Discipleship Matters – Making a Commitment to Follow Jesus

What is the Commitment Jesus is Asking Me to Make?: What do you think it means to follow a Jesus? What examples have you seen who successfully follow Jesus?

A STORY:
Steve was a student at San Diego state University. He was not a Christian. He heard the good news of the Gospel of Christ. He was so excited about the change in his life in knowing Christ, he devoured the Bible and began to grow deeper in his relationship with Jesus. He came to hear Jesus say in Matthew…” Follow me and I will make you a fisher of men.” Steve took this so deeply to heart he wanted to see God give him men who would come to Christ. He eventually prepared himself to go overseas to reach men in the Philippines for Christ. He followed, and Jesus made him a “FISHER OF MEN.” Filipino men trusted Christ. What is the commitment Jesus is asking of his disciples?

DIGGING INTO THE BIBLE:
When Jesus began his public ministry, he began to teach about the Kingdom of God. There were many people who came around to listen and try to understand this Kingdom teaching. He preached “Repent of your sins for the Kingdom of God is near.” From this teaching there were some who were drawn to Jesus and wanted to know more. There were four fishermen who heard this message and they began to spend time listening. Soon there was a time that Jesus said to them Matthew 4:19:
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”

DISCUSSION AND DISCOVERY:
1. What is the commitment Jesus was asking for in this passage?
2. What does it mean to follow Jesus?
3. What does it take to trust Jesus in this invitation?
4. What did Jesus say he would do? How does this request from Jesus work itself out?
5. What did he promise he would do?

APPLICATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY:
6. Why are these statements relevant to us?
7. What do you feel the commitment Jesus is asking from you?
8. When will you make that decision?
9. What will you start doing to follow Jesus?

DIGGING IN DEEPER:
1. What is the most important part of this lesson to you? Explain.
2. How do you see applying aspects of this lesson of it to your life?
3. When do you feel would be the best time to make that application?
4. What do you hear the Lord speaking to you about this right now?

For further information check out: https://coachthebible.com

Advertisement

Don’t Dance with Fire…

2 Samuel 11-12; 1 Chronicles 20
Marked: 2 Samuel 11:2, Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman [was] very beautiful to behold.

David was not where he was supposed to be. Sin is always waiting for me when I’m not where I’m supposed to be. Instead of prayer, reading the Word, memorizing Scripture, or simply thinking about Jesus, it is easy for my mind to wander and my eyes to look upon something I shouldn’t be looking at.

We struggle with sin not because sin is more powerful than the Spirit of God within us, but because we haven’t learned to stand on faith and put our flesh to death. We are weak in our faith when we are weak in the Word.

David looked and was tempted. He followed the temptation and committed adultery. He then tried to cover his sin by bringing the woman’s husband home from the battle to cover up the fact that she was pregnant with David’s child. When that failed he plotted murder and carried through.

James 1:13-15 tells us temptation leads to desire and enticement, and desire to sin, and sin to death. We must be careful when the fires of temptation flare. Put it out. Don’t dance with the flames or you will get burned. Stay in the battle and learn to be adept with the weapons of your warfare (Ephesians 6:10-18).

Declare What He has Done…

Read: Psalms 65-66; 69-70
Marked: Psalms 66:16, Come [and] hear, all you who fear God, And I will declare what He has done for my soul.

One of the most powerful weapons a Christian has is a personal testimony. Declaring how they came to know Jesus can cause others to consider their own need.

A personal search for God may have begun with simple questions. For example, “ Why am I here? How did all I see come into existence? What if there really is a God?”

God gives a promise in Jeremiah 29:13, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you seek for Me with all your heart.” When you come openly and honestly before God, even if you don’t know Him, God will not turn your prayer away, nor turn His mercy from you (V20).

Don’t Compound Bad Advice…

Read: 2 Samuel 10; 1 Chronicles 19; Psalms 20
Marked: 2 Samuel 10:6, When the people of Ammon saw that they had made themselves repulsive to David, the people of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth Rehob and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand foot soldiers; and from the king of Maacah one thousand men, and from Ish-Tob twelve thousand men.

Hanun got some bad advice. Bad advice is not always easy to see until it’s too late. And instead of asking for mercy, instead of trying to make it right, Hanun, and the people of Ammon, escalated the situation by hiring mercenaries to protect them.

From a mistake made due to bad advice, a war broke out and the army they hired to protect them was defeated. They went from bad advice to placing their salvation in a weak army and then had to flee for their lives. It could all have been avoided if Hanun had simply admitted his mistake.

What do I do that escalates a situation? Am I willing to do what God instructs, humble myself, admit my mistake, and avoid war?

Discipleship Matters – Making a Commitment to Follow Jesus

How do I know the Bible is true?:
What questions do you have about the Bible’s authenticity? What questions do you have about the Bible’s authority?

A Story:
Jose was in class, and he questioned the group. “How can I trust this book the Bible? I have heard it has all kinds of errors and contradictions.“ Jose was not alone in questioning the validity of the Bible. Is it a book of myths? Do we have any evidence of the Bible’s authenticity? We shared with Jose that some don’t believe it because they don’t want to. Others have had experiences with people who believe the Bible, yet their lives are in shambles. We asked him if he felt like his reasons for questioning were well thought out. Dale, responded, “I have never had anyone explain it to me to help me believe.” We shared our stories and helped him take steps in his journey toward truth. The Bible is an amazing book that claims to be God’s inspired word. Either it is or it isn’t. There is much evidence for its reliability that is expressed in an excellent book called EVIDENCE THAT DEMANDS A VERDICT by Josh McDowell. If you need to strengthen your intellectual foundation of the Bible’s origin, historical and archeological evidence, you will find help in this book.

Dig Into the Bible:
One verse that has been very helpful is John 7:17. Jesus in this Book written by one of his disciples is traveling about and speaking about what God has told him to say in proclaiming His Kingdom. He had some folks question whether his teaching was from God or not. He gave them these thoughts: John 7:17,
“If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.”

Discover what the Bible says by answering the following questions:
1. What is the choice one has to make to know whether this teaching is from God?
2. How does one demonstrate that he has chosen to do the Will of God?
3. What will he know if he chooses to do the will of God?

Apply God’s Word:
4. What step can you take to grow in your understanding and
confidence in the Bible?
5. How will you proceed to grow in your trust in the Bible?
6. Can you think of any situation where you have told God you want to do His will? Would you like to pray that now and tell him you trust Him?
7. How will you record your discoveries of truth?

Digging Deeper:
1. What is the most important part of this lesson to you?
2. How do you see applying aspects of this lesson to your life?
3. When do you feel would be the best time to make that application?
4. What do you hear the Lord speaking to you about this right now?

For further information check out: https://coachthebible.com

Beware the Fool…

Read: Psalms 50; 53; 60; 75
Marked: Psalms 53:1, To the Chief Musician. Set to “Mahalath.” A Contemplation of David. The fool has said in his heart, [“There is] no God.” They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; [There is] none who does good.

When man rejects God he shows himself a fool. The meaning behind the word, fool, has nothing to do with his intellectual capacity but everything to do with his moral capacity.

A man who believes there is no God believes he is his own man and that he has no accountability. He is, therefore, a law unto himself. Such a man is a fool because he denies what is so plainly evident in creation.

The fool denies his own conscience which convicts him of right and wrong. A fool is described in all his intensity in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, and, as David says, is corrupt, capable of abominable iniquity, and incapable of sustained goodness towards his fellow man.

A fool is to be avoided at all costs. Don’t be a fool and don’t be in the company of fools.

Discipleship Matters – Making a Commitment to Follow Jesus

I have a Reading and Daily Devotional Plan:
What has been your experience in reading the Bible regularly? What have been barriers to having a daily devotional?

A Story:
“How often do you read the Bible“, George asked his businessman friend from a small group meeting. Bill responded, “I read it when I can, but I am so busy I can’t find time between work, family time, house maintenance and other activities. George asked him how often he eats meals. He responded, “three times a day when I can.” George responded, “What would happen if you didn’t eat?” Bill, with a curious look said, “I would get weak and eventually die.“ “It sounds like eating is important to a vibrant life”, said George. He continued with the metaphor and said, “IF we don’t feed on God’s Word the Bible, we will get weak, and it will impact the strength of our spiritual vibrancy and life.” Bill responded, “That makes sense.” What do I need to do to feed on the Word of God regularly? George with excitement said “I will show you a scripture that lays a foundation for this and a few ideas on how to get started on your daily spiritual eating plan.

Dig Into the Bible:
Jeremiah 15:16,
Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.

When I first received Jesus I tried reading the Bible and struggled with understanding it. I realized that I was trying to read into it instead of letting it reveal God’s mind to me. Once I let the Bible lead me, even in the difficult hard to understand parts, things began to make sense and I wanted to know more.

Discover what the Bible says by answering the following questions:
1. In this verse what does “your words “mean?
2. How does someone eat the words of God?
3. What happens when you eat something? What is the metaphor here?
4. Why do you think the words of God were a joy and a heart’s delight?
5. What has been your experience in eating the Word of God?
6. What happens when we eat the Word of God like our spiritual food?
7. What do you think it means to bear his name?
8. When you are born in a family whose name do you take?
9. When you were born into God’s family who’s name do you bear?

Apply God’s Word:
10. What has been your experience in reading or eating the Word of God?
11. What will you experience if you read and eat the word of God daily?
12. What will stop you from eating the Word of God everyday like eating physical food?
13. What plans have you experienced in regularly reading the word of God?
14. How open are you to begin a new Bible reading plan?
15. What steps can you take to strengthen your Bible reading?

Digging Deeper:
1. What is the most important part of this lesson to you?
2. How do you see applying aspects of this lesson to your life?
3. When do you feel would be the best time to make that application?
4. What do you hear the Lord speaking to you about this right now?

For further information check out: https://coachthebible.com/

Winning Great Victories…

Read: 2 Samuel 8-9; 1 Chronicles 18
Marked: 2 Samuel 8:7, And David took the shields of gold that had belonged to the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem.

David fought against the enemy and won great victories. Even kings from other nations recognized the power of God in David. David brought the gold and other precious metals, as well as articles of bronze, and dedicated it all to God. David knew who preserved him (V6) and where his victories came from.

In Christ we can be victorious over our enemy. We shouldn’t fear him but take back from him what he has taken from us. In Christ fear becomes strength and weakness becomes power as He fills us with the Spirit of God.

Discipleship Matters – Making a Commitment to Follow Jesus

How Can I Understand the Bible?:
What is important about knowing the Bible? What is your current grasp on how the Bible comes together?

A Story:
Kenny looked at Dennis and asked, “Do you want to grasp and understand the Word of God? Dennis responded, “You bet!” Kenny began to tell Dennis,” the Bible is a huge book, it has 66 books, 39 books are from the Old testament which means the Old Covenant that God made with Israel. The New Testament has 27 books and represents the New Covenant that God made with all mankind. Many people have spent their lives seeking to know God through reading and studying the Bible. I will show you five ways to grasp the Bible.” He taught and modeled these five ways for Dennis to grasp the truths of the Bible.

First: Hear the Word of God…this can be done at church services, online, and by just listening to the Bible being read. Romans 10:17

Second: Read the Word of God…this can be done by setting up a reading plan that is in your capacity. There is a reading plan online called “THE BIBLE PROJECT” It is a great plan in how to understand the major parts of the Bible. Revelation 1:3

Third: To study the Bible…Here is where you begin to study major subjects in the Bible or to understand different books of the Bible. There are tools available for this step.
II Timothy 2:15

Fourth: To memorize key verses in the Bible…Here is where you can start with some memory systems to hide the Bible verses in your heart. In this guidebook there are verses you can memorize under making your commitment to follow Jesus. Psalms 119:9-11

Fifth: To meditate on the verses in the Bible… The Bible teaches us that meditation will take you deeper in understanding. This takes time and skills of meditation. Joshua 1:8

Dig Into the Bible:
A key passage of Scripture is 2 Timothy 3:16-17:
16 All Scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Discover what the Bible says by answering the following questions:
1. What are the four things that the Bible is profitable for?
2. What do these four things mean?
3. What does it mean to be inspired by God?
4. How would understanding the Bible be profitable?
5. What does it mean to rightly divide the Word of Truth?

Apply God’s Word:
6. Of the five ways to understand the Bible which one would you like to get started in?
7. What can you do to improve your hearing of the Bible?
8. What can you do to improve the reading of the Bible?
9. What can you do to improve your study of the Bible?
10. What can you do to improve the memorizing of the Bible?
11. What can you do to improve the meditation of the Bible?
12. What will be your first step?
13. When will get started on that step?

Digging Deeper:
1. What is the most important part of this lesson to you?
2. How do you see applying aspects of this lesson to your life?
3. When do you feel would be the best time to make that application?
4. What do you hear the Lord speaking to you about this right now?

For further information check out: https://coachthebible.com

Recognizing Wickedness…

Read: Psalms 25; 29; 33; 36; 39
Marked: Psalms 36:3, The words of his mouth [are] wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise [and] to do good.

A wicked person can be recognized by their words and actions. This doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of doing good and acting justly, but it is the exception rather than the rule.

A wicked person hasn’t learned to control his words or himself. He says things that are abhorrent and you can’t trust what they say. Because of these character flaws they show themselves unwise and cannot be considered good. James says, “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom (James 3:13).