PREPARE WEEK
PREPARING STUDENTS TO LEAD
WELCOME
Foundation Scripture
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be”. ~Matthew 6:19-21
SAY: “Welcome to First Priority! This is month 8 where we have been talking about Heaven. This week is Prepare Week where we will talk more about Heaven and practice how we can share the gospel with others. Let’s begin with prayer…”
OPENING PRAYER
DIG IN
SAY: “Let’s review, what is Heaven? God created Heaven to be a place where we can live and dwell in his presence. It is a place free from evil and sin. From the Bible, we know that God prepares a place for each and every one of us in Heaven. All we have to do is trust and follow Him!
Today, we are going to talk about reaching everyone with the Hope of Christ so we can all be together in Heaven! We know from Revelation that we are all meant to be with God in Heaven. Revelation 21:3 says “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”
As Christians, we want to make sure everyone we know gets to have a chance to dwell with God in Heaven. This is why we evangelize and tell others about our stories and our faith!”
SAY: “God tells us that he wants each one of us to be with him in Heaven. We are His Creation, and He wants to be with us! The Bible even says that Heaven rejoices over even just ONE new believer! That’s kind of cool to think about… There are billions of people in this world and Heaven rejoices over one!
Luke 15:7 says “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”
When we follow Christ, and make him our Lord and Savior, Heaven rejoices! As Christians, we want to share the Gospel with those around us so they too can accept Christ as their Savior and enter God’s presence and kingdom of Heaven.
We also know from the Bible that God transforms us into new beings so that we may have eternal life with Him.
Philippians 3:20-21 “But our citizenship is in Heaven, and from it, we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself.”
Just as we are born on Earth and we have an earthly home here, we also belong to Heaven and have a heavenly home. Having eternal life in Heaven is only through believing in Christ Jesus and having a relationship with God. We want to tell everyone about this so they can have eternal life in our heavenly home as well.”
TOOL TIME
SAY: “When we share the Gospel with others, we can use our own stories to tell them who God is and what He does. We can share with others how He works in our lives and how He has changed us and be an example of what it looks like to have a relationship with Him.
This semester, we have been practicing and preparing ways to share our story with others. In addition to this, we have discussed how each month’s theme fits into our Faith Stories and how we can use the theme to help share the Gospel.
Let’s have some discussion about things we have learned about Heaven so we can be prepared to share with others.
(For large/small group discussions or personal reflection.)
- How can we be sure that God has given us eternal hope and life with him?
- What do we know about what Heaven is like and how can we have Heaven on earth? (Hint: we don’t know much but we do know about our relationship with God)
These are all great things to talk about with someone who may not be a believer or who may not be sure if they will have eternal hope with God. The most important thing to remember is that God promises us a home with Him if we just trust in Him and believe and accept Christ as our Savior.”
This next section has a new worksheet to hand out. Be sure to have a Student Leader ready to pass it out while it is being explained!
SAY: “Let’s take the last few moments to look at a new worksheet. Each Prepare Week we have used tools like the “My Faith Story” sheet, or had some discussion that helps us prepare to share the Gospel. This week, we are going to look at and write about the last few months and how God has worked in First Priority. This is a chance to write out your thoughts but feel free to talk about your answers with a friend next to you!”
(Go ahead and review the worksheet and allow students to write out their answers)
PREPARE WEEK HANDOUT
Hopefully, you’ve had the opportunity to share your faith story at First Priority at some point this year. But if not, that is okay, there are still so many opportunities to share! Today, we are going to use this meeting as a big opportunity to share what God has done throughout the year in our school.
- What are some ways you have seen God work in the club this year?
- We have been talking about Heaven this month… What are some ways you have seen God bring Heaven to earth (or to our school) through First Priority?
- Who are some students in the club who have made a big impact on you this year?
- What is your favorite memory from the club this year that you would like to share and celebrate?
- What is one thing you learned about Jesus in the club this year that you could share?
SAY: “It is so comforting to know that God promises us an eternal home with Him. And all we have to do is put our trust in Him!
Next week is Invite Week and if you feel like you would want to share your story with us, please feel free to come and find one of the leaders! Also, don’t forget to invite your friends to Club next week! We will be passing out invite cards and we encourage each of you to invite at least one friend!
Let’s end today with prayer..”.
CLOSING PRAYER
Remember, Heaven can be a tricky subject because it is normal to have many questions that aren’t easier to answer. As you face difficult questions, differing beliefs, confusing conversations, try to stick to the foundational idea that Heaven is a full relationship with God. At First Priority, we try to stay as neutral as we can when talking about topics that others may disagree on. And as leaders, the best you can do is stick to the idea that Heaven is all about being in full relationship with God as he created us to be from the very beginning.
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.
RESOURCES
Looking ahead: National Day of Prayer
As you are approaching May, be thinking about National Day Of Prayer on May 2nd. This day is a great opportunity to host an outreach event before or after school, where you can get together and pray. Be talking with your Club Coach about how to make this happen!
(Simple ideas: Prayer walk around the school campus, a couple 5 minute prayer prompts, Popcorn/circle prayer, etc.)
