The Gospel Project Session 3-13 Notes

The Gospel Project
Session 3-13 Notes
May 26, 2013

 

Introduction

 

            As with many introductory illustrations, I believe that you will choose whether or not to use the Braveheart illustration based on whether or not you believe that your class will identify with movies and with Braveheart particularly. However, the point that is being made in the introduction is helpful. When you understand that your life is more than the few years that you live on earth, but it is an eternal event, you will be willing to stand stronger and go through more in the here and now for the glory of God.

 

            This lesson is about the doctrine of last things. God has a plan to wrap up history and bring all things to a right conclusion. God’s children will live with him forever. This is what we are wanting to get hold of in this lesson.

 

            Again, remember that this lesson is not about digging as deeply as we could into the passages available. We are teaching the doctrine, not trying to unpack the passages. As we see in the lesson summary from leader, page 154: In this session, we will look at what the Bible has to say about the future of our world. As Christians, we look forward to the day when Christ will return to judge the living and the dead and finally purge this world of all traces of evil and unrighteousness. The reality of heaven and hell and the truth of Christ's second coming should impact the way we live. God calls us to look forward to Christ's coming with eager anticipation as we engage in His mission until He returns.

 

            Also, don’t forget that this lesson is a 4 point lesson. So, watch your time. Remember that, if you have 1:15 for class, you probably are still teaching only around 45 minutes with 15 minutes for prayer and 15 for fellowship. That leaves only 10 minutes or so per point with introduction and conclusion coming in a couple minutes each. For our 1 hour classes, you are probably teaching for 40 minutes with 10 minutes for prayer and 10 for fellowship. If that is the case, you will likely accomplish each point in around 9 minutes with a couple minutes each for introduction or conclusion.

 

            Remember also that, if you want to emphasize some points more and leave your students to read the others in their books at their leisure, that is OK. Shape the lesson to your class. You will be able to read what they are interested in as you teach them.

 

Point 1: The truth of Christ's coming in the future should change our lives today (1 Thess. 1:8-10).  

 

Highlight:

·        As Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica, he affirmed that their salvation was genuine. One way in which he did this was by pointing out how they turned from idols and to the Living God.

·        In our own lives, our salvation should be marked by us turning away from things that do not last forever and embracing the things that will last eternally.

·        The Bible calls us to eagerly await the return of Jesus. That waiting is active. We do not wait passively, not caring or taking any action. No ,our waiting for Jesus to return should be marked by great anticipation, great hope, great confidence, and great changes in our lives.

·        When Jesus returns, he finishes rescuing his children from the wrath of God, “the wrath to come.” This means that, for believers, the return of Jesus is a sweet and glorious time in which we marvel at and give glory to the Savior who rescued us.

·        For those who do not know Jesus, the day of his return will be a day of horror. On that day, the wrath of God will be fully revealed against all who have not been forgiven by God of their sin.

·        God will do justice. He will properly respond to every sin. The sins of believers in Jesus are covered by the sacrifice of Jesus. God will rightly judge those who have not trusted in Jesus for their sins.

·        As we look forward to the day of Jesus’ return we should have hope. We also should feel in our hearts the call to share the saving grace of Jesus with as many people as we can.

 

Application Questions: (Remember, these are merely extra questions that you might ask if you choose not to use those in the book.)

·        What can you do to better actively await the return of Jesus?

·        How can you remind yourself that you live in a world that will end and will be set right by God?

·        How does remembering that Jesus will return call you to share your faith with the lost?

 

Point 2: The truth of Christ's coming leads us to reject the spirit of antichrist (2 Thess. 2:1-4).

 

Highlight:

·        Before reading the passage, set the context. Apparently the people of Thessalonica had been tricked into thinking that they had somehow missed the Day of the Lord. Paul is about to show them a way to know that they have not missed anything.

·        It will not help your classes to get bogged down in debating the identity of the “man of lawlessness.” This may indeed be a picture of a future coming antichrist. However, we do not need to spend much time in our classes trying to figure out the major details here. You will find that your classmates do not all have the same understanding here, and fully spelling out the differing views of the end times regarding antichrist is beyond the scope of this lesson. So, don’t let yourself get taken off course into things we just cannot prove at this point.

·        One thing we do know is that there will be a person or spirit of the age which tempts people to reject God and to desire to follow the pattern set for them by the lost world.

·        Paul calls God’s children to stand against one who would lead them away from the truth of God. We should oppose any world system that takes us away from God’s word and toward sinful ethics, standards, and practices.

·        Christians who wish to battle against being led astray must cling to the clear truth of God’s word. When we reject the teaching of Scripture, we put ourselves in danger of being mislead.

·         The man of lawlessness will specifically try to lead people away from holiness. Something about the evil of our age wants to draw us into sin and away from righteousness.

·        As we remember the truth of the end times, we should guard ourselves against being led away from holy living.

 

Application Questions:

·        What are some ways in which you see our modern age trying to lead people away from godly standards and righteous living?

·        Why is the regular study of Scripture and the right application of Scripture so important for Christians who want to defend themselves against lawlessness?

·        Why is being connected to a small group in our church helpful to Christians who wish to defend themselves against lawlessness?

 

Point 3: The truth of Christ's coming gives us urgency in joining God's mission (Jude 20-23).

 

Highlight:

·        The Steve Jobs quote and illustration about how death makes us better evaluate our lives on page 158 is not bad at all.

·        John 17:18-ff shows us that Jesus leaves his disciples in the world for the sake of those who will believe based on their word. Thus, a major reason we are still alive is so that we can tell others about Jesus before God takes us home.

·        Jude calls us to rescue others by snatching them from the fire. This is a clear call for Christians to be about the process of trying to rescue people from hell by telling them about the grace of God in Christ

 

Application Questions:

·        How does looking toward eternity help you to want to share your faith in the here and now?

·        What do you think God wants to accomplish through you in your remaining time on earth? How can you find out?

 

Point 4: The result of Christ's coming is a renewed earth filled with God's presence (Rev. 21:1-8).

 

Highlight:

·        God promises, at the end, to create a new heavens and new earth.

·        When Adam and Eve sinned, they were removed from the garden and from intimate fellowship with God.

·        Abraham was promised a land to dwell in as he followed God.

·        Jesus, God in flesh, came to physically dwell with God’s people for a time.

·        God’s Holy Spirit now dwells with God’s people as he dwells within God’s children.

·        But eventually, God will renew the earth and the heavens, and he will live with his people in a perfect world forever.

·        When God renews the world, he will destroy all sin, wipe away every tear, comfort all sorrow, and grant his people perfection.

·        In a real sense, God’s children will live with him in an even more perfect fellowship than Adam and Eve had, because we will not have even the opportunity to sin and ruin it.

·        Nothing can ever make a human being happier than to dwell in the presence of God, rejoicing in his glory and perfection (cf. Rev 21:3; Psa 27:4). Eternal life will be perfect because we get to experience the one thing that will grant us the most joy possible; we will be in the presence of the God who made us and who shaped us in such a way as to be satisfied by his glory alone.

·        Sin, death, and grief will not exist in the new world that God creates.

 

Application Questions:

·        What good does it do Christians to set their minds on the perfection to come? Brainstorm some ways this helps us.

·        How does considering the new creation help you want to share Jesus with others?

·        How does considering the new creation help you to worship God today?

 

Conclusion

 

            As we see that there is coming a time when God will make all things new and set all things right, we also see that our short lives are tiny in comparison to that sweet forever. Let your knowledge of what is to come help you to love, share, and obey Jesus in the here and now.

 

            For other helps visit www.gospelproject.com/additionalresources. There you will find a short teacher help video for this lesson, blog posts and podcasts of sermons that relate to this lesson, and connection conversations for parents to use with their children and students based on this week of the Gospel Project.

Next Generation Leader - A Review

Andy Stanley, Next Generation Leader: 5 Essentials for Those Who Will Shape the Future. Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 2006. 176 pp. $16.08.

ChristianAudio

 

            Andy Stanley is at his best when he is helping leaders know how to lead. This is why Next Generation Leader has so much to offer. In this simple work, Stanley shares five important principles of leadership that he has gathered over his years of, well, leading.

 

            The strength of the book comes in its simple, straight-forward, and encouraging counsel on how to lead. For example, Stanley reminds us that, as leaders, it is wise for us to spend our time doing what we are naturally shaped and gifted to do. We dramatically do ourselves harm as leaders when we focus our energies on doing things that we dislike and are not good at. While such tasks are destined to be part of our work, we should find ways to minimize our time spent on tasks that drain us rather than fulfill us. This also means we must find ways to delegate the tasks that do not fit us to others who enjoy what we do not.

 

            One more example that I will share is Stanley’s reminder that coaching is crucial for the development of any leader. If you are going to grow in your role as a leader, you need to have someone who can see what you do and offer suggestions and encouragement. A coach does not have to be somebody who can do what you are trying to do. A coach merely needs to be an observant, honest, and helpful person who is willing to invest in you.

 

            Stanley occasionally uses biblical passages, generally Old Testament narrative, to illustrate the principles of leadership that he is attempting to share. This, to me, is the weakest point of the book. Don’t get me wrong, I am a pastor, and I love the Bible with all my heart. However, I do not think that the use of biblical illustrations actually strengthens Stanley’s points. He is not using the passages in their original context to teach their original intent. I would prefer to simply have Stanley teach these true principles with modern-day life examples rather than stretching the biblical text to fit a modern leadership paradigm.

 

            I would happily recommend Next Generation Leader to any person who is interested in studying and growing in the field of leadership. Stanley has much to offer in this work, and we can all glean some great insights from what he has put together.

 

            I received a free audio copy of this work as a part of the reviewers program of ChristianAudio.com. The narration of this book was perfect for the topic. It was engaging and never dull. 

The Gospel Project Session 3-12 Notes

The Gospel Project
Session 3-12 Notes
May 19, 2013

 

Introduction

 

            In this lesson, we will see how Christians are to understand and respond to the trials that we will face in a fallen world. Knowing that we are under the care and protection of our God and that God has a glorious eternal plan will help us to hang in there when we face hardships.

 

            The opening illustration from the 1988 World Series may be helpful for those who are into baseball. However, if your class is not into the game, you may have a difficult time helping them to see that giving up too soon caused many people to miss a moment that went down in history.

 

            If your class is into baseball, but they are not into the 1988 Dodgers, you might use the 2011 World Series game 6. The crazy ending for the Cardinals with David Freese hitting an 11^th inning, walk-off homerun might be more applicable for our people. You can click here to read about that event if it is not stuck firmly in your memory. It is another example of an event that, if you went to bed before it happened, you would be very disappointed to find out you gave up too soon.

 

            If baseball won’t work, think of a personal story that you might share with your class in which you or someone you know of had to stick with something hard in order to succeed. The point here is to put a thought in their minds about persevering in the face of hardship for the sake of something greater.

 

            Remember, as we start, that the point of this lesson is to teach the biblical principle of perseverance for Christians. We are not trying to teach the passages completely. We are trying to show our people that the Bible calls us to stand strong in the face of hardships.

 

Point 1; God is glorified in the perseverance of His people through times of trial (1 Pet. 1:3-9).

 

Highlight:

·        The quote from -Joni Eareckson Tada on leader page 144 is outstanding.

·        Remember that our salvation is part of the ultimate process through which God is taking us. When we are saved, God immediately forgives us and grants us a perfect record in heaven. From that point until the day we die, God is shaping us more and more into the people he wants us to be. When we die, God ultimately perfects us. We have theological words for each of these 3 stages:

o   Salvation – when God first rescues and forgives us.

o   Sanctification – the process in which God makes us more and more into what he wants us to be.

o   Glorification – the moment when God perfects us. This happens after we die or Christ returns.

·        The tool that God will most often use to sanctify us—to make us into what he wants us to be—is our suffering. Going through hardships grows us.

·        When we suffer for the sake of our faith, we are affirmed in the fact that our faith in Christ is real. We can rejoice in such suffering, as it makes us look more like Jesus.

·        We can also suffer because of our own sin. We should not rejoice in that, but repent.

 

Application Questions:

·        How can a person who is going through hardships find hope? Get practical here.

o   What things might they do?

o   What passages might they turn to?

o   To whom should they go for counsel and comfort?

·        When is a time in which you went through a hardship that helped you grow in your faith?

 

Point 2; God's people persevere in light of the promised new heavens and new earth (2 Pet. 3:8-13).

 

Highlight:

·        Peter reminds us that God has been very patient with us and with the fallen world.

·        Peter also points us to the fact of the coming Day of the Lord. There will be a day in which God perfectly judges what is wrong.

·        Because we know that God will ultimately set all things right, we can hope and persevere in the face of hardships in the here and now

·        The John Paton quote in “Voices from Church History” on page 147 is another example of a person who understood that our sufferings in this life are as nothing in comparison to what is to come.

 

Not from the book:

·        You might look to 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 as an example of how hope for the future gives us strength to stand in the present.

·        God will judge every human sin. No human sin will ever go unpunished. Either our sin will be judged as God casts us into hell forever to receive justice for our sin, or our sin will have been perfectly punished as God poured out his wrath in justice on Jesus as he was dying on the cross. The point here is that, as we look to the future, we can face suffering with an understanding that God truly will be just toward all sin. In the end, we will not cry out that God has left anything unaccounted for.

Caution:

·        I would not make much of the Job illustration in this point. Yes, Job was confident that he would be vindicated in the end. However, a closer look at Job shows that Job also slides dangerously close to accusing God of wronging him in his suffering. This is why God puts Job in his place at the end of the book before restoring him. 

 

Application Questions:

·        How does thinking about eternity help us to overcome hardships in the here and now.

·        Can you give one example of a hardship that you have faced that, if you thought eternally, you would have handled it differently?

·        How can we help each other to think eternally in the face of our own difficulties?

 

Point 3: God's people demonstrate their perseverance by their actions (1 John 2:15-19).

 

Highlight:

·        In this passage, John warns Christians about those who prove themselves not to be in the faith because they fail to persevere to the end.

·        From leader, page 148: Persevering in obedience does not mean Christians have to maintain their salvation. Neither does it mean Christians no longer sin. This doctrine speaks to the truth that those who belong to Christ will demonstrate their faith by their obedience.

·        Making that last point as simple as I can: A person who is truly converted (saved) will be forever changed. While he or she will fail from time-to-time, he or she will never ultimately turn away from God and his salvation. This is better than just not losing salvation. It is the doctrine that says that we remain and progress in the faith when we have genuine faith.

·        This would be a great point in the lesson to bring out the author’s testimony from page 149 and from the previous point too.

·        WE do not obey God in order to gain salvation. Neither do we obey to keep salvation. We obey because we have already received salvation that god would never take back. We obey because we have been forever changed by God’s grace.

 

Application Questions:

·        How does the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints impact your own walk?? What difference does it really make? [This is the doctrine we are currently studying. Again, simply put, it is the truth that those who are rescued by Jesus will remain in him and persevere to the end.]

·        What is the difference between obeying to earn or keep salvation and obeying because you have already received salvation? Why is obeying because of salvation more free and more joyful?

 

Conclusion

 

            You may here want to review the points and close with the puritan prayer from page 149: There is mercy with You, O Lord, and exceeding riches in Your kindness through Jesus. May I always feel my need of Him. Let Your restored joy be my strength. May it keep me from lusting after the world, bear up heart and mind in loss of comforts, enliven me in the valley of death, work in me the image of the heavenly, and give me to enjoy the first fruits of spirituality.

 

            For other helps visit www.gospelproject.com/additionalresources. There you will find a short teacher help video for this lesson, blog posts and podcasts of sermons that relate to this lesson, and connection conversations for parents to use with their children and students based on this week of the Gospel Project.

Exponential 2013 Notes: Jim Puttman - disciple-Making Church

Disciple-Making Church

Jim Puttman

 

The following are my notes from a breakout session from Exponential 2013:

 

Every Christian is a disciple-maker

Not everyone has the gift of leadership.

Not everyone is a small group leader.

Not everyone is a teacher.

But every person is supposed to be a disciple-maker.

 

Every parent is supposed to disciple their children.

If we do not make disciples who can disciple, we hinder the process of spiritual growth.

 

If a church targets leadership development, everyone there who is not gifted to be a leader is left out, just watching to help leaders develop.

That is not biblical.

Everybody is to be a disciple and a disciple-maker.

 

The only people who can create disciple-making churches are disciple-making pastors.

You cannot give what you don’t have.

 

The job of a good teacher is not to figure out how to use his gift, but to figure out how to help people actually learn and do something with what you taught them.

 

Keys to a Disciple-Making Church

5 things

 

Key 1: define what a disciple is.

Have a definition.

It needs to be agreed upon.
Tower of Babel illustration: unified language matters.

 

Puttman’s church definition

Matthew 4:19

Follow Jesus.

Be changed by Jesus.

Be committed to the mission of Jesus.

We need a clear, unified definition.

Yes, we are to make disciples.

But we are to lead a church that makes disciples.

 

You also need a biblical methodology

Jesus told people to come and be with him.

He did not invite them to a 5 part sermon series.

We will make disciples when we ask them to be with us in life.

 

Leader

Coach

Small group leader

Regular people under the leader

 

Each one coaches someone from the level under them.

How do people move up the list?

They do the work and show that they can.

 

Regular people are on the front lines, not pastors.

We want to equip them to storm the gates of hell.

 

 

Key 2: we need a maturing, more mature, spiritual leader.

If 90% of the people who call themselves Christians are immature, what happens when you put them all in the same room?

People get hurt.

You need a more mature person in the room who understands what it looks like to make disciples.

 

You cannot focus on making the masses of the people happy.

Children are selfish.

If you do not make disciples, you will have people who want to be fed instead of learning to feed themselves.

 

If 90% of your people are spiritual infants and brats, why would the world want to be a part.

Why unleash an army of spiritual brats on the world?

 

Jesus invested in his leaders.

Of course he cared about the masses.

But Jesus’ method of reaching the masses was to train up and unleash his disciples.

 

Bird hunting illustration

One bird, one shot

 

Key 3: You need a relational environment.

A relational environment is not a program or small group structure.

A relational environment is not a means to an end, it is the end itself.

You start loving people because you change.

They share with you and you share with them.

 

Knowing the truth and doing stuff is not enough.

It is not real Christianity.

Yes, real Christians learn and do.

But there is more.

 

A relationship-less Christianity is not Christianity.

 

The most lonely people in the church are pastors.

They have been taught not to let anybody get too close.

This paints a false picture.

You have to do life with your people.

You should be confessing your sins and holding others accountable.

Bear one another’s burdens.

As we do things together, even hard things, we build life.

 

It is not possible to abide in Christ without abiding in the body of Christ, the church.

We only bear fruit when we abide in Christ.

We do not bear fruit apart from the church.

 

Key 4: a reproducible process

 

A pastor’s job is to help people understand the process so that they love me but do not need me.

Can your ego handle that?

 

 

A leader understands the game, sees the process, identifies where a person is in the process, and can develop a plan to help that person get better.

 

How do you make people who understand the faith, understand growth, know how to see where people are, and who know how to help them grow?

 

Puttman and his group created the SCMD process.

Jesus

S – Shared who he was

C – Connected with them.

M – Trained them for ministry

D Sent them out to make disciples

Go out, preach, come back, and let’s talk.

 

Share

Connect

Minister

Disciple

 

We want people to know this process.

 

Share who Jesus is.

Those who come to know him are invited to connect.

 

When we connect, we are part of a family.

You know and care about your family.

In connection, we learn to be a family and to be a minister.

 

We are created anew by Christ for good works which God planned beforehand (Eph 2:10).

 

So, as the people who are connected learn what their gifts and abilities are, we help them to minister to others.

This is all how we train them.

 

Then, as they are trained up, they will go make disciples.

They will disciple their own children.

Youth ministers will be there to support parents, not the other way around.

 

Plus they will share the gospel with others and help make others into disciples.

 

We can help people to suffer through life with Jesus as we connect and minister.

If we are really doing this, we do not paint a falsely easy picture of the faith.

 

One more thing

We want people to understand the stages of spiritual growth they will go through.

 

Everyone starts out dead.

Those who hear the message are born again and become infants in Christ.

They move into childhood, 1 John talks about little children.

Young adulthood

Parenthood

 

When an infant fills its diaper, I am not offended.

When a child acts like a child, I expect that.

When a young adult acts like a teenager, thinking they know everything, I am not stunned.

 

Help people recognize what they are looking at.

 

Share with the dead

 

What do dead people say?

What do they do?

 

What do I do with them?

Find out if they are open to talking.

Find out if they will hear you.

Find ways to show them love.

 

Share your life with and connect with infants.

What do infants do and say?

They need to be connected with somebody who can help.

They need to be connected with somebody who can teach them.

They need love.

You need to help them find spiritual parents.

 

Children

Very self-centered

Feed me.

I didn’t like that music

I had to park a long way off.

I am irritated by having to wait to check my kids in.

 

Childish language, it is all about me

 

What do I need to do?

They need some parenting.

 

Be careful, just because a person serves does not make them a grown-up.

Ask why they are serving.

What motivates their service.

They need to be parented.

 

Young adults

They want to try it now.

They want to do it themselves.

They are very zealous.

But they are not parents yet.

 

Parents are different than young adults.

Parents are intentional.

 

Young adults are

Independent

They want to minister

Young adults do not reproduce.

They get focused on taking care of a small group of people, but they will not think of discipleship and reproduction.

 

Parents are intentional leaders

They think about how to help people to solve their own problems.

If you have 10 people in the church who are parents, you would have a movement.

If you only put on a good show at every level, you will not have parents.

 

Last thing: you need an organizational system to put these things in the process.

 

You cannot rely on a structure and systems alone.

You need to be personally connected.

Teach people to know the Bible so they can teach people to know the Bible.

The Gospel Project Session 3-11 Notes

The Gospel Project
Session 3-11 Notes
May 12, 2013

 

Introduction

 

                Today’s lesson is all about following. In the passages we study, we will see a common image of shepherds and sheep. This picture is used often in the Bible to depict God’s relationship to his people as well as the relationship between the people’s leaders and the people. As we dig into the 3 passages of the lesson, we will uncover some clear teaching on what pastors are to be and how we are to relate to them.

 

For Our Teachers

 

                Let me make a caution for us up front. It would be very easy for this lesson to lead us into some unpleasant ways of speaking about pastors—past or present. It is vital that the teacher of the class not allow his or her students to be overly harsh toward pastors they have known. We will not do any good in this lesson by bashing others for their past failures. Instead, let’s try to stay as close as we can to the New Testament’s teaching on shepherds and sheep.

 

                Remember, as well, that these lessons are theologically-driven. We are not intending to unpack any individual passage as deeply as we could. Instead, our goal here is to develop a unified understanding among our church as to what God’s word teaches us about, in this case, the church and her leadership.

 

                Finally, for the introduction from me to you, please remember that these notes are intended to be a help and a guideline. You do not have to highlight everything I suggest. You do not have to ask all the questions I suggest. The book has excellent questions as well. Please shape your teaching around your particular group and its style and culture.

 

Point 1: Shepherds serve God's people by embodying the truth they proclaim (1 Tim. 4:11-16).

 

Highlight:

·        Pastors are commanded by God to live according to the truth they proclaim.

·        The Richard Baxter quote on page 132 in the leader guide is outstanding!

·        As an Old Testament example, David was a faithful shepherd over sheep before God put him in a position to lead the people of Israel.

·        Paul called Timothy as a shepherd (which is what pastor means) to lead by example in righteousness. This is not to say that Timothy was to be showy, but that Timothy was to lead the people by practicing what he preached.

·        Another Old Testament example: Noah demonstrated righteousness to his family, and his family was willing to follow him into the ark. Lot did not lead his family by God’s standards, and his family thought he was joking when he warned that Sodom was going to be destroyed.

 

Application Questions:

·        Why do you think it is important that a pastor practice what he preaches?

·        How should we deal with it when we see flaws in our pastors? [Help your students to understand that pastors are human too, and they will certainly mess up. We need to be forgiving and gracious. However, if a pastor sets up camp in sin and refuses to repent, we should call him on it just as we would expect other Christians to call us on our own sin if we refuse to repent.]

 

Point 2: Shepherds serve God's people by preaching truth, even when it is costly (2 Tim. 4:1-8).

 

Highlight:

·        A major responsibility of a pastor is to proclaim sound doctrine. Sound doctrine is found in Scripture. Thus, proclaiming the truth of Scripture is a pastor’s responsibility.

·        In the Old Testament, God chastised bad priests who refused to care for the people of God. He called them bad shepherds. One reason they were bad shepherds was because they refused to teach the laws of God to the people of God. The priests began to want to keep their comforts and power more than they wanted to tell God’s people the truth.

·         Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, was willing to lay down his life for the good of his sheep.

·        Similarly, pastors, as shepherds, are to be willing to give up the comfort of public approval and accept the inconvenience of sometimes offending people by teaching the true word of God. People do not always want to hear truth, and pastors must often bear that burden.

·         Paul reminds Timothy that there will be people in the church who will refuse to accept sound teaching of Gods’ word. Of course this will lead to conflict and discomfort for pastors who preach the truth.

 

Application Questions:

·        Give an example of how preaching biblical truth might lead a pastor to discomfort? Why might somebody get mad at a pastor for preaching the truth?

·        Have you ever been angry at a pastor for preaching truth only to later realize that you were out of God’s will?

·        What should we do if something a pastor preaches upsets us? [Help students here to see that they should examine the Scriptures, pray, and perhaps even go talk with the pastor. Help them to see that these are better first steps than simply complaining about the pastor to others. If we cannot settle matters between ourselves and the pastor, then it is time to seek help from other church leaders.]

 

Point 3: God's people follow the shepherd by submitting to God's Word (Titus 2:11-14).

 

Highlight:

·        Ask students to take note of this paragraph on Leader page 135: Christians are God's sheep. We follow the chief Shepherd, Jesus, by obeying His Word and submitting to the loving authority of the shepherds (pastors) God has placed over us. Of course, it's not just church leaders who must embody the truth of the gospel in their lives. We are all called to obedience.

·        A false shepherd refuses to obey God’s word or to faithfully teach it to the sheep. A false sheep refuses to grow in Christ through obedience to God’s commands.

·        A sheep who refuses to submit to biblical leadership—leadership from Scripture as prescribed in Scripture—is refusing to grow as God commands.

·        While we do not expect to be perfect in this life, we should expect to grow in our love and obedience to Christ.

·        As sheep, we follow Christ and his mission to rescue other sheep. It is our responsibility to take the good news of Jesus’ grace to others so that they too may be transformed by Jesus and follow him.

 

Caution: I am not particularly fond of the Lincoln illustration on leader page 136. While I understand the author’s desire to show that the lost may turn to Christ when they see the emptiness that this world has to offer, I would be very careful presenting the evangelistic task as providing an alternative when the things of this world let you down. I’m not saying this does not happen, but I would argue that there is more to the power and glory of God that draws us to him than simply our disappointment with this present world. However, if this illustration works for you, use it—just carefully, please.

 

Application Questions:

·        Where are you currently growing in your Christian life? How is God growing you here?

·        How do we follow pastors as shepherds for the glory of God while being careful not to be mislead or abused. [Be careful if you choose to ask this question. Do not let this devolve into a session of pastor-bashing whether of present or past pastors. Help students to see that God expects us to follow pastors so long as they are not leading us away from Scripture.]

·        What can our small group do to join Jesus on mission to save the lost people we know, we work with, and who live near us? Can we plan an activity that will help us to get to know our neighbors?

·        How can we help others in our church who do not have a small group join with us to grow together as a flock? Can we plan a group activity in which we invite fellow church members who do not have a small group to join us and get to know us?

 

Conclusion

 

                This lesson has used a common New Testament image of a shepherd and his sheep in two ways. Jesus, of course, is our Chief Shepherd. We follow him. However, in the church, God has appointed that men serve as pastors (which means shepherds). We follow our pastors so long as they do not lead the church away from Christ by failing to follow or teach Scripture faithfully. As the sheep of Christ’s flock, we too have a responsibility to grow in him, to love him, and to join him in his mission of rescuing people for the glory of God.

 

                For other helps visit www.gospelproject.com/additionalresources. There you will find a short teacher help video for this lesson, blog posts and podcasts of sermons that relate to this lesson, and connection conversations for parents to use with their children and students based on this week of the Gospel Project.