SESSION ONE

Exploring the Rumor Going Around the Church

Planning the Session

Session Goals

Through this session's discussion and activities, participants will:

• Consider the question, "When did God become a Christian?"

• Examine the misconception that God is different in the Old Testament than in the New Testament.

• Consider how our perceptions affect our faith.

• Think about how we deal with conflicts in our faith.

• Invite the Lord into their questions and doubts about God and faith.

Preparation

• Read and reflect on the first two chapters, "The Rumor Going Around the Church" and "Nothing New Under the Sun," in When Did God Become a Christian? Knowing God Through the Old and New Testaments by David Kalas.

• Read through this session outline in its entirety to familiarize yourself with the material being covered.

• Read and reflect on the following Scriptures:

* Exodus 19:1, 18-20; 31:18

* Deuteronomy 32:4

* Psalm 33:11

* Proverbs 30:5

* Malachi 3:6

* Matthew 5:1-12

* Mark 4:35-41

* 2 Timothy 3:16-17

* Revelation 22:13

• Have a marker board or large sheet of paper available for recording group members' ideas.

• Have a Bible, paper for taking notes, and a pen or pencil available for every participant.

• For the activity in "The Comparison Game," write the word pairs on a marker board or prepare copies to be handed out to each participant.

• Participants should keep a journal throughout the study. Encourage them to bring their own journals, but be sure to have enough blank paper on hand for each person to use for journaling.

Session Outline

Opening Activity and Prayer (15 minutes)

Welcome participants as they arrive. Invite each person to briefly introduce himself or herself and talk about why he or she is interested in this study. How much time you spend on introductions will depend on how familiar participants are with you and one another.

Since this session will explore a rumor of sorts, open your time together with a couple rounds of the Telephone Game.

• Begin by writing down a simple statement on a slip of paper and giving that slip of paper to one participant. Make up a statement of your choosing, but keep it simple. (For example, "My friend Sally went to the store for some milk.") The first person should whisper the statement to the person sitting next to him or her; that person, in turn, should do the same to the person beside him or her. This process will continue until each person has heard the statement whispered in his or her ear. It is important that each person only speak the statement one time. The last person to hear the statement will then repeat aloud to the group what he or she heard. How did the statement change as it passed from one person to another?

• Do another round of the game using a more complicated statement. (For example, "My friend Sally went to the store for some milk, but when she got there, she saw her friend Jane and found out about the fire at their neighbor's house.") Discuss how complicating the statement affected the game.

• Say something like: "We encounter rumors all the time. They range from little, seemingly harmless tales to malicious lies that do lasting damage to people's hearts and lives. In this session we will look at a rumor that has gone around the church for much of the church's history and that seems to have gained popularity in recent years. Let's open our time together by asking the Lord to open our hearts and minds to hear what God wants to show us today."

Prayer:

Lord, as we begin this study, we thank you for the opportunity to slow down and spend these weeks contemplating who you are and what you want us to know about you. We pray that we will be open to hear from you, no matter how challenging it may be to put aside long-held perceptions and ideas. Throughout this study, direct our attention to the grand story you are telling and how we fit into it. Thank you for your abundant love and mercy, and bless our time together as we seek you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Study and Discussion (35 minutes)

Rumor Has It

Read aloud or summarize for the group:

Author David Kalas says that, as a pastor who has served in many congregations of all sizes and types, he has heard a particular rumor about God pop up again and again. Here's the rumor: The God of the Old Testament is different from the God of the New Testament.

Note: Although this study is dedicated to disproving this rumor and revealing the danger of believing it, be sensitive to those who may believe the rumor or those who are unsure. Be careful not to shame or disparage those who might have deep questions about the God of the Old Testament, because some such people are likely in your group! Some Christians may even feel this way without even realizing it. Make this group a safe place to ask questions and express doubts so that those questions and doubts can be illuminated by God's Word.

Discuss:

• Have you encountered this rumor or idea, and what do you think about it?

• Why, do you think, are so many people drawn to this idea?

Read aloud or summarize for the group:

By their very nature, rumors are almost always imprecise, if not wildly inaccurate. As the word gets passed from one person to another, it picks up layers of individual insight and personal leanings. And because rumors often have a loose relationship to facts, they lend themselves to reinterpretation.

Those who have bought into the rumor that God in the New Testament is different from God in the Old Testament often argue that, in the Old Testament, the Lord appears more angry, destructive, and impatient. There's a lot of judgment and death. God seems exclusive, favoring some groups over others.

Those who feel this way suggest that the Lord in the New Testament, by contrast, appears kind and gracious, merciful and forgiving. God's basic posture in the New Testament seems to be inviting, and the invitation is open to all.

But is there truth in this rumor? Is there really a difference between God in the Old Testament and in the New?

Discuss:

• If there were truth to the rumor that the God of the Old Testament is different from the God of the New Testament, what would this mean for our faith and our understanding of God?

• How is this idea at odds with truths we know about God?

The Comparison Game

Read aloud or summarize for the group:

Our endeavor in this study is to see the...