The tools and resources on ChristNow.com aren’t intended just for individual use; they can equally benefit believers enjoying them with one another—in pairs, small groups, congregations, or larger organizations. Remember how Jesus promised he would manifest himself to those who meet together in his name (Matthew 18)?
ChristNow.com helps believers gather around God’s Son through exciting resources and ministries that focus them on ALL he is right now. Below are creative suggestions for interacting as a Christian community to grow together “ in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).
CHRIST INSTITUTES VIDEO SERIES – View the video sessions of The Christ Institutes Video Series as a group using The Participant Guide. The Guide explains four ways to use the series as group: 1) Sunday School classes, 2) weekly Bible Study groups, 3) special nine-week series or 4) a weekend retreat.
CHRIST CASTS – As a group, attend the live online Christ Cast presentations (also called webinars). Smaller groups can watch from the same computer or larger groups can use a computer projector to watch on a larger screen. After the Christ Cast, discuss what you just saw. Christ Casts are also recorded and can be viewed later.
BOOKS – Form a book club to read and discuss books that focus on the spectacular supremacy of Christ. The books displayed on ChristNow.com will provide you with fresh ways of thinking about who Christ is…right now.
CHRIST TALKS – Experience a Christ Talks event in your own situation, either in a shortened version during a Sunday school class or at a special Saturday event for your congregation. Begin by visiting the Christ Talks page to get a sense of what has been done with such events before. In addition, read the Overview Document on Christ Talks.Then adapt the approach to your situation involving others with you in planning and facilitating the gathering.
DOWNLOADS – A number of the documents available at Downloads are designed specifically for a corporate experience. For example, any sized gathering of believers might set aside a special two-hour gathering (maybe along with a Saturday morning breakfast at the church or on a Sunday evening) to share in the CHRISTFest experience —a shared, interactive, creative celebration of the supremacy of God’s Son.
CHRIST KIDS – Have family devotions with your children by using the Kids Daily Christ Reader for elementary-school-age kids or the Disciple6 curriculum for older kids. Seek Christ for ALL he is together and build a foundation on Christ as a family.
VIDEOS – Along a similar line, meet to view one of the video teaching messages –for example as a weekly small group or during a weekend church retreat. Then discuss its content with questions such as: (1) What deeper insights can we gain about the person of Christ? (2) How does the vision in this talk help us hope in Christ in new ways? (3) How do we need to live differently for him as a result?
WORSHIP MUSIC – Meet together for a special hour of worship and prayer (with your small group or as a whole congregation), by creating an order of service built around a selection of the Christ-focused worship videos. One approach: Play a video, then lead a short time of corporate prayer that draws on the emphasis and themes expressed by that video. Repeat five or six times. Also you might weave through out some of the 24 Radical Prayers for a Christ Awakening.
CHRIST AWAKENING STORIES – Here’s a similar approach: Christ Awakening stories. There are three waysyou might make use of the 3-minute video Christ Awakening stories offered here: (1) Share a video story as part of a Sunday worship service (maybe one that fits the theme of the message that morning). (2) Share one video story at the beginning of a weekly small group meeting and then spend 5 minutes discussing it. (3) Point to these video stories to provide models for how people in your small group (or on a Sunday morning in a Sunday school class or worship service) might share their own “ Christ Awakening stories” with everyone, as a series (one a week in a worship service) or all at one time (maybe for a Sunday school class or at a special all-church picnic).
