F E T C H M A G. C O M I S S U E N O. 2 0 the big story study guide SNAPCHAT PRINCESS A L L I E C H A R D I N T A K E S U S O N A T O U R O F H E R G L A M O R O U S L I F E A S A T R A V E L V L O G G E R
how to This study guide is simply a tool to help you, and possibly a group of your friends, to go deeper into understanding the BIG STORY of God as revealed in the Bible. Each week is designed to be an "exploratory lab" following the Sunday sermon to help you, or your group, apply the truths of God's BIG STORY where you live, work and play. Feel free to take each section in one sitting or pick at it during various times during the week. Individual sessions will be released after each Sunday message. You may pick them up at the Info Booth on Sunday Mornings or download them from the Grace website. To understand fully our story, we must begin by understanding fully God's BIG STORY. It is in God's BIG STORY where we find the beauty, redemption, and hope for our story. God bless you on this adventure. Bryan Wilson January 2017 1
"IN THE BEGINNING, GOD CREATED..." G E N E S I S 1 : 1
W E E K 1 : S T A R T Opening Thought from Lesslie Newbigin: The story told by the Bible was the story by which people understood the meaning of their lives, and for several centuries, even after the invention of printing in Europe in the mid-fifteenth century, it was the only book most households had. Most households today have a Bible. But do people read it in the way they read other books? Do they read it as a whole, as a story from beginning to end? I think not. Most of us treat the Bible as an anthology of helpful thoughts to which we may occasionally turn, and from which we can obtain comfort, guidance, direction. And even in our readings of the Bible in church, we tend to look at only very short passages which reinforces the impression that the Bible is a collection of nuggets of wisdom from which we can choose what we find helpful. But in that case, of course, it is not the Bible itself that decides what is worth reading: we decide in advance. The Bible is not our authority. Many years ago a Hindu friend of mine, a very learned man, said to me something I have never forgotten: "I can't understand why you missionaries present the Bible to us in India as a book of religion. It is not a book of religion - and maybe we have plenty of books of religion in India. We don't need any more! I find in your Bible a unique interpretation of universal history, the history of the whole of creation and the history of the human race. And therefore a unique interpretation of the human person as a responsible actor in history. That is unique. There is nothing else in the whole religious literature of the world to put alongside it." He was right. And when he said the Bible is not a book of religion, what he meant was that it is not a book which encourages us to turn away from the down-to-earth business of ordinary life, from our responsibilities as actors in history. It does encourage us to turn away from the world of our daily newspapers to a so-called spiritual world beyond. It is rather an interpretation of the whole of history from the creation to its end, and of the human story within that creation. And that is the story I want to tell. 3
W E E K 1 : S T A R T READ ACTS 17: 17-34 Q: In verse 24, how does Paul begin to describe God to these Athenians? Q: Why does Paul start with creation rather than going right into Jesus? (For help, read Acts 2:14-41. Compare Paul's address here with his address in Acts 17:17-34. Note points of connection between the two and points of differentiation.) Paul started with Genesis to reach the Athenian community. He started in the beginning with the story of God. That is where we start this week. The BIG STORY starts with God in the beginning. READ GENESIS 1-2 devotionally. Let these words wash over you. Q: The main character in the BIG STORY is God. God is the hero. Every part of the BIG STORY reveals something about God. List all the characteristics of God you see in the creation story. 4
W E E K 1 : S T A R T Q: The crown of God's creation is humanity. God created male and female "in His image". What truths about humanity do you find in Genesis 1 and 2 that show our uniqueness among all of creation? Q: Think about the people you work with or those who live nearby. As persons created in the image of God, how much do you respect and care for them as God's creation? Pick a person you don't always enjoy encountering and every time you see him/her this week say to yourself, "This person is made in the God's image and has great value. God loves him/her and so will I." Q: Not trying to get too far ahead, and resting just in these passages of Genesis 1 and 2, write your story out below based on who you are from Genesis 1 and 2. After your finish this, make it your prayer. 5