Discipleship Action 5

Section 1

The reading for the Sunday services was the lengthy passage from Matthew 6: 19-34. This passage is very rich in its content and difficult in its application but the application provides an excellent overview of some core aspects of discipleship.

In the message from ‘Café Church’ there was a focus on the meaning and types of faith. There were four definitions provided. These are taken from Marcus Borg’s The Heart of Christianity:

ü  Faith is holding fast to a set of beliefs with which we agree.

§  Which beliefs would be core to this understanding of faith?

ü  Faith is trusting in God – what would trusting in God look like?

§  What would we be trusting God to do or be?

ü  Faith is maintaining fidelity/faithfulness  to God – remaining true to God

§  How do we remain true? How might we be ‘untrue’?

ü  Faith as vision of what ‘really is’ (reality)   – how you see the nature of life

§  How might people have different ‘visions’ of the nature of life?

 

 

 

Perhaps you can make a make a distinction between

1.       Which of these you think is the most accurate?

2.       Which of these is closest to the way you see it?

3.       What difference might it make to your discipleship if you were to broaden your understanding of faith?

Section 2

• Read through the Matthew 6: 19-34. Which types of faith are evident in the passage?  Work through the passage slowly and see if you can identify the four faith types. You might like to do this in pairs or triplets.

Section 1

The reading for the Sunday services was the lengthy passage from Matthew 6: 19-34. This passage is very rich in its content and difficult in its application but the application provides an excellent overview of some core aspects of discipleship.

In the message from ‘Café Church’ there was a focus on the meaning and types of faith. There were four definitions provided. These are taken from Marcus Borg’s The Heart of Christianity:

ü  Faith is holding fast to a set of beliefs with which we agree.

§  Which beliefs would be core to this understanding of faith?

ü  Faith is trusting in God – what would trusting in God look like?

§  What would we be trusting God to do or be?

ü  Faith is maintaining fidelity/faithfulness  to God – remaining true to God

§  How do we remain true? How might we be ‘untrue’?

ü  Faith as vision of what ‘really is’ (reality)   – how you see the nature of life

§  How might people have different ‘visions’ of the nature of life?

 

 

 

Perhaps you can make a make a distinction between

1.       Which of these you think is the most accurate?

2.       Which of these is closest to the way you see it?

3.       What difference might it make to your discipleship if you were to broaden your understanding of faith?

Section 2

• Read through the Matthew 6: 19-34. Which types of faith are evident in the passage?  Work through the passage slowly and see if you can identify the four faith types. You might like to do this in pairs or triplets.

 

Section 1

The reading for the Sunday services was the lengthy passage from Matthew 6: 19-34. This passage is very rich in its content and difficult in its application but the application provides an excellent overview of some core aspects of discipleship.

In the message from ‘Café Church’ there was a focus on the meaning and types of faith. There were four definitions provided. These are taken from Marcus Borg’s The Heart of Christianity:

ü  Faith is holding fast to a set of beliefs with which we agree.

§  Which beliefs would be core to this understanding of faith?

ü  Faith is trusting in God – what would trusting in God look like?

§  What would we be trusting God to do or be?

ü  Faith is maintaining fidelity/faithfulness  to God – remaining true to God

§  How do we remain true? How might we be ‘untrue’?

ü  Faith as vision of what ‘really is’ (reality)   – how you see the nature of life

§  How might people have different ‘visions’ of the nature of life?

 

 

 

Perhaps you can make a make a distinction between

1.       Which of these you think is the most accurate?

2.       Which of these is closest to the way you see it?

3.       What difference might it make to your discipleship if you were to broaden your understanding of faith?

Section 2

• Read through the Matthew 6: 19-34. Which types of faith are evident in the passage?  Work through the passage slowly and see if you can identify the four faith types. You might like to do this in pairs or triplets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discipleship Action 4

Section 1

Given that it is the half way point of the eight week journey it is useful to reflect on the journey so far.  As an exercise in group sharing, try to identify the following:

• What you have learned about discipleship through the group and discussion?
• An example of application in your life
• Something that you would like to know or learn more about?

Take some time for this activity – perhaps 10 minutes.

In your group, choose at least one of the above to share. The rule of the sharing in this case is that the rest of the group are to simply listen to and not comment on what each member has to say. Depending on the group, you might choose to go in a circle, you might choose to leave it open for a period of time. Learn to be comfortable with silence, allow the Holy Spirit to fill it.

This bit is important…

It would also be good to nail down your external action plan for your group.  What community action could you participate in? Could you go somewhere as a group to offer some volunteer time? Does somebody in the group know somebody who is in need of some home help? Could you agree to contribute some items to those who are needy?  Spend some time putting your heads together on this issue – it doesn’t matter if you spend your whole meeting to come to an agreement of practical discipleship-action.

Additionally, if you have not done so, find some time to arrange a social outing for your group. Do not regard this as an optional extra – this is a practical way that we learn to know each other better. It can just be a BBQ.

Commit to finding time for these things.

It would be great to hear from the groups at our Sunday evening services. Could each group arrange for a member to share something about what they have experienced in their groups?  It should not be the leader/shepherd who speaks. Let me know if you would prefer SNL or “Sunday at 6” on the 2^nd and 4^th Sundays.

Part 2 A From last week It is possible that your group did not make it through last week’s lengthy study. If that is the case, you might like to revisit the Romans reading from Chapter 12. Romans 12: 1-21 What does it mean to you to offer your body as a sacrifice? What is the role of your body in worship and discipleship? (We don’t think about this issue nearly enough – its implications are huge). Paul tells us to ‘be transformed by the renewing of our minds’; how might we actually do that? In verses 9-21, which of the commands are most useful/interesting/difficult right now?

Part 2B (if you got through the study)

Matthew 5: 38-48

Section 2B: Robin’s 8.30 Message Robin revisited Matthew 5: 38-48 with a special focus on repairing relationships. He focused on the following scriptural ideals: Not resisting an evil person but to turn the other cheek. o   What are the implications of this for you right now in your life? o   What aspects of 1st century Middle East might make this command even more challenging? Asked for tunic, give the cloak as well. o   Note that the first was an undergarment and the second an outer garment that was used to sleep in o   How might we apply this command to given in excess of what was asked? Love your enemies o   Ancient cultures were violent and militaristic – an enemy was somebody who most likely would kill you. In our time there is now a lot of talk (especially from young people?) about ‘witnessing to Moslems’. Indeed, the increasing visibility of other cultures is worrying many people in and outside church communities. The problem of making enemies is a real one for us – how does a disciple of Jesus deal with this? o   Is it helpful or not to think of people as ‘your enemy’. Given that we are to transform our mind, what is useful about thinking this way? Be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect o   Given that no amount of striving will make us perfect, how are we to follow this command? Ignoring it is not an option, so how to proceed? How might an understanding of grace help us here?

Read the passage and consider your initial reactions to it

Discipleship Action 3

Part 1:

One way of thinking about the Christian small group is to see it as a church within a church. It is a church because its members are the Body of Christ. Part of the process of discipleship then is to understand how we function as the body of Christ (which parts of the body we as individuals are). Prior to this study then, it is useful to reflect on how you as a group (the body of Christ) are functioning. Here are some questions you might like to consider:

• As a body, are you aware of all of the parts and what they do? (are members identified, recognised?)
• Is there a way that all parts of the body are exercised? (is there an opportunity for members to make a contribution in a variety of ways?
• Are the parts of the body working together in unity? St Paul writes in Romans 12 about how foolish it would be to imagine that one part of the body would reject another part yet in our human lives hat is largely how we behave.
• If you are used to be a ‘head’ (for example, a leader of a group) how do you function when you are not leading? Do you feel relieved, unburdened? Perhaps frustrated and/or disengaged? The writer/psychologist M Scott Peck once wrote that leaders in groups looking for community building should ‘think as leaders even when not leading.’ What might that mean?
• As members of the body of Christ, what part of your body do you use the most often? What did you do with your body since last week? (i.e. what were your highs and lows, how were you of service? )

Part 2: Reading Matthew 5: 17-48

The first reading is the gospel reading for Sunday February 13. In his message, Pastor Robin went through each section and connected them to the process of building genuine relationships with people. It is interesting to note that the section is really Jesus’ exploring the full ramifications of ‘the law’. Hence the passage begins with Jesus saying “do not think I have to come to abolish the law; rather I have come to fulfil them.’ A key question, then, for us as disciples is to ask and understand how Jesus ‘fulfils’ these laws that are explored in the reading. These are the laws that Jesus addresses:

1.       Do not commit murder

2.       Do not commit adultery

3.       Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce

4.       Do not break your oath

5.       An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth

6.       Love your neighbour and hate your enemy

How does Jesus fulfil these laws? This concept is very important and at the heart of discipleship. What is the theme of Jesus’ teaching about these laws that runs through them?

 

Some application questions (you could take a few moments to do these in pairs or triplets)

• How well do handle anger? Do you have a vision of how you might handle it better? How might you bring your vision into reality?
• What impulses, feelings or emotions do feel you control quite well? How did you learn to control them?
• What might you do to control your negative emotions better or is the question irrelevant to a disciple?

Part 3: Romans 12: 1-21

Part 1 of this study is connected to the reading from Romans 12 but you might find it useful to extend your reflections through the following questions:

• What does it mean to you to offer your body as a sacrifice? What is the role of your body in worship and discipleship? (We don’t think about this issue nearly enough – its implications are huge).
• Paul tells us to ‘be transformed by the renewing of our minds’ How might we actually do that?
• In verses 9-21, which of the commands are most useful/interesting/difficult right now?

Think about during the week…

Dallas Willard suggests that grace is where God acts in our lives where and when we cannot act…. What does this mean, exactly? How is grace so crucial to the Matthew reading about the fulfilment of the law and  Paul’s teaching on sacrifice and love in Romans 12?

Discipleship Action 2

If you like, you can draw upon some of last week’s activities and see if people have had some new thoughts about some of last issues. You could consider the following:

• Understanding and definitions of discipleship as a lifelong process
• The aspects of discipleship that are attractive and unattractive
• What it means to ‘carry your cross’ daily

Additionally your group needs to consider some practical applications and events:

1.       Some action in the wider community

2.       Some action within the OS community / RLC community

3.       A social engagement

You could also try to develop some commitment and accountability within the group: ‘What am I going to commit to in my own life and share that commitment with the group.

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The following is a ‘study’ resource from the Sunday readings and message.

Discipleship: The Rag-Tag Fishermen

Pastor Matt described the first disciples a ‘rag-tag collection of fisherman’. He wasn’t saying this to be unkind but it served as a reminder that the Christian life begins with a blessing: you are the salt of the earth and you are the light of the earth.  It is always worth thinking about the group of men who Jesus first called. After his call, they followed as disciples of Jesus: always students in and of the life of Jesus.

Sometimes we feel that we are unable to be disciples because we are ‘not good enough’. We are right that we are not ‘good’ but wrong about ‘enough’.  The call to discipleship is a call that is not heard by those who consider themselves good but is heard by those who are lost and know it. So, we too belong to the tradition of ‘rag-tag fishermen’.

Initial Reflection  (Matthew 5: 13-16)

• Can you recall when you first heard the call of Jesus?
• Are the symbols of salt and light meaningful to you? Why/why not?
• Have there been times when you have felt that you have lost your saltiness or that your light has dimmed?
• What are the things that have restored your saltiness or made your light shine brighter?

Other readings to reflect upon:

 

Ephesians 5 : 8-14

The Ephesians reading takes the light symbol further. In this reading Paul draws the images of light and darkness, life and death together.

I Corinthians 2: 1-12)

The reading is from Paul written to members of a church.  As such it needs to be read as members of a worshipping community. Consider:

• Have you ever felt part of a close-knit team? How did that feel?
• How were divisions dealt with?
• What does Paul expect of a worshipping community/church?
• What obstacles does Paul identify as preventing that unity of purpose?
• To what extent are such obstacles a problem for churches today?
• How might a church overcome these divisions or are they just human nature?
• How can we apply the reading to our daily life and to our church life? Are these applications different?

Prayer

Encourage your group to develop an understanding of personal and intercessory prayer. Perhaps encourage them to identify prayers and praise points that are appropriate.

A useful activity is to work through the Lord’s Prayer section by section and add prayers through it.