Knowing Jesus,
making Jesus known
making Jesus known
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Web manager Simon Ford
Jesus said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the First and the Last,
the Beginning and the End.”
Rev 22.13
the First and the Last,
the Beginning and the End.”
Rev 22.13
CELL GUIDE No 2 – Spring (but really Winter) 2004
Welcome
Instructions for an alien.
In pairs (or own!) write clear, step by step instructions for an everyday task (brushing teeth, eating a banana, using toilet).
Your instructions will be read by a humanoid alien who has just arrived with no knowledge of human culture
Have some of the young people read their instructions out. (A leader or group member could play the part of the alien, following the instructions as they are given and (probably) highlighting their inadequacy.)
After the activity make these introductory points:
• If you are hoping to help someone achieve something completely new then your instructions have to be incredibly specific.
• Today we are going to be looking at the first five books of the Bible. They are known as the Pentateuch or simply as the Law.
• These five books tell us about the creation of the Universe, introduce us to characters like Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Joseph and Moses, and tell some very famous stories.
• They also contain long lists of instructions or laws that God gave to his people to help them to live life to the full. While many of these instructions seem strange and even offensive to us, they show that God was serious about making it possible for his people to follow him.
Word I (The framework – how these books fit in to big picture)
Aim: To give a brief introduction to the first five books of the Bible, their content and their unity.
Give the young people, perhaps working in pairs, copies of the paragraphs (on sheet 1) along with the list of Bible readings. The readings are chosen because they are representative of the book from which they are taken, so by deciding which paragraph best describes the reading the young people can match the books the readings are taken from to the paragraphs that describe them.
After the activity, make this comment: characters like Noah, Moses and Joseph all have their own amazing stories. But we must remember that these stories are all linked together, more like a soap-opera than a one-off feature film. The story of Joseph being thrown in a pit by his brothers is interesting. But only when you see how God used that to lead his chosen people to a place where they would be safe from a terrible famine is it truly awesome.
Word II (The story – how these books make up part of the story of the Bible)
1. To see that much of the Bible story rests upon God's choosing of the Israelites and to think about the way that he has also chosen us.
Dramatic challenge:
Divide the young people into small groups of between three and five. Explain to them that their challenge is to invent and perform a short sketch on the theme of being chosen.
Below are three possible scenarios but they are free to create their own.
Scenario 1: At school, teams are being picked for a lunchtime game of football.
Scenario 2: At a Jane Austen style ball a young lady is invited to dance.
Scenario 3: Pop Idol - the winner is about to be chosen by judges and public
Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 7: 1-11
1. In the verses we have just read who is being chosen and who is doing the choosing?
2. Why were these particular people chosen? (vv. 7-8)
3. Are the reasons here different to the reasons people were chosen in the sketches?
4. Does being chosen seem to bring particular responsibilities with it?
5. Does this passage have any connection to your Christian life?
At the end make these summary points:
• In today's meeting, and those to follow, we are going to look at the story of the Bible and think about how that story helps us to understand our Christian lives today.
• In this case, we see the way God has chosen us reflected in the way he chose the Israelite nation in the Old Testament. We had done nothing to deserve God's love when he chose us and gave it to us.
• However, like the Israelites, we can only make the most of God's love if we live the way he has called us to live.
Worship (The portrait – how these books help our understanding of God)
Activity: Play or sing or refer to a contemporary worship song that focuses on the privilege of our personal relationship / friendship with God. Then read these two sentences from Genesis 1:
'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.'
'He also made the stars.'
Ask do you more often think of God as your personal friend or as the all-powerful creator of the universe?
Praise God for both!
Witness
Pray for each other – especially for the way God is not seen!.