Fruitfulness: Planting | Dave Mitchell at 7pm | 26 July 2020

26 July 2020 - 7pm Service

Fruitfulness

We're continuing our FRUITFULNESS series during July. Dave Mitchell will be sharing a special message on planting from John 15.

STUDY NOTES

Attached are the resources for our 'take two.' This week, Megan Saunders from our student community shares some thoughts on planting in a short video along with some additional questions to take into your group.

During August, The Seven PM team will be taking a break from sending out out 'take two' notes. However, do keep an eye on our Woodies Instagram (@woodieschurch) and Facebook pages for some content that might keep you ticking on over summer. As always, we hope that you find these useful.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

You can also check out Dave's discussion questions below. First read John 15:14-15, 20-21, 26-27.

These verses speak of disciples carrying on the master's business, through the power of the Holy Spirit, spreading the gospel. It is an opportunity for us this Sunday to reflect on what it means for us to be a Church that is a Church planting Church, wanting to see fruitful reproduction of Church all over our City.

• What does a fruitful Church community look like?

• How important is 'connecting' for us a Church planting other Churches to maintain fruitfulness? How do we guard unity while releasing life?

• Sometimes Church planting makes a 'mother church' feel pruned. How can we make that pruning something that is positive not a source of damage (bad pruning can hurt a plant)?

• How can we be fruitful in transforming our City and region? How has our strategy been affected by Covid-19.

Fruitfulness: Planting | Tim Dobson & Jess Wilson at 11am | 26 July 2020

26 July 2020 - 11am Service

Fruitfulness

This Sunday we will be finishing off our FRUITFULNESS series, looking at John 15. Sammy and Jasper Savage are hosting and Tim Dobson and Jess Wilson will be preaching together on the topic of planting. We've got some great worship recorded live by April and our Woodlands worship team. Plus Rachel caught up with Ziju and Cornelia, who lead our prayers. We also say goodbye to two of our team, Zoe Germain and Joey Mitchell. Thanks for all your hard work guys!

Remember, our new 7pm service is being live-streamed from Woodies tonight! So do be sure to tune in later...Dave Mitchell will also be preaching on the topic of planting

STUDY NOTES

Read John 15:14-15, 20-21, 26-27. These verses speak of disciples carrying on the master's business, through the power of the Holy Spirit, spreading the gospel. It is an opportunity for us this Sunday to reflect on what it means for us to be a Church that is a Church planting Church, wanting to see fruitful reproduction of Church all over our City.

• What does a fruitful Church community look like?

• How important is 'connecting' for us a Church planting other Churches to maintain fruitfulness? How do we guard unity while releasing life?

• Sometimes Church planting makes a 'mother church' feel pruned. How can we make that pruning something that is positive not a source of damage (bad pruning can hurt a plant)?

• How can we be fruitful in transforming our City and region? How has our strategy been affected by Covid-19.

Fruitfulness: Abiding | Matt Dobson at 7pm | 19 July 2020

19 July 2020 - 7pm Service

Fruitfulness

We're continuing our FRUITFULNESS series during July and Matt Dobson will be sharing a special message on abiding from John 15. April and the Woodlands worship team lead us in some great live worship and Nigel and Amy host the service.

STUDY NOTES

To go deeper with the topic of abiding, our 7pm team have come up with some resources for our 'take two’. This week, Tim Stephenson from the student community shares some thoughts on abiding in a short video along with some additional questions for you to take into your group. You can also look at Dave's study notes below…

Introduction 
Here are some questions you might want to reflect on about 'fruitfulness' - read John 15:4-12.

Spiritual connection is vital to spiritual health, just as relational connection is vital to relational health. Jesus had such a strong understand of abiding in the Father and 'only doing what I see the Father doing'. He calls and invites His followers to have that sort of relationship with Him.

• How do I remain in Christ, or rather what might cause me to cease abiding in Christ, as a Church community or an individual? ( For the early Church their Christ Centred, Cross Centred 'abiding' focus was key to them not slipping back into fruitless legalism. But modern Churches can become centred on a cause rather than centred on Christ and like the Church in Ephesus in Revelation 2, lose their first love).

• As an individual how do spiritual disciplines help me live out a moment by moment abiding, connecting with Christ?

• How does the work of and presence of the Spirit keep me abiding in Christ?

• Can good things be the enemy of the best, or can temptation and idolatry pull me away? The parable of the sower is a metaphor for abiding; the good soil 'retains' the seed.

• Abiding sounds peaceful. How can meditation and Christian mindfulness play its part in an abiding life?

• How can we abide when things are busy, crazy or scary?

Fruitfulness: Abiding | Stephen McEwen at 11am | 19 July 2020

19 July 2020 - 11am Service

Fruitfulness

Today we are looking at FRUITFULNESS and John 15. Dave and Jo are hosting and we are excited to welcome Pastor Stephen McEwen from E5 to share a message on abiding with us. We've got some worship recorded live Colse, April and our Woodlands worship team. Plus we're having communion, so do have some bread and wine/juice ready.

Remember, our new 7pm service is being live-streamed from Woodies tonight! So do be sure to tune in later...Matt Dobson will also be preaching on the topic of abiding.

STUDY NOTES

Introduction 
Here are some questions you might want to reflect on about 'fruitfulness' - read John 15:4-12.

Spiritual connection is vital to spiritual health, just as relational connection is vital to relational health. Jesus had such a strong understand of abiding in the Father and 'only doing what I see the Father doing'. He calls and invites His followers to have that sort of relationship with Him.

• How do I remain in Christ, or rather what might cause me to cease abiding in Christ, as a Church community or an individual? ( For the early Church their Christ Centred, Cross Centred 'abiding' focus was key to them not slipping back into fruitless legalism. But modern Churches can become centred on a cause rather than centred on Christ and like the Church in Ephesus in Revelation 2, lose their first love).

• As an individual how do spiritual disciplines help me live out a moment by moment abiding, connecting with Christ?

• How does the work of and presence of the Spirit keep me abiding in Christ?

• Can good things be the enemy of the best, or can temptation and idolatry pull me away? The parable of the sower is a metaphor for abiding; the good soil 'retains' the seed.

• Abiding sounds peaceful. How can meditation and Christian mindfulness play its part in an abiding life?

• How can we abide when things are busy, crazy or scary?

Fruitfulness: Pruning | Rachel Riddall at 7pm | 12 July 2020

12 July 2020 - 7pm Service

Fruitfulness

We're continuing our FRUITFULNESS series during July. Joe and Hannah will be hosting tonight and Colse and the Woodlands band are leading worship. Rachel Riddall, one of our pastors, will be sharing a special message this evening on pruning from John 15.

STUDY NOTES

Introduction 
Here are some questions you might want to reflect on about 'fruitfulness' - read John 15:2.

A gardener prunes a tree or a bush to enable it to be fruitful, not to waste nutrients and growth in producing leggy stems or branches. Fruitfulness, not size is the goal. Pruning looks like a painful process- equivalent perhaps to 'discipline' in Hebrews 12: 11, a discipline that feels unpleasant at the time but produces a 'harvest' (fruitfulness). What elements of pruning might we be experiencing individually and corporately?

1. Pruning helps us prioritise; the vital over the urgent or extraneous. In your life where is the 'urgent' getting in the way of the 'vital'?

2. Pruning simplifies where life gets over complex. What could you helpfully simplify in your life?

3. Pruning humbles, where we have grown over-confident in size rather than fruitfulness. What has this season helpfully challenged for us as a Church as well as individually?

4. Pruning leads to growth. (In church life it energises and gives capacity for people). What do you have renewed appetite for right now?

Fruitfulness: Pruning | Clare Thompson at 11am | 12 July 2020

12 July 2020 - 11am Service

Fruitfulness

Today we are looking at FRUITFULNESS and John 15 with a message about pruning from pastor Clare Thompson. Tim and Izzy are hosting and we've got some special worship from April, Colse, Jo and our Woodlands worship team. It's Global Partners Sunday and we'll be taking our monthly offering, so Tim caught up with Dennis & Charmian in Peru and Joy leads our prayers for the world.

Remember, our new 7pm service is being live-streamed from Woodies tonight! So do be sure to tune in later...Rachel Riddall will also be preaching on the topic of pruning.

STUDY NOTES

Introduction 
Here are some questions you might want to reflect on about 'fruitfulness' - read John 15:2.

A gardener prunes a tree or a bush to enable it to be fruitful, not to waste nutrients and growth in producing leggy stems or branches. Fruitfulness, not size is the goal. Pruning looks like a painful process- equivalent perhaps to 'discipline' in Hebrews 12: 11, a discipline that feels unpleasant at the time but produces a 'harvest' (fruitfulness). What elements of pruning might we be experiencing individually and corporately?

1. Pruning helps us prioritise; the vital over the urgent or extraneous. In your life where is the 'urgent' getting in the way of the 'vital'?

2. Pruning simplifies where life gets over complex. What could you helpfully simplify in your life?

3. Pruning humbles, where we have grown over-confident in size rather than fruitfulness. What has this season helpfully challenged for us as a Church as well as individually?

4. Pruning leads to growth. (In church life it energises and gives capacity for people). What do you have renewed appetite for right now?

Fruitfulness | Hannah Mitchell at 7pm | 5 July 2020

5 July 2020 - 7pm Service

Fruitfulness

This evening we re-launched THE SEVEN PM service, which will be live-streamed from Woodies each Sunday evening and feature heartfelt worship and complimentary messages to build on the preaching series. For July, we’re looking at FRUITFULNESS and John 15. April and Matt are hosting, worship is with Mark and our Woodlands team, Dave popped to introduce the series and Hannah shared a special message with us. You can go deeper with this topic using the study notes below.

STUDY NOTES

Introduction 
God created human beings to be fruitful. His first words to humans in Genesis are 'Be fruitful and multiply'. Jesus says to his disciples in John 15, 'I chose you and appointed you to bear fruit'.

A basic human need is to feel fruitful, useful and productive. Here are some questions to think about…

1. How would you define fruitfulness? What specifically makes a Christian 'fruitful' in the eyes of God do you think?

2. Dave Mitchell talks about fruitful 'both ands'. There is fruitfulness around activity and 'multiplication' There is fruitfulness in 'becoming', in personal growth, the fruit of the Spirit. There is fruitfulness as an individual, and fruitfulness as a community.

3. How does your personal fruitfulness contribute to the fruitfulness of the whole Church community? In what ways has being part of a community in midweek group or wider Church helped you to be fruitful?

4. Which of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5 have you seen growing in your spiritual journey? Which might need some spiritual 'gardening' to help their growth?

5. What does it mean for us to 'reproduce the life of Jesus'?

6. How has our personal and corporate fruitfulness been affected by Covid-19?

7. How do different seasons of life enable us to be fruitful? What season are you in now and how has your capacity for fruitfulness changed?

Fruitfulness | David Mitchell at 11am | 5 July 2020

5 July 2020 - 11am Service

Fruitfulness

Today we begin our new preaching series for July, looking at FRUITFULNESS and John 15 with a message from Dave Mitchell, our senior pastor. Mel and Rachel are hosting and we've got LIVE worship recorded at church from April and our Woodlands worship team. Hannah got to catch up with Azeem, our caretaker and Ella leads our prayers.

STUDY NOTES

Introduction 
God created human beings to be fruitful. His first words to humans in Genesis are 'Be fruitful and multiply'. Jesus says to his disciples in John 15, 'I chose you and appointed you to bear fruit'.

A basic human need is to feel fruitful, useful and productive. Here are some questions to think about…

1. How would you define fruitfulness? What specifically makes a Christian 'fruitful' in the eyes of God do you think?

2. Dave Mitchell talks about fruitful 'both ands'. There is fruitfulness around activity and 'multiplication' There is fruitfulness in 'becoming', in personal growth, the fruit of the Spirit. There is fruitfulness as an individual, and fruitfulness as a community.

3. How does your personal fruitfulness contribute to the fruitfulness of the whole Church community? In what ways has being part of a community in midweek group or wider Church helped you to be fruitful?

4. Which of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5 have you seen growing in your spiritual journey? Which might need some spiritual 'gardening' to help their growth?

5. What does it mean for us to 'reproduce the life of Jesus'?

6. How has our personal and corporate fruitfulness been affected by Covid-19?

7. How do different seasons of life enable us to be fruitful? What season are you in now and how has your capacity for fruitfulness changed?