Authentic Pre-Mission Briefing

by | Jul 29, 2021 | Authentic | 0 comments

Authentic: Evidence Confirming Christ - Prophecy, Eyewitness Testimony, Historical Accounts, Archeology, Science, and Philosophy
How to Use This Study: We recommend taking on one mission per day as an individual or one per week as a family. If possible, make it a special, planned night with snacks or even themed decorations. You can view the evidence online, but it will be more engaging for your family if everyone has their own printouts. To store the exhibits, create a case file by attaching the included evidence label to a 6x9 Kraft envelope. Add exhibits to your file as you proceed through each mission. Begin each session with the mission inquiry. The first objective will take you right to the source of the eyewitness accounts found in scripture. You can read it as a family or watch it narrated and portrayed thanks to the Lumo Project video. Talk about the account and then relate it back to the prophecy exhibits. Make sure to point out when they were written and how they were fulfilled by Jesus. Next, examine the extra biblical exhibits and specifically concentrate on the areas highlighted in red. Take note that many of these sources are hostile to Christianity. That makes them more credible and unbiased, but it may bring up some questions. Help any younger kids process the context and how it actually helps to prove Jesus and the Bible. Watch the archeology video and discuss the exhibit to show how the discovery authenticates Jesus. Several missions will also include a bonus scientific or philosophical exhibit. If you can, search online together to uncover even more resources. Debrief throughout using the probing questions. Since they’re only designed to start the discussion, it’ll be more impactful if you ask a few extra questions of your own. Complete each mission by summarizing your deductions and announcing the final verdict. As always, feel free to customize everything to best fit your investigative team.

Printouts

Creating an evidence file (like the ones pictured below) is a fun and engaging way to examine and reference the evidence you’ve discovered. Simply print out one PDF packet per participant, paste or tape the included label to a 6×9 folder, cut the pages in half, and hand out the exhibits as you get to them in each mission.

Authentic Leader's Packet

Leader’s Packet

Authentic Student's Packet

Student’s Packet

Types of Evidence You Will Encounter Eyewitness Testimony Jesus’ followers and their close companions wrote down first and/or secondhand accounts of Jesus’ life. These historical biographies serve as the primary source material from which we will launch our investigation. Prophecy The Old Testament scriptures made monumental claims about specific events, places, and characteristics of the coming Messiah. Did Jesus really fulfill them hundreds and sometimes even more than a thousand years later? Ancient Non-Christian Historical Accounts Often hostile toward Christianity, these external sources ironically add an extra layer of credibility to the biblical record. Without a “religious bias,” they simply wrote down what they observed as historical realities. Archeology Over the years, numerous discoveries have been unearthed that provide strong, correlative insights into the people, places, culture, and historicity of the Bible. Science & Philosophy By substantiating the biblical narrative with empirical evidence and rational arguments, we can build a reasonable foundation for a confident faith.

Note to Leaders

This study is intentionally designed without fluid transitions between exhibits. This allows you to fill in the gaps and make it your own. Before leading others, we recommend personally completing the entire investigation. Once you’ve worked through all the evidence and internalized the big picture perspective, you’ll be more equipped to guide your investigative team in discovering the truth about Jesus.

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