Focus on Reproduction, Mentor's Guide, MG12

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F O C U S O N R E P R O D U C T I O N

Gal. 4.19 - My little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! Titus 1.4 - To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. Philem. 1.10 - I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. 1 Tim. 1.1-2 - Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, [2] To Timothy, my true child in the faith: grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. This imagery of raising spiritual children is a fitting and potent vision of the character of follow-up and discipleship in the local church. Help the students understand the kind of feeling and connotation that is communicated in the “button-busting” pride that a parent has in an obedient child, along with the trepidation and pain for a disobedient one. We are called to raise spiritual children in Christ, and to do so with the same passion and intensity that Paul had for his spiritual children, both individually and as a congregation. Is it critical to understand the role of the local church in follow-up and discipleship, for once this is understood, the kinds of loving impact that caring individuals can have become even more plain. In the questions below concentrate with the students on the key data which undergird the objectives set forth in the first part of the lesson. This last video segment highlights the importance of follow-up in the context of the local Christian community. Concentrate on ensuring that the students understand the answers in light of the lesson aims of the first segment with its focus on the local church. Keeping the role of the body in the light during your discussion will prevent the discussion from turning to purely issues of individual preference and methods in establishing new Christians separate from their ongoing welcome and membership in a local assembly .

3 Page 116 Student Questions and Response