Blessings of Discipleship

Why follow Jesus? A question we’ve asked several times in this study. Is it worth the sacrifice or cost? Are we in it for the reward or is there an even greater reason for become and remain his disciples? There is nothing we have to offer God yet, we sometimes may say something like this: “God, if you will do ___________ then I will do _________”. We may think we have something to offer God or are in a position where we can bargain with Him. Obviously the truth is that we have nothing to offer Him and yet he desires that we give ourselves to Him. What is truly amazing is that God not only wants to bless us with eternal life with Him but also wants to bless us in this life now. Today we will look at several passages in which Jesus speaks of the blessings received when choosing to follow Him.

Questions To Consider

1) What do you believe to be the greatest blessing of or from God?

2) On what basis does Jesus have the right to ask “everything” of us?

3) Is Luke 12:33 an absolute command for all time, or is it a principle that can be followed even without literal obedience?

4) In what way has fellowship with God brought blessings to your life?

5) Besides the examples of Peter and John, how do you see the themes of discipleship demonstrated in Acts?

Specifics of Discipleship: The Danger of Faith in Self

Luke 11:37-12:1; 20:46f; 19:11-27

Although I will be out of town for this particular study I wanted to make sure those who are following the blog are able to stay up with the progression of the study. Faith is critical as one seeks to be a disciple of Jesus yet misguided faith can also be our downfall. The greatest danger may be to place our faith in ourselves. To become dependent upon our knowledge or righteousness or devotion rather than depending on Jesus. Before we can conclude the following week with some of the blessings we need to be sure and not allow ourselves to become the greatest stumbling block.

Discussion Questions:

1) How does Jesus' teaching about humility relate to various self-actualization theories and psychological techniques encountered today?

2) How are religious leaders tempted to pride (11:37-12:1)?

3) Why is selfishness self-defeating?

4) Many consider self-centeredness the basic human sin, forming the background for all other sins. Do you agree? Justify your answer. Is self-love the root of all sins?

5) What are the more subtle ways even "good" people can be self-centered?

6) Are humans basically good, as some claim, or basically evil? Explain your answer.

7) How can people in positions of importance or power, who receive the attention of others, avoid the worship of self?

Specifics Of Discipleship: The Danger of Faith In Things We Can See

Luke 12:13-21; 12:22-34; 16:1-13; 16:14-31; 18:18-30; 19:1-10

Many things in this life which are temporal compete for our attention and devotion yet all things temporal will never fully satisfy those who are designed for eternity. The focus in all of these stories is on wealth or possessions and their pull on our spiritual interests. As we observe these various accounts we will hopefully be able to draw some conclusions that will help us as we struggle with these issues as His disciples.

Questions To Consider

1) If Jesus’ disciple were not particularly wealthy, why so much emphasis on this subject in Luke?

2) How is Luke’s message about wealth especially relevant in twenty-first century America?

3) What does our American culture teach us about wealth and is acquisition?

4) How can a Christian determine “what percentage to give?”

5) How would you apply the story of the rich man and Lazarus to contemporary life? What do you think is the significance of the last part of the story, about the five brothers?

6) Is it possible to be materialistic, and in all other regards be a “good person” – involved in church, Bible reading, prayer, etc.?

7) What is the temptation to trust that which is seen rather than to trust in God?

8) Other than possessions, what are some visible things in which we place our trust?

Specifics Of Discipleship: Faith

Luke 17:11 – 19:27

There are many opponents to faith. Over the next two weeks we’re going to take a look at a couple of these. Before we can begin we will need to try to define what we mean by faith and also observe how Jesus defines or illustrates the presence of it as well as the absence of it. In addition, we will need to ask ourselves whether we tend to live more by faith or by sight. I hope you will expand your thinking beyond some of the standard answers usually given in a church setting.

Questions To Consider

1) Consider the way faith is shown in Luke with the way we should show it today.

2) Is it possible to claim we have faith when the object of our faith is not realistic?

3) What are wrong things in which modern people place their faith?

4) What do you think the request “increase our faith” expects for an answer? How would you interpret Jesus’ answer?

5) Give contemporary illustrations of the barriers to faith indicated in this chapter.

6) Did Jesus teach God would give us anything we believe he can give? If he did, what would be the consequences?

7) Which character within these faith stories would you say is more like you?

8) What do you believe helped the early disciples grow the most in their faith?

Specifics Of Discipleship: Love

Too often, in discussions concerning discipleship we remain theoretical and fail to talk of practical ways to implement the principles we learn. The remainder or our study will be pointed toward the practical ways in which we can live out Jesus in our world.

Questions To Consider

1) Summarize Luke 17:11 – 19:27. What ideas stand out?

2) Distinguish Christian love and kindness (i.e. the idea that love could never “hurt” anyone).

3) Why do you believe love is such a critical demonstration of Christian discipleship?

4) How do you react to today’s “live and let live” philosophy when you see others doing wrong in ways that are spiritually damaging?

5) How can a “rebuking” love become unchristian?

6) In what ways does love make judgments and yet still remain non-judgmental?

7) How does the love taught in the Sermon on the Plain differ from the common conception of love we see today?

8) Just how do we love God and men, especially if we don’t have loving feelings?

Let's Get Serious For A Moment

Luke 9:23-27, 57-62; 10:13-16; 11:31f; 12:49-53, 57-59; 13:1-3, 22-30; 14:25-33 and 17:10

Be sure and take the time to read through each of the passages listed above. It will be from them that we draw our discussion. Very few people really want to talk about the subject. In fact, just bringing it up to you today may be more painful than you are willing to discuss. We have all been near it or at least too close for comfort. What we’re talking about today is death. Death is serious business and when it draws near we’re not quite sure how to address it. In our discussion today Jesus forces those who follow him to take it seriously and if we want to follow Him we must also wrestle with it at a deep level. Whether we like it or not, death comes to us all, however as a disciple of Jesus we are challenged to choose the way of death. This is going to be interesting!

Questions To Consider

1) How would you react to those who argue one can be saved only if one practices “total commitment”?

2) Summarize Luke 13:31-17:10. What ideas stand out?

3) How many texts in Luke 9:51-19:27 deal with discipleship and family?

4) Does the narrow door in 13:22-30 indicate that God only wants to save a few people, or that only a few people will want to be saved? Discuss.

5) Does 14:25-33 apply to us today, or was it only for the special case of those following a man on his way to die?

6) Is it appropriate to apply “cross bearing” texts to difficult situations in life, such as a bad marriage, caring for a dependant loved one, or prolonged illness?

7) Does “cross bearing” indicate we are not genuine Christians if our faith doesn’t cause us pain? How does cross bearing work together with the idea of Christian joy?

Is Jesus Worth Following?

We have now come to the central section of Luke’s gospel. If you’re reading the study guide you will note the author changes how he approaches the text at this point. As a result, it will require of us to be even more diligent in our reading and re-reading of the text. In addition, it is critical that we make notes as we go and list any questions or thoughts since the section is so much larger. It will be worth the effort if we apply ourselves with more dedication over the next several weeks.

Questions To Consider

1) Why would a person, knowing death awaited, go to it deliberately? How does Luke answer this question? Be specific.

2) Summarize the contents of Luke 9:51-13:30. What ideas do you find standing out in these chapters?

3) Summarize the picture of Jesus that Luke has given us as we arrive at 9:51.

4) If you are not presently follower of Jesus, what would prevent you from following Him today? If you are presently a follower of Jesus what is preventing you from becoming a more dedicated disciple of Jesus?

5) How can you reconcile Jesus’ denunciation of the Pharisees and the lawyers in 11:37-12:1 with his words in chapter 6 about loving enemies?

6) Why would someone oppose a closest blood relative because they decided to follow Jesus? Do you know of any such cases?

Do You Know Him? Are You Sure?

We all seem to be so confident in the fact that we know who Jesus is. And of course we do, right? Our study this week forces us to look way below the surface just as we have been challenged throughout this study. At first glance it appears obvious that the disciples clearly knew who Jesus was. They did confess Hm as the Christ, the son of God. But as we look further, it becomes obvious they didn't "really" know Him.

As we consider this passage I am hopeful we will do some critical self evaluation as to whether we have modified Jesus into someone we are comfortable with rather than follow Him as He has revealed Himself. I believe we are in for some exciting discussion and life-changing experiences.

Luke 9:1-50


Questions To Consider

1) How can you explain some of the “theories” about Jesus in 9:7-9?

2) In what ways are the statements of Herod contrasting or similar to the statements of the disciples?

3) What would lead the disciples to believe Jesus was the Messiah? In what ways did Jesus seek to clarify for them what it meant to be Messiah?

4) Luke 9:33 says Peter did not understand. What should he have understood?

5) How would you have reacted to Jesus’ statement about his martyrdom? Why do you think Luke omits the story of Peter’s protest to Jesus’ prediction of his death?

6) What are some of the examples given of the failure of the disciples to truly understand what it meant to be the Messiah and what it meant to follow Him?

7) In what ways are we like the disciples in this section and how can we become more like what Jesus called them to be?

Preparation For Discipleship

Once again we enjoyed a great conversation Sunday. I am so blessed by the participation. If you weren't able to be in class don't forget you can hear the discussion at northmissionchurch.org

This week is a substantial passage so I'll not give much of an introduction other than to say we are now really getting to where the rubber meets the road. I believe there is clear instruction on what is needed to be prepared for the road to discipleship. Take the needed time to read through this several times and then take a look at the questions below. I know it will be an engaging conversation.

Luke 6:12-8:56

Questions To Consider

1) In what ways do you believe the section in 6:20-49 helps us to understand the core principles of being a disciple of Jesus (also see Matthew 5-7)?

2) Can you imagine what an entire night in prayer might have involved? Can you identify at all with such an experience?

3) How can we have a significant prayer life that we don’t treat as a duty, or as a thing that “must be done” to be right with God? In what ways do we separate or blend prayer with the rest of our daily activities?

4) We hear many voices in our culture today. What are some of them? How do we decide which to follow and which to ignore?

5) We are to love our enemies, but this command sometimes seems impossible. Can you give examples? How can we solve this spiritual problem?

6) In what ways would you say faith is defined in this section? Note 8:22-25; 8:43-50

7) In the parable of the soils Jesus describes 4 soil types. Based upon your application of Jesus’ teaching in 6:20-49 which soil type best represents your discipleship of Jesus?

Jesus Sets The Stage For All Who Follow

Our class this morning was again outstanding. I want to thank everyone in the class for their interest and participation. There is now an easy link on the blog page link at northmissionchurch.org with the audio from our class. If you missed anything in the class or were out of town, you can go there and listen to the class discussion. We will continue to try and make this recording even better.
As we discussed, John the baptizer stands out as an extreme example of what it looks like to follow after God. He not only calls us to a radical change, he points to some specifics when asked pointed questions. John's message and life were certainly radical and impacts every level of his culture just as our message and life should impact all of those with whom we come in contact. We all have a long way to go as disciples of Jesus.

This coming study in many ways confronts us with the challenge all followers of Jesus have faced from the beginning. We will now see Jesus "kicking off" His ministry. In this we will see the core of his message as well as what happens when you seek to live out the call of God on your life, especially among those who knew you before. Below are some of the questions we will consider this week. Spend some time in prayer about them and be sure to read and re-read the text.

Luke 4:16-6:11


1) Why does Luke give more detail than the other gospels in the story of the rejection at Nazareth? Why does he place it at the very first of Jesus’ ministry, rather than later, as in the other gospels?

2) Comment on this statement: Gospel writers were not always strictly concerned with chronology; thus, they moved stories around to suit their purposes.

3) When you first became a disciple of Jesus or even later as your level of commitment to follow Him increased, have you experienced rejection from family, friends or coworkers? Explain.

4) Though Jesus only did good, there were those who disliked him intensely. Why? Would you?

5) When you witness “total commitment” in the lives of others, whether religious, political, environmental, etc. what thoughts do you have?

6) In Jesus’ Sabbath controversies (6:1-11), was Jesus changing the Sabbath law, or deepening it?

7) Do the comments in this chapter about Simon and Levi – who left everything to follow Jesus – overstate the case, or is Luke making a point here and throughout the gospel about the total call to follow Jesus?

A Radical Message For Discipleship

I mentioned in my previous post how wonderful the first class was last week. I totally underestimated what was going to happen. Again, this is true not only in our study but also in the other two taking place.
Without question I was most impressed with the preparation of those in my class. It seemed that everyone had read and re-read the text in Luke 1 & 2 and had come fully ready for discussion. Our discussion was great and I can only imagine what it will be like next week.

I hope you were impressed as well at the core message found when we looked at the lives of the characters in Luke 1 & 2. Though flawed, they all seemed to have a heart for God and were therefore prepared to be used by Him for amazing things. They are truly outstanding examples of discipleship from whom we could learn much.

As to the upcoming week, below is the text and some of the questions we will consider. If you check this out and have some pre-class comments or questions, please post them so we can all share our thoughts and idea.

As we focus our attention this week on John the baptizer we can't avoid the "radical" example he provides for us as disciples of Jesus. May God continue to inspire us through His word and by His Spirit.

Luke 3:1 – 4:15

Questions To Consider

1) If you were an orthodox Jew listening to John the Baptist, how would you react to what he said? Shock? Surprise? Agreement?

2) What images did John use in his preaching, and what was their significance?

3) What unique things does Luke mention about John’s teaching on repentance? Can you think of similar emphasis elsewhere in the gospel?

4) Were John’s converts forgiven, absolutely and finally? Justify your answer?

5) React to this statement: the “baptism” of the Spirit was just a way of describing the overwhelming arrival of the Spirit, like the submerging in water of baptism.

6) Compare what Luke tells us about the Holy Spirit and Jesus in 3:22-4:21 with similar material in Matthew and Mark. What is Luke telling us?

The Discipleship Theme

Our first class this morning was amazing. Not just our class but all of the classes. There is a fresh and renewing spirit among us. It must be because the Spirit is among us. I was truly amazed at the participation today and look forward to the weeks to come. It is going to be enlightening, challenging and encouraging. I can't wait to see what God is going to do as we seek to follow Him more completely. If you would be interested in hearing the general introduction to the classes made on August 30th you can go to the church web site and listen to the audio of that presentation. In addition, there are links to other lessons and the other two blogs for classes www.northmissionchurch.org

We clearly discovered in class that discipleship or being a disciple of Jesus is much more than simply learning about Jesus or even following Him. To be a disciple of Jesus is to be a person who seeks to put His teaching, His heart, His life into the daily practice and attitudes of our life.

I would love to hear some feedback from the previous post or any thoughts you might have about the upcoming study. Below are a few questions we will be considering next week so you might consider them and before class or any time during this week.

1) Compare Luke 1 & 2 with Matthew 1 & 2. What is the significance of the different ways these two gospels present the birth and infancy narratives?

2) Why do you think only Luke records the event about Jesus at age 12?

3) From the first 2 chapters of Luke do you think the author is placing greater stress on the humanity or the divinity of Jesus?

4) If we take the picture of Jesus in Luke 1 & 2 as a model, what do we learn about the nature of discipleship?

I'm looking forward to hearing from you!!!

What Is Discipleship?

Beginning a new study of any kind often times begins with "the big picture". For our study, this will be be enhanced I think by taking the time to read through the gospel of Luke which will be our primary source for this class. As you read you might make notes and list passages in which you discover teaching (especially from Jesus) that relates to discipleship. In our first class we will begin the conversation by asking some general questions. I've listed them below for your consideration.
1) Were there any surprises about the behavior expected of you when you became a Christian?
2) What are some contemporary view of what Christian discipleship ought to be?
3) Based on Luke 1:1-4 and your own reflection, what do you think was the situation with Luke's readers?
4) What do you think are the central concerns and requirements of Christian discipleship?
5) Using your own words write out a definition of discipleship as it relates to Jesus?

Whether you attend the class held at North Mission or just participate on line, I would love to hear your thoughts and comments. Come walk with us as we seek to walk with Jesus.

Directions For Disciples

Many Christians talk a lot about being a "disciple" of Jesus and other talk about "discipleship" as if it were a program you can follow. In our study beginning in September we are going to take a look at the Gospel of Luke and observe "disciples" of Jesus in real life.

Basically, the word "disciple" means to be a learner, follower or imitator of another. For our purposes we will be discussing what it means and how it looks to be a learner, follower or imitator of Jesus Christ. Are there clear teachings in Luke that would help us understand more fully what it means to follow Jesus? Is it really possible in our world today to imitate the Son of God?

I hope you will join us in this study, whether you attend one of our classes on Sunday morning or whether you just participate through weekly conversations on this blog. I think it will be interesting and informative and possibly even transforming in how we seek to walk in the way Jesus walked.

I will be using a study written by Tony Ash entitled "Directions For Disciples" Studies in the Gospel of Luke. You can purchase one of these through Leafwood Publishing in Abilene, Texas. If you have any trouble finding it just Google the title and the authors name.