Why This Module?

Why This Module? “Never let the fire in your heart go out. Keep it alive.” Romans 12:11 (NIRV) God’s Spirit is that fire. How do we keep that fire burning? May the programs in this module encourage you to never let His holy fire in your heart go out.

What’s In This Module? There are four programs: The Fruit of The Spirit (Good fuel to feed the flames.) A Manuscript Study: Philippians 1 (Taste and see that the Lord is good.) Cultivating Sabbath Rest (Rest is critical to keep the fire burning.) Video Night with Brenda and Pingping* (Canadian Baptist Women’s international student

Pingping Ren chats with Brenda Mann about the theme verses.) * Due to its sensitive nature, this video cannot be published on our website. You will need to order the video from our office. Contact Kristi Pollard at [email protected] or 416-620-2954. A DVD will be shipped to you free of charge.

Module 1 — Keep It Alive

Purpose To introduce or allow ladies to become more

familiar with the fruit of the Spirit To show the difference between “human” fruit

and “spiritual” fruit. To facilitate a fun time of fellowship focused

around fruit!

Please Invite Christian women who are well-versed in the fruit

of the Spirit. Non-Christian friends and family who can learn

that God’s love for us and in us is the difference between human fruit and spiritual fruit.

Do invite women several weeks prior to the event using the “fruity” invitations provided in the handouts.

Prepare Prepare the Sublime Fruit Salad (recipe is in-

cluded in the handouts). Have plates, cups, and beverages ready for when

women arrive. Have a few tables with chairs set up around the

room. Have “fruity” name tags ready for women as they

enter (see handouts). Have Fruit of the Spirit handouts, pens/pencils or

fruity-scented markers ready to distribute or have these items already placed on each table/place setting.

Gather the bags (or any container you choose) for the Fruit of The Spirit Survival Pack (one bag per woman) plus the ingredients women will put in each bag (Hershey’s treats, candles, elastic bands, puzzle pieces, Band-Aids, tea bags, sticks of gum, cotton balls and balloons).

You will need to have enough bags and ingredi-ents on the tables for each woman to create her own Survival Pack. Think of creative ways to sort and present the ingredients, for example, a horn of plenty for each ingredient.

Have Fruit Salad Recipe cards ready for ladies to take home (see handouts).

Light candles around the room before ladies arrive—to remind them to never let the fire in their hearts go out.

For decoration, spread out plastic fruit or use tablecloths with fruit themes. Be creative!

KEEP IT ALIVE — The Fruit of the Spirit

Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec Resources — KEEP IT ALIVE 1

Present There are two sections to this program: Introduction The Fruit of the Spirit – Bible study

Respond ENCOURAGE the women to finish the study at home if they were not able to finish it. INVITE them to keep a record of the ways they see their fruit of the Spirit working in the lives of others and to share their stories with other women from this event. PRAY: Close in a time of prayer that each woman would come to know and live out the fruit of the Spirit more in their lives. Pray that God’s love, the “spiritual” fruit, would be evident to others as they do this. SEND women out with the following benediction: “May the seed of Christ’s word, planted and watered by the Holy Spirit, find root and grow in your hearts. May your work and your relationships reflect Christ’s constant pres-ence in the days of this week. Amen.” (Source: Words for Worship by Arlene M. Mark)



Consider a gift to Baptist Women. Baptist Women supports emerging women leaders — leaders who may be asked to leave for ministry/ mission in a place other than home. Visit www.baptistwomen.com to find out more.

Program Introduction Welcome the ladies to this event and enjoy the fruit salad while you move through the introduction and the study. SAY: The candles lit on our tables remind us of God’s prompting to us: Never let the fire in your heart go out. Keep it alive. ASK: What are examples of foods that are good to eat? SAY: Fruit is one such food group and fruit nourishes us. Fruit keeps us alive and in good health. ASK: Are we able to rhyme off the fruits of the Spirit? Have the ladies rhyme off the fruit. Then, Read Galatians 5:22-23a – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” SAY: Anyone can do good deeds and there are many wonderful people out there who do so many good deeds. Without the presence of God’s love in those deeds, this is just “human” fruit. This fruit can still nourish us, but one key ingredient is missing. There is something lacking—God’s love. When we add God’s love to the mix, the good deeds, the peace, the joy, gentleness, etc. are all the more delicious.

The Fruit of the Spirit — Bible Study SAY: Please turn to your Fruit of the Spirit handout. We are going to look at each fruit of the Spirit. You have ten minutes* to look at each fruit. When you hear the timer go off, it’s time to look at the next fruit. [* Adjust this according to your time frame.] Make sure each woman has a Fruit of the Spirit handout and get them started on the study. Don’t forget to set the timer after they start looking at each fruit! SAY: After completing the study for a particular fruit, add the corresponding ingredient to your Survival Pack. After women have completed the study, move into the response time.



Keep It AliveKeep It Alive

Resources There are numerous Bible studies, non-fiction books and videos on this topic. A Google search alone yielded over two million results! So, be creative and focused and see what resources may be waiting online, or off, for the women in your groups. The following resources focus on children and are to be shared with your children’s ministry co-ordinator and teachers: Fun Devotional http://www.raisingarrows.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Fruit-of-the-Spirit-Devotional.pdf Marshmallow Experiment for Kids http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=Yo4WF3cSd9Q Fruit of the Spirit Songs & Animations for Kids http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NV9RRm3ano&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhs66tw1Yh0&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=8j2PUWQa7fs&NR=1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNG6cweP_j4&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81KQu1hvaMc&feature=related

Leader’s Notes



HANDOUT / Fruit of the Spirit

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” — Galatians 5:22-23a

Love Love is patient, is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. — 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a How do the attributes of love sound similar to the fruit of the Spirit? Why would that be and what does this say about the importance of how we love? Read 1 John 4:16b. What is the key ingredient that turns “human” fruit into “spiritual” fruit? How does the life of Jesus show God’s love for us? Read John 3:16. Is it easy or hard to accept this kind of love in your life? Why? TO DO: Add your Love ingredient—a Hershey’s Treat—to your Fruit of the Spirit Survival Pack. You are loved by God, and you can love others with God’s love.

Joy May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. — Romans 15:13 Joy is the happiness that only God can give. It is a feeling that Jesus gives us when we have Him in our hearts. When Jesus is in our hearts and we know we have a home forever with Him in heaven, we have real joy. We might still get afraid or sad or hurt, but that can’t take away the joy we have by knowing Jesus. We can have joy during the good times, happy times, and fun times. We can also have joy during the sad times, difficult times, or scary times. Read Hebrews 12:2b. How did Jesus show joy? What is the difference between joy and happiness? What does joy look like in a person’s life? What are some ways you can share God’s joy with others? TO DO: Add your Joy ingredient—a candle—to your Fruit of the Spirit Survival Pack. You can shine the light of God’s love to others, no matter what comes.

Peace Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all under-standing, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:6-7 When people talk about world peace, they are usually talking about people not fighting around the world. No wars. The

HANDOUT / Fruit of the Spirit (page 2)

peace that God gives is different. It is a peace that helps us stop fighting with ourselves and with others—the battles that happen in our hearts and in our heads. God doesn’t want us to worry about anything. He wants us to talk to Him about our fears, our problems, about everything. God will take care of our battles for us so that we can have His perfect peace. How did Jesus show peace in his life according to Luke 5:15? …according to Matthew 11:28-30? What does God’s peace look like in your life? What is the difference between rest and peace? TO DO: Add your Peace ingredient—an elastic band—to your Fruit of the Spirit Survival Pack. You can show great flexibility and resilience even when you are stretched to your limits.

Patience Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. — James 5:7a God gives us patience to help us know that His plans always include whatever is best for us—though it might take a bit of time before we acknowledge it. And God is patient with us. Even when we mess up and disobey God, He waits for us to make the right choices and follow Him again. God loves us even when we’re not showing love to Him. How has God shown patience with you?

Read 2 Peter 3:9. How does Jesus show patience? When is it hard to show patience? How can you practice patience in your life? TO DO: Add your Patience ingredient—a puzzle piece—to your Fruit of the Spirit Survival Pack. You can hold on until God fits all the pieces together.

Kindness Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. — 1 Thessa-lonians 5:15 How has God shown kindness to you? How did Jesus show kindness according to Luke 17:11-19? ...according to Luke 6:35b? ...according to Matthew 25:31-46?


...according to Titus 3:4? How can you show kindness to others? TO DO: Add your Kindness ingredient—a Band-Aid—to your Fruit of the Spirit Survival Pack. You can always be ready to help bandage someone’s wound.

Goodness But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do. — 1 Peter 1:15 How has God been good to you? How did Jesus show goodness to the people around Him according to John 14:9? ...according to Matthew 4:23-25? ...according to Mark 2:1-12? How can you show God’s goodness to others? TO DO: Add your Goodness ingredient—a tea bag—to your Fruit of the Spirit Survival Pack. You can take time to

enjoy the good things in life, and bring goodness to the lives of others.

Faithfulness Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. — Proverbs 3:3 God’s faithfulness means that He is true to His promises. It means that He is loyal and is always with us. It means we can trust that every word in the Bible is true. When has God been faithful to you or your family? How was Jesus faithful according to John 13:1? ...according to John 4:34? ...according to John 5:30? ...according to John 6:38? ...according to John 8:29? ...according to Hebrews 2:17-18?


How can you be faithful to someone? TO DO: Add your Faithfulness ingredient—a piece of gum—to your Fruit of the Spirit Survival Pack. You can stick with it!

Gentleness See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey. — Zechariah 9:9b God gives us gentleness to show the power of love without words. How did Jesus show gentleness according to John 4:17-24? ...according to John 8:1-12? What are some gentle ways you can put God’s love into action? TO DO: Add your Gentleness ingredient—a cotton ball—to your Fruit of the Spirit Survival Pack. You can experience God’s soft touch, and comfort others with His love.

Self-control Be self-controlled and alert. — 1 Peter 5:8a God wants us to have self-control so that we can follow Jesus’ example and make choices about our words and actions that are pleasing to God. How did Jesus show self-control according to Luke 4:1-13?

What would happen if we didn’t have self-control? What would our world look like? How can you show self-control? TO DO: Add your Self-Control ingredient—a balloon—to your Fruit of the Spirit Survival Pack. You can keep control even when you feel like you’re about to pop!

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Galatians 5:22-23a

R.S.V.P. Please send this survey immediately following your event by e-mail, mail or fax.

E-mail: [email protected] / Mail: CBWOQ, 100 – 304 The East Mall, Etobicoke, ON, M9B 6E2 / Fax: 416-622-2308 I am responding to the program titled in Module # . Average age of women in our group: Number of women in our group: This material (check all that apply): was useful was challenging did not apply in our setting would be improved by: inspired us to do the following: We gave financial support: to Baptist Women (CBWOQ) to help its ministries, which include: mission overseas, mission in Canada, short-term missions, developing women leaders, helping vulnerable women and children, new Canadians and refugees, sharing our stories, developing resources and events, staff and office expenses. We supported CBWOQ through: Offerings at event (charitable receipts given for donations over $20) Encouraging MAD (monthly automated donations) through direct bank account withdrawal or credit card Donations IN HONOUR or IN MEMORY (recipient’s name will be published in The Link & Visitor) Giving a Circle Life Membership to this organization: Yes, we will share our stories or pictures from the event in Baptist Women publications such as The Link & Visitor, the CBWOQ website (www.baptistwomen.com) or in the next resource materials package.

Name of person sending in this report: E-mail: Phone: Mailing address: Church connection: City:

Please return this survey by e-mail, mail or fax immediately following your event.

Purpose To discover more of who God is. To hear about those who were disciples. To discover what God might also be asking of us.

Please Invite Those who are interested in hearing more about

who God is (believers and non-believers). Those who are seeking to hear more from God. Those who are seeking a place to belong.

Prepare In order to make everyone comfortable, a

smaller room is usually best (even in a home, if appropriate).

Arrange seating in a circle formation so everyone can see each other and to facilitate easy discussion.

Have a flip chart with paper, sticky tape and/or whiteboard and markers ready to record com-ments and questions.

Ensure there are enough copies of the handout for everyone (preferably in a folder or three-ring binder).

Have pens and pencil crayons readily available. A few weeks prior to the event, assign leadership

of the study to a woman in your group who has done manuscript Bible studies before, has the gift of teaching or a love for the Word. She must also be comfortable facilitating dis-cussions and ensuring that each woman has a chance to share her insights and questions. The leader must review the Guide for Leaders handout a few weeks prior to the event and have studied the text as per the guide.

If you have planned an application event (see the Respond section), hand out details of that event to women as they arrive.

KEEP IT ALIVE — A Manuscript Study: Philippians 1


Present There are two sections to this program: Introduction – This section introduces the

concept of a manuscript study: how and why. Philippians 1 – A manuscript study of this

chapter.

Respond The response time focuses on APPLICATION. Don’t let application get crowded out of your study. Set aside time to apply, even if you didn’t get to all the material you had in mind. If you find it difficult to have adequate time, you might invite the group to share a fellowship tea after church one Sunday so you have time to explore application. You can also study a passage at one meeting and ap-ply it the next, especially if you do some active appli-cation together. As leader, be ready to share a story from your own life or the life of a woman you know (and whose permis-sion to share you have been granted). Think of ways the passage has been true for you, or ways you’ve seen Jesus do what you see in the text. As Jesus dem-onstrates so well, stories convey the Kingdom better than abstraction could ever dream of doing. There are many possible ways to lead your group into grappling deeply and accurately with the implications of the text for their own lives. There are several good applications for every passage. Have a couple of op-tions in mind so you can flex with the group’s par-ticular take on the study. Three approaches for the response time are provided at the end of the program.



Consider a gift to Baptist Women and its ministries. Baptist Women exists to enable women to reach others for Christ. And it does this by offering re-source materials, events, Bible studies and mission opportunities to foster the spiritual growth of women. Visit www.baptistwomen.com to find out more.

Program Introduction READ: A manuscript Bible study is one form of induc-tive study. Manuscript study starts with willing hearts, a commitment to work together, and a basic set of skills. You need nothing other than the text, pencils, pens and markers to mark up your text and a firm belief that the Spirit will guide your interaction with the Word. The creator of this program says this about manuscript studies: “We study this way to take out any of the ‘editorial’ marks usually found in the text—as those are interpretations that we don’t think the readers of that time would have had—so it is a ‘blank slate.’ Studying this way also allows us space on our papers to write, scribble, draw connections and ask lots of questions without writing all over our Bibles! It is an opportunity to interact with the text and see what it is telling us! We use this format to allow us to really ‘dig in’ to the text and to give ourselves permis-sion—and even encouragement—to ask questions of the text and use our collective minds to discover what God might be inviting us to do.” Philippians 1 Following the Guide For Leaders handout, take the group through the two manuscript study movements of observation and interpretation. To summarize: a) Plan a warm-up: Don’t spend too long on warm-

up and chatting. You’ll want enough time to do the study.

b) Present the text in a way that helps women to listen.

There are many ways to open the text to your group: Have each woman read it on her own, silently, for

a few minutes. Have one woman or several, read it aloud. Have women read it dramatically. This can be as

complicated as preparing a script and asking women to practice, or as simple as assigning char-acters or parts around the circle.

Have the group close their eyes and visualize the scene as it’s read, then describe what they saw.

Read it and have a woman follow by retelling it in her own words.

Observation Have the women take 10-15 minutes individually to read the text. Tell them to underline or circle things they notice, words, phrases, situations that repeat, things of special interest to them and to write out any questions they have about the text on the manuscript. c) Ask for initial observations and questions. The rule in inductive study is, there are no stupid questions. The Bible was written to be understood – not hidden. Often the most apparently obvious ques-tions and observations are the most crucial for under-standing. Ask open-ended questions. Some examples: What do you notice about this scene? What is most striking about this story? What do you notice about character X? What words or themes are repeated? Are there any words that stand out to you? What doesn’t make sense? What seems obvious? Is there anywhere the story seems to shift or turn

a corner? Avoid easy-answer, fill-in-the-blanks, and leading questions. Some examples not to ask: Who are the characters? Where do they go? How many sons are there? During the observation phase, you should also let women ask questions. Ask them to bring up anything they didn’t understand, new words and ideas, and to ask questions about the text. You can get the group (or yourself) to answer things like definitions but an-swers to interpretive questions (“Why does the au-thor make such a big deal about the pig farmers?”) should be saved for the interpretive stage of the study. If someone asks a technical or factual question (for example, “Are they by the Sea of Galilee when this happens?”) feel free to give an answer right away and move on.



Interpretation d) Go through the passage section by section. A section can be as big as a whole paragraph or as small as a few lines. Divide it so that you can pay the most attention to the most important material. Once you start moving through the text, be prepared to do the following: Ask more questions to get at more observations.

You may need to tease out missing details. Ask the group for possible answers—from the

text—to questions already raised but not yet answered e.g. “What did Paul do to end up in prison?” We might not be able to answer that from the text, but we do know that he was receiv-ing some persecution (“I am in chains for Christ...”) and that the Gospel is going forward even from prison.

Ask questions that will help your group interpret: Why do you think? What’s the point of the par-able? What is the author getting at?

Using the Old Testament as a reference is allowed as this would have been available and read by many of the listeners to Paul’s letters. However try not to ref-erence New Testament texts. You want the group to be ‘in the same place’ as the very first recipients of the letter. It’s okay to spend time on significant things, but don’t get sidetracked into tangential issues and don’t try to squeeze everything out of one sentence before mov-ing to the next. Many passages are understood only once you get to the end and work your way back through. e) Do always bring women back to the text.

f) Ask for the main point. The main point may already be apparent from work-ing through the text. But it’s helpful to ask women directly to state the main point of the passage. Get them to express it in their own words.

Three Options for Response Time Option 1 ASK: What does Philippians 1 mean for us? This can be good if the women in your group tend to be creative and open to taking God’s Word seriously. Avoid this question if your group isn’t like this; if the application of the passage isn’t easily seen; if your group tends strongly toward abstraction; or if there are women attending who are very new to the Bible. If you do use this question, be ready to follow-up with further questions to help people think deeply, per-sonally, and specifically about the applications they are suggesting. Option 2 If appropriate, and you don’t use the open-ended ap-proach, the following questions may help the group to start discussing and applying the text: ASK: Paul is able to help the Gospel go forward from prison. What is your response to God in times of trial? What would it look like to stand firm in one spirit? What is God’s invitation to you from this text? Option 3 Do an application event. For example, SAY: Let’s find out what it would have been like to share the Gospel with those in authority the way Paul did with the Im-perial Guard. We will meet at our town hall for our next scheduled meeting, and see which councillors will allow us to pray for them. Sometimes leading your group in an activity that ap-plies the passage before they study it can be useful and powerful. Jesus often worked this way: He did not give a lengthy explanation to his disciples about what it meant to be fishers of people until after he fished with them. They saw it happen before they heard about what it was. Taking action can be the most powerful way to apply a passage, because obedient action is crucial to fol-lowing Jesus. Trying out Jesus’ words by doing them can be a life-changing experience for the women in your group not yet following Jesus. Make sure people understand what you’re planning, and make it op-tional so they’re participating freely.



HANDOUT / A Guide for Leaders

Manuscript Study: A Guide for Leaders (Material adapted from Alison and Dan Siewert, from a seminar given at Urbana 2003.) Leading a Bible study is a serious thing and not always easy. In fact, it can be hard to figure out how to involve everyone so it’s not just you (or the overly-well-informed person to your left) yakking the whole time. Another challenge is helping a group deal with the actual text rather than people’s preconceived notions about the passage. And it can be difficult to engage the scripture in ways that lead us to real change, not just a better collection of Bible knowledge. A Bit of History While it is not the only form of inductive study, the manu-script Bible study was developed in the 1950s and 60s by an InterVarsity staff named Paul Byer and some of his friends. Trained as an architect and therefore appreciative of layout and structure, Paul was studying Mark’s gospel and wanted to see how different parts of the story lined up with one another. He got a second Bible and tore out pages in order to look at them side-by-side. Then he marked them up with pens and notes to track what he was seeing. When stu-dents came to InterVarsity Bible studies, they were asked to bring two Bibles. In time Paul and his friends saw that: This was a fantastic way to see how Mark had built his gos-pel and perhaps typing up the manuscript would be more efficient than continuing to tear up multiple Bibles. Paul continued to study and lead this way, still adding notes to his own, yellowed manuscript as he taught well into what most of us would consider his “retirement” years. One of the best things about this format is that it’s accessible to a wide variety of people. Because the ques-tions come from the group and the answers come from the text, you can adjust manuscript study for language, age, intellectual ability, and local culture. What never changes is the Word itself, and the point of this kind of study is to keep looking at the Word. We’re out to discover what the text hoped to say to its original audience.

How to Prepare To begin, let’s think about how God deals with his Word: As the rain and snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth, making it flower and sprout, giving seed to the farmer and bread to the hun-gry—That is how my word will be which comes out of my mouth: It shall not return to me empty, without accomplish-ing what I desire, or without succeeding in its mission. (Isaiah 55:10-11) God is in charge of his Word, and there’s no chance it won’t succeed, which is amazing, when you consider that God chooses to involve us in the mission of his Word: Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will be saved—both your-self and those who hear you . . . Be diligent to present your-self approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, because you handle the Word accurately. (Paul to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:16 and in 2 Timothy 2:15) The challenge to you as a leader, then, is to trust God to work through his Word and to work diligently to handle it well. Pray. Pray from start to finish. Leading a Bible study is something you do with God. Jesus is the author of our faith and He’d like to be in on the study with you. So pray that way. Ask for God’s help. Pray for the people in your study. Believe, and then ask Jesus to help your unbelief. Step One: Select a Passage Look for engaging stories that are straightforward and ap-plicable. We strongly recommend that you start with stories and parables, since that’s where Jesus, the Master Teacher, started His teaching. Pauline and other New Testament material is predicated on a deep understanding of the Gos-pels. Most people, whether they know it or not, can use more time around Jesus in the Gospels directly. Look for stories. At the beginning, look for shorter passages rather than longer ones. It will frustrate your group if they never feel like they have enough time to talk about the passage. Try to find stories that are manageable within the time you have. Some passages, such as the parable of the prodigal son, can be divided and studied over two or more meet-ings, because they’re really two stories in one. Don’t divide too often, though, because you don’t want to exclude

HANDOUT / A Guide for Leaders (page 2)

those who weren’t there for the previous study. You don’t have to go through a whole book. Once your group has some experience you might look at a character like Abraham or David or study Psalms. As your group learns to study, in this way, together, stay away from passages that will bog you down in difficult interpretation (e.g., Galatians 4:21-31 is not a good starter passage). It is very important that you get time during the study to apply the passage—that is do and respond to the scripture in real life—especially during the first few studies when you are setting the tone. Keep that in mind as you choose a text. Step Two: Prepare the Text Once you’ve chosen a passage, type or legally download the text double-spaced without verses and chapter divi-sions and with wide margins and, if possible, line numbers so you can make notes as you study. Make copies for your group and keep one to prepare yourself. Step Three: Study the Passage Thoroughly If you want to teach the Bible, your first task is to be taught by the Bible. Your job as a leader is to study and apply it to your own life. If you do this, you will be ready to lead your group. There is no shortcut to this process. Ask God for help and use your best study skills to study the passage thoroughly on your own. Do what you do in any inductive Bible study: observe the text, ask questions of it, look up cultural references and words you don’t know, cross-reference to the Old Testa-ment. Begin to develop questions about what the author might have intended to say to his or her original audience. Give yourself several hours to do this and do it at least a few days before you plan to teach. Some leaders like to go through the passage every day for several days. Step Four: Let the Message Affect Your Life God’s Word and God’s Spirit change people’s lives. We know God accomplishes what He wants to accomplish. Nevertheless, if you are resistant to God’s Word in your own life, you may hinder others from hearing the Word clearly. Your own willingness to hear and accept God’s Word (and by accept it, we mean actively take it in and be

changed by it) is much more important than your skill level as a teacher. If you’re anxious or doubtful about your teaching ability, pray against this anxiety. If you tend toward overconfi-dence, ask God to remind you of the futility of effort apart from Him. The issue is not you, but the Word, and the point is not that you do it perfectly but that you give yourself to it wholeheartedly. You win people to what you win them with. If you are won to the depth and power of the Scrip-ture, you will begin to teach in ways that lead your group in that direction. Step Five: Answer These Questions and Make Notes You may discover lots of interesting side-notes as you study, but not every item will be useful to your group’s understanding. What will help the group? Work on these questions as you study: What is the main point of the passage? If you see

several main points, list them all, but try to narrow your list to the one that’s most directly the main thing the author is trying to say or show to the reader.

What key observations and connections will women have to make in order to find the main point?

What can I ask that will help the group make these observations and connections? This may all sound more highly structured than you’d like, but it won’t seem stilted if you have done thorough preparation and can engage with the group from the heart rather than the notes in front of you.

Finally, work forward from the main point to ask: How can I help women see how the main point ap-plies in real life? Remember, you can begin to get at these questions by recognizing your own process in and response to the text. Once you’ve made notes on your text, you’ll be ready to expand into a plan for leading the study.

Step 6: Lead the Study The steps below are designed to give you two things: An idea of how a small group study should flow, step-by-step; and a set of guidelines you can use to plan. a) Plan a warm-up: Think of things that are fun to talk about, accessible to everyone, and not likely to spook new-comers. If your women are all committed Christians and


this is your aim, you can also do sharing and prayer, as well as worship, in warm-up times. Think through your context and go from there. Pay attention to each woman. Listen carefully and make an effort to connect with everyone in the group. Women will be hoping for you, the leader, to make them feel welcome and at home. Your body language, eye contact, and con-versational skills must be engaged. Having—or not hav-ing—these skills will affect your study by helping or hinder-ing communication and group growth. Don’t spend too long on warm-up and chatting. You’ll want enough time to do the study. b) Present the text in a way that helps women to listen. Women need to hear the Word. Don’t just open with half an hour of individual study and some colored pens. There are many ways to open the text to your group: Have each woman read it on her own, silently, for a

few minutes. Have one woman or several, read it aloud. Have women read it dramatically. This can be as com-

plicated as preparing a script and asking women to practice, or as simple as assigning characters or parts around the circle.

Have the group close their eyes and visualize the scene as it’s read, then describe what they saw.

Read it and have a woman follow by retelling it in her own words.

The first step in receiving the Word (actively taking it in) is hearing. And to hear we must listen. Jesus starts many of his parables, “Listen!” and he labels things as “for those who have ears to hear . . . ” The better you can help women listen, the better chance they’ll have of getting past their presuppositions about the passage and hearing what the author is really trying to say to us. If there are facts not in the passage itself but important for understanding the passage (for example, When the sower sows the seeds, why does he throw them so randomly? Didn’t they plant in rows?), set the scene for women at the beginning (right before or right after the passage is read for the first time. Make sure that if needed, you clarify what has just hap-pened before this point in the story, too. If you’re starting with the return of the seventy in Luke 10, you will need to clarify that the seventy went out a few verses ago.

c) Ask for initial observations and questions. The rule in inductive study is, there are no stupid questions. The Bible was written to be understood – not hidden. Often the most apparently obvious questions and observations are the most crucial for understanding. Ask open-ended questions. Some examples: What do you notice about this scene? What is most striking about this story? What do you notice about character X? What words or themes are repeated? Are there any words that stand out to you? What doesn’t make sense? What seems obvious? Is there anywhere the story seems to shift or turn

a corner? Avoid easy-answer, fill-in-the-blanks, and leading ques-tions. Some examples not to ask: Who are the characters? Where do they go? How many sons are there? During the observation phase, you should also let women ask questions. Ask them to bring up anything they didn’t understand, new words and ideas, and to ask questions about the text. You can get the group (or yourself) to an-swer things like definitions but answers to interpretive questions (“Why does the author make such a big deal about the pig farmers?”) should be saved for the interpre-tive stage of the study. If someone asks a technical or fac-tual question (for example, “Are they by the Sea of Galilee when this happens?”) feel free to give an answer right away and move on. Show your group that their questions are important by taking notes and coming back to them later in the study. Don’t spend too much time on this step. Women want to figure the passage out, not just sit around noticing it. It’s okay to add observations as you continue into interpreta-tion, especially once people have identified most of the key items in the text. When you ask questions, think of it as fishing. Only you’re not fishing for answers—you’re fishing for thoughtful par-ticipation. The question is the bait. Women bite when they look closely at the passage, think hard for a moment, and then give an answer that wasn’t already given by the ques-tion. This engages them and others, and they start to learn how to fish (search the text thoughtfully) for themselves. d) Go through the passage section by section. For the sake of time and simplicity, you will probably want to de-cide ahead of time how to break the passage down into parts that can be examined more carefully. Breaking a text


down into sections is a way to get group members to work together and in a logical progression, rather than trying to deal with a flurry of unrelated comments from everywhere in the text at once. A section can be as big as a whole paragraph or as small as a few lines. Divide it so that you can pay the most attention to the most important material. Once you start moving through the text, be prepared to do the following: Ask more questions to get at more observations. You

may need to tease out missing details. Ask the group for possible answers—from the text—to

questions already raised but not yet answered. Ask questions that will help your group interpret: Why

do you think? What’s the point of the parable? What is the author getting at?

Your notes from Step 5 will help you keep track of the most important things. But be ready to add to them, as your group is sure to see some things you missed. Move quickly. It’s okay to spend time on significant things, but don’t get sidetracked into tangential issues and don’t try to squeeze everything out of one sentence before mov-ing to the next. Many passages are understood only once you get to the end and work your way back through. e) Always bring women back to the text. If someone launches into a long, irrelevant story, reads extensive notes from their Super Study Super Bible, or expounds their fa-vorite six-point argument for predestination, call them back to the text. We often stop people by saying, “ That sounds so interesting, but we’re going to get back to the story.” Sometimes you will need to say, “Can you show me where that is in this text?” If they don’t have a pretty clear, quick answer, you can always say, “That might be connected, but since it’s not really directly in this text, let’s move on and maybe we’ll see if it connects once we’ve understood the story.” Sometimes women are challenged, upset, or threatened by the Word, and they throw things into the discussion to dis-tract themselves (and you) from the pressure of the Holy Spirit. If you notice someone acting this way once, gently encourage them back to the Scripture. Their anxiety may be a sign God is at work, so try to help them stick with it. Sometimes acknowledging that this is scary actually helps women feel free to have the experience they’re having. You might say something like, “When I first studied this pas-sage, it made me feel . . .” to signal to the uncomfortable

person that you, too, are experiencing the challenge of the Gospel. It’s OK for you, and for them, to feel it. You need to be flexible. Your group might see the story in entirely different terms than you prepped. They might envi-sion the characters completely differently. They might even recognize something you didn’t notice when you prepared. Someone might launch into a bit of application early. Use these moments to energize the study: “Hey! I’ve never seen that before!” or “That really challenges me, too.” Absorb these unexpected comments and insights into the flow of discussion, appreciate them, and move on. (The unex-pected stuff is half the fun.) Don’t let verbose women take over the group. f) Ask for the main point. The main point may already be apparent from working through the text. But it’s helpful to ask women directly to state the main point of the passage. Get them to express it in their own words. Remember that to be true to Scripture, we are looking for the main thing the author wanted to communicate to the reader – not just anything the group liked, and not how this passage fits into the theology someone already had. There may be several important points the author is mak-ing, and many ways of stating the main point. Step Seven: Pray and get prayed for. Leaders need God’s attention and help. After you have fin-ished teaching you may notice that you feel vulnerable or rattled. That’s OK. If you’ve really grappled with the text, you have probably let God in – and then you let other peo-ple into your process. You have also likely spent yourself on caring for your group. Ask a friend to pray with and for you after you have done this kind of ministry. You need God’s presence and protection then as much – and maybe more, if that’s possi-ble – as when you’re preparing to teach. Don’t be shy. It doesn’t have to be a marathon – just a few minutes. And while you’re at it, you can pray for God’s Word to continue to accomplish its purpose in your life and the lives of the women who attended.

HANDOUT / Philippians 1

Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Phi-

lippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the

Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in

every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first

day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will

bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all

of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both

in my imprisonment and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my wit-

ness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer,

that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to

determine what is best, so that on the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having

produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and

praise of God. I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually

helped to spread the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial

guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ; and most of the brothers

and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the

word with greater boldness and without fear. Some proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry,

but others from goodwill. These proclaim Christ out of love, knowing that I have been put

here for the defence of the gospel; the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not

sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment. What does it matter?

Just this, that Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true; and in

5 10 15 20

HANDOUT / Philippians 1 (continued)

that I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the

help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will result in my deliverance. It is my eager expectation

and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all bold-

ness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me,

living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me;

and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart

and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.

Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your

progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus

when I come to you again. Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so

that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are

standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel,

and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruc-

tion, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. For he has graciously granted you the

privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well— since you are hav-

ing the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

25 30 35





Purpose To help women recognize the importance of Sab-

bath rest. To help women discover ways to carve out time

for rest in their lives.

Please Invite All the women in your church: The need for rest is common to all. This event may be particularly useful for the working mothers in your church or commu-nity who may struggle with life-balance issues.

Prepare Group chairs and tables to facilitate group discus-

sion and Bible study. Copy handouts (God’s Words About Rest, Creating

Your Rest Plan and Trusted Roads) and have them ready to distribute to each woman at the event, either at their tables or as they come in.

Distribute pens/pencils at each table. Have several Bibles at hand for women who may

not bring theirs. Bibles should all be in the same version.

Invite women a few weeks prior to the event and ask them to bring their planners / calendars with them.

Ahead of the event, find a woman to lead the Bi-ble study portion. She ensures that women are aware of the time allotted for the study, answers any questions that arise and/or facilitates the en-tire study if this works best for the event.

KEEP IT ALIVE — Cultivating Sabbath Rest


Present There are three sections to this program: Introduction God’s Words About Rest: a Bible study Creating Your Rest Plan

Respond You will end this event with a prayer about rest. SAY: We will end by praying a prayer that reminds us of the rest we have in God. It’s called Trusted Roads. We will pray in unison. PRAY: Trusted Roads SAY: Let us keep each other accountable with our rest plans until we meet again.



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Program Introduction Welcome women to this event. SAY: The things you do when you’re tired—such as reaching for the fourth cup of coffee, the remote, the cupcake(s)—are almost never the things that’ll get you “untired.” How about a real rest? Do we even know what that means? READ: Merriam-Webster defines rest as repose or sleep; freedom from activity or labour; a state of mo-tionlessness or inactivity; peace of mind or spirit; a rhythmic silence in music; a brief pause in reading; something used for support. As a verb, to rest means to be quiescent; mo-tionless; free of anxieties; to cease from action or mo-tion; to refrain from labour or exertion; to be free from anxiety or disturbance; to sit or lie fixed or sup-ported; to remain confident; to remain idle or un-cropped (when speaking of farmland). READ: In a recent article titled Rest Cures, Sarah Reis-tad-Long writes: “For most women who chronically bump along on near empty, it’s no mystery that get-ting to bed a little earlier would help. “‘The sleep system really does work like a bank,’says William Dement, MD, PhD, who—as chief of the sleep medicine division at the Stanford University School of Medicine—should know. ‘We can keep going for a long time on borrowed energy because our sur-vival mechanisms kick in. At some point, however, every hour lost needs to be paid back.’ But instead of the pillow, we’ll often reach for coffee—37 per cent of American women chug more than three caffeinated beverages a day, according to the National Sleep Foundation—or a glass of wine, or something sweet, or the remote control . . . None of these efforts re-stores energy—some, in fact, do the opposite. “Even when you do finally climb into bed, there are times when anxiety invades your sleep, leaving you bleary-eyed and dragging day after day. So we decided to investigate what—short of permanent resi-dency at a spa—gives you a real rest.

“Paradoxically, according to the newest re-search, when you’re looking for a profound rest cure, rather than trying to tune out, you may be better off tuning in and anchoring your awareness in the pre-sent moment. You can approach such engagement through various routes but perhaps the most effective route is —giving up the need to be in control.” ASK: Based on the Merriam-Webster definitions, when was the last time you had a rest? What did you do? Do you find it difficult to rest? What happens when you don’t rest? Give the women about 10 minutes to share. You may choose to list their answers on the white board or flip chart paper. After you’ve listed their answers, tear off the sheet and tape up on a side wall where everyone can see it. SAY: “Rest” is a radical idea because it is about giving up the need to be in control as Sarah suggests. In the Bible, this concept lies at the core of the practice of Sabbath-keeping. Invite women to turn to the God’s Words About Rest handout. SAY: Please take the next 30 minutes to work through this study. Feel free to share your answers and in-sights with women at your table. You may not com-plete the study in 30 minutes. That’s OK. You may fin-ish it at home. God’s Words About Rest Women are to go through the study individually, at their tables. After 30 minutes, transition the group into the rest plan activity. Creating Your Rest Plan SAY: Creating a rest plan is one way to say yes to Je-sus’ invitation in Matthew 11 to come to Him and find rest. This activity will help you to schedule in times when you will rest. Each person’s rest plan will be different.



Here’s what you are to do: SAY: Your Create Your Rest Plan handout is to be filled out by you. Fill in the first column titled “What I will do that will bring me rest.” You have to list your top three rests in order for each category listed on the left. Once you’ve filled in the first column, go to the second. Taking your calendar or daybooks, schedule in these nine times of rest. Finally, write down the name of someone with whom you will share your rest plan; someone who will hold you accountable. At our next meeting, let’s check in and see how we’ve done. At this point in the program, women should list their nine rests, review their calendars and daybooks, and schedule in those rests. As they do so, remind them to be as concrete as possible, for example: read the Bible using lectio divina, listen to a Maranatha CD, etc. This is the time to have a CD of worship/prayer music playing. Consider Canadian artists such as Ruth Fazal or choose any other instrumental worship/prayer music. End this activity after 20 minutes. ASK: Was it easy or difficult to do this activity? What will some of your challenges be as you leave this event and put your plan in place? Encourage women to share what they’ve planned to do. Move to the time of response.

Resources Book Face to Face: Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship (Volume One) by Kenneth Boa Music Any instrumental or “soft” worship/prayer music from artists like Ruth Fazal, Alberto and Kimberly Rivera and Hillsong.

Leader’s Notes



HANDOUT / God’s Words About Rest

Rest B.C. What do the following verses tell you about rest? (Who or what rests, when, how, for how long and why?) Genesis 2:1-3 Psalm 62:1-5 Exodus 33:14 Psalm 91:1 Psalm 16: 5-11 Psalm 131 __ __ __ __ Based on these verses, your ability to rest depends on: __ __

The Sabbath Year Read Leviticus 25:1-7. God commanded the Israelites to leave their fields fallow once every seven years. They were not work their fields during that Sabbath year. How hard would that have been for the Israelites to do? What would have to change in your life if God asked you to stop working for 365 consecutive days, once every seven years? How would your relationship with God change? Could you do it? Why do you think God asked the Israelites, particularly at that point in their history, to observe this practice—this Sabbath year? (You may want to read verses 8-22.) __ __ __ __

Obedience Begins with r “This is what the LORD says: ‘Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.’” — Jeremiah 6:16a Remember a time when you had to stop at the cross-roads. What choice did you make there? How did your soul rest after you made that choice? __ __ __ __

Jesus Rested READ: Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16 and Luke 6:12 Why do you think Jesus felt it necessary to go away (be alone) and pray? __ __ __ __ Jesus practiced the spiritual discipline of solitude. He rested. If He needed to rest, why do you feel that you don’t, or worse, feel guilty that you do? A time of rest helps you to focus and function.

Rest is a Promise Worth Keeping Read Matthew 11:28. Jesus promises you rest. He only asks you to say yes to His invitation to “come.”

HANDOUT / Your Rest Plan

What I will do that will bring or give me rest (listed in priority)

Date and time (all “acts” of rest to be completed before the next group meeting)

What I can do for 10 minutes #1

#2

#3


#2

#3


#2

#3

HANDOUT / Trusted Roads

Trusted Roads Psalm 23 Dear God, you sustain me and feed me; like a shepherd you guide me. You lead me to an oasis of green, to lie down by restful waters. You refresh my soul for the journey, and guide me along trusted roads. The God of justice is your name. Though I must enter the darkness of death, I will fear no evil. For you are with me, your rod and staff comfort me. You prepare a table before my very eyes, in the presence of those who trouble me. You anoint my head with oil, and you fill my cup to the brim. Your living kindness and mercy will meet me every day of my life, and I will dwell in the house of my God forever. by Terry Falla, from Be Our Freedom Lord: Responsive Prayers And Readings for Contemporary Worship





Purpose To introduce Canadian Baptist Women, CBWOQ

and Pingping Ren to all the women in your con-gregation.

To explore CBWOQ’s theme verses (Romans 12:11-12, NIRV) by listening in on Brenda Mann’s con-versation with PingPing Ren.

Please Invite Women who are familiar with Canadian Baptist

Women and CBWOQ and who want to know more about Pingping Ren.

Women who aren’t familiar with Canadian Baptist Women or CBWOQ and want to know more or are interested in the vision and mission of these two movements.

Young women (30 years old and younger): Ping-ping Ren’s youth, energy and testimony make for a compelling video. Her comments will generate excellent cross-generational discussions.

Prepare Contact the CBWOQ office to receive the video on

DVD: Kristi Pollard at [email protected] or 416-620-2954. The DVD will be mailed to you free of charge.

Set up the room so that chairs face the video screen /surface. Chairs should easily be moved into groups of two or three as directed in the Les-sons from Pingping Ren section.

Prior to the event, set up and test all the equip-ment you’ll need to successfully present the video: television/DVD player or computer/projector.

Have DVD cued up and ready to play. Prepare giant bowls of popcorn and other movie

snacks and set them out as appropriate. Women can munch on snacks while they watch the video and during the discussion.

Prior to the event, the leader should have re-viewed the video and the handouts. She may want to revise (add/subtract/reword) the suggested questions detailed in the Lessons from Pingping Ren section.

KEEP IT ALIVE — Video Night with Brenda and Pingping


Present There are three sections to this program: Introduction Video presentation Lessons from Pingping Ren: A guided discussion

on the video

Respond After you have lead women through the guided discussion handout… SING: Shine Jesus Shine (lyrics are on handout) PRAY: God of All Delight (words on handout) This prayer may be prayed in unison or antiphonally.



Consider supporting Baptist Women and its mission of enabling women in our CBOQ churches to reach others for Jesus Christ. Baptist Women organizes and leads two short-term missions every year. Contact executive director Brenda Mann at 416-620-2953 for more information.

Program Introduction After a brief opening prayer and/or song of your choosing… SAY: Welcome to this movie night. We are going to watch a short video that takes us to Brenda Mann’s office and a chat she had with Pingping Ren in August 2012. Pingping Ren is the current international stu-dent being sponsored to study here in Canada by Ca-nadian Baptist Women. As CBWOQ we are part of Ca-nadian Baptist Women, along with our sister organi-zations in Atlantic and western Canada. And there-fore, we financially support Pingping. So grab some popcorn and a drink and let’s listen in! Video Presentation Play the video. Go through the Lessons from Pingping Ren section. If time permits, you may want to play the video as you move through the handout’s questions. Encourage women to ask their own questions based on their insights and comments. Lessons from Pingping Ren Pingping’s Testimony SAY: Brenda asks Pingping to share how she found Jesus or how He found her! ASK: What circumstances in your life led you to Je-sus? What elements of Pingping’s testimony are simi-lar to elements of your testimony? Divide the group into twos or threes. Give women 15 minutes to share their testimony with each other.

SAY: Brenda asks Pingping to talk about what God has been teaching her over the past three years of her schooling at Crandall University. Pingping replies by saying that God has positioned Canada at this point in her spiritual journey, as the place where she rests; where she learns to trust. God leads us to green pastures and still waters (Psalm 23). Where are your places of rest? Where are the places where you are learning to trust? Invite women, still in twos or threes, to share for five minutes about their places of rest/places where they are learning to trust. These places could be physical (as Pingping’s is) or they could be a relationship, a situation or a circumstance. Pingping’s Reflections on CBWOQ’s Theme Verses SAY: Brenda asks Pingping what takes the fire away from her; what makes it not so bright. Surprisingly, Pingping firmly states that hard times bring her closer to the Lord. Invite women to share, in twos or threes, about a hard time that brought them closer to the Lord. Ask them to be specific in their story-sharing. Give women 10 minutes for this sharing. SAY: Pinging goes on to say that she knows that the fire will never burn out and that her “flesh” can be strong. ASK: What routines help you “hold time for God?” What do you need to start or stop doing to help you resist the distractions of the world? SAY: Brenda asks Pingping which one of the keys – joyful hope, patient suffering, faithful prayer – comes easier than the others for her. Pingping replies that none of them are easy. She then talks about sacrifice, her identity in God. ASK: Are any of these keys easy for you? Why is this? Discuss Pingping’s perspective on sacrifice. ASK: What sacrifices do you need to make to keep God’s fire alive in your heart?



SAY: Brenda asks Pingping to share about the keys that are hardest for her and focuses her question on patient suffering. ASK: Which key is hardest for you and why? What does “patient” in the context of our theme verses—”When you suffer, be patient,”—mean to you? Our Sisters in China SAY: Brenda asks Pingping to share about Christian women in China and what can they teach us about how to apply our theme verses in our Canadian con-text. Pingping talks about persecution in China and in Canad and suggests that we are persecuted in Canada through the wealth and comfort we enjoy. Discuss Pingping’s answer, particularly her perspec-tives on persecution. ASK: Do you agree? Disagree? Why? Pingping’s Final Words SAY: Your prayers can be the hand of God in a woman’s life. Your prayers help a woman like Ping-ping to keep God’s fire alive in her heart. ASK: How will your prayers (and your approach to prayer) change, knowing that they are a key compo-nent of the fuel another woman needs to “keep it alive”? Pingping’s Prayer Requests SAY: Let’s take some time now to pray for Pingping and her requests: growing intimacy with God her academics (this is her final year at Crandall) her family members—that they come to know

Jesus as Lord and Saviour

Leader’s Notes



HANDOUT / Song and Poem

Shine, Jesus, Shine Lord, the light of Your love is shining In the midst of the darkness shining Jesus, Light of the world shine upon us Set us free by the truth You now bring us Shine on me, shine on me Chorus: Shine, Jesus, shine Fill this land with the Father's glory Blaze, Spirit, blaze Set our hearts on fire Flow, river, flow Flood the nations with grace and mercy Send forth Your word Lord, and let there be light Lord, I come to Your awesome presence From the shadows into Your radiance By the blood I may enter Your brightness Search me try me consume all my darkness Shine on me, shine on me Chorus Lyrics and music by Graham Kendrick

God of All Delight God of all delight, awesome, elusive, mysterious, yet closer than the breeze that brushes the cheek, you are familiar with the things we care about, you know our strengths and weaknesses, you share our joy and pain, and our hearts are tender in the thought of you. May nothing ever succeed in wowing us away from you, and may the call of Jesus, our savior and our brother, never fail to find access to our hearts. May we never be so devoted to the mirages of the world, to creature instead of Creator, that we lose sight of who we are and to whom we most truly belong. God of all worlds and of every future, be the dawn for which we wait and look, the hope by which we live, the joy for which we long, be our freedom, Lord, now and forever. Amen. by Terry Falla, from Be Our Freedom Lord: Responsive Prayers and Readings for Contemporary Worship

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