Seekers for Jesus 1Q Online Activities Lesson 1 Sideline Question taken from page 6. What are some ways that you can know God s plan is best? There are several different ways to know that God s plan is the best plan. For starters, we can remember that He loves us enough to send His Son to die for us. He didn t want the future that sin would bring us, so He made another way. That s how we can know that He has our best interests in mind. If He didn t care, then He wouldn t have sent Jesus. Another way is returning to the Bible and reading stories about how God s plan worked out for other people who struggled. Look at the stories of Daniel, David, Mary, Esther, Abraham or many others and you ll see how God always made a way for them. God can be trusted in every situation to give us exactly what we need and make sure that we re given proper care. Lesson 2 Sideline Question taken from page 10. How can you stand up for God? Not everyone agrees with the Christian lifestyle. Some people may tease you about it, treat you differently (even bully), and certain other religions want to see the death of Christianity. With these obstacles, sometimes it s hard to stand up for God. It s easier to deny Him so that you can fit in with the crowd. However, this is not what we re supposed to do. Jesus said, If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world therefore the world hates you (John 15:18-19, NRSV). Being in this world takes courage. Not denying that you love God, proclaiming His truth, sticking to your morals it s all hard work. Though it s not easy, Jesus promised to be with us through it all.
Lesson 3 Sideline Question taken from page 14. Why was Daniel praying? Daniel had been reading the Scriptures and he learned the reasons why his people were being allowed to live in exile. They had turned from God and were now living out the punishment. The Israelites had made a deal with God and had not upheld their side, so God was upholding His punishment, much like a parent and child situation. Daniel knew that the people would be in exile for seventy years, so he prayed to God to confess their sins, to praise God for His greatness, and to ask for forgiveness and restoration. Daniel doesn t say Forgive them of their sins, but instead says we and our. He recognized that all of Israel had sinned against the Lord, not just one person. It was not about a blame game. The good news was that God s forgiveness would be for all of them as well, and He would restore Jerusalem. Lesson 4 Sideline Question taken from page 18. Why did God send an angel? God always answers our prayers. Sometimes it takes longer, and sometimes it happens in a different way than we were expecting, so we don t recognize it when it does occur. Daniel had been praying for a long time and didn t know if God was hearing him or going to answer him at all. As it turns out, God had immediately sent an angel to Daniel the first moment he prayed. However, the angel had been deterred by an agent of the devil, and so he was delayed in arriving to Daniel. Daniel had no idea if God was listening or that God had already sent an answer to his prayer, but he kept on praying anyway. He trusted that God would hear him and answer him eventually. We too can trust that God hears our prayers and will always answer them.
Lesson 5 Sideline Question taken from page 22. Why does God want us to be giving? God is a gracious and generous God. He gave us life, a beautiful planet to inhabit, food to eat, a place to live, clothes to wear, and so much more. He sent Jesus to die for us so we wouldn t be dead in our sins and we wouldn t have to face the punishment of being separated from Him. He did all of these things out of love for us. Since He is so good and giving to us, He wants us to be generous as well. Following God means copying His characteristics and trying our best to be better people, all for His glory. An easy way to mimic Him is to copy His generosity. It requires a little sacrifice on our part, but in doing so we are being a witness for God and His love to whoever is receiving our generosity. Lesson 6 Sideline Question taken from page 26. Why do our words matter? Do you remember in the beginning of Genesis, when God is creating the world? What did He use to shape the earth, create boundaries for the sky and water, or bring animals and plants to life? It wasn t tools or snapping His fingers; it was words. He spoke the world into existence. We were made in His image, and so our words also have power. Proverbs 18:21 says, Death and life are in the power of the tongue (NRSV). We have to be extremely careful how we use our words. It s a big responsibility to control our tongues. However, it can also be a gift since our words can bring life. We can use that power to give compliments, cheer someone up who is feeling down, encourage one another, and share the love of Jesus through our words. It s up to us to decide how we will wield the power of our words, but God wants us to choose life.
Lesson 7 Sideline Question taken from page 30. Why did God bless Tabitha? Tabitha was a good and generous woman. We don t know a whole lot about her, but what we do know are all good things. She was very loved in her community because of how well she cared for others. She used the gifts and talents that God had given her to help others, instead of keeping them to herself. She recognized that she could use what was at her disposal to share the love of Jesus with others. Because she lived a faithful life, when Peter prayed, God honored his request and brought her back to life. We don t know exactly why, but it s safe to assume that part of the reason was because she would continue doing her good works. She would have used her second chance at life to further spread the love of God and would continue taking care of the people in her community. Lesson 8 Sideline Question taken from page 34. How can we live a Christian life in a sinful world? It is not an easy thing, but it is possible through the help of Jesus. It starts with staying in a healthy and close relationship with Jesus. We can do this through reading the Bible, prayer, attending church, and worshiping Him. The closer we get to Jesus, the more we will want to be like Him. He will give us the strength and courage required to be a Christian in a broken world. Sometimes He might ask you to do something out of your comfort zone, like invite a non-christian to church with you or tell a stranger about God s love. It might be awkward, but He ll help you through it, and that s just one way that you can let your light shine. Other ways include the way you treat others, the words you say, how you spend your free time, and how you react in various situations that life will hand you. All of these areas are potential ways for you to witness.
Lesson 9 Sideline Question taken from page 38. What later Bible story does this passage represent? This was a story that represented the eventual coming of Christ and His sacrifice for us. Abraham was told to give up his only son, and when he was obedient, God provided another way. In a similar way, God would also give up His only Son as a sacrifice for the world. Jesus was obedient to this death, and through His obedience, we all have the opportunity for eternal life now. Jesus could ve said no, but He didn t. God didn t have to give us a way out of our sins; He could ve let us continue in our filthy sin and let us go to the damnation to which sin leads. But He didn t! He loved us too much. Jesus sacrifice paid for the sins of every person that has existed or will ever exist. All we have to do is accept this free gift and repent of our sins. God is ecstatic to welcome you into His family. Lesson 10 Sideline Question taken from page 42. How does God keep His promises today? There are many promises that we still find relevant today. God has promised that He will always be with us, that we ll never be alone. He s promised to send us a Comforter, the Holy Spirit, and He resides in each of us when we ask. He promised He would never flood the earth again, and He has not broken that promise. He sent Jesus as a fulfillment of all the prophecies of the Old Testament, and through Him, we have the opportunity for eternal life. Because of His track record, it s safe to believe that He will also fulfill the promise of Jesus coming back again someday. He will defeat evil once and for all and we will all live in harmony together. It will be a glorious day!
Lesson 11 Sideline Question taken from page 46. Should we still celebrate God s blessings? The short answer is yes! Absolutely. Celebration is a way of thanking God and honoring Him for all that He s done for us. Is there an age limit when you stop saying thank you for birthday presents or Christmas presents? Is there a cut off for when you re no longer appreciative of your warm house, clothes, or food on your table? No, you can always express thankfulness to your parents, guardians or grandparents for these things. In the same way, we can continue to be thankful for what God has done in our lives. Through His provision, you ve been blessed with all of those mentioned things and more! He put air in your lungs and gave you a body that s capable of praising Him. There s never a time or reason to not celebrate God s blessings. Lesson 12 Sideline Question taken from page 50. Why are God s punishments so severe? God is the holiest Being that has ever been. He is love and peace and holiness embodied. Because of His extreme perfection, He cannot tolerate sin. That s why there was a separation between Adam and Eve in the Garden after they sinned. He cannot be around it because of His holiness. When we are Christians, we are trying to be like Him and that includes striving after a life of holiness. God has really high standards, and when sin causes us to fall short of those standards, we must be punished. Through His correction and punishments, we can learn our lessons and continue after His high standards. If we were never punished for our sins, then what would stop us from committing them all the time? Our actions have consequences.