ILLINOIS HEARTLAND EMMAUS COMMUNITY

MAIN POINTS OF EACH TALK

I.PRIORITY TALK

The purpose of this talk is to show the importance of setting a priority for one's life and to cause pilgrims to reflect on their priorities.

  1. Initial questions and insights.
  • Freedom to establish our own priorities
  • Need to bring all of our human capacities to the service of this freedom
  1. What is a priority?
  • Definitions of priority
  1. Qualities of an authentic priority
  • Consciously chosen
  • Gives your life purpose, direction and meaning
  • Gives you enthusiasm, energy and motivation
  • Frees you from the forces of circumstance, expectation and habit
  • It is realistic
  1. What is your priority?
  • Have you set your own priorities or have you let them be set for you
  • Three questions: 1) What do you think about? 2) How do you spend your money? 3) How do you spend your time?

II.PREVENIENT GRACE

The purpose of this talk is to introduce the overarching theme of God's grace and to show how God's love begins to work in our lives even before we are aware of it or respond to it.

  1. Define Prevenient grace
  • The root of the word grace is "gift"
  • God's grace is one grace with many facets
  • God is present with us throughout our lives, the grace that comes before, wooing us, drawing us, pursuing us, freeing us and empowering us
  1. Human beings are created in God's likeness for a relationship with the divine.
  • God created all things and saw that it was good
  • God created humankind
  • The bad news of human sin is proceeded by the good news of our origin in God
  1. God continues to offer us a relationship
  • God desires a relationship
  • Covenant love
  • God seeks us
  1. How do we experience God's Prevenient grace?
  • Through events, the care and sacrifice of others, through the church, through the Holy Spirit, through our words, attitudes and actions toward others

III.PRIESTHOOD OF ALL BELIEVERS

The purpose of this talk is to invite the pilgrims to participate in the active fellowship and ministry of the Christian community – the priesthood of all believers, and to serve as instruments of God's grace in other people's lives.

  1. What is the priesthood of all believers?
  • All believers are called to be priest to one another
  • What is a priest
  • Jesus is the great high priest
  • We are to be priests to one another
  1. The priesthood of believers has a mission
  • To make Christ real
  • To be channels of God's grace
  • To proclaim the mighty acts of God
  1. Characteristics of the Mission
  • It is personal, spiritual, service oriented and it is shared
  • It calls for our best

IV.JUSTIFYING GRACE

This talk focuses on how an individual accepts the relationship that God offers. The aim of this talk is to deepen pilgrims' awareness of God's unconditional love for them and to lead them to say yes to a living, loving, personal relationship with God in Christ.

  1. God offers us a relationship of unconditional love and grace
  • In the beginning God created the world and saw that it was good
  • The central theme of the Bible is that God is calling us back into the relationship for which we were created
  • Jesus called people to accept the relationship God offers
  • God offers us a personal relationship
  1. Our acceptance of the relationship
  • Justifying grace is at work the moment we say yes to the relationship God offers us in Christ
  • Prodigal son
  • With acceptance, we say yes to the One who has been wooing us which changes the nature of the relationship
  • Responding to grace is an act of faith
  • Salvation is instantaneous and continuous
  • Justifying grace is seen in the cross of Christ
  1. God's activity and our response
  • Justifying grace is a double acceptance, God says "yes" to us and we say "yes" to God
  • God addresses our intellect, appeals to our wills, touches our hearts and calls us to be disciples
  1. Introduction of agape
  • Loving acts of other Christians, agape
  • Praying, serving

V. LIFE IN PIETY

A life in piety is a life lived in a total relationship with God.

  1. Characteristics of a high-priority relationship
  • Attention, time, honesty, deep commitment and sharing.
  1. Spiritual practices that enhance the relationship
  • Prayer, scriptures, meditation, worship, communion and spiritual direction.
  1. Qualities of a life of piety
  • Awareness, desire, action, direction, naturalness, courage and joy.

VI.GROW THROUGH STUDY

Study is a primary means of growing toward our priorities as Christians. Study is not just an intellectual exercise but the total experience of seeking, encountering and appropriating the truth for a life fully lived. Study moves one closer to the realization of Jesus as the model for our lives.

  1. Christian study put in perspective
  • Constant part of our lives
  • Spiritual discipline
  • Being informed of the truth and being formed in the truth
  1. Fields of study for growth
  • Scripture, yourself, others, spiritual classes, church, history and the world
  1. Excuses for not studying
  • Time, what to study, don't like to read, don't understand the Bible, theology is confusing
  1. How do I develop a personal study style?
  • Make study a priority, make time, find a place, balance study material, keep a journal, and share your study

VII.MEANS OF GRACE

This talk focuses on the double acceptance at the heart of the relationship God offers. This talk raises pilgrims' awareness of God's provision for each of us to become fully mature in Christ.

  1. The means of grace are sacred moments where Christ is re-presented to us anew.
  • Sacraments
  • Christians must have an attitude of love and humility toward the different practices of various traditions
  1. The two sacraments observed by most Christians
  • Baptism
  • Holy Communion
  1. In addition to the sacraments, there are other means of grace we can describe as sacred
  • Confirmation
  • Baptism, call, membership and ordination
  • Marriage and singleness
  1. Sacred moments are divine appointments with God
  • Prayer, Searching the scripture, worship, participating in the body of Christ, fasting generosity
  • Confession, forgiveness, healing and reconciliation
  1. We are called to open ourselves to God's amazing grace in an infinite variety of ways

VIII.CHRISTIAN ACTION

This talk focuses on the Christians' call to share Christ not only in word and deed, but everything we do.

  1. Christian action is a natural response to God's grace
  • Grace awakens us to God's redeeming love and our spiritual kinship
  • We are naturally enthusiastic about sharing the gift of grace
  • Each person responds to grace differently
  • Think of the qualities and gifts you have for sharing Christ and his grace
  1. Christian action calls for a plan
  • Make a plan, work your plan
  • Keep your perspective, don't try to do it alone
  • Be authentic in your action
  • Areas for your Christian action
  1. Friendship is the style for offering Christ to others
  • Reach out to others - make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ
  • Reach out to those who need a helping hand

IX.OBSTACLES TO GRACE

This talk intends to help pilgrims identify obstacles to their relationship with God and open themselves to the work of the Holy Spirit and the spiritual disciplines that will enable them to overcome those obstacles.

  1. The Christian life takes place in a real world affected by the consequences of sin.
  • Obstacles to grace are common
  • Sin is self-centeredness rather that God-centeredness
  • Sin is alienation
  1. There are two primary types of obstacles to grace: those that hinder our relationship with God and those that hinder our relationships with other people.
  • Idolatry, blasphemy, resisting God, ignoring God, disobedience, unbelief, ignorance, pride, unforgiveness toward God or others
  • Murder, addiction and abuse, lying, gossip, stealing, coveting, laziness, dishonor
  • Lack of love, bitterness, spiritual blindness
  1. Through Jesus Christ we can overcome the obstacles to grace.

Vertical line in the cross – reconciliation with God, baptism, identity, power, resist evil

Horizontal line in the cross – reconciled to ourselves, others, spiritual guidance, pray for leaders, love our enemies

X.DISCIPLESHIP

This Talk describes the disciple as one who has said "yes" to Jesus Christ and lives fully in that relationship. The disciple is a Christian leader, one who steps out to follow Christ and leads others in the way of peace and salvation.

  1. What is a disciple?
  • A person who has responded to the call
  • Discipleship is the process of becoming the whole person God calls each of to be, a growing person, a minister, a full time Christian, a witness and a leader
  1. Natural qualities of a Disciple
  • Knows priority, has discipline, knows reality, shows empathy, takes initiative and practices generosity
  1. Spiritual qualities of the Disciple
  • Faith, humility, hope and love

XI.CHANGING OUR WORLD

The goal of this talk is to encourage pilgrims to continue thinking practically about what it means to be an active disciple in their everyday life.

  1. The first field of ministry is yourself
  • Traps to avoid: the Pharisee, the do-gooder, the savior and the burned out
  • Strength comes from our relationship with God and close friends
  • Sustain the change in your heart, mind and will
  • A changed world begins with a changed self
  1. The second field of ministry is others

Christians are called to love mercy

Attitudes open or close relationships as channels of grace

Your prayers

Your friendship – make a friend, be a friend and introduce your friend to Christ, support spiritual growth and service

  1. The third field of ministry is your local community
  • Work for justice, provide a Christian influence
  • Identify situation of need and work to correct the situation
  • How are you called to act?
  1. The fourth field of ministry is the world
  • Apostolic action, church mission board
  • Requires a strong and firm foundation of faith and commitment
  • You may be called

XII.SANCTIFYING GRACE

This talk makes clear to the pilgrims that sanctifying grace is not a different kind of grace. There is one grace, and all grace is of God.

  1. All grace is God's grace.
  • Prevenient, justifying, means, obstacles
  1. Sanctifying grace is the gift of God providing the desire and the power to grow in our relationship with God – forever.
  • The power of the Holy Spirit working in and through the believer
  1. Sanctifying grace is the process of opening ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit in and through us.
  • RIPE – restoring, imparting, perfecting, equipping
  1. How we grow in sanctifying grace.
  • Natural process, open our hearts, share, respond

XIII.BODY OF CHRIST

In this talk, the pilgrims are shown what it means to be the church in the world.

  1. What is the body of Christ?
  • When we become Christians, we become part of a new body
  • The body of Christ is a community in action
  • The challenge of the church is to develop Christian leaders
  1. Those who make up the body of Christ
  • Laity, clergy, individuals and groups, families
  • People of all kinds who are united in Christ
  1. Characteristics of the body of Christ
  • Alive, covenantal, gifted, renewing, mission-minded, confident
  1. The body of Christ in action
  • Kerygma, koinonia, diakonia
  1. Your participation
  • Focus on a need
  • Identify your gifts and resources
  • Seek the support of others
  • Work as a team

XIV.PERSEVERANCE

This talk presents the follow-up method that The Walk to Emmaus movement provides for members of the Emmaus family.

  1. Why do we persevere
  • Contact with Christ
  • Contact with other Christians
  1. What is the cost of perseverance?
  • An effective reunion group must be serious, sincere, discreet and regular
  • Explain reunion card
  • Monthly gatherings, serving Emmaus
  • Your local church

XV.FOURTH DAY

The major theme of the talk continues the idea of perseverance. The fourth day finalizes the resolve and commitment to be Christ in the world for others.

  1. You have a mission
  • The purpose of Emmaus is to strengthen the Christian community
  • Life in grace is not a destination, but a journey
  • The world has not changed
  1. Two great dangers
  • Believing you are someone special
  • Believing you are nobody
  • You are called to be the salt of the world – stay in touch with Christ, Christian friends and people whom God has given you to influence
  1. Equipment for the Journey
  • A clear concept of your priority
  • A clear concept of the task
  • A clear concept of people
  • A clear concept of holiness

WD-Talk Main Points Page 1 of 7Jan 09