Tag: Christianity

J. John puts down Darwin the dog (humanely)

    I met with my friend @canonjjohn this week and was interviewed by him on my life story for UCB TV. The guy is a force of nature! Always a great encouragement. I subscribe to regular updates in my email from him (available free from the Philo trust) and was amused, informed and challenged by this one that arrived today – New Year, New Atheism, New Challenges 12 Jan 2013 It’s rather a scary thought that we are already over one eighth of the way through the twenty-first century. And even though year seems to follow year at an increasingly rapid rate, our culture changes even more speedily. One feature of the last decade that shows no sign of going away has been the rise of the ‘New Atheism’. It’s easy to dismiss the New Atheism as no more than a warmed-up version of old-fashioned humanism and in terms of substance there is little new. What is truly novel and troubling is the movement’s aggressive and bitter hostility to religious faith in general and Christianity in particular. A fascinating revelation […]

Ivy MCR GG notes on Colossians 3

Dead and Alive  – Colossians 3   Read Col 3:1-3 If your version starts with ‘If’ in verse 1, I think the versions that start with ‘Since’ make more sense, following the flow of argument from the previous chapter. ‘SINCE you have been raised with Christ…’ Discuss:  You only get raised with Christ if you died with Him first! Do you know or are you aware of anyone who had a ‘near death’ experience, a close shave with death etc (like Fabrice Muamba for instance) and got a second chance at life? Anyone in the GG had that kind of experience personally? How would you live after you experienced such an incident? How might your perspective, priorities and plans change? Read Col 3;1-17 Paul is probably referring to baptism here as a symbolic experience of ‘putting to death’ the old life and passing from death to life. The early church actually gave baptismal candidates a new set of clothes to symbolise the new life they were entering. Discuss:  This is a very dramatic picture If you were baptised as an […]

Colossians 1 – Ivy Grow Group notes

I’m going to be kicking off a new evening series based on Paul’s letter to the Colossians tomorrow – and I’m really excited about the chance to dig in to one of my favourite books of the NT. It was written around 63 AD but it’s bang up to date for us   Read Col 1:1-8 Discuss: Here Paul lists the characteristics of an authentic, Christ-honouring church. Can you list them?    Discuss: Paul writes about fruit that is the evidence of true salvation (compare Mt 13:23). If someone is not bearing this fruit – are they still a Christian?    I’ve called our series ‘Inside Out’ because Paul is writing from prison to a church he didn’t found, but was a church plant started by one of his ‘spiritual sons,; Epaphras. Epaphras apparently had heard the Gospel of Christ from Paul at Ephesus and had taken this life-changing message back to Colosse (v. 7)   Colosse was in what today would be known as Turkey, in Paul’s day it was known as Asia Minor. Actually these days it doesn’t […]

LOOK BACK WITH WONDER – TO LOOK FORWARD IN FAITH

Notes for Ivy Grow Groups based on my talk to be given Ivy Kingsway 4th November   (Actually it’s officially MOVEMBER and I’m going for it. Will you join my team or sponsor me please at http://uk.movember.com/mospace/4760473 )   Start the night with an online memory quiz like this one http://www.allthetests.com/tests/flipmatch/puzzle.php3 (Or do it with a pack of cards?)   Or even the Christian version!  http://www.biglightgames.com/-bible-games-for-christians/21339/12-apostles-quiz-and-memory-game.html   Who’s your GG Memory champion? READ Joshua 1;6-9 DISCUSS What promises has God given you recently or in the past that you need to remember?   Read Joshua 3:14-17 Discuss: In what ways do we have to sometimes get our feet wet in faith before we see the miracle? Why does God work like that? Read Joshua 4:1-7 All the ‘Memory techniques’ I’ve ever read about all boil down to three simple steps: and I believe you can see them in what God had Joshua do so the people would remember.   1. Concentrate   You have to pay attention. Lots of the time we spend our energy trying to remember what we […]

Matty Hawthorne – What’s the point of church

These notes from Matty’s talk at our new gathering at Ivy Sharston form our discussion notes for this week’s grow groups Church is about people with a purpose It’s not about a building Discuss: Why do people HATE church? One of the worst things Christians have done is make God boring One Internet thread Matty found described Christians as the most judgemental people Read James 2:14-20 Maybe it’s not about being more relevant but more real. We talk as if we have the monopoly on love – but the world wouldn’t agree. We talk as if we have the monopoly on generosity. People love to do good works and give. We should encourage and recognise that. Read Matt 5:14-16 What does ‘shine’ mean to you? The message version says be generous with your lives. It’s not (just) about the money! Discuss What makes a church a church? The Bible word ‘oikos’ we translate in the Bible as household is really a gathering of community, extended family. Is your grow group an oikos? What matters? 3 things Love one another Get […]