When your mind has become convinced that life makes little sense without God, the strength and wiles of temptation and the world become more clearly defined. You can no longer blame unbelief. The battle with sin has become harder because you can no longer feign ignorance and deny Him. Perhaps then you'll recognize that all of your will is insufficient to stem the sinful nature. Perhaps in that moment, you'll realize why Jesus Christ had to die. He is both grace and power, and the only hope of salvation.

God, forgive!

Hook (15mins)

Instructions (in – brief)

• Cut the 12 sets of characteristics out (Clarence will provide the sheets of characteristics)

• Ask kids to rank in order of importance to them (as their best friend’s character traits)

• Leaders should discuss the top 2 and bottom 2 characteristics and also ask why it was chosen to be there.

• How does these traits make a good friend

• How will it contribute to friendship

• We will next proceed to examine James

  
  

Character traits:

Compassion, Intelligence, Good looks, Good conversationalist, Lots of free time, Dependability, Good listener, Generosity, Sense of humour, Same age as you, No other friends, Very talented

Start: Opening prayer and General Sharing (5mins)

Read James 4:4.

1. What does the passage mean by using the words “adulterous people”

Immediately explain if your kids are not familiar. In the marriage context it refers to people who are unfaithful. In this case, it refers to those who are spiritually unfaithful and disobey God – because they love something in the world more than God.

2. The Bible says that friendship with the world is the same as hatred towards God, and calls Christians who do so adulterers. Why do you think "friendship with the world" is so serious? mean to be friends of the world?
   

The world indulge in things against God (Eg. Choosing to be selfish and engaging in vices). To be friends with the world is to be ONE and the SAME with them... doing what they do. This would make you turn your back against God to follow the world in its daily sinful ways.

3. Does this mean that we avoid our non-christian friends?

Let's find out. Read Luke 15:1-10

Qn 1) Who do you think are the 99 sheep and the 9 silver coins? -> Those who are followers of Christ.

Qn 2) Who do you think the lost sheep and lost coin refer to? -> anyone who has sinned and have turned away from God, not allowing God to direct their lives.

What does Luke 15 tell us? God desires everyone to repent and be saved.

We can't invite our friends to know Jesus if we avoid them!

Now Read John 3:16

Qn 3) Who/What does the “world” refer to when used in this passage?

The “world” used in this passage refers to humanity (I.e. all sinners/people that have fallen short of the glory of God).

Contrast this verse with how the word “world” used in James 4:4. John's words seems to contradict James’s: God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son (John 3:16).

Are we suppose to love the world or reject it?

When the word “world” refers to humanity, we ought to love it as God loves people. But when the “world” means the prevailing attitude of hostility toward God and his ways, we should reject it. If we are tolerant about such attitudes against God, we open ourselves to spiritual danger.

Since God so loved us sinners that he was willing to send Jesus to die for our sins, in gratitude and acknowledgment of these unconditional sacrifice, we would then be spurred on to love others/our friends (be it Christian or non-christian but at the same time to ensure that we do not follow them when they do things that disobey God – sin).

In short: God loves man -> man loves God -> man would then be compelled/motivated to love others as well.

Conclusion: We hate the sin but love the sinner!

Overall, no matter what different sets of characteristics our friend possesses (whether good or bad), we should not avoid them, but instead, we should love them just as Christ has loved us. This would mean to take a genuine concern about their lives and to correct them in love if they have committed any act that displeases God. This understanding and application of God’s love for us would go a long way in helping us be the best friend that we can be and to enjoy the fullest out of our friendships! :]

Looking Up - 25^th July 2010

Hook: Role play and discussion in groups of different characters (A, B, C)

A – Goes to church every Sunday and enjoys worship very much because he/she is really into the music. Only sings very enthusiastically and loudly when he/she likes the song. It’s almost as if worship is a concert. He/she also doesn’t pay attention to the sermon.

B – Goes to church every Sunday but doesn’t sing because he/she doesn’t like to sing. Doesn’t understand the importance of worship (“Since so many people are singing, it shouldn’t matter if one person doesn’t right?”) He/she thinks that the sermon is far more important than worship in a worship service.

C – Goes to church every Sunday, but hates the worship. Either the band is awful or the music is too loud. And sometimes, even the preacher is horrid (can’t speak proper English, has an annoying voice etc, etc…) Only goes to church because he/she is a Christian and going to church is a Christian thing to do.

The sec ones can pick one character and discuss. They can ask questions to find out more about their attitude towards worship, and at the same time hopefully they are also questioning themselves.

The two main questions that they have to answer

1. Which of these characteristics can they relate to?

2. What is wrong with their attitudes, and implicitly, what is the right attitude towards worship? This question will actually be answered during the course of the lesson.

*Before planning your own lesson, take some time to sit down, pray and reflect on what worship is to you. Once you are clear on what worship really is to you, it should be fairly easy to communicate it to your kids clearly.

Lesson:

What is worship?

Some common misconceptions should be removed about worship.

Worship is a verb, not a noun. It is a response to his perfection, his majesty, his power, his might, and the list goes on. It becomes a noun when sing BECAUSE it is “worship” and we have to sing, but we forget why we are singing in the first place.

Worship is for God, not for us. The worship service in church is to aid us in our worship of God. After every worship service, we shouldn’t be asking “Did I like it?” instead we should be asking “Did God like it?”

Why should we worship God?

Read 1 Chronicles 16: 23-33

Revelation 4: 8-11

Because he is great and worthy to be praised! When the kids read the verses, it may come off as extremely exaggerated and overdramatic, but that is because our God is THAT great. Do not forget that he has sent his Son to die for all of us! It is so easy to take the might of God for granted and forget the ‘bigness’ of God because we are so caught up in our daily lives. We forget that he really deserves all our praise and worship! And when we worship him, we acknowledge his power and his might. I think that all of us do not worship him adequately in our lives.

How should we worship?

1. We should engage our mind

God is not pleased with thoughtless singing of hymns, clichés, or careless exclamations of “Praise the Lord,” because we can’t think of anything else to say at that moment. If worship is mindless, it is meaningless. Therefore, we must engage our minds as well. Try not to offer clichés, instead search your mind and find words to express how you truly and personally feel towards God in your present situation, e.g. do we admire Him, appreciate Him, honour Him etc.

2. We should worship in spirit and in truth

Read John 4: 20-24

What these verses tell us is that “true worshipers will worship in spirit and in truth” – what does this mean?

“in spirit”
From The Purpose Driven Life: “When Jesus said you must worship ‘in spirit,’ he wasn’t referring to the Holy Spirit, but to your spirit. Made in God’s image, you are a spirit that resides in a body, and God designed your spirit to communicate with Him. Worship is your spirit responding to God’s spirit. Real worship happens when your spirit responds to God, not some musical tone.

1 Samuel 16:7; When we worship, it is not a matter of saying the right words, you must mean what you say because God looks past our words to see the attitude of our hearts.

Since worship involves delighting in God, it engages your emotions. God gave you emotions so you could worship him with deep feeling – but those emotions must be genuine not faked. God hates hypocrisy. He doesn’t want showmanship or pretense…He wants your honest, real (and sincere) love.”

“in truth”
Of course, sincerity alone is not enough; you can be sincerely wrong. That’s why both spirit and truth are required. Worship is a response to truth. Truth can be derived from the bible, because the bible is God’s word and God's word is true (John 17:17). We worship God because, from the bible, we know what Jesus has done, and we know God's characteristics. Hence, if we do not know the bible, we do not know who God is nor what He's done and cannot worship in truth.

3. Making sacrifices (i.e. worshipping at a cost)

Read 2 Samuel 24:24

One thing worship costs us is our self-centredness. You cannot exalt God and yourself at the same time. You don’t worship to be seen by others or to please yourself. You shift the focus off yourself.

When Jesus said, “Love God with all your strength,” he pointed out that worship takes effort and energy. It is not always convenient or comfortable, and sometimes worship is a sheer act of the will – a willing sacrifice. When you praise God even when you don’t feel like it, when you get out of bed to worship when you’re tired, you are offering a sacrifice of worship to God. That pleases God.

Conclusion

Pray for your kids that they can truly learn how to worship God, not only during worship services, but in their everyday lives, that they will become children of God. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12: 1-2

“When I stand before the throne

Dressed in beauty not my own;

When I see thee as thou art,

Love thee with unsinning heart;

Then, Lord, shall I fully know—

Not till then—how much I owe.”

- Robert M'Cheyne
(The Pastor who taught his flock read 4 bible chapters a day. I encourage you to do the same and see the difference it makes)