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 what it looks like to follow up well with our sports friends post evangelistic event.
Read
Read 1 Corinthians 3:6-10
Reflect
What stands out for you in these verses about our responsibility in God’s salvation work?
Explain
It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking evangelism is a tick box exercise, that once we’ve invited our sports friends to an event where they’ve heard the gospel, that our job is done. Yet, many people who become Christians talk about their ‘journey to faith’ – so what does it look like to faithfully follow up with your sports friends after an event and help them explore the gospel further?
In the church in Corinth there is dispute and division due to the arrogance of powerful members in the church. Many are claiming to be ‘superior’ based on who they heard the gospel from. However, Paul refutes this by enabling them to understand we all have different roles to play ‘I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.’ (v6) Ultimately, salvation belongs to God alone, it is he who builds and grows his church. However, on this journey we see that the seed requires planting and watering.
We have a role to play in our sports friends hearing the gospel. We can plant the seed with conversations or events but what does it look like to water the seed with effective follow up post an event? The days following an event often present fertile soil for further conversations and under God’s sovereign salvation plan, we have the privilege and responsibility to draw alongside our friends and ask them questions or offer further opportunities to hear more.
Discuss
Why does follow up during an event or post event often feel awkward and difficult? How does understanding God’s role in salvation shape this?
What might it look like to follow up well with sports friends after an event?
As a group try and come up with 5 top tips to follow up well
Pray
Praise God that he is the one who brings salvation change in our sports friends hearts and lives.
Pray that we would be proactive in reaching out to our sports friends after an event to find out what they thought about Jesus and if they’d like to explore further.
Pray that your sports friends would have soft hearts to the gospel, and ask God to help you love those who don’t.
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.
