Week One:

Teaching: Page 1, Growth Opportunity Questions: Page 6

Week Two:

Teaching: Page 7, Growth Opportunity Questions: Page 17

Week Three:

Teaching: Page 18, Growth Opportunity Questions: Page 26

Week Four:

Teaching: Page 28, Growth Opportunity Questions: Page 42

Week Five:

Teaching: Page 43, Growth Opportunity Questions: Page 47

Week Six:

Teaching: Page 48, Growth Opportunity Questions: Page 51

Week Seven:

Teaching: Page 53, Growth Opportunity Questions: Page 61

Week Eight:

Teaching: Page 66, Growth Opportunity Questions: Page 74

Week Nine:

Teaching: Page 76, Growth Opportunity Questions: Page 83

Week Ten:

Teaching: Page 86, Growth Opportunity Questions: Page 92

Week Eleven:

Teaching: Page 95, Growth Opportunity Questions: Page 101

Week Twelve:

Teaching: Page 103, Growth Opportunity Questions: Page 111

Week Thirteen:

Case Studies: Page 113

BARNABAS

What have I gotten myself into??

I. WHO WAS BARNABAS?

1. Son of “encouragement” (Paraklesis: one who consoles or exhorts (Acts 4:36)

2. Good man – full of the Holy Spirit & Faith (Acts 11:22)

3. Sent by the Spirit on first missionary journey (Acts 13:2)

4. Stood behind, supported, discipled, and encouraged Saul/Paul (Acts 11:19)

5. Defended the work among the Gentiles (Acts 15:12)

II. WHAT IS BARNABAS?

1. To learn and practice: How to be “encouraged” by scripture & how to be better encouragers to others.

2. To learn and practice: New Covenant (The fundamentals to a Christian, “Christ-like” life).

3. Grow together: Man-to-man ~ small group environment ~ learn from each other and then pass it on.

III. WHAT IS EXPECTED?

A. COMMITMENT:

1. Attend each meeting unless emergency: Call _________________ if unable to attend

2. Be on time.

3. Do assignments faithfully / Meet with your “Mucker”. (explanation to come later)

4. Share in the group (be transparent) – to your comfort level.

5. Share the lessons with your spouse weekly.

6. Pray for each one in the group – daily.

B. ACCOUNTABILITY:

1. Discuss where “you” are – not where “others” are.

2. Use pronoun “I” rather than “you”.

3. Don’t give advice or suggestions to someone unless asked.

4. Support each other.

5. Help others to share, by being open yourself.

6. Meet each other where they are – don’t try to change them.

C. CONFIDENTIALITY:

1. Keep what is said one-on-one between the “one-on-one”.

2. Keep what is said within the group “within the group”.

IV. WHO IS CHOSEN? Why me?

1. Teachability (by the Holy Spirit) – Primary reason

2. Heart for God

3. Faithful ~ Consistent

4. Heart for people

Ask yourself: “Am I FAT??” Faithful ~ Available ~ Teachable

If you can truly say, “Yes, I am FAT”, then this is where God wants you to be! May the Lord truly bless you in this time we have together with Him!!!!!

WEEK ONE

THE REAL THING

2 Cor. 2:12 – 3:3

All people that become Christians do so the same way. John 1:12-13, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

1 John 5:12, “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” It is not through our intellect.

SIGNS OF LIFE

After our conversion, there are certain signs of this “new life”. 2 Cor. 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

1. There is a sense of peace and well being, especially in terms of how we feel toward God. We go from fearing Him to loving Him.

2. We soon realize we are now part of a large family called the church. A family we will be spending eternity with.

3. The Bible becomes alive and exciting. We seek to have His word change our attitudes, actions and outlook on life.

All this lasts for a period of time, where we feel like we have never felt before. But things start happening to us that bring these newfound feelings to a halt. Struggles with our former habits start coming back. The sins we thought were dead to us, now are back in our mind and actions. Romans 7:19, “For the good that I will do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.” Gal. 5:17, “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things you wish.”

THREE CHOICES

I. You continue to struggle with your flesh, doing the things you did before you were saved, until you drop out and start wondering if your encounter with Jesus was ever real to begin with.

II. You become aware of failure. Fear leads to repentance, which leads to renewed trust. This cycle repeats itself, eventually becoming a pattern to where you start thinking that this is what the Christian life is like. You stay on this roller coaster experience, learning something from each experience, until eventually your eyes are open to the truth.

III. Most likely, you will imitate what is modeled to you; you “fake” it. You learn all the right things to say and do, never admitting any struggles. Thus, faking Joy and Spiritual Growth for fear of revealing your true self, you say to yourself, “Everybody else is doing this too, so it must be acceptable.”

True Christianity is more than teaching – it is life. 1 John 5:12, “He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” To determine the true Christian life from the pretend one is not so easy. A doctrinal statement CANNOT detect it. Neither can it be seen in a lack of activity, wrong concerns or in not using the right terminology. The person pretending to have Joy may have all of these, but the net result is that they will drive people away from Christ rather than to Him.

In contrast, the “REAL THING”, when manifested, never requires self-promotion. It has a fascination that draws people. Jesus is the best example of this. But you may feel this is not a fair example because He was God. So to make it easy for us to identify the “REAL THING” from everything else, we will use the Apostle Paul as our living example. If we read the first one and a half chapters in 2 Corinthians, we will see that some were challenging his leadership saying that he was not one of the original twelve, therefore he was not an apostle. So Paul outlines to them what I believe are the marks of an authentic Christian (2 Cor. 2:14-17). Then he shares that God has worked in him to produce this life in them (2 Cor. 3).

FIVE MARKS OF THE “REAL THING”

I. 2 Cor. 2:14, “Now thanks be to God…” = UNQUENCHABLE OPTIMISM

Radical Christianity is a thankful life even in the midst of trials and persecution. It is genuine, not fake or put on. It feels all the hurts and pains of life in this fallen cursed world. Yet through all of the pain and sorrow, it looks past it all to see the end result. James 1:2-4, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” Acts 16:25, “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” (Phil. Jailer)

II. 2 Cor. 2:14, “…who always leads us in triumph in Christ…”

= UNVARYING SUCCESS

Notice what it doesn’t say – sometimes, occasionally, or often, but “always”. In this characteristic, we see that radical Christianity is always successful. There is no failure in Christ’s plans or goals. For ALL things will be brought into fruition. This does not mean we won’t struggle or go through hardships because it is not our plans and goals that are in view, but God’s. The triumph spoken here is not Paul’s, but Christ’s. In Jesus, every obstacle becomes an opportunity, and His plans will never be thwarted — success is inevitable.

III. 2 Cor. 2:14, “…and through us diffuses (spreads) the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” = UNFORGETTABLE IMPACT

The Christian life, lived as it ought to be lived (in His strength), is like a fragrance. Verses 15-16 tell how people will experience this scent. There are only two possibilities when people come in contact with the “REAL THING” – they will either be bitter or better, but never the same. (Women with perfume.)

IV. 2 Cor. 2:17, “For we are not, as so many, peddling the Word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.”

= UNIMPEACHABLE INTEGRITY

Note that this was not just spoken to Pastors, but to everyday Christians. Paul describes this characteristic in two ways – negatively and positively.

Negatively

First Paul says that we are not to “peddle the Word of God…” A peddler in this context is a huckster or a street salesman. In other words, we don’t need to “hawk” Christianity to attract people to Jesus. Using those things that appeal to their old nature. Those that do this, don’t. Acts 20:27, “For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.” Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” But those who choose to “hawk” Christianity pick out those things that appeal to our old nature. 1 John 2:16, “For all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; is not of the Father but is of the world.”

Positively

Four Qualities from VS 17

“…but as of sincerity…” Men of sincerity mean what they say and say what they mean. This is one of the highest qualities in the world, but it should be, the very least, something one should expect from a Christian. This is what we all ought to be — a person who believes what he says and shows this by seeking to put it into practice.
“…but as from God…” This means to be commissioned like the military service. Here the idea is that we are a purposeful people, knowing that our authority and adequacy are from God.
“…we speak in the sight of God…” This describes an openness to investigation because we are transparent. To walk in the sight of men means we can fake it. But if we recognize that we walk in the sight of God, then we are both transparent and trustworthy.
“…in Christ.” This quality speaks of authority. In Chapter 5:20, Paul says we are Christ’s ambassadors. That is to say, we are Christ’s authorized spokesmen, and this is not powerless but powerful.

V. 2 Cor. 3:1-3, “Do we begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.” = UNDENIABLE REALITY

This is a change in us that can not be explained any other way than to say God has worked.

Jer. 31:31-33, “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

Six Keys to a Blessed Marriage

Complementary personalities: Differences are good not bad, focus on each other’s strengths and how they complement our weakness.

Similar goals and priorities: Agree together on what your priorities in life are and are not:

God
Each other
Family
Ministry

NOT:

Money
Possessions
Career or hobby

Communication: Set aside time weekly to be alone in which to talk, sharing highs and lows of the week, then pray for the new week. Seek the Lord together on new directions and opportunities. Don’t make intimacy a mystery but instead ask how you can give your body for their pleasure.

Give more than 50%: One person’s 50% in not another’s and marriage is not a 50-50 proposition. It’s a 100%. 100% as we are 100% dependent upon each other being one. Teach by demonstration, not commandment.

Be a best friend: Don’t just treat them as an equal but rather Philippians 2:3 tells us to “let each esteem others better than himself.” Show them daily how blessed you feel to have them as your wife (fellows we all married up!)

Lord must be first: Jesus must be first in our lives and first in our marriage. For our marriages to grow, He has to take His rightful place upon the throne of our hearts.

Forty Ways to Lead My Lover

Write her a love note and send it in the mail.
Send her an E-mail or voice mails just saying you love her.
Get up early and make her favorite breakfast in bed, with a fresh flower.
Give her a shampoo and hairbrush.
Phone her early in the week for a date but don’t tell her where you are taking her but do let her know how to dress.
Take her on a romantic drive for the day to a place she loves, make sure to open the door for her and hold her hand in public.
Draw a bath for her with fragrant bubble bath, a candle and something nice to drink.
Make a picnic basket just for the two of you.
Make a list of great memories that you have shared together and read them too her in a romantic place.
During the week, surprise her by taking her to lunch or making a lunch for the two of you.
Phone her from work to just say that you were thinking of her and tell her how much you love her.
Without her knowledge, in advance on a day in which you both have off, make reservations at a hotel, arrange for the kids to be cared for, pack all that the both of you will need and surprise her with a night away in paradise!
Write her a long love letter and send it by mail.
Give her a long back rub, foot message or paint her toenails.
Give her a day off shopping while you stay at home and do all the chores she usually does.
Go for a walk in a park or for a bike ride together.
Take her to a musical play, or a concert that she would enjoy.
Repair or fix something around the house that she did not request to be done.
Tell her often how much you enjoy being with her and how she is your best friend and how blessed you are to have her as your wife.
Go with her clothes shopping and let her know how nice she looks in what she has picked out. Make sure you hold her hand all the time while you are out.
Get her a gift certificate to a day salon in the area.
Suggest to her that you go shopping at her favorite store and buy her a little something, just because.
Take her to a sunset in a beautiful spot and look her in the eyes to tell her how beautiful she is to you.
Kiss her passionately for at least 20 seconds every morning before you leave for work and every evening when you return.
Listen and watch to determine what she likes and doesn’t like, making a list so you can give her gifts through out the year.
After the kids go down put on some nice music and ask her to dance with you.
Play her favorite board game or card game with her.
Get her a card and put it on her pillow with a chocolate kiss.
Plan a date with her at least once a week.
Start a devotional with her and pray with her at least once a week.
Make her a smoothie, a nice coffee or tea once a week.
Rent a chick flick and watch it with her, popcorn included.
Go to the grocery store or Costco with her.
Go through an old photo album of the two of you.
In a room of other people, whisper in her ear sweet words of love.
Do something that your wife loves to do even though it is not an interest of yours.
Go on a home tour getting decorating ideas for your place.
Attend a sporting event together and be more into her then you are the game.
Drop what ever you are doing and rush over to her and do something spontaneous just for her.
Go out, just for dessert and share it together.

GROWTH OPPORTUNITY QUESTIONS

WEEK ONE

Teach to my wife immediately (within 48 hours or less, unless absolutely impossible) what I have learned.

The Real Thing

Study 2 Cor. 2:12-3:5. Answer the following questions and be prepared to discuss at the next session:

a. What was the problem of difficulty described in the early part of this passage?

b. How does Paul respond to that problem?

c. What question does he not answer immediately?

d. What does Paul describe as being his letter of recommendation and what does that mean?

e. How do verse 4 and 5 relate to the unanswered question?

f. How do verse 4 and 5 relate to my life?

Apply each one of the five characteristics of authentic Christianity as described in 2 Cor. 2:12-3:3, and write out, specifically, at least one way in which each characteristic applies to my life. Tell how/where/why it applies.

Barnabas 1

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