NEWBREAK 101

Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction......................................................................... 3

Chapter 2 D

Drawn to the Father................................................... 10

Chapter 3 E

Experiencing God......................................................... 22

Chapter 4 V

Vital Spiritual Community....................................... 33

Chapter 5 O - Outreach......................................................................... 39

Chapter 6 T

The Mathematics of Faith: Giving our Time, Treasure, and Talents....... 49

Chapter 7 E

Empowered by God s Spirit..........................................58

Chapter 8 D - Discipleship ............................................................... 64 Chapter 9 Celebration, Reflection, Baptism & Commitment to Community 73 Appendix A: Appendix B: Appendix C: Appendix D: Appendix E: Life Group Prayer Requests ................... 80 Life Group Calendar .......................... 82 Recommended Reading .......................... 83 What is the Tithe from Generousgiving.org ... 84

Newbreak Core Beliefs ......................... 86

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION TO NEWBREAK 101

CHAPTER 1 WELCOME
INTRODUCE YOURSELF
Before we get started, let s find out a little bit about each other. y y What s your name? How long have you been at Newbreak? to? What brought you to Newbreak? Newbreak? Which service do you go

What do you like best about

y y y

Are you married? Do you have children? Pets? Occupation? What is your favorite fast food restaurant?

A NOTE FROM PASTOR MIKE

Welcome! I m so glad you ve joined this Newbreak 101 Life Group! One primary purpose for this group is to introduce you to core values and beliefs of Newbreak as well as its vision for future as a church. In addition, you will gain insight into many ways Newbreak and its various ministry streams can help in growing as a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. the our the you

I don t know your background or your view of God, but my prayer is that this Life Group will challenge you to know God on a more intimate level and that that you will look more closely at who God is and what role He wants to play in your life. Knowing God will absolutely change your life. I know that to be true because my life has radically changed since I began a relationship with Him. The process of knowing God more deeply is a journey of sorts, and I have found it s best to travel this journey with a community of likeminded people. I encourage you to share your journey with the people in this Life Group and to grow more closely to them. You are in this Life Group for a distinct purpose, and God knows that purpose. Feel free to email me and let me know what God shows you in the course of this Life Group. You should know that I am praying for you and for your leaders, as I pray for all the Life Groups and especially the NB101 groups. Love and blessings,

Pastor Mike Quinn pastormike@newbreak.org

NEWBREAK S VISION WHY DO WE DO WHAT WE DO?

Newbreak exists to Reach Include Mature Send DEVOTED Followers of Jesus Christ into the World. What does that mean? The Bible is a story of God s love. Because of that love, God REACHes into the lives of men and women to rescue them from the brokenness of this world. When these men and women choose to follow Him, He INCLUDES them in His family, and they MATURE, growing increasingly devoted to Him and becoming increasingly like Him. His plan is to SEND them into the world to be a part of this process. Everything we do at Newbreak, every service, every Life Group, every ministry, and every outreach is designed to fulfill this mission statement. Newbreak values ministry which is . . . Relaxed We want to create a come-as-you-are atmosphere We want to be warm, welcoming, and inclusive to all people Real We are in the process of becoming like Christ, but none of us has arrived Honesty is possible because of God s grace Relevant Ministry that touches people s greatest needs

Ministry that equips people for life s difficulties Ministry that makes a difference We want to be . . . In a city . . . Loving a city . . . Impacting a city . . . For Jesus.

Newbreak Life Group Guidelines We believe that being a part of a healthy spiritual community is one of the best ways to grow into DEVOTED followers of Jesus Christ. In order to foster that kind of community, it s a good idea to establish some common expectations, based on Scripture, and to put them into words. That way we can avoid confusion or misunderstanding and learn to trust each other. y We want to grow healthy spiritual lives by developing healthy spiritual community. We get to know each other by meeting together regularly. That s not always possible so when we can t be here, we let the group leader or another member know.

What s said in the group stays in the group. Seriously, if we can t count on true confidentiality, we won t feel free to share honestly. y y If something concerns you, go to the individual and share your concerns privately. We listen carefully without offering quick answers, snap judgments, or simple fixes. That way group members feel heard, valued, and loved. At the same time, we give group members permission to challenge us to live out our faith.

We agree to limit our freedom by not serving or consuming alcoholic beverages during Life Group meetings or events. We look for opportunities to invite people to this Life Group and welcome people when they join us. o Some studies require smaller, more intimate group settings and therefore are only open at certain times of the year.

We pray for each other regularly and look for opportunities to get to know each other better. We value each other s schedules so we start on time and end on time: ________________________________ _________________________________

Start time: End time: y

Child Care _________________________________________________________________ _

NEWBREAK 101 Course Overview

We created this Life Group curriculum in order to allow conversations about the question, What does it mean to be a fully DEVOTED follower of Jesus Christ? y You have a Life Group calendar at the back of your book in Appendix B (page 82). Be sure to fill in the appropriate dates. Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 D Chapter 3 E Chapter 4 V Drawn to the Father Experiencing God Vital Spiritual Community

Chapter 5 O Chapter 6 T

Outreach The Mathematics of Faith: Giving our Time, Treasure, and Talents Empowered by God s Spirit D Discipleship

Chapter 7 E Chapter 8

Chapter 9 Celebration, Reflection, Baptisms & Commitment to Community We divided the weekly lessons from the book into five sections, one for each day of the week. Please take each day to spend time with God, prayerfully considering the scripture passages and questions in each section. Well talk about the readings and the questions during group. Be sure to write down any questions you may have for your Life Group leader. Weve included some quotes from some of our favorite authors, and the books are listed in Appendix C on page 83. If you read something interesting or challenging, you may want to get a copy of the book and read more. We included a list of Newbreaks Core Beliefs in Appendix E on page 86. Ask your Life Group leader if you have any questions. Finally, there is weekly memory verse provided for you at the beginning of each lesson. Meditating on Gods word and memorizing verses will help you grow as a follower of Jesus Christ.

NEWBREAK MINISTRIES
The weekend worship experience at Newbreak helps us grow in our relationship with God as we worship with a larger group, listen together to teachings from God s Word, and fellowship with others. We meet together in weekly Life Groups like this one to develop spiritual community. In addition, we offer many other opportunities. that seem most interesting to you: y y Weekly Life Groups Women s Ministries Mark the ones

contact lifegroups@newbreak.org contact women@newbreak.org

y y

Men s Ministries Marriage Mentoring

contact men@newbreak.org contact

marriagementoring@newbreak.org y y y Healing Prayer Lay Counseling Celebrate Recovery contact healingprayer@newbreak.org contact laycounseling@newbreak.org contact

celebraterecovery@newbreak.org y y y Divorce Care Grief Share Outreach urban@newbreak.org What questions do you have for your NB101 leader? contact divorcecare@newbreak.org contact griefshare@newbreak.org contact ktf@newbreak.org OR

PRAYER REQUESTS
Every week we ll share prayer requests so that we can pray for each other during the week. Remember, in order for this group to be a safe place where you can feel free to be yourself, we must be able to trust that issues discussed within the group will not be shared outside of the group. You may write the group prayer requests in Appendix A, beginning on page 80.

CHAPTER 2 DRAWN TO THE FATHER

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I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Philippians 3:8

Day 1
There are a lot of reasons to join this Life Group. Maybe you are new to Newbreak and want to know what we believe. Or maybe you hope to establish some friendships. Or maybe you are searching for spiritual direction. Maybe it s a combination of these reasons or something else entirely.

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Describe your primary reasons for being a part of this group. _________________________________________________________________ _____________ One of our goals for this Life Group is for you to know Jesus better. In Ephesians 1:17, Paul describes his prayers for followers of Jesus Christ in Ephesus. He writes, I keep asking
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

Paul stresses the importance of knowing Christ in Philippians 3 when he says, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. . . In his book The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus, Brennan Manning describes what it means to truly know Jesus: Do we know Him? Do we know the God of Jesus Christ? Maybe we think that there are other things more important in the Christian walk than knowing God like loving God, praising Him, thanking Him, keeping the commandments, living a good life. There are many things that make up a truly Christian life, but all of them are rooted in authentic knowledge of God. Perhaps we think that because we are Christians and read the Bible and know a great deal about God, therefore we know God. Nothing could be further from the truth. It does us little good to memorize chapter and verse, to master the language of the Bible, if we have nothing to share in that language, no experiential knowledge of God in our lives.1 We get to know Jesus Christ and ultimately God by spending time with Him, by reading His Word, by talking to Him, and by listening to Him.

Brennan Manning, The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Fleming H. Revell, 1986), p. 30-31.

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Is there a difference between knowing Christ and knowing about Him? What do you think that difference is? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ How well do you know Jesus? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________

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Day 2
Knowing Jesus is essential when we choose to follow Him. He is at the center of everything we believe and the reason for everything we do. In Acts 17:28, Paul says, In him (Jesus) we live and move and have our being. In Ephesians 1:11, he writes, It s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Author Leonard Sweet puts it this way: Jesus, the Divine Being (Son of God) who became the Human Being (Son of Man), came to reveal the secret of life and to end our cluelessness (at best) and carelessness (at worst) about God s design for how we humans should live our lives. 2 More than that, knowing Jesus helps us know God, the Father. Hebrews 1:13 tells us that Jesus is the radiance of God s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. Jesus said it plainly in John 10:30, stating, I and the Father are one. Later, when Jesus disciples asked Him to show them the Father, he told them, Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. (John 14:9) In other words, when we know Jesus, we know God. Read Colossians 1:15-20. who Jesus is? What does this passage tell us about

_________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________

Leonard Sweet, So Beautiful: Divine Design for Life and the Church (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2009), p. 22.

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Think about everything you know about Jesus, every Bible story you ve ever heard, the things he did, the way he spoke to people. What are a few things you know about Jesus and therefore God from these stories? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________

Day 3
A 2009 CNN poll showed that 75 percent of Americans identify themselves as Christians, and yet only about 40 percent attend church regularly. Clearly, church attendance is not part of everyone s definition of Christian. Typically, how do the people you know define Christianity and Christians? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ Depending on the people you know, their response could be like that of Mahatma Gandhi, who once said, I like your Christ but I don t like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ. How do you define Christianity? other faith systems? And how is it different from

_________________________________________________________________ _____________ _________________________________________________________________ _____________ Leonard Sweet offers his own definition, saying, The debate about whether Christianity is about beliefs, behavior, or being

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is more about us than about God. Christianity is a about a design for living as authentic human beings . . . 3 It s about connecting to God, connecting to others, and allowing God to live through us in everything we do. In other words, Christianity is about life. In John 10:10, Jesus says, and have it to the full. I have come that they may have life,

Are you experiencing the full life Jesus describes in the book of John? Are you interested in discovering God s design for living as an authentic human being? Maybe you feel alone and you want to experience God s love. Maybe you feel lost and want some life direction. Maybe you just think there s more to life than what you are currently experiencing, and you think that you might find this in God. God knows you. He loves you. He wants to begin a relationship with you. This has been His desire since the beginning of time. The problem is that our sin and our broken patterns of living get in the way of a true relationship with God. No matter how many good things we do, we can never be good enough. Our sin separates us from God. That s why God sent Jesus into the world. John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. Paul emphasizes the same thought in Romans 5:8, when he writes, But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Leonard Sweet, ibid, p. 28.

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Jesus took the punishment for our sins when He died on the cross. God raised Him from the dead and now offers us new life, eternal life, the full and abundant life described in John 10:10. If you have not already begun your relationship with Jesus and you would like to, we invite you to pray this prayer right now, wherever you are. Jesus will come into your life, just as He promised, and you will begin discovering God s design for your life. You will begin experiencing His love and forgiveness. Lord, Jesus, I want to know you. I want to follow you. I want to experience God s love. I want to experience God s design for my life. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. I give you my life. I don t understand everything, but I want to follow you. I want to experience the love and life that you promised. Make me more like you. If you responded to this invitation, or you have questions, we encourage you to speak to your Life Group leader. Jesus offers the invitation for a personal relationship to everyone. Saying yes to His invitation doesn t mean we have to have everything all figured out. We can still have questions and accept His invitation. If we wait until we have all our questions answered, we could be waiting a long time. If we knew everything, we d be . . . God. So, the invitation to follow Jesus comes with knowing you are still going to have questions. The more we experience God in our lives, the more consistently we live the life we were intended to live. Our lives become less and less about talking about God, and they become more and more about knowing God through Jesus Christ.

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Day 4
The decision to get to know Jesus, to follow Him, and to begin a relationship with God means many things. Our sins are forgiven. (Colossians 1:14) We can approach God with freedom and confidence. 3:12) We are new creations. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
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(Ephesians

We receive eternal life.

(Romans 6:23)

More than that, John 1:12-13 tells us that . . . to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. If you have made a decision to follow Jesus, you are now a child of God. Because of relationships in our own families, it may difficult to think of God as a Father. It is important to remember that God is the perfect father, who loves us unconditionally. Our human fathers make mistakes, but God does not. A friend of Brennan Manning wrote this in his journal: To be a son of the Father, like Jesus, is really to delight in this relationship and to fully embrace this identity. It is to enjoy thoroughly and take great pride in finding myself so situated. It is to sense the extraordinary privilege that is mine through no merit of my own. It is to appreciate in a very human sense the dignity of the title that is bestowed on me and to walk with my head held high. It is to have the aristocratic bearing of one born to royalty. It is to envy no man anything, for my privileged position transcends all comparisons, eclipses all worldly honors and titles, and fills my cup with a joy beyond all telling. What is my Father like? One day he grew so apprehensive that I might fail to understand how loving and wise, gentle and powerful he is, that He sent me a complete and perfect expression of himself in his Son Jesus. Everything my Father has, he entrusted to Jesus so that in looking at Jesus, I can see and know my Father. Let me tell you the most beautiful and thrilling thing he ever said to me. I wake up to it each morning and lay there sleepy, dazed, and happy because I always hear it as for the first time. As 4 the Father has loved me, so do I love you.

Brennan Manning, ibid., p. 138-139.

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What does it mean to you to call God Father ? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________ What does it mean to you to be a child of God ? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________

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Day 5
Going forward in your spiritual journey to follow Jesus includes becoming part of Jesus family by baptism. Baptism is a Biblical truth we embrace at Newbreak. The Greek word baptize means to immerse or dip under water. To help you understand a little bit about baptism, read John 1:19-34, which describes Jesus own baptism.5 According to this passage, why did John baptize? _________________________________________________________________ ____________ Jesus had no sin and therefore had no need to repent, but he chose to be baptized as an example for us. In Acts 2:14-36, Peter speaks to the people of Jerusalem about the identity of Jesus. The people respond to his message, saying, What shall we do? Peter gives them these instructions in verse 38, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. And so we see that we are to follow Jesus example in baptism.

Romans 6:1-7 tells us a little bit about what water baptism means. Here s The Message version of that passage: So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn t you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind;
It is helpful to remember that the John in this passage is John the Baptist, Jesus cousin, and not the author of the book of John. For more information about John the Baptist, read Luke 1, Mark 1:1-12, and Matthew 14:112.
5

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when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace a new life in a new land! That s what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a lightfilled world by our Father so that we can see where we re going in our new grace-sovereign country. According to this passage, what does baptism symbolize in our own lives? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ If you have begun your personal relationship with Jesus, but haven t been baptized yet, see your Life Group leader. Your Life Group leader can help you with the baptism process. We would like to have a group baptism during Life Group during one of the last few gatherings. Baptism FAQs y :

Some churches sprinkle a little water on your head when you get baptized, and some churches put you all the way under. What does Newbreak do and why? The writers of the Gospels describe Jesus coming up out of the water, which demonstrates that Jesus was indeed all the way under (see Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:10). We want to follow that biblical example, and so at Newbreak, people being baptized get fully immersed, whether that s in a pool, Jacuzzi, or the ocean. Sometimes a person might have a medical reason not to be fully immersed. In that case, we make adjustments.

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I got baptized when I was a baby. again?

Do I need to get baptized

Because baptism represents your personal decision to follow Christ, we recommend that you be baptized now, demonstrating your commitment. y I got baptized after I became a Christian, but wandered away from God. Can I get baptized again? then I

Absolutely. Baptism is a public testimony demonstrating your renew commitment to following Jesus Christ.

Can my kids get baptized? Because baptism is a sign of our personal commitment to follow Jesus, Newbreak doesn t do infant baptism. Instead, we do baby dedications, as modeled by Jesus own parents in Luke 2:22-38. As a general guideline, children as young as age eight can understand what baptism means. Newbreak Children s Ministry teaches about baptism so that children can make a decision about when they want to be baptized.

What questions do you have regarding the information you have read about baptism? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________

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CHAPTER 3 EXPERIENCING GOD

Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You. Psalm 73:25

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Day 1
It would be nice if the decision to follow Christ meant immediate and complete life transformation. Think about it. A life filled with love and compassion. No more anger. No more harsh words. Unhealthy patterns totally gone. We must continually depend on God and God s power to transform us, but it s a process. God knows who we are. He understands our weaknesses and our failures. He knows our hearts. In The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus, Brennan Manning says, A Christian is always in the process of becoming a Christian. 6

Brennan Manning, The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Fleming H. Revell, 1986), p. 59.

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In other words, following Jesus is a journey. We are always learning, growing, and becoming. We always need more of God. Francis Chan describes this journey in his book Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit, stating, . . . we can never be done with God. He is infinite and we are finite; there will always be more of His character to discover, more of His love to experience, and more of His power to use for His purposes. 7 Where are you on your journey today? Here are some questions to help you answer this question specifically: y Is there any area of life God is asking you to surrender to Him? y What are you struggling with this week? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ Sometimes you might think that perhaps God loves you less because you struggle. In Romans 7, Paul describes the struggle between wanting to do the right thing, and then doing something else entirely.

He writes, I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question? The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different. (Romans 7:24-25, The Message Version) Paul continues with this very good news (8:1): Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
7

Francis Chan, Forgotten God: Reversing the Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2009), p. 19-20.

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Our struggles, internal and external, teach us to depend on God. Here is another area to think about as you reflect on your spiritual journey: Read Psalms 73:25-26. Can you say with David that God is the most important thing in your life? Is following Jesus Christ your greatest desire? What things compete to be more important than God in your life? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ Talk to God about what is really going on in your heart. Psalms 73:25-26 is a great passage to memorize and to reflect on throughout the day, asking God to make Himself first in your life. Observations _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________

Day 2
What does it mean to be a devoted follower of Jesus Christ? Living as fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ means that we embrace the overwhelming love of God . . . and as a result we

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love God with all our hearts and grow in love for the people He loves, whether they are here in this body of believers, part of our neighborhoods, or living in other countries. Living that kind of life is easier to talk about than to actually do. We grow in love for God and for the people He loves by spending time with Him. What are some ways we can spend time with God and get to know Him better? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ David Nasser offers a few suggestions in his book Glory Revealed: God the Creator . . . shows himself through creation, circumstances, other people everything. But in no place has he revealed himself more powerfully than through the Word: Jesus, the Word made flesh, and then through the Bible, the written Word . . . Jesus, the Word made flesh, came to say that God does not want to be a mystery to you. Mankind has an incomplete view of who God is, and Jesus came to clear it up. Nowhere else can we see God more evidently than through Christ. The apostle John tells us that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. God, the indescribable, became describable when Jesus came down . . . . If we want to see God, we can look to his Son. The Bible, the written Word, is also used by God to clearly reveal to us who he is and how he wants our relationship with him to be. His Word speaks into our lives; convicting, comforting, clarifying, and calling us to live a life that

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brings honor and gives glory to him. If we want to God s voice, we hear it in the Scriptures.8

hear

Take a look at Psalm 19:7-9 What are some of the benefits of spending time in God s Word? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ Take a look at 2 Timothy 3:16-17. What are some other benefits? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ What kinds of things keep you from reading the Bible on a regular basis? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________

David Nasser, Glory Revealed: How the Invisible God Makes Himself Known (Redemptive Art Publishing, 2007), p. 15-16.

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Day 3
Having personal devotions, spending time basis, is probably the most promoted and aspect of the Christian life. Not that importance we're just too busy to fit it to start. with God, on a daily yet least practiced we don't recognize its in, or we don t know how

Pastor Mike, lead pastor at Newbreak Church, describes his devotions as, A period of time each day where I intentionally connect with God, feed my soul, and establish direction for my day. It s important to be intentional about this time, taking responsibility for feeding our own souls and connecting with God every single day. No matter where we are in our relationship with him, God longs to connect to us. Pastor Mike describes four essential goals of a devotional life: y First, the devotional life must be RELATIONAL, helping us grow in our relationship with Him. Second, the devotional life must be FOUNDATIONAL. core of our relationship with Him. It is the

Next, it must be TRANSFORMATIONAL. Our time with God is the environment in which we are truly transformed by the work of God in us. We can assess our devotional life by how transformational it is. Finally, the devotional life must be HABITUAL. It needs to be a normal habit of our lives. When we don t have our

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devotions, it ought to bother us. We ought to feel a little lost. If we disconnect from God for just a couple of days, we should feel like we are not quite right. There are four basic building blocks to a devotional life that achieves these four goals: y Prayer y Bible Study y Meditating on Scripture y Worship In the next few pages, we ll examine what each of these looks like.

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Prayer
y y y y We pray for We pray and We may pray We pray for Christ. our needs. listen for His answers. scripture verses. our friends who are not yet followers of Jesus

Read the following Scriptures and write a few notes about the role of prayer. Psalm 5:3 _______________________________________________________________ Philippians 4:6-7 __________________________________________________________ John 16:24 ______________________________________________________________

Bible Study
Read Psalm 119:9-11. What are some benefits of Bible study?

_________________________________________________________________ _____ There are some tools that may be helpful for you as you begin or strengthen the habit of studying Scripture. Many people enjoy using a Bible with a reading plan that takes them through the entire book in a year. Pastor Mike has an NIV Study Bible that has helpful notes that provide context and cultural information as well as cross references. You may also wish to use good Christian books such as the ones in our appendix.

Meditating on Scripture
Meditating on Scripture is not the same as the meditation used in some Eastern religions. With Scripture meditation, we try to fill our minds with Scripture, allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to us through a passage. Scripture memorization is a good way to meditation as is praying using Scripture.

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Read Psalm 119:97-100. Scripture?

What are some benefits of meditating on

_________________________________________________________________ _____

Worship
Read Psalm 119:169-175. How important is worship in the life of this psalmist? What role does it play in his devotional life? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ Worship is essential to a devotional life, but it can be difficult to develop this habit. Listening and worshiping silently or out loud with worship CD s or an iPod can be helpful. If you play an instrument, you may wish to use that instrument in your devotional worship time. You may already be in the habit of include all these building blocks, for you. Either way, God loves it honestly, and He wants to help you your life. having daily devotions that or this may be a new concept when we come to Him openly and make this a greater part of

We would encourage you to make a commitment to have daily devotions while you are part of this Life Group. If they are done prayerfully on a daily basis, the lessons contained in this book can be a part of your devotional life.

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Day 4 SPENDING TIME WITH GOD

There s no one right way to have devotions. Some people listen to CDs; others play guitars. Devotional books or Bibles can be helpful. Some people have devotions sent to them by email or Facebook. If you ask the people in your Life Group about their devotional routine, those routines probably differ in a lot of ways. It makes sense we all learn differently, and God speaks to us uniquely. Routines vary over time too. What works well for you today may need to be adjusted in the future. There is definite value in developing the habit of having daily devotions. But sometimes it s easier said than done. Do you have daily devotions? If not, what prevents you from having them? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________

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Which of the four building blocks (prayer, Bible study, meditation, worship) is easiest to include in devotions? is the most difficult to include?

Which

_________________________________________________________________ ____________ Experts say that it takes three to four weeks to create a habit. It is helpful if you can create a plan, have people to keep you accountable, and give yourself grace when you forget. Creating a plan: Make an appointment with God. Time: _________________________ Find a quiet place, free from distractions. Place: ____________________________ Begin with a simple prayer, asking God to quiet your heart and speak to you through His Word. Focus on your personal relationship with God. Let God fill you and speak to you. Read slowly, allowing the God to speak to the being. Sit quietly, meditating on the verses Listen to hear a word or phrase that is God s Once you have found that passage, think about slowly. deep parts of your you have read. word for you today. it. Read it again,

You may wish to write your thoughts down in a journal. What is it in your life that makes this passage speak to you today? Don t be afraid of distractions. Turn these thoughts or memories over to God and listen to His voice. How does this passage touch your personal experience, your life? Ask God to show you what this text is asking you to do or be. Read Psalm 119:169-172. What is God showing you today?

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_________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________ Remember, there are many good ways to do your daily devotions. The four basic building blocks can be included in a variety of ways, and the most important thing is to seek the Lord with all your heart regularly!

Day 5 WORSHIPING GOD

The heart of worship is recognizing who God is His glory, His power, His love, and His intentions toward us and then responding in a way that reflects the reality of who He is. God s greatness is beyond comprehension. His power is infinite.

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We will never understand or be able to explain His love, His ways. We can only know that He is God and He loves us. Read Romans 11:33-36. this passage? What characteristics of God do you see in

_________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ Paul continues in Romans 12, describing our response to the reality of who God is. Read Romans 12:1-2. What do you think Paul means when he says that presenting our bodies as living sacrifices ? What do you think he means when he says that this is your spiritual act of worship _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ Because of the infinite nature of God, words alone are often inadequate to explain or describe the reality of God. For that reason, music, which transcends words, is an excellent vehicle for expressing worship. The Psalms, ancient and yet still relevant worship songs in the Old Testament, are filled with wonder and awe, reflecting the reality of God s glory. Whether we praise God with words or with songs, worship ultimately comes from the heart. Regular corporate and private worship, which may or may not include music, is essential in reminding us how big God truly is and how small we truly are. We worship God when we do anything in response to the greatness of who He is. What role does worship play in your life right now?

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_________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________

CHAPTER 4 VITAL SPIRITUAL COMMUNITY

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1John 4:11

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Day 1
It may be hard to accept, but you are the object of God s love. You were created out of love by him, and though you may not realize it, your soul longs to know this love. But it goes way beyond that. You are a creature of love. You are designed to love and be loved. Our search for intimacy explains our need for community, relationship, friendship, and acceptance; it is expressed most deeply in our need for romantic love. We all long to belong. We are created to know love and to give love. Our need to love, though rooted in God, is not limited to him. Love is not a limited commodity. Love expands as we give it away. Love dies when we do not.9 From Erwin McManus in Soul Cravings,

This kind of community isn t optional. Just before His crucifixion, Jesus gave His disciples important instructions. He said, A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35) In other words, the way we treat each other demonstrates our commitment to Jesus. What kinds of things make development of this kind of community difficult? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________
9

Erwin Raphael McManus, Soul Cravings (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), Intimacy, Entry 4.

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Over the next few days, we ll look at God s design for community and discuss how we can work toward achieving that kind of community.

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Day 2
In his article entitled This Beautiful Mess: Practicing the Presence of the Kingdom of God, Rick McKinley says: Christians don t like mess much not in our world, but especially not in ourselves or our churches. Somewhere along the line, we embraced the picture that Jesus would turn us into perfect people unpolluted by the world or our own sin. But he didn t. In him, we are new creations; in ourselves, we are dump dwellers. Longing for our full redemption, we strive to please him, and groan in our fallenness, and bask in his beauty. For whatever reason, Jesus didn t choose to instantly sanitize the whole germy bunch of us. We often think he did, though, so we spend a lot of time running around mops and buckets getting ready for bunk inspection. In our kingdoms we begin to believe that we can fix all our messes. In Jesus Kingdom, he alone can start with our messes and accomplish something we never could have imagined. And he does.10 We are all a mess. messes in others. We see our own messiness and we see the

God loves us in spite of the messes. love each other in the same way.

And He challenges us to

Unfortunately, the messiness can get in the way of developing vital spiritual community, the kind that breathes joy and strength in our lives. The journey to community begins with each of us individually. In Colossians 3:8-17, Paul developing healthy community. in the space below: provides some instructions on Bullet point some of those ideas

10

Rick McKinley. This Beautiful Mess: Practicing the Presence of the Kingdom of God. Catalyst Groupzine

(Nashville, Tennessee: Nelson Impact, 2006), p. 143-4.

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_________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ Why is forgiveness so important in developing healthy spiritual community? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________

Day 3
In Dying in the Desert of Self, Rick McKinley writes:

What about the church? Can t we find community there? The relationship Jesus has brought us into with the Father is supposed to overflow into our relationships with one another. We re supposed to be a family. Christ. Brothers and sisters in

Tragically, for most of us the church is not a place where we feel we can be authentic. After all, what if somebody there should find out that I m struggling with sin, that I m not living the victorious Christian life? So we all put on masks and cover up what s really going on. And our sin grows in isolation. Isolation is the garden of the devil. If he can convince you not to be real with people and shame you into thinking that you re the only one who thinks like that or has failed, he can get you off to the sidelines and keep you there. . . . You and I were never called to live this Christian life alone. Community is central to being a Christ follower, and it s vital to reimagining life with Jesus. Satan can have his way with believers as long as they re

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stuck in the margins, and so he has taught us to believe any number of lies.11 That s exactly why we need each other! Read Hebrews 10:24-25. What does it look like to another on to love and good works ? spur one

_________________________________________________________________ _____________ Is there any area of your life where you feel like you are only one who has failed? Who can you share this with? __________________________________ You have may have been hurt by some church relationships in the past. It s important that you bring those wounds to Jesus and ask Him to speak to you regarding that wound and ultimately heal it. You may wish to share this with your Life Group leader.

Day 4
From his article entitled, Ortlip writes: The Coming Loneliness Epidemic, Ben

People. You can t live with them. You can t live without them. That s the premise of what is rapidly emerging as next year s hot topic: social isolation . . . . Earlier this year, a major study by Duke University and the University of Arizona shook up the marble walls of the American sociological review. The twenty-year project concluded that Americans are becoming isolated at an alarming rate. In a paper bluntly titled Social Isolation in America, researchers stated, The number of people who have someone to talk to about matters that are important to them has declined dramatically. [From 1985 to 2004] . . . we [went] from a quarter of the American population being isolated . .

11

Rick McKinley, Dying in the Desert of Self, Catalyst Groupzine (Nashville, Tennessee: Nelson Impact, 2006), p. 139.

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. to almost half of the population [now] falling into that category.12 Do you have people with whom you can talk about matters that are important to you? Do you feel a need to hide parts of yourself? Do you feel lonely sometimes? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________ In your prayer time today, thank God for the people He has placed in your life or if you are longing for vital spiritual community, talk to Him about that. Ask Him to help you in your search for community.

Day 5
In the article we referenced yesterday, Ben Ortlip wrote: The concept of community is vanishing daily. More and more, we are surrounded by people who don t know what it looks like to be fully known and outrageously supported by another. The future of community depends on those . . . who understand not only the value of deep relationships, but also the importance of mutual support. It is our nature to
Ben Ortlip, The Coming Loneliness Epidemic, Catalyst Groupzine, The Culture Issue, (Nashville, Tennessee: Nelson Impact, 2006), p.128.
12

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run from community because it reveals the ugly truth about us. But we must run to community because God intended for us to need each other. And this need is a social foreshadowing of our need for Him. One of the core values at Newbreak is the commitment to participate in a Life Group. It is easy to feel lost in the weekend worship service. The goal of a Life Group is to develop a community where each member can be known and where members can talk about things that matter to them in a safe environment. This is a place where you can love and be loved, serve and be served, celebrate and be celebrated.13 This is a place you can learn to depend on God and trust Him. This kind of community takes time to develop. How can we be committed to people we don t know yet or who may be different than we are? This kind of community can also be messy. We trust people or depend on them, and then they disappoint us. They betray us. They don t understand us. Or worse, they do understand us. They begin to see the things about us that we don t want anybody to know. Read Philippians 2:1-5. Is God challenging you to do anything through this passage? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ Can you imagine leading or co-leading a group like this? When Newbreak offers a training class for new Life Group leaders, would you consider participating? If so, please talk to your Life Group leader!

CHAPTER 5
Ben Ortlip, The Coming Loneliness Epidemic, Catalyst Groupzine, The Culture Issue, (Nashville, Tennessee: Nelson Impact, 2006), p.132.
13

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OUTREACH

He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Mark 16:15

Day 1

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No matter how together people look on the outside, there is always something missing. They may have deep-seated insecurities or fears. They may have experienced rejection, disappointment, or crushing failure. They may be having relational or financial difficulties. They may have horrifying secrets from their past. At some point we all need good news. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (NLT) That s good news. Awesome news. Amazing news.

Mark 16:15 says that each of us should Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere. That means that every follower of Jesus Christ is called to share the good news of who Jesus is, what He has done, in our lives and in the lives of others with people we know and people we don t know yet. Do you know anybody who could use this good news? Go ahead and write a few names down on this list. _____________________ _____________________ _____________________ Describe what this good news means in your life. (Remember, your faith story didn t end the moment you began your relationship with Jesus. This could be something more recent.) _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ What was your life like before you began your relationship with Jesus?

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_________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ What difference has Christ made in your life since you began your relationship with Him? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ What things did you struggle with before you began your relationship with Jesus? What things have you struggled with since you began your relationship with Him, and what difference does it make to know Him? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ What circumstances have affected you since you began your relationship with Him, and how does knowing Christ make a difference? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ These changes in your life are part of your faith story the way God has moved in your life since you began your relationship with him. Take a few minutes right now and begin writing down parts of your story.

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Sharing parts of your story is one of the ways you can share the Good News of Christ with your family, your friends, and people you meet. Be prepared to share a short part of your story with the group the next time we meet. You may wish to write this out on a separate piece of paper.

Day 2
Sometimes we think we don t know enough to share this good news with people. We haven t memorized enough Scripture. We don t know enough about the Bible. We don t know answers to the really hard questions. In fact, most people aren t concerned about the things we don t know. Rick Richardson puts it this way in his book Reimagining Evangelism: Inviting Friends on a Spiritual Journey: People today are spiritual but not dogmatic. They want to know that God is real and not merely reasonable. They are looking for stories and experiences and connection to God more than logic and proof and reasons for God. And in the midst of this growing hunger for authenticity and reality, God is moving and God s Spirit is manifesting in powerful new ways. 14

14

Rick Richardson, Reimagining Evangelism: Inviting Friends on a Spiritual Journey (Intervarsity Press), p. 18.

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What stories are people looking for? They want to know how this good news transforms us, changing the way we interact with the world around us. In other words, the best way to share the good news is to share your story the same story you began writing on Day 1 of this chapter. We see this same approach in 1 Peter 3:15: Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect What kind of hope is Peter talking about in this passage? _________________________________________________________________ _____________ Richardson continues: As you develop genuine friendships, you will probably be surprised by what your greatest asset is. It s your humanity. It s your weaknesses, doubts, and questions. Most people today are not at first interested in your answers. But they will immediately relate and identify with your questions and struggles. Are your kids ever troubled? Do you ever have doubts about your own worth? Do you struggle with your body image or with feelings of failure? Do you have any regrets? If regular folks like us are filled with the Spirit and led by the Spirit and pursue conversations with spiritual companions, we may be used by God to change the face of the church and contribute much toward the redemption of people and the transformation of society. 15 Your greatest strengths for evangelism are already present: y What you love to do. ___________________________________________

15

Rick Richardson, Reimagining Evangelism: Inviting Friends on a Spiritual Journey (Intervarsity Press), p.68.

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What you struggle with, doubt, and question. ______________________________

What are your greatest barriers to evangelism? y Having few or no genuine spiritual friendships with unchurched people y Having a mental script about proper evangelism that keeps you from sharing your struggles and collaborating with what God is actually doing in the lives of your spiritual friends. In your prayer time today, take a look at the list you started this week on Day 1 and ask God to give you opportunities to share your story with them. Begin praying for these friends. The prayer model on the next page is a great way to pray using Scripture as a basis for your prayer.

Strategic Prayer Focus16

Lord, please draw ____ to Yourself (John 6:44). Please prompt ____ to hear and believe the Word of God for what it really is (1 Thessalonians 2:13). I pray that ____ would seek to know You (Acts 17:27).

16

Neil Cole, http://www.tagnet.org/gentrysda/documents/Strategic%20Prayer%20Focus.pdf

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Lord, prevent Satan from blinding ____ to the truth (2 Corinthians 4:4; 2 Timothy 2:25-26). Holy Spirit, please convict ____ of his/her sin and need for Jesus redemption (John 16:7-14). Please send someone who will share the gospel with ____ (Matthew 9:37-38). Please give me or ____ the opportunity, the courage and the right words to share with ____ (Colossians 4:3-6). Father, please prompt ____ to turn from his/her sin and follow Jesus (Acts 17:30-31; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10). Lord, please prompt ____ to put all of his/her trust in Jesus (John 1:12; 5:24). Abba, please prompt ____ to confess Jesus as Lord, take root and grow in faith and bear fruit for your glory (Rom. 10:9-10; Col. 2:6-7; Luke 8:15).

Day 3
In his book Organic Church, Neil Cole writes: Each person you meet is a doorway to a new world. We never know where this metaphorical door will open up to, but God

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sovereignly leads us to paths He has already preordained. We each have divinely organized connections through relationships to reach the world. That is a great idea, and it has always been God s plan. The Gospel flies best on the wings of relationships. 17 Luke says the same thing in the Acts 17:24-27. that passage. Take a look at

What is unique about the time and place God has set you in? What doorways have you walked through recently? What relationships has God placed in your life? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ Leonard Sweet writes about the word go in the Great Commission (Mark 16:15). He says, Going is another way of talking about being present. In the Great Commission the best translation for go is as you go or as you are. As you are being you, as you are being present to your world, make disciples.18 In other words, where you are, whatever you are doing, whoever you are with, watch for God at work. Meet new people and renew old friendships. Hang out where people don t yet know Jesus. Look for opportunities to get to know people, to be Christ in their lives, to love them and serve them. Look for opportunities to share your life with them, and invite them to share life with you and other Christ-followers. Remember your own faith story. Your job is not to save them or convince them to follow Christ. Be patient. Your job is to love, to share your life; God s job is to lead them to faith. Continue praying for the people on your list, asking God to give you opportunities to share your story with these people and with other people He will bring into your life.
17 18

Neil Cole, Organic Church (San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass, 2005), p. 162. Sweet, p. 70.

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Day 4
In a city, loving a city, impacting a city for Jesus When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus replied, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:29-31) At Newbreak, we want to live as fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ, fulfilling this commandment in everything we do. Living as fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ means that we embrace the overwhelming love of God . . . and as a result we love God with all our hearts and grow in love for the people He loves, whether they are here in this body of believers, part of our neighborhoods, or living in other countries. This kind of love will absolutely impact the world for Him. We want to enter into our neighborhoods and communities and perform acts of kindness, reminding them that God loves them. That s why we have campuses all over San Diego. Every month the Kindness Task Force(KTF Newbreak s community outreach ministry) provides an opportunity for us to get involved in ministering outside our church walls. Whether we are handing out cold waters on a hot day, washing cars, or picking up trash, our goal is to plant seeds of God s love. We believe that demonstrating God s love in practical ways, with no strings attached, opens people to receive Him into their lives. Upcoming Kindness Task Force Outreaches: ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________

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Newbreak s Urban Ministry provides ministry opportunities for us to share God s love and grace with the poor. Here are a few upcoming outreaches: ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________

Day 5
Just before He was taken into the clouds, Jesus told His disciples, And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world." (Acts 1:8, The Message) We can see a pattern for sharing the Good News of Jesus in this passage. First, we should be witnesses sharing our story with our Jerusalem, people who are part of our immediate community. Next, we should be witnesses with the area surrounding that community. We can do that through Newbreak s Kindness Task Force or Urban Ministry projects. Finally, we should be witnesses to the ends of the world.

In the E-church, August 2008, Pastor Mike described Newbreak s strategy for going to the ends of the world, as Jesus described in Acts. He wrote: No matter where I go, whether it s Vietnam, Venezuela, Baja, or Belen, I am always surprised at how much alike we all are. We all experience sadness, joy, disappointment, and pain; we long for hope, joy, and meaning. You and I know from experience that knowing Christ changes our lives. When we become part of God s family we go from death to life. We experience hope and purpose, and our lives take on new meaning. Knowing Christ brings significance to our lives. In fact, knowing Christ changes

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everything for us. The same is true for people, whether they live in Vietnam, Venezuela, Baja, or Belen. Jesus summed up His life purpose when He said that He came to seek and save what was lost. When we decide to follow Him, He calls us to do the same in our families, our neighborhoods, our city, and really the entire world. Mark 16:15 says, Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Obviously we can t all leave our homes and jet off across the globe, but there are many ways to fulfill these instructions. Just as we all are given different spiritual gifts, God has a different plan for each of our lives. Some of us are called to serve in this country, and some of us are or will be called to serve in other countries. Currently Newbreak supports more than 70 individuals and families whose call is to share God s Word around the world. It is critical to the work of God that we financially support those who are called to serve around the world. They are extensions of the church here at home. Newbreak is able to support these men and women because of our financial gifts. Through our giving, we fund churches and ministries throughout the world. Read Colossians 4:2-6. Besides giving offerings, how can we participate in bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to the world? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________ Newbreak is committed to providing opportunities for everyone to go on a short-term world mission trip. There are few things we can do in such a short time that will have such an impact on others as well as ourselves. Watch for those opportunities and start praying about when God wants you to go! Upcoming Global Mission opportunities:

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____________________________________________ ____________________________________________

CHAPTER 6 THE MATHEMATICS OF FAITH: GIVING OUR TIME, TREASURE, AND TALENTS

Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back given back with bonus and blessing. Luke 6:38a (The Message)

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Day 1
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 What a gift--we serve an incredibly generous God! Paul starts out the book of Ephesians saying, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Read Ephesians 1:3-8. What are some of the other gifts God has given us? Why are these significant? _________________________________________________________________ _____________ Read Titus 3:4-7. What gifts does Paul mention here?

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_________________________________________________________________ _____________ What gift from God do we see in James 1:5? _________________________________________________________________ _____________ Read Deuteronomy 8:18. What else is a gift from God?

_________________________________________________________________ ____________ In Psalm 16, David praises God saying, Every good thing I have comes from you. Think about it, what good things in your life don t come from God? Family? Friends? Ephesians 5:1 encourages us, saying, Be imitators of God . . . as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us . . . In what areas of our lives can we imitate God s generosity? _________________________________________________________________ _____________ What things in our lives are most difficult to be generous with? _______________________ Day 2 At Newbreak, you may have heard Pastor Mike talk about GodMath, the way God supernaturally multiplies whatever we give Him in order to achieve His purposes. You might be familiar with the story of Jesus feeding five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish. If not, take a few minutes and read the story from John 6:5-13.

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This is one of those examples of God-Math. A young boy gives up his lunch, which is clearly only enough for him, and Jesus turns into a feast for 5,000 people. A lot of times we hesitate to give away what we have because we think it s not enough. Or if we do gift it away, we will be left with nothing for ourselves. Here are some comments on this story by Mark Batterson, pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C., and author of several books including Wild Goose Chase and Primal: Let me say something and let this get in your spirit. Don t let what you cannot do keep you from doing what you can. You never know what God can do with five loaves and two fish. We need to stop focusing on our smallness and focus on the bigness of God. Do you remember what Philip said? Eight month s wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite! He was focused on what he didn t have! Right? And we tend to focus on how little we have! We let math get in the way. In our hands, 5 + 2 = 7. It doesn t add up, so we don t even try. And we fail to realize that in the hands of Jesus, 5 + 2 = 5000 R12. Now look at what Andrew says, Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many? He was focused on how big the need focus how overwhelming the need is What difference can I make? So we have and how big the need is. And let what we cannot do keep us from We need to shift our focus. We that in the hands of Jesus, 5 + God everything you ve got there do. You might impact thousands boy! was. Right? We tend to and it paralyzes us. focus on how little we the end result is that we doing what we can.

need to focus on the fact 2 = 5000 R12. When you give is no telling what He can of people like this little

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Three Mistakes Let me talk about the three mistakes that keep us from experiencing miracles like this. I don t have enough time I don t have enough talent I don t have enough money If we buy into those three lies we forfeit miracles. hang on to our lunch, thousands of people go hungry! If we

This is so important: if you keep what you have you ll never have leftovers! If you wait till you have leftover time you ll never have time to serve. If you wait till you have leftover money you ll never have money to give. I m absolutely convinced that the key to getting what you want is giving up what you have. This little boy risked his lunch right? But he ended up with a larger lunch plus leftovers! Five loaves and two fish turned into an all-you-can-eat buffet and a doggy bag. If you give what you have you ll always have leftovers. Let me tell you why. It s because there is an inviolable spiritual law at work in the universe. You cannot out give God. It is one of our core values. You always get back more than you give up. It is the law of measures. Luke 6:38 says, Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured to you. We need to stop lying to ourselves and telling ourselves that we don t have enough time, enough talent, or enough money. You don t have enough time not to serve. You don t have enough money not to give.

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Read Luke 6:38 again. Do you ever feel like you don t have enough time, talent, or money to give to God? Why do you think that is? _________________________________________________________________ ____________ Reflect on all God has given to you and thank Him. Tell Him how you feel and listen to what He shows you. Is He asking you to do anything? Give anything? Change anything? What miracles would you like to see in your life? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Over the next few days we ll be talking about God-Math, the way God multiplies our time, treasure, and talents as we give them way.

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Day 3
Take a look at 2 Corinthians 9:6-15. What is the purpose of giving to God? How does this passage speak to the idea that we may not have enough money to give to God? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ If everything we have belongs to God, what kinds of things might hold us back from giving to Him financially? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ A tithe is defined in the dictionary as one-tenth. When Pastor Mike speaks about tithing, he is referring to the practice of giving one-tenth of the first part of our income to the church we call home. What feelings or thoughts come to mind when you think of tithing? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________

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Read Malachi 3:8-10. What does the prophet Malachi say about tithing and not tithing? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ For more additional information about tithing, refer to Appendix D (page 84) at the end of this book.

Day 4
We can be generous with our time and our talents too. A core value at Newbreak is that we don t just go to church, but that we become the church. That means that we generously give away our time and our talents to serve God through the church. Have you started serving in a ministry at Newbreak yet? What kinds of ministries is God challenging you to explore? Why? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ When Newbreak offers a training class for new Life Group leaders, would you consider participating? If so, please talk to your Life Group leader.

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Day 5
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. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10 Referencing this passage, Ben Ortlip writes: In Scripture it s pretty clear that God has specific plans in mind for every soul on the planet. It s not like you have to be an Archbishop to be worthy of God s attention and forethought. Each of us has unique gifts and his own set of fingerprints to leave on the world. As Ephesians 2:10 describes, God has been preparing in advance for the events in your life. And each of us has an assignment to live out during our lifetime.

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Nevertheless, very few Christians have the gumption to take a shot at figuring out what it is. At least, not with much certainty and specificity. But unfortunately, you ll never reach your maximum influence until you develop convictions about your purpose in life.19 How can we find out what our purpose is? How do we find out what good works God prepared for us to do? Read Ephesians 1:3-12 from The Message: How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son. Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we're a free people free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth. It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.

Ben Ortlip, Finding Your Purpose and Calling Tennessee: Nelson Impact, 2006), pp. 161-2.

19

Catalyst Groupzine (Nashville,

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You are the focus of God s love. Ask Him to show you what that means in your life. Ask Him to reveal His plan and His call for you today. Ask Him how you can live out His plans. Journal what He shows you.

________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________

CHAPTER 7 EMPOWERED BY GOD S SPIRIT

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. . . the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:26

Day 1
Jesus repeatedly warned His disciples that he would die, but after that God would raise Him from the dead. For obvious reasons, they didn t understand. After the Last Supper, just before He was arrested, Jesus spoke of His impending death one more time.

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He told the disciples that one of them would betray Him and then said, My children, I will be with you only a little longer (John 13:33). Jesus saw the big picture He saw that He must die for the sins of all people; that His sacrifice on the cross made it possible for all of us to receive the life that Jesus describes in John 10:10. And yet He understood His disciples confusion and sorrow at the news that He would be leaving them. He offered them hope and said that the Father would send them a comforter, the Holy Spirit. Read John 14:15-27 and John 16:15-16. As you read, take notes. How does Jesus describe the Holy Spirit? What is His role in our lives as Christ followers? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________ If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you already have the Holy Spirit living in you. You received Him when you chose to surrender your life and begin a relationship with Jesus. In Acts 2:38, Peter tells the people, Repent and be baptized, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, Romans 8:8-9 tells us that if we belong to Christ, we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. Over the next few days, we ll be looking at Scripture that speaks about the Holy Spirit, His role in our lives, and how we can open ourselves up to receiving more of the Holy Spirit on a daily basis.

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Day 2: The Fruit of the Spirit

As we saw in the passages from John, the Holy Spirit works in many ways. This week we will look at four ways He works in our lives. We describe these as fruit, filling, gifts, and baptism. Read Galatians 5:22-23 and list the fruit of the Spirit. _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________ A lemon tree produces its fruit as it grows and matures. It doesn t decide to produce lemons; it just does it was made to produce them. A healthy lemon tree, one receiving the right amount of sun, moisture, and nutrients from the soil makes lots of lemons. An unhealthy tree that gets too much sun or not enough, too much moisture or not enough, or too many nutrients or not enough many not produce any lemons at all. In the same way, as we grow and mature in Christ, God produces these fruit in our lives. We don t decide to produce these fruit they are simply the product of who we are becoming in Christ. As we becoming increasingly like Christ, we will become naturally become more loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, etc. What kind of fruit are you producing as a result of following Christ? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________

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If you re NOT increasingly producing the type of fruit described in Galatians in your life, it s a good idea to ask God why, to take a look at your devotional life, and to ask God to transform you by His Spirit. Remember, none of us ever achieves perfection and there is no condemnation in Christ. Following Jesus is a journey.

Day 3: Filled with the Spirit

In Ephesians 5:18, Paul instructs followers of Jesus Christ to be filled with the Spirit. Just what does that mean? Read Ephesians 5:15-21 to see these instructions in context. It is important to note that in the Greek language, the verb tense indicates that being filled with the Spirit is not a onetime experience, but we are to be filled repeatedly because it is God s Spirit that empowers us for worship, service, and testimony.20 We can only live the kind of life that God desires as we are filled with His Spirit and live under His influence. Only the Holy Spirit can transform our lives, change our hearts, empower us to break away from sin. Brennan Manning speaks to the filling of the Spirit in his book The Ragamuffin Gospel: So I urge you to spend time pleading for more of His Spirit and reading more of His Word. Don t assume that the Spirit will act in your life without you taking the initiative. Cry out for a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Wherever you are in the church or at home, alone or with others, watching television, lying in bed, or driving to work pray continually for more of the Spirit . . .

20

Taken from the NIV Study Bible, Ephesians 5:18.

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Then make time to read the New Testament in private. Every day if possible, spend thirty minutes of prime time when you re most attentive in prayerful reading. That s when, in my experience, the Lord will speak to your heart the one word that He wants you alone to hear.21 In your prayer time, ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit today so that you live under His influence in all you do. Write down anything the Holy Spirit shows you during this prayer time. _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________

Day 4: Gifts of the Spirit

God gives spiritual gifts to every follower of Jesus Christ in order to strengthen the church. (Take a look at 1 Corinthians 12:7.) There are several passages in the New Testament that list these spiritual gifts. Take a look at Romans 12:6-8. You might look at this list and immediately identify the ways God has used you in the past, or you might be uncertain what gifts God has given you. A Spiritual Gifts test can be helpful. Take the spiritual gifts test at www.gifttest.org. This test focuses on the gifts listed in Romans 12. According to this test, what are your top three gifts? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________
Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel (Colorado Springs, Colorado: Multnomah House, 2005), pp. 233-234.
21

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Are you surprised with your gifts? Why or why not? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ The list in Romans 12 is not comprehensive, and Paul discusses other gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 as well as Ephesians 4. We serve a generous God who gives us spiritual gifts as we need them. Don t get locked into the idea that if you are a teacher, God can only use you as a teacher, and if you are an administrator God can only use you as an administrator, and so on. In his book, Plastic Jesus, Eric Sandras writes, We are made in [God s] image. Just as God is hospitality, so are we, and there are times when God calls us to use that gift for Him. There is nothing He calls us to do that we re not equipped to handle and won t bless others. Each of us has a plethora of gifts and abilities within us, just waiting for the Creator to call them forth.22 Think about ways God has used you within your main giftings and apart from your main giftings.

Day 5: Baptism of the Holy Spirit

In Acts 1, just before Jesus was taken up in the clouds, He spoke again to His disciples about the Holy Spirit one last time, this time about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Read Acts 1:1-11. What is the purpose for the baptism of the Holy Spirit that Jesus speaks about in this passage?

Eric Sandras, Ph.D., Plastic Jesus (Colorado Springs, Colorado: NavPress, 2006), p. 40.

22

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_________________________________________________________________ _____________ In Acts 2, we read the story of that baptism that Jesus promised to His disciples, and at the end of the chapter, we see that this baptism enabled the church to grow phenomenally. Take a look at this passage. The baptism of the Holy Spirit was not just for the twelve disciples, but all believers. In Acts 10:44-46, you can read the story of Peter and Cornelius. In Acts 19:1-7, Paul visited a church filled with new believers. He asked, Have you received the baptism of the Holy Spirit? From these passages, we see that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is not the same as salvation; it is a unique immersion in the power of the Holy Spirit, given for the purpose of empowering followers of Jesus Christ to fulfill His call on their lives. Many people receive a spiritual language when they receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit supplies the ability to speak in tongues, but the speaker supplies the capacity for speech; the person s mind is engaged in worshipping God, but he or she cannot understand what is being said. This is not an earthly language, but a prayer language used to worship God, to intercede for others when we don t know how to pray, and to strengthen or edify our hearts. (See 1 Corinthians 14:2, 1 Corinthians 14:15, Romans 8:26-27.) Who can receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Anyone who has made a decision to follow Jesus Christ, who willingly desires the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and asks for this baptism. In your prayer time, ask God to baptize you with His Holy Spirit. Write down anything He shows you during prayer. _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________

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If you have any questions about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, please feel free to talk to your Life Group leader.

CHAPTER 8 DISCIPLESHIP
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23

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Day 1
Throughout this book we have talked about what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Jesus defines it like this in Luke 9:23: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. In his book Forgotten God: Reversing our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit, Francis Chan explains what it means to take up our crosses and follow Jesus. He says we sometimes equate this phrase with struggling through life s typical burdens like paying bills, dealing with busy schedules, struggling with illness, and making hard decisions. He points out that everyone has to deal with these things, whether they follow Jesus Christ or not, and contrasts this perspective with that of first century disciples, who had witnessed crucifixions and understood the commitment and sacrifice of taking up a cross. He describes taking up our cross as a call to radical faith. He explains further: Jesus is calling us to be willing to suffer anything and forsake everything for the sake of the gospel. His call is to love those who have cheated us in business; those who have spread nasty rumors about us; those who would kill us if they could; those who disagree with us politically, practically, and fundamentally. His call is to consider everything a loss for His sake. His call is for total 23 surrender. As you read these words, is the Holy Spirit prompting you to surrender anything to Him? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________
23

Chan, p. 125.

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What would that look like? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________

Take a few minutes right now to pray about that.

Day 2
As we have said in this book, following Jesus is a journey. We are always learning, growing, and becoming. We give ourselves to God, and He changes our hearts. His power enables us to surrender ourselves and to become like Him. Brennan Manning describes this process in his book The Importance of Being Foolish: The ability to surrender [to God] is a gift. However eagerly we may desire it, however diligently we may strive to acquire it, surrender cannot be attained by personal endeavor . . . And yet, the intensity of our desire does matter. Our dedication to growth is the single most important determinant of our spiritual development. Without an intense inner commitment, we are little more than dilettantes playing spiritual games.24 And so we dedicate ourselves to Christ. One of the ways we can spiritual disciplines. Richard these biblical practices in his the journey of becoming like do this is by engaging in Foster identifies and describes book Celebration of Discipline.

These spiritual disciplines are: 1) meditation; 2) prayer; 3) fasting; 4) study; 5) simplicity; 6) solitude; 7) submission; 8)

Brennan Manning, Importance of Being Foolish (San Francisco: Harper, 2005), p. 135

24

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service; 9) confession; 10) worship; 11) guidance; 12) celebration. Over and over we see these disciplines described in Scripture, and they are practiced by godly men and women as well as by Jesus Himself. Practicing these disciplines will help us to become more like Jesus, to hear God s voice and understand His will. It will help us battle temptation and engage in loving relationships. There is great joy in being disciplined enough to continue the journey of following Jesus Christ. Richard Foster says that the primary requirement in practicing the disciplines is a longing after God. Take a look at Psalm 119:169-176 and see how the psalmist prays. What disciplines is he employing in this prayer? Read the passage again slowly. What stands out to you? Why? Is God asking you to do anything based on what He has shown you? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________

Day 3
We need each other in the process of discipleship. It s hard to surrender on our own. It s hard to practice spiritual disciplines on our own. Of course being part of a Life Group is important, but it s also important to have one or two key people in your life people who know you well, people who challenge you to grow and keep you accountable. From time to time, you will hear Pastor Mike speak about accountability partners. An accountability partner is a person of your same sex with whom you meet regularly for the purpose of challenging one other to live as DEVOTED followers of Jesus Christ. Read Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

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How is this related to the idea of an accountability partner? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________ When you have this type of relationship you want to make sure that this is not just a time of fellowship. It s great to go to breakfast and talk about the weather, but it s also important not to hide relationship struggles, financial difficulties, or questions and doubts about God. You have to really let someone inside. You have to get past the mirrors and smoke, and down to the real stuff. What y y y y y is an accountability partner? Someone you are committed to knowing very well. Someone of the same gender. Someone you are committed to love. Someone with whom you can share anything without fear of judgment or gossip. Someone who is willing to be DEVOTED.

How do you find an accountability partner? Pray y Ask God to help you find the right person. y Be open to who God might put in your path for this purpose: This person may be someone you don t really know well yet, but your paths have crossed. Ask y Don t be afraid to share what is on your heart, just ask. y Give the option to decline: Reassure the person you ask to not feel uncomfortable if they need to say no. Keep Praying y Continue to pray for God to bless you in an accountability relationship. Questions to help us be accountable to each other D = DRAWN TO THE FATHER
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y y

Do you hunger for God s presence? Do you yearn to spend time alone with Him in prayer? Are any distractions or sin patterns keeping you from spending time with Him? EXPERIENCING GOD What are you doing in your daily quiet time with God? Have you been consistent? What Scriptures are you reading? What scriptures are you memorizing? When you are planning on fasting? Are you worshipping regularly? (church and otherwise) What has God been telling you regarding your broken sin patterns?

E y y y y y

V = VITAL SPIRITUAL COMMUNITY y Are you attending your Life Group regularly? y What efforts are you making to develop spiritual community, the kind that * O = OUTREACH y Are you making an effort to get to know people who are not yet Christ followers? y Who are you praying for daily to enter a saving relationship with Jesus? y What evangelistic acts of kindness and grace have you done since we last met? T = TIME, TREASURE, AND TALENTS y Have you been faithful with your tithes and other offerings? y Which ministry are you involved with? What is the Lord showing you about Himself and those to whom you minister? y How are you doing with using your spiritual gifts? y Is God asking you to step out in faith and do something new in ministry? What are you doing about that?

E = EMPOWERED BY GOD S SPIRIT

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y y

What fruit of the Spirit do you desire to have manifest in our life in a greater way? What movements or leadings of the Holy Spirit did you experience since we last met?

D = DISCIPLESHIP y Have you given quality time and priority to your family? y Have you viewed or read any sensual or sexually explicit material since we last met? y Since we last met, have you been with a person of the opposite sex in a way that could be viewed as compromising y Have you been sensitive to your spouse s sexual needs? y Has your speech been edifying, sarcastic, or somewhere inbetween? y Who are you pouring your life into and what is the Lord showing you? y Who is ahead of you, alongside you, and behind you spiritually? If you do not already have an accountability partner, please ask God to show you who you might ask. This can take some time so don t get discouraged.

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Day 4
The Newbreak pastors regularly challenge us to have people involved in our lives. They recommend that we find someone ahead of us, someone beside us, and someone behind us. In other words, we should always be part of a Life Group (someone beside us), we should always be passing on what we have learned (someone who is newer in the faith than we are), and we should have someone ahead of us, someone to challenge and mentor us. Who are you experiencing life _____________________________________ Who challenges you __________________________________________ Who are you _____________________________________________ with right now?

to

grow?

challenging?

We will never be perfect Christians, and we must never pretend that we are. Even Paul, the writer of most of the New Testament, admits he is not perfect. In Philippians 3, he speaks of his desire to know Christ, to put knowing Christ ahead of everything in his life. And then he says: Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

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Ask God to show you where you have become complacent, where you have stopped pressing on toward the goal. Whose example are you following? Is there someone who can be a mentor in your life? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ __________________________

Day 5
Newbreak is a community of people traveling on different stages of their spiritual journey. Some are looking for meaning in life or answers to questions they hope that God can answer. Some are looking for friendship. Some are in the process of making a decision to follow Jesus Christ, and some made that decision years ago and are determined to follow Jesus Christ wherever He leads, no matter what that means. No matter how you define yourself at this moment, Newbreak has a place for you. You will be welcomed and loved. You may feel that Newbreak can be a home for you and you want to make a commitment to be a part of this community. Of course none of us knows what the future holds, where we will be in a year or in five years, but right now, this is the place where you feel God calling you to invest your time, talents, and treasure. Take a look at the Commitment to Community on the next page and consider whether nor not you would like to make this commitment. If you would like to commit to the Newbreak community, please complete the information on the bottom of the following page and sign it. If you prefer waiting to make this commitment, then

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just complete the information at the bottom of the page and don t sign it. Your life group leader will go over the commitment to community form at your next group meeting and collect this form from you. There are two copies, so you will still have one in your booklet to keep.

Commitment to Community
Our Core Beliefs are intended to be the basis of fellowship. There will always be peripheral doctrines upon which committed Christians disagree, but the core beliefs are non-negotiable. We believe: y The Bible is the inspired Word of God. y There is one true God, revealed through the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. y Jesus Christ is the Son of God. y All men are sinners and are in need of a Savior, Jesus Christ. y Salvation is through faith in Christ alone, and is given by God s grace. y The Holy Spirit is given to all believers. As a member of Newbreak, I commit to an active role in the community and vision of this fellowship. I commit to:
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y y y

y y

Honor God by following Christ personally and passionately. My reputation is Christ s reputation and the Church s reputation. Live in sexual purity, in my marriage or in my singleness. Participate in the life of Newbreak community through genuine worship, learning, and sharing. Support the Gospel here and worldwide by tithing (10 percent of my income to Newbreak) and then by giving more as the Lord leads. Invest my time, skills, talents, and gifts in and through the church by being involved in a Newbreak ministry. Develop authentic, loving relationships with people by being a part of a Newbreak Life Group and establish significant relationships with those who do not know Jesus. Participate in Newbreak missions outreach: Urban, KTF or global missions.

Ministry I am currently investing in: ____________________________________________ Life Group I am committed to: _______________________________________________ Signed ______________________________________ Date _____________________ Print your name ___________________________________________________________ Address ________________________________ City ______________ Zip __________ Phone _______________________ Cell Phone _________________________________ Email ____________________________

CHAPTER 9 CELEBRATION AND REFLECTION BAPTISM AND COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY

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And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 (NLT)

Day 1
As this is the last week of our NB101 class, we want to take some time in group to reflect on some of the things that have stood out to us as we have studied together. Your answers may include Scripture passages, quotes, or they may include things learned

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from people in your Life Groups or outside of this Life Group altogether. What is God doing in our life right now? What is He showing you?

_________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

Day 2

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What surprised you most over the course of the last few weeks? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

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Day 3
What is one of the scriptures or topics you especially liked? Why?

_______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _________________________________

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Day 4
You have spent this quarter getting to know the people in your Life Group. What has God done in your life as a result of being part of this Life Group community? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ How have you seen God work in the lives of others in your Life Group community? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________

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_________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

Day 5
What ministry do you feel called to be a part of? Why? What steps have you taken or do you plan to take to become part of this ministry? _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

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APPENDIX

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APPENDIX A: Life Group Prayer Requests

Date Person Prayer Request Update/Answers

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APPENDIX A: Life Group Prayer Requests

Date Person Prayer Request Update/Answers

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APPENDIX B: Newbreak Life Group Calendar

y y Use the Discussion Date section to mark the week we ll discuss each lesson. You can use the Special Instructions column to mark our Outreach Week and the Meet the Staff week as well as any other variations in the schedule. If you sign up to bring a snack to share, you can mark your week on the appropriate date.

Discussion Date

Lesson

Special Instructions

Snack

Introduction

D - Drawn to the Father

E - Experiencing God

V - Vital Spiritual Community

O - Outreach T - The Mathematics of Faith Giving our Time, Treasure, and Talent E - Empowered by God's Spirit

D - Discipleship Celebration, Reflection, Baptism, and Commitment

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APPENDIX C: Recommended Reading

Mark Batterson: In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day Wild Goose Chase Primal Francis Chan: Crazy Love Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit Richard Foster: Celebration of Discipline Brennan Manning The Importance of Being Foolish Abba s Child The Ragamuffin Gospel The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus Erwin Rafael McManus The Barbarian Way Chasing Daylight Soul Cravings David Nasser: Glory Revealed: How the Invisible God Makes Himself Known Eric Sandras: Plastic Jesus Rick Richardson: Reimagining Evangelism: Inviting Friends on a Spiritual Journey Leonard Sweet: So Beautiful: Divine Design for Life and the Church Catalyst Groupzine, Volumes 1, 2, and 3

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APPENDIX D: WHAT IS THE TITHE?

From GenerousGiving.org

The word tithe comes from an Old English root meaning one tenth . It is the common English translation for the Old Testament Hebrew asar word group. The tithe was an offering of the first and best of one s income to the Lord as an expression of thanks and dedication. In the Old Testament agricultural economy, tithes were paid not in cash but in crops or livestock. There was also provision for freewill offerings above and beyond the tithe, but the tithe was primary standard of Old Testament giving. Tithes were given by the patriarchs Abraham (Genesis 14:17-20) and Jacob (Genesis 28:22); a system of tithes was instituted in the law of God given through Moses (Deuteronomy 12; 14; 26); and the prophets rebuked the children of Israel for failing to give the tithe to God (Malachi 3:8). The idea of the tithe is still present in the New Testament (Matthew 23:23), but it is overshadowed by more extravagant freewill giving in response to the gospel of the Lord Jesus. Where did the idea of a Christian tithe come from? From the Old Testament. The tithe shows up only rarely in the New Testament, but it receives frequent mention (at least 30 times) in the Old Testament. The tithe first became well known when God gave his law to Israel through Moses around 1500 B.C. The early Christian church, which was at first almost entirely Jewish, understood the death and resurrection of Jesus to be the fulfillment of God s promises to his people Israel. For this reason they inherited and adopted the Jewish Scriptures as their own, which is why our Bibles today have an Old Testament. Thus they brought the teaching of the tithe along with them into the Christian era. Tithing was not introduced into the church at some later date as many have supposed. The New Testament reveals newer, more radical teaching about giving, but it assumes the Old Testament tithe as background.

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Does the tithe apply to us today, or was it just for Old Testament Israel? The tithe does apply, but not in the way we might think. Some Christians see the tithe as having nothing to do with us because it is an Old Testament institution. Other Christians insist that we are bound to the tithe as God s standard for giving. There is an element of truth in both views, but neither of them really gets the biblical point. The overarching standard of giving in the Old Testament is the tithe. In the New Testament, however, the tithe is never commanded and rarely even mentioned. Instead, John the Baptist raises the standard of giving to 50 percent (Luke 3:11), and Jesus exhorts us to give 100 percent (Luke 21:14). So the scarce mention of the tithe in the New Testament is evidence not that God expects less of us today but that far more is possible. The tithe is still a helpful divine guideline insofar as it reminds us to give our firstfruits (i.e., the first and best of our income) to the Lord, who owns all our money anyway. But by New Testament standards, the tithe is only the beginning. Because the fulfillment of all God s promises has come in Jesus, far more is possible. Does the tithe apply to us today? Yes, as the starting point of more generous Christian giving. Does God expect more than a tithe from me? Over time, yes. The Old Testament sets forth a system of tithes (10 percent offerings) as God s standard for giving. For this reason, many Christians conclude that by giving 10 percent, they fulfill God s requirement and are absolved of further responsibility. But interestingly, the tithe is mentioned only rarely in the New Testament, not because God expects less from us but, rather, because far more is possible. Because Jesus has accomplished our redemption and the age of the Spirit has come, appealing to the tithe laws is trivial. The giving levels commanded in the New Testament are much more radical. John the Baptist raises the bar to 50 percent (Luke 3:11), the Lord Jesus 100 percent (Luke 21:1-4), and the apostle Paul whatever a man purposes in his heart to give (2 Corinthians 9:7). We New Testament believers have more of revelation and of the Holy Spirit than the Old Testament believers did, so God reasonably envisions greater things from us. You might think of your tithe as the training wheels for a career of ever-growing Christian giving.

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Should I tithe from my take-home pay or my gross income? Gross. Consider this question: Who deserves the first and best part of our income? The federal and state governments, or the living God? (The answer is clear; see Proverbs 3:9.) In the United States, the government takes taxes off the top, but Christians should nevertheless choose to give God the first and best portion. We should not allow the tax structure to keep us from giving generously to the Lord. Perhaps the best way to settle this question is to reflect on the gospel itself. The Lord Jesus made himself poor to the point of death in order to make us unimaginably rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). In light of this truth, even a tithe from gross income seems small. If we fear that we simply cannot afford a tithe from gross income, the Lord promises to provide all our needs when we give in faith (2 Corinthians 9:8). Should I tithe from my income or my net worth? Both. More precisely, we should tithe (and more) from income, and give over and above this from net worth. After all, the whole pile belongs to the Lord. In a sense, the distinction between income and net worth is artificial, because God has put all of it in our hands to see what we will do with it. We often find ways to give God the obligatory tip while at the same time hanging onto all we can. But to do this is to miss the point. All our wealth belongs to him. And what is more, he has saved us from judgment by the death and resurrection of Jesus. In light of these things, the answer is clear. The best biblical example of this pattern is King David (1 Chronicles 29:3), who recognized God s authority and experienced God s salvation. Therefore, when the time came to give to the Lord, he emptied his personal accounts as well as his official budget. We might think of the income tithe as training wheels to get us to the point of giving from all our assets.

APPENDIX E: Newbreak Core Beliefs

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Our Core Beliefs are intended to be a basis of fellowship. There will always be peripheral doctrines that committed Christians disagree upon, but the core beliefs of Christianity are nonnegotiable. Below is a list of our core beliefs: The Bible is the inspired Word of God. The Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired by God, the only written revelation from God to man. The Bible is infallible and is the only authoritative rule of faith and conduct for mankind. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:21) There is one true God. God is called by many different names because of the different dimensions of His personality, but God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4). God is super-dimensional and eternally self-existent (John 8:5459). God is all knowing, all present, and all powerful. He is the creator of the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1-2). While God is one, He has revealed Himself through the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:21-22; Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of God. The Scripture declares his virgin birth (Matthew 1:1823); His sinless life (Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 3:4-5); His miracles (Acts 2:22; Acts 10:37-38); His death on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Corinthians 15:4); His bodily resurrection from the dead (Matthew 28:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:4); His exaltation to the right hand of God the Father. All men are sinners and are in need of a Savior, Jesus Christ. Man was created in the image of God (Genesis 2:26). However, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God (Genesis 3:6), their sin had several consequences: First, they were sent from the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:23), next a curse was pronounced on them and all their descendents (Genesis 3:14-19), the process of physical death began (Genesis 2:17), and man died spiritually (Romans 5:12-19). Sin separated humankind from God (Ephesians 2:11-18) and left us in a fallen or sinful condition (Romans 3:23). But God loved the world so much that He sent Jesus to save the world (John 3:16). The only means of salvation is Jesus Christ

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(Acts 4:12; John 14:6). He died on the cross to pay the penalty of our sins (1 Peter 2:24). When we put our faith in Christ, it triggers a spiritual chain reaction: We become the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19); we are given eternal life (John 3:16); we become children of God (Galatians 4:4-7); our sins are forgiven and forgotten (Hebrews 8:12); we are born again (John 3:3). Salvation is through faith in Christ alone, and is given by God s grace. When asked the way to the Father, Jesus replied, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me. We gain access to God and His grace through Jesus sacrifice on the cross. (Romans 5:1-8) There is nothing we can do to earn God s favor. Eternal life is a gift (Romans 6:26). We are saved by grace through faith, and even our faith is a gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8-9). The Holy Spirit is given to all believers. The Holy Spirit is given to all believers to empower us to share what God has done for us (Acts 1:8; Romans 8:9). The nine fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) are the by-product of a Spiritfilled life and evidence of spiritual maturity. The gifts of the Spirit are different manifestations of the Spirit to build up the body (1 Corinthians 12:1-11). We are instructed to diligently seek the gifts (1 Corinthians 12:31; 14:1), but they must be exercised in an orderly way (1 Corinthians 14:26-33) in the context of love (1 Corinthians 13:1-13). There are also various experiences of The Spirit which the Scripture refers to as fillings, baptism, & leadings (Acts 1:8; 2:1f; Matthew 4:1; Romans 8:14; Ephesians 5).

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