Study Guide for

REBEL with a cause

Cling to JESUS when

life Sucks you in

July 12, 2009

Open Up

Talk with your group about learning to swim: who taught you, where and when, how long it took to learn, etc. TRANSITION: Even the most experienced swimmers can encounter situations in which they need help – fatigue or riptide threatens to pull them under. Life’s storms may sweep us overboard or sucks us in, so we need to learn to cling to Jesus.

Dig In

(1) Read Luke 9:23-25 and Luke 14:25-33. What kind of comparisons does Jesus make to show that our priority must be on him?  What kind of progress have you made in the last year towards Jesus being a greater priority? BACKGROUND: When Jesus talks about hating other people, he is using forceful, picturesque language to make his point that he must be our first priority. The love we feel for him is so much greater than what we feel for anyone else that in comparison everything else is a lesser emotion. He often commands us to love others: Luke 6:37; Luke 10:27; John 13:34-35.

(2) Read Philippians 3:7-14 and Ephesians 1:17-21. When philosopher Francis Bacon wrote, “knowledge is power”, he may have been paraphrasing Proverbs 24:5. What does the power that comes from knowing Jesus enable us to do? BACKGROUND: In the original language, the word “know” specifically refers to knowledge that comes from real experience, in contrast to theoretical knowledge.

(3) Read 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. Paul relied on simply knowing Jesus, rather than impressing people with human words or wisdom. What kind of things do modern Christians sometimes rely on, instead of clinging to Jesus? OPTIONAL Read 2 Corinthians 13:4. To the nonbeliever, Jesus’ death and Christianity in general may seem like weakness (“religion is a crutch for the ignorant” etc.), but how do we follow Jesus’ example in being weak yet strong?

Work On

(1) What things in your life (maybe even good things) do you need to make lower priorities so that you can more closely pursue Jesus?

(2) Have you sometimes felt your Christian life has lacked power to change you or help others?  How might your group help you draw on the Spirit’s power?

Lift Up

Use Romans 12:9 to focus your prayer on clinging to Jesus in both life’s bad and good times.

Another Step – Advanced Study

Read Hebrews 12:1-2 and 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. Tell your group about a time you “stumbled in the race to follow Jesus.”  How did you get back on track?