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Lesson One: I’m growing …!
Lifestyle Witnessing
Leader’s Guide
Leader’s Guide
Lesson One
I’m at home with Jesus…I’m growing in my personal life with my Savior!
Worship (For optional use with small groups)
We believers have a very special title: “Children of God”! This is neither an earned degree nor an accident. Out
of his lavish love God called us to faith in Jesus Christ our Savior. We treasure that name because it is God’s
gracious gift and entitles us to an intimacy with our God about which the world simply has no clue, even while we
are living here on earth. And so we live out of our faith, desiring to grow deeper in our faith because we have
heaven as our gracious inheritance. We want to be more like Jesus (purifying ourselves through repentance, faith
and sanctified living) every day because that brings glory to him as our Savior and lets the world see the powerful
effect Jesus has on our lives.
(The leader will note the need for hymnals so the group can respond with the verses from CW #432)
“War is Over!!” Those are usually the largest headlines a newspaper can fit on their page, because it is
good news and important news to get out. When a young lady receives her engagement ring, somehow the left
(even if she is right-handed), and, particularly, the ring finger, is always in view. When a new baby is born or some
other good thing happens, we are excited about telling the good news to as many people as we can. People like to
hear good news and we like to tell it. Sometimes, however, we are shy about sharing the very best news of all: the
news about Jesus.
Our Savior taught that “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”(MA 12:34) As redeemed children of
God through faith in Jesus Christ, there is a very deep and full well in our hearts from which we wish to speak to
others about our Savior and all the good things he has done for us and offers to us. Let’s listen to our Lord speak to
us right now in his word, and then respond.
Scripture Text: 1 John 3: 1-3 (We are called “Children of God”!)
(after the leader reads each verse, sing (or say) together a corresponding verse from “I Am Jesus’ Little
Lamb’’ (CW #432:)
Prayer: Dear Precious Lord: Aware of your never-ending attention to and love for us, we come to you seeking
forgiveness for all the times we have ignored, failed to think about or consult, forgotten and generally neglected
you. We know how patient you are with us and thank you for such a kindly love! We come now asking you for
another favor. please bless our study of your word that we might grow in our appreciation for you and for your
presence in our lives. Help us grow toward you! For Jesus’ sake we pray, Amen.
Note to the leader:
Leader, please realize the importance for your people that
I’m growing …!
Lifestyle Witnessing
Leader’s Guide
1.
Group members form “partnerships” right here and now and commit to meeting this
week. Since there is quite a lot of meeting and conversing involved in the
partnerships, you should not have to explain the importance of keeping partners to
same sex. It is our expectation that excellent Christ-centered relationships will
develop during the weeks of this course.
Please encourage that thought and expectation.
2.
Each group member makes a list of twelve FRAN’s before he/she meets with partner.
This list will be the key to not just learning about lifestyle witnessing, but actually
doing it. It will be pared down during the coming weeks. If group members do not
know the names of neighbors or co-workers, they may just write down “neighbor in
the green house, 3 homes east” or something like that.
Introduction
Note the questions in the second paragraph. The group is likely to respond with answers such as: “my spouse”,
“my children”, “my opportunity to worship”, “the Bible”, “my status as a Christian”, etc.
A. Studying God’s Word
I’m growing in my personal life with my Savior
Some signs of a problem
between a believer and the Lord
could be: dwindling desire to study God’s word, infrequent worship attendance, lack of forgiving attitude,
infrequent desire for the Lord’s Supper, a discomfort around discussions about God, lessening desire to grow
closer to Jesus and a growing desire to be more like the world, etc.
Read Philippians 3:8-17, 20,21
1. How does (St. Paul) describe his past fame, gifts, and career? Why is that word so appropriate?
He calls it “rubbish” (refuse, dirt, dung). It’s so appropriate because his work-righteous efforts were
utterly worthless before God when it came to earning eternal life. They needed to be thrown out because
they had stood in the way of his knowing and trusting in Jesus.
2. What had become the most important thing? What ...is he saying? What...significance of “somehow”?
Being “found in Christ...having a righteousness...that comes from God and is by faith...I want to know
Christ...“.Through Jesus, Paul had received the perfect righteousness that makes it possible for sinners to
stand before God’s judgment seat and be declared totally righteous. Just as a phony promise of a lottery
“win” gets thrown into the wastebasket when someone gives you a real million-dollar gift, so the phony
self-righteousness gets tossed out when Jesus gives to us by faith the real place in heaven which he earned
on our behalf. To know Jesus and to understand the high privilege we have as co-heirs with him, to get a
grasp on what the tremendous sacrifice cost Jesus (the pain and burden of the world’s sin; the cross) were
the most important things in his life. “Somehow” has the same questions in it that most believers have....it
refers to what is ahead in life on this earth (the things we don’t know about our futures here. Paul was
uncertain as to whether he would die a martyr’s death or not. He could only guess. But he knew that God
already knew that answer. Paul was absolutely confident about how the end would come out...he knew he
had Christ’s promise of heaven already assured.
3. Why is it that he feels he cannot “coast” a little, but must rather keep growing closer to Jesus? ..Why would this
be so hard for an apostle like Paul?
He is still living in a sinful world, still subject to Satan’s attacks and those of his own sinful flesh. The
more he trusted Jesus, the more he found strength to deal with his sin and weaknesses as well as being
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I’m growing …!
Lifestyle Witnessing
Leader’s Guide
deeply assured of forgiveness. Some parallels to human relationships are here, in the sense that the more
you love and appreciate a special person in your life, the more you want to grow even closer...with the
exception that Jesus is perfect and there is a fascination in the heart of all us believers to learn more of the
only perfect Person who ever walked on this earth! Paul is also making it clear that he is not better than
anyone else (“I’m not claiming to be perfect”).
The stronger our bond of faith is to Jesus, the more
we become like him in our sanctified lives because Jesus has that kind of attractive power. (Vine/branches)
After 28 years of continuing growth in Jesus, Paul knew how important continuing growth was. He still
had his “flesh”. As the world’s greatest missionary ever, wonderful things had happened through his
ministry. He could become proud, thinking, “I’ve been growing for all these years, I can coast now
because I’ve really got it made...I’m far enough along”. He was constantly under attack. He could
become disheartened. Satan could win no bigger “plum” than to pick off the leading general Christ had on
this earth. On top of that, he had been growing...and as one becomes more Christ-like, the blemishes show
up more clearly (if a person with a year-long record of love and self-control loses his temper one time, he
is made acutely aware of the fact that he still needs to grow!). Grow...don’t stifle!
4. What encouragement does he give to believers?
There “is no limit to the spiritual growth we can achieve by the grace and through the power of him who
has called us to be his children and to serve him with our Christian lives.”(Philippians--People’s Bible, p.
79) He is pointing us toward heaven....and reminding us that with it and the promise of the perfection we
shall one day
receive in view, let’s throw off the “junk” in our lives and, in Christ, let us strive toward becoming what we
shall one day actually be! A maturing believer naturally thinks like Paul does because the Holy Spirit
leads us to this conclusion through the word of God! Prize your status as saint.
B. Experiencing His Word in My Life
What is necessary besides the desire to do something is the effort that gets the job done, in this case: strength, self
discipline, and outside help. The Holy Spirit has promised that he comes alongside us and gives us a stronger faith
through the word. Jesus has promised us that as we grow more firmly attached to him by faith, we will see evidence
of him (Jesus) in our lives, and so will others. The Bible is full of strong encouragements to grow…not just in
biblical knowledge (although that is the starting place), but especially in Christlike living.
A. Discuss: What are some goals that God gives us in his word to grow toward as a maturing Christian?
Study together “The Maturing Christian“ (in student guide)
Select an area or area for continuing growth. (cf. instruction in student guide)
B. What does “knowing Christ my Lord” (vv. 8,10) mean for you?
We suggest three general areas to start what could be a rich discussion:
1. Trust in Jesus as Savior and also as Lord.. This includes the certainty that heaven is ours through Jesus
(“faith is being sure of what we hope for...HE 11:1), but also includes a child-like assurance (difficult for
adults) that all of God’s promises are true (such as his protection, sending his angels, all things will work
for good, he hears every prayer, etc.) as well as a conviction that everything in his word is absolutely true
and can be completely trusted (such as his instructions on child-raising, husband/wife relationships,
patience, putting his kingdom first in our order of priorities, creation, etc.). The Bible is the word of Jesus,
our loving perfect Savior! I am getting to know him better personally, talk to him more, and welcome him
alongside me in life! Rather than being embarrassed by the mention of his name, now I welcome the
opportunity to talk about my good Friend.
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Lifestyle Witnessing---I live to show and tell!
Savior
Lesson One: At Home with Jesus, growing in my personal life with my
Leader’s Guide
2. Christ-likeness. (“Make every effort to add to your faith goodness...knowledge, self
control....For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being
ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”(2 PE 1:5-9) This is a genuine,
faith-in-Jesus-produced phenomenon. The world can copy it with outwardly good lives, but the motives are
completely different. The highest form of Christ-likeness is a servant-like love toward everyone. One could
say that this is knowing Christ by experience...that is, the more Christ gains the leadership of our lives, the
more obvious it becomes that he is actually and really living in us.
3. Fuller knowledge of what the Bible says, including an understanding of doctrine (Let the
word of Christ dwell in you richly...CO 3:16). We want to know everything we can possibly know and
understand about our Lord and about his will for us and our world., understanding that the word reveals
our God to us.
C. A/D My closeness to Jesus will have a direct and active effect on my witnessing life.
Agree. The more intimate we become with Jesus, growing to trust him as the Savior who loves us, the more
we will be like him (HE is the standard toward which we are all growing!) AND, the more confidently and
joyfully will we witness. How can it be otherwise? As a matter of fact, it is the intent of this course that as
students grow in Jesus, they will find themselves in more witnessing situations than ever before as a natural
result.
Answers to Additional Study Questions
(Optional: for home study or if there is extra time; the leader may wish to make a copy of these answers and give
them to those who are continuing their partner studies….to be used only as a reference, after they have developed
their own answers.)
1. Which of the following are areas to think about in how well I know Jesus:
____a. My knowledge of everything he taught (gospels accounts)
____b. The opinions of my co-workers about how much I live my faith
____c. My trust in him as my Savior for all my sins
____d. The level of my activity as a witness for him
____e. My feeling of his nearness at all times
____f. The extent to which I talk to him each day about big and little things
____g. My knowledge of what the rest of the Bible says about him
____h. My trust in everything he said (including his teaching about angels, the
Father and the Holy Spirit, family relationships, avoiding false
shepherds, his return, etc.)
____I. The strength of my longing to be with him in heaven
All are legitimate areas at which to look. We need to be careful with b, because it relies on unbelievers for
a spiritual assessment, something of which they are not capable. On the other hand, they can observe (and
are usually willing to tell us, especially if we slip) whether our life matches the verbal witness we have been
giving. e. And i. are related to feelings, and as such are legitimate indicators of a sort. But feelings
cannot be trusted to be an accurate barometer, since they can be controlled by a sinful human nature.
Those who would divorce feelings from faith need to read some of David’s Psalms and Paul’s description
of his own faith and personal struggles as a believer. . Those who make faith dependent upon feelings are
also wrong. God’s word is the only reliable thing we have. As we trust, so we also live and speak. That
means that all the things we think and think about, as well as the things we do and say are somehow
indicators of our trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord.
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Lifestyle Witnessing---I live to show and tell!
Savior
Lesson One: At Home with Jesus, growing in my personal life with my
Leader’s Guide
2. If you have children, you may have some goals for them, such as education, developing work ethic, levelheadedness, being “out of the house”, etc. What spiritual goals would be appropriate for your children? What is
your part in helping them to aim toward godly goals?
The question is meant to help people give some thought to the Proverb that teaches us to ”train up the child
when he is young...”(PR 22:6). Just because we study the commands to love, etc. does not mean every
child will quickly change. But going through the process of repentance...practicing it in the home, teaching
children how to study the Bible, preparing them to lead devotions, working toward building a comfort level
in the home in regard to speaking about God and Christ (if possible, before kids become middle schoolers),
etc....those are truly worthy goals. One would hope we spend more time praying and talking about our
children’s spiritual welfare and growth than we do about their job and college and financial success!
3. A/D If Paul had a way to go yet in his personal spiritual growth, I must have miles to go!
Agree. But it is not hopeless. May God put into all our hearts a desire to grow more like Paul!
Anyone who would answer this with a “yes” is being painfully honest. The leader will want to assure them
that we all have struggles.and will always have them. St. Paul went through similar struggles (“the good I
want to do...RO 7), as do we all. The important thing to keep in mind here is that any growth in Jesus IS
going to require a CHANGE (something will be different; some time will have to be taken from TV
watching, for instance, if one is serious about family devotions and Bible study---which powers the growth
in Jesus). On the other hand, the prospect of knowing Jesus better and becoming more like him holds out so
many wonderful promises that you simply must make the change and get into the word!
4. (Practicing his presence) Whether we believers notice him or feel him or not, Jesus assures us that he is always
with us , comes to bless us, listens to our every prayer, and wants to help us deal better with every aspect of our
lives. Select two of the following situations and write a brief prayer in which you acknowledge Jesus’ presence
and seek his
specific help in dealing with the problem at hand.
a. Dealing with a bill you cannot pay
b. Dealing with a temptation to sexual sin
c. Handling your anger
d. Increasing your desire and ability to love more purely
e. Strengthening a desire to read God’s word more
e. Inability to pray
f. Changing your critical and complaining nature
g. Developing a stronger love for lost souls
The leader will point out that prayers such as these are best begun with a confession of our sin (and
perhaps even that we sometimes delight in our sin). True repentance includes a certainty that our God has
totally forgiven and forgotten our sin and a desire in our hearts to amend. We will also seek the
forgiveness of those we have hurt with our sin. Many times, we will find them in our homes. We call them
our loved ones. As we think on Jesus, he empowers us with his forgiveness to begin anew, with his strength
in us by faith. Weaknesses that remain despite our prayers and efforts teach us humility as well as make us
aware of our continuing need both for more forgiveness as well as strength.
5. What is the “rubbish” in today’s culture that hinders the spiritual growth of many?
Things such as the desire for even more things than we already have, the thinking that our children will
somehow develop into faithful Christians without the modeling and training of faithful Christian parents,
the lowered respect for God, the emphasis on individual “rights” (and thus ignoring one’s responsibility to
God or to others); strong influence of an ungodly segment of the entertainment industry (some musicians
and “celebrities” and their godlessness), and the compulsion to be “busy” but not about spiritual things.
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Lifestyle Witnessing---I live to show and tell!
Savior
Lesson One: At Home with Jesus, growing in my personal life with my
Leader’s Guide
6. What caused Jesus to ask Philip if he knew him? What do you think was Jesus’ purpose...? Did Judas “know”
Jesus in the same way...? How would the next day’s events increase the knowledge..?
Philip still did not realize that Jesus, the Son of God, possessed all the attributes of the Father! Perfect in
every way, Jesus had revealed the Triune God’s fantastic plan of saving the human race through the Son.
Jesus’ purpose, of course, was to increase the still small faith of Philip and the disciples by emphasizing
this great truth, so that they might see and know him by faith. It’s not a question of Philip or the others not
having saving faith...they just don’t have very much at this point. Judas rejected Jesus as his Savior...he
lacked faith completely. The crucifixion (and following resurrection) would demonstrate for all time that
there can be no question as to who Jesus is. Promises made, promises kept by the only one who can keep
such promises: the very God himself, full of grace, mercy and truth!
7. Bible passages....”know means? ”head and heart knowledge”?
Those passages all refer to a knowing of the truths about our Savior God, but also include a saving faith in
him that gives eternal life. “Head” knowledge is often used to refer to things (about God) that have been
learned such as memorized passages, correct answers on confirmation class tests, and the right answer in
Sunday School. All of these are good things, unless they are somehow disconnected from heart knowledge
or somehow made to seem more important than “heart” knowledge (which can be properly described as
the “confidence of the heart”, a quiet heart-felt trust in our saving God) Heart knowledge is not frothy
with emotion, but may include it.
8. When you were confirmed....how has your knowledge grown since?
Summing up, one would hope that adult Christians are more confident in the truths of the Bible,
appreciating how reliable everything God says really is, have a more intimate awareness of Jesus’
presence in their lives and a sense of the work that Jesus is doing to make everything work out for our
ultimate spiritual good, are growing deeper in their longing for our promised heaven, and finally, that we
are all walking and talking more like Jesus every day in every way!
9. Do adults new to Christ seem to display more of Paul’s zeal and desire for more closeness to Jesus than many
longer- term Christians? Why/Why not?
People will have their own opinions. Jesus taught about how the word falls on different kinds of soil.
Rather than generalize, the purpose of this question is to cause us all to self-examine and also to arouse a
desire (like Jesus’ question of Philip) to get deeper and deeper into the word so that we will trust more,
know more and show more of Jesus and his will!
Often new converts are filled with zeal because they have been under the Holy Spirit’s influence regularly
during their instruction period. The gospel is such a refreshing power compared to what this world offers.
Sometimes new converts become discouraged as they see longer-term Christians modeling non Christ-like
behavior and preferring to grow little. On the other hand, it is wonderful to see people (such as those in
this Bible class) who are growing. May their number grow!
10. Since even a little faith...gives me eternity....no real need for continuing growth...fanatical as Paul.
Disagree. Many ways to answer this question. Would that we all were fanatics like Paul! This is such
dangerous thinking because it indicates one is seeing how far one can get away from Jesus rather than how
close one can get. Only the latter is pleasing to our Savior. Only the latter makes any sense to believers.
The thinking that I don’t have to grow comes from the devil. Spiritually speaking, It is like seeing how long
and fast you can drive with the belts worn through on your left front car tire. It calls for repentance. It
calls for prayer on the part of those who know and love you. It is most obvious to those who are closest to
you.
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Lifestyle Witnessing---I live to show and tell!
Savior
Lesson One: At Home with Jesus, growing in my personal life with my
Leader’s Guide
11. A/D I wish I could describe to an unbeliever how well I know Jesus and what he means to me as St. Paul could,
but I
do have a willing heart to give it a try.
Agree. Perhaps one might disagree because he/she feels very capable at expressing faith. If so, wonderful!
The important thing...especially in view of this course...is the willingness to grow both in faith and it the
ability to give testimony about our faith
12. A/D ..puzzled, confused and disturbed...thought I knew Jesus as well as he can be known.
Invite honest replies and deal with those who agree very carefully here. We won’t know Jesus perfectly
until we are face to face with him in heaven. If a person understands that there is room to grow, then
he/she has made progress. A maturing Christian will have some ups and downs, but is on a continuing
growth track. Imagine what it would be like, for instance, to trust Jesus so well that we would never worry
about anything!
13. Close your eyes for a moment and picture Jesus standing near you. He has hundreds of perfect qualities.
Below is a brief listing of several of Jesus’ perfect qualities. From the following list, select one quality that has
attracted your attention , a quality which God may be moving you to desire to grow in right now, and describe how
it makes Jesus so unique, distinctive and wonderful.
Love for his Father
Love for Souls
Trust in God’s Word
Holiness
Love
Gentleness
Strength
Contentment
Kindness
Boldness
Understanding of Others
Wisdom
Eager willingness to Forgive
Purity
Knowledge of God’s Word
__________________________(your own selection)
Share with the group what attraction this quality holds for you and why.
These are personal issues that are tied to one’s understanding of what our perfect Jesus is like. The leader
may choose one quality and speak of his own desire to grow more like Jesus. Be SURE to emphasize that
this is not a feelings-based assessment, but is rather based on the real evidence from God’s word of what
Jesus was really like. Jesus tells us that our “fruit” (faith-caused good lives) will show that we are his
disciples (JN 15:8). The leader will want to start by mentioning that no sinner can be perfect this side of
heaven...but that through repentance perfect forgiveness is ours and we start over always before God with
clean slates. The leader will also want to mention that whatever quality a Christian desires to grow in (and
every Christian will want to grow more like Jesus!), the place to begin after repentance is a personal Bible
study in that quality. Demonstrate how to do this with the concordance in the back of a simple Bible. This
is the time to also mention that a good Bible needs to be purchased...perhaps Concordia’s self study Bible,
a Thompson chain reference Bible, and a concordance.
14. The pastor comforted the dying Christian at the hospital. “Jesus has promised, ‘I am with you always’.
As a reminder of how near he always is, keep this chair at your bedside.” The man died during the night.
When the man’s daughter heard the pastor explain his visit the night before, she said with joyful tears, “Oh, that
explains it! When we found him, Dad had his hand on the chair!”.
Visible symbols may be useful in helping us remember the promises Jesus has given us regarding his constant
presence in our life and home. Some common such symbols are:
1. Crosses
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Lifestyle Witnessing---I live to show and tell!
Savior
Lesson One: At Home with Jesus, growing in my personal life with my
Leader’s Guide
2. Religious pictures, especially pictures of Jesus
3. Small table with cross/candle and open Bible on it
4. Baptismal certificate framed and mounted on bedroom wall
5. Cross in pocket
6. Fish symbol bumper sticker on my car
A. Which (if any) of these symbols have been beneficial to you and what message have they reinforced?
B. Which things might have served your parents and grandparents well?
These will be personal answers. Symbols may well be a visible preaching of the gospel.
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