Rock Solid Faith (An Inductive Study of 2 Timothy)
Web Helps

PREP IT Helps
Here you’ll find further insight and background for your personal prep.

TEACH IT Helps
The Teach It helps give you additional icebreakers, application ideas, object lessons for your group session.

MEDIA Helps
We've made some media recommendations for each session---songs and videos that you might want to use before, during or after your session. You may want to use media as an opener or closer to the session, as a worship element during your session, or simply create your own media list to send to your students for them to view/download throughout the course of your Bible study---a study playlist. Some of the video links are freebies you can stream for your students (from sites such as YouTube or GodTube), some are videos you would need to purchase and download, and a few are available only on DVD (i.e. the Nooma videos).

AfterWord
Ministry and application ideas to use as follow-up to Rock Solid Faith.

SESSION 1: “Mail Call”

Session 1 PREP IT
Name pronunciation guide:
You've got some challenging names to navigate in your study of 2 Timothy, so you might find the pronunciation guide below helpful. You’ll find the same info in the book, Session 6 Prep It, but we thought you might benefit from a head start on name pronunciation. The names below are listed two ways---order of appearance and alphabetically.

Order of Appearance in 2 Timothy:
Phygelus (Fy-JEL-luss)
Hermogenes (Herr-MAWJ-eh-nees, similar to homogenize; or you may just want to call him Herman)
Onesiphorus (Oh-ness-IF-ar-us)
Hymenaeus (Hy-meh-NAY-us)
Philetus (Fy-LEE-tuss)
Jannes (JANN-ness)
Demas (DEE-mus)
Crescens (KRESS-kenz)
Tychicus (TICK-eh-cuss)
Priscilla (Priss-ILL-uh)
Aquila (Uh-QUILL-uh)
Erastus (Ee-RASS-tuss)
Trophimus (TROF-eh-muss)
Eubulus (U-BUE-luss)

Alphabetical Order
Aquila (Uh-QUILL-uh)
Crescens (KRESS-kenz)
Demas (DEE-mus)
Erastus (Ee-RASS-tuss)
Eubulus (U-BUE-luss)
Hermogenes (Herr-MAWJ-eh-nees, similar to homogenize; or you may just want to call him Herman)
Hymenaeus (Hy-meh-NAY-us)
Jannes (JANN-ness)
Onesiphorus (Oh-ness-IF-ar-us)
Philetus (Fy-LEE-tuss)
Phygelus (Fy-JEL-luss)
Priscilla (Priss-ILL-uh)
Trophimus (TROF-eh-muss)
Tychicus (TICK-eh-cuss)

Session 1 MEDIA
Music: Compelled, Sara Groves (The Other Side of Something)
             Count Me In, Leeland (Opposite Way)
Video: video illustration: The Power of Friendship

Session 1 TEACH IT
Accountability partners:
If you’re using Rock Solid Faith in a small-group setting, consider infusing an accountability element into your experience by pairing your students up as accountability partners for the duration of the study. Here are some suggestions:

For a couple minutes at the end of each session (or less frequently), have students take turns being a “Paul” (one who encourages) or a “Tim” (one who needs encouraged) with each other.
At the end of each session have the group suggest a practical “take away” application or adjustment they can make and assign a deadline during the week for them to have checked in with each other on the adjustment.
Have students collect addresses and numbers of every method of communication from their partners and use a different method each week (IM, text, cell phone, e-mail, and even snail mail)

SESSION 2: “The Scoop on God”

Session 2 PREP IT
Some powerful testimony:
It’s probably not a coincidence that Paul would mention “testify” and “suffering for the gospel” in the same sentence. The Greek word used here for testify is marturion from which we derive the word “martyr.” It sounds like we can expect some pretty strong opposition when we’re not ashamed to testify about our Lord.

Session 2 MEDIA
Music: Carried Away, Sonic Flood (Sonic Flood)
             You Get Me, ZOEGirl (Different Kind of Free)
Video: video illustration: Sermonspice.com “The Narrow Way”

Session 2 TEACH IT
Unpacking the gifts:
After you've discovered the awesome things God has given us (grace, mercy, peace, power, love, self-discipline) from Digging In: Getting the Scoop on God, at some point in your session you may want to break into groups of two or three (or the accountability partners you may have already established) to discuss these further. Ask students to share which gift from God they've used the most, and which give they've used least. Ask them to discuss which gift they’d like to use more.

SESSION 3: “The Scoop on Jesus”

Session 3 PREP IT
Grace vs. Truth:
Session 3 focuses on the interplay, or overlap, or tension, between grace and truth---two traits of Jesus that He balances perfectly, of course. Through decisions and mistakes made by students, youth workers are constantly confronted with situations in which we might wonder: Is this a situation for grace? Or is this a situation for truth? Or how can I dispense both? Our personalities might tend to lean us in one direction or the other. Probably the best thing we can pray for is wisdom. As you study through the Prep It for this session, bring to mind those situations with students you’ve recently navigated that called for a measure of grace or truth.

Session 3 MEDIA
Music: Salvation Has A Name, 33 Miles (What Could Be Better)
             A Little More, Shawn McDonald (Ripen)
Video: video illustration: He Is My Identity: In Christ we are a New Creation

Session 3 TEACH IT
Video clip options for closing your session:
In the Teach It guides we suggest searching a video sharing website for the old Reese Cup commercials. Here are a couple links (good at the time of this posting) you might want to try:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWMM7HPeTHQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGsWqGX6bvA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfGQmotCIN0
[This video is poor quality, but it features two actors before their glory days, Robby Benson and Donny Most (Ralph Malph of “Happy Days”]

SESSION 4: “The Gospel: Know It”

Session 4 PREP IT
Curious about the word “gospel”?
You may want to do your own online search for the history of the word “gospel,” but here’s a start for you:

The good folks at the Online Etymology Dictionary note that the word “gospel” comes from an Old English word “godspel” (good story) which was a translation of the latin phrase “bona adnuntiatio,” which was a translation from the original Greek word, “euangelion.”

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=gospel

Session 4 MEDIA
Music: Undercover Belief, Nate Sallie (Ruined for Ordinary)
             Uncommon Days, Circleslide (Uncommon Days)
Video: video illustration: Man on the street interviews about the source of morality

Session 4 TEACH IT
Discussion option for Taking It Inward: Skeptic’s Forum
Near the close of the group session, students are asked to use their newfound info about the gospel to explain it in some hard-sell scenarios. An adjustment you might want to consider: rather than focus on a hard-sell audience (i.e., skeptics), focus on telling the gospel story as just that…a story, a narrative. But here’s the twist: challenge students to change the setting and characters. Instead of our world, change the setting to something like: Weebles World or Lego Universe.

SESSION 5: “The Gospel: Do It”

Session 5 PREP IT
John 14:21 in greater detail (Cross Checking: Jesus Weighs In)
Did you notice the nice one-two punch in John 14:21 that leads to a multi-layered payoff?
First the one-two punch, the two actions that lead to the payoff. Jesus speaks of anyone who has and obeys his commands, a one-two punch that mirrors his other exhortations concerning his commands---to know them and do them. The word has in this verse is the Greek word echo which carries the following connotations: to own, to hold fast, to possess, to cling. Do you sense that it’s not a casual “having” of the commands, but rather a “clinging on for dear life” possession of the commands that Jesus is emphasizing? And when we actually obey these commands that we’re clinging to (a combo that shows our love for Jesus), we experience waves of reward: we’ll be loved by the Father, we’ll be loved by Jesus, and Jesus will show himself to us.

You might be asking, “But don’t God and Jesus love me anyway?” Yes, they do, in a John 3:16 love-of-the-world sort of way. But there must be a special outpouring, a warm spot in their hearts for those who have and obey Jesus’ commands. Perhaps we have a fitting analogy from the parent world: picture a parent who has two children, one who is compliant, one who is rebellious. The parent will likely love them both equally, but somewhere in the recesses of the heart or mind, there is an appreciative warm spot for the compliant child.

The big “oh wow!” in this verse, however, comes in the last wave of reward: Jesus will show himself to us. The Greek word for show, which is emphanizo, carries the connotation of a physical manifestation. In other words, this isn’t simply an end-times promise, but rather a real experience in the present. We’ve probably all experienced these kinds of manifestations at different times (special events, work camps, etc.) but John 14:21 isn’t meant to be an occasional experience. Rather, it’s to be a consistent lifestyle.

Session 5 MEDIA
Music: Something to Say, Matthew West (Something to Say)
             Honest Answers, MxPx (Let It Happen)
Video: The Cure For Spiritual Cancer, Dare2Share (Interlinc Music Video Loop 67, for Interlinc subscribers)

Session 5 TEACH IT
T-shirt options:
At the close of each group session in the Teach It guides of Session 5 your students are asked to create a short-but-sweet phrase they can use as a reminder to keep the Bible’s instructions regarding the gospel in front of them. In the guide you’ll also see a suggestion to put the phrase on T-shirts. This may be easier than you think. Organizations such as McDuck Productions [ www.mcduck.com ] are set up to do custom design and custom orders of T-shirts and many other items. Their prices and minimum order requirements are reasonable and small-group sensitive.

SESSION 6: “Invite a Friend”

Session 6 PREP IT
A few more friends:
Paul's mention of various people in his closing of 2 Timothy is a classic Paul gesture. Paul often commented on people who helped him along the way (or didn't help, as was the case in 2 Timothy). Listed below are a few other closing chapters by Paul, in addition to the two you’ll find the Session 6 Prep It. Read these and keep a running list of names, along with how Paul described these people. Let this encourage and challenge you to develop ministry partners along the way.

Colossians 4
Titus 3
Philemon (it's a one-chapter book)

Session 6 MEDIA
Music: I'm For You, Toby Mac (Portable Sounds)
          Audrey Start The Revolution! Anberlin (Never Take Friendship Personal)
Video: video illustrations: Sermonspice.com search results for “mentoring”

Session 6 TEACH IT
Optional opener: The Movie Credit game
Need something a little more active as an opener? Bring in a movie DVD (can be any feature-length movie) and play the "movie credit game" as teams or individuals. Before your session cue up the closing credits of the movie. Tell the students to get ready to remember as many names and corresponding job titles as possible. Roll the footage for about a minute, then ask students to take a minute to write down the names and titles they remember. Whoever remembers the most wins. You'll notice that the students will remember the major actors before they'll remember Willy the boom microphone holder. Talk about all the lesser-knowns who made huge contributions to this film but are easily overlooked. In the same way, everybody remembers God, Jesus, Paul and Timothy, but in this session they'll be looking at some lesser-knowns who were important enough for a Bible "credit."

SESSION 7: “Frenemies”

Session 7 PREP IT
Now THAT’S mercy!
Perhaps one of the biggest things Paul said in the book of 2 Timothy was a simple 7 word phrase at the close of 2 Timothy 4:16…

16 At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.

May it not be held against them. It takes a lot to be able to ask for that when you’ve felt no support, even deserted. But check this out. Paul had heard this phrase once before and may have been emulating something he had seen before. However, when he heard this phrase before, at that time he was on the other side of the fence---persecuting the church. Look at this scene out and let your heart ponder all that might have gone into Paul making that request in 2 Timothy (and in this Acts passage, he was referred to as Saul).

Acts 7:57-8:1

Session 7 MEDIA
Music: Between You and Me, DC Talk (Jesus Freak)
             Forgive and Forget, Wavorly (Conquering the Fear of Flight)
Video: movie clip: Mean Girls talking about “Frenemies”
           video illustration/teaching: Nooma video 001 Rain

Session 7 TEACH IT
Discussion option for Wrapping It Up: Onesiphor-ize Your Student Ministry
You may want to close the session with a heart-check. In 2 Timothy 4:16 Paul made a bold, merciful statement regarding those who deserted him at his first defense. Read 2 Timothy 4:16 aloud. After reading the passage, ask if anyone is holding a grudge against somebody else. It's okay to be direct. Share that if anyone feels hurt, deserted or cheated, it's not a sin to feel that pain. But the Lord wants our hearts to be pure. Take some time to pray, letting the students ask God to show them whether their hearts match Paul's. Can they say "May it never be held against them?" If not, encourage them to ask for mercy to forgive.

SESSION 8: “Expect What?”
Session 8 PREP IT

Why Do Bad Things Happen?
It's the question of the ages. And it's a question that seems to be asked more frequently and urgently these days. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, we sought to address this question in InWord’s October 2005 newsletter. Obviously it’s a few years ago, but the question never changes. The link below will take you to that newsletter issue where you'll find additional articles and tools to minister to this question.

http://www.inword.org/online/email-oct.html

Session 8 MEDIA
Music: Call My Name, Third Day (Revelation)
             Blessed Be Your Name, Tree 63 (The Answer To The Question)
Video: Faces of Persecution from Voice of the Martyrs

Session 8 TEACH IT
Active option for opening your session
Stage a contest that introduces a little pain. Ask for three volunteers, and have them compete against each other in the following exercises:

1. Do sit-ups as fast as you can for one minute (record the number for each).
2. Do push-ups as fast as you can for one minute (record the number for each).
3. Do donkey kicks as fast as you can for one minute (record the number for each).

Tally the scores and award a winner. After the award presentation, ask the participants how their bodies feel. Then ask the group what kind of pay-off they can expect for doing strenuous workouts every day. Words like “cut” or “fit” may come up. The Christian walk is very similar. God often puts us through a workout---some kind of suffering---to help us gain strength. This might help your students see suffering as they would push-ups. They're no fun, but we love the benefits.

SESSION 9: “Let’s Eat”

Session 9 PREP IT
God's Word on God's Word
2 Timothy 3:16 is an anchor verse defining the importance of the Word of God in our lives. But there are many more. The passages below could collectively be called "The Word on The Word"-an expanded version of the exercise, Cross Checking: The Main Dish, of the Prep It. Make a personal retreat out of these passages; head to a place of solitude and let God speak to you about His Word through His Word. Look for (and write down) how the Word is described, what it can do, and how you're to interact with it.
     Deut. 11:18-23
     Joshua 1:7-8
     Psalm 19:7-11
     Psalm 119 (pick out any block of 10 verses)
     Matt. 7:24
     Matt. 13:3-23
     John 8:31-32
     John 14:21
     Heb. 4:12
     1 Peter 1:23-25

At the close of your Prep It you’ll see some info to help you and your students go deeper than simply reading the Scripture, but to help you chew on it and meditate on it. If you’d like to go deeper on this subject, be sure to check out the book Unleashing God’s Word in Youth Ministry (Youth Specialties/Zondervan; 2008)

Session 9 MEDIA
Music: Ancient Words, Michael W. Smith (Worship Again)
            Thy Word, Amy Grant (The Collection)
Video: A Scripture and visual experience

Session 9 TEACH IT
Group discussion regarding Bible know-how
Share the following stats with your students and then discuss the questions that follow. You may even want to present the info below as a “pop quiz” as you go along in order to evaluate your students' Bible knowledge.

Several hundred high school seniors were given a questionnaire to evaluate their basic Bible knowledge. Here are some of the results:
      · 80% could not place the following Bible people in order: Moses, Adam,
        David, Solomon, Abraham (Adam, Abraham, Moses, Solomon, David).
      · 20% knew which book of the Bible to look in for Paul's travels (Acts).
      · 60% knew where to locate the story of Moses leading Israel out of
        Egypt (Exodus).
      · 33% could find Sermon on Mount in the NT (Matthew 5-7).
      · 80% did not know where to find Lord's Prayer (Matt. 6:8-13; Luke 11:1-4).

[Survey from: Christianity Today, Aug. 9, 1999, "The Greatest Story Never Read." InWord duplicated this survey in 2006 and found results to be similar.]

Would you rate these results as positive or negative? Why?
Why do you think we know so little about the Bible?
What do you think stands in the way of meaningful Bible study? Why?

Use these questions to help your students realize that the problem may not be just a lack of Bible knowledge, but a lack of intimacy with God. When we spend time with God we get to know Him, and knowledge about Him and His ways become second nature. You'll see how the Word can bring this about in this final session.

Follow-up for some Bible study want-to (for after-session follow-up)
Encourage your students to make meaningful experiences in God's Word a vital part of their day. Remind them that it's not a race, and no one is grading them on how much ground they cover. It's a matter of showing our love for Jesus. Remind them of John 14:21 (below) and note what Jesus sees in us when we take His Word seriously. (Also note what we get to see when we take His Word seriously!)
"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
--John 14:21

Shameless Plug:
To encourage meaningful personal study, we suggest InWord's Since God So Loved (check it out here), a 30-day student devotional in the gospel of John. From the series Bite-Sized Chunks of God's Word, the book will help students go after God's Word with intensity and purpose. For starters, you can print the instructions and sample chapters from InWord's website and distribute these to your students.

SESSION 10: “Make Yourself Useful”
Session 10 PREP IT

God's Will Discovery:
One of the big questions on the hearts of most believers is: “God, what's your will for my life?” Have you noticed how that question is more focused on us than on God? The proper way to ask that question is to leave off the last three words. With that in mind, you may want to add Hebrews 13:20–21 to your prep for this session. As you read this passage, be as detailed as possible in making two lists:
1.) everything you learn about God;
2.) and everything you learn about you .

Pray over these lists and ask God what you need to change in two areas:
1.) your personal journey in discovering God's will.
2.) giving students opportunity to discover (and be equipped to do) God's will.

Session 10 MEDIA
Music: It's On, Superchick (Beauty From Pain)
            Stand, Rebecca St. James (Transform)
Video: Video illustration: Hearing God---Are We Listening?

Session 10 TEACH IT
Hard Hat Whiteboard:
Here are a few ideas for stressing the “useful worker” aspect of this session.
1. Pick a couple hard hats at Lowes or Home Depot and instead of a whiteboard, list the descriptions and actions of “God’s workmen” on a hard hat.
2. Pass a hard hat around your group and have students write their favorite (or most challenging, or most convicting) action or description from 2 Timothy 2:15-26.

God’s Human Resources Department:
Have students use the info from 2 Timothy 2:15-26 to create a help wanted ad or a job description for a position in God’s company. Use the information in the 2 Timothy passage to create a list qualifications as well as a list of duties that the job entails.

AFTERWORD
Ministry and application ideas to follow up Rock Solid Faith.

Walk Thru the Bible
Your study in 2 Timothy hits on an anchor passage regarding God's Word, 2 Timothy 3:16. Use the discussion to spark an interest in the Word among your students. Nothing gives a better (or more invigorating) Bible overview than the survey seminars offered by Walk Thru the Bible. Visit their website, click "seminars," and look for a seminar near you—or choose one far from you and make it a Bible road trip.
Web: www.walkthru.org
Phone: 770-458-9300

IsleGo Missions
This study of 2 Timothy finishes with an emphasis on being the kind of “workman” God can use (2 Tim. 2:15 ). Consider carrying this “workman” momentum into a missions or workcamp experience. IsleGo Missions is an organization that specializes in leading students on short-term missions experiences in the Caribbean , a great place to give the truth of 2 Timothy a test run. If you tell IsleGo “InWord sent me!” you'll receive $25 off your deposit!
Web: www.islego.com
Phone: (407) 687-8543

The Coaching Center
By the time your group finishes studying 2 Timothy they may be ready to take their newfound boldness and grasp of the Gospel for a spin. The Coaching Center is a ministry dedicated to helping students effectively minister to their school campuses.
Web: www.gocampus.org
Phone: 1-877-GOCAMPUS (462-2678)

National Network of Youth Ministries—Mentoring
The relationship between Paul and Timothy is a needed model for mentoring and discipleship in today's church. The National Network of Youth Ministries has launched a mentoring initiative to encourage Paul-type mentoring and discipleship across the nation.
Web: www.mentoryouth.com
Phone: 1-877-500-MENTOR (1-877-500-6368)