TRANSFORMING WORK & FINANCES - Redeeming Money

Most people struggle to know what to do with their money. Yet Christ calls us to give joyfully and sacrificially. How on earth is that possible? Jesus explains in Matthew 6:19-34

We initially asked five questions of the text:

1) What does it mean by ‘treasures on earth’? (v.19)
money, possessions, anything that you can buy or invest in here on earth that can’t be taken with you when you die!
2) What are some of your treasures?
People were honest and talked about things like food, children, addictions, house, car, pets.
3) Why does it say not to store those treasures up? (v. 19)
These thing do not last forever. They break and wear out over time or can be lost or stolen.
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4) What are treasures in Heaven? (v. 20)
Things that will last for eternity.  E.g. investing in people to become Chrsitans, heavenly rewards, joy, the Kingdom
5) Why invest there? (v. 20)
Because these things last forever.

Jesus says don’t invest in earthly treasure (not because they are bad –it’s just they don’t last, no exceptions, Proverbs 23:5 “Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.”).  Rather - Invest in heavenly treasure

However all of find this difficult -why?

V22-23 talks about seeing and not seeing (being blind).  The point is that if your eyes are bad, however good the light is outside, everything will seem dark.  And so, in the case of finances, greed can make our eyes dark.  why? 3 reasons

i) Greed is Deceptive
Greed hides itself. It blinds you like no other sin. It isn’t obvious like other sins.
Jesus says in the parallel passage in Luke 12:14 “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
We always think it is rich people that are greedy.  But in the world’s eyes, we are rich! 
Also we make luxuries into necessities as our income grows.  We need to be ruthless with simplfying our lives so we can be more generous.

ii) Greed is Self Justifying
Most of us have someone in our minds that is more greedy than we are.  This is how we justify our behaviour -  by comparison. This is intensified if that person is someone we respect and look up to. 
If we feel challenged about how much we spend on our cars, wine, phone, jackets, taxi rides, meals, holidays, pets, and gym membership we immediately think of those that do spend money on that stuff - and say it must be okay! What would the worlds poor say if they saw your bank statement?  We are richer than we think.

iii) Greed demands not to be accountable:
Who have you authorised to speak into your life about your finances. This is crucial because greed is so deceptive.  However, most of us refuse to be open about our financial lives to those that are closest to us!  It is a cultural stronghold.  And an area where we simply don’t want to even ask the question of ourselves because we are happy to sin in secret!

Jesus knows greed is deceptive, that we want to justify and not be accountable.  But he is clear.  Matt 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money”

So what is really going on in our hearts?  We asked two more questions of the text:

1) Read verses 25-27.  What is the antidote to worrying?

2) Read verses 28-32.  What is the antidote to worrying?

Answers
1) Significance

Jesus says ‘26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?’  This is talking about how much we are cared for.  We are valuable.  We are loved.  This should define our identity and significance. We are God’s treasured possession.
Sadly For many of us – money gives us significance. Or access to perceived significance.  This is the reason we don’t give it away.  Where we live, what we wear, makes us feel important and gives us a sense of significance.  However, unless we are rooted in God’s love for us we will always worry as the significance is so temporary.

2) Security:
Matt 6: 33 ‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’ Jesus says “I will provide for you”.  This is true security.  Don’t look to money to provide ultimately for you but seek my kingdom, seek me!

Questions for Mission Group:

1) If you had £1000 to spend, what would you buy? 
2) What does that tell you about your earthly treasures?
3) How do you invest in Heavenly treasures?  (Read 1 Tim 6:17 “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”)
4) How is greed deceptive in your life? Do you either Self Justify or lack any sort of accountability?
5) Have you made luxuries into necessities?  what things? how could you simplify your life?
6) How should we handle ‘sales’ shopping as Christians? what are some of the hidden dangers?
7) Talk about how you find significance in things you spend your money on.
8) Read 1 Tom 6:6 “But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” How can we more content in life?
9) Talk about how you find security in money or wealth? 
10) How do you get the right balance between trusting God and living wisely?
11) How do you become someone who is secure in God’s love and provision for your life?
12) How are you going to respond to this preach?
13) Are there any needs in the community/in your mission group/in your local church that you could meet financially?
14) What do you worry about? And what does that tell you about what you are putting your trust in?

As this preach was put together rather hastily (our guest speaker had to cancel last minute) some of these points were taken from a brilliant preach by Tim Keller that can be found at this website:

LOVE:NATIONS 2011 - feedback

Stef Liston lead us through 4 sessions looking at the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Seminars were from Trish Capener, Ruth and Steve Hurd and Martyn Dunsford.

Hi Everyone, I thought it would be good to try and get some feedback and thoughts from the LOVE:NATIONS weekend.  What did you enjoy? What did you sense God was doing amongst us?  What were some of your highlights?  Have you got any encouraging stories?

Personally I was very struck by Stef’s comments on our evangelism.  He said “our lives are the only bible our friends will read”.  What would they pick up about God, the gospel, Jesus and living for him by the way we speak and live???

Also, I couldn’t help but be provoked by Martyns stories of cross cultural church planting among the poor in places like Dagistan.  Hopefully one day we will get to send church planters to an unreached people group.

The Vision of Mosaic - Part 4

For the last part in our vision we looked again at Acts 16 and what it means for us to become a community that "transforms the world'

We saw in Philippi there was a ‘ripple effect’ in terms of transformation

(1) Individual Lives were transformed (Lydia, The Slave Girl, The Jailor - totally different but God met them all)

(2) The Community was transformed (A new community had formed that broke down every human barrier and was an outpost of heaven)

(3) The Culture was transformed (an unjust and exploitative economic system was transformed by the kindgom of God coming - verse 19)

But how do this transformation come about? Through Paul and Silas…..they start the ripple effect. They showed incredible courage, faithfulness, love, sacrifice, boldness, confidence, kindness, forgiveness etc. That is how the culture is transformed….it starts with a transformed heart. External transformation is an OVERFLOW of internal transformation. Paul and Silas had been totally transformed as they had met Jesus and been filled with the spirit and been sent to Philippi and everything that happened was an overflow of their hearts.

How do we get that kind of transformation/freedom in our own lives? We have to understand the human heart and that every single one of us is a slave….something dictates our lives. Jesus shows us that the fruit of our lives comes directly, inevitably and unstoppably from the root/heart (Luke 6.43-35). This is how it works…

A good thing (e.g sport, music, family, work, belonging etc)

Becomes

An ultimate thing (i.e an idol - you must it to be happy/fulfilled/confident etc)

Becomes

A ruling thing (i.e slavery - it has started to dictate your life – decisions, emotions and actions)

Becomes

A destructive thing (you reap destructive fruit in your life)

      (Personal addiction, relationship breakdown, emptiness, loneliness,
      dissatisfaction, lies, jealousy, irrational emotions or thoughts,
      anger, abuse, affairs, cheating, deceit, exhaustion etc)

If we are really going to see this ‘ripple effect’ where through us lives, communities and culture is changed then we must (a) locate our idols and (b) replace our idols. We need to see the same transformation and freedom that Paul and Silas showed as the Spirit changes our hearts.

(1) Locate your Idols

(a) In your daydreams….imagination - where your thoughts effortlessly go to

(b) In your nightmares….what you ‘dread happening’

(c) In your spending patterns….time and money

(d) In your unyielding emotions….jealousy, anxiety, fear, unrest etc

(2) Replace your Idols

(A) REPENT....for the root issue (not the fruit….by why God isn’t first in your life)

(B) REJOICE....that what you long for in that idol is perfectly found in Christ by the Spirit and that he accepts us by grace. Tim Keller brilliantly shows us how this works

      “to rejoice is to treasure a thing, to assess its value to you, to reflect on its beauty
      and important until your heart rests in it and tastes the sweetness of it. “Rejoicing”
      is a way of praising God until the heart is sweetened and rested, and until it
      relaxes it’s grip of anything else it thinks that it needs”

(C) COMMUNITY.....you’ll need others to care for you, challenge your, hold you accountable by asking you to look at the underlying idols that control you, pray for you etc. So if we are really going to be on a mission we need to do it in community. That is why Mission Groups and Accountability are at the heart of the church.

Reflection and Application (you may not want to do all these questions - please pick the ones that are appropriate for your group)

(1) How is the culture transformed in Philippi? What are the different stages/areas of transformation?

(2) What is the cities response to this culture change (vs19)? Does this challenge our views on how ‘Leeds’ will receive us?

(3) What characteristics to Paul and Silas show at various stages of the story that (a) bring transformation externally and (b) reveal that an internal transformation has already happened in them?

(4) What happens if external transformation IS NOT an overflow of internal transformation?

(5) From Luke 6.43-35. What is the point of Jesus’ analogy? How does this help us understand and deal with ‘the negative fruit’ in our lives? What are we NOT to do? What are we to do?

(6) How do we (or society) often ‘explain away’ or excuse ‘negative fruit’? For example any sinful emotion (fear, envy, anxiety etc) or action (gossip, harsh words, lying)? How do Jesus’ words challenge us?

(7) How do locate and replace the idols in our lives? In smaller groups talk about the ‘good things that have become ultimate things?’ Talk about what it means to (a) repent and (b) rejoice in Christ and (c) help each other do both (a) and (b).

(8) Is everyone in (or looking for) accountability groups? If you want to use the card it is here - http://www.mosaic-church.org.uk/pdf/accountability_cards.pdf

(9) How have you found the vision series? What are the 2 things that you as individuals and as a Mission Group want to put into practice?

(9) Pray for (a) each other to be transformed so that our lives would overflow and (b) for the friends you are trying to reach (c) for Leeds to be changed as God’s kingdom comes.

THE VISION OF MOSAIC PART 3

Over these 4 weeks we are unpacking our new vision statement “Joining Gods mission to build a community that transforms the world”.

Today I’ll be looking at the sort of community God wants to build at Mosaic. 3 main things from Hebrews 10:19-25
i) Intimate and intentional
24 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”

‘To consider’ means to spend time thinking, deciding, mulling, seeking.  So verse 24 says do the same in terms of encouraging each other. Think about it, ponder, ask how can I truly help? Have you got a couple of people that are more than just friendly but are actively, intentionally helping you grow.  Do you have someone to listen to your life circumstances, be there for you to confess your failings, be willing to unearth your wrong motivations?  We ask everyone to be in an accountability group to foster this. 2 or 3 others that over time become intimate and intentional about your growth, care and mission.

Not just that, but notice what the author says next:
24 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”

To ‘Spur one another’ means to irritate and provoke or sharply disagree and confront.  If you don’t have this, someone to help you with your blind spots then you won’t grow fully.
If you are too touchy to be accountable – you’re in big trouble.

ii) Encouraging
25 ‘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.’

These verses mean more than encouraging your friends.  Every group of people has someone you look down on.  Every people group has those they are against.
Maybe Russians, travelers, scousers, Pakistani’s, royals, students, southerners that have moved up north!
Who is it for you?  True church community is full of people that consider how to encourage the people you like the least!

iii) Action
24 ‘And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.’

Accountability and mission group should propel you into love and good deeds.  Nothing special about this structure, just community that is intimate, intentional and encouraging will mean our lives are different.  This is one of the ways we join God’s mission.

1 Peter 2:12 “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”  People will see our ‘good works’ and praise our father in heaven.  Much of it is hidden, very ordinary, and done over the long haul.  This makes it very doable!

So if you want to get involved in Mosaic Church.  Here are our three places to belong:
i) Accountability groups:  People who know you yet still are your friends. Intimate and intentional about growth, care and mission

ii) Mission groups:  Real, ordinary, yet profoundly designed to propel you into love and good deeds.

iii) Sunday Gatherings:We bring together all our mission groups and guests for encouragement, vision, teaching and enjoying the presence of God.

Questions:
1) Has your mission group got any stories to tell?  Talk about them then get someone to email them to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) so we can share them with the rest of the church.
2) Talk about accountability and how it works for you.  How does someone find an accountability group in your mission group?
3) How can you become a comunity that is more intentional and intimate?  How could you encourage each other and spur one another on to love and good deeds?  Can you think of examples from scripture where we see this happening in friendship and community?
4)  John Ortborg suggests ‘People do not drift into full devotion to Christ. People do not drift into becoming loving, joy-filled, patient, winsome, world changers. It requires intention and effort.  But the default mode of the human heart is to drift. If a person has experienced real transformation, it’s typically because someone else has cared enough to say, “I want you to live God’s way, and I want to help you know if you are serious about it.” Do you agree?  Discuss this statement. 
5) How can you invite more people to your mission group?

THE VISION OF MOSAIC PART 2

Ephesians 3:1-13 “Joining God’s mission to build a community that transforms the world.” Today we are looking at the phrase "Joining God's mission" from our vision statement

1) God’s intention for the church
Between verses 2-6 Paul talks repeatedly about the mystery that was once hidden but now has been made known to him and through him, to the world. 
The word ‘mystery’ crops up 3 times.  (3,4,6).  Something that (5) “was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets”

But what is the mystery?
(6) “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus”
Paul is saying this mystery is so powerful because it’s about Gentiles being reconciled – from a double alienation.  From God and from Israel.  Totally separated like a married couple at war and totally unable to undo it. But Christ demolishes the God/Man barriers and the Jew/gentile barriers at great cost to himself, paying the ultimate price, and dying on a cross.  But is now creating a new, united, loving, multi cultural society which is both the family God loves and the temple where he lives (Eph 2:12-13). 

Why is this a mystery?
Because the old testament writers didn’t realise this was what God was planning.  Sure they had hints.  But never the full picture.  Peter tells us that these writers longed to understand what they were writing about. 1 Peter 1:10-11 “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.”

We don’t ask God to join our mission but we join Him on his!

2) God’s wisdom revealed in the church

So not only have we found out that’s God’s intention for the church was it to become a reconciled multiracial humanity but also this in itself is a public demonstration of God’s power, grace and manifold wisdom. 3:10 ‘His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms’

‘The manifold wisdom of God’. This is a strange phrase.  Greek word for manifold is ‘polupoikilos’ and it means many coloured.  The simplified version of the word ‘poikilos’ was used to describe the coat given by Jacob to his youngest son Joseph.  The famous ‘Technicoloured dream coat.’  Paul is saying the church, with it’s reconciled peoples, displays a far greater, much more splendid wisdom than Josephs’ coat.  No human community resembles it.  Totally unique.  Like each one of us is a different colour added to the tapestry of God’s wisdom being displayed.
The church is His delight, his multi colored revelation not only to the nations but also the principalities and powers (10). 

It means God’s wisdom is displayed to the world through our love for each other, the lack of divide between ages, races and colors and our identity as brothers and sisters in Christ. In Mosaic we experience this sort of communiy in our mission groups rather than on a Sunday.

This glorious vision of the church means we can’t be talking about the church being just:
• A building
• One off event
• Centralised gathering of people
• Attactional – just about numbers
• For the elite few to run
• Full of consumers
• Just about those inside the church
• About attendance

But it is primarily a reconciled people, centred on Christ with a message of hope for the world. That gets lived out in everyday life, that’s intentionally missional, where everybody gets to play, and serve. This is God’s wisdom revealed in the church.

Questions:
1) Write down the first 4 words that come to mind when you say the word - church?  Discuss?
2) What was the mystery Paul was talking about?
3) Why is this such a big deal?
4) How do we live this message out together in mission group in the world?
5) Why is the local church important?
6) Discuss the list of what the church isn’t mentioned above
7) Create your own list of what the church is?

The Vision of Mosaic - Part 1

This week we looked at an overview of the vision of Mosaic Church from Acts 16 - "Joining God's Mission To Build A Community That Transforms The World"

As a church it is important to re-clarify our vision and values in order that we don’t drift. It is very easy “to do lots” and “be busy” but not actually doing what God wants. So we are going to spend 4 weeks looking at different aspects of the vision and how they work out in church life (and we’ll end the series with Love Nations - make sure you come along with your Mission Group). Yesterday was an overview and we saw from Acts 16 that God is on a mission (and always has been), to transform people’s lives (and culture) and as he does that he is building his community. We look at three lives that were transformed in Philippi (a pagan land without even a synagogue)

(1) Lydia (vs13-15)
She is from Thyatira but owns a house in Philippi (vs40). She is a totally loaded business women and is converted through a bible-study - God opened her heart to Paul’s message and then she opens her home to them.

(2) The Slave Girl (vs16-18)
She is the opposite of Lydia - bottom of the rung, owns nothing and totally manic. Possessed internally, exploited externally. Converted through a power encounter - an exorcism (Servants of The Most High God would have be interpreted as Zeus not Yahweh in that Roman Culture).

After her transformation, Paul and Silas face terrible persecution, an unfair trial and torture by the Roman Jailor who was probably hardened by the trials and sufferings and atrocities of life in the Roman Army (vs19-24). As we learnt from John 15 last week “no servant is greater than his master, if they persecuted me they’ll persecute you also.”

(3) The Roman Jailor (vs25-34)
He is bang in the middle of Lydia and the Slave Girl in terms of financial and social status. God dramatically intervenes and uses an earthquake to set the people free. He is converted through the ‘Provocative Witness’ of Paul and Silas. Firstly their songs of joy (vs25) and secondly their kindness (in not running away - vs28). He didn’t have the same boldness, joy, confidence and freedom they had when they were in their time of crisis. Their radical joy and freedom in suffering provoked a question in him and they lead him to Christ. And everything changes. Hatred turns to love (he washes their wounds). Fear turns to joy (vs34). And again, a truely open heart always results in an open home (vs33-34).

What is the climax to the story? What is the most powerful moment? Verse 40! When all three converts (we assume the slave girl came to faith) sit in a room together as equals and as part of God’s family. The Gospel always does two things
(1) It has the power to transform anyone, from any situation and background. You can never be (a) ‘too sorted’ (b) ‘too desperate’ or (c) ‘too hardened’
(2) It has the power to unite people across all human divides

You could slice the bible open at any point and you’ll find God on a mission (this time to Philippi), wanting to transform lives (and culture) and bring people into his community.

Discussion and Application (you may not want to do all these questions - please pick the ones that are appropriate for your group and please do number 11-13)

(1) Read Acts 16.13-40

(2) What does verse 13 tell you about the spiritual climate Paul is facing? How is it different from elsewhere in Acts? How do you think Philippi compares to 21st Century Leeds?

(3) Go through each character
——What do we know about them? What do they do in the story? Paint a picture of someone today who is like them.
——How do they come to faith? What does Paul do in the story?
——What does the “changed life” look like in each case?

(4) Why do you think Luke puts the 3 stories next to each other? And why is verse 40 the climax to the story?

(5) Which character do you most associate with and why?

(6) How does this story inspire you? How does this story give you hope as you think of yourself or the friends you pray for?

(7) Is our view of salvation corporate? That is, when God saves us he (a) transforms our lives and (b) unites us with other believers. You never become a Christian without becoming part of the church.  How has our individualistic western culture affected our view on salvation and the church?

(8) What does it mean as a mission group for you to really be this diverse community - where all your friends are not “just those like you?” How does that work itself out in practice?

(9) How and why does being part of a diverse community bring about transformation in your life?

(10) How and why does the church as this diverse community witness to the watching world? (see John 13.34-35 and see the blog from a few weeks ago)

(11) Does the vision of the church make sense? Does it excite you? Do you want to be a part of it? How does it make you feel that we are ‘JOINING GOD’ rather than starting something ourselves? Do you see the importance of Mission Groups in Mosaic? And how does it make you feel about your mission group?

(12) In the story, the ‘mission’ was very specific - one needed a bible-study, one needed a power encounter and one needed the “Provocative Witness’ of God’s people. As a Mission Group, how are you trying to reach your friends? What does it mean for you to be a “Provocative Witness” in your mission field?

(13) Pray for each other. (A) That God would empower you to be a “Provocative Witness” in the places he has called you and (B) That God would open the hearts of your friends as he did Lydia’s.

John 15.18-27 - Persecution for Christ

In John 15:18-27, Jesus surprises us with words, not of comfort, but of the reality of how the world reacted to him, and how it will react to us.

Paul counted it a privilege of being “in Christ” (of knowing and trusting Jesus) that he should also suffer with him (Philippians 1:29).

This isn’t what we’re expecting, because we like the positive promises of being “in Christ” but don’t really want to have to do any hard work.

We looked at three thoughts from the passage
1. what it means to be “in Christ”
2. what it means to be “in the world”
3. whether we are in or out

1. what it means to be “in Christ”

Hated (v18), to have no home - chosen out of the world (v19), persecution (v20), rejection (v21).

However, is it just the case that Jesus was creating a paranoid community, fearing hatred at every turn?  No.  The reaction to Jesus was mixed (c.f. John 9:16) as he was both loved and hated.  So the reaction will be to his followers, also, who won’t respond with hatred but with love. What does it mean for us if we don’t experience hatred, does it mean that we don’t live a true witness to Jesus?  If we beat ourselves up over this, we might well end up trying to live an overly harsh witness in the hope of being hated! However, we must realise that the church is hated, though we may not face hatred first hand.  When Christian brothers and sisters overseas face hatred, we stand with them and can say that we are hated because we are one body.  But that leaves us with the challenge that we must stand with them, pray for them, be in contact with them, support them financially if we can.

2. what it means to be “in the world”

Loved (v19), belonging (v19).

We might sum this up by saying that we are accepted and comfortable, happy going along with everyone else.  This was Isaiah’s great concern for himself when, according to Isaiah 6, he saw Jesus on the throne.  He said “Woe to me, I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips”.  He was no different to anyone else. The place we Christians come to be cleansed of our unclean lips is the cross.  But we must live out of the power of the cross, never thinking we can press on in life in our own strength. The cross is the place where Jesus was hated so that we can be loved by the Father.
Peter and Judas faced the same dilemma, denying Jesus in favour of being loved by the world.  For Peter, it was acceptance that he struggled with, for Judas it was the love of money.  What was the difference between them? Judas never returned to Christ while Peter did.  We know we end up denying Christ on occasion, but failure needs to drive us back to him, not away from him.

3. are we in or out?

Freedom
v20 describes us a “servants” to our “master”.  The world would look on and say we are captive to a false master, but the Bible encourages us to see this as true freedom.

So, do we see ourselves as free, or as captives?

Verse 22 and 24 might seem to suggest to us that we are free if we haven’t heard the gospel!  But that’s not what Jesus was saying – he did not need to condemn the world for it was condemned already (John 3:18). Rather, these verse reveal our deepest sin, rejection of the Father and the Son.

Real freedom is found in Jesus himself and in sharing the gospel – are we free?

The Holy Spirit
We may say we are full of the Spirit, but v26-27 tell us that the Spirit testifies to Jesus – he draws us to Jesus and draws people around us to Jesus.  To not testify is to hold the Spirit back!  When we give the Spirit his freedom, he gives remarkable power to testify even in the face of hatred and persecution.

“Fear makes the wolf look bigger”
Fear holds us back from speaking in the face of hatred and persecution, but in Philippians 1:27-28, Paul tells us not to be afraid.  Suffering for Christ, according to John 15 is to be expected, so it is not unexpected and something to fear!  The early church rejoiced after suffering for Christ (Acts 5:41).

The Future
Jesus is speaking to the disciples in John 15, but it has implications for us because the disciples will stand firm and pass on the message.  In John 17, Jesus prays for the disciples, but he also prays for us that we would come into being and pass on the message.

Are we in, or out?!

Questions:

(1) From John 15:18-27, what are some of the things that will accompany (a) being in the world and (b) being in Christ?

(2) Given the context (the last words Jesus gives to his disciples before death etc), why do you think Jesus says what he says? Why was it important for the disciples (and us) to hear these words?

(3) What do you love about the privilege of being in Christ? Why does the privilege of suffering for him surprise us? Why don’t we want to suffer for Christ?

(4) What reasons do we have for turning down opportunities to give a reason for the hope within? What must we do to overcome this situation in our lives?

(5) What effect do we fear hatred will have on us as people? What effect should hatred have on the church, according to the Bible (think of some New Testament passages)?

(6) Which of the four challenges about being “in or out” hits you the hardest? Do you think of yourself as free in Christ, or as wearing a straitjacket? Are we giving the Holy Spirit freedom in our lives and expecting Him to give us power to speak? How can we overcome fear? Are you happy to be part of the future of the church?

I am the True Vine

Continuing our series "A Dialogue with Jesus" in John 13-16, we come to chapter 15 and Jesus' outrageous claim "I am the True Vine"

Jesus uses a very powerful image to help the disciples (and us) understand how we are to continue to grow and bear fruit after he has gone. He is saying - I am the true vine, my father is the gardener, you are the branches. If you want to bear fruit…if you want to change…if you want to see internal character transformation – you need to be connected to me just as a branch is connected to the vine, you must have my pulsating life flowing right through every part of you, you must be intimately and organically and powerfully connected to me. On your own and by other methods and through your own hard work you will not bear fruit - you won’t (vs4), you can’t (vs5).

We also noticed that if Jesus is not our vine, the one we connect to to receive life and be the people we want to be, we will connect to other vines. But no other vine will produce long lasting internal fruit and no other vine can give us life during times of suffering. Jesus is the only TRUE vine. Verse 2 shows is that God the Father who is the gardener uses suffering to prune us. At the time it seems devastating and irreversible, we don’t understand what is going on, it seems like such a waste. But later we see that God was wanting to reap greater fruit in us - he is a wise and loving gardener and he uses the trials, disappointments, sufferings, setbacks and upsets of life to prune us. Suffering reveals whether we are really connected to the true vine. If we are not, we will be thrown away and burned (vs6). If we don’t produce fruit, it reveals we were never connected to the vine and ultimately we’ll FOREVER be cut off from the vine.

We also saw how this picture of Jesus being the true vine helps us correct two common mistakes in the Christian life. Firstly, those who think “I need to clean up my act before I come to Jesus….I need to bear fruit in order to be connected to him” and secondly those who think “It doesn’t matter what I do, God will forgive me…I can do what I want.” The Jesus shows us that you connect to the vine FIRST and then you bear fruit. Fruit will inevitably come. But he accepts us by grace and we grow by grace. It is all of him. However if you are not bearing fruit then you should ask yourself whether Jesus really is your vine and be warned that judgement is coming for all who are not connected in.

Reflections, Questions and Application

(1) Read John 15.1-17. Recap the main points from the sermon/passage. How does the metaphor Jesus’ uses help us understand the Christian life?

(2) Read Galatians 5.22-23. Which fruits of the spirit would you like God to grow in you and why?

(3) How does the passage say we are to “remain” in Jesus? What does that look like in practice? How can you “remain in him” without it becoming legalistic?

(4) What other “vines” do we go to for life and joy and strength and hope? Where else do we try to connect to convincing ourselves that “if I connect here…..I’ll be the person I want to be?” What kind of fruit do we reap when we seek to find ‘internal life’ from these vines?

(5) What does verse 2 mean? How DOES God use the suffering and disappointments and setback and trials of life to prune you? How has he done that in your life? For more on this, read James 1, Hebrews 12, Romans 5 and 1 Peter 1. How does God sovereignly use trials in life?

(6) How does it encourage you that spiritual growth (like a vine) is gradual, unseen and often slow? What changes have you seen in yourself and other in your MG over the last 6-12 months?

(7) What is the warning in this text for those that don’t bear fruit (vs6)? What does that mean? How does that make you feel?

(8) Christians often make one of two (opposite) mistakes, either (1) I must bear fruit to connect to Jesus or (2) It doesn’t matter if I bear fruit, God will forgive me. How does this passage correct both views? Which way are you more likely to go?

(9) Pray for each other that (a) we’d remain in Christ (b) God would use trials to prune us and (c) that we’d bear much fruit for his glory.

(10) For those who want, the fuller meaning of what Jesus says has to be seen in context of Isaiah 5 and Pslam 80 where “the vine” is God’s people. Read Psalm 80.7-19. Who were the vine (i.e who was brought out of Egypt)? What happened to them? What are they asking God to do now? What do you think verses 17 is talking about? How do these verses apply to John 15 (and help us understand what Jesus is saying)? How do these verses apply to us today? How are we as the church, in Christ,  do what Israel should have done?