SPRING SUNDAY SCHOOL SENIOR HIGH

Size: px
Start display at page:

Download "SPRING SUNDAY SCHOOL SENIOR HIGH"

Transcription

1 SPRING SUNDAY SCHOOL SENIOR HIGH LEADER GUIDE Get your FREE, customizable DIGITAL COPY of this leader guide. It s as EASY as Visit group.com/digital to set up a free olie accout for your church. 2 Eter the Activatio Code below to add this leader guide to your accout. 3 Dowload PDF or Word files to your computer ad edit, prit, or them to your leaders. ONE-TIME ACTIVATION CODE:

2 group.com/suday-school FaithWeaver NOW Bible Curriculum, Seior High, Sprig Copyright 2003 ad 2015 Group Publishig, Ic. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced i ay maer whatsoever without prior writte permissio from the publisher, except where oted i the text ad i the case of brief quotatios embodied i critical articles ad reviews. For iformatio, visit group.com/permissios.! OK TO COPY Whe you see the OK TO COPY ico, this meas permissio to photocopy the page from FaithWeaver NOW Bible Curriculum for Seior High, Sprig, is grated for local church use. Copyright Group Publishig, Ic. group.com Credits Cotributig Authors: Tim Baker, Nacy Goig, Christopher Perciate, Julia Roller, Trevor Simpso, Jae Vogel, Paula Meiers Yigst Editors: Erica L. Feucht, Scott Firestoe IV, Jeifer Hooks, Stephaie Marti, Jessica Sausto, Ali Thompso, Christie Yout Joes Copy Editors: Lydsay Gerwig, Deborah Helmers, Becky Helzer, Adrea Zimmerma Chief Creative Officer: Joai Schultz Cover Desig ad Art Directio: Jeff Specer Iterior Desig Team: Jared Bigham, Jeff Bruacci, Kate Elvi, Suzi Jese, Rady Kady, Rebecca Swai Cover Photographer: Rodey Stewart All Scripture quotatios, uless otherwise idicated, are take from the Holy Bible, New Iteratioal Versio, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Ic. Used by permissio of Zoderva. All rights reserved worldwide. ISBN Prited i the Uited States of America.

3 3 Cotets Itroductio... 4 The Studies * Study 1: Jesus Teaches About Commitmet Mark 8: Study 2: Jesus Clears Merchats From the Temple Joh 2: Study 3: Jesus Explais Why God Set Him Joh 3: Study 4: Jesus Notices a Widow s Givig Mark 12: Study 5: People Rejoice as Jesus Eters Jerusalem Mark 11: * Study 6: Jesus Is Alive! Mark 16: Study 7: Jesus Appears to His Disciples Joh 20: Study 8: Paul Teaches About Spiritual Gifts 1 Corithias 12: Study 9: Peter Tells the Sahedri About Jesus Acts 4: Study 10: Philip Tells the Ethiopia About Jesus Acts 8: Study 11: Peter Visits Corelius Acts 10: Study 12: Barabas Ecourages Christias i Atioch Acts 11: Study 13: Jesus Seds Power From God Acts 2: * We recommed startig the quarter so that Lessos 5 ad 6 alig with the dates of Palm Suday ad Easter Suday. Visit the Digital Dowload Ceter for a suggested schedule. Seior High Table of Cotets Sprig Quarter

4 4 The future of Suday school + family miistry is NOW. No doubt about it, the world is chagig. Families used to go to church every week. Kids used to have loger attetio spas. Teachers used to have more time to prepare. Ad did t our budgets used to be bigger? Eve the Suday school Bible curriculum you used just a couple of years ago is already out of date. But there s oe thig that s ever chaged: the eed to grow families closer to Jesus. That s why we created FaithWeaver NOW, ad it s differet from aythig you ve ever see before! It combies Suday school with family miistry. Sure, you ve see Suday school aimed at families. But FaithWeaver NOW actually hits the target by havig everyoe i the family learig about the same Scripture each week. It s simpler ad easier. Sometimes chage is a woderful thig. Goe are the days whe you eeded to sped hours preparig your lessos ad hutig for supplies. FaithWeaver NOW will have you ad your team ready to go i a sap. It s made for NOW. Life is complicated ad full of distractios. FaithWeaver NOW keeps faith o track through eve the most frezied lifestyles. What makes FaithWeaver NOW the perfect curriculum for TODAY s church? Families lear the same Bible passage i age-appropriate ways. Kids do t just hear the Word. They experiece it. Simple ad easy lessos fit eve the busiest lives. Kids see God i their everyday world. The Scope & Sequece goes through the Bible every three years. You ca customize it however you like, with both prit ad digital versios. Create a vibrat family miistry that s ew that s wow that s NOW. FaithWeaver NOW gives you a fresh strategy for beig more successful tha ever i brigig families closer to Jesus. Thom ad Joai Schultz Chairma ad Chief Creative Officer Group Publishig, Ic. Sprig Quarter Itroductio Seior High

5 Study 1 5 Jesus Teaches About Commitmet Mark 8:31-38 Seior high studets may be axious to stray away from the closely kit social groups they grew up with ad discover ew ideas or cocepts idividually or with ew peer groups. As you explore this study with your studets, be sure to brig out the idea that Jesus is the perfect perso to follow. Whether your studets feel comfortable with their peer groups or desire to explore ew life experieces with ew frieds, help them uderstad that followig God first is the best way to live ad it s worth the cost. STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 1 Faith Coectio Would You Commit? (about 15 mi.) Cosider whether to commit to differet lifelog challeges. Media Coectio (Optio) (about 10 mi.) Take goofy pictures ad discuss what might seem goofy about Christia faith to the rest of the world. tablet(s) or smartphoe(s) Dowload Photobooth or aother free photo distortio app. Bible Poit Commit to follow Jesus. Key Verse I am ot ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvatio of everyoe who believes: first for the Jew, the for the Getile (Romas 1:16). Weavig Faith Ito Life Teeagers will explore the burdes ad beefits that may result from followig Jesus. 2 Bible Exploratio Get Behid Me! (about 10 mi.) Discuss Jesus rebuke of Peter. Coutig the Costs (about 20 mi.) Weigh the costs ad rewards of followig Jesus. Bibles Bibles, idex cards, strig, scissors, tape, paper luch bags, pes, idividually wrapped cady Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Seior High Study 1 Sprig Quarter

6 6 STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 3 Weavig Faith Ito Life 4 Lastig Impressios Take Up Your Cross (about 15 mi.) Reflect o what it meas to take up their cross, ad commit to doig so. Daily Challeges (about 5 mi.) Choose a Daily Challege to apply God s Word. Weavig Faith at Home (about 2 mi.) Talk about how to share what they leared with their families. Bible, craft sticks, scissors, yar, pes Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study), pes Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Sprig Quarter Study 1 Seior High

7 7 Jesus Teaches About Commitmet Mark 8:31-38 BIBLe BACKGROUND FOR LEADERS Jesus Rebuked Peter The disciples were likely coutig o a great earthly kigdom i which Jesus would lead the Jews i overthrowig the Romas ad would place his disciples i importat positios. Jesus statemets did t go alog with those expectatios! Peter wated Jesus to chage his mid ad forget all this talk about dyig. Peter s thikig was based o wrog assumptios because he saw thigs from a purely huma poit of view. Here we see a clear statemet about what it meas to follow Jesus. Too ofte we thik of God as a powerful beig who ca help us advace our ow agedas. Istead, truly followig Jesus meas listeig to what he says, discoverig his will for our lives, ad the obedietly followig, o matter how attractive or repulsive that may seem to us at the time. Jesus Challeged the Crowd be followers he would recogize as his ow whe he returs. Our geeratio is much like that of Jesus day. People who claim to be religious or eve Christia ofte shy away from bold witessig for Jesus. It s easy to say you believe i God, but it s much more difficult to cofess you re a Jesus-followig Christia. The Jesus Coectio Humas are willig to sacrifice a lot for the sake of those they love. Your relatioship with Jesus will require sacrifice, risk, ad loyal commitmet but it s all worth it! How ca you take up your cross? Try livig out the Joy acroym: Pray about oe specific way you ll put Jesus first (such as spedig time with him first thig each day), put others secod (such as washig a fried s car), ad put yourself last (such as givig up time watchig TV i order to help someoe else). You ca write your prayer here. A crowd had apparetly gathered to hear Jesus, ad he wated to clarify his meaig. This is ot a descriptio of what some call easy believism. Istead, Jesus poits out how deyig oeself meas turig away from selfish, self-protective attitudes ad seekig the true humility ad faith God wats to see i us. What does it mea to take up your cross? For Jesus disciples to each take up his ow cross did t mea just to edure sufferig. It meat to accept fully the sufferig they would face because of their faith i Christ. Jesus wated his disciples to kow that their faith came with a cost. Stad Firm i Faith As he spoke of what it meas to follow him, Jesus kew that may i the crowd aroud him would t Seior High Study 1 Sprig Quarter

8 8 FAITH CONNECTION Would You Commit? Welcome studets to the group. Say: We re goig to begi today with a game of Would You Commit? I m goig to give you a series of optios. If you d be willig to make that commitmet eve if it were real you ll go to this side of the room. Poit to oe side of the room. If you do t thik the rewards are worth it, you ll go to the other side of the room. Poit. Ready? Read aloud the followig choices, allowig time after each oe for studets to choose sides ad the for a few people from each side to explai their choice. If someoe walked i right ow ad offered $1 millio cash to ayoe who would commit to eatig othig but broccoli for the rest of their lives, would you commit to that? If you foud out you could be a famous pop star, but the thig that would lauch you to fame would be losig your legs, would you commit to that? If you foud out you could live i a giat masio with all the food ad clothes you could ever wat, but you d have to go to school 10 hours a day every day util you re 40, would you commit to that? If you foud out you could live a log, happy life, but you d always be poor, would you commit to that? If you could eat your absolute favorite meal today, but you d be sick for a week, would you commit to that? If you kew for a fact you could get your dream job whe you re 30 but that it would require college, gettig a masters, ad gettig a doctorate, would you commit to that? If you foud out you could have everythig you wat i life, but you ll die at age 35, would you commit to that? If you kew you d have to live completely selflessly, work really hard, suffer a lot, be made fu of, but it was all for a good purpose, would you commit to that? Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. How did you weigh the costs of your commitmet versus what you would gai? Tell about a commitmet you made. What helped you decide to make it? Tell about a opportuity you missed out o but ow wish you d take. Sprig Quarter Study 1 Seior High

9 9 Say: Life ca be full of tough choices. Oe of those choices is followig Jesus as a Christia. Some people thik that followig Jesus meas you ll have a ice cushy life ad always be happy. But that s ot really how Jesus described it! Let s look at what it really takes to COMMIT TO FOLLOW JESUS, ad let s hoestly weigh the questio would we commit to that? Media Coectio (Optio) Istead of doig the Would You Commit? activity, have studets form as may groups as there are tablets ad smartphoes. The have studets use Photobooth or a similar app to take distorted, goofy photos of themselves. Allow several miutes for studets to experimet ad come up with their favorite shots to show off. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. Media Coectio tablet(s) or smartphoe(s) Media Coectio Easy Prep Dowload Photobooth or aother free photo distortio app. How did you make sure to get the goofiest-lookig picture? What are some thigs Christias do that might seem goofy to o- Christias? Why do you thik those thigs are or are t worthwhile? Say: The way Jesus described followig him might look pretty goofy to o- Christias. Followig Jesus ivolves sufferig ad puttig ourselves last. Let s look at what it really takes to COMMIT TO FOLLOW JESUS, ad let s cosider whether we re willig to take the risk of lookig goofy to those aroud us. 2 BIBLE EXPLORATION Get Behid Me! Have studets form groups of four. Distribute Bibles as eeded, ad have everyoe ope to Mark 8: Say: We re goig to read a passage where Jesus seems to treat Peter pretty harshly. Let s read it ad talk about why. Ivite someoe to read aloud Mark 8: Get Behid Me! Bibles Seior High Study 1 Sprig Quarter

10 10 Talk With Studets Have groups discuss these questios. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What s your reactio to Jesus respose to Peter? Too harsh, or deserved? Explai. What are some possible reasos Jesus might ve respoded so harshly? What does Jesus reactio show about his commitmet to die o the cross? What does it mea for you to have i mid the cocers of God? Ask groups to share some highlights from their coversatios. Say: We ca t be totally sure why Jesus called Peter Sata whe Peter rebuked Jesus for sayig he would die. Jesus may have bee recogizig that Sata was usig Peter to tempt him ito ot sufferig o the cross or distract him from the missio. Whatever the case, it s pretty clear that Jesus was committed to sufferig ad dyig for us. But do we have to do the same to COMMIT TO FOLLOW JESUS? Let s read o ad cosider how our commitmet compares with Jesus. Coutig the Costs Bibles idex cards strig scissors tape paper luch bags pes idividually wrapped cady! ALLERGY ALERT Coutig the Costs Have groups split ito pairs, ad give each pair several idex cards, pes, ad two paper bags. Also set out strig, scissors, ad tape to share. Say: I order to weigh the costs ad rewards of followig Jesus, we re goig to eed to make a scale. First, label oe bag Costs ad the other Rewards. The cut a log piece of strig ad tape oe ed to the iside of each bag. Oe parter i each pair will stad with his or her arm exteded ad have the strig draped over the exteded arm. You ll wat the bags to hag evely a couple of feet off the groud. Allow time for studets to set up their scales. Say: Whoever s ot holdig the scale will be the scribe. As a pair, you ll read Mark 8:34-38 ad cosider the costs ad rewards of followig Jesus. The scribe will record the pair s ideas o idex cards. You ca also add i your ow thoughts that are t listed i the passage. Put the costs i the Costs bag ad the rewards i the Rewards bag, ad see how that impacts your scale. Allow about 10 miutes. Say: Some of your scales may make followig Jesus seem like it might ot be worth the cost. But there s oe reward that outweighs all the costs eteral life. Drop two pieces of cady i each pair s Rewards bag, ad watch those bags drop to the floor. The allow pairs to set their scales dow ad eat the cady. Sprig Quarter Study 1 Seior High

11 11 Talk With Studets Lead everyoe i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What were some of the costs you listed? rewards? How did thigs seem to compare before I added the cady to your rewards bag? What does this passage tell you about what it s like to follow Jesus? Why do you or do t you believe that deyig yourself ad takig up a cross is worth it? Say: Peter tried to make Jesus missio much less tha it was. He wated Jesus to live a log ad easy life. But that s ot what followig Jesus is about. Jesus made it pretty clear that followig him will be hard. There will be sufferig. We ll have to put God s desires before our ow. But if we do t make that commitmet, we forfeit our souls! The choice is clear: COMMIT TO FOLLOW JESUS. 3 WEAVING FAITH INTO LIFE Take Up Your Cross Say: Takig up a cross might ot soud so bad today. We re pretty used to seeig crosses as jewelry, o Bibles, or aroud churches. But whe Jesus talked about takig up your cross, people kew crosses as oly oe thig: a torturous way for crimials to die. Why would Jesus wat that for his people? Take Up Your Cross Bible craft sticks scissors yar pes Takig up your cross meas beig willig to do aythig eve really hard thigs if that s what Jesus calls you to. It meas givig up the lives we may wat i favor of the lives God calls us to. So what does takig up your cross look like right ow? Let s make crosses ad the write some ideas o them. Give each studet two craft sticks ad a pe. Have studets each break oe stick so it s about 2/ 3 its origial legth ad use scissors to trim the ed to be smoother. The have studets make a cross shape with the two craft sticks ad wrap yar aroud the itersectio several times to hold the cross i place. Whe they re doe, have studets tie a kot to hold the yar i place. Say: Now it s time to really thik about what takig up your cross looks like. Try to come up with at least four ideas, ad write each idea o oe arm of the cross. If you thik of more tha four, write them o the back. The take a few miutes to pray o your ow that God will help you carry your cross this week i those ways. Allow time for writig ad silet prayer. Seior High Study 1 Sprig Quarter

12 12 Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What are some thigs you wrote o your cross? What will you have to give up i order to follow through with those thigs? Read aloud the Key Verse, Romas 1:16: I am ot ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvatio of everyoe who believes: first for the Jew, the for the Getile (Romas 1:16). Do you feel at all ashamed to do ay of the thigs you wrote o your cross? Explai. Say: Jesus evetually did take up a real cross. He carried it up the hill, was ailed to it, ad died for you. He suffered the ultimate puishmet of a crimial eve though he was perfect. He showed the utmost commitmet to you. Carry your craft-stick cross i your pocket or purse this week, ad cosider how you ca carry your cross ad COMMIT TO FOLLOW JESUS. 4 LASTING IMPRESSIONS Daily Challeges Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study) pes Daily Challeges Have studets get out their hadbooks, or distribute Takig It Home hadouts to all studets. Say: Today we ve see what it takes to COMMIT TO FOLLOW JESUS. Are you willig to go all i? Let s commit to carryig our crosses this week. Direct studets to fid this week s Daily Challeges sectio i their Seior High Hadbooks or o their Takig It Home hadouts ad fill it i with oe thig they wrote o their craft-stick crosses. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. What s a practical way you re goig to do your Daily Challege? Iclude a time, a place, ad other ideas. Say: Jesus did t make followig him soud very easy! But whe we COMMIT TO FOLLOW JESUS, we ll reap eteral beefits. Let s commit to Jesus as we follow through with our Daily Challege. Sprig Quarter Study 1 Seior High

13 13 Weavig Faith at Home Ecourage studets to talk with their parets about the Daily Challege they chose ad what they leared about followig Jesus. Studets ca also do the Talk With Your Family activity i their hadbooks or o their Takig It Home pages with their families. Talk to your Director about ig the FREE FamilyCoect to all your church s families! Available at group.com/digital. Close i prayer, havig studets recite the Key Verse as a prayer: I am ot ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvatio of everyoe who believes: first for the Jew, the for the Getile. The pray that studets will live boldly for Jesus this week ad show they re ot ashamed. Seior High Study 1 Sprig Quarter

14 14 Jesus Teaches About Commitmet Mark 8:31-38 Bible Poit Commit to follow Jesus. Key Verse I am ot ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvatio of everyoe who believes: first for the Jew, the for the Getile (Romas 1:16). TAKING IT HOME Daily Challege Quotables Nothig is really lost by a life of sacrifice; everythig is lost by failure to obey God s call. Hery P. Liddo O your cross, you wrote some thigs you ca do to take up your cross. Pick oe you ll really focus o this week, ad write it here: Faith Joural Have you fully committed to followig Jesus? Explai how complete you thik your commitmet is. Talk With Your Family Read 2 Corithias 11:21-29 with your family. Ask each family member to tell about a time he or she was persecuted because of his or her faith i Jesus. How did each perso stad strog agaist the persecutio? The discuss these questios: What ca you lear from the way Paul took up his cross? How could these verses ecourage you as you decide to take up your cross? Pray together, askig God to be with you ad give you stregth as you each make the daily choice to follow Jesus.! OK TO COPY Sprig Quarter Study 1 Seior High

15 Study 2 15 Jesus Clears Merchats From the Temple Joh 2:13-22 Youg people love to try ew forms of worship. They thrive o ew modes, ew ideas, ad experimetig i worship. I their haste to try ew thigs, however, the purpose behid worship might get lost. As you share this study with your studets, help them uderstad the true meaig of worship ad how to respect God as they worship. STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP Bible Poit God wats sicere worship. 1 Faith Coectio 2 Bible Exploratio Respectig the Rules (about 15 mi.) Give each other istructios ad follow them exactly. Media Coectio (Optio) (about 10 mi.) Watch a movie clip that demostrates the dager of disrespect. The Scee of the Crime (about 15 mi.) Ivestigate a crime scee, ad piece together what took place whe Jesus cleared the Temple. yar, several pairs of scissors, paper video player, movie Jurassic Park Bibles, several bills of real or fake moey, real or fake cois, rope (ay kid or size), 2 feathers (real or copied from the Feathers hadout at the ed of this study), table, paper, pes Cue Jurassic Park to 00:07:21, whe a ma says, It s a little distorted. Set a table o its side. Scatter the feathers ad moey aroud the table. Set the rope by the table, curled up like a whip. Key Verse Come, let us bow dow i worship, let us keel before the Lord our Maker (Psalm 95:6). Weavig Faith Ito Life Teeagers will explore what it meas to reveretly worship their Creator. Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Seior High Study 2 Sprig Quarter

16 16 STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 3 Weavig Faith Ito Life 4 Lastig Impressios A.C.T.S. of Reveret Worship (about 25 mi.) Create a worship time that reflects their hearts. Daily Challeges (about 5 mi.) Choose a Daily Challege to apply God s Word. Weavig Faith at Home (about 2 mi.) Talk about how to share what they leared with their families. Bibles, Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the A.C.T.S. of Worship hadout (at the ed of this study), pes, craft supplies icludig clay Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study), pes Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Sprig Quarter Study 2 Seior High

17 17 Jesus Clears Merchats From the Temple Joh 2:13-22 BIBLe BACKGROUND FOR LEADERS Temple Laws Goe Wrog Strict regulatios guided the activity that was to take place i the Temple. This was to remai a holy place, the dwellig place of God. Accordig to Isaiah 56:7, it was to be a house of prayer. Ufortuately, the Jewish leaders, who strictly upheld laws that were coveiet for them, saw a opportuity for profit i the aimals to be sacrificed at the Temple. Ay aimal to be offered as a sacrifice was to be perfect, free from blemish. Ad people brigig aimals for sacrifice surely chose the best from the flocks ad herds. But whe Jewish pilgrims brought their aimals for sacrifice, the Temple ispectors regularly foud somethig wrog with them. The they would coveietly offer aimals they had approved for may times the goig price outside the Temple. Merchats also were exchagig moey givig people the Temple currecy i exchage for their Roma or other foreig cois. The Temple currecy was required for payig the Temple tax. From Jesus disdai of this practice, it s easy to assume that people were also beig cheated i this process. why he did what he did. No oe agrily struck back at Jesus out of righteous idigatio. Their oly respose was to ask, How ca you prove you have the authority to do this? Whe people kow they re i the wrog, they ofte resort to legalistic maeuverig to try to blur the plai evidece of their guilt. The Jesus Coectio Jesus passio i this accout reveals that he desires a real relatioship with his people. Nothig o moey-chagers or legalism ca get i the way of his love for you! Does Jesus eed to drive out wrog worship from your life? How have distractig thoughts, focus o self, or efforts to appear spiritual hidered your ow sicere worship? Take a momet to physically bow dow before God. Sped time siletly clearig out the Temple courts i your life ad praisig God with a sicere heart. You ca write your prayer here. Jesus Clears the Temple It s likely that Jesus respose, while passioate, was ot a purely emotioal outburst. He saw what was goig o i the Temple, he took time to make a whip from some ropes, ad the he took appropriate actio. Jesus was agry, ad rightly so, but ot out of cotrol. He told the merchats, Stop turig my Father s house ito a marketplace! The Merchats Respose The Jews respose is iterestig. They did t dey that they had bee doig wrog. No oe asked Jesus Seior High Study 2 Sprig Quarter

18 18 FAITH CONNECTION Respectig the Rules yar several pairs of scissors paper Respectig the Rules Welcome studets to the group, ad have studets form pairs. Set out yar, scissors, ad paper. Say: You ad your parter are goig to take turs givig each other simple tasks. Decide who will be the first Istructor ad who will be the Follower. Pause. Followers, your job is to do exactly what the Istructors say. But you ll take their istructios very literally, so they ll have to be clear. You might also add your ow assumptios to what they say if they re ot clear. So if they say ow wrap the strig aroud, you might wrap it aroud your head or your waist. They ll be istructig you o simple tasks, but you ll eed to preted you have o idea how to do the tasks. Got it? Istructors, you ll be givig istructios to your parters o how to cut yar ad braid it, tie it i a kot, or tie it i a bow aroud your figer. You may use oly words you ca t help them or use motios to demostrate what to do. Allow time for Istructors to give istructios util everyoe has completed the task. The have parters trade roles, ad have the ew Istructors teach the ew Followers how to make a paper airplae or aother origami item. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What were some ways your Followers followed what you said but ot what you meat? Tell about a time someoe disrespected you by ot listeig to what you were really sayig. Say: You may have gotte frustrated with your Followers whe they kept followig your words but ot what you really meat. Worship ca be like that, too. There are ways we ca look as if we re worshippig God o the outside, but we re ot showig the heart behid it that God desires. GOD WANTS SINCERE WORSHIP, but sometimes our isicere worship creeps i ad disrespects him. Today we ll explore what sicere ad respectful worship really looks like. Sprig Quarter Study 2 Seior High

19 19 Media Coectio (Optio) Tip I geeral, federal copyright laws do ot allow you to use videos or DVDs (eve oes you ow) for ay purpose other tha home viewig. Your church ca obtai a licese from Christia Video Licesig Iteratioal for a small fee. Just visit cvli.com or call for more iformatio. May movie clips are available at youtube.com. This clip is also available at wigclips.com uder the title Six Foot Turkey. Istead of doig the Respectig the Rules activity, show studets a movie clip from Jurassic Park that illustrates the dager of disrespect. Begi the clip at 00:07:21, whe a ma says, It s a little distorted. I this clip, a youg boy mocks velociraptors, ad Dr. Grat shows him why these small but powerful diosaurs deserve respect. Ed the clip at 00:09:43, whe the boy ods ad says, Okay. Media Coectio video player movie Jurassic Park Media Coectio Easy Prep Cue Jurassic Park to 00:07:21, whe a ma says, It s a little distorted. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. Why was it importat for the boy to have a proper respect for velociraptors? Tell about a time you felt disrespected. What does it look like to properly show respect for God? Say: While the velociraptor fossil did t look all that powerful, Dr. Grat kew that it deserved more fear ad respect tha most diosaurs. Oce the little boy realized how wrog his view had bee, he realized he eeded to show more respect. Today we ll look at what it looks like to disrespect God i worship, ad why GOD WANTS SINCERE WORSHIP ad deserves it! Seior High Study 2 Sprig Quarter

20 20 2 BIBLE EXPLORATION The Scee of the Crime Bibles several bills of real or fake moey real or fake cois rope (ay kid or size) 2 feathers (real or copied from the Feathers hadout at the ed of this study) table paper pes The Scee of the Crime Easy Prep Set a table o its side. Scatter the feathers ad moey aroud the table. Set the rope by the table, curled up like a whip. The Scee of the Crime Say: This is the scee of a crime. Your job is to ivestigate ad discuss the evidece ad try to determie what happeed. Now choose two other people to work with you as a ivestigative team. Oce studets have formed trios, cotiue. Give each trio a piece of paper ad a pe. Say: Look over the crime scee without touchig aythig. Make observatios, ad jot them dow o your paper. The fid a place to talk with your group about what may have happeed ad what crime you thik may have bee committed. Allow several miutes for groups to observe ad discuss. Say: Now let s read about what happeed. Give each studet a Bible, ad have trios read Joh 2:13-22 together. Talk With Studets Lead everyoe i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. After readig the passage, what crimes would you say were committed? How does that differ from your aalysis of the crime scee? We re ofte taught that showig ager is siful. But we kow Jesus ever sied. How ca his actios i this passage be okay? What are some thigs you ve persoally see that demostrate a lack of respect i worship? Say: Jesus ager was justified because it was righteous ager. He was agry because people were disrespectig God. They were i his house of worship, but they were makig it all about their ow selfish gai. That was the real crime. GOD WANTS SINCERE WORSHIP. He wats our worship to be about him ot about our ow selfishess. Let s move ito a time of sicere worship. Sprig Quarter Study 2 Seior High

21 21 3 WEAVING FAITH INTO LIFE A.C.T.S. of Reveret Worship Give each studet a A.C.T.S. of Worship hadout ad a pe, or have studets tur to page 20 of their hadbooks. Make the craft supplies available to your studets. Have studets decide which sectio of the hadout they wat to do ad form groups accordigly. You may choose to have groups form i oe corer for the As, oe for the Cs, ad so o. Say: Take the ext several miutes to pla a worship time i which you ca offer true worship from your heart to the Creator of the uiverse. Your group will be resposible for the portio of the worship time you selected. The hadout provides a foudatio for creatig a worship time. A.C.T.S. of Reveret Worship Bibles Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the A.C.T.S. of Worship hadout (at the ed of this study) pes craft supplies icludig clay You may structure your sectio of the worship time i ay way you d like; just make sure that everyoe i your group participates. Remember that you ll evetually be sharig i worship with everyoe. You may use ay of the supplies as you create your part of the worship time. Allow about 10 miutes of plaig time, ad the brig the groups together. To ope the worship time, make sure everyoe has a Bible, have teeagers tur to Psalm 95:6 i their Bibles, ad read the Key Verse together: Come, let us bow dow i worship, let us keel before the Lord our Maker. The have studets form a circle ad keel. Lead them i sayig the Key Verse three more times, ecouragig them to say the verse without usig their Bibles. The ask each group to share its sectio of the worship time. To close the worship time, have studets keel i a circle oce agai. Ask a few willig studets to offer oe-setece prayers of praise ad thaksgivig to God. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What did you do durig this worship time to sicerely offer your heart to God? How ca you tell if you re worshippig sicerely or isicerely? What ca you do this week to worship God sicerely? Say: Worship is t limited to a special time of sigig or reflectio. Worship ca be the way we live our lives. The salesme i the Temple lived their lives for themselves. Their greed came through eve at the Temple! But GOD WANTS SINCERE WORSHIP with our focus o him as we live our lives. Seior High Study 2 Sprig Quarter

22 22 4 LASTING IMPRESSIONS Daily Challeges Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study) pes Daily Challeges Have studets get out their hadbooks, or distribute Takig It Home hadouts to all studets. Say: Today we ve see what sicere ad isicere worship looks like. GOD WANTS SINCERE WORSHIP. Let s commit to hoorig God by livig lives of worship this week. Direct studets to fid this week s Daily Challeges i their Seior High Hadbooks or o their Takig It Home hadouts ad choose oe to do this week. They may choose oe or more of these three optios: Sped some time listeig to your favorite worship sog. Liste to it over ad over while you get ready for school. Thik about the words ad how they ca apply to every other part of your life as well. Sit by yourself at church so there are o distractios aroud you. Let your parets kow you re doig this ad let your frieds kow, too! Write dow three thigs you worship God for every day. Hag your paper i your locker or i your room as a remider to reflect o God s goodess each day. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. What s a practical way you re goig to do your Daily Challege? Iclude a time, a place, ad other ideas. Say: Jesus demostrated just how much GOD WANTS SINCERE WORSHIP. Let s commit to respectig ad hoorig God i worship as we follow through with our Daily Challeges. Weavig Faith at Home Ecourage studets to talk with their parets about the Daily Challeges they chose ad what they leared about sicere worship. Studets ca also do the Talk With Your Family activity i their hadbooks or o their Takig It Home pages with their families. Talk to your Director about ig the FREE FamilyCoect to all your church s families! Available at group.com/digital. Close i prayer, havig studets assume positios that demostrate sicere worship ad siletly worship God for a few miutes. Sprig Quarter Study 2 Seior High

23 23 Feathers! OK TO COPY Seior High Study 2 Sprig Quarter

24 24 A.C.T.S. of Worship ADORATION: Come, let us sig for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvatio (Psalm 95:1). Worship suggestio: Thik of a way to show the Lord how much you love him ad why you wish to hoor him! You might cosider creatig a love collage depictig ways people show their love to God or leadig the group i a braistormig sessio i which we thik of all the differet reasos we love ad hoor God. CONFESSION: Come, let us bow dow i worship, let us keel before the Lord our Maker (Psalm 95:6). Worship suggestio: Iclude a brief time for persoal cofessio before the Lord, trustig him to wash away si with his righteousess. You might cosider writig a prayer, leadig the group i a time of reflectio, or givig the group some questios or thoughts to write about. THANKSGIVING: Let us come before him with thaksgivig ad extol him with music ad sog (Psalm 95:2). Worship suggestio: Ask yourself, How ca I express my praise to God ad my thakfuless for his blessigs? You might cosider writig a act of praise, leadig the group i a sog of thaks, or creatig a thakful skit. SUBMISSION: I his had are the depths of the earth, ad the moutai peaks belog to him. The sea is his, for he made it, ad his hads formed the dry lad (Psalm 95:4-5). Worship suggestio: How ca we humble ourselves i worship ad ask for the Lord s guidace ad protectio? You might cosider creatig a sculpture (either huma or clay) depictig ways we ca humble ourselves i worship or sharig persoal stories about how the Lord has guided ad protected each perso i your group i the past.! OK TO COPY Sprig Quarter Study 2 Seior High

25 25 Jesus Clears Merchats From the Temple Joh 2:13-22 Bible Poit God wats sicere worship. Key Verse Come, let us bow dow i worship, let us keel before the Lord our Maker (Psalm 95:6). TAKING IT HOME Daily Challege Sped some time listeig to your favorite worship sog. Liste to it over ad over while you get ready for school. Thik about the words ad how they ca apply to every other part of your life as well. Sit by yourself at church so there are o distractios aroud you. Let your parets kow you re doig this ad let your frieds kow, too! Write dow three thigs you worship God for every day. Hag your paper i your locker or i your room as a remider to reflect o God s goodess each day. Faith Joural How ca you worship God sicerely i the way you live? Talk With Your Family Read Psalm 148 with your family, ad discuss these questios: What i this psalm demostrates sicere worship? What are some ways you ve worshipped God sicerely i the past? How does this psalm ispire you to worship God right ow? Take time to worship God as a family, usig the ideas you shared i the last questio. Quotables Paul ad Silas were i jail sigig. A strog earthquake rattled the priso. Doors flew ope. Chais fell off. Paul ad Silas were free! Worship is a powerful istrumet i the hads of a Jesus Freak. Whe eve oe perso praises God, the earth shakes ad prisoers are set free. dc Talk, Live Like a Jesus Freak! OK TO COPY Seior High Study 2 Sprig Quarter

26

27 Study 3 27 Jesus Explais Why God Set Him Joh 3:12-21 Teeagers are mature eough to uderstad that Joh 3:16 is more tha a verse they ca recite i their sleep or a sig they see at football games. They are ready to decide if they will go beyod uderstadig Christ s words ad start livig them. Challege your teeagers to move past the childish uderstadig of Joh 3:16 as a ice ad importat verse to a verse that requires them to make a decisio about how they re goig to live their lives. STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 1 Faith Coectio Market Niche (about 20 mi.) Create advertisemets ad idetify eeds that their products meet. paper, markers Bible Poit Jesus came to save us. Key Verse For God so loved the world that he gave his oe ad oly So, that whoever believes i him shall ot perish but have eteral life (Joh 3:16). 2 Bible Exploratio Dimesios of Need (about 25 mi.) Create a triptych illustratig three eeds that God set Jesus to meet. Bibles, Seior High Hadbooks or 3 copies of the Dimesios of Need hadout (at the ed of this study), pes, 3 pieces of poster board, markers, several pairs of scissors, costructio paper, glue sticks, yardstick, pecils, tape Weavig Faith Ito Life Teeagers will explore the meaig of God s most precious gift his So. Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Seior High Study 3 Sprig Quarter

28 28 STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 3 Acceptig His Promises (about 15 mi.) List thigs that are hard to accept ad promises we ca believe, ad make commitmets to follow Jesus. Bibles, paper, pes Weavig Faith Ito Life Media Coectio (Optio) (about 15 mi.) Watch a movie clip i which two people discuss heave, ad the cosider what promises they ca believe about eteral life. Bibles, video player, movie Forrest Gump, paper, pes Cue Forrest Gump to 01:17:38, whe Lieuteat Da says, That s all they ever talk about. 4 Daily Challeges (about 5 mi.) Choose a Daily Challege to apply God s Word. Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study), pes Lastig Impressios Weavig Faith at Home (about 2 mi.) Talk about how to share what they leared with their families. Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Sprig Quarter Study 3 Seior High

29 29 Jesus Explais Why God Set Him Joh 3:12-21 BIBLe BACKGROUND FOR LEADERS Nicodemus Sought Jesus I this passage, Jesus is talkig with Nicodemus, a Pharisee ad a member of the Sahedri, the Jewish religious rulig coucil. Jesus lauched ito the coversatio by makig it clear that ew birth is the oly way to God s kigdom. For Nicodemus, a strict follower of the Law who thought obediece to a set of rules was his ticket to heave, the cocept of a ew birth was tough to grasp. He had trouble acceptig that all his good works ad itetios would t get him ito God s kigdom. Jesus Summarized God s Pla of Salvatio Jesus referece to Moses liftig up the sake i the desert refers to a time God set poisoous sakes amog the Israelites to puish them for rebellig agaist him. Those who had bee bitte were dyig. But God i his mercy istructed Moses to make a sake of broze ad lift it up o a pole where all could see it, promisig safety to all who looked upo it. All who believed God ad looked at the sake were spared from death. I the same way, Jesus would be lifted up o the cross, ad as people looked to him i faith, they would be spared from eteral death for their sis. God has a differet pla, because all the good we ca ever do wo t wipe out a sigle si. Oly Jesus sacrifice o the cross, which paid the death pealty for us, makes it possible for us to eter heave. Ad oly our respose i faith to that gift ad to the Holy Spirit workig i our lives will seal the deal. The Jesus Coectio There are may awesome beefits of a relatioship with Jesus, but this is the ultimate oe: We ca be bor agai! A ew life, a fresh start, a clea slate! Joh 3:16 is so familiar that it s temptig to skim it without takig its full meaig to heart. So stop for a momet ad reread it. How do Jesus words impact you? What questios do you have? Pray about your thoughts ad questios. You ca write your prayer here. Why did God sed his ow So to die a agoizig death o the cross? The aswer is clear i verse 16: For God so loved the world that he gave his oe ad oly So, that whoever believes i him shall ot perish but have eteral life. I this setece, Jesus summarizes God s etire pla of salvatio. What amazig love! We Must Respod i Faith Jesus message for Nicodemus ad for us today is that followig religious rules wo t wi us God s favor. Seior High Study 3 Sprig Quarter

30 30 FAITH CONNECTION Market Niche paper markers Market Niche Welcome studets to the group. Ask studets to thik of ad ame some of the most successful products from the past few years. Ask studets why they thik those products were so successful. Poit out that most successful products meet eeds either real eeds or desires that cosumers have come to believe are eeds I have to have those shoes, or I ll ever make the team, for example. Have studets form pairs. Set out paper ad markers. Ask each pair to thik of a ew product idea ad create a ad for it either a commercial they ll act out or a magazie ad they ll draw. Their ads should give a compellig reaso their product meets a specific eed. Give pairs about 10 miutes to create their ads, ad the allow time for brief presetatios. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What were some of the eeds the ads we created met? How compellig were the other advertisemets you saw? Explai whether or ot you thik the eeds our products met are true eeds everyoe has. Say: Advertisemets try to covice us we eed a lot of thigs: happiess, romace, popularity, ad success, to ame a few. But there s oe thig we all truly eed more tha aythig: a rescue. We ve all doe wrog thigs, ad we all deserve puishmet for our wrog thigs. Today we ll look at why JESUS CAME TO SAVE US ad cosider how that meets our greatest eed the eed for a Savior. Sprig Quarter Study 3 Seior High

31 31 2 BIBLE EXPLORATION Dimesios of Need Have studets form three groups. Give each group Bibles, a poster board, ad pes. Have studets tur to page 28 of their hadbooks or give each group a Dimesios of Need hadout. Set out markers, scissors, costructio paper, glue sticks, a yardstick, pecils, ad other supplies your studets might ejoy usig. Assig each group oe of the dimesios listed o the hadout. Say: We re goig to create a triptych a three-part piece of art. Each group will create oe part of the triptych to represet oe of the three dimesios of the passage we re studyig. You ll use your poster board as the cavas for your sectio, ad you may draw with markers, cut out shapes from the costructio paper to glue to your cavas, or do aythig else you decide i your group to do. Bear i mid that the three sectios of the triptych will be hug ext to each other to create oe piece of art. Dimesios of Need Bibles 3 copies of the Dimesios of Need hadout (at the ed of this study) pes 3 pieces of poster board markers several pairs of scissors costructio paper glue sticks yardstick pecils tape Istruct the members of each group to read the relevat passage listed o the hadout, discuss the questios, ad the work together to illustrate the passage for their group s sectio of the triptych, icludig the idea o the hadout. Allow about 15 miutes. Whe everyoe has fiished, have the groups tape their pieces of art to the wall so that the three dimesios are ext to oe aother. Ask someoe from the first group (Dimesio 1) to read aloud Joh 3:12-15 ad Numbers 21:8-9. Ivite studets from all of the groups to commet o elemets of the triptych sectio that illustrate the passage. Next ask someoe from the secod group (Dimesio 2) to read aloud Joh 3: Ivite studets from all of the groups to commet o elemets of the triptych sectio that illustrate the passage. Fially, ivite someoe from the third group (Dimesio 3) to read aloud Joh 3: Ivite studets from all of the groups to commet o elemets of the triptych sectio that illustrate the passage. Poit out that the group has ow heard all of Joh 3:12-21 except for oe very importat verse that ties the whole thig together. It s the Key Verse, Joh 3:16. Read it aloud for everyoe: For God so loved the world that he gave his oe ad oly So, that whoever believes i him shall ot perish but have eteral life (Joh 3:16). Seior High Study 3 Sprig Quarter

32 32 Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. How does this verse tie our artwork together? What ew thoughts have you had about why Jesus came? What eeds did Jesus meet by comig to earth? How do those compare with the eeds i our product advertisemets? Joh 3:16 is ofte memorized or held up at sportig evets. It seems pretty focused o what Jesus did for us. But what does it mea for the way we ca live? Say: As our artwork shows, JESUS CAME TO SAVE US. His death ad resurrectio mea we ca have eteral life. Ad we ca live as people who ve bee saved! Let s cosider this more. 3 WEAVING FAITH INTO LIFE Acceptig His Promises Bibles paper pes Acceptig His Promises Give each perso a piece of paper, a pe, ad a Bible. Say: Take a few miutes to list o your paper thigs that are hard for you to believe or uderstad about eteral life i heave. Allow time, ad the ask a few willig studets to read some of their thoughts. Say: Now add to your paper with promises you kow you ca believe about salvatio through Jesus thigs you re absolutely cofidet i. You might use our Key Verse, Joh 3:16, as ispiratio. Allow time, ad the ask a few willig studets to read some of their thoughts. Say: Fold up your paper. Take some time to siletly pray about some of the thigs you wrote. The cosider what it meas for your life that JESUS CAME TO SAVE US. How ca that impact how you live? How ca you follow your Savior? Write your commitmet o the outside of your folded paper. Allow time. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid this questio i their Seior High Hadbooks. Tell about the commitmet you chose. How does it embrace the promises you wrote about? Say: JESUS CAME TO SAVE US. That may ot be a cocept we ca ever fully Sprig Quarter Study 3 Seior High

33 33 uderstad. We ca t see or hear the spiritual battles that take place. We ca t evisio what eteral life i heave looks like or what the alterative i hell looks like. But we ca cout o the fact that God set his So to die for us ad ayoe ayoe who believes i him will have eteral life i heave. Ad we ca live i light of that ow because eterity has o begiig or ed! Media Coectio (Optio) Tip May movie clips are available at youtube.com. This clip is also available at wigclips.com uder the title Foud Jesus? Please ote, if you choose to show the clip directly from the movie, there is a swear word. To ehace the Acceptig His Promises activity, use this slight variatio. Begi with a movie clip from Forrest Gump where Forrest ad Lieuteat Da talk about Jesus. Begi the clip at 01:17:38, whe Lieuteat Da says, That s all they ever talk about. Ed the clip at 01:18:46, whe Lieuteat Da says to Forrest, Before you go, why do t you get dow to the corer ad get us aother bottle of ripple. Give each perso a piece of paper, a pe, ad a Bible. Say: Lieuteat Da had a lot of doubts about what Jesus could do for him. Take a few miutes to list o your paper thigs that are hard for you to believe or uderstad about eteral life i heave. Allow time, ad the ask a few willig studets to read some of their thoughts. Media Coectio Bibles video player movie Forrest Gump paper pes Media Coectio Easy Prep Cue Forrest Gump to 01:17:38, whe Lieuteat Da says, That s all they ever talk about. Say: Forrest Gump, o the other had, was cofidet that he would oe day be i heave with Jesus. Add to your paper promises you kow you ca believe about salvatio through Jesus thigs you re absolutely cofidet i. You might use our Key Verse, Joh 3:16, as ispiratio. Allow time, ad the ask a few willig studets to read some of their thoughts. Say: Fold up your paper. Take some time to siletly pray about some of the thigs you wrote. The cosider what it meas for your life that JESUS CAME TO SAVE US. How ca that impact how you live? How ca you follow your Savior? Write your commitmet o the outside of your folded paper. Allow time. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid this questio i their Seior High Hadbooks. Tell about the commitmet you chose. How does it embrace the promises you wrote about? Say: JESUS CAME TO SAVE US. That may ot be a cocept we ca ever fully uderstad. Like Lieuteat Da, we may always have doubts. We ca t see or hear the spiritual battles that take place. We ca t evisio what eteral life i heave looks like or what the alterative i hell looks like. But just as Forrest Gump did, we ca cout o the fact that God set his So to die for us ad Seior High Study 3 Sprig Quarter

34 34 ayoe ayoe who believes i him will have eteral life i heave. Ad we ca live i light of that ow because eterity has o begiig or ed! 4 LASTING IMPRESSIONS Daily Challeges Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study) pes Daily Challeges Have studets get out their hadbooks, or distribute Takig It Home hadouts to all studets. Say: Today we ve see why JESUS CAME TO SAVE US. Let s commit to livig i light of that this week. Direct studets to fid this week s Daily Challeges i their Seior High Hadbooks or o their Takig It Home hadouts ad choose oe to do this week. They may choose oe or more of these three optios: Follow through o the commitmet you wrote o your paper. Pray every day for a fried who does t kow Jesus. Ask God how he wats to use you to share Jesus with that perso. Write Joh 3:16 o a sticky ote or piece of otepaper, ad put it i a place where you ll see it every day. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. What s a practical way you re goig to do your Daily Challege? Iclude a time, a place, ad other ideas. Say: Jesus explaied a truth that s just as importat for us today: JESUS CAME TO SAVE US. Let s commit to hoor Jesus gift of salvatio as we follow through with our Daily Challeges. Weavig Faith at Home Ecourage studets to talk with their parets about the Daily Challeges they chose ad what they leared about salvatio. Studets ca also do the Talk With Your Family activity i their hadbooks or o their Takig It Home pages with their families. Talk to your Director about ig the FREE FamilyCoect to all your church s families! Available at group.com/digital. Close i prayer, ivitig studets who d like to pray about acceptig Jesus gift of salvatio to do so with you. Sprig Quarter Study 3 Seior High

35 35 Dimesios of Need Joh 3:12-21 describes three dimesios of the salvatio Jesus brought to the world. Work through your assiged dimesio below. DIMENSION 1 Read Joh 3:12-15 ad Numbers 21:8-9 together, ad discuss the followig questios: I what way is Jesus like the sake that Moses lifted up i the desert? How was Jesus lifted up? Accordig to these verses i Joh, why did God sed Jesus? How could you visually depict what Jesus said i these verses? Make sure you iclude costructio paper sakes labeled with fatal sis people are dyig from today. Cosider eteral death, ot just physical death. DIMENSION 2 Read Joh 3:17-19 together, ad discuss the followig questios: If salvatio were decided i a courtroom, who do you thik would be i the followig roles? judge prosecutig attorey defese attorey defedat What would the verdict be? Accordig to these verses, why did God sed Jesus? How could you visually depict what Jesus said i these verses? Make sure you iclude somethig that looks like legal documets with charges people today might face if they were called ito God s court. DIMENSION 3 Read Joh 3:19-21 together, ad discuss the followig questios: What does it mea that light has come ito the world (verse 19)? What are some of the beefits of light? How is livig as a Christia like livig i the light? Accordig to these verses, why did God sed Jesus? How could you visually depict what Jesus said i these verses? Make sure you iclude a list of some of the specific evil deeds doe by people who love the darkess. You may wat to visually demostrate light ad dark i the way you write the list.! OK TO COPY Seior High Study 3 Sprig Quarter

36 36 Jesus Explais Why God Set Him Joh 3:12-21 Bible Poit Jesus came to save us. Key Verse For God so loved the world that he gave his oe ad oly So, that whoever believes i him shall ot perish but have eteral life (Joh 3:16). TAKING IT HOME Quotables Daily Challege A life jacket is o good to a perso who refuses to admit he s drowig. aoymous Follow through o the commitmet you wrote o your paper. Pray every day for a fried who does t kow Jesus. Ask God how he wats to use you to share Jesus with that perso. Write Joh 3:16 o a sticky ote or piece of otepaper, ad put it i a place where you ll see it every day. Faith Joural Why do you eed Jesus? Talk With Your Family Read Romas 3:21-26 with your family, ad discuss these questios: Why is it so difficult for people to ackowledge that they are siers? What most amazes you about God s respose to siful people? Ask family members each to describe a time they realized they were i big trouble ad what they did to get help. Ask family members to compare their feeligs i those crises ad after beig rescued with their feeligs about si ad how Jesus rescues them.! OK TO COPY Sprig Quarter Study 3 Seior High

37 Study 4 37 Jesus Notices a Widow s Givig Mark 12:41-44 Material possessios sometimes mark the differece betwee popularity ad upopularity for may seior high studets. While some teeagers might ot admit it, may struggle with a desire to have the right possessios i order to gai the right frieds. So givig to God may feel difficult for them. As you explore this study with your studets, help them grasp the beefits of givig to God. STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 1 Faith Coectio 2 Bible Exploratio How Much to Give (about 10 mi.) Play a givig game to decide how much to give. Method Actig (about 20 mi.) Dramatize the attitudes revealed by the people i the Bible passage. Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. 15 toothpicks per studet Bibles Bible Poit Give cheerfully to God. Key Verse Each ma should give what he has decided i his heart to give, ot reluctatly or uder compulsio, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corithias 9:7). Weavig Faith Ito Life Teeagers will explore specific, cocrete ways to give cheerfully to God. Seior High Study 4 Sprig Quarter

38 38 STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 3 Weavig Faith Ito Life Givig With Gusto (about 20 mi.) Idetify ways to give time ad moey. Put Your Moey Where Your Mouth Is (about 10 mi.) Make specific givig commitmets, ad persoalize the Key Verse. Bibles, Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Givig With Gusto hadout (at the ed of this study), pes paper, markers, several pairs of scissors Media Coectio (Optio) (about 10 mi.) Liste to ad sig a sog as a commitmet to give their all to God. music player, Take My Life (Ad Let It Be) by Chris Tomli Dowload Take My Life (Ad Let It Be), ad cue your music player so you re ready to play it. 4 Lastig Impressios Daily Challeges (about 5 mi.) Choose a Daily Challege to apply God s Word. Weavig Faith at Home (about 2 mi.) Talk about how to share what they leared with their families. Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study), pes Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Sprig Quarter Study 4 Seior High

39 39 Jesus Notices a Widow s Givig Mark 12:41-44 BIBLe BACKGROUND FOR LEADERS Watchig i the Temple The Jesus Coectio While Jesus ad presumably some of his disciples sat watchig i the Temple courts, umerous rich people gave large offerigs of moey. The disciples, who were from the lower ecoomic classes, were probably amazed at some of the fortues offered by these wealthy Jews. They may ot have eve oticed the poor widow who dropped her two cois ito the treasury box. These were the smallest cois i the Roma Empire. It took over 100 of these to make up a day s wages. I terms of today s wages, they would have bee worth o more tha a couple of dollars each. Yet Jesus kew how big the widow s gift was. Jesus is t impressed by outward displays of wealth he looks straight ito the heart at the iward wealth of faith, commitmet, geerosity, ad trust. He kows the real you. What does Jesus see i your heart? Are you fully etrustig your eeds, wats, ad future to God? What are you holdig back? Grab a pey, ad hold it as you pray about areas of your life that you eed to give over to God. You ca write your prayer below. The give that pey i your church offerig as a symbol to God of your commitmet. A Extravagat Offerig Some Christias today might cosider the widow s givig foolish she did t have to give both cois; she did t have to give eve oe coi. After all, she eeded that moey just to stay alive. But that kid of thikig is precisely what Jesus was teachig agaist. If we give oly part of what we have of what we are to Jesus, we re holdig back. Jesus wats all of us. He wats us to give him all we have ad all we are ad to trust him for the results. Our Gifts Which of the givers i this passage are you more like? As you explore this passage, challege yourself to examie what you re givig to God. Are you givig just a small portio of your time, moey, talets, ad commitmet to God? Is God gettig the leftovers after you ve take care of all your wats? Or are you givig as the poor widow gave, riskig all you have o God? The widow s choice is ot a easy oe, but it s oe that hoors God. Seior High Study 4 Sprig Quarter

40 40 FAITH CONNECTION How Much to Give 15 toothpicks per studet How Much to Give Welcome studets to the group. Have studets form pairs. Give each pair about 30 toothpicks. Say: We re goig to play a givig game. Your toothpicks each represet a dollar. You ll take turs with your parter movig them from your bak pile to a ew offerig pile. Your goal is to be the oe to move the very last dollar over. But you ca oly move oe, two, or three per tur. You get to decide how may to give ad try to be the oe to give the last dollar. Allow time for pairs to play a few rouds. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. How did you decide how may dollars to give each tur? Does givig to God ever feel competitive to you? Explai. How do you decide what ad whe to give to God or to other people? Say: Today we re goig to look at a time Jesus talked about givig offerigs to God. He made some comparisos, but he was t focused o how much moey ayoe was givig he was focused o the heart behid it. Let s explore this passage ad cosider how we ca GIVE CHEERFULLY TO GOD. 2 BIBLE EXPLORATION Method Actig Bibles Method Actig Have studets form groups of four. Each group will eed a Bible. Say: I your group, read Mark 12: Discuss the attitudes you thik the rich people demostrated ad the attitude you thik the widow demostrated. The choose three people to act the part of the rich people. Have each rich perso demostrate, without speakig, a differet attitude. For example, oe rich perso might brig his offerig with dramatic flourishes to make sure that everyoe otices his geerosity. Aother might be stigy ad have a hard time lettig go of Sprig Quarter Study 4 Seior High

41 41 her offerig. The third rich perso might give with a joyful expressio ot all rich people are selfish! Have the fourth perso i your group act the part of the widow. Say: I a few miutes I will read the passage aloud while you act it out. Give studets a few miutes to read the passage ad discuss their roles. The read the passage aloud as all the rich people act their parts at the same time ad all the widows act their parts at the same time. Say: Let s put this passage ito a moder settig. With your group, come up with a short skit that represets how givig ca look cheerful or stigy today. Allow a few miute for groups to create their skits, ad the have time for presetatios. Talk With Studets Lead everyoe i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What attitude were you tryig to covey i each of your roles? Explai why that attitude is good or bad whe it comes to givig. What ca we lear from the widow s actios ad attitudes? Say: Whe we give, it s ot about givig the most it s about givig with the right attitude. The widow gave cheerfully ad sacrificially. It s ot hard to imagie this Bible scee i our world today because we ca still sometimes wrestle with givig. Let s explore what we ca GIVE CHEERFULLY TO GOD. 3 WEAVING FAITH INTO LIFE Givig With Gusto Explai that i this activity, you ll focus o two areas of givig: moey ad time. Have studets tur to page 36 of their hadbooks or distribute the Givig With Gusto hadout ad a pe to each studet. Have studets work i pairs to braistorm ad write their ideas i the Moey sectios of the hadout. For example, i the box titled How You Ca Get Some to Give, studets could list existig sources of icome (such as a allowace or icome from a baby-sittig job) as well as other ideas they have t tried yet (such as mowig laws or workig out a arragemet with parets to take a sack luch several times a week i order to give away the moey they would have spet o a hot luch). I the Ways to Give It box, they could list causes they would like to support. After a few miutes, brig all the studets back together to report their ideas to the rest of the group. Ecourage teeagers to add to their lists ay good suggestios they hear from others. Givig With Gusto Bibles Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Givig With Gusto hadout (at the ed of this study) pes Seior High Study 4 Sprig Quarter

42 42 The have pairs write their ideas i the Time sectios of the hadout. For example, i the How You Ca Get Some to Give box, studets could list ways to free up time for service (such as gettig up early o Saturday or cuttig back o phoe time). I the Ways to Give It box, they could list miistries or service projects with which they could serve as well as less-structured ways to give their time (such as helpig a classmate with homework or spedig a luch hour with someoe eedig a fried). After a few miutes, brig all the studets together to report their ideas to the rest of the group. Ecourage studets to add to their lists ay good suggestios they hear from others. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What would it look like to be a cheerful giver usig the ideas you gave? What would it look like to give reluctatly or uder compulsio usig those ideas? What differece would it make if you gave gladly or reluctatly? Make sure everyoe has a Bible, ad have studets follow alog as a willig perso reads the Key Verse, 2 Corithias 9:7: Each ma should give what he has decided i his heart to give, ot reluctatly or uder compulsio, for God loves a cheerful giver. What ca we lear about attitude from this verse? What does it mea to give uder compulsio? What examples ca you give of this? Do you thik this verse meas you should t give if you do t feel like it? Explai. How do you become a cheerful giver? Say: God already ows everythig. He does t eed our moey. But what he wats is to see givig, geerous hearts. Whe we GIVE CHEERFULLY TO GOD as the widow did, we hoor him. Put Your Moey Where Your Mouth Is paper markers several pairs of scissors Put Your Moey Where Your Mouth Is Challege each studet to make a specific commitmet to give to God this week. Have kids use the supplies to cut ad decorate fake paper moey, ad have studets write this versio of the Key Verse o the blak side: I will give what I have decided i my heart to give: [specific gift of time ad/or moey] ot reluctatly or uder compulsio, for God loves for me to be a cheerful giver. Sprig Quarter Study 4 Seior High

43 43 Ecourage studets to keep the fake moey i their wallets or purses to remid them of their commitmets. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid this questio i their Seior High Hadbooks. Tell about the commitmet you chose. How ca you do it cheerfully? Say: Thaks for makig those commitmets. We do t have to have a lot i order to GIVE CHEERFULLY TO GOD. The widow gave a very small amout of moey, but she gave it out of poverty ad with a geerous heart. That s the way we ca give to God as we follow through o our commitmets. Media Coectio (Optio) Istead of the Put Your Moey Where Your Mouth Is activity, lead kids i this itrospective worship activity. Say: I m goig to play a sog about givig differet parts of our lives. As I play it, liste carefully ad pick oe lie from the sog that represets somethig you d like to commit to givig to God this week. Play Take My Life (Ad Let It Be) as studets liste ad reflect. The play the sog agai ad ecourage studets to sig alog with ay words they kow, especially the part that they focused o i their commitmet. Media Coectio music player Take My Life (Ad Let It Be) by Chris Tomli Media Coectio Easy Prep Dowload Take My Life (Ad Let It Be), ad cue your music player so you re ready to play it. Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid this questio i their Seior High Hadbooks. Tell about the lie you chose. How ca you commit to give cheerfully to God i that area this week? Say: Thaks for makig those commitmets. We do t have to have a lot i order to GIVE CHEERFULLY TO GOD. The widow gave a very small amout of moey, but she gave it out of poverty ad with a geerous heart. That s the way we ca give to God as we follow through o our commitmets to give him all that we are. Seior High Study 4 Sprig Quarter

44 44 4 LASTING IMPRESSIONS Daily Challeges Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study) pes Daily Challeges Have studets get out their hadbooks, or distribute Takig It Home hadouts to all studets. Say: Today we ve see how we ca GIVE CHEERFULLY TO GOD. Let s commit to givig cheerfully this week. Direct studets to fid this week s Daily Challeges i their Seior High Hadbooks or o their Takig It Home hadouts ad choose oe to do this week. They may choose oe or more of these three optios: Give 10 miutes of your time each day to help others whether it s helpig a fried or siblig with his or her homework, doig chores you do t have to do, or whatever else God puts o your heart. Doate a article of clothig that you really do t wear aymore to your church or a local charity. Follow through o the commitmet you made to give time, moey, or a area of your life to God. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. What s a practical way you re goig to do your Daily Challege? Iclude a time, a place, ad other ideas. Say: Jesus was impressed with the widow s offerig, ot because of the quatity but because of the quality. Like the widow, we ca GIVE CHEERFULLY TO GOD. Let s commit to givig cheerfully this week as we follow through with our Daily Challeges. Weavig Faith at Home Ecourage studets to talk with their parets about the Daily Challeges they chose ad what they leared about givig. Studets ca also do the Talk With Your Family activity i their hadbooks or o their Takig It Home pages with their families. Talk to your Director about ig the FREE FamilyCoect to all your church s families! Available at group.com/digital. Close the sessio by havig studets pray with each other, askig God to help them give all their resources to him. Sprig Quarter Study 4 Seior High

45 45 Givig With Gusto How You Ca What You Get Ca Give Some to Give Ways to Give It Moey Time Seior High Study 4! OK TO COPY Illustrated by Matt Wood. Sprig Quarter

46 46 Jesus Notices a Widow s Givig Mark 12:41-44 Bible Poit Give cheerfully to God. Key Verse Each ma should give what he has decided i his heart to give, ot reluctatly or uder compulsio, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corithias 9:7). TAKING IT HOME Quotables You must give time to your fellow me eve if it s a little thig, do somethig for others somethig for which you get o pay but the privilege of doig it. Albert Schweitzer Daily Challege Give 10 miutes of your time each day to help others whether it s helpig a fried or siblig with his or her homework, doig chores you do t have to do, or whatever else God puts o your heart. Doate a article of clothig that you really do t wear aymore to your church or a local charity. Follow through o the commitmet you made to give time, moey, or a area of your life to God. Faith Joural What ca you give cheerfully to God? Talk With Your Family Read 1 Timothy 6:17-19 with your family, ad complete this survey: I what ways is our family rich? Check all that apply. moey love good times together humor a specific skill: other: How could we share our wealth with someoe else? Give $ to. Share love with by. Ivite to joi our good times o [date]. Cheer up by. Use our skill ( ) to help. Other: Which of these are we willig to do? Whe will we do them?! OK TO COPY Sprig Quarter Study 4 Seior High

47 Study 5 47 People Rejoice as Jesus Eters Jerusalem Mark 11:1-11 Adolescets are emotioally charged. Try to help your teeagers go beyod the moutaitop experieces they may have durig your meetigs, missios, or cofereces ad carry their worshipful attitudes ito their day-to-day lives. As you explore this study with them, help studets uderstad that Jesus is preset with them every day ad is kig over every situatio they face. STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 1 Faith Coectio 2 Bible Exploratio Respecters of Persos (about 10 mi.) Act out differet idetities. Dear Diary (about 20 mi.) Create joural etries i respose to Jesus triumphal etry. Media Coectio (Optio) (about 15 mi.) Create a soudtrack to go with Jesus triumphal etry. Bibles, paper, pes Bibles, smartphoes Bible Poit Jesus is our kig. Key Verse That at the ame of Jesus every kee should bow, i heave ad o earth ad uder the earth, ad every togue cofess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippias 2:10-11). Weavig Faith Ito Life Teeagers will explore ways to respod to Jesus as their kig. Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Seior High Study 5 Sprig Quarter

48 48 STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 3 Weavig Faith Ito Life 4 Lastig Impressios Roll Play (about 15 mi.) Play a game to braistorm how to respod appropriately to Jesus i everyday situatios. He Is Lord! (about 15 mi.) Discover biblical titles for Jesus, ad respod with praise. Daily Challeges (about 5 mi.) Choose a Daily Challege to apply God s Word. Weavig Faith at Home (about 2 mi.) Talk about how to share what they leared with their families. pes, 1 copy per perso of the Roll Play hadout (at the ed of this study), several pairs of scissors, tape Bibles, paper, pes Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study), pes Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Sprig Quarter Study 5 Seior High

49 49 People Rejoice as Jesus Eters Jerusalem Mark 11:1-11 BIBLe BACKGROUND FOR LEADERS Prophecies Fulfilled Chaged Lives This momet i Jewish history had log bee aticipated. Zechariah 9:9 predicts that the Messiah would come getle ad ridig o a dokey, o a colt, the foal of a dokey. Without questio, the Jews alog Jesus path made this coectio ad kew what it meat. Their celebratio made this clear as they covered Jesus path with their outer robes ad palm braches a demostratio of hoor ad submissio. The Kig Comes Fortuately, we kow what happeed ext. After the Resurrectio, everythig chaged. Ad that s how it ca be i our lives. Whe we choose to live for Jesus, everythig chages. We do t hoor him just by cheerig ad prayig ad sigig great worship sogs. We hoor him as the disciples did i every facet of our lives. We hoor him through our worship but also through our obediece, service, witess, ad gratitude. The Jesus Coectio The cries of the people were sigificat. As they shouted hosaa, they were sayig, Lord, save us! As they referred to Jesus as he who comes i the ame of the Lord ad spoke plaily of the comig kigdom of our father David, they were makig clear refereces to the Messiah predicted may times i the Old Testamet. Cofusig Evets After the excitemet of his triumphal etry, Jesus ad his disciples left Jerusalem to sped the ight i Bethay, where Mary, Martha, ad Lazarus lived. No metio is made of the crowd followig them. After all the cheerig had died dow, everyoe must have goe home. Jesus had spoke earlier of his immiet death, but the day s evets probably ecouraged the disciples to thik about Jesus beig made kig. How could thigs possibly tur agaist him as Jesus said they would? Hosaa! Lord save us! Jesus aswers that plea: Through a relatioship with him, we ca experiece this great gift of salvatio. It s easy to uitetioally develop a ho-hum attitude about faith. Yet i this passage, the crowds hoored Jesus with extravagat, public displays of worship. What ca you do to break free of complacecy? How will you extravagatly worship Jesus this week? Pray about actios you ca take or words you ca say this week to hoor Jesus as the Messiah. You ca write your prayer here. As evets ufolded, the disciples heads must have bee spiig. Throgs hoored Jesus that day, but oly a few days later the disciples hid i fear of the authorities, tryig to fid a way to live for the crucified Jesus. Seior High Study 5 Sprig Quarter

50 50 FAITH CONNECTION Respecters of Persos Welcome studets to the group. Have your studets form pairs. Explai that oe perso i each pair will leave the room. While those studets are abset, their parters will be told the abset members ew idetity. Whe the abset members retur, they ll have to figure out their ow ew idetity based o the way their parters are actig toward them. Have oe member from each pair leave the room, ad the tell the remaiig parters that they are to act as if they are the loyal subjects of their abset parters, who are each the kig or quee. Readmit the abset parters to the room, ad have those who remaied try to demostrate their idetity by the way they act. Have the parters who left the room try to guess their ow idetity as well as that of those who remaied. Play additioal rouds usig the followig idetity sets: The abset parter is a 2-year-old child; the remaiig parter is the paret. The abset parter is a baseball player; the remaiig parter is the coach. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. How could you tell who you were supposed to be? How did your idetity affect the way your parter acted toward you? What are some other ways people get treated differetly based o their idetity? Say: A perso s idetity ofte determies how others act toward that perso. For example, a actio that is perfectly respectful with a close fried might be iappropriate with a teacher or a goveror. Today we re goig to be learig that JESUS IS OUR KING ad cosider how that idetity impacts the way we treat Jesus. Sprig Quarter Study 5 Seior High

51 51 2 BIBLE EXPLORATION Dear Diary Make sure everyoe has a Bible, ad have studets ope to Mark 11:1-11. Give everyoe a piece of paper ad a pe. Dear Diary Bibles paper pes Say: As we look at today s passage, we ll see how people i Jerusalem treated Jesus as kig ad joural about our ow reactios. Ivite someoe to read aloud Mark 11:1-3. Say: Begi your joural by cosiderig what actios you ca do to serve kig Jesus. Cosider your ow thoughts about what Jesus asked the disciples to do ad what he might be askig you to do for him. Allow about five miutes. Ivite someoe to read aloud Mark 11:4-6. Say: Next, write i your joural about thigs you ca say to other people to demostrate that Jesus is kig of your life. Cosider your thoughts about the disciples iteractio with the other people. Allow about five miutes. Ivite someoe to read aloud Mark 11:7-11. Say: Fially, complete your joural by writig about how your words ad actios ca show praise to your kig. Cosider your thoughts about how the people of Jerusalem praised Jesus as a kig. Allow about five miutes. Talk With Studets Lead everyoe i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. Share some of the thigs you wrote i your joural. What does it mea for you to truly cosider Jesus the kig of your life? What ca you lear from the way the people i Jerusalem treated Jesus as kig? Say: JESUS IS OUR KING. The people of Jerusalem thought that meat a political kig who would overthrow the govermet. They hoored Jesus like a political kig. But they did t kow Jesus had bigger plas a week later he would die ad come back to life, showig that he s the kig ot just of a city but over life itself! Seior High Study 5 Sprig Quarter

52 52 Media Coectio (Optio) Media Coectio Bibles smartphoes Istead of the Dear Diary activity, have studets make a soudtrack to go with Mark 11:1-11. Have studets form four groups, ad make sure each group has at least oe smartphoe. Have studets dowload free soud effects apps o their phoes. Distribute Bibles, ad have groups read Mark 11:1-11 together ad choose soud effects they thik best illustrate various parts of the passage. Have them get ready to play the soud effects at the right time as you read the passage. Allow about eight miutes for studets to prepare, ad the slowly read the passage while all the groups play their soud effects. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What do you hear ad picture whe you thik about this evet? What does it look ad soud like for you to truly treat Jesus as the kig of your life? What ca you lear from the way the people i Jerusalem treated Jesus as kig? Say: JESUS IS OUR KING. The people of Jerusalem thought that meat a political kig who would overthrow the govermet. They hoored Jesus like a political kig. They cheered for him ad waved palm braches. But they did t kow Jesus had bigger plas a week later he would die ad come back to life, showig that he s the kig ot just of a city but over life itself! 3 WEAVING FAITH INTO LIFE Roll Play pes 1 copy per perso of the Roll Play hadout (at the ed of this study) several pairs of scissors tape Roll Play Distribute pes ad the Roll Play hadout. Provide scissors ad tape. Assig half the studets to work o the sectio of the hadout titled How Ca We Hoor Jesus? If they eed ideas, cosider thigs like sigig, talkig to others, prayig, writig, servig, ad so o. Assig the other studets to work o the sectio of the hadout titled Whe Ca We Hoor Jesus? Istruct them to thik of everyday situatios. Have studets write oe Sprig Quarter Study 5 Seior High

53 53 sceario or situatio i each of the six faces of the flatteed cube o the hadout. Ecourage studets to describe specific situatios. For example, urge them to make a geeral situatio such as at school more specific by describig a specific evet at school, like takig a test. Whe studets have filled i all the sides of their cubes, have them cut out ad assemble the cubes so the words are facig out. Now have studets form pairs by havig those with a How Ca We Hoor Jesus? cube joi with someoe with a Whe Ca We Hoor Jesus? cube. Say: Roll the How Ca We Hoor Jesus? cube, ad read the actio o the top. The roll the Whe Ca We Hoor Jesus? cube, ad read the situatio o top. I your pairs, discuss how you could use that actio to praise Jesus ad treat him as a kig i the situatio you rolled. Roll several times to come up with differet sets of words. As pairs work together, circulate to make sure that studets are able to make coectios betwee the situatios ad actios. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What were some of your best ideas? For which sets was it hardest to thik of a good way to praise Jesus? Why? Which ideas would you like to use this week? Talk about that. Say: The people of Jerusalem praised Jesus whe they thought thigs were goig well. They thought Jesus was comig to the rescue! It ca be easy for us to praise Jesus i good times. But eve whe thigs are t goig so well, JESUS IS OUR KING. He s i charge ad has a pla that s better tha we ca imagie. We ca give him the authority i our lives because he s a praiseworthy kig! He Is Lord! Have six people each ope their Bibles to oe of the passages below ad be ready to read it. Give everyoe a piece of paper, ad make sure everyoe has pes. He Is Lord! Bibles paper pes Have studets follow alog i their Bibles while a you read aloud the Key Verse, Philippias 2:10-11: That at the ame of Jesus every kee should bow, i heave ad o earth ad uder the earth, ad every togue cofess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippias 2:10-11). Say: We re goig to explore differet ames the Bible gives for Jesus. Ad, as our Seior High Study 5 Sprig Quarter

54 54 Key Verse suggests, we ll respod by recogizig who he is ad hoorig him for that. We ll do this with our ow versio of a Palm Suday parade. Have the six studets take turs readig aloud the passages below. After each oe is read, have everyoe write a respose praise o a scrap of their paper. The have studets lie up ad toss their papers o the groud as they say their praise, as if preparig a path for Jesus. Make a ew path for each ame of Jesus you explore. Matthew 16:16 Christ, So of God Joh 6:35 bread of life Joh 8:12 light of the world Joh 10:11 good shepherd Joh 14:6 the way, the truth, ad the life Philippias 2:11 Lord Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. Which ame for Jesus makes you feel the most like praisig him? Explai. How do these ames tie to the fact that JESUS IS OUR KING? How does kowig who Jesus is help you hoor him with your life? Say: Our Key Verse tells us that oe day, every kee will bow for Jesus. That may ot be the case ow, but it ca be true of our ow lives. We ca recogize that JESUS IS OUR KING ad bow before his authority i the ups ad dows of our lives. Ad we ca praise him just as the people i Jerusalem did. 4 LASTING IMPRESSIONS Daily Challeges Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study) pes Daily Challeges Have studets get out their hadbooks, or distribute Takig It Home hadouts to all studets. Say: Today we ve see that JESUS IS OUR KING. Let s commit to hoorig our kig this week. Direct studets to fid this week s Daily Challeges i their Seior High Hadbooks or o their Takig It Home hadouts ad choose oe to do this week. They may choose oe or more of these three optios: Choose oe ame for Jesus ad reflect o it this week. Cosider how you ca live your life i recogitio of who Jesus is. Praise Jesus usig oe of the ideas you came up with i the Roll Play activity. Try to praise him as much as you ca this week! Sprig Quarter Study 5 Seior High

55 55 Is there a area of your life i which you ve bee tryig to reig? Pray ad commit that to Jesus authority. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. What s a practical way you re goig to do your Daily Challege? Iclude a time, a place, ad other ideas. Say: Palm Suday was a big day for praisig Jesus as a kig. JESUS IS OUR KING, too. Let s commit to hoorig him this week as we follow through with our Daily Challeges. Weavig Faith at Home Ecourage studets to talk with their parets about the Daily Challeges they chose ad what they leared about Jesus beig kig. Studets ca also do the Talk With Your Family activity i their hadbooks or o their Takig It Home pages with their families. Talk to your Director about ig the FREE FamilyCoect to all your church s families! Available at group.com/digital. Close with prayer, allowig time for studets to siletly surreder to the authority of Jesus as their kig. Seior High Study 5 Sprig Quarter

56 56 How Ca We Hoor Jesus? Roll Play Come up with differet actios that show praise ad write them i the cube, usig oe of the squares below for each idea. The cut o the solid lies, fold o the dotted lies, ad tape the cube together. Whe Ca We Hoor Jesus? Thik of six everyday situatios. Write oe situatio i each of the squares below. The cut o the solid lies, fold o the dotted lies, ad tape the cube together.! OK TO COPY Sprig Quarter Study 5 Seior High

57 57 People Rejoice as Jesus Eters Jerusalem Mark 11:1-11 Bible Poit Jesus is our kig. Key Verse That at the ame of Jesus every kee should bow, i heave ad o earth ad uder the earth, ad every togue cofess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippias 2:10-11). Daily Challege Choose oe ame for Jesus ad reflect o it this week. Cosider how you ca live your life i recogitio of who Jesus is. Praise Jesus usig oe of the ideas you came up with i the Roll Play activity. Try to praise him as much as you ca this week! Is there a area of your life i which you ve bee tryig to reig? Pray ad commit that to Jesus authority. Faith Joural Describe a kig. How does that descriptio fit who Jesus is to you? Talk With Your Family TAKING IT HOME Quotables To kow whom you worship, let me see you i your shop, let me hear you i your trade, let me kow how you ret your houses, how you get your moey, how you kept it ad how you spet it. Theodore Parker, Sermo of Covetioal ad Natural Sacramets Read Revelatio 4:1-11 with your family. The discuss these questios together: Compare this scee with the oe i Jerusalem o Palm Suday. Why does Jesus deserve this kid of hoor? What do you thik of the fact that the 24 elders lay their crows before the throe? Get some paper, ad have everyoe draw a crow. Each perso ca write o the crow somethig he or she wats to lay before Jesus authority. Cut out the crows, ad use them to bookmark Revelatio 4 as a symbol of recogizig Jesus as kig over what you each wrote.! OK TO COPY Seior High Study 5 Sprig Quarter

58

59 Study 6 59 Jesus Is Alive! Mark 16:1-8 May teeagers have had so much exposure to the Easter miracle that the Easter celebratio has become somewhat stale ad mechaical for them. If you otice this happeig with your teeagers, probe their uderstadig by usig why questios. Begi by askig them why Jesus resurrectio is importat. If a studet aswers, Because it shows Jesus victory over death, ask him or her why that is sigificat. This type of probig ad persoalizig will help your teeagers see that Easter has simple ad profoud truths for their everyday lives. STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 1 Faith Coectio Playig to Wi (about 15 mi.) Play a game ad try to experiece victory. balloos, cois Bible Poit Jesus is alive. Key Verse Jesus said to her, I am the resurrectio ad the life. He who believes i me will live, eve though he dies (Joh 11:25). 2 Bible Exploratio The Thrill of Victory (about 20 mi.) Use cups ad spoos to re-create Easter morig from two perspectives. Media Coectio (Optio) (about 20 mi.) Ivestigate the Easter miracle through a sog. Bibles, disposable spoos, permaet markers, disposable cups Bibles, music player, sog I Christ Aloe by Keith ad Kristy Getty Dowload I Christ Aloe, ad cue your music player so you re ready to play it. Weavig Faith Ito Life Teeagers will explore why Jesus victory over death is so crucial to their faith ad their lives. From Death to Life (about 10 mi.) Chage images that represet Jesus death ito pictures of life. Bibles, 1 copy per 4 studets of the From Death to Life hadout (at the ed of this study), scissors, pes, tape Cut apart the sectios of the From Death to Life hadout so that each studet ca get 1 sectio. Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Seior High Study 6 Sprig Quarter

60 60 STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 3 Weavig Faith Ito Life 4 Lastig Impressios A Hut for Hope (about 15 mi.) Participate i a egg hut to covert their otes of defeat to otes of hope. Daily Challeges (about 5 mi.) Choose a Daily Challege to apply God s Word. Weavig Faith at Home (about 2 mi.) Talk about how to share what they leared with their families. slips of paper, pes, 1 plastic Easter egg per perso, permaet markers Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study), pes Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Sprig Quarter Study 6 Seior High

61 61 Jesus Is Alive! Mark 16:1-8 BIBLe BACKGROUND FOR LEADERS Four Views Death Defeated The first questio skeptics ask about Jesus resurrectio is, Why do the Gospel writers all give differet accouts? To aswer that questio, thik about a excitig evet i your life at which several people were preset. If you asked them to tell about the evets of that day, would all their versios of the day be exactly the same? Of course ot. We all see thigs from differet perspectives ad remember differet details of what we see. That s exactly what happeed with the Gospel writers tellig of Jesus resurrectio. All seemig cotradictios arise out of their slightly differet views of evets ad ca easily be resolved whe oe accepts that truth. I fact, if all the accouts were exactly the same, a critic would say that the authors had collaborated to make up a covicig story. Ad thaks to these differet viewpoits, the accouts we have as orchestrated by God give us a more early complete picture of what happeed tha if oly oe Gospel had bee writte. Especially Good News The agel s proclamatio He has rise! was the most woderful ews ayoe could have give to Jesus followers. He was alive, ad they were to meet him! Why did the agel metio Peter specifically? Peter the bold oe had fearfully deied Jesus three times the ight of Jesus trial ad the had broke dow ad wept (Mark 14:66-72). Now that Jesus was alive, Peter would likely woder if Jesus would accept him. The agel left o doubt of Jesus forgiveess by tellig the wome at the tomb, Go tell his disciples ad Peter. Why do we celebrate Easter? The Apostle Paul eloquetly tells us, If Christ has ot bee raised, your faith is futile; you are still i your sis The stig of death is si, ad the power of si is the law. But thaks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corithias 15:17, 56-57). What more could we ask? Thaks be to God for his idescribable gift! (2 Corithias 9:15). The Jesus Coectio We do t serve a dead leader the way most other religios do. Jesus is alive! Because he lives, we ca each have a dyamic ad growig relatioship with him. How ca you thak God for the idescribable gift of Jesus ad the world-rockig, si-shatterig, life-revolutioizig power of his resurrectio? Make this Easter Suday special. Tur from distractios, ad focus istead o the real gift of Easter: ew life through Jesus death ad resurrectio. Start ow by talkig to God about what Easter meas to you. You ca write your prayer here. Seior High Study 6 Sprig Quarter

62 62 FAITH CONNECTION Playig to Wi balloos cois! BALLOON WARNING To avoid chokig hazards for youger classes meetig later, be sure to pick up pieces of ay broke balloos promptly. Balloos may cotai latex. Playig to Wi Welcome studets to the group. Have studets form groups of four. Give each group a balloo ad a coi, ad have someoe i the group put the coi i the balloo ad the blow up ad tie off the balloo. Say: Your goal is to play Keep It Up. With your group, you ll try to hit the balloo 20 cosecutive times without it touchig the floor. The same perso ca hit it twice i a row just do what you eed to i order to keep the balloo up. Allow time. The goal is for the game to be challegig but possible for all groups to fiish. If you otice some groups are t challeged by this game, icrease the umber of times they eed to hit the balloo or say they may oly use their elbows to hit it. Ed whe everyoe has bee successful (at least at the origial task). Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What was it like to defeat a challegig task? Tell about a time you lost a competitio or game. What was that like for you? Tell about a time you wo somethig. What was that like? Say: We ve all experieced both loss ad victory at some poit i our lives. Today we ll look at a time it looked like God had lost. Jesus was dead. But agaist all odds, Jesus rose from the dead ad emerged victorious! We ll explore that JESUS IS ALIVE ad victorious i our lives today. 2 BIBLE EXPLORATION The Thrill of Victory Bibles disposable spoos permaet markers disposable cups The Thrill of Victory Have studets form two groups. Give each group some spoos, cups, ad permaet markers. Distribute Bibles, ad have everyoe ope to Mark 16:1-8. Sprig Quarter Study 6 Seior High

63 63 Say: You re goig to use your supplies to create a dierware drama of our Bible passage. Make sure everyoe i your group is ivolved i some way. You ca draw o the spoos to make people or agels, or make props out of the spoos or cups. But there are two very differet ways of lookig at our passage, so that s how you ll do it. Assig oe group to preset its drama by lookig at the victory i the passage. This group may focus o the joy of the agels ad Jesus victory over death. Assig the other group to focus its drama o the defeat i the passage the way the wome acted. Allow about 10 miute for groups to prepare, ad the allow time for them each to preset their dierware dramas. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. How could oe evet be looked at so differetly? Why do you thik fear was so preset eve i the midst of Jesus greatest victory? I what ways do you act defeated rather tha recogizig Jesus victory? Say: JESUS IS ALIVE! We have othig to fear. We do t eed to act defeated ad afraid like the wome at his tomb. He coquered death ad si, ad he ca coquer our fears, too. Media Coectio (Optio) Istead of The Thrill of Victory activity, have studets explore the evets of the resurrectio through sog. First, have studets form groups of four or five, ad make sure every group has a Bible. I their groups, have studets read Mark 16:1-8 ad idetify the mai themes they see emergig i this passage. After several miutes for readig ad group discussio, ask groups to share some of their isights. Say: Now let s explore the evets of the resurrectio through a sog. Cosider what key poits the sogwriters seem to focus o. Play I Christ Aloe by Keith ad Kristy Getty. Whe the sog eds, ask for studets to share their isights regardig the mai poits. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. Media Coectio Bibles music player sog I Christ Aloe by Keith ad Kristy Getty Media Coectio Easy Prep Dowload I Christ Aloe, ad cue your music player so you re ready to play it. Lookig oly at the way the wome at the tomb reacted, what would you say was the mai poit of this passage? How does that differ from the mai poits we discussed? How could oe evet be looked at so differetly? Seior High Study 6 Sprig Quarter

64 64 Why do you thik fear was so preset eve i the midst of Jesus greatest victory? I what ways do you act defeated rather tha recogizig Jesus victory? Say: As he stads i victory, si s curse has lost its grip o me. JESUS IS ALIVE! We have othig to fear. We do t eed to act defeated ad afraid like the wome at his tomb. He coquered death ad si, ad he ca coquer our fears, too. From Death to Life Bibles 1 copy per 4 studets of the From Death to Life hadout (at the ed of this study) scissors pes tape From Death to Life Easy Prep Cut apart the sectios of the From Death to Life hadout so that each studet ca get 1 sectio. From Death to Life Set out pes, ad give each studet a sectio of the From Death to Life hadout. Have everyoe tur to the Key Verse, Joh 11:25, ad ivite someoe to read it aloud: Jesus said to her, I am the resurrectio ad the life. He who believes i me will live, eve though he dies. Say: Jesus words here are iterestig...ad perhaps a little cofusig. How ca someoe who dies live? O your paper, you have a symbol of Jesus death: a crow of thors, a spoge like the oe the soldiers gave him to drik from, a cross, ad a stoe-covered tomb. But there s also a lot of space aroud your image. So covert your picture to some kid of a sig of life whatever comes to mid. Icorporate your origial image, but add to it to make a picture of life. Allow about five miutes. Whe studets are doe, have them tape their pictures to the wall i a grid so everyoe ca see the gallery of pictures of life. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What thigs ca represet death, si, or decay i someoe s life? What does it mea to you that Jesus is the resurrectio ad the life ad that we ca live eve though we die? What are sigs that someoe is alive i Jesus? How do you eed Jesus to covert death to life for you? Say: Just as it did for the wome at the tomb, sometimes the miracle of Jesus resurrectio escapes us. We get focused o our ow temptatios, sis, fears, ad doubts sigs of death. But Jesus coquered all that! He tured death ito life o Easter morig, ad he ca do it every day i our lives, too. JESUS IS ALIVE! Let s ecourage each other to let go of these sigs of death ad embrace hope. Sprig Quarter Study 6 Seior High

65 65 3 WEAVING FAITH INTO LIFE A Hut for Hope Give each studet a plastic egg, a pe, ad a slip of paper. Also distribute permaet markers for later. Say: Cosider a fear, doubt, or temptatio you struggle with somethig you re okay with oe other perso readig. Write it o your paper, icludig your ame, ad put it iside your egg. The hide your egg somewhere i the room. Allow time. A Hut for Hope slips of paper pes 1 plastic Easter egg per perso permaet markers Say: Because we re huma, we have a hard time lettig go of fear ad livig i the power of the Resurrectio: hope. Easter is all about victory! God has take away all reaso for fear. This chages everythig. Easter is so much more tha just a fu celebratio; we ca ow sped each day livig i the hope we ve foud. Fid a egg. Take the paper out, ad write a brief ote of hope i permaet marker o the outside of the egg. The retur the egg to its origial ower. Take the paper with you so you ca pray for that perso this week. Let studets search for eggs ad write their otes of ecouragemet. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. Share what your ote of ecouragemet said. Why is that ecouragig? How ca you better focus o the hope ad victory Jesus brigs? How ca you ecourage others to had their fears ad doubts over to Jesus? Say: The victory of Easter chages everythig i our lives. Whe Jesus coquered death, he also coquered all of the fears that cripple us. Your egg is empty ow of all your fears ad doubts, just as the tomb was empty whe the wome came to aoit Jesus body o Easter morig. We celebrate Easter because it remids us that JESUS IS ALIVE ad victorious over death, fear, ad si. Seior High Study 6 Sprig Quarter

66 66 4 LASTING IMPRESSIONS Daily Challeges Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study) pes Daily Challeges Have studets get out their hadbooks, or distribute Takig It Home hadouts to all studets. Say: Today we ve see that JESUS IS ALIVE! He coquered death. Let s commit to livig i light of that this week. Direct studets to fid this week s Daily Challeges i their Seior High Hadbooks or o their Takig It Home hadouts ad choose oe to do this week. They may choose oe or more of these three optios: Hold o to your Easter egg ad read its hopeful ote every day. Let it ecourage you to live i light of Jesus victory over death. Share your family s Easter traditios with a o-christia fried this week. Ask what he or she does, ad talk about what the differeces are ad why. Be careful ot to lecture! Opely liste ad share. Write the Key Verse i your joural, assigmet book, or somewhere else you ll see it every day. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. What s a practical way you re goig to do your Daily Challege? Iclude a time, a place, ad other ideas. Say: Easter is the day we celebrate that JESUS IS ALIVE. We do t have to live i fear like the wome at the tomb did. Let s commit to celebratig Jesus victory over death as we follow through with our Daily Challeges this week. Weavig Faith at Home Ecourage studets to talk with their parets about the Daily Challeges they chose ad what they leared about Jesus beig alive. Studets ca also do the Talk With Your Family activity i their hadbooks or o their Takig It Home pages with their families. Talk to your Director about ig the FREE FamilyCoect to all your church s families! Available at group.com/digital. Close with prayer, ivitig studets to pray this with you if they feel iclied. Pray: Dear Jesus, we thak you for your victory over death! We give you all the ways we live i death. We wat to live i you! Help us accept your gift of life ad forgiveess ad live i light of your victory, ot i light of our fears. I your ame, ame. Sprig Quarter Study 6 Seior High

67 67 From Death to Life Seior High Study 6! OK TO COPY Illustrated by Clipart from Art Explosio, Sherwi Schwartzrock. Sprig Quarter

68 68 Jesus Is Alive! Mark 16:1-8 Bible Poit Jesus is alive. Key Verse Jesus said to her, I am the resurrectio ad the life. He who believes i me will live, eve though he dies (Joh 11:25). TAKING IT HOME Quotables There i the groud His body lay, Light of the world by darkess slai; The burstig forth i glorious day, Up from the grave He rose agai! Ad as He stads i victory, Si s curse has lost its grip o me; For I am His ad He is mie Bought with the precious blood of Christ. Keith ad Kristy Getty, I Christ Aloe Daily Challege Hold o to your Easter egg ad read its hopeful ote every day. Let it ecourage you to live i light of Jesus victory over death. Share your family s Easter traditios with a o-christia fried this week. Ask what he or she does, ad talk about what the differeces are ad why. Be careful ot to lecture! Opely liste ad share. Write the Key Verse i your joural, assigmet book, or somewhere else you ll see it every day. Faith Joural What does Easter mea to you persoally? Talk With Your Family Read Psalm 118:14-24 together. The use the followig setece starters to share some of your fears ad Easter hopes with each other. A evet i the past that was frighteig for our family was I am afraid of A situatio i our family i which we could use God s help is A time I did ot have much hope was Somethig that I really do t eed to worry about is Sigs of hope that I see i our family life are As a family, I thik we re doig better with I hope God is workig to! OK TO COPY Sprig Quarter Study 6 Seior High

69 Study 7 69 Jesus Appears to His Disciples Joh 20:19-31 Ulike kids, teeagers are able to thik abstractly. But they re less trustig tha kids, so eve with their abstract thikig skills they may have a hard time havig faith i God. They may be wrestlig with questios ad doubts about faith for the first time. Create a ope space for studets to share these questios ad doubts as you lead this study, but always loop back aroud to why we ca believe i Jesus. STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 1 Faith Coectio 2 Bible Exploratio No Peekig! (about 15 mi.) Idetify items with seses other tha sight. Seeig Is Believig (about 15 mi.) Reflect o the seses i the Bible passage ad their ow experieces with Jesus. 9 brow paper luch bags, marker, sugar, ketchup, dirt, shampoo, modelig dough, cotto balls, loose chage, keys, full water bottle, paper, pes, plastic wrap Bibles Number the bags 1-9, ad place the sugar, ketchup, dirt, shampoo, modelig dough, cotto balls, chage, keys, ad water bottle each i a separate bag. You may wat to lie the ketchup ad shampoo bags with plastic wrap first. Bible Poit Believe i Jesus. Key Verse Now faith is beig sure of what we hope for ad certai of what we do ot see (Hebrews 11:1). Weavig Faith Ito Life Teeagers will discover that they ca believe i Jesus i spite of doubts. Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Seior High Study 7 Sprig Quarter

70 70 STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 3 Weavig Faith Ito Life 4 Lastig Impressios Pictures of Jesus (about 15 mi.) Draw pictures of themselves with Jesus ad compare them with those of others. Doubts & Beliefs (about 15 mi.) Write ad read questios about Jesus paired with beliefs. Media Coectio (Optio) (about 15 mi.) Watch a movie clip, ad cosider what they d like to ask Jesus to kow more about him. Daily Challeges (about 5 mi.) Choose a Daily Challege to apply God s Word. Weavig Faith at Home (about 2 mi.) Talk about how to share what they leared with their families. paper, markers Bibles, slips of paper, pes Bibles, video player, movie Big Fish Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study), pes Cue Big Fish to 01:18:05, whe Will says, You kow about icebergs, Dad? Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Sprig Quarter Study 7 Seior High

71 71 Jesus Appears to His Disciples Joh 20:19-31 BIBLe BACKGROUND FOR LEADERS Scared Disciples What Is Faith Ayway? Hidig i a room with the doors locked for fear of the Jews that s where Jesus foud his disciples the eveig of his resurrectio day! They kew Jesus had bee crucified. Some, o doubt, had see him die. They had heard from the wome that Jesus had rise, but they had t see him. Cofusio must have ruled their thoughts ad coversatio that eveig. Seeig Jesus Jesus must have looked somewhat differet i his ew spiritual body. Mary did t recogize him at first outside the tomb (Joh 20:14). Ad apparetly Jesus appearace to the disciples did t immediately allay theirs fears because his first words were Peace be with you! The he showed the disciples the wouds i his hads ad side to verify his idetity. It may have take a momet, but fially the disciples fears ad cofusio fell away, ad they were overjoyed! Our Advatage Faith meas trustig Christ for everythig. It meas believig i his sacrifice o the cross ad livig a life of gratitude for what he s doe. It meas givig up ay hope of wiig God s favor by our huma efforts. It meas seekig Jesus above all else. The Jesus Coectio Reread Joh 20:29. Jesus is talkig about you! It takes great faith to believe whe you ca t see or touch Jesus; that s why he calls your relatioship with him blessed! Do you ever feel like Thomas? Jesus revealed himself to Thomas ad allayed his doubts. What doubts or faith questios do you have? Speak opely to God about them i prayer, ad the look for ways God will reveal himself to you through Scripture, your pastor s words, Christia frieds, prayer, ature, or the promptigs of the Holy Spirit. You ca write your prayer here. Havig faith was ot easy for these first-cetury disciples. Thomas was really o differet from the others. The other disciples demostrated by their actios that they doubted Jesus resurrectio util they actually saw him. It s easy to thik that those livig i Jesus day had a advatage over us i developig faith. But we may have the advatage. Jesus life, death, ad resurrectio did t fit the disciples expectatios of the Messiah. They had to recosider all their precoceived otios of the Messiah. They had to match Jesus actios with what the Old Testamet Scriptures predicted about the Messiah. Oly the could they fully have faith. Seior High Study 7 Sprig Quarter

72 72 FAITH CONNECTION No Peekig! 9 brow paper luch bags marker sugar ketchup dirt shampoo modelig dough cotto balls loose chage keys full water bottle paper pes plastic wrap No Peekig! Easy Prep Number the bags 1-9, ad place the sugar, ketchup, dirt, shampoo, modelig dough, cotto balls, chage, keys, ad water bottle each i separate a bag. You may wat to lie the ketchup ad shampoo bags with plastic wrap first. No Peekig! Welcome studets to the group. Give everyoe a piece of paper ad a pe, ad show studets the bags. Say: You re goig to try to determie what s i these bags, but you wo t be able to just look iside. Number your paper 1 through 9, so you ca write your guesses as to what s i each bag. Preset the bags oe by oe, lettig studets secretly write their guesses for each oe. For the bags with the sugar, ketchup, ad dirt, have studets lie up ad each get a chace to smell the bag (keepig their eyes closed!). For the bags with the shampoo, modelig dough, ad cotto balls, have studets lie up ad each get a chace to reach ito the bag to feel the items. For the bags with the chage, keys, ad water bottle, walk aroud the room shakig the bag so everyoe ca hear what s iside. After you ve preseted all ie bags, How cofidet are you i your aswers? Determie if there are ay aswers that may studets do t feel cofidet i, ad have them compare aswers without you ackowledgig the correct oe. The check back i to see if that helped ayoe feel more cofidet. If there are still some bags i which may studets do t feel cofidet, allow oe studet to look iside ad ame the item. Agai, check i to see if studets are ow cofidet they kow what s i the bag. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What caused you to have ay doubts about what might be i each bag? What boosted your cofidece? How much does your sese of sight play a role i what you ll believe with cofidece? Say: All our seses are importat, but for most of us, our sese of sight helps us believe thigs more firmly. You may thik you heard a tiger outside your house, but uless you see a tiger you probably wo t really believe that s what you heard. Today we ll lear about a ma i the Bible who felt he would t believe Jesus was alive uless he could see ad touch him. Ad we ll see why we ca BELIEVE IN JESUS eve though we ca t see him. Sprig Quarter Study 7 Seior High

73 73 2 BIBLE EXPLORATION Seeig Is Believig Have studets form groups of four. Distribute Bibles. Say: With your group, read Joh 20: The discuss what differet seses the disciples used to experiece Jesus. Allow time for readig ad discussio, ad the ask groups to share isights. Seeig Is Believig Bibles Say: Ufortuately for Thomas, he was t there whe the disciples got to see Jesus, hear him speak, touch his wouds, ad feel (or smell?) his breath. He heard what had happeed, but he eeded to see ad feel for himself i order to believe. With your group, read Joh 20:24-29, ad discuss what seses Thomas used to experiece Jesus. Allow time for readig ad discussio, ad the ask groups to share isights. Say: The Bible does t say whether Thomas took Jesus up o his offer to feel his wouds. Jesus offered, but Thomas just cried out a proclamatio that Jesus was ideed his Lord, stadig before him. But Thomas did get to see Jesus ad we do t have that opportuity. However, that makes us more blessed i our belief! Let s look at the rest of our passage ad cosider how we ve experieced Jesus. Read Joh 20:30-31 with your group, ad share how you ve experieced Jesus through thigs you ve read i the Bible or through your ow experieces. Agai, focus o the seses. Allow time for readig ad discussio, ad the ask groups to share isights. Talk With Studets Lead everyoe i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. How might talkig with Jesus face to face, hearig his teachig, or seeig his miracles stregthe your belief i him? How might ot beig able to see Jesus face to face force you to rely more o faith? What does it mea to have faith? Say: Jesus did t judge Thomas for his doubts. He kew Thomas was strugglig to believe, so he came back to give Thomas the opportuity to see for himself that Jesus is alive. While Jesus may ot appear to us i the flesh, he ca show us his love ad other evidece that he s at work i our lives. We BELIEVE IN JESUS eve whe doubts threate our faith. Ad we re blessed for it! Seior High Study 7 Sprig Quarter

74 74 3 WEAVING FAITH INTO LIFE Pictures of Jesus paper markers Pictures of Jesus Give each studet a piece of paper, ad set out markers to share. Say: Our experieces with Jesus shape the way we view him. Thomas experiece seeig ad touchig Jesus chaged his view from just hearig about Jesus from the other disciples. So let s see how we view Jesus. Draw a picture of you ad Jesus together. Make sure you spread out so o oe else ca see what you re drawig. Allow about five miutes for drawig. Say: Now form groups of four, ad compare your pictures. Notice the differeces i the way you depicted Jesus, what you re doig with him, ad how that reflects your ow experieces with Jesus. Allow time. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What were some of the differeces you oticed betwee your group s pictures? similarities? How has your view of Jesus bee shaped by your ow experieces? What does it take for you to have faith that Jesus is who the Bible says he is? Say: I bet oe of our pictures of Jesus looked quite the same. We ve all experieced Jesus a little differetly. Thomas wated to have his ow faith, ot faith based o hearsay. You might be able to copy someoe else s picture, but it would t reflect your ow faith it would reflect the faith of the perso whose picture you copied. Our experieces ca help us see Jesus at work i our lives ad ca stregthe our ability to BELIEVE IN JESUS. But does that mea we ever have doubts? Let s explore that. Doubts & Beliefs Bibles slips of paper pes Doubts & Beliefs Set out pes, ad give each studet two slips of paper. Make sure everyoe has a Bible. Say: We all have questios about who Jesus is thigs we wish we kew that would make it easier to truly have faith. But there are also thigs we believe strogly about Jesus. We do t doubt those thigs. O oe slip of paper, write a questio or a doubt you have. O the other slip, write somethig you believe strogly about Jesus. Sprig Quarter Study 7 Seior High

75 75 Others will read what you wrote, but they wo t kow who wrote what. After studets write their questios ad beliefs, collect them, keepig them i two separate piles. Have studets form two lies, oe for doubts ad the other for beliefs. Say: We re goig to have a kid of parade of doubts ad beliefs. We ll take turs readig aloud doubts ad respodig to them with beliefs. Have someoe i the doubt lie step forward, read aloud oe of the doubt slips of paper, ad the go to the back of the beliefs lie. Immediately after, have the first perso i the beliefs lie step forward, read a belief slip, ad go to the back of the doubt lie. The have studets repeat the Key Verse, Hebrews 11:1, after you: Now faith is beig sure of what we hope for ad certai of what we do ot see (Hebrews 11:1). Cotiue i this patter util all the slips have bee read. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What feels more domiat i your life doubts or belief? Explai. Is it okay to have questios ad doubts about Jesus? Why or why ot? How ca our beliefs override our doubts? How ca you hold o to what you believe eve whe doubts come up? Say: We all have doubts. But that s othig ew. Eve Thomas, oe of Jesus closest frieds, had doubts Jesus really came back to life. Sometimes Jesus will reveal somethig to us as he did to Thomas, ad our faith will be stregtheed. But Jesus also said that we re blessed whe we believe eve though we ca t see. I other words, eve whe we have doubts, we re blessed to focus o the thigs we kow to be true about Jesus. Ad the more we get to kow Jesus, the more we ll BELIEVE IN JESUS. Media Coectio (Optio) Tip May movie clips are available at youtube.com. This clip is also available at wigclips.com uder the title Show Me Who You Are. Istead of the Doubts & Beliefs activity, have studets watch a movie clip from Big Fish that illustrates askig questios about someoe. Begi the clip at 01:18:05, whe Will asks, You kow about icebergs, Dad? I this clip, Will expresses doubts i the stories his dad has shared, ad he questios how much he really kows about his father. Ed the clip at 01:20:28, whe Will gets up ad walks away. Media Coectio Bibles video player movie Big Fish Media Coectio Easy Prep Cue Big Fish to 01:18:05, whe Will says, You kow about icebergs, Dad? Seior High Study 7 Sprig Quarter

76 76 Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. Compare Will s attitude toward his father with Thomas attitude toward Jesus. Will was hoest about questios ad doubts he had ad ways he did t feel close to his dad. I what ways does Will s coversatio remid you of your ow relatioship with Jesus? I what ways is it differet? What feels more domiat i your life doubts or belief? Explai. Is it okay to have questios ad doubts about Jesus? Why or why ot? Have everyoe ope their Bibles to the Key Verse, Hebrews 11:1, ad read it with you: Now faith is beig sure of what we hope for ad certai of what we do ot see (Hebrews 11:1). How ca our faith override our questios about what we ca t see? How ca you hold o to what you believe eve whe doubts come up? Say: We all have doubts ad questios. But that s othig ew. Eve Thomas, oe of Jesus closest frieds, had doubts Jesus really came back to life. Sometimes Jesus will reveal somethig to us as he did to Thomas, ad our faith will be stregtheed. But Jesus also said that we re blessed whe we believe eve though we ca t see. I other words, eve whe we have doubts, we re blessed to focus o the thigs we kow to be true about Jesus. Ad the more we get to kow Jesus, the more we ll BELIEVE IN JESUS. 4 LASTING IMPRESSIONS Daily Challeges Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study) pes Daily Challeges Have studets get out their hadbooks, or distribute Takig It Home hadouts to all studets. Say: Today we ve see why we ca BELIEVE IN JESUS. Let s commit to demostratig our belief this week. Direct studets to fid this week s Daily Challeges i their Seior High Hadbooks or o their Takig It Home hadouts ad choose oe to do this week. They may choose oe or more of these three optios: Is there somethig you re costatly worryig or thikig etirely too much about? Start each morig by askig God to help you have faith i him for that situatio. Sprig Quarter Study 7 Seior High

77 77 Set aside a half-hour sometime this week ad really thik about the followig questio: What does your faith really mea to you? Write dow your aswers if you ca, ad sped time thakig God for the faith he s already give you. Talk to some more mature Christias about how their faith has made a differece i their lives. Ad the liste to their aswers. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. What s a practical way you re goig to do your Daily Challege? Iclude a time, a place, ad other ideas. Say: Despite his doubts, Thomas leared that he could BELIEVE IN JESUS. Let s commit to livig by faith as we follow through with our Daily Challeges this week. Weavig Faith at Home Ecourage studets to talk with their parets about the Daily Challeges they chose ad what they leared about believig i Jesus. Studets ca also do the Talk With Your Family activity i their hadbooks or o their Takig It Home pages with their families. Talk to your Director about ig the FREE FamilyCoect to all your church s families! Available at group.com/digital. Close with prayer, ivitig studets to restate the Key Verse, Hebrews 11:1, as a prayer for faith i difficult situatios they re experiecig: Now faith is beig sure of what we hope for ad certai of what we do ot see. Seior High Study 7 Sprig Quarter

78 78 Jesus Appears to His Disciples Joh 20:19-31 Bible Poit Believe i Jesus. Key Verse Now faith is beig sure of what we hope for ad certai of what we do ot see (Hebrews 11:1). TAKING IT HOME Quotables We ofte fear faith will cost too much or that we ll do too little. But God s call is ot a threat; it s the promise of a possibility He calls us to greater possibilities tha we could ever produce ourselves, askig oly that we let Him work with ad through us. Jack Hayford, The Mary Miracle Daily Challege Is there somethig you re costatly worryig or thikig etirely too much about? Start each morig by askig God to help you have faith i him for that situatio. Set aside a half-hour sometime this week ad really thik about the followig questio: What does your faith really mea to you? Write dow your aswers if you ca, ad sped time thakig God for the faith he s already give you. Talk to some more mature Christias about how their faith has made a differece i their lives. Ad the liste to their aswers. Faith Joural What does it mea for you to have faith? Talk With Your Family Read Hebrews 4:14-16 with your family, ad discuss these questios: What ecouragemet ca we fid from these verses whe we have doubts or struggles? What might it mea to hold firmly to our faith eve while we re strugglig? Ask each family member to describe a time he or she struggled with doubts. Ask if those doubts were ever resolved, ad if so, how. The pray together that you ll all be blessed with the ability to believe i Jesus eve though you ca t see him.! OK TO COPY Sprig Quarter Study 7 Seior High

79 Study 8 79 Paul Teaches About Spiritual Gifts 1 Corithias 12:4-27 Keep i mid that spiritual gifts are ofte sorted out through experiece. Do t be surprised if studets say they have the gift of faith, which meas that may of them have t bee aroud log eough to have their faith seriously tested yet. It is eough for them to become familiar with the idea of spiritual gifts ad to be cofidet that God has give them each oe, so they ca be o the lookout for them later o. STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 1 Faith Coectio 2 Bible Exploratio Give Me a Had (about 15 mi.) Complete a exercise i teamwork. Media Coectio (Optio) (about 10 mi.) Watch a movie clip, ad cosider what it meas to be gifted. Eye See (about 15 mi.) Role-play the gifts described i the Bible passage. craft sticks, modelig dough video player, movie What Wome Wat Bibles, paper, pes Cue What Wome Wat to 00:47:02, whe Nick says, I hear what wome thik. Bible Poit God gives us gifts to serve him. Key Verse For we are God s workmaship, created i Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared i advace for us to do (Ephesias 2:10). Weavig Faith Ito Life Studets will idetify ad practice their ow gifts to serve God. Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Seior High Study 8 Sprig Quarter

80 80 STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 3 Weavig Faith Ito Life 4 Lastig Impressios Multiple Choice (about 15 mi.) Iterview each other to idetify spiritual gifts. Spiritual Gift Cards (about 15 mi.) Create spiritual gift cards ad cosider how to cash them i. Daily Challeges (about 5 mi.) Choose a Daily Challege to apply God s Word. Weavig Faith at Home (about 2 mi.) Talk about how to share what they leared with their families. Bibles, Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Spiritual Gift List hadout (at the ed of this study), pes idex cards, markers, scissors Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study), pes, gift cards from the Spiritual Gift Cards activity Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Sprig Quarter Study 8 Seior High

81 81 Paul Teaches About Spiritual Gifts 1 Corithias 12:4-27 BIBLe BACKGROUND FOR LEADERS Key Poits o a Key Passage Paul begis today s passage with a key poit about spiritual gifts (verses 4-7): They are diverse, but they are uified because they come from the same God. There are may differet gifts, but the same God is workig through all of them. Ad they all are for a commo purpose: the good of the church. Gifts From God The questio may arise, What is the differece betwee spiritual gifts ad atural talets? The differece betwee spiritual gifts ad atural ability may ot have bee of cocer to Paul. Every good thig, every gift comes from God. What cocered Paul was that people exercise the gifts the Holy Spirit gave them ad use them to build up God s church. iteded for us i his church! That s how we ll be most fulfilled ad how we ll work together with other Christias to further God s kigdom o earth. The Jesus Coectio Your spiritual gifts are God-give opportuities to be like Jesus ad build up Jesus body. Have you take time to discover your spiritual gifts? Have you take time to develop ad refie your gifts? Complete a spiritual gifts ivetory or ask some Christias who kow you well to tell you what spiritual gifts they see i you. Ask God what your gifts might be. You ca write your prayer here. May Gifts, Oe Body I verses 12-27, Paul itroduces to the Corithias the cocept that the church is like a body, more specifically the body of Christ. Paul s message is a great equalizer: People with gifts that seem isigificat are actually much more importat tha they may thik, ad people with gifts that seem more spectacular are t ay more importat tha ayoe else. A sigificat fact to ote is foud i verse 18: God has arraged the parts i the body, every oe of them, just as he wated them to be. Buildig God s Kigdom I a body, if oe part is hurtig, the other parts feel the hurt. Ad if oe part feels great, it makes all of the body feel better. That s how God wats the church to be! God gives differet gifts for the buildig up of the body of Christ. We re all part of that body, ad God wats us to use the gifts he s give us to fill the place Seior High Study 8 Sprig Quarter

82 82 FAITH CONNECTION Give Me a Had craft sticks modelig dough Give Me a Had Welcome studets to the group. Have studets form groups of four. Itroduce the simple task they are about to work together to perform: buildig a simple house by stackig craft sticks i a square. The houses should be five craft sticks high ad held together with modelig dough at the corers. Say: I this process, each perso ca do oly oe thig: oe ca have his or her eyes ope, the rest must have them closed; oe may use a right had, oe a left; ad oly oe perso may speak. You may each cotribute oly oe thig to get the job doe. Ready? Go! Have studets proceed with the activity. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What was it like to be limited to just oe cotributio? Did it seem like oe part was more importat tha the others? If so, what ad why? What would the process ad result be like if your cotributio was missig? I what other areas of life is workig together to accomplish somethig importat? Explai. Media Coectio video player movie What Wome Wat Media Coectio Easy Prep Cue What Wome Wat to 00:47:02, whe Nick says, I hear what wome thik. Say: This activity was a lot like the way it works i the body of Christ, i the church. Each of us is give a spiritual gift to use i servig him ad carig for oe aother. GOD GIVES US GIFTS TO SERVE HIM, ad we all eed to work together as a team i order to best serve him. Let s explore more about what spiritual gifts are. Media Coectio (Optio) Tip May movie clips are available at youtube.com. This clip is also available at wigclips.com uder the title You Ca Rule. Please be aware that this clip cotais smokig, as well as some swear words that have bee dubbed out o WigClips. Sprig Quarter Study 8 Seior High

83 83 Istead of the Give Me a Had activity, have studets watch a movie clip from What Wome Wat that illustrates how gifts ca be appreciated or uappreciated. Begi the clip at 00:47:02, whe Nick says, I hear what wome thik. I this clip, Nick complais to a therapist that he ca hear wome s ier thoughts. The therapist realizes that this is a gift Nick should t take for grated. Ed the clip at 00:50:03, whe the therapist says, If you kow what wome wat, you ca rule. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What are the pros of Nick s gift? the cos? Based o the pros ad cos, would you cosider his ability a gift or ot? Explai. What s somethig you re ot good at but wish you were? Say: GOD GIVES US GIFTS TO SERVE HIM. No, those gifts do t iclude the ability to read wome s mids. But sometimes, people complai about the gifts they have or do t have, much like Nick complaied about his ability. Istead, we ca recogize how our abilities come from God ad ca be used with others gifts to serve him. Let s explore more about what spiritual gifts are. 2 BIBLE EXPLORATION Eye See Say: Christias are all give a special gift called a spiritual gift that is used i a teamwork sort of way. Let s read about that. Eye See Bibles paper pes Have studets form pairs, make sure each pair has a Bible, ad have studets ope their Bibles to 1 Corithias 12:4-11. Distribute paper ad pes. Say: As oe perso reads aloud, the other should make a list of every spiritual gift metioed i the text. Allow time. After pairs have fiished readig the Bible passage, cotiue. Say: Now joi with aother pair (to make a group of four) ad read 1 Corithias 12: With your ew group, discuss how people with the gifts o your lists might act like the ear ad the eye i this passage. Give foursomes time to discuss the lists. Seior High Study 8 Sprig Quarter

84 84 Say: Now you re goig to have a imagiary coversatio amog four people, two who thik their gifts are better tha those of the others, ad two who are bitter because they thik their gifts are t as good. Imagie you re four studets applyig for the same voluteer role i the church. Gifts could iclude ay of the oes listed i the Bible passage, or they could iclude some other gift you thik God might give, such as leadership, teachig, ecouragemet, admiistratio, mercy, ad so o. Give teeagers time to act out their coversatios i their groups. Talk With Studets Lead everyoe i this discussio. Why would it be temptig to believe yourself superior or iferior to others? Why might some gifts seem more importat tha others? How might these gifts work perfectly together i the body of Christ? Say: GOD GIVES US GIFTS TO SERVE HIM ad to care for oe aother. Whe you discover your gift ad a way to use it to serve God, you will be more satisfied tha at ay other time. So let s explore what gifts God might ve give each of us. 3 WEAVING FAITH INTO LIFE Multiple Choice Bibles Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Spiritual Gift List hadout (at the ed of this study) pes Multiple Choice Allow studets time to read i their Bibles the Key Verse, Ephesias 2:10: For we are God s workmaship, created i Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared i advace for us to do. Say: Let s see what God might ve prepared for us to do. Have studets tur to page 62 of their hadbooks, or give a copy of the Spiritual Gift List hadout ad a pe to each studet. Say: Now we re goig to try to figure out how God has gifted each of us. I pairs, you will take turs iterviewig your parter. Ask your parter four questios: 1) What do you like to do for fu? 2) What would you do as a career if moey was t a issue? 3) If you started a ew church, what would it be like ad what job would you do? 4) What motivates ad excites you? Based o your parter s aswers, circle the gift o the list that seems to fit him or her. After each parter has filled out the hadout for the other, have pairs discuss the results ad how accurate they thik they may be. Sprig Quarter Study 8 Seior High

85 85 Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. Did these questios help you fid your gift? Why or why ot? How well do you agree with your parter s assessmet of your gifts? What role do you thik others play i helpig us determie what gifts God has give us? I what practical ways might you use your gifts to serve God this week? Say: Our passage shows that GOD GIVES US GIFTS TO SERVE HIM. We all have gifts ad they re typically the thigs we feel aturally iclied to do! Eve if you re ot totally sure what your gift is yet, you ca keep o servig God i ways that feel most atural ad your gift will reveal itself to you. Spiritual Gift Cards Give each studet a idex card, ad set out markers ad scissors. Say: Everybody loves a gift card, right? A gift you ca use for whatever item you wat at your favorite store! You re goig to make your ow gift cards right ow for a spiritual gift you thik God has give you. O the back of your gift card, make a list of ways you might like to use your gift card thigs you ca do to cash i your gift by servig God. Spiritual Gift Cards idex cards markers scissors Allow time for studets to draw their gift cards, cuttig them dow to be more gift-card sized if they so choose. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What are some thigs you thought of doig to cash i your gift card? How ca you tell if you re usig your gift effectively? Say: Whe you get a gift card, you do t wat to waste ay moey o it you wat to use it util it has a zero balace. We do t wat to waste God s gifts to us, either. Ad there s o limit! GOD GIVES US GIFTS TO SERVE HIM, ad we ca cotiue to cash i our gift cards over ad over. Let s commit to doig that this week. Seior High Study 8 Sprig Quarter

86 86 4 LASTING IMPRESSIONS Daily Challeges Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study) pes gift cards from the Spiritual Gift Cards activity Daily Challeges Have studets get out their hadbooks, or distribute Takig It Home hadouts to all studets. Say: Today we ve see that GOD GIVES US GIFTS TO SERVE HIM. Let s commit to usig our gifts this week. Direct studets to fid the Daily Challeges sectio i their Seior High Hadbooks or o their Takig It Home hadouts. Have them choose oe idea from their Spiritual Gift Cards ad write it i the space as their Daily Challege for this week. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. What s a practical way you re goig to do your Daily Challege? Iclude a time, a place, ad other ideas. Say: We all eed to use our gifts, or else part of the body suffers. GOD GIVES US GIFTS TO SERVE HIM. Let s commit to servig God as we follow through with our Daily Challeges this week. Weavig Faith at Home Ecourage studets to talk with their parets about the Daily Challeges they chose ad what they leared about spiritual gifts. Studets ca also do the Talk With Your Family activity i their hadbooks or o their Takig It Home pages with their families. Talk to your Director about ig the FREE FamilyCoect to all your church s families! Available at group.com/digital. Close with prayer, havig studets retur to their pairs from the Multiple Choice activity ad pray for opportuities to use their gifts. Sprig Quarter Study 8 Seior High

87 87 Spiritual Gift List Admiistratio the gift of orgaizig programs ad tasks Apostleship the gift of creatig miistries where there are oe Craftsmaship the gift of creatively desigig thigs Creative Commuicatio the gift of commuicatig through arts such as paitig, drama, or music Discermet the gift of fidig God s guidace i a specific situatio Ecouragemet the gift of makig others feel better about themselves Evagelism the gift of sharig the ews of a relatioship with Jesus with people who are ot Christias Faith the gift of trustig God ad actig with cofidece as a result Givig the gift of geerosity, ofte fiacial Helpig the gift of servig wherever eeded Hospitality the gift of welcomig others Itercessio the gift of prayig eagerly for the eeds of others Kowledge the gift of studyig ad uderstadig Leadership the gift of coachig others Mercy the gift of carig for the eeds of others, particularly the hurtig Prophecy the gift of seeig the world the way God sees it ad challegig others to be faithful Shepherdig the gift of takig care of a group of people ad their eeds Teachig the gift of commuicatig importat iformatio to others Wisdom the gift of seeig ad sharig practical isights! OK TO COPY Seior High Study 8 Sprig Quarter

88 88 Paul Teaches About Spiritual Gifts 1 Corithias 12:4-27 Bible Poit God gives us gifts to serve him. Key Verse For we are God s workmaship, created i Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared i advace for us to do (Ephesias 2:10). TAKING IT HOME Daily Challege Choose oe idea from your Spiritual Gift Card, ad write it here as your Daily Challege for this week. Faith Joural How ca you best idetify ad use your spiritual gifts? Quotables To have more virtues tha talets is to be a superior perso; to have more talets tha virtues is to be a iferior oe. Chiese proverb Talk With Your Family Read 1 Corithias 12:7-11. Discuss these questios with your family: What gifts do you thik God has give to each family member? Why do you thik God gives people special gifts? Go olie ad fid a free spiritual gifts test, ad have everyoe take it. Ecourage each other to use your gifts to serve God.! OK TO COPY Sprig Quarter Study 8 Seior High

89 Study 9 89 Peter Tells the Sahedri About Jesus Acts 4:5-14 The illusio of ivicibility gives adolescets a strog (although ufouded) sese of courage. May teeagers will try just about aythig (as log as it does t threate their peers perceptio of them). Use this study to help your teeagers see that they really are ivicible whe it comes to livig for Christ. They may lose frieds ad popularity by takig a stad for Jesus, but they ca t be separated from the love of God. Ad the temporary pai ad embarrassmet are certaily worth the eteral reward. STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 1 Faith Coectio 2 Bible Exploratio No Fear (about 15 mi.) Create improv skits usig specific fears. Goig for the Gusto (about 20 mi.) Have a series of debates about Acts 4:5-14, ad lear about Peter ad Joh s courage. Media Coectio (Optio) (about 15 mi.) Watch a movie clip, ad compare the speech from the movie with Peter s speech. slips of paper, pes Bibles, paper, pes Bibles, dowload of the clip Never Take Our Freedom from the movie Braveheart available o wigclips.com Dowload the Never Take Our Freedom clip from Braveheart o wigclips.com (for a fee) ad have it ready to play. Bible Poit Trustig God makes us brave. Key Verse Have I ot commaded you? Be strog ad courageous. Do ot be terrified; do ot be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9). Weavig Faith Ito Life Teeagers will examie how they ca be courageous ad discuss the thigs God might be able to do through them if they have courage. Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Seior High Study 9 Sprig Quarter

90 90 STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 3 Weavig Faith Ito Life 4 Lastig Impressios What I Could Do! (about 20 mi.) Commit to steppig out to do somethig for God usig the courage he gives them. Daily Challeges (about 5 mi.) Choose a Daily Challege to apply God s Word. Weavig Faith at Home (about 2 mi.) Talk about how to share what they leared with their families. Bible, paper, garbage ca, evelopes, pes Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study), pes Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Sprig Quarter Study 9 Seior High

91 91 Peter Tells the Sahedri About Jesus Acts 4:5-14 BIBLe BACKGROUND FOR LEADERS Earthly Power The Sahedri was the rulig body of the Jews. It had authority i all religious matters. Oe of the Sahedri s duties was to deal with cases of blasphemy. Members of the Sahedri probably viewed Peter s ad Joh s actios as blasphemy. Peter ad Joh claimed that they were able to heal a ma somethig oly God could do through the power of Jesus. So they called Peter ad Joh before them. Heavely Power Whe asked the source of his power to heal, Peter replied that the power came from Jesus, whom God had raised from the dead. The Sahedri had tried to cover up the Resurrectio (Matthew 28:11-15), but Peter coteded that the healed ma stadig before them proved that Jesus is alive. The disabled ma was healed through Jesus power, ad Peter s forceful speech before this powerful group of religious leaders was made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:8). God was with Peter i a special way, as Jesus had promised he would be whe people were goig about his work (Matthew 28:20). alog this course, they were also leadig their atio toward destructio. What was the Sahedri s respose? Astoishmet! How could these simple me, with o traiig i the Jewish rabbiical schools, mout such a clear ad covicig biblical ad theological argumet? They may have remembered the similar thigs they had thought about Jesus (Joh 7:15). Jesus had supported his claims through the miracles he had performed, ad ow the disciples had doe the same. Everyoe had see the disabled ma beggig at the Temple, ad ow he stood before them, healed. What could they say? The Sahedri had o aswer. The Jesus Coectio Two thigs gave Peter courage i this itimidatig situatio. First, he was relyig o the Holy Spirit, ad secod, he kew that Jesus is alive. This kowledge gave Peter full ad ultimate trust i Jesus. We have the same Holy Spirit that empowered Peter. What more do we eed to be courageous i the situatios we face today? Ask God to help you with a particular situatio you re facig. You ca write your prayer here. Powerful Truth Why did t the Sahedri immediately deouce Peter ad Joh? Perhaps the truth, told with such power, dumbfouded them or eve coviced them of what they really had doe. I verse 12, Peter idirectly heaps o more accusatio. By sayig that salvatio is oly through Jesus, Peter was sayig the leaders beliefs ad actios were isufficiet for that purpose. He was sayig that if they cotiued to dey Jesus, o other power was available to save them. If they cotiued Seior High Study 9 Sprig Quarter

92 92 FAITH CONNECTION No Fear slips of paper pes No Fear Welcome studets to the group. Give everyoe a slip of paper ad a pe, ad have each studet write o the slip somethig people are afraid of. The collect the papers ad have studets form groups of four. Say: We re goig to do some improv skits. I ll pick a slip ad give you your startig sceario someoe i your group will be facig that fear. But as you act, I ll occasioally pick aother slip ad you ll eed to add that fear ito your sketch. Begi the actig, pickig at least four differet fears per skit. It s okay to repeat slips, ad it s okay if some studets wrote the same fear. Make sure every group gets a chace to perform a improv skit, with each oe beig about two miutes log. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. Tell about a time you felt overwhelmed by fear. Which of the thigs i your skit would you truly fid scary? What have you doe to face your fears? Say: We all have fears. Today we ll look at Peter. This is the guy who walked o water but the got scared ad started to drow. This is the guy who deied he kew Jesus because he was afraid of what the people aroud him would thik. But readig today s passage, you d thik he was a differet guy! That s because he d leared to trust God ad that TRUSTING GOD MAKES US BRAVE. Sprig Quarter Study 9 Seior High

93 93 2 BIBLE EXPLORATION Goig for the Gusto Have studets form two groups. Say: Just before the evets i our passage today, Peter ad Joh had healed a crippled beggar. The religious leaders were t very appreciative. They were cocered that this would help spread the disciples message about Jesus. So they bega to questio them, ad Peter bega a debate. We ll explore this passage with our ow debates. Goig for the Gusto Bibles paper pes Distribute Bibles, ad have studets read Acts 4:5-7. Have oe group prepare to argue i the debate that Peter ad Joh should say they healed i Jesus ame. The other group will prepare to argue that Peter ad Joh should dowplay what happeed. Give groups paper ad pes so they ca make otes about their poits. The allow oe miute for each group to preset its side ad oe miute for each group to give a rebuttal. Have studets read Acts 4:8-11. Have oe group prepare to argue that Peter s speech was likely to ispire people to believe i Jesus. The other group will prepare to argue that his speech was too cofrotatioal to make people wat to believe i Jesus. The allow oe miute for each group to preset its side ad oe miute for each group to give a rebuttal. Have studets read Acts 4: Have oe group prepare to argue that Peter s message is oe we should loudly aouce i our schools. Have the other group prepare to argue that there are better ways for us to preset this message. The allow oe miute for each group to preset its side ad oe miute for each group to give a rebuttal. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. I what ways did Peter s speech take courage? Cosider specific thigs he said that demostrated courage. I what ways did you have to show courage i our debate? If you could write a defiitio of courage based o what you ve just read ad debated, what would it be? What do you really believe about our last debate topic: Does courage mea we loudly aouce Jesus, or are there better ways to show courage i sharig our faith? Say: Peter was i a very public place, ad he ad Joh had just doe a amazig miracle i Jesus ame. People had come ruig to see what happeed, ad he d Seior High Study 9 Sprig Quarter

94 94 already told them about God s work through Moses, Samuel, prophets, ad Jesus. But the religious leaders did t like how the miracle had give them a chace to spread the word about Jesus, so they tried to squelch it. Istead of beig sileced, the Holy Spirit gave Peter the courage to speak boldly, usig this public settig as a opportuity ot to stop sharig about Jesus but to do it eve more! TRUSTING GOD MAKES US BRAVE, too whether that s a public speech about Jesus or a oe-o-oe coversatio with a close fried. Media Coectio Bibles dowload of the clip Never Take Our Freedom from the movie Braveheart available o wigclips.com Media Coectio Easy Prep Dowload the Never Take Our Freedom clip from Braveheart o wigclips.com (for a fee) ad have it ready to play. Media Coectio (Optio) Tip This clip from Braveheart is available at wigclips.com uder the title Never Take Our Freedom. This clip is ot covered uder the CVLI licese uless viewed through wiglips.com. Also, please ote that Braveheart is R-rated ad there is a swear word i this clip. Istead of the Goig for the Gusto activity, have studets watch a movie clip from Braveheart that illustrates a brave speech. Show the clip Never Take Our Freedom o wigclips.com. I this clip, William Wallace gives a powerful speech to ispire courage. Ask studets to watch for the elemets of courage i Wallace s speech, ad what made it such a powerful speech. The have studets form groups of four. Make sure each group has a Bible, ad have groups read Acts 4:5-14 together. Have groups discuss the elemets of courage i Peter s speech ad what made it such a powerful speech. The have them discuss how his speech is similar to or differet from the speech i the Braveheart clip. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. I what ways did Peter s speech take courage? Cosider specific thigs he said that demostrated courage. I what ways did William Wallace s speech take courage? What did you otice about how the two speeches compared? If you could write a defiitio of courage based o what you ve just read ad see, what would it be? Both speeches cotaied some very persoal criticisms. Explai whether you thik that s a good way to share faith. Say: Peter was i a very public place, ad he ad Joh had just doe a amazig miracle i Jesus ame. People had come ruig to see what happeed, ad he d already told them about God s work through Moses, Samuel, prophets, ad Jesus. But the religious leaders did t like how the miracle had give them a chace to spread the word about Jesus, so they tried to squelch it. Istead of beig Sprig Quarter Study 9 Seior High

95 95 sileced, the Holy Spirit gave Peter the courage to speak boldly, usig this public settig as a opportuity ot to stop sharig about Jesus but to do it eve more! TRUSTING GOD MAKES US BRAVE, too whether that s a public speech about Jesus or a oe-o-oe coversatio with a close fried. 3 WEAVING FAITH INTO LIFE What I Could Do! Distribute paper ad pes. Read aloud Acts 4:13. Say: We bega by talkig about fears ad about Peter s past failures. If Peter were to make a list of his past fears ad failures, he could make a pretty log list. This verse aloe tells us two of his weakesses he was uschooled ad ordiary. What about you? Make your ow list of past fears, failures, ad weakesses. Write thigs you feel like you ca t do. No oe will see what you write. Allow time. What I Could Do! Bible paper garbage ca evelopes pes Say: Peter is a great example of how TRUSTING GOD MAKES US BRAVE regardless of our past fears ad failures. God ca chage all that ad fill us with courage. Those thigs you wrote o your list? That s ot who you have to be. So come rip up your list ad throw it away. Stad by the garbage ca, ad read the Key Verse, Joshua 1:9, to each studet who comes forward: Have I ot commaded you? Be strog ad courageous. Do ot be terrified; do ot be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9). After all studets have throw out their lists, say: Courage is a gift from God, but it s ot a selective gift. God does t give courage to just a few chose people. Whoever chooses to step out to do great thigs for God is give the courage to do it. What do you wat to do for God? Let s make ew lists thigs you d like to do for God with his courage. Do t limit yourself by what people have told you you ca or ca t do or the thigs o your previous lists. Dream big! Give each studet a ew piece of paper, ad have studets make ew lists. Also had out evelopes, ad have studets put their lists i the evelopes ad seal them. Allow about 10 miutes. Say: O your evelope, write over the seal a date you d like to ope it. It could be ext week, ext moth, after you graduate high school, or 10 years from ow just make sure you ll be able to hold o to the evelope. Whe you ope it, you ca see how God has give you courage to do some of the thigs o your list. Allow time for studets to write dates o their evelopes. Seior High Study 9 Sprig Quarter

96 96 Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. How ca the Holy Spirit help you tur the thigs o your list ito reality? What s oe simple act of courage from your list that you could accomplish this week? Why is it importat to trust God i order to accomplish the thigs you listed? Say: As with Peter ad Joh, whe we dream of doig awesome thigs for God, his Holy Spirit gives us the courage to tur those dreams ito reality. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit ad our ow efforts to trust God, because TRUSTING GOD MAKES US BRAVE ad gives us courage we do t have whe we re trustig i our ow stregth. 4 LASTING IMPRESSIONS Daily Challeges Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study) pes Daily Challeges Have studets get out their hadbooks, or distribute Takig It Home hadouts to all studets. Say: Today we ve see that TRUSTING GOD MAKES US BRAVE. Let s commit to livig courageously this week. Direct studets to fid this week s Daily Challeges i their Seior High Hadbooks or o their Takig It Home hadouts ad choose oe to do this week. They may choose oe or more of these three optios: Ivite a o-christia fried or family member to youth group, church, or Bible study. Stad up for someoe gettig picked o at school. It ca be as simple as suggestig that others leave him or her aloe or sittig with someoe who always eats aloe. Or it could be somethig more. Ask God for his stregth ad courage as you do this. Get to work o your courage list trust i God to help you do oe thig you wrote. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. What s a practical way you re goig to do your Daily Challege? Iclude a time, a place, ad other ideas. Sprig Quarter Study 9 Seior High

97 97 Say: Despite his past failures, Peter trusted God ad did amazig thigs i Jesus ame. TRUSTING GOD MAKES US BRAVE, too. Let s commit to livig courageously as we follow through with our Daily Challeges this week. Weavig Faith at Home Ecourage studets to talk with their parets about the Daily Challeges they chose ad what they leared about bravery. Studets ca also do the Talk With Your Family activity i their hadbooks or o their Takig It Home pages with their families. Talk to your Director about ig the FREE FamilyCoect to all your church s families! Available at group.com/digital. Close with prayer, ivitig studets to fid parters ad pray together about the thigs they wrote i their lists. Seior High Study 9 Sprig Quarter

98 98 Peter Tells the Sahedri About Jesus Acts 4:5-14 Bible Poit Trustig God makes us brave. Key Verse Have I ot commaded you? Be strog ad courageous. Do ot be terrified; do ot be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9). TAKING IT HOME Quotables I could t see aythig whe those guys came up to Cassie, but I could recogize her voice Oe of them asked her if she believed i God. She paused, like she did t kow what she was goig to aswer, ad the she said yes. Misty Berall, She Said Yes Daily Challege Ivite a o-christia fried or family member to youth group, church, or Bible study. Stad up for someoe gettig picked o at school. It ca be as simple as suggestig that others leave him or her aloe or sittig with someoe who always eats aloe. Or it could be somethig more. Ask God for his stregth ad courage as you do this. Get to work o your courage list trust i God to help you do oe thig you wrote. Faith Joural How ca you use the courage that comes to you through the Holy Spirit? Talk With Your Family Read 1 Peter 3:13-18 with your family, ad discuss these questios: Peter wrote these words the same Peter from today s Bible passage. How does his attitude demostrate cotiued courage? Which thigs that Peter talks about i this passage would require you to gai the most courage? How ca we have courage i the midst of sufferig? Have each family member share somethig he or she eeds courage to do. The practice doig those courageous thigs together practice tellig a fried about Jesus, stadig up for what s right, or whatever else you ame.! OK TO COPY Sprig Quarter Study 9 Seior High

99 Study Philip Tells the Ethiopia About Jesus Acts 8:26-40 Seior high studets are ofte cocered with what God is leadig them to do. They uderstad that they ll soo make some importat life choices ad are eager to experiece God s leadig i those choices. As you explore this study with your studets, ecourage them to lear how to liste for God s leadig ad to follow him eve if it s ot what they d most like to do. STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 1 Faith Coectio 2 Bible Exploratio Mixed Messages (about 20 mi.) Experiece the limits of their ow uderstadig. Media Coectio (Optio) (about 15 mi.) Play a game i which they ll practice followig directios. Whe God Leads (about 25 mi.) Explore God s leadig of Philip ad the Ethiopia. 1 copy per 9 studets of the Your Ow Uderstadig hadout (at the ed of this study), scissors smartphoe(s) or tablet(s) Bibles, paper, pes Cut apart the Your Ow Uderstadig hadout, ad set the aswers aside. Bible Poit Follow where God leads. Key Verse Trust i the Lord with all your heart ad lea ot o your ow uderstadig; i all your ways ackowledge him, ad he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). Weavig Faith Ito Life Teeagers will explore how to determie where God is leadig them. Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Seior High Study 10 Sprig Quarter

100 100 STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 3 Weavig Faith Ito Life 4 Lastig Impressios Step by Step (about 15 mi.) Create footprits that depict God s leadig, ad follow the footprits as they pray. Daily Challeges (about 5 mi.) Choose a Daily Challege to apply God s Word. Weavig Faith at Home (about 2 mi.) Talk about how to share what they leared with their families. Bibles, costructio paper, several pairs of scissors, markers Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study), pes Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Sprig Quarter Study 10 Seior High

101 101 Philip Tells the Ethiopia About Jesus Acts 8:26-40 BIBLe BACKGROUND FOR LEADERS Philip Obeyed God s Leadig Accordig to Acts 8:4-8, Philip was preachig Christ, healig people, ad brigig great joy to a Samarita city. But God had aother pla for Philip, which icluded guidig the first o-jewish covert to faith i Jesus, ad God s pla resulted i Christiaity beig take to Ethiopia. Philip respoded i obediece. Sice the Ethiopia euuch had goe to Jerusalem to worship, we ca assume he kew somethig of the Jewish faith. He may have bee fully committed to the faith because he had traveled quite a distace to worship, perhaps as far as 200 miles! He had likely bee ispired by his time of worship, because he was readig from Isaiah as he rode alog. We might fid it strage that Philip could hear what he was readig, but it was commo i aciet times to read aloud. I fact, the laguage was such that soudig out the words was almost ecessary. ad sicerity of the Ethiopia s belief, because he coseted to baptize this traveler. The Jesus Coectio Havig completed his task, Philip was agai set o his way by God. The text seems to idicate that God miraculously swept him away, o to his ext missio. The Ethiopia cotiued o his way, ad traditio tells us that he spread the message of Christ i Ethiopia, soo baptizig the quee ad others there. We ofte do t kow why God guides us to do certai thigs. But whe we kow what God wats us to do, we must respod i faith ad actio. Who kows what God will do through us if we respod faithfully to the guidace of his Holy Spirit? I what area of your life is God leadig you to liste closely to his voice? You ca write your prayer here. Philip Was Prepared for Questios At the Holy Spirit s promptig, Philip overcame ot oly ay fears or questios about o-jews becomig Christias, but also ay racial prejudice he may have had. The Ethiopia was a ative of what is ow orther Suda ad was black-skied. God is ot cocered with the color of our ski, ad either was Philip. Philip had o difficulty aswerig the Ethiopia s questios. He had probably bee aswerig the same types of questios from the Samaritas. God had prepared the right perso to preset the gospel to the Ethiopia o the road. Whe Philip told the ma about Jesus, the Ethiopia apparetly expressed belief immediately. Baptism was take very seriously i the early church. Philip must have bee fully coviced of the certaity Seior High Study 10 Sprig Quarter

102 102 FAITH CONNECTION Mixed Messages 1 copy per 9 studets of the Your Ow Uderstadig hadout (at the ed of this study) scissors Mixed Messages Easy Prep Cut apart the Your Ow Uderstadig hadout, ad set the aswers aside. Mixed Messages Welcome studets to the group. Have studets form trios. Distribute oe questio from the Your Ow Uderstadig hadout to each trio. Say: Work together i your trio to figure out the correct aswer to your questio. There s oly oe correct aswer to each questio. You ll have five miutes to discuss the questio ad come up with your aswer. After five miutes, distribute the aswer sheets ad see how may trios have the correct aswers to their questios. The have trios trade sheets ad work o a ew brai teaser. After five more miutes, have them see if they got the correct aswers. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What happeed i your trio durig this exercise? What did you do to figure out the aswer to each questio? What iformatio did you eed i order to figure out the aswer? How was this exercise like or ulike the way we try to determie where God is leadig us? Say: There are may thigs i life that we may have a hard time uderstadig. Let s take a few momets to thik of those thigs. Whe you thik of a cocept that s difficult to uderstad, just shout it out. For example, I really do t uderstad why life is t fair to everyoe. Give studets a few miutes to share ideas. I geeral, how do you feel about thigs you do t uderstad? Say: Sometimes life gives us questios that are tough to figure out. We re goig to explore what it meas to liste to God s leadig whe we re ot sure what to do ad talk about how we ca FOLLOW WHERE GOD LEADS. Sprig Quarter Study 10 Seior High

103 103 Media Coectio (Optio) Istead of the Mixed Messages activity, have studets form as may groups as there are tablets ad/or smartphoes. Have studets dowload a app that is like the game Bop It! (such as SwipeTapTap or Tap It!). Allow about 10 miutes for studets to play, ad make sure everyoe gets a tur. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. Media Coectio smartphoe(s) or tablet(s) How well did you do followig the directios? Why do you thik you did well or struggled? Tell about a time you struggled to follow a leader, such as a teacher or coach. How was this exercise like or ulike the way we try to determie where God is leadig us? Say: Sometimes we re ot really sure what God wats us to do. Other times we might ot really wat to do what he s leadig us to do. We re goig to explore today how to liste to God s voice ad FOLLOW WHERE GOD LEADS. 2 BIBLE EXPLORATION Whe God Leads Have studets form five groups. Give each group a Bible, a piece of paper, ad a pe. Say: As we read today s passage, we ll explore five differet ways God led the people i it. Ad we ll get to talk about each oe. Your group will eed a Reader, a Leader, a Writer, ad a Passer. The Reader will read each sectio of the passage. The Leader will lead the group i discussio, makig sure everyoe gets to share. The Writer will take otes. The Passer will had your otes o to aother group. Allow time for group members to choose roles. If your groups are smaller tha four studets, people ca double up o roles. If they re larger tha four studets, you may have people take turs with their roles. Whe God Leads Bibles paper pes Say: We ll start with Acts 8:26. Readers, read it to your group. Allow time, ad the say: Leaders, lead your group i this discussio. Ask the followig questios oe at a time, allowig time for Leaders to lead discussio betwee each oe. Remid Writers to take otes o the first two questios, leavig space for more aswers. Seior High Study 10 Sprig Quarter

104 104 How did you perceive God s leadig i this passage? Does God lead people i this way today? Explai. Does this remid you of a way God has led you? If so, talk about that. If ot, explai why you would or would t like God to lead you this way. Allow about four miutes for discussio, ad the have Passers pass their papers o to the group to their right. Have groups review the isights o the paper. Repeat the activity with the followig sectios of Scripture, allowig time for discussio ad passig betwee each oe. You ll use the same questios for each roud. Acts 8:27-29 Acts 8:30-35 Acts 8:36-38 Acts 8:39-40 Talk With Studets Lead everyoe i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What most stood out to you about the way God led Philip ad the Ethiopia? What are some ways God leads people today? Why do you or do t you thik the way God leads people has chaged sice this evet took place? Say: I just this short passage, we see may differet ways God led people: through a agel, through the Holy Spirit, through his Word, through other people, through circumstaces, ad through superatural evets. God could use ay of these meas or other ways to lead you today. But it s importat to be i tue to his leadig. Philip kew God was leadig him because he was listeig. Let s explore how God has led us ad pray about his cotiued guidace as we try to FOLLOW WHERE GOD LEADS. Sprig Quarter Study 10 Seior High

105 105 3 WEAVING FAITH INTO LIFE Step by Step Set out supplies. Have studets trace their shoes or bare feet ad cut out two footprits. Say: You ve lived log eough to experiece God s leadig at some poit. Maybe you did t eve recogize it as God s leadig at the time, but lookig back you ca see how God led you through his Word, through a evet you wet to, through life experieces, through other people, or through your heart. Write or draw o oe of your footprits about a time God led you. Allow time. After everyoe has fiished, collect the footprits. Step by Step Bibles costructio paper several pairs of scissors markers Say: You re also at a poit i your life where you have a lot of major decisios ahead, ad you eed to seek God s leadig. Write o your other footprit about oe area i which you wat God to lead you. As studets write, set out the first set of footprits i a straight walkig path. The collect the secod set of footprits ad set those out i a erratic patter. Make sure everyoe has a Bible, ad have studets ope to the Key Verse, Proverbs 3:5-6, ad follow alog as you read it aloud: Trust i the Lord with all your heart ad lea ot o your ow uderstadig; i all your ways ackowledge him, ad he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). Say: I ve arraged our footprits i a path. The ways God has led us already form a straight path. But the ways we eed God s guidace right ow are t straight. Walk alog the crooked path, ad pray siletly for the footprits as you pass them. Have studets lie up ad pray alog the path. After the last studet goes through, rearrage the footprits i a straight path. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. Whe you thik back o your past experieces ad how God led you, what does that make you thik about your curret ucertaities? What ca you do to better liste to God s leadig? What s oe way you re feelig called to follow God this week? Say: Philip was just walkig dow a road whe God led him a differet way. He was able to chage the life of a Ethiopia, who had questios ad eeded God s guidace. Ad God eve mysteriously moved Philip from oe locatio to aother! However God leads us, we kow we ca cout o him to guide us the right way, so we FOLLOW WHERE GOD LEADS. Seior High Study 10 Sprig Quarter

106 106 4 LASTING IMPRESSIONS Daily Challeges Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study) pes Daily Challeges Have studets get out their hadbooks, or distribute Takig It Home hadouts to all studets. Say: Today we ve see how we ca FOLLOW WHERE GOD LEADS. Let s commit to followig God this week. Direct studets to fid this week s Daily Challeges i their Seior High Hadbooks or o their Takig It Home hadouts ad choose oe to do this week. They may choose oe or more of these three optios: Take home oe of the footprits (ot your ow) ad pray every day that God will lead the perso who wrote it. Take time to liste to God. Every day, sped five miutes i silece. Put your phoe away, ad just liste for what God might be leadig you to do. The do it! Sometimes God leads us through other people. Talk to a wise Christia about a area of ucertaity you re facig. Also check out biblegateway.com or a Bible app ad search for keywords that might help you see what God s Word says about your area of cocer. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. What s a practical way you re goig to do your Daily Challege? Iclude a time, a place, ad other ideas. Say: Philip was ope to God s leadig ad quickly obeyed. Let s commit to FOLLOW WHERE GOD LEADS by followig through with our Daily Challeges this week. Weavig Faith at Home Ecourage studets to talk with their parets about the Daily Challeges they chose ad what they leared about followig God. Studets ca also do the Talk With Your Family activity i their hadbooks or o their Takig It Home pages with their families. Talk to your Director about ig the FREE FamilyCoect to all your church s families! Available at group.com/digital. Close with prayer, ivitig a momet of silece for God to speak to the studets i your group about how he might be leadig them. Sprig Quarter Study 10 Seior High

107 107 Your Ow Uderstadig Questio 1: There is a gradfather clock that chimes the appropriate umber of times to idicate the hour, as well as chimig oce at each quarter hour. If you were i the other room ad heard the clock chime just oce, what would be the logest period of time you would have to wait i order to be certai of the correct time? (The clock is workig properly ad is set at the correct time.) Aswer 1: You would have to wait 90 miutes betwee 12:15 ad 1:45. Oce you had heard seve sigle chimes, you would kow that the ext chime would be two chimes for two o clock. Questio 2: What is the ext figure or symbol i the followig sequece? Aswer 2: The ext figure or symbol is. The sequece is the letters A to E. The right half of each figure is the letter, ad the left half is its mirror image. Questio 3: A ma, his wife, ad their two sos come to a river they wish to cross. They fid a rowboat o the riverbak; however, the boat ca carry a maximum of 150 pouds at a time. Both the ma ad woma weigh 145 pouds each. Their sos each weigh 75 pouds. How will they get across the river usig the boat, ad how may trips will it take? Aswer 3: It will take five roud trips. 1. The two boys cross together, ad oe comes back. 2. The mother rows across, ad the boy who was waitig aloe rows back. 3. The two boys cross together agai. Oe stays with his mother, ad the other rows back to his waitig father. 4. The father rows across ad jois his wife. The boy who was waitig with his mother the rows back to where his brother is waitig. 5. The two boys row back ad joi their parets. (Questios ad aswers from the game MidTrap, Pressma Toy Ic.)! OK TO COPY Seior High Study 10 Sprig Quarter

108 108 Philip Tells the Ethiopia About Jesus Acts 8:26-40 Bible Poit Follow where God leads. Key Verse Trust i the Lord with all your heart ad lea ot o your ow uderstadig; i all your ways ackowledge him, ad he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). Quotables The call of God requires a active respose. We do ot place our trust i God ad sit back ad do othig. A very importat part of this trasactio is [that] we are freed from our burde, ot to sit dow, but to ru the race set before us. Earl G. Lee, The Cycle of Victorious Livig Daily Challege TAKING IT HOME Take home oe of the footprits (ot your ow) ad pray every day that God will lead the perso who wrote it. Take time to liste to God. Every day, sped five miutes i silece. Put your phoe away, ad just liste for what God might be leadig you to do. The do it! Sometimes God leads us through other people. Talk to a wise Christia about a area of ucertaity you re facig. Also check out biblegateway.com or a Bible app ad search for keywords that might help you see what God s Word says about your area of cocer. Faith Joural How ca you respod to God s leadig i your life? Talk With Your Family Read Psalm 139:9-10 with your family, ad discuss these questios: How might the words i these verses make it easier to uderstad God s pla? to follow it? I what ways have you see evidece of God s plas for your life already?! OK TO COPY Use the thought starters below to help family members share stories of how God has brought them to where they are today. Thigs I liked to do whe I was youger: Thigs I like to do ow: People who have had a sigificat ifluece o my life: How those people iflueced what I am doig today: Doors that were closed to me: Doors that opeed for me: Sigificat spiritual experieces: How my faith has grow: How God is curretly helpig me grow: Sprig Quarter Study 10 Seior High

109 Study Peter Visits Corelius Acts 10:1-44 At this stage i their developmet, teeagers have the verbal skills to commuicate their beliefs to their frieds. However, few teeagers actually tell their frieds about their faith. As you explore this study with your studets, allow room for them to grapple with what makes it hard to share their faith ad how they ca overcome their biases as Peter did. STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 1 Faith Coectio 2 Bible Exploratio Silet Debate (about 20 mi.) Egage i a silet debate about immigratio. Media Coectio (Optio) (about 15 mi.) Use a app to lear about other cultures. The Turig Poit (about 20 mi.) Create mime scees to illustrate Acts 10:1-44. Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. sticky otes, pes smartphoes or tablets Bibles, Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per 10 studets of The Turig Poit hadout (at the ed of this study), scissors, pes, paper Dowload a cultural awareess app such as CultureGPS or Culture Compass. If usig the The Turig Poit hadouts, cut apart the sectios. Bible Poit Tell everyoe about Jesus. Key Verse Therefore go ad make disciples of all atios, baptizig them i the ame of the Father ad of the So ad of the Holy Spirit, ad teachig them to obey everythig I have commaded you. Ad surely I am with you always, to the very ed of the age (Matthew 28:19-20). Weavig Faith Ito Life Teeagers will cosider who they ca share their faith with. Seior High Study 11 Sprig Quarter

110 110 STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 3 Weavig Faith Ito Life 4 Lastig Impressios Stretch ad Go (about 20 mi.) Shoot rubber bads, ad cosider who they ca go ad tell about Jesus. Daily Challeges (about 5 mi.) Choose a Daily Challege to apply God s Word. Weavig Faith at Home (about 2 mi.) Talk about how to share what they leared with their families. Bibles, 1 wide rubber bad per studet, permaet markers, paper, pes Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study), pes Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Sprig Quarter Study 11 Seior High

111 111 Peter Visits Corelius Acts 10:1-44 BIBLe BACKGROUND FOR LEADERS Meet Corelius This passage begis at the home of Corelius, a Roma ceturio i Caesarea, the headquarters for the Roma occupatio of that area. As a ceturio, Corelius would have bee i charge of a uit of about 100 me, ad he was cosidered a ma of oble character. For a o-jew to have bee cosidered God-fearig meat that Corelius followed the Jewish religio to some degree, possibly to the greatest extet he could as a o-jew. His visio of the agel at about three i the afteroo likely meas that he was followig Jewish religious practices sice that was a regular time of prayer for the Jews. Ad it is to Corelius credit that whe a agel of God spoke to him, he did t hesitate to do what he was told. Peter kew that the visio cocered much more tha food. The Jesus Coectio Peter took a huge risk i followig God s leadig to reach out to Corelius ad his family. Peter followed God s leadig without hesitatio because Jesus was the corerstoe of his life. Peter set a example for us by takig advatage of a opportuity to tell someoe uexpected about his faith. We dare ot igore that example; rather, we must be willig to tell ayoe who is iterested about what God has doe for us through Jesus. Pray ad ask God to show you how you ca share your faith ad God s love. You ca write your prayer here. God Speaks: A Tale of Two Visios Peter was followig ormal Jewish religious practices, amog which was the strict adherece to the dietary restrictios spelled out i Leviticus 11. May of the forbidde aimals described there were icluded i the sheet suspeded before Peter i his visio. Beig told to kill ad eat uclea aimals shocked Peter. The challege to Peter s beliefs did t ed whe the sheet disappeared. It was obviously o coicidece that Corelius servats appeared just as Peter s visio eded. Peter was thikig through the meaig of his visio whe he was summoed to go to the house of a o-jew. The servats said that a agel had told Corelius to sed for Peter to hear what he had to say. Ad God made it clear to Peter that the servats arrival was coected to what God was tryig to teach him. God told him that the me were there, that he had set them, ad that Peter was to go with them. Seior High Study 11 Sprig Quarter

112 112 FAITH CONNECTION Silet Debate sticky otes pes Silet Debate Welcome studets to the group. Distribute sticky otes ad pes. Say: We re goig to begi with a silet debate. That meas istead of verbally makig your poits, you ll write your opiio o a sticky ote ad stick it to the wall. The you ll read other people s thoughts ad add otes with your rebuttal. Our topic is immigratio should ayoe be allowed to move to our coutry? What, if aythig, eeds to chage about our curret immigratio policies? Go ahead ad write your thoughts o your first sticky ote, ad stick it to the wall. Allow time. After everyoe has posted their sticky ote, allow about 10 miutes for studets to move aroud the room, readig other people s sticky otes ad addig their ow argumets i support of or agaist those opiios. Remember, this ca be a complicated topic ad the poit is t to fid a cosesus or determie a right aswer but to provide a forum for everyoe to share their thoughts. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What has helped form your opiio o this topic? I what ways have your views o this topic chaged? Why do people get so passioate about their opiios o issues like this? Media Coectio smartphoes or tablets Media Coectio Easy Prep Dowload a cultural awareess app such as CultureGPS or Culture Compass. Say: Whatever side you fall o i terms of immigratio reform, may people have pretty strog opiios. Ad the stroger opiio you have o a topic, the harder it is for someoe to chage your mid. Today we re goig to look at a racial bias Peter had ad discover what it took for him to see a ew side of thigs. Ad we ll discover that we eed to TELL EVERYONE ABOUT JESUS. Media Coectio (Optio) Istead of the Silet Debate activity, have studets form as may groups as there are smartphoes ad/or tablets. Have studets dowload a cultural awareess app such as CultureGPS or Culture Compass, ad have each group choose a differet part of the world to explore. Have groups sped about 10 miutes gettig to kow the culture of that coutry, ad the allow time for groups to share what they leared. Sprig Quarter Study 11 Seior High

113 113 Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. Tell about a time you visited aother coutry. What cultural differeces did you otice? Tell about a time you got to kow someoe who had a lot of cultural differeces from you. If you were goig to go to the coutry you just researched, what kids of thigs would you do to try to form relatioships with the people there? Say: Other cultures ca be pretty differet from ours. Eve withi our ow coutry, people may have differet customs that seem ormal to them but totally bizarre to you. Today we re goig to look at how Peter was set i his customs ad discover what it took for him to see a ew side of thigs. Ad we ll discover that we eed to TELL EVERYONE ABOUT JESUS. 2 BIBLE EXPLORATION The Turig Poit Have studets form pairs, ad give each pair Bibles, a sectio of the hadout or a assigmet from page 82 of the hadbooks, paper, ad a pe. Say: First read your assiged sectio of the Bible passage with your parter, ad the aswer the questios o the hadout to help you uderstad what happeed. The you ll create a mime scee to illustrate the actio that takes place i your part of the evet. You have 10 miutes to do this. Give pairs 10 miutes to study the Scripture ad pla their scees; have pairs mime their scees for everyoe, i order. After each mime, have pairs share why this sectio demostrated a turig poit for Peter or Corelius. Say: These evets represet a importat turig poit for the church. Talk With Studets Lead everyoe i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. The Turig Poit Bibles Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per 10 studets of The Turig Poit hadout (at the ed of this study) scissors pes paper The Turig Poit Easy Prep If usig The Turig Poit hadouts, cut apart the sectios. I what ways did these evets chage the attitudes of people ivolved i formig the church? Seior High Study 11 Sprig Quarter

114 114 Why was this a sigificat shift? How does it impact the way the church is today? I what ways does the church welcome a variety of people today? I what ways does the church still try to exclude certai types of people? Is that good or bad? Explai. Say: The Old Testamet gave specific laws about what kids of foods were okay ad ot okay to eat. These did t seem like silly rules it was God s law. So for the early church, made up primarily of Jews, it was hard to accept people who did t adhere to those laws. Without this evet, the church might ve remaied fairly segregated. But God used this evet to show Peter that he loves everyoe ad he wats us to TELL EVERYONE ABOUT JESUS regardless of their cultural backgroud. 3 WEAVING FAITH INTO LIFE Stretch ad Go Bibles 1 wide rubber bad per studet permaet markers paper pes Stretch ad Go Give each studet a wide rubber bad, ad set out several permaet markers. Say: Jesus is the Lord of all people. We eed to stretch ourselves to costatly reach out to others, eve those who are t like us. Make sure everyoe has a Bible, ad have studets look up this week s Key Verse, Matthew 28: Ask someoe to read it aloud: Therefore go ad make disciples of all atios, baptizig them i the ame of the Father ad of the So ad of the Holy Spirit, ad teachig them to obey everythig I have commaded you. Ad surely I am with you always, to the very ed of the age. Say: Choose oe word of the Key Verse to write o your rubber bad. Thik about which word best idicates how you eed to stretch yourself i order to reach out to others. For example, if you have a easy time makig frieds with all differet kids of people but have a hard time helpig people grow i faith, you might choose the word disciple to write o your rubber bad. Give studets a miute to do this. Say: Now thik of some types of people who are very differet from you. You d really have to stretch to iclude these people i your life. Do t thik of specific ames, just types of people you might see or iteract with. Have studets share their ideas, ad write each oe o a differet piece of paper. Try to get at least ie differet types of people. Have studets lie up o oe side of the room, ad arrage the papers i a grid o the floor i frot of a wall o the other side. Have studets take turs stretchig their rubber bads ad shootig them at the wall, ad seeig which type of perso they lad o. Ask Sprig Quarter Study 11 Seior High

115 115 studets to form groups with others who got the same paper ad share with each other ideas for how they could tell someoe like that about Jesus. They may wat to thik of specific people who fit ito that category. Ecourage them to thik about sharig their faith i terms of the four priciples i the Key Verse: go, make disciples, teach them to obey, ad do it with Jesus. The have each studet write o the iside of his or her rubber bad a ame of someoe who fits ito the category the group discussed. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. I what ways does tellig others about Jesus stretch you? Why do you or do t you really wat God to stretch you to share about him with other people? What will you do this week to tell someoe about Jesus? Say: If you d tried to shoot the rubber bad without stretchig it, it would ve falle to the floor right i frot of you. It s the same with sharig our faith. If we do t let God stretch us, we wo t go aywhere. But our Key Verse tells us to go! There s o oe i this world who does t eed to hear about Jesus. There s o cultural differece or habit or attitude that meas we do t really eed to tell that perso about Jesus. Peter discovered that God does ot show favoritism but accepts everyoe eve people we d rather ot accept. Let s let Jesus stretch us so we ca TELL EVERYONE ABOUT JESUS. 4 LASTING IMPRESSIONS Daily Challeges Have studets get out their hadbooks, or distribute Takig It Home hadouts to all studets. Say: Today we ve see that it s importat to TELL EVERYONE ABOUT JESUS. Let s commit to sharig our faith this week. Direct studets to fid this week s Daily Challeges i their Seior High Hadbooks or o their Takig It Home hadouts ad choose oe to do this week. They may choose oe or more of these three optios: Whose ame(s) did you write o your rubber bad? Set aside time to build a relatioship with that perso or persos this week. Every morig, stretch your rubber bad ad pray that God will stretch you ad show you how to be bolder i sharig your faith. Daily Challeges Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study) pes Seior High Study 11 Sprig Quarter

116 116 Make a list of the kids of behaviors, attitudes, or lifestyles that make hard for you to love someoe. Keep a eye out for someoe who exhibits those traits, ad the look for opportuities to show that perso Jesus love. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. What s a practical way you re goig to do your Daily Challege? Iclude a time, a place, ad other ideas. Say: Peter thought he had to tell oly certai types of people about Jesus. But he leared God wats us to TELL EVERYONE ABOUT JESUS. Let s follow Peter s lead by followig through with our Daily Challeges this week. Weavig Faith at Home Ecourage studets to talk with their parets about the Daily Challeges they chose ad what they leared about sharig their faith. Studets ca also do the Talk With Your Family activity i their hadbooks or o their Takig It Home pages with their families. Talk to your Director about ig the FREE FamilyCoect to all your church s families! Available at group.com/digital. Close with prayer. Ask studets to iclude the ames of people they could make more of a effort to iclude i their lives. Have each perso complete this setece prayer: Stretch me, Lord, to be ope to ad. If they d rather keep the ames private, let them pray siletly. Sprig Quarter Study 11 Seior High

117 117 The Turig Poit 1. Corelius visio i Caesarea (Acts 10:1-8) What happeed? Use three words to describe Corelius. How was Corelius challeged to thik or act differetly? Create a mime scee (actig without talkig) to demostrate what happeed. 4. Peter goes to Corelius (Acts 10:24-33) What happeed? Use three words to describe Peter or Corelius. How were Peter ad Corelius challeged to thik or act differetly? How did they respod? Create a mime scee (actig without talkig) to demostrate what happeed. 2. Peter s visio (Acts 10:9-16) What happeed? Use three words to describe Peter. How was Peter challeged to thik or act differetly? How did Peter respod? Create a mime scee (actig without talkig) to demostrate what happeed. 5. Peter s speech (Acts 10:34-44) What happeed? Use three words to describe Peter. How were Peter ad Corelius challeged to thik or act differetly? How did Peter respod? Create a mime scee (actig without talkig) to demostrate what happeed. 3. Corelius messegers come to Peter (Acts 10:17-23) What happeed? Use three words to describe Peter. How was Peter challeged to thik or act differetly? How did he respod? Create a mime scee (actig without talkig) to demostrate what happeed.! OK TO COPY Seior High Study 11 Sprig Quarter

118 118 Peter Visits Corelius Acts 10:1-44 Bible Poit Tell everyoe about Jesus. Key Verse Therefore go ad make disciples of all atios, baptizig them i the ame of the Father ad of the So ad of the Holy Spirit, ad teachig them to obey everythig I have commaded you. Ad surely I am with you always, to the very ed of the age (Matthew 28:19-20). TAKING IT HOME Daily Challege Whose ame(s) did you write o your rubber bad? Set aside time to build a relatioship with that perso or persos this week. Every morig, stretch your rubber bad ad pray that God will stretch you ad show you how to be bolder i sharig your faith. Make a list of the kids of behaviors, attitudes, or lifestyles that make it hard for you to love someoe. Keep a eye out for someoe who exhibits those traits, ad the look for opportuities to show that perso Jesus love. Faith Joural What keeps you from tellig people about Jesus? How ca you overcome those barriers? Quotables Let eloquece be flug to the dogs rather tha souls be lost. What we wat is to wi souls. They are ot wo by flowery speeches. Charles Spurgeo Talk With Your Family Read Galatias 3:26-29 with your family, ad discuss these questios: What differeces have made it hard for you to accept people ito your church? What does this passage mea to you? How ca you better accept people who are differet from you? Have each family member thik of someoe he or she ca tell about Jesus. The take turs practicig with each other.! OK TO COPY Sprig Quarter Study 11 Seior High

119 Study Barabas Ecourages Christias i Atioch Acts 11:19-26 Most seior high studets are hard at work tryig to figure out who they are, what they ca do, where they fit, ad whether they really matter. No matter how much cofidece they project, all this ucertaity ca make them feel pretty isecure. Offerig ecouragemet, ot oly for what your studets do but also for who they are, will mea more to them tha you kow. Eve if you ca t see a immediate respose, your ecouragemet ad that of their peers ca foster the likelihood that they will grow closer to Christ. STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 1 Faith Coectio Color Compariso (about 15 mi.) Color represetatios of feelig discouraged ad ecouraged, ad compare the results. paper; crayos, pastels, or markers Bible Poit Ecourage each other to believe i Jesus. Key Verse But ecourage oe aother daily, as log as it is called Today, so that oe of you may be hardeed by si s deceitfuless (Hebrews 3:13). 2 Bible Exploratio The Ecourager (about 20 mi.) Read Acts 11:19-26 ad examie what kid of ecouragemet was eeded. Bibles, paper, pes Weavig Faith Ito Life Studets will ecourage each other i faith. Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Seior High Study 12 Sprig Quarter

120 120 STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP Practice Makes Perfect (about 10 mi.) Practice ecouragemet with each other. ame tags, pes, small star stickers 3 Weavig Faith Ito Life Media Coectio (Optio) (about 10 mi.) Watch a example of ecouragemet. Today! (about 10 mi.) Play with modelig clay, ad compare the impact o the clay with the effects of ecouragemet. video player, movie The Icredibles Bibles, modelig clay Cue The Icredibles to 01:13:20, whe the Parr family is washed up o the beach at ight. 4 Daily Challeges (about 5 mi.) Choose a Daily Challege to apply God s Word. Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study), pes Lastig Impressios Weavig Faith at Home (about 2 mi.) Talk about how to share what they leared with their families. Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Sprig Quarter Study 12 Seior High

121 121 Barabas Ecourages Christias i Atioch Acts 11:19-26 BIBLe BACKGROUND FOR LEADERS Reaso to Praise I the chapters leadig up to today s passage, God revealed to Peter that the message of Christ is ot oly for Jews but for o-jews as well. Peter the took that message to the household of Corelius, a Roma ceturio, ad God poured out the Holy Spirit o these o-jews who the came to faith i Christ. The Jerusalem church had a hard time acceptig that o-jews could become believers i Christ, but after Peter explaied everythig that had happeed, they praised God that he had grated eve the Getiles eteral life through Jesus (Acts 10:1 11:18). Reaso to Scatter I today s passage, we see that the early followers of Christ had bee scattered from Jerusalem because of the persecutio that bega after Stephe was killed. The Jews had stoed him after he accused them of killig the Messiah, Jesus. But everywhere the scattered followers wet, they told people about Jesus (Acts 7:1 8:4). i Jerusalem after Saul had met Christ o the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-30). What happeed i Atioch was sigificat because it was, apparetly, the first time Jewish ad o-jewish Christias joied together i fellowship. People there were accustomed to rubbig shoulders with people of differet backgrouds ad of differet ethic groups. The church i Atioch set a woderful example for churches to follow i ceturies to come. The Jesus Coectio As the text tells us, Jesus followers were first called Christias i Atioch. It s sigificat that i Atioch this diverse group of followers took o a ame that meas like Christ. As they lived out Jesus example ad ecouraged others i the faith, people oticed. What a complimet it would be for others to cosider us to be like Jesus! Pray about how your life ca reflect Jesus i a way that would help draw others to God. You ca write your prayer here. Spreadig the News The believers who were scattered to Atioch, at that time the third largest city i the Roma Empire, bega sharig the message of Christ ot oly with the may Jews who lived there, but also with the o-jews. Whe Jerusalem s church heard that a great umber of people had tured to the Lord, they were ready to accept these o-jewish believers, ad they set Barabas (whose ame meas So of Ecouragemet ) to see what was happeig ad to cotribute to the spreadig of the gospel message. Barabas ivited Saul (whom we kow as the Apostle Paul) to Atioch for a year to help teach because the church was expadig so quickly. Barabas had befrieded Saul ad defeded him before the apostles Seior High Study 12 Sprig Quarter

122 122 FAITH CONNECTION Color Compariso paper crayos, pastels, or markers Color Compariso Welcome studets to the group. Give each studet two sheets of paper ad have available ad scattered aroud the room a assortmet of markers, crayos, or pastels. Istruct studets to spread out so they have some space to themselves to work. Say: We re goig to begi today with some colorful reflectio. It s importat to remember ot to write dow ay specific ames while I m describig differet kids of people. First I wat you to thik without talkig about people who have discouraged you. They may or may ot be i your life curretly. Maybe you do t eve kow their ames. But you kow that they did or said somethig that made you feel lesser, uimportat, rejected. O oe piece of paper, color how that perso or those people made you feel. Allow a miute or so for studets to color. Say: This time, I wat you to thik about people who have ecouraged you. Remember as fully as you ca their words, their actios, ad how they made you feel. I fact, because ecouragig people ca be such ice people to be aroud, thik of as may as you ca. O your secod piece of paper, color how those people made you feel. Give studets aother miute or so to color. Ask for a few voluteers to share their papers. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What thoughts ad feeligs did you have as you colored your first piece of paper? How was that reflected i your artwork? What thoughts ad feeligs did you have as you colored the secod piece of paper? How was that reflected i your artwork? Compare your two pictures. How differet are they? How differet are ecouragemet ad discouragemet? Why do others words ad actios make such a impact o us? Say: Put the two pieces of paper side by side. Now thik of times you ve bee a discourager (pause) ad times you ve bee a ecourager. Pause. Cosider which kid of perso you are most of the time. Pause. Sprig Quarter Study 12 Seior High

123 123 Say: We ve focused so far o discouragemet ad ecouragemet i geeral. But for the rest of today s study we re goig to focus o a specific subject: the ecouragemet Christias eed to keep goig i faith. Followig Jesus ca be a loely ad difficult jourey, ad we might be tempted to give it all up if we do t have others aroud to ecourage us. Today we ll see how importat it is that Christias ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER TO BELIEVE IN JESUS. 2 BIBLE EXPLORATION The Ecourager Have studets form groups of four. Give each group a piece of paper ad a pe, ad make sure everyoe has a Bible. Have studets ope to Acts 11: The Ecourager Bibles paper pes Say: There are all kids of differet situatios i which Christias eed ecouragemet i their faith. We ll look at seve of them i today s passage. First, read Acts 11:19. Allow time. Say: The Christias were scattered. Cosider what words of ecouragemet you could offer to people who felt aloe i their faith. You might keep i mid how people have ecouraged you i such a situatio. Desigate someoe i your group to be the scribe ad write aloe o your paper, followed by the words or phrases your group thiks of. Allow time. Have groups read Acts 11:19 agai. Say: The Christias were also persecuted. That meas they were threateed for their faith. Cosider what words of ecouragemet you could offer to people who were beig threateed or hurt because of their faith. Agai, keep i mid how people have ecouraged you whe you ve bee called out for your faith. Write persecuted o your paper, followed by the words or phrases your group thiks of. Allow time. Have groups read Acts 11:19 a third time. Say: The Christias were coected to Stephe, who d bee killed because of his faith. Cosider what words of ecouragemet you could offer to someoe who lost a close fried because of his or her faith. Write killed o your paper, followed by the words or phrases your group thiks of. Allow time. Have groups read Acts 11:20. Say: Thigs were t all bad! The Christias told the good ews to other people. Sometimes we eed ecouragemet to keep doig good thigs. Cosider what words of ecouragemet you could offer to someoe who s doig a great job sharig his or her faith. Write sharig o your paper, followed by the words or phrases your group thiks of. Allow time. Seior High Study 12 Sprig Quarter

124 124 Have groups read Acts 11:21. Say: The Christias saw success as they told others about their faith. May people came to kow Jesus! Cosider what words of ecouragemet you could offer to keep people goig whe they feel really successful i their faith. Write success o your paper, followed by the words or phrases your group thiks of. Allow time. Have groups read Acts 11: Say: Barabas ecouraged the Christias to stay true to their faith. Cosider what words of ecouragemet you could offer to help someoe stay strog i faith. Write strog o your paper, followed by the words or phrases your group thiks of. Allow time. Have groups read Acts 11: Say: The early Christias were ecouraged by learig more about their faith ad growig closer to God. Cosider what words of ecouragemet you could offer to someoe who is seekig to grow closer to God. Write grow o your paper, followed by the words or phrases your group thiks of. Allow time. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What are some of the words you wrote? What are some differeces betwee the kids of ecouragemet you d offer i differet situatios? Why is it importat to receive ecouragemet whether thigs are goig well or poorly? Do you thik it s easy or difficult to be a ecourager? Explai. Say: The gospel is always risky. To ecourage someoe i faith ofte meas steppig out i favor of God s good ews i Jesus Christ, ad that will always be upopular with those who do t believe. Ad eve whe thigs are goig well for someoe s faith, that perso eeds ecouragemet to stay strog. Barabas was a atural ecourager, ad we ca ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER TO BELIEVE IN JESUS, too. 3 WEAVING FAITH INTO LIFE Practice Makes Perfect ame tags pes small star stickers Practice Makes Perfect Had out ame tags ad pes. Say: We all have areas i which we feel discouraged. Now s your chace to practice ecouragig each other ad to receive ecouragemet. O your ame tag, write a way you eed ecouragemet i your faith. Allow time. As studets write, had out at least five stickers to everyoe. Whe they fiish, have studets put their ame tags o. Sprig Quarter Study 12 Seior High

125 125 Say: People do t always wear their discouragemet o their sleeves. But today, we are! Or at least, o our shirts. Walk aroud ad ecourage each other, readig ame tags ad offerig ecouragemet based o what the ame tags say. Whe you ecourage someoe, give that perso a sticker to put o his or her ame tag. Whe you get five stickers o your ame tag, take it off ad throw it away. Cosider yourself ecouraged! Cotiue util o oe is wearig discouragemet aymore. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What might motivate you to ecourage others? Are there iappropriate ways to try to ecourage someoe? What could make ecouragemet iappropriate? How ca you ecourage someoe i faith without makig him or her feel judged? How ca you be sure that you offer ecouragemet with good motives? Say: Ecouragemet has to be geuie, from a heart filled with God s love for us ad for others. Great job practicig that! Like Barabas, we ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER TO BELIEVE IN JESUS ad stay strog i our faith. Ad without ame tags, you ll eed to pay close attetio to see how people might eed ecouragemet. Media Coectio (Optio) Tip May movie clips are available at youtube.com. Istead of the Practice Makes Perfect activity, show your studets a short clip from the movie The Icredibles. Before you show the movie, ask studets to be watchig for how ecouragemet is portrayed: who does the ecouragig, what is said, ad how it s received. Start the clip at 1:13:20, whe the Parr family is washed up o the beach at ight. Ed it at 1:15:25, whe the mom says, It s i your blood. Media Coectio video player movie The Icredibles Media Coectio Easy Prep Cue The Icredibles to 01:13:20, whe the Parr family is washed up o the beach at ight. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. Why did the childre eed ecouragemet? How is that similar to situatios i which we eed ecouragemet? What might motivate you to ecourage others? Seior High Study 12 Sprig Quarter

126 126 Are there iappropriate ways to try to ecourage someoe? What could make ecouragemet iappropriate? How ca you be sure that you offer ecouragemet with good motives? Say: Ecouragemet has to be geuie, from a heart filled with God s love for us ad for others. I our clip, the mother s ecouragemet was absolutely heartfelt ad geuie! Like Barabas, we ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER TO BELIEVE IN JESUS ad stay strog i our faith. Today! Bibles modelig clay Today! Give everyoe a small piece of modelig clay, ad allow a miute or so for studets to play with it. The clay will be hard ad may take some effort with warm hads to make it pliable. Distribute Bibles, ad ask someoe to read the Key Verse, Hebrews 3:13, while others follow alog: But ecourage oe aother daily, as log as it is called Today, so that oe of you may be hardeed by si s deceitfuless. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What was this clay like whe I gave it to you? What effect did your touch have o this clay? How was your effect o the clay like ecouragemet? What happes to clay if you do t take care of it the right way? How is that like the effect of a lack of ecouragemet? What ca you do this week to keep someoe from gettig hardeed by si s deceitfuless? Say: We eed lots of ecouragemet daily, maybe eve more ofte. Ecouragemet, like playig with the clay, keeps us soft. Ecouragemet feels good, ad it helps us fight the battle agaist si. Whe we do t ecourage others i their faith, they may become hardeed. As we ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER TO BELIEVE IN JESUS, we make it easier for all of us to follow God together. Sprig Quarter Study 12 Seior High

127 127 4 LASTING IMPRESSIONS Daily Challeges Have studets get out their hadbooks, or distribute Takig It Home hadouts to all studets. Say: Today we ve see that it s importat to ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER TO BELIEVE IN JESUS. Let s commit to beig ecouragers this week. Direct studets to fid this week s Daily Challeges i their Seior High Hadbooks or o their Takig It Home hadouts ad choose oe to do this week. They may choose oe or more of these three optios: Fid someoe else i our group who wats to do this challege, ad exchage phoe umbers. Commit to sedig a text daily this week to ecourage each other. Ask your close Christia frieds about areas i which they feel discouraged. Offer words of ecouragemet, ad pray for them. Make a card for someoe who eeds ecouragemet. Iclude a Bible verse you thik will ecourage that perso i his or her faith. Daily Challeges Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study) pes Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. What s a practical way you re goig to do your Daily Challege? Iclude a time, a place, ad other ideas. Say: Barabas was great at ecouragig the Christias to stay strog i their faith. Let s ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER TO BELIEVE IN JESUS by followig through with our Daily Challeges this week. Weavig Faith at Home Ecourage studets to talk with their parets about the Daily Challeges they chose ad what they leared about ecouragig other Christias. Studets ca also do the Talk With Your Family activity i their hadbooks or o their Takig It Home pages with their families. Talk to your Director about ig the FREE FamilyCoect to all your church s families! Available at group.com/digital. Close with prayer. Ivite studets to form pairs ad pray for each other to be ecouraged. Seior High Study 12 Sprig Quarter

128 128 Barabas Ecourages Christias i Atioch Acts 11:19-26 Bible Poit Ecourage each other to believe i Jesus. Key Verse But ecourage oe aother daily, as log as it is called Today, so that oe of you may be hardeed by si s deceitfuless (Hebrews 3:13). TAKING IT HOME Quotables This is the heartbeat of celebratig friedship. Rejoicig, hoorig, applaudig, commedig, salutig, toastig the woderful people i our lives. Not for what they do, but for who they are, ad for what they mea to us. Nicole Johso, Fresh-Brewed Life Daily Challege Fid someoe else i our group who wats to do this challege, ad exchage phoe umbers. Commit to sedig a text daily this week to ecourage each other. Ask your close Christia frieds about areas i which they feel discouraged. Offer words of ecouragemet, ad pray for them. Make a card for someoe who eeds ecouragemet. Iclude a Bible verse you thik will ecourage that perso i his or her faith. Faith Joural How ca I become someoe others thik of as a ecourager? Talk With Your Family Watch oe of your favorite sitcoms together as a family. Before the show starts, give everyoe a piece of paper, a pe, ad istructios to jot dow a brief ote every time they hear a character either ecourage or discourage aother. Afterward, discuss what you heard. Imagie together how the relatioships ad situatios might have chaged if all the discouragemets were ecouragemets. The read Proverbs 15:1 together, ad discuss these questios: How ca getle aswers be ecouragig? How ca harsh words be discouragig? Which does our family ted to do more? Why is that? How ca we be better about ecouragig oe aother?! OK TO COPY Sprig Quarter Study 12 Seior High

129 Study Jesus Seds Power From God Acts 2:1-21 There is much debate today as to what the Holy Spirit does ad does t do. Teeagers ca easily be caught up i the debate. Help your studets avigate the various opiios by ecouragig them to chage their focus from how the Holy Spirit does thigs to why he does them. Remid teeagers that Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will sed i my ame, will teach you all thigs ad will remid you of everythig I have said to you (Joh 14:26). By approachig the debate with a uderstadig of the Holy Spirit s primary purposes, teeagers will have a foudatio for uderstadig the thigs the Holy Spirit may or may ot do. STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 1 Faith Coectio Power Trip (about 15 mi.) Discover ivisible power i sciece experimets ad compare that power with power from God. Media Coectio (Optio) (about 10 mi.) Watch a movie clip that ll get them thikig about how the Holy Spirit commuicates with us. Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy of the Power i Sciece hadout (at the ed of this study), scissors, 2 plastic bowls, ½ cup black pepper, jar, water, liquid dish soap, balloos for all studets, 5 empty alumium cas, paper, pes video player, movie Strager Tha Fictio Set up 2 statios accordig to the hadout. Cue Strager Tha Fictio to 00:20:28, whe the arrator says, Harold assumed his watch was simply o the fritz. Bible Poit God gives us the Holy Spirit. Key Verse But the Couselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will sed i my ame, will teach you all thigs ad will remid you of everythig I have said to you (Joh 14:26). Weavig Faith Ito Life Teeagers will examie why God gives them the Holy Spirit ad discuss how they ca serve God with the power of his Holy Spirit. Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Seior High Study 13 Sprig Quarter

130 130 STUDY WHAT STUDENTS DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 2 Bible Exploratio 3 Weavig Faith Ito Life 4 Lastig Impressios First Power (about 25 mi.) Re-create Acts 2:1-21, ad cosider what the Holy Spirit ca do. Power to Coect (about 20 mi.) Make childre s books about the Holy Spirit s impact o our lives. Daily Challeges (about 5 mi.) Choose a Daily Challege to apply God s Word. Weavig Faith at Home (about 2 mi.) Talk about how to share what they leared with their families. Bibles, paper, scissors, markers, tape, pes Bibles, paper, pes, markers Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study), pes Bold text withi the lesso is spoke text. Sprig Quarter Study 13 Seior High

131 131 Jesus Seds Power From God Acts 2:1-21 BIBLe BACKGROUND FOR LEADERS Passover Fifty days after the Passover celebratio, the Jews celebrated the Feast of Weeks, otherwise kow as Petecost. Jerusalem was crowded with Jews from may surroudig areas who had gathered i the holy city for the feast. May spoke laguages other tha the Aramaic ad Greek that were most commo i Palestie at that time. God set the stage for a miraculous display of his power through the Holy Spirit. We could take a log time discussig the soud, the togues of fire, ad who was preset for all this as described i Acts 2:1-3, but what s importat to glea from this passage is that the Holy Spirit came upo Christias i a ew ad powerful way, eablig them to better spread the good ews about Jesus. They were filled with God s Holy Spirit. Speakig i Other Togues? doors for fear? Ideed it is. Peter s experiece with the rise Christ ad his beig filled with the Holy Spirit made Peter a ew perso. The Jesus Coectio Peter had o delusios about the source of the power. God set the Holy Spirit to empower his people to further his kigdom. Jesus had told his followers before he asceded to heave that they were to wait i Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to come upo them. They eeded the power of the Holy Spirit to spread the good ews. Whe God has somethig big for us to do, he ll empower us to do it. Ad God may use us i remarkable ways if we re willig to follow the leadig of the Holy Spirit. Pray ad ask God how he wats to use your life for his glory. Trust him to empower you to accomplish his plas. You ca write your prayer here. We could also take a log time explaiig the term speak i other togues (Acts 2:4), but istead we ll simply examie the evet described i this passage. The disciples were able to speak so that people from may differet atios could hear them i their respective laguages. Speakig i a laguage that the speaker had ever leared does ot ecessarily mea that what is spoke is a message from God. I this passage, however, we re give the evidece to verify God as the source of the message: The disciples were declarig the woders of God. Peter: A Chaged Ma Notice who takes the lead i verse 14 ad the powerful message he gives. Could this be the same Peter who, oly seve weeks earlier, had three times deied eve kowig Jesus? The same Peter who had hidde with the other disciples behid locked Seior High Study 13 Sprig Quarter

132 132 FAITH CONNECTION Power Trip Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy of the Power i Sciece hadout (at the ed of this study) scissors 2 plastic bowls ½ cup black pepper jar water liquid dish soap balloos for all studets 5 empty alumium cas paper pes Power Trip Easy Prep Set up 2 statios accordig to the hadout.! BALLOON WARNING To avoid chokig hazards for youger classes meetig later, be sure to pick up pieces of ay broke balloos promptly. Balloos may cotai latex. Power Trip Welcome studets to the group. Say: We re goig to be talkig about the power of the Holy Spirit today. To start, we ll be lookig at some examples of power i sciece. Have studets form two groups, ad assig each group a sciece experimet. Have studets tur to page 96 of their hadbooks, or give each group a sectio of the Power i Sciece hadout, ad have each group go to the appropriate statio. Allow about three miutes for groups to coduct their experimets. After group members have completed their experimets, have them write dow the scietific priciples they thik were at work i the experimets. The have groups switch statios. Whe groups have tried both experimets, have everyoe gather i the ceter of the meetig room. Say: Now that you ve all had a chace to try the experimets, let s discuss the reasos you feel the experimets worked the way they did. Have groups read their explaatios to everyoe. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What provided the power i each experimet? Could you see the power that made the balloo move the ca? Or did you just see the effects of the power? How is the power i these experimets like God s power? How is it differet? Say: Today we re goig to talk about God s power. More specifically, we re goig to talk about the Holy Spirit ad why GOD GIVES US THE HOLY SPIRIT. To do this, we ll look at how the Holy Spirit came to the early church i Acts 2. Media Coectio (Optio) Tip May movie clips are available at youtube.com. This clip is also available at wigclips.com uder the title Say Somethig. Sprig Quarter Study 13 Seior High

133 133 Istead of the Power Trip activity, have studets watch a movie clip from Strager Tha Fictio that illustrates seekig the Holy Spirit. First, itroduce the clip. Say: I this movie, Harold has recetly begu to hear a voice arratig his life. At first it was a icoveiece, somethig he tried to block out. But i this clip, we ll see him tryig to hear from the voice. Begi the clip at 00:20:28, whe the arrator says, Harold assumed his watch was simply o the fritz. I this clip, the arrator idicates Harold will soo die, ad Harold tries to get the voice to keep talkig so he ca fid out more. Ed the clip at 00:22:59. Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. Have you ever felt like God kew more about your life tha he was lettig o? Talk about that. What have you doe to try to hear from God? What role does the Holy Spirit play i us commuicatig with God? Say: Today we re goig to talk about the Holy Spirit ad why GOD GIVES US THE HOLY SPIRIT. We ll see the role the Holy Spirit plays i our lives which is more tha just a arrator! To do this, we ll look at how the Holy Spirit came to the early church i Acts 2. Media Coectio video player movie Strager Tha Fictio Media Coectio Easy Prep Cue Strager Tha Fictio to 00:20:28, whe the arrator says, Harold assumed his watch was simply o the fritz. 2 BIBLE EXPLORATION First Power Have studets form six groups while you set out the supplies. Say: I m goig to give you each a part of the passage to read ad re-create. You ll use the supplies to make props, figure out how to make soud effects, or practice actig out whatever your sectio talks about. The I ll read the whole thig together, ad each group will get to preset their props, souds, or skits. Allow about 10 miutes for studets to prepare, usig the followig assigmets: Acts 2:1-2 (a violet wid) Acts 2:3 (togues of fire) Acts 2:4 (speakig i togues) Acts 2:5-12 (people from all differet places) Acts 2:13-18 (sigs of the ed times) Acts 2:19-21 (sigs of the ed times) First Power Bibles paper scissors markers tape pes After 10 miutes, get everyoe s attetio. Read aloud Acts 2:1-21, ad pause for studets to fill i with actio, souds, or props. Seior High Study 13 Sprig Quarter

134 134 Say: It was a amazig evet so amazig some people did t uderstad what was goig o. But what does it mea for us today? Reread your passage with your group. Cosider the props, souds, or actios you made. The talk together about what that might imply about the kid of power the Holy Spirit ca have i our lives today. Allow about five miutes for discussio, ad the have groups share their isights. Talk With Studets Lead everyoe i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What do you fid iterestig about the Holy Spirit s arrival? Why do you thik the Holy Spirit s arrival was such a powerful momet? Explai. What does this passage tell you about why God gave us the Holy Spirit? Do you thik people prophesy ad see visios today? Why or why ot? I what ways do you thik the Holy Spirit s power is the same today as it was i Acts 2? How is it differet? Say: You did a great job of illustratig this passage. It s obvious that the Holy Spirit is powerful, ad his etrace ito our world certaily caused people to questio the Holy Spirit s effect o others. Not everyoe agrees o exactly what the Holy Spirit ca do today. But oe thig is clear: GOD GIVES US THE HOLY SPIRIT, ad that meas we have God s power i our lives. 3 WEAVING FAITH INTO LIFE Power to Coect Bibles paper pes markers Power to Coect Give each studet a Bible, ad read this week s Key Verse, Joh 14:26, aloud together: But the Couselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will sed i my ame, will teach you all thigs ad will remid you of everythig I have said to you (Joh 14:26). Distribute paper, pes, ad markers. Say: The Holy Spirit ca be hard to coceptualize. The Bible talks a lot more about God the Father ad about Jesus. The Holy Spirit ca be more of a mystery. Now s your chace to put the Holy Spirit i simple terms eve a kid could uderstad. Cosider somethig that makes you thik of the Holy Spirit, somethig you could compare his power to like the wid or a power source for a electroic device. The write ad illustrate a kids book that would help kids uderstad the role the Holy Spirit plays i our lives today, usig that metaphor as the basis for your book. Allow time for studets to create their books. The have studets form trios ad take turs readig their books to each other i their trios. Sprig Quarter Study 13 Seior High

135 135 Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. Studets ca fid these questios i their Seior High Hadbooks. What role do you thik the Holy Spirit plays i your life? How does the Holy Spirit chage the way you live? What s oe way you d like to focus more o the Holy Spirit i your life this week? Say: I bet all of us have felt ot good eough at some poit i our lives. Like we just do t have what it takes. But havig the Holy Spirit meas we do t eed to be good eough! GOD GIVES US THE HOLY SPIRIT to trasform us from average, ordiary people ito people who ca do amazig thigs for him. Just look at what the Holy Spirit did for the early church! Let s live with the power of the Holy Spirit this week. 4 LASTING IMPRESSIONS Daily Challeges Have studets get out their hadbooks, or distribute Takig It Home hadouts to all studets. Say: Today we ve see why GOD GIVES US THE HOLY SPIRIT. Let s commit to livig by his power this week. Direct studets to fid this week s Daily Challeges i their Seior High Hadbooks or o their Takig It Home hadouts ad choose oe to do this week. They may choose oe or more of these three optios: Talk with a Christia fried about how God used the Holy Spirit to brig each of you to kow Jesus ad how you ve grow sice you first believed i Jesus. Pray for God s directio from the Holy Spirit whe you re tempted this week. At the ed of each day, write dow oe way you saw the Holy Spirit workig i your life. The take the time to thak God for it. Daily Challeges Seior High Hadbooks or 1 copy per studet of the Takig It Home hadout (at the ed of this study) pes Talk With Studets Lead studets i this discussio. What s a practical way you re goig to do your Daily Challege? Iclude a time, a place, ad other ideas. Seior High Study 13 Sprig Quarter

136 136 Say: The Holy Spirit came i a powerful way, ad GOD GIVES US THE HOLY SPIRIT today, too! Let s live with the power of the Holy Spirit by followig through with our Daily Challeges this week. Weavig Faith at Home Ecourage studets to talk with their parets about the Daily Challeges they chose ad what they leared about the Holy Spirit. Studets ca also do the Talk With Your Family activity i their hadbooks or o their Takig It Home pages with their families. Talk to your Director about ig the FREE FamilyCoect to all your church s families! Available at group.com/digital. Close with prayer. Have studets form a circle ad bow their heads. Walk aroud the circle as you pray for stregth ad protectio for each studet as he or she attempts to serve God through the power of his Holy Spirit. Sprig Quarter Study 13 Seior High

137 137 Power i Sciece Experimet 1: Scared Pepper Materials eeded: a plastic bowl, 1 4 cup black pepper, a jar of water, ad liquid dish soap Step 1: Pour some water ito the bowl. Step 2: Pour some pepper ito the bowl of water. Step 3: Add oe drop of liquid dish soap. What happes? Experimet 2: Remote Cotrol Roller Materials eeded: balloos for everybody ad 5 empty alumium cas Step 1: Put a alumium ca o its side o the floor. Step 2: Blow up a balloo, ad rub it o the back of your head really fast. Step 3: Hold the balloo about a ich i frot of the ca. Step 4: Move the balloo slowly away from the ca. What happes?! OK TO COPY Illustrated by Matt Wood Seior High Study 13 Sprig Quarter

138 138 Jesus Seds Power From God Acts 2:1-21 Bible Poit God gives us the Holy Spirit. Key Verse But the Couselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will sed i my ame, will teach you all thigs ad will remid you of everythig I have said to you (Joh 14:26).. Quotables Daily Challege TAKING IT HOME So how are you supposed to make right choices? Lettig the Holy Spirit cotrol your life is the oly sure way to do the right thig. That will mea submittig to his cotrol committig yourself to follow his leadig, ad the tryig to stay i touch with him through prayer ad obediece. Bob Hostetler, Josh McDowell s Oe Year Book of Youth Devotios Talk with a Christia fried about how God used the Holy Spirit to brig each of you to kow Jesus ad how you ve grow sice you first believed i Jesus. Pray for God s directio from the Holy Spirit whe you re tempted this week. At the ed of each day, write dow oe way you saw the Holy Spirit workig i your life. The take the time to thak God for it. Faith Joural Why is the Holy Spirit importat to you? Talk With Your Family Read these passages about the Holy Spirit s role i our lives: Matthew 10:20 Joh 14:15-21, Joh 15:26 Acts 1:8 Romas 8:26-27 Romas 15: Corithias 12: Thessaloias 1:5 Discuss these questios as a family: How do these verses help you uderstad the Holy Spirit s role? How have you see the Holy Spirit work i your life i oe of these ways? How do you eed the Holy Spirit s help i oe of these ways?! OK TO COPY Sprig Quarter Study 13 Seior High

Third- and fourth-graders no longer see the world in strictly egocentric terms. Unlike

Third- and fourth-graders no longer see the world in strictly egocentric terms. Unlike Lesso 3 25 Jesus Explais Why God Set Him Joh 3:12-21 Third- ad fourth-graders o loger see the world i strictly egocetric terms. Ulike very youg childre, they kow that the world really does t revolve aroud

More information

Death seems far away to most teenagers. They may wonder why they ought to spend

Death seems far away to most teenagers. They may wonder why they ought to spend 29 Jesus Explais Eteral Life to Nicodemus Joh 3:1-17 Death seems far away to most teeagers. They may woder why they ought to sped time thikig about eterity whe they ve oly just begu life i the here ad

More information

Jesus Explains Eternal Life to Nicodemus John 3:1-17

Jesus Explains Eternal Life to Nicodemus John 3:1-17 Lesso 3 31 Jesus Explais Eteral Life to Nicodemus Joh 3:1-17 T hird- ad fourth-graders may ot fully uderstad death uless someoe close to them has died. Eve so, they do kow that everyoe, icludig them, evetually

More information

Your third- and fourth-graders are prone to temptation; in fact, few people are more

Your third- and fourth-graders are prone to temptation; in fact, few people are more Lesso 7 71 Sata Tempts Jesus Luke 4:1-13 Your third- ad fourth-graders are proe to temptatio; i fact, few people are more tempted tha kids this age. Professioals who have the best, latest techology available

More information

Most third- and fourth-graders recognize the difference between right and wrong.

Most third- and fourth-graders recognize the difference between right and wrong. LESSON WHAT CHILDREN DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 1 Gettig Started 2 Bible Exploratio God Gives the Te Commadmets (Part 1) What Rules? (about 10 mi.) Form 2 groups, ad make up somethig for the other group members

More information

First- and second-graders are eager and ready to learn new things, and as they learn

First- and second-graders are eager and ready to learn new things, and as they learn Lesso 8 75 Paul Teaches About Spiritual Gifts 1 Corithias 12:4-27 First- ad secod-graders are eager ad ready to lear ew thigs, ad as they lear ew thigs they ofte come across ew abilities, gifts, ad talets.

More information

Many first- and second-graders are afraid of the dark. For them, there s a connection

Many first- and second-graders are afraid of the dark. For them, there s a connection 17 God Dwells With Us Joh 1:1-14 May first- ad secod-graders are afraid of the dark. For them, there s a coectio betwee darkess ad fear, ad there s a coectio betwee light ad a feelig of relief ad assurace.

More information

Four Friends Help a Paralyzed Man Mark 2:1-12

Four Friends Help a Paralyzed Man Mark 2:1-12 Lesso 12 123 Four Frieds Help a Paralyzed Ma Mark 2:1-12 H ow may third- ad fourth-graders believe that they ve doe wrog oly after they ve bee caught? Otherwise, they do t regard their wrog behavior as

More information

Fifth- and sixth-graders might not know much about courage, beyond comic books

Fifth- and sixth-graders might not know much about courage, beyond comic books Lesso 9 81 Peter Tells the Sahedri About Jesus Acts 4:5-14 Fifth- ad sixth-graders might ot kow much about courage, beyod comic books ad superhero movies. But there s a differece betwee holy courage ad

More information

While most fifth- and sixth-graders aren t in a position to make big life decisions,

While most fifth- and sixth-graders aren t in a position to make big life decisions, Lesso 10 91 Philip Tells the Ethiopia About Jesus Acts 8:26-40 While most fifth- ad sixth-graders are t i a positio to make big life decisios, they re ofte makig decisios that feel big to them. They re

More information

Being accepted by their peers and included in the group is very important to thirdand

Being accepted by their peers and included in the group is very important to thirdand LESSON WHAT CHILDREN DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP 1 Gettig Started 2 Bible Exploratio God Gives the Te Commadmets (Part 2) How I Treat Others (about 10 mi.) Play a game, ad talk about how they treat others. At

More information

Third- and fourth-graders are old enough to understand the difference between right

Third- and fourth-graders are old enough to understand the difference between right Lesso 2 15 Zechariah Prophesies About Jesus Luke 1:68-79 Third- ad fourth-graders are old eough to uderstad the differece betwee right ad wrog. However, kids this age may ot completely uderstad the cocepts

More information

First- and second-graders have no trouble believing in things they can t see, even if

First- and second-graders have no trouble believing in things they can t see, even if Lesso 11 109 Joshua Seds Spies to Jericho Joshua 2:1-24 First- ad secod-graders have o trouble believig i thigs they ca t see, eve if they ca t completely uderstad spirituality. The example of Rahab s

More information

Most first- and second-graders still think very highly of their parents. Dads and

Most first- and second-graders still think very highly of their parents. Dads and Lesso 9 97 Jesus Demostrates His Authority Mark 1:21-28 Most first- ad secod-graders still thik very highly of their parets. Dads ad moms are all-powerful, as far as youg childre are cocered. There is

More information

Third- and fourth-graders often know a great deal about Jesus but may not feel they

Third- and fourth-graders often know a great deal about Jesus but may not feel they Jesus Grows Up Luke 2:39-52 Lesso 5 49 Third- ad fourth-graders ofte kow a great deal about Jesus but may ot feel they have much i commo with God s So. Oe reaso is that we kow so little about Jesus childhood

More information

Trust is important to third- and fourth-graders. Therefore, it s important for kids to

Trust is important to third- and fourth-graders. Therefore, it s important for kids to 5 Prophets Foretell Jesus Comig Jeremiah 33:14-16 Trust is importat to third- ad fourth-graders. Therefore, it s importat for kids to kow that whe someoe makes a promise to them, they ca trust that the

More information

God Floods the Earth

God Floods the Earth Lesso 6 63 God Floods the Earth Geesis 7 8; 9:8-16 M ay third-ad fourth-graders make promises to oe aother all the time. They promise, I ll be your best fried or I ll ivite you to my birthday party. Promises

More information

First- and second-graders are able to understand the difference between right and

First- and second-graders are able to understand the difference between right and Lesso 6 65 Joh Baptizes Jesus Mark 1:4-11 First- ad secod-graders are able to uderstad the differece betwee right ad wrog, without ecessarily learig a certai rule or stadard. So they re able to recogize

More information

Disciples Follow Jesus

Disciples Follow Jesus Lesso 8 83 Disciples Follow Jesus Mark 1:14-20 T hird- ad fourth-graders log to be part of a group. Beig part of a group brigs acceptace ad positive friedships. Use this lesso to teach childre about followig

More information

God Dwells With Us LESSON WHAT CHILDREN DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP. Bible, copy of the Living Sculptures handout (at the end of this lesson), scissors

God Dwells With Us LESSON WHAT CHILDREN DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP. Bible, copy of the Living Sculptures handout (at the end of this lesson), scissors Lesso 2 17 God Dwells With Us Joh 1:1-14 T hird- ad fourth-graders are begiig to grasp that people have depth. They ca uderstad that the people they meet thik, feel, ad act o their ow. It ca be very easy

More information

Third- and fourth-graders are very familiar with what it means to be kids. The thing

Third- and fourth-graders are very familiar with what it means to be kids. The thing Lesso 6 59 The Word Became Flesh Joh 1:1-18 Third- ad fourth-graders are very familiar with what it meas to be kids. The thig they may ot uderstad is just how much parets love their childre. They may feel

More information

Third- and fourth-graders have a keen sense of fairness. The kids in your group may

Third- and fourth-graders have a keen sense of fairness. The kids in your group may Lesso 13 135 Jesus Teaches About Lovig Eemies Luke 6:27-38 Third- ad fourth-graders have a kee sese of fairess. The kids i your group may be quick to poit out a situatio that does t seem equitable especially

More information

Christmas is an exciting time for most third- and fourth-graders. Taking a vacation

Christmas is an exciting time for most third- and fourth-graders. Taking a vacation The So of God Is Bor! Luke 1:26-45; 2:1-20 Lesso 4 37 Christmas is a excitig time for most third- ad fourth-graders. Takig a vacatio from school, visitig relatives, shoppig, decoratig, ad eatig more goodies

More information

First- and second-graders are eager for more independence. In their quest for

First- and second-graders are eager for more independence. In their quest for Lesso 5 47 God Gives the Te Commadmets (Part 2) Exodus 19:16 20:21 First- ad secod-graders are eager for more idepedece. I their quest for idepedece, they may sometimes become defiat ad rebellious. While

More information

Young children become uneasy when adults aren t happy with their behavior. They ll

Young children become uneasy when adults aren t happy with their behavior. They ll Lesso 12 125 Four Frieds Help a Paralyzed Ma Mark 2:1-12 Youg childre become ueasy whe adults are t happy with their behavior. They ll try to make the hurt relatioship ormal agai. Kowig that they do t

More information

Most first- and second-graders enjoy making new friends. They accept and welcome

Most first- and second-graders enjoy making new friends. They accept and welcome 53 Jesus Grows Up Luke 2:39-52 Most first- ad secod-graders ejoy makig ew frieds. They accept ad welcome people who are differet from themselves. They are at a very lovig ad agreeable stage of life. It

More information

Fifth- and sixth-graders know well the idea of having heroes. They pick people to look

Fifth- and sixth-graders know well the idea of having heroes. They pick people to look Lesso 5 43 People Rejoice as Jesus Eters Jerusalem Mark 11:1-11 Fifth- ad sixth-graders kow well the idea of havig heroes. They pick people to look up to, ad they log to meet them, display posters of them,

More information

Jesus Tells About the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37

Jesus Tells About the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37 Lesso 5 53 Jesus Tells About the Good Samarita Luke 10:25-37 T hird- ad fourth-graders ca uderstad that God loves them ad loves other people, too. They also uderstad practical ways to show their frieds

More information

First- and second-graders have a special desire to know they re loved no matter

First- and second-graders have a special desire to know they re loved no matter 17 Zechariah Prophesies About Jesus Luke 1:68-79 First- ad secod-graders have a special desire to kow they re loved o matter what. It s commo for a child who s misbehaved to ask, Do you still love me?

More information

If raised to believe in Santa Claus, children this age are becoming skeptical. They often

If raised to believe in Santa Claus, children this age are becoming skeptical. They often Lesso 4 41 The So of God Is Bor! Luke 1:26-45; 2:1-20 If raised to believe i Sata Claus, childre this age are becomig skeptical. They ofte see the holes i the story but preted they do t. They wat to grow

More information

Third- and fourth-graders love to share good news. They also care deeply for their

Third- and fourth-graders love to share good news. They also care deeply for their Lesso 10 105 Lydia Is Coverted Acts 16:9-15 Third- ad fourth-graders love to share good ews. They also care deeply for their frieds. As they realize that ot all people have heard God s message of salvatio,

More information

First- and second-graders are developing a strong sense of competition with others,

First- and second-graders are developing a strong sense of competition with others, Lesso 5 47 Joseph Dreams Disturbig Dreams Geesis 37:1-11 First- ad secod-graders are developig a strog sese of competitio with others, ot oly o the playgroud but at home as well. Use this lesso to help

More information

God Makes a Covenant With Abram

God Makes a Covenant With Abram Lesso 10 103 God Makes a Coveat With Abram Geesis 15:1-18 T hird-ad fourth-graders are great at makig plas. They ca pla a school project. They ca pla a imagiary adveture to play all afteroo i the backyard.

More information

First- and second-graders are just beginning to learn that they can choose right from

First- and second-graders are just beginning to learn that they can choose right from Lesso 6 57 Joseph s Brothers Sell Him Ito Slavery Geesis 37:12-36 First- ad secod-graders are just begiig to lear that they ca choose right from wrog o their ow. Util ow, doig right meat obeyig parets,

More information

First- and second-graders love birthday parties. They especially enjoy watching the

First- and second-graders love birthday parties. They especially enjoy watching the Lesso 3 27 Jesus Is Bor Luke 1:26-38; 2:1-20 First- ad secod-graders love birthday parties. They especially ejoy watchig the birthday child ope the presets they brought. I order to direct your kids mids

More information

Jesus Talks With the Samaritan Woman John 4:5-42

Jesus Talks With the Samaritan Woman John 4:5-42 Lesso 4 41 Jesus Talks With the Samarita Woma Joh 4:5-42 T hird- ad fourth-graders kow who s i ad who s out i their social circles. Sometimes they ca be quite cruel to the kids who are o the outside of

More information

By the time kids are in the third or fourth grade, they have a pretty good

By the time kids are in the third or fourth grade, they have a pretty good Lesso 2 15 Jesus Tells the Parable of the Lost So Luke 15:11-32 By the time kids are i the third or fourth grade, they have a pretty good uderstadig of what it meas to feel guilty. For the most part, they

More information

Young children are just beginning to develop friendships with other children. Playing

Young children are just beginning to develop friendships with other children. Playing Lesso 7 75 Peter ad Adrew Meet Jesus Joh 1:35-42 Youg childre are just begiig to develop friedships with other childre. Playig at the park with a fried, goig to a birthday party, ad just seeig a fried

More information

Third- and fourth-graders often complain if they don t get things their way. They have

Third- and fourth-graders often complain if they don t get things their way. They have Lesso 3 27 God Provides Water Exodus 17:1-7 Third- ad fourth-graders ofte complai if they do t get thigs their way. They have specific likes ad dislikes, ad oe of those dislikes is to feel deprived of

More information

First- and second-graders haven t had enough life experience to know what it means

First- and second-graders haven t had enough life experience to know what it means Lesso 8 87 Disciples Follow Jesus Mark 1:14-20 First- ad secod-graders have t had eough life experiece to kow what it meas to follow Jesus. Oe of the ways childre gai life experiece is through observatio.

More information

It s important to help middle schoolers distinguish between taking the gospel to the

It s important to help middle schoolers distinguish between taking the gospel to the 97 Peter Visits Corelius Acts 10:1-44 It s importat to help middle schoolers distiguish betwee takig the gospel to the world ad takig their ow culture to the world. It s temptig to thik that we simply

More information

Third- and fourth-graders are beginning to worry about many different things, such as

Third- and fourth-graders are beginning to worry about many different things, such as Lesso 1 5 The Israelites Cross the Red Sea Exodus 13:17 14:31 Third- ad fourth-graders are begiig to worry about may differet thigs, such as ot doig well i school, beig hurt by others, or eve losig a paret.

More information

First- and second-graders are discovering a new independence but need to know

First- and second-graders are discovering a new independence but need to know Lesso 1 5 Prophets Foretell Jesus Comig Jeremiah 33:14-16 First- ad secod-graders are discoverig a ew idepedece but eed to kow that Mom, Dad, or other caregivers are still there to help ad protect them.

More information

Noah Builds the Ark. washable markers, large poster board, ruler, scissors, tape Teacher Pack: Instant Ark cards

Noah Builds the Ark. washable markers, large poster board, ruler, scissors, tape Teacher Pack: Instant Ark cards Lesso 5 49 Noah Builds the Ark Geesis 6:5-22 T hird-ad fourth-graders are the gatekeepers of the rules. They re keely aware of who s obeyig ad who is t. A child this age may also see obediece as a way

More information

First- and second-graders have many fears. Some children fear losing a parent or

First- and second-graders have many fears. Some children fear losing a parent or Lesso 13 135 Jesus Heals the Blid Ma Mark 10:46-52 First- ad secod-graders have may fears. Some childre fear losig a paret or other relative. Others are afraid of the dark or imagiary mosters. These fears

More information

Students may feel either lost or pulled in many different directions either one

Students may feel either lost or pulled in many different directions either one 15 Isaac Marries Rebekah Geesis 24 Studets may feel either lost or pulled i may differet directios either oe leadig to cofusio. I additio, whe they seek to make importat decisios, the advice they ofte

More information

Abram is a wonderful example of a person who trusted and followed God. Most 5-

Abram is a wonderful example of a person who trusted and followed God. Most 5- Lesso 8 89 Abram Follows God s Directio Geesis 12:1-8 Abram is a woderful example of a perso who trusted ad followed God. Most 5- ad 6-year-olds have iteracted with trustworthy adults ad have a iate sese

More information

Adults have relationship problems as often as and sometimes more often than

Adults have relationship problems as often as and sometimes more often than Lesso 9 83 Lot ad Abram Divide the Lad Geesis 13 s have relatioship problems as ofte as ad sometimes more ofte tha childre. Ayoe may have trouble relatig to a child, a spouse, a paret, a coworker, a eighbor,

More information

Third- and fourth-graders are now aware of things they didn t even know existed

Third- and fourth-graders are now aware of things they didn t even know existed Lesso 9 93 God Protects Moses Exodus 1:1 2:10 Third- ad fourth-graders are ow aware of thigs they did t eve kow existed a year or two ago. It ca be scary for kids to realize that thigs such as beig abadoed,

More information

An Angel Appears to Joseph

An Angel Appears to Joseph Lesso 2 17 A Agel Appears to Joseph Isaiah 7:13-14; Matthew 1:18-25 T hird- ad fourth-graders are t as trustig as youger childre. As they grow older, kids fid that adults ca sometimes disappoit them. Maybe

More information

Jesus Calms a Storm LESSON WHAT CHILDREN DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP. Bible Truth Sleuth, CD player, pens Teacher Pack: CD

Jesus Calms a Storm LESSON WHAT CHILDREN DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP. Bible Truth Sleuth, CD player, pens Teacher Pack: CD Lesso 11 113 Jesus Calms a Storm Mark 4:35-41 A s third- ad fourth-graders are movig out of youg childhood ito middle childhood, fear for their persoal safety begis to declie. At this age, they re becomig

More information

LESSON 2: SHARE THE WORD. COMMENTARY / This portion of the lesson is for the leader s personal study.

LESSON 2: SHARE THE WORD. COMMENTARY / This portion of the lesson is for the leader s personal study. LESSON 2: SHARE THE WORD Key Scriptures: Joh 1:29-51, Joh 17:1-8 Memory Verse: Now this is eteral life: that they may kow you, the oly true God, ad Jesus Christ, whom you have set. Joh 17:3 COMMENTARY

More information

Jesus told Nicodemus that no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born

Jesus told Nicodemus that no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born Lesso 3 31 Jesus Explais Eteral Life to Nicodemus Joh 3:1-17 Jesus told Nicodemus that o oe ca see the kigdom of God uless he is bor agai. Whe it comes to teachig abstract cocepts to cocrete thikers, the

More information

For preschoolers, families are the gatekeepers of how they experience the world

For preschoolers, families are the gatekeepers of how they experience the world Lesso 6 67 The Word Became Flesh Joh 1:1-18 For preschoolers, families are the gatekeepers of how they experiece the world aroud them. Childre lear to uderstad their emotios, roles, ad abilities withi

More information

Your preschoolers won t understand the finality of Stephen s death or the idea

Your preschoolers won t understand the finality of Stephen s death or the idea Lesso 12 139 Stephe Forgives His Accusers as They Stoe Him Acts 6:8 7:60 Your preschoolers wo t uderstad the fiality of Stephe s death or the idea of martyrdom. However, they ll uderstad that Stephe acted

More information

Zacchaeus Climbs a Tree to See Jesus

Zacchaeus Climbs a Tree to See Jesus Lesso 12 111 Zacchaeus Climbs a Tree to See Jesus Luke 19:1-10 E very Christia struggles i some degree to feel accepted by God. We ted to believe that if we would oly live better, pray loger, serve harder,

More information

Preschoolers are familiar with temptation, especially being tempted to act contrary to

Preschoolers are familiar with temptation, especially being tempted to act contrary to Lesso 7 77 Sata Tempts Jesus Luke 4:1-13 Preschoolers are familiar with temptatio, especially beig tempted to act cotrary to their parets wishes. May childre this age wo t be familiar with Sata, ad they

More information

Jesus Comes Back to Life

Jesus Comes Back to Life Lesso 8 89 Jesus Comes Back to Life Matthew 27:27-56; 28:1-10 T hird- ad fourth-graders kow Jesus died for them. They also kow he came back to life. Because they may ot fully comprehed that the seemigly

More information

Children understand that prayer is talking to God. They trust that God is there and

Children understand that prayer is talking to God. They trust that God is there and Lesso 10 133 Philip Tells the Ethiopia About Jesus Acts 8:26-40 Childre uderstad that prayer is talkig to God. They trust that God is there ad ca hear them whe they pray, but they may ot uderstad that

More information

Preschoolers are anxious to try new things and learn new skills. It s a regular

Preschoolers are anxious to try new things and learn new skills. It s a regular Lesso 2 17 Zechariah Prophesies About Jesus Luke 1:68-79 Preschoolers are axious to try ew thigs ad lear ew skills. It s a regular occurrece i their lives to grow i these ways, but as they lear they eed

More information

Most 5- and 6-year-olds know what it means to get ready. They ve learned to dress

Most 5- and 6-year-olds know what it means to get ready. They ve learned to dress Lesso 1 5 Joh the Baptist Prepares the Way for Jesus Mark 1:1-8 Most 5- ad 6-year-olds kow what it meas to get ready. They ve leared to dress themselves, brush their teeth, ad maybe fix a simple breakfast.

More information

Lot and Abram Divide the Land

Lot and Abram Divide the Land Lesso 9 93 Lot ad Abram Divide the Lad Geesis 13 T hird-ad fourth-graders have best frieds who ca easily tur ito worst eemies, depedig o the day of the week or the hour of the day. At this age especially,

More information

COMMENTARY / This portion of the lesson is for the leader s personal study.

COMMENTARY / This portion of the lesson is for the leader s personal study. LESSON 4: TEACH THE WORD Key Scriptures: Joh 17:13-17; Matthew 13:23, 34-36; Mark 10:17-34; Matthew 24:1-14; Joh 11:1-44 Memory Verse: I have give them Your Word ad the world has hated them, for they are

More information

Children understand needing to be cared for. They trust the adults in their lives to

Children understand needing to be cared for. They trust the adults in their lives to Lesso 13 171 Jesus Heals the Blid Ma Mark 10:46-52 Childre uderstad eedig to be cared for. They trust the adults i their lives to provide for their eeds ad eve some of their wats. Whe youg childre see

More information

Family is the first place in which children can learn to give and receive love. God

Family is the first place in which children can learn to give and receive love. God Lesso 5 55 Joseph Dreams Disturbig Dreams Geesis 37:1-11 Family is the first place i which childre ca lear to give ad receive love. God created the family uit as a eviromet i which childre ca lear to give

More information

Preschoolers like to sing and clap their hands with enthusiasm. They enjoy stories that

Preschoolers like to sing and clap their hands with enthusiasm. They enjoy stories that Lesso 7 79 Crowds Welcome Jesus to Jerusalem Psalm 118:19-29; Matthew 21:1-11 Preschoolers like to sig ad clap their hads with ethusiasm. They ejoy stories that are excitig ad activities that are full

More information

FAITHWEAVER NOW FAMILY-FRIENDLY SUNDAY SCHOOL

FAITHWEAVER NOW FAMILY-FRIENDLY SUNDAY SCHOOL FAITHWEAVER NOW FAMILY-FRIENDLY SUNDAY SCHOOL Also works great with KIDSOWN WORSHIP & FAITHWEAVER FRIENDS! SAMPLE PAK AGE LEVEL: OVERVIEW OF FAITHWEAVER NOW HOW FAITHWEAVER NOW WORKS HOW TO GET STARTED

More information

Jesus Feeds Thousands

Jesus Feeds Thousands Lesso 2 17 Jesus Feeds Thousads Joh 6:1-15 T hird- ad fourth-graders have a kee sese of what they wat sometimes so much so that they believe they eed those thigs that are really wats. They also probably

More information

Preschoolers can be very impatient when waiting for their needs to be met or

Preschoolers can be very impatient when waiting for their needs to be met or Lesso 3 29 God Provides Water Exodus 17:1-7 Preschoolers ca be very impatiet whe waitig for their eeds to be met or their desires to be fulfilled. Just as the Israelites forgot what God had doe, they sometimes

More information

Preschoolers are very trusting by nature and will believe in God because you tell

Preschoolers are very trusting by nature and will believe in God because you tell Lesso 11 129 Joshua Seds Spies to Jericho Joshua 2:1-24 Preschoolers are very trustig by ature ad will believe i God because you tell them God is real. Your words have a great impact o them. Use this lesso

More information

Preschoolers have a natural sense of wonder that sometimes borders on worship.

Preschoolers have a natural sense of wonder that sometimes borders on worship. Lesso 6 65 The Israelites Worship a Golde Calf Exodus 32:1-25 Preschoolers have a atural sese of woder that sometimes borders o worship. But they re able to uderstad that God is the oe who created all

More information

God Cares for Hagar and Ishmael

God Cares for Hagar and Ishmael Lesso 13 139 God Cares for Hagar ad Ishmael Geesis 21:8-21 T hird-ad fourth-graders take the cocept of prayer seriously. But sometimes they ca take it too far by treatig prayer as a persoal wish list.

More information

Preschoolers live firmly in the present and have a hard time understanding delayed time.

Preschoolers live firmly in the present and have a hard time understanding delayed time. Lesso 1 5 Prophets Foretell Jesus Comig Jeremiah 33:14-16 Preschoolers live firmly i the preset ad have a hard time uderstadig delayed time. As a result, it may be difficult for them to uderstad the cocept

More information

Christmas is a very exciting time for children. The lights, presents, songs, and festive

Christmas is a very exciting time for children. The lights, presents, songs, and festive Lesso 4 41 The So of God Is Bor! Luke 1:26-45; 2:1-20 Christmas is a very excitig time for childre. The lights, presets, sogs, ad festive atmosphere create excitemet ad aticipatio. Use this lesso to teach

More information

WINTER SUNDAY SCHOOL SENIOR HIGH

WINTER SUNDAY SCHOOL SENIOR HIGH WINTER SUNDAY SCHOOL SENIOR HIGH LEADER GUIDE Get your FREE, customizable DIGITAL COPY of this leader guide. It s as EASY as 1-2-3. Visit group.com/digital to set up a free olie accout for your church.

More information

Being wronged and being angry are things children understand. When a toy is

Being wronged and being angry are things children understand. When a toy is Lesso 8 91 Joseph Forgives His Brothers Geesis 42 45 Beig wroged ad beig agry are thigs childre uderstad. Whe a toy is grabbed away or aother offese is committed, the atural reactio is to feel hurt ad

More information

Visit group.com/digital to set up a free online account for your church. 2 Enter the Activation Code below to add this teacher guide to your account.

Visit group.com/digital to set up a free online account for your church. 2 Enter the Activation Code below to add this teacher guide to your account. FALL 2015 SUNDAY SCHOOL GRADES 3&4 TEACHER GUIDE Get your FREE, customizable DIGITAL COPY of this teacher guide. It s as EASY as 1-2-3. Visit group.com/digital to set up a free olie accout for your church.

More information

FAITHWEAVER NOW FAMILY-FRIENDLY SUNDAY SCHOOL

FAITHWEAVER NOW FAMILY-FRIENDLY SUNDAY SCHOOL FAITHWEAVER NOW FAMILY-FRIENDLY SUNDAY SCHOOL Also works great with KIDSOWN WORSHIP & FAITHWEAVER FRIENDS! SAMPLE PAK AGE LEVEL: OVERVIEW OF FAITHWEAVER NOW HOW FAITHWEAVER NOW WORKS HOW TO GET STARTED

More information

Visit group.com/digital to set up a free online account for your church. 2 Enter the Activation Code below to add this leader guide to your account.

Visit group.com/digital to set up a free online account for your church. 2 Enter the Activation Code below to add this leader guide to your account. FALL SUNDAY SCHOOL SENIOR HIGH LEADER GUIDE Get your FREE, customizable DIGITAL COPY of this leader guide. It s as EASY as 1-2-3. Visit group.com/digital to set up a free olie accout for your church. 2

More information

People Build a Tower at Babel

People Build a Tower at Babel Lesso 7 77 People Build a Tower at Babel Geesis 11:1-9 ive- ad six-year-olds are excited to lear how to do thigs by themselves. Despite F their growig idepedece, kids this age ca grasp that we eed God

More information

Five- and six-year-olds are beginning to catch on to the power found in manners.

Five- and six-year-olds are beginning to catch on to the power found in manners. Lesso 13 153 God Cares for Hagar ad Ishmael Geesis 21:8-21 Five- ad six-year-olds are begiig to catch o to the power foud i maers. Please becomes the key word that seems to deliver most of a child s desires.

More information

Visit group.com/digital to set up a free online account for your church. 2 Enter the Activation Code below to add this leader guide to your account.

Visit group.com/digital to set up a free online account for your church. 2 Enter the Activation Code below to add this leader guide to your account. FALL SUNDAY SCHOOL ADULT LEADER GUIDE Get your FREE, customizable DIGITAL COPY of this leader guide. It s as EASY as 1-2-3. Visit group.com/digital to set up a free olie accout for your church. 2 Eter

More information

SPRING 2014 SUNDAY SCHOOL PRESCHOOL TEACHER GUIDE

SPRING 2014 SUNDAY SCHOOL PRESCHOOL TEACHER GUIDE SPRING 2014 SUNDAY SCHOOL PRESCHOOL TEACHER GUIDE group.com/suday-school We kow you care about kids We do, too! That s why we attempt to esure that all crafts, toys, ad gizmos meet or exceed atioal safety

More information

LESSON 3 Embrace Christ s Mission Key Text: John 15:1-17

LESSON 3 Embrace Christ s Mission Key Text: John 15:1-17 LESSON 3 Embrace Christ s Missio Key Text: Joh 15:1-17 Itroductio Over the last two weeks, we have bee studyig the Parable of the Vie i Joh 15:1-17. I this passage, we fid a illustratio that Christ gave

More information

Five- and six-year-olds are trying to make sense of their world. Often when adults

Five- and six-year-olds are trying to make sense of their world. Often when adults Lesso 5 53 Noah Builds the Ark Geesis 6:5-22 Five- ad six-year-olds are tryig to make sese of their world. Ofte whe adults ask youg childre to do somethig, kids do t immediately obey. Istead they ask,

More information

Visit group.com/digital to set up a free online account for your church. 2 Enter the Activation Code below to add this teacher guide to your account.

Visit group.com/digital to set up a free online account for your church. 2 Enter the Activation Code below to add this teacher guide to your account. SPRING SUNDAY SCHOOL PRESCHOOL TEACHER GUIDE Get your FREE, customizable DIGITAL COPY of this teacher guide. It s as EASY as 1-2-3. Visit group.com/digital to set up a free olie accout for your church.

More information

Jesus Christ and the Resurrection. Three Life Changing Realities About Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ and the Resurrection. Three Life Changing Realities About Jesus Christ April 01, 2018 All across our coutry people are cryig out for aswers to some of life s toughest questios. May idividuals have tured to the church to seek these aswers but sadly may churches are ot providig

More information

A SCRIPTURE UNION HOLIDAY CLUB PROGRAMME GREAT NEW IDEAS, INSPIRED BY EXPERIENCE

A SCRIPTURE UNION HOLIDAY CLUB PROGRAMME GREAT NEW IDEAS, INSPIRED BY EXPERIENCE HOLIDAY CLUB INCLUDES PHOTOCOPIABLE RESOURCES AND FREE EXTRAS ONLINE TREASURE SEEKERS CAN BE USED WITH THE GUARDIANS OF ANCORA APP A SCRIPTURE UNION HOLIDAY CLUB PROGRAMME GREAT NEW IDEAS, INSPIRED BY

More information

Pre-K Aquatic. Mt. Washington Children s Center Keeping freshwater fish

Pre-K Aquatic. Mt. Washington Children s Center Keeping freshwater fish + Pre-K Aquatic Mt. Washigto Childre s Ceter Keepig freshwater fish + Objective We choose a freshwater fish tak to itroduce our childre to popular types of pets. May of our childre have allergies, ad fish

More information

As we enter the second half of the Season

As we enter the second half of the Season This Seaso Petecost 2 As we eter the secod half of the Seaso after Petecost, we cotiue to explore what it meas to live as disciples of Christ. This cotiues to be a growig time for us, symbolized by the

More information

Acts to Revelation. Lesson 41 LIBERTY HOME BIBLE INSTITUTE. LHBIonline.com ACCELERATED LEARNING PROGRAM. New Testament

Acts to Revelation. Lesson 41 LIBERTY HOME BIBLE INSTITUTE. LHBIonline.com ACCELERATED LEARNING PROGRAM. New Testament New Testamet: Acts to Revelatio LIBERTY HOME ACCELERATED LEARNING PROGRAM Geeral Epistles Books of First, Secod & Third Joh New Testamet LHBIolie.com 546 2012 Dr. Harold Willmigto ad Iteret Marketig Commuicatios,

More information

Probability of immortality and God s existence. A mathematical perspective

Probability of immortality and God s existence. A mathematical perspective Probability of immortality ad God s existece. A mathematical perspective Jesús Sáchez Idepedet Researcher, Bilbao, Spai Email: jesus.sachez.bilbao@gmail.com https://www.researchgate.et/profile/jesus_sachez64

More information

Shhh. Close the door behind you.

Shhh. Close the door behind you. - - Shhh. Close the door behid you. Welcome to Secret Church. There are two reasos we are here this eveig. Oe is to kow God s Word more itimately. Most of our time together is goig to be spet divig ito

More information

Portofolio Transcript

Portofolio Transcript Master of Theology The Master of Theology degree (M.Th.) is grated for demostratio of advaced competecies related to buildig biblical theology ad doig theology i culture, particularly by those i miistry

More information

Follow Jesus to Good Health and heaven too!

Follow Jesus to Good Health and heaven too! Nutritio for life pathway to wholeess www.phpower.org Follow Jesus to Good Health ad heave too! Jim LeBeau How importat is a close persoal relatioship with God? This is eteral life, that they may kow you,

More information

Visit our Web Site at: us at: FAX: (402) Phone: (402)

Visit our Web Site at:    us at: FAX: (402) Phone: (402) Demoizatio of the Believer, A Ubiblical Teachig Exposed Copyright 1994 Published by Idia Hills Commuity Church Systematically Teachig the Word 1000 South 84th Street, Licol, Nebraska 68510-4499 First Pritig:

More information

By DR. DANN SPADER OUR SHARED MINISTRY PHILOSOPHY

By DR. DANN SPADER OUR SHARED MINISTRY PHILOSOPHY By DR. DANN SPADER OUR SHARED MINISTRY PHILOSOPHY OUR SHARED MINISTRY PHILOSOPHY By DR. DANN SPADER Preseted for Discussio at the Global Youth Iitiative Forum i Sigapore, April 2006 (Updated 2011) Solife

More information

HOMEWORK 17. H 0 : p = 0.50 H a : p b. Using the class data from the questionnaire, test your hypothesis.

HOMEWORK 17. H 0 : p = 0.50 H a : p b. Using the class data from the questionnaire, test your hypothesis. HOMEWORK 17 1. Suose we select a radom samle of 1 studets ad fid that 43% said they believe i love at first sight. Which statemet is NOT ecessarily true? a. there were 43 studets i the samle who said they

More information

RUBLEV S ICON I am bedig my kee I the eye of the Father who made me I the eye of the So who redeems me I the eye of the Spirit who cleased me Ad I am askig the three That my livig shall be I the likeess

More information

Finding the Stories. FamilyLegacy.org

Finding the Stories. FamilyLegacy.org Fidig the Stories LDS Acestors Mormos ad their Neighbors lib.byu.edu/digital/acestry Daughters of Utah Pioeers www.dupiteratioal.org LDS Church records Available at the BYU FHL ad the Salt Lake FHL Newspapers

More information