“What do we need to escape the shackles of our particular brand of lostness?” asks Tim Keller. We’ve discussed the heart condition of both the younger and older brother, concluding that they were estranged from their father by their desire for his goods, rather than his affection. The author says the only one who can change “the dynamic of the heart” from fear and anger to love, joy and gratitude is the true older brother.
Here are just a few questions we considered in our discussion of this chapter:
- Did you learn anything new or was your thinking changed about what it means to truly repent in the discussion beginning on page 75?
- The author says, “we must also repent of the reasons we ever did anything right. Pharisees only repent of their sins, but Christians repent for the very roots of their righteousness, too.” (page 78) This sounds like crazy talk! Is this different than the way most people understand repentance… the way you have approached repentance in the past?
- Keller speaks of “the festival joy of salvation” – what does he mean by that, as it relates to the parable? Have you ever thought of salvation in these terms before?
- How does this parable differ from the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin in Luke 15?
- Who bears the loss in mercy and forgiveness? What did it cost the father to bring his younger son home? What did it cost the elder brother? What did it cost to bring you home?
- On page 85, the author speaks of two cups in a powerful word play. What emotions, if any, were stirred when you read that paragraph?
Continue reading about The Prodigal God: The True Elder Brother
We got together for our monthly men’s fellowship and kicked off our theme for 2010: Make Disciples. We had a wonderful time of table fellowship. The salad and pizza were prepared to perfection and served by Aaron Crew and Pat Brennan. Then, we spent some time in the Word and prayer, with the goal of making disciples, who love Jesus and bear His image to the Brunswick and beyond.
We took our text from Matthew 28:18 – 20:
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Discipleship was a common practice in classical world, but a survey of the NT reveals that much more was required to be a disciple of Jesus:
- First, Steve and Lois Rabey remind us that: Jesus doesn’t call people primarily to a social or political movement or even first and foremost to a life or religiosity or ethical living. More than anything, He calls us to love God
- Jesus calls His disciples to “come and see,” inviting them to join Him in a calling that involves all of life. (John 1:35-39)
- The ultimate goal is to be like Jesus: Luke 6:40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
- We are called to a denial of self and a deliberate choosing of the cross
- We must forsake all to follow Him and exhibit a fervent, sacrificial love for one another in the Body of Christ
- Finally, we share an unswerving commitment to the Word of God and prayer
What are our goals for 2010… what are we aiming for? What can we expect to see by the end of this year, if we are making disciples?
- Greater depth and maturity in our relationship with the Lord
- More and richer relationships between men
- Healthy disciples, like healthy sheep, will reproduce – we expect to see new disciples
What are the values, character traits and content disciples at NCCF will be trained in?
- Prayer
- Bible study habits and skills
- Life skills, living in community and loving others
- Self-sacrifice and giving
- Evangelism
So, we’re spending a year pursuing this one initiative… this one defining goal. We will focus on what it means to be a disciple as modeled in the relationship between Paul and Timothy:
Philippians 2:19 –22 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel.
If you would like to have someone mentor or disciple you, speak to me the next time we meet or message / call / email me. I will see who’s available and pass that contact info along. If no one is available right now, I’ll steer you to some resources until a qualified mentor is available.
Bo Salisbury
“That guy really needs Jesus!” Have you ever heard someone say that about a friend, who is lost in the world of alcohol, drugs or pornography? Have you ever thought that yourself, as you stepped over the people on the sidewalk, stacked like cordwood throughout the Tenderloin? It’s flawed gospel-logic according to Tim Keller, who spends this week’s chapter redefining lostness. Rather, he shows us that it may be you or I who have redefined what it means to be “lost,” in order to justify ourselves before God and grant significance to our lives, seeking our Father’s goods, without His grace. Here are some of the questions our little crowd discussed this morning at Java John’s:
- What do older brothers or moral conformists do, in order to reassure themselves that their lives matter – that they are significant?
- What is at the root of the moral conformist’s performance- driven life?
- When our prayers are only used to control our environment, what do they sound like?
- What is a “recovering believer” and what is it they need in order to be healthy and whole?
- The author says it’s important that we make a clear distinction between the gospel and religious moralism. Do you agree? Why?
Continue reading about The Prodigal God: Redefining Lostness
Last Tuesday we read along with Tim Keller, who defines sin not simply as doing wrong, but also conforming and obeying from wrong motives. The author sees the elder brother in the parable as a moral conformist and the younger brother as following the way of self-discovery – He concludes that both want their father’s possessions, but not his heart. While both are estranged from him, the younger son returns in a story that certainly surprised (and insulted) Jesus’ religious listeners:
At the end of the story the lover of prostitutes is saved, but the man of moral rectitude is still lost.
Here are a few of the questions we considered:
- Would you agree that there is a stark division between “moral conformists” and “pioneers” in our culture? Do you think people who take these two approaches to life can find justification for their philosophy in the teachings of Jesus and the apostles?
- In what ways are the hearts of the younger and older brother alike?
- What is the radical alternative Tim Keller teases us with on page 33?
- What is the project that everyone is involved in, regardless of the approach to God?
- How is the gospel distinct from other ways that people seek to relate to God?
- Do you think, in the words of the author, we should “be there every time the church door opens?”
Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology is now available, all 52 chapters, as a podcast on iTunes. But, here’s the best part: it’s not a narrator reading the text, but Dr. Grudem instructing the course at his home church. Each session includes question and answers from participants. You can also download individual chapters or subscribe by going to feedburner.
This is probably the most widely used theology ever and the men at NCCF have gone through it a couple times on Sunday mornings over the past ten years. Now anyone can join us in the study and discussion. I know that this has been a valuable resource for a number of us, as we “grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus.”
“Jesus’s story might best be named the Parable of the Two Lost Sons. It is a drama in two acts, with Act 1 entitled ‘The Lost Younger Brother’ and Act 2 ‘The Lost Elder Brother.’” Tim Keller
Did you learn anything new about this parable in Tim Keller’s description of the process the father must have gone through to give the younger son his portion of the estate?
On page 20, there is a brief description of Middle Eastern society as it relates to the parable. Do you think Jesus’ hearers made the connection that God was pictured in the character of the father and, if so, do you think it revealed anything new to them about the nature of God? How about you?
Pages 23-25 describe in vivid detail “the prodigality of God’s grace.” As I read, a number of Scriptures came to my mind. What verses or passages came to mind as you read along?
When the older brother disrespects and humiliates the father, what does that say about his years of obedience and reverence for his father, family and community?
When we come to the end of the story and are waiting for some sort of resolution, Jesus leaves them (and us) hanging. To quote the author, “Why doesn’t Jesus finish the story and tell us what happened?” 2000 years later, do we know what happened?
