A. Three things are demonstrated here:

1. Something of great value has been lost

2. It warrants an all‐out search

3. Incredible joy upon finding the lost

A. Rebellion or resentment: Either way, both of these sons were missing!

B. Which of the two sons do we identify with?

1. A distorted image of God

A. This is not a story of a remarkable earthly father…it is a portrait of God Himself!

B. There are absolutely no limits to His love and compassion.

C. In His compassion, the Father…grieves, forgives, and gives

A. There is a subtle pressure to remain a dependent child that must be avoided.

B. The danger of sentimental romanticism

C. Being the father/mother as a final vocation

• What was the biggest take‐away for you in today’s talk?

• How did it make you feel to see the great value God places on every single person?

• Are you able to include yourself in that category of being greatly valued and loved by God? Why or why not?

• What would prevent the missing sons from returning home to the father? Discuss your thoughts on the image of God they may have had.

• Why is remaining a dependent child not a good idea? What is the real danger of sentimental romanticism?

• In your opinion, what does spiritual adulthood look like?

by Henri Nouwen

by Brennan Manning  

I. A call…with conditions? Luke 14:25‐34 (The Message Bible)

A. A universal call/invitation based on God’s mercy and desire to fill His house

B. Apparent “pre‐conditions” such as giving up possessions and carrying a cross

C. How do we resolve the tension?

A. Teachers and disciples…

1. Who taught/teaches you? (mastered/masters; guided/guides)

2. Disciple; student; apprentice

3. “…one who has decided to be with another person, under appropriate conditions, in order to become capable of doing what that person does or to become what that person is.” Dallas Willard ‐ The Divine Conspiracy

B. Overcoming misconceptions…

1. Of Jesus, the call to discipleship and the cost of discipleship

C. Being a disciple of Christ

1. To be with Him…to learn from Him…how to be like Him

2. Heart and action

3. Decisions and intention

D. How are we to be “with” Christ, learn from Christ, and be like Christ?

1. He has made provision for us to be engulfed by and immersed in His Spirit

2. Life in the Spirit or a futile and failing existence

• How has Christianity become so “cheap and easy” that actually following Jesus is no longer expected?

• What are your thoughts on Jesus’ view of absolute allegiance? Why does his view seem so unrealistic to most?

• Is it possible to be a Christian without being a disciple? Why or why not?

• In your opinion, what is the cost of discipleship? What is the cost of non‐discipleship?

• Describe your experience of being with Christ through the Spirit in your everyday, ordinary life as a disciple.

by Dallas Willard

I. What’s really important to me? | Luke 14:1‐6 (The Message Bible)

A. We ALL do what is important to us! (v.4‐5)

B. At times, the things we Christ followers deem important are not necessarily important to him.

1. But, isn’t he interested in all of our lives?

2. Yes, but are we interested in his?

II. Proving His point | Luke 14:7‐15 (The Message Bible)

A. Using both the hypothetical situation (v.5) and the actual situation (v.7), Jesus proves his point.

III. What’s really important to Jesus? | Luke 14:16‐24 (The Message Bible)

A. At the dinner party, Jesus tells a parable of yet another dinner party.

1. Many rejected the invitation due to prior commitments that were of more importance to them. (v.18‐20)

2. It is here that we find the heart of what is important to Jesus.

B. “…that my house may be filled” (v.23)

1. The universality of the invitation (Sidebar: the Vineyard Church)

IV. Being aware… | Luke 14:25‐33 (The Message Bible)

A. Just when he gets a few followers…he tries to run them off!

B. Being aware…

1. …of what is really important to Jesus.

2. …of our alignment or non‐alignment with his values.

3. …of the cost of alignment/discipleship/following.

• Could you personally relate to the text from today’s talk? Have you ever experienced such a confrontation between you and Jesus over what is really important?

• What was the issue? How did he make you aware of the issue? What was the outcome?

• In what other ways have you ever had to count the cost of following Christ? What did it actually cost you?

• Does the radical nature of this invitation into life with Christ alarm you in any way? Is this what you thought it was previously? Is this a progressive revelation of what it means to follow Christ?

I. The Mission of God

II. The Mission of Jesus

1. He was sent by God in the power of the Holy Spirit.

2. Jesus was sent to proclaim the good news.

3. Jesus was sent to enact the good news.

4. Jesus was sent to form a community of the good news.

5. Jesus was sent to consummate the good news through his death and resurrection.

III. The Mission of the Church

1. We are sent in the power of the Spirit

2. We are sent to proclaim the good news.

3. We are sent to enact the good news.

4. We are sent as a community of the good news.

IV. Why Missions?

1. Because, through Jesus Christ, God has healed the breach caused by sin. He has reconciled us to himself and to each other, and he has entrusted to us the message of reconciliation.

2. We are representatives of Jesus together, sent into the world to deliver and embody the good news.

V. Conclusion

• May we go out as a community that desires to continue doing the ministry of Jesus so that all people and all of creation would experience the reconciliation of God. 

   

  

II. Humanity’s dividing walls

A. Stale mate…when no one moves!

1. The line of fear

B. Segregation…moving to extremes!

1. Segregation’s allure, power, safety, and danger

C. Stereotyping…our uncanny ability to categorize people!

1. Re‐evaluating our “Samaritan” category

D. Sacred space…occupying “no man’s land”!

1. What kind of person occupies this space?

2. What do they do? How do they occupy the space?

• Colossians 4:6 3.

To what end?

• Do you find that you tend to occupy your own segregated space rather than the sacred space described in the talk? If so, why?

• How do you relate to people that occupy a different space than yours? (i.e. democrat/republican; Christian/Muslim; American/Asian; Black/White)

• Where do you need to occupy that sacred space to move toward reconciliation?

• How could you facilitate meeting people and moving toward them with cross‐cultural contact?

II. To know where y’at…

A. …you’ve gotta be clear on what you’re talking about.

B. …you’ve gotta be honest about the process.

C. …you’ve gotta know where you are.

D. …you’ve gotta know where you’ve been.

E. …you’ve gotta know where you’re going.

F. …you’ve gotta know how you're gonna get there.

For Further Discussion

• Think about the two graphs Tim shared this weekend. Why do many of us feel shame when our faith journey isn't neat and tidy? How can we learn to find beauty in the messiness?

• When you think about the faith journey of Simon Peter, where do you find things in common with your life? What are some of the defining moments in your own faith journey?

• What are some things you can do to make space in your life to cooperate with the Spirit as you move from where you are now to where God is inviting you?

by Mike Yaconelli

by Dallas Willard

A. Two integrated elements make up a person’s journey.

B. The destination is both now and the future.

A. Wisdom

B. Love is everything.

A. Love God

B. Love everyone else too

A. God is revealed through the love of Christians.

B. The means to love comes through the Spirit.

A. If you want to see love, look to the cross.

A. Choosing the path of love sets one free.

• Take 5‐10 minutes to map out (timeline) your life journey with God. What specific events, times, places, stand out? How has God used these events to shape you?

• Consider how closely related loving God and loving your neighbor are. How does this idea affect how you might relate to people differently?

• If the spirit of the triune God teaches us to love, are there things in your life that are preventing this from happening? What can you do to change the things that prevent the spirit from teaching you about love?

• When considering your own life, if love became the dominant force how would your life change? Describe an example of how your life might look different. 

A. Reality can be quite scary and leads most people to low places of worry, anxiety, and depression.

A. In Matthew 5-7, Jesus is teaching us about a completely different reality.

B. Jesus’ ultimate goal is to see us come into being authentic kingdom reality people.

A. A fully present, carefree love for life

B. A life lived in the presence of the Spirit

• Take 3 minutes in complete silence and imagine yourself before God with all of your “stuff” – your anxiety, worries, stressors, etc.

• After 3 minutes, consider this, “What questions are you living with? What are you most concerned with/about?”

• After 2 minutes, consider, “What is the Spirit inviting you into?”

• Dialogue with your group about the Spirit’s invitation to you in this time. How does this affect your view of your anxious/worrisome thoughts?

by Henri Nouwen

Chapter 6