Application Guide: “Making the Most of 2005”

Dec. 19^th, 2004: Kimber Kauffman, Sr. Pastor of College Park Church, presented a highly applicational message about making spiritual commitments to God for the next year. He urged and admonished the people of College Park to make 2005 a year where we take our personal spiritual growth seriously and commit to get disciplined in specific areas. This application guide will serve as a link for you and your Flock Group to consider how you as a group can make spiritual commitments to God and hold each other accountable to them.

1. Read Luke 9:23-26 & 1 Tim. 4:7. Consider what Kimber said about these passages as you walk through these questions:
1. What makes these verses so hard to follow and implement into your life?
2. Why does God call us to a difficult life rather an easy one?
3. What areas of your life are the most difficult to let go and take up your cross instead?

2. Read Josh 1:8-9; Ps. 1:2-3; Ps. 119:11-16.
1. What place of importance did the OT believers place on the Word of God? How did it influence every aspect of their lives?
2. How does a believer get to the point where they truly love and desire to meditate on God’s Word rather than it being a legalistic or mechanical act?

3. Based on some of the commitment options mentioned in the service, what are the areas in your life that need extra attention and major spiritual growth?
1. What can you practically implement in your life to grow in these areas?

4. Consider how your Flock Group can implement together a few of these aspects of spiritual growth and how you might be able to hold each other accountable to do them.
1. What areas of the spiritual disciplines does your group as a whole need more work? Scripture memory, daily Bible reading? Prayer? Stewardship/Tithing? Etc
2. How can your group work better in 2005 in the area of Evangelism/Outreach?
3. What specific disciplines are your group members going to implement into their lives during 2005?
4. How will you hold each other accountable to do these things?
5. How are you going to make sure that these disciplines actually foster true spiritual formation, love for Christ, and care for each other – as opposed to becoming hollow rituals, intellectual stimulation, or even pride about their “spiritual” acts? In other words, how are you going to ensure that the spiritual disciplines create people who have true heart change rather than pharisaical façades (or people who “play church”)?