Week 1: FINDING JESUS
Big Idea
Ditching the rules and rituals that come with religion is the first step to a relationship with God that can only be achieved by finding Jesus and embracing reconciliation.
Ice Breaker
Challenge each other to a game of “Would You Rather.” For example:
Would you rather pay to see the same good movie over and over, or watch only terrible movies for free? Would you rather suffer third-degree burns or lose both legs in a shark attack?
Have It Your Way
Burger King made the slogan “Have it your way” extremely popular. Although it is nice to be able to order a burger without pickles, upgrade to larger size fry, or substitute a shake for a soft drink, we as a culture didn’t limit this kind of thinking to our fast food ordering preferences. We have taken this concept of “Would you like pickles on that?” to finding an aspect of religion that we like, omitting anything that we don’t and we get a custom ala carte menu of religion that fits our own taste.
1. Give some examples of places or times where you have been able to pick and choose.
2. Why do you think people approach religion in this manner?
3. What aspects of Christianity/religion would you rather do without? Why?
Consumer Christianity
It is easy for us to gravitate to a mix-and-match religion because it is so amenable and convenient. But how does this consumer approach to religion affect those who seek to follow Christ? Consider some of these thoughts on consumer faith.
In his book The Empty Church, historian Thomas C. Reeves says:
"Christianity in modern America . . . tends to be easy, upbeat, convenient, and compatible. It does not require self-sacrifice, discipline, humility, an otherworldly outlook, a zeal for souls, a fear as well as love of God.”
Another Christian writer put it this way:
“Consumerism feels like ‘being true to myself’ or ‘choosing what rings true to me,’ but it’s actually isolated, lonely and culture-bound.”
Efrem Smith, a pastor from Minneapolis said this:
“I’m very concerned about the continual influence of consumerism Christianity and a Christianity that is very self-centered. . . . It limits the Gospel message and keeps us from kingdom community and reconciliation.”
4. Do you agree or disagree with the ideas presented in these statements? Why or why not?
5. How would you describe your attitude when it comes to faith, especially in Jesus? Explain.
a. Bargain shopper. I look for the best elements of all faiths, not just Christianity.
b. Cheap. I don’t buy into any form of religion because I’m skeptical of it.
c. Clearance rack. I only look for God when something bad happens to me.
d. Disgruntled customer. I tried God, but he really let me down.
e. Loyal customer. I try my best to trust and obey whatever Jesus says.
f. New product. I’ve grown to appreciate Jesus, but I’m still learning about him.
g. Thrifty. Church is good for me, but I’m not a fanatic who takes it too seriously.
h. Other.
Would You Rather. . .
Have Religion or Relationship?
We must begin to recognize that Christ following is inherently about a relationship with God, through Jesus. It is not a set of rules that keep us doing the right things. The Bible shows a difference between consumer—“Have it your way”—religion and true Christ following by introducing the important relational concept of reconciliation as shown in the Colossians verse below.
Read Colossians 1:21-27 (The Message)
You yourselves are a case study of what he does. At one time you all had your backs turned to God, thinking rebellious thoughts of him, giving him trouble every chance you got. But now, by giving himself completely at the Cross, actually dying for you, Christ brought you over to God's side and put your lives together, whole and holy in his presence. You don't walk away from a gift like that! You stay grounded and steady in that bond of trust, constantly tuned in to the Message, careful not to be distracted or diverted...This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it's out in the open...The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory.
It's that simple.
While this verse paints an incredible picture of reconciliation, Webster’s dictionary defines it as the process of restoring to friendship. Christ following is about our friendship with Jesus. It is personal and without pretense. It is motivated by our response to His loving sacrifice, while religion is often motivated by what makes us feel good, what fits our lives, and how we can tip the scale for our earthly and eternal benefit. Religion is our human attempt of understanding God by defining our way, our truth, and how we live.
6. What is religion to you? How would you define it?
7. How would you define a relationship with Christ?
8. What are some effective ways to change from a consumerist (what’s in it for me) attitude to a Christ-following (relationship with Jesus) attitude?
What’s Next?
Pick one of the following ways to pursue a more personal experience with Jesus this week (Bible reading, Prayer, Generosity, Communion with others, Contributing in church, or Serving others). Commit for this week to become better at this one thing.
Personal Journal and Reflection
How can you further your relationship with Christ and grow closer to God? What verses in the Bible to find helpful in this pursuit of a closer relationship with God?
Session 2
FINDING FREEDOM
Follow Up
Take a moment to revisit last week’s “What’s Next?” to see and hear how people have grown or have been challenged.
Big Idea
God has replaced our guilt and shame with right living and friendship putting us in a right relationship where we can find freedom based on His grace that is given as a gift.
Ice Breaker
How do you typically pack for a trip?
• Take everything, just in case?
• Pack light?
• Make a check-list and double check it?
• Do your best to remember, but you always forget something?
• Other: ______?
The Baggage of Our Journey
Everyone has a different style of packing. Some people like to pack three bags for a weekend getaway. Others prefer to pack just the bare necessities for survival. On our life’s journey there are many things we “pack:” skills, relationships, experiences, and memories. These enhance our lives and keep us motivated for the future. Yet there are other things that we shove into our bags: mistakes, hurts, disappointments, and failures. These things weigh heavily on us, producing guilt and shame, and keeping us from enjoying life. As we seek to understand the baggage we carry, we cannot overlook the religious baggage we may be holding. Any time we focus on rules to define our spirituality, we may actually pack heavy bags that slow us down from experiencing the true life of Jesus.
1. Describe your religious upbringing or the religious upbringing of someone you know.
2. Have you ever been affected by religious rules or duties? Explain.
3. What positive or negative experiences from your background do you think influence the way you view religion? Or, what positive or negative experiences from religion influence the way you view your life?
God, Am I Good Enough?
Do you remember playing freeze tag as a child? When you got tagged by the person who was “it,” you pretended to be frozen and couldn’t move until a free person tagged you. Sometimes we experience this type of captivity in faith. We may often feel the frustrating grip of religious legalism: striving to maintain a high standard of goodness, right living, morality, or modesty. It is an unfortunate reality found in many religions and even in many churches that makes us feel like we are never good enough.
Read Colossians 2:8:10 (The Message)
Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that's not the way of Christ. Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly.
You don't need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.
Furthermore, Christian author C.S. Lewis adds: “I think all Christians would agree with me if I said that though Christianity seems at first to be all about morality, all about duties and rules and guilt and virtue, yet it leads you on, out of all that, into something beyond.”
4. How do you interpret the statement that Lewis makes?
Read Colossians 2:13-14 (The Message)
Entering into this fullness is not something you figure out or achieve. It's not a matter of being circumcised or keeping a long list of laws. No, you're already in—insiders—not through some secretive initiation rite but rather through what Christ has already gone through for you, destroying the power of sin.
5. What do you think it means to be “in”?
Going Beyond Rules
Guilt and shame tears us away from God, making us believe we are unworthy. Do you remember that something beyond from the C.S. Lewis quote above? That “something” is the reality that God has replaced our guilt and shame with righteousness (right living) and reconciliation (friendship). This act of God which puts us in a right relationship with Him is based on grace and is a free gift. You can't earn it or do the right things to obtain it. We have to go beyond human rules to get that.
Read Colossians 2:18-23 (The Message)
Don't tolerate people who try to run your life, ordering you to bow and scrape, insisting that you join their obsession with angels and that you seek out visions. They're a lot of hot air, that's all they are. They're completely out of touch with the source of life, Christ, who puts us together in one piece, whose very breath and blood flow through us. He is the Head and we are the body.
We can grow up healthy in God only as he nourishes us.
So, then, if with Christ you've put all that pretentious and infantile religion behind you, why do you let yourselves be bullied by it? "Don't touch this! Don't taste that! Don't go near this!" Do you think things that are here today and gone tomorrow are worth that kind of attention? Such things sound impressive if said in a deep enough voice. They even give the illusion of being pious and humble and ascetic. But they're just another way of showing off, making yourselves look important.
6. Describe the kind of spiritual baggage you currently have? Explain.
a. Carry-on only. I don’t like to get too involved in faith or religion.
b. Lost luggage. Somehow I lost track of my faith in God.
c. Suitcase with wheels. I’ve had tough experiences, but God has really helped me.
d. Too many bags. Many disappointments have weighed my faith down.
e. Under-packed. I don’t have enough of the right resources in my life to pursue faith.
f. Other. _________________________.
What’s Next
Set aside time each day to read the following verses. Seek to release your negative baggage to Jesus and then find the right things in these verses that you want to begin carrying with you on your journey with Jesus.
Monday: Colossians 2:1-23
Tuesday: Galatians 5:1-16
Wednesday: Romans 3:21-26
Thursday: Psalm 32
Friday: Psalm 51
Saturday: Psalm 103
Sunday: Psalm 142
Personal Journal and Reflection
How do you want to change your religious baggage? What should you pack more of? What should you leave behind? Finish by writing a prayer of thanks to God for sending Jesus to take our guilt and shame away, allowing us to be His friends.
Session 3
FINDING LIFE
Follow Up
Take a moment to revisit last week’s “What’s Next?” to see and hear how people have grown or have been challenged.
Big Idea
Many of us follow trends and fashions that determine how we live but Jesus came to show us a better, different way to live so that we may find life through his example which has yet to become unfashionable.
Ice Breaker
Take a look at the following old photos. What were some popular brands or styles that you enjoyed when you were younger?
The Fabric of Our Lives
Going through an old yearbook or photo album is always fun. It takes us back in time and reminds us of clothes and hairstyles that once looked good on us. We were stylish then. But what once was fashionable doesn’t look so good anymore. It fell out of style. So we laugh at our big hair, funny glasses, strange shirts, and silly shoes. “Why did I wear that?” we may ask. Life in general is the same way. There are attitudes and behaviors from the past that once seemed like a good way of doing things, but not so much anymore. Ways of thinking often change in culture as time goes on. And even our own personal ways of thinking change as we grow older. Sometimes we may find ourselves asking, “Why did I ever do that?”
1. When you look at old photos of yourself, what do feel or say?
a. Embarrassed. “Put those pictures away. I looked ridiculous!”
b. Proud. “Look how cool I was: smooth and stylish!”
c. Analytical. “I was going through a phase.”
d. Hopeful. “I can’t wait for that style to come back!”
e. Other. _________________________.
2. What are some ways of thinking in our culture that you have seen go “out of style”?
3. What kinds of thinking are currently “in style”? What types of thinking in today’s culture might you like see go “out of style”?
4. Share about an attitude or action from your past that you chose to “make out of style”?
Putting Yourself Out of Style
Paul, the author of Colossians, points to a new way of approaching life, a new life “style” that Jesus offers. While this passage may seem very religious, full of “do’s” and “don’ts,” it actually presents an interesting picture of the many things in life that seem “stylish.” It reminds us of how we often shop for self-fulfilling pleasures in life. But these things are like expensive clothes that wear out very quickly. These “expensive” lifestyles end up being cheap things that leave us vain and empty. They are expensive because they disrupt and hurt all aspects of life: relationships, jobs, personal goals, faith, etc.
Read Colossians 3:1-8 (The Message)
So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective. Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life…is with Christ in God. He is your life. And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That's a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. But you know better now, so make sure it's all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk.
5. Look back at the passage. What do you think are the “things right in front of you” to which Paul refers?
6. As a Christ follower, how can you “be alert to what is going on around Christ”?
Christ-Brand Apparel
What we wear tells a lot about who we are. Likewise, so do the actions that we wear. So Paul tells us to have an eye for the right kind of “fashion.” He tells us to get a new style of behavior—a Christ-brand style.
Read Colossians 3:9-14 (The Message)
Don't lie to one another. You're done with that old life. It's like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you've stripped off and put in the fire. Now you're dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete.
So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
7. Which of the attributes listed “in the wardrobe God picked out for you” are most appealing? Which are the most difficult for you to “put on”
What’s Next?
Just as you pick an outfit to wear for each day of the week, take a moment to plan your “spiritual wardrobe” this week. Each day choose to “put on” and practice a different characteristic of Christ as mentioned above (i.e., compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline, even-temperament, selflessness, forgiveness, thankfulness, harmony, encouragement, worship, love, etc.). Practicing these attributes is not about doing the right thing and living by the rules, rather it is about becoming more like Jesus.
Plan your wardrobe below:
Sunday –
Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday –
Friday –
Saturday –
Personal Journal and Reflection
What are those cheap fashions of life “right in front of you” that hinder you from the lifestyle of Christ? How does God want to clothe you with the lifestyle of Christ (i.e. compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline, even-temperament)?
Session 4
FINDING PEOPLE
Follow Up
Take a moment to revisit last week’s “What’s Next?” to see and hear how people have grown or have been challenged.
Big Idea
The defining characteristic of a Christ follower is love for others; therefore, we find God and grow closer to Him through the good we find in people because we are created in His image.
Ice Breaker
Look at the following photos. What do you think is the story behind each of these images? Why?
Background Characters
When you watch a movie or are out in public, do you ever pay attention to the people in the background? Admittedly, it is easy for us to think of ourselves as the stars of our own dramas, and all others as supporting cast or extras which makes it tough for us to notice those around us. Besides friends and family, we interact with lots of people each day: cashiers, bus drivers, servers, bank tellers, traffic commuters, neighbors, etc.
Often we interact with these people without ever exchanging a word or looking them in the eye. And when we do notice people, it is easy to notice them on a shallow level: Are they attractive? Are they wearing an ugly outfit? Do they look rich? Do they look poor? Did they show good customer service? But it is harder to ask the following questions: What are they really like? What do they experience on a daily basis? Do they have a good life? What is their story?
1. Share about a time when you completely misjudged someone or have been misjudged yourself based on how they looked or acted?
2. What are some ways that we ignore people around us?
Oblivious or Obvious Love
At the turn of 2008, the world’s population was estimated to be 6.7 billion people. Imagine what it would be like to pay close attention to that many people. Yet, Jesus poetically reminds his followers that God cares for us so much that he even knows the count of hair on our heads. God notices everyone.
Read Deuteronomy 10:17-18 (The Message)
GOD, your God, is the God of all gods, he's the Master of all masters, a God immense and powerful and awesome. He doesn't play favorites, takes no bribes, makes sure orphans and widows are treated fairly, takes loving care of foreigners by seeing that they get food and clothing.
3. How would you describe your vision for noticing others and loving them?
a. Black Eye. I have helped others, but people have taken advantage of me.
b. Clinically Blind. I’m oblivious of opportunities to love others.
c. Glare from the sun. I get too distracted to help people.
d. 20-20. I clearly see hurting people and I show love to them.
e. Squinty. I see opportunities to love others, but I don’t know what to do.
f. Sunglasses. Honestly, I purposely look away from loving people.
g. Other. _______________________.
Orphans, widows, and foreigners were among the most ignored people in Biblical times, yet God especially noticed them. If the Bible says that humans are created in God’s image, then we are supposed to treat all people the way God would treat them. We may know what it is like to be unnoticed; it hurts living around other human beings and feeling like no one even cares about you. That is why noticing others is the first act of showing God’s love. John 13:35 states that the defining characteristic of a Christ follower is love for others.
As Christian author and speaker Tony Evans writes,
“If people have to read your mind to know that you love them, they will never really know if they have been loved. Invisible love is no love at all.”
Christian theologian Francis Schaeffer adds,
“If we do not show love to one another, the world has a right to question whether Christianity is true.”
4. Who are the “orphans, widows, and foreigners” in our society that we tend to ignore? What about in your life?
5. Share about an experience where you or someone else questioned the truth of Christianity because love was not shown by a Christian?
God’s Eye View
Prayer is our most direct form of communication with God. As Richard Foster describes it, it “is the central avenue God uses to transform us.” It draws us close to the heartbeat of God and helps us see the world from his eyes.
C.S. Lewis says, “He works on us in all sorts of ways. But above all, he works on us through each other. Men are mirrors, or “carriers” of Christ to other men. Usually it is those who know him that bring him to others. That is why the church, the whole body of Christians, showing him to one another is so important.”
Read Colossians 4:2-4
Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude. Don't forget to pray for us, that God will open doors for telling the mystery of Christ, even while I'm locked up in this jail. Pray that every time I open my mouth I'll be able to make Christ plain as day to them.
6. Share about a time when you reflected Christ by showing love to an unlikely recipient or when you have been the unlikely recipient.
What’s Next?
Read the following verses in order to develop a “God’s Eye View” of people. Use them as a guideline for how you pray for the various people that you encounter in life.
Leviticus 25:8-55
Deuteronomy 15: 1-11; 24:19-22
Psalm 82
Matthew 5:1-12; 20:20-28; 25: 31-46
Mark 10:17-31
Luke 6:27-42; 7:36-50
John 8:1-11
James 2:1-25
Personal Journal and Reflection
What is one specific way you can begin to change how you focus on those around you and reflect a lifestyle of Christ to them? List some specific ways you can be a mirror of Christ to others.
