#451 (4/10/21) - COME TO ME

INTRODUCTION

Over the next three weeks, our devotionals will be based upon our vision at CCP. If you are not a part of our church, I trust that you will still find these reflections helpful.

Our vision is to be a church community that is,

“Bringing people to Jesus - myself, one another and my community”

This week we are focussing on what it means to bring ‘myself’ to Jesus.

This vision is inspired by the words of Jesus in John 7,

‘On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”’ (John 7:37-38)

Jesus calls each of us to come and drink from Him. Each of us needs to hear and respond to these words of Jesus personally. No one can do this for us! Your parents or friends can’t make you a Christian or sustain your relationship with Jesus. You need to make a radical commitment to come to Jesus for spiritual refreshing for the first time in salvation and then every day in relationship. Someone once said that love is spelt t.i.m.e! We cannot say that we love Jesus and then fail to make our relationship with Him our priority.

We will not grow if we don’t spend daily time with God in His word and prayer. However, if we will respond to Jesus’ invitation, He promises to satisfy our spiritual thirst and then overflow in blessing to others.

Our goal for this ‘myself’ section of our vision is that each of us would have quality time each day in prayer and worship out of the Bible, asking to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

PRAY AND WORSHIP OUT OF THE BIBLE

In keeping with this aim of developing a personal relationship with God through prayer and worship out of the Bible, during this series, we’ll be developing our skill in meditation and prayer using the structure that we are taught in The Lord’s Prayer.

If you look at The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-143), you’ll see that it can be broken into 4 major themes of Praise (6:9) , Petitions (6:10-11), Peace-making (Matthew 6:12) and Protection (Matthew 6:13).

Using John 7:37-38, use the Lord’s prayer structure to help you to pray:

1. Praise - What does this text teach me about God? What can I praise Him for?

2. Petitions - What does this teach me about His will for me and others? What could I pray for from this text? This is a good time to pray for our non-believing friends. It’s good to ask, Is the Holy Spirit leading me in any specific response?

3. Peace-making - Is the Holy Spirit convicting me of sin for which I need forgiveness? Do I need to forgive others?

4. Protection - Ask for God’s protection generally and for any specific areas of vulnerability. Am I believing lies regarding the truths in this text?

COMMUNITY GROUP STUDY

1. Notices

It might be good to begin with notices. Please share from this week’s Church News.

Let's be praying and actively preparing to invite friends to our carol service on 5th December. Please make sure this is in your diary

2. Icebreaker

How has God spoken to you from the Bible this week?

THIS WEEK IS SIV (SERVE INVEST AND INVITE) WEEK.

Let's spend this time sharing, thinking and praying about how God wants to work through us to help our communities to come to Jesus. Let's never forget the Great Commission that Jesus has given to us,

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

SIV is our main strategy for reaching our communities for Jesus. It has three elements:

I) SERVE - SERVING REAL NEEDS.

People who see our love in action - our ‘good deeds’- will be much more open to our message.

II) INVEST - INVESTING IN RELATIONSHIPS

Investment is about time and faithfulness. It's praying faithfully. It’s going to the club faithfully. It’s phoning the friend regularly. It’s sacrificing for the good of others. Many Christians speak of love and of wanting to reach the ‘lost’ but are not prepared to be like that 'good shepherd' and make time for people!

iii) INVITING

This is Inviting people into our church community and closer to Jesus, particularly through Alpha. This might even be a moment when you lead someone to receive Jesus through the gospel message. If we have been investing in our friends, this step will often happen naturally.

VIDEO

Please watch the video together (Click the image below)

In response to this inspiring video, let's talk about how we might respond to God's call to reach our communities for Jesus:

i) Firstly, do you have any encouraging stories since our last SIV week?

ii) Do you have any plans for how you plan to serve, invest and invite in the places and people that God has given to you? Why not make a note so that you can pray and hold yourself accountable?

iii) Are you planning to do anything together as a group?

iv) Who are you planning to invite to our carol service on the 5th December?

v) How do you want to pray in regard to our mission?