Middle School is a great age
to encourage students to think about helping others and a perfect age for
helping them actually do it. In the middle of this crucial developmental phase
of life, teenagers are often excited about helping others and can easily get on
board with the idea of helping others at a deep level. Our task as parents and
leaders is helping our students connect the dots between what they know to be
true (service is something God desires of them) and what they find interesting
(helping others can be fun). This series will help students through this
process as they learn to live this type of MLife. (Missional lifestyle)
Week 1: What is an MLife? 4-11-12
Our students will spend
the first lesson examining Romans 3:9-28, a passage that reveals our need for
salvation and a restored relationship with God. We all sin, and we all need a
solution to pay the penalty for our sin. The first part of this passage reveals
just how messed up our world really is—and little has changed in the nearly
2,000 years since the Apostle Paul wrote these words. We live in a world filled
with darkness and hurting people desperate for hope.
That’s why the words that
begin in verse 21 are so encouraging: God recognized our need and sent his Son
Jesus as the solution to our sin problem. Living an MLife means doing our part
to tell the world about Jesus and to lead lifestyles that honor God and serve
the people around us.
Here are some questions
you might want to ask your teenager about this week’s lesson:
- Why do you think the world is such a mess? Did God create it this way, or do our problems come from something else?
- What do you think God’s mission is in the world today, and what role do you and I play in it?
- Why do you think God still loves us and loves humanity, even after all the mistakes and sins of humanity?
FOR KEEPS [MEMORY VERSE]
Yet God, with
undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ
Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins (Romans 3:24).
Week 2: Develop Compassion for the “Least of These” 4-18-12
This week’s lesson is
built around Matthew 9:35-36. These verses are one of several times in the
Gospels where Jesus is described as having great compassion toward hurting
people. The compassion is often felt toward large groups of people—many of
these people were physically sick, and all of them need spiritual healing, too.
These passages give us a
taste of God’s heart of compassion for our world. Jesus spent time alone and
away from the crowds of people, yet he didn’t ignore his calling to heal and
teach and save—in some situations, he delayed his solitude and prayer so he
could minister to the people. Conversely, our hearts are often filled with
selfish desire for what we want rather than compassion and concern for what
others might need. We will challenge this normal mode of operation in the lives
of our students as they continue discovering what it means to live an MLife.
Here are some questions
you might want to ask your teenager about this week’s lesson:
- Why is it significant that Jesus demonstrated his compassion through action, not just words?
- Think about the people at your school who might be “confused and hopeless, like sheep without a shepherd.” How would Jesus interact with them? How is that different from the way most people at your school interact with them?
- What might your life look like if you experienced greater compassion toward people in our world who are hurting or in need?
FOR KEEPS [MEMORY VERSE]
Since God chose you to
be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted
mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience (Colossians 3:12).
Week 3: Make Your Life an MLife 4-25-12
Our lesson this week
focuses on Matthew 5:13-16. In these verses, Jesus takes two simple items and
presents profound truth. As followers of Christ, we are called to be salt and
light in our world. Salt is insignificant if it sits forever on a cabinet shelf
in the kitchen. Light is insignificant if it never comes in contact with
darkness. Salt and light must engage—they must come in contact with situations
and elements that require change and transformation.
One of the goals of this
week’s lesson is to encourage our students to think about a “missional
lifestyle” as being something more than just an occasional mission trip. What
if our teenagers were equipped and resourced to consistently engage in ministry
through a local organization or our church? What would students learn? What
would they gain? What would be transformed? We believe in the value of
teenagers putting their faith into action.
Here are some questions
you might want to ask your teenager as you talk about this week’s lesson:
- What are some ways a Christian’s life, attitude, words, and actions might add “flavor” to this world?
- Light requires a power source—whether that’s electricity, fire, or the fusion of the sun. Think about Jesus’ illustration—what is our power source if we’re going to be light in the middle of our world’s darkness?
- What are some examples of places you can be salt and light that I can’t be—or places where your salt and light would be more effective than mine?
FOR KEEPS [MEMORY VERSE]
“In the same way, let your good deeds
shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father”
(Matthew 5:16 NLT).