In His Word
About this series
This mini-series follows on from our talk titled Reforming Church: Disciples, which you can watch here.
Being a follower / disciple of Jesus is both a position (I’ve decided to follow Jesus) and a process (I'm seeking to become more like him). So when we think of the church, we should imagine not only a group of people who have a belief, but a people on the move because they’re following Jesus - they’re in training, they’re changing, growing, learning about him and becoming more like him.
"But how do I follow Jesus? How do I become more like him?”
Of the many ways we could answer that question, here is a crucial one: listen to him and learn from him and then do whatever he tells you. But then we might ask, "How do I hear him, how can I listen to Jesus and learn from him?” To which the answer would be: We hear Jesus in his Word, by his Spirit and through his Body.
About this talk
In this video Tim brings us a reminder about what it really means to be a disciple of Jesus, and how important it is to listen to Jesus and do whatever he asks us to do. One of the ways we can hear what Jesus is saying is through reading and knowing what he says in his word, The Bible. If we are followers of Jesus then The Bible is our timeless manual, our guide to life, and Jesus asks us to know what's written inside it and be obedient to all that he teaches us from it. Tim encourages us to be those who are living by the words of Jesus.
If you have any questions about this talk, want to find out more about Citygate Church, or want to know more about what it means to be a Christian, please fill in our online Connect form at citygate.church/connect.
Watch it here
Questions for Life Groups
The questions below have been created for our Life Groups to facilitate discussion around this talk.
Watch Tim's video and use the questions/suggestions below to aid discussion and growth in your groups. Feel free to shape the conversation according to the needs of your group.
Read together 2 Timothy 3:10-17 Romans 12:1-2 and John 8:31-32
1. What do these verses say to us about the bible and the words of Jesus?
2. Back in November we looked briefly at the challenges around being in God's word. Have you managed to make any changes or take any steps that have helped you make progress or grow in this area? Has anyone used an alternative or creative way to get more scripture into their lives or to memorise it? Use your group time to discuss any progress or feedback on this.
3. Are there still challenges you face when it comes to reading the bible? What prevents you from regularly reading the bible or understanding it? There can be a variety of challenges we face. (e.g. time/motivation/reading or language barriers/understanding etc.) It's likely that most of us struggle with God's word, either those new to the faith who are unsure how or where to start, or those who have known Jesus longer for whom familiarity can produce a lack of enthusiasm. Discuss this together as a group, be open to what others are struggling with.
4. Is there anyone in the group who has managed to set aside a regular time for reading the bible when they weren't before? Has this affected or changed their life or relationship with Jesus in any way?
5. What solutions have those in your group found for the challenges of reading/being in God's Word. Is the start of a new year a good time to get into a new bible reading habit/routine? Discuss this within your group. Ensure all those in your group are aware of the variety of ways to access the Bible;
Daily devotionals, paper or online, these can be topical, follow the life of a bible character or a series on a particular book or writer
Audio bible
Online bible app's - with daily reminders to read
Bible commentaries
Scripture colouring books
Resources that take you deeper like Phil Moores series 'Straight to the Heart' or help you use the truth of Gods word to overcome sin and strongholds in your life like 'Truth that Demolishes Strongholds' by Tony Goodman
Bible study courses
Bible Study Fellowship - a women's group facilitated by one of our members (please ask Berni for info)
You may have other ideas or suggestions - please feel free to look at those also
Don't forget we can access further resources at eden.co.uk or at Keith Jones Christian Bookshop
6. If you have time in your online meeting or you want to go deeper as a group here are some more ideas:
a) As group leader you could share a passage or verse of scripture and testify as to how it has changed your life, transformed your thinking, or brought you freedom. Or with some advance warning you could ask someone in your group to do this when you gather. If right for your group, you could ask the whole group to be ready to bring a contribution along these lines?
b) To accompany a, you could encourage those in your group who would like too, to come prepared with paper and stationery (or other media) to creatively write out/display the verse/scripture and illustrate/design it with a view to having it on display somewhere to act as a reminder.
c) Alternatively you could play or listen to a song together which specifically contains scripture, asking the Holy Spirit to speak to you or minister to you as you listen - encourage the group to feedback after about what the Holy Spirit was saying.
Prayer
Finish up by praying for each other, depending on the needs of the group, but with particular focus on overcoming obstacles that stand in the way of reading and knowing God's word. If you have time ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of scriptures that might be of encouragement to one another.
