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Small Group Resources –

The Holy Spirit

Contents

Introduction ................................................................. 2 Church consultation ................................. 3 Week 1 The Holy Spirit and me ............................ 8 Week 2 The church and the Holy Spirit .............. 12 Week 3 The Holy Spirit and the world ................. 17

NB: Some of the worship ideas in these notes are inspired by ’50 small group worship ideas’ (Stuart Townend, Kingsway, Eastbourne, 2006).

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Introduction

This spring, our Sunday meetings will consist of th ree mini-series, plus a handful of ‘specials’. Each mini-series has an accompanying seminar or workshop, to help us go deeper and to respond in practical ways to the Bible’s teaching on each subject.

These community group notes cover two different things: (1) a consultation about the future of the church, and; (2) three weeks on the Holy Spirit.

Why the Holy Spirit?

The Good News carries an offer of an encounter with God. Church is not just for learning about God, but learning to live in the Holy Spirit. We want to keep on being filled with Him!

God the creator

All that glitters…

A Christian response to the credit crunch

The Holy Spirit Learning about and

encountering God

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Consultation

Worship idea 1: Thanking God for the old year - pra ying for the new year

In your first meeting of the year, there ought to be plenty of news to catch up on! Although much of this will be shared naturally over tea and coffee, do remember that when people are just chatting ‘informally’, often the extroverts get to share their news and the quieter ones only get to listen!

So, to make sure you hear from everyone, ask everyone to share one thing that they were really pleased about – or something that they learnt – during the Christmas period. This would lead naturally into some prayers of thanks to God.

Then, having looked backwards, ask everyone what spiritual thing they would most like to see happen in 2009, and then pray for that!

Worship idea 2: Heaven

Over Christmas, many of us will have sung the carol ‘Once in royal David’s city’, which says: “When like stars His children crowned, / All in white shall wait around’. This makes heaven sound pretty boring – a bit like an endless queue! But, the early church was very conscious of their eternal destiny and longed for it:

� Read: Phil 1:21-24

Do you feel this way? Is that because life here is really bad? Or do you positively want to go to heaven because it will be great?

Read the following Scriptures that tell us more about our eternal future:

� John 14:2

� 1 Cor 13:12

� 2 Tim 4:8

� Rev 7:16-17

� Rev 22:1-5

Read the following quotes and then (a) thank God together that he has revealed eternal matters to us; (b) pray, as Jesus taught us, that God’s will would be done on earth, so that it might be more like heaven even here and now.

An Anglo-Saxon counsellor advising his King to follow Christian teaching: "It seems to me, beloved king, that the present time on earth, compared with that time of which we have no knowledge, is like when you are sitting at dinner with your aldermen and thanes in winter-time, and the fire lit and your hall heated, and it's raining and snowing and hailing; and there arrives one sparrow from outside and flies swiftly through the hall, and entering through one door, leaving through the other. Now, while he's inside he's not touched by the winter's storm; but that's only a twinkling of an eye and the shortest space of time, and from a winter he immediately returns to a winter. So man's life appears for a short interval: what went before it, and what comes after it, we don't know. Therefore, if this new doctrine brings forth anything more certain, it only befits us that we should follow it."

Teilhard de Chardin (French priest): “We’re not just human beings having a temporary spiritual experience. But we’re spiritual beings having a temporary human experience”.

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Worship idea 3: I believe

The creeds are distilled statements of the truth upon which our faith is based. Although in OCC we don’t recite them regularly in our Sunday meetings, they are statements that we believe, in common with the whole of orthodox Christianity. They state the fundamentals of our faith.

Read through the Apostles Creed in one go, and answer any questions that people might have about what particular lines mean.

Then, read it through one line at a time, leaving space after each line for people to reflect on its meaning and for a few people to pray out in response to its truth.

Apostles Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord: who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day he rose from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from where he shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic1 church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen

Worship idea 4: God of peace

� Read Luke 10:38-42 and Mark 4:35-41

We so easily get caught up in activity, worry and fear, and forget that Jesus is more important and that God promises us peace. We don’t gain peace by getting to the end of our ‘list of things to do’, but by receiving it from God.

� Read John 14:27

This does not mean that stressful things will not happen to us(!), but that we can be still before God and find peace in listening to him.

� Read Zech 2:13 and Isaiah 26:3

Give each person a piece of paper, and give them a few minutes in which to write down a list of all the things that currently tempt them to be anxious. Ask each person, when they have finished, to place their list in a pile in the middle of the room and to confess as they do so that they are trusting God with these things. Pray for “peace that transcends our understanding” (Phil 4:7)

1 Here, ‘catholic church’ does not mean ‘Roman Catholic’, but rather ‘the world-wide church’. It is an affirmation that there is just one church in the whole world, and we are part of it.

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Worship idea 5: The wisdom of God

How would you have gone about saving the world? Would you have chosen a nomadic Aramean (Abram), then sent his descendants into and out of slavery, etc? Would you have sent your eternal Son to be born to a teenager in a stable? Would you have had him die in agony?

Ask the group to share stories of times when God has answered their prayers in ways they did not expect (but which were still good)!

� Read Isaiah 55:8-9; 1 Cor 1:24-25; Romans 11:33-34

If we remember the truth that God is wiser than us, then even the confusion we feel at time can prompt us to praise Him!

Some suggested songs:

• Be thou my vision

• How deep the Father’s love

• I cannot tell

Consultation idea 1: Who guides the church?

Of course, the right answer to this question is ‘Jesus’! He is the Head of the Church – but he does not normally guide us by a series of angelic visitations telling us exactly what to do! Instead, it is his pleasure to guide the church both through its elders and through the church congregation as a whole.

Read the following verses: � About the role of elders: Acts 14:23, Titus 1:5, 1 Tim 3:4-5, 1 Tim 5:17 � About the role of ‘the church’ and all its members: Matt 18:15-17, Acts 6:2-3,

Acts 15:22, Heb 13:17 � And a general truth: Prov 11:14

Discuss:

• What specific roles do we see elders and all church members playing here?

• Are you really convinced that both elders and the whole church play an important part in making significant decisions for the church?

• How do you feel about the elders having particular authority in decision-making about the church? (Secure? Passive? Excluded?)

• How do you feel about your own responsibility to hear God about aspects of the church’s future? (Excited? Involved? Stressed? Confused?)

• Can you see these two channels of God’s guidance working well together?

• Do you trust God to speak to us all, and to lead us to the right conclusions?

Note: Those of us who know the elders personally (and are therefore confident that we can talk to them about whatever is concerning us) are more likely to feel that elders and congregation work together well. Others, who have not got so much personal relationship with any of the elders, will find it harder to understand how the elders operate or how their own voice will be heard. If your group generally feels disconnected from the elders, they may find it harder to engage seriously in this consultation. One easy solution to this would be to invite an elder along to your group – especially on an occasion when you are eating together!

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Consultation idea 2: Hearing God

It is important that this consultation involves as many church members as possible. Each person sees things differently, and it is important that those different perspectives are heard by others and taken into account (Prov 11:14).

However, we need to avoid the temptation simply to share our own experiences and opinions, and instead to focus on what we believe God is saying to us.

� READ 1 Cor 2:12-16

Our personal experiences and perspectives affect how we hear God speaking. A positive experience of something in the past will often make me more ready to hear God’s leading to do that in the future. A negative experience of the same thing might make it very hard for me to accept what God is saying!

So, we need to ask God to reveal anything in us that might get in the way of listening to him about the matters at hand, and then simply to ask him to speak to us.

� READ Psalm 19:12-14

� READ James 1:5 (the verse most often prayed at the start of elders meetings!)

Now simply take some time together to ask God for words of prophecy, knowledge and wisdom about each of the issues raised in this consultation, i.e.:

• leadership

• clusters

• education

• prayer

In this context, to help everyone avoid the temptation of simply offering their “human wisdom” (1 Cor 2:13), it would be good just to ask God to speak into these general areas, rather than getting into the more detailed questions.

Whatever you hear from God, write it down and either send it one of the elders or to the church office or bring it to the church family meeting on Thu 5 Feb.

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Week 1 - The Holy Spirit and me

Worship idea 1 – The names of the Holy Spirit

Write out the following names of the Holy Spirit on separate bits of paper and hand them out. Get each person in turn to read out the name, then look up and read out the scripture.

For each name, briefly discuss what it tells us about the character and work of the Holy Spirit, and encourage someone to respond with a prayer of praise:

• Breath of the Almighty (Job 33:4)

• Comforter/Counsellor (Jn 14:16)

• Spirit of Christ (Rom 8:9)

• Spirit of the Father (Matt 10:20)

• Spirit of grace (Heb 10:29)

• Spirit of prophecy (Rev 19:10)

• Spirit of adoption (Rom 8:15)

• Spirit of wisdom (Eph 1:17)

• Spirit of holiness (Rom 1:4)

Worship idea 2 – Fruit of the Spirit

Ask everyone to open their Bibles to Gal 5:22-23 and read it together.

When we read this list, we often feel a tinge of guilt and sense of failure. Whilst we might exhibit one or two of these characteristics from time to time, we generally fall short! But this list was not written as a set of rules, but as a reminder of what will grow in us if we “walk in the Spirit”. It is also a description of what God himself is like. Paul is saying that when we follow God the Holy Spirit, we become more like him!

So, let’s celebrate the God who overflows with such wonderful qualities, and who gives us each the grace and power to become like him.

Encourage everyone to think of an incident or time when one particular aspect of God’s nature (as described in Gal 5) was very evident to them. Then go round the room and ask everyone to share what they’ve remembered, and finish by thanking God together for the different aspects of his wonderful character!

(If you’ve got a more ‘arty’ group, you could hand out bits of fruit-shaped paper to write on, and get people to stick them onto a ‘tree’ as they share. This will produce a lovely fruit-covered tree which reminds everyone that God will make each one of us fruitful.)

Bible study idea – John 14-16: Jesus’ teaching on t he Holy Spirit

Much of Jesus’ teaching on the Holy Spirit comes in John 14-16. These chapters form what is sometimes called his ‘Farewell Discourse’, since it comes right before he is arrested and crucified.

Rather than going straight to the verses most relevant to our theme, we are first going to look at the context of these chapters, their overall themes and just a couple

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of Greek words! This is to help us to grapple with the text itself, and to let it speak to us on its own terms.

a) Context

• What have Jesus and the disciples just been doing? (John 13:1-5)

• What else did Jesus say and do during this meal? (John 13:18-38; see also Luke 22:19-21)

So, the background to Jesus’ teaching in chapters 14-16 is Jesus’ awareness of his impending martyrdom, the betrayal of Judas and the denials of Peter. Jesus’ teaching about the Holy Spirit comes in the context of pain, broken relationships and fear.

b) Themes

• Break down into groups of 2-3 and divide the chunks of chapters 14-16 (i.e. 14:1-14, 14:15-31, 15:1-17, 15:1-16:4, 16:5-16, 16:17-33) between those groups.

• Ask each group to decide on 2 or 3 main themes for each chunk (e.g. peace, opposition)

• Get everyone back together and list off the themes you agreed on. You ought to find that some themes keep emerging throughout this ‘discourse’, including:

- Opposition from ‘the world’

- Jesus is returning to the Father

- Jesus’ disciples becoming like him

- The Holy Spirit sent to help us

- Loving relationships

- Disciples dwelling/remaining in God

- Peace from God

- Promise that prayers will be answered

So, when we turn to look at specific verses that teach about the Holy Spirit, we must understand them against this backdrop. We ought not to read into them meanings that are a million miles away from this context.

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c) Some Greek!

Most Greek words translate easily into English. For example, ‘patros’ simply means ‘father’ and ‘eirene’ simply means ‘peace’. However, these are a couple of words in the Farewell Discourse that are a bit more complicated.

• Parakletos

In 14:16, 14:26, 15:26 and 16:7, Jesus describes himself and/or the Holy Spirit as being a ‘parakletos’, but different English translations use different English words to say what this Greek word means:

NIV: Counsellor

NLT: Advocate

KJV: Comforter

NASB: Helper

Message: Friend

What are we to make of this? Which translation is right?

One answer is to accept the general meaning that all these translations capture – that the Holy Spirit will come close to us and do us good!

If we want to be any more specific than that, it’s best not to scour through lots of reference books, but rather to take our lead from the passage itself. In all four instances (14:16-17, 14:26, 15:26, 16:7-13), the Holy Spirit is described as carrying on Jesus’ ministry of teaching people the truth. So, the particular emphasis that Jesus is putting on the role of the ‘parakletos’ is that of ‘teacher/revealer of truth’.

• Kosmos (e.g. 14:17, 14:22, 15:18-19, 16:21, 16:28)

Unlike with ‘parakletos’, different English translations are consistent in translating ‘kosmos’. They all translate it as ‘the world’.

However, on different occasions, this same word can have different meanings! Sometimes it means ‘the physical world that God made’ (e.g. John 17:5). Other times it means ‘all the people of the world’ (e.g. John 14:22). But most often in these chapters it specifically means ‘those people who have rejected Jesus and his message’ (e.g. John 14:17, 15:18, 16:33).

So, as we read these chapters, we need to consider carefully which meaning is intended.

d) John 14:15-27 – The promise of the Holy Spirit

Now, finally, to the subject at hand – the Holy Spirit!

� Read John 14:15-27 and discuss:

• What does Jesus teach that the Holy Spirit will do for his followers?

• Is this your current experience?

• Do you typically respond to opposition and betrayal by turning to the Holy Spirit for guidance and peace?

• Is there anything that you need to ask him for right now?

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Prayer idea: Getting what we were promised!

When he was teaching about the Holy Spirit (as recorded in John 14-16), Jesus made a number of wonderful promises:

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:12-14)

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” (John 15:16)

“In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” (John 16:23-24)

Discuss: Why do you think Jesus made promises of this kind amongst his teaching about the Holy Spirit?

Some possible answers:

(1) Because we would need the Holy Spirit to help us pray with that kind of faith;

(2) Because we need to ask for the Holy Spirit in faith, rather than passively waiting for him;

(3) Because such encouragements and the promise of the Holy Spirit both come naturally in the context also of teaching about coming persecution.

Whatever the reason, these promises stand for us today, along with the promise that the Holy Spirit will guide us (John 14:26, 16:13).

So, invite the Holy Spirit to come and guide your prayers. Ask Him for faith to pray audacious prayers. Wait for Him to come, and pray as He leads, remembering that nothing is impossible.

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Week 2 – The church and the Holy Spirit

Note: This week’s Bible study idea builds on last w eek’s. So, if you didn’t do the Bible study last week, you ought to look at las t week’s notes and decide whether any of it would be helpful to use this even ing.

Worship and prayer idea: God the healer

One of the most dramatic features of Jesus’ ministry was the healing that he did. It demonstrated God’s power, confirmed Jesus’ identity and revealed God’s compassion for people in need.

Ask people to share any examples where they (or someone they know well) has received some measure of healing. Was the healing instant or gradual? Did it happen as they were being prayed for or later? Did they feel anything at the time?

(We shouldn’t be surprised that people’s experiences vary, since the gospels show Jesus healing people in very different ways!)

Whilst we all ask questions about why God hasn’t healed in some cases, it is right for us to thank him:

• that he cares for our physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing

• that he has given our bodies natural healing qualities

• for what he has done in specific cases

So, spend some time thanking and praising him – and let this naturally lead on to praying for current healing needs.

An inspiring idea:

If you’ve not done so before, find a video online of what happened when the Holy Spirit visited the Innuit community of Pond Inlet in northern Canada in a very special way in 1999, as featured in a video documentary called ‘Transformations II’.

An excerpt is on YouTube at: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=BwwU7EdqNx4 (or search for “TWRader Transformation”)

Awesome stuff!

Bible study idea - John 15: The community of Jesus’ love

Over these three weeks, we are looking at the work of Holy Spirit in our lives. This is the second part of a three-part Bible study on John 14 -16, a key gospel passage in which Jesus explains a lot about the gift of the Holy Spirit and his role in our lives.

As we began to see last week, a major part of the Spirit’s work is bringing revelation and teaching to “lead us into all truth”(John 14:22-27, 16:12-13), but there is more!

� Read John 15:1-17

In Chapter 15, sandwiched between various teachings about the Holy Spirit, Jesus spoke of himself as the “true vine”. This might seem like a change of subject, but

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elsewhere we read that “having the Holy Spirit” means pretty much the same things as being “in Christ” (see Romans 8:9-11). The Holy Spirit is critical in our experiencing a relationship connection with God.

We often read John 15 in a very personal way, applying it to ‘me and Jesus’. However, Jesus knew what the image of the vine meant to Jews, and he had more in mind than just ‘me and Jesus’.

� Read Psalm 80:8-15 and Isaiah 5:1-7

Discuss:

• According to these passages, who is the vine/vineyard?

• What do these verses reveal of God’s attitude to the vine/vineyard?

• What is God looking for the vine/vineyard?

The vine here is a picture of the nation of Israel – a community intended to live in fruitful relationship with God. Underlying Jesus’ teaching in John 14-16 is an understanding of the community of believers that is brought to life by the Holy Spirit.

Discuss:

• What does it mean to “remain” in Jesus? (v4)

As branches depend on the vine for their life, so Christians live in continual dependence upon Jesus, constantly relying on him, persistently imbibing life from him.

• What is the fruit that Father God is looking for (v2)? (Read also vv7-8 and v16 for some clues to Jesus’ way of thinking.)

The ‘fruit’ is the result of prayer. The picture here is that Jesus’ followers express their dependence on him through prayer, that those prayers are answered, and all the good things that result are ‘fruit’ that gives the Father glory. Specific fruit might include: obedience to Jesus (v10), as the Holy Spirit empowers us to obey; knowing Jesus’ joy (v11), which is part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit; love for one another (v12), as the Holy Spirit pours his love into our hearts.

• Does this passage give a clear teaching about whether we are predestined for salvation and/or whether can lose our salvation?

Verse 16 highlights God’s choice of us (as also John 10:28), but others state that God will cut off those who do not deliver fruit (v2, v6). These are matters about which the New Testament generally says a range of things that do not readily add up, and this passage is no exception!

• What does Father God do to branches that do not bear fruit?

He cuts them off – but what does this mean in our experience?

• What does Father God do to branches that are bearing fruit?

He prunes them – but what does this mean in our experience?

• How readily do we turn to God in prayer? How much do we continue to depend on him, rather than on the abilities and resources we already have?

• What might it mean for us, as a community, to remain in a fruitful relationship with God?

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Study/Discussion idea: The community of the Holy Sp irit in the early church

Note: We are going to look at a number of different aspects of their life together and what implications this has for us. There is a huge amount here(!), presented not as teaching, but as questions for you to discuss and find answers with the help of the Bible and the Holy Spirit. With your community group, you could take one of these areas and look at it in some depth or aim to cover all aspects of the passage.

The Book of Acts reveals that the early church was a community, filled with the Holy Spirit, who lived out their life in the power of the Spirit. So how did the early church begin to realise that community?

� Read Acts 2:42-47 together and discuss: In what ways was the life of the early church revolutionised by the activity of the Holy Spirit? (e.g. Devotion, Worship, Lifestyle)

1. Their Devotional Life (“they devoted themselves” v42)

Discuss:

• What do we think of when we read this phrase? How do we imagine them being together?

• Was did their devotion involve?

• What implications does this have for us? What challenges? What changes in our lifestyle?

Devoted: “to the apostles teaching”

• What is our normal response or follow up to teaching in a Sunday?

• Do we treat sermons from people with an apostolic ministry (i.e. who have planted churches and oversee church planting) any differently? Should we?

• Would our life together look any different if we “devoted ourselves to the teaching“ more? How?

Devoted: “to the fellowship”

• How would you describe the quality of your community group or church fellowship life?

• How “naturally supernatural” are you? Consider how often you ask questions like the following of each other: - How are you? - Can I pray for you? - How can I pray for you? - In what ways could I encourage you? Support you? - What has God been saying to you? - What are you hearing from God or learning from him currently?

• What changes would you like to make to your fellowship together

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Devoted: “to the breaking of bread”

• How frequently do you break bread with other Christians?

• How natural is it for you to break bread with others?

• When you break bread what aspects of its symbolism mean something to you: Past – Jesus’ death; Present – being His body; Future – His return?

• How might you as a group or as individuals “devote yourselves more to the breaking of bread?”

Devoted: “to prayer”

• How easy do you find praying with others?

• What would help you find prayer to be an easier activity to participate in?

• What sort of arrangements do you have for praying together? How could you be more “devoted”? (e.g. triplets; early morning gatherings in homes; regular family times; before community group; whenever you met one another)

• In what different ways have you prayed with others recently? (e.g. meditative prayer; liturgical prayer; Creative prayer – like making something as an expression of worship or need)

• How about praying beyond the normal limits of your faith? Try the following: Simply take it in turns to speak out sentences that start with the phrase “wouldn’t it be good if….” And keep going till everyone has prayed at least once or you have run out of ideas.

- “Wouldn’t it be good if…our neighbours became Christians

- “Wouldn’t it be good if… the whole of our estate became Christians

- “Wouldn’t it be good if my friend was healed of cancer

- “Wouldn’t it be good if the church had a £4m to spend on a new school

- “Wouldn’t it be good if….” and carry on till the ideas run out.

2. Worship & Wonder (v43)

“Many wonders & miraculous signs…”

• How can we encourage faith to grow in one another? How do we release more of the supernatural among us?

“Everyone filled with awe”

• What things produce ‘awesome’ moments for you? What sort of thing makes you go ‘Oh, wow’?

• Should we cultivate such experiences more frequently or will they then lose the ‘wow’ factor?

• Suggest some ways you as a group could share in times and experiences that would help “fill you with awe”.

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3. Life Together (v44-45)

• In what ways do we see our lifestyle (of togetherness; of all things in common) as being like that of the early church?

• Is there a place for us to have more material “things in common”? How much are the challenges practical? How much are they rooted in selfishness or being possessive?

• Do we express this, as they did, by laying gifts at the church leaders’ feet?! (Acts 4:32-35)

• Equally, what about community group or church co-operatives, where items are bought in bulk or locally sourced? Would there be any benefits of such a venture?

• Would it be said of us that we sold things in order to give to someone else in need? Should it?

Shane Claiborne writes: “research reveals we are the richest and most miserable people in the world. I feel sorry that so many of us have settled for a lonely world of independence and riches when we could all experience the fullness of life in community and interdependence. Why would I want a fancy car when I can ride a bike …I almost feel selfish sometimes, for the gift of community. The beautiful thing is there is enough to go round.”

What do we think of Claiborne’s words/ Are they those of an ‘extremist’ or a meaningful challenge to our lifestyles? Is anyone up for living in community?2

4. Daily Life (v46)

“Every day they met for prayer”

• Suggest ways in which that could be more of a reality within your community group. How about putting some new ideas in place and reviewing in a month’s time?

“They broke bread in homes”

• This means they ate regularly together. How about aiming at sharing a meal with others in the group at least once a week? Or making a meal together a regular part of community group?

Summary

The lifestyle of the early church was empowered and anointed by the Holy Spirit so that people had inclusive, open hearts that led to favour with many and to many more becoming Christians (v47).

Before you finish, give time for individual reflect ion for individuals to determine something in which they want to live differently. Pray together for God’s Spirit to bring that desire into reality.

2 There are several Christian groups doing this in Oxford, including the Jesus Army (www.newcreation. org.uk) and CMS (webarchive.cms-uk.org/news/2006/mission_community_oxford_181106.htm)

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Week 3 – The Holy Spirit and the world

Note: This week’s Bible study idea again builds on the introduction to John 14-16 from two weeks ago. So, if you didn’t do that Bi ble study, you ought to look back at it and decide whether any of it would be he lpful to use this evening.

Introductory discussion idea:

This evening, we’re going to be thinking about and discussing how God’s spirit empowers us to witness. Of course, words like evangelism, mission, and witness can spark various emotional reactions in us! So, let’s try to be conscious of the workings of our hearts tonight and really ask God to lead us through as the “good shepherd”.

For this to happen, we need more than ever to start with God! So, we’ll start with thinking about the fact that God himself is intentionally missional.

- “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:10)

It is because God is like this that we are called to be like this too. This can be scary, but we also remember that:

• God’s plans for us are good for us (Jeremiah 29:11 is often quoted: “for I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future…”)

• God’s grace transforms us without condemning us

Discuss in groups: How do we really feel about being transformed into the likeness of God, who intentionally seeks the lost?

(Please don’t discuss what exactly this might look like but try and keep it to talk about our emotional reaction to being transformed into God’s likeness if he is intentionally missional. Discuss fears and excitement openly and with love.)

Icebreaker / Fun idea

Play ‘hot potato’.

(This is a party game in which players gather in a circle and toss a small object such as a beanbag or tennis ball to each other while music plays. The player who is holding the "hot potato" when the music stops is out. Play continues until only one player is left.)

Apart from being fun, this has a relevant point for this evening!! The game generates in us a desire to give away what we’ve received. We’re supposed to feel a bit like this about the gospel!

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Worship idea: Light of the World

The term ’Light of the World’ is used three times in the Bible: twice to refer to Jesus and once to refer to us. Although it’s a familiar phrase, it’s a dramatic picture of the world’s need of Jesus and the difference he makes in people’s lives.

Often, a visual representation of a familiar concept can trigger a fresh revelation about God and what he has done. This activity is a different way of approaching a very familiar idea.

Ask everyone to find John 1 in their Bible and give out 5 candles and keep one yourself. Make the room fairly dark so it is hard to read. Light your candle and read verses 1-2. Light another person’s candle from your own and ask them to read verses 3-4. That person then lights another person’s candle who reads verse 5… and so on. When all the candles a lit, it should be light enough for you all to read to the end of verse 13 together.

Briefly discuss the effect of lighting the candles – the difference each candle made, the way it literally illuminated the truth. Then pray together, thanking God for sending his light to illuminate us – and for making us lights too.

Bible study idea – 15:26:-16:15 The church, the Ho ly Spirit and the world

� Read John 14:15-19, 15:26-16:15

John 14:15-19

These verses highlight the work of the Holy Spirit in making God known. The Holy Spirit is therefore always the chief witness. We all know in our heads that this is God’s plan and that we join in with Him, but what are some of the delights and pitfalls associated with this?

Discuss in groups some of the following statements. (Do you agree? How much of what you think is emotional? How much is faith?)

• It is a privilege to be asked by God to join in with his plan • I have been specially chosen by God to know him, unlike most of the rest of

the world • Since the world cannot accept God, it doesn’t really matter what we say and

do. Whatever you said, can you see how such theological positions affect how we might feel about being a witness?

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John 15:26-27 • The Holy Spirit is mentioned as a witness before people are mentioned as

witnesses. Can you see any significance in this? (He knows far more than us and is better at it than us!!)

• What role did the Holy Spirit have in your accepting Jesus? • How do you feel about being told that you “must also testify”? • Why do you think that Jesus gave the reason “for you have been with me from

the beginning”? Do you think that there is more of an obligation on those who know Jesus well to be more of a witness?

John 16:7-13

• List the different things that the Holy Spirit does in the world Note: Since this passage may be a bit confusing, you may want to read a commentary on it before leading this discussion. To help you, we’ve also included an appendix with an answer to this question and a commentary suited to this discussion.

• 15:26 says that the Spirit of truth testifies. To whom is he testifying? • What does it make you think/feel when you consider that the Holy Spirit is

constantly witnessing about Jesus all over the earth? • Do we believe that He is already witnessing to our work colleagues,

neighbours and friends? • How do you feel about talking to people to find out what God is already doing,

to join in with Him? Is this different to how you have seen Christian witnessing before?

To prevent this being an academic study only, it would be good to change gear now and to:

• worship God for who He is….

• pray for ourselves and for our heart reactions and the challenges we face in witnessing.

• pray that we would see what the Holy Spirit is doing and have the courage to join in!

• pray for Christians witnessing around the world, that they would know the Holy Spirit right there with them.

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Appendix: commentary on John 16:8-11

There are three major aspects of the ministry of the Holy Spirit described in John 16:8-15.

1. To the world—conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment.

2. To the disciples—direction and truth.

3. Through the disciples—revealing Jesus through those who represent him.

Verse 8: The key to this first aspect of the Spirit's ministry is the word "convict" (Greek: elencho). KJV translates it "reprove," but that rendering is not strong enough. The word is a legal term that means to pronounce a judicial verdict by which the guilt of the culprit at the bar of justice is defined and fixed. The Spirit does not merely accuse men of sin, he brings to them an inescapable sense of guilt so that they realize their shame and helplessness before God. This conviction applies to three particular areas: sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Spirit is the prosecuting attorney who presents God's case against humanity. He creates an inescapable awareness of sin so that it cannot be dismissed with an excuse or evaded by taking refuge in the fact that "everybody is doing it." The Spirit's function is like that of Nathan the prophet, who said to David, "You are the man" (2Sam 12:7), and compelled him to acknowledge his misdeeds. David was so convicted that he was reduced to a state of complete penitence: "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight" (Ps 51:4).

Verse 9: The essence of sin is unbelief, which is not simply a casual incredulity nor a difference of opinion; rather, it is a total rejection of God's messenger and message. A court can convict a man of murder, but only the Spirit can convict him of unbelief. Jesus insisted that sin was fundamentally repudiation of his message and his mission.

Verse 10: The second area in which the Spirit convicts people is righteousness. He enforces the absolute standard of God's character, to which all thought and action must be compared. Apart from a standard of righteousness, there can be no sin; and there must be an awareness of the holiness of God before a person will realise his own deficiency. There is an infinite gap between the righteousness of God and the sinful state of man that man himself cannot bridge. The first step toward salvation must be the awareness that a divine mediatorship is necessary.

The connection between righteousness and Jesus' return to the Father is not immediately clear. Probably it should be interpreted as meaning that his return to the right hand of God was a complete vindication of all he had done and consequently established him as the standard for all human righteousness. Apostolic preaching conveyed this concept. Peter's statement in Acts 3:14-15 conveys much the same idea: "You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead." Whereas righteousness had previously been defined by precepts, it now has been revealed in the incarnate Son, who exemplified it perfectly in all his relationships. John crystallized this thought in his First Epistle: "In him is no sin" (1 John 3:5).

Verse 11: Judgment always occurs when an act or thought is evaluated by an absolute principle. Actions are judged by their accord with law or by their lack of conformity to it. When human sin is confronted by the righteousness of Christ, its condemnation is self-evident. In this context "judgment" refers to the condemnation of satanic self-will and rebellion by the obedience and love toward the Father exhibited by Jesus. The Cross was the utter condemnation and defeat of the "prince of this world." "Condemned" is in the perfect tense (kekritai), which expresses a settled state. Satan is already under judgment; the sentence is fixed and permanent.