• 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).
• Remind those graduating 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.

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 23 | Being Godly towards officials

Introduction

As we Pray, Play, Say, Together this session will help us understand what it looks like to worship God through the way we treat officials in sport.

Read

Read 1 Peter 2:12-17

Reflect

How do people view and treat the officials in your sport? How might these verses challenge this view?

Explain

In the heat of competition, we can be tempted to act negatively towards an official who has penalised us or – in our eyes – acted unjustly. In a split second we can go from delighting in God as we compete in our sport to slandering an official out of anger and frustration. So, what does it look like to be Godly towards officials in our sport?

In 1 Peter, Paul urges the church in face of opposition and persecution to live out their identity in Christ. They are to ‘live such good lives that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us’ (2:12). Consequently, Peter shares what this looks like in v13-17 where they are to respect and submit to “every human authority”. This is not for their own sake (that they might benefit) or even for the authority’s sake, but rather it is for the Lords sake (v13). For we are God’s people and by doing good we are to silence the foolish chat and seek to glorify God.

As Christian sports people, saved by God’s grace, Paul encourages us to live out the freedom we have in Christ and in doing so “show proper respect to everyone”. In God’s sovereign plan, that official has been placed in your sport and with God’s help we can seek to respect and submit to them, knowing that God will work through us to glorify himself in a world of sport that desperately needs to see Jesus.

Discuss

1. When have you been tempted to disrespecting an official in your sport? And why?
2. How do these verses encourage you to live differently to the culture around us?
3. With God’s help, what things could you put in place to help you respect your officials as you compete in your sport this week?
   

Pray

• Praise God that your identity in firmly in Christ and not your sporting performance or success.
• Ask God to help you treat officials in your sport with respect, and respond to injustice with grace and love.
• Pray that as you seek to glorify God in your sport, you sports friends might see Jesus in you and ask you questions.
  

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

Can you really play sport for God's glory? | Ask Christians in Sport

Watch

How do we deal with referees and officials? | with Pete Browne and Graham Daniels

Read

How should I treat officials and referees?