Bible studies

Group, Jan/Feb 2001

READYTOGO

believe-it-or-not

TOPICS: Sight and Salvation, Snake Attack, Dead Bones Rise, An Unusual Messenger

sight and salvation

(Jesus uses his spit to heal a blind man-- showing how God longs to heal us all.)

1. In the Dark-(You'll need a blindfold for every two kids.)

Have kids form pairs, and give each pair a blindfold. ->Say: Today let's experience what it's like to be blind. Choose one partner to be blind first.

When each pair has one blindfolded partner, ->say: Now I'd like the sighted partner in each pair to help your blindfolded partner guess an object or activity you describe by using one of four senses: taste, touch, smell, or sound.

Whisper to each sighted partner an object or activity and the one sense they're allowed to use in their description. For example: The taste of an apple, the touch of a dog, the smell of rain, or the sound of an orchestra.

Give kids a few minutes to identify the objects. Then have partners switch roles and repeat the process.

After teenagers have identified the objects, ->ask: How easy was it to identify the objects without using your sense of sight? Explain. What would it be like to be blind? What would change the most in your life? What do you think Jesus' response to blindness in others might be?

->Say: Let's turn to the Bible to discover Jesus' response to one blind man.

2. What's the Diagnosis?-(You'll need Bibles, paper, and pens or pencils.)

Have pairs combine to form three groups. Explain that each group will act as a team of doctors. The doctors' task will be to determine what happened in the case of the blind man as described in Mark 8:22-26. Give each group Bibles and pens or pencils. Have groups begin their task by reading the "case history" in the Bible.

When groups finish, have them each prepare a short presentation that answers the following questions: Why did Jesus choose to heal the man in this way? What does this event tell you about Jesus? What does this event tell you about the blind man's friends? Do you think you would do this for a friend who was suffering from blindness? Explain. Why do you think Jesus took the man out of the village and told him not to return to the village? Based on your exams, what do you think Jesus' response is to human blindness?

Have groups make their short presentations then ->say: Jesus responds to human blindness (both physical and spiritual) with help, hope, and healing.

3. Taking an "I Exam"-(You'll need Bibles, paper, and pencils or pens.)

Give kids each a piece of paper and a pen or pencil.

->Say: Now you're going to complete your own I Exam. First, think of your own blindness. For example, you may be blind to the loneliness of unpopular students in your school. Write your blind spots at the top of your paper.

After a few minutes, ->say: Now think about the blind man's friends in the story. They interceded for him and brought him to Christ so that Christ could heal his blindness. Think of a few people you could help bring to Christ and write their names on the bottom of your paper.

Now give kids each a Bible. Explain that you'd like them to create their own prayers of commitment based on John 9:39. Have them paraphrase the verse using some of the blind spots and people they wrote on their papers. Have students write their prayers on the back of their papers. Then close in prayer, asking God to heal our blindness.

snake attack

(Paul is bitten by a snake on the island of Malta, but shakes it off and affirms God's protection over him.)

1. Protect Me!

Have kids form pairs, and ask partners to stand side by side, interlocking arms. At your signal, pairs will use their free hands to try to pull apart another interlocked pair. If a pair is separated, that pair is out of the game. Have teenagers do this activity for three or four minutes.

Then ->ask: What was your strategy for staying together, and how well did it work? How was the way you protected each other similar to the way God protects us in real life?

How was it different?

->Say: In this activity, you merely had to protect your partner from attack. Imagine having to protect that partner from all possible harm, 24 hours a day! Well, God does just that for us. He protects us 24/7. Let's look today at how God protected Paul from the bite of a venomous snake and learn about how God protects us as well.

2. What Happened Was... -(You'll need Bibles, paper, and pens or pencils.)

Have kids form four groups. Assign each group one of the following "characters" in Acts 28:1-6: Paul, the snake, Luke (the writer of Acts and Paul's companion), and the islanders. If you have a lot of group members, you may want to add a fifth group and assign that group the part of sticks or fire.

Give each group a Bible, paper, and a pen or pencil. Have each group read the passage and then write a one-- page account of the story from the perspective of its assigned character. Each account should contain the who, what, and where of the story, ending with the character's opinion of why Paul wasn't killed by the snakebite.

Allow groups five minutes to prepare their eyewitness accounts. Then have one person from each group read his or her group's account (ending with Paul).

Then ->ask: What would your reaction have been to Paul's snakebite, had you personally witnessed it? Why? In what way was Paul's reaction to the snakebite an example for us of how we should respond to threats? What does this story tell you about God's protection? Explain.