How to be Truly Human

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

Pray for the well-being of our congregation and community (spiritual, emotional, physical), particularly during this holiday season that can be a trying time for many.

IN THE WORD TOGETHER

Let’s focus our attention on this Advent on the wonderful gift of Christ, given by the Father out of his storehouse of love, grace, and mercy for our salvation!

SERVING TOGETHER

Identify a service project to participate in together.

REVIEW QUESTION

None this week.

STARTER QUESTION

What is your experience with apprenticeship? Share any examples or thoughts of what an apprentice would look like or be doing in your experience.

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.

Definition of Apprenticeship

READ: Mark 1:16-20 & Matthew 28:18-20

UNDERSTANDING:

Is “being an apprentice” an advanced stage of being a Christian — Why or why not?

What was Pastor Heath’s definition of apprenticeship? [See Notes]

APPLICATION:

Discuss how each of the following key words contributes and is necessary to the definition. [See Notes]:

  1. embodied

  2. loving trust

  3. empowered by Spirit

  4. transforming into His image

PERSONAL SHARING:

Which of these seem most challenging to you in your apprenticeship journey?

Paradigm or Model of Apprenticeship

READ: Galatians 2:20-21

UNDERSTANDING:

What are the four keywords included in the Model of Apprenticeship? [See Notes]

APPLICATION:

What is the significance of “UNION with CHRIST?” [See Notes]

What is the tension between ABIDING & OBEYING that Heath described? How do we rightly put them in relation to one another “like two wings of an airplane?” (Mark 8:34-35)

What is the end result of apprenticeship? [See Notes]

PERSONAL SHARING:

A key point throughout the explanations of what apprenticeship looks like was that it doesn’t exist outside of relationship. What are some of the apprentice-like relationships in your life? What are some moments in those relationships that were significant?

Practices of Apprenticeship

UNDERSTANDING:

Under what What are the 7 Practices of Apprenticeship? [See Notes]

APPLICATION:

Pastor Heath quoting Dallas Willard: “Grace is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning. Earning is an attitude. Effort is an action”

Why is this quote important to your understanding of being an apprentice?

PERSONAL SHARING:

How are you doing in practicing these without using them to earn God’s love?

LEADER NOTES

Definition of Apprenticeship - ​Apprenticeship is embodied loving trust in Jesus, empowered by His Spirit, transforming us into His image.

  1. What are the implications of the words “fully embodied?” ​ - This means that apprenticeship is a whole-life way of being and seeing in the world ... it includes your blood, sweat, and tears ... your hands, feet, head, and heart ... your words, thoughts, and emotions. Fully embodies implies that Jesus is Lord of all our being and doing.

  2. What is meant by “loving trust?” ​- This means we live in accordance with what Jesus tells us about reality. Jesus defines in his Word what is the good life--what is good, beautiful, and true. He teaches us how to live in wisdom, and how to be truly human as God designed us to be. And it is “loving” trust, not cold obedience. It is working out our love for him. So the WHAT of apprenticeship is “fully embodied loving trust.”

  3. What is meant by “empowered by the Spirit?” -​ This is the “HOW” of apprenticeship. It is through the miracle of the indwelling Spirit that enables the acting out of our love and trust in Jesus. A Christian, by definition, is one who has the Spirit of Jesus dwelling in them. We are called to “walk by the Spirit” and to “be led by the Spirit” (Gal. 5).

  4. What is the significance of “transformed into His image?” ​ - This is the WHY of apprenticeship. The goal is to become like Jesus, to be transformed into His image. Being transformed into the image of Jesus glorifies God, and is the way we become truly human as we were designed to be--like Jesus.

Paradigm or Model of Apprenticeship

UNION​ → ​ABIDING & OBEYING​ → I​MAGING

  1. UNION - ​Every Christian is a miracle. An apprentice is one who has been united to the Master. United to Jesus. Union with Christ is one of the deepest, most profound truths of the Christian life. The life of Jesus leads to the death of Jesus, and then to the resurrection of Jesus, and to the ascension of Jesus ... and ultimately to the incredible truth that JESUS GIVES US HIS SPIRIT! This occurred historically in Acts 2 where the Holy Spirit was poured out on believers there indicating their REGENERATION, NEW BIRTH, ADOPTION, and given NEW HEARTS. This is how the Triune God immerses us into the life of God. This is described in Gal. 2:20-21 where Paul describes it as Christ BEING IN US, and we BEING IN CHRIST. Paul teaches that an apprentice of Jesus is called by him, and united to Him by His Spirit so that Jesus' life is within us by HIS SPIRIT.

  2. ABIDING & OBEYING - Apprentices ABIDE ​with the Master and OBEY what the master says. ​With Union with Christ as the life-giving reality through His Spirit, we turn to our daily being. Being with the Master is at the core of being an apprentice. An apprentice painter spends her days with the master, watching, observing, talking, asking questions, learning, absorbing the way of the master. There is a true relationship established around the key of BEING WITH or ABIDING. But it is not just BEING WITH, but there is DOING as well. The apprentice doesn’t just watch, but takes up the palette and brush and puts paint on canvas. Someone who just hangs out with the master but doesn't PRACTICE or DO what the master says is NOT an apprentice. They are just an audience, a consumer, a spectator, part of the crowd.

  3. IMAGING - The end result of apprenticeship is to be transformed into the image of Christ.

Seven Practices of Apprenticeship

These practices are NOT aimed at earning God’s love or acceptance (that is already done by our having been UNITED to Christ), but rather at learning to be like Christ in our LOVING.

  1. Scripture meditation

  2. Unceasing prayer

  3. Life together

  4. Unhurried presence

  5. Joyful generosity

  6. Compassionate gentleness

  7. Faithful witness

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?