Cru Weekly Ministry Tip #9, Fall 2012
Check out these verses and what they have to say about Jesus:
Hebrews 7:26-28
26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. 28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.
Hebrews 8:1-7
1 Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. 4 Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. 5 They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” 6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.
Notice these observations:
1. In 7:26 we’ve established that Jesus is a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.
2. In 7:27-28 we see that because Jesus was perfect, he could be our sacrifice once, and not daily and continually. Jesus covered sin once and for all by His own sacrifice on the cross for the sins of anyone who will believe.
3. As you look at 8:1-5, in the Law of Moses, the priests had to come from the Line of Aaron or the Levites. The tabernacle on earth was just a shadow or copy of the real thing. Jesus is a high priest in heaven ministering in the genuine tabernacle. Jesus was not a priest of the line of Aaron so He could not be part of the priesthood on earth. Jesus is superior to Aaron as He ministers in a superior tabernacle.
4. In 8:6-7, we see that Christ has a ministry that is better then the old covenant as found in the Law of Moses. Christ’s covenant is based on better promises.
As you consider the whole of the Bible, the main topic from Genesis to Revelation is God bringing man into a proper relationship with Himself through the sacrifice of His only Son. Never loose sight of Jesus; He is the central focus of the Word of God.
Halloween Strategies – Try This Survey
Being a couple of weeks away from Halloween, you may want to consider if there is anyway you can harness these cultural traditions for His kingdom. How about doing a Halloween survey on campus and using the questions to turn the conversation to the gospel message. Your goal would be to introduce the “Knowing God Personally” booklet, your personal testimony, or sharing the gospel from memory.
Think about copying and printing up the questions below, passing them out to everyone in your group, and encouraging them to ask these questions with people all over campus. You can go to a lounge on campus, cafeteria table, after class, in the hallway or the sidewalk, in your dorm room, in the recreation center or literally anywhere on campus.
Here’s what you can say:
“Hi, we’re a part of Cru here on campus and we’re doing a Halloween questionnaire to see what students are thinking about the supernatural and spiritual things. Do you have a few minutes that I could ask for your response to 5 questions?”
(It’s okay to have some follow-up conversations to the questions below but try to keep moving to the next question. The idea is to get to question 5 so that you will have an opportunity to get into the gospel message. If you get stuck on any question, feel free to say, “That’s a great question, let me research that and we can get back together if you’d like.”)
1. What are your personal beliefs in ghosts and haunted houses? Are they for real?
2. Do witches and warlocks really exist?
3. What do you think happens after people die?
4. Is there such a thing as hell?
5. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being not interested and 10 being very interested, if you could know what happens after you die, would you be interested?
At this point you want to try to transition by saying, “One of the things we try to do in Cru is to help people think about the spiritual area of their lives. I noticed that you have some interest in knowing what happens after someone dies. Can we share with you a simple outline that explains what can happen after death when you have a right relationship with God?” Or you could add these three options:
“Could I share with you…
a. this booklet called “Knowing God Personally”?
b. how I personally came into a relationship with God and the difference it has made in my life? (Sharing your personal testimony).
c. my personal understanding of what it means to understand eternal life from God’s perspective? (Sharing the Knowing God Personally from memory – freestyle way of sharing the gospel message).
This simple strategy of doing this Halloween questionnaire will allow you to make Christ an issue all over campus and open the door to lots of conversations. After your conversation, invite them to your meetings. Give this survey a try this Halloween.
Talk to you next week,
Ben
Cru Ministry, Orlando