Significant Words - CoG

Significant Words - Session Three

This is the third and final session conducted for the younger D-Group, a group of lively junior secondary college students, from the Ballarat Family Church of Christ. The first significant word was Profile and the second was Commitment. In this session I explored the word CoG.

Again I explained my purpose was to commend to them Jesus and encourage them to follow him each day.

Introduction

Today's significant word is CoG

Review

However before we explore today's significant word did anyone complete a profile on someone else?

Yes, we had several who prepared a profile. I gave them an opportunity to read the profiles, without the name of the person, and the group tried to guess who. Some of the items listed were easy clues identifying the person in question.

Secondly, did anyone bring along a Bible? Again a few brought their Bibles and using the store of Bibles readily available everyone had a Bible to use.

Introduction continued...

This week we are going to answer the question, "Who am I?"

More than our profiles which list what we do, who we mix with, which family I belong to, how I look, my age, height or my hair colour this question asks "Who am I really?"

Now to find the answer we've got some work to do and since one of the group, Sam, had a birthday last week that turned him into a teenager I thought we could continue the celebrations.

It was at this point what I thought to be a good idea became an unforgettable event. The boys thought it was great and the girls after one balloon if that sat through the noise with their hands firmly over their ears.

I had placed quite a number of slips of paper with a Bible passage recorded on the paper. The task, blow up and burst the balloon, collect the piece of paper and place it on the display board. As I said the boys took it like a duck to water. The girls braved the chaos with hands firmly over their ears while pieces of balloon and slips of paper were randomly spread around the room.

Finally all the slips of paper were collected.

I then set the group to work in three smaller groups each with a copy of the following, without the key thought from the Bible passage, and starting at a different section to make sure all the passages were covered in the time available.

Discovery

The task was to discover "Who am I really?"

1. I Am Accepted

John 1:12

I am God’s child

John 15:15

I am Christ’s friend

Romans 5:1

I have been justified

1 Corinthians 6:17

I am united with the Lord, and I am one in spirit with Him

1 Corinthians 6:20

I have been bought with a price. I belong to God

1 Corinthians 12:27

I am a member of Christ’s body

Ephesians 1:1

I am a saint

Ephesians 1:5

I have been adopted as God’s child

Ephesians 2:18

I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit

Colossians 1:14

I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins

Colossians 2:10

I am complete in Christ

2. I Am Secure

Romans 8:1,2

I am free from all condemnation

Romans 8:28

I am assured that all things work together for good

Romans 8:31-34

I am free form any condemning charges against me

Romans 8:35-39

I cannot be separated from the love of God

2 Corinthians 1:21-22

I have been established, anointed and sealed by God

Philippians 1:6

I am confident that the good work God ahs begun in me will be perfected

Philippians 3:20

I am a citizen of heaven

Colossians 3:3

I am hidden with Christ in God

2 Timothy 1:7

I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind

Hebrews 4:16

I can find grace and mercy in time of need

1 John 5:18

I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me

3. I Am Significant

Matthew 5:13-14

I am the salt and light of the earth

John 15:1, 5

I am a branch of the true vine, a channel of His life

John 15:16

I have been chosen to bear fruit

Acts 1:8

I am a personal witness of Christ

1 Corinthians 3:16

I am God’s temple

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

I am a minister of reconciliation for God

2 Corinthians 6:1

I am God’s co-worker

Ephesians 2:6

I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm

Ephesians 2:10

I am God’s workmanship

Ephesians 3:12

I may approach God with freedom and confidence

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

The list is drawn from the work of Dr Neil Anderson in his book, Victory Over the Darkness.

The groups worked quietly and persevered with the task and when finished were able to discover that in Christ each of us is a Child of God (CoG).

In our relationship with God through Christ we are accepted, secure and significant. Others may let us down, may not understand us however, this relationship is where we find our deepest needs are met.

Over the past three weeks we have looked at significant words, profile, and God, who knows us through and through, says that through Christ we are His child. Our second significant word, commitment, explains that God is deeply committed to us for He demonstrates His toward us in the while we were yet sinners Christ die for our sins (Romans 5:8). Our third and final word CoG explains that through Christ we are Children of God, eternally accepted, secure and significant.

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