Discussion 4Growing in Your Relationship with ChristGod desires to empower you through the Holy Spirit to live a Christ-directed life. As you continue to breathe spiritually (confess your sin and claim the fullness of the Spirit), you will experience a deepening fellowship with God enabling you to grow in Christian maturity. 1. What does it mean to grow in Christ? It means to increase in your knowledge of Christ, your love for Him, and in obedience to Him. “Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom You have sent.” (John 17:3). a) What does Jesus say is the essence of eternal life? ______________________________________________________________________________ “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38) b) There are more than 600 commands in the Old Testament. Why do you think Jesus singled out this one in Matthew 22:37, 38? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ c) How would loving God with all your heart, soul and mind affect your life? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ (Christ speaking) “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.” (John 14:21). d) What will be a result of your growing love for Him? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Just as it is a natural process for a child to grow in a loving relationship with a parent, so it is also natural for you to grow in your love relationship with God. How can you grow in Christ? Communication is vital to any relationship, including your relationship with Christ. There are four aspects of communication that will help you grow in your relationship with Christ as you live in the power of the Holy Spirit.
2. God communicates with us through the Bible, revealing His character and His will. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good wor.k” (2 Timothy 3:16, 17). a) How would you define each benefit described in this passage? Teaching ______________________________________________________________________ Rebuking______________________________________________________________________ Correcting_____________________________________________________________________ Training in righteousness_________________________________________________________ b) Which of these benefits would be most helpful to your right now? ______________________________________________________________________________ c) How would you evaluate the helpfulness of the Bible reading you have done so far? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The Bible is broken up into two main sections, the Old Testament (39 books) and the New Testament (27 books). The Old Testament is the first part of the story that tells about a nation of people that God chose to reveal himself to called the Jews. Four hundred years after the final Old Testament book, the New Testament starts. It begins with four books called the Gospels (good news) which are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They tell about the birth of Jesus, His life and His death on the cross as he takes the punishment for our sins on Himself. All four Gospels talk about His resurrection from the dead and how He appeared to His disciples. That is where the Book of Acts begins. Acts was written by Luke and tells the story of the early church. Acts is followed by twenty-one letters to the early churches and to some individuals. The final book is called Revelation which contains prophecy that shows how Jesus will gain His ultimate victory. 3. We communicate with God through prayer – sharing our thoughts, our needs and our desires to do His will. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7). “This is the assurance we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him.” (1 John 5:14-15). a) What do these verses tell us about prayer? ______________________________________________________________________________ b) What are some things you can be praying about? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). “Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:20). c) Why is it important to thank God? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [Jesus said] “This then, is how we should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debts (sins), as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:9-13). d) This then, is how we should pray: Our Father in heaven. The Lord’s Prayer is the guideline Jesus gave us for prayer. i. What is so astounding about the fact that Jesus tells us to pray to God as Father? ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ e) Hallowed be your name. Think about how great God is. i. What are some characteristics we can attribute to God? ________________________________________________________________________ f) Your kingdom come. You are asking God to be the king of your life and circumstances. i. How should this prayer affect your daily living? ___________________________________________________________________ g) Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Ask God to accomplish His will in your life in areas you know about and in areas that you do not know about. i. Why do we seek to be independent of asking ANYONE for help? ________________________________________________________________________ ii. Why do we seek to be independent of God? ________________________________________________________________________ h) Give us today our daily bread. Ask for the daily needs for yourself and others (us). i. Why should we ask God to "give" us daily bread so long as we can earn a living for ourselves? ______________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ i) Forgive us our debts (sins) as we also have forgiven our debtors (those who sin against us). Confess sins and forgive others. i. Why should we continually ask forgiveness? ___________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ii. How can unforgiveness on our part block God's blessing? ________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ iii. How can unforgiveness block God's forgiveness? _______________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ j) And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Ask for victory over sin and any demonic realm. i. Why should we bring God into the fact of our tempting circumstances? ________________________________________________________________________ ii. Can't we expect God to deliver us from sins automatically? ________________________________________________________________________ k) For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Close with thinking about how great God is. We begin and end with praising God for who He is. i. What are some more characteristics we can attribute to God? ________________________________________________________________________ 4. We communicate with non-Christians by witnessing – sharing about our relationship with Christ. “Salvation is found in on one else, for there is no other name under heave given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12). a) What would motivate you to tell another person about Christ? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ b) Who would you like to tell about what Christ has done in your life? ______________________________________________________________________________ 5. We communicate with Christians through fellowship – encouraging and building up one another. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24,25). a) Why is it important to spend time with other Christians? ______________________________________________________________________________ b) Why would this be important for you now? ______________________________________________________________________________ The Greek word for fellowship, koinonia, means “sharing in common.” We need to share our Christian experience with others who love God and walk with Him, and likewise allow them to share with us. The church is where we can meet other Christians and hear God’s Word. It is God’s appointed place for Christians to gather. Bible studies and small group meetings are also extremely helpful in creating an environment where we can develop our relationship with one another as we grow closer to God. Summary: Read 1 Corinthians 3:6-7. God is the source of your growth. You cannot develop spiritual maturity just by trying real hard. As you walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, read the Bible, pray, tell people about Christ and spend time with other believers, God will be at work in you producing fruitfulness and maturity. Suggestions for Further Growth Some additional passages to study are Colossians 1:9-12; Matthew 7:7-11; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Psalm 1; 34; 103; 145; John 15:1-7; and Luke 9:23-26. Key Question: God wants us to grow closer to Him through each of these four areas of our lives. What could keep you from growing in these areas? In Discussion 5, we will look at some potential obstacles to our growth. |
