Is Christianity True?

Session 2: Is Christianity True?

ICE BREAKER Leader: To start this series, have your group play a game called “Who is the Leader?” Have your group stand in a circle and pick one person in your group to be the “Guesser.” Have them leave the room and choose a second person to be the secret “Leader” of your group. Everyone else is a “Follower.” After picking a Leader, the Guesser is called back into the room and stands in the center of the circle. To begin the game, the Leader makes a silly face or pose, and all the Followers have to copy it to the best of their ability. The Guesser’s job is to try to figure out who the Leader of the circle is, while the “Leader” and the “Followers” try to keep their identity a secret. The “Leader” must keep changing motions. The Leader and the rest of the circle must remain silent, but the Guesser can talk to make three guesses as to who the Leader is. If they cannot find the Leader, the Guesser picks who will be in the circle next. If the Leader is found out, they become the Guesser for the next round. After the game is over, have everyone sit down to start your discussion. To be a good follower in the game, you had to keep your eyes on the leader and copy everything they did. But being a good follower always pointed the guesser to the leader. As Christians, we are called to imitate Jesus and to be like him so that other people can guess who we follow. But to be like Jesus, we have to learn about him in God’s Word, the Bible. Leader: There is a variety of ways students approach the Bible. They may have a plan to read their Bible every morning, flip to a random passage to read a verse or two, or have no desire to ever open the Bible. To open the conversation, have them talk about their approach to Bible reading. Do you think the Bible is easy to read or difficult? Why? How do you normally read the Bible? Do you have a Bible reading plan? Even if we read the Bible every day, we will still struggle to live like Jesus. We will all mess up and sin. But does that mean that we are all phonies and hypocrites? In this video, Marquise Cox will help us answer that question and will give us a helpful way to read our Bibles so that we can grow to be better followers of Jesus.

VIEW Show Session 2: Is Christianity True? (12 minutes).

REVIEW Leader: In the video, we heard from students who struggle with how to balance truth and love. A lot of your students probably relate to the challenges, questions, and doubts they shared. Give space for your students to share their questions and experiences when appropriate. Often, sharing a doubt or frustration is the first step to finding a path forward. This session answered two big questions: Is the Bible reliable? And, are Christians all hypocrites? Both questions are about trust. If the Bible is God’s Word, it is trustworthy, and we should apply it to our lives. But if Christians don’t apply God’s Word to their lives or fail at doing it, are we trustworthy or just a bunch of hypocrites? We all have a lot of questions about the Bible and may even be wondering if we can trust it. People at your school may have even asked you questions about the Bible. What kinds of questions do students at your school have about the Bible? What do they think about it? You may hear people say that the Bible is made up, but when you read the Bible, you discover it is far more than a simple story. Marquise shared a lot of facts about the Bible that show us it is reliable and true. For example, we have over 5,000 ancient manuscripts and tablets that are 99% accurate to the Bible we have today, showing that the Bible has not been changed since the time it was written. What did you learn about the Bible from the video that you did not know before? In what ways is the Bible more reliable than you had thought? Leaders: At this point, the conversation will transition to the section on hypocrisy. If you need more time to talk through the Bible and its trustworthiness, allow that conversation to run its course before moving on in the study. The Bible Journey section of this study will give you and your group an opportunity to try the REAL method Marquise shared in the video. If the Bible is God’s Word, then we should read it and apply its truth to our lives. But that isn’t always easy. What can make it difficult to live like Jesus? What do you think a “perfect Christian” looks like? Is it possible for you to be a perfect Christian? Why or why not? Most people, even if they aren’t Christians, know how Christians are called to act. So, when we fail to live up to God’s standard, or sin, they see us failing to live up to our own beliefs. They may even label us as hypocrites. What do you think a hypocrite is? Do you think Christians are hypocrites? Explain your answer. Marquise defined a hypocrite as “someone who calls out another person’s problem while pretending they don’t have that problem.” In what ways do Christians judge others for problems they also struggle with? Leader: Guard your group against straying into gossip by focusing on the sorts of issues we judge rather than focusing on certain people who judge. The hope behind this question is that students will consider how they might also be tempted to judge people for their faults. A hypocrite is a person who loudly judges others for drinking at parties but also goes to parties to drink. They call out people for gossiping but also go on social media to gossip. Following Jesus is different. We do have a standard to live up to that we will fail to meet at times. But instead of faking perfection or calling out other people’s sins, we should repent—acknowledging our own sin, seeking forgiveness from those our sins have hurt, and turning away from our sin. In what ways is repenting of sin different than hypocrisy? Christians aren’t supposed to hide our failures or judge other people for theirs. The good news of Christianity is the sacrifice of Jesus covers our sin so we don’t have to pretend to be perfect. And when we do sin, we can run to God, knowing he will accept us, forgive us, and empower us to turn away from sin. What would it look like for you to be repentant when you sin instead of pretending to be perfect?

BIBLE JOURNEY The Bible is not a tool to help hypocrites to point out sin, but a way we can know God and grow to be more like Jesus. It is okay if you don’t know how to apply the Bible to your life, or even if you feel like the Bible is hard to read. Marquise shared the “REAL” method, a simple and easy way to approach, understand, and apply God’s Word. Let’s practice it with 2 Corinthians 5:17–20, one of the passages Marquise used in the video. The R in REAL stands for “Read the Bible.” That is easy enough! Can someone read 2 Corinthians 5:17–20 out loud for the group? The E in REAL stands for “Evaluate what You Read.” In other words, what does the passage say? What does it mean? Look at verse 17. What change happens when we become Christians? Now let’s examine verse 19. When God brings us to himself, what does he not hold against us? What do you think it means to be reconciled to God? What is a trespass? As new creations, we have a new purpose for our lives. Verse 20 tells us what our mission is as Christians. What new ministry has God given to Christians? What do you think it means to be an “ambassador”? An ambassador is a person who lives as a representative in a foreign land. For example, the Swedish Ambassador in America represents the Swedish government and culture when he or she speaks to our President. According to verse 20, how are we meant to be ambassadors of Christ? What “plea” are we supposed to make with people who don’t know Jesus? Instead of pointing out the sins of other people, God wants us to point those people to him. We aren’t hypocrites who accuse others of sins while ignoring our own, but ambassadors, eager to introduce people to the God who has forgiven us What would it look like to make that plea with someone today? What else stands out to you in this passage? Are there any additional questions you have about these verses? If you are confused or unsure what to do with these verses, it’s okay! The A stands for “Ask God to help you understand.” God wants us to understand his Word so that we can know him and the right way to live. So, whenever we are confused, our first move should always be to pray. Will two people pray for us to help us understand this passage? Now, can someone reread 2 Corinthians 5:17–20 for us? Did anything new stand out to you in the passage? The final step of REAL is the L: Live it out! This is where we look for the truths we should believe in the passage. Are there any truths in this passage we should believe? What are they? What commands does this passage give to us? How can we practice them during the week?

LAST WORD If you know Jesus, you are a new creation. God has given us his Word, so that we can know him more deeply and learn how to live and worship him. But even though we know God and try to live like Jesus, we will mess up. We need each other to help us recognize our sin and remind us of the hope we have in Jesus. What would it look like for your group to be “ministers of reconciliation” to one another? How could you pray for each other as you seek to be more like Jesus? God has not given us the ministry of accusation. Our goal is not to point out the sins of everyone around us. Instead, he wants us to be ambassadors for Jesus. Leader: Have your students break into groups of 2–3 to brainstorm ways they can be ambassadors of Jesus during the week. Once every group has come up with some ideas, come back together and talk about what the group came up with. If you want, you can pick a few of the ideas to practice during the week. This week let’s practice the REAL method of Bible reading and live as new creations! Let’s pray.