PREPARE WEEK
PREPARING STUDENTS TO LEAD
WELCOME
Foundation Scripture
“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. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” ~Matthew 6:9-13
SAY: “Welcome to First Priority! If this is your first time with us we are so thankful you have joined us today, and if you have been coming for a long time we are so glad to see your faces again! This week is Prepare Week. As we continue to talk about prayer this month, today we are going to dive into how we can use prayer to share the Gospel. Before we begin, let’s take a moment to pray.”
OPENING PRAYER
DIG IN
SAY: “As Christians, we are called to share the gospel. Has this ever made you anxious? Does talking to other people or sharing the Gospel sometimes feel hard and therefore you struggle to do it? It’s okay if your answer is yes! One of the most important things we can do when we feel scared or afraid of what others might think is we can pray! And the best part about this is we can pray anytime we are anxious no matter what. The Bible tells us that when we feel anxious we can turn to God in prayer. Let’s read Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God”.
It is normal to feel nervous about sharing the Gospel, but God wants us to come to Him with our fears. I am so thankful that we have a God who wants us to come to Him with our anxieties!”
SAY: “Let’s talk about the types of prayer that we can do. These are the four types:
- Silence & Solitude: Praying that God would remove distractions from your mind and help you hear what He wants to say. During this time of prayer, it’s always good to take notes as you feel the Holy Spirit reveal things to you or to read your Bible.
- Intercessory Prayer: Intercessory prayer is praying for others’ needs or others praying for your needs. Share your requests and ask for others’ requests so you can be praying for each other. Ways you can practice intercessory prayer is by praying for your school, your teachers, your administrators and your community.
- Adoration: Praying in adoration means to be thankful for God, who He is, and what He has done for you. When praying this way, choose one or more things God has done or is doing for you and thank Him for the ways He is working in your life.
- Praying for the lost: When praying for the lost, this means we can pray for friends or family who don’t have a relationship with God. “Lost” doesn’t have to just mean people who have never heard the name of Jesus. We can pray for those who may know who God is but are still very far from him.
We are called to share the Gospel, and if we aren’t sure where to start, the best place we can start is with prayer! ”
TOOL TIME
SAY: Now that we know what prayer is, why we should pray, and how to pray. Let’s talk about our stories and how we can share the gospel using prayer. We are going to transition into using the “My Faith Story Sheet” and talking about how we can incorporate prayer into this.
SAY: “If you have been with us for a while, you are familiar with the My Faith Story Guide. Each month, we build on our stories based on what we are learning about. As we write out our stories this week using the My Faith Story Guide, here are some things to consider:
- What was it like when you were first learning how to pray?
- How has prayer changed your life? Or in what ways are you hoping that prayer will change your life?
- When you pray, where do you go to find solitude or closeness with God?
- Have you ever heard or felt God speaking to you?
(Transition into a time of using the My Faith Story sheet)
Alternative to My Faith Story Sheet.
If you feel that the group needs a different direction for this week, here is another way to have them practice/prepare their stories.
- Use the four reflection questions listed above as a time for them to write out their answers. After this, have the students share them with the group as if they were sharing with a friend who has never heard the Gospel.
SAY: “We hope today you understood prayer in a new way. And even though God may not immediately respond to our prayers, or He responds in a way we don’t want, God always listens to our prayers.
Next week is Invite Week, so as always, we encourage you to invite at least one friend to Club! There will be a Student Leader coming around to hand out invite cards, don’t forget to take some!
We will see you next week for INVITE WEEK!”
CLOSING PRAYER
Have a student leader ready to pass out invite cards at the end of the meeting or at the door as they leave.
Have any students who want to share their salvation story write it down first and let your Club Coach look over it before they share it next week.
