EQUIP WEEK
EQUIPPING STUDENTS WITH THE GOSPEL TOOL
WELCOME
Foundation Scripture
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” ~Matthew 6:19-21
SAY: “Welcome to First Priority! We are so glad that you all are here and ready to start another month! This month, we are going to be diving into a topic that is sometimes tricky to understand, Heaven. Before we get started, let’s open in prayer…”
OPENING PRAYER
DIG IN
SAY: “Whether you have been a Christian for a while, or are just really learning who God is, you may have heard the term Heaven but not really understood it. Heaven is one of God’s promises to us. Heaven is a place where we get to be in God’s presence, free from sin and the evil things of the world. However, to get to Heaven we must accept Jesus Christ into our hearts and lives. Many people debate on what Heaven is, or where Heaven is, but at the end, no one knows all the answers. Even though no one knows for certain all the details about Heaven, the Bible talks about Heaven a lot. We can understand a little bit about Heaven through studying scripture. Before we talk about Heaven any more today, let’s watch a Bible Project video to help us understand more about Heaven.”
BIBLE PROJECT VIDEO – HEAVEN AND EARTH
SAY: “Hopefully, this video helped you understand Heaven a little better. Let’s look at some of the areas where Heaven is mentioned in the Bible! If you are familiar with the books of the Bible, you may recall that the last book of the Bible is called Revelation. This book has a lot of information on when Jesus returns and Heaven and Earth are merged again as we learned in the video. We are going to read a verse from Revelation that talks about good things that we will experience in Heaven. Revelation 22:4 says “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any-more, for the former things have passed away.” I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a place I want to be! If Heaven also sounds like a good place to be to you, guess what, we all are invited! In Philippians 3:20 it says, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ”. We all are given the chance to go to Heaven if we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior!”
Don’t forget to test out the video before Club starts! (if you are able, pull up the video and check the sound a few minutes before Club starts in case there are any technical glitches.) If you aren’t able to start the video, try having some open discussion about Heaven and what people know or would like to know about heaven. Then jump into today’s content!
TOOL TIME
SAY: “To understand more about how we get to Heaven, let’s look again at The Four that we have been talking about. The Four has been a major part in understanding who God is, who Jesus is, how we are saved and how we follow Him. Well, where does Heaven fit in all of this? Heaven is the ultimate goal for Christians. To be in Heaven is to be in full communion with God and in His full presence without sin or shame holding us separate. When we admit that we are sinners, accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and choose to follow Him, we are basically accepting our ticket to Heaven. When we do these things as represented by The Four, we are given the gift of Heaven.
Before we wrap up today, let’s read some verses from the Bible and talk about Heaven.
(Break off into small groups or large group discussion.)
Colossians 3:2: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
- What does it mean to set our minds on things that are above?
- Does this mean we just shouldn’t care about anything on Earth?
Matthew 6:7: “Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
- What does “on earth as it is in Heaven” mean?
- How can we bring “Heaven on earth?”
RESOURCES: THE FOUR
SAY: “We hope this week has brought some clarity to what Heaven is, who is invited, and how we get there.
Before you leave today, don’t forget to pick up a prayer card. If you do not have one or need another one, write down some names of those you will pray for this week!
Next week, we are going to talk about how Jesus brought pieces of heaven to earth when he came to save us, we hope to see you! Let’s end with prayer.”
CLOSING PRAYER
Have a student leader ready to pass out prayer cards. This month is the perfect month to share the Gospel every week in your club and to ask if anyone wants to begin a relationship with Jesus!
