Week 11 - RESPONSE
CONNECT
What are you thankful for?
What challenge are you facing?
Have there been any answers to prayer?
Pray for each other.
Did anything stand out to you from last week’s follow-up Bible readings and connection prompts?
How did your “I will …” statement from last week go?
How did your sharing goal from last week go?
How is your memory work coming along?
Colossians 1:13-14 (NLT)
13 For [God the Father] has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.
DISCOVER
Let’s start with a review.
CREATION
God created everything and as humans, we have been made in God’s image to rule the world on His behalf.
REBELLION
Through Satan’s temptation, humans rebelled against God, but God promised One who would destroy Satan.
RESCUE (Abraham)
God called Abraham from out of the world and promised Abraham that his family would be a Blessing to the whole world.
RESCUE (Moses)
God used Moses to rescue His people from their slavery to the Egyptians and through Moses God gave His people His law and the sacrificial system.
RESCUE (David)
God promised King David that he would have a Descendant who would reign over an eternal Kingdom.
RESCUE (Jesus’ Birth and Mission)
The Angel Gabriel announced to Mary and Joseph that Jesus is both God’s Son and the promised Rescuer King.
RESCUE (Jesus’ Death and Resurrection)
As God’s Son and our Rescuer King, Jesus saves us from our sinful rebellion by dying on the cross and rising from the dead.
RESCUE (The Spirit and the Church)
Jesus poured out His Spirit upon the Church to carry on His Rescue Mission to the world.
RE-CREATION
Some-Day, Jesus will complete His Rescue Mission by returning to judge the living and the dead and to re-create Heaven and Earth.
RIGHTEOUSNESS
Being right with God isn’t something we earn through our obedience. Instead, it’s a gift from God that we receive through faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection.
And finally …
RESPONSE
Jesus calls each one of us to count the cost of being His disciple, make a personal decision to turn from sin and trust in Him, publicly profess our faith by being baptized, and obediently follow Him. Have you?
Ask God to speak to you as you read His Word.
Revelation 3:14-22 (NIV)
14 To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, “I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.” But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Have someone retell these passages in their own words.
What stands out to you in these passages?
What do these passages say about God (The Father, His Son Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit)?
What do these passages say about people, including ourselves?
What do these passages say about the life God invites us to live?
Digging Deeper
What personal response does Jesus call for in Revelation 3:14-22?
Count the Cost
Luke 9:23-26 (NET)
23 Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will save it. 25 For what does it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
What is the cost of following Jesus?
What are the benefits of following Jesus?
How can God’s gracious offer of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ be both a free gift and cost us everything?
Have you counted the cost of following Jesus and are you ready to take this crucial step in your life?
Repent and Believe
Mark 1:14-15 (NIV)
14 After John [the Baptist] was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
In Greek (the language of the New Testament), the word “repent” means to change your mind. In Hebrew (the language of the Old Testament), the word means to turn.
When Jesus calls us to repent, what are we changing our minds about and what are we turning from and turning toward?
In Greek, the words “believe” and “faith” are the same word. They mean to trust or rely on.
How is faith in Jesus more than just head knowledge? How does believing flow from our hearts and impact our lives?
Have you repented and believed?
Be Baptized
Through repentance and faith, we make our relationship with Jesus personal. Through baptism, we make our relationship with Jesus public. You get personal and you go public.
Baptism, then, is a public declaration of your personal faith in Jesus and the gift of God’s righteousness. It’s an outer expression of the inner conviction of your heart.
Peter said…
Acts 2:38 (NIV)
Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said …
Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT)
18 I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
The two main symbols communicated through baptism are 1) the washing away of sin (as water washes away dirt) and 2) the dying to self and coming alive in Jesus Christ (as drowning in water kills you and resuscitation gives you new life).
Acts 22:16 (NIV)
And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.
Romans 6:3-4 (NIV)
3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Here are the questions typically asked at a baptism:
Do you believe that Jesus Christ is your Savior, the one who forgives your sins?
Do you renounce the work of Satan, the ways of the world and the desires of your flesh and will you follow Jesus as your Lord?
Will you join God’s family in seeking Jesus passionately, living life biblically, loving each other sacrificially and sharing the Good News of Jesus boldly?
Do you want to be baptized to publicly declare that you are now Jesus’ disciple?
How would you answer each of these questions?
If you’ve made it personal, are you ready to make it public? If you’re ready to be baptized, let your coach or MicroChurch leader know. We’re here to help you take this important step of faith and obedience to Jesus.
Here are the words typically used at a baptism:
Upon your profession of faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord and in obedience to His command, I now baptize you in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Way is part of a church tradition that practices believer’s or conversion baptism. If you’re part of a church where you were baptized as an infant, your next step in going public may be a public profession of faith or a public confirmation of your faith. Talk to your coach about what the next step is for making your faith public in your church’s tradition.
Follow Jesus
Matthew 9:9 (NIV)
As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
Matthew 28:20 (NLT)
Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.
Luke 6:46-49 (NLT)
46 So why do you keep calling me “Lord, Lord!” when you don’t do what I say? 47 I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. 48 It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. 49 But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.
Why does Jesus connect following Him with obedience to Him?
What’s your reaction to this quote?
Dallas Willard in Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ, p. 88
The idea that you can trust Christ and not intend to obey him is an illusion generated by the prevalence of an unbelieving “Christian culture.” In fact you can no more trust Jesus and not intend to obey him than you could trust your doctor and your auto mechanic and not intend to follow their advice. If you don’t intend to follow their advice, you simply don’t trust them. Period. (Of course in this case you might have good reason.)
Why do we have good reason to follow Jesus’ “advice” and obey Him?
LIVE
What truth have you discovered from today’s Bible passage(s) and conversation?
What would stop you from believing and obeying this truth?
How will you live out this truth this coming week? Finish this statement: “I will ….”
Who else needs to hear this truth? How could you share it with them?
Pray for God’s help as you seek to follow Jesus this coming week.
NEXT STEPS
1. Fruit
Congratulations on finishing FAITH. The next part of Follow The Way is called FRUIT.
Jesus calls us to join Him in mission to our circles of influence. We don’t need to do that on our own, though. As we stay connected with Him, Jesus will help us produce the fruit of a missional life. Over 8-weeks, you’ll discover how to share your faith and make disciples of Jesus.
FRUIT and FILLING make up Follow The Way’s GO Set.
Are you ready to continue?
When will we meet again?
Who will facilitate that meeting?
2. Daily Connect
Through FAITH you have been using the Daily Connect connection prompts. You are encouraged to continue to use them. Also consider using the Practicing the Presence Prompts as well. They are meant to help you to intentionally connect with Jesus throughout your day. Here’s a bookmark to help you—Bookmark PDF File.
3. The Rest of The Story
FAITH couldn’t cover all the stories or teachings of the Bible. It was just meant to guide you to the main attractions. So it only highlighted key stories and passages. But there is so much more to the Bible and it’s such a good read. Here are some next steps …
Read the whole Bible. YouVersion has some great Bible reading plans.
If reading the whole Bible is too daunting at this point, you could read a children’s Bible. Seriously! This is a really good way to get a feel for the storyline and the characters of the Bible. Plus there are cool pictures!
Check out the Foundational Story Sets on the WAHA Bible Discovery App. Waha uses the same Discovery Bible Study method you have already been using in Follow The Way.
A very thorough emersion into the storyline of the Bible is ReadScripture.
FOLLOW-UP BIBLE READINGS
Let’s finish off FAITH with 3 more passages.
BUDDY SYSTEM
Connect with your buddy this week and ask each other these questions:
How are your readings going?
How’s your “I will …” statement coming along?
How’s your sharing goal coming along?
How can I pray for you?