Use the programme which can be found on the link ‘discipleship challenges’. The ‘worksheet’ will help you follow through anything you feel is right to take up. The following notes are for your interest and consideration.
Personal comment:
Much is said and done in church on the basis of presumption rather than fact. We all assume that people we meet in church on Sundays are good people who do not sin, and the very thought that they might would appear to be offensive! If we look at ourselves, however, we should in all honesty accept that no one is immune from the clutches of sin, and although everyone in church is a very different character, the one thing we have in common is that like David, we sin (though not necessarily his particular sin!). It is when people accept their common sinfulness that God’s church can begin to grow, building on the basis of a truly shared faith in the Saviour. If we have not confessed our sins, we have not begun the journey, and the work of the prophet, as in this story, is to lead us there.
Ideas for discipleship programme
- Pray for those who find it hard to accept the real challenge of Christian faith, to deal with sin in their life by recognising it and submitting it to God in prayer. Ask yourself whether you are as honest about this matter as you should be!
- Ask the Lord to show you whether you should be thinking of yourself as a ‘rich’ or a ‘poor’ person, whether spiritually or materially. Some of our attitudes towards life come from how we perceive ourselves rather than the truth in God’s eyes.
Jesus, Saviour of the world, You were lifted up on a Cross to draw people of all races and nations to Yourself. Bless the witness of Your church in every place, and help Your people finish the work You have given them to do. We ask this in Your victorious name: AMEN
Use these for group work, or to assist your personal reflection.
- The parable of the little ewe lamb exposed David’s sin. Allegorically, does it beg questions about the life of God’s people today?
- Do you regard the work of the prophet in this story to be typical of what a prophet does? What would be the equivalent prophetic work today?
- David was blind to his problems; to what extent do people tend to be hypocritical and blind to sin?