2021 Men’s Discipleship Bible Study Sessions

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Last Updated on January 29, 2022 by Rocklyn Clarke

Description and Purpose

This web page supports the weekly discipleship-oriented men’s Bible study that Life Church launched in February 2020. It contains both general resources for the Men’s Bible Study and resources specific to the sessions we have conducted so far.

The Bible

Doing the Bible is the first of our Core Values at Life Church and in order to do the Bible we have to learn the Bible. This section contains some Bible resources and some links to supplemental information about the Bible.

See the Following Jesus: Focus On The Message Class web page.

Following Jesus

This Bible Study is an expression of our 7-component discipleship curriculum: Following Jesus. It draws specifically from the first component: Focus on the Message.

Sessions

In this section you’ll find each of the Bible Study sessions that we’ve conducted listed in chronological order. As we mentioned above, the sessions are based largely on the Bible Study from Following Jesus: Focus on the Message. The “Additional resources to check out” section of each session includes a link to the related section of Focus on the Message.

Session 45 – 01/06/2021

Agenda (tentative)

Notes (what we actually covered)

Session 46 – 01/13/2021

Agenda (tentative)

Notes (what we actually covered)

Session 47 – 01/20/2021

Agenda (tentative)

Notes (what we actually covered)

  •  Icebreaker: Current Events
  • Mac Crawford – Following Jesus: Focus On The Message – Unit 2, Lesson 12 – Matthew 4:23-25
  • Matthew 12
    • Not covered
  • Discipleship
    • Planning joint social events with people you are evangelizing.
    • Paula Gooder Videos
      • Disciples learn by following Jesus and being in his presence.
      • There is a big difference between what is taught and what is learned. The church is most effective as a learning environment when people are actually sent out to do something.
      • Jesus sends disciples out before we would think that they were ready.
      • My job is to throw you into the deep end of the pool and watch you discover that you won’t drown.
  • The Chosen

Session 48 – 01/27/2021

Agenda (tentative)

Notes (what we actually covered)

Session 49 – 02/03/2021

Agenda (tentative)

Notes (what we actually covered)

Session 50 – 02/10/2021

Agenda (tentative)

Notes (what we actually covered)

Session 51 – 02/17/2021

Agenda (tentative)

Notes (what we actually covered)

Session 52 – 02/24/2021

Agenda (tentative)

Notes (what we actually covered)

Session 53 – 03/03/2021

Agenda (tentative)

Notes (what we actually covered)

Session 54 – 03/10/2021

Agenda (tentative)

Notes (what we actually covered)

Session 55 – 03/17/2021

Agenda (tentative)

Notes (what we actually covered)

  • Icebreaker: General conversation, prayer requests
  • Mack – Following Jesus: Focus On The Message – Unit 3, Lesson 5 – Matthew 5:27-30 – Adultery (postponed)
  • Bearing Fruit
    • Parable of the Sower
    • Ladder of Abstraction – concrete language
    • What is a disciple and how do I know when I’ve made one?
    • Farming: seed, field, how to harvest
    • Fishing: nets, location, how to cook
  • Salvation
  • This is what salvation looks like.
    • People who have been captivated by Jesus.
    • People following Jesus in order to learn from him.
    • People abandoning their past teachers in favor of learning directly from Jesus.
    • People accepted by Jesus and not at all anxious about whether they are “in” or “out”.
    • With salvation we receive a “superpower” – the ability to pay attention to Jesus.
      • This is the flip side of the “faith” that is the evidence of salvation.
      • What we do with this “superpower” will determine the course of our spiritual life.
  • Matthew’s Gospel (Chapter 14 postponed)
  • Additional resources to check out:

Session 56 – 03/24/2021

Agenda (tentative)

Notes (what we actually covered)

  • Icebreaker: General conversation, prayer requests
  • Mack – Following Jesus: Focus On The Message – Unit 3, Lesson 5 – Matthew 5:27-30 – Adultery
  • Bearing Fruit
    • Parable of the Sower
    • Ladder of Abstraction – concrete language
    • What is a disciple and how do I know when I’ve made one?
    • Farming: seed, field, how to harvest
    • Fishing: nets, location, how to cook
  • Salvation
  • This is what salvation looks like.
    • People who have been captivated by Jesus.
    • People following Jesus in order to learn from him.
    • People abandoning their past teachers in favor of learning directly from Jesus.
    • People accepted by Jesus and not at all anxious about whether they are “in” or “out”.
    • With salvation we receive a “superpower” – the ability to pay attention to Jesus.
      • This is the flip side of the “faith” that is the evidence of salvation.
      • What we do with this “superpower” will determine the course of our spiritual life.
  • Matthew’s Gospel (Chapter 14 postponed)
  • Additional resources to check out:

Session 57 – 03/31/2021

Agenda (tentative)

  • March 31, 2021 Handout
  • Icebreaker: Highs and Lows
  • Mack – Following Jesus: Focus On The Message – Unit 3, Lesson 6 – Matthew 5:31-32 – Divorce
  • Building From Scratch
    • Key concepts are often framed in an important way the first time they appear in scripture!
      • Salvation
      • The Gospel
      • Conversion
    • Salvation
      • The Bible uses many terms to describe a single experience from multiple perspectives:
        • Believer, Born Again, Christian, Disciple, Follower of Jesus, Saints, Saved
        • See Following Jesus: Introduction – Lesson 2
      • The Gospels give us a picture of what salvation looks like.
      • This is what salvation looks like.
        • People who have been captivated by Jesus.
        • People following Jesus in order to learn from him.
        • People abandoning their past teachers in favor of learning directly from Jesus.
        • People accepted by Jesus and not at all anxious about whether they are “in” or “out”.
      • With salvation we receive a “superpower” – the ability to distinguish between Jesus and other sources and to pay attention to Jesus.
        • “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.  The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.  The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.  But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”  – John 10:1-5 (NIV)
        • This is the flip side of the “faith” that is the evidence of salvation.
        • What we do with this “superpower” will determine the course of our spiritual life.
      • Calvinism vs. Arminianism
    • The Gospel
      • What is the Gospel?
        • Find the first proclamation of the Gospel by searching through the beginning of each gospel.
      • Can you confidently explain the gospel to someone else in less than two minutes?
        • Are there any pieces of the Gospel that you don’t understand (e.g. the Kingdom of God)?
        • Illustration: Sports (e.g. basketball) and recognition of skill deficits.
        • If so, you now know what you need to work on!
    • Modeling Conversion
      • Compare 2 paradigms:
        • Salvation as a free gift.
        • Salvation as a commitment to following and obeying Jesus.
        • Salvation as a free gift:
        • Illustration: Free tickets to a show I can’t afford.
        • Salvation as a commitment to following and obeying Jesus.
        • Illustration: Free membership to a gym with a trainer.
        • Illustration: Scholarship to college with a faculty advisor.
      • What is the normal path to conversion (i.e. becoming a follower)?
        • Gospel proclamation (e.g. The Kingdom of God is here)
        • Saving faith (includes the “superpower” ability to pay attention to Jesus)
        • Acts of commitment (e.g. baptism, “Jesus is Lord”, joining family of believers)
        • Discipleship
      • Let’s use Peter’s Pentecost sermon as a model:
        • “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
          When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
          Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
          With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”  Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
          They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  – Acts 2:36-42 (NIV)
        • Peter: God has made this Jesus . . . both Lord and Christ.
        • People: What shall we do?
          • This indicates that Peter’s message has generated saving faith in some of his audience!
          • We need to leave space for an indication that saving faith has been generated!
        • Peter: Repent and be baptized . . .
          • Peter responds to their faith by “opening the door” to the Kingdom.
        • Outcome:
          • They responded and 3,000 men were added to their number.
          • They devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching . . .
  • Matthew’s Gospel
  • Additional resources to check out:

Notes (what we actually covered)

  • Icebreaker: General conversation, prayer requests
  • Mack – Following Jesus: Focus On The Message – Unit 3, Lesson 6 – Matthew 5:31-32 – Divorce
  • Building From Scratch
    • Key concepts are often framed in an important way the first time they appear in scripture!
      • Salvation
      • The Gospel
      • Conversion
    • Salvation
      • The Bible uses many terms to describe a single experience from multiple perspectives:
        • Believer, Born Again, Christian, Disciple, Follower of Jesus, Saints, Saved
        • See Following Jesus: Introduction – Lesson 2
      • The Gospels give us a picture of what salvation looks like.
      • This is what salvation looks like.
        • People who have been captivated by Jesus.
        • People following Jesus in order to learn from him.
        • People abandoning their past teachers in favor of learning directly from Jesus.
        • People accepted by Jesus and not at all anxious about whether they are “in” or “out”.
      • With salvation we receive a “superpower” – the ability to distinguish between Jesus and other sources and to pay attention to Jesus.
        • “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.  The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.  The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.  But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”  – John 10:1-5 (NIV)
        • This is the flip side of the “faith” that is the evidence of salvation.
        • What we do with this “superpower” will determine the course of our spiritual life.
      • Calvinism vs. Arminianism
    • The Gospel
      • What is the Gospel?
        • Find the first proclamation of the Gospel by searching through the beginning of each gospel.
      • Can you confidently explain the gospel to someone else in less than two minutes?
        • Are there any pieces of the Gospel that you don’t understand (e.g. the Kingdom of God)?
        • Illustration: Sports (e.g. basketball) and recognition of skill deficits.
        • If so, you now know what you need to work on!
    • Modeling Conversion
      • Compare 2 paradigms:
        • Salvation as a free gift.
        • Salvation as a commitment to following and obeying Jesus.
        • Salvation as a free gift:
        • Illustration: Free tickets to a show I can’t afford.
        • Salvation as a commitment to following and obeying Jesus.
        • Illustration: Free membership to a gym with a trainer.
        • Illustration: Scholarship to college with a faculty advisor.
      • What is the normal path to conversion (i.e. becoming a follower)?
        • Gospel proclamation (e.g. The Kingdom of God is here)
        • Saving faith (includes the “superpower” ability to pay attention to Jesus)
        • Acts of commitment (e.g. baptism, “Jesus is Lord”, joining family of believers)
        • Discipleship
      • Let’s use Peter’s Pentecost sermon as a model:
        • “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
          When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
          Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
          With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”  Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
          They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  – Acts 2:36-42 (NIV)
        • Peter: God has made this Jesus . . . both Lord and Christ.
        • People: What shall we do?
          • This indicates that Peter’s message has generated saving faith in some of his audience!
          • We need to leave space for an indication that saving faith has been generated!
        • Peter: Repent and be baptized . . .
          • Peter responds to their faith by “opening the door” to the Kingdom.
        • Outcome:
          • They responded and 3,000 men were added to their number.
          • They devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching . . .
  • Matthew’s Gospel (Chapter 14 postponed)
  • Additional resources to check out:

Session 58 – 04/07/2021

Agenda (tentative)

  • April 7, 2021 Handout
  • Icebreaker: Highs and Lows
  • Spending time with Jesus.
  • Reynolds – Following Jesus: Focus On The Message – Unit 3, Lesson 7 – Matthew 5:33-37 – Oaths
  • Building From Scratch
    • Key concepts are often framed in an important way the first time they appear in scripture!
      • Salvation
      • The Gospel
      • Conversion
    • Salvation
      • The Bible uses many terms to describe a single experience from multiple perspectives:
        • Believer, Born Again, Christian, Disciple, Follower of Jesus, Saints, Saved
        • See Following Jesus: Introduction – Lesson 2
      • The Gospels give us a picture of what salvation looks like.
      • This is what salvation looks like.
        • People who have been captivated by Jesus.
        • People following Jesus in order to learn from him.
        • People abandoning their past teachers in favor of learning directly from Jesus.
        • People accepted by Jesus and not at all anxious about whether they are “in” or “out”.
      • With salvation we receive a “superpower” – the ability to distinguish between Jesus and other sources and to pay attention to Jesus.
        • “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.  The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.  The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.  But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”  – John 10:1-5 (NIV)
        • This is the flip side of the “faith” that is the evidence of salvation.
        • What we do with this “superpower” will determine the course of our spiritual life.
      • Calvinism vs. Arminianism
    • The Gospel
      • What is the Gospel?
        • Find the first proclamation of the Gospel by searching through the beginning of each gospel.
      • Can you confidently explain the gospel to someone else in less than two minutes?
        • Are there any pieces of the Gospel that you don’t understand (e.g. the Kingdom of God)?
        • Illustration: Sports (e.g. basketball) and recognition of skill deficits.
        • If so, you now know what you need to work on!
    • Modeling Conversion
      • Compare 2 paradigms:
        • Salvation as a free gift.
        • Salvation as a commitment to following and obeying Jesus.
        • Salvation as a free gift:
        • Illustration: Free tickets to a show I can’t afford.
        • Salvation as a commitment to following and obeying Jesus.
        • Illustration: Free membership to a gym with a trainer.
        • Illustration: Scholarship to college with a faculty advisor.
      • What is the normal path to conversion (i.e. becoming a follower)?
        • Gospel proclamation (e.g. The Kingdom of God is here)
        • Saving faith (includes the “superpower” ability to pay attention to Jesus)
        • Acts of commitment (e.g. baptism, “Jesus is Lord”, joining family of believers)
        • Discipleship
      • Let’s use Peter’s Pentecost sermon as a model:
        • “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
          When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
          Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
          With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”  Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
          They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  – Acts 2:36-42 (NIV)
        • Peter: God has made this Jesus . . . both Lord and Christ.
        • People: What shall we do?
          • This indicates that Peter’s message has generated saving faith in some of his audience!
          • We need to leave space for an indication that saving faith has been generated!
        • Peter: Repent and be baptized . . .
          • Peter responds to their faith by “opening the door” to the Kingdom.
        • Outcome:
          • They responded and 3,000 men were added to their number.
          • They devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching . . .
  • Matthew’s Gospel
  • Additional resources to check out:

Notes (what we actually covered)

Session 59 – 04/14/2021

Agenda (tentative)

  • April 14, 2021 Handout
  • Icebreaker: Highs and Lows
  • Spending time with Jesus.
  • Building From Scratch
    • Key concepts are often framed in an important way the first time they appear in scripture!
      • Salvation
      • The Gospel
      • Conversion
    • Salvation
      • The Bible uses many terms to describe a single experience from multiple perspectives:
        • Believer, Born Again, Christian, Disciple, Follower of Jesus, Saints, Saved
        • See Following Jesus: Introduction – Lesson 2
      • The Gospels give us a picture of what salvation looks like.
      • This is what salvation looks like.
        • People who have been captivated by Jesus.
        • People following Jesus in order to learn from him.
        • People abandoning their past teachers in favor of learning directly from Jesus.
        • People accepted by Jesus and not at all anxious about whether they are “in” or “out”.
      • With salvation we receive a “superpower” – the ability to distinguish between Jesus and other sources and to pay attention to Jesus.
        • “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.  The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.  The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.  But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”  – John 10:1-5 (NIV)
        • This is the flip side of the “faith” that is the evidence of salvation.
        • What we do with this “superpower” will determine the course of our spiritual life.
      • Calvinism vs. Arminianism
    • The Gospel
      • What is the Gospel?
        • Find the first proclamation of the Gospel by searching through the beginning of each gospel.
      • Can you confidently explain the gospel to someone else in less than two minutes?
        • Are there any pieces of the Gospel that you don’t understand (e.g. the Kingdom of God)?
        • Illustration: Sports (e.g. basketball) and recognition of skill deficits.
        • If so, you now know what you need to work on!
    • Modeling Conversion
      • Compare 2 paradigms:
        • Salvation as a free gift.
        • Salvation as a commitment to following and obeying Jesus.
        • Salvation as a free gift:
        • Illustration: Free tickets to a show I can’t afford.
        • Salvation as a commitment to following and obeying Jesus.
        • Illustration: Free membership to a gym with a trainer.
        • Illustration: Scholarship to college with a faculty advisor.
      • What is the normal path to conversion (i.e. becoming a follower)?
        • Gospel proclamation (e.g. The Kingdom of God is here)
        • Saving faith (includes the “superpower” ability to pay attention to Jesus)
        • Acts of commitment (e.g. baptism, “Jesus is Lord”, joining family of believers)
        • Discipleship
      • Let’s use Peter’s Pentecost sermon as a model:
        • “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
          When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
          Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
          With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”  Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
          They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  – Acts 2:36-42 (NIV)
        • Peter: God has made this Jesus . . . both Lord and Christ.
        • People: What shall we do?
          • This indicates that Peter’s message has generated saving faith in some of his audience!
          • We need to leave space for an indication that saving faith has been generated!
        • Peter: Repent and be baptized . . .
          • Peter responds to their faith by “opening the door” to the Kingdom.
        • Outcome:
          • They responded and 3,000 men were added to their number.
          • They devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching . . .
  • Matthew’s Gospel
  • Additional resources to check out:

Notes (what we actually covered)

Session 60 – 04/21/2021

Agenda (tentative)

Notes (what we actually covered)

Session 61 – 04/28/2021

Agenda (tentative)

Notes (what we actually covered)

  • Icebreaker: General conversation, prayer requests
  • Spending time with Jesus.
  • Matthew’s Gospel
    • M