MettleJA13 by CWR

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JANUARY–APRIL 2013

TO INSPIRE COURAGE SPIRIT CHARACTER

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Mettle Bible-reading notes are produced in association with British Youth for Christ. British Youth for Christ is part of Youth for Christ International, a movement of youth evangelism organisations in over 100 countries of the world. Please visit www.yfci.org for the country nearest you. Series Editor: Simeon Whiting Contributors: Lorne Campbell, Chris Kidd, Hannah Kidd, Helen Tomblin, Simeon Whiting The notes on ‘Discipleship’ were previously published in Mettle Jan–Apr 2010. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of CWR.

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See back of book for list of National Distributors.

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Other quotations are marked: NIV: Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version (Anglicised edition) Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica (formerly International Bible Society). Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Publishers, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica (formerly International Bible Society). UK trademark number 1448790. NCV: Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translations (NLT), copyright © 1996, revised 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Concept development by YFC and CWR. Editing design and production by CWR. Printed in Croatia by Zrinski.

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CONTENTS

DISCIPLESHIP PART 1

HUMOUR PART 1

ROLE MODELS PART 1

CELEBRATION PART 1

DISCIPLESHIP PART 2

HUMOUR PART 2

ROLE MODELS PART 2

CELEBRATION PART 2

100

DISCIPLESHIP PART 3

114

WELCOME TO

TER … IRIT CHARAC

COURAGE SP

WE’LL KICK OFF THIS ISSUE with some core material on the idea of discipleship. The twelve guys who hung around with Jesus are generally known as ‘The Disciples’. So can we be disciples of Jesus too? And if so, what does that mean for how we think, speak and act? Then we’ll tuck into some Hot Potatoes. Humour is a beautiful thing if it’s used well. Even Jesus used humour to communicate truth. So let’s have a think about what humour is really for and how we can use it to honour God and build up others. We all have role models – people we look up to – but some are more helpful influences than others. We’ll dig into what makes a good role model and how we can be good role models ourselves. Finally, let’s celebrate! We’ll explore what’s worth celebrating and how to involve God in our fun and get a taste of the joy that comes from following Jesus. Enjoy! The Mettle Team

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TUES 1 JAN

DISCIPLE SHIP

HAPPY NEW YEAR! And welcome to the first topic of this issue of Mettle Bible-reading notes – Discipleship. What is the way ahead? Do you know who to follow? Do you know why you should follow? How do you decide? A famous scientist had a very good model of the solar system on his desk. Completely to scale, it showed all the planets circling the sun. A friend, who didn’t believe in God, saw it and asked the scientist who had made it, because he wanted to get one. The scientist saw an opportunity and asked her friend, ‘What do you mean: “Who made it?” What a silly question! Nobody made it, it just appeared.’ Her friend was not impressed: ‘Just

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E 6 v1

‘But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.’

K E R S E

tell me who made it! Things like that don’t just appear! Someone must have made it.’ The scientist looked at her friend and smiled: ‘You’re right, somebody did make it. But here’s the thing: you refuse to believe that this model just happened without a maker, so why do you believe that the real universe could exist without a creator?’ Do you know what you believe as a Christian – and why? Jesus encouraged people to ask questions so that they could discover more about God. Be confident that God created you for a reason and that Jesus wants you to follow His example. Over the next two weeks we will be looking at what it means to be His disciple today.

TUES 1 JAN

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READING: 1 Corinthians 2:10–16

PRAY Father, thank You for creating the universe and for making me. Help me to understand more about You and to be willing to take opportunities to talk to others about You. Amen.

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READING: Proverbs 3:4–6 KEY

THINK

Who do you turn to for advice? Do you ever take it? Are you confident in trusting Jesus? Peter, one of Jesus’ first disciples, was so confident that he got out of a boat and walked on water (Matt. 14:28–29). Are you willing to believe what Jesus has said and put it into practice?

WED 2 JAN

‘Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.’

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V ER

The dictionary defines a disciple as somebody who believes in and follows the teachings of a leader, a philosophy or a religion. A

Hidden within this word search are six words that describe a disciple. Over the next few days we’ll be unpacking them together. The word for today is Believer. Hebrews 13:8 tells us, ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.’ Have you ever stopped and asked yourself what you believe, what you trust in? Today’s reading encourages us to trust in the Lord and to turn to Him for advice (v.6). DISCIPLESHIP TIP 1 Believe and trust in Jesus with all your heart.

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READING: Romans 12:1–8 KEY

V ER

‘… give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.’

THINK

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THURS 3 JAN

DISCIPLESHIP TIP 2 You need to be willing to offer your all to God so that you can become all He has in store for you.

What does ‘your all’ actually mean? Re-read the list in paragraph 1 – write down everything that comes to mind. Be honest and list the things you’d struggle to offer to God. Then pray. Ask for God’s help to let these things go.

The word for today is Follower. For you to be a disciple of Jesus you need to give yourself to God. As we grow in our love for Him, everything we have must be offered to Him – our money, our time, our family, our home, our job, our mind, our personality, our love, our ambitions and even our iPod! Reality check … To be honest this is really hard to understand and I sometimes struggle with the idea that, as a follower of Christ, I could be asked to offer everything I have, including my family, as a sacrifice to God. But I am comforted by the fact that He has never before asked for more than He knew I was able to give at the time. As verse 2 says: ‘… let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.’

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READING: Romans 3:27–31

PRAY

Father, help me to grow in my faith. Teach me more about Jesus, and let me experience that confidence as I talk to others.

FRI 4 JAN

‘Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No … It is based on faith.’

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KEY

V ER

v27

The word for today is Learner. A disciple is someone who learns from their rabbi or teacher. To be specific, to be a disciple of Christ we need to learn about Him and from Him. We need to know Him in order to know the way to God. To know Jesus we have to learn to have faith in His teaching, in the Bible and in the experience of the Holy Spirit. There is no other way revealed to us – the only way to God is through Jesus. To know this we have to express faith in Jesus. It is not through how good we are, how much money we give to charity, whether we work on Sundays or not, or attend all the church services we can. It is only through our faith in Jesus and what He has done that we are accepted by God. None of us can boast that we are better in God’s sight than anyone else. We are all the same; loved and cared for by God. DISCIPLESHIP TIP 3 We need to have faith in Jesus and learn all we can about Him.

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READING: Hebrews 11:1–13

KEY

‘… faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.’ (NIV)

The word for today is Pupil. World class golfers have different coaches for every aspect of their game fl driving, putting, chipping fl everything. And even though they are already unbelievably good at golf, they will spend hours every day training, learning from their coaches and perfecting their skills. A top golfer never thinks he has arrived; he is constantly learning and striving to improve and understand the game better. Yesterday we looked at the importance of learning to have faith. But what is faith? It is the 'confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see’ (Heb. 11:1, NLT 1996 ed.). The verses in Hebrews 11 then go on to give examples of biblical characters who show great faith.

WEEKEND 5/6 JAN

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V ER

CONTINUED

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WEEKEND 5/6 JAN 10

Noah builds an enormous boat inland to save the animals and his family. Abraham leaves home to follow God’s instructions, although he doesn’t know where he will end up. Are you still willing to be a pupil and to be taught by others? The heroes in Hebrews didn’t need to see the short-term end, they were focusing on the long term. And when I say ‘long term’, I mean an eternity spent with God. They were certain of this future without seeing it. DISCIPLESHIP TIP 4 We need to be willing to be taught by others. Think about the idea of being mentored – being trained by someone older/wiser/more experienced whom you respect.

PRAY

e others ithful exampl You for the fa I pray . rs Father, thank he e to ot be an exampl ve good ha u set; may I also Yo at th in confidence ow gr ill w e plans I that see how thos even if I can’t e, m r fo s an pl t. Amen. will come abou

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READING: John 17:1–8 KEY

V ER

‘… you have given him authority over everyone.’

MON 7 JAN

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CHALLENGE

DISCIPLESHIP TIP 5 Study the Bible, get to know God’s teaching and become a scholar who knows God deeply – not just enough of God to get by. Don’t miss out! Over the next few days we’ll be looking at Jesus’ prayer in John 17 as it highlights those things Jesus wanted His Father to give to His disciples.

Ask God to talk to you about your needs and how to meet them. Find somewhere quiet or go for a walk to allow yourself space to listen to His response. Set apart time to follow this up. Join a Bible study group – or even start one yourself.

The word for today is Scholar. Jesus had power and authority and He used them! He gave the blind their sight, He healed people who couldn’t walk and He saw straight into the hearts of people, helping them to sort out their lives. Everyone who came into contact with Jesus experienced God. Some didn’t like that experience and others ran from it. But what does this mean to me today? Jesus gives eternal life, as the Samaritan woman at the well experienced (John 4). He knew what she really needed and offered her water that would quench her thirst forever. Because Jesus has this all-encompassing authority, He has the ability to offer us exactly what we need. He isn’t some bearded, longhaired, blue-eyed, sandal-wearing guy in a picture – He is the Son of God! He is powerful! He is awesome!

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READING: John 17:3–4

PRAY

Father, I want to know You more and to know Your presence in my life. Help me to recognise You and to tell others about You every day. Amen.

TUES 8 JAN

‘… this is the way to have eternal life – to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.’

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KEY

V ER

The word for today is Supporter. How do we get this eternal life? By knowing Jesus and understanding that it was God who sent Him to earth. I like Disney films. In Finding Nemo, Crush the turtle is having a conversation with Marlin about trusting and letting go. Marlin asks him: ‘But when do you know?’ and the response is: ‘You know when you know, you know.’ At which point they both nod knowingly, but then a confused look crosses Marlin’s face. When do we know ‘the only true God, and Jesus …’? It’s the same answer: ‘You know when you know, you know.’ You can have all the facts laid out, but when you’re filled with the Holy Spirit, you experience a new dimension of knowing God. Being a supporter means getting to know who you support better and better, which engages your emotions as well as your mind. DISCIPLESHIP TIP 6 Being a supporter also usually means that you tell people who you support and why. Tell others about God, but understand that it is His Holy Spirit who reveals who He is to them.

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