CONNECT WEEK
CONNECTING STUDENTS TO THEIR LOCAL CHURCH AND THEIR COMMUNITY
WELCOME
Foundation Scripture
“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” ~John 14:16-17
SAY: “Welcome to Week 4 of talking about the Holy Spirit! We are so glad you are all here today and can’t wait to jump in to talking about getting connected! If you recall, we have been talking about how exactly the Holy Spirit works in our lives and what it does. Let’s start today with prayer.”
OPENING PRAYER
DIG IN
SAY: “At First Priority, we don’t just want to equip you with knowledge of the Gospel, who God is, and how Christ saved us. We want to help get you connected to Christ, club, and a church. This week, we want to talk a little bit more about the Holy Spirit and getting connected.
As you may recall from the past weeks, it is God who gives us the Holy Spirit. When we ask for God’s help, or ask for his guidance, we are really asking for God to send us the Holy Spirit. John 14:16-17 says – “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”
It’s so awesome to know that when we need help, all we need to do is talk with God and ask him for the Holy Spirit!”
SAY: “You may be wondering, so what happens when I ask God for the Holy Spirit? You may recall from two weeks ago when we talked about how the Spirit lives and dwells among us. Let’s read Romans 8:9-11 – “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
SAY: “When we connect with God, we are blessed with the Holy Spirit within us. And when the Holy Spirit is in us, we are made new in Him! It is also important to make sure that we surround ourselves with others who are also centered in the Holy Spirit. When we are in a community of other believers and other individuals who are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are able to grow and form into what God has created us to be. Those around us help to shape and mold us into disciples of Christ!”
The intention for Connect Week is to encourage students to connect to God, other believers and the FP club. Be sure to continue to represent and encourage this throughout this lesson and week!
If you are feeling nervous: Remember to breathe and read each section slowly! We often tend to speed things up when we are nervous. Don’t forget to take it slow to make sure every student understands the lesson! (And don’t worry, it’s normal to feel that way!)
TOOL TIME
SAY: “Let’s talk about one last concept of the Holy Spirit. The Fruit of the Spirit. If this is the first time you are hearing of this, I am not talking about some fruit basket with different spirit fruits. I am actually talking about a list of attributes from the Bible called “The Fruit of the Spirit.” Those who have the Spirit of God within them are equipped to have, not just one, but all of these attributes shine through them. It is God’s light shining through us when we step aside and let God do His thing. Let’s read through these real quick and talk about them.
In Galatians 5:22-26:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking, and envying each other.”
(Large or small group discussion)
- Which of the listed fruits do you struggle with the most?
- Are there any fruits on this list that you wish came easier to you?
- Did you know that God likes to provide these attributes for you? So much that providing these attributes for us is why he sent the Holy Spirit? What do you think or feel in response to this?
When we have a relationship with God, we are equipped to have the ability to embody every single one of these fruits. But we can’t do it without His help! When we strengthen our relation- ship with God, we are given the ability to follow follow Christ’s example.”
Say: “Having a relationship with God is so important to our faith as it gives us the ability and strength to follow Him. This month, we have talked about the Holy Spirit and how it is our internal guide and compass to walking and living like Christ Jesus. If you haven’t asked God to give you the Holy Spirit and would like to, we encourage you to come talk to any one of the leaders if you have any questions or would like someone to pray with you.
As we wrap up this month, let’s pray together and ask God to give us the Holy Spirit in our lives.”
CLOSING PRAYER
Use EPIC slides for teaching the Fruit of the Spirit.
As you teach this lesson, remind students that these are a gift from God that He gives us strength to have when we invite Him into our lives.
