Follow

Follow
by Vince Antonucci - July 15, 2007

Today’s message was all about following Jesus. Vince pointed out that one of the things Jesus said over and over, to so many different people was “Follow Me”. OK, but what did He mean by that? (...and as Vince asked, How do you DO that when you can’t actually see Him?!)

1. For starters, let’s look at some misconceptions about what following Jesus means. Which of the following might you have checked as a definition of what it means to “Follow Jesus”?

____ Walking the “straight and narrow’
____ Doing lots of “church” stuff
____ Never sinning
____ Giving up all the things you like to do
____ Going to work as a missionary in Africa

Spend a few minutes kicking around why it’s common to think of some of these things – or other discriptions of what it means to follow Jesus. (5 - 10 minutes)

2. To explain one of God’s “specialties”, Vince talked about the story of creation in Genesis. He noted that God “hovered” and then dove into the formless, empty, lifeless universe to bring light, order, and beauty. One of the places Jesus leads us is into the darkness and chaos of our own lives and sometimes other people’s lives as well. So, what can we learn from that? Let’s try an example that is not directly spiritual. Have you ever worked under a leader/boss/teacher who brought order and light to a chaotic and/or dark situation? How did that effect your motivation? Would you want to work for/with that person again? Pair off, and with your partner, relate an experience with leadership, your reaction at the time, and your feelings about it now. (If you haven’t had a good experience, then try to look for lessons in a bad experience.) (10 minutes). Then in the group as a whole, identify the types of qualities that are needed to turn situations around. Once you’ve done that, take a little bit of time talking about whether Jesus has those qualities. (10 minutes)

3. In the message, Vince noted that when Jesus was physically on the earth, people who followed Him of often did so despite being “astonished and afraid” (Mark 10:32). Clearly Jesus was calling them to do things that were different from what would have come naturally to them. To follow like that takes both faith and courage. Hearing others people’s “following” experiences, and remembering our own, can help us build our faith and courage. So, let’s take some time to share some stories. Pair off again and share with a partner some time you followed Jesus, maybe in spite of not understanding why or while being astonished or afraid of the direction. What was the outcome? If you don't have that sort of experince, have you every heard some direction from Jesus and not followed? What was that like? (10 – 15 minutes). In the larger group, take 5 – 10 minutes to share some particularly encouraging or significant stories.

4. In the message, Vince gave some examples of sensing Jesus’ direction to do or not do things. This can be a tough area to get into, because we don’t actually “hear” voices…(or I hope not...). So, how can we go about judging whether our sensing is Jesus-led vs. just “hearing what we want to hear” ? Spend some time discussing this one, because it is an important yet precarious question. (10 minutes)

5. Jesus told a story about sheep following the “good” shepherd: Him – and said that His sheep “listen to my voice” (John 10: 1- 16). What are ways we can better get to know Jesus’ voice? Vince mentioned one of his own ways of hearing Jesus’ leading is by taking time to be with Him every day. This is certainly a way to get to know what Jesus “sounds like”. In the group, discuss other successful ways of turning up the volume and tuning in on Jesus’ voice in our lives. (10 minutes)

6. So, how about you? Take a couple of minutes to reflect on all this. Have you sensed Jesus’ voice today or during Vince’s message? What was He saying to you? If you sense any areas in your life where He’s asking you to follow, write that down. Or maybe you feel motivated to try to hear His voice better. If you know how, write that down as well. Also write down a day and time this week to come back and begin moving… either following or turning up the volume on Jesus voice – or both. (3 -5 minutes)

Bible verses from or related to the message:

They were on their way up to Jerusalem with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished while those who followed were afraid.
Mark 10: 32

But Jesus told him, “Follow me”.
Matthew 8:22

“Take up his cross daily and follow me”
Luke 9:23:

“Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”
Matthew 4:19

When Jeus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life"
John 8:12

“He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”
John 10: 3b

“When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them because his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”
John 10: 4

They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and on shepherd.
John 10: 16b

Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life.
Deuteronomy 30: 19b – 20a

Related Next-Step Resources:

• Resource Title (available at Gateway's Way of Christ Next-Steps Website)


• Prior Sunday message on date (audio available at Gateway's Sunday Message Archive)