Jesus Challenge - Phase Two: the Lifestyle of Jesus
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JESUS CHALLENGE - PHASE TWO: THE LIFESTYLE OF JESUS OUR PURPOSE: Now that you know who Jesus is, and who you are in Him, we want to walk you through what it actionably looks like to live LIKE Jesus and FOR Jesus. We are calling Phase Two, The Lifestyle of Jesus, because it is vital that we take what we have learned, and apply it to our daily lives and actions. We pray that through PHASE TWO you will put your faith and love for the Father into ACTION that is seen and known by others. We pray that daily, you are recognized as being transformed and that you are a light to the broken world around us. TABLE OF CONTENTS: 1. ABIDE IN THE VINE - 2. LOVE 3. JOY - 4. PEACE 5. PATIENCE - 6. KINDNESS 7. GOODNESS - 8. FAITHFULNESS 9. GENTLENESS - 10. SELF-CONTROL 11. REPENTANCE - 12. FORGIVENESS 13. GRATITUDE - 14. COURAGE & BOLDNESS 15. GUARD YOUR HEART - 16. SERVANTHOOD 17. WHO HE IS - 18. WHAT HE SAYS ABOUT YOU 19. GIVING - left off here on graphics 20. DISCIPLESHIP 21. DWELLING - 22. WORSHIP 23. PRAYER - 24. READING HIS WORD 25. OBEDIENCE- 26. UNOFFENDABLE HEART 27. FOUNDATION - 28. SPEAK 29. COMMUNITY- 30. BACK TO HIM 1. ABIDE IN THE VINE We are a reflection of who we spend our time with. Can people see that you are closer to the Lord or to the world? DO: ● GO TO CHURCH ○ If you don’t have a church you call home, we would love for you to join us at a service! Where: Road to Life Church, St Joseph When: Every Sunday at 8:30AM, 10AM or 11:30AM ● TEXT SOMEONE WHO HAS HELPED YOU WITH YOUR FAITH ○ Text someone who has helped you grow in your relationship with the Lord, and compliment them or show them appreciation for helping you in your walk of faith. ● REEVALUATE FRIENDSHIPS ○ The truth is - you become like the people that you spend the most time with. Sometimes we know that we shouldn’t hang out with certain people but we do anyway. It can be difficult to feel like you are leaving friends behind, but remember, YOU decide how your life is going to be, and if you want it full of freedom in Jesus, there will be times where stepping away from relationships will be the healthiest thing you can do! READ: John 15:1-5 (TLV) “I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He trims so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I will abide in you. The branch cannot itself produce fruit, unless it abides on the vine. Likewise, you cannot produce fruit unless you abide in Me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” LISTEN: NOTHING WITHOUT YOU - WILL REAGAN JOURNAL: Who do you spend the most time around? Friends, family, Jesus? What kind of people are you surrounding yourself with? DECLARE: I choose to abide in Jesus. I will not surround myself with people who hinder my relationship with the Father, by pulling me further away from Him. I will spend intentional time with Jesus because I know that the closer I am to Him, the more I become like Him and the more I can live in His freedom. 2. LOVE DO: ● PAY FOR A STRANGERS FOOD / GROCERIES ○ It doesn’t have to be much, but sometimes the SMALLEST acts of kindness show the GREATEST acts of love. ● ENCOURAGE SOMEONE ○ Text something encouraging to someone that it is difficult for you to get along with. Jesus didn’t come to love those that thought like Him or looked like Him, He came to love everyone, knowing they may never love Him back. ● LISTEN TO LEARN, NOT TO RESPOND ○ Listen to the people of color around you that have been mistreated and misheard. Don’t listen to respond or defend what you believe to be true. Listen with a heart of compassion. The Father’s heart breaks over racial injustice, and we have been given voices to fight against it. Love your neighbor in this way. READ: “Those who are loved by God, let his love continually pour from you to one another, because God is love. Everyone who loves is fathered by God and experiences an intimate knowledge of him. The one who doesn’t love has yet to know God, for God is love. The light of God’s love shined within us when he sent his matchless Son into the world so that we might live through him. This is love: He loved us long before we loved him. It was his love, not ours. He proved it by sending his Son to be the pleasing sacrificial offering to take away our sins.” 1 John 4: 7-10 (TPT) LISTEN: FOR THE TIME WE HAVE - COMMON HYMNAL JOURNAL: Write down at least one person’s name that you want to intentionally love well this week, along with what you are going to do, to show them the love of Jesus. DECLARE: I am chosen and loved by God. God is patient with me. God is gentle and kind to me. God does not cover me in shame or disrespect. He is not easily irritated with me or quick to take offense when I sin against Him. God joyfully celebrates my honesty and He finds no delight in what is wrong. God is MY safe place of shelter. He never stops believing the best of me. God never takes my failure as defeat, for He never gives up. 3. JOY Happiness is temporary. Joy that comes from the Lord never ends. DO: ● SPEND TIME WITH JESUS ○ In His presence there is fullness of joy, so turn on a worship song, clear your mind, and take a few moments to focus on Him. ● TAKE YOUR FEELINGS BACK ○ When your happiness is based off of your situation it will always come and go. But if we want to truly have joy that never leaves, we can’t allow our natural feelings to control us because they do not last. When we are constantly in the Presence or with the Father we are choosing joy over the circumstance because we find our fullness and identity in Him and not what we are going through. ● EMBRACE YOUR GIFTS + PASSIONS ○ We were all given unique gifts and skills when God created us. Those things can be used for Jesus, or they can be used to impress society and glorify yourself. Our passions and gifts were given to us to bring God glory and praise. Whether it is music, sports, art, speaking, technology or anything in between, it can be used to thank God for all He has done. He wants you to LOVE what you do, and when it is done with Him, there is when we find joy and confidence that lasts. READ: Psalm 16:11 (NASB) “You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” Psalm 118:24 (NASB) “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” LISTEN: S INCE YOUR LOVE - UNITED PURSUIT, BRANDON HAMPTON JOURNAL: Think about the things you are passionate about and love to do. How can you use these things to bring honor and praise to God? (Ex: If you are passionate about art (in any form) it can be used to represent the things that Jesus has done in your life and the things you are asking Him to do. It can be pointed back to Him without even saying a word.) DECLARE: My situations will not control my reactions and my feelings. I have been given a Spirit of Joy, so no matter what I go through, I can have hope, anticipation and excitement! My joy will be more than just moments of happiness and my contentment with life will not come and go with the different seasons of life. I know that I can have joy DAILY, because that is what my Lord died for. I am blessed. I am seen. I am loved, and I can find joy in that. 4. PEACE DO: ● PEACEMAKER VS. PEACEKEEPER ○ “A peacekeeper avoids confrontation at all costs to maintain peace, even at the risk of compromising truth. But the peace he maintains is not true peace. It is a touchy, superficial peace that will not last. A peacemaker will go in love and confront, bringing truth so that the resulting reconciliation will endure. He will not maintain an artificial, superficial relationship. He desires openness, truth and love. He refuses to hide offense with a political smile. He makes peace with a bold love that cannot fail.” - The Bait of Satan, John Bevere ● PRAY ○ When we have anxious thoughts, the best thing we can do is pray and give those things to God. God loves us and wants to hear how we are feeling! Of course, he already knows how we feel, but taking that extra step to include him in how you're feeling allows him to fill you with the peace that you desire. READ: Philippians 4:6-7 (TPT) “Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing.