Investiture Achievement/Explorer/Spiritual Discovery

Standard Level

Requirement 1

Learn how to use a Bible Concordance by selecting two topics and/or words to discover how it is used in the Bible.

Main Entries

A concordance is an alphabetic list of words that appear in the Bible, and where in the Bible each word listed can be found. An exhaustive concordance is an alphabetic list of every word that appears in the Bible.

Knowing this it is easy to figure out the basic use of a concordance. Simply look up the word you are interested in, and then see where it appears in the Bible. Most concordances will also supply a little context - that is, the phrase in which the word appears. This is very useful and will help you find a passage that relates to your research without have to look up the reference in the Bible.

Dictionary Entries

Some concordances also incorporate an original language dictionary, defining all of the words as they appear in the original manuscripts (in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek). Further, each entry in this dictionary is numbered, and the number appears in the main section of the concordance.

To understand how useful this is, consider the Greek words χρηστος (chrestos) and γενος (genos). The first word means, "generous, considerate, or kind" and the second means "type, category, or kind." Both appear under the word "kind" in the concordance, which makes for some extra work on the part of the Bible student.

Thus, if we were interested in the word "kind," as in "generous" rather than "kind" as in "type" it's easy to tell them apart by looking at the dictionary number. From Strong's we have this:

Context		Verse	Dict. entry
the sea, and gathered of every k		Mt 13:47	1085
Howbeit, this k goeth not out but		Mt 17:21	1085
This k can come forth by nothing		Mk 9:29	1085
for he is k unto the unthankful		Lk 6:35	5543

In each case, k is substituted for kind to make the entries a little shorter.

It's easier to find the "generous kind" by looking in the number column than by reading the context of each verse. 5543 is χρηστος (chrestos) and 1085 is γενος (genos). We can quickly eliminate the "type kind" from our search and concentrate on the "generous kind."

Now use it!

Now that you know how to use a concordance, select two topics and find them in a concordance. Here are some suggestions:

• Baptism
• Faith
• Salvation
• Obedience

Don't be limited by this list though. There are thousands upon thousands of things you might want to research.

Requirement 2

Memorize one Bible text (not previously learned) for each of the following subjects: Prayer Doctrine Behavior Salvation Relationships Promises/Praise Great Passages

Prayer

• Psalm 5:3
• Psalm 51:3

Doctrine

• Acts 1:9-11
• Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
• 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Behavior

• Colossians 3:23
• Proverbs 22:29
• Philippians 4:8
• John 3:19
• 1 Corinthians 2:14

Salvation

• Matthew 16:24-27
• Luke 14:28 & Luke 14:33
• Proverbs 28:13
• 1 Timothy 1:15
• John 3:16-18

Relationships

• John 13:34-35
• Proverbs 19:19
• John 15:13
• Romans 14:11
• 1 John 1:28

Promises/Praise

• Proverbs 3:5-6
• Psalm 91
• 1 Corinthians 10:13
• 2 Timothy 4:7-8
• James 4:7

Great Passages

• 1 Peter 1:24-25
• 1 Kings 18:21
• Matthew 24:37-39

Techniques

There are several approaches to memorizing Scripture.

Erase the words

Write the Bible verse on a white board and have everyone read it aloud together. Then erase a word and have them read it again, supplying the erased word. Continue erasing words and reading the verse aloud until all the words are gone. At this point, the entire class should know the verse.

Hand write the verse

Write the verses down several times by hand until you can do it from memory.

In song

Many passages of scripture have been set to music. Memorizing the lyrics to a song is a lot easier than memorizing raw text, and the memory will last for years. If the verse you are trying to memorize has already been set to music, switch to the version of the text that matches the song. If it has not been set to music, make up your own tune. Explore different translations of the text to see which one lends itself best to your song.

Say it aloud

Hearing it and saying it will reinforce it much better than just "thinking" it will.

Say it with rhythm

This is similar to the "in song" approach from above, but it is often easier to make up a rhythm than it is to make up a whole tune. Clap your hands and stomp your feet at various places in the verse if that helps. Turn it into a clapping game like "pat-a-cake" and learn it with a friend.

Add action

How many songs do you know that have motions associated with them? If you're making up hand claps and foot stomps, it will help even more if you add other actions such as casting a fishing line, or tracing the outline of a heart in the air.

Make a rebus

A rebus uses pictures to represent words or parts of words. For instance, the word "I" is represented with a graphic depiction of an eye. If you spend enough time coming up with a clever rebus for your verse, you will likely have memorized it by the time you are finished.

Find structure in the verse

Write the verse out so that it highlights the structure. Recall that Hebrew poetry works by repeating an idea using different words. Line them up! We also find structure in New Testament verses. For instance, 1 John 2:3 could be written like this:

Now by this
   we know that
   we know Him,
if we keep His commandments.

This approach lines up the common words "we know" and helps the brain to organize the verse more effectively. It also lines up the third "we" with the first two, so that it's possible to memorize a shorthand for this verse - "we know, we know, we keep". This forms a skeleton upon which we can hang the rest of the words. Look for other structure as well, such as that the word following "we" always starts with a 'k' and has four letters.

Use a Puzzlemaker Online

to create written activities for scripture such as:

• Crosswords
• Wordles
• Fill in the blanks/Missing letters
• Blank out (Similar to Hangman)
• Scripture Scrambles

Step On It

Print out each word of a passage on paper, one word per page in large print. Lay the paper on the floor and step down on each page as you say the text. Remove words from time to time.

Writers Block

Write each word of a passage on blocks of wood, one word per block. Mix up the blocks and put the text back together. Two block sets of the same verse makes for an exciting game!

Do you know some approaches? Click here to add them!

Requirement 3

Role-play the experience of a person of the New Testament Church in the book of Acts.

Role playing is when you pretend as if you were a certain person. It is similar to a skit, except that it is unscripted. You might think of it as the "reality show" version of a skit. The role players should each be assigned a role, and then the facilitator will set the scene. Once this is done, the role players take over and act as they think the person they are playing would act. The facilitator should probably also adopt a role so that the group can be kept on track without taking them out of the experience.

Before you start, explain to the Pathfinders that they must act as they think the person they are playing would behave. Emphasize this especially to the ones who are assigned the role of an antagonist (i.e., a Pharisee or a Philistine). The natural tendency is for the Pathfinder to change the outcome by "converting the sinner." You might try assigning the "bad guy" roles to your more outgoing Pathfinders, and assigning the "hero" roles to the more introspective members of your group.

Choose a scene that fits the number of Pathfinders involved so that everyone can be included. If you are doing this for an audience, use them as the "crowd" (if there is one) rather than assigning several kids to this role. Ignoring this advice will almost certainly result in suboptimal participation, and an unsatisfying experience for the role players assigned "crowd" roles. If your group is too large to avoid the "crowd" problem, split them into smaller groups and assign them different "scenes" for role playing.

Suggested experiences from the book of acts include:

• Religious leaders trying to stop the apostles from preaching in the streets. (Acts 4:1-22)
• Dorcas restored to life. (Acts 9:36-43).
• Peter freed from prison. (Acts 12:5-19)
• Paul and Silas in prison. (Acts 16:25-34)
• The Riot at Ephesus. (Acts 19:21-41)
• Paul's defense before Felix and Agrippa. (Acts 25:13-37, Acts 26)
• The shipwreck. (Acts 27)
• Paul bitten by a viper. (Acts 28:1-10).

Requirement 4a

Learn about eight missionaries (to at least four continents) who served during the Seventh-day Adventist Mission Expansion (1900 to 1950).

Here are a few names to get you started.

• William Branson - Africa
• John Burden - Australia
• Alfred & Betty Cott - South America (Guyana, Brazil)
• O.E. Davis - North and South America (British Columbia, Guyana)
• Leo & Jessie Halliwell - South America (Brazil)
• Harry Miller - Asia (China)
• Ferdinand & Ana Stahl - South America
• Norma Youngberg - Asia (Borneo)

You can read about many of these people on Wikipedia, or in the SDA Encyclopedia (part of the Bible Commentary series).

Requirement 4b

On a world map, plot their country of service (include at least 4 continents).

Requirement 4c

Make a presentation about your favorite missionary.

Wilderness Explorer

Requirement 5

Complete Explorer requirements.

Requirement 6

Compare the expansion of the early Christian Church in the book of Acts to the mission expansion of the Seventh-day Adventist church up to 1950.

Requirement 7

Study and discuss one of the following life issues with your Explorer group and an adult: Abuse TV & Movie Theaters Reading