Path to Spiritual Maturity Meeting #6 Recap - Assurance (of Salvation)

Opening Prayer

Welcome!

Step 1: Overview

a. Go over last week’s assignment of reading an article on #2 Assurance in the Foundations Pathway, and doing an application.

b. This week’s assignment: read an article on #3 God (Trinity) in the Foundations Pathway, and do an application.

c. Finish with time for questions/comments.

If we run out of time you can always e-mail us, or post in the discussion group. I will post those e-mail addresses and the group link at the end of our session.

Step 2: Review of #2 Assurance.

-Go over last week’s assignment of reading an article on #2 Assurance in the Foundations Pathway, and do an application.

So did you do your reading and application this week? (Yes/no) Did you find it helpful? What struck you the most from your reading this week? Was there anything that you were really challenged on that you prayed about or are doing something about?

When I was a child, I used to ask the Lord to save me over and over. I remember asking my mother how many times I had to ask Jesus to forgive me and save me before I was really saved. The confidence we have in our salvation must not be in us, but in what Jesus Christ has done to eternally secure our salvation. The question about whether I truly believed at some point in the past that I can look to as for certain may be the wrong one. Perhaps the real question is, do I believe in the work of Jesus in His death and resurrection to take away my sin—apart from any work or ability on my part to earn that forgiveness? Over time as I learned more about God and His amazing grace, and as He worked in my heart through His Spirit, the unshakeable confidence came that like Paul, I knew “whom I had believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.”

What about you? Are you confident in your salvation? What do you believe now? Do you have doubts? What are you doing about those doubts? Do you have specific questions? Do you need to spend time in prayer alone with God to wrestle with these issues and not “stuff them”?

Step 3: This week’s assignment: Begin #3 God (Trinity) in the Foundations Pathway.

Read at least one article in the God (Trinity) category on the Path to Spiritual Maturity (#3 God [Trinity] under step 4) [or listen to an audio, or watch a video]. Then think about what you have read and do an application (some suggested ones are listed there). Next week we can discuss any questions that you might have had either about the article, or its application.

Other ideas:

*blog about your reading/application

*write down any questions you might have from the reading/experience

*write out any terms that you did not understand

*spend some time praying about and thanking God for for revealing Himself to us, for allowing us to understand Him more and more even though our finiteness gives us limitations, and for being so unique and glorious.

Step 4: Questions, comments, and interaction.

…

Step 5: Closing Reminders:

*This week, focus on the God [Trinity] Step. (Keep up your Bible reading time, and as needed, focus on your motivation.)

*Go to the group page to post comments, questions, or to find a posting of what we discussed during our time together. http://users.bible.org/groups/path_spiritual_maturity_discipleship

*E-mail us if needed

Closing Prayer

Pursue Christ in all you do, and may this Path to Spiritual Maturity be a tool to help you pursue Him. That is our prayer and desire. God bless!