Review - Learning Organization - personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, team learning, systems thinking
Simple Christianity
Original 4 Spiritual Laws
God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.
Man is SINFUL and SEPARATED from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God's love and plan for his life.
Jesus Christ is God's ONLY provision for man's sin. Through Him you can know and experience God's love and plan for your life.
We must individually RECEIVE Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives.
Simple Christianity - 4 Laws of Simple Christianity
God Exists.
Heb 11:6
God wants a relationship with you.
The relationship must be on his terms.
Have you ever had a relationship that was on someone else's terms?
Parent-child relationships are generally on the parents' terms
God's terms are this - follow Jesus!
The work of God is to believe in the one he has sent - John 6:25-29
His name is above every name - Phil 2:5-9
God has spoken through his Son - Heb 1:1-4
Fix your eyes on Jesus - Heb 12:1-9
Following Jesus establishes our relationship with God
Follow him like little children - Mat 11:25-30; Mat 18:1-4
Some people want rules.
Some use rules as a stepping-stone to a relationship with God
Some use rules to avoid a relationship with God
"I've met the qualifications - now leave me alone"
Pharisees
Walk with God like Enock and Noah - Gen 5:22-24; Gen 6:9
Your relationship with God should be apparent to those who know you
your relationship - not your "rule keeping"
The disciples were called Christians at Antioch by outsiders - Acts 11:26
Walk in unity with your brother and sisters - John 17:20-23
Relationships leave traces
Speak freely about your relationship with God.
Explain your lifestyle in terms of your relationship with God.
Always give a reason for the hope that you have - 1Pet 3:18
Dont's say:
I'm trying to be positive
at our church we believe . . .
it's the right thing to do (this is good, but not enough)
Do say:
God told me . . .
God showed me . . .
God wants me to . . .
After speaking with God about it I decided . . .
Allow the people around you to hear about what God is doing in your life.
Don't be afraid to be a spokesman for your Father.
You don't need to be a theological expert. - Acts 4:13; 1Cor 1:10 - 2:13
theological expertise does not lead to a relationship with God
theological expertise will grow out of a relationship with God
How is your relationship with God?
Are you giving him a chance to do something in your life?
Do you set aside enough time for him to speak to you?
What's he like?
Where does he hang out?
What are his hobbies?
How does God deal with you?
How are you approaching God?
like someone taking a theology final?
like a bank customer identifying himself to a customer service rep?
Mat 7:7-12 Ask, Seek, Knock - how much more will your Father . . .
Life Group Evangelism
Old Paradigm
Trying to bring your unsaved friends to church to get saved
Trying to win your unsaved friends by yourself
Tear down the strongholds that prop up the old paradigm
New Paradigm
Mic 2:12-13 - Poretz - one who breaks open the way
Mal 4:6-13 - Rise and thresh
Share your relationships
Expose your friends to treasure in jars of clay - 2Cor 4:7-12
Pray and ask God to show you the people in your life that he wants you to focus on.
List their names and give them to your life group leaders.
Your life group doesn't have to be perfect - just available.
Remember - the apostles had issues of their own.
Be Fruitful and Multiply
Creation Story
God created everything - Gen 1:1-3
Man and Woman are to be fruitful and multiply - Gen 1:24-31
Man has the breath of life - Gen 2:4-7
It is not good for the man to be alone - Gen 2:15-25
Your life group doesn't have to be perfect - just available.
Remember - the apostles had issues of their own.
Gospel Age
God has regenerated us
God still wants us to be fruitful and multiply
Make disciples - Mat 28:18-20;
Preach the good news to all creation - Mark 16:14-20
Preach repentance and forgiveness to all nations - Luke 24:45-53
Those who have faith in Jesus will do what he did - John 14:5-14
As the Father sent me I am sending you - John 20:19-23
God wants to use you in 2006
He wants to use you inside the body (i.e. the local congregation)
He wants to use you outside the body (i.e. evangelism and discipleship)
You can't multiply by yourself
Take stock of 2005
Did you expand the Kingdom in 2005?
If not, what will you do differently in 2006?
New Material - Following Jesus
Misc
The Son is in charge - Psalm 2; Acts 4:23-30; Acts 13:29-37
Why do the nations rage? - Acts 4:23-30
You are my Son, today I have become your Father - Acts 13:29-37; Heb 1:5; Heb 5:5
Kiss the Son
Jesus launches his ministry
Baptism - Mat 3:13-17
This is my Son, whom I love . . .
Temptation - Mat 4:1 - 11; Heb 2:18; Heb 4:15
Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life - Gen 3:1-8; 1John 2:15-17
Jesus used scripture
Jesus and worship
Worship the Lord your God and serve him only - Mat 4:10; Deut 6:13
Jesus accepted worship
Magi - Mat 2:2,11
Man born blind - John 9:38
Women at the tomb - Mat 28:9
Disciples - Mat 28:17
Discussion Questions
General Questions
Do you tend to read the Bible as passages, or as isolated verses?
Can you describe a time when your understanding of a scripture verse changed because you read it in its context?
Do you have a favorite Bible verse? Share it with the group. Then read the passage that the verse appears in (read from the paragraph before the verse through the paragraph after the verse). Does the verse still have the same meaning for you?
Reflect on Psalm 2
Verse 8 indicates that The LORD will cause the Son to inherit the nations and to possess the ends of the earth. What does this mean?
What role do we play in this process?
Reflect on Jesus' Baptism
Do you remember your baptism? What was it like?
Have you ever experienced God saying he was well pleased with you?
Reflect on Jesus' temptation in the wilderness
What have you learned about facing temptation?
Have you ever used scripture to deal with temptation?
Reflect on Mat 4:10; Deut 6:13; Mat 2:2,11; John 9:38; Mat 28:9; Mat 28:17
Do you know anyone who tries to worship both God and someone else?
Have you ever tried to worship both God and someone else?
Jesus allowed people to worship him in the gospels - does he still allow people to worship him?
