a Fruitful & Faithful Community summer 2017

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2017 Summer Adult Bible Study at WPC Schedule

Date Topic/Message Key Passage

June 11 Bear Much Fruit John 15:8

June 18 Spiritual Gifts 1 Corinthians 12

June 25 Love One Another John 13:34-35

July 2 Role of Elders (Biblical Leadership)

1 Timothy 3; 5; Titus 1; 1 Peter 5

July 9 Priesthood of all Believers 1 Peter 2:9

July 16 Abide in the Word John 8:31-32

July 23 Fruit of the Spirit (Love, Joy, Peace) Galatians 5:22-23

July 30 Fruit of the Spirit (Patience, Kindness, Goodness) Galatians 5:22-23

August 6 Fruit of the Spirit (Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control)

Galatians 5:22-23

Preface to the study

This summer (2017) our church family will explore together the theme of being rooted in God’s love and fruitful in our faithful community. This journey will hopefully ignite some fresh conversations in our midst about how we can move beyond the sidelines of faith and into active avenues of joy and otherness.

Our elders and pastors have been praying about this season and we are excited to celebrate God’s word and invitation for everyone at Westminster to experience “more than we could ever ask or imagine”.

Purpose:

• Growing as a family in faith • Discovering our spiritual strengths and giftedness

(ASSESSMENT) • Encouraging active contribution to our community

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June 11 How to bear fruit

Read John 15:1-8 (Jesus is speaking…) 1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Commentary

“At a time when all of His disciples are feeling as if they are about to be uprooted, Jesus sketches a picture of this new life as a flourishing vineyard—a labyrinth of vines and strong branches steeped in rich soil, abundant grapes hanging from their vines ripening in the sun. Jesus sculpts a new garden of Eden in their imaginations—one that is bustling with fruit, sustenance, and satisfying aromas. This is the Kingdom life. It is all about connection, sustenance, and beauty. But within this promise of life is the warning that people must be in Christ or they will not experience these blessings.” (from, The Voice, on John 15)

Context:

1. Jesus’s relationship to the Father is described in this allegory first (he is the gardener). How does Jesus describe this relationship throughout his earthly ministry? Why might this be important?

In the Old Testament, vineyards were pictures of God’s abundance, protection, and prosperity (Isaiah 5:1-8). Israel then is depicted as a vineyard (“a choice vine”, Jeremiah 2:21) for the hope of their fruitfulness. Conversely, they showed the painful reality of what happens what God removes his hand of protection and blessing (Jer 12:10).

“The Apostle Paul would always argues first that the Gospel must take root in your heart before it can produce fruit outside of the heart.” Josh Patterson, The Village Church

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2. What might be significant about Jesus’s usage of this powerful and familiar metaphor for to describe himself, as “the true vine” (v.1)?

3. How might his hearers experience delight? Or frustration?

Study:

4. (v.3) Jesus claims that his word has cleaned his disciples. What do you think this means?

5. Verse 4 explains that we are unable to bear fruit on our own – apart from Christ. How have you found this to be true or not?

6. How do we contrast the branches who bear fruit from the branches that do not?

7. Knowing that many have heard Jesus’s words but not let them “remain” in their hearts shows us how people walk away from Jesus all the time. As such they like the branches whither, die, and are thrown away. How do you practice a life of remaining (aka abiding) in Christ?

8. In reading (and re-reading) this passage what words or phrases stick out in your mind?

Application:

“In the process of all that God has taken through…he is exercising his prerogative as the vinedresser to trim clean and affect fruitfulness… When we resist the painful cut of God’s word, we diminish out potential and the evidences of Christian character are unseen in our lives. “ Alistair Begg

9. Where have you noticed in your life the fruitful effects of following Christ and keeping his words?

10. Where have you noticed a lack of fruitfulness?

11. Jesus makes a promise in verse 7: (From The Voice translation) 7 If you abide in Me and My voice abides in you, anything you ask will come to pass for you. 8 Your abundant growth and your faithfulness as My followers will bring glory to the Father. …How are we to rightly ask for “whatever you wish”?

12. What do you want to ask for in light of this study?

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June 18 Gifted for the Common Good.

Read 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 (Paul writes…) 1Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

Commentary

Like a parent calling for a family meeting, the apostle wrote a letter aimed at the heart of unifying the people of God in Corinth. Their pride, nobility, and snobbery intermingled with their Roman (and pagan) culture to create divisions that had to end. (1 Cor 1:10)

No one has a right to a spiritual superiority complex – not with the God’s choice to use the “foolish things of the world to shame the wise” (1:27). Therefore, Paul hopes to build on the foundation he had laid in the gospel (3:10) and see this church mature into the healthy image of the body of Christ – Paul’s favorite metaphor for the Church. Using the illustration of the Eucharistic bread, Paul urges the people to be of one loaf (10:7) and participate together with thankfulness and regard for one another.

When we arrive a 1 Corinthians 12, Paul is ready to present clear doctrine on the purpose of spiritual gifts as they are given and manifested “for the common good” (12:7).

[Chapters 12-14 – “one seamless piece” …I will show you a more excellent way)

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Context:

1. When we speak of the work of the Spirit, we see overwhelming acts of supernatural power. Jesus promised such – that we would be … How is this power displayed in the manifestation of spiritual gifts?

2. How might Jesus have intended this power to be experienced in community? (See John 17:20-23)

3. Before the coming of the Spirit, were there spiritual gifts? How were they understood at the time?

Study:

1. What is the role of the Holy Spirit in our words and worship? Why might Paul make this declaration in light of giftedness? (v2-3)

2. How does Paul contrast the church’s “differences” and “similarities”?

3. Paul also writes of spiritual gifts in Romans 12:6-8, Ephesians 4:7-13 and 1 Corinthians 12:28-31. How do these other accounts of the gifts strengthen your understanding of gifts?

4. Who is benefitting from the gifts? Can someone have a gift and only use it for personal growth? (v7) Why is this important?

Application:

Gene Wilkes: “Ken Hemphill defines a spiritual gift as “an individual manifestation of grace from the Father that enables you to serve Him and thus play a vital role in His plan for the redemption of the world.” Peter Wagner defines a spiritual gift as “a special attribute given by the Holy Spirit to every member of the Body of Christ according to God’s grace for use within the context of the Body.” I like to use this definition: A spiritual gift is an expression of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers which empowers them to serve the body of Christ, the church. “

While many followers of Christ are able to observe giftedness in themselves, we need others’ help and resources to discover our developing gifts. This summer we will use “Spiritual Gifts Discovery” tool (see wpcspartanburg.org/gifts) and our hope is that everyone will discover how God empowers each of us to serve the body of the Christ.

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5. What are my spiritual gifts?

6. Where can I be using these in the life of our community?

7. The Gifts work alongside your existing passions, talents, strengths, interests, personality to participate in and encourage the community. Where have you found this to be true? Where might you pursue using any/all of these personal gifts?

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June 25 Love One Another

Read John 13:34-35 (Jesus is speaking…) 34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Read John 15:9-16 9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

Commentary from Oswald Chambers (https://utmost.org/love-one-another/)

Love is an indefinite thing to most of us; we don’t know what we mean when we talk about love. Love is the loftiest preference of one person for another, and spiritually Jesus demands that this sovereign preference be for Himself (see Luke 14:26). Initially, when “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5), it is easy to put Jesus first. But then we must practice the things mentioned in 2 Peter 1 to see them worked out in our lives.

The first thing God does is forcibly remove any insincerity, pride, and vanity from my life. And the Holy Spirit reveals to me that God loved me not because I was lovable, but because it was His nature to do so. Now He commands me to show the same love to others by saying, “…love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). He is saying, “I will bring a number of people around you whom you cannot respect, but you must exhibit My love to them, just as I have exhibited it to you.” This kind of love is not a patronizing love for the unlovable— it is His love, and it will not be

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evidenced in us overnight. Some of us may have tried to force it, but we were soon tired and frustrated.

“The Lord…is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish…” (2 Peter 3:9). I should look within and remember how wonderfully He has dealt with me. The knowledge that God has loved me beyond all limits will compel me to go into the world to love others in the same way. I may get irritated because I have to live with an unusually difficult person. But just think how disagreeable I have been with God! Am I prepared to be identified so closely with the Lord Jesus that His life and His sweetness will be continually poured out through Me? Neither natural love nor God’s divine love will remain and grow in me unless it is nurtured. Love is spontaneous, but it has to be maintained through discipline.

Context:

1. What is Jesus explaining is about to happen?

2. Why might this be important in light of the new command?

3. What are the things that Jesus commanded?

Study:

4. What kind of “love” is Jesus talking about? How can love be a command?

5. If Jesus is the supreme example of love for us, what would that make our love look like?

6. What would not loving like Jesus look like?

7. How does the world witness come to recognize the disciples’ love?

Application:

8. If we are loving like Jesus what should our community look like?

9. Jesus commands us as an encouragement to continue to live out the “law of Love”. How is loving others difficult for you?

10. How might the command incite faithful obedience and encourage new disciplines of loving others in your life and in our community?

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July 2 The Role of Christian Leaders: 1 Timothy 3, 5; Titus 1; 1 Peter 5, James 5

1 Timothy 3:1-7 1Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. 2 Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. 5 (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. 7 He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.

Titus 1:5-9 5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. 6 An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

1 Peter 5:1-7

To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder and a witness of Christ’s sufferings who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. 5 In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,

“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 Timothy 5:17-20

17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” 19 Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.

James 5:14 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

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Commentary

Biblical leadership is challenging model that contrasts our modern culture of power, ambition, politics, and influence. The Bible uses overseers (episkopē= epi (over) + scope (sight)) and deacons (diakoneō, attentive care/minister) to describe two offices of leadership. While Jesus lived out and described a community (Kingdom of God) that reverses the assumptions of power (see Mark 10:35-45, his Apostles helped spell out some specific nuances of healthy leadership. Notice in these passages the attention to service and accountability – to moral uprightness – to faithfulness to doctrine. For our conversation, we consider both pastors and elders as living out this instruction and the community/church to understand and submit to their leadership.

Context:

1. Why do you think the church fathers cared so much about church leadership?

2. What was happening at the time of the early church and why might that be relevant?

Study:

3. As you read through each passage, what stands out to you regarding the requirements for leadership?

4. Paul’s lists in 1 Timothy and Titus provide several expectations for leaders. Which, if any, seem reasonable…or unreasonable?

5. What would you expect to see on the list(s) but do not?

6. How would you summarize the authors’ intentions in each passage?

Application:

7. How do you personally apply this passage? Are you in leadership? Should you be? If not…why?

8. Westminster’s process for recognizing and calling elders is based, in part, on these passages. Is there someone you believe you should affirm in their calling to church leadership?

9. How are you able to practice faithful submission to leaders? Why is it difficult at times to do so?

10. How might we encourage and support the work of church elders/pastors?

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July 9 Priesthood of all Believers

1 Peter 2:4-10 4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8 and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Commentary #1

The Apostle Peter had taken his commission to lead the Church quite seriously. Yet, in his office of leadership, he rejoiced in each person’s access to Christ. For in Christ, the Church is a movement of men and women who are not spiritually bound to any facility or authoritative body to gain access to God or remission of sin. Now that we are “a people” we possess the rights to forever be in God’s presence and make spiritual sacrifices that he would receive and enjoy, rather than rely on our petty attempts to gain his favor on our own.

Today, we credit Martin Luther, the 16th century German monk and reformer as the “father” of “priesthood of all believers. Though he does not use the phrase in his writings, he envisioned a Church of unleashed laity. Writes Dr. Art Lindsley,

Luther thought that “this word priest should become as common as the word Christian” because all

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Christians are priests. Yet for whatever reason, the priesthood of all believers has been much less understood, taught, and expounded upon in writing.

When Luther referred to the priesthood of all believers, he was maintaining that the plowboy and the milkmaid could do priestly work. In fact, their plowing and milking was priestly work. So there was no hierarchy where the priesthood was a “vocation” and milking the cow was not. Both were tasks that God called his followers to do, each according to their gifts.

Some however have misunderstood this kind of priesthood, thinking that it means, as Peter Leithart posits (sarcastically),

“believers can do very well without attachment to any church, thank you very much. Each believer is a church unto himself. Renouncing Rome’s one Pope, Protestantism has created thousands.”

This was not Luther’s view. Priestly ministry was ministry within and to the church. To be a priest means to be a priest for someone.

Leithart’s perspective of Luther might sound peculiar to us; where we see an internal personal application, there is in fact a very corporal one. Quoting Luther’s own commentary,

“The fact that we are all priests and kings means that each of us Christians may go before God and intercede for the other,” he wrote in a preface to the Psalter. “If I notice that you have no faith or a weak faith, I can ask God to give you a strong faith.” Timothy George captures Luther’s viewpoint in one sentence: “Every Christian is someone else’s priest, and we are all priests to one another” (emphasis added).

But for Luther, the priesthood of believers was not an excuse to abandon the church, but rather described the shape of life in communion with the body of Christ and the family of faith. It was not a call to individualism, but summoned individuals to serve God, others, and the common good of the church. It did not free the believer from obedience to authority or leave him free to do as he thought best.

Context:

1. What were the purpose of priests originally? What did they do? Where did they do it? How did they interact with others?

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Study:

2. Underline all the metaphors/descriptions Peter gives for the church. Which phrase stands out to you the most?

3. “A holy priesthood” was always God’s vision for his people to become (ref “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” Exodus 19:4-6), what might it look like for God’s people to be a “house” made of priests offering spiritual sacrifices to God?

4. Peter refers to 3 prophetic statements from the Old Testament. How does the fulfillment through the person of Jesus translate into our priesthood? Or a rejection of the former model of priesthood?

5. How were we not “a people”? How does Jesus make us into “a people”?

Application:

6. What is our purpose in becoming God’s priesthood?

7. Do you ever fall victim to the belief that you need another person (i.e. pastor/minister/priest/etc) to gain access to God? (Read Gia’s story below!)

8. How might our community at WPC embrace God’s vision for complete spiritual access and, as Leithart suggests above, becoming priests for one another?

Commentary #2: Gia’s Testimony

Some of my earliest memories mingle inextricably my deep love for family and music and for Jesus. I grew up Greek Orthodox in the Bible Belt, and I have come to believe that there was such a beautiful purpose in God’s plan for me in first coming to know Him in a church setting in this way- not only establishing my roots in family and traditions and music there, but also establishing my love for Christ.

Symbolism is such an important thread that weaves through the “why” behind the “what” in the Orthodox

Church, and I can remember even as a child wanting to understand the meaning in so much of what I experienced. Without this understanding, there are so many external things happening that can be misunderstood or done eventually in a rote way – things that are intended to be done with a reverence and veneration of Jesus and His story of salvation at the center of it all. We were never venerating wood and paint, but loving Jesus when my tiptoes lifted me to press my lips to an icon. Making

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the sign of the cross or “stavro” became a way to give my mind and heart, my all to Christ and to remember Father, Son, and Spirit. Going to my priest for the sacrament of Confession meant I was confessing to God in the presence of a priest who would witness my heart and offer counsel and forgiveness from God. Perhaps the Icon stand or “Iconostasis” which separates the nave or body of the church from the altar and where only the clergy could go was most mysterious to me, and as I became an adult, could not understand, among some other foundational ideas, why that separation still existed.

It is with this understanding and in no way to shed a negative light that perhaps, though, the idea of “the priesthood of believers” is one of the things that I find so much freedom in as an adult. 1 Timothy 2:5 says: For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity- the Man Christ Jesus”, so that through Christ we have been given direct access to God, just like a priest. He is equally accessible to all the faithful.

One of the most powerful and moving pictures of this for me is represented in Mark 15:37 when Jesus breathes his last breath and the curtain is torn from “top to bottom”. My commentary says, “A heavy curtain hung in front of the Temple room called the Most Holy Place a place reserved by God for himself. Symbolically, the curtain separated the holy God from sinful people. The room was entered only once a year, on the Day of Atonement, by the high priest as he made a sacrifice to gain forgiveness for the sins of all the people. When Jesus died, the curtain was torn in two, showing that his death for our sins had opened up the way for us to approach our holy God. (Please also see Hebrews 9!)

This curtain was incredibly thick, and as it tore from top to bottom, my mind has always imagined God’s hand rending this curtain and opening up a new way through the sacrificial rending and death and resurrection of His beloved Son. It is finished. What a beautiful invitation for all to now come to God through His beautiful Son. Indeed, what a costly gift and what freedom that 1 Peter 2:9 talks about, ‘But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you- from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.”

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July 16 Abide in the Word

John 8:31-38 ESV 31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. 38 I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”

Commentary

John Piper:

The world is not just divided into two groups: disciples of Jesus and non-disciples. It is divided into three groups: non-disciples, unreal disciples, and real disciples — people who make no pretense of following Jesus, people that say they follow him and have a surface connection with him, and people who truly follow him.

Why did Jesus bring up this distinction? It’s disturbing. It makes us squirm and ask ourselves the question which one we are. He brought it up because verse 30 says, “As he was saying these things, many believed in him.” There had been a large response to what he was teaching. And whenever there is a large response to anything you may guess that some are being carried along by the crowd. If your friends are going, it’s easy for you to go, even if you wouldn’t go on your own. You are along for the ride.

So Jesus doesn’t assume that all this belief is real. What he does is give a test that we can use to see if we are real. And in giving us this test Jesus helps us be real. It is not just a test of reality. It is a pathway to reality.

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Context:

The scene is Jerusalem. The crowd is Jewish – with suspicious Pharisees ready to probe the teacher.

1. What happened in the preceding verses (1-11) that give us some context for the conversation? Why might this matter?

2. Why do the Pharisees struggle with Jesus’ authority?

Study: (from http://www.desiringgod.org/)

3. What does it mean to “truly be Jesus’s disciples”? (“You are truly my disciples.”)

a. Piper: “True disciple means true believer or true Christian or true follower. It means, for example, truly forgiven for your sins. Look at verse 24: “I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” So he says, if you do believe in me, you won’t die in your sins.”

4. What is Jesus referring to by the phrase “my word”? (“If you abide in my word…”)

5. What does it mean to be “in” that word? (“If you abide in my word…”)

6. What does it mean to “abide” there? (“If you abide in my word…”)

7. What’s the relationship between abiding in his word and truly being his disciple? (“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.”)

Application:

8. How does this affect my understanding of true discipleship?

9. What is Jesus asking of me?

10. What is the portrait/story of a community who fully abides in the summation of Jesus’s teachings?

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July 23 Fruit of the Spirit, part 1: LOVE, JOY, PEACE

Galatians 5:22-23

16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.17 For the

desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh,

for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to

do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.19 Now the works of the

flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife,

jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and

things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not

inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things

there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with

its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the

Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Commentary from The VOICE (🌳)

Justin: Paul’s letter to the Galatians dealt with a controversial topic of “circumcision” and its place in Christian faith. He argues that those who preach works of righteousness through the outward rituals are in error. He explains further that the flesh produces harmful works and that we need the Spirit to produce any godliness.

The Voice: Paul has been preaching about the call of God to freedom, and so he now spells it out: we are done with the demands of the law; now we are free to live in the Spirit and to be truly right with God. As free people, the Spirit gives us the characteristics of Jesus; we, too, can freely love in joy and peace. We can have patience along with kindness and faithfulness that can only come from the Father. We can reflect the goodness of God while being gentle in operating with self-control. For those who follow Him and live in the Spirit, these characteristics or fruits are a gift from God. As we grow in the faith, we find that we belong to God and can walk daily in the Spirit.

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Context & Study:

1. Vs. 19-21 – How might the “works of the flesh” be considered as earthly virtues of a sort?

2. How does Paul contrast the “works of the flesh” with the “fruit of the Spirit”?

3. How does Love strengthen a community?

…Joy…? …Peace…?

4. What might make spiritual Love / Joy / Peace unique in the ancient world?

Application:

5. Where has LOVE (Agape-love) brought you encouragement?

6. How do we express JOY in all circumstances? Give an example of a time when you were able to be JOYful when normally you could (or should) not be?

7. What would JOY with others look like?

8. Where do you need PEACE in you relationships? Are there others in your life who experience a lack of harmony (conflict) and need God’s peace?

9. Where do you see our church community living out love, joy, or peace?

10. How might we need more of the Spirit’s fruit (in regards to love, joy, or peace) to be present in our community?

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July 30 Fruit of the Spirit, part 2: PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS

Galatians 5:22-23

the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Commentary from Kyle Livingston

Of all the things we try and teach our kids, patience, kindness and goodness are virtues we pray that they embody on a regular basis. We want them to be “good” boys and girls, “kind” to others and “patient” with their siblings. While these noble attributes certainly are attractive in most cultures and religions, Christianity separates itself from others by using the Creator of the Universe as its primary source of inspiration. The God who created patience, kindness and who is good demonstrates these fruits by remaining in a covenant relationship with His chosen people: “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth…”. (Exodus 34:6)

Aside from our attempts to be “good” people, what does it mean to express and embody “goodness”? Scripture demonstrates that goodness always comes from God. It implies prosperity (1 Kings 10:7), abundance (Psalm 65:11) and generosity (Nehemiah 9:25) towards others. When we allow the goodness of God to enter our lives we in turn become changed people, fresh fruit. As a result, we become a people who are less self-centered and more attuned to our identity as adopted sons and daughters, heirs of His throne.

One final thought: In an age where critical words can quickly humiliate a person’s reputation and challenge one’s identity, Christ challenges us to act out of His goodness in patience and kindness. Mother Teresa said that “kind words can be short and easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless.” As believers in a God who speaks words of affirmation and encouragement, often the best way to be kind towards others is to listen. James writes, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” (James 1:19-20) May we be a body of believers who are dedicated to living out God’s patience, kindness and goodness towards others.

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Context:

1. What “works of the flesh” (vs 19-21) might be diminished by the fruit of patience, kindness, goodness?

Study & Application:

2. How do Patience, Kindness, and Goodness relate to one another when it comes to our attitudes and actions of our neighbors, loved ones?

a. What about toward those we oppose? (i.e. enemies, difficult people, those who wrong us, even unintentionally)

3. Patience can be useful in our relationships with others…even ourselves! But what about our relationship with God? How do we need patience in this sacred relationship? Why do we need the Spirit’s supernatural help with this? (Bonus Commentary from Henri Nouwen (link)

How do we wait for God? We wait with patience. But patience does not mean passivity. Waiting patiently is not like waiting for the bus to come, the rain to stop, or the sun to rise. It is an active waiting in which we live the present moment to the full in

order to find there the signs of the One we are waiting for.

The word patience comes from the Latin verb patior which means “to suffer.” Waiting patiently is suffering through the present moment, tasting it to the full, and letting the seeds that are sown in the ground on which we stand grow into strong plants. Waiting patiently always means paying attention to what is happening right before our eyes and seeing there the first rays of God’s glorious coming.

4. Kindness. Romans 2:4 and 11:22 describe God’s kindness toward us. How does this demonstrate our spiritual kindness toward others?

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a. What other attitudes or demonstrations of kindness do our community need?

b. Why do acts of kindness (random or planned) surprise us?

5. Goodness. Martin Luther described goodness as the willingness to help others in their need. Another word for this is generosity. How has God used the generosity of others to bless you?

a. How as He given you generosity…to bless others? (Use this opportunity to give God credit for helping you grow…not as an opportunity to boast of your charity.)

6. Of the three godly character traits (patience, kindness, goodness), which of these do you need? (maybe today’s response will differ from tomorrow’s)

7. How does WPC express these godly attributes well? What do you think our church needs to experience more of?

8. How does our community (local/global) need to experience more patience, kindness or goodness from the Church?

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by Max Lucado, from Let the Journey Begin

Because of Calvary, I’m free to choose. And so I choose.

I choose patience. I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite Him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I

will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose kindness. I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me. I choose goodness. I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

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August 6 Fruit of the Spirit, part 3: FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, SELF-CONTROL

Galatians 5:22-23

the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Commentary from Martin Luther’s Commentary on Galatians (link)

Luther’s classic commentary offers some great insight from a lifelong student of Scripture and

prayer. While this translation (from German) uses different words than our NIV text, notice how these final attributes of Christ’s presence-in-us reject the works of the flesh “division, envy, drunkenness, drunken revelry and other shameful vices”. Paul’s fruit-list concludes with very practical effects of the spiritual life that bring unity to relationships and produce righteousness in us. The hope found in this fruit is that God’s love and power together make beautiful things out of our natural disposition of sin. After all…

24 Those of us who belong to the Anointed One have crucified our old lives and put to death the flesh and all the lusts and desires that plague us.

Review/Context:

1. What is Paul’s message to the Galatians regarding freedom? What does this have to do with community?

Study/Application:

2. Read Luther’s description of “FAITH”. How has God given you this kind of faith?

“Faith. In listing faith among the fruits of the Spirit, Paul obviously does not mean faith in Christ, but faith in men. Such faith is not suspicious of people but believes the best. Naturally the possessor of such faith will be deceived, but he lets it pass. He is ready to believe all men, but he will not trust all men. Where this virtue is lacking men are suspicious, forward, and wayward and will believe nothing nor yield to anybody. No matter how well a person says or does anything, they will find fault with it, and if you do not humor them you can never please them. It is quite impossible to get along with them. Such faith in people therefore, is quite necessary.”

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a. What kind of life would this be if one person could not believe another person?

b. Why is trust is so difficult to rebuild when it’s lost?

c. How might temptation prevent us from experiencing whole/trusting relationships?

3. How has God given you gentleness?

“Meekness. A person is meek when he is not quick to get angry. Many things occur in daily life to provoke a person’s anger, but the Christian gets over his anger by meekness.”

“True gospel-humility means an ego that is not puffed up but filled up. This is totally unique. Are we talking about high self-esteem? No. So is it low self-esteem? Certainly not. It is not about self-esteem. Paul simply refuses to play that game. He says ‘I don’t care about your opinion but, I don’t care that much about my opinion’ – and that is the secret. A truly gospel-humble person is not a self-hating person or a self-loving person, but a gospel-humble person. The truly gospel-humble person is a self-forgetful person whose ego is just like his or her toes. It just works. It does not draw attention to itself. The toes just work; the ego just works. Neither draws attention to itself.” Timothy Keller, “The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness.”

4. How has God give you self-control?

“Temperance. Christians are to lead sober and chaste lives. They should not be adulterers, fornicators, or sensualists. They should not be quarrelers or drunkards. In the first and second chapters of the Epistle to Titus, the Apostle admonishes bishops, young women, and married folks to be chaste and pure.”

a. How might God use meekness and temperance together to avoid “enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, (or) envy”? (vv20-21)

Luther’s reflections on Gentleness/meekness provide an example of the broader definition of self-control/temperance. While his application is upon lusts of the flesh (as listed earlier in vv19-21), the same can be said of all areas of inhibition and uncontrolled desire – not matter how harmless they begin.

5. What’s an example of a harmless desire that grows to become a work of the flesh?

6. Are all desires able to be good? Are all desires corruptible?

7. If these fruit(s) are meant to unite and work against division in community, how do you see them at work here at WPC?

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Personal Application:

8. Take some time to reflect on the areas of your life where you need spiritual fruit to bring healing and unity to your life (family, community, church). What works of the flesh caused this division? (v.19-21)

(Pause to privately repent of your actions/inactions that led to this.)

9. What can you expect Jesus to do through you to bring healing and restore joy to your life?

Epilogue

What has this summer study taught you?

Which areas of ministry are you ready to engage more with this Fall?