John 4:1-26
Hi guys, Blessed happy family day!
We're going to be studying John 4:1-26 today. Please read through it.
Key takeaways from today's reading
1) Jesus Christ offers us living, thirst quenching water and a fountain of life
2) God seeks people who worship Him in spirit and in truth- these are the true worshippers in whom He delights in
First ask the youths to read John 4:1-26.
Next, give them the background story: Jesus had left Judea and was on his way back to Galilee. There were 3 possible routes he could take to make such a journey, but he chose the one that went straight through Samaria. Why? because he was on his way to meet a Samaritan woman, and lead her into saving faith (John 4:4).
It is important to know who the Samaritans are. They were the remnant of the northern Jewish kingdom who had intermarried with foreigners after the chiefs and nobles had been carried into exile in 729 BC. They had once built a separate worship place on their own Mt. Gerizim and they rejected all of the Old Testament except their version of the first five books of Moses. The animosity toward Jews was centuries old.
With that, we can begin.
Jesus walks right into this hostility, sits down, and asks for a drink (v. 7). The woman at the well is amazed that Jesus would speak to her. "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" Instead of answering her directly, Jesus shifts the focus of her amazement up a level. He says (in v. 10), "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." Jesus says that the really amazing thing is she is not asking him for water. He calls it living water and he calls it the "gift of God."
But the woman doesn't rise very high. Her background has not made her a prime candidate for spiritual insight. She was simply enslaved to the flesh. Her spirit was dead. She simply says (vv. 11–12), "How can you give me water when you don't have a bucket? And if you want me to drink water that doesn't come from Jacob's well, then you must think you're greater than Jacob. Well, if this water was good enough for Jacob, it's good enough for me." She's not on Jesus' wavelength yet at all.
So Jesus again lifts the level of amazement (vv. 13–14): "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
But what exactly is this water that quenches thirst forever and becomes a spring of water welling up to eternal life?
But probably both these answers are true—that Jesus' teaching satisfies your thirst and makes you a fountain of life, and that the Holy Spirit satisfies your thirst and makes you a fountain of life. Jesus kept the Word and Spirit together. For example, in John 14:26 he says, "The Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said." The work of the Spirit of Christ is to make the Word of Christ clear and satisfying to the soul. When we come to Christ to drink, what we drink is truth—but not dead, powerless facts. The Spirit and the Word unite to slake our thirst and make us a fountain of life. (See 1 Thessalonians 1:5; 2:13.) The word of promise and the power of the Spirit are the living water offered to the Samaritan harlot. (a harlot is a prostitute or promiscuous woman.)
And this very same living water is offered to us too. And let us take heart that this very water, is a gift of God, offered to all who believe, no matter how sinful one may feel he/she is. This is the hope we can have in our God- the hope that a worldly, sensually-minded, unspiritual harlot from Samaria can become—not just saved (which would be wonderful enough)—but a fountain of life. She can be used to give life. And so can we if we turn from our sin, and keep drinking, deep at the well of Jesus' words.
Key takeaway 1: Jesus Christ offers us living, thirst-quenching water and a fountain of life.
Let us claim it for ourselves, by God's grace :D.
Okay, lets move on to Key takeaway 2: True worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth.
Jesus responds to the woman's question about the place people ought to worship by replying that how and whom (v19-24) we worship are vastly and ultimately more important than where we worship.
v23: "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth." The two words, spirit and truth, correspond to the how and the whom of worship.
So what does 'in spirit' mean?
Worshiping in spirit is the opposite of worshiping in mere external ways. It's the opposite of formalism and traditionalism.
And what does 'in truth' mean?
Worshiping in truth is the opposite of worship based on an inadequate view of God.
Together the words "spirit and truth" mean that real worship comes from the spirit within and is based on true views of God. Worship must have heart and worship must have head. Worship must engage your emotions and worship must engage your thought. Truth without emotion produces dead orthodoxy and a church full of unspiritual fighters. Emotion without truth produces empty frenzy and cultivates flaky people who reject the discipline of rigorous thought. True worship comes from people who are deeply emotional and who love deep and sound doctrine.
There's an analogy that John Piper uses for worship.
The fuel of worship is the truth of a gracious, sovereign God; the furnace of worship is your spirit; and the heat of worship is the vital affections of reverence, fear, adoration, contrition, trust, joy, gratitude, and hope.
The fuel of truth in the furnace of your spirit does not automatically produce the heat of worship. There has to be fire, which Piper thinks is the Holy Spirit.
In John 3:6 Jesus connects God's Spirit and our spirit in a remarkable way. He says, "That which is born of the Spirit is spirit." In other words, until the Holy Spirit touches our spirit with the flame of life, our spirit is so dead it does not even qualify as spirit. Only that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. So when Jesus says that true worshipers worship in spirit, he must mean that true worship only comes from spirits that are made alive and sensitive and vital by the touch of the Holy Spirit.
God seeks people to worship Him in spirit and in truth. I pray we will desire to and become those people.
(Break up time)
Share with one another in groups and leaders please pray for your youth. Also, please pray for the church.
Taken from John Piper's sermon on God Seeks People to Worship Him in Spirit and in Truth
Taken from John Piper's sermon on God Seeks People to Worship Him in Spirit and in Truth
john 2 Jesus's Zeal and Knowledge/ Word
Hi Guys
We will be covering John 2: 12- 25 this sunday. Please read it.
Also if the psi is above 150, the youths' cell will be cancelled.
Main points of today's lesson.
1) Zeal for God and not the World
2) The word generates Faith and miracles ONLY lead us to Word.
TUNER: Prepare two sets of instructions. One saying you are team blabblerpop. Your job is to make the other team talk to you. If someone from your team, stops talking for more than 30 seconds. Your entire team loses. NO POKING.
The other team is team silent hill billies, your job is not to make a single sound. If one person from you team makes a sound or says a word. Your team loses.
Team that wins gets a prize. You can give them a jar of air or some sweets.
Tuner Lesson: Hopefully some of your students zealously try to make people talk haha.
First ask the youths to Read (john2:12-16)
Next give them the background story: Jesus, His family and His disciples remained in Capernaum a few days, and then he went to jerusalem for the Passover Feast.
Though He deliberately violated the man made religious traditions of the Pharisees, our Lord obeyed the statutes of the law and was faithful to upload the law. In His life and death, He fulfilled the law so that, today believers are not burdened by that" yoke of bondage: (Acts 15:10)
Ask them ,Why was Jesus so upset with those selling merchandise in the
temple courts?
After they have given their answers, tell them lets go and find out.
Read (john 2:17), First point of today's lesson is the Zeal for God
Point 1: Zeal for God
What is Zeal?
answer: eager or earnestly enthusiastic about or toward a particular effort.
We can see Jesus's zeal for two things in verses 13-17
His zeal that God maybe glorified and lost people maybe saved.
1) Cleansing his Father's house.
Jesus revealed His Zeal for God first of all by Cleansing the temple (John 2:13-17). The priests had established a lucrative business of exchanging foreign money for Jewish currency and also selling the animals needed for the sacrifices. No doubt this "religious market" began as a convenience for the Jews who came long distances to worship in the temple, but in due time the "convenience" became a business, not a ministry. The tragedy is that this business was carried on in the court of the Gentiles in the templem the place where the jews should have been meeting the Gentiles and telling them about the one true God. Any gentiles searching for the truth would not likely find it among the religious merchants in the temple. Our Lord suddenly appeared in the temple and cleaned house! he was careful not to destroy anyone"s property (He did not release the doves for example)
Declaring war on hypocritical religious leaders that were exploiting the people. These people who were a Godly remnant in Israel who loved God and revered His temple (Luke 1:5-22)
Questions:
What are somethings we have zeal for?
Do we have that same zeal for God and his people?
2) Giving up His life and giving a new way (john 2:18-22)
In John 2:19, Jesus answered the Pharisees by saying Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days.
Jesus used the image of the temple to convey this truth "Destroy this temple (My body), and in three days i will raise it up. Being spiritually blind, those who heard misunderstood what he was saying. This was also Jesus foretelling his death.
The temple was an important element of the Jewish faith, for in it God was supposed to dwell. All of the ceremonies and sacrifices of the Jewish religion centered in the temple. If his body is now the temple, then the Jewish temple would be needed no more. No longer by works but by faith. That was one of the purposes that John had in mind when he wrote his gospel. That the legal system has ended and grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ. He is the new sacrifice (John1:29) and the new temple. (John 2:19)
Point 2: The word generates Faith and miracles ONLY lead us to Word.
Read John 2:23-25
The words believed in john 2:23 and entrust in john2:24 are the same greek word. These people believed in Jesus, but He did not believe in them. They were unsaved believers. Jesus had performed many miracles. Thus many people professed to believe in Him. Why did Jesus accept human testimony? Because being God, he knew what was in each person's heart and mind. It was one thing to respond to a miracle but quite something else to commit oneself to Jesus Christ and continue in His Word.
John was not discrediting the importance of Jesus's miracles because he wrote his book to record these signs and to encourage his readers to trust Jesus Christ and receive eternal life. However through the book, John makes it clear that it takes more than believing in miracles for a person to be saved. Seeing the signs and believing in them would be a great beginning.
Jesus's miracles were testimonies giving evidence of his divine sonship.
Through out the gospel,Jesus always tied his miracles to the truth of His message.
At the beginning, it was easy for people to follow the crowd and watch his miracles. but then his Words penetrate hearts. Which leads to conviction. Conviction leads to either conversion or opposition. It is impossible to be neutral. People have to decide.
Jesus knows the human heart. (John 4:48)
People who want His works but not His word can never share His life.
Seeing is believing is not the Christian way. First we believe;then we see. Miracles can only lead us to the word (John5:36-38) and it is the Word that generates saving faith (Romans 10:17)
(Break up time)
Take 5 mins to individually reflect upon our lives. Are we placing our faith in His word and God being our end. Or are we seeking after his power and asking for his power to achieve our ends.
Share with one another in groups and leaders please pray for your youths.
John 1: 1-18
Lesson mainly adapted
and paraphrased from Dr Constable’s Notes on John http://soniclight.com/constable/notes/pdf/john.pdf
So let’s begin our journey into the Gospel of John.
When I use ~ symbols, it represents my thoughts and rationalizing musings. Feel free to focus on the lesson.
An Introduction
-
The Gospel
of John stresses on Jesus’ full divinity
o
So that
readers would believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and thereby
have eternal life
-
Key word-
Believe (Appears 98 times) (Greek – pisteuo).
John wanted to emphasize the importance of active, vital trust in Jesus
-
As such,
things like Jesus’ genealogy, birth, baptism, temptation, exorcizing demons,
parables, transfiguration, agony in Gethsemane and ascension were all omitted.
-
Focused on
Jesus’ ministry in Jerusalem, Jewish feasts, Jesus’ private conversations with
individuals and His preparation of His disciples
Tuner:
The game is called Connection:
If you have a super duper big group like more than 7 people, you should split the group into half. 7 people would be the optimum number to have maximum fun. Out of the seven people, choose one person to be the catcher. The other 6 students' aim would be to "connect" their minds together without letting the catcher catch them.
1) One person would start by giving a clue to the object, person or thing he or she is thinking about.
2) When someone else thinks that they have the same object in mind, they would have to place their index finger in the middle of the group.
3) When two or more people have placed their index finger in the middle. They can count to three and shout out the object in their heads.
4) If all three are the same, the 6 student team wins.
5) The 6 student team has to start coming up with objects starting with the letter C, followed by H, R,I,S,T
The game is called Connection:
If you have a super duper big group like more than 7 people, you should split the group into half. 7 people would be the optimum number to have maximum fun. Out of the seven people, choose one person to be the catcher. The other 6 students' aim would be to "connect" their minds together without letting the catcher catch them.
1) One person would start by giving a clue to the object, person or thing he or she is thinking about.
2) When someone else thinks that they have the same object in mind, they would have to place their index finger in the middle of the group.
3) When two or more people have placed their index finger in the middle. They can count to three and shout out the object in their heads.
4) If all three are the same, the 6 student team wins.
5) The 6 student team has to start coming up with objects starting with the letter C, followed by H, R,I,S,T
Today’s Lesson – I. Prologue 1:1-18
Read through 1 – 18 then bring focus to the difference in how the different Gospels started. (No need to read, imo, but good to get them to flip and just glance through to see for themselves)
Read through 1 – 18 then bring focus to the difference in how the different Gospels started. (No need to read, imo, but good to get them to flip and just glance through to see for themselves)
Matthew- Connected
Jesus with David and Abraham
Mark- Associated Jesus with John the Baptist
Luke- Prophecies and predictions of Jesus’ birth
John- Declaration that Jesus is the eternal Son of God
Mark- Associated Jesus with John the Baptist
Luke- Prophecies and predictions of Jesus’ birth
John- Declaration that Jesus is the eternal Son of God
This prologue centers
on God’s gift of eternal life that comes to people through the Word (v12)
1:1
Jesus is coexistent with God.
Jesus is coexistent with God.
“Word” (Greek: logos,
Aramaic: memra- used to describe God in the Aramaic translations of the OT)
The Word was with God, and the Word was God
The Word was with God, and the Word was God
Why is “Word” used?
To emphasize the fact that the Word is not only God but the expression of God
A spoken or written word expresses what is in the mind of the speaker/writer
Likewise, Jesus, the Word (which was established in v14), is the expression of God to humankind. His life and ministry expressed to humankind what God wants us to know
“With God”
In some sense, this shows that Jesus is distinct from God. He is the second person of the Trinity, distinct from the Father and the Holy Spirit. Yet at the same time it is noted that Jesus is fully God (“Was God”). With this, John actually establishes the Trinity of God- Father, Son and Holy Spirit are equal, but exists as separate persons.
To emphasize the fact that the Word is not only God but the expression of God
A spoken or written word expresses what is in the mind of the speaker/writer
Likewise, Jesus, the Word (which was established in v14), is the expression of God to humankind. His life and ministry expressed to humankind what God wants us to know
“With God”
In some sense, this shows that Jesus is distinct from God. He is the second person of the Trinity, distinct from the Father and the Holy Spirit. Yet at the same time it is noted that Jesus is fully God (“Was God”). With this, John actually establishes the Trinity of God- Father, Son and Holy Spirit are equal, but exists as separate persons.
1:2
Clarifies that Jesus was not created and existed with God before the creation of the universe. A further assertion of Jesus’ deity, and that he did not become deity but was always deity.
Clarifies that Jesus was not created and existed with God before the creation of the universe. A further assertion of Jesus’ deity, and that he did not become deity but was always deity.
1:3
Here, authority is established- God the Father is above Jesus in authority, but Jesus is above everything else. Jesus was God’s agent in creating everything, and acted in accordance with the Father and not independently (“God created everything through him”) Linking back to the Word/Jesus being the expression of God to humankind- Jesus work of revealing God began with the Creation, because all of Creation reveals God (reference Psalm 19:1-6; Romans 1:19-20)
Here, authority is established- God the Father is above Jesus in authority, but Jesus is above everything else. Jesus was God’s agent in creating everything, and acted in accordance with the Father and not independently (“God created everything through him”) Linking back to the Word/Jesus being the expression of God to humankind- Jesus work of revealing God began with the Creation, because all of Creation reveals God (reference Psalm 19:1-6; Romans 1:19-20)
1:4
Jesus was/is the source of life
Jesus was/is the source of life
He could impart life
to the things He created and thus every living thing owes its life to the
Creator, Jesus. ~Interesting how Jesus in the end died instead of us when we
are the ones with the life debt~
“His Life brought Light to everyone”
Life and light can be both spiritual (wisdom, understanding), or physical (Creation) per se. ~Could be the relationship with Jesus at creation giving life to everyone or His death on the cross for us to receive eternal life. Could be that His Incarnation brought hope and salvation to the lost. Can be interpreted many ways, imo, but based on the similar theme of life and light. ~
“His Life brought Light to everyone”
Life and light can be both spiritual (wisdom, understanding), or physical (Creation) per se. ~Could be the relationship with Jesus at creation giving life to everyone or His death on the cross for us to receive eternal life. Could be that His Incarnation brought hope and salvation to the lost. Can be interpreted many ways, imo, but based on the similar theme of life and light. ~
1:5
Note the sudden change to present tense for the first time.
As light shines in the darkness, so Jesus in His Incarnation brought the revelation and salvation of God to humanity which was in its fallen and lost condition. As the word of God brought light to the chaos before Creation, in the same way, Jesus brought light to humankind.
The light that Jesus brought was far superior to darkness, spiritually and physically. John did not view the world as a stage on which two equal and opposing forces battle, but rather that Jesus was superior to the forces of darkness, much like how physically light and darkness relate. Light overcomes darkness absolutely, giving humankind hope. Also, John was anticipating the story of the cross whereby Jesus, though He died, was not overcome by it (darkness as a reference to death).
Summary:
John was clearly hinting at parallels between what Jesus did physically at Creation and what He did spiritually through the Incarnation.
Jesus is the life-giver/savior and brings hope/light and overcomes death/darkness
The relationship of the Trinity Spirit can be seen here- how they are all equal yet the Father has authority over the Son and so on.
Note the sudden change to present tense for the first time.
As light shines in the darkness, so Jesus in His Incarnation brought the revelation and salvation of God to humanity which was in its fallen and lost condition. As the word of God brought light to the chaos before Creation, in the same way, Jesus brought light to humankind.
The light that Jesus brought was far superior to darkness, spiritually and physically. John did not view the world as a stage on which two equal and opposing forces battle, but rather that Jesus was superior to the forces of darkness, much like how physically light and darkness relate. Light overcomes darkness absolutely, giving humankind hope. Also, John was anticipating the story of the cross whereby Jesus, though He died, was not overcome by it (darkness as a reference to death).
Summary:
John was clearly hinting at parallels between what Jesus did physically at Creation and what He did spiritually through the Incarnation.
Jesus is the life-giver/savior and brings hope/light and overcomes death/darkness
The relationship of the Trinity Spirit can be seen here- how they are all equal yet the Father has authority over the Son and so on.
Call to follow (John)
Hi guys,
After a discussion with vicent our team leader. He advised and assured me of a couple of things. Firstly that i should focus on my time from now till the day i fly. I shouldnt be too worried about the mission trip and also making contingency plans for the mission trip as well.
He also assures me that if we were to go ahead with the mission trip, the training will not be so intensive for the youths and the leaders. Thus we would be able to do it after the youth's o lvls, within two months. Yup sooo for the next 3 months, we have two main ideas for the youths.
1) A study on john (the person not the book)
2) Exposure trips: To st luke's elderly care, faith acts and cleaning up the parks. (One for each month)
Somehow i just feel that the youths know God but i just get that feeling like that they dont know know God? Its in their heads not their hearts. This affects the way they treat God's word. The yearning for God isnt there because they havent tasted enough of God's goodness i believe? For me im like that too. I live under this rock in the bottom of the sea, where to me its comfortable and i say to myself this is absolutely lovely. I have a rock chair and a rock tv. Only when God pulled me out of the rock and showed me the wonders of a sponge chair then i was like this.
Now i understand what i was denying myself. (I hope my analogy works)
What do you guys think? Is exposure what our kids really need?
These two main ideas are also in line with our focus for the rest of the year. Which is transformation and harvest. Evangelism doesn't only mean articulating the gospel to people but also living out the gospel in our lives. We hope that through learning more about Jesus through the gospels and the exposure trips to the different places. The youths can apply whatever they learnt from God's word into practice.
Im thinking every month, three weeks book study and one week exposure trip. Waddaya guys think?
Oh oh oh, and vicent also suggests that the girls and guys for ariel's group split from now till i leave. The reason being that the guys require more attention and mentoring.
Ok now the lesson plan for sunday.
A CALL TO FOLLOW
TUNER (10 MINS): Who's the leader?
- Play just three rounds okay!!!
- One person from the group has to go out of the room.
- Form a circle with the rest of the group.
- Designate one person to be the leader.
- Start doing a particular action, scratching your chin etc.
- Invite the poor soul back into the room.
- Finally leader gets to change the action as he or she pleases.
- The poor soul has to stand in the centre and catch the leader.
Bible verses/ stories we are focusing on.
1) Calling of the first disciples (matthew 4:18 to 22)
2) Taking up the cross ( Matthew 16:24 to 26)
Calling of the first disciples.
Read Matthew 4:12- 22
Main point: God is the one who plucked us out of our depraved lives and called us to be his disciples to walk with him.
Notice first in verse 12: The place that Jesus choose to start his ministry was at Galilee.
Matthew Henry: Galilee a remote part of the country, that lay furthest from Jerusalem, as was there looked upon with contempt, as rude and boorish. The inhabitants of that country were reckoned stout men, fit for soldiers, but not polite men, or fit for scholars. Thither Christ went, there he set up the standard of his gospel;
Verse 15: That there are people living in darkness, living in the land of the shadow of death.
Living in darkness: Living without the light, living without God. You can be a good person as the world terms it but still living in the darkness.
Living in the land of the shadow of death: A man that is desperately sick, and not likely to recover, is in the valley of the shadow of death, though not quite dead; so the poor people were on the borders of damnation, though not yet damned-dead in law. And, which is worst of all, they were sitting in this condition. Sitting in a continuing posture; where we sit, we mean to stay; they were in the dark, and likely to be so, despairing to find the way out. And it is a contented posture; they were in the dark, and they loved darkness, they chose it rather than light; they were willingly ignorant. Their condition was sad.
Means they do not see the light, the dont understand what is the light, they cannot appreciate the light and all the wonders it brings. Do we understand how depraved we are? Do we understand the state of the world that we are living in? Are we in a contented posture where we love the dark? Even though we have seen a great light?
Take 3 mins to reflect.
Great light: When the bible uses the term great light. It does not mean a torch in a dark room but a flash bang in a room. A light that is great goes forth in STRENGTH.
Also notice that the light has dawned, it sprung forth. The people living in the darkness did not go and seek or find the light. The light came to them.
Only when we understand how much we have sinned then It makes sense for the next sentence.
Verse 17: Jesus began to preach: Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.
Only when we understand the depths of our sins then we understand that we need to repent.
Take some time to reflect on our lives (3 mins)
This is where Jesus forms his ministry. he calls his first disciples (from verse 18- 22)
Things to note:
1) This is not the first time that the fishermen had met Jesus. They had met Jesus before and also heard about his miracles.
In verse 19, when Jesus calls them.
He called them into a new life. A life with a calling of honour.
Ministers are fishers of men, not to destroy them, but to save them, by bringing them into another element. They must fish, not for wrath, wealth, honour, and preferment, to gain them to themselves, but for souls, to gain them to Christ. They watch for your souls (Heb. 13:17), and seek not yours, but you, 2 Co. 12:14, 16. (2.) It is Jesus Christ that makes them so; I will make you fishers of men. It is he that qualifies men for this work, calls them to it, authorizes them in it, gives them commission to fish for souls, and wisdom to win them. Those ministers are likely to have comfort in their work, who are thus made by Jesus Christ.
He called them into a new life. A life with a calling of honour.
Ministers are fishers of men, not to destroy them, but to save them, by bringing them into another element. They must fish, not for wrath, wealth, honour, and preferment, to gain them to themselves, but for souls, to gain them to Christ. They watch for your souls (Heb. 13:17), and seek not yours, but you, 2 Co. 12:14, 16. (2.) It is Jesus Christ that makes them so; I will make you fishers of men. It is he that qualifies men for this work, calls them to it, authorizes them in it, gives them commission to fish for souls, and wisdom to win them. Those ministers are likely to have comfort in their work, who are thus made by Jesus Christ.
We are these fishers of men as well. It is Jesus who always initiates and shows us the way to abundant life. The logical thing for him to tell us to do is to follow him and leave behind our old life.
Analogy time. You only have one hand. You dad can give you an ice cream cone with 5 scoops of chocolate icecream. But in your hand you have one scoop of licorice flavoured icecream. What would you do? You woud throw that licorice icecream straight down the bin.
ok ill stop here for now.
ok ill stop here for now.
Evangelism Lesson 1
Hi Guys, this is alex.
From this week onwards, in line with FMC's
teaching/ lesson direction for the Year 4s on Evangelism. We will be starting
our mission trip trainings during lesson time in ACJC. You can also see it as
we will be doing a series of lessons on the topic on Evangelism.
These are some of the things i feel we
should cover. Please do suggest to me what else you feel we should be imparting
to the youths.
I feel that the youth must have a firm grasp of the basic parts of
the gospel before anything else. If we are to share our faith, we must first
know our faith. This would help place the youths on a similar page and help
weed out any misconceptions they might have, such as justification by Faith
alone.
1) Evangelism: What, who and why
2) Gospel: Creation ( God’s intended
purpose)
3) Gospel: The Fall/ Sin
4) Gospel: Redemption (Jesus saving us and
the implications it has)
5) Gospel: Culmination (New earth)
6) Justification sanctification
glorification (I think it would be good to explain to a certain depth of what
these three theological concepts are to the kids) ( Split into two lessons? Or three?)
7) Understanding the different religions (Helping the kids to
understand the different religions and why they do not hold water.) ( I think
this one we may have to split into two parts as well)
8) Gospel sharing tools (Videos, creative methods to share the
gospel, more importantly getting everyone to pen down their own personel testimony)
9) Apologetics? Commonly asked questions
10) Biblical context of missions
11) Prayer and spiritual warfare.
10) Biblical context of missions
11) Prayer and spiritual warfare.
12) Personal Evangelism Project (Actively praying and applying
what they have learnt into their lives, this starts when we begin session 2?)
Sooooooo this is the outline of lesson 1:
Show a video first then break into groups to discuss the following questions
What is evangelism? Who are called to evangelise? Why are we to evangelise?
Please think, research about these 3 questions. Ill have my answers from what i know and what i found on here at 11pm?
Im sorry that this lesson is out late and i really want to thank you guys for always supporting with me and bearing with my nonsense haha.
What is evangelism: Telling people the truths about God and how he has changed your life.
Who are called to evangelise:
We are all called to be witnesses. Acts 1:8 and Matthew 28:16-20
Why are we to evangelise:
What is evangelism: Telling people the truths about God and how he has changed your life.
Who are called to evangelise:
We are all called to be witnesses. Acts 1:8 and Matthew 28:16-20
Why are we to evangelise:
Three Reasons We Should Share This Gospel:
Reason 1: A Desire to Be Obedient to God’s Commands
The risen Lord Christ commanded his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations. That is exactly what the early disciples did. Paul spoke of a compulsion to share the gospel. To evangelize is to obey. Don’t wait for your affections. Work at them, but don’t wait for them.
In Acts 8:4, we see that those who had been scattered preached the gospel wherever they went. One of the clearest examples of evangelism being commanded is in 1 Peter 3, where Peter commands believers to “always be…prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.”
Paul’s own self-giving challenges us. Think about what would be inconvenient for you, and try to love in those kinds of ways.
We need to realize that we should be challenged by the opening verses of Romans 9. Paul sees the obligation that he has. That is a clear call to us. Our silence is not a matter of neutrality. You need to tell yourself that. Our silence is a matter of guilt and sin. Obedience is definitely a biblical reason to evangelize.
Reason 2: A Love for the Lost
It almost sounds quaint to use the word “lost.” One half of one percent of Americans said that there is the slightest chance that they’ll end up in hell. Although it’s not felt very deeply in our time, is there any more serious business? Preachers, we have got to stop skipping or avoiding this topic. Jesus spoke of God’s wrath remaining on those who don’t believe on him. Richard Sibbes said that, outside of Christ, God is terrible. He wasn’t morally evaluating God. He was saying that God will cause terror in us if we appear before him apart from Christ.
Apart from God’s grace, the sinner will never stop sinning. God’s judgment will never end. Their rejection of God never ends. We all know God’s law and break it. When I was giving an evangelistic address, I was talking with a student leader who was thinking a lot about annihilationism. He liked the idea because it made God seem more humane. I said, “Can you think of any reason why we would want God’s judgment to seem less terrible to sinners? Do you want to make sinners feel better about their rebellion?”
The experience of hell will be worse than any abuse any of us has ever felt in our lives. Heaven is lost. The conscience is awakened. Remorse and regret are given rule, as desires run free in our lives that remain unsatisfied. God will inflict extreme and unnatural pain on them forever. I am at a loss to describe how horrible hell will be. As preachers of the gospel, we have no business making God seem more humane to sinners who are in rebellion against him. Tell unbelievers how horrible it is. Think about if hell were unleashed on you forever. Paul in Philippians 3 describes the non Christian in the present as those whose “end is destruction,…[whose] god is their belly,…[who] glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.” God is truly and forever good. All of those wrongs no one else has ever noticed, God notices. God is good, and we by ourselves are not. We are fallen in Adam.
Jesus himself at least implies that the pains of the damned will endure as long as the joys of the redeemed.
Ours is an age that is sensitive to human suffering. Connie and I were talking about how Calvin suffered horribly physically. The suffering we are sensitive to is physical suffering and it will end. But the lost will be tormented as long as God is good.
Paul says to the Thessalonians that unbelievers will “suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (2 Thessalonians 1:9).
Jesus said things like in Mark 9 (about their worm not dying) to do what, at least in some seminaries, we’ve been taught not to do: alarm our hearers. Jesus did not preach a “don’t worry” Christianity. When you are in God’s universe, the most important thing is to know how God feels about you.
My non-Christian friends know none of the sanctifying work of the Spirit. Spurgeon encouraged his people to meditate on the condition of unbelievers.
Meditate with deep solemnity upon the fate of the lost sinner, and, like Abraham, when you get up early to go to the place where you commune with God, cast an eye toward Sodom and see the smoke thereof going up like the smoke of a furnace. Shun all views of future punishment which would make it appear less terrible, and so take off the edge of your anxiety to save immortals from the quenchless flame. (from Lectures to my Students)
The Puritan minister Daniel Burgess said, “My father in all his letters to me used to write, ‘O, child, better never born than not new-born.’”
Edward Payson finished his powerful sermon on hell with these words of application:
I cannot, must not, however, conclude, without addressing a word, my professing friends, to you. And I hope you will bear with me, if, in view of such a subject as this, I address you with apparent severity.
An apostle teaches ministers, that they must sometimes rebuke professing Christians sharply; but I trust my sharpness will be the sharpness of love; and I know that I shall say nothing to you, half so severe as the reproaches which I have directed against myself, while preparing this discourse.
We all deserve perdition, a thousand times, for our stupid insensibility to the situation of those, who are perishing around us. We profess to believe the word of God; but can you all prove that you believe it? Do you all act, as if you believed it? What, believe that many of your acquaintances, your children, are in danger of the fate, which has now been described!
Dare you go to God, and say, Lord, I believe thy word, I believe that all thy threatenings will be fulfilled, and then turn away, and coolly pursue your worldly business, without uttering one agonizing cry for those, who are exposed to these threatenings? Dare you go and claim relationship to Christ, and profess to have his Spirit, without which you are none of his, and then make no effort, or only a few faint efforts, to save those, for whom he shed not tears only, but blood? O, if you can do this, where are the bowels, I will not say of a Christian, but of a man?
Go, I may say to such, go, inconsistent, cruel, hard-hearted professors; go, slumber over the ruin of immortal souls; wrap yourself up in your selfish temporal interests, and say, I have no time to spare for rescuing others from everlasting burnings. Go, wear out your life in acquiring property for your children, and leave their souls to perish in the fire that never shall be quenched. Go, adorn their bodies, and banish from them, if possible, the seeds of disease; but leave in their bosoms that immortal worm, which will gnaw them forever. And when God asks, where is thy child? thy brother? thy friend? Reply, with impious Cain, I know not, I care not: am I his keeper?
But I cannot proceed further in this strain. I would rather beseech, and melt, and win you by tenderness.
Say, then, Christian, dost thou believe that Christ died to save thee from the misery, which has been imperfectly described? Dost thou believe, that if he had not loved thee and given himself for thee, the gnawing worm and the unquenchable fire would have been thy portion forever? O then, where is thy gratitude, thy love? (from The Complete Works of Edward Payson)
Christians are motivated by a love to others. Hudson Taylor said he would have never thought of going to China if he didn’t believe that they were lost. It’s people who are this lost, who have this fate awaiting them, that we are aiming to convert.
We have to understand what conversion is. Biblically, while we are to persuade, our first duty is to be faithful to present the same good news that God has given to us. God’s Spirit will convert. We can’t make conversions. I think knowing this will make us better evangelists. Some people think that Calvinism makes bad evangelists. I think that is true, but I think Arminians are bad evangelists. We are all bad evangelists because we don’t want to offend people.
I think we can confidently tell people the basic message of the gospel and trust that God’s Spirit will faithfully pick up our message and use it to convert people.
Reason 3: A Love for God.
We want to see God glorified. We want to see the truth about him told in creation. The desire to see God glorified was the motivation for all Jesus’ actions.
Everything exists for God’s glory (Romans 11:36). Our salvation is “to the praise of his glorious grace” (Ephesians 1:6). God does everything he does for his own glory, and we should do all we do for the glory of God. God is glorified in the gospel. Is there a more amazing message? To tell the truth about some people is not to honor them, but to tell the truth about God is to honor him.
The call to evangelism is a call to turn our lives outward from focusing on ourselves and our own needs to focusing on God, to focusing on those others made in his image. We bring glory to God in this way. This is our one special privilege on this earth. We can bring glory to God in this way in a way we won’t be able to do in heaven.
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