The Comprehensive CoJourner Guide COJOURNERS. Joining OtheRs In SPIRITUA L JOURNEY. By keith DavY

Transcription

1 The Cmprehensive CJurner Guide COJOURNERS Jining OtheRs In SPIRITUA L JOURNEY W S E By keith DavY

2 COJOURNERS Jining OtheRs In SPIRITUA L JOURNEY W S E

3 CONTENTS Intrductin 7 NERS PIRITUA L JOURNEY E SECTION ONE Everyne Is On A Spiritual Jurney 16 The Fur Rles 32 The Explrer (Part 1) 42 The Explrer (Part 2) 54 The Guide (Part 1) 64 The Guide (Part 2) 78 The Builder (Part 1) 90 The Builder (Part 2) 98 The Mentr (Part 1) 112 The Mentr (Part 2) 120 SECTION TWO Passages: A Devtinal Jurney 132 SECTIOn THREE Small Grup Training 174 Teaching CJurners 194 Cnversatins Jurnal 204 CJurner Tlbx 216 Appendix 218

4 EVErYONE IS ON a SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

5 THe CJuRner ExpeRience EVERyOnE IS On a SPIRITual JOuRnEY 1 Traveling tgether it s the way t g. It s a lt mre fun t walk, hike, bike, drive, fly, g anywhere with a friend, than t d a trip sl. That s true f spiritual jurneys as well. Granted, sme peple dn t view their spiritual lives as a scial endeavr, having been raised accrding t the eleventh cmmandment, Keep yur religius views t yurself. They re persnal. That s true: they are persnal, but they re nt private. We are, by design, relatinal beings, meaning that even ur spiritual lives are enhanced thrugh relatinships. They always have been; they always will be. The inescapable crrelative f this is simple: we need peple t help us in ur spiritual jurneys. And everyne is n a spiritual jurney n exceptins. Think abut that fr a mment. Everyne is n a spiritual jurney, even skeptics. They can t help it, because Gd created everyne as spiritual beings (Genesis 1:27; 2:7). Sme are mving tward Gd. Others are mving away frm Gd. Sme are spiritually pen and sme are clsed. Sme are spiritually engaged and sme are nt. There are thse pursuing ther s-called gds, wh are nt Gd at all, and still thers wh are spiritually stagnant, barely mving at all. But in each and every case, they are n a spiritual jurney. That s the first fundatinal principle f CJurners: Everyne is n a Spiritual Jurney. Cunt n it. h Reflectin: As yu interact with peple in everyday life, hw ften d yu remember that each ne is n a spiritual jurney? unexpected free day. We had riginally planned t spend the day in Clrad Springs visiting three different families, but all three engagements ended up canceling. S, what did we end up ding? Same thing we always d in Clrad. G hiking! Off t Rcky Muntain Natinal Park we went. We hiked up as far as we culd fr ur day trip and were the nly nes ut enjying the trail as dusk apprached. Suddenly a backpacker, hurrying dwn frm abve, vertk us. A brief exchange n the trailside revealed that he had just finished climbing Lngs Peak by himself. He had intended t camp fr the night at the lakes abve, but, exhausted, he decided a bed in twn sunded mre appealing than a sleeping bag n the grund. S with that change f plans, he was heading hme. As he cntinued dwn the trail ahead f us, a thught ccurred t me. The ascent t Lngs Peak began n the ther side f the muntain, abut a thirty-minute drive frm ur trailhead. Where is yur car parked? I asked. Oh, n the ther side, he respnded. Hw are yu ging t get it? He simply gestured with his thumb, the hitchhiker salute, and hurried dwn ahead f us. As we reached the bttm f the trailhead, we fund him still there, sleeping beside the rad. We ffered him a ride t his vehicle, and ur brief cjurney began. It didn t take lng t discver that he was nt just backpacking. He was n a spiritual jurney and Gd was at wrk. 1 GOD AT WORk There is a secnd fundatinal principle: Gd is already at wrk. He is nt a passive bserver but an active participant, weaving tgether circumstances, and influencing the hearts and minds f peple alng the way. A few years ag, my wife Nanci and I fund urselves in Clrad with an Are yu beginning t see the fingerprints f Gd in this encunter? Our plans had changed that day. He had changed his plans as well. As a result, ur lives wuld intersect n that trail. He had a need that we culd meet. Gd s fingerprints were all ver this cjurney. We began t get t knw him, asking questins and explring his stry. He was a cllege student at a neighbring state university. He was frm Nebraska 20 21

6 THe CJuRner ExpeRience EVERyOnE IS On a SPIRITual JOuRnEY 1 riginally, and s were we. I asked him if he had any church r religius backgrund. At first he said n, but then he mentined a denminatin, the same I had grwn up within. (When smene says they dn t have any church backgrund but then remembers ne, it seems t suggest smething abut their experience.) I asked if he had cme acrss any f the Christian rganizatins at his cllege. It turned ut that his wrestling cach was invlved with the Fellwship f Christian Athletes (FCA), the very grup thrugh which I had cme t Christ. Fr the summer he was living with his brther and sister-inlaw. She was battling cancer a brain tumr and that was causing him t think deeply abut life. Nt s cincidentally, a mnth befre, I t had been diagnsed with cancer. That is a lt f cmmn grund Nebraska, a church denminatin, FCA, and cancer all mre evidence that Gd was at wrk. As the cnversatin prgressed, I asked if I culd share a bit f hw Gd was making a difference in my jurney with cancer. Sn we discvered that he had been trying t read the Bible (mre fingerprints f Gd), but was stuck (nt surprising, as he had started in the Old Testament). Nanci and I shared the gspel cnversatinally. He said he had never heard it explained s clearly befre. We actually nly used a cuple f verses prfund nly in its simplicity. As we neared the parking lt where his vehicle was parked, he cmmented, I dn t think it was an accident that we met up n that trail. Neither did we. He wasn t ready t receive Christ yet. This was a big decisin. A lt was new t him and he needed time t think abut it. A few weeks later, he sent this I have thught a lt abut accepting Christ in my life, and I decided that life is t tugh nt t have smene in my crner. S I have accepted him in my life and have been walking arund with a sense f "quiet cnfidence." I want t thank yu fr the ride and pening up t me, and letting me pen up t yu. It wasn't just a cincidence we met n that trail. Indeed, it wasn t a cincidence. It was a divine appintment. But did yu see all the evidence f Gd at wrk? Changed plans that led t an intersectin f ur lives; cmmn grund that we shared tgether; his need fr a ride that we culd and wuld meet; his reading the Bible and reflecting n his sister-inlaw s suffering; and mst imprtant, the pwer and simplicity f the gspel t make sense f life fr him. His stry serves as a reminder f the secnd fundatinal truth f a CJurner: Gd is already at wrk in the lives f thers. Gd is nt a passive bserver in ur missinal endeavrs, r in anyne s salvatin. He is the active and all-pwerful participant: the Lrd f the Harvest wh sends ut labrers int his harvest field (Matthew 9:37-38). His desire is fr all peple t be saved (1 Timthy 2:4), nt wanting any t perish (2 Peter 3:9). It was he wh created all peple and natins, and wh has determined the times set fr them and the exact places where they shuld live, ding s in rder that men wuld seek him and perhaps reach ut fr him and find him (Acts 17:26-27). His Spirit is at wrk in the lives f peple tday (Jhn 16: 7-11), right nw in fact, and he has given us the privilege f being fellw wrkers (1 Crinthians 3:9) with him. He has invited us t jin him, entering the spiritual jurneys f thers and becming a part f what he is already ding. WOW! h Reflectin: What evidence have yu seen lately f Gd at wrk in the spiritual jurneys f thers in yur life? JOURNEYS we V E M ISSED My guess is that yu have a few stries f yur wn t tell. But all t ften we seem t miss the pprtunities arund us, blivius t the spiritual jurneys f thers, and unaware f hw we might jurney with them, even if it s just fr a thirty-minute car ride. But yu shuldn t feel t bad, nt cnsidering the cmpany we re in. There is a fascinating accunt in Jhn chapter 4 f Jesus interactin with an unnamed Samaritan wman getting water frm a well. But it s nt her that I want yu t ntice in the scene. Rather it s Jesus disciples. They had gne int Sychar, the neighbring village, t get lunch, leaving Jesus by himself at the well. They went in, bught their fd and gt ut prbably abut as fast they culd, fr Jews and Samaritans mixed abut as well as well, smething that desn t mix very well. When they returned, they fund Jesus where they had left him, sitting by the well and engaged in a cnversatin with a Samaritan wman

7 THe CJuRner ExpeRience EVERyOnE IS On a SPIRITual JOuRnEY 1 Of curse they hadn t heard the dialgue that had already ccurred, they just saw Jesus talking with a Samaritan wman nt a scially prper thing t d in their day and culture (4:27). She was, after all, ethnically and mrally unclean. It didn t ccur t them that she was als n a spiritual jurney, r that Gd was already at wrk in her life. All that the disciples were fcused n was that it seemed t be abut lunchtime (4:31). S Jesus began t instruct them, saying, I have fd t eat that yu knw nthing abut (4:32). That didn t make a lt f sense t them (4:33). S Jesus tries again, saying, My fd is t d the will f him wh sent me and t accmplish his wrk. D yu nt say, There are yet fur mnths, then cmes the harvest? Lk, I tell yu, lift up yur eyes, and see that the fields are white fr harvest (4:34-35). Jesus reminds them f the reasn fr which he came t inaugurate a wrldwide spiritual harvest and he reminds the disciples that this is nt just his missin, but theirs helping thers in their spiritual jurneys. Jesus explains, I sent yu t reap what yu have nt wrked fr. Others have dne the hard wrk, and yu have reaped the benefits f their labr (4:38). Nt nly had the disciples failed t perceive the spiritual jurney f the wman, they missed the entire spiritual harvest ripening in the village behind them. When the wman returned t her village, sharing her fresh encunter with Jesus, the whle twn came clamring t meet him (4:30). What s mre, Jhn (wh, by the way, was ne f the unbservant disciples that day) writes f her influence, Many Samaritans frm that twn believed in him because f the wman's testimny, He tld me all that I ever did (Jhn 4:39). Why did the disciples miss the spiritual realities that were right in frnt f them? I d imagine fr the same reasns we d: they were distracted by the immediate cncerns f life and lunch. Or maybe it was because it ccurred in a place where they least expected, r amng peple they thught were spiritually uninterested (that is, the Samaritans). Well, whatever the reasn(s) they needed reminding that Gd wanted t use them in the spiritual jurneys f thers. This is the third fundatinal CJurner principle: Gd desires t use yu. h Reflectin: Why d we ften fail t recgnize the spiritual interest f thers? S let s put it all tgether: everyne is n a spiritual jurney, Gd is already at wrk, and we are given the privilege f entering int thse jurneys and becming a part f what Gd is ding. Peple nt nly need us, many will want us t jin them if we d s apprpriately. And that, my friends, is why it s imprtant that we becme CJurners. Hey, wait, that s nt a wrd. Right yu are, but it is a cmpund expressing what n single English wrd adequately cnveys. The prefix c means with and jurner well, that s bvius. Cmbining them creates the cncept that we are jining thers in their spiritual jurneys CJurners. Nw it culd be with smene yu ve knwn fr a lng time, r with smene yu ve just met. The cntext may be students n a campus r adults in a cmmunity. Or it may invlve crssing frm yur culture int anther. It desn t matter. The principles f the CJurner are always the same: Principle One: EVERYONE IN ON A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY Principle Tw: GOD IS ALREADY AT WORK IN THE LIVES OF OTHERS Principle Three: GOD DESIRES TO USE YOU h Reflectin: Are there stries in yur life where yu have seen these three principles n display? YOU will RECEIVE POwEr S nw yu are ready t march ut and engage in the lives and spiritual jurneys f thers. Right? Nt s fast. There is ne mre essential, r all this will g dwn in flames. But it s nt a principle, it s a pwer bestwed by the persn f the Hly Spirit. Jesus wasn t kidding when he tld the disciples, stay in the city (that is, Jerusalem) until yu are clthed with pwer frm n high (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4). Three years f preparatin by Jesus himself (nte: the greatest Teacher f all time) was nt enugh t turn this grup f well-trained fllwers int effective

8 THe CJuRner ExpeRience EVERyOnE IS On a SPIRITual JOuRnEY 1 witnesses. They needed smething mre. They needed pwer. And that is precisely what Jesus had prmised them. But yu will receive pwer when the Hly Spirit has cme upn yu, and yu will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and t the end f the earth. (Acts 1:8) If Jesus teaching was nt adequate t make the disciples effective as witnesses, I think I m n safe grund t suggest this bk and all the CJurner training in the wrld wn t make any difference unless yu are genuinely experiencing the empwering presence f the Hly Spirit. If yu have never understd and experienced the filling f the Spirit by faith, let me suggest that yu prayerfully read the utline entitled, Satisfied? The full-text is available nline at but here is the essence f it: The Prmise: Jesus prmised that Gd s Hly Spirit wuld satisfy the thirst r deepest lngings f all wh believe in him (Jhn 7:37-39). The Divine Gift: Gd has given us his Spirit s that we can experience intimacy with him and enjy all he has fr us (Jhn 14:16-17; 1 Crinthians 2:12). TaKE A STEP Take a mment right nw t pray and ask Gd t fill yu with his Spirit. This can be the first step in a lifestyle f depending n Gd s Spirit mment by mment in yur life and witness. When we are filled with the Spirit, the gspel can penetrate the lives f thers with pwer. A number f years ag I spent the afternn in ministry utreach at Daytna Beach (I knw, it s a tugh calling fr a missinary, but smene had t g). At the end f the afternn, we were walking ff the beach when I saw a yung man sitting n the bardwalk alne. Thugh ur utreach was dne fr the day, smething r (mre accurately) Smene prmpted me t engage him in cnversatin. It turned ut this guy was named Guy (that was cnvenient fr smene wh ften frgets names). Guy was a lifeguard wh had traveled frm his hme in Califrnia t the Flrida beach in search f gd times. He seemed pen t the cnversatin s I asked his permissin t shw the gspel utline we had been using fr cnversatins that day. We walked thrugh the utline, and I began t explain hw he culd receive Jesus Christ as his Savir and Lrd thrugh faith, when he stpped me and said, D yu knw what it feels like as yu are explaining this t me? It s like Gd is reaching dwn with his hand frm heaven and saying, Cme. Cme. Yu can guess what I said in respnse. 1 The Present Danger: We cannt experience intimacy with Gd and enjy all he has fr us if we fail t depend n his Spirit (Galatians 3:3; 5:17; 1 Crinthians 3:1-3). My pint in telling Guy s stry is that Gd s Spirit will ften lead us, as we are sensitive t his prmptings, and fill us and ur message with pwer. That is what makes ur witness effective. That is why the apstle Paul said: The Intimate Jurney: By walking in the Spirit we increasingly experience intimacy with Gd and enjy all he has fr us (Galatians 5:16-25). The Empwering Presence: We are filled with the Spirit by faith, enabling us t experience intimacy with Gd and enjy all he has fr us (Ephesians 3:16-17; 5:18; 1 Jhn 5:14-15). The Turning Pint: We are filled with the Hly Spirit by faith alne. Sincere prayer is ne way f expressing ur faith. And I, when I came t yu, brthers, did nt cme prclaiming t yu the testimny f Gd with lfty speech r wisdm. Fr I decided t knw nthing amng yu except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with yu in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were nt in plausible wrds f wisdm, but in demnstratin f the Spirit and f pwer, s that yur faith might nt rest in the wisdm f men but in the pwer f Gd. (1 Crinthians 2:1-5) But did yu ntice that the pwer f the Spirit didn t eliminate Paul s weakness and fear and trembling? Rather, the Spirit wrked thrugh Paul, even in his 26 27

9 THe CJuRner ExpeRience EVERyOnE IS On a SPIRITual JOuRnEY 1 weakness and fear and trembling. He will d the same fr us as we depend upn him t fill us with pwer. That is why ne f the best definitins f effective witness is taking the initiative and sharing Christ in the pwer f the Hly Spirit and leaving the results t Gd. 4 Nw yu re ready! Let s see what being a CJurner is really like. TaKE A STEP Since I m nt there t remind yu, yu need t d smething t remind yurself that every persn yu encunter is n a spiritual jurney. Hw abut this: take a few a minutes and write a quick summary f the spiritual jurneys f three peple smebdy very clse t yu (perhaps a family member), a gd friend, and smene mre n the level f an acquaintance (that is, smene yu knw but dn t spend a lt f time with). As yu might nt have already had cnversatins with yur family, friends, r acquaintances regarding their spiritual jurneys, yu may have little t g n. But yu might surprise yurself by what yu intuit. Here s a sample: Tyler seems t have a sensitive heart fr thers but I wuldn t say he s mral r religius. Desn t seem like he was brught up ging t church r anything. He desn t strike me as a hard-cre atheist, maybe just indifferent t spiritual things. Seems t lve the utdrs and nature, maybe he sees Gd in thse things, but then again that culd just be all the pt he smkes. Tyler s a gd guy, but a little hard t diagnse as I made him up just nw. Alas, fun-lving Tyler is merely a hypthetical hippie. Yu might find it easier t d this with actual living beings. D three f these exercises, and fr ne try t sketch ut the spiritual jurney f a parent r grandparent kind f interesting t think abut. Jurney One Jurney Tw Jurney Three

10 T H E F O U R Explrer R O L E S Guide Builder C H A P Mentr T E R O T W

11 THe CJuRner ExpeRience THE FOUr ROlES 2 In the first chapter I intrduced yu t the newly cined term, CJurner. (If yu call it a nelgism, it sunds mre impressive, which is what it actually is lk it up.) But CJurner is really mre f a wrd-picture than a wrd. It calls t mind the image f ur jining thers in their spiritual jurneys, f traveling tgether as spiritual cmpanins. h Reflectin: What are the implicatins f thinking abut evangelism as jining thers in their spiritual jurneys? Hw des that change the images ften assciated with evangelism? As memrable as the CJurner cncept may be, there is smething even mre imprtant that yu will want t remember always and everywhere that is, the fur primary rles that we can play in the spiritual jurneys f thers. T help us remember (and ur memries need all the help they can get), each rle has its wn wrd picture. The rles are: an Explrer, a Guide, a Builder, and a Mentr. Lest yu think this is just a cute mnemnic, the apstle Paul emplyed a similar technique in 2 Timthy 2:3-7. His yung disciple Timthy fund himself in difficult circumstances. T strengthen Timthy s reslve and impress upn him the truth that the reward is always wrth it in the end, Paul used the images and ccupatins f the sldier, the athlete, and the farmer. Each wrd picture is pregnant with implicatins fr perseverance. N sldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits since his aim is t please the ne wh enlisted him. An athlete is nt crwned unless he cmpetes accrding t the rules. It is the hard-wrking farmer wh ught t have the first share f the crps. Think ver what I say, fr the Lrd will give yu understanding in everything. (2 Timthy 2:4-7) Ntice what Paul says in that last line f the passage: Think ver what I say. He s essentially telling Timthy t pnder these images, meditate n them, and think deeply n the rle f a sldier, an athlete and a farmer. Paul is directing Timthy t allw these images t infrm his thughts, shape his behavir, and mtivate him t actin. 2 Timthy 2:3-7 is a gd example f the way I hpe the CJurner wrd pictures will infrm us: the Explrer, Guide, Builder, and Mentr. Thinking in terms f these rles will help us better understand ur part in evangelism, with guiding principles rather than scripted respnses. The rles help us t knw hw t relate t anther persn and their unique jurney, and hw we can be valuable cmpanins with them in the prcess. What s mre, the rles enable us t d ur part while depending n Gd t d his. The rles are nt just a methd f ding ministry; they are a way f seeing and understanding ministry. Like Paul s images, they are simple t understand, yet packed with insights and implicatins. As a CJurner, we can assume ne r mre f these fur rles Explrer, Guide, Builder, Mentr with just abut anyne because everyne is n a spiritual jurney. (Wait, where have I heard that? Oh, right, that was Chapter 1.) S let s sketch ut these wrds Explrer, Guide, Builder, Mentr and turn them int pictures. EXPLORER Having fr many days past cnfined myself t the bat, I determined t devte this day t amuse myself n shre with my gun and view the interir f the cuntry lying between the river and the Crvus Creek. This senery already rich pleasing and beatiful was still farther hightened by immence herds f Buffale, deer Elk and Antelpes which we saw in every directin feeding n the hills and plains. September 17, Maybe yu guessed, but this is an excerpt frm the jurnals f Lewis and Clark. Yu knw hw writing frm the 18th century smetimes includes thse funny, lde English ways f spelling wrds? Well, this is nt that. The jurnals cntain n less than 13 different spellings f msquit, which means this isn t antiquated spelling. It s just bad spelling. And all this tells us what we already knew abut Captain Meriwether Lewis and William Clark: they were hired fr their skills and knwledge f explratin, nt penmanship. In fact, if yu think abut the great explrers f histry, what were they really gd at? Explring. I mean, many were nt even the best navigatrs. With all due re

12 2 PaSSAGES: A DEVOTIONA L JOURNEY SECTION THE COJOURN ER EXPERIENCE

13 PA SSaGES: A DEVOTIONAL JOURNEY 28 Daily Devtinals. A cmpanin guide t living as a CJurner

14 THe CJuRner ExpeRience passages: a devtinal jurney PraYer Launch d e V t i n a l s Passages: A Devtinal Jurney is a 28-day experience in prayer and witness. Prayer is the launching pint fr all that fllws. Evangelism is always first and fremst a wrk f Gd. He is the Lrd f the Harvest. Therefre the place t begin an evangelism initiative is always with prayer. Passages: A Devtinal Jurney prvides tw parts fr yur prayer invlvement. The first part is the Prayer Launch. Take 15 minutes t reflect, recrd and pray thrugh the questins and prayer suggestins that fllw. Use the 10 List (page 6) thrughut this devtinal experience, praying fr peple and requests and adding t it as Gd leads. The secnd part is wven thrughut the devtinals. Each week yur first devtinal is fcused n prayer and many actin steps invlve a prayer respnse. Thrughut this devtinal jurney, ask Gd fr pprtunities t enter int the spiritual jurneys f thers. Begin by praying fr thse Gd brings t mind, writing their names n yur 10 List. Add additinal names in the days ahead. While yu may begin with less, with time yu will want t maintain a prayer list f ten r mre fr whm yu are praying t cme t Christ. Pray fr three different kinds f relatinal experiences. Pray that Gd wuld give yu the wrds t speak clearly as yu engage with them in spiritual cnversatins (Clssians 4:4). 2. Divine Appintments: Pray Fr Thse Gd BRings t Yu Gd will bring us unplanned pprtunities t engage in spiritual cnversatins with peple in whm he is already at wrk. Add the names f these divine appintments t yur prayer list as Gd prvides them. Ask Gd t help yu make the mst f these pprtunities (Clssians 4:5). Ask Gd t enable yu t respnd t their need and interest with grace and truth (Clssians 4:6). 3. OutReach Ministry: PraY Fr Others Beynd Yur Natural Relatinships Beynd the peple already n yur prayer list yur natural cnnectins and divine appintments there are thers wh need t hear abut Christ. Gd desires his peple t take the initiative t reach them. Add t yur list any grup yu sense him leading yu t help reach fr Christ. Pray that Gd wuld give yu the eyes t see the needs f thers and the pprtunities t influence them (Jhn 4:35). d e V t i n a l s 1. NaturA l Cnnectins: Pray Fr Peple Yu Knw Ask Gd wh yu shuld have n yur 10 List fr prayer. Add friends and acquaintances he brings t mind with whm yu desire the privilege f sharing Christ. Pray cnsistently fr three requests. Pray that Gd wuld send yu as a wrker in his harvest (Matthew 9:37-38). Pray that Gd wuld guide yu t the specific individuals with whm he desires fr yu t initiate spiritual cnversatins (Acts 8:26-35). Pray that Gd wuld prepare their hearts t believe the gspel (Rmans 10:1). Pray that Gd wuld pen drs fr significant spiritual cnversatins with yu (Clssians 4:3). ThA nksgiving: GiVe Gd the GlRy Thank Gd daily fr what he has dne, is ding and will d in answer t yur prayers. He is the Lrd f the Harvest (Matthew 9:38)

15 THe CJuRner ExpeRience passages: a devtinal jurney Ten List Week ne d e V t i n a l s TH E EXPLORER: DiscVering SpirituA l Jurneys An explrer is ne wh jurneys int unknwn territry t learn and understand. Spiritually we enter int peple s lives, r int deeper levels f their lives, t learn and understand their spiritual jurney. We explre primarily thrugh listening and asking questins, with genuine interest and cncern. Listening enables the explrer t hear unmet needs and traces f the Spirit s wrk in thers lives. Questins help the explrer discver where thers have been in their spiritual jurney, where they are nw and where they are ging. d e V t i n a l s

16 THe CJuRner ExpeRience passages: a devtinal jurney EXPLORER: DAY 1 EXPLORER: DAY 2 HeArt ChecK POWEr PLAy d e V t i n a l s KEY BIBLE VERSE: Brthers, my heart's desire and prayer t Gd fr the Israelites is that they may be saved (Rmans 10:1). Bnus Reading: Rmans 9:1-3. Have yu ever had a medical check-up t see if yu were healthy? It s time t determine the health f yur heart. But it s nt a physical yu need; it s a spiritual. This will test the strength f yur heart fr ther peple. Ready? Answer tw questins. One, what d yu want mst fr thers? Tw, what d yu pray fr thers? The apstle Paul prvides his answers t these questins. His heart s desire and his prayer was that his peple, the Israelites, wuld be saved. In fact, his desire was s great that he experienced srrw and anguish ver their spiritual cnditin (Rmans 9:1-3). We ften lack the passin and prayer that Paul pssessed. We can be hnest abut that, but we dn t have t stay that way. Prayer is a key. Ask Gd t give yu a heart fr the lst. Ask him t help yu t care abut peple s eternal destiny and their present cnditin. THOUGHT: Talk t Gd abut peple and then talk t peple abut Gd. TAKE A STEP: Each day this week, ask Gd t give yu a heart that passinately desires fr thers t knw Jesus Christ. Pray fr thers t cme t faith thrugh yur influence. KEY BIBLE VERSE: After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Hly Spirit and spke the wrd f Gd bldly (Acts 4:31). Bnus Reading: Acts 4:1-31. When engaging thers in cnversatins abut Christ, we need bldness. But where des that bldness cme frm? Is it an attitude we can generate urselves? Bldness is the prduct f the Hly Spirit s wrk in ur lives. There is a divine pattern fund in Acts 4:31: first praying, then the filling, and finally speaking with bldness. Witnessing in the pwer f the Spirit begins with prayer. Thrugh prayer we express ur dependence n Gd, and he aligns us with His purpse and plans. Gd respnds t ur prayers by filling us with his Spirit, if we ask. The filling f the Spirit imparts t us the pwer and ability t be a fruitful and bld witness. We then take the initiative in the pwer f Hly Spirit t share Gd s wrd with thse arund us. THOUGHT: Success in witnessing is taking the initiative t share Christ in the pwer f the Hly Spirit and leaving the results t Gd. TAKE A STEP: Ask Gd t fill yu with his Spirit and pwer right nw. Thank him fr ding s. Be alert fr pprtunities thrughut this week t speak fr Christ. Be willing t take the initiative. d e V t i n a l s

17 COJOURNEr RESOURCES Helping thers becme CJurners. SMA LL GROUP TRA INING CJurner tips, training, and mtivatin fr use in Small Grup Bible Study. TEACHING COJOURNERS 3 SECTION THE COJOURN ER EXPERIENCE

18 COJOURNEr TraINING FOR SMALL GrOUPS a typical small grup balances persnal sharing, Bible study, and prayer. Hwever, an ften neglected, yet equally imprtant, dimensin f small grups is missinal training equipping grup members fr witness and discipleship. CJurner Training fr Small Grups addresses this missinal cmpnent. This shuld nt replace the cntent f yur Bible study but rather supplements it with shrt equipping nuggets, helping grup members mature int fruitful disciples. After yu ve finished yur Small Grup discussin, and befre clsing in prayer, take abut 5 minutes t read and then discuss ne f the lessns. As yu prbably guessed, they are rganized by the fur rles f a CJurner: Explrer, Guide, Builder, and Mentr.

19 THe CJuRner ExpeRience TRaInInG FOr Small GROuPS S M A L L I G R O U P S WINDOwS OF THE SOUL / THE EXPLORER Is there a windw in the rm? Stand n the ther side f the rm and describe what yu can see thrugh it. Nw mve clser t the windw. What d yu see? There is a principle at wrk the clser yu get the mre yu see. The same principle wrks within everyday cnversatins. Casual cmments can ften be windws t a persn s sul. These are cnversatinal clues. On the surface they appear t be casual cmments, but if yu investigate with questins, yu discver there is much mre t be seen. Discuss Name examples f cmmn cnversatinal clues yu might hear. Can yu think f a recent example? What questins might yu ask t explre a cnversatinal clue? Read Clssians 4:5. Hw culd explratry questins help yu bey this instructin? Actin Plan Pray that Gd will make yu alert t cmments that culd be windws t the sul. Be prepared t ask prbing questins t see what is behind the cmment. Keep a jurnal r list f the cnversatins that result t share in yur next small grup meeting. Summary Investigate revealing cmments t get belw the surface. PRaYING FOR you / THE EXPLOREr Prayer is perhaps the mst cmmn spiritual experience in America. Mre than 80 percent f Americans claim t pray t Gd. Prayer can prvide a dr thrugh which t enter thers spiritual jurneys. Hw? By simply asking thers hw yu can pray fr them. The request reflects a generally acceptable act f kindness. The answer ften reveals a significant need. Apprach a number f acquaintances this week and say, I try t pray fr thers, rather than just praying fr myself. I was wndering if there is anything yu wuld like prayed fr. It culd be schl, family, relatinships, finances, r whatever. If they share sme-thing, ask a few questins t understand mre abut the issue and its imprtance. Affirm their cncern and assure them f yur prayers. Next week, be sure t ask the acquaintance abut the issue. Ask if there has been an answer, r, if there is anything else they wuld like yu t pray fr? Discuss Hw d yu think thers will respnd t the ffer fr prayer? Wh wuld yu like t apprach abut prayer? Actin Plan Pray that Gd will use these attempts t pen drs int the jurneys f thers. Jurnal yur encunters and share them at yur next meeting. If apprpriate, pray tgether fr any wh shared prayer requests. Summary The ffer f prayer can pen the dr t a persn's inner life. S M A L L I G R O U P S

20 TEACHING COJOURNERS The fllwing ne page summaries f each f the bk chapters can serve as teaching ntes fr a seminar r Sunday Schl class. If yu ve gne thrugh the CJurner cntent yurself, with these utlines yu shuld be able t teach CJurners.

21 THe CJuRner ExpeRience CHaPTEr SummaRIES COJOURNERS / INTRODUCTION IN A PaGE SHARING YOUR FAITH CAN BE AMONG THE MOST TERRIFYING, YET REWARDING EXPERIENCES AS A CHRISTIAN. OUR POSITIVE MOTIVATIONS FOR WANTING TO SHARE OUR FAITH INCLUDE: Our genuine lve fr Christ (Acts 4:20; 2 Crinthians 5:14-15) Our genuine lve fr thers (Matthew 9:35-38; Rmans 1:16; 10:1, 17) Our calling as Christ-fllwers (Matthew 4:19; 28:18-20) Our respnsibility as his ambassadrs (2 Crinthians 5:20) Our pwer t be his witnesses as given by the Hly Spirit (Acts 1:8) Our privilege t be Gd s fellw-wrker in the lives f thers (1 Crinthians 3:5-9) EverYne is n a SpirituAl Jurney / Chapter 1 in A Page A COJOURNER S THREE FOUNDATIONAL PRINCIPLES: 1. Everyne is n a spiritual jurney 2. Gd is already at wrk in the lives f thers He is the Lrd f the Harvest wh sends ut labrers int his harvest field (Matthew 9:37-38). His desire is fr all peple t be saved (1 Timthy 2:4), nt wanting any t perish (2 Peter 3:9). It was he wh created all peple and natins and wh has determined the times set fr them and the exact places where they shuld live, ding s in rder that men wuld seek him and perhaps reach ut fr him and find him (Acts 17:26-27 NIV). His Spirit is at wrk in the lives f peple tday (Jhn 16: 7-11). He has given us the privilege f being fellw wrkers (1 Crinthians 3:9) with him. 3. Gd desires t use yu We are ften like the disciples, failing t recgnize the spiritual harvest that is all arund us (Jhn 4:27-39). S U M M A R I E S THE COUNTER FORCES WORKING AGAINST OUR DESIRE TO SHARE OUR FAITH INCLUDE: Our fears f relatinal risk, ptentially damaging a relatinship r ur reputatin Our uncertainty abut what t d r hw t d it well Our lack f relatinal invlvement r cnnectin with thse utside the faith Our busyness in life The cultural values f relativism, pluralism, and tlerance The negative cultural perceptins f Christians tday THE REALITY DEMONSTRATED BY RESEARCH AND EXPERIENCE: Peple are mre spiritually pen than we think Genuine care and relatinally apprpriate appraches t engage in the jurneys f thers will pen the dr t many significant spiritual and gspel cnversatins COJOURNERS WILL HELP YO U ENGAGE IN THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEYS OF OTHERS THROUGH THE ROLES OF: The Explrer: discvering where peple are in their spiritual jurney The Guide: shwing the way t Jesus The Builder: cnstructing ways ver and beynd their issues and bstacles The Mentr: helping peple cntinue t fllw Jesus YOU WILL RECEIVE POWER: 1. Jesus prmised t give us pwer t be his witnesses by the Hly Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4, 8). 2. We can experience the Spirit s filling and pwer thrugh understanding these truths: The Prmise: Jesus prmised that Gd s Hly Spirit wuld satisfy the thirst r deepest lngings f all wh believe in him (Jhn 7:37-39). The Divine Gift: Gd has given us his Spirit s that we can experience intimacy with him and enjy all he has fr us (Jhn 14:16-17; 1 Crinthians 2:12). The Present Danger: We cannt experience intimacy with Gd and enjy all he has fr us if we fail t depend n his Spirit (Galatians 3:3; 5:17; 1 Crinthians 3:1-3). The Intimate Jurney: By walking in the Spirit we increasingly experience intimacy with Gd and enjy all he has fr us (Galatians 5:16-25). The Empwering Presence: We are filled with the Spirit by faith, enabling us t experience intimacy with Gd and enjy all he has fr us (Ephesians 3:16-17; 5:18; 1 Jhn 5:14-15). The Turning Pint: We are filled with the Hly Spirit by faith alne. Sincere prayer is ne way f expressing ur faith. 3. The Spirit s pwer desn t eliminate ur fear. It gives us the pwer t speak despite ur fears (1 Crinthians 2:1-5). S U M M A R I E S

22 NOTES & APPENDIX

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