Quarter 4
Eternal Life Starts Now
Youth Lessons
Rooted™ Quarter 4: Eternal Life Starts Now
Youh Lessons
Note: The lessons in this document are identical to the Adult lessons for this quarter.
Copyright © 2008 Group Publishing, Inc.
Permission to photocopy this Bible study from Rooted™ granted for local church use. While Group Publishing, Inc. grants permission to alter and adapt Rooted™ lesson materials, Group claims no liability or responsibility for the content of any such adaptations. Copyright © 2008 Group Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 481, Loveland, CO 80539. www.group.com/Rooted
Visit our website: www.group.com/Rooted
Thanks to our talented Rooted™ curriculum team!
Sue Geiman, Deb Helmers, Mikal Keefer, Rick Lawrence, Randy Maid, Becki Manni, Linda Marcinkowski, Michael D. Paustian, Kristi Rector, Siv M. Ricketts, Joani Schultz, Carl Simmons, Heather Werle, Jeff White, Anne Wilseck, Vicki L.O. Witte, and Christine Yount Jones
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, IL 60188. New Living, NLT, and the New Living Translation logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers.
ISBN #978-0-7644-6086-9
Table of Contents
Experience 1 Jesus Gives One Last Commandment
Matthew 28:16-20 4
Experience 2 Jesus Returns to Heaven
Acts 1:1-11 9
Experience 3 Jesus Sends Power From God
Acts 2:1-21 15
Experience 4 Peter and John Heal a Beggar
Acts 3:1-16; 4:1-4 20
Experience 5 Christians Care for One Another
Acts 2:42-47 25
Experience 6 An Angel Releases Peter From Jail
Acts 12:1-18 30
Experience 7 Stephen Forgives His Accusers as They Stone Him
Acts 6:8–7:60 36
Experience 8 Philip Tells the Ethiopian Treasurer About Jesus
Acts 8:1-8, 26-40 42
Experience 9 Saul Meets Jesus Near Damascus
Acts 9:1-20 48
Experience 10 Paul Explains Christians’ Relationship With Jesus
Ephesians 1:15–2:10 54
Experience 11 Paul Tells How to Have Peace and Joy
Philippians 4:4-20 59
Experience 12 Paul Describes Living by God’s Spirit
Romans 8:9-17; Galatians 5:22-23a 65
Experience 13 John Shares the “Happy Ending” for Christians
Revelation 21:1–22:2 69
Experience 1: Jesus Gives One Last Commandment
Bible Story: Matthew 28:16-20
Discovery: Jesus wants us to share his message of eternal life.
Bible Background
Matthew 28:16-20
Jesus’ final instructions to his disciples come with both great authority and a great promise. Jesus tells us that he has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. That means that the words he’s about to say aren’t just a suggestion—Jesus is giving a command! But it also means that we have Jesus’ authority to fulfill that command.
In verse 20, Jesus promises he’ll always be with us, even to the end of the age. Jesus’ power and presence will always be with us, so we can accomplish what Jesus has commanded.
We are to make disciples—that is, lifelong followers of Jesus—and we’re to teach these new disciples everything Jesus has taught us. This is no short-term task! Jesus wants us not only to make disciples, but to commit ourselves to those disciples, so they can truly know the same kind of life Jesus has given us.
What do Jesus’ authority and promise mean to you? Where are you—or where can you be—making disciples? Ask God to open your eyes to see those he wants you to invest more deeply in. Thank Jesus for his promise to always be with you, and pray for his power to obey his commands.
Permission to photocopy this Bible study from Rooted™ granted for local church use.
While Group Publishing, Inc. grants permission to alter and adapt Rooted™ lesson materials,
Group claims no liability or responsibility for the content of any such adaptations.
Copyright © 2008 Group Publishing, Inc., Loveland, CO. www.group.com/Rooted
73
Experience 1 Jesus Gives One Last Commandment
Bible Story: Jesus Gives One Last Commandment
(Matthew 28:16-20)
Matthew 28:16-20
16Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!
18Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Acts 1:8
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Experience 1: Jesus Gives One Last Commandment
1. Spreading the News
Say: Welcome! Let’s form a circle. If you have more than about 30 people, form circles of 15 to 20 and choose a leader for each circle.
I’ll start by whispering a message to one person in the circle. That person will quickly whisper the message just once to the person on their right. That person will whisper the message to the person on their right, and so on around the circle.
Whisper the following message to one person in the circle, or make up your own message: “Chris has new shoes and a brown dog.” Give people time to pass the message around the circle, and then ask the last person to say aloud what message he or she heard.
Say: The message we started with was “Chris has new shoes and a brown dog.”
Ask: What happened to our message? Why do you think it could have gotten a little mixed up?
Say: The message we used for this game was silly. But today we’re going to learn about a very important message Jesus wants us to share. We need to be careful to get this message right! Let’s discover together what that message is.
2. Mirroring Jesus
Keep people in their circle(s).
Say: After Jesus died and came back to life, he spent 40 days on earth with his disciples. In today’s Bible story, Jesus meets with his disciples and gives them his final instructions before he returns to heaven. Listen while I read about what Jesus told his disciples to do.
Read aloud Matthew 28:16-20.
Ask: What does Jesus tell his disciples to do here? Why do you think it was so important for the disciples to do these things?
When have you had to teach something to someone? What did you enjoy about it? What was hard about it?
Have people form pairs and have partners face each other.
Say: I want the shorter person in each pair to make faces and motions—they can be as simple or silly as you want. The taller person in each pair will try to “mirror” his or her partner’s actions. In a minute, we’ll switch roles.
Allow a minute, and then tell partners it’s time to switch. After another minute, gather everyone’s attention.
Ask: How did you feel about being someone else’s mirror? How did you feel having someone mirror your every move?
How is this like the way Jesus tells us to teach others what he’s taught us?
What do you think Jesus means when he tells us to make disciples? What do you think a disciple really looks like?
Say: Just as we mirrored others’ actions by watching them, we become—and make—disciples of Jesus by watching and following what we see Jesus doing and saying, and by teaching other people to do the same.
Ask: What are some things Jesus did or said that we should also do if we’re really his disciples?
3. To the Ends of the Earth
Say: Listen to one more thing that Jesus said to his disciples. Read aloud Acts 1:8.
Have everyone get into groups of four, and then ask groups to stand up and gather closely together in one corner of your meeting area. Designate that space “Jerusalem.” Read Acts 1:8 aloud again, and have groups discuss the following.
Ask: Jerusalem was the center, the most important place in Israel. Who are the most important people in your life? What does it mean to be a “witness to Jesus” with them?
Allow two minutes for discussion. Then have each group spread out a few steps from the other groups, and designate the new space “Judea.” Have groups discuss the following.
Ask: Judea was the countryside surrounding Jerusalem. Who do you come in contact with regularly but don’t really know yet? What does it mean to be a “witness to Jesus” with them?
Allow two more minutes for discussion. Then have groups spread out a few more steps, and designate the new space “Samaria.” Have groups discuss the following.
Ask: Samaria was the land of Israel’s enemies. Where is that place in your life? What does it mean to be a “witness to Jesus” with them?
Allow two more minutes for discussion. Finally, have groups spread out throughout your meeting space and then discuss the following.
Ask: What are some ways you’re connected to people at “the ends of the earth”? Do you have a chance to be a “witness to Jesus” with them? Why or why not? And if so, how?
Say: Jesus wants us to share his message of eternal life. We can tell our family and friends, our neighbors, and everyone we meet about Jesus!
4. Prayer
With groups still spread out, ask everyone to face you and to pray along silently when you pause.
Pray: Dear God, we want to introduce others to you. Help us use words to share the story of what Jesus has done. God, hear us as we commit to you our voices so they can be used by you. Pause for 20 seconds. We want our actions to reflect your love, God, so when we spend time with our friends they know we’re your children. Hear us, God, as we commit to you our actions so they can be used by you. Pause for 20 seconds. We want our thoughts to be pure and holy, God, so we can grow more like you. Hear us, God, as we commit to you our thoughts. Pause for 20 seconds. Thank you, God, for the honor of telling others about you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Permission to photocopy this Bible study from Rooted™ granted for local church use.
While Group Publishing, Inc. grants permission to alter and adapt Rooted™ lesson materials,
Group claims no liability or responsibility for the content of any such adaptations.
Copyright © 2008 Group Publishing, Inc., Loveland, CO. www.group.com/Rooted
73
Experience 2: Jesus Returns to Heaven
Bible Story: Acts 1:1-11
Discovery: Jesus promises us the Holy Spirit.
Bible Background
Acts 1:1-11
Jesus often challenged the disciples, but this may have been the toughest challenge of all. Several weeks after his resurrection, Jesus asked his disciples to go to Jerusalem…and wait. Just wait.
The last thing the disciples wanted was to wait around in Jerusalem. That’s where Jesus had been arrested, tortured, and killed. The threat of arrest was real—and constant—for Jesus’ followers. The disciples remembered all too well how they’d run away when Jesus was arrested. They knew they were forgiven, but still—did they have what it took to stand firm if persecution came?
Yet Jesus was clear: They were to wait in Jerusalem for the gift God had promised—the gift of the Holy Spirit.
And then, in one quick, upward moment, Jesus rose into heaven. Their leader was gone. Their Teacher had disappeared. The disciples were alone.
With danger around every corner and a world to tell about Jesus, the disciples’ first order of business was to do…nothing. To wait. To let the Holy Spirit come to them.
We’re now on the other side of that assignment. The Holy Spirit has come and the power Jesus promised his followers is here. For us, the marching orders aren’t to wait. Instead, we’re to do something.
This week, as you prepare to lead this lesson, ask God what he has for you to do. Now that the waiting is over, where and how is he calling you into action?
Permission to photocopy this Bible study from Rooted™ granted for local church use.
While Group Publishing, Inc. grants permission to alter and adapt Rooted™ lesson materials,
Group claims no liability or responsibility for the content of any such adaptations.
Copyright © 2008 Group Publishing, Inc., Loveland, CO. www.group.com/Rooted
73
Experience 2 Jesus Returns to Heaven
Bible Story: Jesus Returns to Heaven (Acts 1:1-11)
Acts 1:1-11
1In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach 2until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit. 3During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.
4Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
7He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”