Week Seven – Love Your Enemies

FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION
After watching Love Your Enemies, week seven of the Discipleship Series, consider the following questions either in personal reflection or a group discussion.

1. What would you say are the biggest technological achievements of the last 50 years?  How have they impacted the way you live? 
2. Which sports rivalries are you most invested in (if any)?  How is a rival different from an enemy? 
3. Enemies often don’t look, believe or act the way we do.  Are there groups of people you tend to think of as enemies?  What specifically makes someone an enemy? 
4. Who are people you feel a direct responsibility toward?  How do you care for them?
5. In what ways are you indirectly responsible for others?  How might you care for them?
6. What are practical things you might do to begin to see an enemy as a sister or a brother? 
7. Jesus says people will know we are His followers by how well we love one another.  What does the way you love say about your relationship to Jesus to your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, enemies? 

MOVING FORWARD
Billy Graham says the Holy Spirit convicts, God judges and our job is to love . Jesus challenges us to love our enemies.  Can you B.L.E.S.S. an enemy this week by Beginning to pray for them, Listening to their stories, Eating a meal together or a sharing cup of coffee, finding a way to Serve them and sharing the Story of how Jesus has impacted you?

To make our neighborhood a brotherhood
we have to love our enemies

Week Six –  Throw Away the Stumble

FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION
After watching Throw Away the Stumble, week six of the Discipleship Series, consider the following questions either in personal reflection or a group discussion.

1. When you think about what you do for a living (or if you are retired what you used to do).  Why do you do what you do?
2. How hard would it be for you to “throw away:”  Your golf clubs? Your computer? Your social media account? Your cell phone? Your credit cards?​ Other stumbling blocks?
3. Genesis 39:2 tells us “the Lord was with Joseph.”  How have you experienced the Lord’s presence in your life?  What do you do to stay close to Jesus?
4. ​When our eyes are “fixed on Jesus” (Hebrews 12) He improves our ability to see the things that cause us to stumble?  What area of your life could you most use vision correction?
5. Jesus equates throwing away the things that cause us to stumble, to gouging out an eye or cutting off a hand?  What would it take for you to throw away something that might cause you to stumble?
6. Do you have a “Nathan” in your life?  Who do you trust to speak hard truths when necessary?  If you don’t have someone, how might you establish that sort of relationship?

MOVING FORWARD
Jesus offers us a way to live forever and a better way to live today.  Are you satisfied with your life today?  Could it be better?  How might following Jesus help you take hold of that better life?

Throw away anything that causes you to stumble.

Week Five - The Danger of Anger

FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION
After watching The Danger of Anger, week five of the Discipleship Series, consider the following questions either in personal reflection or a group discussion.

1.  What are things that make you angry?
​2. When you face conflict are you:

• A gorilla – mixing it up?
• An owl – intellectualizing everything?
• A chameleon – adapting to keep the peace?
• A skunk – spraying harsh words?
• Another animal – how would you describe?

3.  At the first crossroads you decide: To go or to say nothing.  What helps you approach a difficult conversation?
4.  At the second crossroads you decide: Go to the person or to someone else.  How much of a temptation is gossip for you?  What might help you resist the temptation?
5.  At the third crossroads you decide:  To tell the truth or dance around the issue. How easy is it for you to speak a hard truth to someone?  How receptive are you when someone needs to speak a hard truth to you?
6.  At the fourth crossroads you decide: Resolve the conflict in private or make it public.  How tempting is it for you to post things you are angry about on social media?
7.  At the fifth crossroads you decide:  To seek reconciliation or remain separated.  Can you think of someone you need to go to and seek reconciliation?

​MOVING FORWARD
Read Matthew 5: 23 and 24.  Is there anyone you need to go to right now?   

In your anger do not sin – Ephesians 4: 26

Week Four - Proclamation and Praxis

FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION
After watching Proclamation and Praxis, week four of the Discipleship Series, consider the following questions either in personal reflection or a group discussion.

1.  What was your best subject when you were in school?
2.  The Pharisees loved to keep rules.  When you were growing up what rules were you expected to obey?
3.  Some thought Jesus had come to “abolish the law and the prophets.”  What commands of God do you find most difficult to follow?  Why?
4.  In verse 19 Jesus says there are two things His disciples should do to be great in God’s kingdom.  How do you match up to His standard in this area?
5.  Given the enthusiasm the Pharisees had for keeping the law, how can a Christian’s righteousness exceed theirs?
6.  In John 14 Jesus says if we love Him we will obey His commands.  How can you obey His new command to love one another?

MOVING FORWARD
Jesus said the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart.  What will you resolve to do to love God with:

​Words of Affirmation
Quality Time
Gifts
Acts of Service
Physical Touch

Love the Lord your God with all your heart!

Week Three - Shine

FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION
After watching Shine, week three of the Discipleship Series, consider the following questions either in personal reflection or a group discussion.

1. When you were 10 years old, what did you want to be when you grew up?
2. When you meet someone how do you describe who you are? How would your best friend describe you?
3. In what ways do you, both as an individual and as a member of the Christian community, behave as the “salt of the earth?”  What makes followers of Jesus less “salty?”  Think of practical ways you could have a greater impact on your community.
4. In what ways do you, both as an individual and as a member of the Christian community, behave as the “light of the world?”  What things (bowls) prevent the light from being seen?  Think of practical ways you could “shine” more brightly.
5. In your relationships with others (friends, family, classmates, co-workers, neighbors and strangers) are you “in it to win it” or are you looking to the interest of others?  What might you do to have the “mind of Christ?”
6. In what ways are you experiencing the Second Law of Thermodynamics in your life?  What practical things might you do to get closer to Jesus so His light can help you intercept entropy?

MOVING FORWARD
​Resolve to take action on your answers to questions 2 and 3 during the coming week.  Pray for one another as you begin to do this.  Invite someone to encourage you and hold you accountable to following through.

You are a distinctive difference maker.  Shine!

Week Two - Blessed

FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION
After listening to Blessed, week two of the Discipleship Series, consider the following questions either in personal reflection or a group discussion.​

1. When someone asks you “How are you doing?”  what’s your typical response?
   
2. What does it mean to be “blessed?”  In what ways have your experienced something of the blessings Jesus describes?  Do you believe Jesus is referring to a benefit we receive now or some sort of future reward?  Or is there an element of both?
   
3. What are qualities or traits people normally associate with power or influence?  Read Matthew 5: 3 – 12.  Why do you think the qualities Jesus lists are so different?
   
4. In view of all these qualities, why is persecution inevitable?  In what ways are you persecuted?  How do you respond?  What does Jesus say your reaction should be?
   
5. John Stott writes: “The ways of the God of Scripture appear topsy-turvy to men.  For God exalts the humble and abases the proud, calls the first last and the last first, ascribes greatness to the servant, sends the rich away empty-handed and declares the meek to be His heirs.” - John Stott. In what ways has this been your experience?

​MOVING FORWARD
From the very beginning God’s plan has been to bless us so we might be a blessing to others.  Who in your life can you bless this week?  How might you do it?

Blessed in not an earthly benefit.  Blessed is a kingdom reality.

Week One - Disciple

FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION
After listening to week one of the Discipleship Series consider the following questions either in personal reflection or a group discussion.

1. Where did you attend elementary school?  What was your best subject?
2. Read Matthew 4: 18 – 22.  Would you find it difficult to leave everything to follow Jesus?  Why or Why not?
3. In the very heart of Jesus’ sermon on the mountainside He tells His disciples. “Do not be like them.” (Matthew 6: 8)  It is a call to be different.
Most people outside the church think of Christians as being different from others.  But what do they think of as the distinctive marks of a Christian?  Why do you think this is so?
4. John Stott writes:
“The Sermon on the Mount is probably the best-known part of the teaching of Jesus, though arguably it is the least understood, and certainly it is the least obeyed” - John Stott. 
Do you believe it is possible to put what Jesus teaches in the Sermon into practice in our lives?  Why or Why not?
5. What difference does it make knowing that someone believes in you?  What difference might it make knowing that Jesus believes you can be like Him?

MOVING FORWARD
If we want to follow Jesus way of life, we need to get to know Him. What will help you follow Jesus close enough to get covered by the dust of the Rabbi?

Watch what God does and then YOU do it.
Ephesians 5: 1 (MSG)

Jesus believes you can be like Him.