To be an apprentice of Jesus is to order your life around three goals:
How do we change?
You and I change in
Intentional Spiritual Formation:
“As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’ At once they left their nets and followed Him. When He had gone a little farther, He saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed Him.” —Mark 1.16-20
“Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to Him those He wanted, and they came to Him. He appointed twelve that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. These are the twelve He appointed: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter), James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means ‘sons of thunder’), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him.” —Mark 3.13-19
You
“No one can have God for his Father, who has not the Church for his mother.” —St. Cyprian of Carthage
“You can’t be married to Jesus, and merely date the Church.” —Jimmy Cooper of Wentzville
Many of us
The Three I’s that Keep Us from Community
Individualism: I don’t
Isolation: I don’t
Idealism: I am
“Loneliness is the leprosy of the modern world.”
“We are lonely but fearful of intimacy. Digital connections…may offer the illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship. Our networked life allows us to hide from each other, even as we are tethered to each other. We would rather text than talk…When technology engineers intimacy, relationships can be reduced to mere connections. And then, easy connection becomes redefined as intimacy. Put otherwise, cyberintimacies slide into cybersolitudes.” —Sherry Turkle, Alone Together
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in Their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” —Acts 2.42-47
“Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. Then Peter said, ‘Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.’ When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.” —Acts 5.1-5
“Man, I just really wish our Church was like the early Church.” ☺
“The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.” —Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together
“Long-term interpersonal relationships are the crucible of genuine progress in the Christian life. People who stay also grow. People who leave do not grow. We all know people who are consumed with spiritual wanderlust. But we never get to know them very well because they cannot seem to stay put. They move along from church to church, ever searching for a congregation that will better satisfy their felt needs. Like trees repeatedly transplanted from soil to soil, these spiritual nomads fail to put down roots and seldom experience lasting and fruitful growth in their Christian lives.” —Joseph H. Hellerman, When The Church Was a Family
There’s the
And the
And discipleship happens in the
It is in the smaller, more relational spaces where we experience the most profound change.
Dr. Robert Dunbar’s Four Circles of Community
The Four Circles of Community
- Intimates
- Friends
- Village
- Tribe
Healthy people have relationships across all four circles, but most of our deepest formation, growth, healing, & change happens in the
“The essence of friendship can be summed up with the phrase, ‘you too?’” —C.S. Lewis
Practice: Continue in, Join, or Cultivate a Jesus Community of Depth, Vulnerability, & Commitment of Transformation.
Depth
Vulnerability
“We can’t live without sin, but we can live without secrets.” —Tyler Staton
“There is one skill that lies at the heart of any healthy person, family, school, community organization, or society: the ability to see someone else deeply and make them feel seen—to accurately know another person, to let them feel valued, heard, and understood. That is at the heart of being a good person, the ultimate gift you can give to others and to yourself.” —David Brooks, How to Know a Person
3. Commitment to Transformation
“Conversatio Morum” or “Conversion of Life”
Practice(s):
Sabbath: Celebrate Sabbath with your Life Group.
Prayer: Pray about joining a Life Group or Pray with your Life Group.
Fasting: Fast about joining a Life Group or Fast with your Life Group.
Solitude: Spend time in Solitude & Silence asking God if you should join a Life Group.
Generosity: Share a gift with someone in your Life Group.
Scripture: Read Scripture with your Life Group.
Community: Join a Life Group or Meet with your Life Group.
Service: Serve with your Life Group.
Witness: Invite someone to join your Life Group.