JAPHET DE OLIVEIRA

Focus Verse
"And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another." Matthew 24:10 (ESV)
Recalibrate Questions:
  • Paddy talked about the third way.  Japhet is now speaking of that same way - love vs. hate, kindness vs. anger, belonging vs. betrayal.  Where do we see that third way living and breathing today?
  • This is a gathering open to people all over the world.  Hate and anger exist and persist all over the world, and have for thousands of years.  Why then did Jesus name this as part of the sign of the beginning of the end?
  • What question do you want Jesus to ask you?
  • What question from Jesus are you avoiding?
  • What is something that you have had to let go?
  • Who in your life, have you resisted reconciliation?
  • What noises are you following?
  • Who do you need to sit down and talk with?
  • How do you let go of the pain and hatred to start a conversation?
  • Are we truly following Jesus or are we just against each other?
  • Where does all our hatred come from?
  •  What lingers under the conflicts we have with our siblings, parents, children, partners? How much better would our tensions be, if we loved people?  
  • Why should followers of Jesus push against the “Protestant work ethic?” How has that practiced negatively affected your relationship to Jesus your view of those less fortunate and your overall capacity for empathy?
  • Why do we draw and create unnecessary lines in the sand?
  •  Why do we lose our faith?
  • When will we recognize that we can destroy people’s lives with our words and that our words matter, now more than ever before?
  • What is the one solution?

SHARE

verb
1. have a portion of (something) with another or others.
MUSIC // Hillsong United — 'Good Grace'
MUSIC // Bethel Music — 'No Longer Slaves'
TECHNIC BIBLE STUDY // Dig into the message 
Adam and Eve use fig leaves to address their brokenness. Cain brings his fruit to address his brokenness. How many stories in the Bible are our attempt to provide a solution - without Jesus. Think about the choices some Biblical characters made and if they had relied on Jesus, how it would have been different? Abraham, Jacob and David to name a few.

What is the covering that Jesus gives us? Is the wedding feast parable similar to Cain and Abel’s story?
Why do we struggle to accept the gift of salvation?
See how 1 John 3:11 rubs into Matthew 24:10.

How do we lose our faith? Three models in Luke 15. Was Cain the prodigal son? When Jesus warned Cain, why did he resist?
What does turning away look like?
What is the significance of the betrayal vs hatred? Did Judas betray or hate Jesus? Can you we betray people we “love” or is that not honest?

Remember that this message in Matthew 24 is only because they ask. Jesus is greater than the temple - Matthew 12:6 and Jesus is with us always Matthew 28:10. In Mark’s story only four disciples with Jesus this was not a broad message always. When Moses writes the story of Cain and Abel, he is not focused on time but on the state of humans. The names he gives to the two characters is important. Able is vapor, as he arrived and left instantly. Cain is acquire. What kind of people do you want in your life? Those who take from you or those who give.

When Jesus tells them that sin is crouching at the door, did they understand that was the door to the temple? Where do we have our feet planted today? Where are we grounded during temptation? Temptation is not the sin. Temptation is the space of withdrawal or acceptance of help from Jesus. Cain is depressed not angry same as Jonah 4:9. How many decisions do we make when we are depressed that affect us today?

Hate leads to falling. Hatred is born out of selfish worship. True worship does not cause pain. That is why it declares in Genesis 4:6 that we began to worship, as a reset of motivation had to take place.

MAKE

verb
1. form (something) by putting parts together or combining substances; create.
2. cause (something) to exist or come about; bring about.
We are made up of something called DNA. Everyone on Earth is made up of the same stuff. We are all connected. We are all the same on the inside. We all have things that make us happy and things that make us sad. While you make this edible DNA, maybe you can tell your family one thing that makes you happy, and one thing that makes you sad. Tell them one thing you are thankful for and one thing you want to do differently tomorrow. You can ask them to tell you those same things too.
DNA CANDY MODEL PROJECT (idea sourced from Little Bins Little Hands)
Things you’ll need:
  • Twizzlers (represent the backbone consisting of sugars and phosphates)
  • Toothpicks
  • Soft Candy (Something that comes in 4 colors but is all the same type of candy to represent the A, T, C, G nucleotides)
  • 4 cups to separate candies by color
INSTRUCTIONS

TRY

verb
1. make an attempt or effort to do something. Use, test, or do (something new or different) in order to see if it is suitable, effective, or pleasant.
Try interviewing someone in your family.
Ask them questions about their life to hear what sorts of things they've done and seen. When my great grandmother was very old, 93 or so, we decided we needed to write down her stories or we might forget them. So we asked her questions like: What year were you born? How many brothers and sisters did you have? Where did you grow up? Do you remember any big events, like the great depression or world wars?

We asked all sorts of questions and recorded it and wrote down her answers. I still remember how fun it was to hear about her life and listen to her stories. Jesus wants to connect with us. He welcomes our questions. 

PLAY

verb
1. engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation
PLAY // QUESTIONS ONLY
Japhet opened by discussing questions in the bible. Have you ever played the Improv drama game “questions only’? It’s a really fun one.