Message Series: Becoming - Marks of a Disciple
Week 2 | Functional Atheism
Group Check in:
How is it with your soul?
Prayer Request? Praises?
How has God shown up in your life this week?
Icebreaker:
What did you do this weekend?
What are you most looking forward to during the summer?
Biblical Teaching:
Jesus’s expectation was clearly that our faith/relationship with God would fundamentally impact the decisions we make and life we live.
Salt of the earth, light of the world
Our relationship with God ought to be the engine that powers our daily decisions, not a side-story add-on.
The Spirit nourishes me each day. Ephesians 3:16-19
I practice the spiritual disciplines with my family. Deuteronomy 6:5-8
I look for fresh ways to connect with Christ. Romans 12:2
I make different decisions because the Spirit is transforming my heart. Galatians 5:17-18, I Timothy 5:4
Overview:
What's this message about? When we profess belief in Christ, but our lives neither change nor look different than the world around us, then we’re living as functional atheists. In other words, we can’t believe in Christ but act as though he doesn’t exist. Every area of our lives is changed by our trust that we are children of god by grace through faith in Christ. That means our families, our relationships, our professional lives, our economic lives our physical lives are all changed by our relationship with Christ.
Purpose: to grow better and deeper followers of Jesus. The intent of this series and questions is not meant to cause shame, but instead to cause personal growth.
Behavior reveals belief.
This is a challenge for a lot of us, but I wonder if it might also provide a helpful self-examination: does my life look different than the world around me? Th way I decide, spend, speak, engage, work- is it different? If not, we’re in danger of living a life of functional atheism- if my belief in God doesn’t change my behavior, then in what ways can I really say that I believe in the gospel which invites transformation?
The second key question for those who want to become better followers of Jesus is “does my relationship with God change the way I live?”
Daniel 3 plays this out for us in a way that can help us envision what we mean by this question:
- Daniel 1- super diet
- Daniel 3- Shadrach , Meshak and abednego’s faith propelled them to live a very different kind of life.
This is exactly what Jesus had in mind in the sermon on the mount: Jesus’s expectation was clearly that our faith/relationship with God would fundamentally impact the decisions we make and the life we live.
Our relationship with God ought to be the engine that powers our daily decisions, not a side-story add-on.
Discussion Questions:
Does your relationship with God change the way you live? Not just change the amount you know intellectually about the Bible, but the way you live your life day-to-day?
How different does your life look from a non-believer? Does my life look different because of my beliefs or are you acting as a functional athiest?
Is your family different in the way you treat, speak, and spend?
Are you known in the neighborhood as the family to turn to in a crisis because of your compassion and service?
Are you spending more time connecting to Christ today than you did last year?
When you see the amazing things, God is doing in your life, how are you responding?
Stay updated on upcoming PTCUMC Adult Group Events/Opportunities at PTCUMC.ORG/GROUPS
Save the Date & Share with your Groups:
Men's Minisitry Serve Opportunity | May 20th | Registration Coming Soon
Our Men's Ministry is partnering with an organization called Sleep In Heavenly Peace. Together we will be building, assembling, and delivering top-notch bunk beds to children and families in need in our community. No experience required.
9AM-1:30PM. Please arrive 15-20 minutes early. Lunch will be provided.
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