Week 6: Chapter 5

Week 6: Chapter 5

Ice Breaker:

Challenge Review(groups of 2-3)

Share with your group the names of the people you've shared with this past week.  Share how your discussions with other Christians on the subject of Lukewarm Christianity went.

Prime the Pump:

Chapter 5 Video

Discussion/Prayer

Read Revelation 3:15-18

1.  How do you respond to Francis' statement that, "Lukewarm Christians are not Christians?" What does this statement suggest about people you know that claim to be followers of Jesus but are "back-sliddin"

"The thought of a person calling himself a "Christian without being a devoted follower of Christ is absurd."

Read the Parable of the soils(

2.  According to the parable of the soils , which type of soil is a person that is saved?

a.  What does the parable of the soils tell us about how to do evangelism? What does the parable tell us about who is saved?  Who is the one that causes the plant to grow?

"You believe there is one God.  Good!  Even the demons believe that and shudder." (Jas 2:19) God doesn't just want us to have good theology; He wants us to know and love Him. "

3.  How does the above statement change the way you view God's commands and obeying them?

"Each of us has lukewarm elements and practices in our life; therein lies the senseless, extravagant grace of it all.  The Scriptures demonstrate clearly that there is room for our failure and sin in our pursuit of God.  His mercies are new every morning(Lamentations 3). His grace is sufficient(2 Corinthians 12:9). I'm not saying that when you mess up, it means you were never really a genuine Christian in the first place.  If that were true, no one could follow Christ.  The distinction is perfection(which none will attain on this earth) and a posture of obedience and surrender, where a person perpetually moves toward Christ."

4.  What does the above warn us about regarding equating a church's success or prosperity with a transformed and sanctified life?

"If one hundred people represented the world's population, fifty-three of those would live on less than $2 a day...Simply by purchasing this book, you spent what a majority of people in the world will make in a week's time. Which is more messed up-that we have so much compared to everyone else, or that we don't think we're rich? That on any given day we might flippantly call ourselves "broke" or poor"? We are neither of those things.  We are rich."

5.  Why is it hard to agree with Francis in recognizing that you are rich?

a.  How do you compare your obedience to Christ to others?  What is the problem with comparing your relationship with Jesus with the relationship other people might have with Jesus?

Read Malachi 1:8

Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

6.  If the followers of Christ are known by how they love, what does God have to say about how we are supposed to love?

Read 2 Corinthians 5: 17

7.  How knowing that the decision to follow Christ results in the process of sanctification give you hope about where you are in your relationship with Christ?

Challenge:

Commit to contacting(text/email/fb/phone call) the people in your clan group(2-3) everyday this week checking in with how you are doing in your walk with Christ and send them encouragement to continue to walk with Christ.