CONNECT: What is one practical way to grow your daily expectancy of Jesus’ return?

WARM-UP  Question

1. What is so counter-cultural about following Jesus with all we have?
2. What are some decisions that you have made in your life that were costly and in what way?

READ Luke 14:25-27

1. What does Jesus mean by hating your whole family and even your own life? How would you explain this to a friend who is not a Christian?
2. Has this been the way you have lived out your walk with God? How/how not?
3. In what ways does being a disciple of Jesus impact your relationship with your family? What would it look like to put your relationship with Jesus before your own family and yourself?
4. What did the cross symbolise at that time? Why would have Jesus’ words in V27 been such a shock to the early listeners?
5. What are the common misconceptions of ‘bearing our cross’? How is Jesus’ command different?
6. What should it look like in our lives to ‘carry our cross and follow Jesus’? How can we live this out?

READ Luke 14:28-35

1. Have you ever made a purchase only to discover you couldn’t afford it? How was that experience?
2. ‘We should really consider the cost of following Jesus because it will cost us everything.’ Have you considered how costly following Jesus is? How has it cost you?
3. Who is Jesus and why should we follow him even when it is so costly?
4. What is the inheritance in store for those who follow Jesus? How can we have full assurance of receiving this inheritance?
5. What does it mean for us to be ‘salty’? What can you do to maintain your ‘saltiness’?
6. In light of all we’ve looked at, what does it mean for us to ‘hear’ Jesus?
7. In this series on ‘Discipleship Lessons From Luke’, what has stood out for you? How has this helped your relationship with Jesus?

APPLY: How can you put Jesus ahead of your relationships and in everything you do?

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On Your Frontline This Week: Have your christian friends ever met your non-christian friends? Introducing each other and doing something fun together is a great way to show what following Jesus looks like.

Audio and Video 

• AUDIO: “Counting the Cost” by Alistair Begg
• AUDIO: “Being a Disciple” by Kent Hughes
• AUDIO: “Jesus On…’Fake News’ - Counting the Cost” by Ben Molyneux
  

Books and Articles

• ARTICLE: “Kids Must Count the Cost, Too” by Amy DiMarcangelo
• ARTICLE: “The Costs of Following Jesus” by Thabiti Anyabwile
• ARTICLE: “What is the Gospel Message” by J. I. Packer
  

Other Helpful Resources (For Series)

• 13-Week Series on Luke by Gary Millar (QTC):
• ARTICLE: “The 6Ms - Uncovering Fruitfulness Where You Are”
• BOOK: Overview of Luke by the Bible Project
• BOOK: “Luke (Read, Mark, Learn Series)”
  

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