Session 1: Transforming Lives

by Sharon Murphy

Aimss

By the end of this session you should be able to:

understand why working from a place of rest is important
map out the missional activities in your church using the Engel Scale and identify any gaps
undertand the practice of double listening and begin to listen to your community.

Prayer

God of eternity, we thank you that at the heart of faith is hope, a hope based on what we celebrate every Easter, a hope that has the potential to transform this troubled world into a heavenly one. In our studies may we see the fullness of this hope you have revealed.

Amen.

Introduction

All the content for this session is on the video, including the aims above. A couple of parts of the session are written out below in case you want to come back to them later. Click the triangle to start the video. Click the square at the bottom right to make it full screen. There is a slight pause before speaking begins.

The slides can be downloaded as a pdf from the Resources section below. There is also a powerpoint version of the video for those with access to Powerpoint.

Spotlight on Doctrine

Doctrine is the church’s word for the things that we believe as Christians and is most clearly seen in the Creeds. In the New Testament the Bible speaks of the greatest transformation of all, salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the book of Acts, we see how the first Christians filled with the power of the Holy Spirit shared with many people the transforming love of the Gospel, leading many to faith in Christ.

As the writer to the Ephesians 1 17-19 says, ’I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.’ (Eph 1:17-19).

Can you make this your prayer?

Spotlight on Spirituality

Isaiah 61: The Year of the Lord’s Favor

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God,to comfort all who mourn,

and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,the oil of joy instead of mourning,and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.