One Ambition—1 Year foundations course

200 Pages·2016·2.24 MB·English

download more copies at www.reflectingJesus.org
ONE
AMBITION
HOW WAS I DESIGNED TO LIVE?
NOVEMBER 2019
One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek,
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the
days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
Psalm27:4
a practical introduction to life with God
G A V I N A N T H O N Y
___________________________________________________________________________________
Iwouldlovetohearhowthisbookhashelpedyou!Ifyouwouldliketosendsome
feedbackorifneedmorecopies,[email protected]
start here
where we are headed / 6
how to use this book / 8
help for teachers / 10
CHAPTER 1 laying
FOUNDATIONS
1 everything is a response to love / 14
2 I was created for the glory of God / 16
3 I was designed in the image of God / 18
4 the problem we all face / 20
5 the key to restoring God’s design / 22
6 why follow God’s design? / 24
7 how much change is possible? / 26
8 cosmic attack on God’s design / 28
9 a map for your journey / 32
10 not designed to walk alone / 36
11 a process for restoring God’s design / 38
12 when my heart gets stuck / 44
One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek,
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the
days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
Psalm27:4
ONE AMBITION: HOW WAS I DESIGNED TO LIVE?
the four pillars
CHAPTER 2 desiring CHAPTER 3 deepening
OPENNESS FAITH
13 opening the Bible/ 48 27 praying the Bible/ 78
14 applying the Bible to my life/ 50 28 God’s plan to deal with sin/ 80
15 keeping a spiritual journal/ 52 29 what Jesus has done for me/ 82
16 living in God’s presence/ 54 30 handling difficulties/ 84
17 reading to hear God speak/ 56 31 living inside God’s Providence/ 86
18 receiving forgiveness/ 58 32 believing in creation/ 88
19 savouring God’s words/ 60 33 what happens when I die?/ 90
20 what can I pray for?/ 62 34 putting God first/ 92
21 memorising the Bible/ 64 35 why be baptised?/ 94
22 hearing God in the noise/ 66 36 will hell torture people forever?/ 96
23 open to the trinity/ 68 37 learning to praise/ 98
24 why worship?/ 70 38 the return of Jesus/ 100
25 desiring God Himself/ 72 39 my identity as a Christian/ 102
26 living inside the cosmic battle/ 74 40 sex & marriage/ 104
ONE AMBITION: HOW WAS I DESIGNED TO LIVE?
the four pillars
CHAPTER 4 depending on CHAPTER 5 joining
DIVINE POWER GOD’S WORK
41 step 1—dying to my sinful nature/ 110 55 the mission of the church/ 142
42 step 2—filled by the Holy Spirit/ 112 56 Jesus’ method to reach the world/ 144
43 submitting to God’s will/ 114 57 three priorities for mission/ 146
44 humble confession/ 116 58 how God prepares us/ 148
45 communion: Jesus’ yielded life/ 118 59 finding my place to serve/ 150
46 submitting to obey God’s law/ 120 60 tithing & stewardship/ 152
47 yielding my body to God 1/ 122 61 the end of the world/ 154
48 yielding my body to God 2/ 124 62 praying for others/ 156
49 restoration through humility/ 128 63 sharing my story/ 158
50 shaped by biblical principles/ 130 64 serving like Jesus/ 160
51 surrendered for purity/ 132 65 adventures in service/ 162
52 dying to self, habits & hard work/ 134 66 being authentic/ 164
53 praying to be filled/ 136 67 prophetic messages to share/ 166
54 filled through daily devotions/ 138 68 the Sabbath/ 168
appendix
fundamental beliefs / 174
baptismal vow review / 184
sanctuary discipleship summary chart / 187
notes / 190
55 START HERE
where we are headed
START HERE
welcome to the journey!
how was I designed to live?
OVERVIEW
Discoveringourpurposeashumanbeingsisaprofoundandseriousbusiness.IfI □ Iwasdesignedtolive
evolvedbyaccidentorchance,thenperhapsquestionsofmypurposeintheworld outthepurposesofmy
areuptometoanswer.ButifIwascreated,andiftherewasadesigner,thenthe Creator
purposeofmylifewouldbeshapedbythepurposesofmyCreator.
□ beingaChristianis
ChristiansbelievethatGodcreateduswithintentionaldesignforaspecificpurpose. aboutwhoIam,not
Yetweseesuchhumanbrokennessaroundus,andexperiencemuchpersonalpain. simplywhatIdo
Consequently,whilemanypeoplehaverejectedGodbecauselifedoesnotappearto
makemuchsense,wearestilldrivenbyasearchformeaningandpurpose.I □ lifeisaboutanintimate
believethekeytounderstandingourpurposeistounderstandGod’soriginaldesign relationshipwithGod
forus.ExploringlifeasGoddesignedittobelivediswhatthisbookisabout. thatresults
□ inHisimagebeingre-
overcoming legalism createdinme
□ asIlearntoreflectwho
Inthemid1600s,HenryScougalwrotesomelettersthathelpusstarttounderstand Godis,Iwillsharein
God’spurposeforourlives.Theselettersaresaidtohaveresultedintheconversion Hisworkintheworld—
ofGeorgeWhitefield—oneofthegreatestpreacherstheworldhaswitnessed.Inhis thatothersmayalsobe
earlyyears,Whitefield,alongwithJohnandCharlesWesley(cofoundersofthe restoredinHisimage
Methodistchurch),struggledwithalegalisticChristianitythatseemedtopromise
muchbutdeliveredlittle.Bycontrast,Scougalwrotethatpeoplewhohavegenuine
Christianity,
knowbyexperiencethattruereligionisaunionofthesoulwithGod,areal
participationofthedivinenature,theveryimageofGoddrawnuponthe
soul,or,intheapostle’sphrase,“ItisChristformedwithinus...”(TheLifeofGod
intheSoulofMan,38)
SobeingaChristianisnotjustaboutwhatwebelieveorthink.Norisitjustabout
whatwedo.Mostofall,it’saboutwhoweare—it’saboutintimacywithGodHimself
thatresultsinusbeingre-shapedtobelikeJesus.
one ambition
ThePsalmistDavidwroteabouthisgreatdesireforlifewithGod.Hewrote:
OnethingIaskfromtheLORD,thisonlydoIseek:
thatImaydwellinthehouseoftheLORDallthedaysofmylife,
togazeonthebeautyoftheLORDandtoseekhiminhistemple.(Psalm27:4)
David’sone,drivingambitionwastogazeuponthebeautyofGod.AndrewBonar
OONNEE AAMMBBIITTIIOONN 66
writesthatsuchbeautymeans“allthatmakesGodanobjectofaffectionand
delight”.Inthissense,God’sbeautyisHischaracter.DaviddesiredtoseeGodby
movingintoGod’spresence.Ibelievethatsuchadeeplongingforcommunionwith
GodandadesiringandtreasuringofwhoGodis,tobethegreatestpurposeahuman
beingcanhave.
the result of gazing at God’ beauty
TherearetwosignificantconsequencestogazingatGod’sbeauty.Firstly,asIdesire
GodaboveallotherthingsandmoveintoHispresence,IwillreflectwhoGodis.Thisis
becauseIwillinevitablybechangedtobelikethepersonIseeandspendtimewith.
AsPaulexplains,“andweall,whowithunveiledfacescontemplatetheLord’sglory,
arebeingtransformedintohisimagewithever-increasingglory”(2Corinthians3:18).
Atcreation,theBibledescribesthathumanswereoriginallycreatedinGod’simage
(Genesis1:26-27).SoasIenterintoGod’spresenceasabrokenhumanbeingand
begintocontemplatethebeautyoftheLord,Ienterintoaprocessthatwillre-create
God’simageinme.Thisre-formationwillalsopreparemetostandfirmatthereturnof
Jesus,forGod’simageistheFatherandSon’s“name”thatiswrittenontheforeheads
ofGod’speople(Revelation14:1).
Secondly,asIdesireGodaboveallotherthingsandmoveintoHispresenceand
reflectwhoGodis,IwillnaturallyshareinGod’sdesiretoseeothersre-createdinHis
image.TheapostlePaulrevealsthatthere-formationofChristinourlivesisGod’s
personalpriority,“forthoseGodforeknewhealsopredestinedtobeconformedtothe
imageofhisSon”(Romans8:29).God’sowndesiretoseeothersre-createdinHis
imageisseenintheministryoftheapostlePaul.PaulwrotetotheChristiansinGalatia,
“Mydearchildren,forwhomIamagaininthepainsofchildbirthuntilChristisformed
inyou”(Galatians4:19).Noticetwothingsinthisverse.Firstly,thatthefocusofPaul’s
ministrywastheformation,ormorespecifically,there-formationofthecharacterof
Jesusinpeople’slives.Secondly,thatthisministrycanbesochallengingthatitcanfeel
likethespiritualequivalentofgivingbirth.ButlikePaul,weagreethatthisambitionto
serveothersisworththeeffort.Forinthemiddleofourdarkandpainfulworld,thereis
nothinggreaterthanseeingothersreflectthecharacterandimageofJesus.
the greatest thing in the world
EllenWhitewritesthat“thegreatestworkthatcanbedoneinourworldistoglorify
GodbylivingthecharacterofChrist”(6Testimonies,439).Focusingmoredirectlyon
restoringtheimageofGodinus,shedeclares,“Torestoreinmantheimageofhis
Maker,tobringhimbacktotheperfectioninwhichhewascreated,topromotethe
developmentofbody,mind,andsoul,thatthedivinepurposeinhiscreationmightbe
realized—thiswastobetheworkofredemption.”(Education,15-16)
OneAmbitionwillhelpunpackaprocesswhichexplainshowthiscanhappeninyour
life.MyhopeisthatitwillencourageandguideyourconnectionwithGodsoyouwill
reflectHisimage,andthatthiswillbetheoverridingambitionforyourlife.Iwouldlove
foryoutojoinmeinsharingthisambitionaswetraveltogether.Allthebestforthe
Journey!
GavinAnthony
Hollywood,Ireland,2016
77 START HERE
how to use this book
START HERE
what’s inside and how does it work?
what’s inside?
Thisbookisdividedinto2mainparts:
1. Foundations. These topics will help you see the big picture of what God
designedyoulifetobelike.ItfocusesonthemainideathatGoddesigned
youtoreflectHischaracterintheworld.Wewillexploretheproblemthatsin
createdforGod’spurpose,andwhatyoucandoabout.
2. TheFourPillars.Therestofthebookisdividedintofourspiritualpillarsthatare
essentialforbuildingthelifeGoddesignedyoutolive.Youwillgainmany
practicaltoolsandimportantideasthatwillunpackthefourpillarsof:
1. openness
2. faith
3. divinepower
4. God’swork
Thesefourpillarsaredeliberatelyplacedinthisorder.LifewithGodisonly
possibleonceIamopentoHim.Opennessprovidesthesoilforfaithtotake
root,foritisimpossibletotrustGodcompletelyifIamnotopentohim.IfI
don’ttrustGod,itisnotpossibletolivewithdivinepoweratworkinmylife
becausealltransformationthatGodaccomplishesrequiresfaith.Finally,I
cantrytodoGod’swork,butifHispowerisnotatworkinmyheartandmind,
IwillgettiredandwornoutbymyowneffortsandtheinfluenceIwillhave
withotherswillbelimited.BeinganeffectiveinfluenceforGodisonly
possiblewhenGod’sworkisdonewithGod’spower.
Appendix.Therearefourthingshere.Firstly,anofficialsummaryoftheFundamental
BeliefsoftheSeventh-dayAdventistChurch.Secondly,areviewofbaptismalvows
forthoseconsideringbaptism.Thirdly,asummarychartofthediscipleshipmodel
usedasthefoundationforthisbook.Fourthly,someblankjournalpagesforyour
notesasyouworkthroughtheexercises.Youmayprefertobuyyourselfaseparate
journalforthis.
how to begin
1. StartbycompletingtheFoundationssection.Asyouread,youmayfindit
helpfultohighlighttheideasthatarehelpfultoyou.
2. HowyouuseTheFourPillars,isuptoyou.Itmaybebesttostudythelessonsin
order,butyoucanchoosethelessonsyouthinkwillbemosthelpfultoyou.
3. Payspecialattentiontothequestionattheendofeverylesson:“Whathas
theHolySpiritrevealedtoyou,andhowdoyouneedto
respond?”Whenyouread,alwaystrytolistentowhattheHolySpiritwantsto
OONNEE AAMMBBIITTIIOONN 88
bringtoyouattention,andwhatHewantsyoutodoaboutit.Yourlifewill
changeaccordingtohowyoulearntoobeytheleadingoftheHolySpirit.
for baptismal students
OneAmbitioncanbeusedtoprepareyouforbaptism.Asthereisenoughmaterial
tostudyforonetotwoyears—dependingonyourspeed—someofthelessonswill
becompletedbeforeyourbaptismwhiletherestcanbestudiedafterwards.The
personpreparingyouforbaptismwillhelpyouwiththis.
Ifyouwouldliketostudyfurther,youhavetwooptionsthatareexplainedinthe
sectionGoingDeeper.Firstly,intheAppendixthereareofficialsummariesofthe
fundamentalbeliefsoftheSeventh-dayAdventistChurch.Anumberofthelessons
arelinkeddirectlytothesebeliefs.YoucanreadtheseandstudytheextraBibletexts
attheendofeachbelief.Secondly,tostudythesefundamentalbeliefsingreater
depth,youcanreadtheappropriatechaptersinthebook,Seventh-dayAdventists
Believe.
disciples making disciples
Asyouwillseeinlesson55onJesus’methodofdisciple-making,Jesuswas
interestedinteachingdisciplestomakediscipleswhomakedisciples.Jesuswas
introducingasystemofmultiplication,notaddition.Soasyoulearntolivethelife
thatGodhasdesignedforyou,youmaywanttoconsiderwhoyoucansharethis
materialwith,andhelpthemtolivethelifeGodhasdesignedforthem!
99 START HERE