Welcome & Vision | 5 Mins
Welcome everyone and particularly any newcomers this week.
Remind each other of the vision of CIS and the purpose of the weekly group meeting. (Consider using CIS videos and resources to keep this fresh each week).
Remind those graduating to fill in this form using a non-university email address so Christians in Sport can stay in touch with them after they leave university.
Prayer & Evangelism | 10 Mins
In pairs look back on your week of sport and discuss how last week’s group meeting helped you. Follow up with anything people asked for prayer about.
In pairs share prayer points for the week of sport ahead and spend time praying for each other.
Some weeks pray more widely for other clubs and teams in your university which are not represented in the group. Alternatively, you can also use the CIS prayer diary to pray for the whole mission of CIS.
You might also want to use this slot to discuss and plan your evangelistic event for the term and pray specifically about it.
Reach the world of sport for Christ | 20 Mins
Intro
As we Pray Play Say Together as a group this session will help us consider how we depend on the Spirit’s power in our evangelistic efforts.
Read
Read 1 Corinthians 2:1-5
Reflect
How do you feel about human ‘weakness’?
In what ways do you feel ‘weak’ when it comes to witnessing to Christ and saying something about the good news of Jesus in your sports club or team?
Explain
Most of us find it easy to initiate a conversation about sport, but the prospect of speaking to a sports friend about Jesus can be daunting, whether we’ve been at the club for years or a new member. What will people think? What if I mess up? What if they ask a question I can’t answer? What if I forget to mention Jesus?! In all this, it is not our eloquence or human wisdom that brings people to Jesus.
In 1 Corinth 2:1-5 Paul’s explains that in his mission to Corinth he wasn’t trying to preach the gospel in the language of a great speaker using special techniques. Rather he endeavoured to simply explain Christ’s death to everyone and trust that the power of the Holy Spirit would do its work in their hearts. His goal was not to create a following of his own, but rather to help people put their faith in God’s power and trust in his son for their salvation.
Human weakness is no hindrance to God using us for His kingdom to spread the good news – In fact, we should embrace our weakness, lean into a posture of dependence upon God and see the work of His Spirit strengthen and help us to speak of the gospel.
Discuss
How do you feel about having gospel conversations with your sports friends? What experiences have you had trying to initiate these discussions?
How does knowing the Holy Spirit is at work in your weakness fuel your dependence on God in prayer for your sports friends?
What can you remind yourself when your start to feel weak and fearful in your evangelism to your sports friends?
Pray
Give thanks that God works through weak, fearful people who are willing to explain his message clearly.
Praise God for the power of his Spirit and ask him to give you courage in the knowledge of it.
Ask God to be causing many of your sports friends to trust in his power for their own lives and call on the name of Jesus and be saved.
Notices | 5 Mins
Update everyone on the key messages for the week. These might include:
Promoting your evangelistic event for the term
Reminding people about carol services and other events the group can make use of.
Resources to share
Encourage group members to sign up for Back Pages Online to stay up to date with the latest videos, blogs, stories, podcasts and prayer content from Christians in Sport.
