Live as a Disciple
New Perspective – Part 2
September 10-11, 2022
Mark 8:31-37
“You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.” James 2:19 (p.931)
- My New Perspective is to Live as a Disciple.
Series Memory Verse:
“Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.” 1 John 2:6 (p.941)
“Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.’” Mark 8:34 (p.769)
To Live as a Disciple, I Must Pursue and Develop Spiritual Disciplines.
- Spend daily time with God.
“But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.” Luke 5:16 (p.785)
“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” John 15:4 (p.824)
- Serve God and others.
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 (p.771)
“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.” Philippians 2:5-6 (p.900)
- Share Jesus with others.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (p.830)
“‘I don’t know whether he is a sinner,’ the man replied. ‘But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!’” John 9:25 (p.818)
- Give back to God.
“You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. ‘For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.’” 2 Corinthians 9:7 (p.886)
- Be an active part of the Church.
“We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.” Romans 12:5b (p.866)
“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” 1 Peter 4:10 (p.936)
My Next Step This Week:
__ I choose to focus on Spiritual Discipline #_____ and I will take one tangible step to actually do it.
Discussion/Groups Guide
New Perspective – Part 2 “Live as a Disciple”
Life Groups use this guide in their discussion and study of the Weekend Talk. Use this also as a discussion guide with your family and friends.
Conversation Starters
- How easy is it for you to get on a plane to fly somewhere, or do you have reservations about flying? How easy is it to accept gravity and why?
- What is discipline? Talk about some areas of life in which discipline is not only helpful but necessary.
- Do you think of yourself as a disciplined person? Who do you know that you would say is a disciplined person?
Quick Review
Looking back at your Weekend Talk Notes, was there anything you heard in the service that stood out to you, challenged you, or maybe even confused you?
Discussion Starters from the Weekend Talk
Refer to the Talk Notes and Bible verses from the Talk Notes.
Our One Thing: My New Perspective is to Live as a Disciple.
Series Memory Verse: 1 John 2:6 (p.941).
One Voice Bible Story Background: Mark 8:31-37 (p.769): Take Up Your Cross.
- (See also Matthew 16:21-26 (p.747): Luke 9:22-25 (p.791); James 2:19 (p.931)
- What is a disciple? What comes to mind when you hear the word?
- Talk about James 2:19. How is “demon faith” different from “disciple faith?”
To Live as a Disciple, I Must Pursue and Develop Spiritual Disciplines.
- Spend daily time with God. (Luke 5:16 (p.785); John 15:4 (p.824)
- What is your favorite way to do this? Music? Prayer? Reading? Outdoor activity? Do you have a special routine you follow to help you stay consistent?
- Serve God and others. (Mark 10:45 (p.771); Philippians 2:5-6 (p.900))
- How are you serving? How many people do you think have served you in the name of Jesus over the years? These people could have been at a church, but not all of them.
- Share Jesus with Others. (Acts 1:8 (p.830); John 9:25 (p.818))
- Who do you know who needs a new or fresh encounter with Jesus?
- Who shared Jesus with you?
- What would it take for you to always be ready to tell others about Jesus?
- Give back to God. (2 Corinthians 9:7 (p.886))
- Do you have a story to tell about giving?
- How have you experienced the generosity of others?
- Be an active part of the Church. (Romans 12:5b (p.866); 1 Peter 4:10 (p.936))
- Talk about how you first found Alive Church and also how you found this group.
- How are you living as an active participant in this local (and online) segment of the body of Christ?
- What’s the most common obstacle you experience to following Jesus? What can you do about it? What will you do about it?
- How might your calendar and your bank statement change if you were to truly live as a disciple of Jesus?
Digging Deeper
The 5 disciplines can, perhaps, be remembered with the memory device of remembering the initials of the first word of each of the five, in this case: “SSSGB”: Spend, Serve, Share, Give and Be.
Look at Acts 18 (p 847) and consider/discuss how Paul and the others, Priscilla, Aquila, Silas, Timothy, Luke, and Apollos each, more or less, live out SSSGB.
What can we take away from their stories in this chapter of the early church and apply it in our own lives using the 5 disciplines we talked about?
My Next Step This Week:
______ I choose to focus on Spiritual Discipline #__________ and I will take one tangible step to actually do it.
This Week’s Life Transformation Bible Daily Reading: Live as a Disciple (p.A82-83)