Module 4 Meeting 4 - Countryside Church

MODULE 4
Scripture: Meeting 4

DISCUSS the disciple’s experience with Lectio Divina. Then spend time together working through the discussion questions for Redemption below:

THE POINT OF THE VIDEO: The gospel is the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection — which means that God sets us free, renews all things, and adopts us as children.

Discussion Questions

1. Share about a time when you received some life-changing news.

2. Why is it important to remember that the gospel is good news, and not just good advice?

3. If we tried to define the gospel in one sentence, we might say: The gospel is the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection—which means that: God sets us free, renews all things, and adopts us as children.

4. However, the gospel is too big to fit into just a few words! Read the following scriptures and share what you might add: Romans 8:1, Ephesians 2:4–5, 2 Corinthians 5:15, Philippians 2:5–11, 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

5. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 suggests that God doesn’t just forgive us but makes us holy as well. What does it mean for the gospel to be “more than forgiveness?”

6. How is the good news meant to change us?

7. Philippians 2:5–11 teaches that Jesus was God, but he made himself nothing and died on a cross. What does it mean for us to live with this same mindset?

8. We’ve said that because of the gospel, God sets us free, renews all things, and adopts us as children. Which of those three grabs you the most right now? Why?

9. We learned in a previous meeting that sin makes us slaves, spreads chaos, and causes us to be alone. But the gospel solves these problems:

10. Instead of slaves, we are set free (John 8:36)

11. Instead of chaos, all things are made new (Revelation 21:5)

12. Instead of being alone, we are adopted as children (Galatians 4:5)

13. Which of those areas is most difficult for you to live out right now?

14. We learned in week 1 that we are actors in God’s great drama, and the Bible is our script. Today, we are living out this story by the power of the Holy Spirit. What are some opportunities you have in your life to bring this good news to those who need it?

Assignment

Watch the video, Completion, to wrap up Module 4. Then, in preparation for Module 5, have the Discipler complete the Creating Your Timeline and Life Theme exercises below. The Discipler will walk through these exercises at your next meeting before the Disciple completes them for him or herself.

Creating Your Timeline

By Megan Koch, Inspired by Don Miller’s Book Storyline: Finding Your Subplot in God’s Story

One important aspect of following Jesus is understanding how God has used your life experiences to form you into who you are today. We often think our lives are chains of random, meaningless events. However, when we encounter Jesus, we realize that we have a God who is present in all of it—even the difficult times. We are often so overwhelmed with simply living our lives that we rarely have an opportunity to step back and ask, “What does it all mean?” This exercise will do just that.

You will identify 8-10 of the most pivotal events of your life story and plot them on a timeline, just like a screenwriter would do. (Some people may identify more than 10 events, some less.) Once you’ve identified these events, you’ll begin to build a redemptive perspective and recognize how God has used these seasons to shape you into who you are today. Once you see that, you’ll begin to understand your purpose and calling in new ways.

You’ll need to set aside about 2 hours to complete this timeline, so plan accordingly. Don’t rush. If you need to leave this project and come back to it again to complete it, please do so.

1. Pause

To begin, pause. Sit with God and ask him to guide you as you survey the significant events of your life together.

2. Identify Life Turns

Grab a journal or a piece of paper, and list every significant Life Turn you can think of. Life Turns are events that bring you through a “doorway” of sorts. Something happens, and once you’re on the other side, you can never go back. Life Turns can be as simple as the birth of a sibling, earning a spot on the team, or a conversation from a school teacher that changed your perspective. They can also be heavy moments, like the breakup of a friendship, the death of a parent, undergoing an addiction, or seeing poverty in another country. If you think of something, write it down. You can always refine your list later.

It can be helpful to work in time increments. Perhaps start with the first 5-10 years of your life, then move on through each decade of life from there, up until the present day. Give each Life Turn a title, and describe it in a quick sentence or two about how it impacted you.

These events can be both positive and negative in nature, so ascribe each one a number value on a scale from –10 to +10. Look at the following examples to see how you can:

LIFE TURN

Title: Graduated High School Rating (-10 to +10):______+7________

Description: Graduating from high school was a major accomplishment. I was the first person in my family to ever graduate. Realized for the first time what I’m capable of.

Title: Breakup with my boyfriend Rating (-10 to +10):______-8________

Description: The person I thought I was going to marry someday suddenly broke up with me. Sent me spiraling in my self worth and questioning God.

Remember to ask God for guidance. You probably have more defining moments than you realize. Also, don’t feel pressure to only locate events that seem like a “big deal”. Even very small things can have a big impact, like a volunteer opportunity or performing in an elementary school talent show. If it seems significant, write it down!

3. Draw Your Timeline

Once you’ve completed your list of Life Turns, grab a blank piece of paper or begin a new page in your journal. Turn the page sideways and draw a horizontal line across the middle. Place your birth year on the left end of the line, and present day on the right. Now plot your Life Turns in order on the timeline in sequence, using a vertical line for each. Allow the height or depth of the vertical line to reflect the positive or negative value you placed on each one. Label each line with the title you provided.

4. Redeem Negative Turns

After all of your Life Turns are plotted on your Timeline, return to the events you gave a negative value (anything below 0). These are your Negative Turns. On a separate piece of paper or in a new section of your journal, list out your Negative Turns—but this time, look at them from a redemptive perspective. Redemption is about recovering something that was lost. God doesn’t author pain and suffering, but he does redeem it. Identify God’s voice, help, gifts, and presence within these difficult seasons. How did you grow as a person? What did you gain through this suffering or difficulty? List out these redemptive elements under the same title you gave the Negative Turn in this new section. It look something like this:

NEGATIVE TURN

Title: Breakup with my boyfriend

Redemptive Perspective:

I discovered how important friendships are in my life when I went through this extreme season of loneliness and loss of self-worth. I opened up to more people, and found time to do new things I never knew I would enjoy. .

You will talk about this more with your Discipler, so don’t worry if you have trouble identifying these redemptive threads in detail. Just get started.

Discerning a Life Theme

By Megan Koch

As you begin to identify the most significant events of your life and plot them together on a timeline, you will begin to uncover details you’ve never noticed before.

Spend time between now and your next meeting simply studying your timeline with God. Consider the positive and negative turns, and the redemptive perspective you’ve gained.

How have these events worked together to shape you into who you are today?

Where was God speaking and acting within them, even if you didn’t realize it at the time?

What unique qualities thread these events together, even if they previously seemed unrelated?

Begin to identify patterns and themes within the timeline. The ways God repeatedly works in and through our gifts, passions, failures, suffering, and victories are bright clues into our purpose and calling.

For example, many who have suffered with addiction recognize that God is redeeming their past in order for them to help others with the same struggle. Similarly, some who have endured the loss of loved ones are uniquely gifted to help others grieve.

The goal of a Life Theme is to identify the ways God has woven your life events together to make you into who you are today, but also something to hold on to as you live toward tomorrow. It is helpful to be able to say it in a clear, short sentence that describes who you are and what you’re here for.

Some possible life theme examples:

Reclaiming joy.

Helping others find freedom.

Words that move.

Creating belonging.

Freely giving.

Ridding others of shame

Obviously, each person’s theme will be unique! Feel free to prayerfully and creatively discern what your Life Theme will be, using the guidance of your Discipler if you need help. Once you know what it is, write it down.

My Life Theme Is:

The Discipleship Pathway is a collaborative work between Pastors Phil Wiseman & Megan Koch of Table Church and Pastor Jake Thurston of The Ransom Church.