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Clearer definition of ROLES leads to GREATER DISCERNMENT OF STEPS.

• Jesus is THE GREAT SAVIOR.

• I want to be a HELPFUL GUIDE.

"You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life."      John 5:39–40(NLT)

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."  John 14:6 (NIV)

Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?" John 5:1–6 (NIV)

Becoming a Great Guide:

1. Be a STUDENT of STORIES.

"Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."  John 5:7 (NIV)

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.  Colossians 4:5–6 (NIV)

MESSAGE ACTION PLAN: This week, try to have an intentional conversation with your one life! Try to listen more than you speak and ask questions about their story, learning about what's going on in their lives or hearing how they got to where they are today.

2. JOURNEY with them without JUDGMENT.

Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.  John 5:8–9a (NIV)

3. REMOVE unique barriers to their PROGRESS.

Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, "See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.  John 5:14–15 (NIV)

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NIV)

A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions.The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences. Proverbs 27:12 (NLT)

MESSAGE ACTION PLAN: Often, we think that our situation or our habits are the problem, when in reality, sin is far more about the condition of our hearts than it is our actions. If you have a specific sin pattern or situation in your life that you want to be out of, spend time journaling about that thing. If it is a sin pattern, write about the reason you gravitate to that thing and why it appeals to you, then pray for God to give you the strength to resist that temptation. If it is a situation, write about why it hurts you and how you want God to fix it, then pray for God to bring that change.

4. INVITE them to take SPECIFIC STEPS.

The LORD says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control." Psalm 32:8–9 (NLT)

MESSAGE ACTION PLAN: Head out to a quiet space that you enjoy and spend time praying. Think about your One Life you are praying for and ask to God to show you one step you could challenge them to take. Remember, even a small step is a step!