Over the past three weeks we have been discussing that God is about character development, meaning…He wants to develop you and me to be more like Jesus. In order to do this God must first have access to our hearts. Secondly, we have to open ourselves to his leading. Below are some questions that bring accountability to this whole process. Have fun interacting with them and may they be a helpful resource to you in your spiritual journey.
John Wesley’s Small Group Questions:
1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
2. Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
3. Do I confidentially pass onto another what was told me in confidence?
4. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work , or habits?
5. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
6. Did the Bible live in me today?
7. Do I give it time to speak to me everyday?
8. Am I enjoying prayer?
9. When did I last speak to someone about my faith?
10. Do I pray about the money I spend?
11. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
12. Do I disobey God in anything?
13. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
14. Am I defeated in any part of my life?
15. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?
16. How do I spend my spare time?
17. Am I proud?
18. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as thePharisee who despised the publican?
19. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I going to do about it?
20. Do I grumble and complain constantly?
21. Is Christ real to me?
Reference: John Wesley’s Class Meetings: a Model for Making Disciples, by D. Michael Henderson, Evangel Publishing House, 1997, pp. 118-9
To be upfront: I love movies. There’s something about being transported into a great story that draws me in, gets my creative juices flowing and causes me to ponder. Inception was one of those films that captivated me from start to finish. As a great film should, Inception’s plot and characters addressed some great human themes including tragedy, deception, and hope. Without spoiling the movie for those who haven’t seen it, there’s an underlying concept in the film that is absolutely intriguing to me: is reality and truth that is external to me more important than what’s internal to me in my own mind? Or to ask it a different way, if I believe something to be real, does it matter if it isn’t?
In Inception, the main characters are able to break into someone’s mind during a dream state. The film’s main character Cobb, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, is a professional thief who profits through dream espionage– stealing secrets by interacting with his targets through their dreams. [Semi-spoiler alert] As the story unfolds, Cobb accepts a job to go beyond theft, and to actually introduce a thought into his victims mind– a act of inception. His team will attempt to shape an intricate dream experience that will plant the seed of an idea in their victims mind that will cause him to take a desired outcome. As they plan for this task, the viewer learns that Cobb’s reality has been complicated by his constant dream-state living, and he struggles to differentiate between the real world and the world of his dreams.
What Cobb and the others experience in their dream state feels every bit as real in their mind. As far as their mind is concerned these experiences are real. So what matters more: what one feels is real, or what is real? Some might say there’s really no difference– that experience determines reality. My Christian worldview differs from this and I understand that God is real and outside of all that I see for He created it all. I can believe any number of things, but my belief or understanding or experience do not determine what’s real, even if it feels real to me.
In the scriptures, we are clued into this interaction between truth or reality and our own minds. There’s a Biblical understanding that our minds are darkened and unable to see the world and it’s Creator as they really are (see Romans 1:18-23). To be sure, there are some great realities and truths that are hidden to man because our minds are darkened to them because of our sinfulness. But God speaks to us through creation, and through the scriptures, and he revealed so much through the incarnation of Jesus the Messiah.
For Christians, those who place their faith in Jesus as the Messiah, God begins to renew the mind. Something that many Christians do not understand, though, is that we must continue this renewing work of the mind if we are to find the fulness of life that comes (in part) from a mind that is shaped by the truths of God. I leave you with a few such passages [the italics are mine].
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. (Colossians 1:3-10 ESV)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2 ESV)
And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, (Philippians 1:9-10 ESV)
- Feeling a little tired today after lots of teaching yesterday. However, the day went great and I am totally pumped about the coming fall.
- Started the day with an early doctors appointment for Melissa. We were hoping to find out what we are having only to be denied the opportunity once again. The U.S. lady happened to leave for a training session today. O’well, the good news is the baby is healthy!
- Don’t forget about 822! And be thinking now about who you are going to invite to join you on our special day. You don’t want to miss it!
- Had a great Connection Point yesterday. It was definitely one of my highlights of the day.
- Aaron learned how to play Chutes and Ladders this weekend. So you can imagine that is all we do in the Stephenson household when we have a free minute.
- Finished a great book this week by Tim Keller called Counterfeit God’s. It was a great read on the empty promises of money, power, etc. and how they can take over our lives.
- Consider reading the book of Judges this week as preparation for week three in our series “Character.”
- Great to be back and to see everyone yesterday. I absolutely love being at Harvest and the people.
- Did you all know that Lebron James left Cleveland? Didn’t know if you knew that.
- Great start to the character series yesterday. This week we are going to take a look at Joshua. Should be lots of fun!
- Seemed to be a lot of excitement about the inaugural women’s retreat coming up. Ladies you will not want to miss it.
- Proud of the band yesterday. They had a guitar player not commit at the last minute and yet they still pulled off a stellar morning. Good work guys!
- Can’t wait for Connection Point this Sunday. Remember if you become a member this year you are considered a founding member of Harvest Community Church.
- Saw a lot of new faces yesterday. Thanks for investing in your friends by inviting them to church. (Did you know that 50% of people will say yes to coming to church if you invite them? Not a bad stat to put to the test)
- Melissa is now 23 weeks pregnant and doing great. Next week we go in for a check-up and hopefully they can sneak us in for a quick gender test. The first one didn’t work out so well. We will keep you all updated.
- Praying for the fall! We have some great things in the works for this fall. Will you pray along with me, asking God to do the unusual?
