Application Guide: The Gospel of
Jesus Part 2
July 11th, 2004: “The Gospel According to Jesus
Part 2” by Shane Fuller, Pastor of Singles Ministries. This Sunday’s message on
Matthew 4 focused on what it means to be a disciple of Christ in his Kingdom
and the way that ought to play out in every aspect of one’s life. This application guide has been broken up
into the three aspects of the Christian Life that he defined – 1) Reality, 2)
Resolution, and 3) Rhythm.
Note to Leader: Since this is part 2 of Shane’s presentation of this
topic, it would be wise to summarize the first message (use last week’s
application guide, check over your notes, get the tape, etc) before moving into
this guide.
- Reality
(Vision) – Shane noted that the
first step of the Christian Life is to reveal the “true truth” about God
and life. Jesus summed up in John
10:10 - “I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full.”
– Are you experiencing life to the full?
How does this happen?
- Shane stated –
“Being a disciple of Christ is the greatest opportunity an individual can
have in his life.” Do you
honestly believe this? Then how
is it revealed by your life, priorities, worldview, etc? How has being a disciple of Christ
revolutionized your way of life (or has it)?
- The truth is that to
be a disciple of Jesus 2000 years ago is the same today. In essence, “to be a disciple of Jesus is, crucially, to be learning from
Jesus how to do your job as Jesus himself would do it” (Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy, p
285). How does this fact totally
change your understanding of work?
As Shane said, we are all in “full-time Christian service.“
- How have Shane’s
sermons challenged and molded your understanding of:
i.
Work (everything can glorify God)?
ii.
Being a Disciple (it is a
daily decision not a one-time prayer)?
iii.
The Gospel (letting go
of our agenda for God’s Kingdom)?
iv.
The Scriptures (God’s
life-story that we can be a part of)?
- Resolution (Intention) – The “true truth” about God and life forces
each one of us to make a decision – What kind of people are we going to
be? To not become a fully immersed
disciple of Christ and take up his yoke (Mt 11:28ff) is to reject God’s
goal for your life (which is spiritual formation).
- Shane noted that the
vast majority of Jesus’ life was spent doing physical work, carpentry.
These years of Jesus’ life were just as much worship as singing a song,
witnessing, or healing the lame.
How ought this truth change the way you view the “9 to 5”, Monday-Friday? What do you need to do to stop segregating
your life into two sections – the “sacred” and the “secular”?
- Shane said, “Jesus
comes to ordinary human beings in the mundane parts of life. ” How can
being a disciple of Jesus transform even the minutest aspects of
living? As Brother Lawrence
stated, “Our sanctification does not depend upon changing our works, but in doing that for God’s sake which we
commonly do for our own…It is a great delusion to think that the times of
prayer ought to differ from other times” (The Practice of the Presence of God).
- Rhythm (Method) – Once we resolve to follow Jesus, we are called to
live in the Spirit and follow His rule of life. This includes practicing Spiritual Disciplines, both
privately and as part of a community.
- What does it mean to
walk in the Spirit (study Romans. 8, Ephesians 5:16-26; think of other
verses)? What’s blocking the Holy
Spirit from flowing in your life?
- Make a list of
Spiritual Disciplines we are to practice along with Scripture that
explains how they ought to be a part of our lives (e.g. – Solitude,
Fasting, Service, Prayer, Fellowship, etc). Place them in two categories, private disciplines and
communal disciplines. How ought
the Spiritual Disciplines shape our lives to be like Christ, especially
in relation to other believers?
- They rhythm of the
Christian life calls us to community.
We are not merely called to be an audience on Sunday mornings, and
sermons are not meant for our personal enjoyment. As a member of College
Park and a believer among the saints of Christ’s church it is your
obligation and responsibility to use your gifts to serve others. Have you been standing on the wayside
letting others do the work? Take
time right now to confess this sin of not being an active part of the
body of Christ (and read 1 Corinthians 12) and for wasting the spiritual
gifts God has given you. Purpose
to get involved in the Church.
What are you going to do?
Suggested Reading: Ortberg, John. The
Life You’ve Always Wanted. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997).
Sherman, Douglas & William
Hendricks. Your Work Matters to God. (Colorado:
NavPress, 1987).
Tozer, AW. The Pursuit of God. (Christian Publications, 1994).
Willard, Dallas. The Spirit of the Disciplines (HarperSanFrancisco,
1999 – Reissue).