Interact
After the video, prompts are supplied for thinking and sharing with others personal perception and experience. This opening activity prompts participants to think about and relate to the topic, and to share with others.
Investigate
Consider five investigative mottos. Match each motto to the corresponding agency or profession and identify how its approach helps uncover the truth.
____ “Follow the Evidence, not Your Hunch”
____ “The Numbers Don’t Lie, but People Using Them Might”
____ “One Source Is a Rumor; Three Sources Are a Story”
____ “The Highlight Reel Is Not the Whole Player”
____ “Screenshots Have Alibis Too”
- The Sports Scout
- The Digital Forensics Investigator
- The FBI
- The Forensic Accountant
- The Investigative Reporter
After identifying the corresponding agency, examine its investigative approach. How do these methods compare, and what techniques do they have in common?
The FBI: Agents secure the scene, collect physical and digital evidence, interview witnesses separately, reconstruct a timeline, and test competing explanations. A strong suspicion is not the same as a provable case.
The Forensic Accountant: Fraud investigators trace transactions, compare receipts with bank records, identify unusual patterns, and follow the money. That innocent-looking spreadsheet may have quite a story to tell.
The Investigative Reporter: Reporters examine documents, interview competing sources, confirm claims independently, establish context, and distinguish verified facts from persuasive spin.
The Sports Scout: Scouts watch repeated performances, study statistics, interview coaches, evaluate character and teamwork, and observe how an athlete responds under pressure. Anyone can look impressive for thirty seconds.
The Digital Forensics Investigator: Digital investigators examine metadata, timestamps, editing history, original files, online activity, and source locations. They determine whether a viral image, video, or message is authentic, altered, or completely fabricated.
Insight
The Bible discussion begins with a careful reading of the whole passage, either from your own Bibles, or from the provided images below.
Then participants are to ask:
- What is going on in this passage of Scripture?
- What are the key words and phrases? Highlight them.
- Why do you think this passage is included in the Bible?
- What does it contribute to our “knowing Christ” and “living in Christ”?
Luke begins with the word “fulfilled.” He is not simply gathering stories about Jesus. He is showing how God’s promises became real events in human history. These events were “handed down” by “eyewitnesses and servants of the word.” They saw what Jesus did, but they did not remain spectators. Their encounters with Him changed them into people who shared His story. John also appeals to eyewitness testimony so others may believe (John 19:35). Paul points to hundreds who saw the risen Jesus, many of whom were still alive when he wrote (1 Corinthians 15:3–8). Faith in Jesus is grounded in testimony that people could examine and confirm.
Luke says he “carefully investigated everything from the beginning” and prepared an “orderly account.” Honest questions are not enemies of faith. Luke asked questions, examined the evidence, and followed the story carefully. He wanted Theophilus to “know the certainty” of what he had learned. Who is Theophilus? (We really don’t know.) Certainty does not mean having every question answered. It means having good reasons to trust that the story of Jesus is true. Peter says the apostles did not follow “cleverly devised stories”; they shared what they had witnessed (2 Peter 1:16). Luke invites us to explore, ask, and discover a faith rooted in real history.
Insight Out
A parting video clip with a personal invitation to apply the message to “knowing Christ” and “living in Christ” in the coming week.