Icebreaker
If you could change any one thing about yourself, what would you change and why?
Connecting Personally Clips - For this meeting we had a couple of “Connecting Personally” clips - Clip 1 - (:48) was an example of what communing with God through prayer can look like and Clip 2 - (4:09) shows us what reading the word to know Him can look like.
Were these clips helpful?
Is anyone trying to make this kind of communing with God a regular part of their alone time with God? If so, how is it going?
Main Clip - (27:16) - from (2:53:15)
What stood out to you the most from the main video clip? Any favorite quotes?
Did anything confuse you?
(0:30) Right at the beginning of the main clip Dan talks about communing with God through songs in worship and says, “Even if you’re not singing the song - or saying, "Well, I don’t know the song." Commune with the Lord. Get to know Him. Ask Him some questions. Thank Him for a few things. Just get personal. You know, if you never get to know the Lord you’ll get reduced to just serving Him. And your life won’t be transformed through knowing Him. You’ll just do things for Him instead of becoming more like Him through the relationship... It’s a real low level of Christian living - just serving the Lord.”
What do you think he means by “real low level of Christian living”?
What hinders us from being transformed?
(8:30) Dan talks about God making us for His image and cites several scriptures. Let’s take a look at them.
Rom 8:29 - predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son
1 John 2:6 - any man that says he abides in Him ought to walk even as He walks
John 14:12 - he who believes in me will also do the works that I do
John 20:21 - as the Father sent me, so I send you
1 John 4:17 - as He is, so are we in this world
Eph 5:1,2 - just as Jesus loved
Do any other scriptures come to your mind?
(18:00) Dan talks about the Gospel not being about just praying a prayer to go to heaven one day but heaven coming back inside of us - that it’s about putting off the old and putting on the new - that it's about a new creation. He cites several verses. Let’s take a look at those:
2 Cor 5:17 - the old has passed away behold the new has come
Eph 4:22-24 - taking off the old / putting on the new
Col 3:9-10 - taking off the old / putting on the new
Rom 12:2 - be transformed by the renewing of your mind
What are we transformed from? What are we transformed to?
(11:10) Dan talks about not wanting to bring new wine into an old wineskin. Let’s take a look at the verse he’s referring to: Mark 2:22
If new wine is the new life we have in Christ what are the old wineskins? But before you answer let's view the clip (11:10 - 13:25)
What does he mean by saying, “I don’t want to incorporate Jesus into my life, I want Him to become my life.”
(16:10) Here a good quote: “If they can’t see Jesus in our life why would they want what we have? We’ve just reduced Him to theology.”
So, why do you think God wants us transformed?
Supplemental Clips:
View Clip 5.1 - (4:18) - transformation as grace meets faith
View Clip 5.2 - (1:39)
How does transformation take place? And why is intimate communion so important?
What is your faith in? What are you expressing faith in?
View Clip 5.3 - (2:12) - putting off the old / putting on the new
View Clip 5.4 - (1:11)
So is transformation something that happens through my striving? If not, how does it happen?
View Clip 5.5 - (1:34) - potter & clay
What vital part do I have to play in being transformed?