1. Why Learn

  This is a mainly discussional series but is based on the Bible. The following are a series of studies we did many years ago, trying to show how the Bible is applicable to real questions in life.

Aim:   For them to see the value of learning & to have a positive approach

Prologue : Ask them which of the following are in the Bible:

1. In the beginning God created the sky & the earth (IN - Gen 1:1)

2. God helps those who help themselves (OUT)

3. Cleanliness is next to godliness (OUT)

4. You must not steal (IN - Exo 20:15 )

5. There is a time for everything (IN - Eccles 3:1)

6. Everyone is equal under the sun (OUT)

7. Money is the root of all evil (OUT ‘the love of money is... 1 Tim 6:10 )

Starters :   - in small groups of 2 or 3  - get them to think through the following questions:

1. How is “learning” a natural part of life?    (Growth of children etc)

2. How can that learning be limited?       (Not thinking about life)

3. What happens when people limit their learning

   (limited in job, in life, easily led astray)

4. What is the difference between “teaching” and “learning”

   (a teacher teaches and a pupil learns)

5. Why is a poor teacher not an excuse for a poor learner?

   (Learning is our personal responsibility)

6. What is the difference between “learning about” and “learning to do”?

   (One is purely mind knowledge, the other is application)

Bible Study : Get individuals to look up one of the following to answer the question, “What sort of things did God want Israelite children to learn about?

  Exo 10:1,2 / Exo 12:26 ,27 / Deut 4:9 / Deut 6;20-25

1. Why do you think God wanted them to learn about these things?

2. What happened when they either didn't learn about them or forgot them? (Fell to idol worship & God's judgement)

    Mt 28:19,20 / Jas 1:22-25 / Heb 5:11-14

3. What is essential about learning as seen by these verses?

   ( Christians are meant to be DOERS as well as hearers)

General question for interest at end:

- what sort of things (doing as well as hearing) do you think you should be learning?

Pray time : Pray about next year at school and general attitudes to  learning

2. Why Think

Remember this is mainly discussional. 

Aim:   For them to be challenged to have a questioning mind and to recognise that so often we give glib, unthinking answers

Prologue : Ask them which of the following are TRUE & which FALSE

These are just to set them thinking and will be some of the subjects they will be considering

1. ALL sickness comes from Satan (F)

2. Poverty is brought about by people's own stupidity (F)

3. God brings wars (T & F)

4. Criminals are responsible for their own actions (T & F)

5. People should be able to decide when to commit suicide (F)

6. Hell is just a state of mind (F)

7. Marriage is rapidly becoming obsolete (F)

Starters :   - read out the following case studies, one by one and get them to think about them and come up with (small?) group answers before moving on to the next one.

1. Daren is a Christian teenager with a teacher at school who says that religion is for old people. Quickly find five answers to this teacher's short-sighted thinking.

2. Gill's friends laugh at her for wanting one steady boyfriend. Quickly find three advantages and three disadvantages of her having one steady boyfriend.

3. John's friends laugh at him for having standards and say petty stealing from shops is all right. Quickly come up with eight reasons against stealing.

Thinking:

1. Why do you think many people don't really think out serious issues in life? (Lazy, afraid to face own guilt, afraid to stand against the crowd, recognise they would have to change if they did)

2. If we are to seriously and fully think out such issues, what is needed of us? (Willingness to change our ideas, willingness to say we are wrong, willingness make an effort to join in etc. Etc.)

3. The word “meditate” in scripture can mean “to think deeply, to dwell upon or consider fully” Read Psa 1:1-3 What is being said there? Also consider Psa 119:148

4. Summarise what happens to those who refuse to think. Why do we therefore need to be thinking people (Warning! Wisdom is not the same as knowledge. Read & consider Prov 1:1-7

3. Why Sickness

Remember this is mainly discussional. Be flexible and let the time open up in different ways if the Holy Spirit leads like that

Aim:   For them to consider

Why do we need to think about this?

   Ask them to come up with some reasons.

  - read Mk 1:32-34 & Jn 14:12

  - Jesus healed people and we are to heal people

  - we therefore need to know reasons why people are sick

  - if we deal with symptoms without causes we won't be much help

Reasons for Sickness

Give them copies of the case studies in small groups and ask them to decide why the individuals were ill. After feedback look up the following verses and discuss the studies in the light of them:

Study 1:

Mk 2:5 / 1 Cor 11:29 -32 / Mt 6:14 ,15

Sin needing forgiving often stops God's blessing. Refusal to forgive others is a sin needing to be dealt with before healing can be brought

Study 2:

1 Cor 6:19 ,20 / Phil 4:6,7

Wrong uses of our bodies (too much or too little sleep, too much food or too little) can harm them. A mind that is not at peace often causes body upset. A putting everything into God's hands and asking Him to help us reorder our lives will be necessary

Study 3

Job 2:3,7 / Jn 9:1-5

Some sickness is NOT because people have sinned or are in a wrong attitude or place. Sickness is simply part of the fallen world, it is there because the whole human race turned away from God. We MAY get the flu because our bodies and spirits aren't strong enough to resist it but that is different from being in a place of sin.

Study 4

Lk 9:38-42

The signs indicate that Alan has opened himself up to occult activity through some serious ongoing sin and has allowed Satan to take control of his life by means of an evil spirit. Alan needs bringing through to know the Lord, to a place where he repents of the known past sins, forsakes them and receives deliverance.

Summary & Conclusion

  Get them to summarise the reasons they have observed for sickness in the life of a person. Talk about the need to listen to the Holy Spirit when we pray for healing, as well as getting the person to talk about their life, so that causes can be dealt with as well as symptoms

.

In each of the following cases you were at the front when someone came out for prayer for healing. How would you deal with it?

1. Diane had had a very unhappy childhood, often being tormented by her two older brothers. As she grew up she developed an inner hatred for men and, despite getting married, this remained with her. She found her spiritual life was hindered and despite her desires to go on with God, she found she was continually being hindered and could not make progress. Arthritis started to appear in her joints at the age of 40 and she went forward for healing.

2. Jack was a young man in a new job that required a lot of him. To meet the demands of the job he worked late, took work home and worked into the early hours. Very often he just sent out for a burger and ate as he worked. He found he wasn't sleeping very well and was becoming very restless, day and night. He found he was having a cold constantly and soon he began to show signs of having a stomach ulcer. When he went to church one Sunday he found it was a healing service so went out for healing.

3. Janet was a diabetic and came forward for counsel and healing.

4. Alan had terrible nightmares and found that his temper flared up uncontrollably. He had tried getting help from a spiritist medium but that had only made it worse. It seemed he heard voices in his mind and he was almost taken over by them

4. Why Poverty

Remember this is mainly discussional. Be flexible and let the time open up in different ways if the Holy Spirit leads like that

Aim:   For them to consider reasons for poverty and to start formulating a strategy for their own lives in dealing with it

Prologue :

A. Give them some facts first of all:

  - world population is approx. 5 billion (5,000M)

  - one fifth of those are destitute!

In 1978 the world bank reported, “some 800 million individuals continue to be trapped in.... absolute poverty; a condition of life so characterised by malnutrition, illiteracy, disease, squalid surroundings, high infant mortality and low life expectancy as to be beneath any reasonable definition of human decency” It hasn't improved!

B. Ask them which of the following are TRUE & which FALSE

These are just to set them thinking you can give them the answers here after they have replied:

1. If people had less children the world wouldn't have a population problem and poverty could be avoided

   In many countries the death rate is so high that half the children die before 5. Children are needed in some countries to care for the elderly. Sons are needed to plough and do other hard manual labour. Until those things are changed you can't expect parents to want less children

2. False religion create poverty. Get rid of those and poverty is removed.

   The Philippines are 85% catholic and yet more than 50% of children are malnourished. Two of the world's richest economies are in countries where Islam predominates

3. The sacred cows of India are looked after but babies die of hunger. That shows a false religion (Hinduism) causing poverty

   True but Americans feed their cattle 1800 pounds of protein rich grain in order to produce 250 pounds of meat. The grain could have fed countless families in the third world .

4. The problem is the economic system. Capitalism and free enterprise will eliminate poverty.

   Many third world workers work at poverty levels because of prices artificially forced down by Western nations in “free enterprise”. There are people below the poverty line in both the UK and the USA .

5. The poor are just lazy. If they worked harder there wouldn't be poverty.

   In tropical heat & humidity it is impossible to work long hours. When young bodies are weakened by parasites and disease from drinking polluted water and having diets that never have sufficient vitamin it's not surprising they can't work so well.

Real Reasons?

  So what ARE the causes of poverty in the world? The above questions and answers simply challenge us not to give answers too quickly. There is some truth behind most of the questions. Ask the group to call out some things that DO contribute to poverty. Below are some answers 

   selfishness, greed, powerlessness by weaker nations to compete with stronger more “advanced” nations, oppression, indifference to need by those who have, natural catastrophes, difficult climates, ignorance, lack of resources

   Note: It is Sin in ALL of mankind! We are not blame just the West. ALL nations of the world could contribute to bringing change.

Be Real! Can I change anything ?

Ask them to challenge why this can be an escape attitude

   Because if everyone says that nothing will ever change

   There are always some things we can do

So what can we do ?

1. Find God's heart on the matter

 a)   Read Isa 58:1-8 as a group. Note esp. v.7

    What were the people doing?

    What did God want to see happen?

b) Read Deut 15:7-11  

    What attitude does God instruct us to have? 

    Why is that often difficult to have in today's society? (Self, self!) 

c)   Read Mk 14:6-8  

    What does Jesus say about the poor?

       (They are there - help them as God expects)

    But what is the key principle in these few verses?

        (Blessing Jesus - looking to please him?)

2. Determine to have a change of mind - and subsequently life!

    Ask them what this will mean

     - to be less “I want” to more “Can I help?”

    - to set aside some of our own money to give to others

    - to seek or a more simple lifestyle for your future

    - to not forget these things but ponder on them

    - to reject the excuses

    - to refuse to turn away in the face of need

    - to look for opportunities to serve God in blessing others

3. Pray together for help to do this and not forget it.

5. Why Wars

  Remember this is mainly discussional but it will need guidance and input as below

Aim:   For them to various questions about war:

    - why wars

    - should Christians go to war

  (don't worry about getting fixed answers, try more for principles)

Starters : Try them with the following:

1. What causes wars?

  (lawless people who want to overrun others [nationalism] of people who cannot solve disputes any other way

2. There are three possible causes in spiritual terms, behind wars. What are they?   - (God [Josh 11:20 ], Satan and sin, stirring up people, and people themselves)

3. There are 3 basic positions we can take to being involved in war: What arguments can you think for or against these positions?

  (Only allow a limited time for this!)

  a) Activism : all Christians always ought to involve themselves in war

     - in obedience to the authorities

    - because Government is ordained by God

  b) Pacifism: Christians should never fight

     - it is never right for Christians to kill

  (NB. Exo 20:13 is not “kill” but “murder” i.e. premeditated wrong

    - all wars are wrong and unjust

  c) Selectivism : it is right to be involved in some wars: where it is :

   - to defend against an aggressor (e.g. Gen 14:12 )

    - to right a clear wrong

    - in a fallen world it is a choice of the lessor evil

Thinking: Check out the following

a) Right Killing?

   - all killing is not wrong e.g. accident in self defence (Ex 22;2), then capital punishment (Gen 9:6)

b) Disobeying Government

  - mindless obedience to Government is not scriptural

  - see Ex 1:17 / Josh 2:4-9 / Dan 3:16-18 / Act s4:19,20, 19:11

c) God caused wars (i.e. for divine judgement or justice)

  - see Exo 17:16 / Josh 11:20 / Jud 3:10 and see WHY

  - God wants peace Isa 2:4

  - Judgement will come via war Rev 17:14 / Rev

d) Fighting against a government may be lawlessness (terrorism)

  - we may disagree with a government but that doesn't permit us to war against it, that is the spirit of the age (rebellion) 1 Tim 2;1,2

6. Why Crime

Remember this is mainly discussional but it will need guidance and input as below. Notes below in smaller print and in brackets are limited suggested answers you might be looking for. You may not want to be getting firm conclusions, just to get them starting to think. You may have too many questions in the time and therefore may want to get different groups to look up the Bible passages and bring their conclusions to the whole.

Aim:   For them to consider: - What is crime? How does it differ from moral law breakdown? Why crime? What sort of guidelines did God give to Israel ? What seemed the purpose of them? What can we learn from them?

Starters : Try them with the following:

1. Do we need laws? Why?

   (Yes, to protect the weak, maintain order, restrain the harmful anarchist)

2. What are the possibilities for who should make law?

   (Dictator, elite group, majority, God)

3. What is crime?

    (It is the breaking of the law of the country)

4. Why may the laws of a country be different from God's moral laws?      (Laws of the country may be more permissive)

5. Why might it be that in any country they may have laws but the majority of people ignore them? (Obviously bad laws)

6. Are our laws essentially bad? (No)

7. Why do so many people therefore disregard our laws?

(They have rejected the supreme Lawmaker, God, and therefore no one else is considered to have the authority to be the sole arbiter of what is right, therefore many people do what is right in their own eyes, i.e. they deny there is right or wrong)

8. What crimes against people or property can you think of?

Thinking: Check out the following

Look up Lev 24:17-21 and consider the following:

1. What distinction is there between people and property?

   (Death for death of person but not of animal - people more important - restitution when animal injured, equivalent injury when person injured)

2. What does God feel about human life?

   (He requires death penalty, therefore it is very important)

3. Why do you think our society has rejected the death penalty?

   (Fearful of making mistakes, have lost the sense of importance of life etc.)

4. What does removing the death penalty do in society?

   (Takes away the importance of human life, opens way for more violence)

5. Why do you think God required equivalent injury?

   (To restrict revenge)

Now look up Exo 21:21-19 and consider the following:

6. What is the difference between murder & manslaughter? (v.12-14)

7. What other reasons are there for the death penalty here (v.15-17)

8. How would you summarise the point of v.18,19?

   (to have a system of compensation)

Now read Exo 22:1-3 and consider the following:

9. What was the point of v.1?

   (to fine the offender & recompense the looser)

10. What is the point of fairness in v.2,3a?

   (killing an intruder after dark could be an accident)

Read Num 35:9-19 and consider the following:

11. What was the point of a city of refuge? v.9-15

   (To enable a person who has committed manslaughter to flee to somewhere of protection to avoid an avenger so justice can be determined)

12. Why do you think having a weapon invoked a death penalty when someone was killed? V.16-18

   (because they opened the way up for death)

13. Who had to kill the murderer and what do you think that achieved? (v.19)

   (The avenger - next of kin - made the death personal, death with desire for revenge and let justice be seen to be done)

Finally read Deut 19:15 and consider:

14. What was required for conviction of a crime?

   (at least two witnesses)

15. What feelings about God's laws are you left with?

     (? very orderly, sensible, to protect society, limit revenge and yet provide clearjustice where restitution, compensation and punishment were all clearly visible?)

16. Why do you think our society is having such trouble with rising crime?

   (rejection of God means rejection of arbiter of law, anything goes)

7. Why Life

Remember this is mainly discussional but it will need guidance and input as below. Notes below in smaller print and in brackets are limited suggested answers you might be looking for. You may not want to be getting firm conclusions, just to get them starting to think. You may have too many questions in the time and therefore may want to get different groups to look up the Bible passages and bring their conclusions to the whole. The key is to get them talking easily.

Aim:   For them to consider: - What is a life?

Starters : Try them with the following:

1. What is life?

   (Probably many varied answers)

2. What do they all have in common a) physically b)emotionally c) any other way?

   (All have heart lungs etc., all feel emotions, all have ambitions, sense of morality etc.)

3. How do you think modern TV and films portray the meaning of life?

   (Cheap, many killings with little thought, see death many times in thrillers or in news that takes away its meaning)

4. What has to be the view of life of the pro-abortionist?

  (Life doesn't really start to have value until after it is born)

5. What is the view of life of the scientist who is into embryo experimentation?

  (It is purely mechanical and it there to be manipulated)

6. What must be the view of life of the person in favour of euthanasia?

   (Life is ours to dispose of when we want to)

7. What must have been the view of life of the Nazis who killed 6 million Jews in the death camps?

   (We have the right to purify life [the human race] as we wish)

8. From these thoughts so far, how does your view on life affect how you live?

   (If you don't have a view that says life is important, then you will abuse the lives of others!)

Thinking: Check out the following

  [In this part we will consider how the Bible shows us meaning to life]

1. Read Genesis 1:26-28 and consider the following:

  a) What did God make man to do? (Rule over rest of creation)

  b) How does that distinguish man from animal (higher, to rule them)

  c) What do you think being made in the image of God means

  (thinking, reasoning, planning, creating, ruling over)

2. Read Genesis 1;27 with 2:7

  What does it say about the origin of mankind?

   (purposefully made by God, not an accident)

3. Read Genesis 9:5,6

  What does it show us about the value of life?

   (To God it is very important and those who take it will be answerable to Him).

4. Read Ephesians 1:4

  What does this say about purpose for life (at least for the Christian)?

   (God has a plan and therefore a purpose for it)

5. Read Psalm 139:13-16 

  What does this tell us about life?

   (God at least planned it, oversees its coming into being and is interested in every detail of us coming into being. Life is important to Him)

6. Read Jeremiah 1:4,5

  How do God's words to Jeremiah add purpose and meaning to his life?

   (God had individual purpose laid out for him before he was made)

Finally:

  How can the Christian view life differently from the non-Christian and what effect do you thin that will have on the way he/she lies?

8. Why Death

Remember this is mainly discussional but it will need guidance and input as below. Notes below in smaller print and in brackets are limited suggested answers you might be looking for. This is a very incomplete study on a big topic. You may have too many questions in the time and therefore may want to get different groups to look up the Bible passages and bring their conclusions to the whole. The key is to get them talking easily.

Aim:   For them to consider: - What is death, why does it happen, how do people feel about it and what happens after it?

Starters : Try them with the following:

1. How would you describe death?

   (Probably many varied answers)

2. Why are many people fearful about death and don't like talking about it?

  (What happens after death is unknown to many, it is the cutting off of life which they want to cling onto, or they fear the loss of someone close to them)

3. How many different ways can death come?

   (In war, murder, major accident, in operating theatre, terminal illness, from old age)

4. How may we feel differently about someone near us who has died:

  a) from being murdered (shock at the violence of it)

  b) from a heart attack (shock at the unexpectedness & suddenness of it)

  c) from a long term gradual terminal, painful illness (relief?)

Thinking: Check out the following  

  In this part we will consider how the Bible shows us about death. Perhaps each of them to look up and read out one of the verses to save time and then ask the questions.

1. Read Genesis 2:16,17

  a) What is implied here?

  (If they obeyed they would never die)

  b) What do you think would have happened if they had never disobeyed, never died, while the world was still populating?

  (Perhaps just gone to heaven without death)

   c) Can you think of people who went to heaven without dying?

  (Gen 5:24 / 2 Kings 2:11 / Acts 1:9)

2. Read Ezekiel 18:32

  a) How does God feel about death coming to people?

   (Doesn't enjoy bringing it [? Because he knows what we feel about it?])

  b) How could they stave off death? (By repenting)

3. Read Acts 5:4-11

  a) What was the effect of the death of Ananias & Sapphira?

   (Fear came on the church)

  b) Why then do you think God brought or allowed death here?

   (To bring order & discipline to those remaining)

4. Read John 11:11-15

  a) How did Jesus refer to death here? (As sleep)

  b) Why do you think he did that (because that wasn't the end)

  c) Why did he allow Lazarus to die

   (to make opportunity for something greater to happen)

5. Read Luke 23:39-43

  What was Jesus implying in v.43?

   (From death he would go straight into heaven)

6. Read Revelation 21:1-4

  a) When God makes all things new, what will be missing? (V.4) (death)

  b) What does this indicate about death

   (it is only part of the present material existence and will not be part of eternity in heaven)

7. Why do you think God has allowed death to happen in the way it does?

   (Death has come into the world through sin but now God uses death in this present era to

    a) signify an end to this existence

    b) act as an agent to make people think (esp. when they have a   terminal illness) and perhaps turn to him. )

8. How can we be comforted about thoughts of death?

  (Resting in God's wonderful provision for us - see a later study - and the knowledge that as a God of love, what He has got for us after death will be perfect. If death should come in an unpleasant way, His grace will be there to help us)

NB. There is much much more we could take about death for the Bible speaks much about heaven & hell following (see later study) and conditions for going to one or the other. There is also some uncertainty about whether we go instantly to heaven or to sleep before being raised. For simplicity I have taken the former possibility.

9. Why Heaven

  Most of these studies have, so far, been mainly discussional . However, because there is often so much ignorance as to what the Bible actually does say about Heaven today's study will be 20:80 discussion: bible study, and for once I suggest we get them to fill in answers on the sheets provided (this will be the first time in this series)

Aim:   For them to consider: - What is heaven and what does the Bible say about it.

Starters : Try them with the following:

1. How would you describe heaven?

   (They may give the 3 correct answers - but perhaps not!)

2. If heaven is an alternative existence in another dimension, why do you think God has made existence like He has?

   (Presumably he wanted us to have a spell in a materialistic dimension before He took us [well some of us] into a spirit dimension)

3. How do you envisage heaven?

   (Various possible answers. If heaven isn't infinitely more glorious and wonderful that earth then we have blown it!)

Thinking: Check out the following

  In this part we will consider what the Bible shows us about heaven and how we get there or are excluded. Use the sheet and get them to look up the verses and then fill in answers.

  The answers should be fairly straight forward I think, but you will need to get them to complete the fours titles (after they have looked up the verses), which should be:

  Part 1 : Heaven as the sky above

  Part 2 : Heaven as a kingdom of expression of God's reign

  Part 3 : Heaven as a place or location

  Part 4 - as it is.

  An answer to the last question could be that the difference between the second and third uses is that the kingdom is usually used to refer to God's ruling activity, more often than not outside of the place i.e. on earth, but obviously his rule does exist within the place or location.

 Kingdom refers more to the rule, heaven to the place, but when the two are together it is the expression of the place (king).