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013 celloutlines | overview

DEEP WATER – A chance to dive deeper into our theology and be sure we understand the basis of our faith and doctrines.

Delving into Doctrinethink of one thing that you are really passionate about. is it football, horse riding, art, irish dancing, movies, scuba diving or Dr Who?!

if one of your friends asked you about your interest, what would you say? You’d probably be able to talk for hours about what you do and why you’re into that particular thing, explaining the finer points of what’s what or who’s who (or Who!)! You may hope that your friend catches your enthusiasm and wants to join you in your interest.

So what happens when someone asks you about your faith, or about Jesus, or about the Salvation army or why you go to church? in the Bible we are urged to make sure that we can always ‘give an answer’ when someone asks us questions like these.

‘Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.’

1 Peter 3:15 (NIV )

The Message translates it like this: ‘Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy.’

as you know, this year, in the ‘Deep Water’ stream, we are going to recap on what we believe as christians and why we believe it. So the next time someone asks us, we will be ready to give a clear and confident answer! To do this we will be looking at the Salvation army’s Doctrines of Faith. a Doctrine is simply a statement of belief… and the Salvation army has got eleven… eleven statements of faith (Doctrines) that explain what we believe about god, faith and life.

this month, march, after an introductory session, we will cover Doctrines 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. next month – april – we will delve into Doctrines 6, 7, 8 and 11. And finally, in October and November, we will consider Doctrines 9 and 10.

And don’t forget that it’s not enough just to know what we believe – what we believe must have a positive effect on how we live. there is an unbreakable link between intellectual faith and day-to-day christian living. With the help of the holy Spirit we can live out our beliefs with integrity and conviction.

Leader’s notes

Shelf Life

For Week 2 you will need copies of Shelf Life for your group (alove’S Bible reading guide for young people). check with your young people if they have a copy. if they don’t, you can obtain free copies from the alove office. Contact alove@salvationarmy.org.uk

Easter

The last day of this month is Easter Sunday. Although these Cell notes do not specifically suggest any Easter celebrations with your group, Doctrine 5 (which you will consider in the last week) does set the scene for why ‘easter’ had to happen.

Then the first week of next month will consider Doctrine 6, which is all about God’s great rescue plan for his world and how, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, god overcame the separation caused by sin and people were once again brought back into a right relationship with him.

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013 these two sessions wrap perfectly around the easter weekend, and if you want to include any easter content

there are some fun easter games suggested below and a an easter quiz.

how about ordering your group one of these as an easter gift?

The Real Easter Egg

It’s hard to believe that, out of the whopping 80 million chocolate Easter eggs sold each year, not one of them mentions Jesus on the box. Until now, that is. The Real Easter Egg is the first and only Fairtrade chocolate Easter egg to explain the Christian understanding of Easter on the box. It also supports charity and development projects.

www.realeasteregg.co.uk

Recommended Resources

The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine

r.t. Kendall, Understanding Theology, volume 1 and volume 2

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013 Easter Games

choose from any of the games below! Use hard-boiled, raw or chocolate eggs, depending on how much mess you want!

Egg Tower

Split the group into two teams. each team is issued with some newspapers, a roll of Sellotape and an egg. ask each team to build as tall a tower as possible that will support the egg within a given amount of time.

Egg Race

For this game you need two eggs and two spoons. Divide the group into teams and have them race round an obstacle course carrying the egg on the spoon. For a variation let them try carrying the spoon in the mouth!

Egg Throw

couples stand one pace apart and toss an egg to each other. they step back one pace and toss again. the winning couple is the one which is the furthest apart with their egg still intact. (Perhaps best done outdoors!)

Easter Egg Nose Rally

eggs must be rolled around a course, only using the nose.

Hidden Eggs

Put ten mini chocolate eggs in a bowl of cream or flour. The players must fish the eggs out as quickly as possible, using only their mouths. They may eat what they find!

The Egg Case

each group receives an egg and some newspaper sheets. the task is to pack the egg in newspaper so that the egg survives being thrown out of the first or second floor of a building.

Guess the Eggs

Fill a jar or an assortment of jars with a number of chocolate or sweet eggs. ask each person to guess the correct number of the eggs in the jar. the person with the closest number will get the jar as the prize. (they should be encouraged to share it.)

Chocolate Egg Bowling

roll a ball across the room until it stops. each person then tries to roll their eggs to get closest to the ball.

Easter Egg Blow

Use real hollow eggshells. each person has a straw and an egg. Use the straw to blow the eggs across the room. First person across is the winner.

Easter Charades

Split the group into two teams. team members act out an easter word for their team-mates to guess using the normal charade rules.

Easter Pictionary

as above, only group members draw an easter word for their team to guess using normal Pictionary rules.

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Easter Quiz (Answers in bold)1. as Jesus rode into Jerusalem (on Palm Sunday),

what did he say would cry out if his disciples didn’t?

A. the stonesB. the angelsc. the earthD. the animals

2. What was the man carrying whom Peter and John followed to prepare the upper room for Passover?

a. a bushel of wheatB. a young lambC. a pitcher of waterD. a loaf of bread

3. What did Jesus give to Judas as a sign that he was to betray him?

a. glass of wineB. Breadc. Jar of honeyD. Bag of coins

4. Which of these things did not happen at the last Supper?

a. the disciples sang a hymnB. Jesus washed the disciples’ feetc. Judas left to betray JesusD. Jesus wept bitterly

5. What was the sign that Jesus gave Peter in stating that he would deny him?

a. the sun would riseB. a rooster would crow twiceC. someone would build a fireD. darkness would cover the land

6. What did Judas get for betraying Jesus?

A. 30 pieces of silverB. 30 pieces of goldc. a villa on lake galileeD. nothing

7. Where was Jesus when he was arrested?

a. the templeB. A gardenc. the upper roomD. a courtyard

8. At Jesus’ arrest, who cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant?

a. JohnB. JamesC. PeterD. the Bible doesn’t say

9. Who was the chief priest who had Jesus arrested?

A. CaiaphasB. ananiasc. PilateD. Zechariah

10. Which of these people did not question Jesus after he was arrested?

a. caiaphasB. Pontius Pilatec. herodD. Caesar

11. on what charge did the Jewish court sentence Jesus to death?

a. murderB. Blasphemyc. False witnessD. theft

12. What was the name of the prisoner the people wanted released instead of Jesus?

a. BarnabasB. hamanC. BarabbasD. Shalmaneser

13. Who was told to carry Jesus’ cross for him?

a. Joseph of arimatheaB. JohnC. Simon the CyrenianD. Peter

14. Where was Jesus crucified?

a. the mount of olivesB. Golgothac. JerusalemD. the hinnom valley

15. On what day of the week was Jesus crucified?

a. mondayB. thursdayC. FridayD. Saturday

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013 celloutlines | overview (continued...)

16. Which of these things did not happen when Jesus died?

a. the veil of the temple was torn in twoB. an earthquakec. many saints were raised from the deadD. The moon turned blood red

17. When Jesus was on the cross, the sky turned black. When did this happen?

a. 10amB. About middayc. 6pmD. midnight

18. What happened when a soldier pierced Jesus’ crucified body?

A. Blood flowed outB. Water flowed outC. Blood and water flowed outD. Nothing flowed out

19. What did Jesus ask his Father to do about those who crucified him?

a. take revengeB. rescue themC. Forgive themD. Kill them

20. What did the soldier in charge of Jesus’ execution say just after he died?

a.‘he died quickly’B. ‘i’ve got a bad feeling about this?’C. ‘He was the son of God’D. Let’s all go for a coffee’

21. Who owned the tomb where Jesus was buried?

A. Joseph of ArimatheaB. Simon the cyrenianc. nicodemusD. mary magdalene

22. What were the soldiers told to say regarding the missing body of Jesus?

a. his body fell into a crevice created by the earthquakeB. His mother moved the body to a different tombC. His disciples stole the body at nightD. he wasn’t really dead – just unconscious

23. On what day of the week was Jesus first seen after his resurrection?

a. FridayB. SaturdayC. SundayD. monday

24. To whom did Jesus first appear after his resurrection?

A. Mary MagdaleneB. his mother maryc. PeterD. matthew

25. Which disciple said he would not believe Jesus had risen unless he could see the nail marks in his hands?

a. andrewB. Jamesc. PeterD. Thomas

26. how many people saw Jesus after his death?

a. mary, Peter and thomasB. the 12 disciplesC. Over 500D. no one

taken from www.BibleStudyMen.com and Insight: reflections and resources on Christian youth ministry and leadership. http://insight.typepad.co.uk/insight/

The Doctrines Of The Salvation Army

N T I R T Q F E R O P E T E E E I H YN R N E N J U D G E M E N T U E U O NE U N D I V I D E D R U O E H A S I IN N O R N E P S I N D E I F I T S U JO C T R I D O A W V C S T E O C A T EE R R E N L N L U E I S A P D O C R US S E N I P P A H L A N R E T E R R WN D I S O B E D I E N C E P F Q R R AL E N P U I I I N B I J N R O U R N TU I M M O R T A L I T Y E E U A E N OE F I R R E R A E I E P G S V L P B NI I S S P I M E R G T T E E H R E S EU T S U E E E I C I O O R R T D N U MN C D S L U P T E T P V O V I A T F EO N I E R S R E N N I S E E A E A I NR A S J Y E H I I H C O N R F H N R TG S L L L L O D T N E C N I N D C A OS C O I E I N N O C E N C Y E O E N OO H T I A F T N J G V J T I E G R WD

atonement blameless coequaldisobedience divine rule eternal happinessfaith faith GodGodhead governor Holy Spiritimmortality innocency inspirationJesus judgement justifiedobedience perfect preserverregeneration repentance resurrectionsanctified sinners undividedwrath

The Doctrines Of The Salvation Army

N T I R T Q F E R O P E T E E E I H YN R N E N J U D G E M E N T U E U O NE U N D I V I D E D R U O E H A S I IN N O R N E P S I N D E I F I T S U JO C T R I D O A W V C S T E O C A T EE R R E N L N L U E I S A P D O C R US S E N I P P A H L A N R E T E R R WN D I S O B E D I E N C E P F Q R R AL E N P U I I I N B I J N R O U R N TU I M M O R T A L I T Y E E U A E N OE F I R R E R A E I E P G S V L P B NI I S S P I M E R G T T E E H R E S EU T S U E E E I C I O O R R T D N U MN C D S L U P T E T P V O V I A T F EO N I E R S R E N N I S E E A E A I NR A S J Y E H I I H C O N R F H N R TG S L L L L O D T N E C N I N D C A OS C O I E I N N O C E N C Y E O E N OO H T I A F T N J G V J T I E G R WD

atonement blameless coequaldisobedience divine rule eternal happinessfaith faith GodGodhead governor Holy Spiritimmortality innocency inspirationJesus judgement justifiedobedience perfect preserverregeneration repentance resurrectionsanctified sinners undividedwrath

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013 these cell outlines are written by alove UK. they are available each week from our web site. For more

information and other cell resources, visit www.salvationarmy.org.uk/alove/resources

celloutlines | week one

What iS Doctrine?Welcome

as the group arrive, give each person the attached wordsearch to complete (PDF). this is made up of some of the key words from the Salvation army Doctrines... it is quite tricky! the answer sheet is also available.

nB You can design your own wordsearch at www.armoredpenguin.com/wordsearch/Data/2013.01/3104/31041440.884.html

read the cell introduction together. this is a reminder from January about the ‘Deep Water’ stream and what the next couple of months are all about.

Word

1. I believe…Ask each person to try to write down their Christian beliefs in five short sentences. Then share with the group. How easy/difficult did the group find this exercise?

Use this exercise to introduce the idea that everyone, whether they realise it or not, lives by some ‘doctrine’ – a set of beliefs and values that shape the way a person lives out his or her life.

‘Doctrine’ can be understood as an explanation of the faith – or perhaps more specifically the teaching of the christian faith – that helps explain what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Doctrines help us make sense of where we are with god.

Doctrine can also be thought of as being the officially acceptable teaching of the Church, which is then produced in concise written form, as for example the eleven Salvation army articles of Faith (‘Doctrines’). having a written statement like this helps form identity and belonging; it assists in providing an understanding of the faith that equips and nurtures and prevents us from following false teaching (heresy).

the roots of the Salvation army’s doctrines go back to the Wesleyan theology of around 1846. various changes and amendments were made as the early Salvation army leaders sought to clarify an agreed basis for the movement’s belief and mission. this was completed around 1876, and since then only minor changes to single words have taken place.

2. Salvation Army Doctrines of FaithYou may have already tried this exercise in the January cell groups. that’s oK – this is a good chance to see what your group remember!

Print out the eleven Salvation army articles of Faith (attached below) and cut into separate strips. Put the group into pairs and give each pair one set of strips. ask them to try to lay them out in the correct order as they are in The SA Handbook of Doctrine. The first pair to get this correct are the winners.

give each person a printed copy of the Doctrines and read through them together. ask which of the Doctrines, or phrases within the Doctrines, they may not understand. Then show them the simplified forms of the Doctrines (attached below) and discuss.

explain that it is oK if they don’t understand everything about the Doctrines at the moment, as we will look in detail at these in various fun and challenging ways over the next few weeks.

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And don’t forget that it’s not enough just to know what we believe – what we believe must have a positive effect on how we live. there is an unbreakable link between intellectual faith and day-to-day christian living. With the help of the holy Spirit we must live out our beliefs with integrity and conviction.

Worshipthere is an ancient christian creed called the apostles creed which reads like a statement of faith for a christian believer. a modern version is as follows:

I believe in God, the Father almighty,creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died, and was buried;he descended to the dead.On the third day he rose again;he ascended into heaven,he is seated at the right hand of the Father,and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy Christian* Church,the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and the life everlasting. Amen.

[* most versions say ‘catholic’ church, but this simply means the complete world-wide church of christ in all its manifestations.]

either say this creed together as you close in prayer, or ask each person to have a go at writing their own creed, perhaps based on the five statement they wrote above. Then each take it in turns to read out their creed and ask everyone to agree with a loud ‘amen!’

ActionAsk the group to research and find out what The Salvation Army’s Articles of War are, and when are they used. ask them to bring a printed copy of this to the next cell group.

You could set a challenge to see if anyone could memorise all eleven Doctrines by the end of the month. Offer a decent prize as an incentive!

give each person a copy of Shelf Life – ask them to read pages 1–13 before next session. (You can get Shelf Life for free from the ALOVE office: alove@salvationarmy.org.uk)

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013 The Doctrines of The Salvation Army

We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God; and that they only constitute the Divine rule of Christian faith and practice.

We believe that there is only one God, who is infinitely perfect, the Creator, Preserver, and Governor of all things, and who is the only proper object of religious worship.

We believe that there are three persons in the Godhead – the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost – undivided in essence and co-equal in power and glory.

We believe that in the person of Jesus Christ the Divine and human natures are united, so that He is truly and properly God and truly and properly man.

We believe that our first parents were created in a state of innocency, but by their disobedience they lost their purity and happiness; and that in consequence of their fall all men have become sinners, totally depraved, and as such are justly exposed to the wrath of God.

We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has, by His suffering and death, made an atonement for the whole world so that whosoever will may be saved.

We believe that repentance towards God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and regeneration by the Holy Spirit are necessary to salvation.

We believe that we are justified by grace, through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ; and that he that believeth hath the witness in himself.

We believe that continuance in a state of salvation depends upon continued obedient faith in Christ.

We believe that it is the privilege of all believers to be wholly sanctified, and that their whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We believe in the immortality of the soul; in the resurrection of the body; in the general judgment at the end of the world; in the eternal happiness of the righteous; and in the endless punishment of the wicked.

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013 Simplified forms of the Doctrines

Doctrine 1

god helped and guided good people to speak and write what is in the Bible, so that from it we may learn the way god wants us to live and the things he wants us to believe.

Doctrine 2

there is only one god and he is altogether perfect in every way. he is the creator, preserver and governor of all things. We should not worship anyone or anything else.

Doctrine 3

the Father, Jesus christ the Son and the holy Spirit are one god.

Doctrine 4

Jesus is both truly god and truly human: he has both god’s nature and human nature.

Doctrine 5

Our first parents, by their disobedience, lost their sense of God’s favour, and came under the power of sin; and because of this we are all inclined to do wrong.

Doctrine 6

On the cross Jesus suffered and died for the sins of everyone, so that whoever wants to may be saved.

Doctrine 7

to be saved we must be truly sorry for doing wrong and trust in Jesus; then the holy Spirit will make us new people.

Doctrine 8

Salvation is a free gift from god. it is received when we believe in Jesus; and when we are saved we know it and show it.

Doctrine 9

to stay saved we must trust in Jesus to help us, and we must go on doing as he wants us to do.

Doctrine 10

Saved people are given the chance to be used by god to help him. When they have given themselves to him fully, they can be given power to serve him, and be kept from sinning.

Doctrine 11

When our present bodies die we ourselves go on living in a new and different way. At the end of the world Jesus will judge all people. those who have chosen him to be their saviour will be happy to live with him as their king, for ever. those who have not done so will always be unhappy because they chose what separates them from all that is good and lovely.

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Doctrine 1 – the BiBleWelcome

Bible Numbers

give each person a copy of the Bible numbers quiz sheet (attached below). You simply need to match up the correct number with the correct statement. Go through the answers when everyone has finished – the person with the most correct is the winner!

here are the answers!

66 Books in the Bible

750,000 Words in the Bible (approximately!)

50 Bibles sold every minute

1,400 Years taken to write the Bible (according to some estimations)

40 authors who wrote the Bible (at least this many; probably more)

2 Words in the shortest verse

119 Number of the longest Psalm

18 letters in the longest name in the Bible

1,189 Chapters in the Bible

969 Oldest living person in the Bible

365 times the Bible tells us not to fear / be afraid

Feedback from last session

Find out if anyone has researched the Salvation army’s articles of War and what they have discovered.

check that everyone has read the assigned pages of Shelf life – you will be using them in the discussion below.

Word1. Just for fun, watch the Youtube clip ‘Baby got Book’ – www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTYr3JuueF4

2. Read the first Salvation Army Doctrine together and having a go at rewriting it in your own words.

Doctrine 1 We believe that the Scriptures of the old and new testaments were given by inspiration of god, and that they only constitute the Divine rule of christian faith and practice.

Doctrine in simplified form. God helped and guided good people to speak and write what is in the Bible, so that from it we may learn the way god wants us to live and the things he wants us to believe.

Doctrine in your own words:

3. Unpacking the Doctrine.

Use any of the following thoughts as you find useful to unpack the Doctrine for your group.

these cell outlines are written by alove UK. they are available each week from our web site. For more information and other cell resources, visit www.salvationarmy.org.uk/alove/resources

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013 celloutlines | week two (continued...)

The Salvation Army’s first Doctrine is about the belief that the Bible is God’s powerful word. It’s what God wants to say to us right now and in the future. it’s not full of ancient text with no relevance to us living in the 21st century, but words that inspire, excite, challenge, inform and comfort. all of the other Salvation army Doctrines are based on this belief in the authority and authenticity of the Bible as god’s true and exciting word.

‘You have been taught the Holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.’

2 timothy 3:15-17 (NLT )

this passage makes two really important points about the Bible. Firstly it tells us where Scripture originates; it was ‘inspired by god’. Secondly it tells us part of the Bible’s purpose: for teaching, preparing and equipping christ’s disciples for god’s work.

Turn to the first few pages of Shelf Life and use these to discuss further with your group. especially consider the ‘Bible Facts’ on page 7 and the ‘Reasons my Bible Stays on the Shelf!’ on pages 8–11. What did your group find interesting from reading this material? What can they relate to? Did they write down any other reasons for their own Bible staying on the shelf?

4. Place a large piece of flipchart paper / wallpaper in the centre of the group and read the following Scripture together.

‘All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.’

2 timothy 3:16-17 (nlt).

Break the Scripture into separate sentences starting with ‘the Bible…’. to help this exercise you could read the verse in different translations. (You can do this easily at Biblegateway.com.)

For example:

� the Bible is inspired by god.

� the Bible shows us truth.

� the Bible points out what is wrong in our lives and corrects us.

� the Bible teaches us how to live the right way.

� the Bible prepares and equips us to do what god wants us to.

how many statements can the group come up with? (You could do this in two small groups to see who can come up with the most!)

Discuss each statement that you have written in turn, and ask the group to share how they have practically experienced each statement in their own lives (or seen it in someone else’s).

Actionlook at the statements again and ask each person to pick one of them that they feel they would like to experience more of in their life. For example, one person may feel that they haven’t really ever experienced god speaking to them through the Bible, or can’t find the answer to a question they have, or need to experience some words of comfort or hope from Scripture.

ask them to share their chosen statement in pairs or smaller groups and discuss together some practical ways

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013 of making this more real in their life. then return to the whole group and ask each person to share one action/

change they are going to make to move on in this area.

prAyertry a meditation on words of Scripture. See Shelf Life page 34.

Final Challenge!

get your Bible out in public; at school / college / work / on the bus / in mcDonalds. Be ready to answer questions about why you are reading it if you are asked!

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013 Bible Numbers

Match up the numbers with the correct statement

Chapters in the Bible

Bibles sold every minute

Words in the Bible

Times the Bible tells us not to fear or be afraid

Books in the Bible

Words in the shortest verse

Years taken to write the Bible

Authors who wrote the Bible

Number of the longest Psalm

Age of oldest living person in the Bible

Letters in the longest name

2

66

18

50

750,000

40

969

119

1,400

1,189

365

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DoctrineS 2, 3, 4 – the goDheaDWelcome

Play the timeless classic where each person has the name of a celebrity stuck on their back. each person has to wander around the room, asking other group members questions to try to figure out which celebrity they are. the other person can only answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’!

alternatively, create some cards with the names of famous people on them. Split the group into two teams. The first person from each team takes a card and tries to describe the famous person to their team (obviously without saying his/her name!). When the team guesses correctly, another team member takes a card and describes to their team. the winning team is the one who has guessed the most names in a set time

Feedback from last session

How has each person managed to implement the action/change that they identified to help them experience the living words of Scripture in their lives?

Word1. read the next three Salvation army Doctrines together and have a go at rewriting them in your own words.

Doctrine 2. We believe that there is only one God, who is infinitely perfect, the Creator, Preserver and Governor of all things, and who is the only proper object of religious worship.

Doctrine 3. We believe that there are three person in the godhead – the Father, the Son and the holy ghost, undivided in essence and co-equal in power and glory.

Doctrine 4. We believe that in the person of Jesus christ the Divine and human natures are united so that he is truly and properly god and truly and properly man.

Doctrines in simplified form. 2: There is only one God and he is altogether perfect in every way. He is the creator, preserver and governor of all things. We should not worship anyone or anything else. 3: the Father, Jesus the Son and the holy Spirit are one god. 4: Jesus is both truly god and truly human; he has both god’s nature and human nature.

Doctrines in your own words

2. three-in-one demonstration.

Share some neapolitan ice cream together… and make sure everyone has one scoop made up of all three flavours!

or ask the group if they can think of a physical substance that can exist in three forms. the obvious answer is water. Demonstrate this with some ice, a glass of water and steam coming out of a kettle.

3. trinity triangle

Draw a large triangle on a piece of flipchart paper / wallpaper and label the three corners with the Godhead (the Father at the top, god the Son and god the holy Spirit on the other two corners). Discuss some of the following

these cell outlines are written by alove UK. they are available each week from our web site. For more information and other cell resources, visit www.salvationarmy.org.uk/alove/resources

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013 questions, jotting down your thoughts on the diagram as you discuss.

� What do you know about these three people?

� What do they look like?

� What are their different roles and responsibilities?

� how are they the same?

� How are they different?

� What are some things you know they have already done?

� What are some things they are going to do in the future?

� What is your personal relationship with them?

4. Doctrine 4 states that Jesus is both truly god and truly human; he has both god’s nature and human nature. Brainstorm together some examples of times when the ‘human-ness’ of Jesus is described in the Bible, and times when the ‘god-ness’ of Jesus is emphasised. (See the info below for some ides.) Perhaps create two lists on some flipchart paper.

5. Unpacking the Doctrine

Use any of the following thoughts as you find useful to unpack the Doctrine for your group.

it is essential that we understand who god is and what he is all about. that’s what Doctrines 2, 3 and 4 explain. Doctrine 2 clearly states that the Salvation army believes in one god, the only true god, who created and sustains everything, and that only he is worthy of our worship. the Bible teaches us that god is a spiritual being; he doesn’t have a physical body like we do. he has no gender and is not limited by time or space. he is unchanging. god is holy and he is love.

So where do Jesus and the Holy Spirit fit in?

Over centuries of debate and Biblical reflection, a theological belief has become central to the way that christians understand god and his relationship with Jesus and the holy Spirit. this belief has become known as ‘the trinity’, or ‘three in one’. Doctrine 3 states that we believe in one god who exists and is known as three persons. this means that god is one in his essential being, but in this being there are three persons: the Father, the Son and the holy Spirit, sometimes referred to as the ‘godhead’. the Father is wholly god, the Son is wholly god and the Spirit is wholly god. they are distinct from each other, but the same. You can’t have one without the other. as it says in the Doctrine, they are ‘undivided in essence’ and ‘co-equal in power and glory’. they are so united that there is no separation or division between them; and they all have the same importance and can all be worshipped. We can even pray to any one of them.

although the word ‘trinity’ is not found in the Bible, we can read references to god as three persons throughout. In Colossians 2:9 it speaks of Jesus being the ‘fullness of the godhead in bodily form’(ASV). And in the great commission we are urged to ‘go and make followers of all people in the world… in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit’ (Matthew 28:19).

to really understand the trinity we can begin with Jesus. Doctrine 4 tells us that Jesus is both fully god and fully human… he has both God’s nature and our nature. Jesus is God in human flesh (John 1). He is not God the Father but is somehow one with the Father.

When we read about Jesus in the Bible we find references to him as God, and to him as human. For example: Jesus said that he was the only way to god (John 14:6); and that he was a part of his Father (John 14:10). Jesus got tired and slept (Matthew 8:24); he got hungry and thirsty (Mark 11:12; John 19:28); he ate and drank (Mark 2:16) just like we all do. But in addition he healed people and forgave their sins (mark 10:52; 2:5), which only god could legitimately do, and which got him into some trouble with some of the religious leaders. he talked of

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013 himself as the only way to god (John 14:6), and as part of the Father (John 14:10).

Why do we need to know that Jesus is both fully god and fully human?

� When we read about Jesus and get to know him, he is showing us what his Father god is really like (John 14:9; Hebrews 1:3). In other words, if we want to know what God is like, we look at Jesus. Jesus is God perfectly revealed in human life. Jesus is the human face of god.

� When Jesus lived on earth in human form he lived a completely holy and sinless life. he had to do this in order to become the perfect sacrifice for our sins when he died on the cross and rose again. Through Jesus we can find complete forgiveness and new life with the Father.

� to help us in our discipleship. at times we feel weak and vulnerable and prone to giving in to sin and temptation, but through Jesus’ life and obedience to his Father, even to the point of death, a new way of living opened up for each of us. through Jesus it has become possible for our lives to carry the hallmarks of holiness and live a life that is seeking to honour god in everything that we do and in everything that we are.

Actionconsider:

Which person of the trinity do you spend the most time with. Why?

Who do you spend the least time with? Why?

What can you do this week to get to know god the Father, god the Son or god the holy Spirit better this week?

prAyercontinue to share your neapolitan ice cream with each other, and as you do so pray this prayer of blessing over each other!

‘May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.’

2 corinthians 13:14

nB. You may need to take photos of your group members this week if you are considering doing the face distorting activity in the next session.

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Doctrine 5 – the FallWelcome

Play around with some distortion photo apps, such as:

iTunes: Warp My Face, Goomifier, Morpho, Fun Mirror Lite – Warp Faces, Face Melter

Google Play: Face Effects, Face Changer, Photo Warp

You could either prepare distorted faces of your group beforehand and display the resulting pictures when the group arrive, asking them to guess who is who! (You will need photos of each group member’s face.) or you could do it live… just for fun!

HOWEVER – please be mindful of any particular sensitive individuals within your group who would find this activity highly embarrassing and humiliating, and would not enjoy people laughing at a morphed version of their face.

if this is the case then prepare beforehand some distorted pictures of celebrities for the group to guess.

Feedback from last week

What did each person do to get to know god the Father, god the Son or god the holy Spirit better this week, and how did this work out?

Word1. read Doctrine 5 together and have a go at rewriting it in your own words.

Doctrine Five: We believe that our first parents were created in a state of innocency, but by their disobedience they lost their purity and happiness, and that in consequence of their fall all men have become sinners, totally depraved, and as such are justly exposed to the wrath of god.

Doctrine in simplified form. Our first parents, by their disobedience, lost their sense of God’s favour, and came under the power of sin; because of this we are all inclined to do wrong.

Doctrine in your own words

2. Youtube clips

These two YouTube clips illustrate the theme of this Doctrine. Use both or either as you find useful!

� Better than chocolate (adam and eve)www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpcOm6IdlXE

� the encoUnter (Youth and Young adults night) February 8, 2013www.youtube.com/watch?v=PENmlActL_A

Watch until 1min 35secs (the rest is for the next session!)

these cell outlines are written by alove UK. they are available each week from our web site. For more information and other cell resources, visit www.salvationarmy.org.uk/alove/resources

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3. Unpacking the Doctrine

Use any of the following thoughts as you find useful to unpack the Doctrine for your group.

The fifth Salvation Army Doctrine tells us about our inheritance as human beings. It tells us who we really are and how we have all gone wrong. It discusses the significance and impact that sin has had on all of our lives.

in the beginning god created human beings in his own image to enjoy friendship with him and to work with him in the world that he created. We were created as spiritual beings, made with more than just our physical senses, and we were given a deep desire to worship and be with the creator. We were created innocent and sinless (genesis 2:25) and given the unique responsibility to develop and care for all that god had made on earth.

But unfortunately Adam and Eve, the first humans on the earth, decided to do things their own way and through their disobedience opened the door to allow sin to enter the world. now the whole of god’s good creation, including the relationships between humans themselves and god, are dislocated and distorted. god’s world is still good, but it now has a deep divide running right through the centre of it.

‘the Fall’ is the term used to describe the moment when humans ‘fell’ from being what they were made to be; the moment they fell out of their close relationship with god, with god’s creation and with each other. it tells us about the moment when sin entered the world through adam and eve in the garden of eden and ‘by their disobedience they lost their purity and happiness’. When adam and eve stood before the tree in the garden of eden and allowed sin to enter the world by eating the forbidden fruit, their relationship with god, as well as ours, was broken. [nB Be aware that the story of adam and eve may be understood as allegory, but that the meaning remains the same.]

Doctrine 5 goes on to state that ‘all men have become sinners’, which means that sin is now universal, affecting everyone. It touches every person at every level and affects the whole of our being. Sin is participating in anything that doesn’t match up to God’s word or ideal. Sin affects all aspects of our lives, it distorts our ability to discern what is right and wrong, and it changes the way we see the world and others around us. It makes it more difficult to discern God’s will. At the heart of every sin is the thought that ‘I know better than god’.

although the whole earth now bears the scars of our sins against god, the story of the Bible of course doesn’t end there. Would a loving god simply want to leave things as they are? not at all! god has dealt with our sin and has acted to set us right back as we were originally created to be – in right relationship with him, with each other and with creation. god has called each of us to live holy lives (leviticus 11:44), and we believe that it’s possible by faith in christ to live in freedom from sin – to be faithful to god in all things at all times. this is what we will be looking at in the next session! happy easter!

4. Discuss: What evidence do you see of ‘sin’ in god’s good world? (look in the newspaper, watch the tv news.)

5. Half fill a glass with water. Add drops of food colouring to the water. What happens? Pour in some oil and stir. What happens? try to mix using a spoon, fork or even a whisk.

Discuss: how does this experiment illustrate the theme of this session and Doctrine 5.

6. Discuss how Easter fits into the theme of this session!

Action‘It’s not our abilities that show what we truly are, it is our choices.’

Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

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013 Sin, to many of us, is a distant thing that doesn’t have any impact in the real world around us. The trouble is

that sin didn’t just enter the world thousands of years ago but that it enters the world every single day when we choose to pick and eat the apples of greed, lust, anger, pride, jealousy and self-centredness.

cris rogers – a monkey’s orientation

highlight the fact that, because of the Fall, we each have choices to make every day between ‘good’ and ‘bad’. our desire should be to try to make the right choices at every opportunity. ask each person to consider the choices they will have to make –today, tomorrow and into the future – jotting down their thoughts into two boxes as follows:

every choice has a consequence. how can we be sure we are making right choices and living the way that Jesus desires for us?

prAyerread the group the following words from the apostle Paul, who describes only too well the battle between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ within our lives!

‘But i need something more! For if i know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, i obviously need help! i realise that i don’t have what it takes. i can will it, but i can’t do it. i decide to do good, but i don’t really do it; i decide not to do bad, but then i do it anyway. my decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.

‘it happens so regularly that it’s predictable. the moment i decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. i truly delight in god’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when i least expect it, they take charge.

‘i’ve tried everything and nothing helps. i’m at the end of my rope. is there no one who can do anything for me? isn’t that the real question?

‘The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.’

romans 7:17–25 (The Message)

Daily Choices Future Choices

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013 Play some reflective music (try Spire Track 2, SPIRE CD available from ALOVE, lyrics below if you have a copy).

Bring down the walls that hold me back, Lord,Less of me and more of you now.I give up on walking this alone,I am coming home.I bow down, I bow down,And everything that’s in the way I cast it down.I let go of all my fear,In your perfect love it all disappears.

Pray together and ask the holy Spirit to help you make good ‘holy’ choices each day and to keep you from the temptation to sin.

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