In the past few weeks, Chick-fil-A has taken some heat as a result of their president taking a stand on the biblical worldview of marriage. More and more Christians are taking to social media claiming that they will eat at Chick-fil-A MORE now because they feel like taking a stand for biblical principles.
-If taking a stand for biblical principles and doing what Jesus would want us to do for you means ordering a #1 combo from Chick-fil-A with great frequency, you've missed the meaning of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
-Take a few minutes and write down a list of things that you know Jesus expects from the relationship. What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus? What are we asking of people when we desire them to have a real relationship with Jesus?
-List some of the things that you've heard about when it comes to being a follower of Jesus: (happy, healthy, wealthy, comfortable, never in need, etc). How can you mesh these things with the tough sayings of Jesus?
-Matthew 19:21: go sell everything you have and give it to
the poor, and then you can follow me
-Luke 14:26- “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his
father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters, yes and even
his own life, he cannot be my disciple.”
-Matthew 16:24: Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone
would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
-John 6:53: Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and
drink his blood, you will have no life in you.
-Christianity is not a sales pitch. Let's tell people what it truly means to follow Jesus.
-vs. 57-58
What comforts take precedence over Jesus? "Jesus, I'll follow you as long as you do ______ or give me ______ or take care of _______. But if ___________ happens, I'm out." Whether or not we want to admit it, every one of us has a word or phrase that we could fill in the blank with.
-As followers of Jesus, which do we desire more: God, or what God offers us? Jesus didn't even have the basic provisions of shelter and money, so don't just follow him expecting to get those things in return.
-vs 59-60
-What are some excuses you've heard for people not following God? Money, will do it later, will do it when my life gets less hectic, will do it when I have more money, etc.
-Pastor Santiago didn't let anything get in his way of telling people yes to the Gospel. What are ways that you are telling people "no" to the Gospel? Do you hoard your time when there are needs going unmet? Are you stingy with your money when so many people are going without? Are you pushing your neighbors away from Jesus just by NOT inviting them to church? That's a way you are saying "no" to people that need the Gospel. "They need the Gospel, but "no," I won't be the one to tell them. They need Jesus, but "no," I won't be the one to invite them to church.
-What do you find your security in? Your job, your friends, your money, your family, etc. Can you identify ways those things have stopped you from going All-In for Jesus?
vs. 60-61
-Many followers of Jesus have a back-up plan for their life. As long as that plan is there, you'll always look back to it, never go All-In, never take the next step of faith.
-Read 1 Kings 19:19-21. Elisha went ALL-IN by burning up every bridge behind him. What oxen and plow do you need to destroy in your life so that the only thing you'll have is to Move Forward with Jesus?
-I know the cost of discipleship is high, but let's think about the cost of not following Jesus. Think about the 4.6 billion people that don't know him. Think about the 26,000 kids that die each day without food and water and medicine. The cost of following Jesus is high, but the cost of apathy is higher.
-Who are you in this story? Which man do you think resembles you the most? What is your strategy to Move Forward and not allow these things to stop you from having supreme sufficiency in Christ?
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