Connecting: study for August 3.

Connecting

The Discipline in Focus

Christian community exists when believers connect with each other in authentic and loving ways that encourage growth in Christ. When we discipline ourselves to connect with other believers by engaging in transparent relationships with those in our local church we are bringing glory and honor to our God and putting ourselves in a position to grow and help others grow in Christ.

In a culture where self-reliance, self-worth, self-esteem, and self-fulfillment are considered to be the most desirable personal characteristics, connecting with others in the local church, where mutual submission, accountability, and inter-dependence are the way of life, seems foreign and even counter-productive. We are told to "exhort one another daily . . . lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin" (Hebrews 3:13). That is why Paul said to the church at Rome that they, being "full of all goodness, filled with all knowledge," were to "admonish one another" (Romans 15:14). And that is why, in the familiar passage in Hebrews chapter 10, we are told to "consider one another in order to stir up love and good works." These passages all speak of the fellowship of the church as a preventative measure—a means of restraining one another from sin.

Never in the New Testament are Christians told to "tough it out" on their own. On the contrary, for the person who thinks he can do that, in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, Paul gives a number of Old Testament examples of failure—of sin that led to destruction. Then, in verses 11-12, he says that "all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition . . . . Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. "

We are not called to live the Christian life apart from the protection of the church. The fellowship of a group of committed believers is vital to our spiritual health and to our endurance in the faith. The church, in the midst of this "crooked and perverse generation, " is just as important for our survival as the ark was to Noah and his family; they simply would not have survived without it.

Believers are commanded to diligently care for one another—to "do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith" (Galatians 6:10). "Love one another," Jesus says, "as I have loved you," giving a command for Christians to love other Christians (John 13:34). The writer of Hebrews exhorts Christians to "consider one another in order to stir up love and good works" (Hebrews 10:24). Jesus said that the greatest commandment is love—to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. "There is no other commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:30-31). When Paul referred to the commandment to love our neighbor, he concluded by saying, "Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law" (Romans 13:10). And when Jesus gave His disciples "a new commandment," it was that they should love one another as He loved them (John 13:34-35).

So it seems to us that our highest purpose—the one that encompasses and encourages all of the others—is the purpose of love. That is our supreme mission. And how are we to accomplish that mission? Are we supposed to be innovative? Should we strike out on our own initiative? Or do we have instructions to guide us in fulfilling our purpose? Have we been given a context in which love will be learned, taught, and lived according to God's design?

The New Testament speaks of the church as the context where biblical love should be given and experienced in its highest form. And most biblical references to the church are to the local church. When the New Testament writers speak of love, they use language that brings to mind unity among members and reliance upon one another. Nowhere do we find language that would encourage or affirm individuality.

You, as a Christian, were designed and created by God, not for a life of individuality and self-will, but to fill a niche in the spiritual building called the church. Connecting with other believers in our local church family is crucial to our growth in godliness. Community is our context for change.

Scripture
Hebrews 10:24-25, 1 Timothy 3:14-15, Colossians 3:15-16.

Getting Connected
We belong together, not apart. God is not a bachelor who lives alone. He is a holy community of three. And we glorify Him most when we are in a community connecting with other believers and being transformed into Christlikeness. Here are some practical things we can do to discipline ourselves to connect with other believers in a meaningful and God-centered way:
1. Commit to coming to Connect and Wow and looking to give and encourage others rather than looking to receive and be encouraged by others.
2. Choose a “one another” from the Bible (love one another, serve one another, pray for one another, forgive one another, see one another as more important than yourself etc…) and practice living one particular “one another” every day for a week.
3. Ask someone to tell you their story. Listen to them as deeply as you can. Get to know someone more than just their myspace or facebook description.
4. If you have something against another person go to that person and make peace with them. Meditate on Romans 12:18.
5. Get involved with your connect group. Call them and talk to them about life. Hang out with each other outside church.
6. Practice all the biblical “one anothers”.

Respond
1. What do you like and dislike about living life independently from others?
2. How do you respond to the words: dependent, independent, and interdependent?
3. What has your experience been like inside the Christian community?
4. How much importance do you place on meeting together with other believers?
5. Has there been a time in your life when the body of Christ (family of God) has encouraged you or gotten you through a difficult time?
6. What gifts to you think you bring to the body of Christ? Are you practicing those gifts at church?
7. On a scale of 1-10 how self-absorbed are you? How committed are you to serving others with no thought of how it benefits you?
8. How can you practice showing love to others this week? What can you do to stay connected to the body of Christ?
9. Is there a group of people who really knows you and cares about you? What is that like for you?
10. What kind of group relationships did Jesus value? Can you imagine Jesus spending his life on the cell phone and facebook, rushing to meetings, and never having time to hang out with people?
11. Who is holding you accountable in your growth in Christ? Who are you holding accountable?
12. How cliqueish are you? Are you the type to be closed off to others or open to love all people?
13. Who are the people that you trust? Who are the people that trust you? Who are you doing life with and are they pointing you towards Christ?

Study on Humility for Sunday July 27

The Discipline of Humility

Discipline in Focus

Thomas Brooks, an old Puritan pastor, once said that "The most holy men are always the most humble men." Isaiah 66:2 says, "This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." Humility is something that causes God to look our direction. God is drawn to humility. C.J Mahaney says, "The person who is humble is the one who draws God's attention, and in this sense, drawing His attention means also attracting His grace -- His unmerited kindness." God gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).

What is Humility? Humility is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God's holiness and our sinfulness. Humility is rooted in God's holiness and our sinfulness. Our pursuit of seeing ourselves honestly in light of God's holiness and our sinfulness should be motivated by the fact that humility holds out the promise that God gives grace to the humble.

In order for us to understand humility it would help us to look at pride. Pride is one of the Christians greatest enemies. Pride is when sinful human beings aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon Him. When we are being prideful we are fighting against God longing to be King; we are glorifying ourselves. God hates pride because it attempts to rob him of the glory he deserves. God opposes those who are proud (James 4:6). God is actively against those who are proud.

Humility is serving others for the glory of God.
Pride is serving ourselves for our own glory.

C.J. Mahaney says that in order to learn true humility we need more than Jesus' personal example of humble service. What we need is His death. Mark 10:45 says, "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." By Jesus' great sacrifice he has made it possible for us to achieve and experience true greatness in God's eyes. Our serving others exists only to draw attention to the source of our love and service -- our crucified and risen Lord.

Jesus's death and resurrection has opened a way for sinners to have peace with God, and be transformed to live lives of humility. The one thing that will transform us and make us into the humble people that God wants us to be is not a meeting, church service, discipleship group, or mission trip. Those things are awesome and can help, but what really transforms us is a person: Jesus Christ. When we seek to know him humility will follow.

Scripture on Humility
James 4:6, Isaiah 66:2, Proverbs 8:13, 16:5, Mark 9:35 1 Peter 5:6-7, Phil. 2.


Practical Things You Can Do - It is important to be purposeful about fighting pride and learning humility.

1. Reflect and Meditate on Jesus Christ and the Cross - This is extremely important. All of us have inflated views of ourselves, but when we come to the cross and think about what Jesus did for us and why we shrink back to our true size. Carl Henry once asked, "How can anyone be arrogant when he stands beside the cross?"
2. Begin your day acknowledging your need for God - Try and intentionally let your first thought of the day be "God, I need you for everything today." Don't wait for pride to ambush you. Go on the offensive and attack sin by confessing your total dependence on God. Martyn-Lloyd Jones once said, "Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself." Speak the truth to yourself at the beginning of each day.
3. Begin your day expressing gratitude to God - An ungrateful person is a proud person.
4. Practice the Spiritual Disciplines - Bible Study, Prayer, Meditating, and Fasting. Practice these consistently.
5. Seize the Bus Ride - In other words, use the trip to school or work as time to memorize and meditate on Scripture. Don't allow your mind to wander. Focus it on Jesus.
6. Laugh often. Especially at yourself.
7. At the end of the day thank God for all the grace given to you and your family. Give all the glory and praise to God. He is great.

Respond
1. Do you understand your need for God? What are you trying to accomplish with your life? Are you aware of your need for God's grace to give your efforts lasting value?
2. What does God think about pride? What does he think about humility? (Read James 4:6)
3. Have you seen any good examples of humility lately? What happened?
4. Where would you be today if Christ had not died for you? How would your life be different?
5. Would you describe yourself as being humble? Why or Why not?
6. How was Jesus humble? (see Philippians 2).
7. If I crossed your path this afternoon would I find someone who is thankful for what they have been given or would I find someone who always complains?
8. If a first grader asked you what humility was what would you tell them? What would you tell them about pride?
9. How does pride show itself in your relationships? Is it hard for you to admit when your wrong?
10. On a scale from 1-10, how much do you really think you need God?
11. What are some things you can do this week to cultivate humility in your life?

Controlling the Tonuge: The Discipline of Godly Communication

A connect study schedule for the next six weeks is below this post

The Discipline in Focus
“A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.” Proverbs 18:7. The way we communicate to others has incredible power and can be helpful in gauging our growth in godliness. The Bible tells us that our words are small yet pack a powerful punch (James 3:5). Words can leave an impact on us long after a person is gone from our lives. And when we look at it the other way we see that the words we speak though seemingly small can have a big impact on others. No wonder James exhorts believers to pay close attention to what they say. Words have the ability to stay with us forever.

Controlling our tongue involves being actively aware of our words and being very intentional with the words we speak as well as the tone of voice we use in all communication. Practices include: speaking the truth in love, not speaking out of anger or irritability, using words to encourage and build up, not yelling or cursing at others, refusing to take part in gossip, slander or backstabbing, refusing to tell half-truths just to better your image, using verbal and body language in a godly way, and noticing how your speech affects others.

Good communication from God’s perspective is sending a message that is holy, purposeful, clear, and timely. Also, keep in mind that communication isn’t just words, but also the volume of your voice, tone of your voice, facial expressions, hand gestures, sighing or snorting, rolling your eyes, body posture, and eye contact.

Some Learning Basics
Here are 4 Basic Principles of Communication: (Ephesians 4:25-32)
1. Be Honest (25) – Always speak the truth graciously. Speak because people cannot read your minds. Clamming up is not an option. Speak truthfully by not exaggerating, evading the truth, or using half-truths. Speak the truth graciously. Be concerned with what you say, how you say it, how much you say it, and when you say it. Become a skilled listener.
2. Keep Current (26, 27) – Failure in attempting to solve each day’s problems quickly can be sin. Don’t carry them over to tomorrow if possible. (See Matt 6:34). If we fail to solve problems quickly we open the door to resentment, bitterness, or even hatred. It can also set the stage for spiritual discouragement.
3. Attack the Problem, Not the Person (29, 30) – Do not speak words that tear down or words that grieve the Holy Spirit. Use words that edify or build up, words that help reach a solution when there are problems.
4. Act, Don’t React (31, 32) – Our reactions say a lot about us. Attitudes of bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, slander, and malice must be put off. We must instead replace these attitudes with kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness.

In order to change the way we communicate we must be disciplined. Godly communication does not come naturally. As believers we need to be aware of wrong habits and patterns and confess those to God. We must repent and begin to develop the right biblical habits and patterns. This means actually practicing the new behavior patterns (speaking truth instead of half-truths) until a new habit is formed.

Scripture
James 3:2-10, Proverbs 10:19, 11:9, 12:18, 16:24, 18:7,21.

Respond
1. What is your communication style? (talk, talk , talk; think then talk; never talk or somewhere in the middle)
2. Do you recognize when you are controlling a conversation? Do you recognize when you are being impatient with others? Or defensive? Or critical?
3. How do you feel when others dominate the conversation or outshine you?
4. When and how are you most likely to speak a harsh or impatient word?
5. How do you speak about others when they are not around?
6. Are you good at giving praise, expressing thanks, or encouragement? If not what can you do to change?
7. What is a habit of speech that you want to break? (yelling, being too critical, lying or speaking half-truths, rolling your eyes, being sarcastic, complaining etc…) What is a new habit that can replace the old one? (for example, replacing the habit of complaining with thanksgiving or the habit of yelling with giving soft answers).
8. Looking back at the past week, would God be honored with the way you communicated to others? If not, what will you do about it?

Connect Schedule Next Six Weeks

Here is the Schedule for Connect through the next six weeks. We will start a new study on August 31.

July 20 - Controlling the Tongue
July 27 - Humility
August 3 - Connecting
August 10 - Discernment
August 17 - Perseverance in the Disciplines
August 24 - The Journey Celebration

Connect Study on Learning for July 13

Learning
The Discipline in Focus How teachable are you? One of the most ignored spiritual disciplines is the discipline of learning. Often we think once we are out of school then we can stop learning (finally!). But does this sound like someone who is training themselves for godliness?

In the Bible one of the characteristics of someone who is wise is a desire to learn. Proverbs 9:9 says, “Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will ad to his learning.” If we want to be like Jesus do we have to have college diplomas? No, but if we want to be like Jesus we must be open to learning and be actively seeking to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and a disciple is one who learns.

Proverbs 10:14 says, “Wise men store up knowledge.” Those who are wise are always seeking to learn. They understand that they do not know it all.

Proverbs 18:15 says, “The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out.” Not only are wise people open to receiving knowledge, they seek it out.

Proverbs 23:12 says, “Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.” We must train ourselves to apply our hearts to seek wisdom and knowledge.

Mark 12:29-30, “Love the Lord your God with ….all your mind.” Learning is one way that we can love God.

Some Learning Basics
Learning is essential for growing to be like Christ - Romans 12:2 - Whitney states, “Growth in godliness involves a mental renewal that cannot happen without learning. And the alternative to transformation via learning is conformity to the world.” How can we become more like Christ if we are not learning through the Word what Christ is like? If we are not learning then we are not growing. Whitney says it well, “No one is changed by an unread Bible.”
Learning takes place mostly by discipline and not by accident - If you are not intentionally trying to learn all you will get is knowledge by accident and this will mostly be knowledge through TV, radio, magazine or the internet; not through God’s word. 1 Cor. 14:20 says, “Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.”

Respond
1. What new things have you learned about God or yourself in the past month?
2. What are some different ways of learning?
3. What does being teachable look like?
4. Do we have to be learning in order to be growing to be like Christ? Why or why not?
5. Outside of school, what are you learning these days?
6. This next week how can you start applying your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge?

Connect Study on Journaling

Journaling
The Discipline in Focus
Journaling is really simple. Just write. A journal is a book or notepad or whatever in which someone writes. Journals can be kept regularly or only in times of difficulty or transition.

Think about this for a second: “Without knowledge of self there is no knowledge of God.” Agree? Disagree? Whether you agree or not knowledge of ourselves and of our condition is valuable in helping arouse our desire to seek God. Journaling is a tool for reflecting on God’s presence, work, and guidance during every day life. Journaling is a great way to be alert to our own lives. It can help keep you focused and help you understand your heart better. It can be a way of reflecting on your thoughts about God. God is always at work in you and through you for the purpose of making you like Jesus for his own glory and journaling helps us evaluate that process.

In counseling, a counselor initially goes through a process called “data gathering” when meeting with someone who asks for counsel. This step is crucial because it helps the counselor understand the big picture of what is going on. Without knowledge of a person the counselor has no idea where to begin or what the difficulty is. Journaling is similar to data gathering in that it helps us to see the big picture. It can show us our thoughts on a certain subject or it can reveal potential sins in our lives that we need to repent from. Journaling can help us see why we have made a certain decision and reveal times when God has answered prayer. Taking the time to sit down and write can be invaluable to a person who desires to be like Christ.


The Value of Journaling
1. Journaling helps with self-understanding and evaluation - There are many places through out Scripture that tell us how we should think of ourselves (for example, Romans 12:3). Journaling will help you see how you see yourself. Writing down events throughout the day and your reactions to those events will pay huge dividends in allowing you to gain insight into how you view yourself and others.
2. Journaling helps in mediation - Sitting down with the purpose of meditating on the word of the Lord and having a pen in your hand to write down your thoughts and insights will help increase your awareness and expectation of hearing from God.
3. Journaling helps express our thoughts and feelings to the Lord - Psalm 62:8 says to pour out our hearts to God. Journaling is a way to express our feelings and thoughts. We can pour out what is overflowing in our hearts. Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks (and the hand writes).
4. Journaling helps us remember what God has done - How often we forget what God has done. Journaling will aid us to be like Asaph who said, “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds” (Psalm 77:11-12). Stephen Charnock once wrote, “How worthy it is to remember former benefits when we come to beg for new.”
5. Journaling helps us monitor goals and priorities - Keeping a journal can help keep before us things we want to do and focus on. Also helps us with the other spiritual disciplines and keep track of our progress.


Scripture to Reflect On
Practically all the psalms could be considered journals, Lamentations could be considered a journal of the prophet Jeremiah, Psalm 16:7, 25:4, Hab 2:1, Joshua 1:8, Psalm 119:18.

How to Keep a Journal
-Remember the purpose of journaling - for the purpose of godliness.
-Find something to write in (notebook, a journal, loose leaf paper, computer)
-Jump start your journaling by listing one verse or idea that stood out to you. Meditate on that for a few minutes and write down any thoughts.
-Consider writing down any events or situations and writing your actions, thoughts, feelings, and responses.
-Write down any prayer concerns, answered prayers, joys, sorrows, success, or failures.
-You can journal daily or weekly.
-Make a journal of photographs, articles, or drawings that you find.
-Don’t worry about spelling and grammar.

Respond
1. If you are living your life at full speed then what do you do to reflect on your life and your experiences?
2. How does writing help you focus or know what you think?
3. What is it like for you to read someone else’s published journal or diary? Notice I said published not stolen.
4. If you had kept a journal of your life up to this point do you think it would be valuable for you to read and learn from or would you think it was a waste of time?
5. How can writing in a journal help you become more like Christ? How can it help you know God better? Or know yourself better?