Living the Christian life Six studies for groups Rod Horsfield
Published by The Doctrine Working Group, National Assembly, Uniting Church in Australia, as one of the resources for the Season of Teaching and Learning. Printed by MediaCom Education Inc PO Box 610 Unley SA 5061 Australia Phone Toll Free 1800 811 311 www.mediacom.org.au 2014 All rights reserved. This publication is copyright. Other than for the purposes of and subject to the conditions of the Copyright Act, no part if it may in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, microcopying, photocopying, recording or otherwise) be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted without prior written permission from the publisher. First printed February 2014 National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Author: Horsfield, Rodney, 1943- author. Title: ISBN: Subjects: Living the Christian life : six studies for groups / Rod Horsfield. 9781864072723 (paperback) Christian life. Christian life--biblical teaching Conduct of life--biblical teaching. Dewey Number: 241
Contents About these studies Aim What the studies are about Guidelines for the leader The structure of each study Resources needed Other resources 4 4 4 6 6 7 The studies Session 1 Considering conversion: Whom do you serve? Session 2 Baptism: Remember who you are Session 3 With glad and generous hearts: How worship nurtures our life in Christ Session 4 The Lord s Supper: Eating and drinking with Jesus Session 5 Living the Christian life: Leading a life worthy of the calling Session 6 Committed to peacemaking: A discipleship imperative 8 13 17 21 28 34
About these studies Aim The aim of these studies is to help you reflect on living as Christian in Australia in the twenty-first century. What the studies are about These six studies will help you to reflect more deeply on living the as a disciple of Jesus Christ today in the light of your own experience. The studies will also assist you to reflect on how our understanding of church might enrich your understanding of that experience. Broadly the themes are: 1. Becoming a disciple of Jesus (Conversion and Baptism) 2. Sustaining a relationship with God (Worship and the Lord s Supper) 3. Living as a disciple in daily life (Living the Christian life and Peacemaking). Guidelines for the leader The role of the group leader is not to be the expert who provides answers for the group, or to ensure that the participants answers are correct. The role is rather to facilitate the group s exploration of the issue and allow the members to shape the direction and focus of the discussion. At times, if the group has lost focus, or the discussion is being dominated by one point of view, the leader may need to make suggestions about a way forward. If participants do not already know each other well, the leader may introduce an introductory exercise encouraging members to introduce themselves, sharing personally at a level they feel comfortable. 4 About these studies
Please remind the group members that honest and respectful interactions are expected. People may disagree on an issue and individuals may express that disagreement, but respect for the other person must be maintained at all times. No one should feel that their views or experience make them unacceptable to the group. Also remind people of the importance of confidentiality in the group. What is said in the group stays in the group and is not shared with anyone else. This particularly includes spouses and partners. At subsequent meetings the group may begin by individuals recollecting their experience of the previous week, sharing any significant experiences especially those that may relate to insights generated by the previous week s study or the result of the road testing exercises. The material can simply be worked through in the order it appears. The leader should invite different people to read several paragraphs each, pausing from time to time to invite brief comments or observations, without allowing these to deflect the group from the flow of the material. Group leaders should allow the Bible and other texts to ask their own questions of the group, as well as encouraging people to seek contemporary meaning in those texts as they interpret those texts for the life of discipleship. When it comes to the questions and discussion sections, divide into groups of no more than five or six people each. If there is time, invite each group to bring back to the larger group two or three insights they found particularly helpful or challenging. These will need to be brief. Please feel free to adapt the material to the needs of your group. The group leader will need to be alert to any pastoral issues that emerge for an individual and offer appropriate opportunity to have these addressed. Allocate about 90 minutes to 2 hours for each study. People will expect you to keep fairly strictly to the agreed time. About these studies 5
The structure of each study Each study has been built around a common structure. An opening prayer Some questions about the life experience of the group s members Some material to read and questions to discuss, including material from the Bible and later texts A closing affirmation from the Basis of Union A closing prayer Some things to do in the week ahead to road-test the learning in daily life. Resources needed It will be necessary for all participants to have access to: a Bible this study booklet the relevant Doc.byte sheets a notebook and pen. The Doc.bytes can be downloaded from http://assembly.uca.org.au/theology/ featured-doctrine-resource or purchased in glossy form from the Assembly office at 50c each by phoning (02) 8267 4428. You will need copies of numbers 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11 for each participant. Participants may be encouraged to keep a journal or diary of the matters that disturb, challenge or confirm them in their life of faith. 6 About these studies
Other resources Although these six studies are intended to be self-contained, they form one part of a set of studies produced and recommended by the Doctrine Working Group of the Uniting Church in Australia s National Assembly for the Season of Teaching and Learning. The companion sets of studies are: Jesus Christ according to the Basis of Union, by Geoff Thompson Christianity in the 21st century by Hannah Avril-Jones. These are also available from Mediacom. See www.mediacom.org.au. About these studies 7
Session 1 Considering conversion: Whom do you serve? For this session, each participant will need access to Doc.byte #10, Conversion. (See the note on Resources needed in the About these studies section above to see how to acquire this.) This session will explore the significance of conversion in the experience of becoming Christian. To some people this may seem a culturally inappropriate topic in a multi-faith context like Australia. It may be equated with proselytising. But conversion has both biblical and spiritual importance. It would facilitate the discussion if people read the Doc.byte beforehand. Prayer The leader may lead in prayer, or ask another person to do so, seeking the guidance of God s Spirit as you ponder and discuss. Getting started Members of the group may share with one another how they came to faith in Jesus Christ. What were the most significant factors in your becoming a Christian? Who was the key person or community involved and why were they significant? What is each person s response to the word conversion and what does it mean? Read and respond to the first two sections from the Doc.byte, A world of conversions, and The church and conversion aversion. 8 Session 1 Considering conversion
Discussion 1. Can you see how it might it be true that every day people are trying to change our minds and our behaviour? 2. Do you feel there are agents of persuasion seeking to win us to their cause, buy their product or trust their leadership? Can you name some of those agents in our society who are seeking to shape our beliefs and values? 3. From all the causes that seek our allegiance, how, if at all, is our commitment to Jesus Christ different? 4. What are some of the messages that media, politicians, corporations and others use to try to persuade us to act in the way they want? 5. Could this be conversion: being converted to an ideal, a cause, a vision or a purpose that shapes who we are? This broader sense is what the Doc. byte means when it says every one of us lives in a world of contested formations where conversions occur all the time. I pledge allegiance to the earth and to all beings who inhabit it, and to the planet, for which it stands, one world under love, indivisible, with peace and liberty for all! Session 1 Considering conversion 9
The Biblical evidence on conversion Read the paragraphs Conversion biblically and What is conversion in the Doc.byte. For discussion Identify how one or more of the following passages resonates with your experience: 1. Conversion in the New Testament can be dramatic (Acts 9:5ff; Acts 10:44ff; Acts 16:29ff) and other times quiet and unspectacular (Acts 8:30ff; Acts 16:14ff). Read these passages as a group. What do these passages say to you about the turning around or reorientation that Christ brings? 2. Each person chooses a passage to reflect on individually and report to the group what it says to you about the nature of conversion to Christ. What questions does it raise for you? 3. Read the following statements and talk about what they mean. a re-turning to God in repentance and faith after a time of living apart from God s ways committing oneself to that union with Christ symbolised in Baptism living the new life of faith through the power of the indwelling Spirit not just the decision of the individual but also the work of God s Spirit drawing the person into the compass of God s love. Do any of them reflect your personal experience? 10 Session 1 Considering conversion
4. Share with the group any experience where conversions or transformations have happened in your life e.g. in beliefs and values, in relationships, life choices or habits, in a sense of vocation. Were they sudden or gradual and could you see the work of God in any of them? For further reflection 1. To what extent has a sense of conversion been important for your Christian growth? 2. What is helpful about seeing conversion as a process rather than a single event, but one which may nevertheless have dramatic or significant moments? 3. In your experience has the church over-emphasised or under-emphasised conversion? Has this been a help or a hindrance to your discipleship? 4. What do you see as the characteristics of a Christian community in which people are being encouraged to turn to Christ? Session 1 Considering conversion 11
A closing affirmation from the Basis of Union The Uniting Church s Basis of Union includes these words: Through human witness in word and action, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ reaches out to command people s attention and awaken faith; he calls people into the fellowship of his sufferings, to be the disciples of a crucified Lord; in his own strange way Christ constitutes, rules and renews them as his Church. (Paragraph 4) Prayer Conclude your time together with a prayer. In the week ahead You may like to road-test some of the key points from this session: Make a written record of any time when you hear, see, read or encounter in personal conversation an attempt to win your allegiance to a belief, a way of life, a cause or a person. Reflect on any time when you acted in a certain way because of your commitment to the way of Jesus. You may choose to write this in a journal or diary. 12 Session 1 Considering conversion