Discussion Guide for Image Bearers Discipleship course pt1

Here's the discussion guide to follow the 25 minute video I posted previously, Image Bearers 1 'Made in God's Image' (Gen 1:26-28)

We had a great time doing this at New Life Church last night!

Discussion time 1hr

Opening Prayer

Read Genesis 1:27

Sharing:
Ask if any people would like to share answers to the following:
1. What were you told about yourself growing up?'
2. 'In what ways has this affected you?'
3. How does it differ from what God says about you in Gen 1:27?
We tend to live according to what others have said about us. Sometimes we follow what people have said about us, others times we try hard to prove them wrong. If we live according to what others have said about us, we are living for them, as if they were our king and God. God instead wants us to live for him. So on the one hand, we're victims of what others have said, and on the other hand, we've been offending God.

Read Romans 8:33
Rom 8:33 says, 'Who?' as if, those people are small and insignificant compared to God. God wants us to be far more concerned with what he says about us than what others say about us.

Confession:
Let's have a time of confession to God acknowledging we live too much based on what other people think or say of us. Take it in turns confessing out loud.

Meditation:
now let's meditate on what God says about us:
Spend 5 minutes memorising Psalms 139:14 together. (We used a verse memorisation app that puts blanks in the verse - and put it on the screen).

Encouragement:
Now let's go around room commenting how people show they r made in Gods image and are fearfully and wonderfully made. On each person someone start by saying, "..... is made in the image of God, and is fearfully and wonderfully made. We can see this in how they are....." Let people shout out what comes to mind, and end it with saying one specific thing about them.

Praise:
Let's pray about this - thanking and praising God for how he's blessed our group

Outreach:
How can this doctrine impact how we treat visitors at church?

New series on the Image of God

My doctoral studies on discipleship on council estates have shown me the link between discipleship and the Image of God. As a result, I've started a new course called 'Image Bearers'

We have a sermon about it on Sunday's at church, and then on Wednesday nights we meet up to discuss and pray about it. 

Its designed for everyone, from enquirers to mature believers.

A middle class bloke doing ministry in a grass roots way, Simon Smallwood's RTU talk

Here's Simon Smallwood very humbly sharing how he's been learning to do ministry in a grass roots way.

Where are the socially deprived? Not in church! Graham Miller's talk at RTU16

This was an excellent convicting talk Graham Miller gave explaining how
- church mainly consists of University educated people,
- churches are being planted more in wealthy areas
- churches for the unchurched often aren't for the marginalised
- the socially deprived are usually outside our churches, so we need to get out there

'Christ Centered Church' video from RTU now online

We had a Reaching The Unreached conference last November. This was the first talk on Christ Centered Church. If you want more information on RTU, please go to my Urban Ministries website.

My Tribute to Bill Iddiols 1916-2017

I previously wrote about Hilda, when she passed, now Bill her loving husband has gone to be with Jesus too. Here are a couple of tributes to Bill.



I also wrote this song in memory of him.  I was working on this song when Bill went to hospital. When I saw the discomfort he was in I decided to finish the song for him and sing it to him. Before I could finish the song, Bill passed away and went to be with Jesus. I wrote the song with Bill's picture on my keyboard. I imagine him playing the organ to it with a smile on his face. I hope you can hear this in heaven Bill. Hopefully I'll get Shay's vocals on this soon!