Category Archives: Graham Cooke

Aug 16 2012
Bible, Christianity, Graham Cooke, Ivy Manchester Grow Group Notes, Jesus, Prayer

Your Inheritance for your Identity

(Ivy GG notes – see previous for context)

Read Isaiah 61:

Isaiah 61 was Jesus’ inheritance word. He was modelling how God uses scripture. It’s there for us to lay hold of and lay claim to.

Discuss: What Bible passages most grab you? The ones that keep coming up for you? 

For where he wants to take you, there are scriptures you need to live in. Any promise in there is yours. The Bible says ‘God is no respecter of persons’ That means you can become like that person and have that experience they did. Their identity can become part of you. As you learn how to move in the anointing this passage gives you. It’s your inheritance word. When he gives you that, he commits resources to see it fulfilled.

Discuss: Which Bible characters resonate most deeply with you? Why? 

It doesn’t matter how many people are against me. It’s the power of one – walking with the One. 

Pray: Name one difficult situation you’re facing right now. Pray for one another; claiming the power of the One walking with you that makes all things possible. 

When God gave you a ‘Word’ he wasn’t giving you a blessing for the moment – think about the prophetic promise, look at the passage again, those words he keeps giving are meant to be of your identity forever. Study those passages – where your future life is contained in him. You can have the courage Gideon had, the wisdom of Solomon.

Which Bible characters do you wish you could be more like? 

Your identity always has resources attached to it. You have multiple identities – but one personality. Your identities are resourced.

Grandpa, Aunt, husband, godparent, boss… it depends you’re relating with.

What ‘identities’ have you had in the last week? Have you asked God for the resources you need to be who you are called to be for others? 

This is true physically and in the spirit too. As the Bread of Life – Jesus could feed 5000. He was the King of Bread! That was part of his identity. If you don’t step into your identity, you will always be behind what the Lord has for you. Get what the Lord has said about you, read it out loud – and say, “Lord, I accept this identity, you said it – I receive the resources I need for that.” 

Do you have a prophetic word that’s just stick in your Bible? Stuck in a drawer somewhere? Get it out! Once you got it, the clock starts ticking. God starts working on it. It starts the day you receive it. You start training into it. Rather than asking the Lord, ‘What’s the word you have next for me?’ What about one he’s already spoken? Live that one out! If you will start to interact with how God sees you, everything gets geared up. This can be a life or death issue, spiritually.

DISCUSS: Do you have promises and prophecies etc written down and tucked away? Why not bring them next week and share them with others in the GG? Encourage one another. 

Whatever God orders, he pays for. If you have a prophetic word about provision, you can go to another level with your giving! 

PRACTICE: Read a Psalm…

What belongs to you?

Is it describing who you are?

Be free from being present/past in your thinking; Be present/future. Get into the flow of the Holy Spirit – believe He will make it work. Get to know how God sees you. The change will depend on how you take hold of those words and establish them in prayer and as a reality of experience. 

 

 

 

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Aug 09 2012
Father God, Graham Cooke, Heaven, Holy Spirit, Ivy Manchester Grow Group Notes, Jesus, leadership

How are you known in heaven?

Ivy MCR grow group notes; content inspired by Graham Cooke/ Keys to the City

You can grow up with a negative and positive part of your personality. You’ll act out of either –

maybe you’ll be judgemental, fearful, prone to deception, or too self conscious.

OR you can be someone who loves a challenge, a risk taker, trusting, self aware. 

Both of these personalities are in us, to a greater or lesser extent. 

Jesus wants to bring out all those positives in us.

 DISCUSS: Which of these two personalities is usually dominant in you? 

Read Mk 827  And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples,“Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him,“John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”30  And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

This is an occasion where Peter got it RIGHT!

DISCUSS: Can you recall the times he got it wrong?

GC: ‘Don’t worry about things you haven’t been able to do perfectly. You learn by failing.’ 

Why do we find it easier to recall failures than successes?

Jesus was always making I am statements. 

So was God the Father. 

Because when we have an identity we have to declare that so others know how to relate to that.

Read Exodus 33:12-end

Moses was asking to see the glory of God. God says ‘My goodness will blast you – I’d better just show you my back.” 

Then he declares his IDENTITY - God says, ‘I am compassionate. merciful, slow to anger etc…’ 

DISCUSS: What other words would you want to add to describe God? What’s his identity to you? 

Look at Luke 4:16 Jesus came to his home town, stood up to read – and read from the wrong place! Isaiah 61. ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.

What was he saying? ‘This is how I am known in heaven…’

In John 16, Jesus says ‘It’s better for you if I go away.’  They’re saying, ‘No way.’

Jesus replies, ‘Yes it is – so HE can come!’ Who? The IDENTITY of the Holy Spirit is described:

Here’s how he is known in heaven: He’s going to convict the world of sin and righteousness. He’ll lead us into all truth. He’ll glorify Jesus in us and to us. He’s a comforter and helper. 

Discuss: What would you like to be known in heaven for? What are you going to do with this one short life to make a difference? 

Luke 1. The angel shows up to talk to Zechariah about how his son John is known in heaven – and he’s not even born yet!

- ‘He’ll be great in the sight of God. He’ll make a way for the Lord.’  

When you get a prophetic word, it’s God describing you. God is telling you, ‘This is who you are.’ Then for the next while, everything in your life is training you for who you are. If you get a word that you’re a warrior when you’re a wimp, you’re on a journey now! In the place between prophecy spoken and fulfilled there’s some boldness to walk in now. Every situation is designed to help you become that. AND even if you don’t accept that word, he’s going to do in you. 

He also gives us scripture. He loves to tell us who we are from his word. He wants you to have very specific passages that are talking to you about how he sees you.

DISCUSS what passages and words have been spoken to you and resonated recently? Pray that you’ll co-operate to become who you’re known in heaven to be!

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Aug 04 2012
Bible, Christianity, Graham Cooke, Ivy Manchester Grow Group Notes Aside

GG notes for Ivy MCR following Graham Cooke’s teaching (you can now download the teaching from the Ivy MCR website, it’s well worth it!)

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READ 1 Peter 1:1-9 in various translations. 

Q. What grabs you from the passage?

Peter was writing to 5 provinces under persecution. He calls them ‘elect’ which means specifically chosen. They are also living as ‘resident aliens’ wherever they end up. Pray, thanking God for choosing to love you, and being Lord of your journey. Most of what follows now is from my notes on Graham’s talks.

GC:  Jesus died to give us HOPE – a brilliant expectation! He wants to teach you to put on the identity you have so you can impact the world around you. 

DISCUSS: Are you known as a person of hope?  

Matt 1613  Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock[b] I will build my church, and the gates of hell[c]shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed[d] in heaven.” 20  Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. 

When Jesus asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say I am?’ He wasn’t having an identity crisis! When you know who you, are you know how you’re supposed to live. You’re free to have a new tomorrow. The church is there to call us up to who they really are. Jesus is teaching them about identity here…

They gave him 4 wrong answers;

  1. John the baptist (he’d just been beheaded!)
  2. Elijah
  3. Jeremiah
  4. One of the prophets.

Later some people saw him in his home town and said ‘He’s just Joseph’s boy.’ They kept getting Him wrong.

Q: What wrong ideas do people have about Jesus these days?

DISCUSS: What roles do you fulfil when others relate to you? List them. Which could be stripped away and which ones are the real you? 

What is my identity in Jesus?

Your true identity is made up of…

  1. Who we are on earth (our background and upbringing) that shapes your personality.
  2. How we are known in heaven.

Your true identity

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Jul 26 2012
Bible, Christianity, Graham Cooke, Ivy Manchester Grow Group Notes, Jesus, Uncategorized

Problem – Promise – Provision – POSSIBILITY!

I’ll be at NWN12 next week so here are the Ivy MCR GG notes for next week (Commencing 30 July); continuing from Graham Cooke’s recent visit, his words are in italics. 

 

Read 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. Pray together for revelation from God about the passage.

DISCUSS: Is there any problem now that seems unsurmountable? is there an area where you feel weak? What do you think Paul meant about being strong when he was weak? Pray for one another.

GC: ‘You can’t have a problem without the promise and the provision being attached. You can’t experience a negative without the positive being provided, so now you see the POSSIBILITY that is possible for God.’ 

Discuss: How might this perspective tie in with what Paul was telling the Corinthians?

GC: Get excited by problems, because worry is illegal. Remember that belongs to Jesus now – he paid for it – it’s his stuff! Look at the size of the problem, then go – Oh wow, the promise and the provision must be bigger! We have a totally different take on everything because JESUS IS LORD! Learn to be Kingdom people experiencing life differently. The Holy Spirit loves to help because he’s the helper. He loves his job in your life. And everything is his speciality. 

Do you think and act like that is true? In what areas do you need to change your mind/ attitude/ behaviour?

Jesus establishes closure

He loves your conversion

He empowers your commission

He orchestrates your battles so you learn to prosper and be victorious in everything. 

He upgrades your identity. 

Q. How often have we settled for a Christianity that is just a sin management programme or a free ticket to heaven, rather than a complete change of life here and now?

What if we could live as though God knew everything about us – totally vulnerable to the goodness of God, so full of favour we overflow. What if everything is possible? Revival occurs when we start to see as God sees and think as God thinks – especially about ourselves. So – stop praying like a widow – and start praying like a bride. A woman who knows she’s loved by her husband knows she can get anything she wants from him. Become amazing! 

Read the story of the persistent widow in Luke 18:1-8 as a study in CONTRASTS not similarities. What differences are there when we pray to God versus her position?

You have to learn how to NOT LISTEN to the father of lies.You can’t have Christ in you and be ordinary. Know that nothing can work against you because he is working for you. We have authority to trample on the enemy not by taking authority over the devil but by discovering the majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ. The gospel is so astonishing it borders on fantasy, but if it’s not too good to be true, it’s not God. Because the only way you can worship God is in superlatives! 

Spend some time throwing out some superlatives about God right now. Write some, say some, sing some. God loves it and the devil hates it! 

There’s no place for fear in warfare. We are more vulnerable to the sovereignty of God than to any power of the enemy. You have Christ in you. It’s not a fair fight! It’s a good fight – because the good fight is one you win and you’re condemned to victory. When you know who are and who God is. Part of your commissioning is never be afraid. Enjoy who Jesus is. Give him his stuff back. See yourself in the beauty of your new nature. There’s a new way. 

 

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Jul 25 2012
1 Comment
Bible, Christianity, Graham Cooke, Ivy Manchester Grow Group Notes, Manchester

OVER OUR HEADS IN GLORY

 

Carrying on from my Graham Cooke notes for Ivy Grow Groups again! Sorry these are a little late and thanks for the reminder, I have been at New Wine LSE which was fabulous but very busy and little opportunity for internet access. 

PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER: 

  • Pray for Ivy as people go away for summer, many at festivals like New Wine (some for refreshing, others to work)
  • Pray for the meetings continuing on Sundays at Ivy Didsbury at 10am (short family services) and 1130am (no children’s provision)

STUDY:  

Isaiah 42:8

“I am the LORD, that is My name;  I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.”

Isaiah 48:11 “For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act;  For how can My name be profaned?  And My glory I will not give to another.”

Discuss: What do you think God meant by not sharing his glory with another? 

Graham Cooke said, “You say ‘He won’t share his glory with another!’ Well you’re not another. You’re his and you’re in him. If you’re in Christ, you’re wonderful – step up into your rightful place!” 

Q: In what sense might God share his glory with us, without that contradicting what the Bible passages above taught?

“That means you have a great sense of knowing what you’re like WITHOUT Jesus and knowing what you are like as you’re walking with Jesus. That’s humility.”

Discuss: What would you/your life be like without Christ? If you’re not yet a Christ- follower, what difference do you think it might make if you did become his disciple? 

GC: ‘God put you into Christ so he can always look at you favourably. You’re a citizen of heaven, living here on earth. So we take our cues from there, not here! Then everyone around you can get blessed. And the more we pour out, the more we get back – pressed down and run over. People around you need you not to be struggling with what God has already killed. Take into your community your closure and your commissioning – and you will take territory.’

READ aloud the end of Philippians 3.

What does it teach us about what people glory in and what God glories in? Is anyone in the group a citizen of more than one country? What does it mean to have citizenship in heaven?

GC: ‘God wants to give you have enough favour to reach the people he’s sending you to. Stop messing around in the shallow end!’

READ Ezek 47:3-6

There are 4 measurings:

Ankle

Knees

Waist

Over our heads – in the beauty and majesty of Christ with the current running fast and carrying us. 

If you want to run in that power of the Spirit you have to let go of control. Not my will, but yours. 

Discuss: What ‘control’ holds you back from going head over heels in love with God? 

Pray for one another, inviting the Holy Spirit to draw each person into a place of glorious intimacy with him we can never return from!

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Jul 16 2012
Bible, Graham Cooke, Ivy Manchester Grow Group Notes, Jesus, leadership, Marriage, Theology

You Need To Get An Upgrade!

Carrying on here with my notes from the Graham Cooke ‘Keys to the city’ conference – ideal discussions for Ivy Grow Groups for the weeks ahead.

Discussion: 

Which of those four types are you, usually?! 

Read aloud Colossians 3:1-16

Discuss – what strikes you most from the passage today? 

What do you think Colossians 3;3 means when it says you have died?

Graham said…

The world is going to be changed not by demonstrations of signs and wonders, but only when we are a people who are loved by Jesus and know exactly who they are and how to bring peace and love wherever they go. (see John 17:21). How does that happen?

Never start with the negatives. Jesus didn’t just Jesus died AS you – and took it to the grave with him. He took everything negative that was against you and nailed it to the cross. You can’t learn to trust the Lord if you’re dealing with the negative. The Holy Spirit doesn’t deal with the negative,

Good pastoral ministry is not about raking over the past/present – but dealing with our present/future. People should go to the see prophets first before the counsellor. Get some words from God about the future He has in mind for you. Then the counsellor says ‘This is who you are becoming and that’s what we’re going to work with. Because the old you is dead!’ The Father sees you different. He doesn’t see what’s wrong with you. He’s dealt with that!

Discuss: In what ways is this approach different to what usually happens in churches and other therapeutic models? 

God sees what’s missing and is committed to give us all that’s presently missing. The Holy Spirit is a genius at life! He loves to tell you who you are – and what’s next on the journey. You’re in Christ – and one of his names is wonderful, so what does that make you!?

You can’t say, ‘Jesus is wonderful but I’m rubbish.’ That’s just religious nonsense. Stop it!

Discuss: In what other ways do our words contradict God’s Word to and about us?

The Holy Spirit loves teaching you how to walk in newness of life. When he puts his finger on a part of your life that’s not working, he’s saying ‘That’s the site of your next miracle. Give it to me, so I can give you this INSTEAD.’

It’s always about the exchange. The old stuff for the new.

(This reminded me of the words in ‘My Glorious’ – great song- listen here)

The way you think is the key to your transformation. He wants you to replace your present stupid thought with a really wise one! An exhilarating one! This is how you have the mind of Christ, who has never had a negative thought! Thinking is about perception, and language. It’s all to do with understanding who I really am and how to position myself for that.

Our problem?

We want new BUT we think old.

You need to get an upgrade! What if there are unclaimed upgrades for you? If you have been living for the old, you have them stacked up – and heaven is not a storage facility. He’s not storing it all up for then. Ask for the upgrade NOW.

The pre-Christians around you need you to get your upgrade. Evangelism is easy when we’re living in abundance! Your radiant idea of Christ then gives you a radiant idea of yourself and that gives you a radiant idea of your community. That’s glory! Not when you die – NOW!

Pray for one another: Discuss then confess the areas where your perception and language have been ‘OLD’ and ask that the Lord replaces that with the NEW in every area. You might want to write out on 2 sheets what the OLD looks and sounds like, and what the NEW is. Then destroy the old dramatically and joyfully!!

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Jul 10 2012
Church, Community, Faith, Graham Cooke, Grief, Ivy Manchester Grow Group Notes, Jesus, leadership, Manchester, prophecy, wisdom, Worship

The NEW you is the TRUE you!

For the next few weeks in Grow Groups at Ivy MCR we’re going to be revisiting the amazing teaching from Graham Cooke at our ‘Keys the City’ conference, based upon my notes. So much truth made it hard to capture it all, even though I’m pretty good at note taking!

WELCOME : Ice breaker – everyone tell a short story from the past – what you remember when you were 7 or 8.

WORSHIP – Take some time together to enjoy the presence of God.

WORD -

Key learning point: If we are going to become the people that God sees when he looks at us, it is essential that we understand the process he takes us through to become Christlike.

Read Rom 6:3-14 (use various translations, compare and contrast etc)

There’s a three-stage process of transformation;

Closure, Conversion and Commissioning.

Discuss – what do those three words mean to you? How would the group define them? Compare to a dictionary definition of each.

The people coming out of Egypt had been slaves for 400 years, they had victim thinking. That means they only knew how to moan and complain and whine! They were a rabble, and had to become a different people group. They had to get closure from the past, if they were to inherit their future.

Q: What betrays the fact that a person has a victim mindset? 

Q. Graham then said, ‘”The cross is CLOSURE for our old nature.” What does that mean? 

In the Body of Christ there are people who are present/past (always affected by that, looking back).
And there are those who are present/future.

Q. Which are you, usually? If you went to the conference share how this teaching helped identify that. 

When you are in Christ you don’t have a right to be wounded, but you have a right to be healed. No matter how many times some people (the past/present thinkers) get prayer, go for counselling etc., they can’t move on – it won;t happen without the old man being closed down. Whatever happened in the past, God’s view of it was that your past was too bad to be cured or cleansed – it had to be crucified!

So you’re dead. Your job – is to stay dead. Stop grave robbing. The date you got saved is on your headstone. The Holy Spirit is not working on your old stuff, he’s given you new life. Jesus died ONCE and FOR ALL.

Q: How do we encourage one another to die to the old life in order to live the new? 

Graham said, “If you find it easy to be offended, it proves you don’t have much of a relationship with the Holy Spirit who is the Comforter. Let HIM comfort you – then grow up from being a baby. Establish your real identity. Offences are a hindrance.”

Q. Are you easily offended? How do you move on? 

The identity issue is this: Don’t focus on what you’ve BEEN - Learn who you are becoming. We are Present/ future people when we like who we are now and who we are becoming!

Q. Do you like who you are now and who you’re becoming in Christ? If not – why not? 

The old has died. God doesn’t talk to us about our sin, he’s dealt with it. Otherwise he’d be treading underfoot the cross as if it wasn’t powerful enough. Christians need to get our story straight – about what Jesus has done for us. Because the enemy would love you to be kept in classes or counselling focused on the old nature. That suits his purpose. He wants you to be focused on what you’re not. Then you’ll never overcome. God is preoccupied with who you are (identity) and who you’re becoming (future).

You don’t become a new person by just changing your behaviour. You discover who you are – and God leads you out of that. This is what it means to be converted! The OLD PASSED AWAY. The new you is the true you.

Jesus comes to you and says, ‘Give me back what I died and went to hell for!’  That anxiety, worry, negatives, hatred – it belongs to me! And I can’t give you what I have for you till you give it to me. I am your Prince of Peace but you can’t have it while you’re holding onto that. Learn to abide in who I am, not in who you are. There is no conversion, without closure.

Q: Have you thought about conversion in these terms before? What new insights have you on it now?

God isn’t dealing with your sin nature – but your sin habits. You have to learn how to be loved, joyful, peaceful, etc. The good habits of the nature of Christ.

PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER remembering, “He uses every situation in life to empower you to become like Jesus. If you’re in Christ, so are all your circumstances. They all have an answer in the Kingdom. So use them to grow up. God will turn it to good for us if we partner with him.”

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