THE THRILL OF HOPE SESSION 1: More Than Faithful

Bottom Line: When God is silent, it doesn’t mean He is still.

Scripture References: Luke 1: 5-9, 11-15, 17-25; Genesis 12:1-3

As you try to walk your students through a new view of the Christmas story, help them move from the questions about their own Christmas experience into the deeper questions that help them understand their own story through the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Ultimately, we want them to be able to understand that God always comes through on His promises. But sometimes, especially when it doesn’t feel like God will come through, we need to look back and remember that He delivered on the promise of Jesus and that, ultimately, that is where our hope comes from.

Create meaningful conversation. Adjust questions as needed, and don’t feel like you need to answer all of them.

1. What is something your family does at Christmas—or leading up to Christmas—that you think is unique? What is your favorite tradition?

2. Read through the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth again (Luke 1:5-25) as a group. What stands out to you in their story? Why?

3. Have you ever considered Zechariah and Elizabeth’s story to be part of the Christmas story?

4. Why do you think God included their story as part of the introduction to the Christmas story?

5. What do you think about the way that Zechariah and Elizabeth “hung in there” with regards to their faith and faithfulness?

6. Have you ever known anyone who has stuck it out despite his or her circumstances?  Who was it?  How did watching them impact you? Could you tell if this person’s commitment to stick it out impacted them personally? How?

7. Can you name a time in your life when you’ve asked: “Is God active? Is God listening? Does God care?” What prompted those questions? How did you resolve those questions? Or have you resolved them at all yet?

8. God fulfilled his promise to Zechariah and Elizabeth by giving them John (the Baptist). What is something you currently feel you are waiting on God to come through for you on? What do you hope His response to you will look like? Would you think God didn’t come through for you if His response didn’t look like what you expected? (Note to small group leader: This may be a good opportunity to share a story when God’s response to you was different, and better, than what you had in mind—even if it didn’t necessarily feel that way right away.) 

9. Read this aloud to your group: Christmas is a reminder that even when God is silent, it doesn’t necessarily mean He is still. And when it seems that He’s still, it doesn’t mean He’s uninterested. And even when we’re convinced that He’s uninterested, it has nothing to do with His plan for the world or for you. How does living knowing that your faith in God is not in vain change the way you view your circumstances?

10. How does taking a fresh look at the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth change your perspective of the Christmas story?

NEXT STEP: Touch base with your students this week through email, Facebook or text and message them some variation of the following: The line we mentioned last week from O Holy Night says: “Long lay the world in sin and error pining.” What things are you pining for? (Pining is an old school way to say longing or waiting with excited anticipation—think graduation, driver’s license, prom, summer vacation.) What would it look like if we experienced the same anxious anticipation for Christ in our lives?

Studying the Bible

On this off week, here is a lesson on spiritual disciplines about scripture reading from the LIVE curriculum.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

- No meeting next week due to Thanksgiving

- Christmas Wishes gift delivery on Saturday, December 15 (More Details to come).

- New Year's Eve Lock-In

- Sign up for Big Stuf

LESSON OVERVIEW

The Bible is God’s Word, given to us draw us closer to God and teach us how to live. It’s a love letter and an instruction manual written by a loving Father whose desire is for us to grow closer to him day after day. God is also the creator of the universe, and he lays out the “rules of the road” so that we might have real life. Spending time in God’s Word is a difficult habit to develop, because it seems there’s always something better or more urgent to do. But as we’ll see in this lesson, developing this habit is invaluable for a life of faith and significance.

LESSON OBJECTIVES

1. WHAT: God’s Word is given to us to help grow closer to God and live in obedience to his will.

2. WHY: When our understanding is made real through our actions, we have a full life of faith and significance.

3. HOW: Encourage your students to make realistic commitments to spend time in God’s Word.

PRIMARY SCRIPTURE 

1 Samuel 15:1-23

SECONDARY SCRIPTURES

Matthew 4:4; Acts 17:11; and 2 Timothy 2:15

TEACHING PREP

The short overview below is designed to help you prepare for your lesson. While you may not want to convey this information word-for-word with your teenagers, you’ll definitely want to refer to it as you lead your small group lesson.

God has given us the Bible so we can know more about our purpose in life, how we are called to live, and how much God loves us. It’s important to know what God desires for us, but it’s also important for us to obey and follow what God asks us to do.

Read 1 Samuel 15:1-23.

God gave Saul specific instructions to follow when he went into battle against the Amalekites. But Saul decided to only do part of what God had commanded. The prophet Samuel gave Saul the chance to admit that he had disobeyed God, but Saul chose to ignore the opportunity.

THE BEFORE & AFTER [optional]

Text Message Questions

We’ve provided a couple of different text message questions to send out to your students prior to your meeting. Feel free to use one or both of the questions below. As with the rest of the curriculum, edit these questions to fit the needs of your ministry. 

• Why did God give us the Bible? Text me back, and we’ll talk more about this tonight at small group.

• Do you know where to find the spiritual rules for the road? We’ll give you some good clues tonight at small group.

Parent Email

We’ve provided you with an email below that you can send to your parents following the lesson. Our hope is to encourage parents to continue the conversation at home. Feel free to edit and customize the email to fit your ministry needs.

Dear parents,

We finished our small group series on the HABITS for spiritual growth this week by focusing on the importance of studying Scripture. We looked at 1 Samuel 15:1-23, with an emphasis on helping our students understand the importance of knowing the Bible and following God’s instructions. We challenged our teenagers to read and study God’s Word, so that they would be able to do what God asks of them. 

This week I’d encourage you to take a few minutes with your child to discuss the importance of studying Scripture. Here are some questions you might use to guide your dialogue:

• What are some reasons for reading the Bible? Which reasons are most meaningful to you, and why?

• What role does application to your life play in getting the most out of studying the Bible?

• Which approach might work better for you: spending a large chunk of time studying the Bible each day or finding several shorter moments throughout the day to read? Why?

You could also ask your teenager to talk about ways to deepen a personal walk with God by knowing the Bible better. Take a few moments and pray that in the middle of all the busyness of the high school years, your student will remain committed to reading, studying, and obeying the Bible. Have a great day!

2. LESSON GUIDE

GETTING THINGS STARTED [optional] 

Visit the website for your state’s DMV (department of motor vehicles). Most states will have their driving laws—or “rules of the road”—posted as a PDF or as an easily accessible page. Download and print out a copy before your small group meets. Highlight some of the questions or facts to test your students’ knowledge of the road rules.

As you begin your small group, welcome your students and invite them into your meeting area. Open in prayer, and then jump into the activity below.

You can set this up as an individual competition or a team event. Run through a list of 10-15 questions and see if your teenagers really know the “rules of the road.” Have a prize ready for the winning person or team.

ASK:

• What would it be like if there were no rules for drivers—or if no drivers ever followed the rules?

• In our state, what are the consequences if you know the rules but don’t follow them—and get caught?

• Should drivers be held accountable for following all the rules—even obscure rules they may have forgotten or never learned? Why or why not?

SAY SOMETHING LIKE: We may not want to admit it, but we understand the importance of having rules and having drivers follow the rules. Without rules we have chaos and danger and catastrophe. But what about the ultimate rulebook: the Bible? How familiar are we with it?

If you came up with an opening activity, movie clip, or game that worked well with your group, and you’d like to share it with other youth workers, please email us at ideas@simplyyouthministry.com. 

TEACHING POINTS

The goal of the Teaching Points is to help students capture the essence of each lesson with more discussion and less lecture-style teaching. The main points we have chosen here are (1) Read Scripture, (2) Examine Scripture, and (3) Apply Scripture.

Remember: All throughout these lessons, it’s up to you to choose (1) how many questions you use, and (2) the wording of the main points—keep ours, or change the wording to make it clearer for your audience.

Read 1 Samuel 15:1-23 together as a group. Consider allowing one or more of the teenagers to read the text.

SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Let’s take a look at the importance of studying the Bible, and how we can apply it to our lives.

1. Read Scripture

ASK:

• Why do you think it’s important to spend time in God’s Word? What benefits can it have? What have you experienced in your life?

• What passage of Scripture have you read most recently and how did it impact you?

SAY SOMETHING LIKE: It would take a long time to talk about all the reasons for reading Scripture, because there are so many. The Bible reveals who God is and what he does. The Bible also reveals God’s love and plan for humanity. The Bible helps us understand God’s laws and instructions, along with the blessings for obedience and the penalties for disobedience. The Bible helps us discover who Jesus is and what he did on our behalf. The Bible is filled with incredible stories of people who trusted and believed God.

2. Examine Scripture

ASK:

• Read Acts 17:11. Why do you think these Christians studied the Scriptures every day?

• How could learning God’s Word in high school help you when you enter college, the military, or the workforce after graduation? How might it prepare you for being in those experiences when you’re away from the “safety net” of a youth ministry?

SAY SOMETHING LIKE: We must study the Bible to understand and apply it. In school most people don’t learn grammar or chemistry or math just by hearing it once or reading one chapter. You have to practice and understand the application of it. The same is true for God’s Word. You have to study it and understand it. You get better at grammar because you have memorized and learned the rules. You are better at chemistry or math by doing the same. The same is true of God’s Word.

3. Apply Scripture

ASK:

• Why is it important to go beyond knowing a bunch of facts about the Bible? What does God expect from us?

• Read 1 Samuel 15:22-23. Why is obedience better than sacrifice? Why does God consider rebellion the same as witchcraft and stubbornness the same as worshiping idols?

SAY SOMETHING LIKE: You can know a lot about your car’s engine, but until you apply your knowledge, it is just that—knowledge. The same is true with Scripture. God wants you to know about the Bible and apply it to your life. When you apply the truths of God’s Word, you can begin to experience the freedom that Jesus preached. God doesn’t want you to selectively obey the Bible. Your obedience is important because it’s a demonstration of your faith and trust in God, and it will help you deepen your relationship with God.

ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION [optional]

ASK:

• Why didn’t Saul follow God’s instruction to completely destroy the Amalekites? [NOTE: 1 Samuel 15:9 offers some insight on his actions.]

• Notice that when Samuel confronted Saul, the king justified his disobedience. Was Saul being honest with Samuel about his motives, or was he lying? Explain.

• Read 2 Timothy 2:15. Paul instructs Timothy to be the kind of worker who can correctly explain the word of truth. If your goal is to correctly explain the Bible to your friends, what are some strategies and tools you might use to become more familiar with God’s Word and better prepared to tell others about it?

APPLICATION

ASK:

• Which approach might work better for you: spending a large chunk of time studying the Bible each day or finding several shorter moments throughout the day to read? Why?

• At school, you spend hours reading and learning the ideas and information that will help you pass your tests, earn good grades, and eventually graduate. How has the Bible helped equip you for life?

• How has studying Scripture helped you take greater ownership of your faith?

Pair up with another person in the group for these questions.

ASK:

• Read Matthew 4:4. Jesus understood the importance of knowing God’s Word as a tool for battling temptations and following God’s plan for his life. How could having God’s Word in your heart help you combat temptations and pursue God’s plan for your life?

• What would you say is currently your biggest hindrance to spending time studying Scripture? What could you do differently to spend more time with God? How might I help you in this area?

SUMMARY 

End your small group lesson here. Provide your teenagers with a quick summary or take-home challenge based on (1) the content of this lesson, (2) the dialogue that took place during the lesson, (3) your understanding of the issues and struggles your teenagers are facing, and (4) the big picture of your youth ministry and what your leadership team wants accomplished with the teaching and discussion time.

FOR KEEPS [MEMORY VERSE] 

Encourage and/or challenge your teenagers to memorize the verse below.

But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22).

BLESSED 3: What It Means

This week, we are taking this idea of blessing a step further. And this is not always a welcomed step. Be patient with your students, helping them relate this idea of "giving back" to themselves. Also, focusing the group’s attention on people that you have all seen do this well—a family in the church, someone on the pastoral staff, etc.—may help them get a bit more excited about the idea of being a blessing to others. And, if there are students in your small group who really excel at giving and being selfless, give them a quick shout out!

Create meaningful conversation. Adjust questions as needed, and don’t feel like you need to answer all of them. 

Ice breaker: What is the one gift you were most excited to get when you were growing up? What was the gift you were most excited to give?

1. Why do you think, for most people, it is harder to give than to get?
2. Is that true for you? Is it harder for you to give things to people than it is to receive?
3. Are there particular things you find exceptionally difficult to give (i.e. resources, time, attention, patience, love, trust, humility)? Why do you think it is hard to give those things?
4. Do you think by giving you are going to get something in return? Why?
5. Based on what you heard today, how should we approach giving? Why does it matter to look at it this way?
6. As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (Luke 21:1-4) As we look at this passage, consider this: What would it look like if we let God use our resources for his purposes? How might that change us? How would that change the history of the church, or do you think it would?
7. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. (Acts 2:44-45) How is our own mission like this passage of Scripture? How can we better align ourselves to this model of living? Do you feel a desire to do this, why or why not?
8. Where is a place or who is a person you need to give more to? How do you think you can start doing this and why do you think it's important?
9. How has your previous idea of “blessing” been changed? What is your new definition, based on what you have heard over the past three weeks?

NEXT STEP: As we wrap up this series, send your students a text message asking them to take some time this week to pray for a person they can help. Tell them to take 5-10 minutes to be alone and simply talk to God about their chosen person.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: 

• Toilet Paper Wars (We are competing against the middle school to collect toilet paper for the Hope Resource Center.)
• New Year's Eve Lock-In
• Sign-Up for Big Stuf Camp

BLESSED 2: What it is

Maybe we get that our “stuff” isn’t what determines God’s blessing in our life. And maybe we even understand that what God is doing in us and through us is more important than any “thing.” But what about the idea that God’s most extravagant blessings can be found in the ordinary, everyday—and maybe even the annoying—people that we find ourselves surrounded by? What if we counted our blessings not by “what” we have but by “who” we have; by those ordinary and extraordinary relationships that God weaves into our lives? We just might find that we are more blessed than we ever imagined!

This week, Mike Couvion used Acts 2:42-47 to describe the importance of relationships. He also used the Cheers theme to reinforce his point. If possible, play the Cheers theme and ask the following as an icebreaker:

Is there a team, club, class or group of people "where everybody knows your name"? What qualities made this group a true community?

Depending on what’s going on in your student’s lives, they may either love or hate this idea that relationships are life’s greatest riches. That is the beauty of small group—there’s no one-size fits all question (or answer) for all of your students. So, take some time before small group to pick and choose the questions that would be best for your group. You may even want to think of an example from your own life to illustrate a time when a particular relationship became your greatest asset.

Bottom Line: Life’s greatest riches are found when we begin to view everything in life as an excuse for relationships.

Scripture References: Philippians 1:3-5, Philippians 1:7; Philippians 4:1

Create meaningful conversation. Adjust questions as needed, and don’t feel like you need to answer all of them.

1. Considering what we just heard about what a blessing it is to have Christ-centered relationships with all people, what were some things that came to your mind as you compared that to your own relationships?

2. Do you think the relationships you have are perfectly good the way they are? If not, what would you want to change? How might you be able to do that?

3. Why do you think we should aim to find depth in our relationships with others?

4. Why do you find this particularly challenging at times? How do you think we can help each other work past these difficulties?

5.     Do you think the way you treat the people around you has an effect on how they feel—not only about you but about themselves? Why or why not?

6. Is there a particular relationship you have now or have had in the past that was incredibly good? What made it so valuable to you?

7. As part of the body of Christ, how do you think we are supposed to approach relationships of any kind, not just the ones we have with other Christians?

8. Think of one individual in your family or your community that you have spent very little time getting to know or become closer with. Go ahead and actually picture them in your mind. Without giving names, how you do think you could approach this relationship differently so that is better reflects what Paul had in mind?

9. Where do you feel like you are doing well in viewing community as your greatest blessing? Where do you feel like you could do better?

10. How has what we discussed tonight reshaped your understanding of blessings?

NEXT STEP: This week, send your students a text asking them to think of one person in their life that they can share last week’s chosen Beatitude with—whether by simply talking about it with that person or actually putting that Beatitude into action. For example, if they choose “Merciful,” encourage them to show kindness or forgiveness to their chosen person.

Announcements: This week's Shift will a movie night showing Ghostbusters! See you there!

BLESSED SESSION 1: What It Isn’t

At SHIFT this week, we discussed the concept of being blessed by comparing our typical impressions of blessing with the beatitudes in Matthew 5. Here are some questions we asked for each group of "Blessed" individuals:

Poor - Am I completely and utterly dependent on God?

Mourn - Am I broken-hearted over the damage that sin does in our lives?

Humble - Am I relying on God’s strength or my own?

Hunger and thirst for justice - Is pleasing God my greatest desire?

Merciful - Am I showing love, kindness, and forgiveness to those around me?

Pure hearts - Are my motives clean and innocent?

Work for peace - Am I actively reconciling people to God and to each other?

Persecuted - Am I making a difference to the point that there is push back?

REMEMBER: There is no SHIFT this week due to Pumpkin Fest. If you wish to cancel, serve in East St. Louis or do a fellowship night either this Wednesday or the next, do the lesson on the opposite week!

High School Small Group Dialog

Bottom Line: Being blessed is not about the price of our belongings, but the person we are becoming. Scripture References: Matthew 5:3-10

Fun Icebreaker: If you were an ice cream flavor, which one would you be and why?

Serious Icebreaker: Have students finish the statement "I know I am blessed because..."

1. What first comes to mind when you hear the term “blessed”? What kind of situations or conversations do you associate with it?

2. Why do you think people associate wealth or prosperity with blessing?

3. Is it difficult for you to understand that blessing and prosperity are not entirely linked? If so, what makes that hard for you?

4. Looking at Matthew 5:3-10, what is the most challenging piece of this verse for you?

5. What kind of experiences have you had or see other people experiencing where they have been humbled, are hungry, poor, or mourning? How can we see these experiences as blessings?

6. Knowing that material prosperity—or having an abundance of good in one’s life–is not necessarily what the Lord would have us seek in order to be “blessed,” how can we transform the way we look at our own lives and the things we desire to align with Jesus’ vision of blessing?

7. If you had to redefine the word blessing now, how would you describe it?

NEXT STEP: This week, email or Facebook message your students and ask them to choose one of the 8 Beatitudes that you talked about in small group. Ask them to focus on incorporating whichever they choose into their life this week. Be sure to include the 8 Beatitudes in whatever form of communication you choose.

This week, spend some time taking inventory of your attitudes and character. While many of your students have probably heard the Beatitudes over and over, we want to help them take their head knowledge and allow it to settle into their hearts. You may want to go through the list of Beatitudes ahead of time and choose a few you’d like to focus on.

Create meaningful conversation. Adjust questions as needed, and don’t feel like you need to answer all of them.

Announcements:

• Pumpkin Fest this weekend! NO SHIFT
• Oct 20-Guys Camp Out: Sign up soon!
• Oct 27-Beauty Lunch with Mrs Missouri
• Big Stuf camp registration will be available very soon!!!

High School Small Group: October 3

On our off weeks, I want to provide lessons on the spiritual disciplines. The first is on prayer. This will lead into our next series called BLESSED. Let me know if you have questions on this topic:

GIMME: A Lesson on Prayer

(Taken from the RETHINKING YOUTH MINISTRY blog by Brian Kirk)

FOCUS: To help students examine their understanding of prayer as a spiritual practice.

OPENING UP: Invite the group to pray with you and say:

“Dear God, we come before you and give thanks for everything we have. We ask that you continue to bless us. Give us the things that we need and the things that we want. Help us get the best MP3 players, the best video game systems, the coolest clothes, the hottest sports car. Help us make good grades on all our tests and homework, and help us to win and be number one at whatever we try. Most especially, bless our country so that we continue to be more powerful and more wealthy than any other country in the world. Thanks God. Amen.”

Ask: If you heard this prayer in a worship service, how do you think you would react/feel? How is this prayer different/same as your idea of prayer?

REFLECTION: Go around the circle and invite each person to finish the phrase “Prayer is...” with one word. Do this three times, encouraging them to use a different word each time. Encourage them to consider action words, descriptive words, symbols, emotions, etc. Keep a written list of their responses.

Alternative: Pass out a handout with a variety of images on it related to prayer. The images might include folded hands, a person singing, someone walking in the woods, a lit candle, worshippers holding hands in a circle. Invite youth to share which pictures say something to them about how they understand prayer.

DIGGING INTO THE TEXT: Read Matthew 6: 5-17 together. Ask: How could the text help shape our prayer practice? How might we pray differently than we do now in church/in private?

Read Luke 18: 9-14 (The Pharisee & the Tax Collector). Ask: How do you think the Pharisee would define prayer? How do you think the tax collector would define prayer?

Read Luke 5:16. Ask: What do you think about Jesus' practice of praying alone? What do you imagine he prayed about? What does your own prayer practice look like or what would you like it to look like?

BRINGING TOGETHER SCRIPTURE & OUR STORY: Pose "The Big Question": Do you think God answers prayer? If so, how? What does a prayer sound like if it's not about asking for stuff? What part, if any, do we play in helping God to answer prayers (or own or those of others)?

Encourage the group to reflect on the different ideas and images of prayer that you have discussed. Invite them to create (perhaps in silence, as an act of prayer) a group mural that illustrates, without words, different ways of understanding prayer.

TAKING ACTION: Invite youth to take up a prayer practice in the coming weeks that involves "emptying" oneself of those me-centered desires and distractions that get in the way of a more meaningful prayer practice. Encourage students, like Jesus, to find a "secluded place" to pray, whether that be in their bedroom or outside in the woods or locked in the bathroom! Invite youth to use a prayer box or bowl as a way to begin their time of person prayer. This vessel could be used in two ways. One:place into the receptacle things or symbols of things that might distract you in your time of prayer or draw you into yourself instead of into God. These might include a cell phone, watch, TV remote, homework, money, etc. Two: place into the receptacle slips of paper on which you have written the names of people or places for which you want to focus your prayer time.

Perhaps commit as a group to pray each day for one week at a certain time and for a certain number of minutes. Then, report back to one another about your experiences.

Announcements:

• Six Flags is CANCELLED
• Oct 9 East St Louis Serve
• Oct 14 Pumpkin Fest
• Oct 20 Guys Camp Out
• Oct 27 Beauty: Lunch with Mrs. Missouri

High School Small Group 9/25

NOTE: A student at Timberland, Robert Alexander, took his own like on Monday afternoon. Please be sensitive to the fact that several of our students may be struggling with this. Let me know about the reactions that may come from your meeting as we are contemplating how to address this situation through our ministry.

Announcements: 

• Serve Day this Saturday
• Six Flags, Oct 6
• Pumpkin Fest Oct 14 - No Shift
• Guys Camp Out, Oct 20-21
• Beauty: More Than Skin Deep (Ladies only lunch), Oct 27

Icebreaker Question: What is your favorite way to waste time at school or work without getting caught?

You probably have students who think they have this whole “following Jesus” thing figured out. They know what you’re supposed to say, what you’re supposed to do, what you’re supposed to know. And they may be completely fine with that. But faith is more than a checklist or a better way to live. Faith is a collision with God. A divine collision that consistently messes us up. It messes with the way we relate to God, to others, even with the way we see ourselves. But we’ll never change unless we’re intentional about colliding with God. We have to put ourselves in the path of that collision. It’s personal. It’s crazy. And totals our status quo—if we let Him.

Create meaningful conversation. Adjust questions as needed, and don’t feel like you need to answer all of them.

1. How would you describe the normal teenage life? Do you think you are living the normal teenage life?

2. What would you say are the normal things that are part of the Christian life?

3. Do you think living the status quo Christian life means you are colliding with God? Why or why not?

4. How would you describe what a collision with God looks like?

5. How do you think living the status quo Christian life could actually keep you from having a collision with God?

6. Read Matthew 4:18-22. These first disciples acted radically in order to follow Jesus—they left their families and their jobs to be with Him. They stepped away from the comfort of a familiar life. What would a radical action for the sake of following Jesus look like in your world? What is one thing you could do to follow Christ that is uncomfortable and unfamiliar for you personally? (Keep in mind this will be different for different people.)

7. How would you define a collision with God in your life right now?

8. What is the biggest obstacle keeping you from colliding right now?

9. How would your life look different if you allowed this collision to happen?

10. Colliding with God is more than just something that happens once and then is done. What can you do to continue to collide with God on a regular basis?

NEXT STEP: Student Devotional

XP3: Collide

Session 3 Devotional

Leaders: Or, small group leaders, hand out or email it directly to your students to continue the discussion after Session 3’s small group dialog.

Post Collision

By Sarah Anderson   

I totally admire creative people—people who can look at a blank canvas, start painting, and within a matter of hours have something beautiful to look at. That kind of thing has never come easy for me. Too many possibilities of getting it wrong. Too much white space to fill. I am more of a paint-by-numbers kind of person. Tell me the area I need to fill in and the color that needs to fill the space and I can handle it. Then I am certain to get the results I want because I followed the appropriate steps through the process. Paint blue, red and green here, here and here, and you get a masterpiece. Totally easy. Do these three steps, and you will get this desired result.

If only all of life promised and delivered such desired results. If only we had a guarantee that if we did something a certain way we would have a certain end. But we don’t. And the truth is, this isn’t a surprise to you. You know that even if you did all the right things, followed the right rules, got the good grades, practiced the hardest and studied the most, it wouldn’t mean that you would always get the results you expect. And the reason this is the case may be a lot simpler than you think.

Life isn’t lived off the recommendations of a step-by-step formula like we might find on a paint-by-numbers. Life, as followers of Jesus, is spent colliding with a very real, very alive, very unpredictable and big God.

If you think about it, this makes sense. Because if life was all about a simple procedure with simple rules and simple guidelines than I think the Bible would be a lot shorter—especially the Gospels where Jesus encounters people on a regular basis to heal their internal and external wounds. If there was only one way things were supposed to go—only one desired result—than I think all we would get is one story. Jesus would tell this one person what they should do, and whatever one thing He said would apply for all of us.

But it doesn’t really work that way, does it? There are four Gospels. And each Gospel is filled with stories—stories of individuals, stories of personal pain, delicate hurts, specific pasts and particular relationships. And Jesus doesn’t just say one thing to each of them. Jesus doesn’t just have one word, one cure, one message. When Jesus has an encounter with people, He collides with them. The Gospels are a collection of stories where time and time again a person collides with Jesus Christ—in fact, all of Scripture is the story of people colliding with a Creator God. And no collision is exactly the same.

So what does this mean for you—someone in middle school or high school? Someone who would consider himself or herself to be a follower of Jesus, but isn’t exactly sure what to do now? Well, if there was a phrase, if there was one thing that Jesus said over and over again to people He encountered, it was this: Follow me. In Matthew chapter 16, verse 24, Jesus says this to His disciples: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

“Follow me,” Jesus said. Where? Doing what? How? Well, you may not want to hear this, but I am not sure how to answer that. Only you can. It may mean going on a mission’s trip. It may mean serving in a place and serving people you don’t typically interact with. It may mean extending kindness, forgiveness and care to people who don’t deserve it. It may mean getting up early to pray one day a week or giving one week’s allowance to a charity or cause bigger than yourself. The point is, only you know what following Jesus—what colliding with Jesus—looks like in your life.

See, just like the Gospels are uniquely personal, so too is your story. If you are interested in following Jesus—if you are interested in being a disciple and in colliding with Jesus—then you are the only one who can determine what that means for your life. Colliding with Jesus is personal. It is unique. It will result in a story no one else can tell because it involves you and the God who made you.

I can’t give you a list of steps, directions or rules to follow to determine the collision that will take place when you intersect with God. I can’t make a promise about the result, about the destination or about the implications for your life. No one can. Except you. There is only one thing that is the same for all of us, only one call and one mandate that we can be certain applies to everyone—regardless of age, maturity, location, skills or fears. Jesus says to follow Him. He says to walk in His steps, even without the certainty of where you will go and how you will get there. Yes, it can be a scary proposition—the idea of colliding offers little guarantee for what just may happen as a result. But you can be sure that something will happen. To you. In your story. Because of your obedience. Because of God’s bigness. Because of your desire to love and honor the call Christ asks of you. Collide with God—not because there is a promise involved but because there is a big God involved, and because your story is involved—your story is on the line. And you just may be surprised to see what God can and is able to do when you surrender yourself to His lead. Follow Him and hang on. Only God knows where you will go from here.

Small Group for 9-19

This is one of those awkward weeks when we didn't have a lesson on Sunday because of game night. If you have already taught Collide #2, here are some ideas to get you going:

Announcements:

September 29: Serve Day at Love INC. (unless your group has a different project)

October 6: Six Flags

October 14: Pumpkin Festival (need trebuchet and face-painting help)

October 20: Guys Camp Out

October 27: Beauty Lunch with Mrs. Missouri

Icebreakers (Silly):

1. If you could have an endless supply of any food, what would you get?
2. If you were an animal, what would you be and why?

Icebreakers (Serious):

1. What is one goal you’d like to accomplish during your lifetime?
2. If you had to describe yourself using three words, it would be…

Lesson Ideas (Choose One):

1) Your Life Verse - Maybe there’s a verse that your parents dedicated you with as a child when you were baptized, or maybe there is a verse that you personally claimed during a particularly challenging stretch of your life. Either way, pull out that special verse and share the story about why it means so much and how you’ve experienced it in real life. Maybe encourage others to share a key verse that has helped them in their experiences, too.

Challenge Question to students: What is a verse that has special meaning to you?

2) Your Story of Trusting Christ - There’s nothing more powerful than someone’s story of coming to Christ. It might be a good small group night just talking about when you trusted Christ personally, your journey to faith. Others may also be willing to share, and you might be surprised at the discussion that comes up about faith, unbelief and even doubt. Just share your story and see what happens!

Challenge Question: What questions do you have about your faith journey?

3) A Life Changing-Moment - For each of us as small group leaders there’s no doubt a spiritual moment that defines us. It could be a huge high, or a dreadful low. Whether you share a joy or regret on this night — students will be riveted hearing how your life changed after that experience. Your failure stories (like getting caught for cheating) will be particularly powerful, though an emotional experience (like holding your first child) might ring well in their ears, too.

Challenge Question: What has been the turning point or significant event in your life?

4) Finding Your Spouse - One of the guaranteed most interesting small group nights you could ever have is when you talk about God guiding you to your spouse. Even unmarried small group leaders have this interesting story to share about their journey – they’re just still in the middle of it. Students are keenly interested in relationship dynamics and will hang on every detail.

Challenge Question: What are qualities that you look for when you think about dating?

Closing:

Take prayer requests

Sentence Prayer: Ask each student to pray one sentence as you close.