The Summer Training Project always has a theme.
The theme is chosen well before Project is underway. The staff and team leaders take time to think and pray about which book of the Bible the Project should study for the summer, and what theme could be drawn from that book.
This summer, the students at the Summer Training Project are studying the book of 1 John, along with a few verses from the book of John.
As the CO staff team poured over 1 John and brainstormed reoccurring themes throughout the book, several potential options came to mind. The lengthy list was whittled away until one remained:
Convinced.
As John is writing to the doubting churches in Asia Minor, he challenges them. There are false teachings and teachers spreading throughout the peoples, and John encourages the Christians to test themselves and their beliefs to see if they are, in fact, still holding firm to the gospel of Jesus Christ that was originally preached to them.
However, in the midst of challenging the believers, John fights to remind them of the assurance they have in Jesus. He wants to convince them of their salvation and identity in the fact that Jesus lovingly died for them – the sinful and broken people they are – and remind them that with new hearts they have an ability to fight sin and love one another.
The theme will be pervasive throughout our talks this summer. A few training titles include “Convinced of Grace,” “Convinced of Eternal Reality,” “Convinced that His Commands Aren’t Burdensome,” and “Convinced of a God Glorifying Life.” The talks will draw from passages throughout the entire Bible, but the “convinced” that is present in 1 John will be a common thread.
Now you have a general idea of what we are learning about this summer! Ask students who are on Project about what they are learning in 1 John. Ask them if their time down here has changed the way they view anything. Ask them if they have been convinced of anything they weren’t before. Ask! We want to take what we learn down here and apply it to our daily lives this summer and back home. Talking about these things is a helpful way to do that.
So as we spend time this summer studying the Bible together, discussing things we are learning, and digging into who Jesus is and what that means for our lives, pray the students here would be more and more convinced of their identity in Jesus Christ.