Dear Friends,

It’s hard to remember that being like Jesus is our ultimate purpose in every relationship and area.

If we will be like Him, we must have attitudes and values like Him.

1 Jn 2:6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

This is the core of what following Jesus means. This week we will look at the teachings of Jesus as He prepared His close friends for the very first Lords Supper.

We will learn a lot about servant leadership as we study this and prepare for our Lords Supper.

Please read this slowly and prayerfully and consider the questions.  If possible talk about this at home.

Plan to attend a small group and a corporate worship service. Use this as a preparation for the Lord’s supper.

Blessings,

Joe

1 Jn 2:6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

 

Joh 13:1-17 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. 2 During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, 4 *got up from supper, and *laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. 5 Then He *poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 So He *came to Simon Peter. He *said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.” 8 Peter *said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” 9 Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.”10  Jesus *said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” 11  For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, “Not all of you are clean.” 12  So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. 14 “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. 16 “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. 17 “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

 

Why did Jesus start washing feet?

Joh 13:4-7 *got up from supper, and *laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself.      5 Then He *poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. 6 So He *came to Simon Peter. He *said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.”

 

Why did none of the disciples step up to wash feet?

Mar 9:33-37 They came to Capernaum; and when He was in the house, He began to question them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the way they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest. 35 Sitting down, He called the twelve and *said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Taking a child, He set him before them and taking him in His arms, He said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one child like this in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me.

 

Why do we tend to avoid serving others unless we get something out of it?

 

What would you say Jesus “s definition of service is?

Php 2:3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

 

What is the difference in attitude between being a consumer and a server?

 

How do these attitudes show themselves in church communities? How can you tell?

 

How do churches make consumerism worse or better?

 

Describe a situation where you could have helped but didn’t and why?

 

What kinds of people do you find it hard to serve? Why do you think that is?

 

Have you ever felt like you and your needs were invisible to those around you?  How does that happen?

1 Jn 3:16 We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

1 Jn 3:17-18 But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 Little children let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.

 

How can we unconsciously tune out places we could really serve GOD?

 

Name one way you could start serving now?

 

How can we pray for you?