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Abiding
LIVE DEAD JOY February 11, “Extravagance”
BEYOND VALUES VIDEO 3:51–7:05 (bit.ly/beyondvalues)
Desperation,
discipline, desire, delight— in Him, in what He’s called us to do, in the people He’s called us to love.
OBJECTIVE
First, to understand the value of abiding in Jesus daily, in fixed blocks of time, and in cultivating ongoing connection with Him through spiritual disciplines. Secondly, to show that abiding in Christ personally and corporately empowers us to bear much fruit.
INTRODUCTION
John 15 acts as a seminal teaching in what it means to be a follower of Jesus. The goal of faith in Christ is not just verbal confession at an altar but the daily practice of being in the presence of God and finding our life in Christ. This is called abiding. Rituals and routines cannot gain us salvation, but our time spent often reflects what we love and value. In the same way, Jesus teaches us that if we abide in Him we bear fruit that lasts, but without Him we do nothing. It’s important to understand that apart from Jesus we can fill our days with tiresome efforts and wonderful intentions that ultimately amount to nothing.
As we learn to live in the presence of God and to follow Jesus, our lives naturally take on the fruit-bearing quality of Jesus. That is the essence of life with Christ— His superior work in our natural lives, making them supernatural lives. Jesus is eternally fruitful. Everything He says and does bears fruit because He is perfectly connected with the Father. Yes, even Jesus practiced living in the presence of God and modeled what humanity looks like in perfect relationship with the Father.
When we live to be filled with the Spirit of God, we live as Christ in the world. The nature and fruitfulness of Jesus reorients our lives and spiritual vitality around the character and practices of the Father.
BIBLICAL BASIS
JOHN 15:1-6
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Abide in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not abide in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”
• meno = abide: We get the English word mansion from meno, a place to linger or live.
• karpos = fruit: John’s use of “fruit” means disciple, that which is gathered. Fruit can mean other things in other texts, but John is very specific to use fruit to mean disciples.
THE THREE BRANCHES
1. The branches in Christ that do not bear fruit (v. 2), He lifts up. In verse 2, “take away” literally means “lift up” in viticulture. The vinedresser finds the non-fruit-bearing branch dragging in the mud or shaded by other branches from the sun and thus hanging down. The vinedresser ties that fruitless branch to the trestle so that it can escape the mud, access the sun, and ultimately bear fruit. God does not throw away the branch that does not bear fruit; He teaches it to abide.
2. The branch in Christ that does bear fruit (v. 2), He washes. The word for pruning means “washing” and is the same word used when Jesus washes the disciples’ feet. For those who are bearing fruit, the promise to them is that they will be washed by suffering (pruning) so that they can become more fruitful. Suffering may be painful in the moment, but it always carries long-term benefits for the worker and their disciples if they will endure the “washing.”
3. The branch in Christ that does not abide (v. 6), He lets fall. The word “cast out” means “let fall.” Jesus teaches us to abide that we might make disciples. But if we refuse to abide, we will ultimately dry up and wither spiritually due to our own foolishness. Jesus does not force us to abide; He invites us and woos us. Those who do not abide marginalize themselves. They may remain in Christ or in missions, but without divine power, they are good for nothing.
Which branch are you currently?
READ JOHN 15:7–16 . What does this text bring to mind on abiding?
HOW DO WE ABIDE PRACTICALLY?
Abiding is lavishing extravagant daily time on Jesus in both a fixed and disciplined block of time and in an ongoing, constant communion with Him. We tend to be stronger at one than the other, but both need to be developed. In abiding, we are not clock-watching; we are learning the discipline of lingering with Jesus. We are making a faith statement that God will accomplish more with our lives if we give Him extravagant priority than if we rush around frantically in our own strength. Consequently, we aim to tithe our time to Jesus each day (around two hours).
Abiding may involve different habits and practices for all of us, but it also shares common practices and attributes important for everyone. Here are some suggested practices that you may find helpful to start abiding regularly!
SCRIPTURE READING
Methods:
• Meditation: The practice of reading Scripture—whether one verse, one paragraph, or one chapter—for the sake of reflection, repetition, and self-examination. The goal of this is to openly engage with God’s Spirit as you interact with His inspired Word.
• Memorization: The practice of committing Scripture to memory for the sake of reorienting personal patterns of thinking, believing, and behaving. The goal is to renew your mind through the washing of the Word.
• Study: The practice of examining Scripture—its context, key participants, and the modern imperative for us in the Church. The goal of studying is to dig down to the roots of the Scripture, allowing the Spirit to expose deeper revelation into what was happening and how to apply it today.
PRAYER
Types:
• ACTS: A method of praying that involves focused prayer around four core themes—adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication.
• Breath Prayer: Prayers consisting of seven syllables or less in a sentence or phrase, meant to be uttered in rhythm with breathing that connect you to a spirit longing or reflection centered on your connection to God. Examples: “Be near me, Lord Jesus”; “Show me Your face, Lord”; “Jesus Christ, Son of David, have mercy on me”; “Holy Spirit, be my guide.” They are intimate thoughts expressed in concise prayers.
• Listening Prayer: A type of prayer devoted to asking the Holy Spirit questions and listening to hear His response. This practice can be a powerful way to engage in deepening conversation and connection with the Father.
• Praying in the Spirit: The practice of allowing the Spirit to pray through you, often expressed through speaking in tongues as a prayer language.
DEVOTIONAL READING
Reading devotionals or meditative, reflective thoughts of Christ-followers throughout history can add to our perspective as we glean lessons from someone else’s life with God. As a result, the Spirit leverages to actively engage us.
JOURNALING
Journaling your prayers and interactions with God can be a wonderful way to track your faith walk. Chronicling your history with God—what He’s doing in and through you, how He’s speaking to you, how He’s answered prayer—is a beautiful reminder of His faithfulness. It’s also a great way to process your own thoughts in real time.
PRACTICING SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES
Spiritual disciplines are practices encouraged by people of faith from the earliest times shown in the Scriptures through the centuries of the Church’s formation. They are practical ways to grow in knowledge of God and personal transformation through the Spirit. Some of them will have been previously mentioned.
• Disciplines of Abstinence
• Solitude: Spending time alone to be with God.
• Silence: Removing noisy distractions to hear from God.
• Fasting: Skipping a meal(s) to find greater nourishment from God.
• Learning to live with less (money and material things)
• Chastity: Voluntarily choosing to abstain from sexual pleasures for a time (those pleasures that are deemed morally right in the bond of marriage) to find higher fulfillment in God.
• Secrecy: Avoiding self-promotion, practice serving God without others knowing.
• Sacrifice: Giving of our resources beyond what seems reasonable to remind us of our dependence on Christ.
• Disciplines of Activity: “The disciplines of abstinence must be counter-balanced and supplemented by disciplines of engagement (activity).” (Dallas Willard) Choosing to participate in activities that nurture our soul and strengthen us for the race ahead.
• Study: Spending time reading the Scriptures and meditating on its meaning and importance to our lives.
• Worship: Offering praise and adoration to God.
• Prayer: Talking to and listening to God about your relationship with Him and about the concerns of others.
• Fellowship: Mutual caring and ministry in the body of Christ. Edification of one another as co-laborers in Christ.
• Confession: Regularly confess your sins to the Lord and other trusted individuals.
• Submission: Humbling yourself before God and others while seeking accountability in relationships.
SUMMARY
Abiding is more than just a quiet time; it is a lifestyle. Our schedules must reflect the fact that we have prioritized Jesus. We should plan our day around our abiding time.
PRACTICE
1. Intentionally schedule two hours each day to be with Jesus, preferably in the morning when you are fresh. Not a morning person? There are many biblical examples of getting up early to pray and praise, but while this is preferable, it is not the law. The goal is extravagant time with Jesus.
2. Be cautious against a legalistic, competitive, or proud approach to abiding.
3. Remember that we define abiding as both disciplined blocks of time and an all-day companionship with Jesus. Both are to be cultivated and developed.
4. Abide corporately in group meetings by waiting on the Lord in prayer, leaving room for the Holy Spirit to move.
5. Develop your own breath prayer, an aid to learning to abide all day long (Live Dead Joy, February 3, “Breath Prayer”)
Write your own breath prayer:
Now complete this exercise by praying it and waiting on the Lord.
Apostles Pioneer
LIVE DEAD JOY
February 15, “God’s Sign Is God” March 16, “Frontier Faith” December 5, “Hard Work in the Hardest Places”
BEYOND VALUES VIDEO 12:21–17:25 (bit.ly/beyondvalues)
OBJECTIVE
To gain an understanding of what apostolic function is and how it relates to our lives and the lives of those who work among the unreached.
INTRODUCTION
Over the past several decades, there has been renewed emphasis and hunger to better understand the five-fold functions of leadership and Church-equippers as described by Paul in Ephesians 4:11–15 :
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
As a result of this hunger for knowledge and understanding, some of the functions have become bywords, though their meaning hasn’t really become rooted in how we live out the mission of the Church at home and abroad. This begs the question: What is God up to? And what do apostles or those operating apostolically have to do with it?
READ HABAKKUK 2:14 AND MATTHEW 28:18–20.
QUESTIONS
1. From the verses above, what do you think God is up to in the earth today?
2. What does that mean for us? Do we have a responsibility in that?
Facts:
Ninety-seven percent of missionary workers go to places where there is already a strong national church presence. Churches give 1/10 of 1 percent to missionary work among unreached or underengaged peoples.
3. If the goal is to go everywhere and tell everyone about Jesus, and 1/3 of the world’s population still doesn’t have an adequate presentation of the gospel, what does that tell us?
WHAT IS AN APOSTLE?
An apostle is one who is “sent.”
Historically, the term apostle wasn’t just meant as a leader in the church. An apostle was an ambassador of a foreign king who was sent into newly conquered territories to proclaim the kind of king and kingdom that was en route. The idea was simple—the apostle was a forerunner to prepare a land or location so that it met the standards of the king when he entered.
“The gift of the apostle is the special ability to introduce the message of Christ to a particular group, perhaps a different culture, and then to disciple those who have believed. An apostle is a church planter, missionary, or disciple-maker, though his ministry does not have to be in a foreign country.
The gift was given for the instruction and nurturing of believers. It is not the same gift as a pastor. A pastor performs his duties to only one congregation, while the apostle establishes and equips local church assemblies of believers. However, an apostle can exercise the gift of pastor. He may start a church and remain there as pastor.” 1
WHAT IS APOSTOLIC FUNCTION?
It is the acceptance that in the face of phenomenal need, the mandate of the Bible, and the burden of the Spirit, it’s our role to step up and act as apostles, pioneers in evangelism—going with the Spirit of God to places and peoples where Jesus is not known. It’s often referred to as a genetic modification of spirit that gives us a heart for people groups who haven’t heard or responded to the gospel.
Why do we do this? We apostle/pioneer because God has promised and commanded that it would be accomplished before the end. (Matt. 24:14; 28:18–20)
Where do we do this? We apostle/pioneer wherever Christ is not known or represented, domestic or abroad. (Rom. 15:20–21)
What do we do? We proclaim Christ and plant churches, which are groups of people learning to lead righteous lives through Christ as new creations. (Eph. 4:11–15)
How do we do this? We do this by the leading and power of the Spirit, sharing the gospel with everyone we can, and trusting God to confirm His Word with signs and wonders. (Mark 16:15–20)
APOSTOLIC FUNCTION IN TEN POINTS
(BY ALAN JOHNSON)
1. God’s redemptive project embraces the entire universe.
2. God calls a people to Himself and uses them in accomplishing that universal, redemptive purpose.
3. From the point of view of the individual Christian and local church, there is one task: God’s mission or redemptive project expressed in two dimensions—within one’s own cultural setting and outside of it.
4. God gives many gifts to His children to use as they serve Him in His redemptive program. The gifts He gives are to be used for His glory and to do His will, not for our benefit or agenda.
5. God calls and equips some of His children to cross-cultural boundaries to proclaim His good news and plant communities of faith.
6. These cross-cultural workers have as a primary focus of taking the gospel to people who have the least access; thus, they have a different agenda and set of priorities from the local church structures from which they came.
7. Such workers are to function apostolically, planting the church and putting into it apostolic DNA so that it too participates fully in God’s mission.
8. Apostolic function has nothing to do with feeling like an apostle, but is simply stepping up and asking God to use you in places that do not have the gospel.
9. The best vehicle for working in apostolic function is the mobile team or apostolic band in which people of multiple giftings work with one purpose—to proclaim Christ to those who have not heard, thereby planting the church.
10. The core competency for all of God’s children, whether they work in their own cultural setting or outside of it, is to hear God’s voice and obey it.
SUMMARY
The call to live as sent ones isn’t about how we feel; it’s a collective call to be obedient to Jesus’ final earthly command.
We should seek to live by this definition, but we should also recognize the legitimacy of and our connection to other believers who are bringing a reached church to full maturity as they continue to push people towards the unreached.
The question we must ask ourselves as we consider the role we might play is this: who has not heard, whether near or far, about Jesus, and what can I do about it?
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
1. How are Live Dead missionaries and teams acting as apostolic pioneers?
2. What is the Spirit saying to you about living as a pioneer at home or abroad?
Team
LIVE DEAD THE JOURNEY
Pages 34-36
QUESTIONS
Why does Live Dead do church planting in teams? What are the pros and cons that teams offer in church planting among UPGs?
BEYOND VALUES VIDEO – 23:16 –25:49 (BIT.LY/BEYONDVALUES)
OBJECTIVE
To gain an understanding of why teams are central to how Live Dead operates and how you can participate as a team member on your trip and after your return.
INTRODUCTION
Live Dead has three core principles: We do church planting among unreached people groups through teams.
While the focus on church planting and unreached peoples may be clear, you might ask why we focus on teams? Teams are not easy or conflict-free. They are filled with people from various backgrounds, all of whom have different opinions and perspectives.
Our conviction is that teams are at the center of how God plans to expand His Kingdom in the earth and how He has always moved in the earth. We see teams as both a practical tool and as a biblical model for sustainability and Kingdomreflection.
• The Trinity: The Trinity emerges as the blueprint of team—Father, Son, and Spirit—working together in unison toward a common goal at creation to breathe life and bring about design and purpose.
• Moses and Aaron: Even though Moses heard God speaking to him with clarity about his purpose, Moses needed help. God could’ve multiplied more talents and skills for Moses, but He sent Aaron to him in response to his need.
• Nehemiah’s Building Team: The book of Nehemiah shows God’s favor on the project Nehemiah undertakes by surrounding him with people who formed teams to work on particular parts of the broken walls of Jerusalem. Not only do we see one big team, but we also witness branch teams formed from families to work on specific tasks.
• Jesus and the Apostles: Jesus surrounded Himself with twelve team members to learn from Him as the leader, multiplying His character into them so that He could franchise His work on the earth.
• The Church: Described by the Apostle Paul as one body with many parts, the Church functions as an incredible, dynamic team with one leader, Christ, lots of managers and overseers, and billions of members.
• Paul, Silas, and Timothy: Though Paul is often credited with much of the gospel’s work in the New Testament, he rarely was alone. He was accompanied on his missionary journeys with multiple people, two of whom were often Silas and Timothy. Together, Paul’s ministry was made full by the support and companionship of those in his apostolic band.
WHAT HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE BEEN OF TEAMS?
QUESTIONS
1. Describe the best team of which you’ve been a part. What made it great?
2. Describe the worst team of which you’ve been a part. What made not so great?
CASE STUDY
Using the examples mentioned above, break into groups of 3–5 for 25–30 minutes and select one of the examples to use for the following case study. Look at the stories or examples in the biblical texts to learn more and ask questions. The goal of this study is for you to consider more deeply how your selected team operated as such. Some questions to consider (please use your imagination to think through the implications of operating as a team):
• What made them a team?
• How did they function differently together than they might have independently?
• What were the strengths they developed together?
• What were the struggles they went through because they were a team?
• Could they have accomplished the task they worked toward if they were alone?
• What was the common goal of the team?
DISCUSSION
1. On page 124 of Live Dead The Journey, the Carsons state, “Teams [are] the best incubator for personal growth in fellowship, connectedness, and community.”
Question: Do you agree or disagree? Why?
2. On pages 129–131, the Carsons note some negative aspects of team life.
Question: What do you think of the aspects mentioned? How does knowing these ahead of time help when being on a team? How do we prevent these negative aspects?
3. On page 136, the writer says, “An important part of team life is laying down our personal interests for the sake of the team.”
Question: How does this speak to you? How can you live this out with your team and as you are part of a Live Dead team on your upcoming trip?
SUMMARY
Team life is always difficult but so rewarding, especially when working with the Spirit to expand the Kingdom on the mission field. Just as we experience team dynamics on the field, we experience the dynamics of team life stateside as we participate in church ministries, vocations, and families. It’s important to remember that whether we are among unreached peoples across oceans or at home, we have the chance to model community in the way we care for and love each other among our foreign, lost brothers and sisters. Regardless of our global context, we can’t do it alone.
Ultimately, team is not negotiable in terms of following Jesus because community is at the center of what God is doing in the earth—He’s building a family of redeemed, missionary-disciples.
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
1. What challenged you from this lesson on being part of a team?
2. What will you do with what the Spirit is showing you?
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.”
HEBREWS 10:24
Spirit Empowerment
LIVE DEAD THE JOURNEY Pages 74-75
BEYOND VALUES VIDEO 35:35-38:52 (bit.ly/beyondvalues)
OBJECTIVE
To gain an understanding of Spirit empowerment in the Scriptures and in our lives.
LEARNING ACTIVITY
1. List five words that come to mind when you think of the phrase “Spirit empowerment.”
2. List five individuals in Scripture that come to mind when you think of a believer being empowered by the Holy Spirit in life and/or ministry.
3. List one individual that personifies what it means to be empowered by the Spirit in your own life and why you feel that way.
INTRODUCTION
Live Dead is part of the Assemblies of God. We are an unapologetically Pentecostal movement, born from the Azusa Street Revival at the turn of the twentieth century. During that revival and since, we have built our core methodology (how we do what we do) around an absolute dependence on the person and power of the Holy Spirit.
We believe that all Christ followers are filled with the Spirit, but Jesus commanded His disciples to go to Jerusalem and to wait for the promised gift of the Father. We believe that this gift that was promised to the disciples is a timeless gift that He offers and even commands His people to actively wait for today.
We can plant churches and missionary outposts all over the world, sow gospel seed until our dying breath, and do everything with a heart of compassion, but without the power of the Spirit at work in us, we are destined to push the gospel vehicle down the road with no fuel in the tank. The world that longs for the gospel is in desperate need of a Spirit-empowered church; they’re desperate for a Spiritempowered you. Jesus never meant for you and me to go out powerless. His plan all along has been to make His Church power-full so that His work might go out into all the earth with His authority.
Great ministers and missionaries aren’t just powerful planners, strategic thinkers, and gifted linguists. They are men and women whose lives are alight with the fire of God through the empowering work of the Holy Spirit to witness.
BIBLICAL BASIS
Take some time and read about the work of the Spirit all through the New Testament. Read these scriptures aloud together and allow the Spirit to work in you.
• The Promise of the Holy Spirit:
• Joel 2:28–29 – God speaks through the prophet Joel about the great outpouring of His Spirit on all flesh in the last days.
• Acts 1:5, 8 – Jesus promises the baptism of the Spirit for power.
• Accounts of Holy Spirit baptism and empowerment:
• Acts 2:1–4 – Disciples and believers receive the Holy Spirit.
• Acts 8:12–25 – Believers in Samaria receive the Holy Spirit.
• Acts 10:44–48 – Gentiles receive the Holy Spirit.
• Acts 19:1–7 – Believers at Ephesus receive the Holy Spirit.
• Pentecostal Doctrine: Baptism in the Holy Spirit is distinct from and follows salvation.
• John 20:19–22 – Believers receive the indwelling Spirit after Jesus’ resurrection. This was the sign of their salvation, but He promises more to come.
• Acts 1:4–5 – Jesus tells His disciples, presumably after He’s breathed on them, to receive the Spirit (i.e. salvation), to stay in Jerusalem, and to wait for the gift the Father promised. In one statement, Jesus delineates that there was more to receive after He was taken up into heaven.
• Acts 2:1–4 – All those in the upper room were believers. They were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit in a separate experience from salvation.
• Acts 8:14–17 – The church in Samaria had received salvation (v. 14) and when Peter came and prayed for them, they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit (v. 17). It was a separate experience for believers.
While we believe that baptism in the Spirit is distinct from salvation, it doesn’t end there. We believe that the Apostle Paul commands us to be continually filled with the Spirit. We must continually ask for Spirit-empowered boldness to be that which God has called us to be—witnesses to the nations.
This baptism of the Spirit is not a one-time event. It’s a lifestyle of reliance on the Holy Spirit that empowers us to participate in His mission on the earth.
• Ephesians 5:18 – Paul’s encouragement not to get drunk on wine but to be [continually] filled with the Spirit.
HOLY SPIRIT EMPOWERMENT
1. You cannot go into all the world and make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:18) without receiving the gift of the Spirit promised of the Father and poured out by Jesus.
2. When you live full of the Spirit and baptized in His power, you live to display His personality (His fruit) and His power (His gifts) in your life.
• Spirit-gifts: Wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophesy discernment, speaking in tongues, interpretation (1 Cor. 12)
• The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22–23)
The gifts of the Spirit equip the Church for two purposes:
• To edify believers and to reach the lost by witnessing of God’s full and free salvation.
• To edify the saints. It is not just to make them feel good about themselves. It is to make them more effective witnesses. Of all believers, Pentecostals should be faithful witnesses.
SUMMARY
1. The empowerment of the Holy Spirit is evident throughout the whole Scripture.
2. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is for all believers.
3. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit provides power for life and witness.
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
1. Why should you pursue the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
2. What is a gift or fruit of the Spirit which you need God’s help with?
3. Have you received the gift of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit? Let’s pray today that you receive this gift by the laying on of hands. For those who are already filled with the Holy Spirit, join together to pray for a fresh infilling for life and witnessing.
Character
LIVE DEAD THE JOURNEY Pages 124-126
BEYOND VALUES VIDEO 43:18-49:28 (bit.ly/beyondvalues)
OBJECTIVE
To learn the necessity of intentional character formation in the life of the Christfollower and in the work of church planting.
LEARNING ACTIVITY
QUESTION
What are some characteristics that, as followers of Jesus, we are called to exhibit in our lives?
INTRODUCTION
Webster describes character as “moral excellence and firmness.” The word’s original meaning comes from both Greek and middle English use, signifying a mark or distinct quality scratched onto or engraved on something. Your character is what marks you; it’s what you’re known for. Admittedly, the goal of the Christian life is not to strive for culture’s definition of moral excellence apart from Christ. Many people today strive to be better in and of themselves, but this is empty and doomed.
In Christ, we are devoted to being people of character—the kind that’s produced from the Spirit’s work in us. We have been engraved by the finger of God and marked by His Spirit through the death and resurrection of Jesus. The result is a commitment to live in the character and holiness of Jesus. It is not about legalism. Legalism is not of God. It is not about comparing ourselves to others and trying to be better than other people. We are called to be marked by the holiness— the wholeness—of our heavenly Father and to carry His mark on our lives so that others might see Christ through us.
But how is the character of God formed in us? Is it just through osmosis? If you pray enough, will His character be formed in you? If you read the Scriptures enough? If you serve the poor enough? Those are all great ways to see God’s personality take root in us, but character is formed at the intersection of being rooted in God and going through the fiery trials the world holds.
BIBLICAL BASIS
CORE PASSAGE: ROMANS 5:3–5
“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
Of all the things that could produce character, none of us would have chosen persevering through suffering. Forming character almost seems like it should be a passive process—like reading a book to decipher the deep truths. But the reality is that if character is a mark on our life that shapes us and identifies us, that mark is usually made through enduring hardship and trial.
But Paul doesn’t just say to grit your teeth and endure it. Let’s break down this passage to get the deeper meaning:
1. Glory is the Greek word kauchaomai, which means to boast or rejoice in.
2. Suffering/tribulation is the Greek word thlipsis, which means the pressing, pressure, affliction, stress, or oppression.
Paul says to not only rejoice at the outcome of hardship but to view hardship and those things contributing to it with joy. Why? Because that thing that’s pressing and afflicting you is producing something in you in partnership with the Holy Spirit—character.
But suffering doesn’t immediately produce character. What does it say? Suffering produces perseverance, and perseverance, character. How lovely it would be if character was formed through a singular hardship! But Paul tells us that rich character is formed through learning to persevere or steadfastly endure lots of afflictions and hardships.
QUESTION
Have you or a family member ever had to persevere through something? If so, what was it?
For unbelievers, suffering is just a meaningless interruption—something keeping us from having a good day. But in Christ, even the most tragic forms of suffering and hardship become tools in God’s hand to help form and shape us to carry His personality and power in our lives. That doesn’t necessarily mean that God is causing bad things to happen, but that God can redeem even the worst situations in our lives for our good and His glory.
Perseverance produces character.
One of the meanings for that word produces is accomplishes or renders something fit for. The picture here is that when we learn to endure hardship with Christ, we are fit to carry the characteristics or markings of Christ. But how often do we try to pray our way out of the very crisis that God allows to form His character in us?
HEBREWS 5:8 even tells us that Jesus, “Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered.”
God is committed to repurpose our hardships to produce character and hope in us, if we will let him.
SUMMARY
If we are going to take part in planting the church at home or abroad, we will enter into hardship. As you step out on your upcoming trip, you will step into hardship. When it comes, it is essential to alter your perspective to embrace the challenge and discomfort before you and to rejoice at what God is inviting you to grow into. He’s not punishing you—He’s fitting you to be a carrier of His divine character.
Learning to live dead is not necessarily fun or easy. It is often a painful process, but it is worth it. In reflecting on moving overseas to Sudan and the process God took her through, Jennifer Brogden said,
“I didn’t expect God to bring me all this way to change what He saw in me. But He has. I needed Sudan more than Sudan needed me, and I didn’t expect that. I thought God was bringing me to Sudan to change Sudan. I did not realize that His primary purpose was to expose all the junk in my heart and change me! What do you expect dying to self to feel like? Do you think it will be pleasant? Painless? Problem free? What do you expect it to feel like when you live dead? Do you expect people to understand, support you, praise you, clap for you? Do you expect the devil to cheer and every demon in hell to yield to your noble aspirations? Do you expect to be welcomed or affirmed by your peers and understood by your parents? Do you expect people to get in line to support you financially? Do you expect that your plans will be changed, your timing delayed, and your will conditionally crossed? Do you expect to surrender once in an air-conditioned church, kneeling on a carpeted altar with a handy box of Kleenex perkily waiting to be plucked...and then from that point on to sail without contrary winds into God’s sheltered will? Or do you expect God to wring the self out of you in a painful and lengthy process using circumstance and shattered expectations—and then surprise you with how good it feels to have His image stamped deeply into yours.”
THE LIVE DEAD JOURNAL , “Expectations”
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
1. Pause for a moment and ask yourself if there’s a hardship or crisis going on in your life. Write it down. Ask yourself if you’ve been learning to endure this with the Lord or if you’ve been trying to escape it. Now ask, how is the Lord using that situation to produce perseverance and character in you?
2. What is the Holy Spirit saying to you through Romans 5:3–5 and Hebrews 5:8?
3. What are some practical steps or things you can do to remind yourself how to respond to adversity with perseverance and character in mind?
Sacrifice
LIVE DEAD THE JOURNEY Pages 114-116
BEYOND VALUES VIDEO 49:30-54:35 (bit.ly/beyondvalues)
“I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light.”
-ION KEITH-FALCONER
Our Live Dead value statement for sacrifice says, “We commit ourselves to pay whatever price is necessary.” Our goal in this lesson is to reflect on what that means in our own lives and whether or not that statement is true for us.
OBJECTIVE INTRODUCTION
Sacrifice is profane in our Western culture. From our culture’s view of the barbaric practice of ancient animal sacrifice to our more modern concept of paying a high price for something we desire, our culture balks at the idea of sacrifice because we have bought the lie that it’s simply not necessary.
When things are easily inherited or given, they are often squandered and given a low value. The truth is that grace is free but costs us everything. The nations are the inheritance of Christ and His Church, but their inheritance will cost us our comfort, convenience, and even our lives.
So what does it look like to embrace the reality of sacrifice in a world that is constantly fighting to maintain control and possession? What does it look like for us to let go of our preferences, our desires, our possessions, and even our lives for the sake of Christ?
BIBLICAL BASIS
CORE PASSAGE: MATTHEW 16:24-26
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?’”
You would think that if Jesus was trying to recruit disciples to His new way of thinking and living, He might try to avoid the topic of sacrifice and the cost of following Him. He might even throw in some flashy perks. But in a day and age where people are slow to commit and fast to bail out on anything and anyone that proves inconvenient, Jesus calls people to a life of radical commitment and sacrifice that demanded whole-hearted devotion.
Notice here that Jesus does not qualify who He’s speaking to by their function or role. He doesn’t say, “Whoever wants to be my apostles must deny themselves.” He never implies this is for vocational pastors or traveling evangelists or even motivational speakers. No, the only qualification is for those who want to be disciples of Jesus. And Jesus tells us straight-faced and steel-spined that in order to carry out this lifelong pursuit of apprenticeship, you and I must deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Him.
DENY YOURSELF
There aren’t two more foreign words in our language. Self-denial comes off as a type of legalism or abuse even in church circles. We are coached from the time we’re born to satisfy our thirsts, to quench our desires by pursuing what we desire and long for. But the way of Jesus, the way of life, runs straight through self-denial, also known as self-sacrifice.
That word “deny” is the Greek word aparneomai. It literally means to affirm you have no acquaintance or connection with; to forget one’s self or lose sight of one’s self or interests.
Jesus says if you plan to follow Him, it will demand you losing sight of yourself and your interests and agreeing to disconnect from that old person.
TAKE UP YOUR CROSS
What do we scoop up in the absence of our self-absorption and personal interests? A cross. A brutal murder machine. The cross was the weapon of choice in shaming and publicly mocking a criminal of the empire. And it is this device of cruelty and self-denial that Jesus says we must daily elevate.
Notice Jesus doesn’t say to take up just any cross; He says for you to take up your cross. Jesus doesn’t just say to get up under His cross, where He bears the burden and strain eternally for you. No. Jesus atoned for our sins once and for all by His cross, and He has set an example for us so that we too learn how to die and live. He says that if you plan to follow Him, you’ll have to learn to carry your own cross to your own Golgotha.
FOLLOW HIM
Jesus is headed somewhere. He’s not following you around; He’s calling you to follow Him. Following Jesus means that we have to forfeit what we were doing before He found us. It means reconsidering our geography and vocations, our passions and pursuits. Jesus demands that we lay everything at His feet in pure devotion to following Him. In Luke 14:33, Jesus says it plainly, “those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”
SUMMARY
Sacrifice is not something that only missionaries are called to do. Sacrifice is what Jesus calls us all to do if we plan to follow Him. The question is, are you willing to give up everything to follow Jesus? It sounds like too big a question, but it’s the only question.
Live Dead carries the name that it does because of the clear-headed commitment to sacrifice comfort and convenience and personal desires for the sake of knowing Christ and making Him known among the unreached peoples of the earth. The part we don’t often annunciate is the abundant life that wells up from such a way of living, whether at home or in another culture. When you live dead to yourself, the implied promise of Jesus is that you get to keep your soul. Jesus offers us life if and when we learn to practice self-denial, take up our cross, and simply follow wherever He leads.
We live dead to live.
APPLICATION
QUESTIONS
1. What is the Holy Spirit highlighting in your life that you have not surrendered to Him?
Remember, Jesus is addressing whoever wants to be His disciple. Often in life, what we hold onto holds onto us.
2. Are you white-knuckling a passion or relationship or dream that seems to be steering you away from where Jesus is walking?
IMAGINE
Close your eyes and envision yourself on a long stretch of open road. Jesus is out on the road ahead of you waving for you to join Him, but you’ll have to catch up to Him. As you lean onto the ball of your foot to start running, you feel the pull of some heavy weights in your hands. Looking down you realize that you’ve brought all sorts of baggage on this road with you. You look up and see Jesus’ distance steadily increasing. As you look back at the bags you’re holding, you see a label on each one. What do the labels say? What’s the name of your baggage? You want to catch up, but you’re also a little nervous about releasing the baggage. One has lots of hopes built up in it for your future. One has your potential spouse in it. One has promise of a great income. Jesus’ pace is outstretching yours, but you can hear His voice still calling you. Will you let go of what’s keeping you from following Him?
PRAYER
Take five to ten minutes and walk through the imagination with Jesus.
• If you’re not ready to sacrifice the baggage, ask the Holy Spirit what He wants to show you about what you’re holding onto.
• Ask Him to help you unclench the grip you have on it…and the grip it has on you.
• If you’re ready to deny yourself, imagine releasing the baggage handle and entrusting it to Jesus. Ask Him what He wants for you.
• Ask Jesus where He’s going and what He’d like to show you about Himself today.
