this is the discussion sheet I will use with my junior high Sunday School students.
Everlasting Punishment 11-2-08 Sara Lincoln
“My life is in the body and evil can destroy good, so of course I can be hurt and sick. God may or may not make things right.” Who taught you to believe this?
If God causes sickness and evil, then that’s a punishing God, not the God that
Christ Jesus and Christian Science reveal to us. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Matt. 6. “God never punishes man…” SH 384
Believing what most people believe is “groupthink.” It can suck you up like a vacuum sweeper!
I protect myself against ‘groupthink’ every time I ___________________. SH 234: 26-27
If there is something else besides evil you can believe, what is it? _____________
The Psalmist had an idea about this. What word did she use in Ps. 31: 5, a word that means God doesn’t punish but rather makes things right ___________________
What are some examples the Psalmist gave in Psalm 107 of God not letting evil destroy good? (See the Responsive Reading in the Christian Science Quarterly).
Jesus told a parable in Luke 7: 36-44, 47 about ‘a woman who was a sinner.’
She was not punished. She was forgiven. Why?
Our textbook has a lot to say about this parable. SH 362: 1-12 and 363: 8-31.
There is a guide for thinking and living called the ‘Golden Rule.’ What is the Golden Rule?
How do you try to follow it?
How does God use that rule?
Who gave us the Golden Rule? Matt. 7: 12 ________, the ________, and the ________.
Mary Baker Eddy gave us six things we can choose to believe and practice. She called them ‘tenets.’ A tenet is ________________________________________________.
Please find the tenets in SH, page ______.
The sixth tenet has three parts. The part that sounds like the First Commandment says
The part that sounds like the Golden Rule says
The part that sounds like one of the Beatitudes says
Why do you think we have a Bible Lesson on Everlasting Punishment?
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Probation After Death
This is a discussion sheet I will use with my junior high students.
Probation After Death
10-26-08 Sara Lincoln
Probation is a time of testing. Why do you have tests in school? Tell us about a time when you or someone you know was ‘on probation’ for a while.
Does our Mother / Father God ever put any of Her children on probation? _______
‘Man’ is not on probation. Only ‘humans’ are on probation.
As a spiritual idea, the image and likeness of God, I am never on probation. Paul tells me what to do as a human on probation. See I Thess. 5: 21: “Put everything to the test. Accept what is good and don’t have anything to do with evil,” CEV. I accept good and reject evil because I ‘let this mind be in me which was also in Christ Jesus.’ Phil 2:5
Paul suggests other good things to do during this time of testing (probation).
See I Thess. 5: 16-19:
Rejoice _________ ________ without ceasing.
In every thing _________ _________.
‘Quench not the Spirit,’ that is, don’t put out the Spirit the way you might put out a fire.
‘Probation After Death’ is a test that comes after you accept the truth and refuse the lie.
What do you suggest? What is a good thing to do when you feel you are being tested?
Admit it! Confess the truth! Squeeze out sin and death! SH 276: 17-18
We have reviewed ‘probation’ but what does ‘after death’ mean? Does it mean after your death? _____ because for you there is no death. Maybe it means that after you know a truth that removes (kills) the error, there may be another test when you can make sure that error cannot return.
In Luke 16: 19-31, Jesus tells a story about a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus who hoped the rich man would give him some food, but he didn’t. What’ test’ did the rich man fail? Maybe a good name for the rich man would be Selfus!
When they both died, the angels carried Lazarus to heaven, but Selfus was still in the hell of selfishness. Selfus prayed to Abraham, ‘please send Lazarus with some cool water for I am suffering in this fire.’ But Abraham said, in life you did not help Lazarus, so now in death, Lazarus cannot get through to you.
This is a sad story, a tragedy. What would you tell Selfus he needs to do if he wants to get out of hell and stop suffering? ____ Our textbook says, “Perfection is gained only by perfection.” 290: 19-22. Can you put that in your own words? What is it that ‘removes all ignorance and sin’? ____________________________
God gives me a spiritual sense of myself and all things. That spiritual sense is always my true thinking and I can always trust it. But a question comes to test my thinking: “Are you choosing spiritual sense, or are you letting mortalnomind spoil your day?” This test is a kind of challenge. It challenges me and you to know our dominion over evil, and to let Truth destroy the error or mistake. Are you ready to meet the challenge? _______
To Life, God, belongs “the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.”
Where do you find this strong statement of fact? _______________
What power does mortalnomind have? ___
This fact means death to mortalnomind. After you state a fact like this, you are asked to prove it. Jesus gave directions for proving the allness of God, and 1800 years later,
Mary Baker Eddy put these same directions in the seal of Christian Science. What book has this seal? _____________________. What door has this seal? __________
Let’s go look.
What are the directions?
* Heal _______ ____________
* Raise _________ _________
* ___________ the lepers
* ____________ _________ demons
First Jesus, then Mary Baker Eddy said, in effect, rely on the one Mind;
kill mortalnomind and don’t let it come to life again!
This is the test: Can you keep on saying yes to truth and no to error? _____
Probation After Death
10-26-08 Sara Lincoln
Probation is a time of testing. Why do you have tests in school? Tell us about a time when you or someone you know was ‘on probation’ for a while.
Does our Mother / Father God ever put any of Her children on probation? _______
‘Man’ is not on probation. Only ‘humans’ are on probation.
As a spiritual idea, the image and likeness of God, I am never on probation. Paul tells me what to do as a human on probation. See I Thess. 5: 21: “Put everything to the test. Accept what is good and don’t have anything to do with evil,” CEV. I accept good and reject evil because I ‘let this mind be in me which was also in Christ Jesus.’ Phil 2:5
Paul suggests other good things to do during this time of testing (probation).
See I Thess. 5: 16-19:
Rejoice _________ ________ without ceasing.
In every thing _________ _________.
‘Quench not the Spirit,’ that is, don’t put out the Spirit the way you might put out a fire.
‘Probation After Death’ is a test that comes after you accept the truth and refuse the lie.
What do you suggest? What is a good thing to do when you feel you are being tested?
Admit it! Confess the truth! Squeeze out sin and death! SH 276: 17-18
We have reviewed ‘probation’ but what does ‘after death’ mean? Does it mean after your death? _____ because for you there is no death. Maybe it means that after you know a truth that removes (kills) the error, there may be another test when you can make sure that error cannot return.
In Luke 16: 19-31, Jesus tells a story about a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus who hoped the rich man would give him some food, but he didn’t. What’ test’ did the rich man fail? Maybe a good name for the rich man would be Selfus!
When they both died, the angels carried Lazarus to heaven, but Selfus was still in the hell of selfishness. Selfus prayed to Abraham, ‘please send Lazarus with some cool water for I am suffering in this fire.’ But Abraham said, in life you did not help Lazarus, so now in death, Lazarus cannot get through to you.
This is a sad story, a tragedy. What would you tell Selfus he needs to do if he wants to get out of hell and stop suffering? ____ Our textbook says, “Perfection is gained only by perfection.” 290: 19-22. Can you put that in your own words? What is it that ‘removes all ignorance and sin’? ____________________________
God gives me a spiritual sense of myself and all things. That spiritual sense is always my true thinking and I can always trust it. But a question comes to test my thinking: “Are you choosing spiritual sense, or are you letting mortalnomind spoil your day?” This test is a kind of challenge. It challenges me and you to know our dominion over evil, and to let Truth destroy the error or mistake. Are you ready to meet the challenge? _______
To Life, God, belongs “the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.”
Where do you find this strong statement of fact? _______________
What power does mortalnomind have? ___
This fact means death to mortalnomind. After you state a fact like this, you are asked to prove it. Jesus gave directions for proving the allness of God, and 1800 years later,
Mary Baker Eddy put these same directions in the seal of Christian Science. What book has this seal? _____________________. What door has this seal? __________
Let’s go look.
What are the directions?
* Heal _______ ____________
* Raise _________ _________
* ___________ the lepers
* ____________ _________ demons
First Jesus, then Mary Baker Eddy said, in effect, rely on the one Mind;
kill mortalnomind and don’t let it come to life again!
This is the test: Can you keep on saying yes to truth and no to error? _____
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Doctrine of Atonement
This is the discussion sheet I will use with my junior high Sunday School students on October 19, 2008. Its title is the title of the Bible Lesson that students of Christian Science have been studying since October 13. “SH” refers to Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
Doctrine of Atonement 10-19-08 Sara Lincoln
Who was Jesus’ mother? ______ Who was Jesus’ father? _______
Jesus said, ‘I and my Father are one,’ (John 10: 30). If Jesus and God are one, does that mean Jesus is God? ____ God did not become Jesus. God sent Jesus to show us that
God / Love redeems us ‘from the law of matter.’ SH 19: 6
When Jesus said, “I and my Father are one,” was he saying I and the Father are one heart and mind? _____
Who are the sons and daughters of God? SH 515: 21-22 _____________
Our family name is ____________.
The billboard says, ‘Jesus died for your sins.’ Do you think Jesus died for your sins? ___
There are two errors in this popular belief:
1. Jesus did not _____. Mortal mind tried to kill him, but he did not die. On the cross, he prayed, ‘O Father / Mother God, you are my life. I cannot die. I can and will glorify you by proving that Life is here and now and always.’
2. It was not my sins or your sins or their sins that put Jesus on the cross. Jesus had a purpose. Jesus was willing to hang on the cross so that he could reject its so-called power to kill him. He was fully convinced that he was at-one with Life and that man cannot be separated from God. His prayer was always, ‘thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.’ He was at one with his purpose to prove the at-one-ment of God and man, even when he seemed to be all alone and perhaps in pain. Jesus’ purpose was to prove that
Life overcomes ________, Truth overcomes ________, and Love overcomes _________.
Are you at-one with God or separated from God?
Man is always at-one with God. ____________ _________ is never at-one with God.
We gain more understanding about Jesus’ atonement for sin each time we refuse to be guilty of wrong-doing or wrong-thinking, and each time we claim our at-one-ment with God and act it out. SH 21: 1-5
Jesus always chose eternal life, not mortal life. How will it affect you if you do the same?
What is ‘eternal life’? __________
Jesus said, “…this is life eternal, that they might know thee, ____ _____ ____ _____,
and_________ _______ whom thou hast sent.” John 17: 3
I ‘know’ God and Christ better each time I say, ‘thank you God. I am the image and likeness of Life and Truth and Love. Because I have dominion, and because God is All,
I can not be fooled or hurt or separated from my at-one-ment with God.’
Over and over again, someone else chose eternal life, not mortal life, and so this person was able to write a book of facts about the at-one-ment of God and man. Who was this person, and how can we show our appreciation for the great good this book does? ______
Are you at-one with your image in the mirror? _____ If God were to look in the mirror, God would see ‘his image and likeness’ and that’s _______.
Doctrine of Atonement 10-19-08 Sara Lincoln
Who was Jesus’ mother? ______ Who was Jesus’ father? _______
Jesus said, ‘I and my Father are one,’ (John 10: 30). If Jesus and God are one, does that mean Jesus is God? ____ God did not become Jesus. God sent Jesus to show us that
God / Love redeems us ‘from the law of matter.’ SH 19: 6
When Jesus said, “I and my Father are one,” was he saying I and the Father are one heart and mind? _____
Who are the sons and daughters of God? SH 515: 21-22 _____________
Our family name is ____________.
The billboard says, ‘Jesus died for your sins.’ Do you think Jesus died for your sins? ___
There are two errors in this popular belief:
1. Jesus did not _____. Mortal mind tried to kill him, but he did not die. On the cross, he prayed, ‘O Father / Mother God, you are my life. I cannot die. I can and will glorify you by proving that Life is here and now and always.’
2. It was not my sins or your sins or their sins that put Jesus on the cross. Jesus had a purpose. Jesus was willing to hang on the cross so that he could reject its so-called power to kill him. He was fully convinced that he was at-one with Life and that man cannot be separated from God. His prayer was always, ‘thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.’ He was at one with his purpose to prove the at-one-ment of God and man, even when he seemed to be all alone and perhaps in pain. Jesus’ purpose was to prove that
Life overcomes ________, Truth overcomes ________, and Love overcomes _________.
Are you at-one with God or separated from God?
Man is always at-one with God. ____________ _________ is never at-one with God.
We gain more understanding about Jesus’ atonement for sin each time we refuse to be guilty of wrong-doing or wrong-thinking, and each time we claim our at-one-ment with God and act it out. SH 21: 1-5
Jesus always chose eternal life, not mortal life. How will it affect you if you do the same?
What is ‘eternal life’? __________
Jesus said, “…this is life eternal, that they might know thee, ____ _____ ____ _____,
and_________ _______ whom thou hast sent.” John 17: 3
I ‘know’ God and Christ better each time I say, ‘thank you God. I am the image and likeness of Life and Truth and Love. Because I have dominion, and because God is All,
I can not be fooled or hurt or separated from my at-one-ment with God.’
Over and over again, someone else chose eternal life, not mortal life, and so this person was able to write a book of facts about the at-one-ment of God and man. Who was this person, and how can we show our appreciation for the great good this book does? ______
Are you at-one with your image in the mirror? _____ If God were to look in the mirror, God would see ‘his image and likeness’ and that’s _______.
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