1. powerpoint presentation designed by claro ruiz vicente http://clarovicente.weebly.com Adult Bible Study Guide Apr May Jun 2009 Adult Bible Study Guide Apr May Jun 2009

2. Dear User … This PowerPoint Show is freely shared to all who may find it beneficial. While intended primarily for personal use, some find it useful for teaching the lesson in church. There are those, however, who add illustrations, change background, adjust font size, etc. While their intention may be good, this is not right. Slide #1 says “designed by claro ruiz vicente.” For honest Christians, it is not necessary for another’s creation to be copyrighted in order to be respected. PLEASE USE AS IS. The Christian Life An Appeal

3. Reinder Bruinsma Contributor Principal Contributor Reinder Bruinsma Contributor Principal Contributor

4. The Christian Life Contents 1. Love 2. Faith 3. Hope 4. Life 5. Revelation 6. Sin 7. Grace 8. Rest 9. Heaven 10. Discipleship 11. Stewardship 12. Community 13. Mission

5. The Christian Life Our Goal {181} We want to look at both aspects of our faith: doctrine and experience. Not only to understand these themes better but also to have been enriched as far as Christian experience is concerned. One focus: the One in whom “we live, and move, and have our being.”

6. The Christian Life Lesson 10, June 6 The Christian Life Lesson 10, June 6

7. DISCIPLESHIP Key Text John 15:8 NIV “ ‘This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples’.”

8. DISCIPLESHIP Initial Words {300} A disciple is a lifelong learner. When Christ calls us, we are to follow, wherever He leads and no matter the suffering involved. In human terms the rewards of discipleship seem rather meager. But when the true dimensions of life in Christ is discovered, we realize it’s worth suffering for.

9. DISCIPLESHIP Quick Look 1. The Call of Discipleship (Matthew 4:19) 2. The Cost of Discipleship (Mark 10:39) 3. The Rewards of Discipleship (John 10:10)

10. DISCIPLESHIP 1. The Call of Discipleship Matthew 4:19 NIV “ ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’ ”

11. 1.The Call of Discipleship “Follow Me” {301} There was nothing extraordinary about the fact that Jesus had a group of disciples. What was remarkable were the kind of men Jesus chose. Jesus saw potential in these men that most of us would not have discerned! What also is remarkable was their instant willingness to leave their daily business and follow this Carpenter from Nazareth.

12. “Yes, follow Him through evil as well as through good report. Follow Him in befriending the most needy and friendless. Follow Him in being forgetful of self, abundant in acts of self-denial and self- sacrifice to do others good…. Follow Him from the lowly manger to the cross. He was our example.” Testimonies 2:178 1.The Call of Discipleship “Follow Me” {303}

13. It is no small thing to call Jesus our Lord and truly mean it. If He is our Lord, He is Sovereign over our whole life, over all that we say and do. It’s one thing to call Jesus our Lord and our God and to profess faith, love, and allegiance to Him. It’s quite another to truly live it. Our fidelity to Him will be manifested by our obedience to Him and His commands. 1.The Call of Discipleship “Follow Me” {309}

14. DISCIPLESHIP 2. The Cost of Discipleship Mark 10:39, 40 NIV “ ‘You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant.’ ”

15. 2. The Cost of Discipleship Sacrifice {305} Rather than promising His disciples material prosperity and social status, Jesus prepared them for a different kind of reality: Following Him is a costly business. Mark 8:34 NIV “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

16. “The cross is there, right from the beginning, or he has only got to pick it up; there is no need for him to go out and look for a cross for himself, no need for him deliberately to run after suffering. Jesus says that every Christian has his own cross waiting for him, a cross destined and appointed by God.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer The Cost of Discipleship 98 2. The Cost of Discipleship Sacrifice {305}

17. John 10:10 NIV “ ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’ ” DISCIPLESHIP 3. The Rewards of Discipleship

18. Abundant Life {307} Those who follow Christ will face numerous challenges. If they stay focused on their Master, they will be able to deal with whatever happens. He gives them His peace, which is unlike the imperfect and transient kind of peace the world offers. That peace is the hallmark of the abundant life that Christ gives to His disciples.

19. In spite of all trials and temptations, this is the kind of life that satisfies at a level beyond reach of those who choose to live without Christ. And yet, even more so, faithful followers of Christ have the assurance of eternal life, the assurance that whatever they struggle with now can’t be compared with the promise of eternity that awaits them. 3. The Rewards of Discipleship Abundant Life {307}

20. DISCIPLESHIP Final Words {311} To be a disciple of Christ requires a lot of conviction and stamina and willingness to follow the Lord, regardless of the suffering involved. To be a disciple of Christ means to live by faith, to trust God even in the hardest of times. It means to be willing to die to self and live for the good of others and for the glory of God.