The five proposed levels
First truths (Level 1)—Sets of Scripture that are focused on the primary spiritual needs of the people
The team might choose one or more of the following sets, or they may create they own set or sets, those that might help their particular people.
The optional sets will be:
- Community ritual oriented societies—The people feel secure in everyone in the community doing the right actions. (The team should recognize that they are offering an alternative to much of community custom.)
- Family/clan ritual oriented societies—The people feel secure in family ritual and magic. At the same time, they fear magic against them. (The team should recognize that they are offering a powerful alternative to the family/clan traditions.)
- Spirit-world oriented societies—Many people are afraid of evil spirits.
- Islamic oriented societies—Most of these societies are generally community ritual focused, with an overlay of spirit focused attitudes. The community is monotheistic, common with Christianity.
- (The team should recognize that they are offering an alternative to the rituals and lifestyle of Islam.)
- Secular oriented societies—Many people in every society feel that they have disconnected from any relationship to the gods or God.
- Church oriented societies—Many people know the church rituals but do not enjoy spiritual life. Some of such people desire to learn the basic truths of Christian faith. (The team should recognize that they are offering general encouragement to church oriented people.)
- Very traumatized persons—Such people are hurting deeply. They have suffered devastation of their families and communities from war, disease, famine, earthquake, storm or flooding. (The team should recognize that they must offer encouragement on a very deep level.)
Vital truths (Level 2)—A clear story about Jesus, including his teachings, with the core truths that we Christians affirm
These suggested passages are intended to present the Christian message in meaningful units—units that are graduated. If we offer to new learners short messages to which they can respond in increments, they can progress to commitment and then grow in faith.
In this set of selections, we suggest that a team should not require that listeners learn all the details of all the events that we find in the Gospels. They will need to know that Jesus demonstrated that he was God’s Representative and that he communicated God’s message. He then delegated to the Apostles the communication of his teachings to the peoples of the world. Thus, we suggest the information that we communicate in this Level should be a clear story about Jesus and the core truths that we Christians affirm.
It is important that the listeners understand that they will be hearing someone speaking as if he was one of the Apostles. The listeners should easily understand that the Apostle’s sentences were translated so that people today can perceive that his message will help them today, even though he communicated them long ago.
Thus, the first voice that the people hear will be the introducer. He will explain that something of the process of how the people are hearing the messages of the Apostles. The voice might say something like this:
My friends, you who hear me, I want you to know about what we Christians believe concerning Jesus and his teaching.
Long ago, God sent to this earth his special Representative. He was born as a human baby and he grew to become a man. They called him Jesus. God gave him power to heal many people. Sometimes he healed people without even touching them. In that way, he showed that God had sent him.
He taught God’s special message. He taught several men to tell the people about God’s love for us humans.
Those men also told their fellows many things about Jesus. They wrote those things on paper in their language. We have translated their words so that you can understand them in our language.
In these messages, you will hear a man speak our translation as if he was the man who wrote the messages on paper. Listen to the message from that man.
This orientation should be repeated in some form at the beginning of the first two or three segments of teaching.
Continue reading