all powerful sovereign Lord.

We live in a world that ignores or merely tolerates the idea of God. But God will not be tolerated. He instructs us to fear, worship, and acknowledge Him in ALL our ways.

We are creatures of forgetfulness. We are plaque by spiritual amnesia. How many details we see of God's creativity and artwork, galaxies or detailed universe, sunset, and we still forget because we are like ants scurrying about in our own little worlds caring for nothing but our next task. In our world hundreds of things and events distract us from honoring and remembering to glorify the Great "I AM".

We need reminders to focus on God's love but instead we focus on what we don't have, what we need to buy to make us happier, or sexier, or more at peace. This dissatisfaction transfers over to our thinking about God because we already have everything we need because we don't remember who God is and that he is worthy to be praised at all times.

A. W. Tozer says, "what comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."

Our worship is affected by how high or low we think of God. How BIG is our God? Our lives take on the image of the God we have chosen to hold in our mind and conceive in our heart or what we see God to be like.

How do we learn to KNOW God? Meditate on His Word, on His Creation, on His Power to change lives.

What is He like? What are His characteristics? Keeping His characteristics in our hearts will help to remind us of how awesome our God truly is.

God is holy. He is set apart and distinct from us. His perfect holiness (Holy, Holy, Holy) sets Him so far above us. God is timeless, all-knowing, all-powerful, all goodness, and limitless. We cannot comprehend Him or His Wisdom.

He is so far above us that we would have had little hope of approaching Him without the gift of His only beloved Son. He is compassionate and merciful. His creation was a gift to give us the ability to declare His glory so that we would seek to please Him. How foolish we have become to explore the universe to find "life on other planets" as if that would reveal more about us than Knowing our Creator.

We truly have left our first love when we celebrate the creation over the Creator, when we forsake the assembly worship to bask in His creation, when we sell our souls for money, prestige, career, entertainment, fun, or possessions. What does that look like?

We often live as if God was created for us, to do our bidding, to answer our requests, or to be on standby for our every desire. We often forget that God has the right to do as He pleases as sovereign Lord.

Daniel 4:35 35 "All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?”

God is not obligated to explain His every action to us. God does not owe us any explanation for anything He does. He cannot be contained in this world, nor can He be grasped by our understanding. Yet, He has given us what we can grasp and what we can understand in the form of His Son. Praise God for His infinite wisdom.

In Revelation John tries to describe what he sees around the Heavenly throne. I think it is a lot like describing the Columbia Space Shuttle take-off to an ant. We barely understand the glorious magnificence of the eternal realm.

It is a great blessing that our God is not evil, or petty, or spiteful. This might have been the case, but praise be to God, it is not the case. Our God is fair and just and even more, He is merciful. Praise be to God He is NOT like us! And we can thank God that there is only one standard. We cannot make our own...we would all have different standards in that case, and that would be chaotic. Praise God He has seen to giving us only one standard by which to live and that He revealed it to us so that we would not be in the dark about what pleases Him. And thanks be to God that He was detailed His standard in giving us His written Word and in the example of His Son so that we did not live in ignorance of His mercy.


Let us not neglect the fact that God is righteous and those who approach Him must also be righteous. He has no sin in Him and cannot tolerate sin. Light and darkness do not exist in the same arena. God and sin cannot co-exist. God hates sin.

Prov 8:13 13 "To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech."

We see how much God hated evil as exemplified by the death of His Son, the perfect sacrifice for sin.
It is very difficult for us to realize that our time on this earth is NOT all about us. We are not the center of the Universe. However, that WAS the first sin and has remained a part of our nature since Eve decided she wanted to be the center of her universe. She wanted to be in Control. She wanted to be as wise as God and to answer for herself. This is our struggle, our warfare against the natural man. We relate all things to ourselves instead of to God. We see to our own wishes, desires, and comfort instead of seeing the world as God sees it....lost and dying in sin needing ministers of God to point others to the Light.
Learning to appreciate God, loving Him, and making Him the center of our existence takes effort, submission, conscious planning, meditation, prayer, concentrated focus and courage. It should take up the quality hours of our every day. Our time on this earth is a vapor...and to waste it in pursuit of inane goals would be disastrous with eternal consequences. If we truly BELIEVE, the first and foremost condition of a Follower, we would BELIEVE 1 Corinthians 10:31..."whatever you do, do all to the glory of God", AND we would accomplish the second most important condition of a Follower, we would DO as we have been commanded. This is all that our lives are here on earth to do. But first we must "get over ourselves", deny self, and commit self.

The point of our lives is to point to Him.

Be thankful that we are weak. Being weak helps us to understand why we need to reach out to God. God has the strength we need to make it through this brief vapor of a life span.

Consider that since the world began there have been about 25 Billion folks who have lived on this earth. Within 50 to 100 years of your death no one will remember you and no one you know will still be alive. No one will care what career you had or what kind of home you lived in or what car you drove. Truly only the treasures we store in Heaven will matter. God has given you all this stuff so that you can show the world that even though you are materially blessed, you can still be totally committed to Him. Even in adversity and suffering, wecan show the world that our God brings peace and joy and contentment even when life is hard.

Francis Chan tells this story in his book, "Crazy Love" about a preacher giving a funeral address and deciding to bring the Gospel message into his sermon. He made the statement, "Are you ready? Any moment can be your last. You never know when God is going to take your life. At that moment there is nothing you can do about it. Are you ready?" Then he sat down, fell over and breathed his last. He could not be resuscitated. He died as he lived....proclaiming the Gospel. Thing is....you ALSO will die as you live.

Matthew 10:32-33. “Who acknowledge me before men, I will acknowledge before my Father. Who denies me before men, I will deny before the Father.” One moment this minister was acknowledging Jesus in front of those attending a funeral, the next moment he was being acknowledged by Christ before the Father in Heaven. We must live as if it is our last moment on earth.

LOVING RELATIONSHIP

Do you have children? Do you love them? Do you desire that they keep a relationship with you? Would you sacrifice for your children? Then you know a tiny percent of the desire God has for you to keep in relationship with Him. God loves us infinitely more than we will ever love our children. God is more worthy of trust and love than anyone else.

If we truly love God we will exchange a weekly or even a daily Bible study and prayer time, with a walking minute by minute relationship with Him. We are to love Him with all our heart, mind, and soul. This requires a constant attentiveness to His presence. Not that a "planned" Bible study is spiritually unhealthy, but it cannot replace the moment by moment walk in the Spirit. Has your child ever run up to hug you? This should be the same emotion we exhibit when we take time to reunite with God in fellowship. The motive must be love, not fear. The relationship must be continuous, not an hour or two a week.

The relationship we are to have with God must be the closest relationship in our life. He knew us before we even existed in our mother’s womb.( Jere 1:3-4.) He wants you to know that He has counted the hairs on your head. He wants you to be close to Him, above all relationships that you have built. God's love for His children is so powerful that He continuously monitors and manages even the air that we breath (consider the lily of the field). Because we cannot return this kind of love, we often don't see how we can maintain a relationship with God. He wants our hearts, mind, and soul.....and often we don't know how to approach this kind of intimacy.

REVERANT INTIMACY

Begin by understanding that God has been with us from the beginning, even before our beginning...and all He wants from us is to acknowledge Him in all our ways. IN ALL OUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM. In doing this we will begin the journey He has planned for us. ACKNOWLEDGE HIM IN ALL OUR WAYS...and He will direct our paths. Go back to the beginning of time and realize that we must fight the urge to manage our own lives and let God do the managing. Give Him control and acknowledge Him, praise Him, share Him, glorify Him, be thankful to Him, trust Him, proclaim Him. Make Him the center of our life—He will accept no less.

Eph 2:10 10 "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

He designed me for a specific work... the work of God. Praise God for giving me purpose. Praise God, He will insure my success according His plan, not mine. Praise God, He accepts me back when I stray from my purpose. What a great love He has for His weak and puny children! How can I show God what He means to me?

DISCUSSION GROUPS

Make a “T” Chart: On one side write the words, “Passionate Follower” and on the other side write the words, “Lukewarm Fan”. On this chart indicate all the characteristics that might identify each group. Think about what each looks like, talks like, acts like, re-acts like. Think about Jesus’ words.

Video: Muslim Demographics - Our Red-Hot Passion for God MUST include proclaiming Him among the nations. Re-Hot Followers are not shy. They are not timid. They are bold!

Lukewarm Christian-based churches will loose souls to more passionate callings, if we do not "WAKE UP!". Some Muslim sects have discovered this. People are drawn to passionate causes. Make God your Passion!

Watch Video: American Jihadi: http://joyfullearning.org/FAN/jihadi.wmv


HOMEWORK CD: Listen to Crazy Love: Who is Lukewarm?

Self-Inventory: A Personal Reflection


In what areas of my life do I exhibit “lukewarmness” for God?

What areas of my life do I hold on to for myself?


In what ways have I shown God passionate sacrificial love?


What do I need MOST in my life?

What has God been calling me to turn over to Him?

What does the Spirit want me to become?


READ: Chapter 11 and 12

Lesson (11) Disciple: The Metamorphosis - Willing to Endure Growing Pains?

Am I a Wimp? Yes, but in my weakness God is glorified! My journey must include allowing God to stretch me beyond my comfort zone. This “stretching” gives the Holy Spirit room to work in my life. My life must reflect the ministry that God has given me as His redeemed, as His priest on earth.


Often, however, our patterns of thinking fool us into believing that we are doing a good job of being a Follower, when in fact we are nothing more than a Fan.

Attitudes are patterns of thinking formed over a long period of time – a way of approaching life. We choose our attitudes and get use to reacting a certain way that becomes automatic and in time we cease to see them as actual choices. We may feel trapped in the wilderness of discontentment as the Israelites were. They were sentenced by God to 40 years of wandering and eventually death for their attitude of discontent: murmuring and complaining. We are NOT trapped. We can leave the parched land by filling our lives with gratitude. Get ready for “takeoff” when you decide that God needs to change you.

LOOK UP!

Lord, I want the landscape of my life to change. I want to experience the unhindered joy and blessings that You have promised to those who will leave the wilderness attitudes behind and move into the promised land of attitudes that please you.

Ezra 6:22

For seven days they celebrated with joy the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because the LORD had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.

Romans 15:5

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had,

Ephesians 4:22-24 (Definition of what?)

put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness….30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

1 Peter 4:1

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.

GROUP DISCUSSIONS


We have had a handout on the Sanctification Process because we realize from Titus 3:5-7 that God saves us through 2 processes: (1) Washing of Regeneration and (2) Renewing of the Holy Spirit. We hear much about the first process in our fellowship, but not so much about the second process. We want to become more familiar with this process now.

In this lesson there will be Scriptures and Graphics. It is the task of your group to match the Scriptures with the segment of the graphic that makes most sense to your group. If you think multiple numbers apply, then go ahead and indicate all that apply. If you don’t have a clue, put a question mark!

Graphic Handout:
balloon.pdf

(10) Disciple: Defining the Relationship by Asking the Hard Questions:

GROUP DISCUSSON




How should we measure our commitment to Christ?



Is the American style of Christianity watered down or diluted?



What does Kyle identify as a delusion?



Does the American culture deceive us into believing that what we are doing is what Jesus meant by taking up our cross to follow Him?



How does sanctification change a follower?



Am I committed to change? And to His Lordship?



What will the vineyard owner think of our offering of dried up grapes? Have we added fresh fruit to the Vine? Will we present our lives to Christ without evidence of how we shared the Light?



Kyle says, “Faith should have a story attached to it ......action, movement.”

What kinds of actions or movements should be attached to faith?



Do we judge ourselves using our own checklists?



How is my relationship with Christ? Does He know me and do I know Him intimately?



Do we accept our ministerial relationship as priests of God 2 Cor 5:19? How?



What are the differences between convinced versus convicted OR decision versus commitment?



HOMEWORK: Read Chapter 8 in Not a Fan



Recommendation: Order Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt



Meditation: Ask yourself the following questions for 6 days in a row.

---Am I going in the right direction?

---Am I content with my level of Faith Development?

---Am I a priest of God committed to the ministry of Reconciliation?

---What have I given up to become a Christian? What is the evidence of my sacrificial life?

---Do my family values contradict those of the Gospel?

---Am I able to share the Gospel with others in a loving gracious way?

---Am I interested in being involved in building a sacrificial community of believers?

---Am I playing religion?

---What is the cost of my Discipleship?



Application:

Bring to class 2 ideas you have prayed about that would be examples of how to reach the lost.

Prayer:

Pray for God’s Spirit to bring you wisdom and enlightenment on walking the narrow way. Pray that God will open your eyes and wake you up to the pressing need of the Gospel in your community. Pray specifically for someone you want to present the Light to in a personal way.

(9) DISCIPLE: RISING ABOVE!

Kyle Idleman states in his book, "Not a Fan" that God does not call His disciples to be perfect, just authentic." But we need to go a little further….to say, "God does not call His disciples to be perfect, but He does call them to GROW towards perfection" Ephesians 4:12-16; 2 Thess 1:3; 1 Peter 2:2; 5:10; 2 Peter 3:18 Hebrews 6:1; 2 Cor 7:1; 13:9


Growth is a dominating issue with those who are alive in Christ.

Titus 3:5-7, tells us that there are two CONTINUOUS processes that God uses to save His Disciples.

5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through (1) the washing of rebirth and (2) renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

What Scripture would you use to identify what the Washing of Rebirth was referring to?

Look at Hebrews 10:22-23, Ephesians 5:26, John 3:5-7


The washing of regeneration puts us into Christ through faith in the working of God (Colossians 2:12). A continual washing takes place if we continue to walk in the Light as He is in the Light (1 John 1:7).

Renewing by the Holy Spirit is also a continual process of growing in the Lord. The Renewing of our Minds requires meditation and enlightenment from the Holy Spirit. Two processes are necessary for Disciples to be saved: (1) a Scriptural Baptism which leads to a rebirth in Christ and, (2) a Continuous Walk in the Spirit: being renewed in our minds affording us a sensitive and responsive heart to the will of God.

This hyper-sensitiveness to the will of God is essential for the Disciple. That is why David & Paul warn us to “guard our hearts and minds”.

---Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

---Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding (epignosis), will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

SUBMITTING to the SPIRIT’s CALL

Growth in Christ is accomplished by the Holy Spirit as we submit to His leading (2 Corinthians 3:18). This growth process is a life-long process known as Sanctification. A very simple definition of sanctification is "the perfecting of the saints.” It is our growth in spiritual wisdom and power with respect to righteousness (1 Peter 1:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:13 and Hebrews 12:14). The sanctification process in the O.T. took 7 days to cleanse the temple and its instruments. Our sanctification process takes our entire lives.

---1 Thessalonians 4:4, "that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,"

---1 Thessalonians 4:7, "For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification."


---2 Thessalonians 2:13, "But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.

---Hebrews 12:14, "Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord."

To study more about Sanctification See:
http://joyofbiblelearning.blogspot.com/2011/01/sanctification-spirits-helium.html  AND


http://joyofbiblelearning.blogspot.com/2011/03/sanctification-lesson-2.html  and

http://joyofbiblelearning.blogspot.com/2011/03/definition-of-sanctification.html


Reflect on:

Process: Renewing of the Mind - building a personal relationship with our Lord by relying on the Power of God (John 1:12) to fill us (Romans 15:13) , mold us, & refine us for His glory (1 Peter 1:7).

--Romans 6:19, "SLAVES to righteousness, resulting in Sanctification"

--Romans 6:22: "by now having been freed from sin and ENSLAVED to God, you derive your benefit resulting in Sanctification and the OUTCOME, Eternal Life"

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The Christian life is a life TRANSFERRED (from darkness to light), TRANSFORMED (metamorphosis into the image of the Son), and TRANSCENDS (Raises Above fleshly desires and cares) through the Spirit of God.

This process of being transformed is done entirely by the power (dunamis**) of God through the Spirit. We cannot make ourselves "Good" or "Righteous". Acting “good” is not the same as being “righteous” before God. We must rely on God completely for His salvation. This process of being transformed requires focused attention (Phil 3:12) to reach this goal.

But it is God who works in us for His glory (Hebrews 13:21) to change us from one level of understanding to the next level. How sad if we never leave the immature level of “rule making” and move forward to become a “Seeker” or “the Seer”.

**Dunamis = inherent Devine power, power for performing miracles

a. It is this miraculous power that sustains the Universe and God’s Kingdom (Heb 1:3)

b. It is this miraculous power that Christ and the apostles used to bear witness (Heb 2:4)

c. It is this miraculous power that saves us through the Gospel (Romans 1:16; 1 Th 1:5)
d. It is the miraculous power that sustains us (1 Peter 1:5)


e. It is this miraculous power that transforms us by the Spirit (Eph 1:19; 3:16, 20)

Discussion: How do we allow God to work in us? To fill us with His Spirit? To transform us into His Son's Image?

Contemplate: 2 Corinthians 3

2 You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3 being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, [cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
4 Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, 6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

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We are transformed through the faith in the working of God's power (dunamis) in our lives and through submission to the Spirit of Christ. Transformation includes Circumcision of the Heart, a painful process of stripping away "fleshly" desires of this world and leaving the heart hyper- sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit.

Having the spirit is more than mere excitement...it is enthusiasm, a passion for God. Without enthusiasm, we are dead...not even lukewarm.

The difference between excitement and enthusiasm:

Excitement is emotional and impulsive, enthusiasm is driven by conviction. Excitement is merely the glow, enthusiasm is the fire! Edwin White wrote a book "A sense of Presence" in which he demonstrates how modern Christians have lost their fire for Christ.

Discussion:

(1) What is life's purpose?



(2) If God is always with us why does He seem distant and unreal? How can we become more aware of God?



(3) If God is to become real to us, we must take refuge from our worldly burdens and distractions and take time to commune with the Devine. How do we do this?


@ We set ourselves up for spiritual failure by maintaining a feverish gait for meaningless pursuits and then try to tack on a spiritual event at the end of our week. Practicing Presence must become as natural to us as taking in each breath..never leaving us..otherwise our Christianity becomes superficial checklists, an inherited faith, a whitewashed tomb, or a peer-based faith. It will never support a Seeking faith or a Seer faith. A Seer sees God in all things and acts accordingly.

The sad thing is as Pascal once said, "every heart has a God shaped vacuum" a place only God can fill...and when we do not fill it with God, the Father, we try to fill it with everything else. Like a dog chasing its tail, we consume and grave material things, entertainment, or fleshly desires.

How do we know what we have filled our heart with?

A sense of presence fills us with a realization of God's power...we respond in praise. We respond in awe. We respond in sensitivity to his will. His love gives our hearts and minds totally new perceptions and insights. Our Christian rituals become futile forms of customs and traditions if we fail to acknowledge God’s Presence, **His Shekhinah (Ex 40:35; Jere 33:16), His Glory. To be content in such futility and anemic spirituality is the eternal danger.

** Audio File: shekinah.mp3
If we miss the beam in our own eye or we miss the “monkey in the room”, we miss the reason Christ died. We miss the abundant life. Christians should not be looking merely for the great retirement plan in the sky...they should be looking for God to show His glory in their every day existence. They should be looking for intimate relationship with the Devine.

Remember: “Nobody goes to Heaven who doesn’t want to” We show our desire for Christ’s Presence on this earth, now!

Have you Missed His Glory? John 11:40 “if you believe you will see the glory of God”

To see God's glory confirms a Christian in their purpose. Every step they take, they take in the Spirit. “You can't live by the Spirit if you only acknowledge his presence one day a week.”

A disciple's purpose is to submit to our Lord and glorify him by sharing our life to make more disciples for the eternal kingdom. This type of commitment requires the disciple to completely empty self on the alter of sacrifice. As Jason said Sunday, “time is too short to play games.” My prayer for His church is that we awaken from our sleep, open our eyes to God's Presence, surrender everything so that the Spirit can do great things in this present age.

READ: Page 91f “A sense of Presence” by Edwin f. White

Homework:

Read Chapter 7. It is a very short, but powerful chapter. Pray that God will help you to see the “Monkey in the Room”. God’s word has not changed, but perhaps the way we perceive it should change.

Meditation

(1) Scriptures: Sanctification Process: Read scriptures and answer questions and label the balloons. Handouts at:
---Sanctification_Process.doc,
--- Sanctification_Passages.doc
--- Balloons.pdf

(2) Meditate on Lesson 5 & 6 handouts

Application:

(1) Design an “invitation” that would attract one of your friends to Christ.

(2) Be ready to share your story in class soon!

(3) Create a Clear Definition of Sanctification Process

Challenge: What will you do differently this week because of who and what you KNOW about Sanctification and the Power of God?

(8) Disciple: KNOWN by God (Obeying the Gospel)

“Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” C.S. Lewis
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What Spiritual Blessings did you find this week? List those here: (Eph 1: Also look at 2 Corinthians 5:18) Remember how we recognize a Spiritual Blessing? By looking for the key words: in Him, by Him, through Him, or any other prepositional phrase referring to Christ. The Spiritual Blessing will be immediately associated with those words because the Holy Spirit always gives glory to Christ for every spiritual blessing. If we are full of the Spirit, what should we do?




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About Rule Following: There is a developmental pattern in the way we grow with respect to moral conduct.

When we surrender to God, He can do all His glorious work in us through His Spirit. If we are only partially surrendered to Him then He is hindered in His Work. Andrew Murray uses this example of a pen that refuses to write or to move with our hand, then writing is not accomplished. If we maintain part control and do not give it over to God, then His glory in our life is not accomplished. Our Goal in these lessons is to learn HOW TO totally and absolutely surrender to God.

If you won the lottery would you not call friends to tell them? You have gained more than silver and gold. Have you shared your joy with those outside of the Lord?

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: Jesus took fishermen to the sea to teach them about the Gospel. He said, “I will make you fishers of men”. We are not fishermen so I truly do not believe Jesus would take me to the sea to teach me about “making disciples”. Where DO you think Jesus would take us if he were to visit us and teach us about making disciples?

EXCITEMENT FOR CHRIST

Did you raise your hands at a concert or ball game this week? Did these superficial events claim more honor than praise to God this week? Did you share a ball game score on Facebook this week? Did you share a word of Praise to God on Facebook?

It may make us feel good to attend a service on Sunday…but it doesn’t impress God. Total Self Sacrifice is all that Christ accepts. Let’s re-read Romans 12:1-2.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice**, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship (ministerial duty as a priest of God). Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Now let’s read 1 Peter 2:5 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices** acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

** sacrifice = victim

He WANTs ALL OF YOU. You are the Spiritual Sacrifice (victim) that God requires. For God to work in our lives He needs us to surrender in our weakness for His glory.

Remember 2 Thess 1:7f? What two kinds of people at judgment that are in specific trouble? These are those who:

(1) Know Not God

(2) Obey Not the Gospel = “unknown by God”

SECTION 2: BEING KNOWN BY GOD (Obeying the Gospel) versus Following Rules (Chapter 5)


I’d like to take a side step here to discuss this development so you will have a few tools to understand another reason why everyone does not see Scripture alike.

The Stages of Moral Development: (Kohlberg's Moral Development)

Kohlberg's six stages of moral development are progressive and non-regressive. Stages cannot be skipped; each provides a new and necessary perspective, more comprehensive and differentiated than its predecessors

Level 1 (Pre-Conventional) 2 years to 10 years of age

Pre-Conventional behavior is the result of external forces such as those from authoritarian figures and fear. This is especially common in children, but can also be seen in reasoning for some adults who never grew past this level. Reasoners at this level judge the morality of an action by its direct consequences. This level is ego- centric and; self-absorbed. This level has 2 stages:

STAGE 1. Obedience and punishment orientation (How can I avoid punishment?) This is the stage where when “hell fire and damnation” sermons are preached, they often scare young listeners into responding. These youngsters have not yet developed the capacity to think abstractly about love, sacrifice, or sanctification. Listeners who are immature and only behave “good” because they fear punishment.

STAGE 2. Self-interest orientation (What's in it for me?) “ I won’t tell on you, if you won’t tell on me.” “Please pass the salt” gets you the salt instead of a lecture. This is also a very immature stage. It satisfies the needs of “self”. It is “self-seeking”. I’ll say “Please and Thank you” if it makes you think of me in a better light. I’ll attend services because that makes me look good to others.

----Along with Self-interest is the notion of Paying for a benefit: “I’ll do “good” if I can benefit from it. If I can talk about it, brag about it, or others see me in a beneficial way.”

Level 2 (Conventional) ~10 years to adult

Conventional Behavior mimics the social norms of the society which has the power to judge. Following conventional behavior has very little to do with a commitment to God or relationship with the Lord. Reasoning at this level judges morality by what is acceptable to society. If abortion is “in”, then abortion is “ok”. If abortion is “out” as it was 50 years ago, then abortion is a sin. Adolescents and many adults continue to think at this level.

STAGE 3. Interpersonal accord and conformity (Social norms) I do what my peers do. I judge my actions by societies rules. I mimic the social norms. If my group recognizes gay marriages, then I see nothing wrong with them. In Rome during the 1st century everyone worshipped the Emporer because that was the social norm--fullfulling a role in society. I seek approval from others. If my parents attend church on Sundays, then I attend. I do what is expected of me because I consider it socially acceptable.

The good boy/good girl attitude: I see that others judge me by what I say and do and therefore I behave as a “good” person behaves. I judge myself through the eyes of others. I become a Boy Scout because good boys do that.

STAGE 4. Authority and social-order (Law and order morality) This level is obedience driven. The moral reasoning has moved from the individual to what is good for society. If it is legal it is moral. If it is illegal, it is immoral. Christians should have had a hard time with this in Nazi Germany. Most active members of society remain at this stage where morality is still predeominantly dictated by an outside force.

Level 3 (Post-Conventional) Very Few Adults (Narrow is the way!)

This level of moral development is based on deep abiding principles. There are 2 levels to this stage. These levels progressively move an individual from the society’s view of morality to internal abstract principles of right and wrong. For instance, the principle of “love your neighbor as yourself” or “love God with all your heart, mind, and soul” are ideals held in the heart and mind of the individual. People who reach stage six are altruistic and self-sacrificing because they act on what they believe.

Examples often referred to at this stage: Jesus Christ, Mahoma Ghandi, Mother Theresa, and Martin Luther King. These people are “change agents”. They hold to principles above the norm and exemplify the best possible morality because they are unhindered by outside forces, society, or circumstances. \
This is the level of commitment to which Christ calls the believer to aspire. This is the level of reasoning that can truly respond to Gospel of Jesus Christ. They change their world by holding higher standards. They glorify God in all things.

WHAT is the difference between a "rule" and a "principle"?

While we are looking at Moral Development, let’s take a few minutes to look at Faith Development and its stages.

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STAGES of FAITH Development: (Fowler's Hierarchy)
This is a quick overview and summarization:

Stage 0 Primal (0 to 2 years of age): This is a pre-stage of faith development, a time before language and conceptual thought are possible. The infant is forming a basic sense of trust, of being at home in the world. The infant is also forming pre-images of God or the Holy, and of the kind of world we live in. On this foundation of basic trust or mistrust is built all that comes later in terms of faith.

Stage 1 Self-Absorption: My family, my church, my lifestyle. We call this Inherited Faith. My daddy is bigger than your daddy. My church is better than your church.

Stage 2 Literal Faith: Stories from the Bible are taken in their literal context only. There is no meaning beyond the literal text. This stage is usually reserved for age 8 to adolescence, before the brain is able to think abstractly. However, many adults never grow beyond this level of faith. At this stage, the brain is incapable of thinking abstractly about “love”, “sacrifice”, “commitment”, etc.

Stage 3: Peer Faith or Conventional Faith: this is faith based on the group that I “hang” with, silent conformity, finding one’s identity in aligning oneself with a certain group. Rules abound and are followed. Those who differ in opinion are seen as “the Other”, or “outsiders”. Religious authority figures (preachers, elders, staff) are seen as authorities of truth. If a contradiction emerges that cannot be reconciled it is ignored or not even seen (Monkey Business). The group makes the rules and to be in the group, one must follow the rules.

List examples of some of these rules:



Stage 4: Seeking Faith – the Seeker (adult- often at the college level)– At this level of development the brain is able to think more abstractly and to see many possibilities. Until these possibilities have been explored, researched, or tested, one cannot move on to the final stage of moral development. A seeker is one who is willing to face the “big” or difficult questions of both identity and belief. Authority shifts from an external force to an internal one.

Examination of one’s own values, beliefs, and priorities takes place at this stage. This may require one letting go of deeply help beliefs – working out one’s own salvation. Paradigms shift and one realizes that life is far more complex and that there is much more yet to be realized. They may study all types of religions, life-styles, or philosophies. They are looking for truth…..sometimes in all the wrong places. Often these folks become humbled through redefining what they thought was truth.

Reasoners at this stage question inconsistencies, hypocrisies, and norms. Religious authorities (preachers, elders, etc.) are no longer thought of as infallible. There is a certain degree of dissatisfaction with the status quo and social norms. These folks are idealistic and want to change the world. The problem here is that they must first learn that they need to be transformed.

Other times, these folks become prideful as they point fingers at those they consider "ignorant or wrong".

It is critical to become a SEEKER. Just accepting old beliefs keeps one at the Inherited Faith Stage. If you seek and find that your old beliefs are valid or invalid, it places you in the possition of moving onward and upward.

Stage 5 is FOUND FAITH – the Seer : The age for this stage is generally about age 30 to 40. This is the time in one’s life when faith in God results from recognizing the paradox of the Divine and the Created. There is a deepening readiness for a relationship with the Devine that includes an intimacy realized both in the interior of the soul and the communion with His Presence. After all the possibilities have been explored, after all the hard questions have been wrestled with, then one has the ability to actually CHOOSE who to serve. Peace is made with one’s past and the Spirit brings to Light a new sense of righteousness found only through a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus Christ. At this stage one is truly ready to become a follower of Christ.

Of course, another alternative arises at this stage and that is the Seer may choose to be an agnostic or an atheist. Again, these are choices made after looking in all the wrong places.

A Christian Seer, however, is one who can look deeply into Scripture, challenge the myths and standards that they once accepted blindly and commit to a new kind of Spiritual Walk. It is an overwhelming, ecstatic stage in which one is radically opened to the possibilities of God’s power. It is also the stage that begins the “terrifying” surrender to the Devine which transforms the personality and infuses it with the vision and courage to serve others.

Stage 6: Universalizing Faith – Reaching this stage is rare (Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa are always named at this stage because they looked beyond themselves, negated themselves for the sake of affirming God’s reality. For those who are “in Christ”, this stage completely transforms the believer by Christ-consciousness (Practicing Presence). The believer who reaches this stage puts on the characteristics of Christ, is not concerned with rules, but relationship. Is not concerned with judging others, but serving them. No challenge is too great. They take on leadership which inevitably produces suffering, AND endangers ego, survival, security, property, and status. Life is both loved fully and held loosely. These believers are at home in any circumstance because they walk in the Spirit.

Stage 7: There are few words for this stage. It is the realization that all who are “in Christ” have LIFE, eternal life, and there will be little difference between living in Stage 7 and being in Heaven (Presence of God). Paul reached this stage. “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain”. Enoch reached this stage and God took Him.
(Modified from : Reflections by Toni Cook on the work of James W. Fowler)

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As we can see, merely following rules is at the lowest levels of moral and faith development. Let's see what it takes to Follow Christ.

Clearing up the "Monkey Business":

The Second Condition in danger of Judgment, according to 2 Thess 1:7f are those who DO NOT OBEY the Gospel (those unknown by God).

So what is the Gospel? Thankfully, we don’t have to guess at that. 1 Cor 15:1-3 tells what it is. TURN THERE and we will mark this passage.

1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.


3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that (1) Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, (2) that he was buried, that (3) he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.

In the back of your mind you should be asking…..how do I obey that?

Thankfully, we don’t have to make up an answer here either. We can find it in Romans 6:3-11. Please turn there.

Or don’t you know that all of us who were (1) baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore (2) buried with him through baptism into death in order that, (3) just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

5 For if we have been (1) united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be (3)united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our (1) old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,that we should no longer be slaves to sin— (1) because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

8 Now if we (1) died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

11 In the same way, count yourselves (1) dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

WHAT IS THE EMPHASIS IN THESE PASSAGES? What is mentioned more than any other idea in these verses?

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In Ephesians 1, we found many blessings that one would have IF THEY WERE “IN CHRIST”. Many Scriptures deal with those who ARE IN CHRIST. But only two Scriptures deal with how we get INTO Christ. Do you know what they are?

Galatians 3: 26-27 and Romans 6: 3-11

Quoting David Platt, a Baptist preacher for a mega church in Birmingham, Alabama who wrote the next book I would love to share with you: Radical, Taking our Faith back from the American Dream. He stated, “When did we ever assume that signing a card, making a statement or saying a prayer made you a Disciple of Jesus? It is simply not in the Bible.”

That’s good to hear since many TV preachers have made a living out of this “non-gospel nonsense”. But let’s not assume that we know everything we need to know about becoming a Disciple of Christ.

Let's look at an Old Testament Pattern given to Bring us to Christ. Galatians 3:24

Tabernacle: partition with 3 veils (Trinity). The first thing you would run into is a huge alter. This represents the first step in approaching God. We are the sacrifice. We are the victim. We need to “die to self”. Turn away from being in control (repent of the direction we have been taking in life). Commit to a new direction, new master, new hope, new service, new life. This decision is not enough. We must completely die, slay ourselves before God. After the priests make this sacrifice, they washed themselves in the laver where water and blood were mingled to cleanse them of all sin. Then and only then were priests allowed to enter the Holy place in service to God. Then and only then do we have access to the Holy Places, the Presence of God– as a priest of God. (1 Peter 2:5-9)

What is the first obvious place in the tabernacle?

As priests of God we mimic Christ who became both our priest and our sacrifice. We are priests and  sacrifices. The problem is we are living sacrifices and keep crawling off the alter! We must continually offer up our living sacrifice (1 Peter 2:5).

PATTERN (1)DIE, Absolute surrender, take up your cross, (2) Be Cleansed by the washing of water & the word (Ephesians 5:26) (3) Total commitment to service in His Presence as priests of God.


Look again at Christ's Example: Luke 3: 21-23 "When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was (1) baptized too and as he was (2) praying, heaven was opened and the (3) Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: (4) “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

23 Now Jesus himself was about (5) thirty years old when he began his ministry.

Five significant examples happened here. Jesus went into the waters of baptism praying. What would He have prayed for? Then the Holy Spirit descended and God accepted Him as His Son. Jesus was about 30 years old –old enough to make a commitment in ministry and fulfill His commitment.

Who says we need to pray in Baptism?: Acts 22:16 “16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on the Name of the Lord.’

--Calling on the Name of the Lord is another way of saying “beseeching God” to do His work. What work does God do in Baptism? Acts 2:21, 38 – If we call on Him in baptism, He washes away all our sins and sends the Holy Spirit to reveal our Spiritual Blessings. Romans 10:13 repeats this to Christians who need to continually call on God. First in baptism, then continually Galatians 4:6

Is it OK if I only believe that baptism is a work of man (a rule I need to check off) and not a work of God? Colossians 2:12

12 having been (2)buried with him in baptism, in which (3) you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. (Verse 11 talks about dying first)

Until we understand that the Christian life is a life of submission, we cannot become a Christian. First, one must submit in baptism. Baptism is not an ACT which we do, it is something that we SUBMIT to. We submit to a death (to self), burial, and resurrection to a new life. We submit to the operation of God upon our heart, mind, and soul to move us out of the Kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of Light. We display our faith in the operation of God, by calling on His Name in prayer as we go into the waters of baptism. The New Life in Christ requires that one continually submits to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

The Work that God performs in baptism is reflected in Ephesians the first chapter. He supplies us with all Spiritual Blessings IF we are IN CHRIST.

What does the Holy Spirit bring? 1 Cor 2: 9-10  “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard,

and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him—

10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. …… 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

HOW DO WE KNOW IF WE ARE KNOWN BY GOD?

We gain our introduction to God through faith in God’s Power to bring a Savior into the world and through His blood. But not by Faith alone (James 2:24) How do we contact the blood of Jesus? (Romans 5:2 )  We must be UNITED with HIM in the likeness of His Death and bury our old self in the waters of baptism (Romans 6). We MUST DIE in absolute surrender and CHRIST MUST REIGN in absolute power. We must be raised up with Him in the likeness of His resurrection committing to a new life hidden in Christ (Col 3:1-4) and in His Glory and Power.

Simply being “dunked” in water and/or confessing, “yes” to a question asked in front of a congregation is NOT the Biblical example: We see that one must: (1) Deny self, (2) Claim Christ as Lord by continually giving the Great Confession among many witnesses John 4:42, 11:27; OR Romans 1:16; 10:9-10 written to Christians that needed to continue to confess Him even at the point of death as Nero was on the throne, (3) Be United with Christ in Baptism, and (4) Continually exhibit evidence of a commitment to dying to self (Romans 6:8) True repentance = turning away from the life of “self” to the life of “slave” for Christ.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: After understanding the levels of development for faith and morality, how old should one be when they accept the Gospel call? At what age is someone capable of making a commitment to abstract principles of sacrifice, service, and sanctification?

“Following Jesus or Following Rules?” GROUP Discussion:

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What indicators would be evidenced in someone who followed the rules instead of following Christ? What would they look like, act like, be like?






What indicators would be evidenced in someone who is a follower of Jesus (Christ-filled)?



What does a Christ-filled worship service look like & sound like?

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HOMEWORK: Read Chapter 6 (not a Fan) and Apply in the following ways:

(1)MEDITATE on how one comes to Christ: Re-read through this handout. Make notes in your journal about insights you might have on this lesson. It is important not to ignore inconsistencies which may have arisen with this lesson, but in prayer and in meditation seek out what God is revealing to us in His word.

(2) Pray to gain PASSION for Christ and His Power: The following sentences are quotes from the pulpit. Rewrite them in a way that would express your belief in the Power of God.

If we truly believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God . If we truly believe that He is everything and we are nothing. If we truly believe that we CAN DO NOTHING apart from God…..how might we reword these sentences to express that faith? Think carefully and thoughtfully. Be ready to share these next week. This will go along with our next chapter (Chapter 6: Self-Empowered or Spirit-Filled?)

(a) This congregation has done a great job in serving the community of Tyler.

(b) We have got some great talent in this church.

(c) Good job, brother ___________, that was a great lesson.

(d) Boy! That singing was just amazing.

(e) We have in our audience today Bro & Sis ___________ who would like to place membership with us today.

(f) Our staff members have done an exceptional job in planning and implementing our Vacation Bible School.

(g) Our young people did a fantastic job at LTC.

(h) We are so pleased that the contribution for World Missions exceeded the goal of $1 million dollars.

(i) We just want to thank everyone who gave towards the payoff of our building. We are no longer in debt!

(j) The deacons put in some hard work getting our fellowship dinner to run smoothly.

Until we freely praise God and ACKNOWLEDGE HIM IN ALL THINGS, He will not direct our path. (Prov 3:5-7) If we do not praise Him in the assembly of the saints, do you think we will praise Him among strangers?

(3) Extended PRAYER: Pray that the Lord will help you ACKNOWLEDGE Him in all things. Pray that God will give you the opportunity to praise Him among strangers (the nations). Practice telling your story. Pray about how you need to present your story so that it might catch the attention of a “Seeker”.

(4) Reflect the LIGHT: Seekers are really “out there!” looking for someone to share the Light. Pray that you can be the Light to someone. Begin praying for the person for whom you know you need to share the Gospel with. Pray that God will open their heart and keep the Devil away from your efforts to share the Gospel. Pray for the Spirit to move in your heart and to give you the right things to say.

Seekers may not have completely left the church, they may actually return to help the church better serve the Lord. Pray for Seekers to find the Light.

Post (7) Disciple - KNOWING GOD

Lesson 4

Why are there sooooo many different views and denominations on Biblical teaching?

Watch this video and see what "you" are missing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGQmdoK_ZfY&feature=player_embedded Monkey Business Movie

What did you miss? What denomination do you belong to? The "See Monkey" or the "Not See Monkey" denomination? Missing information that is available to us is a form of "selective attention". Our attention deficit is due to pre-existing filters that we carry with us where ever we go. If we are looking for one thing, we often miss something else. This is how we often study the Bible. We often are looking to prove one point and completely miss what God is trying to tell us.

This week we will begin praying that God will reveal to us the truth that He wants us, personally, to know and that we will see that truth the way He wants us to see it.

Tradition, seminary teaching, following Calvinism or Luther or any other man, following popular doctrines, what has always been taught….these are all filters to God’s truths. WE ALL HAVE FILTERS! We must pray that God’s Spirit works in us to remove our filters.

When we approach God's word we approach it with filters on. Filters from previous experiences or traditions, or what we have always been taught. Everyone is blind to some Biblical truth and only by living in the Spirit can those blinders be removed.

Stephen became a martyr for Christ. Saul heard the same message and despised Stephen – holding his cloak while his friends murdered him. Same message – different response.  Same message – different understanding.  Only the Spirit brings unity. Only the Spirit interprets spiritual things. (1 Corinthians 2)

We need help in removing our filters. Others need help in removing their filters.

How might we help ourselves see beyond filters? How might we help others? What methods might we use to effectively point out what others might be missing?

SUGGESTION: Personally marked Bible with Scriptures clearly highlighted with the promise of salvation.

 
CHAPTER 4: KNOWING GOD (Not a Fan):


Turn to 2 Thess 1:7, and list the two kinds of people at judgment that are in specific trouble. These are those who:

(1)

(2)
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SECTION 1

FIRST: Let’s deal with the first set of folks. We don’t want to be counted in this group, so how do we come to KNOW God?

There are many folks who claim to KNOW God, but live as if He does not exist. If we truly believed in the Power of Jesus’ Blood, we would live in a more joyous celebration. Jesus blood cleanses (continuously), sanctifies, and brings victory and life, joy and reconciliation with God, the Father.


How do I acknowledge that I believe in the Power of God?

Romans 1:16 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—“

20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

We acknowledge God and His power by believing in the Gospel. No one has an excuse. If we reject God, then we certainly cannot accept the Gospel and Christ. Rejecting God and His power will place one on the wrong side of the fence at judgment. Rejecting God will also affect our everyday living.

Romans 1: 21f


21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

We can claim to know God, but then live as if we do not. If we do not glorify Him or give thanks to Him among the nations (not just in our closets), we are living futile lives.

24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

WHO DO YOU WORSHIP? HOW CAN YOU TELL? The thing we worship, we spend time, energy, money, and conversation on. Look in your check book to find out what you worship. Where do you sacrifice yourself (go out of your way to accomplish or purchase)?

Romans 1:26f

26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts….

28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

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When we live a life of futility, without hope and deep abiding joy, we live in darkness and God removes His wisdom and Spirit so that we become darkened in our hearts. We can attend a church-based service and still be filled with greed, deceit, and a futile mind.

Romans 2:5 5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.

If you do NOT KNOW God, then you made the decision not to know Him because of the hardness of your heart.

HOW DO WE KNOW GOD? We learn to trust and rely on God by humbling ourselves, our desires, and our time to spend time with Him. That is how all relationships are built. The deepest relationships are built during extended inter-personal communication and sharing: during times of struggle such a war, crisis, or stress or great joy such as at the birth of child, getting a new job, getting engaged. When you share great challenges & joy with someone, you become closer as you rely on each other for strength and support. This is how we come to know God by sacrificing our time and energy to meet with Him, to surrender to Him by Practicing His Presence.

All areas of our lives should reflect a Godly Presence. I have read some Facebook postings that make me want to say – “Oops, His Presence has slipped away!”

“Knowing Jesus” is understanding the power of the cross and where that has placed us in the Universe.


All of a sudden, “Their eyes were opened and they KNEW Him” – Luke 24:31. This verse reminds us that we can be in the presence of Jesus and not know it.

Who does Jesus reveal Himself to? We will find in the next few chapters of Idleman’s book, that Jesus reveals Himself to those who have given up everything for Him.

He says, “Deny yourself, and take up your cross and follow Me.” And “Low I am with you always”. To KNOW Jesus, we will soon learn, means to DIE to self – Absolute Surrender.

 But, in our American culture, we look around us and don’t see anyone really taking this too seriously. So we compare ourselves to our neighbor and say…”well, at least I don’t do that!” or “I am doing the best that I can”. Does this remind you of someone? Luke 18:9f

Look at the Spiritual Heart: It has a throne room and a crucifixion chamber. You are in one and Christ is in the other. Where are you?




A Follower (Disciple) Hungers for God and is hyper sensitive to His Presence. A Follower waits on God, has faith and trusts in God, gives glory to God and is anxious about nothing.

A Follower understands the Nature of God. A Follower understands through the Spirit living within them what makes God happy? And what makes Him angry?

What makes God happy? What makes Him angry?

A Follower understands the mission of God and imitates it. What is God’s mission? How do you imitate it?


A Follower gives God first place and the ONLY place in relationship to others. A Follower knows where to go to get comfort. They know who they have to yield to in order to gain the Spiritual Blessings of peace, joy, comfort, hope, righteousness….

What Spiritual Blessings did you find this week?
List those here:




Did you get excited when you realized what blessings you received IF you are in Christ? Did you share with others your Blessings?


If we win the lottery would we not call friends to tell them? You have gained more than silver and gold. Have you shared your joy with those outside of the Lord?

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:  Jesus took fishermen to the sea to teach them about the Gospel. He said, “I will make you fishers of men”. We are not fishermen so I truly do not believe Jesus would take me to the sea to teach me about "making disciples". Where DO you think Jesus would take us if He were to visit us and teach us about making disciples?

EXCITEMENT FOR CHRIST

Did you raise your hands at a concert or ball game this week? Did these superficial events claim more honor than praise to God this week? Did you share a ball game score on Facebook this week? Did you share a word of Praise to God on Facebook?


If I truly KNOW God, then I will not be able to hold my enthusiasm for Him. Terry Rush wrote a book “Afraid God Works, Afraid He Doesn’t” I recommed it.

We like to hold an image of God in our mind that we can handle and go about our regular self absorbed lives. But commitment to Christ requires a different type of standard. He must occupy our heart, mind, and soul….and not just some of the time----Not just during a “tacked on Sunday service at the end of a hectic week”. It’s all or nothing. Its complete abandonment or don’t bother. It’s believing He works and expecting it!

It may make us feel good to attend a service on Sunday…but it doesn’t impress God. Total Self Sacrifice is all that Christ accepts. Let’s re-read Romans 12:1-2.

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

HE WANTS OUR BODIES AND OUR MINDS!

Now let’s read 1 Peter 2:5 5 "you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices*** acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. "

** sacrifice = victim

He WANTs ALL OF YOU. You are the Spiritual Sacrifice (victim) that God requires.

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“We must remember that, although the Bible is very precious and reading it is very blessed and necessary, Bible reading and prayer, in themselves, are not fellowship with Jesus. Therefore, commit to fellowship with Him each day in unity of Spirit and purpose. Commit to having the “mind and attitude” of Christ. Commit to being totally transformed by His Spirit. Commit to total abandonment in His service.”

NEXT WEEK WE WILL COVER SECTION 2: BEING KNOWN BY GOD (Obeying the Gospel) versus Following Rules (Chapter 5 in Not a Fan).


HOMEWORK:

Meditation: In Prayer & Praise what should be done?

“We must remember that, although the Bible is very precious and reading it is very blessed and necessary, Bible reading and prayer, in themselves, are not fellowship with Jesus. Commit to fellowship with Him each day in unity of Spirit and purpose. Commit to having the “mind and attitude” of Christ. Commit to being totally transformed by His Spirit. Commit to total abandonment in His service.”

In Prayer & Praise what should be done?

PS 28:2

PS 63:4

PS 123:1

PS 134: 2

Lam 2:10, 3:41

Ex 9:29, 17:22-12

Isa 40:26

Dan 4:34

1 Tim 2:8


Application:

(1) Begin practicing your Witness – your story so that you too can share how you were given freedom in Christ. No one can tell your story for you. We are working towards loosening our lips to glorify Christ. We are working towards:

-----Making sure that all children’s classes that you teach that you give the “So What!” Relate the story to Christ.

-----Teaching  young children that lifting hands is appropriate in both prayer and praise. Teach them that prayer can happen with eyes open and even while driving down the street. Practice telling your story to your children or a friend. A Witness is what you have seen, heard, and realize in Jesus Christ.

-----Learning to speak about what Christ has done in our lives:
        Acts 4:20 "As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

        1 Corinthians 2:9  "However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him—

        1 John 1:1   "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life."

Things we need to do:

(1) Create an invitation that speaks to young folks.

(2) Create an invitation for this book “Not a Fan” to give as a gift.

(3) Learn how to share our stories in an easy and natural manner. Our tradition has been to be an “audience” where as some other fellowships have had a tradition of sharing their witness. We need to develop that tradition among our fellowship.

(4) Perhaps you would be interested in offering marked Bibles to those who are new in Christ or those who are seeking Christ.

(5) If you would like to mark a Bible you can get the Scriptures to mark at: http://joyfullearning.org/FAN/vvsal.doc

(6) Disciple: The INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP with Christ

KNOWING Christ: 
 REFLECTING ON CHAPTERS
1-3 "Not a FaN"

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Lesson Resources
Download PowerPoint:

--Lesson3.ppt
Handout: Christian Disciplines: 
--CD.doc

Handout: Calling on God

--God.doc
Handout: Meditation
--Disciple3Meditation.doc

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Open Less3 folder at this Location to download resources: 
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B_OXt7psO2lTdjZZb1lwTnEwcTA&usp=sharing

(5) DISCIPLESHIP: “GETTING YOUR SHINE ON!”

All Resources Download from here: Lesson2

Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Willing is not enough; we must do. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

We are called to be the Light to the World. Called to a Ministry of Reconciliation (2 Cor 5:17-18). Disciples need to “find their Shine!” Our “Shine” is our “Testimony.” What we have seen, heard, and experienced in Christ – the Gospel as it has changed our lives, with focus on Christ and not “us”.

1 John 1:1  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.

1 John 1:3  We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

Jason Reeves: “If we don’t live up to our “calling” then the Kingdom is crippled and diminished. If we have the Spirit living in us, it has set us apart for the Lord’s purpose.”

Are you crucifying Christ anew? Heb 6:6 4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.


OUR WITNESS REALLY DOES MATTER

9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. 10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.


Video: Tangled_No Light
Handout: Socialization vs Discipleship

In Idleman’s book, “Not a Fan”, he speaks about the difference between being a “fan” and being a “disciple”. Many followed Christ, but fell away (John 6:66). We will study more about these folks later. But for now, we need to recognize what a Disciple is called to do. We are Called to a Ministry, a ministry which points others to the Living Word. We often forget the power that lives within us, the power of God which draws men to the truth and points the way to salvation. We are to be the Light on a hill in the midst of darkness, pointing always to Christ and not ourselves.

To help us remember that we have THE Light, our Meditation Scriptures this week will be about “Getting our  Shine on!”

The word "witness" (testify) comes from the Greek word, "martureo" which later was associated with martyrs. Early Christians understood that their "Shine" might lead to more than ridicule, it very well might and often did lead to death. They have given us examples of "no excuses!"  God grant us the ability to Shine for Him.

Video: Tangled-- “Shining In a Dark Place”  Tangle_5SHINE.wmv

Often we call on God in our darkest hours. Often we Shine when we are in great need of God's power. Please Lord, let our Shine be more than a seasonal event. Let us be constant in bringing glory to your name.

Where can we “Shine”?  When can we "Shine"?

Perhaps you have the same issue with one of the songs we sing, “Send the Light”. If we are to be Disciples, what should the words of this song actually say?

Jason Reeves: On Sunday, Jason answered the question: “What impresses Jesus?” From Luke 7 we find that Faithfulness and Commitment impresses Jesus.

Let’s look at “What makes Jesus Angry?” (John 2:15; Matthew 7:5; 23:13-15; 23; 16:23; 1 Cor 8:9)

Where should we take the Light?   If we don’t, who will?

Idleman (page 35). “There is no forgiveness without repentance. There is no salvation without surrender. There is no life without death. There is no believing without committing.” And let me add, “There is no Faith without Testifying (Shining)”

“Acknowledge Him in ALL your ways, and He will make your path straight”.

Video: American Jihad (9 Min)  jihadi.wmv


This video is not meant to scare you, but to move you out of your comfort zone, to spur you to LOVE & ACTION.


Video: Muslim Demographics Video (7:31 Min)  This video is shown to demonstrate the idea that we cannot “waste time”.


What has God called you to today?

Are you Listening?

If you have not watched this video, please watch it all the way through.  Do you hear something?


The Opposite of Hearing God's Call

Psalm 135:17  They have ears, but they hear not;

Isaiah 6:10   Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed.

Do you hear something?

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"Woman to Woman: Sharing Jesus with a Muslim Friend" by Joy Loewen


(1) Offer to pray for or with a Muslim. Their prayers are prescribed and not personal. This actually attracts them to Christianity.



(2) Speak of “grace” and “freedom” through Christ. Muslims follow a very legalistic law, very reflective of Old Testament mentality: “eye for and eye”. It is nearly impossible for a Muslim to think that they can live up to the expectations spoken of in the Koran. This one fact alone is often the motivation for so many of them choose suicide bombings or Jihad because this type of death has the promise of Paradise.


(3) Muslims are often confused about our “holidays”, Holy Days. Example: We proclaim Labor Day to be a “holiday”. We have Easter Bunnies & Eggs for the First Resurrection Day. We have Santa Clause and Reindeer for the day celebrated as the birth of our Savior. Muslims cannot discern The Truth by watching us celebrate these kinds of events. Would you call these “stumbling blocks”?


(4) Christ said the world would know us by the way we “love”. Bickering among those calling themselves, “Followers” has led to a diminished Kingdom, not an expanded one.

(5) Unless our righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees, we cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:20). We have to reach out to those who are different from ourselves and open the door to Christ from the “overflow” of that which is in our heart. We have to learn to express ourselves in praise.

MEDITATION: “Finding Your SHINE”

2 Corinthians 4:4 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.


2 Corinthians 4:6    For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

Matthew 5:16 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Matthew 13:43 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

Philippians 2:15 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky

Ephesians 5:14 14 This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

2 Peter 1:19 19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

IF WE ARE NOT SHINING, WE ARE LEADING ASTRAY


Revelation 18:23

23 The light of a lamp
will never shine in you again.
The voice of bridegroom and bride
will never be heard in you again.
Your merchants were the world’s important people. `
By your spell all the nations were led astray.

JOURNAL: Write your thoughts on these verses in your PEP Journal. Pray for opportunities to SHINE.


APPLICATION: Pray with someone this week who is not a member of the Lord’s Body.

Begin thinking about how you might invite a friend to read “Not a Fan”. Ask the Lord to help you become creative so that we can create cards and invitations in this class to accompany the book.