I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I who do it but sin that dwells within me. For I know that the good does not dwell within me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do the good lies close at hand, but not the ability. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it but sin that dwells within me.

So I find it to be a law that, when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched person that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, with my mind I am enslaved to the law of God, but with my flesh I am enslaved to the law of sin. —Romans 7:15-25

Introduction

Our goal is to become radical Christ followers or

of Jesus.

You are already a disciple. The question is

.

Goal #1: The first and most important goal of practicing the way of Jesus is to be

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.

It is not a program, but a way of

.

The goal is not to just know about Jesus, but to know Jesus, and that takes a lot of

.

“You can’t get a shower with one drop of water every 5 minutes for three years. But frankly, most of what we do in the way of church services is like that.” – Dallas Willard

Goal #2 is to

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, which takes more than willpower or even Bible study.

Willpower becomes

power over time.

The single most important question is, “Are we becoming more

?”

Love is to

of another ahead of your own, regardless of the cost.

Goal #3: Do as He Did

The final goal of an apprentice is to carry on the work of the

.

What did Jesus do? Jesus did life with at least 12

people who loved God.

Jesus took those flawed people and trained them.

Jesus did the

of the Father through the

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of the Holy Spirit.

How do we actually achieve these goals of being with Jesus, becoming like Jesus, and doing what he did?

Not by chance. It takes a

.

“Nurturing a growing spirituality with depth in our present-day culture will require a thoughtful, conscious, intentional plan for our spiritual lives.” —Peter Scazzero

A thoughtful, intentional plan for your

is important because your life is the by-product of your lifestyle.

Practicing the way of Jesus is to

and create time and space in your

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life for God to transform you.

For a vine to bear much fruit, it needs a

. (John 15:5)

A

is a support structure (a way) that helps the vine and branches stay connected and grow in the most fruitful way.

That structure is made up of the

of Jesus.

This plan or set of habits is to help you do one day what you

do today.

Keep it

. Ask yourself, “What do I want in my life?” “What do I want to keep

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?” Make a

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for that.

The great challenge of following Jesus is to move from aspirational ideas to authentic

.

We have

in our lives when our schedules, resources, and values

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.

What was the way of Jesus?

You never see Jesus in a

.

Jesus took time to be

by the Father and

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by the Spirit in solitude. (Romans 7:21, 8:5-6)

Jesus prayed, fasted, read scripture, practiced

, served, and always

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to God the Father.

“Spiritual disciplines are acts of loving obedience by which we offer our brokenness and bondage to God for healing and liberation.” —Dr. Robert Mulholland

The good news is that transformation is

if we are willing to arrange our lives to the practices, rhythms, and truths of Jesus.

The Methodist Way of Following Jesus

1. Do no
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   .
2. Do
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   .
3. Stay in
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   with God.

“We do what we can do – read scripture, pray, practice Sabbath, eat a meal with community – to be formed into people who can eventually do what we currently cannot do: live and love like Jesus.” —John Mark Comer

Action Steps

Make a “

” list. What is one

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step you will take today in the way of Jesus?

Be

with yourself.

My additional notes:

.