Adult
• 4 Sessions of Learner’s Materials
• 4 Sessions of Teaching Materials
• 5 Handouts
1. Exodus 3:13-15; John 4:23-24
2. Genesis 1:1-25; John 1:1-5
3. Genesis 1:26-27; 2:18-25; Matthew 18:19-20
4. Isaiah 61:1-3; Matthew 16:13-23
The technical name for thinking about God is theology. Sometimes thinking about God gets a bad reputation because it is set over against acting for God. But our lives, when lived well, exercise a rhythm between thought and action, each improving the effectiveness of the other. True thinkers, especially in philosophy and theology, think in order to bring their conclusions to the community in the interest of the community.
So in the next four weeks we will explore briefly some of the historically key doctrines of the church. The real purpose is not to delve deeply into these doctrines, but to highlight the core question and introduce ways to think about these issues such that our beliefs about them result in actions that help build the kingdom of God. Belief without at least a potential practical consequence is no belief at all. What we believe about the nature of God, creation, human nature, and Jesus Christ, if the beliefs are to be genuine, will have a noticeable impact on our lives.
Jesus spent a lot of time alone and in small groups talking to God and thinking about God. Then he went into the communities and acted courageously out of the convictions he had developed. May our “thinking about God” likewise lead us to courageous action.
by Brian Austin
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