Before the Session
Facilitator: In advance of the session
- Have the Bible Background Video ready to view.
- Review today’s scripture text and the session activities to help better facilitate the discussion.
- Encourage your group to listen to the Faithelement podcast ahead of the next session (Share the link via email or social media)
Context (From the Youth Session Page)
Show the Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade clip, and ask questions like:
- What kind of belief did Indiana Jones need?
- What would have happened if his belief was not followed up with actions?
- Which do you think is more important and why: belief or actions?
Content (From the Mind Session Page)
Read John 14:8-17, then watch the Bible Background Video.
Ask questions like:
- Philip had seen Jesus do many amazing things in his time with Jesus. What do you think he was asking for in this passage
- What do we learn from Jesus’ response to Philip?
- What picture of God do we gain by looking at Jesus’ life and words?
- Jesus points to his miracles as evidence of his connection with God the Father. In what ways do the Gospel miracles point to God, and not to Jesus himself?
- To what degree do you think the ability to perform miracles indicates one’s belief and why?
- Much has been made of Jesus’ promises in tis passage. What conditions does he place on the one who asks, and what will be the outcome?
- What “commands” of Jesus do you think he insists in this passage that we keep?
- In light of what Jesus has been saying about leaving his disciples soon, what is the significance of his promises about the Spirit?
Closure (from the Media Session page)
Ask questions like these:
- How many radio dramas can you name without looking them up and why do you remember them?
Play Ghost Stories and ask:
- If someone played that introduction in a church setting, how would you feel and why?
- As you may have guessed that was a promo for a sermon series, but in what ways might that affect your desire to hear the sermons and why?
- What do you think would be in such sermons, if preached in your own faith community, and why?
- What demands do you think the Spirit might place upon your community and why?
- By what means do you know when the Spirit is active in people or a community?
- What do you think is the best way to approach people who claim to be unable to hear the voice of the Spirit?
Close in prayer that the Spirit might be able to enter everyone’s lives as it did on Pentecost.