Blessed through Prayer

July 3, 2012 kensapp Leave a comment

A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island.

The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God. However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.

The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man’s parcel of land remained barren.

After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, there was nothing. Soon the first man
prayed for a house, clothes, more food.

The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.

Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God’s blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered.

As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven booming, “Why are you leaving your companion on the island?”

“My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them,” the first man answered. “His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything.”

“You are mistaken!” the voice rebuked him. “He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings.”

“Tell me,” the first man asked the voice, “What did he pray for that I should owe him anything?”

“He prayed that all your prayers be answered.”

For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone, but those of another praying for us.

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.

Learn More…

Humor

Are you there?

July 1, 2012 kensapp Leave a comment

One afternoon a little boy was playing outdoors. He used his mother’s broom as a horse and had a wonderful time until it was getting dark.

He left the broom on the back porch. His mother was cleaning up the kitchen when she realized that her broom was missing. She asked the little boy about the broom and he told her where it was.

She then asked him to please go get it. The little boy informed his mom that he was afraid of the dark and didn’t want to go out to get the broom.

His mother smiled and said ‘The Lord is out there too, don’t be afraid’. The little boy opened the back door a little and said ‘Lord if you’re out there, hand me the broom’.

Icebreakers Ahead: Take It To the Next Level

This 170 page resource not only provides 52 of the world’s most popular group icebreaker activities and games, but also includes lesson ideas and discussion questions to smoothly transition into conversations about the issues common to most groups.

Click here to find out how to get your hands on this incredible resource!

Teaching Illustrations

Some Youth are Like Potatoes

June 30, 2012 kensapp Leave a comment

Some youth like to tell others what do do, but don’t want to soil their own hands.
They are called “Dic Taters.”

Some youth never seem motivated to participate, but are just content to watch while others do the work.
They are called “Speck Taters.”

Some youth never do anything to help, but are gifted at finding fault with the way others do the work.
They are called “Comment Taters.”

Some youth are always looking to cause problems by asking others tovagree with them. It is too hot or too cold, too sour or too sweet.
They are called “Agie Taters.”

There are youth who say they will help, but somehow just never get around to actually doing the promised help.
They are called “Hezzie Taters.”

Some youth can put up a front and pretend to be someone they are not.
They are called “Emma Taters.”

Then there are those youth who love and do what they say they will. They are always prepared to stop whatever they are doing and lend a helping hand and bring real sunshine into the lives of others.
They are called “Sweet Taters.”

In any group of people, whether it be a group of youth or a group of adults, you will find the the various members of the tater family. This is also true of the family of God – the church. There will always be people who want to control, who stir things up and agitate, who are quick to proved negative comment. Then there will be those who will simply watch and do nothing, or hesitate to do something. There will be those who pretend to be something they are not. The Bible calls them hypocrites.

Fortunately, in spite of all these, there will be those who accept the call of God to live the life he has chosen.

Instead of dictators, they will yield to God.
They will not be content to watch God at work but will join God in His work.
Their comments will edify rather than tear down.
Instead of agitators, they will be peacemakers.
Rather then hesitate, they will boldly step out in faith.
They will be imitators of Christ, and people will know them by their sweet spirits.

And God will use such youth, to change the world!

So, what kind of “tater” are you?

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

Learn More…

Humor

Crazy Definitions

June 28, 2012 kensapp Leave a comment

ADULT:
A person who has stopped growing at both ends and is now growing in the middle.

BEAUTY PARLOR:
A place where women curl up and dye.

CHICKENS:
The only animals you eat before they are born and after they are dead.

COMMITTEE:
A body that keeps minutes and wastes hours.

DUST:
Mud with the juice squeezed out.

EGOTIST:
Someone who is usually me-deep in conversation.

GOSSIP:
A person who will never tell a lie if the truth will do more damage.

HANDKERCHIEF:
Cold Storage.

INFLATION:
Cutting money in half without damaging the paper.

MYTH:
A female moth.

MOSQUITO:
An insect that makes you like flies better.

RAISIN:
Grape with a sunburn.

SECRET:
Something you tell to one person at a time.

TOOTHACHE:
The pain that drives you to extraction.

TOMORROW:
One of the greatest labor saving devices of today.

YAWN:
An honest opinion openly expressed.

WRINKLES:
Something other people have. You have character lines.

Icebreakers Ahead: Take It To the Next Level

Click here to find out how to get your hands on this incredible resource!

Children's Sermon, Object Lessons

Burdens and Rest

June 27, 2012 kensapp Leave a comment

A speaker raises a glass of water and asks the audience “How heavy do you think this glass of water is?”

His answer: “It depends on how long you hold it”

“If I hold it for a minute, it is Ok.”
“If I hold it for an hour, I will have an ache in my right arm”
“If I hold it for a day, you will have to call an ambulance”

“It is the exact same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes”

If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, we will not be able to carry on, the burden becoming increasingly heavier.

“What you have to do is to put the glass down, rest for a while holding it up again.”

We have to put down the burden periodically, so that we can be refreshed and are able to carry on.

When you return home from work, put the burden of work down. Don’t carry it home. You can pick it up
tomorrow. Rest and relax. Take one day at a time!!!!!

Take It to the Next Level

Although from a secular source, the principle behind it is biblical. Thats why Jesus told us to cast our burdens on Him, instructed us to pray Give us our daily bread And even in Psalms 23 though it is not clearly stated, the Shepherd leads His sheep besides green pastures and still waters day to day. We really ought to live one day at a time and really rely on nothing and no one else except on the Faithful Providence of God. He will give us the strength to carry on again.

Don’t borrow from tomorrow’s sunshine for its skies may turn to gray. Tomorrow is not our problem but God’s perfect plan. Therefore if any of us are yoked, are burdened, are held back by problems, dont hesitate to put it down and go to Jesus for
rest. He will give us the strength to carry on again.

Bible Scripture

“Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.” (Psalm 55:22)
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Optional Object Lesson, Creative learning Activity, or Sermon for kids (Children’s Sermon)

Bring in several items of equal weight. Empty plastic milk jugs filled with water or empty 1 liter soft drink bottles work well. Ask for volunteers among the children or youth to join you in a friendly competition. Let them pick up the items and ask them if the item is heavy? You could also ask them to guess the weight. Most will say that they are not really that heavy. Then line the students up in a line and tell them they must hold the items straight out from their body at a right angle or 90 degrees. There will be a prize for the teen who can hold it there the longest. The teenagers may not have considered the items heavy, but the longer they hold them, the heavier the items get. If you want to add a little discussion to the process, ask the youth to share some of the burdens that people carry in life or share some of the burdens you have experienced for yourself. Some examples of burdens could be: a hurt you needed to forgive, personal failure, worries, responsibilities, doubts, struggles, lost dreams, mistakes, a poor sense of self worth, abuse, etc. Burdens are those things that tire us out and that cause us to worry. Then share the story and talk about the scripture references.

Discussion Questions

How can you know if something is a burden?
What are some of the burdens youth experience?
We do we often carry our burdens instead of setting them down? Why do we hold on to these burdens?
How can we let go of burdens? What are some of the ways we can place these burdens in the care of Jesus?
What is the benefit of placing our burdens into the care of Jesus?
What is a burden you need to let go of this week? How can you do that? What this give you freedom to experience or do?

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”
200 page e-book that explains everything you need to know when planning your very own object lessons. It contains 90 fully developed object lesson ideas and another 200 object lesson starter ideas based on Biblical idioms and Names / Descriptions of God.
Learn More…

Devotional

Florence Chadwick

June 27, 2012 kensapp Leave a comment

This coming 4th of July, we want to remember Florence Chadwick and celebrate her determination some 60 years before. It wasn’t the day of her greatest triumph, it wasn’t her most glorious moment. It was the time of her greatest defeat. It was also the time she decided never to give up ever again. As we celebrate Independence Day, let us also remember our independence from a life of sin and to never lose sight of Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.

Focused on the Goal

Her goal was the California coastline a 34 km swim from Catalina Island. It was no more distant than the width of the English Channel, a goal she had already conquered as the first woman to swim it from both directions. Although she was a seasoned long-distance swimmer with incredible stamina, she trained arduously to prepare herself to achieve her goal.

July 4th, 1952
Millions watched on national television, as 34 year old Florence Chadwick began her swim. The water was icy cold; the fog so thick she could hardly see the support boats alongside her. As the hours passed, she was repeatedly stung by jellyfish. Sharks had to be driven away with rifles. Yet she pressed on, determined to achieve her goal.

15 hours later
Numbed with the cold, she was ready to give up. Her mother and her trainer were in a boat at her side. “Florence. You are almost there. Don’t give up now.” Encouraged by her mother’s admonition, she continued to swim.

Failure
Fifteen hours and fifty minutes after she began her swim, the support team reluctantly agreed to pull Florence from the water. Several hours later, after she warmed up, she realized she had given up only a few hundred meters from her goal! If she had continued just a little while longer, the waves would have carried her to the beach. “If I could have just seen the land for myself, I would have made it!”. She told reporters it was not the sharks, the fatigue, or even the cold water that defeated her. She had been defeated by the fog alone. It had obscured her goal and blinded her reason, her eyes and her heart.

Never give in to defeat.
1952 was the only time Florence Chadwick ever quit. Two months later she swam that same channel. The water was still ice cold and still inhabited with sharks. Once again fog obscured her view. But this time she pressed on, BELIEVING that somewhere beyond that fog, her goal would be reached. Not only was she the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel, but she beat the men’s record by two hours!

Take It to the Next Level

Lessons to be learnt

The Journey
In every race there are stages. In the beginning there is anticipation, excitement, eagerness to get started. Adrenaline and energy are high. Then there is the routine. A pace is set. Things proceed as expected. Practiced experience, skill, and training prevail. Then there is the struggle, the time when you hit the proverbial wall, when there is the urge to quit and only discipline and tenacity carry you through. Finally there is the finish. The moment when the goal is within your sight and grasp, that last rush, that knowing that the end is near if you just press on a little bit more. And ultimately, there is the joy, the satisfaction that comes when you have completed that which you set out to do. The same is true of our spiritual lives. The Christian life is a journey. We’ve each been called to a journey “And let us run with endurance the race that God has SET BEFORE US” (Hebrews 12:1) And what do you do when you’ve lost your direction, when the journey is confusing? “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2)

Training
Training is essential to success. Training is not a single event, completed and done. Training is not something done once-in-a-while, when time allows. And training certainly isn’t something that is only done when you feel like it. Talk to any successful athlete in any sport and they will tell you of their discipline of training to reach “a goal”. Goals are a key aspect of training. Training always has a goal, an objective in mind. And depending on that goal, your training will be different. Swimmer, runners, and various athletes train differently. Each needs a different set of muscles, a different set of skills. Consistent training builds the muscles, the stamina, the skills to reach the goal ahead. “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (1 Timothy 4:8; See also 1 Corinthians 9:24-27) And what do we do when our discipline is lacking? When the training has been neglected? When we simply don’t feel like it? “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith”

Purpose
We each have a goal. Even Christ had a goal set before him and a journey to get there. That purpose for us is to bring glory to God. It is to do what he created us to do. We are each here for a reason. We each have a place in God’s divine scheme of things. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mothers womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:13-16) What do we do when we have lost our purpose? Or never found it in the first place? When we are clueless and lost? “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith”

Endurance
Endurance comes only when you’re willing to press on through the routine, the struggles, the urge to give up, and the pain knowing that at the end there will be joy. It’s a choice to not merely start, but to finish. It is something that is developed by constantly pushing your limits. “Run in such a way to get the prize I train my body and make it my slave” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) What do we do when we it seems that we simply cannot go on? When our strength is failing? “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith”

Focus
It’s not enough to know that life is a journey toward a goal, to fulfill a purpose. It’s easy to get distracted, to give up, to lose the will to move ahead. We must look to Jesus, hear His words of encouragement, and follow in his footsteps. The likelihood of failure is great when we lose sight of Jesus. When the risks, the dangers, the people around us cloud our view, what do we do? “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith”

Failure
All of us find ourselves in situations in life where we seem to be in over our heads, when we’re being tested or tried beyond our capabilities, where we’re overwhelmed, where we don’t think we can do it, when we feel like we can’t go on. Whether it’s a relationship, a course in school, a job, a health issue, overcoming a fear, or recovering from a mistake/ failure, God is there with you in your situation. We all go through times when things seem beyond our ability to cope, when we have been doing the best that we can, but it just doesn’t seem like it will be good enough and we are afraid of drowning. There’s solid ground ahead. The Rock of Ages will be there for you to stand upon. Failure is not the end. It’s an opportunity to begin again with greater clarity, with more experience, with renewed determination to finish the course. “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6b NAS) How do we go on? Where do we find the endurance to stay on the course set before us? “Keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.”

Witnesses
We are not alone. Crowds of winners, of finishers, have gone on before us and showed us the way. (Hebrews 12:1) There are people alongside, with you to support you now. There will be others to follow behind you. Press on for all of them. Don’t let them down. Set the pace for others to follow so that you can say as Paul said, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ” (1 Corinthians 4:16, 1 Corinthians 11:1) Most importantly, press on for Christ. “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14) How can we be a testimony to those around us? “Keeping your eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.”

Applying it to life

What is God’s purpose for your life? What is your goal? How can you find it?
Where are you in your Christian journey?
To what purpose are you training? What training do you need? How will you get it?
Have you lost sight of your goal?
Have you failed, been distracted, given up?
How can you start again, resting in Christ’s grace, and depending on his guidance and strength?
How can you stay focused on God’s calling for your life?
Find someone who has gone before you to be a guide. Find someone to press on alongside you, to be accountability partners in your journey. Reach out to someone you can guide, that you can encourage and support in their own journey of faith.

Scripture Reference
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” – Hebrews 12:2

Go for the Gold
Need an evangelistic Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series with an Olympic Theme?

What is salvation all about? What does it mean to be saved? This sports themed Bible Study / Camp Curriculum uses the Olympic Flag to introduce the concepts of sin (black circle), forgiveness (red circle), purity (white background), spiritual growth (green circle), heaven (Yellow Circle) and (Baptism) blue circle.
-> Tell me about “Go for the Gold”

Destined to Win
Need a Youth Camp/ Bible Study Series on “Running the Christian Race”?

The race as a metaphor for the Christian life is used in several places in the Bible. This series is a great follow up for new Christians or to re-emphasize the basics of our spiritual Journey in the Faith. This Bible Study / Camp Curriculum has a sports theme and is great for athletes as well as a tie in to the youth Olympic Games.
->Tell me about “Destined to Win”

Creative Teaching Ideas

Affinity – God Cares for Youth

June 20, 2012 kensapp Leave a comment

Summary

Sometimes the summer months can be lonely for youth. Things slow down. Since they are not at school, contact with other youth is reduced. There is a lot of time to think. And when you spend more time alone, it’s also common to think that you are alone in your struggles. Use this activity as an icebreaker or simply to create an awareness that regardless of what youth are going through, there are others who gone through it before us and others that will go through it later. And even if it seems there is no one who can understand, Jesus does.

Resources
None

Preparation
None

What to do

Get everyone to pair up with someone else in the room.
Ask them to decide who will be person A and who will be person B.
As always, person B goes first. Person B asks the following questions in order, giving a chance for person A to respond after each question.
After person A has given his/her responses, the pair switches between who asks and who answers.
After some time to go back and forth between person A and B, you may wish to mix up the pairs with others in the room and repeat the process.

Questions

Tell me something I don’t know about you.
Tell me something you like about me.
Tell me something we might have in common.

Take It to the Next Level

We often feel we are alone in our struggles and that no one understands us or there’s no one who can relate to us or understand what we’re going through.

We don’t often realize there are people all around us that have the same life situations as us – people who share so many things in common with us. We were never created to function alone. That’s why God gave us a community.

In fact, to prove we were never alone and that there was someone out there who was familiar with our struggles, Jesus Christ, our King left His throne room and became man. He walked the same land and lived the same life. He was God with us – Emmanuel.

Looking at the Scripture

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16 NASB)

1. Jesus knows how you think and feel

“But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man” (John 2:24, 25).
And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen” (Acts 1:24).

2. Jesus knows you inside and out (Psalm 139:1-12, Psalm 103:14)

O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. (Psalm 139:1-4)

3. Jesus knows your suffering (Isaiah 53:3-7)

4. Jesus will be with you and take care of you in all things (Psalm 91, 1 Peter 5:7)

Applying it to Life

How does it make you feel knowing that God fully understands everything you think, feel, and are going through?
Often God uses Christians as his hands, his voice, and his messengers to show his love and care to others.
Who has God placed around you to show that there are others out there who care about them?
Is there someone in your life you need to get to know more, to relate to, that you need to be his messenger of love and concern to?
If we don’t take that first step to reach out, how else will they know that there is a God who isn’t so far away an out of touch with what they’re going through?
What can you do this week to be a messenger of God’s love, and care for others?

MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

Learn More…

Humor

How to Know if You Are Ready to Have Kids

June 15, 2012 kensapp Leave a comment

Mess Test
Smear peanut butter on the sofa and curtains. Place a fish stick behind the couch and leave it there all summer.

Toy Test
Obtain a 55 gallon box of Legos (or you may substitute roofing tacks). Have a friend spread them all over the house. Put on a blindfold. Try to walk to the bathroom or kitchen. Do not scream because this would wake a child at night.

Grocery Store Test
Borrow one or two small animals (goats are best) and take them with you as you shop. Always keep them in sight & pay for anything they eat or damage.

Dressing Test
Obtain one large, unhappy, live octopus. Stuff into a small net bag making sure that all the arms stay inside.

Feeding Test
Obtain a large plastic milk jug. Fill halfway with water. Suspend from the ceiling with a cord. Start the jug swinging. Try to insert spoonfuls of soggy cereal into the mouth of the jug, while pretending to be an airplane. Now dump the contents of the jug on the floor.

Night Test
Prepare by obtaining a small cloth bag & fill it with 8-12 pounds of sand. Soak it in water. At 3:00pm begin to waltz and hum with the bag until 9:00p.m. Lay down your bag and set your alarm for 10:00pm.Get up, pick up your bag, and sing every song you have ever heard. Make up a dozen more and sing these too until 4:00a.m. Set alarm for 5:00. Get up and make breakfast. Keep this up for 5 years. Look cheerful.

Automobile Test
Forget the BMW and buy a station wagon. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there. Get a dime. Stick it into the cassette player. Take a family size package of chocolate chip cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Physical Test (Women)
Obtain a large bean bag chair and attach it to the front of your clothes. Leave it there for 9 months. Now remove 10 of the beans. And try not to notice your closet full of clothes. You won’t be wearing them for a while.

Physical Test (Men)
Go to the nearest drug store. Set your wallet on the counter. Ask the clerk to help himself. Now proceed to the nearest food store. Go to the head office and arrange for your paycheck to be directly deposited to the store. Purchase a newspaper. Go home and read it quietly for the last time.

Final Assignment
Find a couple who already has a small child. Lecture them on how they can improve their discipline, patience, tolerance, toilet training and child’s table manners. Suggest many ways they can improve. Emphasize to them that they should never allow their children to run wild. Enjoy this experience. It will be the last time you will have all the answers.

Icebreakers Ahead: Take It To the Next Level

Click here to find out how to get your hands on this incredible resource!

Object Lessons

Growing in Godliness – 2 Peter 1:1-11

June 14, 2012 kensapp Leave a comment

Description

This Object Lesson for youth, uses a nested Russian doll to illustrate our growth as Christians.

Materials

A Matryoshka doll (ideally with at least 8 nested dolls)
A Russian Matryoshka doll is a set of hollow wooden dolls which split open into a top and bottom half to reveal additional dolls of decreasing size each placed one inside the other. The outer doll is traditionally a woman, as reflected in the name which means “little matron”. The inner dolls can be male or female. The innermost doll, made from a single piece of wood is typically a baby. While they are smooth rounded wooden carvings, the painting of each doll can be very intricate and often follows a theme.

Scriptural Background

Approximate Date: 63-68 A.D. – shortly after 1 Peter. Nero’s persecution began in 64 A.D., and Peter was martyred approximately 67 A.D.
Place of Writing: Babylon
Three-Fold Purpose: 1) Encourage growth, 2) To correct against false teaching, 3) Promote holy living.
Theme and Key Word: Knowledge.
Key verse: 3:18 – “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Chapter 1 has been labeled “The Bible’s Arithmetic Chapter”

Multiplication – “Grace and peace be multiplied to you … ” (1:2)
Addition – “Add to your faith … ” (1:5-7)
Subtraction – He has been cleansed from his past sins … ” (1:9)

Outline:

2 Peter 1:2-3 God’s Provision – Describes God’s provision and the believer’s enablement
2 Peter 1:5-7 Our Responsibility – Describes our human responsibility of seeing to it that the various Christian virtues are included in our lives.

“The divine nature works at its best efficiency when the believer cooperates with it in not only determining to live a life pleasing to God, but definitely stepping out in faith and living that life.” ~Kenneth Samuel Wuest

Key Lessons

1:5-7 – Peter begins with “for this very reason (because you are a partaker of the divine nature) make every effort (pareisphero)” – that is, “add or contribute on your own part” the necessary actions to confirm your profession of faith by godly living. The verb rendered “add” (epichoregeo – “to supply in copious measure”) is not simply to add one virtue to another. Rather, the meaning is to develop one virtue in the exercise of another, with each new grace springing out of and perfecting, or tempering the other.

In the exercise of faith, believers are to generously provide goodness.
In the exercise of goodness, believers are to copiously provide knowledge.
In the exercise of knowledge, believers are to lavishly provide selfcontrol.
In the exercise of self-control, believers are to plentifully provide perseverance.
In the exercise of perseverance, believers are to abundantly provide godliness.
In the exercise of godliness, believers are to bountifully provide brotherly kindness (philadelphia).
In the exercise of brotherly kindness, believers are to generously provide agape love.

1:8-9. Peter’s promise is that those who possess these virtues and build on them will grow spiritually and will not be idle in pressing toward a fuller knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who do not are “spiritually nearsighted”, having forgotten his initial salvation experience.

1:10-11. Verse 10 is the key to this section. The believer will “make his calling and election sure”, that is, he will satisfy himself that he is saved, or confirm his salvation by his godly living. There is some debate of the security of the believer, which some say is objective and cannot be disturbed, and the subjective experience of knowing and feeling you are saved because you are “doing your part” in allowing the Holy Spirit to produce the kind of virtues characteristic of a Christian.

Icebreaker Questions to Stimulate Discussion

What did you want to be when you grew up?
What are your current dreams for the future? What kind of person do you want to be? How do you want your life to be remembered by others?
What are some of the qualities you admire in others? Other youth? Parents? Adults? Leaders? Famous people?
If you had a magic lamp with a genie and he could grant you three personal qualities, what would you wish for?

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:1-11

In 2 Peter 1 Chapter 1, Peter talks about our growth as Christians. This growth begins with faith and culminates in love. Like the innermost Matryoshka doll we begin as babes in Christ. We are spiritually born again through saving faith in Christ. But to live life forever as a baby would be a tragedy. Peter says that if we fail to grow, it is akin to being nearsighted and blind and forgetting that our sins have been forgiven.

This list of qualities are things that are added to our godly character as we grow in Christ. Each new quality does not replace the one before it, but adds to it. These are not things that we possess then give up, as a child outgrows old clothes. These qualities are not marks on a growth chart, but things that we hold inside our hearts and that we carry forward with us as we continue to mature in Christ.

Here’s the list:

faith
goodness
knowledge
self-control
perseverance
godliness
brotherly kindness
love

NOTE: As you mention each quality, add a new shell to the inner doll so that it continues to grow in size. “As we add each one, we become more effective and productive. ”

Take it to the Next Level

Questions for discussion

How do you define each quality/ characteristic?
How does each character quality relate to the one before it?
Why is each quality important to living a godly life as a youth?
For each of these qualities, what would the effect be if a Christian youth was missing that quality in his or her life?
What are some of the possible ways that each quality would be expressed in the way a youth lives his or her life? Are these qualities something we possess or something that we do?
For each quality, what are some things youth can do or practice the make that quality part of who they personally are?
As we grow in Christ, there is always a combined effort with God, to live the Christian life. We have to make decisions and choose to act, but God empowers us, guides us, and provides for us. What are the things that God does for us according to this passage?
1. Gave us faith through Christ (2 Peter 1:1)
2. Grace, Peace and Knowledge of God and Christ (2 Peter 1:2)
3. Everything we need for life and godliness (through his divine power) (2 Peter 1:3)
4. Called us (2 Peter 1:3)
5. Knowledge of God (2 Peter 1:3)
6. An example – God’s Glory and Goodness (2 Peter 1:3)
7. Precious Promises (2 Peter 1:4)
What are some of the promises of God that might help youth to grow in each of these qualities?
How do the actions of God listed in this passage apply to each of these qualities that we grow into as Christians? How do they help us to live life as a youth to reflect these character traits?
Why has God given us all these things?
1. To participate in the divine nature (becoming Christlike) (2 Peter 1:4)
2. To Escape the corruption of the world caused by evil desires (2 Peter 1:4)
3. To be effective and productive in our walk (2 Peter 1:8)
4. To reinforce our faith (2 Peter 1:10) so that we are secure in faith – know that have been saved.
5. So that we will not fail (2 Peter 1:10)
6. To be richly welcomed into heaven (2 Peter 1:11)

Application to Youth

What are some ways you can practice these as a youth?
When you look at this list of qualities, which ones do you possess and practice most? Which are most lacking in your life? Which do you find most difficult?
What are some ways you can express these qualities this week as you encounter others at school, at home, or in church?
How do these qualities prevent us from being in effective and unproductive?
How can those in the youth group support each other and encourage one another toward growth in these areas?
What can the youth ministry and parents do to help you to grow?
If you were to have all these godly qualities in increasing measure, how would it effect your life, your testimony, your actions?
What are the benefits of pursuing godliness?

Closing Prayer
Go through each of the qualties in prayer with God. Ask him to reveal the truth about these qualities in your own life. Ask him to make clear opportunities to express your faith to through these qualities as a living testimony to Christ.

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Fathers Are a Gift from God

June 13, 2012 kensapp Leave a comment

Fathers are a voice of wisdom.

My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, “You’re tearing up the grass.” “We’re not raising grass,” Dad would reply. “We’re raising boys.” ~Harmon Killebrew
Fathers represent another way of looking at life – the possibility of an alternative dialogue. ~Louise J. Kaplan, Oneness and Separateness: From Infant to Individual, 1978
When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years. ~Author unknown, commonly attributed to Mark Twain

Fathers are examples for youth

He didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. ~Clarence Budington Kelland
I love my father as the stars – he’s a bright shining example and a happy twinkling in my heart. ~Terri Guillemets

Fathers inspire youth to greatness.

Love and fear. Everything the father of a family says must inspire one or the other. ~Joseph Joubert
The words that a father speaks to his children in the privacy of home are not heard by the world, but, as in whispering-galleries, they are clearly heard at the end and by posterity. ~Jean Paul Richter

A Father’s true wealth is found in his children.

A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty. ~Author Unknown
Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest inheritance. ~Ruth E. Renkel
A father carries pictures where his money used to be. ~Author Unknown
Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope. ~Bill Cosby

Fathers are a gift from God

The greatest gift I ever had Came from God; I call him Dad! ~Author Unknown

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