TRANSformED FOLLOWING JESUS: BECOMING A DISCIPLE WHO MAKES DISCIPLES DISCIPLE-MAKER LEADER GUDE
Week 1 The God Who Loves You Introduction 1. Welcome everyone to the group and take a few minutes to have everyone introduce themselves. 2. Discuss any housekeeping matters for the group such as the schedule for future meetings and what the plan will be for refreshments. 3. Pray, specifically asking that God will use this journey of discipleship to bring about genuine transformation in each life. Ask the Holy Spirit to direct your time. Discussion 1. What comes to your mind when you think about discipleship? Why do you think it is important to the Christian life? 5
2. Discuss the following definition of a disciple: A follower of Jesus, who is being transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit and becoming equipped with the Word of God, in order to live in increasingly consistent obedience to it, and in turn equipping others so that they too will come to follow Jesus as disciples. a. What stands out to you from this definition? Why? b. Thinking of this definition as a journey where on the path would you put yourself? What is keeping you from taking the next step? i. A follower of Jesus, who is being transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit ii. Becoming equipped with the Word of God, iii. Living in increasingly consistent obedience to God s Word. iv. Equipping others so that they too will come to follow Jesus as disciples. 3. What would you say if someone asked you why you believe in God? 6
4. In what ways do you think you have tried to reduce God to a more manageable size in your own thinking? (page 10 of workbook) 5. Turn together to Romans 11:33-36. a. What do we learn about God from these verses? b. According to verse 36 what is the relationship between creation (all things) and God? c. What is one area in your life right now where you need to ask God for His wisdom and knowledge? 6. Discuss the questions that the session raised that each person would like to better understand the answers to (page 15 of book). 7
Memory Verse Ask each person to say this week s memory verse to the person sitting next to them. Let everyone know that it s OK if they don t have it memorized for this first week. However, explain that you ll be asking everyone to share each session s memory verse every week. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. Luke 1:49 Accountability Connection Have your group break into pairs (if the group is mixed, make sure that men partner up with men and women with women for this portion of your time). Distribute accountability question cards (available on the transformeddiscipleship.org website) and encourage everyone to use them as either a bookmark in their workbook or to keep them in their wallet so they will be able to access it every week. Have the pairs take about 10 minutes to work through the accountability questions together, this may feel uncomfortable at first but challenge everyone to honestly answer every question. Remind them that accountability is an important aspect in our spiritual growth but also in helping to safeguard us against sin. Assignments Remind your group of the assignments on page 15 of the workbook and answer any questions that they might have about them. Ask everyone to complete chapter 2, Your New Identity In Christ before your next time together. Wrap-Up 1. Spend time in prayer Ask group members to share prayer requests and praises. Take time to pray for what has been shared. Pray that as a group your vision and understanding of the greatness of God would grow ever larger. Pray that strong relationships would be forged with other members of the group through this discipleship journey. 2. Encourage group members to intentionally connect with another member of the group throughout the week (call, text, coffee, or seeking them out at church). 8