welcome
If you could ask Noah a question, what would it be?
worship
Associations: select a group of small items that make you think of things to do with Christianity (eg. Packet of yeast, some seeds, packet of salt, some bread etc). Put them into a bag and go around the group, each member closing their eyes and taking something out. After each one has their ‘prize’, start with the first person and ask them briefly to state a spiritually significant thought that the item brings to mind. Use the group’s thoughts as a basis for praise.
alternative worship
Share a time in your life when you have seen a specific answer to prayer - a demonstration that God is interested, and working with people in this day and age.
Spend some time in prayer thanking God for who He is.
word
discuss
If we are not like God in His nature, what does the verse in Genesis mean when
God says “let us make humanity in our image”?
Psychologists tell us that personality is made up of three elements - mind, will and emotions. God is a personal God. He has an incredible mind, He makes choices and decisions, and He experiences emotions - all in an infinite manner.
Go through these three aspects of God in whichever way you want:
1. God’s mind.
God knows everything! What greater mind could you ever have? He has a memory, He remembers everything (though if we confess our sins, He forgives them, and chooses not to hold them against us any more). He has the greatest imagination in the world. Just think of His imagination - when we look at His creation, and see the amazing variety of flowers, birds, insects and trees - we can see the most exciting imagination at work. And God can use His imagination to come up with hundreds of new ideas for each one of us. No problem is too big for God to come up with a new idea to solve it. God reasons with us.
application
He communicates, gives reasons for why we should do things, and because He is so wise and knows what is best for us, He expects us to obey. Knowing this what do you think your reaction should be?
2. God experiences emotions.
In Genesis 6:5-6, we read that “it grieved God that He had created people” and that “His heart was filled with pain”. So often God is accused of not caring about the suffering in the world - but the Bible is so clear that He does care, and He grieves for those who are suffering. Many, many verses in the Bible talk about God’s sorrow and grief. Other verses talk about God experiencing great joy and delight (Zepheniah 3:17). Yet other verses talk about God experiencing the emotions of compassion, or anger.
reflect
As human beings, we have the amazing capacity of either bringing great joy to the heart of God, or causing Him sorrow. What will it be in your life?
3. God makes decisions.
God chooses and acts. The Bible is the story of God’s interactions with human beings in history. We see him choosing a king - Saul, but regretting that He had done so, and telling the prophet Samuel that He was sorry that He had chosen Saul, and that He had rejected Him. He then chose a new king - David.
If we look at the passage in 2 Kings 20:1-6, we see how God told King Hezekiah that it was time for him to put his house in order, because he was going to die. Hezekiah wept and prayed, asking God to let him live a little longer. God answered his prayer, and he lived another fifteen years.
application
If we really believe that God works with us, that our prayers can really make a difference, and that we can change the course of history through our prayers, what difference does that make to our prayer-life and to our relationship with God?
We are not like God in His Nature, but we have been created in His image by also having personality like His. We too have a mind, with the ability to reason, remember, imagine and dream, and we are able to experience emotions, like God; and we have the ability to make decisions. God has given us the incredible gift of a free will - with the possibility of choosing our destiny.
response
Think of times in your life when you have experienced God being a personal God. When you have caught a glimpse of His emotions, understood how He feels about us and what His Will is for us. He has given us free will but ultimately His Will for our lives is best. Pray for each other that you will have understanding of God’s personal nature and that each one will know His will for their lives and be able to obey it.
witness
Ask the group to describe four things they think hold their friends back from making a decision for Jesus. Spend 10 minutes praying and asking God to break down those reservations so that their friends can see Jesus as He really is, and Christianity as it really is.
