• 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).

1. 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.
2. 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.

Week 18 | Reading the Bible with a sports friend

Introduction

As Christian students worshipping Christ and witnessing for him in our university sports club will help us to see the significance and role the Bible plays in how we help our sports friends come to know and trust the Lord Jesus.

Read

Read John 20:30-31

Reflect

What potential impact could reading the Bible with a sports friend in your club have on their life?

Explain

The claim of the Christian faith is that the Bible is God’s very words to humanity, and they are powerful! Multiple times throughout scripture we see the impact of God’s words on those who hear them, and specific writers of the 66 books testify to the way in which God’s words can penetrate hearts and make us “wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”

The apostle John concludes his gospel by clearly stating the reason why he has written his account…so whoever reads it might “believe” in Jesus and through belief in him find “life”. God’s words to us, through John, can powerfully bring people from spiritual death to eternal life as they come to know and trust Jesus for who he truly is, “the Messiah, the Son of God”.

The Bible is by far the best tool we have access to as we seek to bring sportspeople to know Jesus. As they read it for themselves, the powerfully God of all creation, by His Spirit, will speak directly to them. How exciting! Why wouldn’t we want to give our friends the opportunity to access God’s Word for themselves?

Discuss

1. How does this passage encourage you to read the Bible with your sports friends?
2. What would stop you asking a sports friend to read the Bible? How can you overcome this?
3. Who can you start reading the Bible with? What resources could you use to assist you with this? (CIS have recently produced a copy of Marks gospel aimed towards sports people. Order a copy online)

Pray

• Praise God for the power the His Word and the way it brings life to all who believe in Christ.
• Pray that God would grow your confidence and assurance of the way in which God does speak through the Bible.
• Ask God to provide for an opportunity for you to invite a friend in your sports club to consider reading the Bible with you this season.
  

Update everyone on the key messages for the week. These might include:

• Sharing the student sign up link
• Encourging graduates 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.
• Promoting your evangelistic event for the term
• Plugging Sports Plus leader applications

Share these resources with your group at the end or immediately after the meeting to encourage them.

Listen

Ep. 31 - How the Bible went viral in a rugby club

Watch

Why read the Bible with a sports friend?

Read

Why should I read the Bible with a sports friend?