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The Bible is the record of God’s revelation of himself to us.

The Bible is an invitation to get to know God better.

FLAME TEEN HANDOUT

Week 3 – The Bible

The Bible is a library

God’s library has two wings Old Testament & New Testament

Each wing has four smaller rooms Old Testament New Testament Pentatuch The Gospels History Acts of the Apostles

The Prophets 21 Epistles (letters) Wisdom Writings Revelation

The Old Testament wing (46 books) is approximately twice as big as the New Testament wing (27 books).

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Some Bible review…

CAN YOU FIND

THESE PASSAGES?

o ISAIAH 40:8

o 2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17

o PSALM 119:105

o John 1:1 o Matthew 24:35

Do you see what I see?

This Is like the bible because…

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

When I first saw this image, I saw ________________________. But when I looked closer, examined it better, and realized there could be more than one right answer, I

saw _________________________!

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Read, Think, Pray, Act "Lectio Divina" in Four Easy Steps BY James Martin

1. Reading: What does the text say? First, you read the text. At the most basic level, you ask: What

is going on in this Bible passage?

2. Meditation: What is God saying to me through the text? At this point, you ask whether there is

something that God might want to reveal to you through this passage. Often, it might connect

with something in your life.

3. Prayer: What do I want to say to God about the text?

4. Action: What do I want to do, based on my prayer? Finally, you act. Prayer should move us to

action, even if it simply makes us want to be more compassionate and faithful.

Imaginative Prayer Imaginative Meditation from Mark 4

Using Scripture as a guide to meditation allows us to enter into the text with a heart alert to a personal word from

God. As you pray through this Biblical story, connect your needs and feelings with the characters, allowing Jesus to guide

you and speak into your life.

Read the following excerpt from Larry Warner and Jeannie Oestreicher.

You are with the disciples standing near the Sea of Galilee. You can hear the lapping of the water. Feel the moisture in

the air and the blowing of a gentle breeze. You hear Jesus call out, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” Jesus is

already in the boat, so you and the other disciples quickly get in. Some of the disciples begin to row, and the boat slowly

moves away from the shore.

Jesus takes a place in the back of the boat, grabs a cushion for his head, and lies down. As you and the disciples

continue across the lake, you begin to feel the force of the wind picking up. You notice the waves are beginning to build

in height and intensity. As the waves continue to grow, they start crashing into the boat, causing huge amounts of water

to fill the boat.

You look at the faces of the disciples: Simon, Andrew, James, and John, fisherman who grew up on the lake. You see

fear in their eyes and hear panic in their voices. “Start getting some of this water out of the boat!” they shout. Your mind

is racing, fear is rising and gaining control over you as each wave crashes into the boat, bringing with it more water.

You suddenly remember Jesus—man of God, powerful, caring, concerned, and involved. You turn to see him, seeking

to draw strength, courage, and hope from him. But he’s asleep. Jesus is sleeping while you and the disciples are facing

certain death. Anger begins to rise within you. Doesn’t Jesus care? Your fear begins to birth panic and you rush over to

Jesus, frantically shaking him and shouting, “Don’t you care that we’re about to drown?”

Jesus awakens. “Quiet down,” he says. The wind and waves stop. He then looks at you and the rest of the disciples

saying, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith in me?”

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Reflect: Allow two minutes of silence to reflect on the following questions.

What thoughts and fears would you like to bring to Jesus?

What do you think Jesus feels about these things and about your fear?

Read the next excerpt from Larry Warner and Jeannie Oestreicher

You are with the disciples standing near the Sea of Galilee. You can hear the lapping of the water. Feel the moisture in

the air and the blowing of a gentle breeze. You hear Jesus call out, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” Jesus is

already in the boat, so you and the other disciples quickly get in. Some of the disciples begin to row, and the boat slowly

moves away from the shore.

Jesus takes a place in the back of the boat, grabs a cushion for his head, and lies down. As you and the disciples

continue across the lake, you begin to feel the force of the wind picking up. You notice the waves are beginning to build

in height and intensity. As the waves continue to grow, they start crashing into the boat, causing huge amounts of water

to fill the boat.

You look at the faces of the disciples: Simon, Andrew, James, and John, fishermen who grew up on the lake. You see

fear in their eyes and hear panic in their voices. “Start getting some of this water out of the boat!” they shout. Your mind

is racing, fear is rising and gaining more and more control over you as each wave crashes into the boat, bringing with it

more water.

You suddenly remember Jesus—man of God, powerful, caring, concerned, and involved. You turn to see him, seeking

to draw strength, courage, and hope from him. But he’s asleep. Jesus is sleeping while you and the disciples are facing

certain death. Anger begins to rise within you. Doesn’t Jesus care? Your fear begins to birth panic.

However, instead of allowing anger, fear, and panic to have their way with you, you decide to lie down next to Jesus.

Carefully crawling on your hands and knees, you slowly move to where Jesus is sleeping. Wave after wave crashes over

the boat and sprays you with water, but you continue to crawl closer and closer to Jesus, fixing your eyes on his peaceful

face and relaxed body. As you get close to Jesus, you see him open an eye and pat the place next to him. You move into

that place and lie down.

The storm rages on and the waves crash, tossing the boat high in the air one minute and submerging it beneath the

water the next. The boat is taking on more and more water, the spray of the waves lands on you, demanding that you be

consumed by your situation. But instead of panic, you notice a peace rising up within you as you settle down next to

Jesus. You feel the weight of his arm as he drapes it over you and draws you near. You lie next to Jesus, while the others

are rushing around frantically, overcome by fear and panic. The circumstances remain the same, but you’re with Jesus,

and Jesus is with you.

Reflect: Allow two minutes of silence to reflect on the following questions:

How did being with Jesus change how you felt about the storm?

What helped or what hindered you from resting with Jesus?

Share your experience with the group.

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DO YOU WANT TO START READING THE BIBLE? HERE’S HOW TO BEGIN. by MARK HART

I f you’ve ever wanted to go deeper into God’s Word but haven’t known how to approach it , al low me to suggest a few tips (so you can learn from my mistakes). Like anything else, if you want to build something … in this case, your knowledge and love for the Scriptures … you don’t just grab a hammer and some nails and start pounding. To ensure that you don’t just jump in and then quit out of frustration or confusion, there are certain things you can do to be more successful. We’l l attack this on three levels … the tools, the blueprint and the construction. By the end you’l l have ten total steps to help you build your bodily temple into a Biblical fortress, able to resist anything the devil can throw at you.

This could be

you and

your friends!

The Tools Let’s start with three things you should do before you start studying. 1. Pick a t ime, but not just any t ime . Commit to a dai ly t ime that you’ l l open God’s Word but be sure it ’s an intel l igent t ime. I f you’re real ly t ired, for example, than reading the Bible once you’re in bed probably isn’t the best time. Pick a t ime when you’re total ly awake so you can give your ful l attention. 2. Pick a Bible that you can understand . Get yourself a good Bible! It ’s important that your Bible is comfortable to read, l ight enough to take with you, durable enough to real ly use, and inexpensive enough that you don’t feel bad writ ing or marking in it. 3. Have other books that help you understand the BOOK . There are some great resources out there de signed to help you understand the Bible better. There are a ton of other books out there that can help to supplement your reading of the Bible and drast ical ly increase your knowledge!

The Blueprint Next, we’ ll cover three things you can do as you study. 1 . Pray, and then pray so me more . Before you open God’s Word, ask the author of that word – the Holy Spir it – to be present in a bold and f ierce way. Quiet yourself, spend some t ime in s i lence. I t doesn’t have to be a long prayer but take some t ime … this is the most important step in Bible study. 2. Have a plan . If you were planning on reading the Bible cover to cover … don’t. The Bible isn’t a novel; i t wasn’t designed to be read from Genesis straight through to Revelat ion. Pick one book that you are going to start in and make that book your focus for a while. I f you are start ing from scratch, I ’d suggest the Gospel of Mark. St. Mark’s gospel is the shortest and easiest to understand. 3. Get the background. I f you do start in a Gospel, take the t ime to learn about who the autho r was, who he was writ ing to, and what the basic themes are of his Gospel account. Don’t just jump into a letter of St. Paul without knowing what is going on in the c ity to which he is writ ing. I f you are reading a prophet, know what was going on in his wo rld at the t ime.

The Construction Final ly, let’s hit four things you should remember, while reading the Bible and beyond. 1. Less is more . Don’t just open up the Gospel and read unti l you get t ired or ‘ for f i fteen minutes’ because that’s what you committed to doing. Most Bibles break down the chapters into subchapters. Studying th e Scriptures is not l ike driv ing across country … it ’s not about how much distance you cover in a set amount of t ime. Enjoy the t ime, ro l l down the windows and take everything in. 2. Periods are there for a reason . The periods at the end of each sentence a re almost as much a gift as the words that precede them. Each litt le ‘dot’ is an invitat ion to take a breath and ref lect on what you just read and prayed. At each period, take a moment to envision the story that’s unfolding. Let the story come al ive. 3 . Journal . As you are writing and verses confuse you or questions arise, write them down in a journal. Don’t a l low yourself to get hung up on ‘ tough verses.’ Scribble down the verse number with a question mark and keep moving. Later on you can search the footnotes, other books, or just ask someone knowledgeable in the Bible for more help. The journal isn’t just for questions, though . You should also use it to write out ref lect ions that the verses st ir within you. Write down images God gives you in your imaginat ion. Record key verses that stand out to you spir itual ly. God wil l reveal a great deal about yourself to you when you let Him. 4. Put the Book down. Don’t become a Bookworm, who never takes their eyes off of the page. The Bible is the L iving Word. I t l ives and breathes well beyond the page that con tains it . Share what you learn.

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I Learned Statements – complete at least two of the sentences below

How do you use the Bible in your life now?

How would you like to use the Bible in the future?

How can your group best help you to stay accountable?

What part of the Bible do you still have questions about?

What part of the Bible interests you the most?

The Bible is a way to read stories

about God and Jesus, but also a way

to pray.

There are many ways to use the

Bible. Find the way that works best

for you, and dive into the Word of

God!

Key Ideas

I discovered. . . I learned…

I was reminded that. . .

The question I have is. . I was surprised by. . .

Read pages C1, C2/3, C6/7, and C8 in your

Catholic Youth Bible.

There is SO MUCH in there that can help you to learn what the Bible means

to YOU. As a group, discuss what these pages mean.

The Bible is a

library, not a

book. The best

way to read it is

not cover to

cover.