READ CHAPTER 5: p75

Explore it more

REFLECT | 'What is going on in our life right now?’

Discuss

• Did you manage to implement the ONE THING you said you were going to do differently this week? Why/Why not? (Not supposed to be condemning, just an acknowledgement)

• A yoke is how you shoulder the load. What is your load like at the moment?

ENGAGE | ‘How do we engage with what God is saying to us?

Discuss

• Jesus said he had an easy yoke. Is this your experience of following him?

• John Mark Comer writes, Jesus had apprentices. In Hebrew the word is talmidim. It is usually translated as ‘disciples.’ To be one of Jesus’ talmidim is to apprentice under Jesus. Put simply, it’s to organise your life around three basic goals:

  • Be with Jesus

  • Become like Jesus

  • Do what he would do if he were you

• How comfortable are you with the word apprentice? Why/why not?

• Read the following passage in Matthew 11: 28-30

  28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

  • Read it one more time. Even slower. Breathe deeply; don’t rush it; let God speak to you in this moment

    Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened…

    And I will give you rest. 

    Take my yoke upon you and learn from me…

    For I am gentle and humble in heart…

    And you will find rest for your souls. 

    For my yoke is easy …

    And my burden is light.

• now read Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of the same verses\

  28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

• What are your reflections on Dallas Willard comments regarding, Matthew 11:

  • Our mistake is to think that following Jesus consists in loving our enemies, going the second ‘second mile,’ turning the other cheek, suffering patiently and hopefully - while living the rest of our lives just as everyone else us does …. It’s a strategy bound to fail.

INSPIRE | - 'How do we inspire each other to ‘TRY’ something this week? What opportunities are in front of us, that we can choose to explore?’

Discuss

• What ONE thing am I going to take the opportunity to ‘TRY’ this week?

Go Deeper

To reflect on this week

• What did John Mark Comer mean when he wrote, ‘The point of apprenticeship is to model all your life after Jesus. And in doing so recover your soul.’ (p77)

• If you want to experience the life of Jesus, you have to adopt the lifestyle of Jesus

  • How are you going to ‘adopt Jesus’ lifestyle’ this week, as John Mark Comer suggests? (p74)