FULLY

DEVOTED
From FIRST STEPS to
FULLY SURRENDERED

Lifeway Press®
Brentwood, Tennessee
Editorial Team
Cynthia Hopkins Tyler Quillet
Writer Managing Editor
Reid Patton Joel Polk
Senior Editor Publisher, Small Group Publishing
Katie Vogel John Paul Basham
Assistant Editor Director, Adult Ministry Publishing
Jon Rodda
Art Director

Published by Lifeway Press® • © 2024 Kendrick Bros., LLC

No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
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expressly permitted in writing by the publisher.

ISBN 978-1-4300-9388-6 • Item 005847376

Dewey decimal classification: 248.84

Subject headings: CHRISTIAN LIFE \ DISCIPLESHIP \ JESUS CHRIST—LORDSHIP

Unless indicated otherwise, Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright
© 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally
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 CONTENTS
About the Authors������������������������������������������������������������������� 4

How to Use This Study����������������������������������������������������������� 6

Tips for Leading a Small Group������������������������������������������� 8

Week 1: Come to Me������������������������������������������������������������� 12

Week 2: Receive in Me ��������������������������������������������������������� 26

Week 3: Surrender to Me�����������������������������������������������������40

Week 4: Abide in Me������������������������������������������������������������� 54

Week 5: Sent Out in Me�������������������������������������������������������68

Week 6: Love Like Me����������������������������������������������������������� 82

Week 7: Commit Like Me�����������������������������������������������������96

Week 8: Send Like Me��������������������������������������������������������� 110

 ABOUT THE AUTHORS
STEPHEN KENDRICK is a writer, speaker, and film producer with a passion for
sharing the truth and love of Jesus among the nations. He produces the Kendrick
Brothers’ films and has cowritten (with Alex) the New York Times bestsellers
The Love Dare, The Resolution for Men, and The Battle Plan for Prayer. Stephen is
a frequent speaker on marriage, fatherhood, discipleship, and prayer. He and his
wife, Jill, have six children.

ALEX KENDRICK is an accomplished author, actor, and film director, whose

credits include Facing the Giants, Fireproof, Courageous, War Room, Overcomer,
and, most recently, The Forge. A creative artist with a pastor’s heart, Alex speaks
internationally on the power of film and the surpassing power of Christ. He and
his wife, Christina, have six children.

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FULLY DEVOTED

6
HOW TO USE THIS STUDY
This Bible study book includes eight weeks of content for group and personal study.

Group Sessions
Regardless of what day of the week your group meets, each week of content begins
with the group session. These sessions are meant to facilitate simple yet mean-
ingful interaction among group members through God’s Word and the teaching
of Priscilla Shirer and Stephen and Alex Kendrick. Each group session uses the
following format.

START. This page includes questions to get the conversation started and to
introduce the video teaching.

WATCH. This page provides space to take notes on the video teaching.
Codes to access the video teaching are included with your purchase of this
book and can be found on the insert located at the back of this book.
Slow or unreliable internet connection? Your Bible study videos can be down-
loaded to your device so you can play them offline. Simply download your videos
on the Lifeway OnDemand App when you are in a place with strong internet
connection. Then, you’ll be able to watch your session videos anywhere, any time.
Look for the download symbol beside your video.

DISCUSS. This page includes questions and statements that guide the group to
respond to the Kendricks’ video teaching and explore relevant Bible passages.

Personal Study
Each week includes five days of personal Bible study and learning activities for
individual engagement between group sessions. The personal study revisits
Scriptures and themes introduced in the video teaching so that participants can
understand and apply them on a personal level. The days are numbered 1–5 to
provide personal reading and activities for each day of the week, leaving two days
off to worship with your church family and to meet as a small group. If your group
meets on the same day as your worship gathering, use the extra day to reflect on
what God is teaching you and to practice putting the biblical principles into action.

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 TIPS FOR LEADING
A SMALL GROUP

Prayerfully Prepare
Prepare for each group session with prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to work through
you and the group discussion as you point others to Jesus through God’s Word.

REVIEW the personal studies and the group sessions ahead of time.

PRAY for each person in the group.

Minimize Distractions
Do everything in your ability to help people focus on what’s most important:
connecting with God, with the Bible, and with one another.

Create a comfortable environment. If group members are uncomfortable, they’ll

be distracted and therefore not engage in the group experience.

Take into consideration seating, temperature, lighting, refreshments, surrounding

noise, and general cleanliness.

Thoughtfulness and hospitality show guests and group members they’re welcome
and valued in whatever environment you choose to gather. And even if your guests
don’t fully recognize your effort, taking these steps will ensure that they will not
be distracted during your group discussion.

Include Others
Your goal is to foster a community in which people are welcome just as they are
but encouraged to grow spiritually. Always be aware of opportunities to include
anyone who visits the group and invite new people to join your group.

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 TIPS FOR LEADING A SMALL GROUP

Encourage Discussion
A good small-group experience has the following characteristics.

EVERYONE PARTICIPATES. Encourage everyone to ask questions, share

responses, or read aloud.

NO ONE DOMINATES—NOT EVEN THE LEADER. Be sure your time speaking as

a leader takes up less than half of your time together as a group. Politely guide and
redirect the discussion if one of the group members dominates.

NOBODY IS RUSHED THROUGH QUESTIONS. Don’t feel that a moment of

silence is a bad thing. People often need time to think about their responses to
questions they’ve just heard or to work up the courage to share what God is stirring
in their hearts.

INPUT IS AFFIRMED AND FOLLOWED UP. Make sure you point out something
true or helpful in a response. Don’t just move on. Build community with follow-up
questions, asking how other people have experienced similar things or how a truth
has shaped their understanding of God and the Scripture you’re studying. People
are less likely to speak up if they fear that you don’t actually want to hear their
answers or that you’re looking for only a certain answer.

GOD AND HIS WORD ARE CENTRAL. Opinions and experiences can be helpful,
but God has given us the truth. Trust Scripture to be the authority and God’s Spirit
to work in people’s lives. You can’t change anyone, but God can. Continually point
people to the Word and to active steps of faith.

Keep Connecting
Think of ways to connect with group members during the week. Participation
during the group session always improves when members spend time connecting
with one another outside the group sessions. The more people are comfortable
with each other and involved in one another’s lives, the more they’ll look forward
to being together. When group members move beyond being friendly to truly
being friends who form a community, they come to each session eager to engage
instead of merely attending.

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 FULLY DEVOTED

ABOUT THE MOVIE

Isaiah Wright has some growing up to do. A year out of high school
with no plans for his future, Isaiah is challenged by his single mom and
a successful businessman to start charting a better course for his life.
Through the prayers of his mother and biblical discipleship from his
new mentor, Isaiah begins to discover that God’s purpose for his life
is so much more than he could hope for or imagine. From the Kendrick
Brothers, the creators of the number one hit War Room, comes
The Forge, a faith-filled movie with old friends and inspiring twists.

IN THEATERS AUGUST 2024

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Movie Poster
 Week 1

COME TO ME
 Come to Me

START
Welcome everyone to session 1, “Come to Me.”
Ask participants to introduce themselves. As they do, invite them to
share one daring, adventurous thing they have done in their lives.

When you consider the call Jesus gives you to follow Him, does that strike
you as a “daring” decision? Explain.

This week’s title, “Come to Me,” likely strikes different people in different ways.
A person who lives with deep regret over personal decisions might think that
invitation is only for someone else. A person who has recently decided to follow
Jesus might be eagerly anticipating what Jesus’s invitation involves. A person who
has been a Christian for years might think it has little application in their lives
because they answered that invitation long ago.
Jesus’s invitation means more than any of us might imagine—and we begin to
realize that as we learn His example to us, realize His impact on us, and experience
His life in us. The life of a disciple of Jesus Christ is a daring adventure for all of us,
whether we are coming to Him in faith for the very first time or we are continuing
a journey with Him that started years ago.

With this in mind, what do you hope to gain from this study on what it means
to be fully devoted to Jesus?

To prepare for video session 1, pray together.

God, help each of us accept Your invitation to do a daring
thing and decide that we’re going to seek You.

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 FULLY DEVOTED

WATCH
Use these statements to follow along as you watch video session 1.

Coming to Jesus for salvation is a gift of grace.

EPHESIANS 2:8-9

God takes us deeper and reveals more of Himself as we seek Him.

HEBREWS 11:6

We want to go our own way thinking we don’t need God, but He continuously
looks for and helps those who are seeking Him.

PSALM 14:2,5-7

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 Come to Me

DISCUSS
After viewing the video, discuss the following questions with your group.

Read Hebrews 11:6 and Ephesians 2:8-9. What is the starting point for
any person to be fully devoted to God? Why?

How do you respond to knowing that God wants to take you deeper
in relationship with Him than you are currently?

Alex explained that “God takes us deeper and reveals more of Himself
as we seek Him.” In what ways has already God done that in your life?

Read Psalm 14. What does this psalm teach you about who you are and
who God is?

Stephen challenged us to do a daring thing and choose to seek the Lord.

What steps can you take in the days ahead to make that daring choice?

Close in prayer.
Prayer Requests:

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 FULLY DEVOTED

DAY 1
THE INVITATION
OF JESUS TO YOU
Follow Me. Each of the four Gospel accounts record Jesus repeating those two
words multiple times and to various people in different circumstances. It is
an open invitation, yet Scripture records no instance where a person’s yes was
accepted by way of compromise. There were those who tried—with what might
seem to us to be perfectly good reasons. Still, Jesus never expressed His invitation
to come and follow Him as a choice of anything less than total devotion. That’s
important for us to know! We are tempted to create our own definitions about
following Christ. But Jesus defines what it means to come to Him for salvation—
we don’t. And His invitation completely changes our lives.

Use the chart to record who Jesus invited to follow Him and what accepting
that invitation required.
Who Jesus Invited What Was Required
Matthew 4:18-20
Mark 2:14
Luke 9:59-60
Matthew 10:1-6,37-39
Mark 8:34-35
Mark 10:17-22
John 1:43
John 10:24-28
John 12:20-26
John 13:36-38
John 21:18-22

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 Come to Me

When did you first hear Jesus’s invitation to follow Him? Did you respond
with total devotion? How can you respond with total devotion now?

Jesus makes it clear: He’s inviting you to something more than intellectual agree-
ment that He is Savior and Lord. He’s calling you to abandon everything else and
find your security, identity, and purpose in Him. He also makes it clear that if you
answer that call, you will gain far more than you could ever possibly lose.

What does Matthew 13:44 teach you about what it’s like and what it’s worth
to follow Jesus?

Following Jesus is like: Following Jesus is worth:

What does Matthew 13:45-46 teach you about what it’s like and what it’s
worth to follow Jesus?

Following Jesus is like: Following Jesus is worth:

Accepting Jesus’s invitation changes everything because it demands everything—

and offers so much more in return. The price you’ll pay to accept Jesus’s invitation
pales in comparison to the treasure you’ll receive in knowing and following Him.
His kingdom is worth everything you have and are.

What do you need to do to experience the joy and satisfaction of God’s

kingdom treasure?

Reflect on the following words from Jesus to you and all His followers. Thank Him
for His open invitation to come and follow Him and receive the only treasure that
will satisfy your soul.

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
MATTHEW 11:28-30

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 FULLY DEVOTED

DAY 2
THE EXAMPLE OF
JESUS FOR YOU
Name one reason why it is hard for you to live fully devoted to following Jesus.

Jesus’s invitation to follow Him is a big, life-changing ask. When we consider it in

light of the earthly treasures we pursue or attain, it can seem impossible. That’s
the way it hit the rich young ruler in Mark 10:17-22. That guy certainly isn’t alone.
What’s hard for any of us to see on the front end of the decision to follow is that
Jesus doesn’t leave us on our own to carry it out. He is willing to be fully devoted
to us from beginning to end.

Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so
that through his death he might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is,
the devil—and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death.
HEBREWS 2:14-15

According to Hebrews, what do you have in common with Jesus?

Why is it important that Jesus knows and has experienced everything you
have or ever will experience?

Jesus took on the fullness of your humanity—because He loves you. When He

came to earth, He became “flesh and blood” to share in all the emotion and
temptation human experience contains. He lived in the world as you do, with one
critical difference—He never sinned. Jesus’s invitation to come and follow Him is
one of complete understanding. He is the ultimate example.

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 Come to Me

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory,
the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
JOHN 1:14

They were astonished at his teaching because he was teaching

them as one who had authority, and not like the scribes.
MARK 1:22

In addition to perfect obedience to God’s commands, in what other ways

is Jesus’s life an example to you?

Following Jesus is about more than learning from the greatest teacher of all time
(though it is certainly not less than that). Through His flesh-and-blood life, we see
God’s glory. We learn through Jesus’s example and teaching the fullness of grace
and the fullness of truth. We can embody these same truths with His divine help.
Jesus is the greatest person who has ever lived. He is the greatest teacher of all
time. He is the most loving, selfless person the world has ever known or will ever
know. And He took on your humanity perfectly so that you can know and walk
alongside Him for all eternity.

Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus,

who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider equality with God
as something to be exploited.
Instead he emptied himself
by assuming the form of a servant,
taking on the likeness of humanity.
And when he had come as a man,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient
to the point of death—
even to death on a cross.
PHILIPPIANS 2:5-8

Thank Jesus for taking on your humanity so that you can know and follow Him.
Ask Him to show you ways you can better follow His example. Fully devote
yourself to walking alongside Him in His instruction.

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 FULLY DEVOTED

DAY 3
THE IMPACT OF
JESUS ON YOU
Jesus Christ has had more impact on the world than anyone else in history. Few
argue this fact. Even unbelievers through the centuries have acknowledged the
vast influence Jesus has had on music, art, poetry, science, philosophy, human
rights, human behavior, and more. His impact is so significant that He became the
dividing line of history—B.C. (“before Christ”) and A.D. (“anno domini,” which
means “in the year of our Lord.”)
Yet His impact reaches much farther than general historical or cultural influence.
If we consider Handel’s Messiah, Da Vinci’s The Last Supper, and Dante’s Inferno
as the ultimate examples of Jesus’s influence, we’ve missed the point. Jesus didn’t
come to make your life better; He came to change it altogether. When you answer
Jesus’s call to come and follow, His impact on you doesn’t end when you take your
last breath—it lasts throughout eternity!

Read Jesus’s seven “I AM” statements from the Gospel of John. In each verse,
circle who Jesus is and underline the resulting impact He has on your life.
Then, below each one, write what it means to you personally.

“I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever
be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.
JOHN 6:35

Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows
me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”
JOHN 8:12

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 Come to Me

“I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved

and will come in and go out and find pasture.”
JOHN 10:9

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
JOHN 10:11

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The

one who believes in me, even if he dies, will live.”
JOHN 11:25

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No
one comes to the Father except through me.”
JOHN 14:6

“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in
him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.”
JOHN 15:5

Considering these truths about Jesus, what testimony can you give about
Jesus’s impact on you?

What kind of change do you need to experience in your life? Reflect on what
you underlined regarding how who Jesus is impacts you. What do you need
to do to experience Jesus in this way?

As you conclude today’s study, thank Jesus for His impact on you by praying the
seven “I AM” statements. Change each “I am” to “You are,” and ask God to help you
live in such a way that others see the significance of Jesus’s impact on you.

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 FULLY DEVOTED

DAY 4
THE LIFE OF
JESUS IN YOU
What is one word you would use to describe your life?

“A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come
so that they may have life and have it in abundance.”
JOHN 10:10

Based on this Scripture, what two invitations do we receive every day?

What are their effects?

How have you seen the reality of this verse in your life?

Think about everything you’ve learned this week so far. Answering Jesus’s invi-
tation to come and follow Him requires total devotion. It also means you’ll find
Him to be the only treasure that is worth making such a life-altering decision. And
while the path you’ll take in following Jesus isn’t easy, He doesn’t leave you to walk
it alone. He has given you His life as an example, His Word as instruction, and
His Spirit as your ever-present help. That’s not all! While you are becoming more
like Jesus, He fills you to complete satisfaction, lights your way in the darkness,
and impacts others through you. It’s easy to see why Jesus said that life in Him is
abundant!
And it is a choice to receive that abundance each day of your life. That doesn’t
mean you can lose your salvation—you can’t. Once you choose to trust and follow
Jesus, you are a child of God, always and forever. But walking in the abundant life

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 Come to Me

He gives is a daily decision. As Jesus offers you the invitation to come and follow
Him each moment of each day, Satan tempts you to turn away. His aim is death and
destruction. Jesus’s gift is an eternal abundance of life.

And my God will supply all your needs

according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
PHILIPPIANS. 4:19

Read Philippians 4:10-19. What words or phrases did Paul use that infer the
abundant life of Jesus in him?

What is the promise of abundant life in verse 19?

Paul wrote Philippians from a first-century prison cell. His life was not one any of
us would look at and consider “abundant.” Yet he used that very word to describe
himself: fully supplied, in abundance. Even more, he was joyful and content. In his
difficult circumstance, Paul experienced the abundant life of Jesus in himself and
knew these Philippian believers would, too. And so can you. The abundant life of
Jesus in you is a future eternal promise, and it is also a promise for today.

Read Matthew 6:25-34. What are some worries that tend to make you think
and act as though your life is less abundant than the life Jesus offers?

Read verse 33 again. How can you experience the abundant life of Jesus in you—
even in those worries?

Thank Jesus for the abundant life He gives you, now and for eternity. Acknowledge
the ways Satan is trying to wreck the abundant joy and contentment of Jesus in
you. Ask God to help you to seek His kingdom and righteousness above all else.

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 FULLY DEVOTED

DAY 5
NEXT STEPS TO
FOLLOW
“One step forward, two steps back.” This is a well-known phrase and an even more
deeply well-known experience. In fact, you should probably go ahead and expect
to feel this way a time or two as you walk through these eight weeks of study—
if you haven’t already! It happens to us all, particularly those of us who trust Christ
with our lives. We often think we’ve devoted ourselves fully to Jesus only to fall
short in a way that makes it obvious we still have far to go.
Disciples of Jesus follow Jesus, and following Jesus involves a lifelong path
of learning and growth. It begins with Jesus’s invitation to come and follow Him.
It continues until our transformation is complete—and our transformation isn’t
complete until we are resurrected from this life to new life where we will dwell
forever in God’s magnificent glory. Until then, we take next steps to continue
following Jesus right here and now—growing and learning to be more like Him
along the way.
That’s why each week of this study will include time for reflection and
consideration of Next Steps. Jesus is calling you to come to Him and follow after
Him. That invitation is ongoing. There will never be a day in your life when He
will not extend that same offer. So take some time to reflect on what you’ve been
studying and the next steps Jesus is leading you to take as you walk with Him.
Let Him show you how you can become more fully devoted to Him.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory,
the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
JOHN 1:14

Read John 1 in your Bible. Let it guide a time of prayerful reflection about
devoting yourself fully to Jesus.

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 Come to Me

Record some next steps you’ll take to answer Jesus’s invitation to come
follow Him.

Using the columns below—on the left, identify ways you’re growing in Christ.
On the right, identify the other ways you are seeking change, renewal, and
repentance.

Growing Changing

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Count the cost.
We must not fear what following Christ might cost us in this life, but what
we are missing by withholding anything at all from Him.

ADDITIONAL
RESOURCES

Fully Devoted eBOOK

Includes the content of
this printed book but
offers the convenience
and flexibility that come
with mobile technology.
Bible Study eBook with
Video Access
005849654 $19.99

More resources can be

found online at
lifeway.com/theforge

Price and availability

subject to change
without notice.

In a culture of rampant confusion and half-hearted beliefs, people desperately

need to see followers of Jesus living sincerely and wholeheartedly for Him. It’s time
to show this generation what it means to be fully devoted. This study will help you:
• Gain a biblical understanding of the gospel and the call of discipleship
• Place deepening trust in Jesus and give your all to Him
• Teach and serve others in the manner that Jesus would
• Encourage others to become true disciples

To enrich your study experience, be sure to access the videos available through a
redemption code printed in this Bible Study Book.
Go from believing
to following.
Not every believer in Christ is a true disciple. Though
salvation is a gift from God, being a disciple of Jesus
includes a radical willingness to give Him everything.
This powerful, eight-session study will take you on
a journey through Jesus’s invitation to come to Him
as you are, trust Him with your faith, surrender
to Him with your heart, follow Him with your life,
and then intentionally make disciples of others.

lifeway.com/fullydevoted

RELIGION / Biblical Studies / Bible Study Guides