Pulpit Curriculum
iFollow
Rejoicing in Our Followership
by Pastor Kurt Gebhards
John 10:1-11
You are not expected to cover every detail of this Pulpit Curriculum, rather, consider it a resource to
help you in guiding your group to a deeper understanding and application of the Word. As you
participate in your Lifegroup use the box to the right to identify GETTING AFTER IT NOW
moments to help you plan and be better equipped to grow in your response to the Word.
Introduction:
Jesus Christ is of supreme value to our church. We desire to accomplish what Jesus
says, study how Jesus says it, act for the reasons Jesus says to, and with the attitude
Jesus says we should have. All of these aspects summarize our desire to be faithful
followers of Jesus Christ. This week the focus is to be truly teachable to the voice of
Jesus Christ’s commands. We want to listen intently to what He says and then apply
what He calls us to do.
Hearing from God is about God knowing you and caring for you as a Good
Shepherd. One way to study the passage this week on your own time would be to
highlight the way He calls to us, how He cares for us, and how He desires to know
us. (Check out the Going Deeper section of Pulpit Curriculum)
1. Followership and Discipleship are Synonyms
Being saved by Jesus is following Jesus and being a disciple of Jesus.
Is this statement difficult for you to understand? What might make this
statement a confusing truth for people to affirm? Why would some people
disagree with that statement?
One of the solutions Pastor Kurt suggested was to go to the Bible and make
sense of our followership of Jesus in contrast to trusting our experiences and
feelings. What is the danger in trusting in feelings over the Scriptures? Why
are we tempted to do that?
In the account of Jesus’ life in the gospel narratives, we see an obvious trend –
not all people who follow Jesus physically follow Him genuinely. In the story of
five thousand fed by Jesus in John 6, how does this story highlight the
difference between those who follow Jesus for physical reasons as opposed to
eternal reasons? What does John 6 teach us today? What are some ways we
are tempted to follow Jesus for what He can do for us physically rather than
following Him for eternal matters? How can we make sure we are following
Jesus out of a pure heart?
Disciples were followers in the days of Jesus. To know a teacher (rabbi) meant
you had to follow someone physically to learn from him and live like him if the
disciple were to be faithful. It was not just about learning, it was about imitating
the teacher. 2,000 years later, we cannot follow Jesus physically, yet we still are
to follow Him. How can a good disciple do this today?
GAIN moment:
2. Two Essentials of Quality Discipleship: Teachability and Responsibility
Teachability is finding joy in the voice of Jesus commands. It is about responding to His Word.
Responsibility is about taking what you hear and then living it out. It is about application of His Word.
One emphasis of teachability is the joy that we ought to have in hearing the Word. Why is joy a
necessary pre-requisite to being a faithful listener? What do the Scriptures say about the connection
between joy and hearing God’s Word? (Hint: read Psalm 119)
Pastor Kurt desires for our church to take the 80 DWOG (Daily Word of God) challenge:
- 12 minutes a day.
- 3 chapters in the New Testament a day.
- Start on Sunday, October 13, 2013 and finish by December 31, 2013.
As a Lifegroup, be sure to encourage each other through this challenge. The goal of this challenge is to
joyfully engage the Word for our progress and joy in Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:25).
Mutual Ministry: A time to confess sin to one another (James 5:16), exhort to love and good deeds
(Hebrews 10:24), encourage the weak (1 Thessalonians 5:14), bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2),
and offer biblical edification to one another (Ephesians 4:29).
Pray for our church as we continue to expand our influence in the Hickory region by being radical loving
followers of Jesus Christ. Pray for the next phase of work to provide offices at Harvest and for future phases
of children’s classes that need to be finalized and approved. Pray as our people build relationships to invite
others to our services and to live as Christ’s ambassadors in their everyday life. Pray for Gospel
opportunities. Pray for Lifegroups to lovingly care for, reach out to and encourage people to continue to
make a difference in the lives of friends.
The “Intercessory Prayer” groups during our worship services 10/20/13:
1st hour – Walker
2nd hour – Ball
Going Deeper:
First, remember The DWOG Challenge during your devotional times this
week. Also, keep in mind the metaphors Kurt used last week for time in the
Word:
1. Eat the Word. Maintain a daily intake of Scripture reading.
2. Chew the Word. As you read, spend time meditating, studying,
highlighting, etc. to get as much out of your reading as possible.
3. Digest the Word. Pray that you can put into practice your study, ask God to remind you throughout
your day of ways to apply what you have read.
Go back into John 10:1-18 and study the ways God calls to us, how He cares for us, and how He desires to
know us. (Cf. John 15:1-17, John 17:1-19)