Are You a Disciple?

What does it mean to be a disciple of something?
Adherent, follower, pupil…adherent means a follower of a leader, party, or profession.
Act 11:26...Christian/Disciple same thing.
Luke 14:25-27 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Jesus didn’t command the disciples to go and make Christians. He commanded to go and make disciples…Matt 28:18-20…
What does it mean to deny ourselves and carry our cross?
What does it mean if we cannot be or we are not His disciples? Not saved. Not going to heaven.
John 14:15-24 “If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[c] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
23 Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
We are called to be disciples of Jesus. If we are not than we don’t know God and therefore we aren’t alive (not saved, not going to heaven).
We need to not just know what is right and wrong, we have to do it. The standard is dying to ourselves and being like Christ.
Matt 10:37-39 “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Responses of the Heart

- We make common reactions to similar events.
- What are some common reactions we make to: tripping?, getting dumped, scoring a winning goal?, acing a test, Wedding Day(some cry, some get cold feet), death.
- We make similar reactions to varying events.

Mark 4:1-9 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. 2He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3"Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times."
9Then Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

- Let’s describe the different soils…path-hard, rocky-shallow, weeds-cluddered, good soil-soft and receptive.
- Vs. 9 – “those who have ears…” – why say it? People don’t have to listen. Those that have humility.

Mark 4:10-20 10When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12so that,
" 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'[a]"
13Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14The farmer sows the word. 15Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."

- Vs. 10-12 – God wants only the right kind of hearts in heaven.
- Vs. 13-14 – lets look at the common reactions of the heart to the word of God.

TYPES OF HEARTS:
1. Hard heart :
- Vs. 15

Hebrews 3:12-14 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. 14We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.

o there is a way to change a hard heart, got to recognize it and then surround yourself with the right kind of people.

2. Shallow heart:
- What makes a shallow heart shallow?
o No conviction.
- What are things that make a heart shallow?
o Not wanting to get real, or have to deal with our lives.
o Not wanting to do the work to build conviction.

3. Distracted heart:
- Vs. 18-19 – weeds choke out the word.
- What are some of the most enjoyable aspects of life? What are the things that you enjoy more than any other thing? These are not bad things. However, if used improperly these things could be the things that prevent us from loving Jesus.
o What are some of the most important things in your life?(school, family, etc…)
o Lk 14:25-27 – HATE

4. Good /soft heart:
- Vs. 20 – The good heart hears, accepts, and produces fruit.
- Why do you think Jesus tells the 4 different types of reactions possible with the word?
o So we can choose to be the right soil.
o Being the good soil is a choice, make the right choice, and study the bible.

Hating Sin---Feel the Pain

1 Pet 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

God made us in His image. We feel pain because He feels pain. When it comes to the cross…Feel the pain! Our sin hurts God. This truth we must feel before we can be saved and we must continue to feel even more convicted to remain saved.
• Have you ever had someone take advantage of you and use you? Remember the pain? Now feel God’s pain!
• Did you ever have a friend who turned on you? Remember the pain? Now feel God’s pain!
• Have you ever been neglected? Forgotten? Rejected? Remember the pain? Now feel God’s pain!
Amazing grace cost amazing pain. Feel God’s pain—the pain endured because our sin.
What would it feel like if the man or woman of your dreams committed his or her life to you in marriage and then committed adultery? How would you feel? Betrayed? Hurt? Angry? Jealous? Distressed? Yes! In fact the world would seem to stop as your heart aches and breaks. This is how God feels when we are untrue to Him—when we “make love” to the world. Our sins hurt God before, but they certainly hurt God even more once we pledge to live our lives for Him.

James 4:4-5 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?

• How does God about a lack of care, a lack of trust, about sexual sin, being pushed aside for the sake of work/school, or a lack of desire for Him? He loves much more than us and He feels pain much more than us. More love = More potential to be hurt. When it comes to the cross we need to emphatically state all the days of our lives—feel the pain!
“Assume for a moment that you fall in love, get married and have the cutest baby in the world. One day your spouse is bringing groceries into the house, leaving the door open while your child plays on the floor. Suddenly, a large ferocious dog enters the house and grabs the child by the throat ripping the life out of the baby. You enter the room; see the pool of blood and your lifeless, disfigured child on the floor. The dog is crouched in the corner with blood drooling from its mouth. Now, what is your attitude towards the dog? Do you say, “Her doggy—you poor frightened thing?” Do you take your hand and comfort the dog by petting him? Of course not! You hate that dog. You want to destroy that dog because it just brutally killed the object of your love. IN the same way, your sin put Jesus on the cross. Sin brutally murdered Jesus. So, how do you feel about your sin? Do you pet the sin? Do you go and play with the sin? Do you allow the sin to stay with you? No, you hate the sin. You want to destroy the sin because it murdered the object of your love. It killed you Jesus—your Savior.”
• Honestly, how much do you hate sin? You will find that your hatred for sin is in proportion to your love for the one who died for you. The cross speaks of that love. Are you in touch with God, your sin, and the cross?
I love my family…good, bad, fun, sad, and everything in between. And because I love them, I don’t want to hurt them. How much are you in love with God? How precious is that relationship to you? Sin hurts God. What’s the depth of your desire not to hurt God with your sin? How real is the cross for you?
Challenge: Today, make a lasting decision about your sin and your relationship with God.
• How? Feel the pain!

James 4:7-10 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Unconditional Love-While We Were Still Sinners

Have you ever felt unloved, or unsure that you are loved? How did that make you feel?What a difference it makes when we know that we are loved and there has been a demonstration to prove it!
However, if we are loved because of looks, performance, money, etc.; we are left with an insecurity that lies beneath the surface. We are uneasy because accident, illness, failure, or bankruptcy could rob us of the thing that endears us to others.

Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

When we stand at the foot of the cross and behold the love of God, we see how unbelievably unconditional his love is. You can lose your health, possessions, job, reputation, looks, and God’s love for you will not be affected in the slightest. You can slip, screw up or fail and God’s heart would not even quiver. While we were still sinners-in the worst of shape-God demonstrated His love for us.
This doesn’t mean that God is not tough on sin: He is the toughest on sin. It is a testimony to how never-ending His love really is. (Eph 3:18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,) It is a mystery that a God who hates sin so much loves sinners so unconditionally. This is what the cross establishes and makes so clear, this is what the cross demonstrates and proves: Nothing we do or fail to do will stop Him from loving us. Even if we tried to make God stop loving we could never do it because He already sent His Son to die while we were at our worst. We could never understand the depth or breadth of God’s love because it “surpasses knowledge” (Eph 3:19).
This means that years past or now, when you were “more spiritual” or flailing, or just downright disgusting: it doesn’t matter. God loves you and died for you while you were His enemy. The cross proves it and faith accepts it.
We should stand in awe of the cross and God’s love. It needs to change us. We are called to…

Eph 5:1-2a Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and live a life of love…What we find in the cross, the way God deals with people; we need to treat people that way. God calls us to…1 John 4:11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another…

We need to love as He loved us. Is there any one that you love that way? Or, do you treat them conditionally, ready to withdraw love when they don’t live up to what you want or expect? Do you treat God this way because He hasn’t done what you wanted?
You think you know God? If you don’t love, you don’t even know Him (1 Jn 4:7-8).
Stand at the foot of the cross and stand in awe. Let it change you. Paul did. His response was change and he sought out help because he knew that…

1Tim 1:15 Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst

…Let us have the same attitude as Paul and discover love in a deeper way and change ourselves to love as Christ did. We want to help you to love as you have been loved. Let’s do it together.

Treasure

Matthew 13:44-46 44"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
2 Men: (1 describes you today)
1 – Seeking
1 – Stumbled upon it…
Both found a treasure. Just like you.
They each had the same response…
1 – They were excited.
2 – They sold EVERYTHING…Made a commitment!
3 – They obtained the treasure.
Do you think they would have obtained the treasure had they not paid the price?
What do you think your price is?
Jeremiah 29:11-13 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
The price is that you seek God with ALL YOUR HEART!

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

What does the word believe mean?
• Believe (M-W.com)
o : to accept as true, genuine, or real
o : to have a firm conviction as to the goodness, efficacy, or ability of something
• Know
o : to be aware of the truth or factuality of : be convinced or certain of
• Faith
o : something that is believed especially with strong conviction
• These sound extremely similar
• Do you think that believing, knowing, and having faith in Jesus is enough?
• Let’s look at some people who believed, knew, and had faith in Jesus.
John 8:31-32 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Who is Jesus talking to here?
• Jews who believed him…knew the truth.
Hold to
• : to make liable or accountable or bound to an obligation
• : to give firm assent to : adhere to strongly
• : to maintain a grasp on something : remain fastened to something
Quote:
• James 2:17b faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
• James 2:26b faith without deeds is dead.
Jesus was telling these people here that belief is not enough, knowledge is not enough, talk is not enough. He was telling them that you have to put your money where your mouth is. There are no words, beliefs, or knowledge that can save you. The only thing that can save you is knowing/believing the truth and DOING IT!!! HOLDING TO IT!!!........THEN the truth will set you free. Like our quotes from James, if you aren’t finding out the truth by studying the bible and working to obey (refer to definition of “hold to”) then you won’t be (and you aren’t) set free (you aren’t “saved”).
Don’t let another day go by that you aren’t trying to HOLD TO Jesus’ teaching. Get with Ashley or me and set up a study today! Put your money where your mouth is and do it!

Walk as Jesus Did

What pops into your head when I say, “religious person”?
• Good to an extent, but also a hypocrite…sometimes…
If you are religious, are you a hypocrite? When are you? When aren’t you?
We all have sin, so what is the difference between a hypocrite and a Christian?

2 Tim 3:1-5 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

• What do you notice about this list?...Lovers of stuff, sin, self, etc….self-focused.
• Hypocrites have a form of Godliness because they are religious, but they deny the power of being religious because they love self and not God.
• You may say that you love God, but what does it mean to love God?

1 John 5:3 3This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,
John 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
You see, what you obey and do determines what you love and whether you are a true Christian or just a religious person.
Rom 6:15-16 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Obedience leads to righteousness, not belief, not religion.
You are a slave to something even if it is to yourself.
Let’s choose to be a slave to God and receive life?
How can you obey God if you don’t know what his commands are? Let’s study the bible!!

1 John 2:3-6 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

WE MUST WALK AS JESUS…YOU HAVE TO HOLD TO HIS TEACHING!!!

Changing your Picture of Jesus!

Q: Who is someone you respect or admire?
A: Ghandi, Joan of Ark, Nelson Mandela

Q: Why?
A: Courage, Conviction & Purposeful life

Q. How does the world view Jesus?
(Petting the Lamb, not relatable, distant, great teacher)

Luke 4:14-21 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

Q: What do you notice about Jesus in this passage?
A: Revolutionary - Socially & spiritually; powerful, full of faith, confident, assured of his calling!

Q: What would you like to change today in society?
A: Racism, divorce rate, greed poverty, etc ...
Q: What is working? What is not?
-Only Real following of Jesus can work!

Q: What would you like to change today in religion?
A: Hypocrisy, image, homosexual marriages, sexual molestation by priests, etc ...

Luke 4:22-30 22All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked.
23Jesus said to them, "Surely you will quote this proverb to me: 'Physician, heal yourself! Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.' "
24"I tell you the truth," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27And there were many in Israel with leprosy[f] in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian."
28All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. 30But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

Q: What do you notice about Jesus here?
A: Confrontative - he spoke his convictions and detested the racism.

John 2:12-16 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
13When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"

Q: What do you notice about him here?
A: Radical - he acted on his convictions

Q: What prevents people today from acting on their convictions?
A: Fear, laziness, wimpy etc ...

John 11:28-37 And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you." 29When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

32When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34"Where have you laid him?" he asked.
"Come and see, Lord," they replied.

35Jesus wept.

36Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"

37But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"

Q: What do you see here?
A: Compassion, sympathy, love & sensitivity

Q: What prevents people from being this way?
A: Pride, selfishness etc...

Conclusion:
My old picture of Jesus = wimpy, thin, picking flowers, singing to sheep.
My new picture of Jesus = an incredibly bold, courageous and caring man.

Practical Atheism

What do you believe concerning Christianity? What is a Christian?

The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.
— Brennan Manning

This statement describes what I like to call “Practical Atheism”.
What is Atheism? Therefore how would you describe “practical atheism”?
Example:
• Saying that you believe in God, but not doing what he says. (1 Jn 4:20 If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.)
You are basically saying with your actions, “God you don’t exist.” Or “I don’t really believe what your word says is true.”
I am not saying that we don’t or won’t make mistakes, but in Hebrews 12 God lays out the excuses and the call to what we are supposed to do.
• Heb 12:1-4 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. 4In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
• Cast everything off…hindrances and sin
• You haven’t shed your own blood trying to avoid sin or do the good you should.
Ways that we can cast everything off and really follow God and practice “Practical Theism”. Also, give a call to study the bible and be a part of our family.
• Prov 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
• John 13:14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet.
• Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
• Heb 10:24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.

Reality TV

There's not much people won't do for money. What are some crazy things you have seen people do for money? They would stop at nothing to win a prize.

Philippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

What are you willing to do in the "reality show" of your own life to win the Heavenly prize (the only prize that will last)?
Are you willing to sell all you have to receive it?

Matthew 7:44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

Are you willing to follow Jesus who has no place to lay his head?

Matthew 8:19-21 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."

So, now you are wondering what the cost of discipleship is?
EVERYTHING.

Luke 14:33In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

What is everything? Is everything family? Jesus gave up his family.

Mark 3:31-35 31Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you." 33"Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked. 34Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! 35Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

Is everything rest? Jesus gave up rest to show God's love to others.
Is everything the right to mourn the loss of a dear friend and family member? Jesus did that when he lost John the Baptist. (Matthew 14)
Is everything giving up your rights to freedom and worldly pursuits? Paul did that.

Philippians 3:7-9 7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

Paul counted EVERYTHING loss compared to knowing Christ. He was being groomed to be the next pope of their day, but counted it all loss to know Christ and share him in a more personal way.
Do you see the cost? Do you want this Heavenly prize? Is Heaven worth EVERYTHING to you? If you want to talk more about what your EVERYTHING is let us know. That's what our personal Bible studies are all about.

Super Heroes

If you could have any super power you wanted, what would you choose? Why?
When you think of the tv/movie super heroes of our day, what is their main focus? They are focused on the good of the people around them.
God in flesh could have had any super power he wanted. He could fly like the birds if he wanted to or run as fast as a cheetah or...Why did he harness himself for us? Do you think he would have had more followers had he shown them he could fly or time travel? I'm not sure that he would have. Like we talked about last week, Jesus message was so challenging that even most of the people who saw his miraculous acts didn't continue to obey and live as disciples.
What "super powers" did he have?
Healing - even without contact he could heal.
Raising from the Dead.
What do his miracles have in common? They are others centered. He came to express God's love for us.
As we take on the challenge to walk as Jesus did (1 John 2:6) what do you think your life should look like? Just as his life was others centered, so should our lives be. We should be looking for ways to comfort the broken hearted and bring his love to the world. And when we do this, Jesus says we will do greater things than him.

John 14:12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

This is hard to believe, but I believe we can do greater things than him with faith and numbers because he was only one man and we are many with him in each of us if we obey. You want to be a super hero and do greater things than Jesus, you must have faith in him. What does that look like?

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see

You say, I don't have much faith?

Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

You want faith, get into the Word! You want to make a difference in this world and be a super hero for God, get into the Word. We are offering you the opportunity to dig deeper in your personal relationship with God. We are happy to be a support to you in your journey and hope you will take advantage of the opportunity we are giving you and God is giving you!

James 2:14-19 14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

Does your life show your faith? When you are tempted to cheat on the test, what is your response? When you are tempted to curse at the person who cut you off in traffic, what is your response? When you are tempted to have an impure relationship with your significant other, what is your response?

Galatians 5:19-21 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

We can either live our lives for God in submission to his will and seeking to live an extraordinary life (a super ordinary life) serving him or live a life for ourselves and miss the Kingdom of God.

An Army of One

The army came up with a slogan a few years ago "An Army of One". The commercials were always people doing extraordinary things on their own because of their job in the army. It made me think of some stories in the Bible where men of faith were all alone and still managed to glorify God in their lives. These stories in no way encourage us to try to be disciples on our own because God stresses unity and Jesus prays for it, but these men of faith were alone in their area and still fought the fight and were rewarded with life even when God wiped out all life.
Story 1: Lot
Setting: Sodom and Gomorrah
Neighbors: Sinful beyond belief. Even to the point of wanting to sexually assault the visiting angels.
Background: Lot was Abraham's brother. Abraham approached God after hearing about God's plans to wipe out Sodom and Gomorrah. Here is his request:

Genesis 18:26 The LORD said, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake."
27 Then Abraham spoke up again: "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?"
"If I find forty-five there," he said, "I will not destroy it."
29 Once again he spoke to him, "What if only forty are found there?"
He said, "For the sake of forty, I will not do it."
30 Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?"
He answered, "I will not do it if I find thirty there."
31 Abraham said, "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?"
He said, "For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it."
32 Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?"
He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it."

Result: God wiped out the cities because there were not even 10 faithful, but spared Lot and family because of his faithfulness. The sad part was that Lot was alone in his righteousness. Although there had been an outcrying to God from many, Lot was the only life spared. Even his wife, after her life was spared, disobeyed God by looking back at her life in that sinful city and was killed.
Story 2: Noah
Neighbors: The whole world had grieved God because of their evil

Genesis 6:5-8 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 7 So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them." 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

Result: The whole world of humans was rebuilt through Noah and family.
In both of these stories, God found one righteous in the many. He found men of character who would stand up and be who he asked them to be even when no one around them would. Noah had to spend years building the ark. What do you think his neighbors felt? How do you think he felt as they (likely) ridiculed him while he knew he was doing GOD'S work? How do you think God felt when he had to wipe out mankind? The passage about Noah said God was grieved. I only use that word when someone dies. I'd imagine he felt much pain over the fact that he had to do what he had to do. He saw that man was sinful and unwilling to turn to him. He had to do something.
What does all this mean for us today?
Jesus' calling is radical. So radical that only a few were faithful after his death.
Does anyone know how many?
Look at Acts 1:15

In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty)

Jesus probably healed more than 120 and we know he fed and was followed by over 5,000. Why do you think there were so few?
Jesus' teachings are radical. Do you believe that? Have you let our country's lazy view of God and his expectations of us cloud your idea of righteousness? Don't be fooled! God won't be mocked. He sees how we live and is not fooled by outward appearances. He is fully aware of the ways we fall short and the excuses we make for them.

2 Timothy 4:2-4 2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

People will believe anything that is confirmed by another. Are you willing to let your life rest on the testimony of people around you? Are you willing to invest the time in the Bible you must to truly understand all that God is calling you to to please him?

Matthew 7:13-14 13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Jesus warns us that few will even find the road much less walk it. We must put in our best effort to be one of the few. Are you willing to dig into God's Word to save yourself and the lost around you? Lots of students here that you see every day are not going to make the ark. Are you going to work to get them on it? Let's be our own army of one and make a difference for God in the lives around us. We can leave a lasting impression on this world if we do things God's way!! Please work with us! Please help us! We have personal Bible studies aimed at equipping each member of the group with the tools necessary to help us and those around us find God. Please talk with the person who invited you for more information!

Practical Atheism

Lesson: Practical Atheism
By: Matt Atkins
Attendees: 11

What is Practical Atheism and what are some examples?
Saying you believe in God, but not doing what he says.

1 John 4:20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

Worrying about things God promises to take care of.(Matt 6:25-34)
You are basically saying, “God you don’t exist.” Or ,”You are not powerful enough.” By your actions even though you say God exist and he is powerful.
Let take a look at some example of “Practical Theism” or PROVING that you BELIEVE in GOD…
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego: Explain backround of story from beginning of ch3.

Daniel 3:16-18 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O
Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

How must it have felt to be the only ones standing, to know that you were going to infuriate the king, then to stand before him as he went off knowing that he was going to send you to your death?

Galatians 6:12 Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ.

Circumcision was the mark of a person who belonged to God back then, but after Christ, Paul says in v 15 "Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.".
They were being circumcised to avoid persecution...
What do we do to avoid persecution?

2 Timothy 3:12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

John 15:18-19 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

Not everyone who is persecuted is a Godly person, but everyone who is Godly will be persecuted.
Are you willing to be Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego? To stand out and be different than your classmates? That is what being a disciple of Jesus is. We don't blend in just like he didn't blend in. So don’t try to blend in!! Stand out and PROVE you BELIEVE and KNOW GOD by what you DO
If you want to know how to do that let’s set up a Bible study this week to figure it out.

The Chicken or The Pig 2

Lesson: The Chicken or The Pig 2
By: Matt Atkins
Attendees: 10

One morning, on the farm, as the chicken laid a fresh egg, she had an idea. She would make her master breakfast! She didn't just want to make him eggs, so she approached the pig for some ham. The pig thought about the kind gesture the chicken was trying to make and replied, "Breakfast for our Master will mean labor for you, but will be a total sacrifice for me."

Some left confidently last week admitting they were the chicken in this story. Jesus does not just call us to be involved. He requires total commitment...DEATH.

Luke 9:23-26 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

Luke 14:25-27 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

Carry his cross? What did the cross mean to Jesus? What did the cross mean to the people hearing him? Do you think he was serious when he asked them to take up their "means of torturous death" and follow him? Jesus wants us to give everything like he gave everything. We must put aside our ideas of Christianity and what modern America or grandma or whomever has told us it is and dive into the radical truth that Jesus wanted us to die to who we are and live for him every second of every day!

James 1:22-25 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

You see here that we are called to look into God's Word intently and not just that, but to obey it. This is part of Jesus' requirement of discipleship deny yourself, take up your cross and follow him! We would love to share with you ways you can better do this. Please let us help you by sitting down together and studying the Bible.

James 4:17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

The Chicken or the Pig

Lesson: The Chicken or the Pig
By: Matt Atkins
Location: Amphitheater
Students: 9

One morning, on the farm, as the chicken laid a fresh egg, she had an idea. She would make her master breakfast! She didn't just want to make him eggs, so she approached the pig for some ham. The pig thought about the kind gesture the chicken was trying to make and replied, "Breakfast for our Master will mean labor for you, but will be a total sacrifice for me."
Are you a chicken or a pig disciple for Jesus?
Are you a participant or are you fully committed?

Luke 14:33"In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple."

Luke 9:23-24 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it."

What kind of a commitment do you think Jesus is calling us to?

John 8:31-32 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

What were his teachings?

John 13:34-35 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Who did Jesus call us to love?
Who did he love?
How did he love?
How should we love in response to his sacrifice?

Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

This is Jesus' last charge to his disciples.
If you knew you were going to die in minutes, how cherished would your last words be? I would want them to say the most important thing to me.
How serious do you think he was about us carrying out his last instructions?
Disciples on Campus is not about "something to do on Wednesdays during lunch". It's not about having fun in the French Quarter on Friday night with other Disciples on Campus from around the country. We offer that, but that's not the point. This group we call Disciples on Campus is a group where we hope each member will be confident to live out the principles Jesus laid out for each of his disciples to accomplish. His last charge is that we make disciples. We offer personal Bible studies to help prepare each disciple for that task. We hope everyone here today will be eager to find new ways to share the gospel with others and will be eager to get in a personal Bible study themselves. Please let us know if we can help you on our journey to be a true disciple of Christ.
In your journey, are you a participant or are you fully committed?

How serious is God?

Lesson: How Serious is God
By: Matt Atkins
Location: UNO Aphitheater
Students: 6

If you were going to choose a heart surgeon, how would you choose one?
What protective procedures do you think they have in place to keep you safe?
Would you expect your surgeon to follow those procedures and how closely would you expect him/her to follow them?

How serious do you think God is when he commands something?

2 Samuel 6: 1-7 Uzzah
David again brought together out of Israel chosen men, thirty thousand in all. He and all his men set out from Baalah of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on the ark. They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals.
When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God.

God didn't take lightly his instructions to his people then and he doesn't take it lightly now. He is clear on how we can have a personal relationship with him. It is our responsibility to find his instructions and follow them just like it was David's, and after the loss of Uzzah, David took very seriously God's instructions on handling the ark.

How can this apply today? What instructions did God give that people today overlook or don't take seriously?

I John 3:17-18 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

How serious are you about following God's proceedure or do you want to gamble with your salvation?

NCAA to NFL: What Does It Take?

Lesson: NCAA to NFL
By: Matt Atkins
Location: UNO Amphitheater

Drew Brees and Payton Manning...What set them apart in their pursuit to become NFL Quarterback?
Talent, but also hours studying the plays, time practicing and giving it all they had. They had to stand out to get their seat in the NFL.

Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Luke 13:22-27 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?"
He said to them, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.'
"But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'
"Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.'
"But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!'

If you are comparing yourself to everyone else and think you are as good as the next person, realize that being in the majority is not necessarily a good thing. It means you are lost.
Why is it that only a few are finding? Because few are truly seeking. Jesus says we must make every effort and God says we'll find him when we seek him with all of our hearts in Jeremiah 29:13
How will you seek God with all you heart?
A great opportunity to know more about God and seek him more deeply is to get help from others. Ask the person who invited you about a personal Bible study.

Hot, Cold or Lukewarm

Tell us about your zeal for Jesus. Where would your zeal be on a scale of 1-10 or cold to hot?

Revelation 3:14-22 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

God is disgusted with our straddling the fence. He wants all of our hearts or nothing. If you are not hot for God, you are not on the right path.

Celebrity Trivia

Lesson: Celebrity Trivia
By: Matt Atkins
Location: Amphitheater on UNO Campus

Who is your favorite celebrity/famous person? What do you know about them?
I know a teen girl who knows everything there is to know about Chris Brown…down to his eye color and favorite food. Does she really know him?
You may know everything about them, but do you know them?
Jesus Trivia
How old was Jesus when he started his ministry? 30
How old was Jesus when he died? 33
Where was his first miracle performed? What was it? At a wedding banquet…water to wine
Where was he born? Bethlehem in a Manger
Same with Jesus. You can know everything about him without truly knowing him.

I John 2:4-6 – “4The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”

The goal of this group and the point of the Bible studies is to help people know Jesus and to show them how to walk as Jesus did.
We don’t want to be

Matthew 7:21-23 - “21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'”

Get in a personal Bible study! Know the Word and Know Jesus!

Paralytic Man

Lesson: Mark 2:1-13
Given by: Matt Atkins
Location: Amphitheater on UNO campus

Mark 2:1-13
The story is of a paralytic whose faith caused him to go to great lengths to be healed by Jesus.
What Lengths?
Knowing he was sick and believing Jesus could heal him.
Finding 4 friends with faith to take him. Friends who would do almost anything to get him healed including getting him on the roof, digging through the roof and lowering him down to Jesus.

Do you need healing from Jesus?
Sin causes a barrier between us and God. We all need healing from Jesus simply because we have all sinned.

Do you have friends like the paralytic? Friends who will go to any length to get you to Jesus for your healing.

That is what we are trying to offer. A group of sold out Christians willing to go to any length to help each other get to Heaven!

Let's be that for eachother!