FAITH CHALLENGE
Living Faithfully in the Promised Land
Scripture: Deuteronomy 30:11-20
Memory Verse: “Choose life! Be completely faithful to the LORD your God, love him, and do whatever he tells you.” Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (CEV)
· Obeying God leads to a full life, but disobeying God takes life from us.
· Students will review the background for Moses’ speeches in Deuteronomy.
· Students will read through some of the laws in Deuteronomy and Christian “laws” from the book of Matthew.
· Students will apply the ideas of choice and consequences to modern-day stories.
1. While the class is assembling, hand out, “Whose Laws are These?” (attached) Have students, working alone or in groups of 2-3 follow these directions: Write an “N” by the laws you think Jesus spoke in the New Testament and an “O” by the laws from Deuteronomy in the Old Testament. If you think they came from both places, write both letters and if you think they are not laws from the Bible, leave blank.
2. It might be helpful to have these instructions written on the dry erase board for all to see.
3. The Coach leads the opening routine: snack, fellowship, Prayer Wall activity, and Prayer Chain. Nametags are available.
4. Introduce the Guide for this lesson.
1. Allow students to finish the handout “Whose Laws are These?” and discuss. Correct answers and Bible references are attached as a second sheet. Explain that God provides laws that are helpful and necessary for God’s people at different times and places in history. The laws in Deuteronomy helped the Israelites love God and their neighbors, and helped them lead healthy, whole lives in the Promised Land.
2. Conduct
a brief review of the history of
3. Pass out Bibles and ask the class to find Deuteronomy 30:11-20. Take turns reading as a class. Ask a student who was present last week to explain these verses in their own words.
4. Ask another student to summarize the activity from last week about middle school issues, choices, and consequences.
1. Ask students to choose a partner with whom they will work.
2. Have copies of the Chicken Soup stories (see end of lesson) displayed on a table. Allow each pair to choose one story. Instruct the pairs they may move to a quiet location to read—outside on the porch or deck, the country room, or a corner of this room.
3. Each pair should also pick up one copy of the “choices chart”. See lesson 3.
4. Allow students time to read the stories and to fill out the “choices chart” for their story. Instruct them that the characters in their story might have made a “right” or a “wrong” choice. Students should suggest an alternate choice that is the opposite of what the characters chose.
5. Coaches and guides should visit the groups or even be assigned to each group to keep them on track.
6. Allow students about 15 minutes to read and discuss their stories.
7. Call the group back together and ask each group to present a brief summary of their story, the choices the characters made and whether the students think a different choice would have been better.
8. Ask students how they can make the choices that God would have them make. Guide the discussion to include the following points. When you choose to obey God you will have a life with God. To be obedient, you will need to know God’s commands by reading the Bible and trying to understand it. You can do that though Faith Challenge, by listening in church or by reading a little bit of the Bible yourself every day. You need to develop a personal relationship with God by prayer—King David sought out God every morning. You could just say hello to God each morning when you wake up and maybe tell God how much you enjoy God’s love. You can also make requests of God for help with school or with a friend or a bully or ask God’s help understanding what God wants you to do that day or that week.
1. Ask students to recite the memory verse with you as a closing.
2. Ask students to tidy up.
1. The Coach conducts the closing prayer time.
2. Close/lock the door and turn off the lights.
1. Check out the city room before your first Sunday and set it up with chairs. No tables for students are needed for these lessons.
2. Make 20 copies of “Whose Laws are These?”
3. Make 10 copies of the “choices chart” lesson 3
4. Provide 1 copy of each Chicken Soup story.
pencils
Copies of the attachments for each student.
Selected Chicken Soup Stories
Almost any of the stories from these wonderful books would work for this activity, but try:
“Lessons in Friendship,” p. 50
“Lessons in Baseball,” p. 97
“Reaching out to a Stranger,” p. 119
“A Gift for Two,” p. 136
“To Track Down my Dream,” p. 319
“McDonald’s,” p. 93
“A Valentine for Laura,” p. 95
“Image isn’t Everything,” p. 310
“Sometimes Things are Never the Same,” p. 90
“Coffee-Shop Kindness,” p. 100
Since we are not doing Faith Challenge for profit, we assume that by the Fair-Use Statue from the U.S. Copyright Act reproducing multiple copies of these stories for purposes of teaching is not an infringement of copyright.
Whose Laws are These?
Write an “N” by the laws you think Jesus spoke in the New Testament and an “O” by the laws from Deuteronomy in the Old Testament. If you think they came from both places, write both letters and if you think they are not laws from the Bible, leave blank.
Scripture References for “Whose Laws are These?”
|
|
|
|