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’s IN TRUTH {leader manual }
IN TRUTH
the word of god
THE BIBLE SUPPORTING RESOURCES Books: To Tell the Truth. The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine. What and Why we Believe.
IN DISCUSSION Take time to discuss the following, remembering to include reference to the suggested Scripture and how it relates to the topic (see page 03 of the In Truth book): 1. Consider reasons why the words of Jesus have ‘never passed away’. Matthew 24:35; John 20:31; John 1:1-3 2. In what ways are we helped by the variety of writers used by God to reveal his word to us? Luke 1:1-4; Mark 1:1-13; Ephesians 1:1, 2; Philippians 1:1, 2; Proverbs 1:1; Nehemiah 1:1 3. Discuss how human understanding of God has developed through Jesus’ teaching. Matthew 5:21-24, 27, 28 and 38, 39; Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 6:7, 8; John 3:17; John 4:21-24 4. Discuss ways in which your own understanding of God and his will have developed through your life. John 4:39-42; John 16:12, 13; Luke 19:8; John 20:26-28
•• Ask group members to share verses from the Bible that are special to them, and say why they are special. IN PRAYER Ask the Lord to continue to guide you in developing and deepening your understanding of him and his will for your life. Dear Lord, we thank you for your word of truth recorded in the Bible. Help us to understand your word and put it into practice in our lives. SESSION OUTCOMES •• Understanding how the Bible came to be written. •• Understanding that in the Bible, there is a gradual revelation of God’s truth. •• Understanding that Jesus is the supreme revelation, showing what God is like and what his purpose is for humankind.
Activity Ideas •• Read the section on ‘The Canon’ from The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine (see text on page 07). •• Read the passage from What and Why We Believe (see text on page 07). in truth
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THE BIBLE one rmy
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JESUS – THE TRUTH SUPPORTING RESOURCES Book: Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis.
IN DISCUSSION Take time to discuss the following (see page 05 of the In Truth book): 02 1. Consider a world without truth. Psalm 116:8-11; Romans 1:25; 1 Timothy 1:8-11; 1 John 1:8-10 2. How would you answer Pilate’s question: ‘What is truth?’ John 18:37, 38 3. Bearing in mind that Jesus is the Truth, what are the implications of this statement: ’We can never destroy the truth. Truth will always be truth. God will always be God.’ John 17:3; 1 John 5:20; Revelation 15:3, 4 4. Jesus said that when we know the truth, as his disciples, the truth will set us free. Discuss what this means for us. John 8:31-36 Activity Ideas •• If you do not have access to Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, discuss why there can be no ‘in-between’ position – that is, either Jesus spoke the truth and he is the Son of God, or he was a complete fake, a liar, a bad man. He cannot be regarded as just a good moral teacher but not God. •• In many parts of the world, there is strong resistance by non-Christians to the idea that Jesus is the Truth. They in truth
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would say that Christianity does not have the monopoly on truth - there are other ‘truths’. Think about where you live and how you might engage with non-Christians on this matter. •• Invite members of the group to consider whether there are any areas of their lives where they find it difficult to be truthful. Look at Ephesians 4:15 and consider what it means to speak the truth in love. IN PRAYER Thank God for the eternal standard of truth found in Jesus. Thank him that we are not left without guidance, direction or help as we seek to live in truth. Thank you, God, for Jesus, who is the Truth and who showed us how to live the truth. Reveal to us any part of our lives where we fail to reach your standard of truth, and by your grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, help us to do better. SESSION OUTCOMES •• Understanding that Jesus is the ultimate standard of truth. •• Understanding that this eternal standard helps us to know what is right and what is wrong.
rmy leader’s manual
SUPPORTING RESOURCES Book: The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine.
IN DISCUSSION Take time to discuss the following (see page 07 of the In Truth book): 1. Consider the kind of damage that can be caused to people’s lives when God’s word is misrepresented or exaggerated. Matthew 16:1-4 and 12; 1 Corinthians 1:10-12; 1 Timothy 1:3-7 2. Why does the prosperity gospel give a wrong impression of what Jesus asks of his disciples? Matthew 6:19; Matthew 19:21; John 16:33; Luke 12:15 3. What is the purpose of shared doctrine? 1 Timothy 4:16; 2 Timothy 3:14-16; Ephesians 4:14 4. Try to express the ‘unknowable greatness of God’ in words, and then thank him for his eternal care for us. Romans 11:33-36 Note for question 2: Members of the group may be unaware of the ‘prosperity gospel’, or they may have heard about it but not know very much about it. You may be in a situation where some Salvationists have been led astray after hearing about this teaching. Clearly we would not want to spend too much time looking at false teaching. But it may be helpful to give some idea of where this comes from. The teaching begins with a false interpretation of God’s covenant with Abram, where God says to him: ‘All peoples on earth will be blessed through you’ (Genesis 12:3). This is interpreted to mean material blessing as well as spiritual blessing. From there a
for more information visit The International Doctrine Council Website www.salvationarmy.org/doctrine
DOCTRINE one rmy
JESUS – THE TRUTH one rmy
IN TRUTH
DOCTRINE
whole false theology is developed including, for example, ‘Give to God £10 and you will receive £100 in return’ – so that the whole motive for giving is greed, rather than giving in loving gratitude to God. The statement from the Lausanne Movement may help (see text on page 08). 03 Activity Ideas •• Read the extracts from The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine (see texts on page 09). •• Share some ways in which your thinking and understanding (about God and his purposes) have changed as you have studied the Bible, listened to sermons and shared with others. Can you recall any examples of where you realised that your understanding was wrong and needed to be corrected? Or when you have seen a new truth for the first time? IN PRAYER Loving Father, you are above every thought or understanding we possess. Thank you for revealing the depth and eternal nature of your gospel – your love – to us in Jesus. Help us express our faith in ways that are clear and true – and especially by the way we live; through Jesus our Saviour. Amen. SESSION OUTCOMES •• Understanding the need for Articles of Faith. •• Recognising that sometimes the truth can be misrepresented or distorted even within Christian circles.
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TRANSLATING THE TRUTH
IN TRUTH
SYMBOLS SUPPORTING RESOURCES Books: The General Next to God. The History of The Salvation Army, Volume II.
IN DISCUSSION Take time to discuss the following (see page 09 of the In Truth book): 1. Consider the way in which a common 04 banner can unite people. What positive implications can this have internationally? Isaiah 13:2; Isaiah 62:10-12 2. How many truths are symbolised by the Army’s crest? 1 Corinthians 1:23; 1 Peter 5:4; James 1:12; Revelation 2:10; Ephesians 6:1418; Hebrews 4:12 3. What makes the Cross the world’s greatest symbol? John 12:32, 33; Philippians 2:8; Hebrews 12:2; Galatians 6:14; John 3:16 4. The Cross is not only a symbol. It was a reality. Discuss. Matthew 26:2; Luke 23:33-43; John 19:17, 18 and 25-27; Acts 2:22, 23; Acts 4:10; 1 Corinthians 2:8 Activity Ideas •• Read the extract from The General Next to God (see text on page 10) which relates to the first discussion question. •• In countries which are predominantly Muslim, it is often not possible to march in public with the Army flag. Pray for Salvationists in those countries, that they might find other ways of making a witness. in truth
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•• Many Christians wear a cross, either around the neck or as a lapel badge. Discuss how you would answer someone who asked you what it meant and why you were wearing it. IN PRAYER Take time to consider the incalculable effect of the Cross on mankind, and pray that you will never take it for granted. It may help to have a cross in front of you on which to focus your thoughts. Dear Lord, as we pray to you now, give us a fresh understanding of all that the Cross means. Help us never to forget the deep pain that Jesus suffered in order that we might be given new life. May we always be ready to explain its meaning to others. SESSION OUTCOMES •• Understanding the meaning of the Salvation Army flag and crest. •• Recognising that the Cross is at the heart of our faith.
SUPPORTING RESOURCES Books: With Colours Waving: an Anthology of Salvation Army Prose. The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine. Called to be God’s People. The History of The Salvation Army, Volume II.
IN DISCUSSION Take time to discuss the following (see page 11 of the In Truth book): 1. William Booth believed that receiving the Word of God should transform the way we live. Discuss the difference ‘God’s Word in us’ can make. John 15:3; Colossians 3:16, 17; 1 Peter 1:23; 1 John 2:14 2. Discuss how people testifying to God’s presence in their life helps others in their faith. John 4:28-30; James 5:19, 20 3. Share ways in which you feed on God’s Word. What helps you in the feeding of your soul? Psalm 119:105; Deuteronomy 6:6-8; Luke 4:16-19; 2 Timothy 2:15 4. How careful are you to use words that are understandable to non-Christians when speaking of your faith in your daily life or in corporate worship? 1 Corinthians 14:19; 1 Peter 3:15; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 Activity Ideas •• Read the extracts from With Colours Waving and Called to be God’s People (see texts on page 10). •• Ask members of the group to write down what they would say if someone asked ‘Why do you go to church on Sunday?’ Share and discuss the results. in truth
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•• Ask group members to write down what they would say if someone asked ‘Who is Jesus?’ Share and discuss the 05 results. •• Ask group members to share any memories of powerful testimonies and the effect they had on themselves or others. •• If you have song books available, find some songs which teach gospel truths and sing a few verses. •• Ask members of the group to share any songs which have been particularly helpful to them, and say why. IN PRAYER Lord, I thank you for your word. It brings life, light and guidance. Help me to receive your word with truth and an open heart. As I welcome the Word of God – Jesus Christ – into my heart, I pray you will use me to help others understand his truth, love and salvation too. SESSION OUTCOMES •• Understanding that our lives can be a ‘translation’ of God’s word. •• Understanding that sincere testimony can help others in their faith. •• Recognising the place of Christian songs in helping us to grow spiritually.
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REFERENCED RESOURCES one rmy
one rmy CHAPTER 1 ‘WORD OF THE LIVING GOD’, The Canon – pp 2, 3 in The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine.
REFERENCED RESOURCES FOR THIS UNIT This unit relates mainly to doctrine 1, and also to doctrines 2, 4 and 6.
BOOKS To Tell the Truth, Clifford Kew, The Salvation Army, UK Territory. The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine, Salvation Books, IHQ. 06 What and Why we Believe, Harry Dean, Salvation Books, IHQ. Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis, Geoffrey Bles. The General Next to God, Richard Collier, Crest Books, US National. The History of The Salvation Army Volume II, Robert Sandall, Thomas Nelson & Sons Ltd, London. With Colours Waving: an Anthology of Salvation Army Prose, SP&S. Called to be God’s People, Robert Street, Salvation Books, IHQ.
@TSAOneArmy What resources would you add? Let us know by emailing OneArmy@salvationarmy.org or visit www.salvationarmy.org/ onearmy/resources
referenced resources
one rmy leader’s manual
The Canon is that body of literature accepted by the Church as Holy Scripture, the revealed word of God. It is comprised of both the Old and New Testaments, and was probably first used to refer to the authoritative body of Scripture by the theologian Origen of Alexandria (c185-c254 ad). The word ‘Canon’ is the English equivalent of the Greek kanon and Hebrew kaneh, which means ‘reed’. As a reed was sometimes used as a measuring rod, the word came to be used in that sense, and was eventually extended to refer to all kinds of rulers or means of measurement, even to rules, standards or models. Thus the Scriptures were the ‘ruler’ by which faith and practice were to be measured. The first Christians accepted the Jewish sacred writings, now known as the Old Testament, as authoritative and appealed to their content to support the claims they were making for the divine mission and authority of Jesus. At the same time, they began to communicate the gospel message by the written as well as the spoken word. From very early in the Church’s history, certain of these writings were recognised as possessing authority; these eventually became our New Testament. The Old Testament originated in the experience of the Jewish people over many centuries. It records the developing, but still incomplete, revelation of God prior to the coming of his Son, Jesus Christ. Christians have always loved and respected the Old Testament while recognising that the true interpretation of its meaning and the fulfilment of its promise are found only in Jesus. Without the New, the Old Testament remains incomplete. Conversely,
the New Testament is incomplete without the Old. What the New Testament announces is the fulfilment, in Jesus Christ, of the yearnings and hopes of the Old Testament. The New Testament is the written testimony to the life, teaching and person of Jesus Christ. Its books were written to instruct believers and bring others to faith in him. When the Canon was established in the fourth century, most of the books in our New Testament were universally acknowledged by the Christian community. Those about which some reservation was expressed were included or excluded on the bases of three guidelines: authentic books were to be of apostolic 07 origin, conform to the accepted rule of faith, and be commonly used by the churches. By this careful process, guided by the Holy Spirit, Christians reached a consensus about the books regarded as Scripture. The authority of Scripture was not given by the Church; it was recognised and affirmed.
‘The Bible’ – pp 31, 32 in What and Why We Believe. The supreme value of the Bible to us lies in the simple fact that it brings Jesus Christ out of the past into the present, out of history right into the 21st century. We love and worship the Lord Jesus, but the references made to him by secular historians are of little value or consequence. Without the Bible we should be bereft of that knowledge of Christ which we believe is essential to our salvation. Wycliffe’s irrefutable contention was: ‘To be ignorant of the Scriptures is to be ignorant of Christ.’ leader’s manual
an international teaching resource
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The one theme of the whole Bible is the loving and redeeming purpose of God. In the Old Testament we read how God chose the Hebrews to be the vehicle of his truth. At each historical crisis prophets arose to relate that crisis to God’s purpose, and here we have the record of those inspired moments in this people’s history. The revelation contained in the Old Testament is necessarily a progressive one, and the ever-increasing light brought ever-increasing responsibility. Alas, to see the truth is not always to do it, and the Hebrews often grievously failed to be true to the highest insights of their own inspired men. Throughout human history God has 08 ever been seeking to reveal himself to mankind, to break through into human understanding and, by doing so, to enter the lives and experiences of individual men and women. In the Old Testament we have the fascinating story of how God was doing this ‘at many times and in various ways’ (Hebrews 1:1). The Old Testament, however, is but a partial revelation. There is a climax and a culmination. Martin Luther truly described the Bible as ‘the crib where Christ is laid’. The Old Testament is a preparation for him; the Gospels give us the story of his birth, life, death and resurrection; the Acts of the Apostles tells of the impact upon the Roman Empire of the small group of his disciples through the power of the Holy Spirit; from the Epistles that follow we gather something of the teaching of the Early Church, his Church; and the whole is brought to a magnificent conclusion by the Revelation of John, which foretells his final triumph.
Part 2, Section IIE, 5, ‘Walk in simplicity, rejecting the idolatry of greed’, Cape Town Commitment, Lausanne Movement. The widespread preaching and teaching of ‘prosperity gospel’ around the world raises significant concerns. We define prosperity gospel as the teaching that believers have a right to the blessings of health and wealth and that they can obtain these blessings through positive confessions of faith and the ‘sowing of seeds’ through financial or material gifts. Prosperity teaching is a phenomenon that cuts across many denominations in all continents. We affirm the miraculous grace and power of God, and we welcome the growth of churches and ministries that lead people to exercise expectant faith in the living God and his supernatural power. We believe in the power of the Holy Spirit. However, we deny that God’s miraculous power can be treated as automatic, or at the disposal of human techniques, or manipulated by human words, actions, gifts, objects, or rituals. We affirm that there is a biblical vision of human prospering, and that the Bible includes material welfare (both health and wealth) within its teaching about the blessing of God. However, we deny as unbiblical the teaching that spiritual welfare can be measured in terms of material welfare, or that wealth is always a sign of God’s blessing. The Bible shows that wealth can often be obtained by oppression, deceit or corruption. We also deny that poverty, illness or early death are always a sign of God’s curse, or evidence of lack of faith, or the result of human curses, since the Bible rejects such simplistic explanations. We accept that it is good to exalt the power and victory of God. But we believe that
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the teachings of many who vigorously promote the prosperity gospel seriously distort the Bible; that their practices and lifestyle are often unethical and unChristlike; that they commonly replace genuine evangelism with miracle-seeking, and replace the call to repentance with the call to give money to the preacher’s organization. We grieve that the impact of this teaching on many Churches is pastorally damaging and spiritually unhealthy. We gladly and strongly affirm every initiative in Christ’s name that seeks to bring healing to the sick, or lasting deliverance from poverty and suffering. The prosperity gospel offers no lasting solution to poverty, and can deflect people from the true message and means of eternal salvation. For these reasons it can be soberly described as a false gospel. We therefore reject the excesses of prosperity teaching as incompatible with balanced biblical Christianity. We urgently encourage church and mission leaders in contexts where the prosperity gospel is popular to test its teaching with careful attention to the teaching and example of Jesus Christ. Particularly, we all need to interpret and teach those Bible texts that are commonly used to support the prosperity gospel in all their full biblical context and proper balance. Where prosperity teaching happens in the context of poverty, we must counter it with authentic compassion and action to bring justice and lasting transformation for the poor. Above all we must replace self-interest and greed with the biblical teaching on self-sacrifice and generous giving as the marks of true discipleship to Christ. We affirm Lausanne’s historic call for simpler lifestyles.
Page xvii, The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine. Some people may wonder why Salvationists place such emphasis upon a written statement of faith. At the heart of Christianity is the believer’s relationship with Jesus Christ, which is deeply personal and may often elude definition. Yet it is also inescapably communal and will flourish best in fellowship with other believers. Through the centuries the Church has learned to express the common experience of faith, in ways that are consistent with the biblical witness, in creeds and statements of faith. The earliest Christians acknowledged one 09 another in the simple confession: ‘Jesus is Lord’ (1 Corinthians 12:3). This was their creed. As they shared it, they grounded their personal experience in the risen Christ, verified one another’s experience and called upon the world to acknowledge the Lordship of Christ. It was from these biblical beginnings that the creeds of the Church grew to be authoritative statements of the Christian faith.
CHAPTER 1 ‘Word of the Living God’, pp 3, 4 The Salvation Army Handbook of Doctrine. All generations have witnessed to an awareness of divine presence, or to a conviction that the beauty and order of the universe suggest an almighty Creator (Romans 1:20). But God must always remain essentially a mystery to his creation and unaided we can make little progress in any quest to discover the saving truth about him. Since our perceptions have been affected by sin, our understanding of God is clouded and distorted (Romans 1:21-32). leader’s manual
an international teaching resource
one rmy We believe that God, through his actions, has made known to us what we could never discover for ourselves – his loving character (Jeremiah 31:3), saving power (Psalm 68:19,20) and eternal purpose (Isaiah 55:8-11; John 3:16). He has ‘removed the veil’ that shrouded his mystery. This self-revelation of God is faithfully preserved and presented in the living record of holy Scripture.
Salvo Three ‘Terrible, with Banners…’, pp 73, 74 in The General Next to God. An Army with an unbroken front… needed banners, and corps after corps 10 was now getting them. As far back as 1874, in Christian Mission days, Booth had pondered this device: a crimson flag to typify the blood of Christ, its blue border symbolising purity, with the world transfixed by a flaming sword. But by September, 1878, when Catherine Booth, ‘The Army Mother,’ presented Coventry Corps with the first-ever Army flag, the world had given place to a blazing sun, inscribed with the motto ‘Blood and Fire,’ to affirm the fiery baptism of the Holy Ghost. Only four years later, when the Army began work in India, was the sun, a sacred symbol of the Parsees, translated to a star, the present-day emblem, to avoid giving offence. To testify that God’s love is ever-victorious, never once in its history has the Army flag flown at half-mast. Whether at marriages, funerals or the dedication of children, it breaks high and free.
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With Colours Waving: an Anthology of Salvation Army Prose, p 41, William Booth quoted indicating his support for modern translations of Scripture. The value of the Bible as a book lies not in the words employed but in the ideas conveyed by those words. And those words must therefore be the most desirable which most nearly convey the meaning of the inspired writers to those to whom they may now be addressed. For this reason I should very much like to see a Bible rendered into the English language as now spoken by English-speaking people throughout the world. If the Revised Version throws any new light upon the Book of books, I shall accept it very gratefully.
‘Call to God’s Word’ – p 20 in Called to be God’s People. We may reflect on what William Booth said shortly after the Revised Version had been introduced in 1881: ‘I want to see a new translation of the Bible into the hearts and conduct of living men and women. I want an improved translation – or transference it might be called – of the commandments and promises and teaching and influence of this Book to the minds and feelings and words and activities of the men and women who hold it to be an inspired book, and the only authorised rule of life.’