Apart From Me You Can Do Nothing

In one paragraph

Matt Litzelman, one of First B's elders, brought the message this Sunday while Pastor Ray was away helping someone move. Drawing from John 15, he walked through what it means to abide in Christ, bear fruit, and live as a disciple. The through-line was simple: apart from Jesus, we wither, and the life we are looking for is found only by remaining in him. Matt opened by tying John 15 back to First...

Read together

1. Romans 5 hope will not lead to disappointment, God has given us His Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love
2. Psalm 30 God has turned mourning into joyful dancing and clothed us with joy
3. John 1:16 from God's abundance we have received one gracious blessing after another, grace upon grace
4. Matthew 22:37-38 the greatest commandment, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself
5. John 15:1-8 the vine and branches passage on abiding, bearing fruit, and proving to be Christ's disciples
6. Ephesians 5:26 being washed with the water of the word, explaining why the disciples were already clean
7. Galatians 5 the fruit of the Spirit listed as evidence of bearing fruit and being disciples
8. Colossians 1:21-23 once alienated enemies now reconciled, encouraged to continue in faith grounded and steadfast
9. John 6 Peter's response when many disciples left after Jesus said unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood
10. Philippians 3:8-10 Paul's passionate desire to progressively know Christ more deeply and intimately, read from the Amplified
11. Matthew 28:18-20 the Great Commission, go and make disciples of all nations
12. John 17 benediction, this is eternal life, that you know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent

Talk about it

1. Matt talked about how a daisy cut from its stem doesn't wither right away, and said the same is often true when we drift from Christ. Have you experienced a slow fade like that in your own walk, and what did it look like?
2. Matt described abiding as simply showing up before God even when you have nothing to say or pray. What does that kind of showing up look like practically in your own life right now?
3. Matt shared that when he asked Jesus 'Who do you say I am?', the word he received was 'steadfast'. What lies about yourself do you find hardest to let go of, and have you ever asked God that question for yourself?
4. Looking at the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians, Matt asked what fruit others actually see in us when we engage them. Which of those qualities do you feel most challenged to grow in, and why?
5. Matt described his Wednesday life group as a place where the men shared life stories, fears, core values and testimonies over time. What has made it easy or hard for you to be that transparent in Christian community?