EQUIP WEEK
EQUIPPING STUDENTS WITH THE GOSPEL TOOL
WELCOME
Foundation Scripture
“Let’s hold firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” ~Hebrews 10:23
SAY: “Welcome to First Priority! In this last month, we are going to be talking about God’s Promises. We are going to learn about the top promises that God made to us and what they mean for our life! Before we get started, let’s open today’s meeting with prayer.”
OPENING PRAYER
DIG IN
SAY: This school year, we have learned a lot about the foundations of Christianity and who God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are. Whether you have been coming all semester or maybe this is your first time, it is not too late to learn and understand really who God is, what it means to be a Christian and how we can find eternal hope through Jesus Christ. This month, we are going to be talking about Promises. Specifically, promises from God. What we know from the Bible is that God is a God who will always keep His promises.
According to Joshua 23:14, it says “Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.”
This is the first week of the last month. Make sure to be intentional about connecting with students before the summer break. You want to connect with all student so they feel welcomed to come back in the fall!
SAY: “His word is true and strong which is one of the many things we can be thankful for. But what do we mean when we say “He keeps His promises?” You may be wondering what even is a promise that God has made. Throughout the Bible, we can find many promises from God, and many of them we can see being fulfilled! This month, we are going to be focusing on 5 big promises that God has made and we will be looking at what they mean in our lives. Now these are not necessarily the 5 most important promises, but these are very important promises in which we can apply to our lives.
The five important promises are (just read through the promises, we will go over the verses during tool time)
- God promises Eternal Life
- John 3:16
- God promises Peace
- Romans 5:1
- Philippians 4:6-7
- God promises Victory
- 1st Corinthians 10:13
- God promises forgiveness
- 1st John 1:9
- Jesus promises to come back again
- John 14:2-3
Display these promises on the screen so students can follow along (use the EPIC slides). Be sure to emphasize that these are not necessarily the most important promises. However, they are BIG promises that we want them to understand.
TOOL TIME
SAY: “Now let’s get into groups and read through these promises and where we can find them in the Bible. Then we can discuss what they mean.
(can be small or large group discussion)
God promises Eternal Life (we talked about this last month)
John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
- How do we accept the gift of Eternal Life?
God promises peace
Romans 5:1 says: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
- Do you ever struggle with finding peace?
Philippians 4:6-7 says: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanks-giving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
- How do we ask for peace?
SAY:
God promises Victory
1st Corinthians 10:1 says: “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
- Do you ever struggle with temptation?
- What can you do to help fight the temptation?
God promises forgiveness
1st John 1:9 says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
- How do we confess our sins?
- Does God really forgive all sins?
Jesus promises to come back again.
John 14:2-3 says: “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
- What does this verse mean when it says “many rooms”?
- What does Jesus mean when he says he has prepared a place for us?
Up next is applying the Four. Make sure you familiarize yourself with understanding the Four before teaching it! Here is a link for you to use as a resource!
APPLYING THE FOUR
PRACTICE
SAY: “This year, we have been talking about spreading the Gospel using the resource, The FOUR. Let’s talk through a few new discussion questions before we wrap up today’s lesson.
- Which of the promises can we use when talking about Gods heart? (Icon 1)
- Which of the promises can we use when we are talking about Jesus’ sacrifice (Icon 3)
- Can we apply any of the verses to the other icons?
Awesome discussion today! There are a few things we can take away from today’s discussion. We know that God promises us many things, and we can learn these promises by reading the Bible and talking to Him. And God always keeps His promises! We also know that we can use God’s promises when sharing the Gospel. When we are talking about anxiety and peace with our friends, we can share about the peace we can find in Jesus. This plants the gospel seed within them that may grow when the time is right!
An important part of being a leader is being prepared. As a First Priority leader, you are an example for all the students who show up to Club (and at the school). Students look up to the leaders which is why it is important to always be prepared. Here is a resource to make you a First Priority expert on “The Four.”
SAY: “We are so glad to see all of your faces today. Be sure to come back next week for Prepare Week as we talk more about how we can use God’s promises to share the Gospel!
As we end today’s meeting, there will be a student passing around prayer cards. Please feel free to fill out one of the prayer cards with a name or names you would like to pray for this week. Let’s end today 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!
