FBS 04 Boldly Identifying with Jesus

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Praise
Read a scripture to begin laying a foundation for worship and praise.


 * Example: Psalm 29:2 “Give honor to the Lord and worship Him in the glory of His holiness.”  Let’s pause and give honor to the Lord by praising Him.

Care
Minister to one another’s needs in prayer, biblical counsel and encouragement.


 * Ask each person to tell one highlight and explain one challenge they experienced this week.


 * Ask, “What do you want Jesus to do for you this week?” Pray for each other’s needs.

Celebrate Faithfulness
Encourage loving accountability to obey Jesus


 * Ask, “What happened as you trusted God with your goals and I will statements?”

Motivation and Encouragement
Cast vision for who they can become in Christ or what God can do through them.

Example: The Lord not only loves us, He has a vision for our lives. What is that vision? It is to be like Christ. Romans 8:29 says that His plan is that we all conform to the image of Christ, to experience and reflect the Father like Christ did. And the great news is that this work of Christlikeness is God’s work. Philippians 1:6 promises that He who began this good work in you, will be faithful to complete it! Be encouraged that God will work in your life to become like Christ.



Context
A follower of Jesus named Philip had been sharing the gospel with people in an area of Israel called Samaria. The Lord interrupted his ministry and told him to go south along the road leading toward Egypt. When he arrived, he found an African leader who was traveling back to his home country. This story tells us what happened.

Read

 * Read or watch Acts 8:34-40 2-3 times as others listen.

Discovery Discussion

 * Everyone tells what caught their attention (or what they like best) and why.


 * Why do you think this story is important?


 * How can we live differently now that we know this story (passage)?

Tell and Correct

 * Practice the story by having someone tell the story and ask the group to correct if necessary.

Summary
Read Matthew 3:13-17. Jesus himself was baptized and modeled it to His followers. Ever since the time of Christ, everyone who begins to follow Him has made this commitment. Our willingness to be baptized shows others that there has been a real change in our lives. It symbolizes our bold identification with the death and resurrection of Jesus (Romans 6:4-5).



Preparing for the Mission

 * Practice starting a conversation, sharing the gospel or beginning the follow up process.


 * Remind them what to do when someone says YES to the gospel.

Going on the Mission

 * Identify 5 people from your Network List with whom you will tell the story or share the gospel with this week


 * If someone wants to be baptized, set a time to do this.


 * Write “I will by when” statements and tell them to your group.

Praying for the Mission

 * Commit the everyone’s goals to the Lord. Ask the Lord to help us be faithful and use us to start a movement of disciple-makers.