elements |Spiritual Gifts

Lesson 2: Equipped To Serve

Objective: The point of the lesson is that your students would understand that Jesus paved the way for the Holy Spirit to empower all believers to serve God’s Church and His Kingdom, and to begin to challenge students’ attitudes about their role in serving/growing the Church.

Scripture Focus: Matthew 3:13-4:1, 4:13-15; Luke 4:31-39; John 14:25-26; Acts 2:1-18; Ephesians 4:11-13

Overview: Your study on Spiritual Gifts is moving to its climax in Lesson 3, where students will be challenged to identify their gifts and to use those gifts to serve and grow their Church and the Kingdom. But you can’t get to this point until you help them understand the role Jesus played in paving the way for the Spirit’s indwelling and subsequent empowering of all Believers. Jesus Himself said that it was good that He was leaving His disciples. Jesus knew then what we know now: Jesus’ ministry was uniquely marked by the Spirit, and upon His death, resurrection, and ascension, the Holy Spirit would also uniquely mark the ministry of His followers. The Holy Spirit would indwell all Believers, among other roles, empowering us to serve and grow our local churches and God’s Kingdom. This lesson will help your students lay a foundation for a right understanding of spiritual gifts and will begin to prepare them to see all their gifts as given by God for His purposes.

Teacher Prep Video

The elements Teacher Prep Videos are short videos designed to help you grasp the main points of the lessons as you prepare to teach.

To access your “Spiritual Gifts Teacher Prep Video,” click on the URL below.

Bible Background

The Bible Backgroundis designed to help you provide some context for the Scripture you’ll be studying. The Details gives you background info for each book, while The Main Point gives you an overview of how the passages are used in the lesson.

  • What do we mean by “context”?In every ym360 Bible study lesson, you’ll notice we make a point to encourage you to provide the context for the passages you study. By “context” we mean at the very least helping students know who wrote the book, when it was written, and why it was written.
  • What’s The Big Deal? When we teach the Bible without giving context, students don’t get a “big picture” understanding of the story of the Bible. But this view is vital to grasping the story of God’s plan of redemption for humankind. As you teach, use the Bible Background to help summarize the context.

The Details

Matthew

  • Author:Matthew, a former tax collector, was one of Jesus’ disciples and a firsthand witness to the stories he relates in his Gospel.
  • Time frame:Most people hold to Matthew’s Gospel being written in the late 50’s or 60’s AD, though there are some who think it was written after the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.
  • Purpose: Matthew was writing to a primarily Jewish audience to convince them that Jesus was indeed the long-awaited Messiah. But he was probably aware of a Gentile audience, as his Gospel makes the case that the saving truth of Christ is for all nations.

Luke

  • Author:Luke was a doctor, a Gentile Christian and a companion of Paul.
  • Time frame: The Gospel of Luke was written around 60 AD.
  • Purpose: Luke is the only Gentile author of the Bible. His entire purpose was to write an accurate account of the life of Jesus so as to present Jesus as Savior, fully God and fully man. It is one of the synoptic Gospels and has much in common with the Matthew and Mark.

John

  • Author:The Gospel of John was written by John, son of Zebedee, a fisherman who left his trade to follow Jesus. John also penned the book of Revelation as well as the three letters in the New Testament that bear his name.
  • Time frame:The Gospel of John was probably written between 85 and 95 AD. John most likely wrote his gospel in Ephesus before he was exiled to Patmos.
  • Purpose: John’s stated purpose for writing this book can be found in John 20:30-31, the last two verses in his Gospel: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John’s goal seems to have been to clearly communicatea full theology of Jesus as the Messiah, the promised Son of God.

Ephesians

  • Author:The Apostle Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians. Of course we know Paul as the one-time chief enemy of the Church. After his miraculous conversion on the road to Damascus, Paul would go on to have a position of great importance in the early Church and beyond. He wrote13 of the 27 books of the New Testament.
  • Time frame:Ephesians wasprobably written by Paul from prison sometime around 60 or 61 AD.
  • Purpose: Paul had planted the church in Ephesus and his letter focuses on the nature of the Church as Christ’s bride, and our identity in Christ.

Acts

  • Author: Acts has long been held to be a letter from Luke, a Gentile physician, to a man named Theophilus, possibly a benefactor of some sort.
  • Time frame: There is some debate over when Acts was written. The suggested dates are between 70 AD and 80 AD.
  • Purpose: The Book of Acts is a second letter to Theophilus that tells the story of the early Church following Jesus’ resurrection. The book begins with Jesus’ ascension and His command of His followers to proclaim the Gospel in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The rest of the book traces this journey as the early church leaders proclaim the Gospel and plant churches.

The Main Point

These passages work together to show us that in the Gospels, Jesus’ ministry was defined by a unique empowering of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, Jesus predicted a day when the Spirit would empower every Believer. We see this promise come to fruition in Acts at the events surrounding Pentecost. Finally, in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we clearly see Paul articulating that one of the purposes for the Holy Spirit living inside every Believer is to empower them to serve and grow God’s Kingdom. This straightforward, narrative thread is the vehicle we’ll use to teach your students about what it means to be permanently empowered to serve the Church, and the reason behind the Spirit working in and through us in this way.

Lesson Plan

The Lesson Plan contains three elements:An introductory activity called The Lead In; the Bible study section called The Main Event; an application-focused segment called The Last Word.

The Lead In

  • Goal: The goal here is to have students think about a life-changing experience they’ve experienced where they did something that up until that moment, they would’ve never thought they could’ve done.
  • Set-Up: Come up with a personal example of how, with God’s help you were able to accomplish something you never thought you could do on your own. It doesn’t have to be some epic, earth-shaking accomplishment. Just something “big” you knew you were only able to accomplish because God empowered you to do so.

FIRST, start by reading the following story to your students:

  • When Zach Hunter was 12-years-old, he heard the statistic that there were 27 million slaves around the world. This statistic didn’t merely remain a number in Zach’s head, it impacted his life. He knew that slavery was wrong and that something had to be done about it. So, he started a “Loose Change to Loosen Chains” campaign to help raise money to end slavery. Zach knew he had to do something, and he did what he could.

Zach had no idea that this simple fundraiser would be a tool that God would use to open doors for him to become a modern day anti-slavery activist. As more and more people began to hear about Zach’s campaign, God opened doors for him to write three books, speak at the White House, and be chosen by CNN as a modern day hero. Zach simply did what little he could and God used it to make it much bigger than he ever could have imagined.

THEN, explain to your students that Zach was an ordinary 12-year-old guy who made a decision that God ultimately used for greater things. Explain that many of us have had moments in our lives, some big some small, where we were able to do something that we never thought we could accomplish, but we were able to do it with God’s help. Share with your students a personal example of how God helped you to do something that you never thought you’d be able to do otherwise.

NEXT, ask your students the following questions:

  • Has there ever been something you did that, up until that moment, you would have never thought you could have done it otherwise?
  • Answers will vary, but could include making the sports team, passing a test, getting into college, etc.
  • How did it make you feel that God made something happen that you never thought was possible?
  • Answers will vary.

FINALLY, explain that in this lesson you’re going to continue looking at the topic of spiritual gifts. Explain that they’ll see that Jesus paved the way for the Holy Spirit to empower God’s people to do great things for Him. And they’ll see that the Holy Spirit is the power source working in and through them as they seek to serve the Lord.

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The Main Event

  • Goal: The goal here is to help students understand that Jesus paved the way for the Holy Spirit to empower all Believers to serve God’s Church and His Kingdom.
  • Set-Up: None

FIRST, spend a moment reviewing what you learned in last week’s lesson. Remind students that last week you saw that in the Old Testament God worked by His Spirit in and through specific people for specific purposes, but in the New Testament up to modern day, God has given His Holy Spirit to all Believers. Ask if anyone had any thoughts that stood out for them during the week, or any questions.

THEN, explain that in this lesson you’re going to expand on these truths to see how Jesus paved the way for the Holy Spirit to empower all Believers to serve God’s Church and His Kingdom.Explain that in order to see this truth, you have to go back to the beginnings of Jesus’ ministry to see that it was defined by a unique empowering of the Holy Spirit. Explain to students that you’re going to quickly look at three accounts from Scripture that will combine to paint a picture of the Holy Spirit’s empowering role in Jesus’ ministry.

Instruct students to find Matthew 3 in their Bibles or Bible apps. While they’re looking, provide some context for the book and the passage. Then read or have a student read Matthew 3:13-4:1. Then, lead students in a short discussion. Ask:

  • Where do we see the Holy Spirit’s presence in this passage?
  • Answer:At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, He is affirmed by God when God says, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”As God affirms His Son, the Holy Spirit comes on Jesus like a dove. Then the Holy Spirit appears to lead and guide Jesus, not only in this moment but throughout His ministry.
  • Notice that before Jesus is sent to do work for God, He is affirmed by God’s love for Him and given the Holy Spirit to help Him. Why is it important that we know that we’re deeply loved by the God of the universe as we try to live for Him?
  • Answer: If we know that we are loved and accepted by God, it causes us to live for Him not to earn His acceptance or approval, but we serve joyfully because we know that we’ve already been accepted and loved. Also, when we fail to follow God, we know that He still loves us and wants to be with us despite our failures.
  • If Jesus needs the Holy Spirit to lead and guide Him before starting His ministry, why is it a good idea for us to rely on the Spirit’s power as we serve God?
  • Answers will vary.

NEXT, explain to students that you’ll be turning from Matthew’s gospel to Luke’s gospel to see the beginnings of Jesus’ ministry. Briefly give some context for the book using the Bible Background. Then, read or have a student read Luke 4:13-15. Have a volunteer summarize what is happening here. Explain that as Jesus left the wilderness after overcoming Satan’s temptation and began His ministry, He was still being led by the power of the Holy Spirit. Ask:

  • What seems to be the implied role of the Spirit here in Jesus’ early ministry?
  • Answer: The Holy Spirit was Jesus’ power source (vs. 14)! Partnering with the Spirit, Jesus produced amazing results. He was teaching in the synagogues. People were praising His teaching. God was giving Jesus favor with the people.

THEN, read or have a student read Luke 4:31-39. Have a student summarize what’s happening. Then, direct students’ attention to verse 36, asking:

  • When you couple this with what we saw the Spirit empowering Jesus to do in the previous passages we read, what can we say about the effect of the Holy Spirit’s presence in Jesus’ life and ministry?
  • Answer: Beyond a doubt, the Holy Spirit was uniquely with Jesus and played a significant role in empowering Jesus’ amazing ministry.

Make sure you remind students that the Holy Spirit’s empowerment of Jesus is different than how the Holy Spirit works through us. After all, Jesus was fully human, but also fully God. We can’t draw clear lines on where Jesus’ power ended and the Holy Spirit’s began. Explain that this isn’t really the point. Make sure that students know the point is that Scripture tells us that Jesus’ ministry was infused with the power of the Spirit. Say something like:

  • Here’s what we can know for sure: the same Spirit that worked in Jesus is working in the lives of every Christ follower. How do we know? Let’s find out.

NEXT, have students find John 14:25-26 in their Bibles or their Bible apps. Explain that this passage comes out of a heartfelt conversation between Jesus and His disciples. Jesus begins the chapter by telling the disciples that He will eventually leave them and go to be with His Father. He then tells them that they will continue His work in the world and even do “greater works” (John 14:12) than He has done as the Holy Spirit works in and through them. Then, read John 14:25-26 aloud as students follow along. Then, ask:

  • If you recall, last lesson we talked about the prophet Joel predicting a day when the Holy Spirit would be within all Believers, helping give them power to serve. Explain how Jesus’ words here are significant in light of what Joel was predicting.
  • Answer: Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to be His follower’s Counselor. But for the purposes of this study, you’re looking more at the idea that Jesus was promising the presence of the Spirit.

Explain to students that the point of this passage for this lesson isn’t to focus on the role of the Spirit, but to focus on Jesus bridging the gap from His presence with His followers to the coming presence of the Holy Spirit. Recap these passages by saying:

  • In these passages in the gospels, we have seen that Jesus’ ministry was defined by a unique empowering of the Holy Spirit, and He predicted a day when the Spirit would empower every Believer for service. Let’s look at one more passage that will connect the dots and set us up for our final lesson on spiritual gifts next week.

THEN, have students find Acts in their Bible apps or Bibles. As they’re finding it, give some context for the Book of Acts. Then read or have a couple of students read Acts 2:1-18. When you’ve finished, ask for someone to sum up what you’ve just read. Then, ask if Peter’s words in verses 16-18 sound familiar. Ask:

  • Someone connect the dots for me. What is the significance of what happened at Pentecost as it relates to the Holy Spirit?
  • Answer:At Pentecost, the promises of the Old Testament of everyone one day being empowered by the Spirit to serve God’s Kingdom AND Jesus’ promises of a Counselor came to fulfillment in this moment. This is the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit that the Scriptures had anticipated. What we see in Acts 2 is the truth that God is once again faithful to His promises.

FINALLY, explain to students that you have just set the stage for a really awesome final lesson where you will dig into the specific ways the Holy Spirit gifts and empowers us. Knowing the back story is WAY important as it gives you a perspective of how God was working throughout time and history to ultimately give us an amazing gift. Before you transition to the Last Word and focus on the application of this lesson, give students a brief idea of what’s coming in lesson 3.