Bella

Bella Production LLC, 2006
Main Point of Discussion: Abortion is an immoral practice because it runs contrary to the biblical view of human life. But forgiveness is available to everyone though Jesus Christ.

The Movie Clip: Interview with Eduardo Verástegui

Bella is a beautiful and touching film that focuses on the value of human life and doing what's right in the face of adversity. It manages to project a strong pro-family message without ever saying it. This clip is an interview with one of the main actors where he recounts a lifesaving visit to an abortion clinic. It's a powerful account that should really connect with your students and raise the issue of abortion.

Introducing the Clip:
Today I want to show you an interview with Eduardo Verástegui, who is one of the lead actors in the film Bella. As we watch it, try to put yourself in his place and think about how you'd feel, what you might say, etc.

Let’s take a look.

Transitional Statement:
This clip brings up several hot topics in our culture today, one of them being abortion and what’s called the sanctity of life. Basically the issue comes down to when life begins and whether or not an unborn baby has a right to life over and above the choice of the parents.

Divide into Small Groups:
Let’s go ahead and split into our discussion groups; afterward we’ll come back together for a final word.

CLICK HERE for a quick training article on how to maximize your small groups using our small group format—a great resource to equip your small group leaders.

Discussion Questions:

1. AROUND THE CIRCLE: Before we begin let's name as many causes that teenagers are passionate about these days that we can (eg, global warming prevention, AIDS awareness, war, etc.)


2. ASK A FEW: Why do teenagers tend to be more passionate about world issues than many adults?


3. ASK A FEW: What causes do you believe God is most passionate about?


4. ASK A FEW: Do you believe the pro-life cause should be toward or at the top of God's concerns? Why or why not?


5. ASK A FEW: How did Eduardo’s visit to the clinic impact his life?


6. ASK A FEW: What would you say to a couple contemplating an abortion?

Read the following passage:

Psalm 139:13-16 (NLT)
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.


7. ASK A FEW: What does this passage tell us about the status of an unborn child (i.e. he/she is God’s workmanship, not just a lifeless mass of tissue, etc.)?


8. ASK A FEW: If God grants life to a child in the womb, do the parents have the right to take it away? Why or why not?


9. ASK A FEW: If everyday of our lives is recorded in a book that God owns, how does abortion impact that recording process?


10. ASK A FEW: Why do you believe Eduardo is against abortion?


11. ASK A FEW: How does Psalm 139 relate to the Bella video?


12. ASK A FEW: If abortion is murder, what urgency does that give the pro-life cause?


13. ASK A FEW: How would you respond to the phrase “my body, my choice”?


14. AROUND THE CIRCLE: What are negative ways the pro-life movement has responded to abortion?


15. ASK A FEW: What are positive ways?


16. ASK A FEW: Should abortion ever be legal? Why or why not?


17. AROUND THE CIRCLE: What are some specific ways we can deal with this issue as Christ would have dealt with it?


18. AROUND THE CIRCLE: What are some specific ways we can reach out to hurting people who've gone through abortion experiences?

Wrap Up:
Read the following story:

Joanie’s choice changed her life. She will never be the same again. Joanie had an abortion.

For years afterward she felt unworthy of God’s forgiveness. She cried herself to sleep at night, waking up to a day of depression. Her shame tainted everything she thought about herself, everything she said and did. She no longer participated in church activities, and soon she stopped going to church altogether. Her family and friends knew something was wrong, but they had no idea about the hidden nightmare she was living.

Then, through a series of circumstances, Joanie began to hear God’s unrelenting knock on the door of her heart. She knew he wanted her to depend on him. Through the love and support of Christian friends, Joanie began the healing journey. She no longer lives with the shame that kept her from loving others. She's experienced the love, peace, and freedom that comes from knowing God and his forgiveness.

These words that Joanie wrote tell of her journey from unbearable shame and guilt to the joy of freedom found in God’s forgiveness.


To My Unborn Child
I think of all the times we never shared.
My heart is overwhelmed with sadness.
I think of how I put my life first before your life.
My heart is overwhelmed with guilt.
I think of how blind I was, how scared I felt.
My heart is overwhelmed with shame.
I think of how I’ve continued to put my needs first, hurting those around me.
My heart is overwhelmed with my sin.
I think of how Jesus died even for my sin of abortion.
My heart is overwhelmed with gratitude.
I think of how much God loves me and accepts me as I am.
My heart is overwhelmed with joy and peace.
I think of God’s forgiveness and that He remembers my sin no more.
My heart is overwhelmed with His love … and I am free!

Author: Ak
www.gospelcom.net – Campus Journal – © R.B.C. Ministries

Tonight we’ve been discussing abortion and how followers of Christ should respond to this issue. Tonight I want to challenge you to not just talk about this issue, but to put your beliefs into action. Eduardo exemplifies a great way to help those thinking about abortion, which is to listen and show compassion. Think and pray about specific ways Jesus is leading you to make this one of your “causes”—such as praying for women contemplating abortion or volunteering at a crisis pregnancy center.

Close in Prayer – (give invitation)

Right now I want everyone to close their eyes and think about themselves and not those around you. If you're sitting here and you’re thinking, “I sometimes feel like a worthless mass of tissue that doesn’t matter to anyone—especially God.” I have good news-you're valuable. So valuable, in fact, that Jesus Christ died on the cross so he wouldn’t have to live without you.

If you’d like that relationship with God, tell him. Let God know that you're trusting in Christ’s death on the cross for forgiveness and thank God that he loves and values you so much.

There also may be Christians here who're really struggling with guilt over past sins. Tonight, make sure you make things right with God by confessing your sins and receiving forgiveness.

Finally let’s spend a few minutes in silent prayer for those thinking about abortion, or who have gone through it and are now feeling guilty. Let’s pray that Jesus would use that experience to bring them into relationship with him.

Written by Lane Palmer