Knowing Jesus,
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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 4 – Spring (but really Winter) 2004
(Ask three people to be ready to jump up and read the verses from proverbs written below)
1) Who would be the perfect person to give advice? Or that you would get advice from?
Draw them… different characteristics etc
2) Who likes to read poetry? Who writes it? Secretly?
We’re surrounded by poetry – tv ads, music, greetings cards…. And guess what? The Bible is full of poetry, too!
What’s the point of poetry?
Paint pictures, stir emotions
What are the rules of poetry?
Rhyme, rhythm
But Hebrew poetry is not about rhyme but parallelism! The same idea written two different ways! For example in Proverbs 9:10
What’s the point of poetry?
Paint pictures, stir emotions
What are the rules of poetry?
Rhyme, rhythm
But Hebrew poetry is not about rhyme but parallelism! The same idea written two different ways! For example in Proverbs 9:10
Prov 9:10 “Wisdom begins with respect for the LORD, and understanding begins with knowing the Holy One.
What sort of parallelism is this? (repetition. Why? For emphasis)
Whereas in Proverbs 10:1
Prov 10:1 A wise child brings joy to a father; a foolish child brings grief to a mother.
The ideas contrast each other….
Taken to an extreme in Proverbs 11:22
Prov 11:22 A woman who is beautiful but lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.
(A great verse to memorise and use as a chat up line!)
3) The writings can engage with our emotions too – reading a psalm can totally help us…
Different pairs look at Psalms 22, 23, 51, 91.
What emotions are these psalms focusing on?
4) The writings show us that God’s book is not just about other people or laws and regulations, it is about everyday life. Have a look at the following bits from Bible and identify the area of life they speak about
Song of Songs 1:1-4
Proverbs 18:24
Psalms 127:3-5
Proverbs 23:4-5
Proverbs 31:10
Proverbs 23:22-25
Psalms 119:97-100
Job 39:13-18
Worship
Write a psalm, either individually or in pairs or as a group. Make it real, relevant to how group is feeling and perhaps using a bit of parallelism!