Unique Conformity

Unique Conformity [re]defining and living authentic discipleship

Table of Contents Introduction: Finding Purpose 1

Part One: [Re]Defining Discipleship 2

Part Two: The Upside-Down Kingdom 16

Part Three: Dont Rub It 27

Part Four: Spirit Walking 37

Part Five: Idol Smashing 49

Conclusion: Its a Start 57

Get Connected For a Deeper Experience

Because this experience is not meant to simply be a study or class material, my hope is that youll use this it to form deeper connections; both with others who are taking the same journey, and with God through the Holy Spirit. If you are particularly struck by a certain section, you may want to share your insight and reflections with others. There may also be times when you need the guidance or challenge of another persons perspective. So I encourage you to take this experience one step further, whether you are engaging in it by yourself or with a group. There are a few ways we want to help in that process.

Unique Conformity Resources

Our website, uniqueconformity.org, is a great place to start. Here youll find ways to share your experi-ences with others, and get connected with those who are whole-heartedly engaging in this experience, including:

Ways to interact with others to process the contents of this experience. A place to post your experiences with the activities youll be challenged to do. Opportunities to share pictures or videos from your experience. Ways to engage this material as a whole church or small group through retreats, seminars, or youth

events with help from Unique Conformity leadership.

Visit the website to connect with these resources and discover more ways to find meaning as you begin this journey.

Still have questions? Send them to [email protected] or call us at 888-742-6592.

About the Author

Trevor Lee is the Founder and President of Unique Conformity, a freelance writer, speaker, and the pastor of a church in urban Denver, Colorado.

You can contact Trevor directly at [email protected].

Unique Conformity, Inc. 2010

Introduction The Journey

I was recently on a hike with my five-year-old son, Isaiah, just outside Denver in the foothills. Since we moved back to Denver about a year ago, we havent had the chance to go on too many hikes. As we headed out onto the relatively tame path, Isaiah exclaimed, Look Daddy, dandelions! He insisted on picking a few of the flowery weeds to take home to his mom and sister and then we moved on. His ap-proach to the hike didnt change much as we went. Wed walk for a little bit and then a spot along the river, a big rock, or a bug would catch his attention and wed stop to check out his latest discovery. There were times during our hike when I dissuaded him from venturing through the mud or going too close to the rapids, but as long as he wasnt in too much danger (or too much of a mess) I let him go.

This experience is meant to be much like that hike. I have provided you with a path to follow, and hopefully it will keep you headed in the direction of understanding and living authentic discipleship of Jesus, but I also hope that your journey will be your own. Some parts of the experience will strike you more deeply than others and you will choose to slow down while someone else might speed ahead at the same point. I hope your time moving through the pages will be nearer the pace of my son than the head-down quick gait I use too often when I hike by myself or with other adults.

I have been calling this an experience, and that needs a little explanation. Couldnt it just be called a study or class? It could, but if you treat this merely as a study I fear it will not make any more impact on you or your discipleship than the myriad of books and classes that are available today. The difference will be more about your attitude toward the material than about the material itself. It is true that you will study as you make your way through the pages, but to fully engage the process you will be asked to do more than that. You will need to reflect and study yourself. You will need to take the challenge to en-gage in practical exercises throughout the course of the week that will force you to consider what youre reading beyond your head. You will need to let the Holy Spirit change you, not just increase your knowledge. If you do all this I think you will find it becomes more of an experience than a study.

Scripture in this Experience

An important part of this experience is taking significant time to reflect on what Scripture says about the topics were looking at. When you come to the parts where youre supposed to look at Scripture you have the option to breeze through it or to really slow yourself down and let it get inside you. I strongly encourage you to take the second option. Nothing in this experience will be as powerful as what God can say to you through Scripture and the Holy Spirit. Id even encourage you to take some time to read through the Scripture for each section before you get into it. These passages are listed on the first page of each section.

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Part One: [Re]Defining Discipleship [Scripture for this Section] Matthew 4:18-22 / Luke 14:25-34 / John 6:60-68 / Philippians 3 / 2 Corinthians 5:11-21

There are a couple reasons we need to [re]define discipleship at the beginning of this experience.

Reason One: We need a common starting point

If we dont have a shared paradigm of discipleship we will not be able to move together through this experience. Let me illustrate this from my relationship with my wife, Michelle. Ever since we had kids it is extremely common for us to plop down on the couch with some popcorn and watch a movie on Fri-day nights. When Michelle heads to the movie store she often asks me which movie Id like her to get (and vice versa). Unless there is something out I really want to see, I will simply respond, Whatever, just get something good. Aside from the veiled inference that she would try to pick a horrible movie, the problem with this statement is that our ideas of a good movie are vastly different. We do not share the same paradigm of what makes a good movie. So if she comes home with a sappy romantic movie and I say, I said you should get something good! She might very well respond, I did get something good. If we end up with a movie we can both enjoy it is because Michelle and I understand each others views on movies and take that into consideration when we choose.

Right now there is a chance we dont share the same paradigm on discipleship. If you are doing this experience with a group, it is likely you will not all share the same discipleship paradigm. After going through this section its still probable that not everyone will agree on every aspect of what discipleship means, but by wrestling with this topic you will gain some perspective on what I mean by discipleship and you will understand more what your group members mean when they talk about discipleship. This shared understanding will give us an ability to move through the experience together well.

Reason Two: Its poorly defined far too often

One of the difficulties with words is that their meaning can change over time. How else would you ex-plain the use of words like sick, bad, ill, and nasty to refer to positive things? How could the word like come to be used as a conversational filler rather than something that actually carries meaning? I believe the word discipleship has been reduced, twisted, and misunderstood so badly that we need to redefine it for it to have real benefit moving forward. A few pages from now well look more specifi-cally at some of the misconceptions people have about discipleship and why [re]defining it is so impor-tant.

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Part One: [Re]Defining Discipleship

Your Discipleship Paradigm What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? Try to define it as succinctly as you can while including the things you think are important.

Discuss

Share your thoughts with the others in your group. If youre doing this by yourself talk to a friend, fam-ily member, or neighbor about it. You can also interact over these questions online on the Unique Con-formity Facebook page.

What are the common themes, words, and components of the definitions people share?

What are the primary differences in themes, words, and components in the definitions?

Why do these similarities and differences exist?

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Source Awareness

Now go a step beyond your definition of discipleship. Consider how youve come to your current view of discipleship.

What are the factors that have contributed to the way you see it?

How has your study of Scripture contributed to your view of discipleship?

How have your friends and family contributed to your view of discipleship?

How has your church contributed to your view of discipleship?

How have your life experiences shaped your view of discipleship?

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Quick Quiz (Breathe! Its not graded and its only twelve questions)

Rank the following statements based on this scale: 1This is a discipleship essential. 2It is very helpful in discipleship. 3It doesnt matter for discipleship.

____ Regularly attend a church service. ____ Model your life after the life of Jesus. ____ Serve people in your community. ____ Accept Jesus death as the grounds for the forgiveness of your sin. ____ Read the Bible. ____ Serve in some way in your church. ____ Know and use your spiritual gifts. ____ Live by certain moral rules. (You know what Im talking about!) ____ Pray. ____ Participate in bringing justice to the poor and marginalized. ____ Financially support your church and/or other Christian organizations. ____ Participate in a community of faith.

If there are other things you think are essential for discipleship, list those here:

Whats Your Grade? (I know, I said its not graded, and Im not losing my integrity over it.)

This quiz is meant to help you think through your current attitude toward discipleship and your beliefs about it. In reality, all the things described on the quiz can be great, the issue is what forms the founda-tion for an understanding of discipleship. For instance, if you place attending a church service as the highest priority, it may lead to a life of discipleship, but it might just stall at church attendance. Starting with justice may move you toward a relationship with the God who loves the poor and marginalized or that work might never connect to Gods love at all.

An important part of developing a faithful and useful discipleship paradigm is discerning which things have the power to shape the way we view discipleship. There is a significant difference between the things that form our paradigm on discipleship and the things that can be a helpful part of it. In develop-ing a helpful discipleship paradigm we need to address some of the misconceptions about discipleship. Thats what we turn to now.

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Discipleship MisconceptionsDiscipleship MisconceptionsDiscipleship MisconceptionsDiscipleship Misconceptions

Misconception #1 Discipleship is part of what it means to be a Christian.

In winter of 2009 I attended a forum on how church and business can work together. There was a panel of people who were giving insight from their experiences supporting and leading kingdom-minded businesses. At one point the conversation turned to whether or not evangelism should be one of the goals of a kingdom-minded business. One of the panelists, who was an owner of one of these businesses re-sponded, Well, evangelism is important, but we have to remember it is not the only thing. Its also im-portant to think about compassion, justice, and discipleship.

I cringed. To be fair, I hear statements like this all the time; he wasnt the first nor will he be the last. Discipleship is very widely viewed as one consideration of many when we think of the Christian life. It is a member of a list including such things as evangelism, worship, justice, compassion, community ser-vice, fellowship, and Bible study. Yet if discipleship is the process of learning to be a disciple of Jesus, then it is not a part of the Christian lifeit is the Christian life.

Is this really a big deal? Isnt it just words? It is a huge deal! Disciple is one of the most common monikers for people who were following and believing in Jesus throughout the Gospels and Acts. If we have an improper or truncated view of discipleship it can significantly impact the way we read the Bible and our ability to understand what Jesus teaches about what it means to be a disciple of His. The way we view discipleship can significantly impact how we view what it means to be a Christian.

When Jesus sent his disciples into the world at the ascension he told them to go make disciples. That summed it up for Jesus. He didnt tell them to make disciples, evangelists, worship leaders, pastors, en-trepreneurs and on and on. He didnt have to. If they made disciples theyd make all the other things by default.

Misconception #2 Discipleship is primarily about learning more.

Recently I was at a networking meeting for a number of area churches. There were about twenty pastors and ministry leaders sitting in an asymmetrical circle around a few tables sipping coffee. The issue that evening was discipleship. People took turns sharing beliefs, opinions, and experiences about how disci-pleship happens and what their church was doing to feed the discipleship process. But our nice little dis-cussion session was about to screech to a halt.

A few minutes after the discussion began a young man, probably in his early twenties, had slipped in and taken a seat on the edge of the circle. He sat and listened for more than half an hour. Honestly, I think most people forgot he was there because he was so quiet and unassuming. Then, when there was a lull in the conversation (an anomaly in a room full of pastors and ministry leaders) he spoke up.

Hi everyone. My name is Shawn. I havent been a Christian very long, but when I hear you talking about discipleship it seems to me most of what youre talking about is being a student. No offense, but someone could do the things youre talking about without ever really being changed.

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It isnt surprising that a new disciple would be the one to make such an important observation. He had recently responded to the call to follow Jesus and was listening to the conversation with fresh earssomething its hard to do when your ears hear the same noise for a long time. His short statement brought up something that has stuck with me sincebeing a disciple is not the same as being a student. A disciple is someone who is becoming like the one they follow. This includes being a student, but it must go far beyond that or it is not discipleship. Too many people have believed that discipleship is con-fined to growing in knowledge of Jesus which has resulted in many people who are more students than disciples.

It is also important to note that discipleship is not the same as being an admirer. Many authors have re-marked how people in our culture really like Jesus. That is a good thing and something that can help to move them toward being His disciples, but merely admiring Jesus will not make you more like Him or give you new life. Discipleship can (and in some sense should) involve admiration of Jesus, but it is much more than that.

Misconception #3 Discipleship is a process you can complete.

When I was growing up my church had discipleship classes. In our church being discipled meant you made your way through all four classes and when you finished the fourth one you had completed the process of discipleship. This may not have been what the leadership believed about these discipleship classes, but it was what was communicated by the way they were set up. Many discipleship programs give the impression that once you make it through the whole process you have been discipled.

The reality is that discipleship is a life-long process. Perhaps no group of people revealed this more clearly than Jesus own disciples. In Mark 8, after the disciples have been following Jesus for some time, they think Jesus is upset they dont have breadthis after he just fed 4,000 people with seven loaves of bread and had leftovers. They werent applying what they had seen too quickly in that case. Shortly after that they try to talk Jesus out of his death, which is an essential part of the reason why he came to earth in the first place. But in the midst of this process they are transformed. They are constantly squirming their way toward Jesus in the process of discipleship. Not long after Jesus has returned to heaven, Peter and John found themselves in front of the Jewish religious leaders. When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Their time spent becoming disciples of Jesus transformed them to their corea process they continued in until the day they died.

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Misconception #4 Discipleship is comfortable.

I could tell she was really struggling. The woman sitting across the table from me at church was facing some daunting and difficult things in life and she couldnt understand why things werent going better for her. Didnt Jesus say He came to give us abundant life. This doesnt look like abundant life to me. I dont have a job, I dont know how Im going to keep pay-ing my bills, I dont have any close relationships. It all just sucks. Why isnt it the way Jesus said it would be?

Not everyone believes life as a disciple of Jesus will be easy, but it is a fairly widespread belief that Jesus wants us to be comfortable, relatively wealthy, and safe. We have believed the lie that He wants us to have the American dream and if we trust Him thats what Hell give us. Im not sure where we get this idea. If thats what it means to have an abundant life then neither Jesus or any of his disciples had one. Jesus said, whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. How did we get from cross carrying to comfort? I think this is one of the reasons Jesus tells people to consider the cost before they choose to be his disciple. We need to be sure we are willing to follow Him no matter where it leads or what happens.


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Hearing Scripture

We need to let God shape our discipleship paradigm through the Scriptures. Take some time to work through each of these passages and write down what you believe each is saying about discipleship.

Matthew 4:18-22

Luke 14:25-34

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John 6:60-68

2 Corinthians 5:11-21

Are there any other passages of Scripture you think are really important for shaping a discipleship para-digm (of course all of Scripture can help)? Write them down and share them with your group.

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Shaping DiscipleshipShaping DiscipleshipShaping DiscipleshipShaping Discipleship Before getting to what I believe is a very simple and broad way of looking at discipleship, consider a

couple concepts from Scripture that can be very helpful in shaping our discipleship paradigm.

Following

A few years ago Rob Bell made a short video called Dust (If you have access to it go watch that instead of reading the next few para-graphs!). This video described the process young Jewish men went through in their pursuit of becoming a disciple of one of the Rabbis. The short version is that they went through an immense amount of schooling, memorize vast amounts of Scripture, and then applied to be disciples of a particular Rabbi. When the Rabbi chose from among the hopefuls, he wasnt just looking for someone who knew their stuff, he was looking for someone he thought could become like him.

When a young man was chosen as a disciple, it didnt mean that hed be going to class with his Rabbi a few days a week; it meant he would devote years of his life to following that Rabbi around; observing his behavior, listening to his teaching, and discerning how he lived. Being a good disciple meant you followed your Rabbi as closely as possible. This resulted in a saying that was said to these young men as a blessing; May you be covered in the dust of your Rabbi. (Thus the name of Rob Bells video.) In other words, being a disciple was not primarily about learning, it was about becoming.

This is exactly what Jesus asked of His disciples when He called them to follow Him. Sometimes we talk about following Jesus, but our definition of that strikes me as vastly different from what it meant to those first disciples. From the moment they chose to follow Jesus they never left His sidethey ate with Him, listened to His teaching, saw His miracles, did what He did, and tried to live like He lived. There was no part of their lives that was not transformed by following Jesus. One of the decisive acts of disci-pleship is following. The disciples left their livelihood, family, and friends, because a Jewish teacher asked them to follow Him. This was the biggest decision any of them ever madeeven if they didnt understand all the implications of it. We may not be called to leave our jobs or family as those first disci-ples were, but we are issued the same life-transforming callto follow Jesus. What do you think it means and looks like for people to follow Jesus today?

Ambassadors

One of the passages of Scripture for this section, 2 Corinthians 5:11-21, says we are ambassadors of Christ. When an ambassador of the United States goes to another country they are doing much more than taking a personal trip. Everything they do reflects on their country. Everything they say is taken as representing the views of their country and its leadership. If we are ambassadors of Christ then our ac-tions, words, and attitudes do not just reflect on us, they reflect on Jesus. This is one reason that becom-ing like Jesus as His disciples is so important. It is certainly not the only reason, but our discipleship is not just about usit is about our witness to the world on behalf of Christ. This is what the disciples of the Rabbis became. They represented their teacher and the things he taught. If they proved to be bad teachers or poor students of the Scriptures it reflected negatively on their Rabbi. We are ambassadors of Christ so it is imperative that we are conformed to Him as His disciples. How does the idea of being an ambassador of Christ impact the way you view being His disciple?

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Discipleship in Two WordsDiscipleship in Two WordsDiscipleship in Two WordsDiscipleship in Two Words If you had asked me to do what I asked of you earlierdefine discipleshipI would have had a number of different definitions throughout my life. Im not sure exactly what those definitions would have been, but I can guarantee they would not have been short. However, as I have gone deeper and deeper into my

quest to clearly communicate discipleship and help people move toward it, I have come to a working two-word definition: unique conformity. I believe these two words, applied correctly, hold the essence

of true Christian discipleship.

Unique Conformity as a Discipleship ParadigmUnique Conformity as a Discipleship ParadigmUnique Conformity as a Discipleship ParadigmUnique Conformity as a Discipleship Paradigm

Unique. Both Scripture and experience give evidence that each person in this world is unique. People have different features, personalities, abilities, passions, and preferences. The substantial variety among the people of the world is a testimony to the crea-tivity of God. Unfortunately there are many approaches to disci-pleship that treat people as if they are all the same. Everyone learns the same things, everyone is expected to act in the same ways, and in the process the beautiful diversity of the body and potential of individual disciples to become who God wants them to be is stunted.

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul is telling the Corinthians that God has made people different and given them different gifts on purpose. Just as a body isnt made up of seventeen hands, twenty-two eyes, and four toes, so the body of Christthose who are his disciplesis not made up of a bunch of people with the same gifts and passions. In this passage Paul is saying its essential that every person considers the unique way God has made them and the unique gifts theyve been given by the Holy Spirit. Being a dis-ciple means owning these things and figuring out how God wants to use them for the good of the Church and the world.

One important qualification in embracing our God-given uniqueness is that it is different from our cul-tural value of individualism. Individualism is expressed through sayings like, I have to be true to my-self, and No one can tell me whats right for me. The uniqueness of each disciple of Jesus is ex-pressed in the context of a deep connection with Jesus through the Holy Spirit, a connection explained more in the next part on conformity. Discipleship is not about being an individual for our own sake, it is about being unique for the sake of the Church and the kingdom of God. In 1 Corinthians 12:7 Paul ex-plicitly says that the gifts we are given are to be used for the common good.

What are your passions? What are your talents and skills? Which job are you currently holding? Whats your family like? What things bring you great joy? All these questions and more should be brought un-der the Lordship of Jesus Christ and celebrated as things about you that he wants you to engage, not dis-miss. You are unique. Thats important for your discipleship, not a hindrance to it.

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Conformity. Every person who chooses to follow Jesus as a disciple is called to conform. Wait, didnt I just say that we should maintain our uniqueness? Yes, and I mean both! The conformity is not to a church, a moral code, a way of dressing or speaking, or any other Christian thing. Listen to these words from Scripture:

This is how we know we are in Him [Jesus]: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did. 1 John 2:5-6

For those God foreknew He also predestined to be to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. Romans 8:29

You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. Galatians 3:26-27

Conforming to Jesus Christ is essential to real discipleship. If we claim to be disciples of Jesus we must walk as He did. All of us who are being saved by God through Jesus have been predestined to be like Jesus. We must conform to Christ to such an extent that it is like He is our clothing. These three Scrip-tures are just three of many that powerfully teach us that being a disciple of Jesus means being con-formed to Jesus. We are meant to be like Him and an essential part of discipleship is allowing Him to transform all the parts of us that are not like Him. His light exposes and transforms our darkness. We die to ourselves and find new life in Christ. If we are not being conformed to Christ it is not discipleship. Saying we are His disciples without seeking conformity to Him and His ways is like saying we are fit-ness nuts but refuse to exercise: its nonsensical.

Discipleship [Re]Defined

Hopefully this part of the experience has helped you to sort through your beliefs about discipleship, see what Scripture has to say, and develop a paradigm that will help you engage the rest of it well. As you go on to the other parts of this experience keep the idea of unique conformity in mind. Consider how each of the things we cover can help you be conformed to Christ and to embrace your uniqueness for the good of the Church and the world.

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What do you think?

How does the idea of discipleship as unique conformity strike you?

What are the implications for your discipleship if you view it this way?

Do you sense God telling you anything about how this should shape your life right now?

Final Reflections Take a few minutes to jot down your thoughts. Has this section been easy or hard for you? Why is that? What so you take away from this? What are you still wrestling? What things you want to discuss?

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Part One ExercisesPart One ExercisesPart One ExercisesPart One Exercises Each section will conclude with some suggestions for ways to take the content beyond your head. I

strongly encourage you to do at least one exercise from each section. And dont forget to share how it goes on the Unique Conformity Facebook page or website.

Your Uniqueness Write down everything you can think of about yourself in these categories: person-ality, skills, natural talents, passions, spiritual gifts, hobbies, and preferences. Have a couple friends, family members, or others in your group write down what they think about you too and compare. Consider how these things currently do or dont conform to the way of Jesus. Brainstorm some creative ways your unique-ness might be conformed to Christ that you havent thought of before.

Observation Observe the life of someone you respect this week. We do this everyday, but do it intentionally and take some notes about what you observe. At the end of the week reflect on what youve seen and think about what you have learned by observing that person. (You might want to share it with them as an encouragement!) This is one important aspect of followingobserving and learning.

Watching Jesus Read through one of the gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, or Johnand observe the life of Jesus from the perspective of his disciples. What do you think it was like following him? What things do you notice about Jesus from this perspective that you havent noticed before?

Blog It Start a blog! A blog is a great way to process your thoughts and allow others to interact with them. If youre doing this as a group I encourage you to start a group blog where each person posts at least one thing throughout the week. This will keep you thinking and interacting with each other throughout the week. Blogger.com is a good place to start.

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Part Two: The Upside-Down Kingdom [Scripture for this Section] Matthew 5:1-12 / John 3:1-15

Throughout His ministry, Jesus talked repeatedly about the kingdom of God (or kingdom of heaven). He described it, exhorted people to seek it, and explained how difficult it would be for anyone to enter it

who was not fully devoted to God. Just like Americans live in the kingdom of the United States, disci-ples of Jesus live in the kingdom of God. In this section well be exploring what the kingdom of God is,

how we enter it, and why its so important.

Exploring the Kingdom

The best place to start in exploring the kingdom of God is the words of Jesus Himself. Take some time to read through these passages and write down what they tell you about the kingdom of God.

Matthew 19:16-30

Matthew 21:28-32

Mark 10:13-16

Luke 10:8-12

Luke 17:20-21

Discuss what youve written down with your group. What is the picture of the kingdom of God that begins to emerge?

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Part Two: The Upside-Down Kingdom

Gods Kingdom

The passages you looked at on the last page are only a small sample of passages of Scripture about the kingdom of God. If you want to go into greater depth do a word search for kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven online or in a Bible software program and see what else Scripture has to say about the kingdom of God.

There have been many books written on the kingdom of God, so we will not be able to great depth about it in a few pages, but we can gain a basic understanding of it and what it looks like to live in it. On a ba-sic level, the kingdom of God is the realm where Christ rules through the power of the Holy Spirit. This realm is manifest in and among those who are disciples of Jesus. To explain, lets go back to the exam-ple of the kingdom of the United States. (It is a kingdom in the sense that it has rulers, common laws, common values, and calls for the allegiance of its members.) This kingdom is expressed most deeply through the people who embrace its values and give their allegiance to it. It can also be seen in its sym-bols (like flags), rulers, borders, and laws. Similarly, the kingdom of God is the realm where the rule of Christ is there. However, unlike the United States, the kingdom of God does not have human rulers or borders and it crosses all human nations. The kingdom of God is present within the nations or kingdoms of the world, it is not set apart from them.

Disciples of Jesus say that He is their Savior and their Lord. If we mean that He is our Lord then we will choose to submit to Him and his ways through the power of the Holy Spirit. When we submit to His ways and give our allegiance to Him as our Lord we are expressing our desire to be a part of His king-dom. So we cannot be disciples of Jesus without living in the kingdom of God. Sounds easy enough right. Not so fast.

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Say what?! Read John 3:1-8. What is Jesus trying to get across to Nicodemus? If youve heard this time many times before take your time and try to put yourself in the place of Nicodemus. This is a man who knows the Scriptures and even by coming to Jesus is expressing a desire to learn from Him.

When people talk about being born again they usually use it as a metaphor for salvation. That works. Scripture does tell us that when we follow Jesus we die to ourselves and find new life in Himso in a sense salvation does mean being born again. But I wonder if theres another reason Jesus uses this language with Nicodemus. Consider that for a while and well come back to it in a little bit.

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The Upside-Down Kingdom

One of the reasons Jesus frequently talks about it being difficult to enter the kingdom of God is that the kingdom of God functions in entirely different ways than the kingdoms of this world. There are different values, different hopes, and different definitions of success. Compared to our culture the kingdom of God is downright upside-down! Read through the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) and write down some reflections on the difference between these and the values of our culture. Would these things make sense to most people?

Recently I was leading a group through this experience and when we came to this section one of the men said, You know, this all sounds nice in the Bible, but its really hard! You may be feeling the same way. Its true, the way of the kingdom of God is hard, but we dont pursue it on our own. Jesus has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit and as we participate in the body of Christ with other disciples we also find the support of others pursuing the same thing. It sounds nice in the Bible, and it is hard, but it is wonderful and exciting as the Holy Spirit and other disciples help us live it.

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Consider the DifferenceConsider the DifferenceConsider the DifferenceConsider the Difference Now consider how the following things are viewed in the world and in the kingdom of God. In many

cases a passage of Scripture or two is there to help you think through it, but dont let that keep you from looking through other Scriptures!

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The gods must be crazy Of all the things about the kingdom of God that seem upside-down, or even a little bit crazy, the craziest of them all is the image of God on a cross. Throughout the history of humanity the gods have always been pictured as incredibly powerful beings who impose their will on people.

Compare this with a bleeding, naked, dirty man experiencing the most humiliating death the Roman Empire could impose on a person. In that image we see power in sacrifice, forgiveness in the midst of severe injustice, and radical obedience to the direction of God. This is not the stereotypical picture of a god! But in the upside-down kingdom, why would we expect anything else?

In each of these examples the way of the kingdoms of the world and the way of the kingdom of God are drastically different. If you begin considering the overall way of viewing the world held by our culture you will find that at almost every point the kingdom of God is upside-down. This is what makes entering into the kingdom of God and living in it so difficult.

If we really grasp the upside-down nature of the kingdom of God it can begin to seem overwhelming. If we live in His kingdom we will seem weird! We will have to learn totally new ways to live than the ones were used to. As we consider the radical difference between these kingdoms check out this story.

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Kingdom of the World Kingdom of God Matthew 23:11-12

Kingdom of the World

Kingdom of the World

Kingdom of God Matthew 6:19-24; 19:23-24

Kingdom of God Matthew 18:1-4

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The Tale of the KnobThe Tale of the KnobThe Tale of the KnobThe Tale of the Knob

After college, I worked for two years as an Admissions Counselor. One of the duties I was given peri-odically was to make the two and a half hour drive to the Indianapolis airport to pick up students who were flying in to come to school. Of the few times I did this, there is one that stands out. In early Janu-ary I was given the opportunity to pick up a student who was coming to us from Kenya. His name was Weldon and all I was told was that he had never been out of Kenya before.

I strolled into the airport and busted out my Weldon sign. After about fifteen minutes, a small, ath-letic-looking man carrying a suitcase just a bit smaller than a conventional carry-on bag approached me.

Hello, he said extending his hand, I am Weldon. Hi Weldon, I replied, my name is Trevor. Its nice to meet you. Well, why dont we pick up your bags and well be on our way. What bags? he questioned. Your bags. You know, the ones that have your stuff in them, I stammered. Oh, this is my only bag, he said motioning toward the large briefcase sitting at his feet.

At this point I had no idea what to say. I couldnt believe that someone had just come from another con-tinent, not for vacation, and arrived with a suitcase that looked like it held enough for a long weekend if you packed lightly. My options were to stand there in disbelief making both of us uncomfortable or to suppress my feelings and move onso we prepared to head outside. I noticed that he was wearing only a sweater, and since it was in the twenties outside I suggested he put on something else if he had it. He proceeded to open his suitcase and pull out what appeared to be almost all the contents, wrapping him-self in extra layers as he went. Once he had emptied the contents of his luggage onto his body we headed out the automatic doors.

Weldon walked out the doors and instinctively took a step back toward the warm, stale cover of the airport. I didnt think about the fact that he hadnt been outside Kenya before and telling him it was cold outside probably wasnt an adequate warning. It was like someone telling me skydiving without a pack would be a little bit dangerous. After overcoming the initial shock, Weldon walked swiftly beside me to the car. We threw his nearly empty bag in the trunk and piled in. A few minutes later as we pulled on the freeway the first in a series of interactions began that have since defined culture shock for me.

Where are all the people? Weldon asked. People? I questioned. Which people are you talking about? You know, all the people walking along the road, he responded knowingly. Oh, umm, well, there arent really any people who walk along this road. Sometimes in the city people walk beside the road, but mostly people ride in cars or buses to get around. Oh my, he said in surprise. In my country everyone walks! Not very many people have cars and so people must walk to get to places. I thought that it must be very cold for people walking here, and dan-gerous on roads like this where you travel so fast.

I checked the speedometer to be sure I hadnt inadvertently hammered the accelerator, but I was still hanging around the speed limit. After a little while and some more conversation I figured after such a long trip Weldon would probably be hungry, so I asked if hed like to stop and get something to eat.

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Oh no, he said, we dont have time for that. Its okay, it wont take that long. If youre hungry we can stop. No, no, he insisted. I really want to get back to the school and if we stop we will have to find the food and then make a fire and cook it. That would just be too much right now. Actually Weldon, here we have buildings where you drive up in your car, tell them what you want, and in about one minute they hand it to you wrapped in paper and stuffed in a bag. What?! he exclaimed letting out a laugh.

We continued the discovery of the vast cultural differences that existed between us most of the way back to campus. Near the end of the journey Weldon asked me one final important, and enjoyable, question.

With a concerned look on his face, Weldon asked me, Where will I get the wood for my fire? The woodfor your fire? I asked, trying to figure out what he meant. Yes, the wood. It is very cold here and I will need a fire to keep me warm. Based on his previous responses, I couldnt wait to see what hed think of this revelation. Oh, actually when you go into your room, there will be a little knob on the wall. If you turn the knob one way, the room will get colder. If you turn the knob the other way, the room will get warmer.

If he was doubled-over before, he was tripled-over now. After literally five minutes of uncontrolled laughter that kept him from speaking, Weldon wheezed out, My pastor came to America, and he told us of such a knob, but we did not believe him!

Culture Shock

Just like Weldon felt some distress as he went through culture shock, learning to live in the kingdom of God can be distressing.

Share any experiences youve had with culture shock.

For you and others in your group, what made switching cultures so shocking?

Why were those things difficult?


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The Difficulty of Switching Cultures

The overarching reason it is so difficult to switch cultures is that the new culture functions in a fundamentally different way than the old one. Consider what Weldon had to try and comprehend.

Warmth came from technology, not fire. Food was prepared for you in great quantities and varie-

ties. Though it seems small, he would now have to choose between many things instead of having his meals basically chosen for him.

Transportation was easy and quick. He went from walk-ing everywhere to driving being the way people got around.

Not only are the ways people function different when you change cultures, but often the values are different. Imagine going from a culture that values community, family, and close relationships to one that values individualism and pri-vacy. When a new cultures values clash with the old one the culture shock takes on the added difficulty of question-ing the core values that have shaped a person.

What are your thoughts about entering the kingdom of God being like culture shock?

Its not weird

Imagine getting used to some of these cultural practices.

The Tupinamba of Brazil dont wear clothes. Their primary mode of body cover is paint and an occasional scrap of cloth.

The Hilltribe women of Thailand use rings to elongate their necks.

The Surma in Ethiopia put plates in their lower lips up to five inches in diameter. The dowry demanded by a womans parents is determined by the size of her lip plate.

It doesnt translate

When KFC entered the Chinese market they discovered their slogan, finger lickin good translated to eat your fingers off.

Coca-colas first try at translating their name into Chinese was Ke-kou-ke-la. Translated this is, eat the wax tadpole.

When Pepsi entered the Chinese market they used the slogan, Pepsi brings you back to life. The translation of this one came out, Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave.

Chevy had little luck marketing the Nova in South America. Finally someone pointed out that no va in Spanish means doesnt go.

Parker Pen meant to market their pens in Mexico with the slogan, It wont leak in your pocket and embarrass you. However, their improper use of embarazar for embarrass made the slogan translate, It wont leak in your pocket and make you pregnant.

From www.takingontobacco.org

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Back to Nicodemus

All of this leads us back to Nicodemus. Why did Jesus tell Nicodemus if he wanted to enter the kingdom of God he had to be born again? Part of the reason was that entering the kingdom of God is such culture shock, so upside-down from the normal way of the world, that really getting it would take unlearning everything he knew about how to live and how he should look at the world. It wouldnt be enough to just change his views on a couple thingsentering the kingdom of God required such sweeping changes that he had to be born all over.

The same is true for us. The kingdom of God is so vast that we dont stand a chance of really living in it unless we start over. Through the help of the Holy Spirit the way we look at and interact with the world must be deeply transformed to fit with the way of Christ in the kingdom of God.

If we are not born again in this sense it will be difficult, even impossible, for us to enter the kingdom of God to live in the way of Christ under his rule. And if we do not live under the rule of Christ we can-not be true disciples of Jesus. This would be like saying we wanted to follow Barak Obama no matter what, except we refuse to live in the United States because we cant quite handle the policies of the place Barak leads. If our devotion to Christ stops short of doing what it takes to enter into and live in his kingdom we are not doing any more than offering empty words of intention in relation to discipleship.

Living in the kingdom of God requires that we be born again.

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Final Reflections

Take a few minutes to jot down your thoughts. Has this section been easy or hard for you? Why is that? What so you take away from this? What are you still wrestling? What things you want to discuss?

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Part Two ExercisesPart Two ExercisesPart Two ExercisesPart Two Exercises

Become Like a Child Teach some kids about the kingdom of God by acting out one of the parables. Actually make bread dough and talk about the effect of the yeast. Hide some kind of prize in the yard and have the kids search for it. Plant a seed and talk about how something small becomes something much

larger over time just because it was planted. Come up with your own idea based on the parables!

Get Creative Creatively represent your understanding of the kingdom of God. Write a poem, story, song, or parable. Paint a picture. Create a symbol. Share your creation with the people in your group or at your church and explain why you did what you did. This could be your chance to get them thinking about the upside-down kingdom!

Keep Blogging If youve started a blog or journal for this experience, take a day (or a week) and remain conscious of how your choices reflect either the kingdom of God or the kingdom of this world. Share your insights on the blog or in the journal.

Explore the Parables Learn more about the kingdom of God by working through Jesus parables about it. Here are some of the passages where youll find these parables:

Matthew 13:24-52 Matthew 18:21-35 Matthew 20:1-16 Matthew 22:1-14 Matthew 25:1-13

Dont forget to share your insights, ideas, and creations at uniqueconformity.org!

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Part Three: Dont Rub It [Scripture for this Section] John 15

Why are you here? What drives you to get out of bed in the morning, shapes the way you view the world, and keeps you

going when things get tough (insert other helpful clichs here)? List your life catalysts below:

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Something to Consider

When you do an exercise like the one youre about to do, its likely you will identify the positive things in your lifemost of which are truly life giving. However, most of us have something, or multiple things, that we turn to instinctively to find life that are not capable of giving it to us. For instance, one struggle in my life was identifying the fact that when things got tough (or sometimes when things were really good) I would turn to food without even thinking. There was something in me that said eating would be a source of life for me. Something that could pick me up when I was down or help me cele-brate when things went well.

For you maybe its a certain activity, habit, or even relationship that promises life but cant deliver. Make sure you dont dismiss these things as you continue.

Take the time to be honest with yourself. If you grew up in church you learned the nice Christian answers to everything (so you just put Jesus in every blank!).

Now go back and rank these from 1 to 10 (or however many you had) in the order that they hold power in your life. Which ones take precedence over the others?

Open Up

Now ask someone you trust (in other words they wont just tell you what you want to hear) to review what you wrote above. If you know your group members well enough this could be a great group exer-cise. Whether its your group or another person, ask them to answer these questions for you. Do you agree with the way I ranked these items? Are there other things that I look to for life and purpose? What is the evidence in my life for your answers?

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Part Three: Dont Rub It

The Importance of the Source

When it comes to discipleship, our source of life is paramount. It is the source of our life that determines the character of our life.

This can be illustrated in any number of ways. If you have a craving for fruit and decide to visit an apple orchard, you would most likely return with some apples. If you chose a vineyard instead, you might return with grapes. But if you made a trip to the supermarket, you could end up with a large variety of fruits. The source of the fruit determines the type.

Likewise, if you wanted water you could get it from a mountain stream, scoop it from a mud puddle, or dish it out of the toilet. While you get water in all three cases, the source of the water will have some bearing on what you are willing to do with it.

Life in Our Culture

Since the source of our life determines the character of our life, it can be very insightful to evaluate not only where we get life but where our culture most often turns to receive life. Below are a few places people in our culture turn to find life. (A side-note: most of these things can be great! The point is not to make them seem wrong, but to consider the outcomes of asking something of them that they cant give: an overarching meaning and purpose for life.) What is the outcome when people look to the following things as the source of life?

Entertainment This source of life is experienced in things that are naturally fleeting (the show has to end sometime) and often remove a person from reality rather than engaging it.

Sex The experience is divorced from relationship and glorified by itself. This creates the constant need for more and may mean looking to many different places to fulfill that need.

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Possessions New things are exciting for a little while. But the life we receive from things inevitably wears off and leaves us wanting more.

Relationships God created us to be in relationships! Are there times when these relationships become the overarching purpose of our life instead of a connection with Jesus?

Are there other things people in our culture look to as a source of life?

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Jesus is the Answer?

In an old church fable, the pastor is delivering a childrens sermon. (The childrens sermon was when all the kids came to have the pastor preach at them before he preached at the adults.) The pastor invited all the children to come to the front of the sanctuary as he did every week. Once the little balls of en-ergy had settled themselves at his feet he asked them a question.

What is brown, has a bushy tail, and loves to eat nuts? The children sat there saying nothing. Come on, the pastor chided, dont be shy. Someone must know what Im talking about. After a few more awkward moments the pastors six-year old son raised his hand. Yes son, go ahead, the pastor said. Well, the boy began timidly, I know the answers supposed to be Jesus, but that sure sounds like a squirrel.

Jesus is the Source

As you may have guessed by now, all this talk about the source of life is leading somewhereto Jesus. But unlike the little story on this page, Jesus is not some unthinking Christian answer to every question. Scripture is very clear that staying connected to Jesus as the source of life is essential to living a life of faithbeing one of His disciples. Since the source of life determines the character of life, if Jesus is the source of life than our lives will become more like His, which is another way of saying well be His dis-ciples. If you havent read John 15 yet (or even if you have) take a few minutes to read through it. As you do, keep in mind this idea of the source of life.

Connecting

Read through John 15:1-17 one section at a time, and consider what each one tells us about Jesus as a source of life.

John 15:1-2

John 15:3-5

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John 15:6

John 15:7-8

John 15:9-10

John 15:11

John 15:12-17


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An Assignment

1. Break a branch off of a plant in your house or a tree outside. (Pick one thats yours, not a neighbors or your moms or spouses). 2. Over the course of the next week go pick up the branch and rub it against the place where you broke it off for ten minutes ten times a day. 3. If youre actually doing this, reflect on how some guy got you to spend an hour and a half a day rubbing a branch on a plant by putting it in a study on discipleship.

Thats Ridiculous

Im guessing that while reading the assignment above, you were thinking something along the lines of thats ridiculous. Well, youre right. So why is it that this is the approach we take to connection with the true vine Jesus in our life as His followers?

In John 15 Jesus says very clearly that must remain (or abide) in Him. We have to be like a tree branch that says constantly and securely fastened to the tree to receive what we need for life and growth. De-spite teachings like this its easy for us to fall into patterns where were disconnected most of the time and then periodically try to rub ourselves onto the vine expecting to connect to it, and then live and grow.

Staying constantly connected to Jesus? Thats crazy, right? It might be, but what should we expect from a faith that calls us to carry crosses, die to ourselves, and be born again?

In reality, it makes sense that remaining or abiding in Christ is the only way to really live and grow as His disciples. Remember what you read and discussed about the kingdom of God being upside-down? The longer you disconnect, the more likely you are to revert to living with the passions and world view purported by our culture.

While we may consider staying constantly connected to Christ a little crazy, we dont find remaining connected to media to be nearly as insane. We keep an almost constant connection through the internet, TV, radio, iPods, and cell phones. Is it difficult for you to disconnect from media for an extended length of time? Could you sit in your home or car with nothing on and be happy?

However easy or difficult that may be for you, the point is that we find it much easier to stay connected to other things than we do to Christ. These other things are constantly communicating messages about the purpose of life and how we should view the world. These messages often contradict the message of Jesus and His kingdom, yet we spend our days sucking life from sources other than Christ and still expect to grow and be like Him. Now wonder transformation in Jesus can be difficult!

[Remain] 1. to continue in the same state 2. to stay behind or in the same place [Abide] 1. To remain, continue, or stay 2. To have ones abode; dwell; reside 3. To continue in a particular condition, attitude, relationship, etc. 4. To wait for

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Reflect and Discuss

What does it (or would it) look like for you to remain or abide in Christ like a branch on a vine?

What are the biggest obstacles to that happening?

As you think about doing this, how does that make you feel?

Self-Disclosure

Part of the reason for asking how abiding in Christ makes you feel is that it sounds like a nice idea, but doesnt always feel like one. At many times in my own life I have thought that staying constantly con-nected to Christ sounded hard, bor-ing, and unappealing. I had many things I wanted to do that didnt seem to fit into abiding Christ.

I didnt want to pray all the time, I wanted to go to a movie. I didnt want to spend hours reading my Bible, I wanted to play basketball instead.

There were two problems I had. First, I wasnt fully committed to following Jesus. There were things I wanted more than to be His disci-ple. I was like the rich man who was all in until he found out it meant selling all his stuff.

My second problem was that I had a pathetically narrow view of what it mean to abide in Christ. Praying and reading the Bible are important, really important, but they dont even come close to encompassing what it means to abide in Christ; to submit each moment, thought, ac-tion, and decision to Him.

I still have times when I venture off, but thats a great signal that Im disconnecting from the vine and when that happens, I have to choose to reconnect or begin the process of withering. Theres no other choice.

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Abiding in Christ

Remember this formula: Prayer + Bible Reading = Discipleship

The important thing to remember about this formula is that its not true! These are good and important things, but there are plenty of people who do them and are completely disconnected from Jesus. So how do we stay connected to Christ? Here are a few important first steps.

1. Decide if you are ready and willing to receive your life from Jesus and submit your will to His. Abiding in Jesus means you choose to do what He asks you to do and to apply what you learn about Him, not to store up knowledge and never use it.

2. Ask God how you can abide in Jesus. Some people may not be able to abide in Christ if they dont let go of certain habits. Other people may not be able to abide in Christ without setting aside part of their day to spend it focusing on Him. Remember, being a disciple is about unique conformity, so while there are many commonalities among the practices of disciples of Jesus, there is also a neces-sary variety in what it looks like for people to abide in Him.

3. Try things. You may not know what helps you to abide in Jesus right away. For instance, Ive found that pausing before I make decisions and asking God what is right is helpful for me. Some-times I am led in a direction I dont expect. But regardless of the outcome, Im intentionally submit-ting my day and decisions to Him.

Try it! Below are some common (and a few less common) practices for abiding in Jesus. Pick one and try

it for at least a week, then move to another one. As you find youre the ones that work for you, begin to use them regularly in your life.

1. Fasting: Give up food for a meal, a day, or a week. Let your hunger and the times you normally eat lead you toward prayer. Give up technology for a week and fill the silence by conversing with God through the Holy Spirit. Try other fasts to help you focus on Jesus.

2. Memorization: Choose a verse, few verses, or even a chapter to memorize in a week. See how God applies it to your life or uses it as you speak with someone.

3. Retreat: Set aside a block of time to focus on God away from all distractions. Make it long enough that your mind has a chance to slow down. Id recommend at least 5 hours.

4. Observation Walk: Go for a walk, but as you walk try to see everything you pass from Gods perspectivepeople, nature, buildings, neighborhoods.

5. On-hour Prayer: Pause for one minute at the beginning of each hour to pray. Just pray about whatever youre doing or thinking. Set an alarm if you need to.

Share any other practices that help you abide in Christ with the members of your group.

Im Holding Out on You

Theres something else. One more thing that contributes to abiding in Christ more than anything raised in this sectionbut Im not telling you what it is yet. It is so important, so big, and deep enough that it needs its own section. So part four of this experience will address it. For now, feel free to guess!

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Final Reflections

Take a few minutes to jot down your thoughts. Has this section been easy or hard for you? Why is that? What so you take away from this? What are you still wrestling? What things you want to discuss?

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Part Three ExercisesPart Three ExercisesPart Three ExercisesPart Three Exercises

Watch TV (I do) After watching a show or movie take the time to answer these questions. If you watch it with other people make it into a group discussion! What does this show/movie say about the purpose of life? What does it say about how I should treat other people? What does it propose makes people happy? What other messages does it communicate that I wouldnt normally notice? How does all this match up with being a disciple of Jesus?

Teach Your Kids (or someone elses) Teach your kids (or someone elses) about abiding in Christ by actually doing the branch-breaking exercise from page 32. Ask the kids what they think will happen, and help them connect the various spiritual practices they do to staying connected to Jesus.

Opposite Day What doesnt help you stay connected to Jesus? Not necessarily sinful things, but things that people often say are important in order to grow spiritually but just dont work for you. For instance, theres a method of prayer called Lectio Divina that many cherish as something that draws them close to Jesus, but it doesnt work for me. It doesnt mean I avoid prayer, just that one particular practice doesnt resonate. What practices dont usually work for you?

Learn from Others Ask five of the most spiritually mature people you know what keeps them connected to Jesus. Try at least one thing each of them tells you.

Dont forget to share your insights, ideas, and creations at uniqueconformity.org!

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Part Four: Spirit Walking [Scripture for this Section] Romans 8:1-17 / Galatians 5:13-25

If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. Galatians 5:18 Quick Quiz How many of the Ten Commandments can you come up with without looking?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

For the answers see Exodus 20:3-17. These upside down answers remind me of quizzes on kids menus.

Giving It Some Definition When referring to law in this section, sometimes it will be capitalized and other times it wont: heres why.

1. Law: When Law is capitalized it refers to the Law given to the Israelites by God. The foundation of the Law is the Ten Commandments, but on the whole there are 613 commandments contained in the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

2. law: When law is not capitalized it is used to refer to a couple things. One is the interpretation of the law given by Jesus, especially in the Sermon on the Mount. When law is not capitalized it may also be used to refer to the rules of conduct practiced by different groups of Christians or even individu-als. Most of the time these laws are derived from Scriptures, but there are significant differences between the laws practiced by different groups.

What is Paul saying in Galatians 5:18? it sounds like he is saying, Jesus may not have come to abolish the law, but I have! Does Paul believe if you are led by the Spirit you can be an idolater, hate your par-ents, and cheat on your spouse? Since Pauls writings havent been banned from the Bible, that must not be true. But what is Paul really saying?

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Part Four: Spirit Walking

Reflect

Take some time to reflect on the two passages for this section (Romans 8:1-17 & Galatians 5:13-25). These are two passages rich in meaning and application. Write down your reflections below. A few things to consider: What is the relationship between the law and the spirit? What is the result of walking with the spirit? If you dont walk with the spirit, what are the other options?

Romans 8:1-17

Galatians 5:13-25

If youre up for a challenge, make one of these passages the subject of an hour of prayerful reflection. Heres how you could do that:

1. Read through the entire passage. Make a note of any phrases or concepts that jump out at you. 2. Now read back through the passage, pausing after each phrase to consider it carefully. Dont move

on to the next phrase until you feel you have really heard and understood the one youre on. 3. Read through the passage again. This time, after each phrase or verse (or even each word in some

cases) stop and enter a time of prayer based on what youve just read. Let the Holy Spirit guide your prayer through the words of Scripture.

4. Read through the whole thing again and then write down how you see the passage differently.

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Three Ways to Live These two Scripture passages identify three different orientations or ways to liveby the sinful nature,

by the law and by the Spirit. It is not so simple as living completely by one without any hint of the others, but by distinguishing between the three it is easier to see the differences. The journey of a life of

discipleship is living increasingly into life by the Spirit.

Living by the Sinful Nature

Orientation to the World: The world is primarily good. It is the arena within which you can obtain and participate in things that please you. Whether things or activities in the world are good or bad is determined by if they make you happy or feel good.

Orientation to Yourself: You are the most important person on the planet. You must figure out who you are and do everything in your power to be true to the image you have of yourself. One of the greatest sins is being untrue to yourself. Orientation to Others: Ultimately others exist to help make you happy. This does not mean you dont have meaningful friendships or other relationships, only that conflict arises when it appears you are getting less out of these relationships than you are putting in. To some extent your relationship with others is transactional. You give in order to get and expect them to do the same. Orientation to God: God may be any number of things, but he is not someone to whom you are accountable. Most often those living by the sinful nature see God as a being or force who can help them get what they want and guide them out of difficulty. They may also see God (or god) as ready to punish them when they do anything wrong.

Living by the Law (or law)

Orientation to the World: The world is full of pitfalls. It is a cesspool of evils that will lure you away from obedience to the law. It is best to separate yourself from the world and these temptations as much as possible.

Orientation to Yourself: You are a sinful being who is filled with the desires the world puts in front of you. You must work hard to tame those desires and stay away from breaking the law. You often chastise yourself for failing in your attempts to keep the law. Orientation to Others: Others are either on your side or they are a part of the world that will try to draw you away from following the law. Those who are living by the law with you may be great allies, so you are hesitant about venturing too far outside the circles of these people who you know are safe. You are likely to look down on those not following the law as poor sinners.

Orientation to God: You strongly desire to please God. Your attempts to keep the law are motivated by this desire. The desire may be fueled by love, guilt, obligation, or even pride. It is difficult not to eventually believe that on some level your relationship with God depends on the extent to which you keep the law.

Living by the Spirit

Orientation to the World: The world is the domain of God. As you walk with the Spirit you perceive the world through his eyesseeing both tremendous good and horrible evil. Your desire for the world flows from the desire of God for itthat there will be widespread redemption of it and in it. Orientation to Yourself: You are a being imprinted by both the image of God and the desires of the sinful nature. You seek to know yourself through the eyes of the Spirit and be aware of his presence. You have great worth as a child of God and see great worth in others. Orientation to Others: Every person in the world is loved by God. Your first inclination is to find ways to serve people and direct their gaze toward the God who loves them. You do not see people as enemies, and even when it seems they are you pray that they will become friends. You cherish relationships with others but do not give them attention because of what they can do for you.

Orientation to God: God is a living being with whom you have an active relationship of worship and love. You remain constantly open to Gods leading and conviction through the Holy Spirit. There is not a formula for how you relate to God, even if there are ways you frequently do so.

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Primary Motivation: Being happy.

Success is: Having the material things you desire, the experiences you crave, and staying away from hardship. This doesnt mean you will never do anything difficult or painful, only that you will venture into difficult things only when you believe it will result in more happiness and comfort.

Living by the Law (or law)

Primary Motivation: Being holy.

Success is: Keeping yourself from temptation and sin. Being at the top of the class in holiness and purity.


Primary Motivation: Walking in dynamic relationship with God and allowing him to transform you.

Success is: Becoming increasingly sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and obedient in following the way of Jesus. As you do this you will see transformation of your char-acter, desires, and hopes.

Your Response

Which one of these three is easiest? Why?

In which of these three do you see the most of yourself?

Can you think of people in the Bible who exhibited each of the three? How did that impact their rela-tionship with God?

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Outcomes of the Three Ways of LifeOutcomes of the Three Ways of LifeOutcomes of the Three Ways of LifeOutcomes of the Three Ways of Life


A life consistently lived according to the sinful nature leads to death. This death is not only a spiritual death, but a destruction of life here and now. If you get drunk every weekend you will end up doing many other things that will not bring you long-term benefits. If you sleep around and have an affair, you will destroy your relationship with your spouse, hurt your children, and leave yourself spiritually torn. Living by the sinful nature is often fun in the moment, and destructive in the long-run.

Often Christians talk about what sin does to rupture the relationship between God and people. It does that, but what is equally disheartening is the way sin tears away at a persons life and relationships. God wants people to put their faith in Jesus and live by the Spirit for the sake of His love for them and their own good.

Living by the Law

On face value, pursuing obedience to the law is a positive course to take. Both the Law given to the Israelites and the moral law found through Scripture were given by God. Jesus said that loving Him is expressed by obeying what He commands. He instructed His disciples to go and make more disciples and to teach them to obey everything He commanded.

The issue with living by the law is what leads us to abide by the law. The Bible says one of the functions of the Law is to show people that they cannot be righteous before God on their own. If someone strives to justify themselves before God by following all the rules they will fail repeatedly. Ultimately, living by the law as a means of being okay with God leads to death. Obeying Jesus is important but salvation and fullness of life cannot be found in living by the law.


Living by the Spirit is messy. Living by the Spirit is a moment by moment dance of observing, listening, processing, and obeying. Living by the Spirit is thoroughly relational. Theres no list of rules to follow for living the in the Spirit. To live by the Spirit we must be in communion with the Holy Spirit, listening to His guidance and His conviction. I wonder if this isnt why Paul exhorted the Thessalonians to pray continually. It is the only state of openness to the voice of the Spirit that we can learn to walk with Him.

One of the great things about walking the Spirit is as we do that we will end up obeying the law as well. It is not possible to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit while still living in a way that doesnt fit with the moral and ethical commands given to us by God.

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Your LawYour LawYour LawYour Law

Unless this is your first day following Jesus (and even if it is) you have some kind of law youre living by. Maybe you think Christians cant drink alcohol. Maybe you think people just arent committed to Jesus if theyre not in church every Sunday. Maybe you believe an important part of being a Christian is having morning devotions. The point here is not to take a position on these issues or others, only to say that there are many prohibitions or commands we adhere to that come more from a mentality of law than one of walking with the Spirit. Your law is the things you think people need to do or definitely should do if they are Christians. Consider what your unwritten law is.

Evaluating your law Rate the following statements on a scale of 1 to 10. 1 = strongly disagree 10 = strongly agree

_____ My law comes from a desire to please other Christians Im around. _____ My law fits well with Jesus commands and Gods desires revealed in Scripture. _____ I use my law to judge others and their standing with God. _____ I judge my standing with God by my law. _____ I know which parts of my law are important for all Christ-followers and which are not. _____ My law serves as a way out of developing a continual listening relationship with the Holy Spirit. _____ I am open to the Holy Spirit challenging my law. _____ My law fits well with the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23.

Having principles to live by isnt bad, but in the first four statements above its not good. If you have the proper perspective on your law (represented by the second four items) it can be a great help to you.

Dangerous Teaching? Some people get a bit queasy when you start talking about living by the Spirit and not concerning yourself as much with the law. Its as though this will become a free pass for people to do whatever they want. A person will go get drunk and say, well, the Holy Spirit didnt tell me not to, so I figured it was okay. Another will call a friend to share some dirt on their neighbor because they didnt sense the Holy Spirit saying they shouldnt (or because the Holy Spirit would have disconnected the phone if he really didnt want them to make the call). We cant adhere to this walking in the Spirit stuff because its a loophole for hedonism!

Honestly, thats ridiculous. Just because we arent controlling every action in a persons life doesnt mean its dangerous teaching. If someone is going and getting hammered I hardly think thats a display of self-control (a fruit of the Spirit). If people are gossiping they arent exactly showing much love, kindness, goodness, or self-control (those things sound familiar?). When it comes to holy and faithful living, walking by the Spirit will put living by any law to shame.

Perhaps the real question for those who are weary of focusing on walking with the Spirit instead of law is whether they trust the Holy Spirit to lead people in godliness. Is the Holy Spirit powerful enough to move people into transformation or do we need to control it with our lists of rules?

It is also important to remember that focusing on walking with the Spirit doesnt mean the law has no value. Im repeating myself, but the Holy Spirit will lead people in ways that line up with Gods commands. So if a persons life displays a consistent pattern of disobeying all these commands it is a pretty sure bet theyre not walking with the Spirit.

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Spirit Walking

Its all well and good to say we should walk by the Spirit, but how does that happen? If you havent figured it out yet, walking with the Spirit isnt exactly a five step process. However, there are some things you can do to grow your relationship with the Holy Spirit.

1. Fill yourself with Scripture. In a sense, reading the Bible isnt the pointits what the Holy Spirit can do with it. When we fill ourselves with Scripture the Holy Spirit has the word of God to use in speaking to us. Ive often been surprised when the Holy Spirit has used something I just read in Leviticus or Deuteronomy to speak into a situation that comes up in my day. The Bible is Gods revelation of Himself and His ways, so it is essential that we are filling ourselves with it. The exciting part is seeing what the Holy Spirit will do with it when we are making sure we do this.

2. Practice listening. In each situation, interaction, and deci-sion during your day, simply pray, Spirit, what do you have for me on this? Im not saying youll get some kind of clear instruction every time, but it will help you develop the habit of walking with the Spirit, rather than just listen-ing to Him every now and then. The more we seek to listen to the Holy Spirit the better we become at doing it. It is also important that when we listen, we are prepared to obey as well. If we disobey where the Spirit leads us, we become hardened to His voice.

3. Meditate on the fruit of the Spirit. As these attributes of a life lived in the Spirit become ingrained on your mind and heart you will more clearly see how the moments of your life do or dont reflect on the Spirit. This gives you the chance to pray for help from the Spirit in the areas where you dont see His fruit and to celebrate the way it is chang-ing you.

4. Listen to the Holy Spirit in community. God has called us to be in relationship with other believers, and one of the reasons for this is so that we can be discerning together. It is not a good idea for you to always try and listen to the Holy Spirit on your own and never share with anyone else. Listening to the Holy Spirit with others can be a powerful relationship builder, but it also helps to ensure that we are not being deceived into thinking were hearing the Spirit when were not.

Strong Words

Sometimes we dont hear the full weight of the words of Scripture. We become accustomed to what the Bible says and so we read over passages without comprehending how difficult or forceful they really are.

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ they do not belong to Christ. Romans 8:9

Living by, in, and with the Holy Spirit isnt an option if you want to be a dis-ciple of Jesus. You cannot say you are with Jesus if you do not submit to and live by the Spirit. Most Christians will acknowledge the existence of the Holy Spirit, but how often do we substitute a list of rules or a bevy of Christian programming for a life lived in the Spirit? If you are a Christian then you must be controlled by the Holy Spirit. This doesnt happen without seeking a continual relating to God.

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sin-ful nature. Galatians 5:16

We must read this passage in light of passages like Romans 7:14-25 where Paul expresses the angst of the place between what he wants to do and what the sin still at work in him wants him to do. Our lives will be a journey of learning to increasingly yield to the Holy Spirit and not the sinful nature. At the same time, if we most consis-tently gratify the desires of the sinful nature we are not walking by the Spirit.

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You and the Spirits Fruit

Which of the fruit of the Spirit do you see as prominent in your life? Which do you see as often lack-ing? Take some time to evaluate the growth and expression of these things in your life. Ask a good friend, your spouse, or even others in your group to say what they see in you.

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Obey the Spirit: A Story

One of my greatest regrets comes from a trip I took to Greece while I was in college. I certainly dont regret going on the trip, it was amazing! We saw ancient ruins, well, tons of ancient ruins, modern cities, and quite a few places with biblical significance. One of the places we saw was the site where it is believed Lydia was baptized by Paul (Acts 16:11-15). It was a beautiful place. A small stream ran through the countryside, and they had made something that looked like a dock so that people could be baptized in the stream. Our professor offered to baptize anyone who would like him to do that.

At that time God was doing some serious work in my life. Throughout high school and college I had been very involved in Christian activities and groups, had Christian friends, and been a consistent church attendee, but my commitment was more to the groups and a Christian image than it was to Christ. Jesus was like a little genie I kept on the top shelf in my bedroomI pulled him out to impress people or if I needed something, but I was not becoming a disciple. At the time of the Greece trip God had begun to show me how shallow my commitment to him was and I was wrestling with what it would look like to change that.

Another piece of background info, I had been baptized when I was 14. It was something I wanted to do at the time. I would even say I really did want to be affirm that I was a Christian and believed baptism was an important part of that. I grew up in the church and never knew a time when I wouldnt have said I was a Christian, but I had waited until 14 to be baptized.

Back to Greece. When my professor offered to baptize people I wondered if it was something I should do. I knew I had been baptized, but I also knew that I was becoming much more serious about what it would look like for me to follow Jesus. Then I watched as a number of my friends went down to the stream and were baptized. I knew these people and I knew they were already as serious about following Jesus as I was. I knew that a couple of them had been baptized, and so I started to think it would be a really good idea for me to be baptized here, in this place of great Christian significance.

At the same moment that I began to seriously think I should do it I heard from the Spirit in way I have only heard from him a handful of times in my life, and he told me not to do it. But by the time I felt this I had also convinced myself that this was an important expression of my faith. I stood up and began to walk down to the water. With each step the Holy Spirit screamed in my ear and my heart to stop, but I had gone too far. Turning back now would be awkward. So escaping the Spirits grasp I continued down to the stream and was baptized for the second time.

Writing this story today, fifteen years after it happened, I still fight to hold back tears. I know that the Holy Spirit has forgiven me, and I have forgiven myself, but I still know it was so wrong. This event is the thing more than any other that has motivated me to listen to the Holy Spirit. My wife and I hold each other accountable to obeying the Holy Spirit when we hear from him, even if we dont totally understand what hes doing.

Maybe youve had a similar experience. If you havent, you will. It may have nothing to do with baptism, but there will be times when you hear from the Spirit and you dont want to obey. It is in those moments that we grow in walking in the Spirit. Our obedience, especially when we dont really want to, is part of the dying to self that leads us into places of deeper discipleship than weve ever been

Date post:	24-Mar-2016
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