CONNECT WEEK
GOD WITH US (THE CHURCH)
LEADER PREPARATION
Lesson Summary:
Note: These lessons are designed to be 30 minutes long. If your club time is shorter than this, we encourage you to be prayerful about parts of this lesson to put more or less emphasis on. If limited on time, we urge you to prioritize Tool Time and summarize Dig In, as Tool Time is what prepares you for sharing the Gospel. As always, let the Holy Spirit guide your leadership.
Throughout the Bible, we read about how God sought to dwell with His people. From His fellowship with Adam and Eve in the garden through the temple where His Spirit lived, God has continually pursued a relationship with His people. Jesus’ name, Immanuel, means God-with-us and it is through His Church that we are able to carry His presence to the rest of the world.
Take a look at this video from BibleProject as you prepare:
Temple – https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/temple/#
Main Point
During His time on earth, Jesus was God-with-us. When He ascended back to heaven, He sent His Holy Spirit to dwell among His people, the Church. Like Jesus did while on earth, we are to carry God’s presence to the rest of the world.
Team Roles
Host: This Student Leader will lead the Start Up section of the lesson, helping create a fun environment, making everyone feel welcome and included.
Speaker: This student leader will guide the group in growing deeper in their faith by reading and reflecting on passages of scripture. They will then connect the content to the group’s daily lives by asking practical questions and leading the conversation.
Other Roles: Promo, Welcome, and Follow Up.
Scripture References
(7 minutes)
Welcome everyone and be sure to get the names of any new friends.
Icebreaker Game: Showcase
Ask everyone in the group to find a partner. Explain that each group of two students will consist of a “mannequin” and a “designer.” The “mannequin” must remain perfectly still unless the “designer” moves them into a new position. Continue explaining that each “designer” will have 15 seconds to move their “mannequins” into the position they feel best reflects the prompts given by the Host.
Use the following prompts:
- You walk into your front door and see a basket of puppies.
- You just finished the biggest meal of your life.
- You are being attacked by a swarm of bees.
- You see a snake slither under your feet.
DIG IN
(5 minutes)
Say: In this game, the mannequins were designed to work in unity with the designer and each other. As God’s people, we were designed to work with our Designer and Creator, God, as we live out our purpose in community.
Ask: What are some of the ways God has moved and shaped you through His Church? How have you experienced God in your community? (Take a few moments for students to share.)
Read Scripture: Jesus replied, Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. (John 14:23)
Ask: What do you think is the relationship between obedience and love? (Take a few moments for students to share.)
Say: It can be easy to forget just how extraordinary Jesus’ words were to those who followed Him and to us today. God isn’t choosing the most beautiful, wealthy, or powerful people to send His Holy Spirit to, but, instead, He promises to live in those who obey Him out of their love for Him. Rather than knowledge, Jesus says that obedience is the outcome of our love for God.
This promise of God is so simple that a child can understand it, and yet religious experts and scholars are still unpacking its meaning today.
We are all familiar with the meaning of an If-Then statement.
IF you drive too fast, THEN you may be ticketed.
IF you touch a beehive, THEN you may be stung.
But here Jesus reveals an extraordinary and life changing promise: IF you love God and obey Jesus’ teachings, THEN God the Father will demonstrate His love to you and make His home with you. It is through the Holy Spirit that God makes His home in us and in his Church.
TOOL TIME
(18 Minutes)
Say: So the big question is SO WHAT? How does God making His home with us affect my life today? (Let students think about this for just a moment.)
Say: It is within a church or group of believers that God’s character and love is revealed the most clearly. The Bible tells us that despite our brokenness, God is with us in a real and tangible way. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are connected not just to God but also to one another.
Read Scripture: As you come to him, the living Stone, rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him, you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2: 4-5)
Say: Jesus is called a cornerstone, rejected by humans but chosen by God. The Church should be a place where people who have been rejected, overlooked, or even abused can gather to find acceptance and hope. As God’s people, we are being built into a spiritual house where the broken are reminded of God’s love and forgiveness.
The Church is not a community of perfect people, but, instead, is a community of those who know that they share an eternal bond in the Holy Spirit. As we support and encourage one another, the world glimpses the character of God. As we continue to gather, learn, forgive, and encourage, we live out God’s invitation to everyone to find their peace in Him.
Ask: What is your community of faith? Is there something you can do this week to build your community up and to encourage your fellow believers? (Take a few moments for students to share.)
As we close in prayer, ask God to show you how He can use you to build His spiritual house as you serve and love. Before we close our time in prayer, let us remember our main point for today: Through Jesus, God made His home with us. Through the Holy Spirit, God makes His home in our hearts. We are to reflect God to the Church like Jesus did.
Closing: End your time together with prayer.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
If you don’t have a church home, talk to any one of the Student Leaders or adults here, and we would be more than happy to connect you with one! We will see you next week as we become better equipped to spread the Gospel by looking to God’s Promises.
Note: A great way to make sure students are getting connected is by having students invite their friends or other club members who may not have a church, to go to church with them. If you have extra time in club, ask a few volunteers to share where they go to church.
Here are a few important things to have them mention:
- Where they go?
- What their youth group or church is like (what is a typical night like at youth group?)
- What time/day? Upcoming special events?
- If the student is able: offer a ride to anyone who needs it.
*If there is someone who wants to visit a youth group but doesn’t have a ride, talk to your Campus Coach to find a solution! They are there to help you!
