For sermons and additional resources, visit STBARTS.COM.AU

A YEAR OF NEXT STEPS (2018 LAUNCH SERIES)(WEEK 3/4: GROWTH)

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS CONNECT: What will your next step in evangelism be for 2018?

WARM-UP Questions 1. Have you ever tried to help something grow and flourish (e.g., a plant or a pet)? How did you do this

and how did it turn out? 2. When was a time you that you recognised yourself growing as a follower of Jesus. What was this like?

Read John 15:1-4 3. In your own words, what analogy is Jesus making between himself, God the Father, and us? 4. What is the purpose of the pruning that God does in our lives? 5. Is growing as a Christian always a pleasurable experience? Why/Why not? 6. What does it look like to remain in Jesus?

Read John 15:5-8 7. How do you feel about Jesus’ words that “apart from me you can do nothing”? 8. What is Jesus talking about in v.6 when he talks about the branches being thrown into the fire? 9. How should we understand Jesus’ saying that “ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you”? 10. What might need to change in your life in order for you to mature as a Christian? 11. Who could you be discipling among the people around you?

Read John 15:8-17 12. Count the number of times ‘love’ is mentioned in this passage. What does Jesus mean by love? 13. Who is the primary example of ‘love’ for Christians? 14. What is the difference between a servant’s love and a friend’s love? Why is important that we love Jesus

as a friend? How can you grow in your love of God? 15. What does it mean for you that God chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit? 16. What does it look like for a Christian to bear fruit? How have you witnessed this? 17. How are prayer, evangelism, and growth all wrapped up together in this passage? 18. How can we go out into the world and bear fruit for Christ?

APPLY (to this week): What will be your first NEXT STEP in GROWTH be for 2018?

PRAY: Heavenly Father, great vinedresser and author of life. Thank you for the life you have given us and for the love you have shown for us. Help us to grow as a group, care for and disciple one another, and please continue to help us grow and thrive so that we might go out into the world and bear fruit for your glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

For sermons and additional resources, visit STBARTS.COM.AU

A YEAR OF NEXT STEPS (2018 LAUNCH SERIES)(WEEK 3/4: GROWTH)

GOING DEEPER RESOURCES & SUGGESTIONS

Each week we provide additional resources that help to go deeper with whatever series we’re currently focusing on as a church. Resources could include recommended books, articles, online

sermons, courses, or videos. These are optional extras! Please don’t feel under pressure to look at every resource, but consider what could be useful to.

Talks & Audio • ‘How To Change Deeply’ by Tim Keller

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQgxuDl8DXs • ‘Living with God’ by Kanishka Raffel

http://www.st-helens.org.uk/resources/media-library/src/talk/54211/title/living-with-god?hasFlash=true&

• ‘John 15’ by Leon Morris http://resources.thegospelcoalition.org/library/-a2b5805f-b94b-429f-a8d8-70717a83c8ce

• ‘Love inside’ by Phillip Jensen http://phillipjensen.com/audio/love-inside/

• ‘My Father’s Glory’ by Roger Salisbury https://www.allsouls.org/Media/AllMedia.aspx

Next Steps Study Guide and Planner • St Bart’s NEXT STEPS Four-Week Study Guide (Printed Copies available at Church), download at:

www.stbarts.com.au/nextsteps

Some Excellent Articles on Growth • “An Unlikely Measure of Spiritual Growth’ by Susan Yates

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-unlikely-measure-of-spiritual-growth/ • ‘What is spiritual growth?’ from gotquestions.org

https://www.gotquestions.org/about.html • ‘Abiding in Christ’ by Bob Deffinbaugh

https://bible.org/seriespage/34-abiding-christ-john-151-17 • ‘Commentary on John 15:1-8’ by Meda Stamper

https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2434 • ‘Commentary on John 15:9-17’ by Meda Stamper

https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2435

Talk 3/4 (Next Steps): 21 January 2018 “Growth”

by the Rev’d Dr Daniel Rouhead Bible Passage: John 15:1-17

INTRODUCTION This week we continue our series on “next steps”, as we are all being encouraged to take a next step in prayer, evangelism, growth and service in 2018. As we begin our first full year in our completed worship centre, we believe that God is calling all of us to take another step in each of these areas so that we, as a community of passionate followers of Jesus, can continue to make and mature disciples of Jesus Christ for God’s glory. Over the last two weeks, we’ve been encouraged by Adam to take a next step in prayer. As we spend more time listening to God and talking with God, we will grow closer to God and align our will with God’s will. Last week, David encouraged us to take a next step in evangelism. Even though sharing our faith can be difficult and scary, evangelism is not just for those gifted evangelists, it is a ministry we all share. Today, our next step is in the area of growth. How can we grow as disciples? How can we grow as passionate followers of Jesus? The Christian life is often described as a journey, and so the idea of a next step fits in with this imagery. As Christians, we have a common destination, but we each take a different path and walk the path at a different pace. The Christian journey is certainly more a marathon than a sprint. The idea of spiritual growth is abstract. So I thought I would share a few images of growth to help us make the concept of growth more real. The first image is one that will be very familiar to you – the family growth chart. Children and parents love to see how the children are growing taller, and love to have a record of how much they’ve grown over time. In the same way, our faith is small when we first make our commitment to Jesus, but grows as we come to know and understand more about who Jesus is and what he has done. But, unlike our physical height which reaches a limit as we reach adulthood, our spiritual growth can continue throughout our life. The second image is a grander one – the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is an awesome place, one of my favourite places in the world. About twenty years ago, I rafted down the Colorado River which runs through the Grand Canyon. While the formation of the Grand Canyon is still disputed, the power of water to erode rock is certainly part of the story. Over time, the canyon became deeper and deeper. In the same way, our faith can become deeper as we mature as Christians and grow in wisdom. The third image is drawn from our gospel reading – a grape vine. Grape vines are planted to produce a good crop of grapes. Without pruning, grape vines would not be very productive. Grape vines are pruned so that the vine grows in a way that

encourages a healthy crop to develop. Unproductive shoots or branches are pruned so that the productive branches can produce a greater yield. In the same, our Christian faith is not just a personal journey, it is designed to be fruitful…to make a difference to the communities we are a part of. This morning we will think about growth in three different ways: growth in knowledge, growth in wisdom and maturity, and growth in fruitfulness.

1. GROWTH IN KNOWLEDGE The first way we can grow spiritually is our knowledge, our knowledge of God and of the Christian faith. This corresponds to the image of the height chart. Our knowledge can grow as we draw closer to Christ and the scriptures. Jesus’ final instructions to his disciples included two important steps, “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” The first step is “make disciples” and the second step is “teach them”. This is the basis of our mission statement, “to make and mature disciples”. Last week’s theme was about the first step, today we are focusing on the second step. After we respond to Christ, we are called to learn about him, his commands, his way. Perhaps it is an obvious statement to see that Jesus was a teacher. Many of our most common sayings come from the teachings of Jesus: “salt of the earth”, “love thy neighbor”, “the prodigal son”, “go the extra mile”, and so on. Many people today use these sayings without knowing their source. John Dickson says the world elevates his teaching role, turning him into a type of guru, and underplays his true identity as Messiah. This creates a Jesus which matches our preferences and our imagination. Dickson says that Christians, too, can make the opposite mistake by elevating the importance of his death and resurrection and diminishing the value of his teaching. It is important for us to have a balanced view of Jesus which includes appreciating the value of his teaching. We know the early church took the Great Commission seriously, making disciples and teaching them. In Acts 2, on the Day of Pentecost, three thousand people responded to Jesus and were baptized. Then, straight away, we are told about the life of the early church. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). The focus of church life was teaching, fellowship, worship and prayer. But it is noteworthy that the apostle’s teaching was mentioned first. It is likely that many of the early converts to Christianity were gentiles and so had no or limited background knowledge about the Jewish faith out of which Jesus came. It is important to recognize that many people who come to church or come to faith today may have little knowledge of Jesus, the scriptures or the Christian faith. There are a range of courses which are designed to introduce people to Jesus and the Christian faith. But, it doesn’t matter how long we’ve been a Christian, or how young or old we are…it doesn’t matter how many courses we’ve completed or how many conferences we’ve

attended…it doesn’t matter how many degrees we have…we are called to continually grow in our knowledge of God, of Jesus and his teaching and the Christian faith. We can do it alone, but often it is more effective and more enjoyable when we do it in a group context. John explicitly describes the reason for writing his account of Jesus. In Chapter 20:30, John writes: “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” As we increase our knowledge of Jesus, our faith is strengthened. And, as Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit helps us to learn and understand the teachings of Jesus. When Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit, he said this: “…the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14: 26).

2. GROWTH IN MATURITY & WISDOM The second way we can grow spiritually is in wisdom and maturity, as our experience helps us to truly understand and apply our knowledge of God and the Christian faith. I am sure you know someone who has amazing knowledge but seems to be lacking the ability to truly understand and use that knowledge. Wisdom can be defined as the quality of having knowledge, experience and good judgement, or being sensible and wise thinking. We need to grow in knowledge and wisdom so that we can mature as followers of Jesus. This corresponds to the image of the Grand Canyon. As our faith deepens, we mature as Christians and grow in wisdom. We know that wisdom is valuable and we should, as Christians, seek to grow in wisdom. When Solomon became King, God offered to give Solomon whatever he asked for. This is how Solomon responded: “I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties…So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong” (1 Kings 3:7,9). Just as Solomon described himself as a child who needed wisdom to mature in his role as King, Paul describes the Corinthian Christians as “mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready” (1 Corinthians 3:1-2). The writer of Hebrews says something similar: “In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:11-14). When we are new to the Christian faith, we learn the basics. Over time, we are called to grow in wisdom, maturity, and understanding as we learn to appreciate the meaning of the gospel and what it means for our lives. We all grow in wisdom differently, so that, while we normally associate wisdom with older people, young people can be wise as well. Paul emphasizes the importance of growing in maturity in his letter to the Ephesians. He links maturity with unity and resilience to the challenges brought by difficult

circumstances and the false teaching of others. Paul writes that the goal of Christian ministry is that “we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming (Ephesians 4:13-14).

3. GROWTH IN FRUITFULNESS The third way we can grow spiritually in in fruitfulness. Over the last century, faith has, in many ways, retreated to a private endeavor, lived out privately for ourselves. But the idea of fruitfulness extends the purpose of our faith beyond ourselves into the world around us. Yes, Christ will transform each one of us, but Christ wants us to transform the world around us, too. This corresponds to the image of the grape vine. In the gospel passage, Jesus is the vine, we are the branches and the Father is the gardener. The branches are responsible for producing fruit, but they must be connected to the vine to stay alive and be productive. The gardener prunes the branches so that they are even more productive. Jesus teaches his disciples the importance of staying connected with him. He says, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you” (John 15:4). Jesus promised his disciples that he would remain with them always…Jesus invites us to remain in relationship with him, relying on his love, grace and power, and being guided by his teachings and commands. Jesus continues, “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me”. As gifted as we may think we are, we can’t be fruitful in our ministry and Christian lives on our own. As we grow in knowledge and grow in maturity and wisdom, we grow closer to Christ and rely on him more and more. Jesus said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit - fruit that will last - and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other”. Fruitfulness begins in a personal way. When we are connected to Christ, we live in his love and are obedient to his commands, the Holy Spirit transforms us bringing about the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. One way for us to think about whether we are growing in fruitfulness is to ask whether we are growing in “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). We can’t pick and choose our favourite element of the fruit to concentrate on and forget about the ones we don’t like. But Jesus sent his disciples to bear fruit, so we too are sent into the world to bear fruit, fruit that will last. We are called to bring love where there is suspicion and hate, joy where there is despair, peace where there is conflict, patience where there is impatience, kindness where there is selfishness, and so on. Another way for us to think about whether we are growing in fruitfulness is to ask whether we are bringing transformation to our own contexts.

CONCLUSION

At St Bart’s, our desire is that we are all growing as disciples of Christ, growing in knowledge, growing in wisdom and maturity, and growing in fruitfulness. Our gospel reading reminds us of the importance of remaining connected to Jesus, following his commands, following his way, and sharing God’s love. There are so many different opportunities for us all to take a next step… Let us pray that God help us direct our next step in our journey of faith.