Belonging & Baptism | Dave Mitchell | 20th of March at 11am

As followers of Jesus we are called to be part of His Church, and to identify with it. Sometimes we are embarrassed about the association with a Church that is flawed, but we are part of a historic, universal and catholic Church that Jesus loves and is head of.

DISCUSSION NOTES

March 20th Belonging & Baptism.

Matthew 28:19 Ephesians 4:5 Romans 6:4 Mathew 3:13-17 

Following Jesus includes a radical commitment to his Church- so much so that the picture of Church is of a body where if one part suffers we all suffer. 

Baptism is a sign of identification-not just with Christ, but with ‘the body of Christ.’ There is an exclusivity about that commitment which has led to Christians being persecuted for taking that step. Yet Baptism kicks starts or expresses a whole life of obedience to Jesus- no sitting on the fence- and is normative for Christian initiation. 

Questions for discussion. 

1. What does baptism symbolise in the bible? 

2. Why is it helpful to go through such a public and physical act? 

3. What is the link between baptism and discipleship? 

4. Why would someone not get baptised in the light of Jesus teaching?

Global Church | Tim Dobson | 13th of March at 11am

As followers of Jesus we are called to be part of His Church, and to identify with it. Sometimes we are embarrassed about the association with a Church that is flawed, but we are part of a historic, universal and catholic Church that Jesus loves and is head of.

DISCUSSION NOTES

March 13th Global Church.

Revelation 7:9 Mark 13:10 2 Cor 8:1-15

The New Testament Church moved from being a Jewish sect to a worldwide multi-cultural movement. Historically Christianity got bogged down in ‘Christendom’ in Western Europe but today’s Church is growing in Asia, Africa and South America.. what does it mean for us to be global Church?

Questions for discussion.

1. Global Church and inclusion.

In Acts 15 the early Church made statements and policies that allowed radical inclusion of non-Jews into the Church. What is the difference between ‘welcome’ and ‘inclusion’? What challenges face us in including people into Church in Bristol from different racial and cultural backgrounds? Why is there still segregation in practice in our city?

2. Global Church and equality.

In 2 Corinthians 8 we read of a Church in Macedonia supporting the Church in Jerusalem and Paul writes (v 13) ‘Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality’, How should our relationship with the global Church affect our finances? How does Woodlands handle this issue?

3. Global Church and diversity.

Revelation 7 speaks of a church made up of people of every tribe tongue and nation. What are the riches of being in a multicultural Church? What can we learn from the Church in the two thirds world? Why is the non western Church growing?

Persecuted Church | Rob Scott Cook | 6th March at 11am

During this service we experienced a power outage, luckily Rob spoke on the same subject at our 8am Service. Listen to the recording bellow.

DISCUSSION NOTES

Read Acts 8:1-8, Matthew 5:10-12 and 2 Timothy 3:12.

The New Testament is written to a persecuted Church - today however the numbers of Christians persecuted is greater than any other time in history.

1. Persecution and Church Growth - Acts 8v1 & v4   
What is the link between Church growth and persecution in this passage? Is there a principle that links Church growth and persecution? What contemporary examples are we aware of?

2. Persecution and prayer - Matthew 5v10-12 & v44  
How much is prayer for persecuted believers part of our vocation as Christians? How can you find out about how to pray for the persecuted Church today? If you were persecuted what would you want prayer for from others, and how would you pray yourself? What is the link in your own life between ‘trouble’ and ‘prayer’?

3. Persecution and Godliness - 2Timothy 3 v12
Do you know any Christians who have experienced persecution for their faith? Often contemporary stories are very inspiring. What does Paul mean by this verse? Have you ever been persecuted? What does persecution look like if it exists in Britain today?

Action:
Check out Open Doors resources online and their monthly prayer guides. Consider praying regularly for the persecuted Church. Which global partners linked with Woodlands work in areas where Christians are persecuted? Can you write to them and find out their prayer needs?