Day 7 of 40 Day Discipleship walk with Jesus Christ: Look for patterns and Midweek review day 1 to 7
Full 40 day Discipleship link – https://www.otakada.org/get-free-40-days-online-discipleship-course-in-a-journey-with-jesus/
John 10:40
Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed.
If you want to learn, look for patterns. A big part of our learning is finding and imitating patterns of the ways to think, be and do. Most of what we learn is caught and not taught. Have you ever noticed how children can walk, talk and laugh like their parents? They were never given lessons to do that. It is quite helpful to observe patterns in Jesus’ life and use these to guide our responses to circumstances: what to think, what to say and what to do. What did Jesus do when he was tired or discouraged? How did he respond to the needy and to the self-satisfied? How did he talk with his disciples and with the religious leaders? How did he use stories and questions? How did he use the Scriptures and prayer? These all provide patterns which we can learn from and imitate in our discipleship.
For Reflection:
- What patterns in Jesus’ life have you observed? (Why did he return to the place where he was baptized?)
- What patterns did you learn from your parents?
Make Life Count:
- List one pattern from your family when growing up that you really like and one you really dislike. Decide to make patterns you like.
Meet this week to discuss JESUS IS OUR MODEL: Days 1 to 7
Jesus is our model in everything. We need to return to him again and again to see what he taught and how he put it into practice. While we can’t imitate him in everything (he mostly walked, rarely rode a donkey and didn’t travel more than 100 km from home), we can ask ourselves how we can practice “to be with” (Day 4) as a relational strategy for making disciples. Discipleship is not a course, a study material or a training programme. Discipleship is a living relationship of walking together, sharing deeply and meaningfully in knowing and serving God together.
In order to make disciples, people need a vision of what to do, a method to show them how and the confidence that they are able. All this is undergirded by the power of the Holy Spirit. We want to help provide these three elements for the Spirit to work.
Why did we choose this format of 40 days if it is purely relational? We know this material is incomplete, but it is a start. Our hope is that a daily reminder arriving either by cell phone will build a rhythm of a daily habit of seeking God and learning. Weekly get-togethers are to discuss highlights, to help integrate the Scriptures into the unique needs of every participant and to help us stay rooted in our relationship with him.
All of this is simple enough that anyone can imitate it and pass it on. The fact that you opened this link indicates that you are a learner wanting to help other learners. You are a key contributor in the process of multiplication. Throughout this course we would like to provide more resources. In fact every 7 days, along with the regular 40 Days material you will be provided a link to these resources.
Your preparation:
- What do you observe in Jesus’ life that you desire in your own?
- Look for patterns of what He is doing in or around you. It could be repeated thoughts, or ideas that are reinforced through different
- As a leader, are you practicing healthy learning habits? What type of example are you to others who are just starting out?
- Imagine yourself running alongside the others in the group as they learn to ride a Don’t hang on too tightly. The idea is to help them get their balance and develop skill so they can ride on their own.
The meeting:
Keep it short and conversational. Some suggested questions:
How has the experience of the first week been? What has been difficult or easy? What do you think God is saying and how have you responded? How can we help each other?
Shalom!
