Complete Lesson Plan Overview

Following Jesus in Life's Tensions: Complete Lesson Plan

This represents the intended, complete lesson plan for Following Jesus in Life's Tensions.

**Introduction:** An Invitation To Follow Jesus with Friends "The adventure begins!" Acknowledging the anxiety and excitement of getting started, and some practical wisdom we'll need for the journey.

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Stage 1 - Starting

1. **Following Jesus Wholeheartedly** - We can't earn salvation, but following Jesus transforms everything.

1. **Following Jesus In Our New Identity** - We're instantly made new in Christ, yet called to grow into this new identity.

1. **Following Jesus Together** - Our walk with God is both deeply personal and necessarily communal.

1. **Following Jesus In Newness of Life** - Finding real life requires letting go of our old selves.

1. **Following Jesus with Reverence** - God is our loving Heavenly Father, awesome Creator, and Holy Savior.

1. **Following Jesus with An Active Faith** - Faith leads to faithfulness.

1. **Celebration Week** - We prioritize formation over more information. Every six weeks, we pause to celebrate how God has worked in our lives and further integrate what we have learned into our lives.

1. **Following Jesus as His Friends** - Prayer is both heartfelt and disciplined.

1. **Following Jesus as Lord** - Both God's sovereignty and human responsibility are real.

1. **Following Jesus Through the Scriptures** - The Bible is God's Word, yet requires careful interpretation.

1. **Following Jesus with Our Hearts** - God welcomes honest emotions while calling for faithful obedience.

1. **Following Jesus with The Holy Spirit** - Growth requires both God's power and our active participation.

1. **Following Jesus with Hope** - We experience God's power today while awaiting its complete fulfillment.

1. **Integration and Celebration Week**

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Stage 2: Struggling

1. **Following Jesus In the Silence** - God's presence remains even when we can't feel it.

1. **Following Jesus Through Suffering** - We acknowledge both God's goodness and life's deepest pains, including the ultimate challenge of death.

1. **Following Jesus In Surrender** - We can deeply love Jesus but still feel that we are hardly like him.

1. **Following Jesus In Uncertainty** - With the fixed foundation of Scripture, how do we navigate new and rapidly changing questions?

1. **Following Jesus Through Doubt** - Honest questions can strengthen rather than weaken faith.

1. **Following Jesus In A Scientific Age** - How do we integrate our Biblical commitments and scientific knowledge?

1. **Integration and Celebration Week**

1. **Following Jesus In Struggle** - The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Our faith is shaped amidst a spiritual war.

1. **Following Jesus When We're Exhausted** - How do we avoid being crushed by the infinite demands of loving God and our neighbor?

1. **Following Jesus Toward Unity** - How do we find unity when we are so different? How do we reconcile with those who hurt us?

1. **Following Jesus In Our Public Witness** - We ought to share our faith, but at what cost?

1. **Following Jesus In a Digital World** - How do we grow our faith when we're constantly distracted?

1. **Following Jesus with Our Finances** - What does God say about our finances, and what do our finances say about God?

1. **Integration and Celebration Week**

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Stage 3: Maturing

1. **Following Jesus In Weakness and Strength** - Embracing our dependence on God as the path to spiritual wholeness.

1. **Following Jesus with Unanswered Questions** - Our faith isn't measured by how many questions we can answer but by how fully we receive and share God's love.

1. **Following Jesus to Know the Trinity** - How the Trinity changes everything about our lives.

1. **Following Jesus Wholly** - Embracing all of our emotions so we can be restored to wholeness.

1. **Following Jesus As His People** - How do churches help us follow Jesus?

1. **Following Jesus In Love** - Love as our identity, mission, and life's purpose.

1. **Integration and Celebration Week**

1. **Following Jesus In Holiness** - Honoring God with our whole selves in preparation for the resurrection.

1. **Following Jesus as Lifelong Friends** - The deeper gift of tested spiritual friends, especially in healthy churches.

1. **Following Jesus In Singleness and Marriage** - How do singleness or marriage affect our walk with God?

1. **Following Jesus as Wise Fools** - The lifelong tension between wisdom and taking risks.

1. **Following Jesus as Servants** - Redefining leadership as Jesus does.

1. **Following Jesus with Unfinished Faithfulness** - Trusting God with lives that are always incomplete.

1. **Following Jesus In His Mission** - Our capstone experience! Worship, sharing, and celebrating what God has done.