This week Todd encouraged us to be mindful of our faithfulness to Jesus, that we as a people should, through the work of the Spirit, prepare ourselves to be presented to Christ (Rev 19:7-8).
1. The PREP series ultimately comes down to who we say Jesus is, and not just who we say he is but how we respond to who he is. Go around the group and have each person answer the simple questions, “who is Jesus?” and “how have you responded to him?”
If you have questions or doubts about Jesus’ claims, life, death and resurrection or if you would like to be better equipped to answer questions about Jesus, join us this Saturday, September 19 for the Training Day Conference “Who Do You Say That I Am?” Click here to register: https://www.watermark.org/dallas/who-do-you-say-that-i-am.
2. Scripture is clear that final judgment is based on whether we have trusted in the finished work of Christ or not (Rom 3:20-26; Eph 2:8-9). Scripture is also clear that rewards are given based on our degree of faithfulness to Jesus (Rom 14:10-12; 2 Cor 5:9-10). Honestly evaluate your lives. If Jesus were to hand out rewards based on your faithfulness right now, what do you think you would receive and why? What are some areas of your life you need to surrender to Jesus?
3. Ezra gave us a great example of someone who consistently prepared his heart for faithfulness to Jesus. Scripture says he “devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel” (Ezra 7:10). Do you consistently set your heart to study Scripture and obey Christ? Do you feel equipped to teach Scripture and faithfulness to Jesus to others? What practical steps should you take to grow in these areas?
If you would like to grow in the basics of discipleship to Jesus and be equipped disciple others, check out Equipped Disciple here: https://www.watermark.org/dallas/ministries/equipped-disciple.
4. The greatest thing we can do to be prepared for God to use us as he desires is first to love him, and then out of that love, to love others (Matt 22:37-40). Go around the group and have people share what they do to cultivate their affections for Jesus. Share ideas and encourage one another to implement these practices on a regular basis. Do the same thing regarding loving others.
Click here to download a the "salvation decision tree" Todd used in today's message.