Spiritual Growth Track

Authentic Faith

Pastor Stan Lubeck Www.stanlubeck.com Spiritual Pathway

Spiritual Growth Map I - PDF* DOC DOCX

LifeGroup Covenant: LIFEGroup Covenant - PDF

Basics of the Faith Authentic Faith (four weeks) PDF DOC DOCX

Spiritual Discipline - Values Climbing Essentials - 2 Weeks - PDF* Spiritual Maturity - FAT - 5 Weeks - PDF Little Communities in the Kingdom of God - 5 Weeks - PDF Jesus, Teach Us to Pray - 5 Weeks - PDF God’s Design for His Church – Spiritual Gifts - 2 Weeks - PDF Spiritual Gifts Survey - PDF Seeking God’s Heart for Prayer - 4 Weeks - PDF

Building God’s Church God’s Way God’s Heart for His Church 1 - 3 Weeks - PDF God’s Heart for His Church 2 - 4 Weeks - PDF 10 RLC Leadership Values - Doc (ten weeks) Doing Battle in the Heavenlies - 4 Weeks - PDF Lighthouse of Prayer Guide - Prayer Evangelism - 1 Week - PDF Lighthouse of Prayer - Quick Guide - PDF Freedom in Christ Bookmark PDF Starting New Ministries PDF Key questions for launching a new ministry.

Guest Assimilation Pathway: First Step (Free lunch, Q&A with the Lead Pastor) Rooted Study – 10 weeks on Real Life faith essentials. LIFEgroup (small groups scattered) Serving in a ministry.

Stanlubeck.com Page 2 Spiritual Growth Pathway

Stanlubeck.com Page 3 Every person deserves to have a warm healthy spiritual environment. Every person can make a choice to grow to spiritual maturity in Christ. We cannot make that choice for anyone, but we can do everything possible to cultivate an environment that encourages people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. We take the command of Jesus very seriously that instructs us to make disciples (students) of Christ to the ends of the earth. The following materials are designed to lay a foundation in helping people every believer in the lifelong process of obediently following our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The benefit of this study is multiplied if it is done with at least one other person. The content can be discussed in four separate one hour time segments in a one on one, or a small group setting of 8 to 12 people.

Discovery Series Topics: 1) Knowing Jesus as Lord 2) Experiencing God’s Forgiveness 3) Experiencing God’s Power 4) Experiencing God’s Love

I was once told that 98% of Christians say that they have never been adequately trained in the basics of the faith. This is a study that addresses that need. So if you are a new believer, or one who cares about helping new believers in laying a solid foundation for life, this is a study for you.

Congratulations on taking the first step in this life transformational process of obeying Jesus as Lord of all. Pastor Stan Lubeck

Stanlubeck.com Page 4 Knowing Jesus as Lord

There is nothing more important in life than having a personal relationship with the God of this universe. God made us to live in relationship with Him. However, our sin has separated us from Him and cut us off from God’s best. Jesus came to restore our relationship with God.

Many people are confused about what it means to have a personal relationship with Christ. A person begins this wonderful relationship by confessing Jesus as Lord. I. Confessing Jesus as Lord The Bible says, in Romans 10:9-10 “For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.”

Lord means master, boss or ruler in charge of everything. Salvation involves more than just believing in God. After all, Satan himself believes in God, but he refuses to serve Him as Lord.

A communist wrote, "Communism is my sweetheart. I am willing to die for it. I am willing to give every cent, give up my girlfriend, give all that I have to see Communism cover the whole world." Communism was clearly his lord because he was willing to make Communism first in his life.

Stanlubeck.com Page 5 Have you prayed and asked Jesus to be your personal Lord and Savior? Have you expressed your desire to live for Him and serve Him?

The Bible uses the word "Savior" 37 times. It uses the word "Lord" 7,750 times. This is important because some say, "I will receive Jesus to be my savior from Hell, but I am not ready to make Him my Lord". Somehow this person thinks that Jesus can be "Savior" without being "Lord", as if Jesus can be “used” for insurance from Hell. Obviously this is not a Biblical idea. Having received Jesus Christ through prayer, you can know with certainty that you are saved! How do we know that?

Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Let’s consider the three words that we highlighted in bold letters above: Grace: God’s unmerited favor – something that you do not deserve, and cannot work for. Which response represents the concept of grace?  Every day I live hoping that I have done enough to get into heaven  I know that I deserve to get into heaven because I am better than everyone I know.  My mother has been praying for me, and I will get into heaven because of her prayers.  I have been a faithful member in the church for years, and I have served in many ways.  I received God's free gift of salvation by grace when Jesus came into my life.

Saved: Rescued from the coming judgment, and the snare of sin. Hebrews 9:27 “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,” NIV According to this verse when does a person face judgment? Stanlubeck.com Page 6 What do you know about the judgment of God?

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is , but the free of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."

Are we saved from:  Physical death?  Spiritual death?  Eternal separation from God? Re-read Romans 6:23. What does eternal life cost us?

Can we earn it?

Faith: Trusting God that what He says is true and choosing to live accordingly. Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Faith by itself does not save anyone. We are not talking “faith in faith“! Our faith must be placed in Christ. It is Christ who saves us as we submit to His rule and authority. We must believe that He exists and wants a personal relationship.

Stanlubeck.com Page 7 Have you come to a place in your life where you know for certain that you belong to God and if you were to die today you would go to heaven?

Sin: Missing the Mark

Read Romans 3:23 for have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, NIV

Literally, sin means to miss the mark of God's perfection. No one is perfect. Everyone has come short of being perfect and without sin.

A person argued with D.L. Moody, the great evangelist of the nineteenth century, that "I have only one or two little sins. How can God reject me?" Moody replied, "If you are trying to pull yourself up on a roof by holding on to a chain, it only takes one weak link to cause you to fall to the ground. The other links may be in perfect condition. And it only takes one sin to cause us to spend eternity separated from God."

Isaiah 64:6 “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” NIV

II. Confidence of Salvation in Christ Suppose you were to stand before God and He asked you, “Why should I let you into my heaven?” what would you say?

Stanlubeck.com Page 8 John 1:12 “Yet to all who received him, to those who in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

Titus 3:5 “he saved us, not because of things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit”

You can be confident that you have a secure relationship with God because you received Him into your life through prayer and have become a child of God. God's Holy Spirit has entered your life and cleaned you up from the inside out.

If you have never asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, you can do it right now through prayer. You can pray something like this, “Lord Jesus, I need you. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Please come into my life, forgive my sins, and make me into the person you want me to be. In Jesus name, amen.”

III. Promises to Claim (Put your name in the following blanks )

 Christ forgave 's sin.

Hebrews 10:12-14 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

 Christ vastly removed 's sin.

Psalm 103:12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions (sins) from us.

 Christ is in 's life.

Stanlubeck.com Page 9 Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer , but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

 Christ died to give new life.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a creation; the old has gone, the new has come! When you trusted Christ to come into your life, you began a new spiritual life in Christ. All things have become new!

 Christ died to give eternal life.

1 John 5:11-13 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may that you have eternal life.

What represents your confidence of experiencing life in heaven with God? A. I try to live right before God every day, and won't know for sure until I die. B. I think I will make it, since I have done more good things than bad. C. I am better than most people I know. D. I have always tried to be good. E. I know beyond a doubt because I trust the promises of God.

Stanlubeck.com Page 10 John 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. NIV

What is eternal life? It is a relationship with God that begins at the moment that we confess Jesus as Lord and believe it in our heart! The incredible thing is that it is a relationship that continues on into eternity, world without end! When did eternal life begin?

Personal Testimony: When and how did you receive Christ?

What changes did you experience after receiving Christ?

Are there family members or friends whom you would like to tell about what God has done in your life?

IV. Why Am I Plagued with Doubts about My Salvation? A. I may not be trusting God completely.

Stanlubeck.com Page 11 Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” B. I may be refusing to obey God’s revealed will. John 14:21 “Whoever has my commands and them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." C. I may be harboring willful, continual sin. This will prevent me from experiencing assurance of salvation, and can be a sign that I am not a Christian at all.

1 John 3:5-6, 9 “But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who to sin has either seen him or known him.” D. I may not be a Christian yet. John 1:12 “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” We come to Christ by faith, and His desire is that we continue to walk by faith in Him every day.

Read 2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”

God desires that your faith will grow from simply childlike trust in Him, into that of a fully devoted follower of Christ. It is a lifelong process of choosing daily to live for God and trust Him by faith.

Stanlubeck.com Page 12 Session #2: Experiencing God’s Forgiveness

God’s forgiveness is like a bar of soap that cleans up our lives. It is a wonderful thing to be cleansed by the Lord God Almighty. But God does not want us to continue cycling through sin, confess, forgiveness, sin, confess, forgiveness. When God forgives us, His desire is that we repent and “sin no more”. His desire is that we will learn to walk with Him and enjoy fellowship with Him in

holiness. You are secure in your relationship with God because you are forgiven and accepted by God.

What are some of the barriers that separate us from God? Independence Selfishness Anger Un-forgiveness Pride Doubt Fear Lack of Trust What would you add to the above list?

Stanlubeck.com Page 13 I. Defining Sin and Righteousness It is important for each of us to understand Righteousness from God’s perspective. E. Positional Righteousness Definition: Meeting the Standards of God’s righteousness and justice. E.1. Our position in Christ changes when we become children of God because of what He did for us: 1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ died for sins once for , the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” This is a position made available to every person separated from God (sinner) and only to those who are “in Christ.” E.2. We are “seated with Jesus”! Ephesians 2:4-7 “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.”

Why is it important for Christians to understand that they are “positionally righteous” before God?

We cannot do this ourselves! We enjoy our position in heaven because of Jesus, and Jesus alone!

Stanlubeck.com Page 14 F. Practical Righteousness Definition of practical righteousness: “Maintaining a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.”

Though we are seated with God in the heavenlies, and are positionally righteous before God, practically we sin and fall short of God’s desire. We live in a rebellious world where we are influenced to do evil and turn away from our Father. How do we restore and maintain our righteousness before God in our daily lives?

F.1. The condition of people separated from Christ: Isaiah 64:6 “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”

Why do you think the word “all” is used three times in this one verse? F.2. Maintaining our right relationship with Christ: John 1:8-10 “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a and his word has no place in our lives.”

God will forgive our worst sins “if” we confess and repent.

Stanlubeck.com Page 15 Only after God seats us positionally in heaven with Jesus, are we able to practically begin to live a righteous life in His forgiveness.

V. Dealing With Sin (Spiritual Breathing) Breath is like life itself. We must breathe air to live. In much the same way, we have a picture of spiritual breathing whereby we let out the impure and breathe in the pure. This is really the key to maintaining a healthy relationship with God.

Think of what it would be like if you did not take responsibility for your wrongs with your spouse or best friend. What do you think would happen to the relationship? It would suffer! This is the same issue in regard to maintaining our relationship with God. Sin separates us from God. So we need to learn how to repent and deal with our sin in order to restore a right relationship with God.

A. Exhale 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

When I exhale, I blow the bad air out of my lungs. This is a good picture of confession of sin. Confession is simply acknowledging my sin, agreeing with God that I am wrong. It is not telling God what I did wrong in the sense that He doesn’t know, because He knows everything-including my sins. Confession is telling God that I know that I have done something that hinders the relationship between us.

Confession also requires repentance! Instead of walking away from God when we sin, we repent, and turn towards Him, drawing near to Him. When we turn to God we naturally turn away from the thing(s) we have done wrong. Repentance is literally a 180 degree turn to honor and follow God.

Stanlubeck.com Page 16 Take the time right now to pray and ask God to show you where sin is hindering your relationship with Him. Write a prayer expressing your heart to turn from your sin.

B. Inhale Read Ephesians 5:18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be with the Spirit.

How long can you hold your breath? It does not take long before your chest is screaming for fresh air. Inhalation brings new oxygen into our lungs and invigorates us all over again. In much the same way, Spiritual inhaling is submitting ourselves to God’s plan, allowing Him to be in control. After we confess our sins we are commanded to trust God and allow Him to control our lives. By faith we receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit. It is when we walk by faith and under the control of the Holy Spirit that our lives are filled with wonder and purpose and fruitfulness.

Psalm 32:1-5 Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, I was weak and miserable, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. NLT What does this say about feelings of guilt and cleansing of sin?

Stanlubeck.com Page 17

VI. What should you do if you still feel guilty after confessing your sins? Conviction of sin comes from God; condemnation and false guilt come from Satan. Satan is a liar and is the “accuser of the brethren”.

Read Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Read Hebrews 9:14 “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may the living God!”

Once you have confessed your sin and have asked God’s Spirit to control and empower you to live pleasing to God, what are you free to do?

Read Hebrews 8:12 “For I will forgive their and will remember their sins no more.”

If God is choosing to remember our sins no more, then we have no right to play God and allow our past sin to dominate our thoughts. VII. Receiving and Giving Forgiveness 1. Ask God to bring to your mind attitudes or actions that have not been pleasing to Him (John 16:8).

Stanlubeck.com Page 18 2. Agree with God about your sin. Acknowledge that sin has hurt your relationship with Him and that you do not want anything to stand in the way of God’s will for your life.

3. Forgive others. List those who have offended you. Pray something like this, “Lord, I choose to forgive (name of person) for (what the person did) , even though it made me feel (painful memories or feelings) .

When the Lord Jesus taught us to pray, He connected our willingness to forgive others with God’s forgiveness of us.

Matthew 6:12 “and forgive us our sins, we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.” What does this say about our responsibility to extend forgiveness to others?

4. Thank God for His willingness to wash and cleanse you of all your sin. This week, try to spend 15 minutes or so each day with God in Bible reading and prayer. Suggested reading: Luke 15:11-32; Galatians 5:16-23

Do you know others who are struggling with feelings of guilt, condemnation, hopelessness? Do you think they would be interested in knowing God personally? Would you be willing to begin praying for them, that God would open their eyes to see their need of Him?

VIII. What about the Unforgivable Sin? Saying “no” to God’s Holy Spirit

Matthew 12:31-32 And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

God desires that we walk in fellowship with Him. He has given us His Spirit to lead us into all truth. When we say “no” to God’s Holy Spirit, our relationship with God is hindered or cut off. This is very serious to God because He made us to fellowship with Him.

Stanlubeck.com Page 20 Session #3 Experiencing God’s Power

Review: Remember to develop the habit of keeping short accounts with God where you quickly confess sin and seek God’s forgiveness and cleansing. Repent by turning to God and asking Him for the power to live the victorious Christian life.

God has not only called us to live in victory as Christians, but He has given us His Holy Spirit to fill us and enable us to succeed.

We live in a world where computers are designed to do incredible things. A laptop computer today has more capability than a computer that filled an entire room 20 years ago. Computers are currently being developed based on proteins that will make computers 50,000 times faster than today’s Pentium II chips. With all this potential, the computer is not much more than a paper weight if it is not connected to a power source!

You have far more potential than any computer will ever have, and yet your usefulness to God is zero if you are not connected to God’s power source, His Holy Spirit. This is why God tells us in John 15:5b “...apart from me you can do nothing.”

I. The Nature of the Holy Spirit A. Who is the Holy Spirit? He is God. (1 Corinthians 2:11,12) B. When does the Holy Spirit enter a life? At the moment that one becomes a Christian! Read Romans 8:9-11 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, he does belong Stanlubeck.com Page 21 to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. [NIV]

Read Ephesians 1:13-14 And you also were in Christ when you the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having , you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession - to the praise of his glory. [NIV]

When did God’s Spirit come into your life?

Read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Do you not know that your body is a of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

What does it mean for you to “glorify God with your body? C. We are to live by the Spirit Read Galatians 5:16-25 “So I say, by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17 For the sinful nature desires what is to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. 19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, Stanlubeck.com Page 22 orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not the kingdom of God. 22 But the of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in with the Spirit.” [NIV].

What fruit (character qualities) are produced in a life that is filled with God’s Spirit? Do you see this in your life?

Do all these qualities come together with the filling of God‘s Spirit, or do they come separately over time?

God wants to change us from the inside out. His will is that we become more and more like Jesus Christ. But we are not able to do it by trying harder. “Muscle Christianity” where we keep trying harder, does not work. We cannot live the abundant Christian life on our own power. We need the power of the Spirit flowing through us. As the Spirit works in our lives we will begin to see the fruit of the Spirit on display! We will see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-

Stanlubeck.com Page 23 control established instantly in our lives, and develop more fully as we grow in Christ.

If you are a new Christian, do not be discouraged if you see others who are more fruitful spiritually. Realize that it takes time to grow and mature in Christ. As you trust Christ with every detail of your life, you will grow spiritually over time and become even more fruitful. What do you think is the result when Christians try to “muscle out” the Christian life?

IX. Walk in the Power of the Spirit

A. Confess Sin and Submit to God’s Spirit. God’s ability to work in our lives is limited by un-confessed sin. The Scripture describes this as “Putting out the Spirit’s fire“, or “grieving the Spirit.” It is the consequence of saying “no” to God.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 “Do not put out the Spirit's fire.” Read Ephesians 4:30 “And do not the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

Read Genesis 6:3 Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years." How do we put out the Spirit’s fire? What do you think grieves God’s Spirit most?

Though God’s Spirit comes into our lives when we become a Christian, we can limit the Spirit’s influence in our lives by harboring un-confessed sin. It can be illustrated by a glass of water filled to the brim. When rocks (representing sin) are placed in the glass, the amount of water in the glass is diminished. Only when the rocks are removed can the glass contain the maximum amount of water. So God directs us to continue being filled, controlled and empowered by the Holy Spirit....

Read Ephesians 5:18 “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” Just as when people are controlled by wine when they are drunk, God desires that we be controlled by the Spirit as He fills us! The message is literally, “be being filled with the Holy Spirit”.

It has been said that the only way a broken vessel can stay full, is if it stays under the tap. This is a good picture of how we need to stay connected to our source of power, God’s Holy Spirit. B. Power to overcome the evil one! 1 John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. [NIV]

It is an incredible thing to realize that the God of the universe has chosen to take up residence inside of our lives. As God’s Holy Spirit fills us, He uses our unique personality and gifts, as he empowers us to live for Him. What a thrill to know that Jesus is looking out from our eyes as He fills us with His Spirit.

X. Benefits of Walking in the Spirit! A. We Are Equipped for Spiritual warfare

Stanlubeck.com Page 25 Ephesians 6:17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. B. We Experience Freedom in Christ 2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” C. Spiritual understanding 1 Corinthians 2:12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. D. We are sought by God. Read John 4:23-24 “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in and in truth." E. The Spirit helps us and intercedes. Romans 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. F. Power, love and Self-discipline to Live for God. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

XI. The Holy Spirit Equips Us Equips us to do what? Read Acts 1:8 What does it mean to be a witness for Christ?

Read John 16:8

Stanlubeck.com Page 26 Why do you think the Holy Spirit’s power is needed to be a witness?

Are you filled with the Holy Spirit today?

If not, what is holding you back?

Is there sin that needs to be confessed?

Won’t you make sure that you are a clean vessel filled with the Spirit of God this day?

Here is a helpful prayer: “Dear Father, I have sinned against You by directing my own life. Thank You for forgiving my sins. Take control of my life. I want to obey You and please You. I now choose to trust You to fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Thank You for answering my prayer as You promised You would, if I would just ask in faith.” Is this the desire of your heart? Then pray and tell God right now.

XII. Your Choice – His Power or Yours? Although God’s Spirit lives in all Christians, not all Christians are directed and empowered by God’s Holy Spirit. Who is on the throne (the control center) in your life?

The Bible talks about three types of people: 1. The natural man. This person sits on the throne, and has no thought for submitting to God. This person is his own god. 2. The spiritual man. This person has chosen to place Christ on the throne, desires to obey His commands and honor Christ as Lord and King. 3. The self-centered Christian. This person has received Christ, but is choosing not to yield to God’s Spirit. This person lives a very frustrated Christian life.

Which of the three best illustrates your life? Which do you want?

Stanlubeck.com Page 28 Read Galatians 3:3 “Are you so foolish? After with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” What happens when we try to live the Christian life in our own effort?

Continue spending time in God’s Word this week. Suggested Reading: John 15-16. Note the importance of abiding in God. Continue your habit of Breathing Spiritually (Confessing sin, repenting and asking God to fill you with His Spirit.

Stanlubeck.com Page 29 Session #4 The Three Loves of God’s Church

“But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Timothy 1:5 NASB)

God wants to teach us how to love at the deepest level. Many people do not have a clue about commitment in a love relationship. All they have even known is disappointment and letdown. This is why we must go to God Himself in learning what it means to love. God is the source of true and lasting love. “We love, because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)

These are the three loves of the church. Some have said, “the Christian life is really very simple. All I have to do is 1) love God, 2) love others in Christ, and 3) love those outside of Christ.” As simple as this is, there is a lifetime of room for learning its implications. Let’s get started!

I. What Is On God’s Heart? A. The Great Commandment Read Matthew 22:36-40, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: ”‘ the Lord your God with your heart and with your soul and with your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

There are over 600 commands in the Old Testament. Why do you think Jesus considered these two commandments so important?

God has always been on one plan. He desires to have a love relationship with His people. At the core of His being God loves us and desires to be our closest friend. Amazing isn’t it!

B. The Great Commission Read Matthew 28:18-20, “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and disciples of nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”

God wants to spread His love to people at every corner of the world. Knowing that His time on earth was short, Jesus gave the disciples their marching orders. It is called the “Great Commission” . He did not stutter or hesitate in giving this clear directive. There are few passages of Scripture that are better known, and yet less heeded.

We are to make disciples (learners, students) of Christ of all nations. God is not "wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."(1 Peter 3:9 NIV) We are to spread the love of God to all people.

The majority of Christians admit that no one has ever taken them under a wing and discipled them. At the most basic level, this is what the church is to be about. Somehow we have bizarres and car washes, bingo and bicycle trips, but do not find the time for making disciples of Christ to the ends of the earth.

It has been said, "A church that obeys the Great Commandment and The Great Commission is a great church!" We pray that this will be true in our church.

Stanlubeck.com Page 31 XIII. What does it Mean to Grow as a Child of God? Jesus said "You must be born again." Every Christian starts with that new birth as a babe in Christ. However, God does not want anyone to stay as a babe, but to grow to full maturity in Christ. Maturity in Christ involves choosing to trust Christ over an extended time period. There are no shortcuts. But how do we know if we are growing in Godliness? When we are growing spiritually, we will be growing in love!

Where do you see yourself in the spiritual growth process? A babe? Child? Young person? Parent?

Read John 14:21. What will be the result of your growing love for God? Read Ephesians 4:14-15 "Then we will no longer be , tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in , we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." NIV

"Speaking the truth in love" as been likened to going to a Dentist to have a cavity filled. A Dentist can do the job without Novocain and take care of the problem with the tooth, but may have to replace the ceiling tiles where the patient shot through the roof. This is a good picture of those who speak the truth in a harsh fashion with no compassion or love. On the other extreme are those who are ear ticklers, gushing with love but unwilling to deal with the truth. Neither extreme is acceptable. We help one another grow up in Christ as we lovingly speak the truth to one another, being committed to each other’s success.

Stanlubeck.com Page 32 Stanlubeck.com Page 33 XIV. How Can You Grow in Your Love for God? A. Commit Yourself to Loving God Wholeheartedly! Read Deuteronomy 6:4-5 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with your heart and with your soul and with your strength."

What does it mean to love God wholeheartedly?

B. Determine to Seek Hard After God Read Psalm 63:1-4 A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah. O God, you are my God, earnestly I you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.

How do you seek to know God? How do you know that you have met God?

C. Let Christ Live through You Read Ephesians 3:16-19 " I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God,"

How can you know something that surpasses knowledge?

This is how the love of God is described! Why do you think that is so?

Stanlubeck.com Page 35 XV. How Can You Grow in Your Love for Others? The test of our love for others is not in loving those who love us, but to the point of how loving we are to our enemies (Luke 6:32- 36). Wow! Only as God fills us with His love will we be able to love one another in our humanness. Jesus sets the standard in how we are to love others: Read John 13:34 "A command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you love one another.

In this new commandment we are to love according to Jesus' standard. He loves us even more than we love ourselves. We live in a consumer oriented world where a self-centered “entitlement” mindset is deeply rooted in many lives. Only as God invades our lives will we begin to learn what it means to give and serve with a heart full of genuine God inspired love.

The "body" of Christ is made up of all believers (1 Corinthians 12:14-27). However, the Bible emphasizes the importance of a local church, a "family" of believers where God's truth is proclaimed and believers are encouraged and equipped for ministry. It is in this family of believers that we grow in our relationship with God and with others.

The Bible is full of verses that speak of our responsibility to one another: Romans 12:10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 15:7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. Romans 15:14 …competent to instruct one another. Ephesians 5:21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Galatians 5:13 …serve one another in love. Galatians 6:2 "Carry each other's burdens" Ephesians 4:16 "From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."

Stanlubeck.com Page 36 Philippians 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.

The Greek word for fellowship, koinonia, means "partnership, sharing in common." As Christians we are to "share our lives in many different ways and receive from others as well. Without the fellowship of a biblically sound church, we disobey God and forfeit the giving and receiving of blessings.

Why do you think we request that everyone join a small group?

What is wrong with the Christian's thinking who says, “I don't need anyone else? I can worship God on a mountaintop all by myself?”

Read Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how we may one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the of doing, but let us one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. NIV

Stanlubeck.com Page 37 What is a spur?

What is the purpose of a spur for a cowboy?

Why do you think this term was chosen in motivating one another toward love and good deeds?

XVI. How Can You Grow in Your Love for Those Outside of Christ? A. Realize that God wants to bless others through you. You are blessed in order to bless others! Read Genesis 12:3 All peoples on earth will be through you. (God to Abram, the father of all nations) Isaiah 49:6 I will also make you (Israel) a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.

God's people are described in the Bible as those who have been set apart for God's special use. He wants us to be tools that He can use to lead people to Him. B. Jesus' Purpose is to Save People. John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to the world, but to save the world through him. C. God Empowers us to Witness

Stanlubeck.com Page 38 Acts 1:8 But you will receive when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. D. Know What you Believe - Do Your Homework 1 Peter 3:15 "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,"

You serve the Lost by knowing the Word of God! Remember that it is the gospel that has the power to save people (Romans 1:16). Realize too, that when tempted by the evil one, Jesus quoted Scripture. E. Pray for Those Outside of Christ 1 Timothy 2:1 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

Who can you pray for that does not know Jesus as their Lord and Savior?

Acts 2:42-47 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and

Stanlubeck.com Page 39 goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

How are the three loves of the church displayed in the early church in the above passage of Scripture? What explains your desire to grow in Godliness? Are you willing to meet with others who have a heart to be disciples of Christ?

Our church is described as a "Disciple-making" church. This means that we have many small groups organized to help people grow in Godliness, becoming disciples of Christ.

Stanlubeck.com Page 40 The Next Step: Join a LIFEgroup if you are not already connected. These groups will help you to develop spiritual disciplines enabling you to continue growing in Godliness! You will learn how to study your Bible effectively, how to pray, and about your unique, God given roll in building God’s Church.

Pastor Stan Lubeck Stanlubeck.com 2016-02-18