When you stop to think about the Bible, it can make your head spin. The books in the Bible were written over a 1,500-year period by numerous writers who lived over three different continents. If that weren’t enough, it was written in three different languages.

The Bible is one of the only books that affects you on a daily basis. People use it when debating abortion rights, human cloning, prayers in schools, or most any other front-page news.

It’s difficult to understand the times we live in without some knowledge of the Bible. The Bible tells us traditions of three major religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The more we understand the Bible the more we understand the differences and similarities between the major religions. It also helps us understand the possibility of achieving peace.

The Bible also helps us appreciate and understand many pieces of art. Biblical themes and imagery fill our world through paintings by Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Literary masterpieces by Shakespeare and Milton were also inspired from the Bible.

There are many translations of the Bible. Finding the one that speaks to you is important. Ask yourself, “What is most important?” when reading the Bible. Is it the literary genius? Maybe research? Are you wanting to read for entertainment value? Or maybe all of these reasons fits your needs. Different translations accomplish different things. Knowing what you want from your Bible reading will determine the translation that will suit you best.

* Think on this for now and figure out what you want from your reading. Then in the coming days and weeks, I will compare different translations to help you with your quest.

The truth is the Bible is several books written by several people.The writers were a diverse bunch that included shepherds, kings, priests, fishermen, farmers, poets, prophets and scribes to name a few. Both upstanding moral authors and morally challenged authors contributed to the writing of the Bible (examples would be traitors, murderers, tax collectors, embezzlers and even adulterers.

They wrote about things they experienced personally as well as events that took place before they were born. The Bible includes history, legal texts, music, poetry, personal correspondence, philosophy and prophecies.

* The word “Bible” comes from the word “ton biblion” which means “the scroll” or “the book”. It derives from the ancient city of Byblos. This city was the main supplier of paper products and thus made the ancient city (now called Lebanon) synonymous with the word “book” or “scroll”.

Does the Denomination really matter that much? Is it worth all of the lost souls for us to be “right” in our Denomination. If we all believe Jesus died on the cross for our sins and that He is the only way to God, then why do we let the small differences stand between us?

Ephesians 4:11-13 ~ It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

The Bible doesn’t say “Baptist will lead the way or Methodist have all the answers. There is no rating system for denominations. The Bible doesn’t separate denominations into categories or standing with God.

1 Corinthians 1:11-13 ~ My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ”. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?

God wants us to all live in Harmony with each other. He wants us to spread His message of love by demonstrating love towards each other. How can we be effective witnesses for God if we are fighting with each other over silly things like carpet colors or how we should express our praise? As long as we keep Christ as our focus, it doesn’t matter what denomination we call ourselves.

Romans 12:16 ~ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Psalm 133:1 ~ How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!

Let’s begin today. Who do you know that attends a church of a different denomination? Maybe they are Nazarene, Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran or Brethren? Can you be friends in Christ and stay focused on the thing you have in common; Jesus Christ? Can you put aside your differences and serve as One Body for Christ? It’s what we’ve all been called to do.

2 Timothy 2:20 ~ In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble.

We determine which we will be by what we do with the life God gave us. We can choose to be quiet about our faith, keeping a small part of the world with us. Or we can choose to cleanse ourselves from evil things and become a vessel God uses for special things.

2 Timothy 2:21 ~ If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master nd prepared to do any good work.

We don’t have to be clay pots; the choice is ours. Because so many of us lack commitment, we become content to stay clay pots. Because we can’t separate ourselves from worldly things (or we chose not to) we can’t follow the dreams God has for our lives. We get into a comfort zone that we are too lazy or scared to get out of.

We can all chose to be golden vessels just by turning away from evil ways and worldly desires. Just by turning our lives over to God (completely) we can change our clay pot existence into a golden vessel life.

It just takes a complete commitment to God. Get before God and study His word. Get your desires in line with God’s desires. Listen to the Holy Spirit’s call and let the Holy Spirit help you put the world behind you.

Life is full of choices. We don’t always like the choices but they are still our choices to make. Every choice has a consequence. We don’t always like the consequence but the choice was still ours to make.

So, are you going to settle for being a clay pot or are you aiming for a golden vessel?

MORE SCRIPTURE:

Genesis 19

Genesis 20

Mathew 11

WHAT YOU NEED:
Bible For Each Teen (or one they can share)
A List Of Choices
Paper and Pencils (optional)

Most of you have heard of the “Would You Rather…” Discussion Starter. This is done just like that only you have choices from the Bible.

Ex. Would you rather be thrown in a Lions Den or tossed in a Fiery Furnace?

Before they answer, have them tell you something about their choice.

Ex. “There were a lot of starving lions wanting to eat you, so I’d rather take my chances with the fire.”

1. You can have them write their answer down on paper, numbering 1 to 10, and at the end collect the papers and read only their answers. Have the students guess who they think the paper belongs to based on the answers. My teens enjoyed this way unless they had a guy/girl there they liked. This way also keeps them from choosing out loud in front of everyone.

2. Another option is to have the number “1” and the number “2” written on pieces of construction paper. Put the “1” on one side of the room and the “2” on the other side of the room. Explain that the first option is “1” and the second option is “2”. When you call out the choice (Ex. Would you rather be thrown in a Lions Den or tossed in a Fiery Furnace?), they go to the number they would choose. Then randomly choose someone from each number to tell you something about their choice. This should be something actually about the choice and not why they chose it unless they go together (Ex. “There were a lot of starving lions wanting to eat you, so I’d rather take my chances with the fire.” – the fact is there were starving lions – it‘s a small fact but it‘s something).

3. Make it a relay. Divide into two or three even teams (if possible). Give the choice (Ex. Would you rather be thrown in a Lions Den or tossed in a Fiery Furnace?), then give your teens 5 minutes to write down as many facts as they can remember for the one they choose. They should work in a group so they can learn new facts about their choice. It’s o.k. if they only chose the lion’s den because they knew more about it.

* The important thing is to make it fun. You might be surprised at how much they know about stories in the Bible.

MORE EXAMPLES:

1. Would you rather be stuck on Noah’s Ark or swallowed by a whale?
2. Would you rather fight a giant or be killed by your brother?
3. Would you rather be Job or Samson?
4. Would you rather be Esther or Mary, mother of Jesus?
5. Would you rather be King David or King Solomon?

Why is it that so many people take advantage of their families and abuse their families? Is it because we are certain family will always be there for us? Does that make it right? How do we change this pattern?

The first thing we need to do is re-educate our youth about God’s plan for family.

In today’s society, it seems “normal” to back talk your parents and disrespect them. After all, we didn’t ask to be born so our parents should take what we dish out, right? T.V., movies and even books glorify the “abuse” of our parents. With the media making our parents look like idiots, our youth begin believing they are superior. Add that to the “I deserve it” mentality and how do we re-educate? The media is hard to compete with.

Our only ammunition is truth. Our faith in the Bible is a powerful weapon against any and all world views. Our strength is God’s Word. So what does the Bible say about family?

Ephesians 5:1-2 ~ Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Proverbs 11:29 ~ He who brings trouble on his family will inherit only the wind and the fool will be servant to the wise.

Colossians 3:12-17 ~ Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentelness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one anther with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

*How do we get teens to put these things into action? First we must get them to believe this is the right way to live and to take these scriptures to heart. Because teens have a mind of their own and they are constantly being fed the world view, it may not be easy to tell them, but we can show them. If we demonstrate the “Family Rules” to the teens that come into our group, we can be a strong witness for God and that could make all the difference.

FAMILY RULES:

Ephesians 6:1-4 ~ “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother” – which is the first commandment with a promise – “that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Colossians 3:18-21 ~ Wives, submit to your husbands as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. Children obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children or they will become discouraged.

Colossians 3:23- 24 ~ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Colossians 4:2-3 ~ Devote yourself to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.

1 Timothy 5:8 ~ If anyone does not provide for his relatives and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

1 Peter 3:8-9 ~ Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

* Let’s take back our family values and our Godly view of the world. Let’s teach the youth that we come into contact with respect, love, compassion and gratitude. Let’s encourage the youth in our groups to share that respect, love, compassion and gratitude with their families and friends.

MORE SUPPORTING SCRIPTURE:

Proverbs 24:3-4

Matthew 10:36-39

Matthew 12:25

1 Corinthians 1:10

Ephesians 4:31-32

1 Timothy 5:1-4

Things Needed:

A Bible
At least 16 Foam Balls of any size
Aluminum Foil
Transparent Tape
Masking Tape
A Strobe Light (optional)
Black Light (optional)
Glow-In-The-Dark Paint (optional)

To begin this Discussion Starter, Have someone read Philippians 2:12-18.

Cover the foam balls with aluminum foil and secure the foil with transparent tape. Divide your playing area with your masking tape.

Divide your teams into two groups. Evenly divide the foil covered foam balls between the two teams. Point out the dividing line in the middle of the playing field. Be sure to point out any boundaries.

The object of the game is for teams to throw the foam balls at each other. As they are hit, they must sit down without moving from that spot. The game ends when one team has someone still standing.

Turn off the lights and turn on the strobe light. Anyone who has played dodge ball knows it’s not easy to hit a moving target. With the added challenge of the strobe light and foil on the balls, your teens will enjoy this form of dodge ball even more.

VARIATION:

To add to the fun more, use a black light and glow-in-the-dark paint on some of the balls. Have all of the participants wear black clothes and white gloves.

DISCUSSION:

1. Was it hard to be a target in this game with limited vision?

2. Was it hard trying to hit a moving target with limited vision?

3. Does this game relate to the violence in today’s world? How or how not?

4. What are some causes of the violence we see around us?

5. What are some consequences of violence?

CAUTION:

Strobe lights have been linked with triggering seizures in people with epilepsy. If this may cause a problem for one of your teens, skip the strobe light and use the black light instead.

What you will need:

6 inexpensive products like a box of tissue, a thing of nail polish, new sponge, hand lotion, can of vegetables, etc.; A record of all the prices for the items purchased; a table

Scripture References:

Romans 12:1, 6-8;

Everyone’s Bargain Place

Make sure all of your inexpensive items have the price removed. Display the items on your table.

Tell each youth member they have $20 to spend. They must choose the products (and the number of each product they choose) they think they can buy with their $20. They can purchase as many of each product as they want without going over their $20.

After the teens have chosen their items and the number of each item, reveal the price of each item. The teen who comes closest to $20 without going over wins.

Once the stories are read, ask the follow-up questions below.

Follow-Up Questions:

1. What does it mean to be a good Steward?

2. What are the consequences of being a good Steward with money?

3. Read Romans 12:1, 6-8. Besides money, what else should we be good Stewards of?

4. Why is Stewardship important to God?

5. How is Stewardship an act of worship?

Close with prayer: (example)

Father, thank you for being patient with us in our lives. Help us to remember You when we are dealing with our Stewardship. Keep Your will strong inside of us as we go into this world. Let us be a shining example of You. In Jesus precious Name we pray, Amen.

* If you have a small group, say a line of prayer for each of them by name. Even if it is just “Thank you, Jesus for bringing Toni to our group” or “Be with Sam as he goes to the Orthodontist Tuesday”.

What you will need:

Pens or Pencils; Paper; Bibles

Scripture References:

Romans 5:1-5; 2Corinthians 4:18

A Little Better All The Time

As your youth group comes in, have them sit in a circle. If you have round tables available to you, these might be helpful. If you have a large youth group, break them into groups of 8 to 10 players per circle.

Give each participant a piece of paper and a pen or pencil. At the top of the paper, have the participants secretly (no one else can see) write a sentence about someone in high school. They should give their characters names (not real names) and their sentence should be about something lousy that happened to that person during the day. Examples would be “Billy lost his car keys”, “Susan failed her History Test”, “Mitch hurt his arm in gym today” etc.

Once they finish writing their sentences, have them pass their paper one place to their right. That person reads the sentence and writes another one to further the story. Once they finish their sentence, they fold the paper under the first sentence so only the second sentence shows. Now pass it to the next person on the right.

The third person reads only the second sentence then adds a third sentence. They then fold the paper so the second sentence is hidden and pass the paper to the fourth person. This continues until the paper reaches the original writer.

When the original writer receives their story back, they unfold the story and take turns reading their story out loud to the group. Hopefully some of them will have happy endings. Once the stories are read, ask the follow-up questions below.

Follow-Up Questions:

1. What does the old saying “When it rains it pours” mean?

2. What makes a bad day better?

3. Have you ever given up hope just before things get better? (encourage them to share their experiences)

4. Where does hope come from?

5. Can hope change our lives? (encourage them to answer more than yes or no)

Read the Scriptures again.

Close with prayer: (example)

Father, thank you for being with us through the tough times in our lives. Help us, Father, to remember You when we are faced with hardships. Keep Your hope strong inside of us as we go into this world. Let us be a shining example of You. In Jesus precious Name we pray, Amen.

* If you have a small group, say a line of prayer for each of them by name. Even if it is just “Thank you, Jesus for bringing Toni to our group” or “Be with Sam as he goes to the Orthodontist Tuesday”.

Punch two holes at the top of the blank index cards. Make as many cards as you want to put in the book (between 20 to 25 index cards work well but you can adjust it to fit your Bible Study, monthly theme, etc.).

Let your teens decorate the cover of their SCRIPTURE VERSE FLIP BOOK. They can color it, write on it or what ever they want to do to make it theirs.

Your teens write a memory verse on the first card behind the cover card. In the top corner, write what week you are working on. Putting the date there as well will help them know when they worked on that memory verse.

Thread your ribbon through the holes in the index cards. Now tie a bow to hold the pages in place. Yarn will work if you don’t have ribbon.

As your teens learn a verse, flip your card to the next blank page. It’s time to learn your next verse.

As you finish your booklet, say you were doing one to learn the Beatitudes, put it where you can take it out to review and start another one.

* You can do this to learn Bible stories. Just break the story down and put a highlight on each card.
* This also works with Children’s Ministry, VBS, or Sunday School.
* This will work to help teens grow closer to God as well.

There are four important lessons to teach teens and MANY different Bible studies, lesson plans and other material to help you with this important task. These four things are Love, Respect, Self-Image and Service.

You can make your own Bible Study with the following Scriptures:

LOVE: Luke 10:27; John 13:34-35; 1 John 3:1; 1 John 4:17-19; Matthew 5:43-48; Matthew 22:37-40; Psalm 136; 1 Corinthians 13 . These Scripture references, and many others, show us how God loves us and commands us to love others. If we love Jesus, then we should love ourselves and others. If we believe we were created in God’s image, we cannot love God and not love ourselves.

RESPECT: Proverbs 15:5; Proverbs 19:23; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; Leviticus 19:3. In these Scriptures, God clearly wants us to respect others and ourselves. When we do this, we show respect to God. Give ways they can show respect. Encourage teens to listen to people when they talk, obey their parents and hold their tongues from sarcastic or rude comments.

SELF-IMAGE: 1 Samuel 16:7; Psalm 139:13-16; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. Again, if we cannot see ourselves as God sees us, then how can we think well of God for we are made in God’s image.  Helping teens see the beautiful creation God has made them and is still molding them into is very important. Without that positive image, they cannot truly accept the call God has for them. They must see themselves as capable, strong (in Christ), and worthy before they can humble themselves to serve others.

SERVICE: Deuteronomy 11:13; Deuteronomy 13:4; Matthew 6:24; Galatians 5:13-14; 1 Peter 4:11. We are all called to serve God and others as Jesus would serve. Teach teens to look for needs and to serve as they are able. Teach them to see the world as Jesus sees the world. Are there people who are hungry? Can they arrange for a meal to be provided?

* The key to getting them excited is simple: let them help plan, decide and carry out the service.

TREASURE HUNT:

A Treasure Hunt is fun for all ages.The more active the Treasure Hunt the better teens respond.

1. Hide the treasure. Find a place that they would never think to look (this leaves out any place that has food). If it’s a CD they are looking for, think of safe places where the CD won’t be damaged in the process of the hunt or while waiting to be found (you probably should not hide it on top of the refrigerator where the heat could damage the CD).

2. Write clues on Index cards. Riddles work well for teens. If you can make your clues hidden in Bible verses, it’s a great way to help your teens get familiar with their Bibles. An example would be if you hide an index card behind a map of under a globe, the verse could be John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world…” Leaving off at “world” is the clue. Place an index card in a garden and write a line of rhyme about the Garden of Eden like “Roses are red, violets are blue, if you plant here, you can grow too.”

3. Have the teens read the clues from the index cards and figure out where the next clue(index card) is. Let them continue until they find the treasure.

4. Once the treasure is found, celebrate with food (pizza or ice-cream sundeas work great).

5. For a twist on this, make the treasure verses in the Bible. You can call out  a Bible verse, and the first teen to stand and read it out loud wins a point. At the end of the hunt, the teen with the most points wins a prize. A variation of this would be giving them a list of ten clues. Each clue leads to a certain Bible verse. They write the verse they believe to be the right verse beside the clue. At the end, the person with the most right verses wins something (this can be as simple as they get to be the first to go throught the pizza line or again a CD or gift card).

* The most important thing to remember is make it fun and active. The more active the hunt the more likely your teens will be to invite a friend to come next time. Using the Bible is a really great way to get teens searching their Bible.