To understand that it is our responsibility as believers to passionately share the good news with

Transcription

1 Reminders: National Treasure: Passion to Action If you are going to use a movie clip, ALWAYS PREVIEW IT! No exceptions! You are responsible for what you show your group! Our writers will always try to provide clean clips and warn you of nearby questionable words or content but all art forms are subjective. Only you can determine what to show your group. Number one rule: watch it first. Please read the Terms of Use at the end of this lesson for important licensing and copyright information. Goal: To understand that it is our responsibility as believers to passionately share the good news with those around us.

2 Setting the Stage: To begin, ask these questions: How would you describe sports team fanatics? If you could protest against or march for a cause, what would it be? Why? What do your friends at school talk about with the most excitement? Why do you think they get so excited about that particular topic? What topic excites you the most? Why? Are you more passionate about God than anything else in your life? National Treasure Overview: For over a century, the Gates family has been searching for an immeasurable historical treasure, which they believe was hidden by a secret society comprised of many of the founding fathers of America. In National Treasure, an action-packed mystery drama, Benjamin Franklin Gates, the youngest of the Gates family treasure hunters, is successful in discovering hidden clues that lead him closer than any of his ancestors to finding the treasure. To help him with his search, Gates teams up with Riley Poole, a close friend, and Ian Howe, a greedy and wealthy financier. When Ian turns on him and expresses his desire to steal the Declaration of Independence, which they believe to contain an invisible map, Gates beats him to it. After eluding Ian and the FBI, Gates, Riley, and their new accomplice, Abigail, continue to uncover clues that eventually lead them to a treasure beyond their wildest dreams.

3 IMPORTANT NOTE: This movie is rated PG for some violent action and scary images. Leaders should preview clips prior to showing them to the group. Also, it would be helpful if the leader has seen the entire movie. Scripture: Matthew 5:14 16; Colossians 3:23-24; 1 Peter 3:15; Jude 1:21-25 To many people, the message of the gospel seems crazy and absolutely impossible to believe. However, God calls us people of passionate faith to share the impossible hope with the world. Jesus said that we are to let our light shine in the darkness among people who know nothing about him. And why wouldn t we? Jesus has set us free from the bondage of sin and has given us a new life! With gentleness and respect, we should passionately and excitedly tell all who doubt what Jesus has done for us. How could we possibly keep such good news to ourselves? Movie Clip: Meeting with Dr. Chase Time: Start at the beginning of chapter 3; end the clip when Riley says, Uh, Ben? and then runs after him. Introduction to this Clip In an effort to protect both the Declaration of Independence and the treasure, Ben Gates and Riley Poole try to convince the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and a curator Dr. Abigail Chase of Ian s plan to steal the valuable historical document. Ben and Riley discuss the type of person that would believe the impossible someone with passionate convictions. After

4 meeting with Dr. Chase, they view the Declaration and are inspired by its words to steal the document to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. What Did You See? After viewing the clip, ask the group these questions: Why were Ben and Riley laughed out of the FBI building? Why did Ben want to see the back of the Declaration? Why do you think Ben was so determined to protect the document? What was Dr. Chase s initial reaction to Ben s request to examine the Declaration of Independence? How did Ben try to establish common ground between himself and Dr. Chase? What finally caused Ben to decide to steal the Declaration? How do you think Riley felt about Ben s decision to steal the Declaration? What Did You Read? After reading the scripture for today, ask the following questions: Practically, what does it mean to shine our light? What did Jesus say would be the result of letting our light shine? What do you think the light symbolizes? According to Colossians 3:23 24, how diligent should we be about sharing our faith? If you were asked to give an answer for the hope you have, what would you say? According to 1 Peter, how should we share about the hope we have in Christ? According to Jude, how should we treat those who doubt?

5 What Does It All Mean? Tie the movie clip and scripture together by asking the following questions: How are you treated when you share your faith? Compare or contrast it to the way Ben and Riley were treated when they shared their story with Dr. Chase. Ben believes that saving the Declaration of Independence is worth the risk of looking foolish. Do you believe sharing your faith is also worth the risk of looking foolish? Do you think you re as passionate about sharing your faith as Ben Gates was about saving the Declaration? Are you as passionate about sharing your faith as you are about cheering for your favorite sports team or band? Are you always prepared to tell others about the hope you have in Christ? If not, how could you become more prepared? If you are a light for Jesus, how bright are you shining? With which friends or family members could you share the good news about Jesus? Creative Activity: Divide your class into groups of four to six students. Provide each group with a sheet of paper and a pen. Ask the groups to brainstorm ways that they could creatively demonstrate their excitement about being a member of the family of God. After about ten minutes, ask everyone to share their ideas with the rest of the class. TERMS OF USE: In producing this teaching material, Barefoot Ministries references the use of movie clips as suggestions for teaching Christian principles in home small groups. The use of movie clips is a suggestion only, and alternatively the movie content could be discussed verbally, without showing any movie clips. Special permission must be granted for any public performance of copyrighted material, including church use. Legal use of and licensing of suggested material under copyright is the responsibility of the local user and/or the local church. Barefoot Ministries is not responsible for the licensing or use of any media suggested in this material. Barefoot

6 Ministries advises that any church or individual secure proper licensing before any public showing of any part of any motion picture, or recorded copyright media. You can secure a Church Video License and/or find out more information about public viewing of copyrighted media by contacting Christian Video Licensing International at or calling CVLI.