Session Extras

Year 1

Follow Me: Session 4
Called, Created, Crafted, and Commissioned

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. —Jesus, to his disciples at the Last Supper, John 15:16a

Digging Deeper:

• C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity is available as an ebook. Look at Book IV, Chapters 10 and 11 titled “Nice People or New Men” and “The New Men.” C.S. Lewis differentiates between “nice people” and “new men [and women].” The point is not, he claims, that Jesus came to bandage over the sin in us and basically make what is good in us even better. Rather, Jesus came to make us anew—truly re-create our natures. Can you identify areas of your life that were dead, which God has made new (created)? What about areas that he continues to shape (crafted)? Areas in which he has appointed you as an ambassador (commissioned)?

• “Disciples are those who, seriously intending to become like Jesus from the inside out, systematically and progressively rearrange their affairs to that end, under the guidance of the Word and the Spirit. That is how the disciple lives.” Read more from Dallas Willard in the paper “How Does the Disciple Live?”

• Are there events in your lives that God has used to craft you into the disciple he wants you to be?

• Read the article “Surfers and Other Disciples: What kind of model do we want those we're discipling to follow?” by Michael J. Wilkins, professor at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. Through building relationships with a group of surfers, Wilkins discusses how disciples are called, beginning a new life and sent into the world.

For Leaders:

• Think about some of the unique, positive ways in which each member of your group embodies the life of a disciple—or a person who is genuinely seeking to learn more about God before making any decisions. How does each contribute to your group in different ways? Consider sharing your observations with them as appropriate.

• Listen to the song “All Because of You” by U2 from the album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Ask your group how Bono talks about the 4 “C”s in this song. Here is a live version of the song from YouTube.

• Encourage participants to think of someone else in the room and name the gifts that they have been given to be disciples of Jesus. If there are one or more people in your group who are not well known by the group, have each person name one of his or her own gifts instead.

• Read the Scripture passages outlined for this session and have a study Bible handy when the group meets.

Submit your ideas!

Do you have suggestions for this particular session? Something that was especially meaningful for you or your group? Extra reading you’d like to suggest? Help others get the most out of this session. Send your ideas to editors@FaithAliveResources.org and we’ll consider adding them here!