This journal belongs to... The 6 Week Journey 1
letter from Judah & Chelsea Thank you so much for joining us on The 6 Week Journey! This journey is all about bringing Jesus into your everyday life. He cares about every aspect of your life, and more than anything, He wants you to include Him in everything you care about. We re going on this journey as a church community and want to encourage you to do so with others in your world. This journal has both weekly group discussion content that builds off of the videos as well as a daily devotional. We hope that at the end of these six weeks you will have encountered Jesus through the pages of this journal to such a degree that you can t imagine your everyday life without Him. Also, we hope that you meet some new friends and have the opportunity to grow deeper with others you already know! Have fun! 2 The 6 Week Journey
The 6 Week Journey 3
getting started Beginning your 6 Week Journey is simple: Get the content You can access the weekly group videos online at thecity.org/journey2016. Invite others so we can all go on this journey together! You can let others know about your group s meeting time and location on our online Group Directory. You can also browse the online Group Directory to find groups in your area at groups.thecity.org. When you meet with your group, start by watching the video. Afterwards, have one person read aloud the introductory thoughts in the journal to frame your discussion. There are also discussion questions provided to help guide your conversations. 4 The 6 Week Journey
the 3 R s Read, Reflect and Respond Read the Scripture Reflect on the passage Respond with personal application Read, Reflect and Respond (The 3 R s) is a Bible study method that is intended to make spending time with Jesus both simple and practical. Sometimes reading the Bible can be intimidating or difficult. This method helps us interact with Scripture so it can be easily applied to our lives. It also helps us put handles to the promises and truths we are reading about. The Bible is alive and real. It speaks to us and has the answers to what we face in our everyday lives (see Hebrews 4:12). In addition, all of the Bible points to Jesus. Therefore, the greatest way to get to know Jesus is through reading the Bible! Our goal is that through this journey, you would be able to hear what Jesus is speaking to you personally through your time with Him. The 6 Week Journey 5
week 1 Traveling Treasure We all have dreams and God thinks having dreams, goals and desires is a good thing. These are not to be looked down on, but rather they can guide us into all God has planned for us. The key is for us to lead our desires rather than letting our desires lead us. By responding to Jesus, both what He has done and who He is, we can dictate our desires rather than letting our desires dictate our actions. 6 The 6 Week Journey
Q Have you ever felt like your desires were leading you instead of you leading your desires? What was the result? Some examples could be snacker s remorse or buyer s remorse. Q Does it give you hope to think that with Jesus help you could dictate your desires instead of letting them dictate your actions? Q What are the most valuable treasures in your life? The 6 Week Journey 7
day one And he said to his disciples, Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Luke 12:22-23 ESV 8 The 6 Week Journey
day two Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! Luke 12:24 ESV The 6 Week Journey 9
day three And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Luke 12:25-26 ESV 10 The 6 Week Journey
day four Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! Luke 12:27-28 ESV The 6 Week Journey 11
day five And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Luke 12:29-30 ESV 12 The 6 Week Journey
day six Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Luke 12:31 ESV The 6 Week Journey 13
day seven For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Luke 12:34 ESV 14 The 6 Week Journey
The 6 Week Journey 15
week 2 What do you really want? What do you do when you don t really want what you know you should want? This conflict is real! We don t have to pretend it s not real, but we also don t have to live paralyzed by the conflict. If we live according to the Spirit, fully convinced nothing can separate us from God s love, we can wholeheartedly desire what God desires. We can lead our desires, not live in denial, and live a fulfilling life wanting what God wants! 16 The 6 Week Journey
Q Can we trust our desires? Are all desires wrong? How do you know the difference between a right desire and a wrong desire? Q How do you deal with the conflict between what you know you should want and what you really want? Q What is the solution to resolving the conflict between our competing desires? How do we reconcile these desires? How does Jesus fit into this process? The 6 Week Journey 17
day one There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2 ESV 18 The 6 Week Journey
day two For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:3-4 ESV The 6 Week Journey 19
day three For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. Romans 8:5 ESV 20 The 6 Week Journey
day four For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:6-8 ESV The 6 Week Journey 21
day five You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. Romans 8:9-10 ESV 22 The 6 Week Journey
day six If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8:11 ESV The 6 Week Journey 23
day seven No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39 ESV 24 The 6 Week Journey
The 6 Week Journey 25
week 3 Is it sinful to have desires that are contrary to God s plan for me? The reality in life is that we all have desires that conflict with what we think God would want for us. The question is, What do we do with this conflict?. This conflict in desires is not in itself sin; it s only when we act upon these contrary desires that we fall into sin. You don t have to live with the guilt of these desires. You don t have to settle for constantly feeling like you don t get what you think you want. Jesus is the friend you can open up with, the One who understands you and the One you can be bold enough to share everything with. All of this helps us direct our desires. 26 The 6 Week Journey
Q Have you ever had a hard time expressing your desires to God because you re not sure if your desires are OK? Q What do you do if you re ashamed of your desires? Q What does a relationship with Jesus look like where you don t feel like you have to hide anything? How is that cultivated? The 6 Week Journey 27
day one I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 1 John 2:21 ESV 28 The 6 Week Journey
day two But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame. Isaiah 50:7 ESV The 6 Week Journey 29
day three No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV 30 The 6 Week Journey
day four Lord, don t hold back your tender mercies from me. Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me. Psalm 40:11 NLT The 6 Week Journey 31
day five If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 ESV 32 The 6 Week Journey
day six Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean! Micah 7:19 NLT The 6 Week Journey 33
day seven He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. Revelation 21:4 34 The 6 Week Journey
The 6 Week Journey 35
week 4 Talking Our words are powerful. They are so much more than the overflow of what we re thinking--they also help shape what we re thinking. Words, even more than our thoughts, have the ability to be led and directed to create an environment where we can thrive. Words create. God created the universe and everything in it with words. Now let s use our words of faith to direct our desires. 36 The 6 Week Journey
Q Why are words powerful? How does that relate to our desires? Q How have words, good and bad, shaped who you are? How about words you ve said to yourself or others? What about words said to you by others? Q What s the difference between directing our words and being fake with our words? The 6 Week Journey 37
day one Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing. Proverbs 12:18 NLT 38 The 6 Week Journey
day two A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. Luke 6:45 NLT The 6 Week Journey 39
day three Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out. Colossians 4:6 MSG 40 The 6 Week Journey
day four Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. Proverbs 18:21 ESV The 6 Week Journey 41
day five Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble. Proverbs 21:23 ESV 42 The 6 Week Journey
day six Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift. Ephesians 4:29 MSG The 6 Week Journey 43
day seven Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalms 19:14 ESV 44 The 6 Week Journey
The 6 Week Journey 45
week 5 Thinking Our thoughts have so much to do with our desires. The way we think shapes what we value and desire which, in turn, shapes how we act. When our thoughts are lined up with God s thoughts, the ability to lead our desires toward valuing what God values will be natural. 46 The 6 Week Journey
Q How does how we think affect our desires? Q Can we direct our thoughts? How can we tell ourselves what to think? Q What has shaped your thinking? The 6 Week Journey 47
day one Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus Philippians 2:5 ESV 48 The 6 Week Journey
day two Don t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2 NLT The 6 Week Journey 49
day three Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8 ESV 50 The 6 Week Journey
day four You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Isaiah 26:3 NLT The 6 Week Journey 51
day five for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7 ESV 52 The 6 Week Journey
day six We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ 2 Corinthians 10:5a ESV The 6 Week Journey 53
day seven Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Colossians 3:2 ESV 54 The 6 Week Journey
The 6 Week Journey 55
week 6 Time, Talents & Treasures The Bible tells us that every good and perfect gift comes from Jesus. We have each been given time, talents and treasures. It is now our responsibility to be good stewards of what Christ has given us. The question is not whether we have been blessed this way; the question is whether we are leading what we have or letting it rule us. The good news is that the same God who gave us our time, talents and treasures is the same God who gives purpose to them. Our time, talents and treasure find purpose and significance in Christ alone! 56 The 6 Week Journey
Q How do these three elements of our lives (time, talents & treasures) relate to each other? Q How can we neglect our time, talents and treasures? Q What does leading your time, talents and treasures look like? The 6 Week Journey 57
day one For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 ESV 58 The 6 Week Journey
day two As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God s varied grace 1 Peter 4:10 ESV The 6 Week Journey 59
day three Do not neglect the gift you have 1 Timothy 4:14a ESV 60 The 6 Week Journey
day four You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16 ESV The 6 Week Journey 61
day five We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God s purpose prevails. Proverbs 19:21 MSG 62 The 6 Week Journey
day six Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:23-24 ESV The 6 Week Journey 63
day seven The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. Psalm 138:8 ESV 64 The 6 Week Journey
The 6 Week Journey 65
next steps Now that you have completed the 6 Week Journey that we have been on as a church, this is the perfect time to reflect on where you are on your personal journey with Jesus and within our church community! Your personal journey with Jesus: Do you have your own Bible that you can read? If you want to know more about God and his heart, thoughts and desires for you, reading the Bible is a great next step. You can download the YouVersion Bible app on your phone for free and do the 3 R s (Read, Reflect and Respond) with any verse or passage in the Bible! Have you been water baptized? Water Baptism is an outward declaration of a decision in your heart to follow Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of your life. Not only does the Bible command us to be baptized, but Jesus himself was water baptized. We are simply 66 The 6 Week Journey
following his example in doing the same. This is the next step after meeting Jesus personally! The City Church offers water baptisms on the first Sunday of every month at most of our gatherings and locations. To sign up, visit thecity.org/ baptisms. The 6 Week Journey 67
Your personal journey within our community: Have you considered hosting your own Weekly Message Discussion Group or continuing to meet with your 6 Week Journey group around a different topic or curriculum? A great type of group to host is a Weekly Message Discussion Group where you gather with others to discuss the most recent message. Notes from the message and group discussion questions are provided weekly. If you have any questions or would like to access these materials, email groups@thecity.org. Have you attended a Belong Class? Everyone belongs at The City Church! Join us for our Belong Class to hear more about what we believe as a church community, your growing relationship with Jesus and with other people, and how to get more involved. For more information about times and locations or to sign up, visit thecity.org/belong. 68 The 6 Week Journey
The 6 Week Journey 69
We d love to hear what you thought of the 6 Week Journey. Would you take a moment to complete this brief survey? thecity.org/journeyfeedback 70 The 6 Week Journey