Knowing Jesus,
making Jesus known
making Jesus known
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Web manager Simon Ford
Jesus said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the First and the Last,
the Beginning and the End.”
Rev 22.13
the First and the Last,
the Beginning and the End.”
Rev 22.13
EDGE 6 – Spring 2006
True or False
Welcome
Play some kind of forfeit game. Everyone starts off with 10 sweets or 3 biscuits or 10p or whatever you have!
You say a fact which may or may not be true. They answer with true or false… Perhaps just ask one or two people at a time.
Correct Answers
You say a fact which may or may not be true. They answer with true or false… Perhaps just ask one or two people at a time.
Correct Answers
They say true and it is true – you give them extra biscuit / sweets / 2p
They say false and it is false – you say ‘well done’
They say false and it is false – you say ‘well done’
Incorrect Answers
They say true but it is false – you do something nasty to them! Tickle, make eat something not nice etc
They say false but it is true – you take away half a biscuit / sweet / 1p
They say false but it is true – you take away half a biscuit / sweet / 1p
Worship
Read Philippians 2:6-11 – then encourage each person to take a phrase from this passage and use it as a prayer of thanks and praise.
Word
Luke 14 is all about the importance and danger of being TRUE and FALSE…
Read through it and ask what bits jump out, what bits are surprising, what bits are immediately challenging.
(Being a chapter with lots of bits in it – either work through these quickly or pick out different sections)
Verses 1-6 - True faith v False Religion
The Pharisee had invited Jesus to dinner (a normal practice on the Sabbath after Synagogue) with only one reason in mind… what?
Why would a respected Pharisee invite such an ill man?
Look at verse 5. Are we sometimes people who say ‘oooh you can’t do that… but in reality we are people who do similar things”?
Does our religion ever get in the way of our Faith?
Verses 7-11 – True humility v False popularity
The status symbol of Jesus’ day was being invited to the right dinner parties and sitting as close as possible to the host – for the closer you sat the more important you were.
What are our status symbols? What makes us feel important?
What does it mean to ‘humble ourselves’?
What is danger of false humility?
What danger is there in thinking too low of ourselves?
Verses 12-14 – True Serving Heart v False hospitality
Why do we serve? Why do we offer hospitality?
What’s the challenge here?
Verses 15-24 – True Trust v False confidence
In Jesus’ day when you invited guests to a dinner, you told them the day but not the exact hour of the meal. A host had to know how many guests were coming so he could butcher the right amount of animals and prepare sufficient food. Just before the feast was to begin, the host sent his servants to each of the guests to tell them the banquet was ready and they should come. In other words, each of the guests in this parable had already agreed to attend the banquet. The host expected them to be there.
Why did the first guests not come when told the banquet was ready? Why were all these excuses feeble and pathetic? (Banquets normally in evening, lack of daylight, purchases would not be made without prior viewing, wedding would have been planned ages ago, shouldn’t have accepted initial invite…)
What were they settling for?
Why is the Banquet of God so exciting and not to be missed?
What does it mean to enter into the Banquet?
Verses 25-35 True Discipleship v False Hopes
Jesus deliberately tells them some hard things here. Why? What was his purpose?
What does it mean to carry your cross?
Who do you think is represented by the builder and the King?
What about if it is Jesus?
If we think of Jesus as the builder and the King then discipleship is serious business. If we are not true disciples, then Jesus cannot build the tower and fight the war. There is only one way of being a disciple, and that is by being devoted to Jesus.”
If we tell Jesus that we want to take up our cross and follow Him as His disciples, then He wants us to know exactly what we are getting into. He wants no false expectancy, no illusions, and no bargains. He wants to use us as stones for building His church, soldiers for battling His enemies, and salt for bettering His world; and He is looking for quality.
After all, He was on His way to Jerusalem when He spoke these words, and look what happened to Him there! He does not ask us to do anything for Him that He has not already done for us.
Witness
Pray for each other to be true disciples, and pray for each other to be used as salt in this unsavoury world,