WHAT SEPARATES US FROM GOD

Prepare Week

Student Leader Roles:

• Promo – Promote the Club through social media, announcements, and any other outlets the school allows.
• Welcome – Stand at the door and welcome students to the Club as they arrive. Be sure to connect any new students to the Club and leadership so they feel like they have a place.
• Host – Start the Club with the Welcome, Prayer, Game (if applicable), and Memory Verse.
• Speaker – Lead the Club through Tool Time, and Dig In, using the EPIC Guide, and any supporting materials.
• Follow-up – Follow up with new (or newer) students, and students who accepted Christ for the first time or want to know more. This role requires follow-up every week, not just after INVITE Weeks.

Welcome: Welcome to First Priority! We are so glad that you have chosen to join us today! Our focus this month is “What separates us from God?” Today is PREPARE Week where we will be preparing to share our stories and the Gospel of Jesus with others. Before we dive in, we want to see what God has to say about how sin acts like a barrier between us and God.

Let’s start today’s Club with prayer.

Opening Prayer: God, thank you for another great week that we get to be here at First Priority! I am thankful for those who are here today and thankful for your love for each of us! Thank you for the privilege of prayer. I pray that we would be faithful to pray for our friends to know you. Give us the strength to speak out. In Jesus name, Amen.

Game – Optional (if time allows): Feel free to select a game that fits your needs best! Click here to see the list of games available.

MEMORY VERSE: Romans 3:23(NIV) – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Student Testimony – Optional: If no student is prepared, do not worry! Keep walking through this each month. Consider the Student Leadership team going first to set the tone for the rest of the Club. Remember: if you have 2 students sharing testimony this week, you will not have time for much else. That is okay. Testimonies can be life-changing both for the speaker and listener.

Let’s spend some time preparing to do our part to reach our campus for Christ.

Learning to share your Story: Use the My Faith Story Sheet.

Leader Tip: Have Student Leaders hand out the My Faith Story Sheet.

Let’s take a moment to talk about how you can share your Faith Story. It can be very simple!

Using the My Faith Story Sheet, it guides you to focus on three parts: your life before Christ, how you encountered Jesus, and your life since knowing Him.

Start with what life was like without Christ—your struggles or things that felt missing. Then, talk about the moment Jesus became real to you—through an event, a person, or a realization. Finally, share how He’s transformed your life—how faith gives you hope and direction now.

Today, let’s dive into the second part of your story: the moment Jesus became real to you.

This part of your journey covers the time from when you first heard about Jesus to when you decided to give your life to Him and follow Him. It could be the time someone shared Jesus with you, the thoughts you had as you realized He was the answer to your sin, and the details of when you gave your life to Him.

Remember, this part of your story doesn’t need to be some grand, dramatic moment. Many people give their lives to Jesus in simple, everyday situations. It could be in the quiet of your bedroom, with a friend in a coffee shop, at a VBS, or during a church service. What was happening around you isn’t as important as what was happening inside you. you received a new heart and were given a new life! That’s the exciting part!

Remember, your story is powerful. Take some time to pray and write down the story of how you came to know Jesus. Then share it with someone here—it might be exactly what they need to hear!

Leader Tip: Give students time to work on and discuss their stories and have Student Leaders help those who may be new to this. Encourage students to practice sharing their stories with a friend in the Club. If time is limited, make sure students finish writing out their stories at home.

Romans 6:23(NIV) – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

As students seeking to grow in our faith, it is crucial to understand the concept of sin and its impact on our relationship with God. Sin is not merely a list of moral wrongs, but it is a barrier that separates us from our loving Creator. Let us reflect on this truth and seek God’s grace for reconciliation.

Sin is an inherent part of the human condition. We learned last week that we have all fallen short of God’s perfect standard. Sin creates a barrier between us and God, hindering our fellowship with Him. It disrupts the harmony that God intended for us to have with Him and with one another. Sin separates us from experiencing the fullness of God’s love, joy, and peace. The problem with sin is that it not only separates us from God, but it can begin to be the barrier that keeps us from coming back to God.

The consequences of sin are grave. It leads to spiritual death and eternal separation from God. But thankfully, God has not left us in this state of separation. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to bridge the gap between us and Him. Through His sacrificial death on the cross, Jesus paid the price for our sins, offering us forgiveness and reconciliation with God.

Leader Tip: Break into small groups or have a large group discussion based on Club size. Give students 1-2 minutes per question based on Club time.

Discussion Questions:

1. Why is it important for us to recognize sin as a barrier between us and God?
2. How does sin affect our relationship with God and others?
3. What does it mean for Jesus to bridge the gap between us and God? How does this impact our lives as students?

Invite Cards: Have Student Leaders pass out Invite Cards to students.

Before we leave Club, we’re going to take a moment to fill out the Invite Cards we provided. Make sure to write down all the details clearly so they’re ready to hand out. Once you’re done, use them to invite your friends and classmates to join us next time!

Give students a moment to fill out Invite Cards and ask any questions.

Take 2-3 minutes to allow students to share different prayer requests and pray for the needs of the students.

Spend a few minutes praying for next week. Pray specifically for students’ lives to be forever changed by the Good News of Jesus Christ!

Let’s close in prayer.

Closing prayer suggestion: Lord, thank you for the blessing of this time to learn and grow in our faith. Give us the courage to share your truth and compassion to show your love. We lift up our friends who don’t know you yet and ask that you work in their hearts this week. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Homework: Keep writing your Faith Story using the Faith Story Sheet. We will continue to come back to this sheet all year to help each of us figure out what God has done in our lives – both when we first came to Jesus and when we have walked through the hard moments of life. We all have lots of stories of God moving in our lives, we just don’t remember them well because we haven’t written them down yet. This is the start of writing down our stories and allowing God to use them. If a story comes to mind, begin writing and talk to the Club Leadership about being one of the first ones to share at next month’s PREPARE Week.

Announcement suggestions:

• Share upcoming Club events or special activities.
• Remind everyone about upcoming school breaks or schedule changes.

Leader Notes:

• Remember to file the report on this week’s Club numbers!
• Prepare for INVITE Week! Review the leader roles and keep everyone on the same page. Use the as an opportunity to recruit new leaders!

Club Coach Tip: During next month’s PREPARE Week , there will be an option for two students to share their Faith Stories. Look for students who are developing their testimonies, encourage them to use the Faith Story sheet, and provide coaching outside of the Club to help them prepare.