E H T rescue __BIBLICAL LESSONS FOR THE HELPLESS, HURTING & HUNGRY THE _rescue Copyright © 2015 by Campus Ministry International All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the author. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Cover and Interior Design: Jeremy Hart (Hart Creative + Design) Written by: Paul Records INTRODUCTION Lost and Found ....................................................................................................4 LESSON ONE The Bible...Why Does It Matter? ........................................................................6 LESSON TWO A Bible Breakdown ............................................................................................ 14 LESSON THREE A World of Gods ............................................................................................... 22 LESSON FOUR What Can Jesus Do for Me? ........................................................................... 28 LESSON FIVE Save Me, Jesus .................................................................................................. 35 LESSON SIX The Hope of the Holy Ghost ........................................................................................ 42 LESSON SEVEN Things to Come ...................................................................................................................47 LESSON EIGHT A Life That Matters ............................................................................................................53 introduction LOST AND FOUND It is likely that we all remember misplacing or losing a valuable object. Very often, we are able to find what was lost. However, sometimes what is lost stays lost forever. In elementary school, there is a place where lost objects accumulate. If something is found and the owner is unknown, it is put in a box or on a shelf labeled “Lost and Found.” This phrase tells us two things: First, that it is the location of many lost objects. Second, this phrase illustrates the purpose of the box or the place on the shelf. It is where we go to recover what was lost. This curriculum has been designed to connect with unchurched college students that have little to no prior knowledge of God or the Bible. In the following eight lessons, we at Campus Ministry International pray that the hurting, helpless, and hungry find hope. We desire that with these lessons as a resource, the lost will be found. Hungry souls do not have to lie in a box or remain on a dusty shelf in a closet. There is a Savior searching, looking, and reaching for students on every college campus in America and around the world. A WORD TO TEACHERS If you are a CMI leader, this curriculum is dedicated to you. May it support and supplement your ministry and Bible study efforts. Each lesson is packed with content. In fact, if taught all the way through the average length of each lesson would be around one hour and fifteen minutes. We recognize that may be longer than a normal campus Bible study. That is why we recommend you personalize each lesson for your specific needs. Each lesson is broken down into sections. Therefore, leaders can be free to teach the sections that are most beneficial to their group. The job of every teacher is to communicate any given material clearly and precisely. The following eight lessons were written so they can be used verbatim when teaching. Scattered throughout, you will find discussion prompts and key points. They are there to provide deeper context or further discussion about a particular topic. Also included in the bottom margins are footnotes with extra notes and citations. You may choose to share them with your students or leave them as extra material. As you stand to speak, remember to accomplish the following objectives. They will increase your effectiveness as a communicator, provide a standard of excellence, and make it easier for your students to remember the material. THE rescue 4 BE PREPARED Before you attempt to convey the material in The Rescue, study the curriculum as a whole. Make written notes on your copy and highlight points that stick out to you. Before you begin, consider the setting for your class. Will it be a classroom, auditorium, kitchen table, or living room? Ensure that you have enough chairs for your students and provide pens or pencils if the need arises. • View the handouts before you pass them out so that you will be familiar with the content. • Encourage your students to follow along and give time at the end of the session to discuss what was covered. • Be sure that all of your students understand the questions and are able to fill in the blanks provided on the handouts. You may even consider writing certain things on a chalkboard or whiteboard, or possibly displaying the PowerPoint included with this curriculum if the technology is available. Also be sure to remain aware of who you are teaching. Stay after each session and mingle with your audience. If certain people are new to the Bible, consider spending more time on certain passages. Make yourself available to answer any questions that arise. BE PRAYERFUL If we desire to have a lasting influence and make any spiritual impact on people, we must have the help of Heaven. The week before the course begins, spend extra time in prayer. Clean out your heart in repentance and ask Jesus to guide and direct your thoughts. Pray that your students will understand and remember what they hear. Begin and end each session with a time of prayer. It is likely that as Jesus leads, certain individuals will express a desire to know more or possibly experience a spiritual new birth if they have not done so already. Prepare your heart to respond if this happens and be ready to tell them about repentance, baptism in Jesus’ name, and what it is like to be filled with the Holy Ghost. In every situation, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6). BE PASSIONATE With a topic like God’s Holy Word, we should not act as if it is common. The Bible is more than a book; it is a living Word. As you study it, teach it, and explain it, do so with passion. Be enthusiastic about the privilege of telling college students about its truths. With faith, believe that Jesus will anoint you to rescue those that are lost on your campus. You have what it takes. Your campus is waiting. THE rescue 5 lesson_one THE BIBLE...WHY DOES IT MATTER? FOCUS SCRIPTURES: Matthew 24:35, Psalm 119:89 KEY MISSION: To establish the Bible as the infallible Word of God. Our subject, the Holy Bible, is matchless. No other text considered by a people to be sacred can even compare. It towers far above the Vedic Texts of Hinduism, the writings of Confucius, the Book of Mormon, and every best seller (religious or otherwise) that has ever or will ever be written. Even apart from its divine inspiration, the Bible is unparalleled in its formation, construction, and prophetic power. Unlike the Qur’an, it was written by multiple people over many lifetimes that were for the most part unaware of each other’s existence and the fact that their writings would later be assembled into one book. In the sixth century, Muhammad, the founder of Islam, wrote what he considered to be “revelations” from God. Until his death in AD 632, he lived and conquered as the ultimate prophet of Allah (God), with presumed authority and revelation greater than that of Abraham, Moses, and even Jesus. His writings form the Qur’an, the scriptures of Islam. After Muhammad, considered by Muslims to be “God’s chosen one,” died in poor health at the age of sixty-two, he never spoke another word. A QUICK COMPARISON Qur’an – 114 surahs (chapters) and approximately 6,000 verses written by one man in one lifetime. The Bible – Nearly 40 individual writers on 3 different continents in3 different languages wrote 3,566,480 letters, 810,697 words, 31,175 verses, 1,189 chapters, and 66 books over 1,500 years to produce 1 book, harmonious and unique in its continuity. 1 Even more spectacular than this incomparable construction is the element of prophecy intertwined within the biblical text. No other book uses the past to show the future, nor paints the horizon of the future with such vivid and illuminating detail. Even further, no other religious text describes a God who still lives and speaks to individuals. 1 These numbers are according to the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible. It should also be noted that the numbers of letters, words, and verses depend on which edition of the KJV is used. THE rescue 6 No other sacred text has done more to uplift human welfare or social progress than the Bible. Not only did Jesus revolutionize human thinking in the Roman era, but every era since. As teacher H. I. Hester writes, “From the Bible we have learned the true ideals and values of the social order. From the Bible we have learned the dignity and worth of personality. Jesus, whose teachings are recorded in the Bible, was the first to give the world the idea of the brotherhood of man. The Bible’s teachings have contributed immeasurably to the uplift of women and children. The Bible has done more to eradicate human slavery than all other books combined. Because of the truth that the Bible teaches, all the charitable institutions that minister to underprivileged and needy people have come into existence.” 2 No other text ever produced has done more to usher hope to the hearts of humanity. Truly we can declare, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4). IT’S MORE THAN A BOOK Around 1500 BC, Moses wrote and compiled the Book of Genesis. Nearly 1,000 years later, during the latter half of the fifth century BC, the prophet Malachi wrote the final book in our current Old Testament.