day 1 uncovering counterfeits - answers in...

Teen/Adult Teacher Guide • 13 Teen/Adult Teacher Guide • 1312 • Teen/Adult Teacher Guide

Introduce It (5 minutes)

Hey everybody, I am so glad that you can be with us today. My name is _____, I am very excited to share this time with you. My hope and prayer is that we will learn a lot today and throughout this week.

We are going to be learning about the one true God of the Bible. � e Bible reveals the truth about God and the nature of who God is.

We will be learning fi ve diff erent Bible verses this week. � e Bible verse for today comes from the book of Isaiah. “I am the Lord and there is no other; there is no God besides Me” (Isaiah 45:5). What does this say about God’s nature?

Allow answers: He is all powerful, sovereign, jealous of praise, and worthy of all glory. He is the ultimate authority.

We will be covering a lot this week, so pay close attention and feel free to ask me or any of the other leaders questions about what we are learning this week.

Teach It (85 minutes)

Our theme for this week is “International Spy Academy.” � e idea is that you have come here to learn to become special agents for the one true God. One of the marks of a good special agent is that he can recognize the real thing from the counterfeit. What are some characteristics of a counterfeit? Allow answers: it’s a fake or a phony, not the real deal, pretends to be real, it ultimately has no value, it is incredibly dangerous, some people fall for it but after it is examined it will be exposed.

For every truth there is a phony that takes away from the true authority. � e same is true for the one true God—there are many counterfeit gods. Today we are going to look at counterfeit gods and fi nd out how they compare to the One True God of the Bible.

Bible (used throughout lesson)

Presentation images (download from answersvbs.com/isa-teen)

A These lessons aren’t based around presentation images; but if you’d like to use those used in the Junior Guide, you can download them at answersvbs.com/isa-teen.

Teen/Adult Teacher Guide • 13 Teen/Adult Teacher Guide • 13

Day 1 Uncovering Counterfeits

12 • Teen/Adult Teacher Guide

BIBLE PASSAGE

Elijah and the Prophets of Baal1 Kings 18:20–39

LESSON FOCUS/APOLOGETICS CONTENT

Agents will uncover coun-terfeit gods and identify the one true God of the Bible.

COMMIT THIS TO MEMORY

I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God

besides Me. Isaiah 45:5




Teen/Adult Teacher Guide • 13

Refer to the memory verse presentation image. “I am the Lord and there is no other; there is no God besides Me.” � ere are many aspects of life that have “fakes.” You can probably think of an original product that has a competing “imita-tor.” � e same is true for God; He alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, but people are constantly teaching diff erent views of who God is. Let’s take a look at a few originals and fakes and see if you can tell the diff erence.

Testing FakesShow pictures with name brand sneakers, cereal, coff ee, and also pictures of the counterfeits or the generic products that are based on the real thing. Have the kids spot the original.

Some things that we tested were not diffi cult to fi nd. � ere are other examples that are much more crucial. Counterfeit money, for instance, ultimately has no true value. Its only purpose is to make people believe that it has value. If someone falls for counterfeit money, they will be left with nothing, treasuring something that never was.

� e same is true in terms of the God that you serve. If you spend your life serving a counterfeit god, or denying the true God’s existence, you will be left fi ghting for something that is nonexistent.

Does anybody know how special agents catch counterfeits? � ey study the real thing so much that they will notice the diff erences with the fake. � rough-out this week, and hopefully throughout the rest of all of our lives, we will study the nature of the One True God in order to be able to distinguish Him from false gods.

Bible AccountSince the beginning, when Lucifer was banned from heaven for trying to become like the one true God and came to earth to deceive humans, he has encouraged humans to believe in counterfeit gods, trying to take away from the greatness of the One True God. Let’s take a look at one example found in the Old Testament.

In 1 Kings 18 there is an account of a showdown between the One True God and a counterfeit god called Baal. At this time, around 925 BC, the prophet Elijah was sent to minister to the ten tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel. Elijah knew there was one true God and that He alone was to be worshipped. � is was in the days of King Ahab, when he and his wife Jezebel ruled over Israel in Samaria. � ey worshipped the god Baal, built a temple, set up an altar to Baal in the temple, and erected wooden images to worship (1 Kings 16:31–33). In fact, Ahab did more to provoke God’s anger than any other king of Israel (1 Kings 16:33). Into this environment God sent Elijah—who stood before King Ahab—and pronounced that the Lord God of Israel would stop the rain and cause a severe drought in the land (1 Kings 17:1).

After several years, God eventually sent Elijah back to Ahab (1 Kings 18:1) and his 850 prophets who worshiped pagan gods (1 Kings 18:18–19). It was

Pictures of name brand and o� -brand products to compare




time for Elijah to challenge this king and his false prophets in the name of the God of Israel. He persuaded King Ahab to assemble at Mount Carmel for God’s determined confrontation and presented the question, “How long will you falter . . . . If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him” (1 Kings 18:20–21).

� e word Baal actually means “lord.” People would even give the false god Baal human sacrifi ce in order to please him. Let’s read what happened.

Read the account of 1 Kings 18:1–40 together. Choose ten people to read four verses each.

� is account came from nearly 3,000 years ago, yet it still shows us much that applies to us today. What aspect of God’s nature does this passage show? Take answers: He is a God above all and alone is worthy.

Optional: Read Psalm 95:1–6.

� e account of Elijah and the prophets of Baal displays the power of the one true God. Why is it important that God is powerful? He is worthy of all that is given, there is no way He can be usurped, He is able to deliver us, He is worth trusting.

Worth TrustingIf you had to choose a bodyguard to trust your life to, who would you choose and why? Allow responses: Someone who is big and strong, skilled, etc. You are going to want your life to be in the hands of one who has the ability to overcome the odds. You would choose someone you surely can trust.

Elijah knew that God is all-powerful, and so this prophet had faith that the Lord would show Himself more powerful than the false gods. He trusted that God would be there for him, and he knew that God could deliver. God is pow-erful, the God above all; He is worth trusting.

We see this illustrated throughout the Bible. Read Psalm 73:25–26. God is the great deliverer, and there are many times in Scripture God demonstrates that He delivers those who are His.

So what does this mean for us?

� ere is only one true God. � is is the God of the Bible, the One who created the universe and is God over all things. Although He is One God, He lives as three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We will discuss this more in depth in the next few days.

Video: Does the God of the Bible Exist? From the Bible, we know that there is one true God and we can learn about His attributes. But how do we know that the God of the Bible really is the one true God? � is video by Bodie Hodge shows us the answer to that question.

Show video, “Does the God of the Bible Exist”? from Disc 1 (28 minutes long). Then host this brief discussion. Encourage participants to ask questions. Write down any you can’t answer and return with an answer tomorrow, after researching it.

Disc 1

DVD player setup




Ultimately, how do we learn about the God of the Bible? From the Bible, right? From His inspired Word. But, the question then becomes, how do we know the Bible is true? If we say that we know God exists because the Bible says it, and then stop there, we’re still left with the question of how we know the Bible is true. � e point of this video is to show how we can know the God of the Bible exists—how we know both God and His Word are true.

What drawbacks are there to using arguments from science and archaeology to show that the God of the Bible exists? Archaeological fi ndings have confi rmed several historical accounts given in the Bible, but not every event can be confi rmed by archaeology. Similarly, scientifi c fi ndings have confi rmed some statements in the Bible, but not every biblical account can be confi rmed by science (e.g., Peter walking on the water, the Resurrection of Jesus, Joshua’s long day, etc.). Additionally, scientifi c and archae-ological fi ndings have confi rmed historical accounts given in other religious books.

How can we use these types of arguments? Because the Bible is true, we would expect historical and scientifi c fi ndings, when properly interpreted, to confi rm events. But ultimately, since archaeologists and scientists are humans (and not God), they can make mistakes, and we shouldn’t count on them to prove the existence of God.

What do many of the “arguments” for God have in common? They argue for a god, a supreme being, but not necessarily the God of the Bible.

How can we use these arguments? We can show that because God exists, we would expect these things to be true, and they are. But we can’t use them to show the God of the Bible exists.

Evaluate this claim: “God exists and the Bible is true because any alternative would make knowledge, logic, and truth impossible.”

Evaluate this claim: “All other worldviews must borrow from God and His Word.” In what ways is this true?

What about those who don’t believe in the God of the Bible? Can they know things, use logic, and make truth claims? Yes, but they must borrow from the basis for these things found in the God of the Bible and His Word. Whether they acknowledge it or not, they are image-bearers of God and refl ect His characteristics and nature (although that refl ection is marred by our sin nature).

In what ways do other religions borrow from the Bible? All of these things are predicated on the existence of a God who is all-knowing, rational, eternal, and unchang-ing. Because the God exists and His Word is true, the accounts given in the Bible provide a basis for the following: knowledge, logic, truth, science, holidays, one race of people, medicine, morality, clothes, week, marriage, cleanliness, laws, purpose in life. There is no logical basis for these found in any other deity or world religion.

Comparing WorldviewsThis section expands on the information given in the video. Choose from the fol-lowing according to what your class wants to discuss, or discuss all of them, as you have time.

Every person has a belief about God, which forms the basis for your world-view. Your worldview will ultimately dictate every aspect of your life—the way you think, act, and interact with people. Having a correct worldview is one of the most important things in life because your worldview in many




ways is who you are. � ere is a battle for truth in terms of worldview, and many people have very confl icting worldviews.

Ask for suggestions on worldviews (other religions) people have. Use the following teaching points to discuss the various views of God that your students bring up. You may want to use the View of God presentation images as you go through this list but it’s not necessary.

All views about God fall into two main categories: � e God of the Bible and Man-Made Ideas about God. Among this latter category, there are several views about God: no god (atheism), one (false) god (Islam, Jehovah’s Wit-ness), many gods (polytheism, Mormonism), and god is part of everything (pantheism).

Some people hold the worldview that there is no God, called atheism. What is the logical extreme when you follow this belief? (Life is meaningless; there is no logical basis for laws, no absolute truth, no logical basis for anything immaterial [truth, morality].) A famous atheist once said, “. . . Man is just as much a natural phe-nomenon as an animal or a plant . . . his body, mind, and soul were not super-naturally created, but are products of evolution . . . .” (Julian Huxley, � e Humanist Frame [New York: Harper & Brothers, 1961]).

Mr. Huxley basically said that people are no diff erent than trees or dogs. Atheists must borrow from Bible-based morality in order to make state-ments such as, “� is is right” or “It’s wrong to . . . .”

Discuss this: If we are all simply products of random processes acting on chemicals over millions of years, our brains are just the products of chemicals bumping into each other. How can we know which chemical interactions produce thoughts and actions that are “good” and which ones produce thoughts and actions that are “bad.” Good and bad don’t have any reason to exist in this worldview. In math class, if you decided that there was no mathematical law, and that each person can create their own laws of mathematics, what would the end result be? When there is no true standard, everyone is destined to fail, and apart from the law of God, we are no more than animals. This belief leads to lawlessness and ultimately, hopelessness.

Another view of God is based on the idea that there is one god, but this god is not the same as the God of the Bible. An example of this would be Islam. Fol-lowers of Islam, called Muslims, believe in a god named “Allah.” Is this god the same as the God of the Bible? According to their own scriptures, the Koran, Allah needs to be perfected (see 24:35 and 9:32) and is the greatest among deceivers (see 3:54 and 8:30). (See www.answering-islam.org/Shamoun/allah_best_deceiver.htm for more information.)

Discuss this: Does this sound like the God of the Bible? No. This worldview is based on a false god because the God of the Bible is known as holy, perfect, and the defi -nition of Truth. If we follow a god who is deceitful, how could we know when he’s telling the truth and when he’s being deceitful? There’s no basis for absolute truth in the worldview and no reason to believe that what this god says is right or wrong because we can’t know for certain when he’s telling the truth.

While many people might think of Mormonism as a monotheistic religion like Islam or Judaism, Mormons actually teach that there is more than one god. While they might reject the label, they are polytheists who focus their




worship on the Heavenly Father as a god who created humanity and who was once a man. � ey also view Jesus as a god, but they believe Jesus was cre-ated and that the Holy Spirit is another god. � eir founding prophet, Joseph Smith said, “I will preach on the plurality of Gods . . . I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a distinct personage from God the Father, and that the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit: and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods” (History of the

Church, Chapter 23). Mormons deny the doctrine of the Trinity and believe that the three members of the “godhead” act in unity, but are not one god.

Discuss this: This is very diff erent from the God of the Bible who is supreme and eternal. If you start to believe in a God diff erent than the God of the Bible, what will come from it? This belief comes from a god made by man. God is not controlled by man. All that we could ever learn from God has to come from Him because we are so far beneath Him and His wisdom (Isaiah 55:8–9.)

In ancient Roman and Greek times, polytheism was a very common belief. Ancient Egyptians also held this belief. � is is the belief that many diff erent gods exist. � is false view takes away from the supremacy of the one true God. Polytheism brings a lot of confusion about which god a person is serving and the nature of that god.

Discuss this: If many gods ruled the universe, each wanting to rule it in his own way, wouldn’t our world be constantly changing as each new god made new rules for the way things worked? Instead, we know our world works in the same way over time because there is one true God who created it and sustains it today (Genesis 1; Isaiah 40:28; Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:17).

A dominant religion that teaches a version of polytheism today is called Hin-duism. In Hinduism, the beliefs about god and practices change over time. � e main god of Hinduism (Brahma) does not provide truth; people decide what is true on their own, so truth is diff erent for everyone. Furthermore in Hinduism, nothing is actually “real” but instead is illusion.

Discuss this: If there is no one God who gives us unchanging truth (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8), how can we know that what is true today will be true tomorrow? How can we do science experiments if the results might change tomorrow? How can we know anything is real, even the claims of Hinduism? The One True God of the Bible is far greater than any other. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 17:14). The glory of the One True God is not to be shared with any other (Isaiah 42:8).

Yet another worldview is pantheism. Some people believe that god is living in and around us through nature and that anything can be a part of god. People, trees, and even grass are used to create idols they will worship. God warns us about the folly in this belief. Read Romans 1:25.

Discuss this: The one true God is present everywhere in the universe all the time (Psalm 139:7–12). He is not part of His creation but He sees it all, all the time (Deuter-onomy 4:39). Because He sees us at all times, we can never hide from Him (Jeremiah 23:23–24). Those who are His children can be thankful they can never get away from Him or go someplace where He isn’t (Proverbs 15:3). He has promised to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He is “omnipresent” (always present). But if every-thing is god, which god gets to make rules for how we should live? And which god gets to decide that that god’s rules are the right ones?




Believing in a god diff erent from the One True God of the Bible has eternal consequences. Read John 17:3. � is is why Jesus emphasized the truth so much. Read John 14:6 and John 8:32. � ere is only one true way that we can fully trust and follow—Jesus Christ.

ApplicationWe just talked about how your worldview will dictate who you are. I am going to read a few quotes from diff erent people, and let’s fi gure out which view of God these people have. All of these quotes came from fairly prominent and well-known people. Discuss these as you go through and fi nd out which of these types of quotes your students have heard or believed. Add any additional quotes you’re familiar with.

“I am my own god. We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state, and our educational system. We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.” (Charles Bukowski) Atheist

“God is a sort of burglar. As a young man you knock him down; as an old man you try to conciliate him, because he may knock you down.” (Hesketh Pear-son) Man-made view of God

“In reality, there is only one religion, the religion of God. � is one religion is continually evolving, and each particular religious system represents a stage in the evolution of the whole.” (Bahai.org) Man-made view of God; all gods are the same

“I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It’s just that the translations have gone wrong.” (John Lennon) Man-made view of God: Pantheism

“(God) may be as miserable as we are.” (Erik Satie) Man-made view of God.

“Beware the irrational, however seductive. Shun the ‘transcendent’ and all who invite you to subordinate or annihilate yourself. Distrust compassion; prefer dignity for yourself and others. Don’t be afraid to be thought arrogant or selfi sh. Picture all experts as if they were mammals. Never be a specta-tor of unfairness or stupidity. Seek out argument and disputation for their own sake; the grave will supply plenty of time for silence. Suspect your own motives, and all excuses. Do not live for others any more than you would expect others to live for you.” (Christopher Hitchens) Atheist

“I once listened to an Indian on television say that God was in the wind and the water, and I wondered at how beautiful that was because it meant you could swim in Him or have Him brush your face in a breeze.” (Donald Miller) Man-made view of God: Pantheism

“God dwells within you, as you.” (Elizabeth Gilbert) Man-made view of God: pantheism




“Faith is universal. Our specifi c methods for understanding it are arbitrary. Some of us pray to Jesus, some of us go to Mecca, some of us study subatomic particles. In the end we are all just searching for truth, that which is greater than ourselves.” (Dan Brown) Man-made view of God; there is no one true God

“Clearly God is a Democrat.” (Stephanie Miller) Man-made view of God

“We can know that God is a Republican.” (P. J. O’Rourke) Man-made view of God

It’s important that we evaluate all claims about God in light of the one true God and what His Word teaches us about Him.

Wrap It UpI know that we have covered a lot of information today. I hope that you have learned a lot about how to identify counterfeit gods today. � is is a task that must be exercised daily for every follower of God.

I look forward to seeing you all through this week. We will be covering a lot of diff erent topics relating to the one true God. � anks for coming; again, feel free to ask any of the leaders questions about what we covered today.

Fill ItTo fi ll in your class time, choose from the following activities.

Memory Verse Time (5 minutes)

Today’s Verse: I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me. Isaiah 45:5.

Challenge: Write each word of the verse on a separate index card. Mix them up. Time yourself and see how fast you can get the cards decoded and into the right order.

Tomorrow’s Verse: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19

Say the new verse together several times and try the challenge again.

Game Time (20 minutes)

Choose from the following games: In Disguise Relay, Balloon Bonanza, Sneaky Spies, International Dodge Ball. See Agent-in-Action Games Guide for more information.

Snack Time (10 minutes)

Instead of coff ee and doughnuts, serve snacks that also teach an important point. Today’s snack suggestion: Bananagrams. Check Top Secret Snacks guide for more information.

Experiment Time: Is God Really There? (15 minutes)

Class Time Directions

Teen/Adult Teacher Guide • Teen/Adult Teacher Guide • Teen/Adult Teacher Guide • Teen/Adult Teacher Guide • Teen/Adult Teacher Guide • Teen/Adult Teacher Guide • 191919

Rulers, 1 per person

Balloons, 4 per person

Rubber bands, three per person

Carbonated beverage in a can and clear glass

Laws of God cards, 1 per student (pass out the Laws of Logic cards today)




Who believes that air exists? Take responses. Has anyone seen air? Take responses. How do we know air exists when we can’t see it? Allow responses.

Air has properties that we can measure and use to experiment with. For exam-ple, air takes up space and has mass, which means we can weigh it. Let’s try this experiment to fi nd out about these properties.

Have everyone blow up a balloon and tie it.

We just put air into the balloon, didn’t we? You can see with this balloon that air takes up space. Now, everyone hold out your hands, palms up. Do so. Can anyone feel the air that is pushing on your hands? No? Do you think air has mass and that we can weigh it? Let’s fi nd out.

Have everyone blow up two more balloons and tie them. Give everyone a ruler and rubber bands. Use rubber bands to attach two balloons to the ruler, one to each end. Balance the ruler horizontally on your fi nger. Now add an empty balloon to one side and the third blown-up balloon to the other side. Try to balance the ruler again—it won’t!

Each side has two balloons, but the ruler doesn’t balance anymore because there is more air in the balloons on one side than the other side. So air does have mass, and we can weigh it!

We can do experiments that show air exists even though we can’t see it. In fact, my very talking about the existence of air shows that air exists—we need air to breathe and to talk! When we breathe in, air takes up space in our lungs, caus-ing them to expand, like the balloons expanded when we blew air into them. Have everyone take a deep breath and watch their chests move in and out. Air passing over our vocal chords helps us talk, and air transmits the sound waves to our ears and helps us hear.

Now, let’s talk about one of the views of God we’re learning about today—the view that says there is no God. Some people may say, “How do you know God exists?” We can’t see God or feel Him, can we? So how do we know the one true God exists?

� ose people who say there is no God believe that we evolved from a pile of chemicals over millions of years. � at means our brains and our ability to think are just the result of chemicals bumping into each other, like the air bubbles and chemicals in this glass of [carbonated beverage]. Pour beverage into clear glass. Anyone see any thinking going on in there? Is the beverage asking, “Is there really a God?” Allow responses. Now, this soda isn’t fi lled with all the com-plex chemicals that make up our brains; but even if it were, these chemicals still can’t, on their own, decide if there’s a God, can they? � ey can’t develop a system of right and wrong on their own, can they? � ey can’t “know” any-thing, can they? And if our brains were just the product of random chemical reactions, we wouldn’t be able to even know to ask “Is there really a God?”!

One of the best ways we can know there is a God is because we can know any-thing! From the Bible, we learn that God created each one of us (even those




who don’t believe in Him) in His image (Genesis 1) and that He is the source of all wisdom and knowledge. Read Colossians 2:3 and Proverbs 9:10.

Just as we used air to talk about the existence of air, we use the knowledge God gives us to talk about the existence of God! And we read His Word so that we can fi nd out about Him.

And when God created all things in the beginning, He put certain laws in place that make it possible for us to even do science experiments in the fi rst place! You’ll be getting one of these cards each day this week during this time that talk about another law that comes from God that helps us know He exists. Pass out one Laws of Logic card to each student.

day 1 uncovering counterfeits - answers in...

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