Exploring what it looks like to grow up into maturity as a disciple of Jesus.
SERMON SERIES CALENDAR Sept 20 I Don t Want to Grow Up Ephesians 4:1-6 Arrested Development Sept 27 Chair 1: Come and See John 1:35-39 Spiritual Curiosity Chair 2: Follow Me Oct 4 John 1:43 Spiritual Commitment Matthew 10:38 John 10:27; 21:19,22 I Heart SPFLD Starts Oct 11 th Chair 3: Fishers of Men Oct 11 Matthew 4:18-22 Spiritual Investment Mark 1:16-20 Oct 18 Chair 4: Go and Bear Fruit John 15:1-17 Spiritual Leadership 2
SEPT 20 WEEK 1 I DON T WANT TO GROW UP EPHESIANS 4:1-6 GETTING STARTED: How can you determine a person s level of maturity? What impacts and shapes this part of a person s character? EXPLORE THE PASSAGE: 1. Read Ephesians 3:1 and 4:1. How does Paul s present circumstances as a prisoner give him credibility to talk about unity and maturity? Who might be a modern day spokesperson for spiritual maturity and unity? 2. Paul acknowledges there is one body and one Spirit in verse 4. How is the church able to function with just one body, yet many levels of spiritual maturity? 3. Why don t more people readily model their lives after Christ? What obstacles exist? What obstacles have you overcome? APPLY THE TRUTH: Identify how the actions of behaviors of Christ-followers change over time and circumstances. Consider using Paul s life as a backdrop when did he first encounter Jesus? How did his life change? What life-altering decisions did he make based on his decision to follow Jesus? PRAY: Pray for our Christ-following family to be able to wrestle with the topic of spiritual maturity so that we might have an increased sense of unity within our body. 4. How can a person deepen their level of spiritual maturity? What has worked well in your own life? 5. Read the following passages and identity the specific call that Jesus makes in each. How does the accompanying chair metaphor help illustrate each level of spiritual maturity? John 1:39 (office chair) John 1:43 (high chair) Matthew 4:19 (dining room chair) John 15:16 (camping chair) 4
SEPT 27 WEEK 2 COME AND SEE JOHN 1:35-39 GETTING STARTED: How do people attempt to find someone from whom they have been separated? What tactics prove most effective? EXPLORE THE PASSAGE: 1. Read John 1:29-34. Summarize John s proclamation regarding Jesus. How would this news have impacted John s followers? 2. Read John 1:35-42. How did John s disciples find Jesus? What did Jesus expect of them at this point? How did Simon Peter learn about Jesus? 3. List the individuals mentioned in those two previous passage. Identify them by name and association with one another. 4. Read John 1:43-51. What took place in order for Philip and Nathaniel to connect with Jesus? How must they have responded to Jesus invitation in John 1:39? 5. What is unique about Philip s response to Nathanael in John 1:46? 6. What about this week s topic has challenged or encouraged your understanding of your own spiritual maturity? Of people in your spheres of influence? At this church? 7. Consider the following phrases. How are these indicative of someone that is not yet following Jesus? How does Jesus call to come and see help address these statements? I don t believe there is a God. The Bible is just a bunch of myths. Evolution explains away a need for God. I am not a Christian because Christians are responsible for all the wars in history. There are many ways to get to God. I am a Christian because I go to church and I am a good person. I have been a good person, so I will be okay. APPLY THE TRUTH: Take a moment to summarize what it means to be in Chair 1. What are some characteristics of someone not yet following Jesus? How do they view themselves? Others? Church? Their purpose in life? PRAY: Pray for those you know that are not yet following Christ. Ask God to help you openly and honestly assess your relationship with Christ now. 6
OCT 4 WEEK 3 FOLLOW ME JOHN 1:43, MATTHEW 10:38, JOHN 10:27; 21:19,22 GETTING STARTED: What is something new that you have recently started doing in your life? Why were you drawn to this? Describe the experience of being a newbie. EXPLORE THE PASSAGE: 1. Reread John 1:43-51 from last week. What did Jesus expect of Philip at this point? 2. Read John 2:1-12. Who was with Jesus on this trip? How did they respond to his actions and words? How long were they together? What does this illustrate about someone that has started to follow Jesus? 3. Read John 3:1-22. Who was with Jesus when he met with Nicodemus? How was Jesus spending his time there? What do you think they learned from being with Jesus? How would you have felt in this scenario? 4. John 4:27-42. Who was with Jesus on this trip? How did they respond to his actions and words? What do you think they learned from being with Jesus? 5. Read John 10:27. How does the imagery of sheep and the command to Follow me go hand in hand? 6. What about this week s topic has challenged or encouraged your understanding of your own spiritual maturity? Of people in your spheres of influence? At this church? 7. Consider the following phrases. How are these indicative of someone that is not yet following Jesus? How does Jesus call to follow me help address these statements? I don t have to go to church to be a Christian. I gave my life to Jesus and I go to church, but I don t need to be close to other people. People have hurt me, so it s just me and God. I don t have time to be in relationship with another Christian. I pray and read my Bible. That is good enough for me. I didn t know the Bible said that. I love my small group; don t add any more people to it. I am not being fed in my church, so I am going to a church that meets my needs better. I didn t like the music today. If only they did it like APPLY THE TRUTH: Take a moment to summarize what it means to be in Chair 2. What are some characteristics of someone that has recently started following Jesus? How do they view themselves? Others? Church? Their purpose in life? PRAY: Take a moment to pray for those in our Christ-following family that are new to faith. Pray that God provide people to help guide and care for them as they take their first steps in following Jesus. 8
I Heart SPFLD starts October 11 th
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OCT 11 WEEK 4 FOLLOW ME MATTHEW 4:18, MARK 1:16-20 GETTING STARTED: When was the last time you went fishing? Who did you go with? Would you want to go again? EXPLORE THE PASSAGE: 1. Read Matthew 4:18-22. Identify Jesus call in these verses. What was expected of his followers at this point? Identify someone that has responded in a similar way to the men listed. 2. How does this week s call differ from that of last week (John 1:43)? What role does hardship or hard work play in this calling? 3. Read Matthew 9:35-38. How did Jesus see the crowds? How might this be different than the way an average person might see them? What was he expecting of his followers at this point? 4. Identify common beliefs regarding suffering and hardship for those that follow Christ? What is a Biblically informed understanding of suffering? 5. How do our spheres in influence help determine how we are able to answer Christ s calling to fish for people? What impact do these verses have on you considering Jesus was talking for four fishermen? How might he phrase that call in your life? 6. What about this week s topic has challenged or encouraged your understanding of your own spiritual maturity? Of people in your spheres of influence? At this church? 7. Consider the following phrases. How are these indicative of someone that is following Christ, but not yet participating in his mission? How does Jesus call to Come, follow me and I will send you out to fish for people, help this person take their next step in spiritual maturity? I love my group, but there are others who need a group like this. I think I could lead a group with a little help. I have three friends that I have been witnessing to, and this group would be too big for them. Look how many people are at church today it s awesome! My normal seat was taken isn t that great?! In my devotions, I came across something I have a question about. I noticed that there have been a lot of new babies in our church. Do you think I could serve in the nursery? APPLY THE TRUTH: Take a moment to summarize what it means to be in Chair 2. What are some characteristics of someone that has recently started following Jesus? How do they view themselves? Others? Church? Their purpose in life? PRAY: Pray for our Christ-following family as we engage our community as a part of I Heart SPFLD week. Pray for those that are currently following Christ to be able to invest in the lives of a few around them. 12
OCT 18 WEEK 5 GO AND BEAR FRUIT JOHN 15:1-17 GETTING STARTED: When have you harvested something edible? Where were you? What do you remember most about the event? EXPLORE THE PASSAGE: 1. Read John 15:1-5. Identify who is represented by the vine, gardener and branches. What does Jesus expect of the branches? When will a branch be able to bear fruit? What impact does this have on the topic of spiritual maturity? 2. Read John 15:6-11. What happens to a branch that does not remain connected to the vine? What impact does this have on the topic of spiritual maturity? 3. Read John 15:12-17. How does Jesus expect his disciples to treat one another. How does a disciples actions towards someone else help other know of the health of their relationship with Jesus? Why does Jesus use the word friend? 4. What about this week s topic has challenged or encouraged your understanding of your own spiritual maturity? Of people in your spheres of influence? At this church? 5. Consider the following phrases. How are these indicative of someone that is following Christ and taking on the role of spiritual leadership? How does Jesus call to Go and bear fruit, help this person in their spiritual maturity? The neighborhood around our church is hurting. I wonder where we should start. I know I want to be on the front lines. Randy and Rachel missed group and I called to see if they are okay. Their kids have the flu, so maybe our group can make meals for them. I ll start. I realized discipleship happens at home, too. Will you hold me accountable to spend time discipling my kids? I have a person in my small group who is passionate about children. Can you help me get them plugged into the Grow Zone? APPLY THE TRUTH: Take a moment to summarize what it means to be in Chair 4. What are some characteristics of someone that has taken the role of a spiritual leader? How do they view themselves? Others? Church? Their purpose in life? PRAY: Take a moment to thank God for the spiritual leaders in your life. Ask God to provide courage to our Christ-following family to multiple disciples by bearing fruit in our own lives. This guy at work asked me to explain the Bible to him. Pray for me. We get to baptize someone from our small group tonight. I need to identify someone to follow up with him in the coming weeks. 14
FURTHER READING 4 Chair Discipling: Making a Movement of Disciple-Makers by Dann Spader From the publisher: Teacher and leader Dann Spader explains disciple-making as a process of moving people through four chairs, from someone seeking to know more about Christ to someone who makes disciples themselves. 208 pages, hardcover from Moody Publishers. Walking as Jesus Walked: Making Disciples the Way Jesus Did by Dann Spader From the publisher: Is it even possible to walk as Jesus walked? There s only one way to find out. More than merely highlighting aspects of Jesus life, ministry veteran Dann Spader examines the broad scope of who He is, helping you understand how the life of Jesus should transcend our busy 21st century lifestyles. This 10-week study touches on foundational elements of Jesus life, including: Intentionality in fostering loving relationships Unwavering obedience and reverent submission to God The importance of prayer Dependence on the Holy Spirit Multiplying disciples Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus by Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg From the publisher: Gain a deeper understanding of Jesus by seeing his world through the eyes of firstcentury Jews! Journey back to ancient Palestine and explore the culture, customs, feasts, and prayers that shaped Christ and his disciples. You ll discover how to enrich your own faith by gaining insight into the Jewishness of Jesus. Includes suggestions for reflection, prayer, and meditation at the end of each chapter. 224 pages, hardcover from Zondervan. 15
ABOUT US OUR CHURCH: At South Side we strive to guide everyday people into a Christ-following family. The journey to becoming a Christ-centered believer is full of many steps. Some of these steps are big while others are small. Regardless we encourage our entire South Side family to continue to walk along this path as we all grow together in our relationship with Jesus. While any member of our staff would be eager to help you along your journey, your Campus Minister would be best suited to guide you along the way. Feel free to contact Adam Lanter (MacArthur Campus) or Daniel Shelton (Southwest Campus). They d love to take the time to answer any questions you may have. OUR TEACHING TEAM: Our weekly sermons work to support our mission to guide everyday people into a Christ-following family. Our teaching team meets weekly to plan sermon content that encourages people to learn and apply God s word. This team consists of: Brooks Wilson, Senior Minister Adam Lanter, MacArthur Campus Minister 16
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