Renewing Your Mind (Victory Series Book #4): Become More Like Christ (13 page)

T
he following are some guidelines for leaders to follow when using the V
ICTORY
S
ERIES
studies with a small group. Generally, the ideal size for a group is between 10 and 20 people, which is small enough for meaningful fellowship but large enough for dynamic group interaction. It is typically best to stop opening up the group to members after the second session and invite them to join the next study after the six weeks are complete.

Structuring Your Time Together

For best results, ensure that all participants have a copy of the book. They should be encouraged to read the material and consider the questions and applications on their own before the group session. If participants have to miss a meeting, they should keep abreast of the study on their own. The group session reinforces what they learned and offers the valuable perspectives of others. Learning best takes place in the context of committed relationships, so do more than just share answers. Take the time to care and share with one another. You might want to use the first week to distribute material and give everyone a chance to tell others who they are.

If you discussed just one topic a week, it would take several years to finish the V
ICTORY
S
ERIES
. If you did five a week, it is possible to complete the whole series in 48 weeks. All the books in the series were written with a six-week study in mind. However, each group is different and each will
have to discover its own pace. If too many participants come unprepared, you may have to read, or at least summarize, the text before discussing the questions and applications.

It would be great if this series was used for a church staff or Bible study at work and could be done one topic at a time, five days a week. However, most study groups will likely be meeting weekly. It is best to start with a time of sharing and prayer for one another. Start with the text or Bible passage for each topic and move to the discussion questions and application. Take time at the end to summarize what has been covered, and dismiss in prayer.

Group Dynamics

Getting a group of people actively involved in discussing critical issues of the Christian life is very rewarding. Not only does group interaction help to create interest, stimulate thinking, and encourage effective learning, but it is also vital for building quality relationships within the group. Only as people begin to share their thoughts and feelings will they begin to build bonds of friendship and support.

It is important to set some guidelines at the beginning of the study, as follows:

• There are no wrong questions.
  
• Everyone should feel free to share his or her ideas without recrimination.
  
• Focus on the issues and not on personalities.
  
• Try not to dominate the discussions or let others do so.
  
• Personal issues shared in the group must remain in the group.
  
• Avoid gossiping about others in or outside the group.
  
• Side issues should be diverted to the end of the class for those who wish to linger and discuss them further.
  
• Above all, help each other grow in Christ.
  

Some may find it difficult to share with others, and that is okay. It takes time to develop trust in any group. A leader can create a more open and
sharing atmosphere by being appropriately vulnerable himself or herself. A good leader doesn’t have all the answers and doesn’t need to for this study. Some questions raised are extremely difficult to answer and have been puzzled over for years by educated believers. We will never have all the answers to every question in this age, but that does not preclude discussion over eternal matters. Hopefully, it will cause some to dig deeper.

Leading the Group

The following tips can be helpful in making group interaction a positive learning opportunity for everyone:

• When a question or comment is raised that is off the subject, suggest that you will bring it up again at the end of the class if anyone is still interested.
  
• When someone talks too much, direct a few questions specifically to other people, making sure not to put any shy people on the spot. Talk privately with the “dominator” and ask for cooperation in helping to draw out the quieter group members.
  
• Hopefully the participants have already written their answers to the discussion questions and will share that when asked. If most haven’t come prepared, give them some time to personally reflect on what has been written and the questions asked.
  
• If someone asks a question that you don’t know how to answer, admit it and move on. If the question calls for insight about personal experience, invite group members to comment. If the question requires specialized knowledge, offer to look for an answer before the next session. (Make sure to follow up the next session.)
  
• When group members disagree with you or each other, remind them that it is possible to disagree without becoming disagreeable. To help clarify the issues while maintaining a climate of mutual acceptance, encourage those on opposite sides to restate what they have heard the other person(s) saying about the issue. Then invite each side to evaluate how accurately they feel their position was presented. Ask group members to identify as many points as possible related to the topic on which both sides agree, and then lead the group in examining
  other Scriptures related to the topic, looking for common ground that they can all accept.
  
• Finally, urge group members to keep an open heart and mind and a willingness to continue loving one another while learning more about the topic at hand.
  

If the disagreement involves an issue on which your church has stated a position, be sure that stance is clearly and positively presented. This should be done not to squelch dissent but to ensure that there is no confusion over where your church stands.

Session Two

T
he Victory Series is composed of eight studies that create a comprehensive discipleship course. Each study builds on the previous one and provides six sessions of material. These can be used by an individual or in a small group setting. There are leader’s tips at the back of each study for those leading a small group.

The following scope and sequence overview gives a brief summary of the content of each of the eight studies in the Victory Series. Some studies also include articles related to the content of that study.

Dr. Neil T. Anderson

Core Material

Victory Over the Darkness
with study guide, audiobook, and DVD. With over 1,300,000 copies in print, this core book explains who you are in Christ, how to walk by faith in the power of the Holy Spirit, how to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, how to experience emotional freedom, and how to relate to one another in Christ.

The Bondage Breaker
with study guide, audiobook, and DVD. With over 1,300,000 copies in print, this book explains spiritual warfare, what our protection is, ways that we are vulnerable, and how we can live a liberated life in Christ.

Breaking Through to Spiritual Maturity
.
This curriculum teaches the basic message of Freedom in Christ Ministries.

Discipleship Counseling
with DVD. This book combines the concepts of discipleship and counseling and teaches the practical integration of theology and psychology for helping Christians resolve their personal and spiritual conflicts through repentance and faith in God.

Steps to Freedom in Christ
and interactive video. This discipleship counseling tool helps Christians resolve their personal and spiritual conflicts through genuine repentance and faith in God.

Restored.
This book is an expansion of the
Steps to Freedom in Christ
, and offers more explanation and illustrations.

Walking in Freedom
. This book is a 21-day devotional that we use for follow-up after leading someone through the Steps to Freedom.

Freedom in Christ
is a discipleship course for Sunday school classes and small groups. The course comes with a teacher’s guide, a student guide, and a DVD covering 12 lessons and the Steps to Freedom in Christ. This course is designed to enable new and stagnant believers to resolve personal and spiritual conflicts and be established alive and free in Christ.

The Bondage Breaker DVD
Experience
is also a discipleship course for Sunday School classes and small groups. It is similar to the one above, but the lessons are 15 minutes instead of 30 minutes.

The Daily Discipler
. This practical systematic theology is a culmination of all of Dr. Anderson’s books covering the major doctrines of the Christian faith and the problems Christians face. It is a five-day-per-week, one-year study that will thoroughly ground believers in their faith.

Specialized Books

The Bondage Breaker,
the Next Step.
This book has several testimonies of people finding their freedom from all kinds of problems, with commentary by Dr. Anderson. It is an important learning tool for encouragers.

Overcoming Addictive Behavior
, with Mike Quarles. This book explores the path to addiction and how a Christian can overcome addictive behaviors.

Overcoming
Depression
, with Joanne Anderson. This book explores the nature of depression, which is a body, soul, and spirit problem and presents a wholistic answer for overcoming this “common cold” of mental illness.

Liberating Prayer
.
This book helps believers understand the confusion in their minds when it comes time to pray, and why listening in prayer may be more important than talking.

Daily in
Christ
, with Joanne Anderson. This popular daily devotional is also being used by thousands of Internet subscribers every day.

Who I Am in Christ
. In 36 short chapters, this book describes who you are in Christ and how He meets your deepest needs.

Freedom from Addiction
, with Mike and Julia Quarles. Using Mike’s testimony, this book explains the nature of chemical addictions and how to overcome them in Christ.

One Day at a Time
, with Mike and Julia Quarles. This devotional helps those who struggle with addictive behaviors and explains how to discover the grace of God on a daily basis.

Freedom from Fear
, with Rich Miller. This book explains anxiety disorders and how to overcome them.

Setting Your Church Free
, with Charles Mylander. This book offers guidelines and encouragement for resolving seemingly impossible corporate conflicts in the church and also provides leaders with a primary means for church growth—releasing the power of God in the church.

Setting
Your Marriage Free
, with Dr. Charles Mylander. This book explains God’s divine plan for marriage and the steps that couples can take to resolve their difficulties.

Christ-Centered Therapy
, with Dr. Terry and Julie Zuehlke. This is a textbook explaining the practical integration of theology and psychology for professional counselors.

Getting Anger
Under Control
, with Rich Miller. This book explains the basis for anger and how to control it.

Grace that Breaks the Chains
, with Rich Miller and Paul Travis. This book explains legalism and how to overcome it.

Winning the Battle Within
. This book shares God’s standards for sexual conduct, the path to sexual addiction, and how to overcome sexual strongholds.

The Path to Reconciliation
.
God has given the church the ministry of reconciliation. This book explains what that is and how it can be accomplished.

Rough Road to Freedom
. This is a book of Dr. Anderson’s memoirs.

For more information, contact Freedom In Christ Ministries at the following:

Canada:
[email protected]
or
www
.ficm.ca

India:
[email protected]

Switzerland:
[email protected]
or
www.freiheitinchristus.ch

United Kingdom:
[email protected]
or
www.ficm.org.uk

United States:
[email protected]
or
www.ficm.org

International:
www.ficminternational.org

Dr. Anderson:
www.discipleshipcounsel.com