Activity Card: Rules of the Game Your leader will decide on a word that cannot be used for the next five minutes, but you won t know what it is. The first person to say the word will have to do 20 push-ups! Here s the point: This game is NOTHING like God. There isn t some secret rule you have to discover to get to Heaven. Jesus gives us all the information we need on how to obey God. There isn t a secret word to discover. John says His commands are not burdensome. Just follow the rules of the game, and you will be protected from all sorts of hard things! Have your adult leader set an alarm on their phone for 5 minutes. Your leader will decide on a word that cannot be used for the next 5 minutes as you move onto card 2. Good luck!
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Questions: What s your earliest memory of breaking the rules? What are some rules in your world that you agree with (at school, home, sports, government)? Why do you think people hate the idea of obeying God s commands? What areas of rebellion in your life do you want to surrender to God? Pick one attribute of Jesus you can work on for the next month to start acting more like him. (Refer to card 3 labeled Jesus is for ideas on how Jesus acts.)
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Jesus is (And I want to obediently become more of these) Compassionate Matthew 9:36 A Servant Mark 10:45 Loving John 15:13 Forgiving Luke 23:34 Prayerful Luke 5:16 Gentle Luke 18:16; Mark 14:1-9 Self-Controlled Matthew 4:1-11 Humble Philippians 2:1-11
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Teaching Card: Two Kinds of Rebellion There are actually two ways we rebel against God: 1. What we do: Gossip Bully Lie Look at filthy things online Form addictions 1. What we DON T do: Help someone who asks for help Share the hope of Jesus to our friends Spend time with God You can hurt a friend by what you do and also by what you don t do. You can make fun of them behind their back. That s something you could DO that hurts them. You could refuse to stand up for them when others talk bad about them. That s something you could NOT do that hurts them.
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Scripture Reading: Take a moment to read today s verse by yourself. Afterwards, come back together and follow the instructions below. Read: 1 John 2:3-6; 5:3-4 In your Bibles, do the following: Circle the word command every time you see it. Write these three sentences in the margin of your Bible: We obey because we love Him. We don t obey to make Him love us. He already loves us, why NOT obey? Underline 1 John 2:6.
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Letter to God Find a quiet place and take some time working through the instructions below. 1 John 1:9 says: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us of our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Write a letter to God. Confess any ways you ve rebelled this year or this month or maybe it s been this week or TODAY! What are things you have done that you shouldn t have? What are things you have NOT done that you should ve done? Write a letter to God confessing these sins and ask God who is faithful and just for forgiveness.
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Teaching Card: Jack and Jill get Hitched Imagine a couple on their wedding day standing in front of the preacher. They re ready to get married, but the husband isn t too big on all the RULES of marriage. He decided to write his own version of traditional wedding vows. I, Jack, take thee, Jill, to be my wedded wife. To have and to hold when it s convenient for me, from this day forward for at least two-tothree weeks. For better but definitely not for worse. For richer and if we go broke I m going to find somebody who s rich! In sickness well, I ll make you live in a separate home until you get better because I don t have time to deal with your sickness. To be loved and cherished by you, but don t expect much from me. According to God s holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee a portion of myself to you but definitely not all of me. Guys, do you think he has a chance of his bride saying, I DO? Ladies, are you going to put up with that? God wants ALL of us. He doesn t want us to vow ourselves to Him only when it s convenient. If we love Him, we act like it. We are ready to obey the rules, because it s important to our relationship!
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CONTRAST OBEY REBEL Pray as a group for God to help you stand In CONTRAST to our dark World by helping you OBEY Him.
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