TEACHING
MATERIAL
Following GoDIs Example
Lifegroups
May - July 2015
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Following GoDIs Example
LifeGroup Teaching Notes
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Following GoDIs Example
May 6th
Imitating GOd
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Following GoDIs Example
Week-1
Imitating GOd
Pastors
Objectives;!As!this!is!the!beginning!of!a!new!series!the!focus!of!this!session!is!setting!up!
the!next!few!studies.!!The!theme!of!‘Following!God’s!Example’!will!be!important!in!each!of!the!
following!studies.!!The!aim!this!week!is!to!look!at!what!it!is!to!be!an!‘imitator!of!God’,!why!we!
are!encouraged!to!be!like!this!and!how!we!can!achieve!it!in!our!daily!lives.!
creative:!!Think!about!ways!in!which!we!imitate.!!Whether!humorously!(eg.!impressions!of!
each!other)!or!in!style!(fashion!etc.)!or!in!attitude!and!life.!!Perhaps!you!could!ask!you!group!to!
create!a!list!of!imitations.!!For!example,!a!person!who!they!can!do!an!impression!of,!a!famous!
person!they!think!they!look!like,!and!a!person!who!they’d!like!to!be!like!and!why.!
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Notes
Reading: Ephesians!4:20a5:2![1175]!
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Opening:! ! Do! you! have! or! have! you! ever! had! a! hero,! or! someone! you! look! up! to,! an!
inspiration?! ! What! is! it! about! that! person! that! inspires! you?! ! Have! you! ever! found! yourself!
trying!to!be!like!them?!!What!did!you!do!and!why?!!Did!you!ever!have!a!WWJD!(What!Would!
Jesus!Do)!band?!!Did!it!help!you?!
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Part1: Imitators of GOd
We!tend!to!think!that!we!can’t!be!anything!like!God!so!it’s!not!worth!even!trying,!but!here!Paul!
tells!us!to!imitate!God.!!Discuss!what!you!think!this!means?!
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In!Ephesians!4:24!we!are!all!created!to!be!like!God.!!Do!you!think!that!this!means!that!imitating!
God!should!be!‘the!norm’!rather!than!something!extraaspecial?!
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Imitation! generally! means! to! follow! a! pattern! of! living.! ! Paul! often! calls! us! to! imitate! Jesus,!
himself!or!other!good!Christians!(1!Corinthians!11:1;!Philippians!3:17;!1!Thessalonians!2:14).!
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Paul! reminds! the! Ephesians! of! what! they! learned! about! Jesus! and! his! way! of! life! (Ephesians!
4:20a21).!!The!Gospels!are!a!great!place!to!look!for!examples!of!the!pattern!of!living!we!should!
copy.!!When!you!read!the!Gospels,!is!it!easy!for!you!to!remember!that!these!are!not!just!stories!
of!Jesus!but!lessons!on!how!we!should!live?!!!
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Which!of!Jesus’!examples!do!you!find!particularly!challenging?!
The Lord called me by the way of simplicity and humility,
and this way He has shown me in truth for me and those
who will believe and imitate. - St Francis of Assisi
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Part 2: What has God done for US?
In! Ephesians! 4:32! Paul! reminds! us! that! one! way! we! imitate! God! is! by! being! kind,!
compassionate!and!forgiving!to!one!another.!
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One!good!way!to!live!a!forgiving!life!is!to!reflect!and!meditate!on!what!God!has!done!for!us.!!For!
a! few! minutes! have! a! leaf! through! chapters! 1! to! 4! of! Ephesians! and,! remembering! what! we!
learned!in!our!last!LifeGroup!series,!list!the!benefits!that!we!have!received!from!God.!!After!this!
discuss!how!we!could!imitate!this!in!our!lives.!
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‘Love! only! works! when! expressed! in! deeds! more! than! in! words’! a! Ignatius! of! Loyola! (15th!
Century)!
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Part 3: Sealed as Gods People
Look!at!Ephesians!4:30.!!The!main!reason!Paul!gives!for!our!change!of!behaviour!is!that!we!are!
‘sealed’.!!A!seal,!or!a!mark,!indicates!ownership!or!what!something!is!for.!!Do!we,!in!our!lives,!
reflect!the!mark!of!the!Holy!Spirit!that!is!on!us?!
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Have!a!look!at!this!week’s!passage!again!(4:20a5:2).!!List!the!sinful!things!that!we!are!to!‘put!off’!
from!our!old!selves!and!the!things!that!we!are!now!to!‘put!on’!if!we!are!imitators!of!God.!
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Paul!doesn’t!just!tell!us!what!to!do,!he!tells!us!why.!!What!reasons!are!given!for!why!we!should!
‘put!off’!some!things!and!‘put!on’!others?!
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Are!these!new!behaviours!common!in!the!church?!!How!could!we!make!them!more!common?!
Ephesians 5.8 For you were once darkness, but now you are
light in the Lord. Live as children of light.
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Closing Thoughts: This Week
How!does!this!subject!affect!our!daily!lives?!
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• Are!there!ways!of!living!that!you!have!that!you!need!to!think!seriously!about!‘putting!
them!off’!as!they!represent!your!old!self?!
• How!can!you!go!about!this!week!adjusting!your!behaviour!to!match!the!‘seal’!that!you!
have!by!imitating!God?!!What!practical!things!could!you!do?!
• In!coming!weeks!we!will!be!focussing!on!issues!of!Love,!Truth,!Peace,!Unity!and!Maturity!
a!how!can!you!be!like!God!in!these!areas?!
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What if the ultimate goal of everything Jesus said and did
was not just to get us to believe certain things about Him,
but to become like Him? What if Jesus were God’s prototype
for a whole new way of being human? - Jonathan Martin
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