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Bible Study

Artist: Baylor Wilson
Song: Jesus Happened
Album: Jesus Happened
Featured In: MVL 111

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Baylor Wilson

Leader Guide

Artist: Baylor Wilson
Album: Jesus Happened
Label: Fair Trade Services
Song: Jesus Happened
From: MVL 111
Writer: Doug Ranck | Free Methodist Church | Santa Barbara, California

Theme(s): Salvation Regeneration (New Life)

Objective
Your students will learn that their decision to follow Jesus changes everything, and the difference between the old life they lived and the new life they live with Jesus.

Warm Up

Give your group around five minutes to complete the "Life Changers" section of the Student Guide. If you’re ambitious, play an inspiring movie score (music only) in the background.

Invite the group to come back together and share their events with brief explanations if needed.

What are the characteristics of life-changing events?
How are these events different because of our age or previous experiences?
What would you say is your number one life-changing experience so far?

Transition

We can name life-changing events or experiences that have shaped how we live in the future. Our decision to follow Jesus changes everything about who we are and how we live. Today we will discover the difference between the old life we live for ourselves, the indescribable change, and the new life we live following Jesus.

The Video

Play the video Jesus Happened by new Christian artist and Top-5 Survivor contestant Baylor Wilson. Have your youth respond to the “Happenin’” section of their Student Guide.

Transition

What differences may be experienced in someone’s “eyes and words” who decided to follow Christ?

What are the questions someone may have about us when they see these good changes?

What are the lies we experience in the old life of living for ourselves? (i.e., “We can accomplish things without God’s help.”)

What does the word “redemption” mean? (being saved from sin, error, evil, or the clearing of a debt)

What is significant about the words, “the grave gave way to life everlasting?”

Baylor is describing for us the life-changing event accepting the invitation to follow Jesus. Now we want to open the Scriptures and see the experience of a man whom Jesus healed. We’ll look at how he described his experience.

Bible Study

Get several volunteers to read John 9:1-12, 18-25 so the group may hear the words aloud. Explain these verses are a part of a more extended section where the Pharisees are disputing the healing. Give your group five to ten minutes to work individually on the “Indescribable” section and be ready to share their results.

How is the old way of living our lives, just for ourselves, like being blind?
Why is it vital for us to know Jesus wants to heal us from our “blindness”?
Many times, Jesus healed people with just a touch or word. Why do you guess He chose to go the symbolic route in this instance?
What does His choice to use the mud tell you about all the unique ways Jesus chooses to heal His people?
How does it help us to know we each may have a unique story in passing from our old way of life to our new way?
What is significant for us in hearing the man say, “One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see”?
Why would our new life in Christ be “indescribable”?

Wrap-up

Each of us is presently having a different experience and relationship with Jesus. Some of us feel like we have known Him all our lives, others feel like we know Him some, and others may still have lots of questions before making the decision. No matter where you are, remember we each have a choice: to follow ourselves, what we believe we can do, or follow Jesus and trust His ways are better than ours.

Let’s do one final thing. Turn to “Questions/Answers” in your Student Guide. Take a few moments to work on this silently, and then we’ll close.

After a few minutes, let the group know you (or other leaders) would be happy to privately hear from them about their questions and pray with them. Close the time with a prayer that all would open to letting Jesus “happen” in their daily lives.

Playlist

This song is featured on “The Linc: Salvation” Spotify playlist – which is the perfect way to remind your students what you’ve taught them in this session. To share it with them, click the live link on the web version of this study.