7-9: Asking Questions about God
Identity formation takes place during these years as young people work out (sometimes struggle through) who they are, how/where they fit in, what their unique gifts and talents are and what they do/don’t want to believe. As they question, challenge, and search ... Read More
Course Modules
What is the Bible all about?
Bible Overview
Why is Jesus so special?
Study the Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke or John to do an in-depth Gospel study.
God’s ultimate revelation of himself is Jesus. In John 1:1-18 Jesus is called the Word of God, the one who was with God and is God, who has become flesh so that in him the Father might be revealed to us. To know God, we need to look at Jesus and it is in the Gospels that Jesus is set before us. So, a deep understanding of the Gospels, gained only by actually reading them, is mandatory to students coming to really see God. Jesus is the centre of the Bible. The Old Testament points to him and he both fulfills it and is the key to understanding it, and the New Testament flows from it, with the end of age being Jesus enthroned as the Lord of all.
Relevance of the Bible today
How can the Bible be my guide for living in this day and age?
In the beginning we were created to be like God, created in his image. This defines who we are and how we are meant to live. The Bible as a whole is a revelation of God and a revelation of his Will for our lives. It consists both of specific commandments and broader principles which both underlie the commandments and serve as guidelines for those things not specifically mentioned in the Bible
Biblical Themes
Who is God and who are His people?
Blessed are the poor in spirit
A study of the Beatitudes, Matthew 5:1-12, also known as the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew 5 - 7. Each Beatitude contains a topic of a major Biblical theme.
In a manner reminiscent of Moses on Mount Sinai giving the Law and establishing what we now call the Old Testament, Jesus laid out in the Sermon on the Mount a deeper and hence new revelation of God. This is the beginning of what is now the New Testament. The Sermon on the Mount is fundamental to understanding Jesus and God’s relationship to us. It is a key which helps us to understand the rest of God’s revelation, and the Beatitudes are the key to the Sermon as a whole.
Paul the Unbeliever
What happens when we die?
We all die. Whatever else happens, we are all going to die. So, what happens when we die is a matter of great importance to everyone. This is both a personal issue, what about me, and a wider issue, what about my family and friends and so on.
The ultimate destiny of everyone is both a matter of great importance and great neglect. Its importance lies in both its inescapability and its eternal duration. The issues of this life tend to take centre stage in the minds of most people and while they may from time to time reflect on death and after death, they are more concerned with immediate concerns of this life and its pleasures. The Bible, however, takes another view, for it regards these questions as being the most important questions.
History of Christianity
A brief look at some of the key events/people who make up the History of Christianity.
The History of the Christianity is the story of the continuing work of Christ, through the Holy Spirit, through the Church, which is his Body in the earth, Acts 1. It is a huge topic, and the aim of this unit is to introduce students to a few of the key events and people, and perhaps to some who are not so key in world terms. More importantly it is our history, and it is the history which we are writing right now. So, unlike the history of Ancient Rome, it is a living history in which we all participate
What is wrong with the world?
Why should I care about others?
Conflict
Why does God allow suffering?
Making a difference in the world
Explore mission as being sent by Jesus as the Father sent him.
The Gospels, in various places speak of the mission Jesus had been given, his purpose for coming into the world. In John 20:21-23, Jesus transfers this mission from the Father which had been given to him to the disciples, whereupon he breathed on them to receive the Holy Spirit. Now, however, is the Day of Salvation, Hebrews 4:1-13, and it is the day of the Mission of the Church, the day of making a difference in the world.