“Following Jesus” Prayer

Pastor Zach Bearss

January 5, 2020

FOLLOWING JESUS: PRAYER: PASTOR ZACH BEARSS: JAN 5, 2020

CONNECT
Read Psalm 90:12-17. “So teach us to number our days” and “confirm for us the work of our hands” are both mentioned in this passage. Do you have any New Year’s Resolutions for 2020?  If so, share them with the group. They can be funny, serious, spiritual, or not so spiritual.

ENGAGE
Read Hebrews 4:11-16. 
In verse 11, it mentions the word “rest.”  How can you apply this to your prayer life? 
In verse 12, it mentions the “word of God.”  How can you apply this to your prayer life?
In verse 14, it mentions Jesus as our “great high priest”.  How does He help us “hold fast our confession.?”
In verse 16, it mentions “help in time of need”.  Discuss our dependence on God versus our striving to be independent and do it our own way.

Read the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13.  Discuss the practicalities of praying how Christ taught us to pray. 

APPLY
“Mercy” in verse 16 means: “kindness or good will towards the needy and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them.”  Do you see yourself as one who needs to receive mercy? How does your prayer life reflect this?

“Grace” in verse 16 means: “that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness; grace of speech.”  Do you see yourself as one who needs to receive grace?  How does your prayer life reflect this?

Discuss this quote from Max Lucado: “Don’t measure the size of the mountains, talk to the One who can move it.  Instead of carrying the world on your shoulders, talk to the One who holds the universe on His.  Hope is a look away.”

PRAY
Prayer is conversation with God.  Prayer is listening to Him.  Prayer is gaining a heavenly perspective on our circumstances as we bring our needs before Him.  Spend time together asking Him to teach us His ways and His purpose for our lives, to live by faith, and to draw closer to Him in prayer.

 

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“Following Jesus” Transformed by the Word

Pastor Jay Klopfenstein

January 12, 2020

FOLLOWING JESUS: TRANSFORMED BY THE WORD: PASTOR JAY KLOPFENSTEIN: JAN 12, 2020

CONNECT
Who is an example in your life of a transformed life that has come from studying and reading and meditating on the word of God?

ENGAGE
Read Romans 12:1-3 both in your translation of the Bible and then in The Message.

THE PROBLEM is that we “think more highly of ourselves.”  How do we get over ourselves?
Discuss this equation: LESS SELF + MORE GOD = TRANSFORMED LIFE

THE SOLUTION
One way is to sacrifice our “bodies”, which is our “soma” in the Greek.  This means our flesh, soul, spirit, hopes, will, flesh, desires.  How do we do this?  Read Hebrews 9:11-14.
A second way is to  be a living and holy sacrifice.  Contrast this to being a dead and unholy sacrifice. Read I Peter 1:14-16
A third way is to not be conformed to this world but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Read Hebrews 4:12.

APPLY
As Americans we spend a 1/3 of each day on either our mobile devices or watching TV.  What can you give up to have more time in the Word? What stops us from giving up this time?

PRAY
Pray that the Lord would place in our hearts a hunger and a thirst for His righteousness by the renewing of our mind by His word.

“We can’t really tell how crooked our thinking is until we line it up with  the straight edge of Scripture.”–Elisabeth Elliott

 

“Following Jesus”

Pastor Tom Dages

January 19, 2020

FOLLOWING JESUS: PASTOR TOM DAGES: JAN 19, 2020

Opening question about worship

 

1-If God graded you on how engaged and responsive your worship was during  Sunday worship, what kind of grade might you get and why?

 

Read Romans 12:1-2

 

2-What does it mean to be a living sacrifice?

 

3-Is there a time in your life when you received “life” from Jesus?

 

4-Why is the renewing of the mind considered a significant sacrifice we make in everyday worship?  

 

5-Describe the process of mind renewal and the significant steps involved?

 

6-Why do many Christians remain as crawling caterpillars?

 

7-Name two thought patterns you are busy saying “no” to and the biblical thoughts you are replacing them with?

 

8-Why is it important for us to allow the Holy Spirit to expose the deeper false belief systems ruling our hearts?

 

Read John 8:31-32 and 1 John 3:24

 

9-Abiding involves believing, knowing and obeying (in the power of the Spirit), why is obeying such an important element in the change process God is working in us?

 

“Following Jesus” Community

Pastor Zach Bearss

February 2, 2020

FOLLOWING JESUS: COMMUNITY: PASTOR ZACH BEARSS: FEB 2, 2020

CONNECT
When have you experienced “koinonia”: shared community that involves deep, close-knit participation among its people in your life, either an immediate connection with a another believer or one built over time?

ENGAGE
Read Acts 2:42-47,  I John1:3,6-7, I Corinthians 1:9, II Corinthians 13:14, Philippians 2:1-4. What are some shared aspects of “koinonia” or “fellowship”?

Discuss these 4 aspects of fellowship:

  1. Fellowship is initiated by Christ.  Ephesians 2:15-22
  2. Fellowship means being real and honest.  I John 1:7
  3. Noboby drifts into true fellowship.Acts 2:42
  4. We must share our lives to receive fellowship. I John 4:19

APPLY
Do you have people in your life to share “koinonia”?  If no, what steps can you take today to engage in a small group of believers?  If yes, what steps can you take to be more sincere and honest about where you are in your journey of life and with Christ in this small group of believers?

How can you use your giftedness in the body of Christ to extend “koinonia”  (I Peter 4:10)

Discuss how you can go deeper in fellowship by living out one of these attributes of “koinonia”” below:
K-kinship
O-outreach
I-intercession
N-nuture
O-oneness
N-need
I-involvement
A-advancement

PRAY
Pray for one specific way in which you can engage deeper in fellowship with Christ and with other believers to experience true “koinonia” in the body of Christ.

“Following Jesus” Generosity

Pastor Zach Bearss

February 9, 2020

FOLLOWING JESUS: GENEROSITY: PASTOR ZACH BEARSS: FEB 9, 2020

CONNECT
Share examples with one another of when you have experienced the generosity from other believers from them giving you abundant time, energy, money, relationship, or emotional support when it was most needed.

ENGAGE
Read I John 3:16-18.  Why are we called to be generous if we are followers of Christ?

Read II Corinthians 9:6-15. Discuss what lessons you can learn from this passage in regards to generosity.

Discuss these 3 principles:

  1. WE DON”T SEE HIS KINGDOM AS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND LASTING REALITY.  Matthew 6:19-21, MATTHEW 10:8, Luke 11:13
  2. WE THINK MONEY AND CONTROL ARE THE WAY TO SECURITY AND HAPPINESS. Luke 9:24-25, Proverbs 11:24-25, 28, Luke 21:1-4
  3. WE MUST CONTINUALLY GROW IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF GOD’S GRACE TOWARDS US. Luke 18:9-14, Malachi 3:1-12,

APPLY
What areas are you generous in your life and where do have room for improvement in regards to? 

  • Emotional Space
  • Physical Space
  • Relationship Currency: 
  • Commitment
  • Money

Read and discuss this quote by Robert Murray McCheyenne:  “
“The more you understand who Jesus is and what He has done for you, the more generous you become…I fear there are many hearing me who know they are not Christians because they do not love to give. To give largely and liberally, not grudging at all, requires a new heart.  An old heart would rather part with its lifeblood than its money.”

Q-Where is God renewing your heart towards generosity?
Q-Where do you use generosity for self-righteousness instead of kingdom righteousness?
Q-Where does your life reveal the generosity of God’s grace?

PRAY
Pray for one another, that we would not be tight clenched with our resources, but that God would open up our lives to be generous and overflowing in the lives of others this week.

“Following Jesus” Confession

Pastor Zach Bearss

February 16, 2020

FOLLOWING JESUS: CONFESSION: PASTOR ZACH BEARSS: FEB 16, 2020

CONNECT
Have you ever experienced confession with one another with a close confidant or someone at church?  What was that like for you?  Did it create trust or betrayal?

ENGAGE
Read James 5:14-20, Psalm 32:15, I John 1:5-9.  Discuss why it is important to practice confession before God.  Discuss why it is important to ask the Lord to reveal our sin to us.  Discuss God’s faithfulness to provide truth, grace, and forgiveness in our lives.

Discuss these 3 principles:

  1. Ask God to reveal the poison or sin our lives.
  2. We must acknowledge my sin to God, myself, and another person.
  3. As we confess our sins to one another, we receive God’s truth and grace and power to live differently.

Discuss this quote from Brene Brown: “You put same amount of shame in a petri dish and you dowse it with empathy, you’ve created an environment that is hostile to shame.  Shame cannot survive being spoken. It can’t survive empathy…Shame depends on me buying into the belief that I am alone.”

APPLY
It is important to not only confess before God but also with one another you sins.  Is there someone who can be trusted with confession?  Then, are you someone who can be trusted with someone else’s confession?

PRAYER
Spend time humbling yourself before the Lord and thanking him for Jesus,  who came to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, and ask the Lord for  someone trustworthy to come in our lives whom can share our burdens with us.

“Following Jesus” Family Sunday

Pastor Zach Bearss

February 23, 2020

FOLLOWING JESUS: FAMILY SUNDAY: PASTOR ZACH BEARSS: FEB 23, 2020

CONNECT
Have you ever experienced being in an accountability group with one or more persons?  If so, describe what the experience has been like for you.

ENGAGE
Read Romans 14: 11-12,  Philippians 2:1-11, I Corinthians 4:1-2, James 5:16, Colossians 3:23-24, Hebrews 10:24-25, Psalm 32:5-6.  Discuss our accountability before God and our accountability with others who are trusted brothers and sisters in Christ.

Read and discuss this explanation of accountability:

“By accountability, we are not talking about coercive tactics, the invasion of privacy, or bringing others under the weight of someone’s taboos or legalism or manipulative or dominating tactics. Rather, by accountability we mean developing relationships with other Christians that help to promote spiritual reality, honesty, obedience to God, and genuine evaluations of one’s walk and relationship with God and with others. We are talking about relationships that help believers change by the Spirit of God and the truth of the Word of God through inward spiritual conviction and faith.

Being what we are, sheep that are prone to wander, accountability to others is simply one of the ways God holds us accountable to Him. Left to ourselves, there is the great temptation to do mainly what we want rather than what God wants and what is best for others. So what is meant by accountability? We are talking about teaching, exhorting, supporting, and encouraging one another in such a way that it promotes accountability to Christ and to others in the body of Christ, but never by manipulation or domination.” —by J. Hampton Keathley III
(https://bible.org/seriespage/mark-16-accountability)

APPLY
Would you consider asking one or more persons to be in an accountability group?  If so, consider these 3 principles as you do:

1) Accountability helps me to do things I would not do by myself.
2) Asking for accountability take a lot of courage.
3) Accountability is not just about avoiding bad, but pursuing God’s best for me.

PRAY
Ask the Lord is he is wanting you to create or join an accountability group as part of your journey of transformation and growth in Him. Also pray that you would be found to be trustworthy is someone asks you to be join another’s accountability partnership or group.