Growing in Christ Bible Study Genesis to Revelation. Week 1

We went to the Christian bookstore this weekend looking for a good Sunday School curriculum and left disappointed. Thats when I said to my wife,"Lets write our own" So here is week 1 of 52 going through the whole Bible in a year. It can also be used as a personal Bible study trek through the Bible. Leave me ideas on how it can be improved - what works, what doesn't what I could add ... The nice thing about blogs is you can change and improve things very easily!

Week 1 Genesis 1&2
     Read Genesis 1 and 2
         It doesn't take God long to show up in history. In fact He is the 4th word in the Bible - "In the beginning God..." People have said "History is HIS-story".
         What does that say about us?

       1.  What are some things we learn about God in

            vs.1 (see Rev.21:6, Col. 1:17)
                    Explain how God could exist before the beginning.

                   How does this give insight into the name God gives Himself in Ex. 3:14?

            vs. 3-25 (see Acts 17:24-28)

                           (see Luke 18:19)

                            (see Deut 23:5)

           vs. 26,27 (see Luke 3:22)
                   Most religions and cults don't believe in the trinity. What is it? How can you explain it? Why do you believe in something so incomprehensible? Some people believe that God created man for fellowship or because He was lonely. How does the trinity suggest this isn't true?


        2.  What do we learn about mankind in these chapters?
            vs. 26, 2:19,20

            vs. 2:15
              A lot of people think work is a punishment that we must endure because of sin. What does this passage tell us?

           vs. 27 (see 1Thes 5:23)
             Explain the concept of the body, soul, and Spirit

             How does mankind differ from animals?

           vs. 29
            Does this mean we should all be vegetarians?

       3. What do we learn about man/woman relationships?

          vs. 2:18a
           Read 1 Cor. 7:8. How does Paul's advice make sense in lieu of this verse in Genesis?

         vs. 2:18b, 20b

         vs.2: 22b & Gen. 24:63-67
          Guys, who should you rely on to "set you up"?

          vs. 2:24
          What supernaturally happens at marriage? What does this imply about divorce?
          How involved should your parents be in your marriage?

Leaders guide - There is obviously a lot in these 2 chapters so don't feel like you have to cover everything if you can't get to it all but only want to hit one topic hard. I encourage you to spend some time on who God is, though as after all, it is all about Him. History is His Story. If you are so inclined you may want to have kids paint or draw creative posters using this slogan and illustrating it with Genesis 1 and 2 or whatever they see fit.

I didn't touch on Creation vs evolution and if you want to go down that road feel free. I've included a video below that discusses how everything was made "according to it's kind",  and what that means. 

      Part 1 - Who is God? Make sure the students know God is eternal. He is outside of time. Thats why His name is I Am not I was.C.S. Lewis gives some helpful teaching on this in  Mere Christianity in his chapter Time and Beyond Time.Also make sure they know He is good, he gives blessings, He is all powerful, He just speaks and things happen, He makes something out of nothing, He is outside all the Laws of Thermodynamics ... Also focus on His trinity. Look at the name Elohim and where it appears. It is God's name and it is plural. We don't see exactly why He made man in this passage but we know it wasn't because He was lonely as He had eternal fellowship.

     Part 2 - Who is man? Make sure you point out that just as God has 3 parts so we, created in His image have 3 parts. I can't adamantly say thats what the passage means but it makes sense. Note that animals don't have a Spirit. This diagram will help next class as we talk about death and sin. Work wasn't a punishment but a gift God gave to us. I have a whole blog on work if you want to go more in depth.. God had us eating vegetables for 2 reasons - 1) there was no death prior to sin so no animals could be killed  2) before the fall and the cursed Earth vegetables were sufficient in themselves for nutrition. Not to say they aren't now but it is a science to get everything you need from them.

   Part 3 - Marriage. It's interesting that in that short period of time, Man became lonely. Women were created to come along side and help us out as the 2 become 1. This is a divine mystery how God joins 2 together. You could illustrate this with 2 sheets of contact paper. Join them together and try pulling them apart. It's tough and usually impossible. Divorce pulls us apart and usually leaves us in pieces, scarred, and incompletely separated. Marriage is for keeps. Also, you need to leave home when you get married and if you get in a fight there is no going home. Mom and Dad should not call the shots in your marriage and should not use financial leverage on you.

Here is another resource to use. This ia a 17 minute excerpt from a message by Louie Giglio called Indescribable. If you want to coordinate a youth night with Sunday School, this commercially available DVD would be well worth watching.