Chapter 6: When You're In Love

When You’re in Love

Read pg 99, a clip out of the book The Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer

What are your thoughts when you read this?

“Have you ever known someone who was utterly and desperately in love with Jesus?”

·         What were some of the reasons you would think this about that person?

·         What did they do that made you think they were utterly and desperately in love with Jesus?

Think about your lives and any true loves you have or may have had previously.

·         There’s not much that could stand between you and your true love (Whatever it may be)

·         Read some examples from the middle of pg 100

·         Do we have those same kinds of feelings towards God?

·         Read bottom of pg 100

·         “Could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ was not there?”

·         If we are as deeply in love with Christ as we are a lot of earthly things then there is no way that we could ever be satisfied in heaven without Christ.

Why do we try so hard to please God instead of focusing more on our love relationship with him?  Gods wants us to desire him instead of merely serving him out of obligation or guilt.

·         Read Galatians 5:13-14 on the bottom of pg 101

·         What’s Love Got to do with it?

·         “Why do most people feel they have to either pay God back for all He’s done (buy His love) or somehow keep making up for all their inadequacies and failures (prove their love)?”

·         Read Psalm 63:1-5

·         When we, so often, love God out of obligation (which shows through our lives and actions) then we are going to have a very hard time winning others to Christ and getting them to understand He is worth the fight to stay on that narrow path filled with so many obstacles.

Letting God into your life vs. trying so hard to prove your love to Him

·         Revelation 3:20 says, Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

·         Jesus Christ not only died on the cross to save us from hell but also so that we could have Him more abundantly. 

·         “The fact is, I need God to help me love God.  And if I need His help to love Him, a perfect being, I definitely need His help to love other, fault-filled humans.”

·         What are your thoughts on that statement?

·         “Our prayers for more love result in love, which naturally causes us to pray more, which results in more love…”

·         All we have to do is let God in and quit trying so hard to prove ourselves.

What do you have to do to get into shape?

·         Train and condition your body.  Is this easy at first?  Is it easy once you have been training for a while?  Is it easy if you do it for a week then take a week off and then do it for a couple of day then take another couple of days off?

·         How does this compare to our relationship with Christ?

·         The more you condition your body, love and run towards Christ the less likely you will be to wonder. 

·         If you tend to take the on again, off again approach you will have a hard time staying focused on the prize (God) and more focused on how difficult it is going to be to get back in shape for God.  Your life will become full of excuses as to why you don’t want to train today. 

·         “As long as we are pursuing Him, we are satisfied in Him.  It is when we stop actively loving Him that we find ourselves restless and gravitating toward other means of fulfillment.” 

God is a real and wonderful being that forgives everything that we do if we ask.  He loves us endlessly and only wants us to love Him in a way that it feels like love and not work.

God wants us to be real with Him

·         Read Someone I can be real with on the bottom of pg 110 and top of pg 111.

Seek God actively, love God truly with all your heart, and build a God Conscience in your life!

Watch the Chapter 6 video online by clicking here.

Chapter 5: Leftovers for a Holy God

Offering Leftovers

The road is narrow and few will actually find it.  What does that mean?

God wants our best, deserves our best and demands our best.

In our current lives how do we gauge our relationship with God?

·         Do you use the Bible?

·         Do you compare yourself to others?

How much room do you have in your life for God?

·         Francis stated, “It’s easy to fill ourselves up with other things and then give God whatever is left.”

·         Hosea 13:6 says, “When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.”

·         What do we fill our lives up so much with that we run out of room for God?  How do we set our priorities?

In Malachi’s day the priests thought their sacrifices were sufficient.  They had spotless animals but chose to keep those for themselves and give their less desirable animals to God.  They assumed God was pleased because they had sacrificed something.  Read Malachi 1:8 on pg 91 in book.

·         What are your priorities?  Who and what really matters in your life?  Are leftovers good enough for a holy God?

·         What prompts us to love God, give to God and praise God?  Is it out of Love, Obligation or Guilt?

·         Later on in Malachi God is so displeased with the people uselessly using His alter that he wanted the temple gates shut. He was telling the people that NO worship is better than apathetic worship.

·         Francis makes the statement, “I wonder how many church doors God wants shut today.”

God asks his people to give up what they think is necessary and valuable in their lives in exchange for what really matters.  God says our greatest fear in life should not be failure but instead succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.

·         We have to know what really matters in life, to God, to succeed at it.  What really matters to God?

·         God says he measures our lives by how we Love.

·         Paul wrote that even if “I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”

·         What does that mean?

·         Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 pg 1342

·         Challenge yourself by putting your name in the place of Love throughout those verses.  Does it still sound as good with your name there?

“Following Christ isn’t something that can be done halfheartedly or on the side.  It is not a label we can display when it is useful.  It must be central to everything we do and are.”

·         Francis uses the example of pursuing Christ being like swimming upstream.  What happens when, going upstream, you slow down or quit swimming even if just for a moment?  You begin to be swept downstream.

·         If you try to swim upstream in a river you have to make a conscious decision that whatever is upstream and caused you to make that decision is well worth the risk and effort.

·         Christ is standing upstream on the bank and we know he is so much more than worth the risk and effort then why are we constantly drifting back downstream?

We all know that by the Grace of God we are saved through Faith and if you have that true Faith then it will show through your actions.

·         In James 2:17, James wrote that “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead”

·         There are so many people today right in front of us that lack the actions revealing their true Faith in God.

Don’t raise your hands but, how many of us, here today, would really leave our families, jobs, our education, our friends, our connections, our familiar surroundings and our homes if Jesus asked us to?  If He just showed up and said, “Follow me” with no explanations or direction.

·         You could be following Him straight up a hill to be crucified.  Maybe He would lead you to another country, and you would never see your family again. Or perhaps you would stay put, but He would ask you to spend your time helping people who will never love you back and never show gratitude for what you gave up.

·         Could you do it?

·         A lot of the time our thoughts are centered on the money we want to make, the school we want to attend, the body we want to have, the spouse we want to marry, the kind of person we want to become.

·         Why do we so easily turn our backs on a Mighty God that created the heavens and the earth and everything in between?

Every day of our lives we choose God or reject him simply by how we spend our free time, what our money goes to, and where we invest our energy. 

True Faith, on the other hand, is holding nothing back and putting Everything we have into an eternity with God in Heaven.

 It is a very simple concept but so complicated at the same time.  Why is this?

Jesus himself said that the road is narrow and few will actually find it…

“Don’t assume that you are one of the few on the narrow way.”



Click here to view the video that accompanies Chapter 5.

Chapter 4: Profile of the Lukewarm

Chapter 4: Profile of the Lukewarm

What matters to you?

Matthew 13:44 pg 1108 – Hidden Treasure

·         This man knew that the treasure that he had found “The Kingdom of Heaven” was more valuable than anything so he gave everything he had to obtain it. 

·         Do we share the same enthusiasm as the man in the story?

How are most social events gauged?

·         Impressed with numbers

·         How many attended? How many came forward?

·         Should the numbers matter as much?  What should matter most?

Are we more interested in making sure everyone is happy with our approach or message or are we more interested in telling the truth and bringing non believers to know Jesus Christ by any means necessary?

 Read Luke 8:5-15 pg 1186

“Don’t assume you are good soil.”

What kind of soil are you?  What kind of soil are most people made of?

·         Verse 14 states that the thorny grounds are those who clearly hear the message but the message is very quickly crowded out by the riches and pleasures of life, the thorns.  A meaningful relationship with God will not grow to maturity if the extras in life are piled on top.  Know your priorities. 

·         If you are made of good soil then you will plainly see a difference in the way you live.  If you don’t see the difference you may want to re-evaluate. 

Is it easy to whole heartedly follow God and fit in at school, work or church? 

Francis says, “The goals of American Christianity are often a nice marriage, children who don’t swear, and good church attendance.  Taking the works of Christ literally and seriously is rarely considered.  That’s for the “radicals” who are “unbalanced” and who go “overboard.”  Most of us want a balanced life that we can control, that is safe, and that does not involve suffering.”

What does Lukewarm mean?

Let’s discuss a couple of examples and Bible verses that follow along with Francis’s definitions of Lukewarm People.

·         Lukewarm people attend church fairly regularly.  It is what is expected of them, what they believe “good Christians” do, so they go.  Read Isaiah 29:13, top pg of 69 in book.

·         Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church… as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living.  If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so.  After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right?  Read Luke 21:1-4 on pg 69.

·         Lukewarm People – They desire to fit in both at church and outside of church; they care more about what people think of their actions than what God thinks of their hearts and lives.  Read Matthew 23:5-7 on page 70 in book.

·         Lukewarm people don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin.

·         Lukewarm people are moved by stories about people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act.  They assume such action is for “extreme” Christians, not average ones.  Read James 1:22 & 4:17 on page 71 in the book.

·         Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends.  They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about private issues like religion.  Read Matthew 10:32-33 on page 71 in the book.

·         Lukewarm people probably drink and swear less than average, but besides that, they really aren’t very different from your typical unbeliever. 

·         Read Luke 9:57-62 pg 1190  Lay down all you have and follow God when called.

·         Read Matthew 22:37-38 on mage 73 in the book.

·         Read Luke 14:12-14 on page 74 in the book.

·         Read Matthew 10:28 on page 77 in the book.

·         OUCH!

If you found yourself fitting into many of these categories then this should be a wakeup call and we should be eager to examine ourselves and re-prioritize our lives.

There is a real difference in truly serving God how he wants us to and just merely going to church and calling ourselves Christians.  We have to GET this and get engaged.  Reference to Top Gun – Maverick

We somehow believe that we can bend the rules of being a Christian just because we are uncomfortable or because it will interfere with our “real life.”  Read Francis’s example of joining the Marines on page 80 in the book. 

Read Luke 14:34-35 on page 81 of the book

What does this verse mean and how does it apply to you?

God says, “lukewarm and uncommitted faith is completely useless.”

I don’t know about you but I really don’t want to be completely useless in God’s eyes.

It’s time to wake up and smell the “salt.”
You can watch the video that accompanies this chapter by clicking here. 

Chapter 3: Crazy Love

Crazy Love

This chapter goes through several different illustrations of God’s love for each of us.  It demonstrates how merciful and loving our God is.

How many of you believe that God loves you?  Why do you believe this?

·         Taught for years through church

·         Singing “Jesus Loves Me” in church, “For the Bible tells me so”.

·         Do you truly understand Gods love for YOU?

Have you ever related your personal relationships with your relationship with God?

·         Should these two relationships be associated with each other?

·         What approaches do you use in both relationships and what are some approaches you take differently?

Think about how much you love those close to you (kids, family, and friends) and then imagine that God’s love for us is infinitely more than that.  Kind of hard to imagine but that’s how it works.

“I am just an earthly, sinful father, and I love my kids so much it hurts.  How could I not trust a heavenly, perfect Father who loves me infinitely more that I will ever love my kids?” – Powerful Stuff – Matthew 7:11 pg 1097

How many of you have always been taught that you should have a daily quiet time with God?

How do you feel when you fall short of DAILY quiet time?

Should you feel guilty when you miss a quiet time?

·         Matthew 22:37 – 38 says, “Jesus replied, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.”

·         If you believe this and live by this how will your quiet times be affected?

·         We must remember to fear God and always remember “His great and abounding love.”  It’s hard to have a successful and meaningful relationship with the Father without having a proper fear (Respect) of Him and at the same time understanding how great His love is for us.

God’s planning for our lives:

Read Jeremiah 1:4 – 19 (page 860)

·         God shows his gentleness as he touches Jeremiah’s mouth and gives him His words and encourages him to go out and do as he is told.

·         God will take each of us on different paths but ultimately we will all face the same challenges.  It is how you approach those challenges and how you draw yourself closer to the Father through those challenges that will allow us to, daily, surrender our lives to God’s control.   

God may not call you to be a prophet like he did Jeremiah but he does have individual plans for each and every one of us.  With God’s encouragement, help and love we need to seek out His will and follow it.  God will send us through some very tough times just like he did Jeremiah but we must always trust that He never sends us into these battles alone. 

What does Francis’s statement, “God will ensure my success in accordance with His plan, not mine”, mean to you?

Do you ever feel that you have offended God with your actions?

·         Why does God still love us despite our offensive actions?

·         God’s mercy is awesome and without it, no matter how hard we tried, punishment from God would be eminent.  What punishment do our sins deserve? 

·         In the book it says, “The wages of sin will always be death.  But because of God’s mercy, sin is paid for through the death of Jesus Christ, instead of the death of you and me.”

·         God sent his own son to die on the cross for US because he knew we would never be good enough and through the sacrifice of His son Jesus Christ would be the only way we could ever understand his Crazy Love and mercy for us. 

·         Read top and middle of page 61

Why would a loving God force us to love Him?

·         It could easily seem that God “threatens me with hell and punishment if I don’t begin a relationship with Him.”

·         Read top of pg 62

“Are we in love with God or just His stuff?”

“God’s one goal for us is Himself.”

What do these two statements mean to you and how do you apply this to your everyday life?

“Do you really know and believe that God loves you, individually and personally and intimately?”

Chapter 2: You Might Not Finish This Sunday School Lesson

You Might Not Finish This Sunday School Lesson

Today’s lesson is one of those lessons that you would rather not think about.  Truth is that it is real and it is a chapter in life that you will face at some point.  Are you ready?  Video

What do you think about the opening of the chapter?  “You could die before you finish reading this chapter.  I could die while you’re reading it.  Today.  At any moment.”  How does that make you feel?

What is an average day for you?

·         To do lists

·         Appointments

·         Family, School or Work

·         Self desires & needs

“On average, we forget that our life truly is a vapor.”

What is NOT normal about today?  Handout

Read James 4:13-14 pg 1461

We tend to live and believe that our lives will go on forever.  Are we invincible?

Stress – How many here are worriers? 

What are some examples of your worries?

·         Life, family, job

·         Do we have the right to disobey Gob because of what we feel is the magnitude of our own problems?  -This takes a lot of self evaluation and digging deep into ourselves to understand.

·         “says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace toward others, or our tight grip of control.”

Philippians 4:4-7 pg1390

Worry –“ Implies that we don’t quite trust God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what’s happening in our lives.”

Why are we so quick to forget God and that our lives should be all about him and not ourselves?  This is a lesson that we will face, probably, every day of our lives because of our human nature.  We think so many times that we are the stars in the movie of life that Francis talked about.

·         What will you do with your two fifths of a second scene in the movie of life?

·         1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 

·         Our two fifths of a second scene should be consumed with the glory of God.

How do you consume yourself with the glory of God through the good times?

·         God gives us good stuff so that we can show the world a person who enjoys blessings, but is totally obsessed with God

·         Do we need God’s help in the good times?  Do we think we need God’s help in the good times?

·         What are some obstacles to being consumed with the glory of God during the good times?

How do you consume yourself with the glory of God through the tough times?

·         God has allowed hard things in your life so you can show the world that your God is great and that knowing Him brings peace and joy, even when life is hard.

·         What are some obstacles to being consumed with the glory of God during the good times?

How much control do you have over your own life?

·         2 different responses to the lack of control.  Turn inward and live in a safe, guarded and controlled way or reach out for God’s help.

·         Lack of control can make you run to God

Life in a quick perspective:

·         Read top of page 46 in Crazy Love book

·         Read about Stan Gerlach on middle of pg 46 in Crazy Love

·         Read about Brooke Bronkowski  pgs 47-49 in Crazy Love

·         Matthew 10:32-33 says, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.  But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.”

·         I challenge you to post this verse somewhere so that you can see it every day before you go into the world.  This should be your armor of courage for witnessing to those that you find it most difficult.

How many in this room are nice and good people?  Nice is a very good trait to have but in reality when standing before God is nice good enough?

“You could be the next person in your family to die.  I could be the next person at my church to die.  We have to realize it.  We have to believe it enough that it changes how we live.”

“ARE YOU READY”