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 Mind Session Page)
Play the Mini Bar clip and ask:
- When have you been so cold that you would welcome a fiery place?
- To whom do you better relate and why: Chonda’s mother or Chonda?
- What makes us think such odd things as “the church would be insulted?”
- If you really thought like Chonda’s mother, what might be a better way to deal with this situation and why?
- Why do you think we do silly things to make ourselves look better and/or please other people?
Content (From the Current Session Page)
Read Galatians 1:1-12, then watch the Bible Background Video.
Read aloud the following passages for comparison – Romans 1:8-10; 1 Cor. 1:4-9; Philippians 1:3-8 then ask:
- How do the openings of these letters compare with the beginning of this one?
- What do these differences tell us about Paul’s feelings on this subject?
- Of what does he accuse the Galatian Christians and what is it exactly that they have done?
- Why do you think Paul uses such strong language here?
- Paul defends himself against those who say he has changed God’s Good News to please others. How does he prove his point?
- In what ways did Paul’s attitude toward pleasing others change when he was converted?
- Read aloud 1 Corinthians 9:19-22. Paul here seems willing to change in order to please others… so what’s the difference?
- Paul’s Good News was different in some ways from the Gospel that others had been preaching in that Paul included Gentiles, and proclaimed that salvation comes about through belief and acceptance, rather than good deeds or rituals. How does he justify this and where did he get the right to preach such a message?
Closure (from the Youth Session page)
Review together the “Get Likes” web site and ask questions like:
- How do you feel about this web site and why?
- What is the most amount of likes you have ever received on a photo or comment and how did you feel about that?
- What dangers might there be in doing things on social media just to get attention through likes and comments?
- What would happen if you lived your life just trying to get people to like you?
- In what ways might your life be different if you lived your life to please God rather than to please people?
Close this session in prayer.