StoneBridge Community Church
Pastor Jeff Cheadle
Matthew 4:18-22 NIV
John 3:1-3 NIV
Matthew 4:18-22 NIV
Matthew 9:9 NIV
1. Rabbi Jesus has called me to…
John 15:16 NIV
For Reflection/Discussion: How was the title "Rabbi" used during the time of Jesus? What does it say about Jesus that he was addressed as "Rabbi" not only by his disciples but by Pharisees, Sadducees, and the teachers of the Law? In what way(s) was Jesus like other rabbis of his day? In what way(s) was he different? What is the significance of Jesus' taking the initiative in calling Simon Peter and Matthew to follow him? Read John 15.16. Do we choose to follow Jesus or does Jesus choose us as his followers? Why is our response to that question important?
2. Rabbi Jesus has called me to…
Luke 6:40 NIV
John 13:15 NIV
"He lived transparently in front of his disciples in order to teach them how to live." Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg, Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith, p. 64. Highly recommended book.
For Reflection/Discussion: What are some of the reasons that it was important that Jesus disciples literally follow Jesus wherever he went? What might Jesus' disciples have learned from Jesus that could not be taught in a book? Why was their day-to-day experience with Jesus important to future generations? Is there anything about Jesus' life that you wish had been recorded in the gospels but weren't? What? Why do you suppose that they were not recorded? What is the difference between learning in a classroom and learning through an apprenticeship? In what ways are you like Jesus? In what ways are you not?
3. Rabbi Jesus has called me to…
Mark 10:28 MEV
Luke 9:23 NIV
For Reflection/Discussion: Which of Jesus' many teachings do you find most memorable? What makes them so? Jesus never spoon-fed his followers with pre-digested truths or simple applications. Instead, Jesus' teaching methods deliberately engaged people's hearts and minds. Which of Jesus' teachings, if any, do you find difficult or troubling? When you come to a difficult saying of Jesus, how do you typically respond? Do you give up, ignore it, conclude Jesus is wrong, assume Jesus didn't really say it or didn't really mean it, pray about it, study, ask someone about it, or other?
The mission of StoneBridge Community Church is to reach the lost, to make disciples, and to send them out.
Matthew 28:18-20 NIV
4. Rabbi Jesus has called me to…
Matthew 28:19-20 NIV
For Reflection/Discussion: Disciples make disciples. The Great Commission isn't a proverb, parable, paradox, metaphor, simile, exaggeration, or contradiction intended by Jesus to stir our hearts and get us thinking. It is a clear and simple command. Are you obeying or ignoring this commandment? How do people typically rationalize their disobedience to this commandment? What are the short and long term effects and unintended consequences of our not sharing our faith with others— for us, for them, and for the future of the church? If everyone else in the church were to share their faith as you do (or don't), would the church grow, decline, or die? Who can you invite and bring to Easter Weekend worship, the Glow-in-the-Dark Egg Hunt, Financial Peace University, and/or your Growth Group?
