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i v GOSPEL Journy Maui Ladr s Guid Copyright 009, 014 Ministris, Inc. A S Publishing rsourc PO Box 74533 Arvada, CO 80006 All rights rsrvd. Rprint prmission is grantd to purchasrs of this GOSPEL Journy Maui curriculum for up to tn copis of th Vs, Support C and Ladr s Guid for us ithin your church. All scriptur quotations, unlss othris indicatd, takn from th Holy Bibl, N Living Translation, copyright 1996, 004, 007 by Tyndal Hous Foundation. Usd rsrvd. by prmission of Tyndal Hous Publishrs, Inc., Col Stram, Illinois 60188. All rights Scriptur quotations mkd (NIV) takn from th Holy Bibl, N Intrnational Vrsion, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 011 by Biblica, Inc. Usd by prmission of Zondrvan. All rights rsrvd orldid..zondrvan.com Th NIV and N Intrnational Vrsion tradmks rgistrd in th Unitd Stats Patnt and Tradmk Offic by Biblica, Inc. GOSPEL Journy is a rgistrd tradmk of Ministris. Editor: Jan ratz Th GOSPEL Journy Maui Ladr s Guid is a componnt of GOSPEL Journy Maui. A GOSPEL Journy rsourc. intd in th Unitd Stats of Amrica.
GOSPEL Journy Maui 4 Episod 1: Is thr a Highr Por? 8 i Ho to Us GOSPEL Journy Maui 17 Episod 3: What is th purpos of lif? Pt 3 v Episod : What is th purpos of lif? Pt 1 Episod 4: Why thr so many rligions, 8 Episod 5: Is it rligion or rlationship? 34 Episod 6: Why do bad things happn? 39 and can thy all b right? Episod 7: What happns aftr di? Episod 8: Who is Jsus? Episod 9: What is Jsus mssag? 46 51 55 No What? 61 Appndix A: Ho to Giv a Strong Gospl sntation 63 Appndix B: THE Caus Circl...ay-Pursu-suad 65 Endnots 68
HOW TO USE GOSPEL JOURNEY MAUI v i GOSPEL Journy Maui is a nin k V-basd rality sris curriculum. This rsourc is dsignd to hlp studnts undrstand th mssag of th gospl, and ln ho to ngag othrs in spiritual convrsation. In ach pisod, Grg Stir and Zan Black modl th procss of spiritual dialogu, giving blivrs a ral-lif glimps into ho to rlationally sh th gospl. Christian studnts ill gro dpr in thir rlationship ith God as thy rstl through thir on thological undrstanding of thir faith by atching Grg and Zan ansr som of lif s gratst qustions straight from th pags of th Bibl. In addition to modling ffctiv vanglism, th rality sris is also an outrach rsourc. As studnts pray for and invit thir unrachd frinds to th sris, ral-lif opportunitis to ngag nonblivrs in spiritual convrsation ill unfold. Th curriculum is suitabl for mid-k youth group mtings, Sunday morning curriculum, small group mtings or rtrat sttings. It is dsignd for a 60-75 minut timslot, but asily xpands if tim allos. Th longr your timslot, th mor dply your studnts ill b abl to ngag ith th contnt. To hlp you customiz th matrials to bst fit your group, you ll find both a PF and an ditabl Word format vrsion of this Ladr s Guid on your Support C. For your convninc, you hav prmission to mak up to tn copis of th GOSPEL Journy Maui Vs, Support C and Ladr s Guid fil for us ithin your church. You may print as many invitations and postrs as you ish for promotional purposs. Th companion studnt books, hovr, should not b rproducd plas purchas th numbr of copis you nd. Bulk prics availabl. 4
HOW TO USE GOSPEL JOURNEY MAUI ping to launch th sris - ay! Th spiritual prp ork of prayr is a critical stting point as you prp to launch th Maui rality sris. Gt your tns praying alongsid you for th frinds thy ant to invit to th sris. Lay a strong spiritual foundation by praying vry stp along th ay! v i - vi. Tak an advanc look at th first sssion or to of th V and curriculum to gt a fl for th matrial. viing th matrial ill allo you to ffctivly and nthusiastically dscrib th sris to your tns, pnts and adult ladrs. trmin ho many additional copis of th companion studnt book you ll nd for your group. Th studnt books an intgral pt of ach k s lsson, so you ll nd a copy for ach studnt. Ordr your copis ly, so you hav thm in hand hn you launch th nin k sris. On month bfor th launch of your sris, rally your studnt ladrship tam and adult ladrs by giving thm a pr-scrning of th promo vido. Organiz a spcific plan for intgrating any visitors into th group, including a follo up and disciplship stratgy. For hlp ith this, chck out th fr n blivr disciplship vidos found at http:// somthingamazing.nt/moving-ford/. Fill in th hn/hr dtails on th ditabl invitations found on your Support C and print thm out. - Plan. Tak th folloing stps: - omot! Thr ks out, sho th promo vido to your youth group and/ or church. Maui is a porful outrach vhicl hich ill ngag blivrs and unblivrs alik. Challng your studnts to idntify -3 frinds thy ill pray for and invit to th Maui rality sris. ovid thm ith invitations to pass out to thir frinds. Rmind your tns that most popl com to a youth group vnt bcaus of a prsonal invitation. int out copis of th lockr siz postrs availabl on your Support C and distribut thm. - ay! On k out, rang som tim for your youth group to pray by nam for th frinds your studnts inviting to th sris. 5
HOW TO USE GOSPEL JOURNEY MAUI ping ach k s lsson As you prp for ach k s lsson, you ill ant to grab your Ladr s Guid and a copy of th Studnt Book. ISCUSSION-RIVEN TEACHING STYLE v i Both th V pisods and th supporting youth group curriculum studntcntric. Th goal is to triggr discussion and ngag tns, bfor aving th convrsation back to hat th Bibl has to say. Th lssons ill b most ffctiv if tns natural curiosity is unlashd and thy pushd to think dply about hat thy bliv and hy. Onc your studnts ngag ith th topic at hand, th Ladr s Guid movs th discussion from individual opinion to unpacking God s Word and xploring hat th Scriptur has to say about th issu undr discussion. Th goal is to mov your studnts from obsrvrs to pticipants. FREEOM AN FLEXIBILITY Bcaus discussion can vy gratly from group to group and sssion to sssion, you ncouragd to gaug your on group s nds and pick and choos th discussion qustions hich most rlvant to your nds. Kno that if your tns ngag ith you during th sssion in dp discussion, it s highly likly you ill not hav tim to covr all th discussion qustions providd and that s OK. Stay flxibl and fl fr to customiz th matrials to fit your group s nds and timfram. LESSON COMPONENTS Each Ladr s Guid lsson includs th folloing sctions: - PACK YOUR COOLER: A list of supplis is idntifid for ach lsson. - CATCH THE WAVE: An icbrakr activity and a f opning qustions providd to hlp your studnts ngag ith th V matrial thy about to atch. Aftr a brif discussion tim, you ill launch into th V viing portion of your lsson. Folloing th vido, thr additional discussion qustions dsignd to hlp th studnts bgin prsonally procssing through th topic of th lsson. Whn you asking qustions, don t b intimidatd if you mt ith silnc. Wait patintly for a rspons uncomfortabl silnc is your frind. Rmmbr that Jsus as th mastr at uncomfortabl momnts. Soonr or latr, somon ill stt talking. - IVE EEP: This sction provids th mat of th taching portion of th lsson. You ill div dpr into Scriptur, providing a Biblical prspctiv on th ky qustion bing addrssd in th sssion. - SAIL HOME: This is th prsonal application sction. It ill challng your studnts to b dors and not hs only and to apply hat thy v lnd to thir prsonal livs. 6
HOW TO USE GOSPEL JOURNEY MAUI - ALOHA: This sction ill rap-up your sssion, and provid you a natural transition ach k to clly prsnt th gospl and invit studnts to put thir trust in Christ or rcommit thir livs. - BACKGROUN/RESOURCES: Th Ladr s Guid provids a short list of hr to turn for mor information on ach sssion s topic if you or your studnts ant to dig dpr. - PARENT NEWSLETTER AN ACTIVITIES: W strongly bliv in involving pnts in th Maui sris by using th kly nslttr updats hich summiz hat s coming up and provid pnt/tn activity idas and discussion qustions. You can find ths in th Pnt Lttr foldr on your Support C. i Using th bonus xtras on your V v Chck out th bonus xtras on your V, and us thm to promot your rality sris or to supplmnt th 9 k sris and triggr furthr discussion. Customiz your rality sris! You undrstand your group bttr than anyon, and kno hat ill (and on t) ork. As you prp ach lsson, considr hat your studnts lik, and ho th tim can b most maningful for vryon. Us th dirctions and qustions in this Ladr s Guid as much or as littl as you d lik. Trat it as a springbod to a mor tailord xprinc. Abov all, b flxibl and illing to adjust to hatvr s going on (in mid-sntnc, if ncssy) and rcogniz that if your discussion tims go dp, it is highly likly you ill not hav tim to covr all th qustions providd. Each sssion is intndd for studnts to mak thir on discovris and spiritual xplorations, guidd by th truth of God s Word. If your group is lg, considr dividing your studnts into smallr groups of 7-8 for th discussion sctions of th lsson. You can ithr hav an adult voluntr sit ith ach group, or you can alk among th groups as th discussions flo, asking ach qustion loudly nough for vryon to h. Follo th Holy Spirit s lading throughout, and b snsitiv to ho vastly diffrnt tnagrs mntally, motionally, and spiritually. Som may hav bn Christians most of thir livs, othrs may hav nvr hd of Jsus, and many may b somhr in btn. Avoid insidr lingo or Christian catchphrass, hich can b intimidating. Guid th discussion in a ay that ncourags honsty (ithout mbrassmnt) and divs blo th surfac. May God blss you as you st off on your Journy! Grg Stir sidnt, 7
EPISOE ONE EPISOE ONE IS THERE A HIGHER POWER? v i Colossians 1:15-0; Rvlation 1:5b-6 - V projction quipmnt - GOSPEL Journy Maui V - Bibls - Studnt Books on for ach studnt - Pns/pncils - Ho BIG is Big? trivia qustions PACK YOUR COOLER CATCH THE WAVE Wlcom studnts as thy riv. Encourag thm to intract ith othr group mmbrs and mt anyon thy don t yt kno. ivid your studnts into tams, and run a trivia contst using qustions lik th folloing (corrct ansrs notd): ICEBREAKER: HOW BIG IS BIG? signat opposit sids of th room as Tru and Fals. Rad th folloing Tru or Fals trivia qustions and hav vryon indicat thir ansrs by moving to th corrsponding sid of th room. Aftr th activity, ask for a sho of hands from thos ho got all th right ansrs. T F T T F T Th avrag dairy co producs 00,000 glasss of milk ovr thir liftim.1 Th Grat Pacific Gbag Patch is roughly th siz of Orgon. [It s roughly th siz of Txas.] Th avrag catfish has mor than 50,000 tastbuds.3 Thr mor atoms in a singl glass of atr, than glasss of atr in all th ocans of th Eth.4 Th sun is 00 tims furthr from th th than th moon, but th moon is 00 tims smallr than th sun.5 [400 tims furthr and 400 tims smallr.] A standd, old fashiond pncil has th potntial to dra a lin 35 mils long.6 8
EPISOE ONE: IS THERE A HIGHER POWER? PRAY Sttl your studnts and offr a brif opning prayr. Thank God for bringing ach of you hr; ask God to hlp crat connctions and frindships, bringing you closr to Him and ach othr. EXPLAIN i Somtims th bignss of things can b mind-bnding, can t it? But hn you think about it, thr is also a diffrnt kind of big that has littl to do ith th physical dimnsions of an objct. This othr kind of big has mor to do ith somthing bing xtrmly important and highly impacting. And that s hat our n sris r kicking off today calld GOSPEL Journy Maui is about th big, important, impacting qustions of lif. v No many of you may b thinking that I m talking about qustions lik - ould I go to collg and if so, hr? - Who should I dat? - What kind of job do I ant? - What ill rally mak m happy? All of ths sriously big, important qustions. Thy impact your prsnt and your futur. But thr actually som vn biggr qustions looming out thr for you to xplor qustions that ill lay th vry foundation for ho you ansr all th othr qustions lif ill thro your ay. Ths vry biggst qustions pivotal to ho you ill bcom, and ho you ill approach lif. Qustions lik Is thr a highr por? ASK Ho you vntually dcid to ansr this qustion ill hav a liflong impact on ho you vi yourslf and th orld ound you. It s an important qustion to think about. Sriously. - Why do you think this qustion causs so much f, controvrsy, and confusion? Why is finding th ansr so tough? EXPLAIN Tough qustions. Honst talk. Ral ansrs. That s hat r hr for. I hop you r prpd for somthing xtraordiny, bcaus r going to mbk on an advntur that ll chang livs in this room. Guiding us along this advntur is a fascinating group of studnts, ach ith a totally uniqu background and point-of-vi. As atch this first pisod of GOSPEL Journy Maui, ll gt to mt th cast and div into our first big qustion: Is thr a Highr Por? 9
EPISOE ONE: IS THERE A HIGHER POWER? PLAY o Is thr a Highr Por? th first pisod on th GOSPEL Journy Maui V. Aftr th vido is ovr, discuss. i EXPLAIN Turn to pag 4 in your studnt book. Thr you ll s photos, and a brif bio of th vious cast mmbrs. Think about hich cast mmbr you most rlat to, and ansr th qustion you find at th bottom of pag 5. THE CAST v postd an ad on Craig s List to intntionally gathr togthr a mix of young strangrs from divrs rligious backgrounds, thn filmd thir controvrsial spiritual convrsation hil living togthr in a Maui bach hous for a k. Emma A Buddhist from Bouldr. This frhling spirit is full of quots from Buddha and xcitd to ln from vryon ls, hil taching thm th latst yoga movs. Jassr A Muslim high school snior and honor studnt ho is agr to ffctivly rprsnt Allah and th Koran as th pathay to ultimat truth. iscilla A st-htd Svnth ay Advntist, ho struggls ith bing torn btn hr faith and hat th orld has to offr. Rachl A N Agr ho blivs God is a black oman ho baks cookis (a la Th Matrix). Hr God mbodis unconditional lov, and ould nvr allo a litral hll. 10
EPISOE ONE: IS THERE A HIGHER POWER? Zan Th straight-up vanglical Christian. Radically convrtd just a f ys ago, h is a strong proponnt for Jsus as th sol ay of salvation. i Jonathan Jish by hritag. Agnostic by choic. Nicknamd th alking ncyclopdia, this pttim modl, pt-tim bouncr and full-tim ptir is no brainlss brut. v A-Ra A rcnt convrt to Mormonism, sh as raisd in a Baptist church, nt to AWANA as a child and attndd iscipl No as a tnagr. Grg Th achr Man ho spks intns discussion as h introducs a n qustion ach day and brings th Biblical prspctiv to th unfolding spiritual journy. Aftr atching th first pisod, hich cast mmbr do you most idntify ith and hy? ASK - Is anyon illing to sh ith th rst of us ho thy most rlatd to and hy? - Th cast bgan th day on th top of th volcano. iscilla said it as ho sh picturd havn. And Jassr said that vry pic of t has an tist. This is th big qustion raisd by natur s asom bauty: Ho did vrything gt hr? What do you think? - W r not standing on a volcano surroundd by ocan right no, but hat vidncs ound us might point to th xistnc of a divin Crator? 11
EPISOE ONE: IS THERE A HIGHER POWER? YOUTH LEAER HINT BOX If ths qustions spk a biggr convrsation about volution and cration, b rady ith a cl but rlativly simpl xploration of apologtics. To hlp you, chck out Grg Stir s blog ntry, Why I Bliv in th God of th Bibl, found at http://.grgstir.org/rants/hy-i-bliv-in-th-god-of-th-bibl/. as much or as littl of th ticl as you d lik, and giv studnts tim to igh in ith thir ractions. i IVE EEP v Grg rad an intrsting passag from th N Tstamnt. Lt s tak a closr look at that Scriptur to s if can mak som ground on ths qustions. COLOSSIANS 1:15-0 Ask for a voluntr to rad th Colossians passag found on pag 6 in th studnt book. Th Son is th imag of th invisibl God, th firstborn ovr all cration. For in him all things r cratd: things in havn and on th, visibl and invisibl, hthr throns or pors or rulrs or authoritis; all things hav bn cratd through him and for him. H is bfor all things, and in him all things hold togthr. And h is th had of th body, th church; h is th bginning and th firstborn from among th dad, so that in vrything h might hav th suprmacy. For God as plasd to hav all his fullnss dll in him, and through him to rconcil to himslf all things, hthr things on th or things in havn, by making pac through his blood, shd on th cross (NIV). ASK - What dos this passag say God is lik? What stands out to you most prsonally? Why? - If thr is a God, hat dos this passag say this God ants ith you? Would you ant to kno this God prsonally? Explain. 1