Week 11 – June 24th Reading Assignment & Questions

Please read Chapter 11 – “Agent of Change” If you have extra time, complete Step 11 in the Workbook. Key points in this Chapter include:

• Three reasons for our lack of fruitfulness laid out in the Parable of the Sower are: Satan’s taking away the Word of God, persecution and the worries of the world. For most of us, worries of the world are the primary culprit for our lack of growth.
• To overcome the lies and begin to enjoy freedom from false beliefs, we need to have a clear understanding of what Christ has done for us through his death on the cross. The more fully we understand the implications of Christ’s sacrifice, the more we will experience the freedom, motivation and power God intends for us.
• The Christian life is a supernatural one in which we draw on Christ as our resource for direction, encouragement and strength.
• There are at least five obstacles that stem from a misunderstanding of Christ’s love and forgiveness, and often prevent us from experiencing his presence and power: We have wrong motives, Our approach to Christian life is too mechanical or regimented, We are too mystical, We lack knowledge about the availability of Christ’s love and power, We are harboring sin that blocks our fellowship with Christ.
• It is important to understand that fruitfulness and growth are the results of focusing on Christ and desiring to Honor him.

Questions that we will discuss this week at Tuesday at 7am and Friday at 6:30am include:

• Let’s discuss the parable of the sower – think of yourself or people who you have met/encountered that fit into each of the three categories: Fertility of the soil / Satan’s taking away the Word of God, The Climate / Persecutions, Presence of weeds / Worries of the World
• This chapter involves a review of the 4 False Beliefs, which one do you feel is most prominent in your life and why?
• How “supernatural” is your walk with Christ? How can we be more cognizant of the battles that go on in the spiritual realm?
• Which of the 5 obstacles presented by the author did you identify most with? What are 1 or 2 tangible things you can do to increase you understanding of God’s promises as it relates to those areas?
• How has this chapter helped you to better understand your motives for doing the things you do?
  

Week 10 – June 17th Reading Assignment & Questions

Please read Chapter 10 – “God’s Answer: Regeneration.” If you have extra time, complete Step 10 in the Workbook (at the back of the book). Key points in this Chapter include:

• To overcome shame you must accept how completely God desires to make changes in your life that will free you from your past.
• Regeneration is nothing less than the impartation of new life.
• We will continue to stumble and fall at times, but the Scriptures clearly instruct us to choose to act in ways that reflect our new lives and values in Christ.
• ‘For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.’ (Rom 5:17)
• ‘And in Him you have been made complete, and he is the head over all rule and authority’ (Col 2:10)
• Summary of the 4 Great doctrines: Because of justification, you are completely forgiven and fully pleasing to God. You know longer have to fear failure. Because of reconciliation, you are totally accepted by God. You know longer have to fear rejection. Because of propitiation, you are deeply loved by God. You no longer have to fear punishment; nor do you have to punish others. Because of regeneration, you have been made brand-new, complete in Christ. You no longer need to experience the pain of shame

Questions that we will discuss this week at Tuesday at 7am and Friday at 6:30am include:

• What does it mean for you to have become a “new creation” in Christ? (2 Cor 5:17)
• Review Eph 4:22-24 ( 22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.) – What is the difference between being made new in the attitude of your mind and to put on the new self versus the steady stream of “self-improvement” plans fed to us in the secular world?
• Have you struggled with changing the way you view yourself since becoming a Christian? Have you been successful in changing your “personal outlook?”
• The author asserts that the greatest obstacle to experiencing regeneration is that we don’t look different and sometimes we don’t act much different. – Essentially we only believe what we see. Do you agree? What other obstacles prevent you from accepting this truth in your life?
• How can we communicate the hope found in our regeneration to others? What example does Jesus’ treatment of Zaccheus hold for us?

Week 9 – June 10th Reading Assignment & Questions

Please read Chapter 9 – “Shame.” If you have extra time, complete Step 9 in the Workbook. Key points in this Chapter include:

• When we base our self-worth on past failures, dissatisfaction with personal appearance, or bad habits, we develop a false belief: I am what I am, I cannot change, I am hopeless.
• To often our self-image rests solely on an evaluation of our past behavior, being measured only through a memory. Day after day, year after year, we tend to build our personalities upon the rubble of yesterday’s personal disappointments.
• Shame often engulfs us when a flaw in our performance is so important, so overpowering, or so disappointing to us that it creates a permanent negative opinion about our self-worth.
• Problems associated with shame include: Inferiority, Destructive Behavior, Self-Pity, Passivity, Isolation and Withdrawal, Loss of Creativity and Codependent Relationships.

Questions that we will discuss this week at Tuesday at 7am and Friday at 6:30am include:

• How do you define Shame?
• Has there ever been a time in your life where you have felt feelings of shame or inadequacy? How did it affect your thinking?
• How has your attitude about yourself changed on the account of your relationship with Christ?
• Take the Shame Test – Did you learn anything? Which questions did you score the lowest on?
• Do you experience or have you experienced any of the effects of shame as outlined in the book?
• Take the Men’s Survey Below:

Men's Survey (Select one answer)

What relationship could you use the most help with? Wife, Boss, Child, In-Law, God

What hero did you most identify with when you were a boy? Batman, Spiderman, Gumby, Kermit, Mr. Rogers

What is the hardest thing for you to say? I need your help, I was wrong, I am tempted, I am not doing good today, It’s my fault

If you could have more of a certain character quality which would you pick? Humility, Compassion, Honesty, Selfless, Content

What is the hardest thing for you to resist? Sexual thoughts, Cutting words, New email/more work, Giving your opinion, Not speeding

What issues create the most concern/fear in your wife (if married)? Financial security, Marriage ending, Wasting influence, Finishing Strong, Disappointing God

What category best describes your relationship with your father? High talk – High time – High touch, Low talk – Low time – Low touch, No talk – No time – No touch

Week 8 – June 2nd Reading Assignment & Questions

Please read Chapter 8 – “God’s Answer: Propitiation” If you have extra time, complete Step 8 in the Workbook. Key points in this Chapter include:

• Propitiation means that the wrath of someone who has been unjustly wronged has been satisfied.
• But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
• Because we are His children and because of His sacrifice, performance is no longer the basis of our worth.
• Potential obstacles to receiving the Truth of God’s Answer are: Poor Patterns of Motivation and Holding on to Unforgiveness.
• If we hold on to unforgiveness, we cannot accept our own forgiveness.

Questions that we will discuss this week at Tuesday at 7am and Friday at 6:30am include:

• In what way can the growth of our knowledge of propitiation change the way we view others? Ourselves?
• The author mentions poor patterns of motivation as an obstacle to receiving the truth. How have you been motivated/what patterns of motivations have you seen throughout your life? If you are honest with yourself, how do you motivate yourself now?
• The author provides several reasons why we hold on to unforgiveness – which can you most identify with? Do you agree that if we hold onto unforgiveness, we cannot accept our own forgiveness? How have you overcome the times in your life when this has been an issue?
• Are there any sins (or even personality differences) in others that you have difficulty forgiving?
• How do you respond to sin in your lives? How do we come to respond in the way God intends?
• List 10 things for which you are glad God in Christ has forgiven you. This will prime you to be willing to forgive all other offenders.