1 & 2 TIMOTHY: GROWING UP IN THE FAITH 1. LEADER PREPARATION

Transcription

1 1 & 2 TIMOTHY: GROWING UP IN THE FAITH Week 3: Serenity Now This includes: 1. Leader Preparation 2. Lesson Guide 1. LEADER PREPARATION LESSON OVERVIEW Conflict among friends is a byproduct of teenagers relationship-driven world. With students naturally volatile due to the physiological flux that defines the teenage years, drama happens; it s unavoidable. The great thing is that the Bible speaks to this issue. This lesson will challenge your students to be peacemakers and to approach arguments with a reasonable, kind, and patient spirit. LESSON OBJECTIVES 1. WHAT: God calls us to be people who seek peace instead of drama. 2. WHY: As followers of Christ, teenagers can imitate God s patient and peaceful spirit. 3. HOW: Your students will be challenged to see themselves as peacemakers, patiently avoiding the arguments that can harm their friendships and their witness. PRIMARY SCRIPTURE 2 Timothy 2:22-24 SECONDARY SCRIPTURE 1 Corinthians 1:10 TEACHING PREP The short overview below is designed to help you prepare for your lesson. While you may not want to convey this information word-for-word with your teenagers, you ll definitely want to refer to it as you lead. Read 2 Timothy 2: Paul is writing 2 Timothy from a prison in Rome. Most scholars date this letter to Paul s second imprisonment, which would have been after the imprisonment recorded at the end of Acts. Paul s purpose in 2 Timothy is to encourage and embolden his friend, a young pastor. At a time when persecution of Christians had begun in earnest, Paul was

2 being the spiritual leader he had grown into, challenging the younger Timothy to keep the faith. Paul was warning Timothy of false teachers and was encouraging him to live differently. Paul echoes some of the same language from the passages already studied in this series, driving home the importance of living a God-honoring life. But in this passage, Paul adds a new element, one that is extremely important for Timothy and for your students. Paul challenges Timothy to be a peacemaker. In the specific context of this passage, Paul is probably speaking about false teaching that leads to quarrels. But the concept is certainly applicable to any situation where Christians find themselves in the midst of a disagreement. Wherever possible, as Christ-followers we ought to live at peace with all people. More than that, we should seek to help foster peace between others. It s a distinguishing characteristic of those who love Jesus. THE BEFORE & AFTER [optional] Text Message Questions We ve provided a couple of different text message questions to send out to your students prior to your meeting. Feel free to use one or both of the questions below. As with the rest of the curriculum, edit these questions to fit the needs of your ministry. Parent Are you a peaceful person? Let s talk about it tonight at small group. What role do you play in keeping the peace among your friends? Come to small group tonight to share your thoughts. We ve provided you with an below that you can send to your parents following the lesson. Our hope is to encourage parents to continue the conversation at home. Feel free to edit and customize the to fit your ministry needs. Dear parents, This week was the third lesson in our four-week study on the books of 1 and 2 Timothy. In this week s lesson, we saw how God calls us to be people who seek peace instead of drama. Students were challenged to see themselves as peacemakers, patiently avoiding the arguments that could harm their friendships and their witness.

3 As you go throughout the week, help reinforce this teaching in your teenager s life by asking the following questions as you have the opportunity. As we think about our family, how well do we keep the peace among one another? How can we improve on the ways we seek peace in our home? Which relationships are the hardest for you to keep the peace in? Have an awesome week!

4 1 & 2 TIMOTHY: GROWING UP IN THE FAITH Week 3: Serenity Now GETTING THINGS STARTED [optional] 2. LEsson guide Welcome your students and invite them into your meeting area. Open in prayer, and then Do you prefer when people treat you rudely or kindly? Why? How do people respond to how they are being treated? For instance, if you treat someone with kindness, how do they usually respond? Is the same true for treating someone with hostility? Why are we prone to respond this way? SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Friendships are at the heart of being a teenager. And with friendships come good and bad times. No matter how good of friends you are with someone, arguments will happen. How we respond to those arguments reveals what s really in our hearts. If we react with hostility, we almost guarantee we ll provoke a hostile response in them. Or we can respond with kindness and peacefulness. If you came up with an opening activity, movie clip, or game that worked well with your group, and you d like to share it with other youth workers, please us at ideas@simplyyouthministry.com. TEACHING GUIDE The goal of the Teaching Points is to help students capture the essence of each lesson with more discussion and less lecture-style teaching. The main points we have chosen are (1) Pursue peace instead of drama, (2) Avoid the small stuff, and (3) Imitate God s kindness and patience. Remember: All throughout these lessons, it s up to you to choose (1) how many questions you use, and (2) the wording of the main points keep ours, or change the wording to make it clearer for your audience. Read 2 Timothy 2:22-24 together as a group. Consider dividing verses among your students so everyone has a chance to read.

5 SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Let s take a deeper look at Paul s words to Timothy about what to avoid and what to pursue, especially when it comes to relationships. 1. Pursue peace instead of drama Why do the teenage years seem to be filled with so much drama? Do you think life becomes less dramatic as you get older? Why or why not? How can pursuing things that stimulate youthful lusts, as verse 22 warns against, create drama in your life? Paul s words to Timothy echo the passage we studied in our first lesson, when he encouraged Timothy to be a person who set a God-honoring example. Why was Paul so concerned about Timothy, a young leader, being a person of love and faith? Paul also tells Timothy to pursue peace. Where do you see a lack of peace in your life and relationships? Which relationships are peaceful ones for you? SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Paul says that we are to pursue peace. This word pursue is an action verb. It doesn t mean that we re supposed to sit back and not participate in the drama. It means we re supposed to seek out the best in our relationships with our friends and family, and be part of the solution of bringing peace and harmony to them. We are to be people who want love and faith and peace to be a significant part of our lives. 2. Avoid the small stuff In the context of this letter to Timothy, Paul is probably first talking about disagreements and arguments regarding different teachings about God. How often are you aware of disagreements between people who believe in God? Is it something you encounter? If so, what kinds of things have you heard people disagree on? Are there major issues surrounding God and his ways that are worth taking a stand for, even if it results in a disagreement? If so, what would those be? If we expand Paul s definition to include any argument that is minor or doesn t have any real merit, what is Paul really saying to us?

6 Why is it so easy to get wrapped up in an argument? SAY SOMETHING LIKE: In God s kingdom, there is room for a difference of opinion between Christians. Scripture allows for some gray areas. However, Scripture is also black and white about many things. And in these areas, it s important not to get distracted by arguments. But from a broader perspective, avoiding arguments over life s small stuff is great advice. Many conflicts can be traced back to arguments over issues with ultimately little significance. 3. Imitate God s kindness and patience What are some of the possible results of arguments with or between friends? How is kindness, which Paul mentions in verse 24, an argument killer? What will kindness ultimately do for your relationships with others? SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Kindness is so hard sometimes! Especially when the object of our kindness is not doing anything to earn it. But this truth actually separates a kindness motivated by Christ from the kindness of just being a nice person. The love and kindness of Christ shows itself regardless of whether or not the other person or people deserve it. In fact, in many cases, it is a kindness that is displayed in the face of hostility. If we demonstrate a kindness that is born out of Christ in our lives, we stand a better chance of uplifting peace in our interactions with others. ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION [optional] Read 1 Corinthians 1:10. Unity is an interesting concept. What does it mean to have unity among those who believe in and follow Christ? Does this mean all Christ-followers ought to think the same on every issue? Why or why not? If everyone who followed Jesus made more of an effort to be united with other Christians, how might our culture view the church differently?

7 APPLICATION Ask students to form groups of two or three for these questions. What role can you play in resolving conflict, instead of allowing disagreements to continue or grow? How can you avoid drama-filled relationships and pursue peace-filled relationships? What situations or groups of people might you choose to avoid if you want to make better choices of friends? What are some specific ways you can demonstrate kindness this next week especially to people who don t deserve kindness? SUMMARY End your lesson here. Provide your teenagers with a quick summary or take-home challenge based on (1) the content of this lesson, (2) the dialogue that took place during the lesson, (3) your understanding of the issues and struggles your teenagers are facing, and (4) the big picture of your youth ministry and what your leadership team wants accomplished with the teaching and discussion time. FOR KEEPS [MEMORY VERSE] Encourage and/or challenge your teenagers to memorize the verse below. Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts (2 Timothy 2:22).