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SHOW - His Character and Compassion

Character

Galatians 4:19
My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.
Romans 8:28-29
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Romans 13:14
Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.
2 Corinthians 3:18
So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
Ephesians 5:8-9
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth).
Colossians 3:9-10
Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.
1 Peter 1:16 (quoting Leviticus 11:44-45)
For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
1 Peter 2:11-12
Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

The question: How can you show Jesus’ character within your circle of influence, especially to your 3?
Model, equip and hold accountable for the mission of holiness (Jesus’ character).
- The character of Jesus in our lives is a powerful witness to the reality of Jesus in our lives. When people see the life-change that Jesus has made and is making in our lives, they actually see the work of Jesus within us.
- All Christians are called to grow in their likeness to Jesus. This is not about perfection, but it is about progress. It’s not what we achieve on our own, but what we receive as we remain in Jesus and His Word and walk by the Spirit. With JESUS is the only way to grow and to show the character of Jesus. That’s because Jesus IS our righteousness, holiness and freedom (1 Corinthians 1:30). It’s only with JESUS that we can be like JESUS.
- The character of Jesus can be seen in the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Jesus is loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self-controlled. Once again, as we walk by (depend on) the Spirit, Jesus’ character will develop within us and shine through us.
- There are dos and don’ts when it come to Christian holiness, but be very careful here. As is said, “Rules without Relationship leads to Rebellion.” A “Discovery Sanctification” may be a better approach, especially when dealing with teenagers and adults. You want engagement in the discernment process and ownership of the outcomes. Once again, focus on the character of Jesus through the power of the Spirit’s indwelling presence. This leads to deeper and permanent character breakthroughs.
- Holiness is about being and becoming the new creations we already are in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Holiness starts with the presence of Christ in our lives and grows as we mature in our identity in Christ and our obedient discipleship to Christ.
- Follow The Way Part 3 called Freedom is a Discovery Discipleship Group study to help you and others personally and practically grow in Christlike holiness.

Supernatural exchanges

This is covered in Freedom.

We can’t be holy on our own. That’s why we support each other. But more importantly, that’s why we rely on Jesus. The Christian life isn’t about doing the right thing in our own strength. It’s about connecting with Jesus and doing everything through His strength. What we could never do on our own, we can do through our relationship with Jesus.

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ who empowers me.

John 15:5

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Your new life with Jesus began with a great exchange. Jesus took your sin and gave you His righteousness (See 2 Corinthians 5:21). Now, keep making exchanges—supernatural exchanges—with Jesus.

Colossians 2:6
Just as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to walk in him.

So give Jesus your weakness and receive from Him His strength (See 1 Corinthians 12:9). Give Jesus your selfishness and receive from Him grace to be holy. God’s grace isn’t just pardon for sin, it’s power for holy living (See 1 Corinthians 15:10 & 2 Timothy 2:1).

Part of biblical discipleship is biblical discipline for those who are struggling with living as obedient disciples.
- Discipline is a spectrum activity. It begins with the encouragement to be holy. As need be, it moves to a stronger urging to be like Jesus. And finally, if need be, it moves into what could be called intervention. Through it all, loving accountability is crucial to true discipline.
- The discipleship of discipline is possible in MicroChurches because we actually know each other and therefore we can speak into each others’ lives.
- As a leader who is accountable to leadership of The Way, you can and are commissioned to hold accountable those who are in your MicroChurch.
- This is not easy and there are no guaranteed outcomes. But those who humble themselves under godly discipline often grow exponentially in their discipleship to Jesus.
- The Way leadership team is available to confidentially coach you through your discipline situations.

Galatians 6:1
Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.
Matthew 18:15-17
If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that “every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.” If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Why is the mission of holiness so important? Why has the mission of holiness been neglected? How can the mission of holiness be abused?
Here are some words that come to mind when thinking about how to do the discipleship of discipline well: grace, relationship, listening, time, progress, patience, prayer. These words do not fit: law, judgmentalism, perfection, impatience, anger.
How can you join Jesus in the loving, pruning process of a brother’s or sister’s life? How can they join Jesus in your own pruning?!

Compassion

Matthew 5:14-16
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 25:37-40
Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?” The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Galatians 6:9-10
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

The question: How can you show Jesus’ compassion within your circle of influence, especially to your 3?
Model, equip and lead the mission of compassion.
- As with the character of Jesus, the compassion of Jesus is a powerful witness for Jesus.
- Is there someone in your MicroChurch who needs some practical help?
- Is there someone in your circle of influence who needs some extra help with chores around the house?
- Is there a local ministry, like a food bank, that needs volunteers?
- Are there some refugees who need relationships of welcome and kindness?
- Other? Does this “other” have a name attached to it?
- Practice listening care. As you listen to the Lord in prayer (listening prayer) and as you listen between the lines as you engage with others, be open to cues for how you can practically, sacrificially and supernaturally show Jesus’ compassion. Here are some examples:
  - Practical compassion - Offering to pick up your neighbor’s kids from an after school program during a busy season of life or helping your co-worker build a new deck at their home.
  - Sacrificial compassion - Offering to pay for your friend’s unexpected and financially devastating car repair or advocating for a colleague who was unjustly fired at work.
  - Supernatural compassion - Offering to pray for a friend’s healing or struggling marriage.
- Why is the mission of compassion so important? Why is it not enough? For example, why does TELL come next in the Mission Circle?
A great way to show the compassion of Jesus is through Prayer Evangelism.
- Form groups of 2 and 3.
- Ask the Lord where He wants to send you.
- Go out and say, “There are several groups from our church going out to pray for people. So how can we pray for you?"
- You may want to teach your groups how to use the 5 Step Prayer Model.
- You may also want to use The 15 Second Testimony and the 2Kingdoms.org wristbands and outreach business cards for sharing the Good News after praying with people. See instructions under TELL.
- Come back together to debrief, celebrate and pray.

Based on the Vineyard’s 5 Step Prayer Model
Modified by Karl House
ASK
Ask, “How can we pray for you?” Or better yet, “What would you like God to do for you?” Or to make it more Christ-centered and relationally intimate, “What would you like Jesus to do for you?” These last two questions stress that we are looking beyond ourselves in prayer. So they increase faith right from the start by communicating that we’re going to go to God and seek His intervention in the person’s life.
Think of it this way, we’re just a server at a restaurant taking the person’s order and bringing it back to the Chef to cook up something delightful. Our responsibility is to take the order. His responsibility is to figure out what to do with it. We just stand in the middle putting one hand on the person we are praying for and one hand on the One who can minister to their need. But here’s the amazing thing. God uses us to “deliver” His answer. Through our presence and touch and prayers, God moves in Kingdom power in the person’s life. As with any act of Christian ministry, God partners with us in ministering to the person. What a staggering privilege!
INVITE
Invite the Holy Spirit to come and minister to the person. Invite the Holy Spirit to guide your prayers. Take a moment to wait and listen. If you prefer, invite Jesus to come to minister and to guide. Asking Jesus to come is preferable if you have already asked the person, “What would you like Jesus to do for you?” Don’t get hung up on the theological details. Jesus comes near to us through the Holy Spirit. So either way we are asking for God’s presence and pointing away from ourselves as the ones who have the power to heal or guide or provide and we are building faith in the presence of God and the coming of His Kingdom. This is an important step of dependent humility and faith-building expectation. Don’t rush this step. Don’t be afraid of a little silence.
Before you proceed into prayer, ask your prayer team and the person if they got any sense from the Lord as you invited Him to come and to lead you. If you do sense the Lord giving you some direction, it’s best not to say, “Thus saith the LORD.” Instead, share what you are sensing and ask the person you’re praying for, “Does that mean anything to you?” Also check with your prayer team to see if it resonates with them. In other words, let others confirm that you are on the right track or not.
PRAY
Pray as the person requested. Pray as the Spirit directs. In order to build faith, you may want to begin your prayer with, “Lord, we thank you that you are with us and that you love _____ (the person you are praying for).” Begin with prayer and as the Spirit directs you may want to move into speaking healing or freedom or even commanding healing or freedom.
The Spirit may actually lead you to have the person you’re praying for pray. This may be their prayer to pray because the issue may be rooted in their own responsibility. You may need to coach them a bit. But then have them pray, supporting them with your faith, agreement and any additional prayers.
Generally, keep your prayers simple and brief. Especially, when you’re praying for people out on the streets (friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, etc), keep the prayer short and sweet. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they think to themselves, “Well, I could have done that” and then they start doing that—they start praying?
CHECK
Check with the person to see what’s happening. You could simply ask, “What’s happening?” or “What are you sensing?” or “What are you getting?” If you’re praying for healing, check to see if there is any change in the pain level or mobility. If you’re praying for direction or reconciliation, check to see if the Spirit is giving the person new thoughts or hope. Check with your prayer team if there is any discernment for further prayer or next steps.
Repeat PRAY and CHECK as the ministry unfolds and the Lord directs. For example, if there is some pain reduction or some increased mobility, thank the Lord for the change and pray for further pain reduction and more mobility. During this CHECK the person receiving prayer may actually let you in on a deeper issue surrounding their need, which would lead into more targeted prayer. Think of the prayer time as a conversation between you, the person receiving prayer, your team and the Spirit. Take your time and let there be adequate back and forth communication. This may be a good time for the person you are praying for to pray, personalizing the prayer or thanking God for what He is doing.
NEXT?
What’s next? Maybe the prayer was simple or the issue is resolved and you can just wrap things up. If not, assure the person you’ll continue to pray for them. Encourage them to stop back next week to tell you how things are going and receive more prayer. Maybe it would be good to have the team meet during the week to pray for them again. Maybe it would be good for them to meet with their small group leader or pastor. Maybe it would be good for them to get into a small group. Is the person a Christian? Ask. “I don’t want to assume anything, but are you a follower of Jesus? Do you believe in Him as your Savior and Lord?” Maybe their encounter with God through your prayer time has prepared them to make a commitment to follow Jesus. Talk with the person and discern from the Spirit what’s next. How can this prayer time lead to the person’s next step in following Jesus?
When praying for people out on the street, you may want to ask, “Is there anything else we could pray for?” Sometimes people don’t share with you the most significant matter in their life because they don’t know if they can trust you. But when you handle a less significant matter compassionately and wisely, they may go to that more difficult and personal spot with you.
After praying for people, you could give them the 2Kingdoms.org wristband which directs them to a website with a clear and compelling Gospel presentation. You could say something like this, “Thank you so much for letting us pray for you. Can I give you this wristband as a reminder that we prayed for you and that we will continue to pray for you. 2Kingdoms.org is a website that will tell you why we go around praying for people. Because we have experienced God’s love and want to share it with others. And praying for people is a practical and personal way to show God’s love. If you want to learn more about God’s love and the Good News of His Son Jesus Christ, please check out this website. Or if you got some time right now, I can tell you more.” Sometimes this leads to further questions and a deeper conversation about the Christian faith.
Find and share this here—5 Step Prayer Model.