Leaders Notes

In his famous book Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis makes this statement, "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg - or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us."

Two thousand years after he walked the earth, Jesus remains one of the most talked-about and influential people who has ever lived. Some of the greatest minds have wondered at who Jesus is and been left in awe.  Albert Einstein, physicist and atheist said the following: "As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene....No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life."

In an age when most people lump Jesus in with Muhammed and Buddha and other leading religious figures it is vital that your young people are presented with the truth of who Jesus is.

The question ‘Who is he?’ sparks debate and questions. To some Jesus was a good man, others believe he was a guru or wise man, even a miracle maker, and others would say he was a fraudster and a lunatic.

Belief that Jesus is God is a fundamental part of the Christian faith.

In a session such as this it is difficult to present a full on apologetics discussion on every issue of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. A good source for further reading is www.bethinking.org

Game: Fashion Disaster
Duration: 15 mins Equipment Required: Scissors, tape, tissue paper, toilet roll, newspaper. Description: Split the group into small sized teams.  Each team needs to select someone to be their ‘model’. Give each team a selection of the following: scissors, tape, tissue paper, toilet roll, newspaper (you may think of other things too). Give the teams ten minutes to dress their model! When the time’s up have each ‘model’ strut their stuff for everyone to watch. The Point: Just for fun.

Game: Guess The Feet
Duration: 5 mins Equipment Required: A screen or sheet of paper and the means to hang it. Description: Select around 5-10 people from the group (depending on the size of the group). Ask the rest of the group to go into another room away from the 5-10 selected. Each person selected needs to take off their shoes and socks, and then stand behind some kind of screen or sheet, but allowing their feet to be seen. Invite the rest of the group back in and ask them to guess which feet belong to which person. The Point: Just for fun.

Quiz: His 'N' Hers
Duration: 10 mins Equipment Required: His n Her topics (see below), pen and paper to score, a timer. Description: This quiz involves girls v boys. Have a couple of rounds of the quiz to get the teams in a competitive mood. The idea behind the quiz is that the girls and boys can choose a topic commonly associated with the opposite sex, see the examples below. Under each topic there are ten items for the teams to guess. The teams have a minute to guess as many as possible. The teams get points for the number of correct items they guess – they have to be the ones listed! HIS Topics for the girls to guess: Name 10 England footballers: Wayne Rooney Paul Robinson Rio Ferdinand Michael Owen Steven Gerrard Frank Lampard Ashley Cole Jermaine Defoe Sol Campbell Joe Cole Name 10 top totty: Paris Hilton Mischa Barton Britney Spears Charlotte Church Cheryl Tweedy Rachel Stevens Natasha Bedingfield Kiera Knightley Cat Deeley Cameon Diaz HER Topics for the boys to guess: Name 10 sports played by girls: Netball Hockey Tennis Swimming Football Gymnastics Lacrosse Rounders Badminton Horse riding Name 10 fit blokes: Orlando Bloom Frank Lampard David Beckham Shayne Ward Brad Pitt Heath Ledger Matthew Fox (Jack in Lost) Robbie Williams James Blunt Lee Ryan The Point: Just for fun.

Discussion: Who Are You?
Duration: 5 mins Equipment Required: Marker pen, large sheet of paper or a flip chart. Description: Read out Homer Simpson’s description of Jesus:  'A dude who lived a million years ago, who most of us think was magic'. Ask the group to shout out what comes to mind when they think about Jesus? Write the group’s response on a big sheet of paper or a flip chart. Then spend a couple of minutes asking the group what their friends at school would say in response to the question ‘Who is Jesus?’ The Point: To begin thinking about who Jesus is.

Game: Hero Or Zero
Duration: 10 mins Equipment Required: List of famous people (see below), a sheet of paper saying – HERO, a sheet of paper saying – ZERO, pens and paper. Description: Have a list of famous people – who could be potential heroes for your group – see suggested list below (some are a bit tongue in cheek). Feel free to adapt the list to suit your group. On one side of the room have a sheet of paper saying HERO and on the opposite side of the room have a sheet of paper saying ZERO. Read out the list of famous people ‘heroes’ and ask the group to decide whether the people listed are heroes or zeros. The idea is that the young people have to physically move to make their decision, if they are undecided they can stand anywhere in between the two sheets of paper. Encourage the group to make a personal decision and not to be swayed by the rest of the group. Wayne Rooney The Queen Vernon Kay Chris Moyles Mother Theresa Tony Blair Andrew Flintoff Kylie Mischa Barton Thierry Henry Name of a youth leader! Each of the people in the game are to some extent admired and respected (by some people at least) for their unique talents, good looks, and commitment, etc. It’s over 2000 years since Jesus’ death and resurrection and yet he remains one of the most admired and respected people ever. Ask the group to spend a few minutes thinking through what made Jesus unique, what was special about him? Split the young people into groups and give them a piece of paper and a pen to write down their ideas. After a couple of minutes come back together as one group and share ideas. The Point: Jesus was not (is not) just another hero, there are unique things about him, that make him stand out from the crowd.

Activity: He's For Real
Duration: 10 mins Equipment Required: Sweets, quiz questions (see below), pens and paper, handouts (see web link below). Description: Start off by asking the group if they believe in Santa Claus or ever did? Then ask them why they stopped believing in Santa? There are many people who claim that Jesus was not a real person. They say he’s just another legendary figure like Santa. Do the quiz below as a quick fire thing and give a sweet to whoever answers the questions correctly (feel free to amend the questions). Where was Jesus born? (answer: Bethlehem) What was his mum called? (answer: Mary) What gifts did the Wise men bring Jesus? (answer: gold, frankincense and myrrh) What was the name of his cousin? (answer: John (the Baptist) Who ruled Jesus’ country at the time of his birth? (answer: the Romans) In which town did Jesus grow up? (answer: Nazerath) What job did Jesus have? (answer: Carpenter) How old was Jesus when he began to go around preaching? (answer: 30 years old) Can you name four of Jesus’ disciples? (answer: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Matthew, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew James, Judas, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot) What does the name Jesus mean a) gift b) the Lord saves or c) peace? (answer: b) Who did Jesus say he was? (answer: God, the Son of Man, the Son of God, Messiah) At what event did a dove appear above Jesus? (answer: his baptism) What was the first miracle Jesus performed? (answer: turning the water in wine) What’s the Sunday before Easter called? (answer: Palm Sunday) What did Jesus do on Palm Sunday? (answer: rode into Jerusalem on a donkey) Which disciple betrayed Jesus? (answer: Judas) Name the Roman big cheese who handed Jesus over to the Jews? (answer: Pilate) How was Jesus put to death? (answer: crucified) On what day did Jesus die? (answer: Good Friday) How many days was Jesus dead? (answer: three) Unlike Santa Jesus was a real person. Split the group up into groups of around 4 people, and ask them to come up with some reasons as to why Jesus was a real person. Give each group a pen and paper for this activity. The groups may come up with ideas along these lines: The story of his birth was recorded. There’s information about his family and where he lived. His life was written about. There were eye witness accounts. Those who wrote about him claimed to be writing real history. Jesus’ life led to the birth of the church. Jesus led to the New Testament being written. Someone said all that Jesus talked about – if it wasn’t Jesus who was it? We have Jesus’ words and teachings – he is regarded as one of the greatest teachers ever. There are other sources than the Bible that write about a real person called Jesus.  After a few minutes come back together as a group and chat through peoples’ thoughts. The Point: To see that Jesus was a real person and that there are real reasons to believe that fact.

Visual And Audio Clips: Identity
Duration: 10 mins Equipment Required: A copy of the film The Bourne Identity and the means to show it, sheet of paper, marker pen. Description: The clip is from The Bourne Identity PG 2002, Universal. The film is about a man – Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) - who wakes up to find two gun shots in his back and his memory wiped. He learns that he is part of an elite secret government force that the government no longer trusts. In this particular clip Jason Bourne is trying to piece together what he’s done and who he is, he’s searching for his real identity. Clip Start: 00:33:48 Clip End: 00:35:12 – end the clip after Bourne’s final question: “Now how could I know all that and not know who I am?” Clip Duration: Approximately 1 ½ minutes We all have questions over who we are and what our purpose is, but Jesus was absolutely sure of who he was; he made public confident claims of who he was and his purpose. As a group read the following Bible passages: Luke 22:70 John 14:6 Mark 2:5-11 Now ask, ‘Who is Jesus saying He is from these passages’? Write up the groups’ response on a sheet of paper. Jesus wasn’t the only person to make these claims.  Other people commented about him also. Look at the scriptures below and summarise the conclusions that they had drawn: Luke 9:18-27 Matthew 27:45-54 Colossians 1:14-16  The Point: Jesus made clear, big claims about who he was – he claimed to be God – he knew his identity.

Bible Study: Super Natural
Duration: 15 mins Equipment Required: Bibles, paper and pens, a large sheet of paper, marker pens. Description: Jesus’ claims to be God are backed up by what he was able to do in the way of miracles. Explain to the group that Jesus did four kinds of miracles: Healed people Brought the dead to life Set people free from evil spirits Power over nature Get the group into groups of around 4 and give them Bibles and pens and paper to read up on four of Jesus’ miracles. Matthew 12:22 What kind of miracle is this? How did Jesus show his power? Write a newspaper headline for this miracle. John 11:1-44 (or Luke 7:11-16 for a shorter story) What kind of miracle is this? How did Jesus show his power? Write a newspaper headline for this miracle. Luke 5:18-25 What kind of miracle is this? How did Jesus show his power? Write a newspaper headline for this miracle. Matthew 8:23-27 What kind of miracle is this? How did Jesus show his power? Write a newspaper headline for this miracle. At the end come back together as one group and discuss the groups’ answers. On a wall have a massive sheet of paper with the word ‘Jesus’ written in the centre. Encourage each member of the group to come up and write a word to describe Jesus’ actions. The Point: Jesus performed many miracles which demonstrated his authority and power over creation, over life and death, over disease and over evil powers. Only God has that kind of awesome power.

Activity: The Passion
Duration: 10 mins Equipment Required: The Passion PowerPoint presentation and the means to show it. Description: Read Mark 10:33 and ask the Group what Jesus says is his primary reason for coming to the earth. Use the following as an introduction to showing the PowerPoint: Jesus really did die at a real time and place in history. The Bible makes it clear that Jesus' death was not just an accident, or the death of a good wise person. Make no mistake Jesus’ death was at the heart of God's plan for the world – it was the very reason he came into the world – he was born to die (and rise again). Because Jesus was God he lived a perfect life and was the only one able to die as a substitute for us to clear us of our sin. Jesus died to deal with the problem of human guilt and evil, and to make it possible for humans to have a relationship with God. Only God could rescue us – Jesus was the rescuer. Show the PowerPoint of Jesus crucifixion – they are still images from Mel Gibson’s film ‘The Passion of the Christ’ (please note the images are not the most graphic ones from the film). After showing the clip, read the following quotation from C.S. Lewis… "A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg - or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us." Ask the Group: C.S. Lewis suggests that Jesus must either have been mad, bad or God – He leaves no other option to us.  What do you think about this? Can we say that Jesus was just a good person when he made such claims about being God and performing such amazing miracles – and being willing to die for these claims? The Point: To challenge the young people to come to a conclusion about who Jesus really is.

Activity: The Passion Powerpoint

Discussion: So, Who Is This Jesus?
Duration: 10 mins Equipment Required: None. Description: Break into small groups and invite the young people to share their reflections, as the session draws near to a close, with regards to what they think about Jesus. Encourage them to ask questions.  If they’re not sure what they think ask the following questions: If Jesus lived on the earth today and made his claims about being God, backed up by amazing miracles, how do you think the world would respond? How would you respond? If Jesus was here now in person – what would you ask Him? The Point: To encourage the young people to consider what they think about Jesus in light of what has been discussed in this session.

Worship and Reflection: Bath Time
Duration: 15 mins Equipment Required: Print out of John 13:1-17, print out what’s to happen at each station on card basin of water, towel(s), post-It notes and pens. Description: God has come to us as one of us! It’s a totally mind blowing unique thing about Christianity. With other religions their ‘god’ is a distant figure. With Christianity God – Jesus – has stepped right into our world. With other religions it’s all about working at it and doing things. With Christianity we can never be good enough – so Jesus has given us a way out by dying on the cross. In the last week before Jesus’ death he did something amazing for the disciples. He washed their feet. Can you imagine God washing stinking feet? Set up various stations around the room, have the room dimly lit and have some music playing. Ensure the group follow the stations round in the right order. Station 1: John 13:1-17 printed out (use www.biblegateway.com to get the passage). Read the Bible passage quietly. Station 2: Take off your shoes and socks and leave them in a pile. Jesus completely humbled himself in washing the disciples feet, and he did even more by dying on the cross. Take a moment to think about Jesus being willing to leave Heaven, giving up everything, so that He could save us. Station 3: Read John 13:8. We’re not a follower of Jesus if we’re not washed by him. Have you asked Jesus to wash away your sin, the wrong and mess in your life? Pause and reflect for a few moments. Station 4: Basin of water. Step into the water for a few seconds, while in the water think about why Jesus died on the cross – he died for you – he died to make you clean. Step out and dry off your feet, being thankful that Jesus is able to make us clean. Station 5: Read John 13:10. Once you’re a Christian you don’t need to be constantly ‘bathed’ but you need to wash your feet occasionally… there are times when we mess up as Christians and we need our ‘sin’ washed off our feet. Grab a Post-It note and pen and write down if there’s anything you need Jesus to ‘wash’ off you right now? Ask Jesus to ‘wash’ you clean. Take the Post-It with you as a reminder. The Point: Because Jesus is God he can wash us clean and take away our sin.

Activity: Action Replay
Duration: 5 mins Equipment Required: Bibles. Description: Encourage the group to read about Jesus for themselves.  So they can have an action replay of the life of Jesus! For those in the group who have made some kind of commitment encourage them to read the Gospel accounts so they can get to know Jesus better and discover more about who God is and what he has done. For those who are sceptical about the whole subject challenge them to read the Gospel accounts so they can think through the claims of  Jesus for themselves. How can you dismiss something if you do not give it a chance? Let the group know that if they read anything they do not understand, or if they want to chat about the stuff they read about Jesus they can approach a leader/s. Mark’s Gospel is a good place to start reading the story of Jesus as it’s very short and fast paced. For those who do not have a copy of the Bible or New Testament – this might be a good opportunity to give them a copy. The Point: To know more about who Jesus is we need to read the Bible.

Memory Verse: We Bow Down
Duration: 10 mins Equipment Required: The means to sing the worship songs listed below. Description: “…at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” Philippians 2:10-11 Get the group to repeat the above verse out loud a few times. If you’re Group are into singing, then you could lead a time of worship and reflections with the songs like: We bow down and confess, you are Lord in this bless Come, now is the time to worship Ancient of days The Point: To encourage young people to learn the Bible.

Drama: Who Is Jesus?

Additional Information/Activities (e.g. Birthday announcements):

   

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