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?