Study Guide for

“Flat-line”

April 12, 2009

Open Up

Tell your group your opinion about an Easter tradition that does not make much sense to you: hiding and finding colored eggs, Easter bunny, etc. TRANSITION: Like other parts of the Christian life, the world confuses the real meaning of Easter with cultural traditions like chocolate eggs, springtime bunnies, flowers, etc. - but this season is not about those things. Easter is Jesus, the son of God, dying on a cross, and then coming back to life.

Dig In

(1) Read John 19:28-42. The details of these verses match historical accounts of Roman crucifixion. Why might a skeptic suggest that Jesus was not “all the way dead,” but only passed out from the pain or drugged to fake his death?

(2) Read Acts 3:13-20 and Acts 4:8-13. What connection did Peter make between God’s power to raise Jesus from the dead and the crippled man’s healing? What is the connection to what God can do for us? BACKGROUND: Read Acts 3:1-12 for details on this miracle which the Spirit performed through Peter and John.

(3) Read I Corinthians 15:3-5 and 15:20-22 and 15:54-55. What do these verses say about the completeness of Jesus’ victory over death? What do they say about the way the victory of Jesus affects us?

(4) Read Colossians 2:11-15. In the literal sense, Jesus was nailed to the cross, but these verses use figurative language to emphasize that in a spiritual sense, Jesus was the one nailing things to the cross. Over whom and over what did Jesus triumph? BACKGROUND: Circumcision was one of the key religious practices in the Jewish religion.

Work On

Tell your group about something in your life that is “flat-lined” or on “life support.” (1) If this part of your life is something good that needs reviving, ask your group for ideas about how the Spirit can bring it back to life. (2) If this is something evil that needs to be “flat-lined”, ask your group for help in nailing it to the cross.

Lift Up

Focus on giving thanks for God’s power demonstrated in both Jesus’ resurrection and in one specific area of your life.

Another Step – Advanced Study

Read Acts 17:29-34 and Acts 26:22-29. From the early days of the church, skeptics rejected the resurrection of Jesus. What was Paul’s response in these verses? Discuss with your group how we can respond to skeptics today.