The Trellis by fellowshipknoxville

To our Fellowship family, Would you always keep yourselves in the love of God. JUDE 1:21

CONTENTS READING SCRIPTURE Practice 01 NOTES ON USING THIS BOOK THE HEART OF FORMATION THE PRAYERTRELLIS Practice 02 SABBATH Practice 03 SILENCE & SOLITUDE Practice 04 FASTING Practice 05 NEW INTRODUCTIONPERSON

HOW TO SHARE THE GOSPEL ADDITIONAL READINGSRESOURCES PRAYER Practice 01 HOSPITALITY Practice 02 GATHERING Practice 03 CELEBRATION Practice 04 NEW FAMILY MISSIONAL PRAYER Practice 01 GENEROSITY Practice 02 JUSTICE Practice 03 SHARING THE GOSPEL Practice 04 SMALL GROUP GUIDENEW MISSION

This is a guidebook to help you pursue Christward Intransformation.it,you'llread about the work of spiritual formation and how recovering 2000 years of Christian spirituality can teach us to love and obey Christ.

Know that it will require your intentionality. Not just for a day, a week, or even a season. We're in it for the long game.

NOTES ON USING THIS BOOK

You should also know that spiritual formation practices are, at their heart, countercultural. Fasting amidst a foodie culture is countercultural. Slowing down when everyone else rushes around at breakneck speed is countercultural. Remaining in silence amidst the clamor of countless voices

We'll explore what it is, why we need it more than ever, and how it helps us fulfill our mission of calling every person to take their next step of faith with Jesus as a new person, with a new family, on a new mission. In these pages, we've cast a vision for spiritual transformation, and we'd like to invite you to join us.

is countercultural. Choosing simplicity amidst excess is countercultural. Choosing generosity and the knowledge that there is always enough in the Kingdom is Thecountercultural.livesof21st-century believers are hectic, and one cannot simply add spiritual formation practices to an already full life. As you enter, we encourage you to assess your life's landscape soberly. Is there anything you can pull back from for a season to make room for the life of God to flourish in you? As you flip through the pages, you'll see there are places to journal and make notes. We've also added sections for you to reflect on the movements of God in your life from one season to the next. As you weave through various practices, flip forward three months on your calendar or put a reminder on your phone to revisit that practice and see how God has changed you.

In each practice section, we’ve included a “Practices for Families.” Psalm 68 tells us that “God sets the lonely in families” and it’s our desire to provide simple on-ramps for everyone in our church family: seniors and single mamas, friend groups and foster parents, those with empty nests

For some of you (we're looking at you, engineers) you may want to move through the rhythms sequentially. For others (artists!), you may want to dive in wherever you open the book. Know that there's not one right way to use this book. If you're harried and hurried, we encourage you to explore the section on Sabbath. If you need a new perspective on communicating with God, start with the section on prayer. If getting back into regular church attendance is a struggle, pore over what we share on the importance of gathering.

"We do the connecting. He does the-Janperfecting."Johnson and those whose nests are full. Whomever your people are, pull them close and chase hard after God.

Philippians 1:6

Above all else: "I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."

Above all, we want to encourage you to take the time to tend to your soul. There's nothing magic in the disciplines. They simply position you to encounter Jesus.

Even more incredible, formation is God’s desire and goal for our lives. We see this stated in Romans 8:28-29: “And 8

THE HEART FORMATIONOF

There is an urgent invitation from God to the church to be spiritually formed. We cannot live in a time of uncertainty and extreme stress without spiritual disciplines to strengthen and fortify us. That's true for individuals, families, and churches. The guide you hold will introduce you to the work of spiritual formation. When we say, “spiritual formation,” we mean the process of becoming more like Jesus Christ, of learning to live our lives by doing the things Jesus taught. Morphē In Greek, describes our formation (transformation, really!) and was the goal of Paul’s ministry, as we see in Galatians 4:19 when he wrote: “My little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!”

The spiritual formation process is supported by spiritual disciplines and practices and requires intentionality and active participation as we respond to God’s invitation. we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many Thebrothers.”spiritual formation process is supported by spiritual disciplines and practices and requires intentionality and active participation as we respond to God’s invitation. The Holy Spirit gets in on the work as He initiates our formation, leads us into all truth, and empowers us for Whilechange.our formation to Christlikeness has always been God’s intention for followers of Jesus, the reality we see far more often is summed up in philosopher Dallas Willard’s observation: “We have now come to the place where we can be a Christian forever without becoming a disciple.” In claiming to be a Christian without becoming a disciple, we wear the name without bearing the responsibility that comes along with it. And the absence of accountability is one of the reasons we see a lack of unity, maturity, joy, peace, or hope in the Body.

For the people in 1st century Rome, this would have painted a particular picture since society thrived on a 10

1.TO REFLECT THE GLORY OF GOD Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to o er your bodies as a living sacriﬁce, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may prove what the will of God is, His good, pleasing, and perfect will. -Romans 12:1-2

these words, Paul provides a view into the heart and motivation of spiritual formation, providing three reasons we ought to be relentless about pursuing it: Paul points to God’s glory as the primary motivation for spiritual formation.

In the early spring of 57 AD, the Apostle Paul unrolled a parchment and began writing a letter to Christians in InRome:penning

In the above passage, Paul begins with an exhortation, or an encouragement, to the church in Rome, where he urges them, “In light of, or because of, the mercies of God (because of His goodness to you) present your bodies as a living sacrifice….”

Offering all of who we are to God is the truest way we can worship Him. Because we know how good God is and the 10,000 ways He’s come through for us, we are to worship Him. Not just with our emotions, intellect, or even our voices, but with our bodies, which, in this context, means all of who we are. Our worship reveals the glory of God to a world in desperate need of Him.

sacrificial system. For the Jews coming from the law into faith knew Levitical law and understood the process of atoning for sins. And for Gentiles coming into the faith, Rome’s innumerable pagan gods—Venus, Apollo, Jupiter, Castor, and a host of others—were housed in the Pantheon. They knew worship practices required sacrifice. Yet, in this passage, Paul isn’t asking the Romans to sacrifice something outside of themselves. He’s telling them, “Your life is the sacrifice.” All of who you are.

Eugene Peterson renders this passage beautifully in The Message: “Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.”

Your life is the sacriﬁce.

In verse 2, Paul writes: “Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed….”

Because we’re being always conformed and acted upon by the world, Paul doesn’t mince words: we’re either being conformed to the world or being transformed to PaulChristlikeness.beginsthis line of Scripture by telling his listeners what not to do. Don’t be conformed or “identified with."

2. TO PREVENT WORLDLY PASSIVE TRANSFORMATION

The Greek word we see here is suschématizó which means having the outward shape of something that comes from following the same pattern. Paul writes, “Don’t follow the same pattern” of the world, and therein lies the rub. We live in the world twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. And though we’re created to reflect the glory and goodness of God, our tech-fueled access to information and media provides continual opportunities to be deformed by sin and the effects of brokenness in the Ifworld.you were to flip back a few pages in your Bible to Romans 1:18-32, Paul paints a clear picture of what conformity to the world looks like: He says people will suppress the truth by their wickedness (verse 18) That even though God’s power is clearly seen in creation, people will neither glorify Him as God nor give thanks to Him (verses 19-21)

• • 12

The ﬁrst means "change after being with" Morphóō meaning "changing form in keeping with inner reality."

• • • •

It’s not difficult to understand why we need to be Paultransformed.continues writing and arrives at the antidote to conformity: “…But be transformed...”

• • 13

The Greek word for transformed is metamorphoó which has two profound definitions: Since the world is continually working to conform us to its patterns, we must participate with Christ in the work of being actively transformed. WhenHow? Paul speaks of being conformed and being transformed, what’s interesting is that both these People will be ﬁlled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice (verse 29) They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful (verse 30) They’ll have no understanding, no ﬁdelity/loyalty, no love, no mercy (verse 31) And although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these things but also approve of those who practice them (verse 32).

•Which can only be achieved by God's power. Renewing our minds means changing our minds, and that can only be achieved by the power of God and the work of the Holy Spirit. The more we’re in the presence of God, the more we’ll be transformed. Spiritual formation practices like stillness, silence, solitude, Sabbath, studying the Word, generosity, and simplicity shape us and are part of how our minds are renewed and our lives are transformed.

And when the Holy Spirit changes the way you think, it will change how you feel, which will change how you act, which will change how you live.

Do you see it? Do you see hope beginning to rise? Though the world is a formation machine, or better yet a “deformation machine” our Christ is a transforming God whose work is in the realm of making us new people and equipping us to be part of a new family, on a new mission to make Him known!

The word “renewal” is easy for us to understand. For example, we renew our drivers’ licenses, or we renew our marriage vows. We’re not strangers to the work of Butrenewal.theGreek expands our understanding to reveal that renewal, or anakainósis, is:

statements are passive. The only active statement he speaks of is the work of renewing our minds.

•A change of heart and life.

One of St. Augustine’s most important prayers was, “Grant, Lord, that I may know myself that I may know Thee.” In these words, we see how crucial it is to discover our identity and calling. Knowing who God intended you to be is of vital importance. Becoming that person is essential for every follower of Jesus.

Lean in for a moment here: we’ll never figure out our place in the world and our role in the Kingdom without being spiritually formed.

Don’t you want to know who you’re created to be – who God had in mind as He formed you? Aren’t you eager to learn about your place in the world and your role in the Kingdom that is both coming and here right now? Are you hungry to know and live out of your true self rather than investing time, effort, and energy into a false self? Don’t you want to live as your Creator intended rather than whom your family and friends expect? Are you tired of succeeding at what you suspect doesn’t matter as you gain the whole world and lose your soul? Would you like to lift off the yoke of cultural expectations of value and success and choose to be yoked with Jesus, who frees you to live Youunhindered?can.This is the life you’ve been invited to. This is the journey we’re on as a church. We have created this guide to help us all walk this path together – the path of becoming more and more like our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Paul finishes his sentence in verse 2 by saying that the result of the work of being transformed by renewing our minds has an outcome: “…so that you may prove what the will of God is, His good, pleasing, and perfect will.”

3.TO KNOW GOD’S WILL AND OUR CALLING

For others, spiritual formation, the active formation of our whole self—heart, soul, mind, and strength—into the likeness of Jesus, is often haphazard and shallow rather than intentional and deep. While we long to experience the fulfillment of all that is possible as His followers, we're often left with a gap between our expectations and reality.

Wherever you are in your walk with Jesus, God has more for you. More of Himself to pour out. More of His likeness to impart in you. More of His power to meet you in your weaknesses. More of His faithfulness to steady you in your suffering. We believe God has more of Himself for us and want you to experience that here and now in our church.

What if the church was where you experienced the most profound healing, the most significant transformation, and the most profound sense of God's presence and power?

What if it was a setting for the person and character of God being infused in every aspect of who you are and who you're becoming?

Fueled by the belief that Jesus renews all things, our mission at Fellowship Church is to "call every person to take their next step of faith with Jesus as a new person, with a new family, on a new mission."19

GOD HAS MORE FOR YOU.

If we're honest, while it may indeed be our expressed desire, this profound transformation is not often our experience – neither as individuals nor as participants in the church. All too frequently, the experience of many followers of Jesus is more akin to spiritual frustration than spiritual formation.

We believe Jesus makes you a NEW PERSON with a new identity as a son or daughter of God. We believe Jesus gives you a NEW FAMILY a people to belong to and be shaped with as you follow Him. We believe Jesus sends you on a NEW MISSION to joyfully give up your life for the sake of others.

We seek to be deeply formed by these truths – to not only know them but to walk out their realities. Doing so requires intentionality and a process for growing in Christlikeness. Just as Jesus often employed earthly images such as vines, branches, seeds, figs, and wheat as metaphors for growth in His hands. In a similar way, we use the image of a trellis in a garden to represent spiritual Oftengrowth.made of wood or metal, a trellis provides a framework to support seedlings as they grow. To withstand the elements, young plants are woven along the trellis, supported while becoming stronger and flourishing to Thismaturity.guidebook serves as our trellis – a way to help you grow and mature into Christlikeness. This growth is based on a foundation of truth, coupled with spiritual practices lived out with others in community, and fueled by the power of the Holy Spirit. Community Practices

SpiritHolyThe

Truth21

The truths we believe shape how we live. Who am I? Who is Jesus? What is the story of the Bible? Our answers to these questions have far-reaching implications for our lives. We must be people anchored deeply in the truths revealed in God's Word. We must know the truth of God's Word to be set free. However, while knowing the truth is essential, it is not sufficient. There are many good and beautiful doctrinal truths in the Bible, but they are not simply a set of beliefs to which we mentally assent. Far more than a principle, the Scriptures proclaim that truth is a person found in Jesus Christ. He is the revelation of ultimate truth; it is by Him and through Him that we grow in truth and can stand against the enemy's lies and for the glory of God.

In John 17:17, Jesus, praying to His Father on behalf of His disciples, asked: "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth." The truth sanctifies us as the written and living Word works in us and through us. We are not meant only to know the Word, but to do the Word, and to work the “And the Word was made ﬂesh, and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and -Johntruth.”1:14

LET’S BEGIN WITH TRUTH

The practices—sometimes called spiritual disciplines—are the intentional rhythms of life that cultivate profound transformation in the entire person: spirit, soul, body, heart, mind, and will. Just as our hearts grow strong through exercise, our life in Christ grows strong through the practices of Scripture reading and meditation, fasting, "Train yourself for godliness, for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” -1 Timothy 4:7-8

This is where the second piece of the spiritual formation triangle comes in: the practices.

THE

Word into the very fabric of our being. The truth must lead us into a deeper love for God and greater obedience to the will of God. How does this happen? How does the truth genuinely begin to change us from the inside out?

PRACTICES

Matthew records this telling statement of Jesus in Matthew 23 "Then Jesus said to the crowds and His disciples, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.’”

But truth and practices are meant to be expressed with others. We cannot truly grow into Christlikeness without

prayer, silence, solitude, hospitality, justice, and generosity. Designed to get the truths into our daily lives, they are the means of knowing Christ more and more.

“They preach, but do not practice.” There it is. They are saying truthful things about God, but God Himself is not genuinely forming their lives.

Engaging in the practices alone is not the goal; the goal is Christlikeness, but the practices are the way we continually place our whole selves before God, shaping our lives around rhythms that keep us near the heart of PaulJesus.meant this when he wrote, "…seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator." (Colossians 3:9-10)

The religious leaders during the ministry of Jesus professed many truths about God, but the truth did not possess them.

others. We need a community of people to join us on this Therejourney.are dozens and dozens of practices in the Bible, and some may engage your heart and mind more than others, depending on your season of life. Instead of simply listing and explaining in detail every practice in the Bible, we have curated a simplified list, placing them beneath our values of New Person, New Family, and New Mission to provide more clarity.

While the world extols rugged individualism, the Word of God is replete with encouragement to serve, love, admonish, accept, and be at peace with one another.

"Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above-Romansyourselves."12:10

COMMUNITY

A final word about the practices: Some of you will be tempted to rush through, ready to do each one every day because it gives you a sense of control and achievement. This adherence risks the practices becoming legalistic and may eventually harm your soul. Remember, the practices exist as a means for Christ to be more deeply formed in you. That's the goal.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

This is why community is the third piece of the Triangle. God designed us to live in community with others. What Christ works into us is worked out within the context of community. Living life alongside other believers is how the truths of who Jesus is and the practices we're pursuing begin shaping us most deeply.

"Christian community is the Christian's-Dietrichsanctiﬁcation."Bonhoeer

Put plainly: Transformation into Christlikeness cannot happen in isolation; we need the church, the new family of Jesus. Truth, practices, and people sanctify us!

"When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears, He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

-John 16:13-14

The Holy Spirit sits at the center of truth, practices, and Johncommunity.chapters 14-17 is one of the richest veins of truth in the Scriptures. Scholars call it the "Upper Room Discourse," where Jesus gives his final teaching to the apostles before His betrayal and execution. In it, Jesus regularly mentions His leaving to the apostles, and He begins to tell His distraught followers about the coming of the Holy Spirit and the work the Spirit will do.

The Holy Spirit will call us into community with the members of the Triune God and with one another. Re-read John 14:26-27 in the above section. Then, dwell on how that section is preceded by John 14:23-24, "If anyone loves Me, He will keep My word, and My Father will love Him, and we will come to Him and make our home with Him. Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words."

In the Upper Room Discourse, Jesus repeatedly tells the apostles to keep His commands and His words. He insists they will show themselves to be not truly of His work if they don't. We can't be perfect, but Jesus reminds them of the coming Spirit, which He often calls the Helper. John 14:26-27 illustrates: "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."

There are three things to note: 2.1.3. John 14:16-17 reads: "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you." The ﬁrst role Jesus ascribes to the Spirit is that the truth will be the foundation of His work. It will be truth unknowable and even unreceivable by those not marked by Jesus as His own.

Spiritual formation is initiated, supported, and sustained by the Spirit, not our best efforts. As we respond, the Spirit shapes us into the image of Jesus as He wills and in His timing. Spiritual formation is not something you do; rather, it is a response to the Divine invitation "…at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13).28

Jesus prays that we will be unified with the Trinity itself. How? Through the work of the Holy Spirit. How will that unity manifest? By following Jesus' commands, that the Holy Spirit teaches us, causing us to love not only the Triune God more, but also each other.

Here we see the interworking of the Trinity to come to make a home with you and help you inside that home! But it doesn't stop there.

In John chapter 17, Jesus prays what is called the High Priestly Prayer – a prayer to the Father on behalf of the OneChurch.ofthose prayers is found in John 17:23: "The glory that you have given me I have given to them that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me."

THE INVITATION 29

So come further up and come further in; God has more for you. And us.

To work the truths and practices more deeply into everything we do as a church, we’ve structured our disciple-making vision, strategy, and offerings around the Trellis model.

You can become more like Christ. It is possible. The Holy Spirit will empower and equip you to do just that as you take your next step of faith in Jesus.

“...so the woman left her water jar...”

That you would be rooted in and ﬂourish in your identity in Christ. NEW PERSON

Then God said, “Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

TRUTH

"Behold, I am making all things new."

GenesisRevelation1:26-2821:5 33

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

God's invitation to Adam and Eve begins with a blessing. Before sending them out to cultivate Eden, He blesses "God blessed them and said to them, be fruitful and multiply and ﬁll the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the ﬁsh of the sea and the birds of the heavens and over every living that moves on the Genesisearth.”1:28

New Person 34

The book of Genesis chronicles the origin of God's creative activity in the world. We read of how He created the heavens and the earth: light, land, sea, stars flung across the expanse of sky, plants, and animals. His creative work culminates in humans—Adam and Eve crafted in His very image and placed in Eden, the garden sanctuary of God.

The testimony of Scripture demonstrates this incredible reality: Jesus Christ makes you a new person.

Throughout the Word, we catch glimpses of God's eternal purpose to renew all things in Christ. He makes dead things come to life, turns weeping into rejoicing, and makes praise spring up from despair.

To truly understand what it means to be a new person in Christ, we need to see our new reality within the larger story of God’s eternal purpose to renew all things in OurChrist.story begins, of course, in the beginning.

In the fullness of time, God sends forth His Son, Jesus Christ. Through His birth and life, Jesus announces the Kingdom of God (the reality where the rule and reign of God are experienced), declaring that all who repent of their sins and gladly submit to Jesus can experience life in this HereKingdom.andnow, the Kingdom of God continues to grow like a mustard seed. God's new family, the church, is empowered by the Holy Spirit to be fruitful and multiply New Person

Into the story slithers the serpent with a question intended to distort truth and destroy confidence in God's good rule and Choosingreign. to trust the enemy's word over God's word, Adam and Eve take what is forbidden and plunge themselves and all humanity into exile from our true home. As a result, humanity becomes sin-sick, helplessly and hopelessly turned in on itself. The blessing of God, which hung over humanity, is exchanged for His holy and righteous judgment.

them, freely showering His love, kindness, and goodness over them.

The story does not end with the tragic fall of humanity but with God's redemptive rescue of His people and all creation. Out of the rubble of Eden comes the promise that God will send a Deliverer and King who will crush the enemy's power and restore God's image to His people.

As blessed people, Adam and Eve are invited to join God in His creative work. To fill the earth, cultivate the land, and rule and reign over all creation. Their mission? To expand the reaches of Eden into all the world. All is well until it's not.

and fill the earth with God's presence until Christ returns and restores all things into the Garden City of God - the New Heaven and New Earth. This is the true story of the world, and your story as a new person is caught up in this story.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” Corinthians 5:17 New Person

God made a way for you to be reconciled to Him through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. God is the author of our salvation, inviting us out of darkness and into the light. Repentance, or turning from sin to faith in Christ, makes us new people. This is the Gospel: the good news that God has reconciled all things back to Himself through the blood of Jesus. Through Jesus Christ, we become new people, set free from the penalty and power of sin, and infused with the power of the Spirit.

Rhythms of living that formationcultivateasanewpersoninChrist. NEWPRACTICESPERSON

“Desire God’s pure word as newborn babies desire milk. Then you will grow in your salvation. Certainly, you have tasted that the Lord is good!” 2:2-3

1 Peter

Joshua 1:8

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

1.READING SCRIPTURE 38

Scripture is the written Word of God. Containing 66 individual books—39 Old Testament and 26 New Testament books—it was written in three languages by 40 different authors over 1500 years.

God progressively reveals Himself to us for our spiritual formation and transformation. And, as we allow His story to shape ours through the power of the Holy Spirit, we come face-to-face with the living God. A six-part overview of the story of the Bible is helpful.

Creation (Genesis 1-2) The story begins with God. We read that He has always existed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Long before He began creating, He simply...was. Genesis 1 and 2 unveil the movement from God existing to God creating and revealing God's great heart: to dwell with those made in His image - His people.

Fall (Genesis 3) Genesis 3 records the great rebellion, the breaking of the relationship between humans and God, and the fracturing of the image of God within us. In Adam and Eve's disobedience, humanity and creation are plunged into New Person 39

Written by kings, shepherds, pastors, fishermen, and soldiers, these authors were inspired by the Holy Spirit to tell God's unfolding story throughout history as one unified

Throughstory.Scripture, we learn who God is, His character and nature, how He interacts with His creation, and His purpose in revealing Himself to all people.

brokenness and sin and now live in a state of exile from the presence of God - our true home. Israel (Genesis 3-Malachi 4)

Jesus ascends to heaven, and the Spirit of God descends to earth and is poured out at Pentecost as the church is born. The church—God's new family—begins to grow in villages and cities across Asia and Europe. The church is God's people, delivered through the Gospel, living in the way of New Person 40

Jesus (The Gospels)

Jesus is this promised Messiah and King. He is God with us, born to liberate people from the penalty and power of sin. He invites them to life in the Kingdom of God, where God rules and reigns. Through His life, death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus is revealed as the true image of God and the One who reconciles people back to God. The heart of the Gospel message? God has reconciled people to Himself through Jesus the Messiah and will one day restore all things in creation again. Church and Spirit (Acts, Letters, Epistles)

The rest of the Old Testament becomes the story of God calling the people of Israel to be one through whom His blessing will come. Beginning with the call of Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 12, continuing through the Exodus from Egypt, and following the rise of the Kings in the Old Testament, God moved among the people of Israel to reveal His heart, character, and vision. Through Scripture, one cry rises above all: "O Come, O Come Emmanuel."

In the end, we have a new beginning. The new heaven and new earth—the eternal Garden City of God—where God again dwells with His people. A place of freedom from pain, sin, Satan, and death and filled with God's glory, life, and goodness forever and ever, a world without end.

In architecture, a "keystone" is the stone that sits directly in the center of an arch, helping lock the surrounding rocks in place. Without a keystone, the arch would fall Similarly,apart.

WhileScripture.there are many ways to read and study Scripture, we’ve provided two methods below. As you set aside time to read and meditate on the Word regularly, you'll encounter the One who authored it so that we might know and become more like Him. Jesus through the power of the Spirit, seeking to see Christ formed more deeply in people as disciples are made and multiplied.

reading Scripture is a keystone habit for believers. It's a practice that creates a chain reaction for other spiritual formation practices. If there is one practice to which you continually return, let it be that of reading

Restoration (Revelation 21-22)

PRACTICE New Person 41

New Person

Read Scripture. Do all you can to read one chapter of Scripture in one sitting. Read through the passage slowly and then work through the Formation Triangle ( ) to look deeper into the text. Ask probing questions of the text: What general truths is the passage revealing? What does the passage reveal about God? About the Gospel? About being a new person? About the family of God? About the mission of God? What does this passage reveal about you? What emotions are you experiencing as you read this passage? What are the truths you are encountering stirring up within your soul?

How is this passage inviting you to live in the way of Jesus? To greater ConnectChristlikeness?thetruth(s)revealed in the passage to your inner formation to Jesus. How does this passage shape who you are becoming in Christ? Are there speciﬁc practices arising from the passage that can shape how you can live more in the way of Jesus? Apply the passage to your life: How can you love and serve the family of Jesus more deeply because of this passage? How can you love and serve the lost and the least more deeply because of this passage? Close out your time in prayer, inviting the Holy Spirit to root your heart and mind more deeply in what He has revealed to you in this time.

Pray. Pray before you open the Scriptures a simple prayer from Psalm 119:18, “Lord, open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”

M ETHOD ONE: FO R M ATION STUDY

Observation: What does the passage say?

METHOD TWO: INDUCTIVE BIBLE STUDY New Person 43

Read the passage two or three times, preferably in different translations. Make a list of observations, trying to be as specific as possible about what the passage is saying. Avoid skipping ahead to what the passage means or how to apply Simplyit.observe the passage:

Interpretation: One of the most important things about studying the Bible is understanding what the author meant at the time he wrote it. Ask questions about the passage: Why did the author say this? Why did he put this verse here? What is its signiﬁcance in light of the passage's context, paragraph, chapter, or book? Deﬁne important words, using a dictionary if necessary. What themes do the surrounding verses suggest? Who: Who is writing? Who is the audience? Who is What:mentioned?What type of literature is it? What is being discussed? What is happening? Where: Where is the action occurring? When: When did the action take place? What is the time in Why:history?What reasons are given? What is the purpose of the events?

Application: Ask yourself, “In light of what I know, what does God want me to do?”

For auditory learners, use the You Version app to “soak” in the Scriptures. Choose a yearly plan like the “Solid Life Whole Bible Reading Plan” and use the audio function to have it read over you.

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PRACTICE FOR FAMILIES

Read a section from The Jesus Storybook Bible with young children and spend time discussing it together.

Meditation: Process the passage to bridge interpretation and application. Ask God for insight into the passage and how to apply it to your life. Spend time thinking about the verses. Prayer practices come in many forms. Some might find benefits to handwriting Scripture. Others might enjoy reading a passage aloud several times, allowing themselves to take in its various aspects. Almost anyone will find that moving—going for a walk or hiking outdoors—helps Scripture lodge deeper inside your life. Find out what works best for you in this season.

For visual learners, use a guide, such as the M’cheyne One-Year Reading Plan, to track your reading over the course of the year.

• • •

So often, I want to read the Scriptures to get the information I know or what I'm supposed to do. And I ﬁnd more and more that reading the Scriptures means, "This is who He is, and this is what it means to be a part of His story, and this is how I can begin to make sense of my story in relation to Him." I often use the word “reframe” because it helps remind me that the Scriptures are not simply trying to tell me something. They're seeking to be the core resource that the Holy Spirit uses to transform me by renewing my mind, as Romans 12:1 Assays.Iread the Scriptures, I look at the world I live in now—war and violence, deconstruction of faith and church, and the polarization of communities and people—through the lens of a God that always redeems. And I remember that He often uses my personal story as an oasis of peace, truth, and grace in a hurting Readingworld. the Scriptures has transformed how I lead, parent, and even press into conﬂicts with my wife. It's changed how I deal with those who oppose or criticize me. I'm learning to surrender to a story that ultimately exalts the name of Jesus. So that His kingdom comes, His will is done, on earth as it is in heaven.

-Rick Dunn

JOURNAL 46

“Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His presence continually!” 1 Chronicles 16:11 "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 2.PRAYER 49

Prayer is the work of the church. In Matthew 21:13, Jesus declared: “My house will be called a house of prayer.”

Prayer, talking with and listening to Him, is how we know Him more.

God is always working and has joyfully chosen prayer as how we can participate with Him in His work.

“We hear it said that a man will su er in his life if he does not pray; I question it. What will su er is the life of the Son of God within him, which is nourished not by food but by prayer... Prayer is the way the life of God nourished.”is Oswald Chambers, Scottish author and minister New Person 50

God is relational. He longs to know and be known by you.

Prayer, at its simplest, is communicating with God. For anyone new to prayer, and as a reminder to those who've previously engaged in it, there are a few important truths about the practice of prayer:

Prayer also helps us avoid an overly fatalistic view of God’s sovereignty and reminds us that God is both sovereign and longs to partner with His people. 4.2.1.3.

Prayer is how your lost friends and family are saved, strongholds are broken, and the Kingdom of God Prayeradvances.anchors us to the reality that God can do “far more abundantly than all that we ask or imagine.” Prayer helps us recall this reality when we might otherwise become cynical, forming us into people who “hope all things.”

(You’ll notice from these passages that while boldness and humility appear contradictory, they are necessary: Boldness requires humility to avoid pride; and humility requires boldness so that it’s confident and not hesitant.)

While there are many ways to practice prayer, we provide a simple framework for when you need a little more direction. However, while a process can help facilitate prayer, prayer needn’t be formulaic. Remember: Christ’s urging to become like a child is at the heart of our faith, and it is faith that accomplishes the work.

PRACTICE New Person 51

Jesus instructed people in Matthew 6:6, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” For some, it’s helpful to have a dedicated location for prayer—a chair or a prayer closet—to aid against distraction. And while quiet is often helpful, prayer can (and should!) be done amid busy environments as well. As you begin to pray, it’s vital that you do so with an awareness of your identity in Christ. The Scriptures affirm that you are one in whom God delights and that He is well-pleased with you! Because of this, you have the opportunity to boldly approach His throne (Hebrews 4:16), confident that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears you (1 John 5:14). As you pray, do so with humility, holding loosely to your will and seeking God’s (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Thank the Lord for all He has done for you. Thank Him speciﬁcally for what He has provided for you and how He has answered Supplication.prayers. Make your requests known to the Lord. What’s on your heart? What are your needs? What do you long to see God do in your life and the lives of others? Ask Him! And keep asking, trusting that He welcomes your requests as your Father.

TCASPRAY USING ACTS

ACTS is an acronym for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. Adoration. Praise the Lord for who He is, His character, goodness, and presence. Confession. Confess your sins to the Lord. Ask Him to reveal where you’ve missed the mark in your thoughts, words, deeds, and actions. Then, confess before Him, asking for forgiveness and mercy. He will restore to you the joy of your Thanksgiving.salvation!

The Psalms served as the prayer book for the people of Israel. The Psalms are designed to be read, prayed, and sung by God’s people. You can take a Psalm and pray through it, letting the Word shape your words.

PRAY USING PSALMS New Person 52

Cultivate a rhythm of asking the Holy Spirit what you should pray for and then spend time listening for what He reveals to you.

Let this phrase encourage you! Sometimes all you can do and should do is pray what is in you. The Lord invites us to come to Him as we are so that He can, through our prayers, form us into the likeness of His Son.

PRAY FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT TO REVEAL THE FOCUS OF YOUR PRAYER

PRAY WHAT YOU’VE GOT Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, On earth, as it is heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those whoagainsttrespassus, And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. New Person 53

The Lord’s Prayer has been a hallmark of prayer for the people of God for two millennia. Jesus instructs His disciples to pray: PRAY USING THE LORD’S PRAYER

While it’s true that prayer is the fuel for your life, there may be times when you feel your prayers are going nowhere. Rather than pulling back from prayer, press in. Keep talking to God. Go ahead and tell Him you don’t feel you’re getting anywhere in prayer. Continue listening as well. Sometimes there may be a block, something that needs to be confessed or removed. And sometimes, God invites you to know Him in a way that engages more faith. Keep company and remain in communication with Him. Do not become cynical, but fight to retain a childlike heart when praying to our Father. Keep company and remain in communication with Him.

ONE FINAL WORD ON PRAYER...

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••• PRACTICE FOR FAMILIES New Person 55

While most of us may prefer a quiet place of prayer, don’t allow a noisy setting to keep you from praying! A story is told about Susanna Wesley, mother to John and Charles Wesley (along with eight others!). Though privacy and personal space in a big family were challenging to come by, she would regularly bring her Bible to her favorite chair, gathering her apron over her head. In her makeshift tent, she would intercede for her family and study the Scriptures. Make prayer fun for kids (and kids at heart)!

Use a piece of poster board to keep a running list of prayer requests from your friends and family and take turns shooting at it with a Nerf gun, praying for whichever request you hit. Spend time journaling your prayers. Seeing how God has been faithful will continually inspire you toward prayer. Go on a prayer walk with friends around your neighborhood, the church, or a sick friend’s home.

JOURNAL 56

Matthew 28:11-30 3.SABBATH

Exodus 20:8-10

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.”

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will ﬁnd rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

The word Sabbath comes from a Hebrew word meaning “to rest.” Defined as a 24-hour period, it’s a time to cease our orientation around work and reorient our lives around God. Sabbath is not ultimately about unplugging or checking out, but about plugging into God, being renewed by Him as we cease from our labors and learn to delight in Him. Sabbath not only addresses our orientation, but it also addresses our formation. God forms us as disciples as we walk in trust and obedience, imitating His rhythm of work and rest (Genesis 2). In resting, we acknowledge our dependence on God for all we have. He forms us as witnesses to the world as we model the reality of a coming Kingdom: an ultimate Sabbath rest draws near where our work will be free of struggle, our hearts free of sin, and the earth renewed.

New Person

“Sabbath is not primarily about us or how it beneﬁts us; it is about God and how God forms us. If we are going to live appropriately in the creation, we must keep the Sabbath.” - Eugene Peterson While many of us have grown up with Sabbath knowledge, we’ve not always known how to practice Sabbath-keeping. As a result, practicing a Sabbath may feel as foreign now as it did to the children of Israel. After 400 years of slavery PRACTICE

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Enjoy rest. God delights in giving His people rest (Matthew 28:11-30)! While resting from work, you may also consider resting from technology, social events, and anxiety. Rest may look like sleeping in or taking a nap, reading, cooking a good meal, or visiting with friends. Practice delight. Isaiah 58:14 tells us that we will ﬁnd joy in the Lord when we practice the Sabbath. We practice joy and delight as we slow down, pay attention to the world, and engage in play. For some, Sabbath delight might look like mountain biking and spending time in creation, pursuing a loved hobby, laughing with friends and family, or enjoying the perfect cup of co ee.

Contemplate God. Ceasing work, resting, and practicing delight ultimately culminates in being present with and contemplating God. Prayer, meditating on Scripture, worship, and silence are all ways to ponder His love, majesty, uniqueness, power, and glory.

and back-breaking work, they had to learn to rest, and you may find that you do too.

4.2.1.3. Stop all work. At the heart of the Sabbath is a radical trust that God is sovereign over all things. Colossians 1:17 reminds us, “He is before all things, and in Him, all things hold together.” Trust that He is in control as you stop work and ask Him to help shape your Sabbath.

As you begin, choose a start and end to your Sabbath. Start small and build up, asking the Holy Spirit for the wisdom and guidance to grow your practice. Then, taste and see the joy of the Sabbath!

Pete Scazzero offers a guide that many may find helpful: Stop, rest, delight, and contemplate.

PRACTICE FOR FAMILIES

At one point over the weekend one of our friends remarked, “I love that we didn’t rent a car while we are here, we’re simply moving at the pace we can walk.”

Gather for a meal and light a candle with your family or spiritual community at the beginning or end of your Sabbath, offering a simple prayer of thanks.

As you take your next step of faith, hear the invitation of Jesus to slow down. Move at the pace you can walk. Left foot, right foot. Left foot, right foot. Resist your inner coach screaming for more, faster, louder. Just move at the pace God is asking you to walk.

-JC Neely

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One February Katie and I took a trip with some friends. It was a quick weekend to just enjoy some sun and enjoy being together, and we did both of those things.

JOURNAL 63

“There is a time to talk and a time to be Ecclesiastessilent.” 3:7 “And He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a Markwhile.’”6:31 4.SILENCE AND SOLITUDE 66

“God’s first language is silence.” The lives of 21st-century believers are continually interrupted by sound and distraction. Even as you read these words, you may be sidetracked by a roommate inquiring about dinner plans, a child requesting help, or a spouse asking about this month’s utility bill.

Then there are the interruptions caused by technology: Your watch alerts you to incoming texts, your phone chimes with a calendar meeting alarm, and Alexa provides updates on a recent order. Our lives are consumed with the activity of navigating commitments, responding to emails, and checking social media. Many of us have become accustomed (and perhaps addicted) to distraction. As a result, silence recedes, and our formation to Christlikeness remains shallow.

Put plainly: In a day when we’re desperate for God’s voice, our lives are not structured to hear Him.

Writing in the 16th century, St. John of the Cross observed:

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There is a remedy. The disciplines of silence and solitude provide space for us to hear the voice of God. They provide a pathway for communing with Him amidst the onslaught of noise and distraction. As we enter into silence, Christ illumines Scripture, strengthens our Spirit, and restores our souls. In a day when we’re desperate for God’s voice, our lives are not structured to hear Him.

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The LORD is in His holy temple; let all the earth be silent before HabakkukHim.”2:20

While spending time in silence and solitude may be appealing to some, it isn’t to others. Quieting noise leaves us face-to-face with ourselves. Dallas Willard says this when writing: “Silence and solitude are the two most radical disciplines of the Christian life…But Silence is frightening because it strips us as nothing else does, throwing us upon the stark realities of our life.”

Practice letting the peace of God rest on you several times throughout the day, wherever you are. Hold a short Scripture in your heart and mind:

Be intentional about creating time and space for silence and solitude. Start with a small amount of time—perhaps 5 minutes—and build up. Set aside time in your calendar a couple of times a year for longer silent retreats. Make it a point to regularly turn the television o and power down your phone. Be kind to yourself. The practice of silence and solitude is countercultural; you’ll ﬁnd it’s a muscle that needs developing. What’s more, creating space for quiet can allow feelings you’ve been ignoring to surface. You may become aware of grief, disappointment, loneliness, or anger. When you do, meditate on Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terriﬁed because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you or forsake you.”

2.1.3.

“I am with you Matthewalways.”28:20

PRACTICE

PRACTICE FOR FAMILIES

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The next time you’re in the car, spend a few minutes in silence. Encourage your children to look out the windows at nature. When you break your silence, ask them to share what they saw and how they felt.

“Taste and see that the Lord is Psalmgood.”34:8 “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.”

Silence is not just the absence of noise; it is beholding God. When you practice stretches of silence, invite Christ to sit with you, noticing how He reveals Himself to you.

Psalm 56:3

Note: It may be easier to practice silence—rather than solitude—with children. As you practice silence with your family, begin with 60 seconds (or less for younger children). The amount of time doesn’t matter as much as why you’re doing it.

Choose short Scripture passages and use them as inspiration to create art. Some good options are:

Pray about what emotions come forward: Is there helplessness or frustration? The temptation to justify your actions or judge the actions of another?

There’s something special about a commonly held silence. The next time you’re with a group of believers, speak out loud a truth about God and spend a few minutes sitting in silence.

••

4.5.

Slow. Small. Quiet. Quiet. It is simply not the word of the day. We amplify everything. Public. Posts. Stories that years ago were shared with few, are posted for all. Marketing is in our DNA. Twenty-four hour everything. Promotion is championed. Becoming viral is subtly seductive. Luckily the church is immune to these things. Quiet isn’t about size, it’s about heart. Jesus obviously had massive inﬂuence but lived a quiet life. Quiet is faithful with the one. Quiet is pursuing God over others. Quiet is humility when pride is calling. Quiet is slow movement. Quiet is inﬂuence. Quiet is welcoming, not wowing. A quiet life. Almost seems odd to consider in today’s world. it Also seems inviting. As we practice silence and solitude there isn’t a formula, there is grace and e ort. So, give yourself lots of grace and make an e ort to quiet yourself down.

-JC Neely

JOURNAL 71

Matthew 6:16–18

“Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

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Joel "When2:12you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disﬁgure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

••

And, if we're honest, most of us choose not to fast. It's seen as extreme, ancient, weird, and legalistic. But it doesn't New Person 75

Bethany Allen, Pastor of Spiritual Formation and Leadership Development at Bridgetown Church, draws our attention to two main rhythms of fasting historically practiced by the church:

Fasting is an ancient Christian discipline to break the power of the flesh in our life—our desires, sins, and cravings—and to feed on the Holy Spirit. In a culture of rampant consumerism and excess, fasting is a practice of resistance. We willingly choose to sacrifice through abstinence so that we might be filled with a greater measure of the Spirit.

First, the early church incorporated routine fasts. For our modern context, this may look like choosing to fast once a quarter, once a month, or once a week.

When harnessed, these rhythms of self-denial continue to point the Church to dependence on the work of the Spirit. Self-denial involves abstaining from food and other integral aspects of our lives that can distract us from our dependence on God. It is a deliberate choice to experience hunger in one area to cultivate a deeper hunger for the kingdom of God. If your fasting practice doesn't result in a more profound love for God and your neighbor, you are likely missing the intention behind fasting.

Second, they fasted in response to a sacred event: a tragedy, acknowledgment of sin, threats of persecution, needs within the community, or desire for physical healing.

Our culture insists that more is better—more eating, scrolling, and consuming—but fasting reveals a better way: dying to live, fasting from material things to feast on God's eternal nature.

•

have to be any of those things. Fasting can be a profound practice and a powerful weapon against the enemy.

Begin by skipping one meal once per month (or per week) if possible. Begin with lunch. It's okay if you cannot make it very long after lunch before you eat - give yourself a lot of grace as you begin! Let the moments when your stomach growls prompt you to pray. New Person 76

There is wisdom in starting small so that you can sustain well. PRACTICE

This is the way of Jesus. Fast from food:Fasting reveals a better way: dying to live, fasting from material things to feast on God's eternal nature.

While fasting, you can and should be feasting on the Lord! Spend time in His word, prayer, and service to others.

Fasts are meant to be broken! Be wise about how you consummate a fast but remember God has provided many things for us to enjoy. So, enjoy them with thanksgiving to God for His provision! Fast from a speciﬁc type of food or drink for a season of time (i.e., Lent). As you grow in this practice, consider fasting for more extended periods. Try fasting for breakfast and lunch, then break your fast with a delicious meal at dinner. Or, fast from food for 24 hours, drinking only liquids. Remember: Fasting does not make the Lord love you more or earn you special favor with Him—it's meant to create deeper hunger in you for Him and your neighbor.

Fast•• from other forms of consumption: Ask the Holy Spirit to clarify what things you regularly consume that have become a stronghold of the ﬂesh in your life. Fast from your phone. Start small! Choose to read your Bible before looking at your phone in the morning. Put your phone to bed before you go to bed. Fast from social media. While social media isn't bad, it can a ect your heart, soul, and ability to pay attention to the presence of God. Consider extended time away from social media and ask a member of your spiritual community to join you. Afterward, spend time talking about what you noticed. Fast from TV streaming, shopping, or anything that creates a deep distraction.

•••• New Person 77

Fast from a special dessert, meal, or snack during the day. If you fast with children, talk with them about why you’re fasting and when you end, encourage them to share what they noticed.

Fast from devices for half a day on Saturday and feast on a board game, an outdoor walk, or time in books.

•• PRACTICE FOR FAMILIES New Person 78

I didn't grow up in a church where we talked about fasting outside of what we were ''giving up'' for Lent. Nor did I understand it or see why anyone would fast, particularly from food. I remember the ﬁrst time I encountered someone who was fasting. A friend asked me to lunch. After arriving at the restaurant and ordering my food, he told the waitress that he was "fasting all day and wasn't eating to remain pure." At that moment, I decided that fasting was ridiculous and clearly the spiritual practice reserved for people who enjoyed ﬂexing their superior obedience muscles. No, thank you. You can keep fasting, and I'll keep my steak quesadillas. Win-win. Thankfully, I've learned over the years that there is a di erence between the principle God commands us to follow and how Christians sometimes practice it. I fast now. I fast from certain meals, from social media, and from my phone. And while fasting is a muscle I'm still learning to use, I can tell you this: outside of reading Scripture, nothing else has 79

-R.D. McClenagan 80

While it can be a hard practice to begin and stick with, you can grow these muscles over time. Be the person who says: "ENOUGH! Enough of all the consumption and noise. I'm desperate to hear from the Lord and willing to allow a physical hunger to help me hear from Him." I can promise you that there is a breakthrough on the other side of fasting. I have experienced it time and again.

And don't forget to break every fast with a feast. In retrospect, that might be the best time to invite someone to lunch!

heightened my experience of God's presence and power in my life like fasting. Nothing. I have heard the Lord speak to me with vividness and clarity during a fast, particularly a food fast, that I have not heard at any other time.

Fasting is this beautiful and ancient practice of resisting our modern culture of rampant consumption. I encourage you to give it a try.

JOURNAL 81

“...they devoted themselves to the breaking of bread...”

NEW FAMILY That you would belong to and share life with others in the new family of Jesus.

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

TRUTH

Acts 2:42-47

When God said that it was not good for Adam to be alone, He did so knowing that to reflect the image and beauty of the triune God fully, Adam must share life with another human. So, God created Eve to partner with Adam and reflect the image and beauty of God more fully in the Whengarden.Adam and Eve rebelled against God, it plunged them into death and created conflict and brokenness in how they relate to each other. This brokenness trickles down the bloodline of their family and ours.

God is with us. From the Garden of Genesis 1 to the Garden City of Revelation 21, the overarching theme of the entire biblical storyline is that God longs to dwell with us. With us. In the beginning, God. Here is where we must begin, even further back than the creation account of Genesis 1 and 2, to the triune God Himself, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit.

Three distinct persons, one God. It is, indeed, a mystery, but it is who God has revealed Himself to be. This is the “us” found in Genesis 1:26 when God proclaims, “Let us make humanity in our image, after our likeness.”

The implications of God being three persons in one being are massive. It means that we cannot fully reflect the image of God as a solitary individual. We're created by a God who lives in community with the Son and the Spirit.

But God does not simply allow the generations after Adam and Eve, our first family, to be forever pulled apart by their sin and trapped in their exile to God and each other. He promises to bring an end to exile through another family, the family of Abraham and Sarah. The Old Testament New Family 88

Jesus established the church, a community of His disciples who declare “Jesus is Lord” and who follow His command to love each other in the way of Jesus and to live their lives for the sake of others. This is the new family of God. And it is the family of which you are a part.

recounts the story of this family and the people of Israel, a community of called-out people who are to worship Yahweh alone, their Creator and Redeemer. This community is called to be holy, set apart, and live with God and each other differently from all the other nations.

Jesus calls men and women to follow Him, and His disciples companion with Him for three years. Jesus not only teaches them, but He also lives life deeply with them. They are always together! He teaches them about the kingdom of God, showing them what it looks like to live in the Kingdom of God with others.

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Family

God indeed works through many individuals throughout this story, but it is always in the larger context of a people.

The genealogies of Matthew and Luke show us that Jesus is born in the family line of Abraham and Sarah. He came through this broken and sinful family to bring redemption and renewal to this family and to start a whole new family.

We are called to share the Gospel, the good news of Jesus. In sharing the good news of Jesus, we are also invited to share what the Gospel has done and is doing in our lives. Paul states this powerfully in His letter to the family of Jesus in Thessaloniki.

Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus, writes in 1 Peter 2:9-10, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Thessalonians 2:8

What a vision Peter paints of our reality as God’s chosen people, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation!

We are the body of Christ, and each of us has a role to play in the spiritual formation of others. God can and does form us as we practice studying the Scriptures or prayer, but the deeper layers of formation happen when we share our lives with others.

“So, being a ectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the Gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.”

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“The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.” Psalm 145:18 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 1.PRAYER 92

PRAYING WITH OTHERS Prayers

You can pray with others through any of the prayer templates outlined in the New Person section. Two ways to specifically pray when you gather with others: of confession and repentance Praying for the needs of those you're with • •

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Scripture reminds us that there is a unique power in pursuing God communally: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Likewise, James tells us that confession to our spiritual community brings about healing that we will not experience alone (James 5:16). Communal prayer offers the opportunity for rich encounters with God. Communal prayer also honors our relational design, providing gateways to deep relationships with our spouse, close friends, children, and other members of our spiritual community that is only made possible through the Spirit and a unified purpose (“Thy Kingdom come”).

One of the ways I have learned about prayer is by living a life of prayer over a very long period. As you do, you begin to see patterns in yourself, how you walk with God, and how He walks with you.

I remember once praying for my daughter. It was a prayer for God to give her favor in a crucial area of her life. It was important to her. It was important to me. It was something I thought mattered in her life. And so, I prayed diligently. And the answer to the prayer was beyond what I had expected. I was blown away at how my prayer had been a part of her journey. A few years later, my youngest son was also in a time in a season when I was praying very speciﬁ cally for him. It was also vital to him and the trajec tory of his life. However, it went very di erently at one point than I thought it would. It appeared that God had not heard my prayer, ignored it, or pressed against it with a di erent answer than I expected. So, my expectations once more were blown away. I've come to see both cases as loving acts of God. Each was a part of the redemptive story He was 95

telling in their lives. And so, one of the things I have learned about prayer is to remind myself that I am not primarily approaching God requesting that He a rm my agenda. Instead, I'm approaching God to participate with Him and His redemptive story in their lives. And my prayer allows me to bring my whole heart, even expectations that might be unmet and even expectations that are inaccurate. They're all a part of the conversation. I genuinely say to God, "This is how I want this to go. This is what I think and believe to be true." And in doing so, I allow myself to be more vulnera ble, to begin to experience how He sees things and what He does. It doesn't eliminate the sting of when prayer is not answered the way I think it should be, nor does it diminish the celebration when it's answered the way I just hoped it would be. Instead, it reminds me that this prayer is my way of participating in His redemptive story as it unfolds in the lives of the people I love and the world in which I live.

-Rick Dunn

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“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own ﬂesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.”

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“Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.”

Isaiah 58:6-8

Peter 4:8-9

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In the book of Genesis, God created a home for Adam and Eve. In Joshua, the 12 spies sent to scope out the Promised Land received shelter from Rahab. And in 1 Kings, Elijah received a cake of bread from the starving widow at Zarephath. In the New Testament, Jesus modeled hospitality when He turned water into wine at Cana, multiplied fish and bread for the multitudes on the hillsides of Galilee, and cooked breakfast on the beach for His disciples after the resurrection.

The Scriptures are packed with stories of hospitality.

The practice of hospitality—welcoming and embracing others as part of God’s family—has profound implications for the body of Christ. As we journey alongside others toward Christlikeness, we proclaim Jesus to the world. And, amid increasing isolation and loneliness, the practice of hospitality preaches the Gospel, forging hope-filled communities that declare our unity despite our differences.

“This is what I want you to do: I want you to tell someone you love them, and dinner is at six. I want you to throw open your front door and welcome the people you love into the inevitable mess with hugs and laughter. Gather the people you love around your table and feed them with love, honesty, and creativity. Come to the table.”

-Shauna Niequist, author of Bread and Wine PRACTICE New Family

Think about a time you’ve received hospitality. It could be a friend opening their home while you were traveling, an invitation to a cup of co ee, or receiving a text that reads, “Firing up the grill! Bring over whatever you’ve got.” What about these encounters was memorable to you? What would you want to emulate?

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Then, start simple. Invite someone over for lunch after church. Do you have a friend who isn’t feeling well? Make a double batch of whatever you’re having for dinner and drop it o at their home. Make time to ﬁgure out your hospitality style. It may take some practice, but a good guideline is, “What brings me joy?” Notice when comparison or striving enter your practice of hospitality and return to Christ’s side. New

Biblical hospitality centers around servanthood, not social media. It’s the posture of your heart, not the size of your home. It’s less “Here I am” and more “There you are!” And while inviting people into your home is powerful, inviting them into your life is the point.

We tend to think of hospitality as something to be done by those gifted at it. Layer on the influences of Martha Stewart and social media—where everything has been perfected down to the lighting—and many of us begin wrestling with low-level anxiety at the mere thought of inviting others into our homes.

That means if the thought of a curated group of people and a lavishly decorated table brings joy, go for it! Or, if the phrase “the more, the merrier!” accompanied by paper plates balanced on laps works for you, that’s perfect too.

It becomes important then to remember that, like everything else in our lives, hospitality is a work of the Spirit. And where the Spirit is, there is freedom.

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Hospitality doesn’t always have to take place in your home. It can take the form of running errands for a house-bound neighbor, babysitting for a couple in need of a date night, or shipping a snack box to a student cramming for an exam. In a nutshell, hospitality is serving others.

Jesus’ encouragement to become like a child is incredibly helpful when practicing hospitality. Children naturally make space for others, thrive in simplicity, and are generous in what they offer. They have a natural curiosity, a willingness to try new things, and are blissfully unhindered by what others think. (Sounds incredible, doesn’t it?)

PRACTICE FOR FAMILIES New Family 103

O ering someone hospitality can be as simple as chocolate chip cookies. Invite children to make big batches of dough with you. Then, scoop them out and freeze them in freezer bags. When someone drops in, have your kids help preheat the oven and put cookies on trays for baking.

Have an extra room? Invite an international student from the church or university to stay with your over Christmas Invitebreak.someone out to lunch after church. Better yet, bring a picnic lunch to church and join others in the café or courtyard after the morning service.

Walking through this village, I met a woman with a little child running around with one tattered old shirt on but nothing else. She lived in a small home with a wood ﬂoor and invited Teresa and me in for a drink of water from a stainless-steel cup. It was genuinely all she could o er.

The second: Bosnia Herzegovina after the brutal civil war that broke up the country of Yugoslavia. I met a gypsy family living in a shipping container, ostracized for their ethnicity as Roma. That afternoon, they brought out packaged store-bought cookies and Coca-Cola and o ered them to our group. It was another instance where I knew this was delicacy; the height of what they could extend to us. In both these moments, I've never experienced more lavish hospitality. Here, in West Knoxville, I o er hospitality in my home out of all I have. But a stainless-steel cup in Southeast Asia and a shipping container in Bosnia remind me that the posture of our hearts matters far more than our resources.-Rick Dunn 104

Anytime I hear the word hospitality, I think of two Theplaces.ﬁrst:

An impoverished village in Southeast Asia located in a communist country. Here, a tribe is relegated to the worst of the worst places to live. Cut o from the ability to grow crops, they can barely survive, much less build a future.

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“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” 10:24-25

31:12-13

Hebrews

“Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to Deuteronomypossess.”

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The church, ekklesia in Greek, means "called out ones." In the early church, people gathered in homes to sing, pray, read Scripture, and partake in the bread and cup together.

God's heart has always been to gather people together.

During His time on earth, Jesus was regularly in the Lukesynagogue.4:16states, "He went up to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day He went into the synagogue, as was His custom."

Many churches still gather together in homes worldwide, particularly in Asia and Africa. In the West, however, there has been a growing (and largely helpful) desire to "The church's task is to learn to keep our eyes peeled for how God is at work. We gather each week, watching for the coming king. And with the earnestness of the Audubon Society (bird watchers), we look for the quiet, overlooked glory in our midst, for God's perplexing yet healing presence in the world. We watch for glimpses of the redemption to come, even now. Through prayer, through gathered worship, through the Scriptures and sacraments, we train our eyes to notice the light in the-Tishdarkness.”Warren author of Prayer in the Night New Family 109

The four words at the end of verse 16 highlight Jesus' practice of going to synagogue and gathering with those worshiping God.

The gathering of the body weekly goes against our individualistic culture and is one of the most formative practices in which we can partake. God can and does speak through podcasts, streamed Sunday services, and all kinds of digital content, but there is no substitute for being with people in the flesh.

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It can often feel like the most mundane of practices: to rise early on a Sunday and go to church when most of the world is sleeping (or brunching). But it is in its seeming ordinariness we are reminded we are in a sacred place, with holy people, allowing the living God to form us again into the image of His Son.

see the church as not simply a building or a service but as a regular gathering of God's people in one place.

Gathering is vital as God prepares to scatter us into a lost world. Every Sunday, when we gather and sing songs, hear the Word proclaimed, pray, take part in communion, corporately confess and repent from sin, we're strengthened in faith and reminded we're not alone. This truly is a new family.

• Sit together with your family during a service. Afterward, spend time talking through di erent elements of the service. PRACTICE FOR FAMILIES • • Make it a priority to gather on Sundays with your spiritual community. Seek to serve at least once a month in some capacity during the gathering of the body. PRACTICE New Family 111

It's not good, however, when it strengthens my rebellion. While I may be tempted to think of it as "freedom," the lion thinks of it as "lunch."

In 1st Peter, Peter calls the devil a "roaring lion" prowling around looking for someone to devour.

I've always loved that description because, well, lions don't roar when they are hunting. They are ambush hunters, waiting until a perfect moment presents itself. It would be a terrible metaphor if not for Paul's description of the Enemy's plans as being knowable and capable of being resisted. So, the question becomes, "What is a lion's best weapon and the easiest way for me to avoid it? The answer? Don't be alone.

The Bible goes overboard about not being alone. Adam wasn't right until he had Eve. Moses wasn't right until he had Aaron. Jesus didn't walk around by Himself; He took 12 guys everywhere with Him.

But we love solitude. Not because we like being alone, necessarily. We want it our way, and it's easier to get our way when we are alone (or at least with people who won't ask questions!). We don't want people asking us why we think something is okay when Scripture thinks it isn't. That's why the Bible is so insistent on not doing Christianity alone. Be in a church to worship together. Be in a group to go deeper together. Serve. Meet. (It's killing this introvert to write these things, but I've learned the lesson the hard way.)

Don't get me wrong. Solitude is good when I'm thinking about the Lord, the truth in my heart about where I'm wrong, or the conversation I need to have with someone with whom I'm in conﬂict.

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-Greg Pinkner

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“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love he will no longer rebuke you but will rejoice over you with Zephaniahsinging.” 3:17

"But the father said to his servants, 'Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.' And they began to Lukecelebrate.”15:23-24 4.CELEBRATION

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Joy has always been at the very heart of the triune God. As C.S. Lewis wrote, "Joy is the serious business of heaven."

We need more joy in our world. More wonder. More awe. More marveling. And the people of God should be the bringers of these things. The joy-bringers, the party people. How can we not be? Look at all we have to celebrate! Look at Who we are invited to celebrate!

When the younger prodigal son squanders all of his inheritance in a far-off country and finds himself eating with the pigs, he decides to return to his father. Filled with shame, guilt, and regret, he tries to hire himself out to his father to work as a hired hand, hoping that perhaps he might have some crumbs to eat with the wages he might Butreceive.his father throws him an extravagant party, honoring him and inviting the whole household (elder brother prodigal included) to celebrate. We need more fathers like that. We need more churches like that. We celebrate what brings us joy. Because our joy is based on God—who He is, what He is doing, and what He has promised to do—we should celebrate deeply and often. In the beginning, there was joy.

Joy and celebration don't arise out of pretending everything is actually happy and wonderful all the time. No, not at all. True joy and celebration arise from seeing the world as it is, in all its brokenness and bleakness, and singing hallelujah anyway - that's the battle! How can we do that? New Family 117

Because our Lord still reigns. And He is still good. And He still prepares a table before us in the presence of our Becauseenemies.greater is He that lives in us than he who lives in this world!

The heart of celebration is the very heart of God. While we are called to weep and lament the brokenness and suffering that fills our world, 1 Thessalonians 5:16 calls us to "rejoice always." God loves a great party. The first thing we'll do in the New Heaven and New Earth is feast at a wedding. When our joy is complete, and we come home, at last, another Father will be running toward us—our eternal Father—with a robe and ring and an invitation: "Come and eat!"

Why? Because you were lost, and now you are found. You were dead, and now you are alive! There is much to celebrate.

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PRACTICE

Take a friend, spouse, parent, or child out for a day or a night (or both!) and celebrate them well! Make much of what you choose to ﬁll your time. Make a "joy" playlist and share it with your community (bonus points if Pharrell's "Happy" is included). Look up every instance in Scripture where the word "rejoice" is written. Spend time picking out several of those verses and meditating on them. Get outside! Enjoy the Lord through His Hostcreation.or join a group of friends in making a piece of art. Listen to a piece of music that brings deep joy to your heart. Watch a ﬁlm that makes you laugh a lot. Celebrate through taking communion with your spiritual community.

We hope that the practice of celebration will be one you return to again and again. At its heart, celebration gives tangible expression to the joy of the Lord within us.

Throw a great party for your neighbors, just because!

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Take your friends or family on a day of adventure to make memories. Make it a day where you'll laugh and smile a lot. (More bonus points: Capture the day with photos and videos and go through them all before you go to bed, reliving the day before it is past). PRACTICE FOR FAMILIES New Family 120

One of the most complex parts of the COVID-19 pandemic was the inability of people to be near each other, to be with each other. We know this intuitively, but we experienced it viscerally in 2020 especially—that we lose so much when we cannot be with each other.

But even during the darkest days of COVID-19, people sought to cultivate joy and celebration with others, even if it looked di erent.

One of my favorite memories of seeing joy lived out right amid separation, grief, and loss was celebrating our friend Tracie's birthday.

While birthday party drive-bys became popular all over the country, Tracie's was the ﬁrst one I was a part of. Dozens of cars lined up bumper to bumper around the corner from her house. Each car was decked out with balloons, Happy Birthday letters, streamers, and a host of other things to 121

make the vehicles pop. People were wearing hats and playing songs, blasting music as they drove by the house. Everyone was ready to celebrate this person who meant so much to us as best we could! You still get to celebrate your birthday even during a pandemic. We got the green light to go, and as Tracie and her family stood in their front yard, car after car rolled by, singing "Happy Birthday." It was a true celebration, if ever there was one. There was so much joy in those moments. Amid a crippling season in our world, dozens of people chose to celebrate someone else as best they could. That morning marked my spirit deeply and reminded me again of the healing power of celebration. In the middle of hard, a little band of party animals celebrated with joy.

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-R.D. McClenagan

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“...as numerous as the stars...”

NEW MISSION That you would joyfully give up your life for the sake of others.

Matthew

TRUTH

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 28:19-20

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Third, the mandate orders that mankind subdue the earth. The word for subduing New Mission

Where else would we begin this final truth that God sends us on a new mission than in the book of Genesis?

Adam and Eve are blessed by God and then given a vocation, a purpose, and a mission from God. God does not simply create Adam and Eve and tell them to sit on the grass and stare at the earth, but to get their hands into the soil–to cultivate it, to grow life from it, and to see it grow in beauty and size. God commands Adam and Eve to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

This command is called the creation mandate: The purpose from which Adam and Eve and all people created in God's image are commanded to steward creation and live for WilliamGod.Edgar, professor of apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary, provides a brief summary of the creation mandate. "The mandate has three components, each of them related. First, and often least noticed, it is given through and because of the blessing of God (Gen. 1:28). Because of the divine blessing, it is appropriate to call it a covenant. Its purpose is, above all, to fulfill mankind's relationship with God as it was originally intended. Second, the commandment is to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth. The population was to increase and then fill the earth to discover its possibilities.

Most profoundly, God is calling His people to create a culture that reflects the attributes of God, His very heart. A culture that will nurture and order life so that it can flourish and thrive like a healthy ecosystem is supposed to Thedo.

“Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’”

God is calling His people to create a culture that reﬂects the attributes of God New Mission 131

creation mandate is not nullified by the fall of Genesis 3, nor can sin negate the purpose of God. God calls Abraham, blesses him, and promises that blessing will extend to all peoples through him.

(kabash) is not meant to be violent, but gentle. It is perhaps not coincidental that the three aspects of the mandate are reﬂected in our English word for "culture." Cult referring to worship is one derivative. Colonization, meaning to spread to other parts of the world, is another. And coulter means, literally, the cutting edge of the plow, or what we ordinarily call cultivation."

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As God called Abraham to go into all the earth, Jesus calls His disciples to go out into all the world.

Jesus gives His followers a mission, highlighted famously in the Great Commission: Jesus’s commission to His disciples echoes God’s commission to Adam and Eve.

The three components of the original creation mandate are still here in Jesus’ final command to His disciples, though now in the context of a call to make disciples of ChristJesus. is always present with His followers (Matthew 28:20). This is God’s blessing again to us. We are to move out towards others, to make disciples of all the nations

Israel–culminating in the birth of Jesus the Messiah.

“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’”

God blesses Abraham, as He did Adam and Eve. And through Abraham, God’s blessing will extend throughout the earth and through the generations of the people of

New

Matthew 28:18 Mission

Jesus says to His disciples in John 20:21 “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” It is crucial to notice the geographical movement here–there is a continual movement outward in the storyline of the Bible. The people of God are a people on the move, living on our tiptoes, asking God where He is sending us now.

New Mission

God is indeed present in every nook and cranny of the earth, but the manifestation of His presence is not experienced by all people yet. God invites you to move out and to move towards others with the good news of Jesus.

How to love people The threat of persecution faced by believers around the world Your role in the Kingdom.

(Matthew 28:19). This is God’s call to be fruitful and fill the earth yet again.

"As the Father has sent me, so I send you." To live sent, you must go! Walk across the street to visit with your neighbor. Drive across town and regularly invest in someone else's life. Tuck your passport into your backpack and board a plane to share His story. The act of going provides an immediate change in your perspective on:

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This is the mission to which Christ has called us: To seek the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven, to seek the renewal of broken people and broken places, to seek justice for the oppressed and marginalized, to make disciples of Jesus who joyfully give up their lives for the sake of others–to bless others with the blessing we've received from God Himself.

Rhythms of living that cultivate spiritual formation by living a new mission for the sake of others. NEWPRACTICESMISSION

“For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be o ered to my name, and a pure o ering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.”

1.MISSIONAL PRAYER 137

Malachi 1:11 “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” 3:15

1 Peter

Pray for those closest to you. Pray for your neighbors and neighborhood. Pray for those who are spiritually lost. Pray for justice and mercy to roll down in all places. Pray for the persecuted church. Pray for unreached people.

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Read missionary biographies written for children. Ask our mobilization department to connect you with one of our missionaries. Correspond with them regularly to determine how to pray for their current Inviteneeds.people for other countries into your home and life. Start with international students at UT.

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The Gospel of Jesus is for every nation, tongue, and tribe. We also wholeheartedly recommend “Operation World,” a global prayer handbook, as a resource to guide your Thepraying.Lord has invited us to pray for ourselves and our inner renewal and pray for the sake of others. The heart behind missional prayer is prayer that is directed towards others.

PRACTICEPRACTICEFORFAMILIES

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2 Corinthians

“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all su ciency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” 9:6-8

“It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his a airs with justice.” 112:5

Psalm

A posture of glad generosity should characterize the people of Jesus, not stinginess or withholding. We know that God has provided for us and will continue to provide for us. With this assurance, we can freely give what God has entrusted to us. We are stewards, not owners. Practicing generosity reinforces this truth and shapes our posture towards “What do you have that you did not receive?”

1 Corinthians 4:7 New Mission 143

The practice of generosity is a response to God’s generosity towards us. Everything we have is given to us as good gifts from God our Father. Paul underscores this when he writes to the church in Corinth,

When we practice generosity, we are walking in the way of Jesus, who gave His life for us. The entire character of His life on earth was one marked by generosity. He modeled it as a way that we should live as well.

The generosity of finances is central to the practice of generosity. Money, of course, can lead to deformation rather than formation; it can lead us away from the way of Jesus and into the way of this world. Money itself and what money can buy can latch its tentacles into our hearts in a way that controls us. We must resist this through the practice of Generosity—joyfullygenerosity.giving our hearts and our time, talents, and resources for the sake of others—can break the power of consumption.

New Mission 144

everything we have. As we steward well what God has given us for His glory and the good of others, we experience freedom and joy.

In Paul’s final warning to the elders at the church in Ephesus—the church where Paul spent the most time and in which he invested the most deeply—he leaves them with one final truth to shape the culture of their hearts: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” You can build a life and a church on that practice.

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TIME: Your time is your life. In an age of busyness, practicing generosity with your time is countercultural. Is there a speciﬁc group of people God has placed in your heart? Ask God to show you ways to spend time serving the vulnerable--single moms, youth, widows, or refugees.

Generosity encompasses all of who we are: our time, talents, and treasure. The practice of generosity will look different from one person to the next. The point is not to be prescriptive but to encourage you to look toward Christ, allowing Him to shape how you practice generosity.

PRACTICE New Mission 145

TREASURE: Jim Elliot once remarked, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep in order to gain what he cannot lose.” The practice of Communion on Sunday—with everyone taking a small piece so that there’s enough to go around—can carry over to Monday! Look through your home and assess what you could share with others. Look at what you’ve given ﬁnancially over the past years and ask God to speak into your giving.

TALENTS: How God has gifted you uniquely—singing, construction, administration—is not just for yourself but for the beneﬁt of others. Ask God to show you how you can share your unique gifts with others. That might look like tutoring kids who’ve fallen behind during the pandemic, o ering legal assistance pro-bono or helping to build a wheelchair ramp for someone in need.

Place any money saved in a jar in a prominent place in your home. At the end of the month, let children choose how to provide for the needs of others with the saved money. Get together with friends and volunteer at Isaiah House.

Cook a batch of freezer meals for foster parents and drop them o at their home. (Alternately, drop o cheese pizzas at mealtime on a school night.)

Talk with children about the di erence between “wants” and “needs.” As “wants” come up during the month, give them the opportunity to save the money rather than spend it.

••• PRACTICE FOR FAMILIES New Mission 146

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Proverbs 11:25 states, "Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered." That is a beautiful description of true generosity—one who brings blessing. That was my dad. He brought blessing into this world, into the lives of so many people, and few received more of his blessing than me. You can only freely bless others if you have ﬁrst received blessing yourself. My Dad would always talk about how blessed he was by the Lord and how thankful he was for all the Lord had provided for him. It was out of this posture—of humbly and gladly receiving the blessing of God and respond ing in gratitude to God that he could so freely bless others. My Dad knew he was not an owner but a steward—entrusted by the Lord to steward his time, words, and resources for the sake of Heothers.lived from the blessing of the Lord and blessed others in the name of the Lord. Here’s the thing: You either live for blessing or from blessing.

The most generous man I ever knew was my father. At his funeral, person after person shared his generosity—of time, words, and resources.

To live from blessing is to live in deep security.

Fear and anxiety grip me and ask, "How can I?"

I will confess there are many days that I look at my time, words, and resources, and my ﬁrst instinct is to hoard, conserve, and withhold.

To live for blessing is to live out of insecurity.

When you live from blessing, you are Ebenezer Scrooge on Christmas Morning—marked by joy, peace, gratitude, and radiant generosity, seeking to give more and more.

Then I think of my Heavenly Father and my earthly one, and another question rises within my heart: “How can I not?”

Thank you, Dad, for always asking the latter ques tion. And for modeling it for so many.-R.D.

When you live for blessing, you are Ebenezer Scrooge on Christmas Eve—marked by joyless ness, anxiety, selﬁshness, and seeking to accrue more and more.

I want to be a Christmas morning person. I need more of the Holy Spirit for that.

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McClenagan

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“He has showed you, O people, what is good. what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in Ephesiansthem.”

Micah 6:8

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And

Thejustice.Bible further testifies that the recipients of justice are all, without any reservation. The common understanding of the Bible is that Jesus only went to the poor, the powerless, to the orphan and widow. This is not so. He deeply understood the desperation of those groups and opposed those that would deny them justice, but He also met with royal officials, politically powerful members of the Jewish Senate, and Roman centurions who were active in the suppression of the Jewish populace, even chastising the Jewish listeners around Him that the To say justice is only for some and not others is to say that injustice is right.

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Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous quote of “Until justice roles like water and righteousness like a mighty stream” is a quotation from Amos 5:22, God telling ancient Israel to stop singing songs and giving sacrifices to Him if they are unwilling to press into their world and seek goodness and

The text of the Bible is filled with numerous references to justice and doing good. More than 130 are found, admonishing the pursuit of justice, its application, and the consequences for perverting it. Many passages testify to God’s love for justice. Psalm 11:7 says: “For the LORD is righteous, He loves justice; upright men will see his face” and Psalm 36:5-7 reads: “Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep…Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.”

centurion had the greatest faith in Israel. He told parables of the rich using their privilege to do good and also of the poor with only their faith to keep them warm. To say justice is only for some and not for others is to say that injustice is right. Not only is God’s desire for justice on display throughout the Scriptures, but He also charges His people with its administration in Isaiah 117: “Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.”

We must, however, never define justice in any way other than what the Bible prescribes. While voices in the world might be talking about justice and goodness and we find ourselves nodding along, we must guard ourselves from things that might sound like justice but are only ways of shifting Followinginjustice.Histesting

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in the wilderness, Jesus returned to Galilee in Luke 4. Entering the town of Nazareth, He walked into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling it, He read: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

After finishing His reading, He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the temple attendant, and sat down as a hush fell over those listening. Breaking the silence of the synagogue, He declared, “Today, this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” The Messiah has come. With one sentence, Jesus firmly aligned Himself with the work of justice and reconciliation, not only spiritually with the news of the Gospel but also by calling out the injustices He saw. He calls us as His representatives to do the same.

What would it look like for the church, empowered by the Spirit, to love the world well? To be shaped by Christ’s example to become a spiritual community that extends His love, justice, and righteousness into places of Thisinjustice?isthe Gospel. This is Good News! This is the message of His Kingdom! PRACTICE

Jesus’ life has profound implications for the way Christians live. As the body of Christ, we are called to identify with those whom Jesus identifies. This includes the poor and needy, widows and the fatherless, marginalized communities, and those being oppressed by bad laws and misrepresentations. Such injustices supress the glory of God.

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“Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.”

Often, the best place to begin is with self-examination. The Psalmist writes: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any o ensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24) Begin by simply asking God to reveal any places in you that impede His work of justice.

Then, move toward confession, repentance, and forgiveness. Confession is agreeing with God that you’ve missed the mark, and repentance is the process of moving from unloving to loving actions. The Book of Common Prayer provides a helpful prayer: Mission 156

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A word of caution: Doing justice flows from an inner work to an outer work. Beware of the tendency to try to intervene in situations or to reform systems and organizations before you’ve been formed in Christlikeness.

Doing justice can also extend outward to your community. Look for opportunities to feed the hungry and sit on the boards of underserved schools and civic organizations. Ask God to give you eyes to see people who are neglected and marginalized because of their race, social status, age, or gender.

•• PRACTICE FOR FAMILIES New Mission 157

Pray! Pray when an injustice is being done and you see it. And then, move forward as the prophet Jeremiah did, and “seek the peace of your city.”

Part-grief, part-hope, lament is how we take on and hold space for our pain and the pain of others before a God who is infinitely interested in His people. In his book, “Adopted for Life,” Dr. Russell Moore describes a trip he took to a Russian orphanage when he and his wife were planning to adopt. Expecting to hear crying babies, he instead heard silence. The babies weren’t silent because they didn’t need anything; they were silent because they’d learned no one cared enough to answer. Children cry when they are confident of the love of a caregiver. For Christians, lament provides an opportunity to sit with God in pain, secure in His care over us.

One of my favorite moments with him was when we went to a small Christian college campus that was exclusively white at the time. He began his time speaking to students by saying, "Today I can speak so that you like me, or I can tell you the truth." And then I watched him tell the truth about the need for racial reconciliation, equality, and justice in America with humility and grace. Perkins is 90 years-old and continues to advocate for justice, particularly in marginalized and impoverished Black communities of America. The model of Christian community development came from the heart and life of John Perkins. We see this evidenced in how Wayne Gordon labors in the Lawndale community of Chicago and at Emerald Youth Foundation in our community. I learned from Perkins that justice requires being connected to Jesus ﬁrst. Then comes the need to posses strength, courage, simplicity, humility, vulnerability, and often the willingness to su-Ricker.

It wasn't long before he was convicted by the Spirit of God to forgive and now works tirelessly to bring white and Black communities together. He ﬁnds his calling in the words of the prophet Amos: "Let justice roll down like mighty waters."

I once had the privilege to spend the day with John Perkins, a hero of the faith. Perkins, a Black man who grew up in the South, watched his brother murdered by whites. Witnessing the depth of racial hatred ﬁrsthand, he struggled to accept, love, and value white people.

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“And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” 12:3 “And Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation.” 16:15

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Jesus speaks to His disciples in multiple environments about the need to proclaim and tell the Gospel, to let others know about the good news. This is our invitation from Jesus as well, to proclaim the Gospel to all people. This means talking with people about Jesus and sharing how Jesus has transformed and is transforming our lives. Our faith is not intended to be private or a secret but to be lived publicly in front of others.

The Gospel is good news. It is good news that is meant to be shared with others. You cannot “keep” the Gospel for yourself; it is meant to be given away to all peoples.

If you have seen the Grand Canyon or a beautiful sunset on the beach, your desire is not to keep quiet about it but to share with anyone how amazing it was. Those things that we find most beautiful are the very things we want others to experience as well. So, it should be with the most beautiful person of all—Jesus. We should desire to share who He is with others and who He is to us in ways that resonate with them. This is our invitation from Jesus as well, to proclaim the Gospel to all people.

Deﬁne the Gospel. What is the Gospel? The Gospel is not your experience, it is the truth of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ and the reconciliation of all things through Him. Of course, our lives are bound up endlessly in that story, but it is not primarily about us but about God. Anchor yourself in the true story of the Gospel and be able to share the message of the Gospel accurately with others. Couple this practice with the practice of Scripture reading and spend time reading through one of the Gospels regularly. Share your story. What is your testimony? What is the story of God’s salvation in your life? Spend time rehearsing this story and seeing new ways that God’s grace has reshaped your story. Share your story with a close friend and then learn to articulate your testimony. You can couple this practice with the practice of hospitality and share your story and the Gospel as you eat a meal together.

Generosity encompasses all of who we are – our time, talents, and treasure. The practice of generosity will look different from one person to the next. The point is not to be prescriptive but to encourage you to look toward Christ, allowing Him to shape how you practice generosity.

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PRACTICE New Mission 164

Pray for boldness. Share the Gospel with the people God has placed around you. This doesn’t mean continually showering them with the facts of the Gospel every day until they repent and believe. Pray for wisdom to know how the Gospel can land on a person’s heart. God has placed you in a community of people (from your work to your neighborhood, to your kid’s sporting teams, etc.…) for a very speciﬁc reason-- you can engage and reach people in a way someone else does not.

Share the Gospel around the dinner table with friend or family groups. Spend part of a meal highlighting how the Gospel is currently shaping Ifyou.you have very young kids, regularly recite the truth of the Gospel to your kids and yourself as parents.

Be aware of cultural currents. Sharing the Gospel in our cultural context can be very challenging. It is not as easy as declaring the Gospel and seeing everyone readily accept and believe it. Many factors in our culture make the Gospel seem like threatening news, repressive news, and not good news. While you are not required or even encouraged to become an expert on every cultural issue, you are called to be in the world and to engage the world well with the Gospel. Understanding people, learning their stories, their worldviews, and then sharing how the Gospel speaks in those places is an essential practice in sharing the Gospel.

• We are commanded to share the Gospel with others, but it is God who saves. We cannot save anyone by our power. The pressure is off. God has sent us into the world to proclaim the good news in word and deed, but it is God alone who saves; rest in that.

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It requires you to be open and acknowledge the possibility that there's something about Him that is not only deeply attractive but also eternally meaningful and transformative.

It requires both humanity and humility, learning and unlearning. But in knowing Jesus, I feel I have the greatest opportunity to invite others into the Gospel.

Over the years, I've concluded that my most e ective conversations about the Gospel were not when I thought of sharing the Gospel as telling someone what they should I'mbelieve.notminimizing

the importance of that moment when you say to people, "This is what the Gospel means. This is what it means to know Jesus. This is what it means to be saved." That's a sacred and necessary component of sharing the Gospel. But for me, the starting part of sharing the Gospel is learning who Jesus is myself and understanding how the Gospel is daily shaping and forming me.

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Sometimes unlearning involves stepping back from inherited forms of religion that have more to do with getting someone somewhere rather than inviting them into a relationship you were already participating in on a profound level. I think the world can see the di erence. The opportunities I've had to share the Gospel have been most powerful when I've just invited someone to learn Jesus with me. I can't take responsibility for whether or not they say yes, or whether or not they're willing to learn - that's the work of the Holy Spirit. My work is humbly sharing the Gospel by o ering people a glimpse into my life with Jesus—with all its brokenness and ﬂaws—and what I'm learning and unlearning about Him.

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God is working in us, transforming us into the image of His Son by the work of the Holy Spirit.

And true. Spiritual formation is a long game and cannot be rushed. Impatience is a fruit of the flesh, but patience is a fruit of the Spirit. We need patience to trust the long redemptive work of God in our lives.

He is doing this work every single day. How incredible! It is our work to continue putting our whole selves before Him and make ourselves available to Him as we seek His presence. Do not lose heart in the day-to-day. Do not grow weary of doing good. Do not succumb to despair when apathy or discouragement begins to root in your soul.

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CONCLUSION

C.S. Lewis reportedly said, "Isn't it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is Funnydifferent?"indeed.

Keep walking. Keep praying. Keep seeking. Keep abiding. Keep hoping. Keep knocking. Keep trusting. Keep going. God is with you, and God is for you.

He is committed to what He began in you. He will do it. If you were to look at your child every single hour of every single day, you could never see them grow. It would be impossible to detect. But what is the first thing someone says when they haven't seen a child for several "My,months?how you have grown!" Day by day, it can often feel as though nothing is changing and that you are not growing into greater Christlikeness. But if you consistently follow Him, you can rest in the assurance that growth is happening. And as you seek the risen Christ, you'll hear someone say: "My, how you have grown!"

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We pray grace and peace over your life in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. That you would know the truth and be set free. 173

The opening of The Trellis challenges us to assess "life's landscape soberly… [to] make room for the life of God to flourish." That's the goal: formation into the eternal life we received at salvation. Yet, many of us can't imagine another way than our current pace. Remember: Spiritual formation practices are, at their heart, countercultural.

There is power in being on this journey with others.

"Truth and practices are meant to be expressed with others. We cannot truly grow into Christlikeness without others. We cannot do it alone; we need a community of people to join us on this journey."

Everything in our life feels essential. Perhaps we need each other to find a better way—the Way of Jesus.

Walking through Trellis with your new family provides a unique opportunity to learn about the practices together and see each other's lives transformed. Remember: community is part of the Formation triangle. What better 175

USING THE TRELLIS IN YOUR SMALL GROUP

16 Weeks, Week by Week Your group can elect to study Trellis in 16 sessions, week-by-week. The 16 weeks include an introduction, the twelve practices, and a study of “New Person,” “New Family,” and “New Mission.” As you study each formation practice, make sure to practice. You will find that each section has a final question that points to “taking your next step of faith with Jesus.” Each person will likely have a different step, but make sure you don’t miss the primary goal: practice and being formed into the image of Christ… together. HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

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way to experience the necessity of community than pursuing formation in community. Because the world consistently deforms us, we aren't great at assessing our priorities alone. Invite honesty as you consider your current rhythms of life. Perhaps your side hustle isn't leaving space for your greatest goal: formation into Christ's image. Or maybe it's screen time. Remember:

"Since the world is continually working to conform us to its patterns, we must participate with Christ in the work of being actively transformed." We cannot continue in our same patterns and expect different results. As you journey through Trellis, you may want to meet regularly in smaller groups to discuss your formation journey. We encourage you to prayerfully consider a few individuals to invite into your inner life who can help you see what you cannot need alone. Community forms us.

12-Month Supplemental Study - The Practices

You can also use this guide as a supplement to another study. Focus on one practice every month. You may find that the twelve-month pathway helps your group cultivate the practices in a sustained way. This will also allow you to align with “Trellis Nights” and the monthly focus found on the Trellis microsite.

As you start each gathering, pray for the Holy Spirit to do a new work in you. The Holy Spirit is at the center of the formation triangle. Jesus promised us a helper. He knew we would need His mighty wind and His fresh fire. Invite Him to form you. He is willing.177

Start each month reading about a new practice. Through out the month, ask: How is the practice forming you? Have you determined a sustainable rhythm? What’s going well? What’s challenging you? Remember: Trellis isn’t “another study.” It’s a guide to deep formation and a lifelong pursuit. The goal of the practices is to take you further up and further in throughout a lifetime. Because formation never ceases until we, with unveiled faces, see Him face to face. Going Deeper The Trellis has a microsite of additional resources to take you deeper into the practices. As you go through The Trellis as a group, pay attention to what’s stirring in you. Do any practices feel especially countercultural to your group? Consider hitting pause to go deeper together.

Formation takes time. Don’t rush when the Spirit moves. The Holy Spirit

“Deep formation into the likeness of Jesus requires a spiritual formation trellis based on a foundation of truth, coupled with spiritual practices lived out with others in community by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

“We are living in an unrepeatable moment in history… We cannot live in a time of uncertainty and extreme stress without spiritual disciplines to strengthen and fortify us.”

What stirred in you as you read this? (Perhaps you felt resistance based on past experiences when spiritual formation practices did not emphasize the heart of Jesus. Maybe you have never been introduced to formation practices and feel hopeful or confused.)

“Engaging in the practices alone is not the goal; the goal is Christlikeness, but the practices are the way we continually place our whole selves before God, shaping our lives around rhythms that keep us near the heart of Jesus.”

Do you feel the urgency of our time and the need to be strengthened? In what ways?

Consider what you learned about the formation triangle. What stood out to you? Does any part of the Formation Triangle seem underdeveloped in

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“The religious leaders during the ministry of Jesus professed many truths about God, but the truth did not possess them.”

•Preparewouldyou

•And that God might meet you in the areas you long to see His movement. your life? In what ways have you seen each part working together to form you into the image of Christ?

Pray for each other that the journey together with The Trellis for an unrepeatable moment •Form you into Christlikeness

Do you ever feel that the truth you possess does not possess you? What are some examples? How does that inform your view of spiritual practices? “God has more for you.” Tap into your longing for more. Jesus often asked this question of those He encountered: "What do you want me to do for you?" As you begin: What do you want God to do for you?

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“Out of the rubble of Eden comes the promise that God will send a Deliverer and King who will crush the power of the enemy and restore the image of God to His people.”

In this season, how have you seen God restoring the image of God in you? Are there ways you long to be restored in the future?

How does this way of thinking shape the way you view your story? Are there chapters of your story that need to be viewed in this light?

“To truly understand what it means that God has made you a new person in Christ, we need to see our new reality within the larger story of God’s eternal purpose to renew all things in Christ.”

When did you become a new person in Christ? How did He draw you unto Himself?

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“This is the Gospel. The great and good news that God has reconciled all things back to Himself through the blood of Jesus. Through Jesus Christ, we become new people.”

Pray 2 Timothy 3:17 over your life and for those in your group: “That the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Repentance isn’t only about salvation. As we learn to agree with God that His ways are good, we are transformed to further align with our identity as a New Person. Think over the past year. How has repentance transformed you?

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In what ways do you see the Kingdom advancing? How is He calling you, as a new person, to join Him in His work?

“Repentance—turning from sin to faith in Christ—makes us new people.”

“And here and now, the Kingdom of God continues to grow like a mustard seed.”

"If there is one practice to which you continually return, let it be that of reading Scripture."

"Scripture is a keystone habit for Believers."

"As you set aside time to read and meditate on the Word regularly, you'll encounter the One who authored it so that we might know and become more like Him."

4.2.1.3. GROUP GUIDE - WEEK 3

Which of the study methods appealed to you?

Many of us still need to grow in the discipline of reading Scripture. How would you evaluate your current practice of reading Scripture?

(Bonus: Do you already have a method for studying Scripture that works well for you? Tell the group about it.)

"Written by kings, shepherds, pastors, fishermen, and soldiers, these authors were inspired by the Holy Spirit to tell God's unfolding story throughout history as one unified story."

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What were key takeaways as you read about the practice of reading Scripture?

(Remember: Commit to a realistic step. Feel free to brainstorm this with members of your group to ensure you aren't setting yourself up to fail.)

Pray for each member of your group that Scripture might become even more precious to you. Scripture paints us a picture of a deer panting for water. Pray for a deep thirst to know God's Word and for the Holy Spirit to illuminate Scripture in new ways.

Take your next step of faith with Jesus. As we seek to practice the Way of Jesus, we forget that growth takes time. What's a realistic goal for growth in the practice of reading Scripture?

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Review the six-part overview of the Bible. Think of a central part of your story that feels confusing or di cult. How does knowing God's unfolding story help you reframe your own story?

“We are the body of Christ, and each of us has a role to play in the spiritual formation of others.”

What is your role in the body of Christ? Have you identiﬁed your spiritual gifts, areas to serve, or other roles? If not, consider asking your group to help you identify your spiritual gifts. (Note: if you are new to your group, your group may struggle to give you valuable input. This also applies if you attend a group but haven’t spent time serving or participating.)

“When God said that it was not good for Adam to be alone, He did so knowing that to reflect the image and beauty of the triune God fully, Adam must share life with another human.”

What did you learn about “the New Family of Jesus” that you did not previously know?

“That you would belong to and share life with others in the New Family of Jesus.”

God plus Adam was not good. We must love God ﬁrst. Yet, we also cannot live without other people. Have you ever felt guilty for needing God and others? Why or why not?

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Pray for one another that your identity would be formed in the reality of your New Family. You are a new person with a new Father and a new family.

Spend a moment reﬂecting: do you genuinely believe you are part of a new family? Do you operate as if your spiritual community is family?

“This is the new family of God. And it is the family of which you are a part.”

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Take Your Next Step of Faith with Jesus. You may have felt some discomfort as you’ve reﬂected on the realities of God’s family and your place in it. Perhaps the family of God still feels like a theoretical concept rather than a reality. Or, maybe you don’t give your life away to your New Family in a way that reﬂects that reality. What step of faith will you take?

Assess your relationship to prayer. How would you currently describe your prayer life? (Remember: grace characterizes our new life in Christ. As we speak honestly, we expose our lives to light, creating fertile ground for growth.)

“For anyone new to prayer, and as a reminder to those who've previously engaged in it, there are a few important truths about the practice of prayer…”

Which of the prayer method appealed to you? Which method felt less familiar or comfortable?

Review the four important truths about the practice of prayer. Which of the truths resonated most with you? Why?

“Jesus instructed people in Matthew 6:6, 'But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.'”

“You have the opportunity to boldly approach His throne (Hebrews 4:16), confident that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears you (1 John 5:14).”

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Maybe it feels a bit meta to pray about prayer. Feel free to laugh about it. Once you come back down, read Romans 8:26. The passage gives us a glimpse of the work of the Holy Spirit: He is interceding for us as we struggle and fail to pray "as we ought." He cares about our communication with God. We can trust Him. We can ask for His help and know He cares. Approach Him boldly and pray for one another to grow in the discipline of prayer.

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Have you experienced a similar season? What have you learned from such seasons?

“…There may be times when you feel your prayers are going nowhere. Rather than pulling back from prayer, press in.”

Take Your Next Step of Faith with Jesus. What practical step will you take as you lean into a deeper prayer life?

A theme of the Trellis is that we cannot simply know the truth. We must be formed by it. So, take a moment to reﬂect; ask God to help this truth sink

2.1.3. GROUP GUIDE - WEEK 6 Sabbath 189

As you read about the practice of Sabbath, what were a few key takeaways?

Think of a busy season in your life. In our western culture, each of us faces the temptation to view Sabbath as a practice for “when my life slows down.” Yet, Biblical Sabbath always requires trust: We practice Sabbath even when our schedules feel chaotic because Sabbath ﬂows from dependence on God. What arises in you as you consider this reality?

“Defined as a 24-hour period, Sabbath is a time to cease our orientation around work and reorient our lives around God.”

“God forms us as disciples as we walk in trust and obedience, imitating His rhythm of work and rest.”

“In resting, we acknowledge our dependence on God for all we have.”

Sabbath requires trust. It also pushes us to steward our time, so we wisely prepare to lean into a sacred day of rest. Pray for each other, trust, and wisdom. Above all, pray to be filled with joy. God gives good gifts, and Sabbath rest, to His children. in: the God of the universe had a rhythm of rest and work. In what ways does that challenge your rhythms? (Your rhythms? Your workplace? Your city?) “Stop, rest, delight, and contemplate.”

Did Pete Scazzero’s guide for Sabbath give you a new viewpoint of the practice? What did you envision before reading his guide, and how do you feel about practicing these four elements of Sabbath? Take Your Next Step of Faith with Jesus. As we’ve said, there is never a “good time” to practice the Sabbath. Sabbath is about trust. Accordingly, when will you begin this practice? What might your Sabbath look like? (Take time for “holy imagination.”)

PRAYER4.5. PROMPT 190

“Put plainly: In a day when we’re desperate for God’s voice, our lives are not structured to hear Him.” Does that statement characterize your current relationship with silence and solitude? Explain.

How do you feel as you consider incorporating a regular practice of silence and solitude?

“American philosopher Dallas Willard says this when writing: ‘Silence and solitude are the two most radical disciplines of the Christian life…But silence is frightening because it strips us as nothing else does, throwing us upon the stark realities of our life.’” How do those words land? In what ways do you see yourself in Dallas Willard’s statement? “While spending time in silence and solitude may be appealing to some, it isn’t to others.”

4.2.1.3. GROUP GUIDE - WEEK 7

Silence and Solitude

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What were your key takeaways as you read about the practice of silence and solitude?

Each of us experiences challenges regarding silence and solitude. Perhaps you crave too much of it but not to encounter God. Maybe you fear it. Each of us needs more of Him. Each of us can be formed more deeply. Pray for one another as you step into this practice. Take Your Next Step of Faith with Jesus. How will you commit to growing the muscle of silence and solitude moving forward? Remember: have grace for yourself and start small.PRAYER5. PROMPT

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For those who haven't fasted, have you caught the vision? If not, what questions do you have? 2.1.3.

What messages have you heard about fasting? Is fasting di erent than you imagined?

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Have any members of your group fasted before? How did fasting a ect their love for God and their Ifneighbor?yes,share a few takeaways. If not, what might have hindered that? (Remember: fasting is a practice. We get better at it as we go.)

”Fasting is an ancient Christian discipline to break the power of the flesh in our lives.”

“If we're honest, most of us choose not to fast. It's seen as extreme, ancient, weird, and legalistic."

Throughout the history of the church, especially the early church, fasting was practiced regularly. Why do you think modern churches have less experience with fasting?

“If your fasting practice doesn't result in a more profound love for God and your neighbor, you are likely missing the intention behind fasting.”

Take Your Next Step of Faith with Jesus. What small step of faith can you take in your journey with this discipline?

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“While fasting, you can and should be feasting on the Lord!”

Imagine fasting on a typical day. Maybe you're home with kids or hard at work in the o ce. How might you make time to feast on the Lord throughout a fast? How would you use your lunch break? Do you get other windows of time throughout the day?

We've said it many times: the practices are countercultural. Yet, they also invite us into the fullness of life. That can be hard to remember when considering abstaining from something. Pray for one another to have the courage to enter in, remember the goal (love of God and neighbor), and experience the fruit of fasting.

What about these encounters was memorable to you? What would you want to emulate?

What resonated with you from the practice of hospitality?

“Think about a time you’ve received hospitality. It could be a friend opening their home while you were traveling, an invitation to a cup of coffee, or receiving a text that reads, “Firing up the grill! Bring over whatever you’ve got.”

“The practice of hospitality—welcoming and embracing others as part of God’s family—has profound implications for the body of Christ.”

“We tend to think of hospitality as something to be done by those gifted at it.” Do you identify with that? Where does that idea originate? We often place an unnecessary burden on ourselves to cultivate a perfect environment for hospitality. What arises when you consider inviting people into your life?

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PRAYER5. PROMPT 196

Hospitality feels vulnerable in an Instagram society. Pray for one another that you would resist the curated nature of 21st-century life and boldly invite others into imperfect spaces. Pray for divine encounters (sharing the gospel, encouraging a sibling in Christ, celebration of life events, etc.).

Take Your Next Step of Faith with Jesus. Hospitality is about the posture of your heart, not the environment you curate. With that in mind, how might you practice hospitality in this season?

Do you see a tendency in our world to replace in-person gatherings? Do you see it in yourself? What do you think of this trend?

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As you read about the practice of gathering, what stood out?

“God can and does speak through podcasts, streamed Sunday services, and all kinds of digital content, but there is no substitute for being with people in the flesh.”

“Every Sunday, when we gather and sing songs, hear the Word proclaimed, pray, take part in communion, corporately confess and repent from sin, we're strengthened in faith and reminded we're not alone.”

Think of a recent gathering of believers that beneﬁtted your formation. What happened?

“Solitude is not good, however, when it strengthens my rebellion. While I may be tempted to think of it as 'freedom,' the lion thinks of it as 'lunch.'”

“Gathering is vital as God prepares to scatter us into a lost world.”

In our current culture of self-discovery, we’re quick to explain our social wirings. While this can help us better understand ourselves, we often fail to ask God how He might challenge us, stir us, or grow us. Pray for God to surprise you. Pray for Him to remove any barriers to gathering in your group members. Try to set aside your assumptions and ask boldly for His work in each life.

Think of a time when you were isolated from your community. How did that a ect you? (Your walk with Jesus? Your decision-making? Your emotions?)

Take Your Next Step of Faith with Jesus.

Take time for reﬂection. In what ways do you currently practice gathering? How might you go deeper?

PRAYER5. PROMPT 198

In what ways are you already aligned with God’s heart? In what ways do you feel disconnected from the practice of celebration?

“There is much to celebrate.”

“The heart of celebration is the very heart of God.”

“True joy and celebration arise from seeing the world as it is, in all its brokenness and bleakness, and singing hallelujah anyway - that's the battle!”

In what areas do you need to embrace joy amidst the brokenness of your life?

There is no better time than now to start practicing the muscle of celebration. Take a few minutes to reﬂect. Make a few notes. Then share with group: What are you celebrating? It could be spiritual victories or the joys of everyday life.

2.1.3.4. GROUP GUIDE - WEEK 11 Celebration 199

“Joy has always been at the very heart of the triune God. As C.S. Lewis wrote, ‘Joy is the serious business of heaven.’” Do you consider joy to be an essential part of your life as a child of God? What makes sense? What do you resist?

PRAYER5. PROMPT 200

Take Your Next Step of Faith with Jesus. How will you grow in this discipline? What tangible ways can you become a party person? Perhaps you start a gratitude journal. Maybe you need to dance more. Or maybe laughter feels shallow instead of the gift it is: a gateway to resilience. Whatever it is for you, enjoy it. He smiles on you.

As a group, share one sentence that explains what hinders you from celebrating. Pray for the person to your right, that God would free them to celebrate.

What has God given you to cultivate? Perhaps you're a designer. A mother. A friend. Maybe you don't enjoy your work, but you still do it well and invest deeply in your team. How does your ultimate purpose, stewarding creation and living for God, shape how you view and live out your mission?

“The purpose from which Adam and Eve and all people created in God's image are commanded to steward creation and live for God.”

“The people of God are a people on the move, living on our tiptoes, asking God where He is sending us now.”

Does this characterize the way you view your mission as a new person? Are you ﬂexible to the 2.1.3.

GROUP GUIDE - WEEK 12 New Mission 201

“Most profoundly, God is calling His people to create a culture that reflects the attributes of God.”

Did anything stand out to you as you learned about your new mission?

“God is indeed present in every nook and cranny of the earth, but the manifestation of His presence is not experienced by all people in every nook and cranny of the earth…yet. God invites you to move out and to move towards others with the good news of Jesus.”

PRAYER5.4. PROMPT 202

Earlier, you shared about what God gives you to cultivate. How does that align with your new mission, most importantly sharing the good news of Jesus?

We say it repeatedly: formation into Christ's image takes time. We see this evidenced in how we live our new mission. Ask: How do you long to grow in alignment with your new mission? Spend time in prayer for God to move in these areas. movement of the Spirit, or does that feel overwhelming? Too unpredictable?

How might you "lean in" to the reality that you have a new mission? Do you live as a new person on a new mission? Have you taken the time to evaluate your mission with God and your community? Are you stewarding your mission well? What step will you take?

Take Your Next Step of Faith with Jesus.

Revisit the categories under "practice." What stands out? (Perhaps the word "neighbor" jumps o the page. Maybe your heart beats for the persecuted church.)

Missional Prayer

What stood out to you about the practice of missional prayer?

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"The heart behind missional prayer is prayer that is directed towards others.”

“We have included a world map in the back of this book on pages 46 and 47 for you as your pray for different countries.”

“The Lord has invited us to pray for ourselves and our inner renewal and pray for the sake of others.” Missional prayer reminds us to engage in prayer and widen our scope of prayer. How would you deﬁne the "scope" of your prayer life currently? (Do you mostly pray for yourself? Your family? Your church community? Your city? Your world?)

“The heart behind missional prayer is prayer that is directed towards others.”

2.1.3.4. GROUP GUIDE - WEEK 13

Take

Areas

PRAYER5. PROMPT 204

Open prayer time without sharing areas of focus or requests. Consider what you have learned about missional prayer and see what the Spirit stirs in each person. as a group about ways you can incorporate missional prayer into gathering. Are there people groups for which you feel a special burdened? of the world? Missionaries you know and love? Your Next Step of Faith with Jesus. How will you practice missional prayer in this upcoming season?

Talk

“Money, of course, can lead to deformation rather than formation; it can lead us away from the way of Jesus and into the way of this world.”

2.1.3.4. GROUP GUIDE - WEEK 14 Generosity 205

What were your main takeaways from the practice of generosity?

While Scripture points us to God as the source of good gifts, our culture tends to tie possessions to personal achievement. In what ways do you see cultural narratives creep into your view of possessions? Do you wrestle with the tension between cultural narratives and the Scripture's view of possessions?

“Generosity encompasses all of who we are – our time, talents, and treasure.” How does your generosity show up in each of these categories?

“Everything we have is given to us as good gifts from God our Father. Paul underscores this when he writes to the church in Corinth, 'What do you have that you did not receive?' (1 Corinthians 4:7).”

“A posture of glad generosity should characterize the people of Jesus.”

Take Your Next Step of Faith with Jesus. Would you describe your generosity as intentional? What steps can you take to grow in this practice?

PRAYER5. PROMPT 206

Ask Christ to reveal your heart’s posture toward the practice generosity. Ask that you would steward well what God has given you for His glory and the good of others. Have you seen the power of money to form or deform you? In what ways?

As you consider the importance of justice, what stands out? What did you learn that you didn’t know previously? “Often, the best place to begin is with self-examination… Begin by simply asking God to reveal any places in you that impede His work of justice.”

Take some time for self-examination speciﬁcally related to your practice of justice. Then, share your experience. “Part-grief, part-hope, lament is how we take on and hold space for our pain and the pain of others before a God who is infinitely interested in His people.”

“The text of the Bible is filled with numerous references to justice and doing good… More than 130 are found, admonishing the pursuit of justice, its application, and the consequences for perverting it.”

Lament is crucial to a sustained practice of justice. You cannot practice justice without experiencing lament about the state of our world. Yet, as we 2.1.3.

GROUP GUIDE - WEEK 15 Biblical Justice 207

How are you, as an individual, called deeper into the practice of justice? (Remember: we can only practice justice to the extent that we are formed into Christlikeness. Maybe start by asking for a few book recommendations. Or, consider ways your story, education, or profession might give you opportunities to practice justice.)

PRAYER4.5. PROMPT 208

Justice is a hot cultural topic. Sadly, we often draw political or personal battle lines instead of taking our place as sons and daughters. We must learn from our Maker. His word is clear: We are to practice justice. Pray for one another that you can tune out the cultural noise and tune into the work of the Spirit. Ask for wisdom for your group to live their unique calling. Pray for a heart that values justice. Repent from what hinders you (and remember: we have a Father we can boldly approach. Are you resistant? Tell Him. He longs to meet you there).

Are there areas you as a group can embrace justice?

have seen, we also live in a fast-paced culture, and it’s not easy not to make space for lament. Are you comfortable with lament? Do you make space for it? Explain.

(Can you support the work of a member of your group? Get involved in a cause together? Fund a Takenon-profit?)YourNext Step of Faith with Jesus.

Where do you have access to people who do not believe in Jesus? Are there already people in your life with whom you can share the Gospel?

As a group, popcorn share the essential elements of sharing the Gospel. If time permits, what are a few of the essential points of your salvation story the Gospel

2.1.3.4. GROUP GUIDE - WEEK 16 Sharing

Reﬂect on your own experience with sharing the Gospel. What holds you back? What’s going well?

“Share the Gospel with the people God has placed around you.”

209

“The Gospel is good news. It is good news that is meant to be shared with others.”

“Sharing the Gospel is not only about sharing the Gospel itself; it is also about sharing your life and how the Gospel has shaped your life.”

“What is the Gospel? The Gospel is not your experience; it is the truth of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ and the reconciliation of all things through Him.”

How have you seen this play out in how you share the Gospel?

Pray for one another, that the barriers each person experience to sharing the Gospel would be removed. Acts 4:29 recounts a prayer we can cling to: the apostles needed fresh filling with the Spirit and for God to give them boldness. that you would share with an unbeliever? Take Your Next Step of Faith with Jesus. How might you grow to be a person who readily shares the Gospel? What step can you take now?

PRAYER5. PROMPT 210

RESOURCES 211

First: You must confess with your mouth that Jesus is WhatLord. does that mean? It means not just saying the words

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved."

Romans 10:9-10

The Bible clearly states that salvation is God's work and Jesus' accomplishment. The question for us then is: How do we access it? The Apostle Paul, in the book of Romans, gives us an answer in Romans 10:9-10. This simple answer boils down to two 1.Whothings: is Jesus? 2.What did He do? That's it. Who is Jesus? What did He do? If we can remember these two things, following the text in Romans becomes easy.

To present the Gospel, there is a simple verse that is easy to remember and follow:

HOW TO SHARE THE GOSPEL 212

Presenting the Gospel can seem like an overwhelming moment: Can I answer all the questions? Do I know all the right verses? What if I mess it up?

While these thoughts and feelings are understandable, we must remember that God is the One who does the saving, not us.

but also understanding their implications. Jesus being Lord means you aren't. It means that how He says life should be lived is how life should be lived. It means confessing places you've not been living the way He commands us to live. It means knowing that Jesus is Lord and there are no others.

Second: You must believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead. What does that mean? It means knowing that Jesus died to forgive your sins - the things you've done that come against how your Lord has commanded you to live. Those things require the punishment of death. Jesus stepped in and died the death we owe. We must place our belief— or, as the Bible often calls it, faith—in what God promised about that death: anyone who asks for forgiveness will be granted it through Jesus, their new Lord. You might be saying a lot of "But whatabouts?" right now: But what about grace? What about the Bible? What about a hundred other things? These are all important and can be explained as the conversation continues. But the basics of the Gospel of salvation are in these two things: Confession and Allbelief/faith.thequestions will flow from these two categories:

1. Who Jesus is, and 2. What Jesus did. 213

The Church by Edmund Clowney

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally

The Knowledge of the Holy, Tozer Basic Christianity by John Stott Knowing God by J.I. Packer Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• ADDITIONAL READING ON TRUTH, PRACTICES, & COMMUNITY 214

TheKellerSpirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

The Prodigal God by Tim Keller Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund

Total Truth by Nancy Pearcy

The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul

Systematic Theology by John Frame

The Deeply Formed Life by Rich Villodas

Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation by Ruth Haley Barton

The Reason for God by Timothy Keller

The Rise & Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman

Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves

Confronting Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin

Essential Truths of the Christian Faith by RC Sproul

Celebration of Discipline: The path to Spiritual Growth by Richard Foster Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Timothy

TRUTH

A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul E. Miller

Holier Than Thou by Jackie Hill Perry

Future Grace by John Piper

Do You Believe?: 12 Historic Doctrines to Change Your Everyday Life by Paul Tripp PRACTICES

None Like Him by Jen Wilkin God Has a Name by John Mark Comer

The Atonement by Leon Morris

Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ by Dallas InvitationWillard to a Journey: A Road Map for Spiritual Formation by Robert Mulholland Year with God: Living Out the Spiritual Disciplines by Richard Foster

Unbreakable: What the Son of God Said About the Word of God by Andrew ConfrontingWilsonInjustice without Compromising Truth by Thaddeus ShapedWilliamsby the Word: The Power of Scripture in Spiritual Formation by M. Robert Mulholland Jr. Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with our Hearts and our Minds by Jen Wilkin

The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose in an Age of Distraction by Justin Earley How To Pray: A Simple Guide for Normal People by Pete Greig Sabbath by Dan Allender God In My Everything: How An Ancient Rhythm Helps Busy People Enjoy God by Ken Shigematsu

God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible by Vaughn Roberts CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY

The Gospel Comes With a House Key by Rosaria Butterfield Generous Justice by Tim Keller

Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community by Dietrich Bonhoeffer Find Your People by Jennie Allen

LifeHendricksofthe Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World by Henri WhenNouwenthe Church Was a Family: Recapturing Jesus' Vision for Authentic Christian Community by Joseph Hellerman Spiritual Friendship by Aelred of215Rievaulx

Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World by John Mark Comer

The Other Half of Church: Christian Community, Brain Science, and Overcoming Spiritual Stagnation by Jim Wilder and Michel

••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life by Tish Harrison Warren

Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading by Eugene Peterson

A Hunger for God by John Piper

Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: Unleash a Revolution in Your Life In Christ by Pete Scazzero

Helping People in Need of Change by Paul Tripp

The Beautiful Community: Unity, Diversity, and the Church at Its Best by Irwyn L. Ince Jr.

Building a Multiethnic Church: A Gospel Vision of Love, Grace, and Reconciliation in a Divided World by Derwin L. Gray

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The Soul of Desire: Discovering the Neuroscience of Longing, Beauty, and Community by Curt Thompson

Becoming a True Spiritual Community by Larry Crabb Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands: People in Need of Change