Hallmarks of Discipleship
Housegroup leaders notes.
Our series ‘Hallmarks of Discipleship’ will run as follows:
11th September – Welcome and Community. Luke 6:27-32, Romans 12:4-5, Acts 2:42-47
18th September – Hospitality. 1Timothy6:17-19, John 6:1-15
25th September – Harvest Sunday
2nd October – Serving. Matthew 20:20-28
9th October – Suffering. Mark 8:31-37, 1Peter4:12-19, John9:1-3
16th October – Witness. Matthew 28:16-20
23rd October – Forgiving. Matthew 18:21-35
The series is all about exploring some of the ways in which our commitment to Christ is expressed in daily life. Each of the ‘hallmarks’ has a dual focus as something which we work to make real within the community of the church, but also to the world beyond the church. In this sense each ‘hallmark’ is about discipleship and mission, or as is probably more appropriate ‘missional discipleship’.
Missional discipleship see’s the whole of life as the sphere in which God is drawing us to himself, teaching us, shaping us and making us more like Christ.
Missional discipleship is about understanding that we’re not discipled in order to do mission, but rather as we do mission in our normal everyday lives we are disciple in and through it.
Missional discipleship can’t separate out its constituent parts. All of life is mission and all of life is discipleship.
For each session there will be some questions for reflection which ask us to engage on two levels. On one level personally, and on another level corporately as a housegroup.
The recommendation is that groups spend the majority of their time together reflecting carefully on the scripture for the session. Asking some questions of each passage:
What is the context of the passage?
What is the flow of the narrative / argument / story, and where does the passage in question come in this flow?
What does the passage contribute to the broader themes and meanings identified above?
What is the meaning contained within the passage?
How might the words have been understood and interpreted in the time and place in which they were written?
How do we interpret the words in our own time and place?
Is there a difference between the interpretations?What does the passage tell us about God, ourselves, and how we relate to God?
Is the passage primarily theological – i.e talking about who God is, what he is like, and how he relates to the world?
Is the passage ethical – i.e talking about how we might respond to various practical situations, questions and decisions?
Is the passage primarily practical – i.e dealing with practical questions about how the life of the Christian or the church is ordered and structured?
What does the passage ask us to do?
Is there a clear practical application from the passage?
Is it a call to take a particular course of action?
Is it an invitation to adopt certain attitudes or dispositions?
Session 1: Welcome and Community.
Readings: Luke 6:27-32, Romans 12:4-5, Acts 2:42-47
Preaching Date: 11th September
Introduction:
We’re all familiar with the idea that Jesus called his followers to form a community. The idea has its roots in the Old Testament calling of the Hebrews to be a community of people who together were called by God, saved by God, and then invited to live for and with God.
As a community they were to be a blessing to the wider world as their way of life gave testimony to the God who had redeemed them.
Jesus picks up on this long established idea and rather than starting a new community he expands the list of who can be in this community of people called out by God. This expanding of the borders is formally established with Paul as the Apostle to the Gentiles and Peters vision of all different types of foods being declared clean in Acts chapter 10.
So the community that God had called out was radically re-ordered to formally open its borders to everyone.
It’s a compelling picture isn’t it? A community so rooted in the love of God in Christ that it opens its borders without fear or hesitation to all those who would come to it and, in Christ, become part of it.
It was and still is a radical agenda given that communities usually define themselves as much by who is not a part of them as by who is, and who by nature of wanting to welcome some and make them feel at home, make it clear that others are not welcome.
Getting into the scriptures:
Q: What do we notice about the community and the welcome it offers by reading:
Luke 6:27-32
Romans 12:4-5
Acts 2:42-47
Leaders Note: As we read through the above we might notice some of the following:
Luke – A community that is able to display a radical love, even for those who don’t reciprocate. A community that is founded on the principles of mercy and forgiveness
Romans – a community whose members see themselves as ‘belonging’ to each other because their commitment to each other is so deep.
Acts – A community that takes the welfare of its members as being of a higher priority than the personal accumulation and guarding of material possessions.
Such a picture of community goes far beyond the modern day notions of community which tend to be a loose affiliation of geographically distant individuals who have an interest in common.
Q: How do we respond to the call to be part of such a radically deep and committed community?
In what ways does this reassure and bless us?
In what ways does this challenge us?
What is easy / hard about living in such a way?
Q: How might we further invest ourselves in the community of the church?
Of course, as we mentioned in the introduction, the community that God called out was never intended to be a solitary and closed community. But rather a community that would be open to the world in order to bear witness to just what God is like. The intention it seems was always that we might be a community within the world for the world.
Sadly it’s all too easy for churches to become closed. If we feel under threat, if we’re worried about change, if we’re comfortable and established, remaining open can be tough. Remaining open means being willing to let people in who are different to us, welcome people with no strings attached, be open to changing what we do and how we do it so that others might become part of the group. Not easy, but very necessary if the church is to be a missional presence in the world.
Q: What do you think are the challenges to ensuring that church is a radically open community in which all can find a home?
Q: What might you / we do as individuals and as a housegroup in order to live this welcome and invitation to the community of Christ more effectively?
Q: What practical steps will the housegroup take on the back of this session?
Session 2: Hospitality
Readings: 1Timothy6:17-19, John 6:1-15
Preaching Date: 18th September
Introduction:
Hospitality is what I’d call a ‘hard’ virtue. In that it’s a real virtue as opposed to a lot of thing which are called virtues but in reality are so soft they are barely anything at all. If hospitality is the ‘hard’ virtue, then its corresponding ‘soft’ virtue is tolerance.
Tolerance, which is regularly championed within our culture, says basically: You do what you want, and as long as it doesn’t adversely affect me, I’ll put up with it with varying degrees of willingness. The problem is of course that tolerance very quickly runs out of road because inevitably what others do does impact upon us and when it does, and when we don’t like it, tolerance has nothing left to offer.
Hospitality on the other hand doesn’t run out of road. Hospitality says: You have some different ideas to me, your life is different (because its yours and not mine) and in order to build bonds of love and understanding I’d like to invite you to come and share some of my life and my world, and even if you’re very lucky some of my food. And then, when the different lives do impact on each other, there is enough of a relationship, enough mutual respect and love to negotiate and navigate through the problems well.
Set within this context it’s immediately clear why the Christian vision of hospitality is so important and so very counter-cultural.
In the scriptures, when a foreigner arrived in town or a tribe, it was good practice to invite the person or persons to sit and eat with a host. It offered the stranger nourishment and protection and it gave an opportunity for them to be sounded out, and a relationship established. If you were a nomadic tribe in particular, you just never knew when a pre-established relationship might just save your life!
Of course life is very different for us now to how it was for the people of the OT and for Jesus and his contemporaries. But all the same, hospitality is a vital aspect of the life of the church as a community of missional disciples.
Getting into the scriptures:
Q: What do we notice about the community and the hospitality that it offers by reading:
1Timothy 6:17-19
John 6:1-15
Leaders Note: As we read through the above we might notice some of the following:
1Timothy – in this passage we read an exhortation to be hospitable on various levels as a means of investing in the eternal future that we’re called to. It’s a particular call to the rich and as 21st century westerners we fall squarely into that category whether we feel rich or not!
John – This is a highly symbolic act which needs to be set in context to be understood. On one level it’s a simple picture of provision and hospitality. Jesus blesses those around him with food and does so through miraculous means. But on another level it’s a significant sign of the Kingdom and more importantly it’s a sign of what the King is like. For those gathered around Jesus, the sort of rulers they were used to took food and money from them in order to enrich themselves. The poor subsistence farmers often were left with too little to feed themselves and their families because of what was taken from them in tithe and tax. Jesus contrasts the sort of ruler God is with them by reversing the situation and instead of demanding food from them to give to the King, he provides food for them as a gift from the King. It’s a highly charged and quite political statement which says ‘you’re used to bad rulers, so transfer your allegiance to a good ruler and see the difference it makes’.
Such a picture of community goes far beyond the modern day notions of community which tend to be a loose affiliation of geographically distant individuals who have an interest in common.
Q: How do we respond to the call to be part of community that offers generous hospitality?
In what ways does this reassure and bless us?
In what ways does this challenge us?
What is easy / hard about living in such a way?
Q: How might we offer generous hospitality as individuals and as a church?
Hospitality needn’t be complicated. In-fact it can be very simple. It is a call placed on each of us as Christians and a call that the church is to act out corporately too. As ever there should be no disconnect between our individual lives and our wider lives within the community of grace. This might be worked out on a very personal level, with neighbours and friends, or it might be worked out on a wider level with regards our stance towards those seeking asylum etc.
Q: What do you think are the challenges to ensuring that church is a radically hospitable community?
Q: What practical steps will the housegroup take on the back of this session?
Session 3: Serving
Readings: Matthew 20:20-28
Preaching Date: 2nd October
Introduction:
Do you ever get the sense that our culture is obsessed by leadership? We hear it all the time both within the church and the wider world. When things go wrong it’s blamed on ‘bad leadership’, when things go right the leaders in question are idolised. There are endless programmes to develop leaders in every sphere of life and I sometimes wonder who on earth will follow now that everyone is a leader? Now that’s said slightly tongue in cheek, because leadership is important. We all know that. But in a culture that is obsessed by it, as Christians we have some important questions to ask of the nature of leadership and also some very good thoughts about what good leadership may look like.
In Jesus thought world it seems that leadership is first and foremost about serving. On a close reading of the NT it would seem that leadership that isn’t built on serving isn’t really leadership at all – at least not in the sense in which Jesus exhibited it. I think view people would disagree with the statement that Jesus was a good leader – he was certainly successful if judged in purely worldly terms by the movement that he started and its size and longevity! So if Jesus was a good leader, and servant-hood was at the heart of how he led, we’re wise to pay attention to the call to serve. For numerous reasons, but not least because it is in serving that we (the church corporately and you and I individually) can truly exhibit leadership.
One of the hallmarks of leadership is the shaping of a vision for life into which others can buy in. It’s often about forging a new path, opening up a new way forward, finding new ways of being and doing. For some people that’s their idea of the perfect job, for others it really isn’t – but here’s the beauty of serving…
Serving is a way in which each and every Christian can be a leader of others and a shaper of culture – even if you don’t see yourself as a ‘leader’ in the traditional and worldly sense of the word.
Serving as a means of setting a vision for society, as a way of expressing a new and better way to live is dynamite! Again, deeply counter-cultural, it throws the established order on its head…and lays down a new and better path down which to walk. A path that leads to a much better society and much fuller living.
And hey, if serving is good enough for Jesus, it’s jolly well good enough for us his followers…unless that is we think we ought to occupy a slightly higher place than the incarnate Son of God and redeemer of the world…?
Getting into the scriptures:
Q: What do we notice about the importance of serving by reading:
Matthew 20:20-28
Leaders Note: As we read through the above we might notice some of the following:
Matthew – The disciples are up to their usual game of failing miserably to understand the nature of Jesus call. They are desperate to secure for themselves a high position that will gain them respect in the eyes of others and the adulation of the ‘normal’ folks. They even go so far as to ask if they can be demi-gods or minor royals in Jesus court. It’s quite likely that they are referring to a very earthly kingdom here. What makes this passage utterly hilarious is that it’s not just the disciples who are jostling for position, but their mothers are getting in on the act. The original pushy ‘soccer mom’ makes an appearance! I mean really…how devastatingly embarrassing for the disciples in question!
Jesus knows that they’ve not understood the nature of his kingdom or the nature of leadership within it and so he challenges them. You think you can do what I’m going to do? He asks. They reply ‘of course we can’ because they really think that they can. Notice that it’s not just his death that Jesus holds up as being the thing that they simply can’t do – it is also becoming a servant. Jesus seems to be implying that becoming a servant to others is as hard as (and part of) dying for them – and this the disciples are not yet ready for or able to do.
Q: How do we think about the role of serving in leadership?
Are we often a bit like the disciples?
We’ll take leadership if it’s recognised and praised but not if it means doing the rubbish jobs that no-one else wants?
We’re up for serving if there is some public esteem and respect attached to it, but if it’s not seen or not held in high regard we’re less interested…
Q: How might we practice service as individuals and also the church?
The question is perhaps to what degree daily acts of service, not just to family and the people that we like, but towards those who we find difficult, are built into our patterns of living? Also perhaps its good to reflect regularly on the ways in which the church expresses its call to serve the most vulnerable and needy within our community and wider world.
Q: What do you think are the challenges to ensuring that church is a radically serving the community?
Q: What practical steps will the housegroup take on the back of this session?
Session 4: Suffering
Readings: Mark 8:31-37, 1Peter4:12-19, John9:1-3
Preaching Date: 9th October
Introduction:
From the prophetic utterances of Isaiah until their fulfilment in Christ suffering had always been part and parcel of the call of God on his Messiah. And as disciples of the Christ it comes as no surprise to us that we’re called to be ready to suffer on his account.
For Jesus the call to suffer was never far away. From an early stage in his ministry he attempted to teach his disciples about what would happen to him and also the sort of treatment that they too must prepare themselves to endure. For numerous reasons the teaching seemed to fall on deaf ears. Perhaps it was because the thought of the ‘good times’ going so wrong seemed somehow too far distant? Or perhaps the disciples simply couldn’t equate suffering with the victory which Jesus would win? Or maybe, they simply didn’t understand what he was saying. Either way, the call to suffer, and to see suffering as part and parcel of what it means to be victorious is as difficult for us to process as it was for them.
Perhaps for us it’s partly because suffering seems to be something that other Christians in far off places endure, and not something that we really face in a significant or day-to-day way?
So let’s re-name the beast. Rather than talking about suffering, lets talk about ‘the cost’. This broadens out the idea at the heart of suffering for Christ and perhaps makes it easier to see how we are affected by it.
There is always a cost to following Christ. Whether it be counting the cost of the death to oneself, or the bringing of ones dreams and aspirations under the Lordship and call of Christ, or in accepting that what we like to claim as our own is no longer our own, but rather Christ’s to be employed in his service – there is always a cost. And the cost often leads to a sense of suffering. Suffering from the loss of living for oneself. Suffering the loss of our claim on stuff to be used simply for our own comfort. Suffering the varied consequences of through placing our will under that of Christ and allowing this to shape our decisions and direction in life. Even if it’s not extreme suffering in the sense of persecution and hardship, there is always a cost and to a degree that cost, once counted, often leads to suffering of one sort or another.
We must be clear however, that in this context we’re talking about suffering for our faith and suffering on account of Christ. We are not talking about the various other types of suffering that occur from being a part of a corrupted and broken natural order.
Getting into the scriptures:
Q: What do we notice about suffering as we read the following:
Mark 8:31-37,
1Peter4:12-19,
John9:1-3
Leaders Note: As we read through the above we might notice some of the following:
Mark – Jesus was aware of the cost of obedience to his Father and he knew that he would have to suffer for this. He rebukes Peter because Peter has made the mistake of thinking that obedience can come without cost and without suffering.
1Peter – Here we find the suggestion that suffering for the sake of Jesus is not just an act of obedience but also a vehicle for growth in holiness. Suffering for one’s faith is seen as having a clear and positive
John – This passage deals with a different type of suffering. It’s not the suffering that comes on account of being a disciple of Jesus. It’s the suffering that seems to have no particular cause or in some respects even any particular purpose. Although interestingly in this case we Jesus using for good something that is clearly bad.
Q: How do we respond to the reminder that suffering for Christ is an intrinsic part of the life of a disciple?
In what ways does this reassure and bless us?
In what ways does this challenge us?
What is easy / hard about living in such a way?
Q: In what ways have experienced suffering for Jesus name?
Q: What do you think are the challenges to ensuring that church is a place that helps people through times of suffering for Christ?
Q: What practical steps will the housegroup take on the back of this session?
Session 5: Witness
Readings: Matthew 28:16-20
Preaching Date: 16th October
Introduction:
It’s very difficult to write about the church’s call to be a witness for Christ without sounding clichéd or simply stating the glaringly obvious assertion that Jesus called his church, indeed commissioned his church, from the the very first to bear witness to him and to call people to come to him in repentance and faith in order to find salvation.
But of course witnessing to Christ is a multi-layered thing – it’s done in words, in action, in lifestyle, in work, at home, with family, with friends, with neighbours…Infact bearing witness to Christ is an all-the-time-everywhere sort of thing. It’s the natural
Getting into the scriptures:
Q: What do we notice about the community of the church and its call to witness by reading:
Matthew 28:16-20
Leaders Note: As we read through the above we might notice some of the following:
Matthew - The great commission of Jesus reported in Matthews Gospel is well known. The words are so familiar they can easily roll of our minds and hearts like water off a ducks back. But they are striking words. They issue a challenge and a call to make deliberate reaching out a part of the life of the community of grace. And what is more they anticipate a response that is at least in par very positive. Jesus call to call people to repent and believe presupposes that some will respond and then they are to be welcomed into the people of God through the symbol and sacrament of baptism – an outward and visible sign of an inner work that God has and is doing.
Q: How do we respond to the call to be part of a community that has witness as a way of life and is discipled in and through mission?
In what ways does this reassure and bless us?
In what ways does this challenge us?
What is easy / hard about living in such a way?
Q: How might we further invest ourselves in this great commission?
Q: What do you think are the challenges to ensuring that church is an intrinsically missional community?
Q: What might you / we do as individuals and as a housegroup in order to witness to Christ more effectively?
Q: What practical steps will the housegroup take on the back of this session?
Session 6: Forgiving
Readings: Matthew 18:21-35
Preaching Date: 23rd October
Introduction:
We all know that Jesus was in many ways quite radical. When it comes to his teaching on forgiveness we get a glimpse of this. Let’s set the conversation in context…
It’s not as if there was no culture of forgiveness before Jesus spoke these words. Within his own people, the Jews, forgiveness was part of the normal rhythm of life. In fact it was enshrined in the religious and legal codes of the people. We only need to look at the sacrificial system to see how important the act of seeking corporate forgiveness was, and a glance at the Sabbath and Jubilee laws and principles further highlight the degree to which regular forgiveness of debt and duty are both to God and by extension to the people that he called out from Egypt.
Of course one thing we can’t do is say how deeply embedded forgiveness was in the culture of Jesus day, but people being people it’s most likely that for some it was very important and less so for others.
Interestingly, and we perhaps get a hint towards this from the disciples questions about how far forgiveness should extend, there seemed to be acceptable limits for the act of forgiving – we think of the ‘should I forgive 7 times?’ question.
It is against this rich cultural and religious heritage that Jesus words are set. As is so often the case he takes a well known principle and extends both the practice of it and also the heart attitude that stands behind it.
Of course, we know that forgiveness is not easy. It’s always been a difficult thing and especially when we are eaten up by anger and resentment towards someone who has wronged us. They might even be a repeat offender!
How many times should I forgive? Without limit – says Jesus.
Who should I forgive? Everyone, even the people are set against you – says Jesus.
Getting into the scriptures:
Q: What do we notice about the community of the church and its call to witness by reading:
Matthew 18:21-35
Leaders Note: As we read through the above we might notice some of the following:
Matthew – Again it’s a familiar parable. Drawing on the unending mercy of God the King and the human condition which seeks payment rather than offering grace. Of course the most striking thing about the parable is the way in which the one who has been forgiven a great deal is unable to forgive another even a little. Like all parables, we’re invited to put ourselves into the story, gauge the reactions of the different characters and in this case be appalled by the hard-heartedness of the servant who was forgiven a large debt.
The injustice of the situation is striking, that one who will gladly receive something is not able to offer the same even in the tiniest of measures. We’re appalled and label the person as unpleasant and ungrateful for what they have received. We reason that one way of showing gratitude for a favour received is to show the same to someone else…
Of course in this parable Jesus invites us to see the ways in which we are that person. The person who has received so much from God and who is yet unwilling to offer even a small amount of the same when we feel hurt, grieved, or abused.
Q: How do we respond to the call to be part of a community that practises deep forgiveness as a way of life?
In what ways does this reassure and bless us?
In what ways does this challenge us?
What is easy / hard about living in such a way?
Q: How might we further grow in being able to forgive others?
Q: What do you think are the challenges to ensuring that church is an intrinsically a forgiving community?
Q: What might you / we do as individuals and as a housegroup in order to find the strength to keep on forgiving?
Q: What practical steps will the housegroup take on the back of this session?
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