A "With God" Life

GATHERING TOGETHER

Welcome one another, catch up with one another and share personal stories to encourage, strengthen, and support at a time of isolation and discouragement.

PRAYING TOGETHER

Share your needs, and pray for one another.

IN THE WORD TOGETHER

Learning the way of apprenticeship together.

SERVING TOGETHER

Identify a service project to participate in together.

REVIEW QUESTION

Summarize the key insights regarding “union with Christ” from last week's sermon. What is it and why is it important to apprenticeship?

STARTER QUESTION

Describe the way of apprenticeship with which Jesus would have been familiar in light of 1st century Jewish educational practices (honey, chalkboard, dust).

IN THE BOOK

Below there are three different types of questions, so we encourage you to seek a balance if possible. In addition, there is a Leader Study Notes section for further study!

  1. The Understanding questions are designed to refresh your group's memory about the text. These can be answered fairly briefly without a need for a longer discussion.

  2. Application questions are structured to draw out the ways the text, as preached, calls us to live. You should make a strong effort in your group to point people to Scripture as they’re discussing these.

  3. We’ve built out Personal Sharing questions that connect with the sermon but make a more conscious effort to allow the members of your group to know each other better. These help to build a sense of trust by giving people a chance to share their lived experiences.

We pray that as you consider which of these questions work best for your group that God blesses your time together so that the Word of Christ “dwells in you more richly” and you become “knit together in love” as a community.

Abiding & Obeying

READ: Matthew 11:28-30

UNDERSTANDING:

What was meant by the word “yoke” when speaking of an apprentice? [See Notes]

APPLICATION:

Pastor Heath said “In our western context we have shrunken and emaciated following Jesus to knowing data about him, listening to sermons or podcasts, and making it all about performance and doing.” how does that ring true in your experience?

Read the following passages and discuss how the way of apprenticeship involves BOTH Abiding & Obeying —

Comment on Pastor Heath’s summary: “The way of apprenticeship is a “with-God” life: Being with Jesus and doing what he says.”

PERSONAL SHARING:

Share your struggles or prayer requests in terms of abiding and/or obeying.

LEADER NOTES


Invitation to apprenticeship to a Rabbi​ = “Come, follow me.” The apprentice would leave their family, home, village, and local synagogue to follow and be with the Rabbi. You would follow them and be with them everywhere following so closely and sitting at his feet so that it was said an apprentice was “covered in the dust of their rabbi.”


In Matthew 11:28-30, how was the word “yoke” used in speaking of apprentices? The Rabbi’s “yoke” spoke of his way of living, his beliefs, and his understanding of scripture.


Abiding & Obeying

  • Matthew 11:28-30 - Emphasizes the “abiding” aspect of apprenticeship. Abiding entails being in a relationship with, abiding in His love, resting in, listening to, trusting in, and relying on Jesus. Jesus calls to those who are weary, burdened, exhausted from personal performance and labors to find rest and love. This is the way of all human religion. But Jesus in the gospel calls you to cease your working and come to Christ. Become his apprentice, be in a relationship with him, rest in his accomplishments and love. This relationship with and trusting in Jesus is what provides rest to our anxious souls. His yoke is easy and his burden is light.

  • John 15:7-12 ​ - This passage ties abiding and obeying together. We can’t physically walk with Jesus, or physically follow him as the original disciples did. But we can sit at his feet by reading and meditating on the SCRIPTURES, which are his literal words and beliefs. We can abide with him in PRAYER as we talk with our Father about everything. And we can abide with him as we practice LIFE TOGETHER with his people who also have his indwelling Spirit. These are the core practices of abiding. And as we abide in Him, we grow to know and love and delight in Him, which motivates obedience and a desire to please Him in everything we do. Obeying entails keeping his Word and bearing much fruit.

  • 1 John 2:4-6​ - Here the Apostle John, who also wrote the gospel, makes the point that knowing him is closely related to obeying him. “Whoever abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” So abiding and obeying are flip sides of the same coin.

ONE ANOTHERING:

Whether you are meeting together or not, check in with one another to make sure that everyone is cared for and has what they need. Does someone in your group need help with grocery shopping, childcare, or caring for themselves? Keep a list of the ways you can provide care as a comGroup.

Remember that the Benevolence Ministry is a resource for our comGroups.

  • How can we love or serve one another this week?