Review of Week 3

If self rules, Jesus is not Lord.

The call of God comes to those whose hearts are lining up with His. We can’t hear God over the roar of our selfishness.

The call of God is to relationship, and service is the overflow of devotion to Him.

There is a difference between “satisfying God” and “doing something for Him”! We can be devoted to self, service, or the Lordship of Christ.

Horror and darkness in your life just may be God working out His covenant with you - destroying the self sufficiency that would otherwise keep you in the common rather than the Holy.

Obedience is not freshness, but it puts us in position for the freshness that comes from the Holy Spirit.

Are we spontaneously kind to God (Whatsoever you do to the least of these) or are we only looking for His kindness to us?

Jan 22 - LOOK

Isa 45:22 “...Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other...”

Which is more likely to make you look to God, trouble or blessings? Why? [need vs. distraction]

What happens when we “seek first His Kingdom”? [we’re saved from the anxieties of this world].

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.

Step 1: Heb.7:25 “...Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them...”

Step 2: Heb.9:14 “...how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?...”

Which step is easier for you?

Looking to Him is easier than serving Him [giving Him burdens vs. sharing the burdens of the world around us]

Jan 23 - OPEN

2 Cor.3:18 “...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. 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...”

How was the temple changed at the death of Christ? [veil was torn]

What did this mean with regard to access to God?

Did this mean that everyone now rushed in to establish intimacy with God? [available doesn’t equate with availed].

Special effects in entertainment can create unusual pictures, where a person’s appearance is transformed before your eyes, from hideous to beautiful, or vice versa.

What happens when a person avails themselves of the privilege of approaching God? [a transformation, being changed into His image, an image that can then be shown to the world].

Have you ever considered the reflection you emanate? [what you spend time looking at is actual reflected by you to others]

The presence of God will change you.

Does it take discipline to abide in him?

What is preventing you from having intimacy with God?

Jan 24 PURPOSE

Acts 26:16 “...'But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you;...”

What was Saul’s life like before he became Paul? [extremely religious man with an agenda. He was one of the religious people of the day (church)]

John 15:16 “...You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you...”

What changed when the Lord chose Saul and he became Paul? [the direction of his efforts and loyalty - his fealty. He became a part of the Church]

Was his personality altered? [no, just became devoted to a person rather than a cause]

Does God expect everyone to be a Paul?

What does God want you to be? [who you are, with the right focus and vision]

Can anyone take your place? [not and truly be who God intended for you to be]

You can interchange people in a cause, but all are unique in God’s creative purposes.

Jan 25 - ROOM

Gal.1:15,16 “...But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood,...”

Saul was zealous for what he thought was truth. God’s revelation (it pleased God) freed him from his misconceptions.

How does revelation alter our life? [our religious direction is altered]

What does it mean to leave ‘elbow room’ for God?

Is there room for God in our lives, our church, our country, our world?

How did His incarnation start? [no room for Him in the inn]

Why was there no room? [the pressing issues of the day had created a chaotic flow of humanity]

When is there no room for Him in our day? [when the pressing issues of the day create a chaotic flow of humanity]

When we have ‘much to do’, His appearance can be an inconvenience.

O.C. says expect Him to come, but don’t expect Him only in a certain way.

The history of free Methodism includes an insistence on 3 ‘frees’ - pews, slavery, Spirit. Is there room for the Spirit to move in our worship service? In our Sunday School?

Jan 26 - SIMPLE

Matt 6:30 “...But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!...”

Part of the Sermon on the Mount - be not anxious, ...seek first the kingdom.

Is your life simple or complex?

How can a person avoid having the cares of the world complicate their life?

What specific things are causing anxiety in your life?

What needs to change for you to be more content and secure?

What does it mean to ‘obey the life God has given us’?

When we heed the call of the world (fleshly lusts) or the call of the devil (perversion), we fail to enter into God’s rest.

If we are rightly related to God, with our primary concern the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, God will look after our needs. True? Simple?

Jan 27 - CARES

Matt.6:25 “...For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?...”

How can a person stand against the “steady invasion” of the “the cares of this world”?

Does God want us to not care? [need to care with confidence]

In the parable of the sower (Mark 4:1-25), what do the cares of this world accomplish? [choke the word, causing it to be unfruitful]

Does Jesus understand your current challenges? Can He help? Will He?

Do you want to bear fruit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control)?

What is your part? God’s part?

Is it a one time decision and then we’re on our way? [ we’re never free from the recurring tides of this encroachment!]

It’s like lakefront property that has the constant presence of erosive water - sometimes mildly, sometimes ferociously beating on it.

There is a need for a break water - a barrier to protect against the onslaught

What is the barrier for a Christian? [God’s truth, the fellowship of the saints] The Holy Spirit is faithful to lead us back to dry land when we’ve been washed out of position.

Jan 28 - PERSECUTE

Acts 26:14 “...And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads...”

These words were spoken after “...all had fallen to the ground...”

Have you had a fallen down experience? [we tend to talk about meeting our Lord, but usually we mean we’ve met one of His truths. His presence has a different effect on us than his truth]

What was Saul accused of doing? [persecuting Christ]. What was Saul doing? [the religious work of the current church]

What was missing in his zeal? [knowledge of God’s intentions] Why? [stubbornness and self will - embracing the appearance of godliness without the illumination of the Holy Spirit]

Does trying harder equate to righteousness? [NO] Can your ambitions hurt Jesus?

How do you get from ambitious persecution to Father pleasing? [Spirit led life]

Review of Week 2

The work of the Holy Spirit, that work that He was sent to do, is done in places we could never reach without Him.

Our eyes are opened, and we are sent to open others eyes.

Our obedience will cost other people.

It’s aloneness with God which puts us in a teachable position.

When we spend time with our God, we become aware of His call, and just what we can volunteer for.

Jan 15 - DIE

Rom.6:4 “...Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life...”

1 Peter 3:18 “...For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;...”

Romans 6:11-13 “...Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God...”

O.C.’s “white funeral” can be a controversial topic, but the basics are this:

If self rules, Jesus is not Lord

Striving to make Jesus Lord is a frustrating experience

Dying to self allows for resurrection into the life of Christ

Everywhere you look in our world there are opportunities and encouragement to live for self [self help books, glamour magazines, TV shows and advertisements]

God calls for “set apart” people. Death seems like a morbid business, but burial of self is at the heart of God’s intentions for us

Is there value to your life apart from God?

- to others? But what good are we to them in the big picture.

- to fantasy? Imagine a world in which we play a particular role (a particular appetite is filled), but it is transient and can’t be maintained [celebrities, etc]

Die to self (old man) and live a life of godliness (new man)

Jan 16 - CALL

Isa.6:8 “...Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"...”

Many voices call for our attention and allegiance. The call of the sea, the mountains, the world, are heard by those whose natures line up with the caller

The call of God comes to those whose hearts are lining up with His.

How can a person distinguish between, and decide which call to heed?

What is the nature of calls from this world? [appeal to our appetites, which were created by this world in the first place - inward spiral]

What is the nature of calls from the deceiver? [manipulative, destructive, freaky, derail]

What is the nature of calls from God? [bigger picture, purposeful, appropriate, righteous]

How is the call of God different for each person?

How does this differ from the call of a club of like minded people [not a call to conform, but a call to be what a creative God intended from the beginning]

The majority of us have no ear for anything but ourselves ...we cannot hear a thing God says.

Jan 17 - SERVICE

Gal 1:15,16 “...But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood,...”

The call comes from God’s very nature. The call comes from the One who knows us thoroughly.

Does answering the call always mean service in a specific way? [Service is the outcome of what is fitted to my nature ...the overflow of super abounding devotion]

Ex. you have dinner at some friends - 4 couples. After dinner you have your small group and share the fellowship of people you truly care about. On the way out at the end of the meeting you see the dirty dishes stacked to the ceiling. When you decide to help with the dishes before you leave it isn’t because you are called to do dishes. Your call is to relationship and the service is a natural outflow.

How can overly defining service lead to a small and limited church? How can conformity lead to a small and limited church?

How does loving Him and communing with Him lead to a large and expanding Church

Was God extravagant in His creation of our world?

Doesn’t it seem obvious that His purposes for humanity would be broad?

Jan 18 - FEALTY

John 22:28 “...Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!...”

Do you recognize the Lordship of Christ? [It’s easy in this world to lose sight of it]

Few Americans understand fealty. [the duty and loyalty owed by a vassal or tenant to his feudal lord]

“Long live the King” just doesn’t have a place in the language of a people whose leaders spend as much time, energy and resources on campaigning as they do on leadership.

We’re a mixture of fiercely independent people and fiercely dependent people, with neither group understanding fealty.

- One group struts proudly, storing water.

- The other group demands its water.

News flash!

- Jesus is Lord.

- He can’t be voted out.

- “...there will be no end to the increase of His government...” Isa 9:7

We don’t need to embrace the best “cause” we can find on earth. We need to acknowledge the Lordship of Christ and pour out our lives for Him.

What is the difference between “satisfying God” and “doing something for Him”

Are you most devoted to self, service or the Lordship of Christ?

Jan 19 - TRUST

Gen !5:12 “...Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him...”

Abraham, after going out, is now having the covenant installed.

Communion with God results in a person seeing parts of the bigger picture.

Visions of “what is to be” create enthusiasm and expectation”.

God’s timing rarely coincides with our timing. What is the appropriate thing to do when God gives a vision and darkness rolls in? [WAIT]

What happens during the waiting?

- confusion, frustration.

- self sufficiency is destroyed.

- dependence on an all sufficient God takes the place of the common.

What are the dangers during the waiting?

- attempts to do God’s part for Him.

- loss of enthusiasm and expectation.

- abandoning the bigger picture [go to a different church]

Are we are all being disciplined to know that God is real?

Is our confidence in God alone? [History of Ogemaw Hills Christian School]

Jan 20 - FRESHNESS

John 3:3 “...Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God..."

Being born again is not just trying something new. “I thought I’d try religion because it seems to satisfy some people” [It doesn’t. He does]

Being born again is a different dimension, a whole new life. You can’t see it until you’re in it.

O.C. says “being born again is an enduring, perpetual, and eternal beginning” [It’s the start of forever]

Describe the difference between a Fresh and a Stale approach to life.

Can you create freshness? [yesterday’s donut may still be okay, but last year’s is nothing to get excited about].

Obedience is not freshness [in fact, it can seem quite stale] but it puts us in position for the freshness that comes from the Holy Spirit.

The difference between death and life is the breath of God. The difference between staleness and freshness is the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Comment on the statement ....”If you are depending on anything other than Him you will not know when He is gone.”

This is actually an interesting contrast with yesterday’s devotional. [patiently wait for the unfolding promise contrasted with an expecting fresh surprises from the Holy Spirit]

Jan 21 - KINDNESS

Jer 2:2 “...Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, 'Thus says the Lord, "I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth, The love of your betrothals, Your following after Me in the wilderness, Through a land not sown...”

God’s word for Jeremiah to proclaim to his people.

Are we spontaneously kind to God, or are we only looking for His kindness to us?

How can we be kind to God? [Matt 25:31-46 inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me]

What was the Revelation message to the church of Ephesus? [you have lost your first love, do the deeds you did at first]

“The love of your betrothal” gives the picture of a marriage situation. In the beginning - full of attention and devotion to a spouse. Then a careless drifting into selfishness.

What causes first love to be lost? [shift from ‘delight to serve’ to ‘expectation of being served’]

Why/how does this happen? [entropy]

Review of Week 1

To keep from being ashamed, we need to keep to the point - the point at which Jesus asks us to yield - no excuses.

We must be willing to go out from where we are, the place where we live (physically, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually). When he calls us we must respond - no excuses.

It may involve clouds and darkness, and if we can’t go now, it may be because we haven’t yet made it to the life of power (our abilities can’t get us to where His Spirit wants to take us)

Jesus lived with worship, waiting, and work always together, fully integrated. Our intimacy with God is often severely hampered by our own plans and desires, our time misappropriations, our elevation of the promises to the position that only the promise maker should have.

Jan 8 - SACRIFICE

Gen 22:9 “...Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood...”

Why did God ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac?

- insuring that the promise hadn’t become a god.

- whole story was a demonstration of the substitutionary death of Christ.

Does God want the sacrifice of death?

- O.C. Says it’s not God’s ultimate desire.

- God did institute the sacrificial process.

- God provided the perfect sacrificial Lamb - Jesus.

Does God want us to sacrifice things?

- We need to give up ownership and devotion to things when they become substitutes for intimacy with God.

- Rich young ruler.

- Every good and perfect gift comes from God. He blesses us in ways the world could not even imagine, but the blessing cannot take a wrong place in our life.

What does it look like to live Rom.12:1,2? “...Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect...”

Jan 9 - BLAMELESS

1 Thes. 5:23 “...Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ...”

O.C. says the great mystical work of the Holy Spirit is in the dim regions of our personality which we cannot get at.

Do you agree? Does this explain why we are so incapable of fixing ourselves?

Does sin dull the senses? Are sinners unaware of their sin? Then how can they repent? Are you aware of all your sin? Then how can you be cleansed?

The Holy Spirit is amazing, and we must have His work in our lives. Do you see how important it is to not grieve the Spirit. Does He have access to your front porch? Your front room? Your back room?

Spirit (ruwach/zoe)

Conscience, Intuition, Communion

God consciousness. Touch God.

Soul (nephesh/psuche)

Intellect, emotions, will

Self consciousness. Touch Self.

Body (bios), Flesh (basar/sarx)

Senses

World consciousness. Touch the world

1 Cor. 2:14 “...But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised...”

Death in the Garden - loss of communion. Man sinks from Spirit controlled, to Soul controlled, to Body controlled.

Death at Calvary - veil torn, access restored. Man can again be Spirit led.

We are only healthy when all are in proper relationship to God.

We’re dirtier than we know, and we can become cleaner than we realize.

It’s not just a matter of cleaning up body problems.

Jan 10 - RECEIVE

Acts 26:17-18 “...I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me...'

Jesus talking to Saul at his conversion (Paul)

Our job, like his, is to open people’s eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God

Define the following:

Born Again - becoming Spiritually alive - not an intellectual (soul) event.

Justification - having the penalty paid, just as if you hadn’t done wrong.

Conversion - switching from flesh or soul led to Spirit led.

Regeneration - growth of something that was previously dead.

Salvation - being rescued from that which is harmful, which would kill and destroy.

Sanctification - increasingly set apart for God (led by the Spirit)

What did O.C. mean when he said conversion is not salvation? Be careful! Looking at truth is not the same as having it work in your life

What have you received from God?

Jan 11 - COST

Luke 23:26 ”...When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus...”

What is the cost of obeying God?

How can it be harder for others than for ourselves?

What tension does this create?

How can this tension negatively affect spiritual progress?

- Focusing on relieving others discomfort distracts from obedience.

- Not having compassion can become an arrogant excuse for self service.

What is conditional obedience? [telling God what consequences we will allow as a condition of our obedience to Him]

Have you ever been guilty of it conditional obedience?

Jan 12 - SOLITUDE

Mark 4:34 “...and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples...”

One of the spiritual disciplines is solitude - getting alone - away from the noise and crowds, the TV, the radio, the computers, that bombard our senses

O.C. says it is astounding how ignorant we are about ourselves! That we don’t recognize the envy, laziness, and pride. Do you agree?

How long does it take to conform to God’s purposes? [a lifetime]

What is the process? [conversion, regeneration, salvation, sanctification]

How does this happen? [By getting alone with Jesus. He knows, He loves. The Holy Spirit’s business is to lead us into all truth. He will reveal misplaced affections and desires]

What can prevent this process from occurring? [pride, busyness, misplaced affections and desires]

Do your habits and lifestyles make room for solitude? [Kids wanting noise - it makes them feel that they are not alone - but keeps them from the one who will always keep them from being lonely]

When you need to tell someone something, what is the best way to insure it’s done correctly? [not text, not tweet, not email, but meet privately]

Does God want to tell you anything?

Does being alone guarantee growth? [needs to be with God]

Jan 13 - SPEECHLESS

Mark 4:10 “...As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables...”

What is the difference between our arranging solitude with Him and His arranging solitude with us? [He can create some pretty extreme situations to get some ‘face time’ with us]

What do you think you understand best, the way God deals with you or the way God deals with others?

Are you better at telling others what God would have them be and do than in recognizing His talking to you?

Are we guilty of applying religion to others, but walking in a lifeless, powerless state.

God wants to get us alone, answer our questions, show us who we are, and lead us into what we can become.

Our education is best directed by Jesus, not by our questions.

Jan 14 - CALLED

Isaiah 6:8 “...Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!..."

Did Isaiah volunteer?

How did he know to volunteer? [He was already in a place of listening to and seeing spiritual things]

Was what he volunteered for personally rewarding in and of itself? Would it have come naturally from his own desires?

O.C. says whether I hear or not depends upon the condition of my ears. What I hear depends upon my spiritual attitude.

Does God ever single someone out and force His will on them? [Jonah?]

Does God always single people out and force His will on them? [Normally it’s our option to be available or unavailable]

When God discusses His intentions, are we -

Available - open to the unpredictable, uncomfortable, expanding.

Unavailable - clinging to the predictable, comfortable, tether.

How can volunteering for church differ from volunteering for what God is doing?

The End of the Age:

Rev.11:15 At the last trumpet, “...the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ...”

Rev.18:4 “...come out of her my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues...”

Rev.21:8 “...the cowardly and unbelieving ... their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death..."

Rev.22:14 “...Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life...”

Kingdom of this world: Debtor, slave. Ownership. Taker. Ends in being consumed.

Kingdom of our Lord: Heir, ambassador. Stewardship. Giver. End result is being blessed.

Ask yourself these questions:

Why am I alive?

For whom do I live?

JAN.1 - YIELD

Phil.1:20 “...with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death...”

Do we have an unstoppable determination for His holiness?

What does it mean to magnify Christ in your body?

What does it mean to yield to Christ the area of your life He is asking you to yield?

What keeps us from deciding for Jesus? How do we use others as excuses to not yield to the call of God? Does God know what our obedience will cost us and others?

Describe the tension between vertical (God) and horizontal (people) relationships.

Does God need to use crisis or will we respond to nudges?

When is a crisis a good thing? [crisis forces decisions]

Are we determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him?

JAN.2 - GO, NO KNOW

Heb.11:8 “...By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going...”

How safe is your walk with God? How much mystery is there?

“God is looking for people through whom He can do the impossible. What a pity that we plan only the things we can do by ourselves.” A.W.Tozer

Can we lay down the things that normally demand our focus to move into the unknown?

Are we more concerned with what He is doing or with who He is?

Is every day supposed to be a going out?

Abraham didn’t leave Ur every day, didn’t take a son to be sacrificed every day.

We should be willing every day.

Danger of repetition [ruts].

What does it mean to “go out of convictions, out of creeds, out of experiences, until there is nothing between yourself and God

Like an elephant, we become content to stand tethered, not even considering freedom an option.

Like the world, we define freedom from our flesh - what we want, what we can get, and what we can do, rather than from our potential - where God can take us, and what life awaits us if we’ll walk with him

When people want what people want, they never can be free

Not free from the flesh tether, not free to be what God intended.

JAN.3 - DARKNESS

Psalm 97:2 “...Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne...”

What is casual religion? Excessive informality?

What difference does it make when Bible words are illuminated by the Spirit in real life situations.

Explain Chambers’ claim that those not born of the Spirit of God consider Jesus’ teachings simple, but those baptized in the Holy Ghost find clouds and darkness?

Commonplace religious shoes don’t bring us into God’s presence.

What is the difference between “the words I speak to you are Spirit and life” and “the words I have spoken”? [leash on a tether vs.. walking in the cool of the day]

JAN 4 - WAIT

John 13:37 “...Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You..."

What is the value of waiting vs busyness [getting to know oneself, and God].

What is the danger of acting impulsively? What is acting impulsively? [following but on our terms. Little, not big, picture]

Have you ever done something impulsively, feeling sure it’s God’s will, then had to pick up the pieces for a long time after that?

Describe the difference between natural devotion and discipleship.

Are we willing to lay down our lives for Jesus? [remember that laying down our business frees us to be about His]

Never run before God’s guidance. When in doubt, don’t. Good advice?

What do you think about the statement - when it is a question of the providential will of God - wait for God to move [Abraham and Ismael]

JAN 5 - FOLLOW

John 13:36 “...Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?" Jesus answered, "Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later..."

Explain the difference between external and internal following. [when it gets difficult, external followers leave. Fascination will wane and following stops.]

What role does the Holy Spirit have in following? Why must this be an invasion?

Discuss Peter’s following. [left nets, denied Christ, reached the end of self, filled]

Follow but Wait? Sometimes we want desperately to be able to follow Jesus NOW, but because we are trying to follow in our own strength, we are unable. We do things incorrectly and we make a mess of things.

JAN.6 - WORSHIP

Gen.12:8 “...Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord...”

Bethel - symbol of communion with God. Ai - symbol of the world.

Abraham pitched his tent between the two

What do you think about this? Is this straddling the fence?

What happens if we retreat from the world into God? [Blessing of worship but no service]

What happens if we plunge into the world? [Work without significance]

Which side do you err on? Where do you pitch your tent?

How can a person insure that worship, waiting, and work exist together, not as separate entities? [integrated life]

JAN.7 - INTIMACY

John 14:9 “...Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?...”

What attracts you to Jesus?

What is the difference between knowing about Him and knowing Him?

What is intimacy? [abiding in thought, heart, and spirit]

Is receiving His blessings intimacy?

Is knowing His Word intimacy?

What are hindrances to intimacy? [Lack of time, Personal agendas]

How are intimacy with Jesus and fruit bearing related? [abiding, vine/branches, life]

The saint who is intimate with Jesus will never leave impressions of himself. What does this mean?

The Lord gives a strong calm sanity to those who are intimate with Him. Do you know people like that? Are you like that?

How does intimacy with Jesus provide stability, humility, and compassion?