How do we build resilient faith?
The first practice of resilient discipleship in digital Babylon is religious clutter to experience intimacy with Jesus.
Kinnaman, David; Matlock, Mark; Hawkins, Aly. Faith for Exiles
Luke 11:46
New International Version
46 Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.
Second, resilient disciples experience intimacy with Jesus.
Kinnaman, David; Matlock, Mark; Hawkins, Aly. Faith for Exiles
Prayer and Listening to God is a part of developing intimacy with Jesus
Taken together, the data tells us that resilient disciples build their identity in Jesus. This is rare. In digital Babylon, as in other societies, figuring out who we are is one of the epic struggles of being human. This battle to define identity is one reason disciple making is so difficult today.
Kinnaman, David; Matlock, Mark; Hawkins, Aly. Faith for Exiles
Who am I really?
In digital Babylon, our screens grant us access to a plethora of identity-forming tools, communities, and adventures.
Kinnaman, David; Matlock, Mark; Hawkins, Aly. Faith for Exiles
Reflection: What are you allowing to shape your identity?
Almost everything you do a message about you.
REFLECTION: WHAT IS AT STAKE WHEN IT COMES TO IDENTITY?
Creating A Brand
Brand
Identity – I can and should be able to define my own identity, I will tell you what is true about me.
Jeremiah 1:5
New International Version
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Brand
We have been complicit in presenting a Jesus to compete at the same level as other affections and affinities.
KEY: Brands don’t ask all that much from their fans. Jesus asks for .
Parents/Adults: When you don’t model a life surrendered to Jesus in your homes or church, that contributes to the problem.
REFLECTION: Are people seeing you differently because of the life you are living for Jesus?
We have to start cleaning up the mess we have made of Christianity/Faith!
Daniel 1 – New Living Translation
1 During the third year of King Jehoiakim’s reign in Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 The Lord gave him victory over King Jehoiakim of Judah and permitted him to take some of the sacred objects from the Temple of God. So Nebuchadnezzar took them back to the land of Babylonia and placed them in the treasure-house of his god.
3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief of staff, to bring to the palace some of the young men of Judah’s royal family and other noble families, who had been brought to Babylon as captives. 4 “Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men,” he said. “Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon.” 5 The king assigned them a daily ration of food and wine from his own kitchens. They were to be trained for three years, and then they would enter the royal service.
6 Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were four of the young men chosen, all from the tribe of Judah. 7 The chief of staff renamed them with these Babylonian names:
Daniel was called Belteshazzar.
Hananiah was called Shadrach.
Mishael was called Meshach.
Azariah was called Abednego.
8 But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. 9 Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel. 10 But he responded, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded.”
11 Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 12 “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. 13 “At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” 14 The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days.
15 At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. 16 So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others.
17 God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams.
18 When the training period ordered by the king was completed, the chief of staff brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service. 20 Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.
21 Daniel remained in the royal service until the first year of the reign of King Cyrus.
So what does it look like to be followers of Jesus with a resilient identity?
- Experience Jesus
Having not dysfunctional relationships are one way to clear the clutter and help people experience Jesus.
help us discover and maintain a resilient identity.
Ephesians 2:19 (VOICE)
And so you are no longer called outcasts and wanderers but citizens with God’s people, members of God’s holy family, and residents of His household.
What makes us a FMLY?
Our Father (Relationship)
Our Stories (Representation)
- Make Jesus Your
REFLECTION: What things are we doing that don’t look like things Jesus would do?
Do the things we do result from the external pressures we feel to conform to our society?
Have we branded Jesus in a way that justifies our desires?
Do we know all the right things to say but miss why we are doing them?
Matthew 7:21-23 – The Message
21-23 “Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment, thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our super-spiritual projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’
Matthew 16:26 – New Living Translation
26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?
There is no living truth, achieving dreams, or doing ; those are all brand Jesus statements.
What must I do to orient my life around Jesus being my model?
ask the big questions of life. (Find the Answers in )
Following Jesus means finding the ultimate answer to these questions in the person and work of Jesus.
● Questions of identity: Who am I, really? Where do I find my truest self?
We are children of God, adopted into his family through Jesus. What the Scriptures say about us is the truest thing about us.
● Questions about how to live: How should I live in today’s world? Do my choices matter?
The Holy Spirit willingly and cheerfully gives wisdom and discernment to those who ask. Following Jesus redefines the search for how to live.
● Questions about intimacy and relationships: Am I loved? Who are my friends? Does anyone care about me?
As part of the community of Jesus, we bear one another’s burdens and experience love and intimacy.
● Questions of meaning and purpose: Does my life matter? Am I made for something?
The Creator made us in his image to love him, other people, and creation, especially through our gifts and our work.
● Questions about legacy and significance: Can I make a difference? What really matters? What counts for a life well lived?
Since reality is both physical and spiritual, and Jesus has been given authority over all things, we participate with him as restorers of both physical and spiritual dimensions of life, doing good to and in the world and blessing others.
We need to help people with the answers found in Jesus.
Love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind. . . . Love your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10:27)
I have come so that [people] may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10 NIV)
If the Son sets you free, you are truly free. (John 8:36)
The culture constantly changes, so we must ourselves into something more profound and trustworthy, a truth that never changes!
Remind yourself…
There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 8:1 NIV)
Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. (2 Cor. 5:17)
We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Eph. 2:10)
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. (Prov. 4:23 NIV)
What are the patterns of resilient followers?
- Resilient followers and act on beliefs about Jesus.
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Resilient followers don’t a decision to follow Jesus.
Are we presenting a compelling reason to follow Jesus?
We must each person’s story and journey!
3. Resilient followers get close and stay close to Jesus
Worshiping God and Experiencing his presence emerge as in those with a resilient faith.
4. Resilient followers go to church but don’t expect churchgoing alone to bring with Christ
5. Resilient followers believe God speaks and wants to speak to them.
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- To hear God, we need to create space.
- To hear God, we need to create rhythms in our daily lives to listen.
It starts a soft heart to God’s leading.
Story of Samual
Jesus speaks. Following Jesus is more than just believing the right things or feeling warm fuzzies about him. Being Christian is more than being on “team Jesus.” It means we find the very essence of ourselves at his feet. Experiencing Jesus is entering into a dynamic relationship with him as the author and perfecter of our faith. Experiencing the real Jesus is the starting point and the ending point—the Alpha and the Omega—of resilient faithfulness in digital Babylon.
Kinnaman, David; Matlock, Mark; Hawkins, Aly. Faith for Exiles
Do you have a resilient faith, and can it be seen in your identity?