What is going on with predestination? Why was the Gentile-Jew beef such a big thing and what’s it got to do with us? Isn’t submission a really outdated concept? What does the armour of God look like in 2016? This month’s meeting guides take a look at Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, unpacking some important themes and answering some tricky questions.
Rigged!
5 minutes
Choose two volunteers; write one of their names on a piece of paper and hand it to another member of the group, telling them not to look. Then get both volunteers to complete a task – jumping on the spot for a minute, saying the alphabet backwards as fast as they can etc. When they’ve finished, tell the group that the piece of paper has the winner’s name on it, have the group member read out the winner and give that person a prize. Explain that you had predestined this person to be the winner, before they even started. This introduces the theme we’re looking at today: predestination.
Getting deep
10 minutes
Say: We’re going to put our theologian hats on for a bit, because the first chapter in Ephesians talks about predestination. Read Ephesians 1:3-6 and 11-14 together. Say: scholars (intellectuals who study the Bible) are divided on what this actually means. Draw a line down the middle of the flip chart, writing CALVIN on one side and ARMINIUS on the other. (You could use a picture of Calvin Klein boxers and the Pokémon ‘Articuno’ – because he sounds like he should be a Pokémon, or Henrik Mkhitaryan – because he’s an Armenian football player – to act as visuals!)
Say: Calvin believed that this verse suggests that God has pre-chosen some people to be saved and some not to be. Arminius believed that those who believed in God would be ‘predestined’ for salvation, and God knows who they will be, but that they can freely choose it. If you take Calvin’s view, your salvation is out of your hands, and it is impossible to lose it and so some would say that evangelism and discipleship are perhaps less important. Write the key words up on the relevant side of the flipchart as you’re explaining. (Just check here that everyone gets the meaning of salvation, evangelism and discipleship – you could ask some young people to define them).
Say: There are different views on this verse, but it’s important with all passages to take them in the context of the wider story of the Bible, so we’re going to look at some other Bible verses and decide who we think they support.
Whose side are you on?
15 minutes
Hand out these verses on post-it notes to groups of three. Ask the groups to put the post-its on the side of the flipchart they think it supports:
- Matthew 13:18-23
- Matthew 24:10-13
- John 15:5-7
- John 1:12-13
- Romans 8:23-30
- Deuteronomy 30:12-20
- Luke 12:8-9
- Romans 10:9-10
Have a discussion about which side the group believe fits best with what else they know about God and the Bible. Ask for a show of hands as to who agrees with Calvin or Arminius, emphasising that lots of Christians disagree on this and it’s ok to differ in opinion!
Key Point 1
It’s important for us to take responsibility for thinking through what we believe the Bible is saying, and then how we should act and respond. We should always weigh up what we read with other passages and everything else we know about God’s character.
ALL FOR ONE
10 minutes
Say: The next chapter of Ephesians explains more about how salvation works, and how we should act in response, so let’s read it together. Break Ephesians 2 (The Message translation) into chunks and ask young people to read sections aloud.
Say: God used this letter to remind the Christians how important unity was, even if there were differences among them. This is especially relevant at the moment as our country has been divided by the referendum vote, and as we see racism in America on an almost daily basis. This was a similar situation to what the Ephesians might have been facing, with different races and cultures coming together. Ask for a show of hands of those who have seen or experienced hostility in recent events, both online or in person? Ask if a few people want to share how it made them feel.
Key Point 2
Even though we may have differences in opinion or different backgrounds, God wants us to treat each other like family; not being against each other, but together: ‘For he himself is our peace… he has destroyed the barrier, the diving wall of hostility. ’ (Ephesians 2:14).
Coming together
10 minutes
Show the video of protestors in Kansas.
Say: This is a beautiful example of differences being handled without hostility, without violence and with peace. In small groups let’s think about and write down some situations we know of that need more peace and unity. You may want to think about Syria, British politics, someone at school who is a victim of racism, church disagreement or family arguments.
Built together
10 minutes
Ask your groups to think about those situations while you read Ephesians 2:14-22 from the NIV or ESV version out loud. Now ask the groups to pray for those situations, asking God to bring peace and his Spirit to them. When they’ve finished praying ask the groups to turn the paper over and write ideas they have for bringing unity and peace to the situations. Finish with the groups feeding back their ideas to inspire everyone.
Alice Williams is a former youth worker and founder of Luminary Bakery.
