Lessons: Walking with Jesus

Bible Doctrines

Love. The most basic idea in Christian faith is simply that God is the source of love. The Message Bible translates Genesis 1:26 as: “Let us make human beings … reflecting our nature.” If we truly believe that God created us to reflect godly nature, and if we truly believe that God is love, then if God is present in our lives, we can reflect this love through our actions. Easy to say, isn’t it? The question is, how? How can we do this in our messed up, broken lives?
Faith. Faith is not to be confused with rational conviction. Faith in the biblical sense is not based primarily on our reason (even though it is not unreasonable or irrational!); nor is it based on our emotions (though emotions do play a role). Faith is a deep-rooted assurance that affects the entire person. Faith is a principle that governs the life. Faith is the means by which we reach out and grab hold of the promises of a God we can’t see yet we know is there.
Hope. Hope is a defining characteristic of people with faith. We have hope because our faith informs us that, in spite of all appearances to the contrary, an infinitely good and powerful God is in control of the circumstances of our lives.
Life. People nowadays live much longer than in previous generations, especially people in the so-called developed world. In itself, that’s good, of course. But long life, if it’s just more years, is not always a blessing. It’s one thing to live a long time, but what about the quality of life itself? Sometimes doctors perform all kinds of heroic actions to artificially keep a person alive even if the person has very little, if any, quality of life left. Ethical people understand that quality of life is not restricted to an acceptable level of physical well-being; it has a wider application. What do we do with the years that we have been given? Do we live with a purpose and in harmony with others? Do we live in satisfying relationships with fellow human beings and, most of all, with our Creator? These are important questions for all who have been given the gift of life.
Revelation. For some people, God is a distant power who at a remote moment in the past set the world in motion but no longer interferes with what happens here. That, of course, is not the God portrayed in the Bible, who instead is consistently shown as a Father (Deut. 1:21), Mother (Isa. 66:13), Shepherd (Isa. 40:11), Protector (Ps. 68:5), Strong Tower (Prov. 18:10), and many other images, all of them proclaiming love, involvement, and watch care.
Sin. As bad as sin is, it’s not the end of the story. Sin is real, but so, thank God, is divine grace.
Baptism. If following Jesus can be compared to a race, how does one go about starting the race? Where do you sign up? How do you register? Where do you get your numbers? Jesus prescribes an initiation rite for his disciples to administer to new followers: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...” Matthew 28:19
Grace. What are some of the images God uses to teach us the plan of salvation? What is atonement? How central is the concept of substitution to our understanding of the Cross? These are some of the questions we will explore.
Rest. Two basic institutions for all humanity date from the first week of earth’s history: marriage and the Sabbath. They are intrinsic parts of the divine intentions for human happiness. No wonder that both have, through the ages, been so much under attack from the evil one. God knew what humanity would need, and He therefore created, time with a perfect cycle of six “normal” days plus one extraordinary day, the Sabbath. Those who have respected this divinely instituted rhythm have been blessed by it.
Heaven. From the moment Adam and Eve lost the Edenic paradise, every generation of God’s people has waited for a new heaven and a new Earth as their eternal home. For many today, however, the word “heaven” has become meaningless, a concept that belongs to the realm of fairy tales. We delude ourselves, they say, if we think there is some kind of life beyond this current existence. Some go so far as to say that it is positively wrong to tell people that there is a heaven. They argue that it keeps people from putting all their efforts into what they could achieve in life here and now.
Discipleship. Although all people are fundamentally equal in the eyes of God, there are major differences in the manner in which they function. Some have the gift of leadership. Our society, and every organization within society, would soon collapse if there were no leaders. Even in heaven there appears to be differentiation of roles. There are, for instance, angels and archangels! When God called His people out of Egypt, He appointed leaders. When He organized a sanctuary service, He made sure there would be leadership. God worked through judges, prophets, kings, and so on.
Stewardship. Until recently, the term stewardship was not used much in the contemporary world outside of churches. More recently it has become a major theme of books about management in both business and nonprofit organizations.
Community. There are two kinds of community: The one that exists for “Number One,” or, at best, follows “enlightened self interest,” recognizing that what is good for the group may sometimes be ultimately best for the Almighty Me, and therefore should be pursued. And there is the community that exists for the purpose of blessing others. Which do we really, at heart, want to belong to?
Finding a Church. For many of us, the church is already chosen! Either our parents were our denomination or we chose the church ourselves and now are members. But think about the person who does not belong to a church. If you were in their place and began to think about choosing a church, how would you go about doing so?
Mission. In God’s marvelous master plan to spread the gospel, He has devised a strategy that is both corporate and personal (1 Cor. 12:11-28). There is one body, but that body is constructed of many members working harmoniously to achieve the end of sharing the good news of salvation with a dying world.

Spiritual Disciplines

Prayer Part 1. In Christianity, prayer is a given. Everybody knows that prayer … How would you finish that sentence? What is it every Christian knows about prayer? More specifically, what do you know, and therefore think and feel about prayer?
Prayer Part 2. In Christianity, prayer is a given. Everybody knows that prayer … How would you finish that sentence? What is it every Christian knows about prayer? More specifically, what do you know, and therefore think and feel about prayer?
Bible Study Part 1. Bible study; what do these two words bring to mind? Do you relate them perhaps to a time when you were eager to learn as much as you could about God, or the Bible’s content? Perhaps, there is a sense of guilt that comes because you haven’t spent more time reading the Bible. Or, perhaps, there is recognition of how far you have come from your earliest reading of this Divine Record. Nonetheless, God’s Word is a continually accessible spiritual resource and still remains the primary means of learning about and experiencing God.
Bible Study Part 2. Why study the Bible? Why include the study of the Bible as a spiritual discipline? For many today the Bible has been irrelevant; yet in recent weeks, the natural disasters along with economic insecurity have driven people back to the Bible again. Through the centuries the Bible has outlasted it’s enemies and survived as God’s Word, despite the death of it’s heroes. Today, there is no doubt that it has revealed itself to be the eternal Word of God providing answers that speak to the present context and individual life.
Meditation. The goal of meditation is to slow down the talking that goes on constantly in our brain. We chatter to ourselves incessantly. And for the most part, we are completely unconscious of this chatter. The process of meditation is designed to make us aware of this chatter and help us slow down so God can get a word in edge-wise.
Service/Volunteering. Serve. Service. Servile. Servant. Server. Servitude. Serving. [Take just two or three minutes to collect reactions to these different words.] It’s odd, really, the wide variety of ideas and reactions to these very similar words. The first seems somehow positive and noble, at least usually. “How may I serve you?” The last one might be a description of an action, or a description of a certain amount of food. Why do some of these words carry such negative connotations?
Fellowship. Fellowship, like God, is, was, and will be. Before our universe, there was fellowship. Before time as we measure it began, there was fellowship. God’s proclaimed goal is that when time ends, what will remain is a perfect community.
Sabbath Keeping. In a modern world where time is money, businesses operate twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, personal worth is defined as net or gross, happiness is bought and sold in the form of pills and worship is a phenomenon studied in anthropology classes, the concept of taking a Sabbath rest is foreign.
Witnessing. John is the Bible writer who most uses the term “witness,” though Paul uses it many times as well. Most of the mentions of witness in the three synoptic gospels are about false witness. However, in John 1, John the Baptist is four times called a witness of the Light coming into the world in Jesus. In later chapters, Jesus calls Himself a witness to the truth, and accuses His hearers of refusing His witness. He also says, in John 5:31-36 and in 8:18, that God bears witness to Him, not He to Himself, and that if one does not want to believe God, one should at least believe the witness of Jesus’ life and works. In the epistles 1 John and 3 John, again it is usually Jesus whom John calls the witness. In Revelation, Jesus is the Faithful and True Witness.
Simplicity. Who in your neighborhood has the nicest car? Who in your extended family has the nicest house? Which of your friends dresses the best? You could probably answer these questions in about ten seconds. Why? Because we notice these things, which means they matter to us on some level. We rank ourselves next to our friends, family and neighbors automatically, gauging where we sit in the hierarchy of Things.
Hospitality. We’re going to examine hospitality in this session. We want to expand our definition of hospitality and come up with some new ideas to try. We want to understand how hospitality can help the spiritual growth of both host and guests. A session such as this does not allow a complete course on all aspects of hospitality. There is a handout with a reading list which will take you as far as you wish to go into the subject. (See Handout 4.) However, what we do here today will help you to discover the unique elements of your own talents and gifts, and you will go away with the start of a plan you can implement.
Confession. Everyone knows what it means to confess. That’s when you admit what you did wrong. And it usually includes being sorry. Right? Well, yes, but it turns out confession is a lot more than that, too. In the Hebrew, the word used is yadah, meaning “direction,” or, more literally, “to use or hold out the hand.” It also includes things like cast, shoot, praise and making confession or thanksgiving. In particular, this term is used in descriptions of the sacrificial offerings. The penitent is to lay hands on the head of the animal and yadah his sins. It seems as if confessing might mean casting away our sins, which seems very desirable, and may be our devout wish. But might it also include the idea of first opening the hand rather than hiding the sins, then holding the sinful hand open, truly acknowledging or “owning” the sin? The root word is yad, which means “hand” and also “power.”
Fasting. It is an ancient custom among believers to engage in “fasting and prayer” on special occasions. What is fasting? How does it relate to things spiritual? Most people today probably think of it primarily as a diet designed for quick weight loss. Or, perhaps a vague idea that it is something one might do to overcome guilt from indulging too much in things that are not good for us. Our purpose here is to understand from the Bible and in practical ways the spiritual discipline of fasting.
Humility. According to Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, humility is “the quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one’s own importance, rank, etc.” Interestingly enough, at the bottom of the page is this list of synonyms: “Humility; bashfulness; distrust; suspicion; doubt; fear; timidity; apprehension; hesitation.”
Selectivity Concerning Popular Culture. Some followers of God have been called out of the world and into a simple life, learning to be faithful and true in the company of nature and nature’s God. Others have been called into the world, learning to be faithful and true while also being faithful to high-status business and politics, though these always remain second place to God. What does it mean to be “in the world, but not of the world”?
Wellness. The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” (WHO Preamble) This definition is consistent with the biblical principles of healthful living, which often addresses the issues of physical health alongside the issues of mental or spiritual health. In Jeremiah 33:6 God promises He will “heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.” Health is not simply being free of mental and physical disease; it is a wholeness of mind and body which lets us live our lives to the fullest.
Worship. Who decides what worship is? Is it right to make the older members of a congregation uncomfortable in an effort to encourage and keep the younger? Is it right to make the younger members uncomfortable in an effort to please the older? Do we need entire congregations with different styles of worship so that all may find a style they like and worship with others who feel the same? Some congregations are large enough to have two services with different styles, and that works well in some places.
Spiritual Gifts. How can you best serve Jesus? What are your spiritual gifts? Is God calling you to a specific mission or purpose in your life? We will get to all those questions; that is “the bottom line.” It is important to first lay a foundation in Scripture. What does the Bible mean by “spiritual gifts” and what does it specifically teach on this topic? It is often the cause of controversy or extravagant claims.