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    John Youth Study Book: The Gospel of Light and Life
    John Youth Study Book: The Gospel of Light and Life
    John Youth Study Book: The Gospel of Light and Life
    Ebook83 pages1 hour

    John Youth Study Book: The Gospel of Light and Life

    By Adam Hamilton

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    About this ebook

    The Gospel of John is the most deeply spiritual of the four gospels. It includes some of the loftiest and most loved verses in all the Bible: “And the Word became flesh…,” “For God so loved the world…,” “You who are without sin cast the first stone…,” “I am the resurrection and the life…,” “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” The writing is filled with rich images and profound truths, but John notes that his aim in writing the gospel is that his readers will not only believe in Jesus Christ, but that they “may have life in his name.”

    Join Adam Hamilton and experience a season of spiritual growth and life-changing renewal while exploring the major themes of John while reading the entire Gospel of John.

    Everything needed to conduct a six-session study of the Gospel of John including current examples that have meaning to young people grades 6-12. Can be used with the adult-level DVD.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAbingdon Press
    Release dateDec 15, 2015
    ISBN9781501805493
    John Youth Study Book: The Gospel of Light and Life
    Author

    Adam Hamilton

    Adam Hamilton is the founding pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City. Started in 1990 with four people, the church has grown to become the largest United Methodist Church in the United States with over 18,000 members. The church is well known for connecting with agnostics, skeptics, and spiritual seekers. In 2012, it was recognized as the most influential mainline church in America, and Hamilton was asked by the White House to deliver the sermon at the Obama inaugural prayer service. Hamilton, whose theological training includes an undergraduate degree from Oral Roberts University and a graduate degree from Southern Methodist University where he was honored for his work in social ethics, is the author of nineteen books. He has been married to his wife, LaVon, for thirty-one years and has two adult daughters.

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      Book preview

      John Youth Study Book - Adam Hamilton

      INTRODUCTION:

      THE FOURTH GOSPEL

      The first four books of the New Testament are called Gospels. The word gospel literally means good news, and each of these four books tells the good news about Jesus Christ through the story of his life, death, and resurrection. So why are there four of them? Wouldn’t one account of Jesus’ life be sufficient?

      Perhaps. But each of the Gospel writers—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—includes stories and perspectives that are unique to his book. Some of our most popular stories about Jesus appear in only one Gospel: the wise men who visit baby Jesus show up only in Matthew; Luke is the only Gospel to include the parable of the prodigal son; and only John tells us about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.

      Despite these differences, three of the Gospels are very similar. Matthew, Mark, and Luke include many of the same stories and sayings and present many of them in the same order. For this reason scholars often call them the Synoptic Gospels; synoptic is a Greek word meaning seeing together. John, on the other hand, is radically different.

      The Synoptic Gospels record Jesus’ teachings, tell stories about his ministry, and show us how we can follow Jesus faithfully. John does something more. John explores the identity and meaning of Jesus. He explains how Jesus is God in human form; he illustrates what it means for Jesus to be the Word of God and the light of the world; and he shows us how we can have a personal relationship with God through Jesus.

      As you study John, reflect on these questions:

      •What is John saying about Jesus?

      •How does Jesus give us life?

      •How should I live in response to what Jesus has done?

      Take a Tour Through John

      This study focuses on six major parts or themes of John’s Gospel:

      •John’s Prologue: John introduces Christ as the Word of God and the light of the world.

      •Jesus’ signs: John shows us seven miraculous signs that Jesus performs, showing us his divinity.

      •Jesus’ I AM statements: Jesus reveals his identity through several statements that begin with I Am.

      •Jesus’ farewell address: John devotes multiple chapters to the talk Jesus gives his disciples on the night before his death.

      •Jesus’ arrest, trial, and death: John shows us that Jesus is completely in control of the events leading to his execution.

      •Jesus’ resurrection: Jesus defeats death, allowing us to enjoy the gift of eternal life.

      As you examine each of these parts and themes, you will gain a greater understanding of what it means for Jesus to be God in human form, how Jesus won our salvation, and what Jesus’ story means for us and how we live.

      Depending on time and interest, you or your group might also consider reading John’s Gospel in its entirety. One way to do this is to follow the plan below, reading the chapters in John that roughly correspond to each chapter in this book:

      •Chapter 1: John 1

      •Chapter 2: John 2–5

      •Chapter 3: John 6–11

      •Chapter 4: John 12–17

      •Chapter 5: John 18–19

      •Chapter 6: John 20–21

      After reading each portion of John, reflect on or discuss the following:

      •What was familiar to you about these chapters?

      •What was new or surprising to you?

      •What do these chapters tell us about who Jesus is?

      •What do these chapters tell us about how we should live as followers of Jesus?

      Using This Resource

      This Youth Study Book is designed as a group study but also can be used for personal reading and devotion. Each session begins with a short chapter for individual reading. Those using this study can read these short chapters on their own or can set aside time for personal reading during their group meetings.

      Sessions also include a variety of activities and discussion prompts for groups. Each session begins with an optional gathering activity. Then some activities are given that involve the large group. Finally the large group will split into smaller groups based on interests and talents, such as music, visual art, drama, science, and history. Depending on the time allotted, the smaller groups may want to present to the large group what they have learned or created.

      Several activities invite participants to reflect on and discuss personal goals, feelings, and experiences with a partner or small group. It is essential that all group members treat their fellow participants with love and respect. Any personal information that becomes known during group discussion should be treated as confidential and received without judgment.

      Enjoy this time you have to learn and reflect on John, the Gospel of light and life.

      1

      THE WORD MADE FLESH

      In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word was with God in the beginning. Everything came into being through the Word, and without the Word nothing came into being. (John 1:1-3)

      The New Testament includes four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. All four tell the story of Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection. While some key events—Jesus’ baptism, his feeding of the multitudes, his trial, and his crucifixion, among others—appear in all four books, each author emphasizes different aspects of Jesus’ story.

      We’d expect these writers to begin their stories with Jesus’ birth, but only two of them do. Luke gives us the Christmas story that we read each December, with the shepherds and the host of angels. In Matthew we meet the wise men, who travel many miles to pay tribute to baby Jesus. Mark, on the other hand, skips all this and opens with Jesus as a full-grown

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