Imitate 2015 Student Books/ Devotionals by IMITATE Missions Camp

PROPERTY OF ______________________________ CHURCH _________________________________

IMITATE DEVOTIONS Printed by Old Powhatan Baptist Church/IMITATE 2015 Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 2

Personal prayer time

Sunday evening JUNE 28 This week at IMITATE you will be challenged to look at your relationship with Christ in a wholly new and deeper way. AS YOUR ONLY HOPE FOR LOVE, OBEDIENCE, MISSIONS and JOY, The goal here is not to give you just another set of rules to follow, just a new type of legalism that becomes drudgery… NO… we want to free you to experience the grace of God in a full and personal way through being ONE WITH CHRIST and by being on the mission for which he has made you. Each evening you will be given a group of people to pray for as you consider the mission the Lord has called us to. As we begin the week, spend time praying for yourself.

What do you want God to accomplish in YOU this week at IMITATE? What are you hoping to get out of this week of ministry, worship, and fellowship? What is your heart’s cry to God that He would change and do in and through you? Spend a few minutes as we start this week off… and write down what you want to ask God to do in and through you and others during IMITATE. WHAT DO YOU WANT GOD TO DO IN AND THROUGH IMITATE THIS WEEK… In YOU _________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ In your YOUTH GROUP _______________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ In a FRIEND ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ In the PEOPLE we will minister to __________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ Now spend some time praying through these prayer requests and ask God to do something. Share these requests with a friend and ask them to pray with you and for you this week.

"This generation of Christians is responsible for this generation of souls on the earth!" — Keith Green 3

Why do we exist? For what purpose did God save us through Jesus Christ? Is there more to this Christian life than simply trying to do the right thing, not messing up, going to church and maybe reading my Bible and praying sometimes til I get to heaven? READ 1 Peter 2:9-12 What are the descriptions Peter gives of all of us TOGETHER as believers? ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ For what purpose does Peter say that we have been brought TOGETHER as believers? ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ What are the excellencies of Jesus?_______________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ What has Jesus done for you according to these verses? ___________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ Jesus did not die to simply make you BETTER. He has made us NEW. He brought us OUT of DARKNESS and into His Marvelous LIGHT. This means that we have a NEW life, a NEW purpose, a NEW message, a NEW hope. What OLD things do you need to give to Jesus today in order to live the life that He has for you as a NEW person and as part of the NEW people of God? How can you proclaim the excellencies of Jesus today? ____________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ How can you show others that you want to live out this NEW purpose TOGETHER with them? ________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Name 1 person you will tell of the excellencies of Jesus before lunch today. ____________________________________________________

Quiet time

Monday morning june 29

TODAY: Pray that the Lord would give you a passion to display His greatness today. Pray that others would see and know the excellencies of Jesus.

REMEMBER: As a possession of God, you have been made for a purposeâ&#x20AC;Ś to display HIS excellencies and to TELL others of His greatness. This is why we EXIST.

WHAT GOOD NEWS! And what a great reason to pray, serve, and TELL someone today!

"Love is the root of missions; sacrifice is the fruit of missions" â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Roderick Davis 4

MONDAY BIBLE STUDY

How can we be ________________ of God on Earth? 1 Peter 2 tells us several truths about IMITATING God. 1. We are commanded to ______________ God. HOW? Good News… we don’t have to ______________. Imitating God means displaying His _______________. Imitating God means acting like His _________________. Read John 1:12-13, Galatians 4:4-7, 1 John 3:1-2: Describe a Child of God. ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ 2. Imitating God looks like _______________. Love leads to _________________. Love is _____________________. 3. Imitating God has ___________ as our _______________. Jesus’ love is for _________________. Jesus’ love is ___________________. Jesus’ love is __________________ and pleasing to God. Jesus’ love seeks to ________________ God. In church group devotions, read 1 John 3:16-18. Who are we called to love and how are we called to love them? ______________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________

IMITATING THE LOVE OF GOD LEADS TO WILLING SACRIFICE.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2) 5

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"Be still, and know

Personal prayer time

Affinity Group: Northern African and Middle Eastern Peoples People Cluster: Arab, Hassaniya Language: Hassaniyya Primary Religion: Islam Country: Morocco/ western sahara Also found in: Algeria, France, Spain Population: 767,000 in morocco Global Population: 963,000 Progress of the Gospel: 30-50 known believers in refugee camps in Algeria, no evangelical churches Pray for:  Gospel workers living in western sahara  Peace between Saharawi and government  Fahed and mohammed. Friends and contacts among the Saharawi.  Boldness for believers under persecution  Other unreached people groups (2 billion people has no access to the Monday evening june 29 gospel) 7

READ Psalm 90:14-17 How does the passage say we will rejoice and be glad all our days? _________________________________________ What are some things you usually seek to try to satisfy you each day? _________________________________________ What are some things you usually try to find joy in each day? _________________________________________ How can you be satisfied by the LOVE of Jesus today? Find a verse in your Bible that tells you of His love and write it down. REMIND yourself of this verse all day today. DESRIBE the love of Jesus. ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________

Quiet time

Tuesday morning june 30

How has He shown you love today?_______________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Because of His love, He gives us each day to serve Him. What does verse 17 tell us is our hope for being able to serve Him well? _________________ _____________________________________________   

Pray for the FAVOR of the Lord today for your work team and for the other IMITATE work teams. Pray for the GOSPEL to be spread. Pray for God’s love to satisfy you so you can share His love with others.

Now, go and share with someone else how Jesus has loved you enough to satisfy you today.

Not to us, O LORD, not

What does it mean to _____________ in Jesus? Read John 15:4-5.  Abiding in Jesus means producing ______________.  Abiding in Jesus means He is our ______________.  Abiding in Jesus means relying on His ______________, not our own ability. How do we show we _____________ Jesus? Read John 15:9, 12.  Loving Jesus means first being ____________.  Loving Jesus means loving _______ ______________.  Loving Jesus means ___________________.

tuesday BIBLE STUDY

There is a massive difference between _____________you know Jesus and ________________ like you know Jesus. 1 John 2 tells us important truths about the secret to ___________ Jesus Christ. These verses tell us that if we _______we know Christ, but do not ____________Him, then we are ___________.

What does _______________ look like? Read John 15:7-8, 10  Relying on the ________________ and _________ of Jesus Himself.  _________________ for what we need.  ________________ in the same way Jesus walked. (1 Jn 2:6) We are not called to live our Christian lives by our own strength. Obedience is not something we can accomplish on our own. Good News: Jesus provides ______________________ we need to obey ______________________ He commands. When Jesus is our _______________, we are abiding in Him. ABIDING IN THE LOVE AND LIFE OF JESUS PRODUCES OBEDIENCE

whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. (1 John 2:6) 9

notes

If we confess our sins, he is

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"Be still, and know

Personal prayer time

Rendezvous is a network of urban missional communities seeking to transform the city of Toronto through community engagement by planting 10 churches in 10 years. With 3 of those locations underway & 2 more starting in 2016, Rendezvous is well on its way to realizing its vision of being a city wide church plant. Scott believes, “Together we can build a great city for all people by drawing Toronto near to God through faith in Jesus Christ, boldly professing our hope in Him & spurring one another toward love and action.” Canadians are spiritual people but only about 3% are evangelical Christians. Toronto is a city of many religions and many nationalities. Rendezvous is a citywide church plant. Pray for:  Scott, Marc, and Jordan as they lead their plants to reach the people of Toronto.  Marc as he reaches muslims in “crescent city” Toronto and Jordon as he reaches Tibetan Buddhists in Toronto  Soccer camps and sparkgood camps that reach hundreds of kids with the gospel  Mission teams to spread the love and gospel of jesus Christ  Many to come to Christ. Tuesday evening june 30

READ Psalm 1:1-6 WHAT ARE THE 2 TYPES OF PEOPLE DESCRIBED IN THESE VERSES? Describe from each verse what the Bible says about these 2 people? THE __________________ PERSON (verses 1-3) Verse 1: _______________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Verse 2: _______________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Verse 3: _______________________________________ ____________________________________________ THE ___________________ PERSONE (verses 4-6) Verse 4: _______________________________________ ____________________________________________ Verse 5: _______________________________________ ____________________________________________ Verse 6: _______________________________________ ____________________________________________ WHICH ONE BEST DESCRIBES YOU AND YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO GOD THROUGH JESUS?  Pray for God to root you in His Word and His Truth  Pray for God to cause you to grow in Him and in knowledge of Him  Pray for God to help you to delight in His law and leading in your life.  Pray for God to produce JOY in your life as you follow Him.  Pray for those you know that are not following Jesus. Pray for God to show them mercy and bring them out of the darkness. NOW GO AND TELL SOMEONE OF THE GREATNESS OF JESUS! 12

Quiet time

Wednesday morning july 1

IMITATING Jesus continues with having _______________ FROM God through Jesus.. READ Philippians 4:7  If we are going to IMITATE Jesus we must be _________________ by His peace. READ John 16:33  Our peace in trials comes from the fact that Jesus has _____________________ the world.

Wednesday bible study

_________________ Jesus, means being a ______________ person. IMITATING Jesus starts with having ______________WITH God through Jesus. READ Romans 5:1-2:  We obtain Peace with God through __________________.  We were God’s ________________________.  We could not make _________________ with God.

Only those who have ___________________ with God and from God can be sent out as His __________________________ READ 2 Corinthians 5:17-21  We are sent out with His ______________________  We are sent out with His ______________________  “Be reconciled to God”  We are His __________________________  We speak with His __________________________ To be a follower of Jesus means to be SENT OUT. To be like Jesus means to be SENT OUT. Jesus is our AUTHORITY, our MESSAGE, and our PEACE. THE PEACE OF JESUS LEADS US ON A MISSION OF PEACE Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you." (John 20:21) 13

THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST ARE UNDER PERSECUTION TODAY. From threats to their businesses, families, and their very lives, Christians around the world are suffering for Christ.

Pray for:  Boldness in the face of danger  Joy in Christ as he is with them  The gospel to spread as people suffer  Christians to love Christ more than life itself  For us to be bold in our freedom

Wednesday evening july 1 15

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison-- that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. (Colossians 4:2-5) WALK IN WISDOM TOWARD OUTSIDERS: The way you live your life does matter. If you share the Good News of Christ and your life says something else, how will the message ever be CLEAR? What in your life says that Jesus is Lord? What in your life says that YOU want to be Lord? Pray that God would transform you into the image of Jesus, wise toward those who don’t know Jesus. Pray for those in your school and among your friends who don’t know Jesus. How will you be CLEAR and WISE with the Gospel when you see them again? MAKE THE BEST USE OF YOUR TIME: We have a message to tell, and we have ONE LIFE to live with Jesus. How can you make the best use of your time? (Read I Corinthians 10:31) Two things to keep in mind: 1.

Time is short: You only have one life and only a short amount of time with people. You don’t know how much time that is. So don’t waste it.

Time is grace: and an opportunity for you to share that grace with others who do not know that God’s patience with sin does not last forever.

WHAT THINGS IN YOUR LIFE ARE BAD AND WASTE YOUR TIME? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ WHAT THINGS IN YOUR LIFE ARE NOT NECESSARILY BAD, BUT JUST ARE THE BEST USE OF YOUR TIME? ______________________________ ___________________________________________________ Pray for God to remove and replace these things with His BEST for you. Pray for your time on work sites today. Pray for a wise use of your last day of work at IMITATE. List people from your work site and work team to pray for today in any down time that you have. ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________

Quiet time

thursday morning july 2

To IMITATE Jesus we must suffer with _____________. READ Hebrews 12:1-2. Jesus __________________ the cross for the _____________ set before Him. What was it? 1. Joy was in the _________________ of His suffering. READ Revelation 5:9. His reward is a purchase ______________. READ 1 Peter 2:9. His people would _________________ His greatness ______________________. 2. Joy was in the __________________ reality of Glory. READ Philippians 2:5-11. How does Paul tell us to be like Jesus? 1. We ___________ ourselves. 2. We obediently _____________________ 3. We endure suffering with __________________ 4. We have hope because of the _________________ of Jesus. What are the rewards we can hope for as we suffer with joy for Jesus? READ: Romans 5:3-5; 1 Peter 5:10; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 4:12-19; Psalm 34:19; Matthew 5:10; James 1:12; Matthew 19:29-30 WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO SUFFER FOR JESUS AND FOR JOY? 17

Thursday bible study

Sacrifice for Jesus leads to Everlasting, Sustaining ___________. READ 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7. How does this passage say we are imitators of Jesus? TWO MARKS OF IMITATING JESUS ARE 1. ______________________________ and 2. ____________________ Simply suffering does not mean that you are ________________ Jesus. Suffering can be negative or positive. 1. Negative suffering comes often from ___________________ or ____________. 2. Positive suffering comes from suffering for the __________________ READ: Philippians 3:8 and Matthew 16:24-25. 1. Following Jesus means ________________ self. 2. Following Jesus means ______________________ 3. Following Jesus means __________________ His way.

Friends who don’t know jesus Christ… _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ Christians who aren’t living out their faith _________________________________________ _________________________________________ Someone I’m going to share Jesus with… _________________________________________ Someone who is an outcast in school… _________________________________________ My teachers and administration… _________________________________________ _________________________________________ Pray for a new way to proclaim the excellencies of jesus at school or among your friends. Pray for strength to be bold for jesus Thursday evening july 2

One thing I want you to remember is that even though IMITATE has been a great experience, Jesus is no nearer to you and you are no nearer to Jesus at IMITATE than at home. Sometimes we feel that way, but it is simply NOT TRUE. He is always near.

Quiet time

Friday morning july 3 TODAY IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT. You will be heading home today… back to normal.

The Christian life is not just about experiences and events. The Christian life is about JESUS and HIS SPIRIT living in us. READ GALATIANS 2:20. If we are believers in Christ, then Christ lives in us and we live BY Jesus’s power and presence… this is good news for EVERY DAY, not just for camp. Students always make commitments at camp and, more often than not, within a couple of months, those things don’t make any difference any more… until the next camp, that is. WHY? Because ewe forget that Jesus is the source of our life, the purpose of our life, and the One who gives us POWER to LIVE. SO… I want you to grab 2 or 3 other people from your group and do the thing we have been talking about all week… I WANT YOU TO PROCLAIM CHRIST TO ONE ANOTHER. Commit to one another to speak the truth of Christ to each other each day, and to proclaim Christ to at least one other person each day. Then PRAY for each other. Pray for each other… that Jesus would keep changing you to be more like Him. Pray for your schools and friends… that Jesus would rule and reign in them. Pray for your churches… that Jesus would be your everything. Pray for the people you ministered to… pray for them by name… that Jesus would be glorified as He changes them. Pray for the nations… that Jesus would be worshiped the way He deserves… O Father of Jesus, in whose name I pray… I confess that my sins are too often hasty, intermittent, and forgotten. Keep me coming to you. Let me remember how great is the love that draws me to seek you. Let me remember how great are the cares that drive me to embrace you. Daily, hourly, and every moment, I need your strength and grace and aid. So let my prayers be regular, frequent, and persistent. Let not your greatness be an excuse for my not troubling you with my trifles. Let not my weakness be the cause for my turning from you with my troubles. The needs I have prayed about before, make me willing to express again. Sometimes I do not repeat my prayer because I fail you. Sometimes I do not repeat my prayer because I forget my limitations. Sometimes I do not repeat my prayer because I forsake my loved ones. Forgive each of these transgressions through the mercy of Your Son, who never fails, or forgets, or forsakes, so that I will keep on praying. Use my persistence in prayer to remind me that You are faithful over time, to allow me to examine my prayer over time, to change my prayer, or me, over time. You have never given up on me. Help me to never give up on You. And keep me praying, praying, praying. In Jesus’ Name, AMEN.

Bryan Chappell, PRAYING BACKWARDS.

Tools for prayer LETâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PRAY APP: Great for keeping track of prayer requests and for prayer reminders and calendars. Put in and share your prayer requests with friends who have the app and sync across devices. COMPASSIONNET APP AND WEBSITE: FREE APP AND FREE EMAIL UPDATES ON HOW TO PRAY FOR INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS AND FOR THE SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL AROUND THE GLOBE WITH MEDIA AND DAILY REQUESTS. IMB.ORG Joshua project unreached people: unreached people group of the day with pictures, information and prayer requests. From joshuaproject.net, a great resource for prayer and missions IMB CONNECTING website: imb.org international mission information and ways you can be involved in praying, giving and going. Apps for world regions. North American Mission board: namb.net website that will show you ways that you can be involved in praying, giving and going right here on our own continent. The voice of the martyrs: persecution.com. Prayer guides and information on persecuted believers around the world. Get a free book and a free newsletter subscription. Open doors usa is a ministry devoted to praying for and supporting persecuted Christians through spreading information to the free world. Check out www.opendoorsusa.com Operation world.org: a great web resource and a great book for learning about nations, people groups and prayer concerns as the gospel spreads around the globe. Pick up a copy and pray through the book as god opens your eyes and your heart to the nations and their need of Christ. 21

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