becoming a fully devoted follower of jesus

44
an introductory study through the five traits of a fully devoted follower

Upload: wawasee-bible

Post on 11-Mar-2016

222 views

Category:

Documents


2 download

DESCRIPTION

An introductory study through the Five Traits of a Fully Devoted Follower.

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

an introductory study through the five traits of a fully devoted follower

Page 2: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

becoming a fully devoted follower of jesus2

Becoming a Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus© 2011 Josh Weiland

Wawasee Community Bible Church2035 E 1300 N | Milford, Indiana | wawaseebible.com

All Scripture References are from the English Standard Version of the Holy Bible (ESV) unless otherwise noted.

Page 3: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

WAWASEE COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH2035 EAST 1300 NORTH • MILFORD, INDIANA 46542 1

BECOMING A FULLY DEVOTED FOLLOWER OF JESUSOur purpose at Wawasee Bible is to see people transformed into fully devoted followers of

Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. A Fully Devoted Follower

of Jesus is characterized by the following five traits:

1. A Fully Devoted Follower Learns Continually. A fully devoted follower learns continually

to know Jesus through the Word of God and to image Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.

2. A Fully Devoted Follower Worships Passionately. A fully devoted follower worships Jesus

first, expressing his supremacy in all they are and all they do.

3. A Fully Devoted Follower Loves Selflessly. A fully devoted follower loves Jesus by serving

others selflessly.

4. A Fully Devoted Follower Gives Sacrificially. A fully devoted follower gives sacrificially of

their time, talent, and treasure to demonstrate Jesus’ greatness and build his Kingdom.

5. A Fully Devoted Follower Lives Missionally. A fully devoted follower lives as a missionary

to their culture, loving people and introducing them to Jesus.

Page 4: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

becoming a fully devoted follower of jesus2

Page 5: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

WAWASEE COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH2035 EAST 1300 NORTH • MILFORD, INDIANA 46542 3

SO... YOU’RE A CHRISTIAN...NOW WHAT?!?Have you ever heard someone talk about becoming a Christian and they basically reduce it

to getting some kind of eternal fire insurance? You know how it goes, “I became a Christian, I

prayed a prayer, I trusted Jesus and now I’m not going to hell.”

So many people (if they were brutally honest) see becoming a Christian like winning some

cosmic “Get Out of Hell Free” card. As a result their faith does nothing to change their life! The

scary thing about this is that the Bible teaches if your life never changes after becoming a

Christian, that you’re probably not really a Christian at all. At Wawasee we say it like this, “If your

faith hasn’t changed you, it hasn’t saved you.”

The purpose of our church is to see people transformed into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ

through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Before we dive into our study together,

I want you to notice three things about this statement that are important for you now as a new

Christian.

FIRST: The goal is that you’d become a fully devoted follower of Jesus. Not just someone who

says they’re a Christian, but someone who follows Jesus daily and lives like it!

SECOND: It’s an issue of transformation not just information. You’re not there yet, but by God’s

grace he will transform your life to be more and more like Jesus over time, not simply fill your

head with bible knowledge.

Page 6: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

becoming a fully devoted follower of jesus4

THIRD: God is the one who will do the heavy lifting of transforming your heart. The only way

this happens is by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Your focus as a follower of

Jesus will be to study the Word to learn more about Jesus and to rely on the Holy Spirit to help

you live like Jesus.

With that in mind, let’s dive into our study over the next five weeks of what it means to be a

fully devoted follower of Jesus!

Page 7: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

WAWASEE COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH2035 EAST 1300 NORTH • MILFORD, INDIANA 46542 5

Page 8: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

becoming a fully devoted follower of jesus6 1

Page 9: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

WAWASEE COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH2035 EAST 1300 NORTH • MILFORD, INDIANA 46542 7

LESSON 1

THE GOAL: BE LIKE JESUSA Fully Devoted Follower Learns Continually

First off, it’s important to note that we’re not just talking about becoming a Christian. We’re

talking about following Jesus. The reason people get messed up in their idea of what it means

to be a Christian (the fire insurance people) is because they see avoiding hell and/or getting to

heaven as the end game. For them the goal is to become a Christian… and that’s it, everything

is taken care of. But that’s not the goal! Becoming a Christian is the first step in following him,

not the end game.

Remember this idea: the goal of your life as a Follower of Jesus is to become like Jesus. Take

a minute to write down a few thoughts of what it might look like to be like Jesus:

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Grab your Bible. In the very beginning of the Bible, God creates everything, including mankind.

Read Genesis 1:26-27. In the space below, write down bullet points of everything you

observe about how God created mankind from that passage.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________1

Page 10: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

becoming a fully devoted follower of jesus8

Depending on what translation you used, one of the things you should have listed was that

God created mankind in his own image, or in his likeness, to be like him. This might be one of

the most important truths for you to grasp in your journey of following Jesus and becoming

like him: You bear God’s image! The difference between humans and every other part of God’s

creation is that only mankind is said to be made in the image of God, in his likeness. Read

through the first two chapters of Genesis, see if the bible says that about anything else God

creates… (Hint: it doesn’t!)

Because God is more valuable than anything else, the fact that you bear his image makes you

(and all of mankind) more valuable than any other part of creation. You were made to be like

him, to honor him, to love him, to have relationship with him. But something tragic happens

in Genesis 3. Adam and Eve sin against God and the way in which they bear God’s image gets

distorted. It’s broken and corrupted by their sin. Instead of being friends with God, they are

now afraid of him because they’ve become his enemy. Originally Adam and Eve were created

to bear God’s image perfectly, but when faced with temptation they failed the test, and as a

result their sin and their corrupted image of God is passed on to us.

Jesus, like Adam, began his earthly life without sin, imaging God perfectly (see Hebrews 1:3).

Also, like Adam, he was faced with temptation (see Matthew 4:1-11), but unlike Adam, Jesus

passed the test and never sinned (Hebrews 4:14-15). Romans chapter 5 talks a lot about this. In

verses 18 and 19 it says, “Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one

act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one

person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will

be made righteous.” (NLT)

Page 11: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

WAWASEE COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH2035 EAST 1300 NORTH • MILFORD, INDIANA 46542 9

Since you have made a choice to trust what Jesus accomplished for you on the cross and

follow him, you’ve moved to that second category of people, the ones made righteous.

Because of Adam your ability to bear God’s image was distorted by sin, but because of Jesus,

your ability to bear God’s image has been renewed and now you can grow in your ability to

image God more accurately. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says it this way, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,

he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold, the new has come.”

Remember, the goal of your life as a Follower of Jesus is to become like Jesus. This happens as your

ability to image God is restored by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God working

in your life.

At Wawasee Bible we talk about it this way, A Fully Devoted Follower Learns Continually. Here’s

the idea: you continually learn about Jesus through his Word, and you continually learn to

image (or become like) Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.

1. Continually Learning About Jesus From the Bible

Read 2 Timothy 3:16. List out the ways that God’s Word is helpful in restoring the way you

image God.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Page 12: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

becoming a fully devoted follower of jesus10

Read Colossians 3:9-16. Part of your journey in following Jesus and becoming like him

requires that you spend time studying the bible. As verse 16 says, that the word of Christ

would “dwell in you richly”. After each of these lessons is a Scripture verse to memorize. Part of

your growth to be like Jesus will include regularly memorizing Scripture.

2. Continually Learning to Image Jesus by the Holy Spirit

In 2 Corinthians 3:18 it says, “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the

glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are

changed into his glorious image.” Paul tells us that as followers of Jesus it’s like a veil has been

removed so that we can see and reflect God as we were intended. He goes on to say that this

happens by the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives.

Page 13: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

WAWASEE COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH2035 EAST 1300 NORTH • MILFORD, INDIANA 46542 11

THIS WEEK:

Read Philippians 3:1-4:1. In this passage the Apostle Paul talks about his journey in learning

to reflect Jesus and become like him. He list things that he once thought were good, but

now recognizes don’t matter compared to knowing and honoring Jesus. Journal about these

questions as you read: In what ways did Paul change? How did he change? In what ways are

you like Paul? Where are some areas of your life that you need to learn to be more like Jesus?

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Memorize 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old

has passed away, behold, the new has come.”

Page 14: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

becoming a fully devoted follower of jesus12 2

Page 15: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

WAWASEE COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH2035 EAST 1300 NORTH • MILFORD, INDIANA 46542 13

LESSON 2

BE LIKE JESUS: WORSHIP GODA Fully Devoted Follower Worships Passionately

In the next four lessons we’ll look at steps you can take to become like Jesus.

Have you ever heard of a group of people in the bible called the Pharisees? They were

probably the most religiously devout people alive in Jesus’ day. As you read the Gospels you’ll

find them mentioned often because they were the leaders in the synagogue (or what we

might think of as leaders in the local church). They were well studied and rightly desired to

honor God in everything they did, obeying all of his laws. The Pharisees became so consumed

with obeying the laws God commanded that they endeavored to make a list of every rule they

could find in Scripture and then work as hard as they could to follow every one. They came up

with a list that was 613 rules long!

Their original intentions were good, they wanted to honor God! But over time their focus

on rules actually created a barrier to pleasing God, because obeying the rules became more

important to them than God himself. In the midst of their desire to follow God’s rules, the

Pharisees had become hard-hearted towards God and people.

Jesus, on the other hand, was focused on loving God and loving people. In their hardness of

heart, the Pharisees thought Jesus was just ignoring the Law, disregarding their rules, and they

despised him for it. At one point they tried to trap Jesus when a lawyer among them asked

(referring to the 613 rules from Scripture), “Teacher, which is the most important commandment

Page 16: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

becoming a fully devoted follower of jesus14

in the Law?” Obviously if Jesus answered with command X, they could counter and say, “Well

what about commandment Y?!? Do you disregard that?” They were setting a trap for Jesus so

they could criticize and condemn him.

Jesus, being Jesus, answered them in a way that left the Pharisees unable to respond. His

answer was profound and we need to look at if we’re going to follow him and live like him. He

said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your

mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor

as yourself. On these two commands depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (You can read this

entire story in Matthew 22:34-40)

With that answer, Jesus effectively summed up every single command in the bible. He basically

said, “Let me boil your 613 rules down to two: Love God and Love Others. That’s how God wants

you to live. Obey these two commands and you’ll obey all 613.” This is exactly how Jesus lived.

He passionately loved God and selflessly loved others. If you can learn to live out those two

commands, you are learning to live like Jesus!

Write out or talk about some examples you’ve come across of people or churches enforcing

religious rules to follow. How would loving God and loving others make that rule unnecessary?

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Page 17: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

WAWASEE COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH2035 EAST 1300 NORTH • MILFORD, INDIANA 46542 15

Command #1: Love God

In this lesson we’re going to explore the first command, Love God. Jesus said we should love

God with all of our heart, soul, and mind. When he says this, Jesus is actually quoting a passage

from the Old Testament in Deuteronomy 6 called the Shema (pronounced: “sheh-MAH”). Last

time we talked about studying the Bible to see how Jesus lived. Here’s one example to pay

attention to, he memorized Scripture! The Shema says, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord

is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your

might.” Jewish people would memorize this and recite it day and night, even posting it on the

door frame of their homes. It was called the “Shema” because the first word, “hear”, is “shema” in

Hebrew. So hear God’s Word, then obey!

Let’s look at a few passages of Scripture that talk about loving God. What do each of the

following passages have to say about loving God?

John 14:15

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

1 John 5:2-3

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Galatians 5:16

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Page 18: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

becoming a fully devoted follower of jesus16

Crush Your Idols

Another way we could talk of loving God would be to say we worship him. Every person is

created by God and designed to be a worshiper. As a result, we are all constantly worshiping.

We either worship and love God, or we worship and love something he created. When we

worship or value anything before or above God, the bible says we’ve created an idol and have

committed idolatry.

An idol is anything we put in a place of high esteem that really only God deserves to have.

And whatever we put in that place of greatest worth and importance, whether it’s God or

something/someone else, affects us and shapes us. Check out how Darrin Patrick, a pastor in

St. Louis, talks about the way worship affects us:

What we put in the place of God captures our imagination and heart, and then we become servants of our object of worship. The word worship actually comes from the Old English phrase “worth shape,” which implies that the object of our worship will necessarily shape us (our worth) in a comprehensive way. Our object of worship will always be the primary influencer of our thoughts, our emotions, our actions, and, of course, our lives. This is why we cannot be both servants of God and also of idols. Ultimately we worship God or we worship idols. As the psalmist declares, “Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false”—that is, to an idol.

1 Corinthians 10:31 says that we should do everything to the glory of God. In some of the

passages earlier we saw that if we truly love God, we obey him. It’s like saying God’s love

language is obedience. Do you want to truly love and worship God? Do you want to avoid

idolatry? Then as you read and study his word, do what it says! Obeying God = loving God.

Page 19: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

WAWASEE COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH2035 EAST 1300 NORTH • MILFORD, INDIANA 46542 17

Jesus is clear that if you are to love him, to obey him, you must repent—that is turn—from

worshiping your idols, and turn to love, obey and worship Jesus. So what are some of the idols

in your life? Make a list. What things do you value above God? Take some time and start making

a list of your idols, then later spend some time in prayer repenting from them and turning

back to Jesus. Until you do, you will never become a Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus who Worships

Passionately!

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

ROAD MAP vs. RULE BOOK

Here’s one final and very important thought to consider as we wrap up our discussion about

obedience and loving God... Many people look at the Bible and get frustrated. To them it’s just

a big list of do’s and don’ts, as if God just wants to make their life miserable with a bunch of

rules as their great cosmic kill-joy. But that is so far from the truth!

When you think of the bible, don’t regard it as a rule book, look at it as a road map. It’s God’s

plan for you to live by. His directions for your life to get from here to eternity with Jesus. He

Page 20: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

becoming a fully devoted follower of jesus18

gives it to you because of his great love for you and his desire that your life experience would

be all that he designed it to be! So when you read the Bible and God says “Don’t…”, what he’s

really saying is “Don’t hurt yourself! Don’t do that! Because if you do, the end result will be painful

and will hurt you.” When you can learn to see God’s commands through that lens, you will learn

to love and obey God at a whole new level.

Page 21: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

WAWASEE COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH2035 EAST 1300 NORTH • MILFORD, INDIANA 46542 19

THIS WEEK:

Each day this week read 1 John 2:6 and 5:2-3. Take some time each day to meditate on

these verses. Spend time thinking about them. Then write about areas of life where you might

need to make some changes and express your love for God by obeying him. You may need to

confess sin to God and/or to other people, repenting (turning) from it, and seeking forgiveness.

Ask the Holy Spirit to bring specific things to your mind and areas of life that you could work

on as you learn to walk as Jesus walked.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Memorize Matthew 22:37-38: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with

all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.”

Page 22: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

becoming a fully devoted follower of jesus20 3

Page 23: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

WAWASEE COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH2035 EAST 1300 NORTH • MILFORD, INDIANA 46542 21

LESSON 3

BE LIKE JESUS: LOVE OTHERSA Fully Devoted Follower Loves Selflessly

The first thing Jesus commands is that we love God. The way we love God is through

obedience. Jesus then gives a second command in Matthew 22 that he says is like the first,

that we must love our neighbor as ourselves. If we obey these two commands we obey all of

Scripture!

34But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

– Matthew 22:34-40 (ESV)

Try this in the table on the next page. (You did something like this in our last lesson, but we’re

going to do it again.) In the first column, write out five things that you know God would want

you to obey, five commands or rules. For example, you might pick a no-brainer like “don’t steal.”

You can be that generic, or you can get really specific, the important thing is that you list five

things that God would clearly say, “Obey this!”

Five. Ready? Go!3

Page 24: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

becoming a fully devoted follower of jesus22

OBEY THIS! THE GREAT COMMANDMENT

Page 25: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

WAWASEE COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH2035 EAST 1300 NORTH • MILFORD, INDIANA 46542 23

Now in the second column, next to the thing that God says, “Obey this!”, explain how if

you obeyed the Great Commandment of “Love God, Love Others” you would also obey this

command. Back to our “don’t steal” example, you might write, “If I truly loved others and loved

my neighbor as myself, I wouldn’t steal because I wouldn’t want someone to steal from me. Loving

them like I love myself means looking out for and doing what is best for them.”

Got it? Go!

______________________________________________________________________________

How’d it go? Was it hard to see how obeying the Great Commandment fulfilled the other

commands God gives? Hopefully not. That exercise is simply to help you begin to see that part

of living like Jesus, of rightly reflecting his image, means I learn to obey his commands and

demonstrate my love for him.

One of the ways for you to learn to love selflessly like Jesus did is for you to get into a small

group where you can connect with others. In that group you’ll study God’s word together,

you’ll laugh together, cry together, pray together and grow in your knowledge and likeness

of Jesus together. As you grow closer, the goal is that you might allow them to know you and

love you like Jesus does. God has designed you to do life with other people in community, not

to go through life all alone. And learning to love others selflessly and to be loved is essential if

you are going to continue to grow to be like Jesus. This is so important for your growth. If you

don’t know someone in a small group that you could connect with, call the church office and

we will put you in contact with someone.

Page 26: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

becoming a fully devoted follower of jesus24

THIS WEEK:

Read Acts 2:42-47. Make a list of all the ways you see people in the early church loving God

and loving each other. Start making a your own list of ways you can begin to love and serve

others like they did.

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Memorize Matthew 22:39-40: “And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets”

Page 27: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

WAWASEE COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH2035 EAST 1300 NORTH • MILFORD, INDIANA 46542 25

Page 28: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

becoming a fully devoted follower of jesus26 4

Page 29: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

WAWASEE COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH2035 EAST 1300 NORTH • MILFORD, INDIANA 46542 27

LESSON 4

BE LIKE JESUS: GIVEA Fully Devoted Follower Gives Sacrificially

If you’ve ever stumbled across some of the weird programming on “Christian” TV, then

chances are when you just read “A Fully Devoted Follower Gives Sacrificially” it made you a

little nervous. You know what I’m talking about, you’re thinking right now of that show where

some guy in a cheap suit tells you to put your hands on the TV while he prays for you and

subsequently reveals that God told him you should send your next five paychecks to him.

You’ve seen that guy, or one just like him. These guys usually have their wife along side them

who wears so much make-up she looks like she lost a paintball war. — Well by God’s grace, I

promise you that he will never be a pastor at our church!

People get nervous when you start talking about giving, because immediately they think of

money. I’m not going to mislead you, God’s desire would be that you’d learn to give financially

to help spread the Gospel, but he desires you give a lot more than just your money. We’re

going to look at the idea of giving in three areas: Time, Talent, and Treasure.

Before we go on, though, you might be asking yourself, “What does giving have to do with

living out the Great Commandment, loving God and loving others?” That’s a great question.

Page 30: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

becoming a fully devoted follower of jesus28

Let me try to answer it by asking you a few true/false questions. Let’s be continual learners,

though, and look at what God’s Word has to say about each question not just what you feel or

think. So before you answer True or False, look up the Scripture passages accompanying it and

then answer the question.

1. True or False: God created everything.

Genesis 1:1, Colossians 1:16

2. True or False: Since God created everything, he owns everything.

Deuteronomy 10:14

3. True or False: Everything that was created (which would include the stuff I have, even myself) belongs to God and was created for God.

Colossians 1:16, Romans 11:36, 1 Corinthians 8:6

Do you get the point? Everything is God’s, he owns it all, so I should use my time, talent, and

treasure to worship him and serve others—to love God and love others.

GIVE YOUR TIME

What does it mean to give my time? Well, it means scheduling out time during my day or during

my week where I intently focus on loving God and loving others. It could include scheduling

time alone with God each morning to pray and study his word. It could mean not scheduling any

activities on a Wednesday night so I could participate in a small group or serve in a mid-week

ministry. God has given the same amount of time each day to everyone: 24 hours. How much of

Page 31: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

WAWASEE COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH2035 EAST 1300 NORTH • MILFORD, INDIANA 46542 29

your time are you willing to sacrificially give so that you can love God, love others, and grow to

be like Jesus?

Do this exercise. Use the little calendar below and go through each day of your typical week.

First, write down things you regularly do. Work, school, TV, etc. After you’ve done that, go back

and circle those things that represent time you are already giving to serve and/or spend time

with God. That might include church on Sunday, a weekly bible study, etc. Finally, go back

again and schedule in a slot where you might be able to start giving up time to serve and/or

spend time with God.

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Page 32: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

becoming a fully devoted follower of jesus30

GIVE YOUR TALENT

God has blessed you with talent, some things you’re good at. It could be a skill with your hands

like carpentry. It might be a skill with your mind like accounting and working with numbers.

Maybe you’re an artist or a musician. Maybe you’re just really good with people. It could be any

number of different talents, but you do have some. You need to realize that God is the one who

has blessed you with those talents. He designed and created you to be who you are, and that

includes your interests, your personality, and the things you’re good at. His desire is that you

would use those gifts and abilities to glorify him and bless others. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says that

“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

So what are you good at? If you’re not sure then start with what you like to do. Make a list.

In the chart below, take the left hand column and list three things you’re good at and/or

just enjoy doing. (Chances are if you enjoy doing it, you’re good at it.) Then in the right hand

column, just come up with a way or two that you could love God or love others doing it.

I’m Good At... One Way I Might Love God or Love Others Doing This Is...

Page 33: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

WAWASEE COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH2035 EAST 1300 NORTH • MILFORD, INDIANA 46542 31

GIVE YOUR TREASURE

What treasure has God given you? Think of your money, but don’t think only of your money… Do

you have a home? A car? A giant flat screen TV? A huge back yard? What treasure do you have?

Don’t forget, they all belong to God. He’s just loaned them to you for a while. So how could you

use those treasures to love God and love others? Maybe you could host a meal at your home.

Maybe the student ministry would be able to use your mini-van to take kids on a retreat. What

treasure do you have to give? And are you willing to give it? Make a list below of your treasure. In

the right-hand column write out how could you use it to love God and love others?

List your treasure. How can you use this to love God or love others?

Page 34: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

becoming a fully devoted follower of jesus32

THIS WEEK:

Read Mark 1:14-39. In this passage Mark follows Jesus through a busy stretch of ministry. As

you read, look for ways that Jesus and/or his followers gave up their time, talent, or treasure to

love God and/or love others. Make a little chart like the one below and fill it up with as many

examples as you can find.

Verse Who? What did they give?Time/Talent/Treasure?

How did their giving serve to love God and/or love others?

Memorize Matthew 6:19-21: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth

and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in

heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For

where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Page 35: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

WAWASEE COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH2035 EAST 1300 NORTH • MILFORD, INDIANA 46542 33

Page 36: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

becoming a fully devoted follower of jesus34 5

Page 37: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

WAWASEE COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH2035 EAST 1300 NORTH • MILFORD, INDIANA 46542 35

LESSON 5

BE LIKE JESUS: INTRODUCE OTHERS TO JESUSA Fully Devoted Follower Lives Missionally

When you begin to really live out the Great Commandment by the power of the Holy Spirit,

loving God and loving others, something starts to change in you. You gain this desire to draw

others in. It motivates you to find others who don’t yet know Jesus to share Jesus with and

invite them to become a Christian. To become a fully devoted follower of Jesus with you.

In addition to a Great Commandment of how we should live our lives, Jesus also gave out

some final instructions before he ascended into heaven. He gave us a mission to accomplish.

This mission is found in Matthew 28:19-20.

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (ESV)

This passage is commonly referred to as the Great Commission. It’s the mission that Jesus

gives to the church. If the Great Commandment is how we’re supposed to live, the Great

Commission is what we’re supposed to do.

Page 38: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

becoming a fully devoted follower of jesus36

It’s important for you to notice two things from this passage: 1) Your God-given mission is to

make disciples. 2) Jesus is with you the whole time.

JESUS SAYS TO MAKE DISCIPLES

There is only one command in the Great Commission, “make disciples”. Part of the end game in

your growing to know and become like Jesus is that you would do what he did. Namely, make

disciples. That you would go out and find others to follow Jesus with you. This probably sounds

like a daunting task, especially for someone still learning to follow Jesus and be a disciple

yourself, but it’s really not all that complicated. You can begin to make disciples and reach

other people even now.

First, Jesus said you make disciples by baptizing them. That’s the first step in making a disciple,

you help them come to the point where they place their trust in Jesus’ death on the cross

for their sins and receive the forgiveness and salvation he alone offers. Baptism is simply the

sign by which a person says for the first time, “I’m in! I’m putting my full trust in Jesus and him

alone. I’m identifying myself with him and choosing to begin following him with my life. Sign

me up. That’s my team. Let’s get at it.” You help them become a Christian.

Second, you make disciples by teaching them to obey all that Jesus has commanded. Yikes, that

seems like a lot! How in the world will I ever be able to teach someone to obey everything

that Jesus commanded? Well, go read Matthew 22:37-40. Remember that passage? Again,

obeying everything Jesus has commanded is really not all that complicated! Jesus sums up

Page 39: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

WAWASEE COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH2035 EAST 1300 NORTH • MILFORD, INDIANA 46542 37

everything that he commands in the Great Commandment: Love God and Love Others. He

says if you just obey those two commands you’ll obey all of Scripture. So what is step two in

making a disciple? Teach this new Christian to love God and love others. Show them how. Live

it out with them.

Basically living out this fifth trait of a fully devoted follower of Jesus, living missionally and

making disciples, just means that you spend time with other people and help them live out

each of the five traits.

REMEMBER: JESUS IS WITH YOU ALL THE TIME

When you’re going about living missionally, sharing the Gospel and making disciples, never

forget that Jesus is with you. He said so. Jesus said, “And behold, I am with you always, to the

end of the age.” He says, “While you’re making disciples, never forget that I’m with you. I’m in

this, too, and I won’t leave you hanging. Keep your eyes on me!”

Maybe, then, you should think of the Great Commission as the Great “Co-Mission”, you on

mission with Jesus. Following him, imaging him, doing what he does, loving like he loves,

serving like he serves, giving like he gives.

Page 40: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

becoming a fully devoted follower of jesus38

THIS WEEK:

Begin making a list of people that you come in contact with week in and week out. It could be

family members, coworkers, neighbors. Who do you come into contact with on a regular basis

through the natural flow of your week? Now pick two or three and begin praying for them

regularly. Start a list of ways you could begin to live missionally and make disciples as it relates

to just those two or three people. How can you begin to reflect Jesus to them? How can you

help them come to follow Jesus?

Who do I regularly come in contact with? How do I know them? Do they know Jesus yet?

Memorize Matthew 28:19-20: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them

in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I

have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Page 41: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

WAWASEE COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH2035 EAST 1300 NORTH • MILFORD, INDIANA 46542 39

Page 42: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus

becoming a fully devoted follower of jesus40

NOTES

Page 43: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus
Page 44: Becoming A Fully Devoted Follower of Jesus