He [Christ in you, the hope of glory] is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.

Would you call yourself ‘mature in Christ’? Find yourself wanting to take that next step…? Wanting to go just that bit deeper with God…?

We are running a 9 week starter course to springboard into specific studies and practical application throughout the year.

Free to join, we start at 7.30pm for refreshments with a prompt start at 7.45pm.

If you came to our Firm Foundations course, this will follow a similar fun, factual and practical pattern, along with some activation!

 

1. Intro: Purpose of the I.D. (Intentional Discipleship) series:

1.1. Aimed at Christians, not unbelievers.

1.2. Salvation not in doubt; question now is the level of fruitfulness and service we give God

1.2.1. Luke 19:11-18 (Audio)  Different results and rewards

1.2.2. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (Audio) as above, different results and rewards

1.3. There will be a final outcome for everyone in LWBC, and we want to ensure as many as possible hear the words in Matthew 25:21 (Audio): Well done, good and faithful servant

 

2. Principles

2.1. Overriding principle: be attuned to God and how He may communicate with you – part of that will be through the Bible.

2.2. Your life is not your own – “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” 1 Corinthians 6:20 (Audio). God owns us and therefore He has the right to say what we do with our lives. We expect to be able to say what happens with anything we own; similarly re God.

2.3. Failure to accept this results in a continual battle in ourselves or with others; accepting it gives peace.

2.4. God comes first, we come second.

2.5. AW Tozer: “We can afford to suffer now; we’ll have a long eternity to enjoy ourselves”.

2.6. 2 Samuel 24:24 (Audio) “Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.”  There is a cost involved in sacrifice and we shouldn’t minimize it.

2.7. Mentality: soldiers in army: 2 Timothy 2:3 (Audio)” You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ”

2.7.1. Link with volunteering and cheerful giving mentality: we voluntarily sign up.

2.8.  Luke 9 (Audio) areas of cost.

2.8.1. “Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?” Luke 9:23-25

2.8.1.1. The world is only fleeting and offering nothing that will last forever.

2.8.1.2. Cost can be anything but it will involve denial of something precious to you.

2.8.2. Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him: “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Than He said to another: “Follow Me.” but he said “Lord, let me first go bury my father.” Jesus said to him: “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God“. And another also said: “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” But Jesus said to him: “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for kingdom of God” . Luke 9:57-62

2.8.2.1. Home comforts, relatives, friends.

2.9. We are to be living sacrifices: Romans 12 (Audio) “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:1-2

2.10. Mental element key thing: be transformed in our minds; importance of perspective; vision drives everything – hard to sustain without it.

2.11. Rest and leisure is what comes after God’s work has been done.

3. Working this out

3.1. Time: divides into sleep, necessities, discretionary time/ leisure. How do we decide?

3.1.1. God time: spiritual growth – prayer / bible.

3.1.2. God time: service.

3.1.3. God time: practicalities – 10 hours / 6 hours / 1.5 hours.

3.2. Money – again, necessities / discretionary.

3.2.1. God: basic – church / ministries / poor and needy.

3.2.2. God – practicalities: set an amount / over and above.

3.3. People / relationships – believers v unbelievers

3.3.1. Unbelievers: moving them towards God or away from God? Evangelism / evangelist

3.3.2. Believers: going to

3.3.3. Believers: receiving from

3.3.4. Building the church and making you / others more fruitful  – deep calls to deep. Psalm 42:7 Audio

3.3.5. Avoid draining / fruitless people.

3.3.6. God’s leading.

3.3.7. Friendship – make sure they’re good for you.

3.3.8. Family – don’t be afraid to asses things as with anyone.

3.4. Leisure – not sacrosanct, an area God isn’t allowed to touch.

3.5. Importance of habits.

3.6. Make strategic decisions. re your time and money.

3.7. Surround ourselves with like-minded people.

3.7.1. Do I push people towards or away from (greater) commitment to God?

3.7.2. Average of 5 people (dead or alive).

4. Discussion points

4.1. To what extent is our life ours, from which we give God something, or the other way round?

4.2. Time: what should take priority in our lives?

4.3. Money: how should being a Christian affect what we do with money?

4.4. Relationships: should we engage with people strategically? if so, how?

4.5. Is there anything God may ask us to do that we are not comfortable with?

4.6. What can we take away from this topic to make us more fruitful?