Embracing Community: The Path to True Discipleship

 

Summary

In our journey of faith, it's crucial to recognize that we cannot do it alone. As inherently social beings, our spiritual growth and discipleship are deeply intertwined with our interactions with others. The fear of man, as highlighted in Proverbs, often traps us, influencing our religious practices and hindering genuine spiritual transformation. However, true discipleship in the pattern of Christ naturally leads to outreach, mission, and care for others. This transformation is not a solitary endeavor but a communal one, emphasizing the love of neighbor as a fundamental aspect of our faith.

The church serves as a vital community where we learn to love our neighbors, who are often those sitting next to us in the pews. This love is not always easy, as the church can sometimes be a place of conflict and challenge. Yet, these challenges are opportunities for growth, teaching us to love even those we might consider our enemies. It's essential to remain in community, even when tensions arise, as this is where we practice and develop our capacity for love.

To truly know and love one another, we must make intentional efforts to connect and understand each other within our church communities. This involves going beyond superficial interactions and fostering deep, meaningful relationships. The church is a school of love, where we learn to extend the love we experience within our families to the broader community and beyond, into our social and political spheres.

The world is in desperate need of individuals who live as persons of truth and love, embodying the teachings of Christ. The real challenge for the church today is whether Christians will embrace true discipleship, becoming Christ-like and leading by example. This requires moving away from attitudes of attack and withdrawal and stepping into a life of love and unity, drawing strength from God rather than human sources.

Key Takeaways:

1. Social Nature of Spiritual Growth: Our spiritual development is inherently social, requiring us to engage with others and overcome the fear of man that often dictates our religious practices. True discipleship naturally leads to outreach and mission, as it is rooted in the love of neighbor. [00:20]

2. Church as a School of Love: The church is a place where we learn to love our neighbors, even when it is challenging. It is essential to remain in community, using conflicts as opportunities to practice and grow in love. [02:28]

3. Intentional Community Building: To truly love one another, we must make intentional efforts to connect and understand each other within our church communities. This involves fostering deep, meaningful relationships beyond superficial interactions. [02:54]

4. Extending Love Beyond the Church: The love we cultivate within the church should extend to our families and into our social and political spheres, living as persons of truth and love in the world. [03:37]

5. Challenge of True Discipleship: The world needs Christians who embrace true discipleship, becoming Christ-like and leading by example. This requires moving away from attitudes of attack and withdrawal and stepping into a life of love and unity. [04:07]

Youtube Chapters:

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:20] - Social Nature of Spiritual Growth
[00:40] - Fear of Man and Religion
[01:06] - Discipleship and Outreach
[01:28] - Love of Neighbor
[01:42] - Church as Community
[02:16] - Challenges in Church
[02:28] - Opportunities for Growth
[02:54] - Building Intentional Relationships
[03:06] - Church as a School of Love
[03:22] - Extending Love Beyond Church
[03:37] - Living as Persons of Truth
[03:53] - Challenge for the Church
[04:07] - Embracing True Discipleship
[04:19] - Moving into Love and Unity

Study Guide

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. Proverbs 29:25 - "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe."
2. Matthew 22:37-39 - "Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
3. John 13:34-35 - "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

#### Observation Questions
1. According to the sermon, why is it important to recognize our social nature in spiritual growth? [00:20]
2. What does the sermon suggest about the relationship between discipleship and outreach? [01:06]
3. How does the sermon describe the role of the church in learning to love our neighbors? [02:28]
4. What challenges are mentioned in the sermon regarding staying in community when conflicts arise? [02:40]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the fear of man act as a barrier to genuine spiritual transformation, according to Proverbs 29:25 and the sermon? [00:40]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that true discipleship naturally leads to outreach and mission? [01:28]
3. How does the concept of the church as a "school of love" align with Jesus' command to love one another in John 13:34-35? [03:06]
4. What does the sermon imply about the importance of intentional community building within the church? [02:54]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when the fear of others influenced your religious practices. How can you overcome this fear and trust more in God? [00:40]
2. How can you actively participate in outreach and mission as a natural extension of your discipleship journey? [01:06]
3. Think of a conflict you have experienced within your church community. How can you use this as an opportunity to practice love and grow spiritually? [02:40]
4. What steps can you take to build deeper, more meaningful relationships within your church community? [02:54]
5. How can you extend the love you cultivate within the church to your family and social circles? [03:37]
6. In what ways can you embody the teachings of Christ in your daily life, becoming a person of truth and love? [03:53]
7. How can you move away from attitudes of attack and withdrawal and step into a life of love and unity? [04:19]

Devotional

Day 1: Spiritual Growth Through Community
Our spiritual development is inherently social, requiring us to engage with others and overcome the fear of man that often dictates our religious practices. True discipleship naturally leads to outreach and mission, as it is rooted in the love of neighbor. Engaging with others in our faith journey is not just beneficial but essential. The fear of man, as mentioned in Proverbs, can trap us, influencing our religious practices and hindering genuine spiritual transformation. However, when we embrace the social nature of our spiritual growth, we open ourselves to the transformative power of community. True discipleship, modeled after Christ, naturally leads us to reach out, engage in missions, and care for others. This journey is not solitary but communal, emphasizing the love of neighbor as a fundamental aspect of our faith. [00:20]

"Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:4 ESV)

Reflection: Who in your community can you reach out to today to support in their spiritual journey, and how can you overcome any fear of judgment in doing so?


Day 2: Church as a Place of Growth
The church is a place where we learn to love our neighbors, even when it is challenging. It is essential to remain in community, using conflicts as opportunities to practice and grow in love. The church serves as a vital community where we learn to love our neighbors, who are often those sitting next to us in the pews. This love is not always easy, as the church can sometimes be a place of conflict and challenge. Yet, these challenges are opportunities for growth, teaching us to love even those we might consider our enemies. It's essential to remain in community, even when tensions arise, as this is where we practice and develop our capacity for love. [02:28]

"Bear with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgive each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." (Colossians 3:13 ESV)

Reflection: Think of a recent conflict within your church community. How can you use this situation as an opportunity to practice forgiveness and love?


Day 3: Building Intentional Relationships
To truly love one another, we must make intentional efforts to connect and understand each other within our church communities. This involves fostering deep, meaningful relationships beyond superficial interactions. To truly know and love one another, we must make intentional efforts to connect and understand each other within our church communities. This involves going beyond superficial interactions and fostering deep, meaningful relationships. The church is a school of love, where we learn to extend the love we experience within our families to the broader community and beyond, into our social and political spheres. [02:54]

"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." (1 Thessalonians 5:11 ESV)

Reflection: Identify one person in your church community you don't know well. What steps can you take this week to build a deeper relationship with them?


Day 4: Extending Love Beyond the Church
The love we cultivate within the church should extend to our families and into our social and political spheres, living as persons of truth and love in the world. The world is in desperate need of individuals who live as persons of truth and love, embodying the teachings of Christ. The real challenge for the church today is whether Christians will embrace true discipleship, becoming Christ-like and leading by example. This requires moving away from attitudes of attack and withdrawal and stepping into a life of love and unity, drawing strength from God rather than human sources. [03:37]

"Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good." (Romans 12:9 ESV)

Reflection: How can you extend the love you practice in church to your workplace or social circles today?


Day 5: Embracing True Discipleship
The world needs Christians who embrace true discipleship, becoming Christ-like and leading by example. This requires moving away from attitudes of attack and withdrawal and stepping into a life of love and unity. The challenge for Christians today is to embrace true discipleship, becoming Christ-like and leading by example. This involves moving away from attitudes of attack and withdrawal and stepping into a life of love and unity. By drawing strength from God rather than human sources, we can live as persons of truth and love, embodying the teachings of Christ in every aspect of our lives. [04:07]

"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35 ESV)

Reflection: What is one specific way you can demonstrate Christ-like love and unity in your daily interactions this week?

Quotes

"Briefly you can't do it alone, and that's partly because you are essentially a social being, and what needs to be rectified in you or me is our social reactions. For example, socially, most people are fearful of others in some degree. The proverb says fear of man brings a snare, and you might just think for a moment of how much religion is actually practiced out of the fear of men." [00:12:48]

"So the changes required are essentially social and this is such an important issue because so many people think that if you're going to concentrate on discipleship and spiritual development, you're going to desert evangelism, outreach, and so on. You know if you do spiritual transformation in the pattern of Christ, you will not be able to prevent outreach and mission and care for the poor and all of these things." [00:50:96]

"Love of neighbor now love of neighbor again is essentially social and who is my neighbor? My neighbor is the person next to me, and those are often the people in church with me, and learning to love others in church is a huge project. I sense some recognition. I often people often ask me to say since you're so smart why are you still in church, and I say to them well you know Christians are supposed to love their enemies and they'll find a few of those at church." [01:02:24]

"But actually that's true you see the church is a place where when we get in a tight spot, we shouldn't leave, for that reason sometimes there are reasons for leaving and going to other work and so so don't misunderstand me but our reason should never be well I'm mad at so and so, that is the opportunity to work out this dimension, and believe me is it challenging." [01:43:76]

"And that means that we have to know one another better get to know one another better and very often our churches don't allow us to get to know one another very well so maybe we have to make a special point on this I've included in my last book knowing Christ a section on how to go to church because this is so important the church is a school of love." [01:72:40]

"It's where we go to learn how to love our neighbors and our neighbors are first of all our families, and then we go back into the home and bring the healing that has happened to us in community, and then we step out of the home into our political, our social arena and live there as persons of truth and love, and that my dear friends is what the world is dying for." [01:98:80]

"The real challenge facing not only the church but the world today is whether or not the Christians will become disciples, and in becoming disciples become Christ-like, and in becoming Christ-like lead the world by example and power that comes from God and not from human sources." [01:233:20]

"It's absolutely essential to get out of that attitude of attack and withdrawal that I mentioned and to move into the area of love and coming together." [01:255:43]

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Transcript
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