Download Do Something Now Lesson 1

DiscipleNOW 2013
Table of Contents
Lesson 1: Do Something in My Heart – pg 3
Lesson 2: Do Something Now.... even with Difficult or Different People
– pg 10
Lesson 3: Do Something Now - A Living Faith – pg 16
Lesson 4: Not Just What I Do - The Power of Words – pg 22
Lesson 5: Tug-Of-War: What Will I DO? – pg 28
Lesson 6: Do Something Now...... and Later – pg 34
*Note- Many of the resources for this curriculum will be on the Do
Something Now Media disc or available on the StudentNet website
(www.thestudentnet.net) under the DNOW section
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Do Something Now Lesson 1: Do Something in My Heart
Objective: The point of the lesson is to help your students identify their internal struggle with sin and commit to fight against it.
Scripture Focus: James 1:12-17
Overview: If only we didn’t have the weight of our sin nature to struggle with. Life would be so much easier, wouldn’t it? But as
we all know, we do have a sinful nature, and it does affect us. Dramatically. God calls all Christ-followers to grow in our faith. A
major way this growth happens is through a realization that we’re our own worst enemies. In this life, we’ll always be
contending with the sin that lives in us. But it’s more than just that. It’s important for you to help your students grasp that one
of the measures of a Christ-follower’s life is in this very struggle. Giving in to sin is not an option. Your students must accept the
challenge to keep up the fight. After all, it’s through the fight itself that their faith in Christ will deepen and mature.
Teacher Prep Video
Teacher Prep Videos are short videos designed to help you grasp the main point of the lesson as you prepare to teach.
To access your Vivid Lesson One Teacher Prep Video, click on the URL below and view the video entitled “Vivid Lesson 1: The
Fight Within.”
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https://www.youthministry360.com/vivid-prep-videos
Bible Background
The Bible Background is a simple and straightforward way to help you prepare to teach the lesson.
The Details
Who wrote James?
James, who was Jesus’ brother and the leader of the Jerusalem Church.
When was it written?
Most people believe the date was sometime in the mid-40s A.D.
What was the purpose of its writing?
James was seemingly writing to a Jewish audience. His message was pretty straightforward throughout the book: don’t let your
faith be one of words only, and live your faith powerfully. It’s a message that James hammered home in direct, easy-to-grasp
language. It’s what makes James such a practical book for all believers.
The Main Point
James 1:14-15
The main point of this lesson is found in verses 14-15. Here we see that James described the way sin works. It’s an important
passage for all Christ-followers, but especially those who are young in their faith, to understand.
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James made a very important point; namely, that God does not lead anyone into temptation. The truth that God is perfectly
good is an important theological point.
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Psalm 25:8 calls God “good and upright.”
Psalm 52:9 says God’s “name is good.”
Psalm 100:5 says, “The LORD is good and his love endures forever.”
Psalm 119:68 says, “You are good, and what you do is good.”
God cannot act in any way that goes against His goodness. Therefore, He can’t lead anyone into temptation, as that would be
leading people to be enticed to do evil. So how do we explain how we’re tempted? James cleared this up in verse 14.
James wrote that we’re tempted by the evil desires that live within us. Our sin nature is our spiritual heritage from Adam and
Eve. Once they sinned, sin became a part of all people after them. It’s this evil desire inside of each of us that leads us to
temptation. When we accept the salvation that Jesus offers to all who believe in Him, we’re saved from the punishment of
our sins through Jesus’ atoning death on the cross. But we still have a sin nature, and we still sin.
James described this process in verses 14 and 15. Our evil desires “drag” us away. Away from what? Away from our desire to
lead a godly life. When an evil desire “conceives,” it gives birth to sin. The conception that James referred to hints at a
process—one that’s deliberate, one that takes time, and one that’s entered into with planning and intentionality. Our evil
desires don’t always lead to sin. But when we allow them to find fertile ground in our hearts and minds, those desires give birth
to sin.
In verse 15, James summed up the result of sin: spiritual death. This echoed the words of Paul in Romans 6:23: “For the wages
of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Sin equals death. Always has, always will. Only through
God’s grace and our acceptance of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice on the cross can we ever defeat the penalty of sin.
Wrap Up
Only God is good. Only He is able to save us from our sins. However, we must contend with our evil desires. We must fight
against temptation and strive to live holy lives. This was Peter’s call in 1 Peter 1:15-16 when he wrote, “But just as he who
called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” Your students have to understand that
this internal struggle is literally what following Christ is all about. The Spirit will help them. And through this struggle, they will
grow in their spiritual maturity.
Lesson Plan
The Lesson Plan contains four elements: The Lead In, which is a creative, interactive activity that introduces the theme of the
lesson; The Main Event, which is the heart of the lesson and contains the Bible Study section; The Bonus Round, which is simply
an additional Bible Study activity that supports the main thrust of the lesson, and The Last Word, which focuses on driving
home the application of the lesson’s biblical truth.
The Lead In
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Title: Life is Like a Basketball
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Set Up: You’ll need the Media Disc and a way to show the Lesson One, such as a DVD player. Or if you would prefer to
drop the video into your presentation software, open the media disc on your computer, download the .MOV
or .MPEG file, and drop it into a slide.
Goal: The idea is to get students thinking about their lives as Christ-followers and how they’re supposed to live as a
result.
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FIRST, explain that you’re beginning a six-lesson study on the Book of James. Explain to your students that you’re going to
watch a video that both introduces this particular lesson and also casts a little light on what the next six lessons of study will be
about.
NEXT, show the video.
THEN, engage your students in a short discussion using the following questions:
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What does it mean to be a hypocrite?
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What about people who may be curious about following Christ?
Why do you think that one of the most common critiques aimed at followers of Christ is that they’re hypocrites?
When people say they’re followers of Christ and then act in ways that go against the teachings of the Bible, what
effect do you think this has on people who are not followers of Christ?
FINALLY, explain that today’s lesson is all about the struggle we all face between wanting to be Christlike and living holy lives
and our own sinful desires that lead us astray.
The Main Event
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Title: The Fight Within
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Set Up: Choose to either walk through the “Fight Within”diagram using the PDF or to replicate it on a dry erase board.
You’ll also need the Student book and something for your students to write with.
Goal: The idea is to teach students that the struggle to sin comes from within them, and that they’re called to resist
this temptation with God’s help.
FIRST, take a moment to set the stage for your students. Using the Bible Background, share with them the vital stats behind the
Book of James.
THEN, read the passage aloud, or have a few students volunteer to read it. Draw students’ attention to verse 12. Start the study
by asking what comes to mind when they hear words and phrases such as persevere and stood the test. Help them to flesh out
the idea that these words hint at a struggle of some sort; they convey some sort of resistance by an individual.
Explain to students that this passage in James paints a pretty vivid picture of the internal struggle with temptation and sin that
all Christ-followers face. Read verse 13 aloud again. Explain to students that because God is perfectly holy and righteous, He
could never lead anyone to sin. The sin we’re guilty of comes from our own sin nature.
NEXT, display the blank pyramid and direct your students’ attention to their Student Guide. Explain that in verses 14-15, James
showed us the process that gives birth to sin in our lives.
Read or have a student read verse 14. Then ask the following questions:
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What does this verse say is at the core of our temptation?
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Describe the nature of these desires. How are they depicted in the passage? What do we see them doing?
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Answer: Evil desires
Answer: The desires aren’t passive; they’re active! They’re aggressive and ugly. They “drag us away.”
The word entice means to attract someone by arousing their desire.
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Give a couple of examples where a person might convince themselves that sin is attractive.
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Answer: Sex outside of marriage feels good, so why not do it? Putting someone else down makes me look
better. Lying achieves a desired end that’s better than telling the truth.
THEN, show the slide where “Evil Desires” is written in the pyramid, or if you’re replicating the pyramid on a dry erase board,
write the words Evil Desires in the bottom of the pyramid. Encourage your students to write the words Evil Desires on the
pyramid in their Student Guide. Explain that the sinful, evil desires inside all people lead us into temptation. Explain that we’re
the source of our own inclination to do wrong. Show the slide where “Temptation” is written in the pyramid. (Or write it on the
board.) Lead your students to write the word Temptation on their Student Guide.
NEXT, draw your students’ attention to verse 15. Read it again, or have a student do so. Ask the following questions:
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Desire leads to temptation. When temptation and desire get out of control, what’s the result?
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The word conceive means to give birth or to cause to originate.
What has to happen for temptation to become sin?
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Answer: Sin (Show the slide where “Sin” is written in the pyramid. [Or write it on the board.] Lead your
students to write the word Sin on their Student Guide.)
Answer: Temptation has to be acted upon. Temptation itself is not sin. But when temptation conceives
(when it gives birth to actions), it brings sin into an individual’s life.
What happens when sin is given room to grow in our lives? What’s the result?
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Answer: Death. (Show the slide where “Death” is written in the pyramid. [Or write it on the board.] Lead
your students to write the word Death on their Student Guide.)
Completed Pyramid
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When James uses the word death, what does he mean?
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Answer: A life of unchecked and unrepentant sin always leads to spiritual death. When we profess faith in
Christ, His sacrifice on the cross counts for payment of our sin. Part of being a new creation in Christ is the
death of our old love of sin and a new life in the Spirit dedicated to seeking righteousness. A true Christfollower will no longer seek sin. Because of Christ, His followers have life.
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Apart from Christ, there’s only death (Rom. 6:23). Use this time to talk about an Unbelievers condition and
eternal death. Then talk about the forgiveness and life found in faith in Jesus Christ. (Rom 3:20-25) There
may be students who do not believe the gospel. This could be their first time hearing the gospel. Encourage
students who have questions to talk to you after the lesson.
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FINALLY, encourage students by reading verse 16 again. Remind them that God is not capable of leading them into sin or
causing them to sin. Just the opposite is true. Read 1 Corinthians 10:13 aloud to your students: “God is faithful; he will not let
you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure
it.” Ask:
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What does this mean to you personally?
What kind of hope does it provide for your ability to overcome temptation?
Remind students that God’s desire is for Christians is to live righteously, to be lights in a dark world. With the Holy Spirit’s help,
and with Scripture as our guide, we can strive to fight against our sinful nature and live holy lives.
Bonus Round (Optional Activity)
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Title: Everyone a Sinner
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Set Up: None
Goal: The idea is to teach students that all people struggle with their internal sin nature, even the main characters in
Scripture.
Encourage students with the idea that struggling with our internal sin nature is not something unique to them. Explain that
you’re about to look at the lives of three real heroes of our faith, each of whom struggled with their desires to sin.
FIRST, call on three volunteers who wouldn’t mind reading aloud. Instruct the three volunteers to each take one of the
following passages: Romans 7:21-25, Psalm 51:1-6, or Daniel 9:4-6.
THEN, give some context for the first passage. Explain that Paul was one of the most powerful forces for following Christ that
the world has ever seen. He wrote more books of the Bible than any other person. Yet, he still struggled with sin. Have the
volunteer read Romans 7:21-25. Then ask the following questions:
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Can you relate to Paul here? Why is it so frustrating when we want to do good but our “evil” desires are right there
with us?
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What did Paul point to as the only way out of this conflicting situation and the death that it leads to?
NEXT, provide some of the background for the second passage. Explain that David was the greatest ruler Israel ever knew. He
was a godly man, even referred to as a man after God’s own heart. Yet his sinful nature led him to commit adultery. He gave
into his sinful desires. In this passage, David was asking forgiveness for sleeping with another man’s wife. Have the volunteer
read Psalm 51:1-6. Then ask the following questions:
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What do verses 3 and 5 have in common with what we’ve been talking about so far?
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Answer: They point to the idea that our sin nature is something we’re saddled with. It’s a real part of who
we are that, on our own, we cannot do away with.
David wrote that his personal sin is a sin against God. How does this change the way you think about sin—knowing
that a sin you commit might not hurt anyone else but is still a major affront to God?
THEN, set the stage for the final passage. Explain that Daniel was as faithful a follower of God as you could find. He had been
taken captive and held in a foreign land, but had never once turned his back on God. Yet hear how he talked about his people—
God’s people! Have the volunteer read Daniel 9:4-6. Then ask the following questions:
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Daniel used the word rebelled. Can you define what it means to rebel?
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How is our sin rebellion against God?
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Answer: To disobey one in authority; to act or show disobedience.
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FINALLY, close by reminding students that sin is a struggle that every Christ-follower faces. Encourage them with the truth that
the real measure of a Christ-follower is not whether that individual sins or doesn’t sin; it’s whether or not that person is
repentant and intentional about striving to live free from sin.
The Last Word
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Title: Worth Fighting For
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Set Up: Go to www.teenslivingwithcancer.org. Browse under the Community tab and select a few posts from
teenagers about living with cancer. You’ll also need to refer back to the pyramid from the previous activity one last
time.
Goal: The idea is to teach students that the struggle to sin comes from within them, and that they’re called to resist
this temptation with God’s help.
FIRST, ask students if they think fighting sin in their lives is worth it. Isn’t it pointless? After all, we all have a sin nature. We’ll
never be perfect. Jesus paid for our sins on the cross. Why go through the struggle?
NEXT, inform students that you’re going to read a couple of posts from a website devoted to teenagers suffering with cancer.
Read the posts you’ve selected from teenslivingwithcancer.org. When you’ve finished, ask why these teenagers keep fighting.
Ask why they don’t simply give up. After all, they have cancer. Help your students to see that for these teens, life is worth the
struggle. Struggling with cancer is the choice these teenagers make because the alternative simply won’t cut it.
Read Romans 6:1-4. Explain to students that our struggle with sin is similar. If a person has truly had their life renewed through
a saving relationship with Christ, to continue to walk in sin is simply not an option.
THEN, refer back one last time to the pyramid from the previous activity. Point to the section labeled “Temptation.” Ask the
following question:
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What happens if you keep trying not to give in to temptation? What happens if you fight the fight inside of you and
don’t give in to the pull that leads you to fall away from God?
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Does God love a believer any more for not giving in to temptation? Are you any more saved than when you do give
in?
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Answer: Temptation dies. Sin is not conceived. You persevere, just as James called you to.
Answer: No. God sees us through the sacrifice that Christ made on the cross. If we profess faith in Christ,
we’re made righteous in God’s eyes because of what Christ has done.
Then why does it matter? Why is it so important for us to resist giving in to temptation?
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Answer: Simply put, the Bible calls us to be righteous and holy. We’re called to live the way that Christ lived
(1 Pet. 1:14-16) We are New Creations (2 Cor 5:17). Why? So that through our lives, we may point others to
a relationship with God (Matt. 5:16) that they might in turn be saved from the death of their life of sin.
FINALLY, finish the lesson by encouraging your students that are believers with the truth that the struggle they face is one all
believers face. They don’t have to face it alone. (That’s what their Christ-following friends, youth workers, and parents are for.)
And the Holy Spirit actually gives them the power to stay strong.
REMIND them that there is nothing they can do to earn God’s favor and if any students have been trusting in their good works
or resisting temptation for their approval from God that they should put their trust in Jesus Christ alone.
Challenge your students to list the common temptations they face this week in the section in their student book and to strive to
resist them when they arise.
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Do Something Now Lesson 2: Do Something Now.... even with Difficult
or Different People
Objective: The point of the lesson is to help your students be convicted of any favoritism they show to those who are “easy” to
be around and any neglect they might show to those who are not.
Scripture Focus: James 2:1-9
Overview: James is such a practical book, which is one reason it’s so vital for teenagers to know. James’ simple, no-frills
approach to our faith is a great reminder of how often our actions don’t exactly reflect our beliefs. Take, for instance, James’
admonition regarding showing favoritism to the rich. How easy it is for us to find ourselves drawn to those who are easy and
fun to be around. Often, these are people who are materially well off. But James called us to realize that the poor have a special
place in God’s story of redemption. In many cases, the poor realize their need for Christ much more than a rich person does.
James urged us as Christ-followers to show the love of Christ to all people, regardless of their situation in life.
Teacher Prep Video
Teacher Prep Videos are short videos designed to help you grasp the main point of the lesson as you prepare to teach.
To access your Vivid Lesson Two Teacher Prep Video, click on the URL below and view the video entitled “Vivid Lesson 2: Level
The Playing Field.”
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https://www.youthministry360.com/vivid-prep-videos
Bible Background
The Bible Background is a simple and straightforward way to help you prepare to teach the lesson.
The Details
Who wrote James?
James, who was Jesus’ brother and the leader of the Jerusalem Church.
When was it written?
Most people believe the date was sometime in the mid-40s A.D.
What was the purpose for its writing?
James was seemingly writing to a Jewish audience. His message was pretty straightforward throughout the book: don’t let your
faith be one of words only; live your faith powerfully. It’s a message that James hammered home in direct, easy-to-grasp
language. It’s what makes James such a practical book for all believers.
The Main Point
James 2:1, 8-9
This passage begins and ends with the same central point. Basically, it’s an admonition to treat all people equally. There’s no
room in the Kingdom of God for valuing one person over another, much less valuing a rich person over a poor one. Let’s unpack
this and see exactly why favoritism flies in the face of God’s ways.
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James said not to show favoritism to the rich simply because they’re rich. Why was this a temptation for people? One answer is
that in James’ day, as in ours, people were often motivated by a sense of self-preservation. Favoritism toward the rich was
often provoked by a “what can you do for me” attitude. A person of high status has more to offer us than a person of low status.
Sometimes the actions that lead to us show favoritism to a person aren’t even done consciously. Acting out of our desire to
preserve ourselves, we’re subconsciously drawn to people who stand a chance of bettering our situation. This is in direct
opposition to calls from Scripture such as Philippians 2:3-4 (“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in
humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others”) and 1
Peter 3:8 (“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble”).
Another reason, if we’re honest, is that in many cases rich people are easier to be around. This was as true in James’ time as it is
in ours. People who are poor, who have little means to care for themselves, who have no means to surround themselves with
any specific trappings of luxury, who have not had the benefit of experience to develop socially profitable skills or
mannerisms—these people can be more difficult to be with than wealthy, socially adept people. If left to our own sinful means,
we’ll seek situations and people with whom we’re comfortable. We’ll seek the easy path. If you’ve ever spent any significant
time with those in poverty, it can be uncomfortable. It’s often more comfortable to spend time with a wealthy person than an
impoverished one.
Yet the call of Scripture to care for the poor is unmistakable. God’s Word speaks loudly from the Old Testament and the New.
We are to care for the poor:
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Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.
(Prov. 17:5)
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Blessed are those who have regard for the weak; the LORD delivers them in times of trouble. (Psalm 41:1)
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“Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” (Matt. 5:42)
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If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of
God be in that person? (1 John 3:17)
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I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy. (Psalm 140:12)
Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses. (Prov.
28:27)
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress
and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)
There’s no denying it. We’re called to treat all of God’s children, especially the impoverished and the needy, as having value in
His eyes.
Wrap Up
The call to care for the needy and the admonishment against showing favoritism to the rich both go against our sin nature. But
when viewed through the eyes of God, through His love for all humankind, and through His plan for redeeming all sinners, then
extending grace and compassion to all people is clearly the only right response. The interesting thing is that this teaching can be
extended to all of those who are difficult for us to seek out because of our sin nature. There’s no room in God’s Kingdom for
partiality or prejudice on any grounds. Help your students see that God loves all people and as a result, so should we.
Lesson Plan
The Lesson Plan contains four elements: The Lead In, which is a creative, interactive activity that introduces the theme of the
lesson; The Main Event, which is the heart of the lesson and contains the Bible Study section; The Bonus Round, which is simply
an additional Bible Study activity that supports the main thrust of the lesson, and The Last Word, which focuses on driving
home the application of the lesson’s biblical truth.
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The Lead In
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Title: Your Pick
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Set Up: Each student will need an index card and something to write with. Locate the “Your Pick” PDF located on
your Do Something Now Media Disc in the Lesson 2 folder. The PDF is designed to be printed in full color. But if you
want to save ink, select the grayscale setting in your print dialogue box. Your youth pastor may have already printed
this off and placed in your supplies.
Goal: The idea is for students to begin thinking about partiality and how they treat people based on outward
appearances.
FIRST, tape each of the pages of the printed PDF to the board or another prominent place in your room. Distribute an index
card and something to write with to each student.
THEN, direct students’ attention to the pictures on the board. Identify the first one as “1,” the second one as “2,” and so on. Ask
students the following question:
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If you were inviting people to your house to watch something like the “Iron Bowl”, BCS National Championship or
the Super Bowl, in what order would you give out the invitations? In other words, who would you most want to be
there, and who would you want least?
Instruct students to choose their first guest and record on their index cards the number you assigned to the image. Then have
them proceed to the second guest and record that number, and so on.
NEXT, when all students have finished, go to the picture of the young woman with the shopping bags. Ask students to raise
their hands if this young woman was one of the first two people they invited. Ask a volunteer why he or she chose this girl.
Then go to the picture of the female with the bright smile. Ask the same question for this picture. Who chose this young woman
as one of their first two guests? Again, ask for a volunteer to explain why he or she chose this girl.
FINALLY, choose any of the pictures of the people who appear to be impoverished. Ask if anyone had any of these people in the
top one or two on their lists. If someone answers that they did, ask them why. If their answer reflects a desire to show kindness
to those in need, use this as a starting point to introduce the lesson. If no one chose to invite these people first, ask a volunteer
to share why not. Explain that this lesson will deal with the very issue you’ve been discussing to this point; namely, how we
treat the different people we come in contact with, especially those who appear to be in poverty.
The Main Event
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Title: Level the Playing Field
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Set Up: You’ll need copies of the Student book and pencils/pens for the students to write with. If you wish, arrange to
show the PowerPoint slideshow. The slideshow corresponds with some of the questions, but it’s intentionally sparse
so that you can customize it based on how you choose to teach the lesson.
Goal: The idea is for your students to understand that God sees all people through His love for them and that He
desires for us to do the same.
FIRST, take a moment to set the stage for your students. Using the Bible Background, remind students about the vital stats
behind the Book of James.
Begin the study by focusing their attention on the word partiality. Ask the students these questions:
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What does the word partiality mean?
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Answer: Showing partiality refers to our inclination to favor something, anything, over another.
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What does it mean to show partiality toward a person?
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Answer: Giving better or preferred treatment or judgment of someone based on outward circumstances
rather than that individual’s value as one of God’s children.
Give some examples of people whom we often show partiality to as well as some examples of how this is actually
done.
Reference the Student Book. Instruct students to take a moment of honest reflection and to examine their own lives and also to
think about the world they live in, including their culture in school and after school. Instruct them to look at the first column,
“Positive Partiality.” Have them think about people to whom they show positive partiality, or to whom positive partiality is
shown in their world. Give them a few minutes, and then ask them to share some examples with the class. (If you choose, write
them out on the board as well.)
THEN, do the same thing for the “Negative Partiality” column. Instruct students to think about people to whom they show
negative partiality or to whom negative partiality is shown in their world. Again, have them share their responses when finished.
(If you choose, write them on the board as well.)
NEXT, read aloud James 2:1-9. Then explain that you’ll look at the passage in two parts. First, instruct students to look back at
verses 1-4. Lead them in a discussion of the “why” behind showing partiality by using the following questions:
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In the passage, the rich man was shown favor while the poor man was ignored. Why do you think this was?
Look at your Student Book where you see “My Heart” in the lower left-hand corner. Let’s answer the question:
What’s in people’s hearts that leads them to treat some people well and others poorly? As we come up with the
different motives behind why people treat others unfairly, write them in the space below the heart. (If you choose,
write these on a board.)
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Answer: Each student may have different answers for this question. However, some basic reasons that
should come up in discussion include the following: we think it increases our status in other people’s eyes;
we think there may be something to gain from wealthy people, whereas we believe poor people have
nothing to offer; being around rich people is often more comfortable for us; and so on.
Explain that in our minds, it’s easy for us to say that we know showing favoritism is wrong. It’s important, however, for us to
understand why it’s wrong and how God has called us to act toward all people regardless of wealth, race, ability, and so on.
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THEN, have a student re-read verses 5-9. Ask the following question:
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Why is showing partiality to certain people while ignoring others considered a sin?
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Answer: Verse 8 reminds us that we’ve been called to love our neighbor as ourselves. When we ignore
people because of their outward appearance or circumstances, we’re disobeying what God has called us to
do and be about.
Explain that as we read through Scripture, it’s obvious that God is concerned with the poor and calls His people to care for them.
(If you choose, read aloud Luke 6:20 and 2 Corinthians 8:9.) In the Bible, we see that God has compassion and mercy on the
poor and He expects us to mirror His heart.
NEXT, point them to the other heart on the Student Book, the one entitled “God’s Heart.” Begin wrapping up the discussion by
asking the following questions:
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What does God’s concern for the poor tell us about what truly matters to Him? About what’s in His heart? As we
answer this question, consider writing the answers down in the space provided below “God’s Heart” on your
Student Guide.
○
●
Answer: God’s concern for the poor helps us understand that material possessions, power, worldly success,
and things of that nature aren’t what are most important to Him. He’s concerned with our hearts and our
having total dependence on Him. The poor are more inclined to depend on God because they recognize that
they can’t make it without Him, whereas the rich are often blinded to their need for Christ because they put
their trust in worldly things.
How does our partiality demonstrate what truly matters to us?
○
Answer: When we only care for and interact with people who are easy to be around or have something to
offer us, it shows that we’re more concerned with our comfort than we are with the things of God.
NEXT, reference the “Do Something Now” section in the student book and give the students time to brainstorm and write down
ways they can show love and the gospel to the poor and marginalized people in Morgan county and around the world. Discuss
these ideas as a group.
REMIND the students about the Feed the Need bring it in project at the Saturday night DNOW rally. We will be bringing in food
donation for schools in morgan county that send food home on the weekends for students who would reguarly not eat because
of impoverished conditions. You can find out more info at the StudentNet website
(http://www.thestudentnet.net/forms.html)on the downloadable Feed The Need PDF.
FINALLY, explain to the students that our concern for the poor, the marginalized, and the outcasts of society reflects the heart
of God to those we come in contact with. When we show partiality and ignore certain people because of personal preferences,
we aren’t demonstrating Christlikeness to the world around us. However, when we obey God and love our neighbor as
ourselves, we show all people the love of Christ and offer them a glimpse of the love the Father has for them.
Bonus Round (Optional Activity)
●
●
Title: Love Covers All
●
Set Up: None.
Goal: The idea is for your students to understand that God’s command to love others is one that’s prevalent
throughout all of Scripture.
FIRST, explain that during the Main Event your group established that God has called us to love others in the same way that we
love ourselves. Explain that it’s important to dig a little deeper into how prevalent this concept is throughout all of Scripture.
Begin by having different students each read one of the following verses: Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:36-40, or Romans 13:9.
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THEN, lead students in a short discussion using the following questions:
●
What does seeing the command to love our neighbor mentioned in these different books tell us about its
importance?
○
Answer: It shows us that the command wasn’t something just mentioned in passing by James. Its
importance was established early in the Old Testament and was reiterated by Jesus as well as New
Testament authors such as Paul.
NEXT, explain that it’s important to look closer at the motive behind the love we’re called to show others. Have someone read 1
John 4:7-11 and someone else read 1 John 4:19-20.
●
What do these passages show us about our motive to show love to others?
○
Answer: John illustrated that the love we show others originates in God and was given to us through Christ.
He loved us first, lives within us, and gives us the capacity to show His love to others. Since we received
undeserved love, we can now go out and share this love with others. So when we show love unconditionally,
we’re reflecting God to the world around us.
FINALLY, explain that the call to love our neighbor isn’t just found in one hidden passage; it’s a theme that runs throughout the
entire Bible. God has graciously shown us love through Christ even though we didn’t deserve it. Explain that if we show
partiality and ignore interacting with certain people, we’re withholding the love of Christ from them and doing a poor job of
showing them how much God loves them.
The Last Word
●
●
Title: Love in Action
●
Set Up: If you would like to show the recommended video, provide a means to access the Internet and display a video
from YouTube. You will need the Student Guide one last time.
Goal: The idea is for your students to truly think of ways they can begin to practically demonstrate impartial love for
those in need.
FIRST, explain that knowing that we should not show partiality and that we should love our neighbors as ourselves is the easy
part. The hard part is actually putting it into practice. So it’s important that we talk openly about how we are to practically live
this out. If we just say that we’re going to try harder or do better, we’ll more than likely slip back to the norm in a few weeks.
We have to get at the root of why we don’t love the way Christ has called us to love.
NEXT, if you have the means to show a video on your class, show the following YouTube video called “Unlovable” to your
students, accessible at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFKhsZV-5qo. (If you like, you can purchase the video from Worship
House here: http://www.worshiphousemedia.com/mini-movies/17009/Unlovable.) If you don’t have the means to show the
video, simply explain the question that was asked of Jesus in Matthew 22 and read Jesus’ response from Matthew 22:37-39.
Then ask these questions:
●
Based on the video (or Scripture), we know that we’re called to love others and to love them in an even manner,
showing no partiality. What can we do to make loving others come more naturally to us?
○
●
Answer: Draw closer to God. The more we love God and grow closer to Him, the more natural it becomes to
love others the way He does. It’s God in us who compels us to love people equally.
In what ways does growing closer to God affect how we treat others, especially those who are hard for us to love?
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○
●
Answer: God loves people regardless of their wealth, failures, statuses, and so on. As we become more like
Him, we begin to understand the depth of His love. We realize more and more how much we don’t deserve
His love, which leads us to share that love with others.
How can we make this a long-term thing and not something we only take seriously for a few weeks and then forget
about?
○
Answer: Allow your students to struggle with this. Work with them to identify some practical ways to grow
in how we show love to others, especially to those who are needy.
THEN, draw students’ attention back to the two hearts on the bottom half of the PDF. Explain that no matter how hard they try,
they can’t change their heart toward these people on their own. They’ll always revert back to the motives they wrote beneath
“My Heart.” Have the students draw an arrow from their heart to God’s heart. Explain that the only way they can treat all
people the way God has called them to is to draw closer to Him. If they do, their hearts will continue to become more in tune
with His heart. They’ll be able to show all people His love.
FINALLY, challenge the students to take steps to reach out to people they tend to ignore. Talk about how loving those that are
hard for us to love is one of the greatest examples of Christ we can show to the world around us. Remind them that this love
comes more and more naturally as we grow closer to God and experience His love in our lives on a daily basis.
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Do Something Now Lesson 3: Do Something Now - A Living Faith
Objective: The point of the lesson is to help your students evaluate the nature of their actions and whether or not these actions
are the fruits of an active faith.
Scripture Focus: James 2:14-18
Overview: This passage has historically tripped up quite a few folks. No doubt, your students may have done a double take as
well. Far from being contradictory or divisive, James was giving us a glimpse into the look and feel of true faith. After all, if a
person who says they’re a Christ-follower lives in a way that’s indistinguishable from the world around them, does that person
really have faith? While God is the only one who truly knows who is “saved” and who isn’t, Scripture is clear: Spiritual fruit (or
as James wrote, good “deeds”) is the result of our salvation. If we claim to be a follower of Christ, shouldn’t our everyday lives
be a testimony to our discipleship? Likewise, if someone claims to be a Christ-follower yet their lives show no evidence of this,
how can this be true? This lesson will challenge your students to take a look at the nature of their faith and whether or not their
lives are evidence of Christ in them.
Teacher Prep Video
Teacher Prep Videos are short videos designed to help you grasp the main point of the lesson as you prepare to teach.
To access your Vivid Lesson Three Teacher Prep Video, click on the URL below and view the video entitled “Vivid Lesson 3:
Living It.”
●
https://www.youthministry360.com/vivid-prep-videos
Bible Background
The Bible Background is a simple and straightforward way to help you prepare to teach the lesson.
The Details
Who wrote James?
James, who was Jesus’ brother and the leader of the Jerusalem Church.
When was it written?
Most people believe the date was sometime in the mid-40s A.D.
What was the purpose of its writing?
James was seemingly writing to a Jewish audience. His message was pretty straightforward throughout the book: don’t let your
faith be one of words only, and live your faith powerfully. It’s a message James hammers home in direct, easy-to-grasp
language. It’s what makes James such a practical book for all believers.
The Main Point
James 2:14
James 2:14 is the main point in this short passage. And it might also be the heart of why this passage has been so “sticky”
throughout history. Let’s take a quick look at why this verse and this passage have tripped up people in the past.
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If you take a quick glance at James 2:14, it may seem at first to stand in direct contrast to one of the basic tenets of biblical
theology. Paul, writing to the Church in Ephesus, had this to say about the nature of salvation: “For it is by grace you have been
saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).
So we see that salvation is made possible by grace through faith. We can’t do anything good enough on our own to earn our
salvation. We’re condemned because of our disobedience. We’re only saved because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
So here’s the question: Was James saying in verse 14 that we can be saved through our deeds? Absolutely not. James was not
addressing the means of salvation. James was addressing the proof of salvation! James was leading us to examine the option of
whether or not it’s possible for someone who shows no evidence of fruit in their life to have been truly regenerated, or saved.
This is a valid question, one that’s echoed throughout Scripture.
●
In Matthew 3:7-10, John the Baptist rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees for claiming to be saved but living with no
spiritual fruit.
●
In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul talked about the death of an individual’s old self and the “new creation” that results from
being saved by Christ. It’s literally impossible not to live a new life of fruitfulness as a result of salvation.
●
In Galatians 5:19-24, Paul listed the acts of those who are apart from Christ. Then Paul listed the ways of those who
have been saved, calling these ways the “fruit of the Spirit.” Paul went on to say that those who belong to Christ have
put to death the life of sin and as a result walk in fruitfulness.
Scripture backs up James’ assertions in this passage. If people have truly been saved, if they have truly been made new by a
confession of Christ as Lord and the subsequent indwelling of the Spirit, their lives will bear fruit. They’ll be changed. They’ll live
in such a way as to testify to the great re-birth they’ve experienced by God’s grace.
If someone claims to be reborn, if an individual claims to have a saving relationship with Christ but shows no subsequent life
change, no righteous deeds, no compassion, and no “fruit” as a result . . . then we must assume he or she was not truly
regenerated by the Spirit. They have not come to know the Lord’s salvation.
James’ words stand as a reminder to us of the amazing difference Christ makes in our life, and the call for us to boldly live out
this difference.
Wrap Up
James presents an interesting study on the results of a saving relationship with Christ. Our good deeds come as a result of the
Spirit in us, motivating us to act in a Christlike manner. It’s important what we choose to do with this information. Only God
knows whom He will save. He will have compassion on whom He will have compassion. And while Scripture is given to us as a
means of knowing God and His ways, it’s not our place to attempt to glean or divine who among us is really saved or not.
The point we should take from James’ writing is that our faith should be lived out dramatically and evidently. The world should
have no doubt about the condition of our hearts and whom they belong to. Our lives should be a testimony to the world of the
amazing hope and power we have based on our relationship with Christ.
Lesson Plan
The Lesson Plan contains four elements: The Lead In, which is a creative, interactive activity that introduces the theme of the
lesson; The Main Event, which is the heart of the lesson and contains the Bible Study section; The Bonus Round, which is simply
an additional Bible Study activity that supports the main thrust of the lesson, and The Last Word, which focuses on driving
home the application of the lesson’s biblical truth.
17
The Lead In
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●
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Title: Know Your Basketball?
Goal: The idea is to get students thinking about how they’re recognized by their actions.
Set Up: You’ll need the Do Something Now Media Disc and some way to show the Lesson Three video. You can play
the disc in a DVD player. Or if you would prefer to drop the video into your presentation software, open the media
disc on your computer, download the .MOV or the .MPEG file, and drop it into a slide.
FIRST, explain to your students that you’re going to watch a video that talks all about being known to people by our actions.
NEXT, show the video.
THEN, engage your students in a short discussion using the following questions:
●
●
●
What kinds of things do you communicate to the world through your actions?
Do you think it’s fair or unfair that people form impressions of you based on the things you do? Why?
Why should you care what your actions say to people about your faith?
FINALLY, explain that today’s lesson is all about the struggle we all face between wanting to be Christlike and live holy lives and
our own sinful desires that lead us astray.
The Main Event
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●
Title: Living It
●
Set Up: You’ll need copies of the Student Book and something for your students to write with. If you have a projector,
you’ll need the PowerPoint presentation. If you don’t have a projector, use the “Living It” PDF. Both files can be found
in your Lesson Three folder on your Do Something Now Lesson Disc or in your Leader binder
Goal: The idea is to teach students that living a life of spiritual fruit is the result of having a saving relationship with
Christ.
FIRST, have the students open their Student books to lesson 3. Explain to your students that you’re going to start this Bible
study by looking at a couple of images. (These images correspond with the ones on their Student book. Ask the following
questions.
●
What does this image represent?
○
●
Answer: They should answer weightlifting or something similar.
The arrow you see represents the results you’d expect from weightlifting. What are some of the results you’d
expect from someone lifting weights?
○
Answer: Muscles; general overall fitness.
Show the second image (the image of a book) and ask the following questions:
18
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This image represents studying for a test. If you study for a test, what do you expect the results to be?
●
If you really study for a test, why is receiving a bad grade not an acceptable result?
●
If you receive a bad grade, what does that say about your studying?
○
○
○
Answer: You expect a good grade.
Answer: The time you put in should result in good results.
Answer: Outside of the teacher pulling a fast one, a bad grade means you didn’t study well. (You either
studied poorly or studied the wrong material.)
Show the final image (the image of the clock) and ask the following questions:
●
This image represents time spent working at a job. If you spend time working, what do you expect the result to be?
○
●
Answer: You’ll be paid.
Would it be OK with you if you worked several hours at a job and did not get paid? Would that be a satisfactory
result? Why not?
○
Answer: Of course not! If you work, you expect to get paid. It’s only right.
THEN, explain to students the point of this exercise is to introduce the idea of results.
Certain things produce expected results. The things you just mentioned all had results you would expect. When those things’
results are different from what was expected, something is wrong.
Challenge students with this thought: What about someone who says they’re a Christ-follower? What results would you look
for? What’s the proof? What about someone who says they’re a Christ-follower yet doesn’t love their neighbor, live their faith,
or follow God’s commands? What would you think? Explain that you’re going to be to be looking at this very concept in this
lesson.
NEXT, instruct students to turn to James 2:14-18. Explain that this passage hits the ground running with James coming right out
of the gate in verse 14 telling us that faith without good deeds is pointless. Ask the students:
●
What do you think James meant by faith without deeds?
○
●
Answer: Help your students understand the framework of the discussion. Explain that James was talking
about people who claimed to follow Christ but whose claims of faith were not accompanied by good deeds
(i.e., behavior that pleases God).
When James asked whether a faith without deeds was the kind of faith that could save a person, what was he
getting at? And what do you think the answer is?
○
Answer: The question James asked in verse 14 was aimed at discovering the authenticity of a person’s faith.
James wanted to know if a person’s faith was true (i.e., a “saving faith,” or a real relationship with Christ).
While James didn’t answer the question here, his tone gave away his answer. James was implying “no”
because this type of faith is really no faith at all.
THEN, focus on verses 15-17. Explain that here, James laid out a perfect illustration of the point he was making. (This would be
a good time to remind the students about the previous lesson where we talked about loving our neighbor and not showing
partiality.) James described a situation where a person claiming to follow Christ came across someone lacking in basic needs
such as food and clothing. Have someone read verses 15-17 again. Ask the students:
●
What’s the problem with ignoring someone’s basic needs when you have the capacity to help them? How is this
contrary to what God has called us to do?
○
Answer: This problem goes back to the previous lesson and our call to love our neighbors as ourselves. We
learned that God cares for the poor and lowly. If God’s love is truly in us, we’ll care about them as well.
James was making the case that a person who has truly been saved (who has actually come to a saving
relationship with Christ and been regenerated by the Spirit) cannot live a life where their actions are
separated from their faith.
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NEXT, turn students’ attention to verse 17. Here James made a “put your money where your mouth is” type of statement.
Explain that James was saying something here that can be confusing. Ask the following question:
●
What did James mean when he said faith that’s not accompanied by action is dead?
○
Answer: James was saying that there’s no such thing as being saved by Christ yet living a life that doesn’t
evidence righteous behavior. Anyone who claims to be saved by Christ yet lives with no change in their
behavior⎯who has a life neglecting to obey God⎯needs to take a serious look into whether or not they were
ever actually saved (2 Cor 13:5).
THEN, explain to students that this passage has tripped people up for many years because it can seem to some to conflict with
the core theological principle of salvation by faith alone. Ask a volunteer to read Ephesians 2:8-9. Explain that the Bible is clear:
we’re only saved through faith in Christ, not by anything we can do. Good behavior will not earn us a trip to heaven. Then ask:
●
Does this passage of Scripture conflict with the concept of being saved by grace alone? Why or why not?
○
Answer: On the surface, it’s easy to see why people might say James was contradicting Paul’s statement in
Ephesians that we’re saved by grace through faith and works. However, James was not talking about the
means of salvation. James was talking about the results or evidence of salvation. His point was simply that
true faith will result in good deeds, or good behavior. These deeds are the evidence of true faith. Without
these good actions, there’s really no evidence of our faith at all. It isn’t the good deeds that save us. But
they point to the fact that we have been saved by grace through faith.
FINALLY, explain to students that this passage is far from some academic, theological argument. It’s actually at the very core of
who they are as Christ-followers, and what it means to live out their faith. Explain that in the final activity, you’ll focus on the
importance of evaluating the nature of their actions and whether or not these actions are the fruit of an active faith.
Bonus Round (Optional Activity)
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●
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Title: How Ya Like Them Apples?
Goal: The idea is to help students continue to visualize the discussion over good deeds as a result of faith.
Set Up: None
FIRST, engage students in a light discussion. Ask:
●
How can you tell if a tree is an apple tree or not?
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What’s the problem with claiming that a tree with no apples is an apple tree?
○
○
Answer: If it’s really an apple tree, it will produce apples.
Answer: An apple tree is identified by its fruit. No apples—no apple tree.
NEXT, have a student read Matthew 7:15-20. Then ask:
●
What did Jesus mean in verse 20 when He said, “Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them”?
○
●
Answer: Jesus was saying that you could recognize His followers by the fruit they bore, which was a
reference to the way they lived their lives. Plenty of people claim to be followers of Christ, but if you really
want to figure out who truly has faith, you can tell by looking at the fruit that’s produced in their life.
What “fruit” is produced by having faith in Christ?
○
Answer: Spend some time listening to the students’ answers. (One of them will read Galatians 5:22-24
next.)
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THEN, have a student read Galatians 5:22-24. Explain that these are the characteristics of someone who truly follows Christ.
Just as an apple tree is going to produce apples, a Christ-follower is going to produce the fruit of Spirit. James was affirming the
concepts Paul was advocating in these verses when he talked about our works being a demonstration of the faith we have in
Christ. Without these good works, how can we believe that faith is genuine?
The Last Word
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Title: Living Proof
Goal: The idea is to help your students evaluate their actions to see what they say about their faith.
Set Up: You’ll need copies of the Student book and something for your students to write with.
FIRST, explain to students that the way they live their faith is actually of vital importance. Explain that living an active, vivid faith
where they Do Something Now is the call of all Christ-followers. If they claim to be saved, and if they claim to have a
relationship with Christ, then their lives must bear fruit. Their actions, words and thoughts must reflect the Holy Spirit in their
lives and their decision to submit their will to God. If their actions don’t reflect this, then they have to ask some questions about
the nature of their faith.
NEXT, direct students’ attention back to their Student book to the two boxes. Explain that you’re about to have a time where
they can evaluate their lives and see if their actions show the results of an authentic faith. Have students look at the word bank
under the boxes. Have them choose any words that represent where they’re strong in their faith behavior. Have them write
these words in the “Where I’m Strong” box. If you choose, allow students to share some of these.
THEN, have students do the same thing for the “Where I’m Weak” box. Give them time to identify areas where they can grow in
their faith actions. When they’ve had some time, explain to them that this is a good way for them to measure their growth.
Encourage them in the grace of God to strive to be better in these areas.
FINALLY, make a point to gently say to students that if they’re having any doubts about the nature of their faith, you’re
available for them to come and talk to about it. Help them see that the worst thing they can do is nothing. Encourage them to
truly consider whether they’re where they need to be in terms of their faith. Explain that you’re available to answer any
questions they have.
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Do Something Now Lesson 4: Not Just What I Do - The Power of Words
Objective: The point of the lesson is that your students begin to see their words as having the potential to draw people to
Christ or push people away from Him.
Scripture Focus: James 3:3-12
Overview: One of the most common bits of criticism leveled at Christ-followers is that we are a bunch of hypocrites. One of the
ways we perpetuate this inaccurate stereotype is through the dual nature of our speech. James said it best: with the same
mouth we praise God and run down people. Listening to the teenagers in our youth groups, the men and women in our
churches, and even ourselves, it’s no wonder people have a hard time seeing Christ as a difference-maker in the lives of His
followers. This lesson will help your students understand that their words can be a benefit to God and His Kingdom, or they can
work against them. The goal is for teenagers to be aware of what they are saying and to consciously strive to be uplifting and
true in their words.
Teacher Prep Video
Teacher Prep Videos are short videos designed to help you grasp the main point of the lesson as you prepare to teach.
To access your Vivid Lesson Four Teacher Prep Video, click on the URL below and view the video entitled “Vivid Lesson 4: Power
In Words.”
●
https://www.youthministry360.com/vivid-prep-videos
Bible Background
The Bible Background is a simple and straightforward way to help you prepare to teach the lesson.
The Details
Who wrote James?
James, who was Jesus’ brother and the leader of the Jerusalem Church.
When was it written?
Most people believe the date was sometime in the mid-40s A.D.
What was the purpose for its writing?
James was seemingly writing to a Jewish audience. His message was pretty straightforward throughout the book: don’t let your
faith be one of words only, and live your faith powerfully. It’s a message that James hammered home in direct, easy-to-grasp
language. It’s what makes James such a practical book for all believers.
The Main Point
James 3:9-10
The main point of this passage is so straightforward it doesn’t necessitate much commentary. James was true to form here: he
was not sugarcoating anything. He was ultra-practical. That’s one reason James’ book is so important, especially to teenagers. It
is such an instructional book. Its precepts are easy to follow and vitally important for living the life of a Christ-follower.
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The admonition James offered in verses 9-10 is powerful and to the point. We are all guilty of this one. We use our tongues to
sing praises to God, or to offer up prayers, or to preach and teach. We then turn around and use these same tongues to say the
worst things about others. We honor God then turn around and speak poorly of people. This is the worst type of hypocrisy.
James used fitting imagery throughout this passage. Both horses and ships are controlled by relatively small devices. Our
tongue is one of our smallest body parts, yet it controls so much of our lives. James stated that humans had figured out how to
tame all kinds of animals, but the tongue had not been tamed. And 2,000 years later, this truth still stands.
Wrap Up
If we could only master our tongues. If we could only learn to build up others instead of bringing them down. You might say
that our words are as detrimental to our witnesses as our actions, if not more so. It is amazing how powerful words can be,
both for good and for bad.
It seems as if teenagers are most susceptible to this idea of the dual-natured tongue. It may have to do with this generation’s
propensity to compartmentalize, to be completely at home acting one way at school, another way with their friends, and way
another at church. Whatever the reason, it is no way to live. This is an extremely important concept. Help your students begin
to be aware of how they use their words, both out of there mouths and typed through their fingers on Facebook/Twitter/Text..
Encourage them to only focus on those words that are uplifting. Challenge them to always be consistent in their speech, no
matter who they interact with.
Lesson Plan
The Lesson Plan contains four elements: The Lead In, which is a creative, interactive activity that introduces the theme of the
lesson; The Main Event, which is the heart of the lesson and contains the Bible Study section; The Bonus Round, which is simply
an additional Bible Study activity that supports the main thrust of the lesson, and The Last Word, which focuses on driving
home the application of the lesson’s biblical truth.
The Lead In
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●
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Title: Powerful Words
Goal: The idea is to get students thinking about what an impact words can make.
Set Up: You’ll need the Do Something Now Lesson Disc and some way to play the “Powerful Words” MP3 file.
Download the MP3 file located on your Do Something Now Lesson Disc in the Lesson 4 folder. You can play it from a
laptop, an iPhone®, or a portable MP3 device with speakers.
FIRST, explain to students that they are about to hear three very famous speeches from three former US Presidents. The three
speeches are as follows:
●
December 8, 1941: President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave a speech to the joint Congress, declaring war on Japan
as a result of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
●
June 26, 1963: President John F. Kennedy gave a speech in what was then West Berlin. (Remind students of the Berlin
Wall and the city being separated into communist East Berlin and free West Berlin.) It was a bold speech aimed at
Russia, speaking out against communism at the height of the Cold War.
●
August 8, 1974: President Richard Nixon resigned the office of the presidency in the aftermath of the Watergate
scandal.
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Instruct students to listen to the words the presidents use and the tone of their speeches.
NEXT, listen to the speeches.
THEN, ask students for their reactions. Ask:
●
●
●
What was the difference in the first two speeches and the last one?
In what ways did the words of the first two speeches portray hope and power?
How did Nixon’s words portray the sense of brokenness and disappointment he felt?
FINALLY, explain to students that this lesson is all about words. As they just witnessed, words can be powerful. They can be
powerful in a good way, or they can be powerful in a bad way. They can lift people up, or they can bring people down.
The Main Event
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●
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Title: Power In Words
Goal: The idea is to get students to understand the power their words have, both for the good and for the bad.
Set Up: Each student will need a copy of the Student book and something to write with. A dry erase board will also be
useful throughout the lesson. If you wish, arrange to show the PowerPoint slideshow. The slideshow corresponds
with some of the questions, but it’s intentionally sparse so that you can customize it based on how you choose to
teach the lesson.
FIRST, have students open their student books to lesson 4. Ask them to think about some of the negative perceptions people
have about Christ-followers. Then have them take a few minutes to write some of these down. When they have finished, have
them share their responses. Write the answers down on a dry erase board. Once you’ve compiled a decent list, ask the
students:
●
Why do you believe people have these perceptions about Christ-followers?
○
●
Answer: This question is just to get the ball rolling discussing this topic. There isn’t really a right or wrong
answer.
Which of these perceptions have anything to do with our words, with what people hear us say? How so?
○
Answer: For example, the label of being hypocrites may come from the fact that people don’t see Christfollowers backing up what they say. The label of being judgmental may have something to do with what
they perceive Christ-followers to be saying about other people. So these negative perceptions at least have
something to do with our tongues.
NEXT, have one or two students read through James 3:3-12 out loud. Explain to students that in verses 3-5, James gave us some
excellent illustrations of just how powerful the tongue actually is. The first one is about how we can control a horse with a small
bit in its mouth. Explain that the largest horses can weigh up to 2,000 pounds. With a small piece of metal called a bit stuck in
the horse’s mouth and attached to the reins, a rider can control the horse’s every move. Explain that when you think about this,
it’s completely nuts. But explain that our tongue is just as powerful. It is so small, yet it can cause so much damage or do so
much good.
THEN, in verses 5-6 James talked about the destruction such as small part of our body can cause. In these verses, he likened the
tongue to a small flame that can get out of control and cause tremendous damage. Explain that in 1871 a small fire that started
in someone’s barn led to what’s now known as the Great Chicago Fire. The fire burned for over two days, killed hundreds of
people, and burned miles of the city of Chicago. Explain that James says our tongues are just like the tiny flame that led to such
massive destruction throughout the city.
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Ask the students:
●
Do you think James is exaggerating a little bit? Do you really think the tongue is this powerful? Why or why not?
Answer: Push students beyond a yes or no answer here. Have them explain their responses.
NEXT, direct students’ attention to the three matches in the Student book. Instruct students to think about some areas where
they struggle keeping their tongues in check. Have them write these things in the spaces inside the pictures of the matchsticks
(i.e., gossip, talking back, foul language, being hypocritical, Facebook, Text, Twitter and so on). Once they have finished, allow
any who feel comfortable sharing to do so.
Spend some time talking through their answers, listing them on the dry erase board or paper. (Be prepared to share some of
your own weaknesses.) Be sure to drive home how these small flames (such as gossip) can get out of control and cause more
harm and destruction than we may originally think possible.
THEN, have a volunteer read verses 7-8. Ask:
●
Why is it so difficult for us to control our tongues? If we know gossip is wrong or being disrespectful is wrong, why
is it so hard to stop?
○
Answer: Point out the negative perceptions of Christ-followers that are on the board/paper. Encourage
students to think about the consequences of their words before they speak.
Point to all the things that have been written on the board. Ask students:
●
How do all these things we’ve written on the board make us appear to be hypocrites? How does our speaking like
this contradict our claim to live for Christ?
○
Answer: Answers may vary. Spend some time letting students work through this discussion.
FINALLY, have someone read verses 9-12. Remind them of the previous lesson’s discussion about faith and works and how you
talked about the fruit that is produced in a Christ-follower’s life. James used similar illustrations in verses 11-12 to show that
the negative use of our tongues isn’t compatible with living for Christ; the fruit produced in Christ-followers’ lives doesn’t
include unwholesome, negative, or hurtful speech.
Challenge students to ask themselves this question and to seriously consider their answer: Do my words bring people closer to
God? Or do they push others further away from Him? Allow this to sink in for a moment. You will help students process this in
“The Last Word.”
Bonus Round (Optional Activity)
●
●
Title: More Than Words
Goal: The idea is to get students to understand where the motivation for their words really lies.
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●
Set Up: None
It should be pretty obvious that the issue isn’t simply our physical tongue. Have a few students read the following verses:
Matthew 12:33-35, Matthew 15:7-8, and Matthew 15:18-20.
●
Think of all of the negative, hypocritical, and unwholesome speech we’ve talked about. Where was Jesus saying it
comes from?
○
●
If we are constantly putting others down, gossiping, using bad language, disrespecting our parents . . . what does
that really say about the condition of our hearts?
○
●
Answer: The things that we think and say ultimately come from our heart.
Answer: It says a lot. It says that our hearts might not be quite as in tune to Jesus and His gospel as we
might have thought.
Here’s the million-dollar question: If we are not supposed to speak evil, what are we supposed to speak?
○
Answer: Spend some time listening and talking through their answers. Then have a student read Ephesians
4:29. Explain that they aren’t just called to avoid negative talk; they’re also called to be uplifting,
encouraging, and Christlike in everything they say.
The Last Word
●
●
Title: Gaining Control
●
Set Up: Provide a tube of toothpaste and some sort of paper to catch the toothpaste when you squeeze it out of the
tube. You might also want a damp cloth available.
Goal: The idea is to get students to understand that their words have the power to draw people to Christ or to push
people away from Him.
FIRST, explain that we’ve all had times when we opened our mouths, and as soon as we spoke we wished we could take it back.
Open the tube of toothpaste. Explain that our words are like this toothpaste. Squeeze all the toothpaste out of the tube.
Explain that it’s easy to speak. But it’s virtually impossible to take back harmful or sinful things we’ve said. Challenge a student
to put all of the toothpaste back into the tube. Offer them a monetary prize if they are able to complete the task (dont worry
they will not be able to get it “all” back in, but it is humorous to watch). Explain in the same way the toothpaste cannot be put
back in, our words cannot go back into our mouths
NEXT, explain to students that you know how hard it is for them (and for you) to keep their tongues in check. Re-read James
3:7-8. Ask:
●
Does verse 8 make you want to throw your hands in the air and just say, “Forget it, it’s not even worth trying”? If
no human can do it, where do we go from here? How do we begin to really control our speech?
○
Answer: The key phrase here is “no human being.” It’s impossible for us in our own strength to get total
control over our words. So if we desire for our speech to honor God, we must realize that it will only happen
through the power of grace of Christ in our lives.
THEN, explain to your students that a glimpse into this concept is offered in Psalm 19. Set up the psalm by letting students
know that through the first 11 verses David was praising God for His power, majesty, and Word. In the last three verses, David
responded to his reflection on the Lord by offering up a prayer. Have someone read verse Psalm 19:14. Ask:
●
What did David recognize about his heart and his tongue?
○
Answer: By offering this prayer, David recognized his dependence on the Lord to give him strength over his
heart and tongue.
NEXT, explain to students that simply trying to gain control over their tongues on their own will ultimately fail because, as
they’ve seen, their speech is a matter of their hearts. Remind them that in our hearts, we are all sinful. If left to our own desires,
26
we will always be motivated by selfishness and sinfulness. Explain that just trying harder to get control of our tongues is merely
going after a symptom and not the root cause of the problem.
FINALLY, instruct students that they must get their hearts in tune with the Lord, which will have the effect of helping them
control their tongues. Have the students reflect on some things they can do to impact their speech and make their hearts and
words pleasing to the Lord (i.e., praying for people they are tempted to talk negatively about, memorizing Scripture, and so on).
Remind them that these steps have to focus on the heart, because it is only through God’s power in their lives that their speech
will be honoring to Him and bear witness to Him and His power.
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Do Something Now Lesson 5: Tug-Of-War: What Will I DO?
Objective: This lesson’s objective is that your students take an assessment of their lives and answer the question: “Does my life
show a strong friendship with the Lord or with the world?”
Scripture Focus: James 4:1-10
Overview: Each day, your students are being pulled in two directions by two opposite forces. On one side, there’s the pull of
their faith. On the other, the pull of the world. What’s at stake? The simple answer is their affection. The more complicated one
is their souls. Who will your students love more, Christ or the world? The world’s pull keeps your students from the kind of
commitment to Christ that Scripture calls them to make. This isn’t a new problem; apparently James’ readers struggled with it
as well. James asked his audience to choose: “Will you be a friend of the Lord? Or a friend of the world?” This lesson asks your
students the same question, challenging them to truly submit to the Lord, humbling themselves in their love and affection for
Him only.
Teacher Prep Video
Teacher Prep Videos are short videos designed to help you grasp the main point of the lesson as you prepare to teach.
To access your Vivid Lesson Five Teacher Prep Video, click on the URL below and view the video entitled “Vivid Lesson 5: TugOf-War.”
●
https://www.youthministry360.com/vivid-prep-videos
Bible Background
The Bible Background is a simple and straightforward way to help you prepare to teach the lesson.
The Details
Who wrote James?
James, who was Jesus’ brother and the leader of the Jerusalem Church.
When was it written?
Most people believe the date was sometime in the mid-40s A.D.
What was the purpose for its writing?
James was seemingly writing to a Jewish audience. His message was pretty straightforward throughout the book: don’t let your
faith be one of words only, and live your faith powerfully. It’s a message that James hammered home in direct, easy-to-grasp
language. It’s what makes James such a practical book for all believers.
The Main Point
James 4:4
James does it again! Such a simple, simple concept. Unlike some passages of Scripture, you don’t need a concordance, a lexicon,
or a commentary to get James’ point. Here James made himself abundantly clear. In the struggle to live a vivid faith, one of the
biggest hurdles is our friendship with—or love of—the world. Let’s look at a few components of this verse.
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First, let’s make sure we’re clear on the concept behind the word world. The word in Greek is kosmos and is literally the basic
term for the universe. However, in a metaphorical sense, the New Testament (especially James and Paul) uses the word often in
a negative sense. The world is associated with “the passing evil age, which is opposed to God.”
So when James mentioned the world, he was setting up this extreme opposition between God (who is good and righteous) and
the world (which is evil and corrupt).
Second, James used the phrase “adulterous people.” The imagery James was bringing up was a no-brainer. James was saying
that people who love the world are in a sense cheating on God. The relationship between God and His children is
metaphorically compared to a marriage (Rev. 19:7-9). Therefore, when people identify themselves too closely with the world,
they forsake their bond of love to Christ.
Third, there’s the idea of friendship. The Greek word for friendship comes from the word philos. Philos was originally a word
meaning “dear” or “valuable” but came to mean “friend or relative.”
Throughout Scripture, the idea of friendship is a good thing. But Mounce notes, “when the object of friendship is bad, so is that
friendship.” The world is corrupt. Therefore, a love for the world is a corrupting love.
Wrap Up
The tension between loving the world and loving God is one of the biggest practical concerns facing teenagers today. The pull of
culture is so strong. And we should resist the temptation to think that teenagers aren’t facing anything we didn’t face. The
culture that teenagers live in today is so radically different from the culture their parents grew up in as to almost be
unrecognizable. While the temptations and struggles are common throughout the generations, the reach of culture is at a
historic high. Students cannot escape its pull. If they are awake, they are in contact with the world.
Students must make a choice. And you can help. The Bible does not give us an option. We can’t be friends with God and the
world. This lesson is about helping students understand the necessity of a choice, and to help them see why they must make
one.
Lesson Plan
The Lesson Plan contains four elements: The Lead In, which is a creative, interactive activity that introduces the theme of the
lesson; The Main Event, which is the heart of the lesson and contains the Bible Study section; The Bonus Round, which is simply
an additional Bible Study activity that supports the main thrust of the lesson, and The Last Word, which focuses on driving
home the application of the lesson’s biblical truth.
The Lead In
●
●
●
Title: Whose Side Are You On?
Goal: The idea is to get students to begin thinking about choosing sides.
Set Up: You might want a dry erase board and something to write with, but it’s not a necessity.
This is going to be an activity that depends on knowing your group and their likes, dislikes, and rivalries.
FIRST, choose two opposing “entities” that will polarize your group. This might be Justin Bieber versus the Jonas Brothers or
One Direction. This might be two college football teams that share a fan base in your community (Alabama/Auburn). You could
pick two athletes, such as Lebron James versus Kobe Bryant. It might be Team Edward vs Team Jacob (Twilight) or Team Peta
versus Team Gale(Hunger Games). You know your group. Pick two opposing entities.
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THEN, divide your group into two teams according to their allegiances. Explain to each team that their goal is to win you over to
their side. You will be neutral. And the team with the most persuasive argument will win your allegiance. Inform each team that
they will have three minutes to work together to come up with three main points, attempting to convince you why their side is
better than the opposing side. Start the clock.
NEXT, when teams have finished, have one team go first giving their three main points. (If you choose, have a team member
write their points on the board as they say them.) When they have finished, allow the other team to go. (OPTION: If you have
time, let each team have one minute to choose one of the opposing team’s points to refute. When the minute is up, allow each
team to present the rebuttal.)
THEN, when teams have finished, take a moment to decide which team you will pledge your allegiance to. Have fun with this,
building up suspense by going back over compelling points from both sides. Announce your allegiance and enjoy the celebration
with the winning team.
FINALLY, explain to students that while this was a fun game, it’s going to introduce a serious discussion. Explain that in this
lesson, you will be looking at how God and the world compete for our affection. Explain that you will look at the importance of
choosing the right side to follow.
The Main Event
●
●
Title: Tug-Of-War
●
Set Up: Each student will need a copy of the Student book and something to write with. A dry erase board will also
be useful throughout the lesson. If you wish, arrange to show the PowerPoint slideshow. The slideshow corresponds
with some of the questions, but it’s intentionally sparse so that you can customize it based on how you choose to
teach the lesson. If you dont have a projector or computer, you can just print off the power point slides or PDF to
show to students. Your youth pastor may have these printed of for you already. The powerpoint cand be downloaded
off of the Do Something Now disc.
Goal: The idea is to get students to understand the difference between friendship with God and friendship with the
world.
FIRST, explain to students that this lesson is about friendship, but not in the way they might be thinking. Share this old saying
with your students: “Show me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are.” Then ask:
●
What do you think this quote means?
○
●
Answer: Spend some time listening to their answers. Obviously, the point of the saying is that the people
you hang around are a good indication of what you are like.
Do you think it’s an accurate statement? Why or why not?
Explain that after studying this lesson’s passage, we may very well be able to switch this saying around and say, “Show me what
you’re like, and I’ll tell you who your friends are.”
NEXT, explain that in this passage James addressed the idea of friendship. But the only friend options James listed were God
and the world. James clearly let readers know that friendship with one meant friendship with the other wasn’t possible. Explain
that the tough thing for Christ-followers is that it can often feel like our lives are one gigantic game of tug-of-war between God
and the world. Ask the students:
●
Does your life ever feel like a tug-of-war match between your relationship with Christ and the things of this world?
Explain. How is your life pulled between the two?
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In the Student book there’s a picture of a rope being pulled like a game of tug-of-war. One side represents the world and the
other represents God. In the middle of the chain is a heart, representing the students’ individual hearts. Explain to the students
that each side desires our hearts’ affection. Have them spend a few moments thinking of the ways in which the world pulls their
heart and tries to gain control of its affection.
Ask:
●
What are some of the ways the world pulls you toward it? What are some of its messages? What are some of the
means by which it delivers those messages? Write these down inside the “world” circle.
THEN, begin your time of Bible study. Explain that in the beginning of the chapter, James talked through some issues his
audience must have been dealing with. Have a student read James 4:1-5. Explain that what James described in these first few
verses is a clear friendship with the world. Ask:
●
What are some of the characteristics of a friendship with the world that James described in these verses?
○
●
Answer: Quarrelling, worldly passions, reliance on self rather than God, covetousness, spending resources
on worldly things
What are some other characteristics you can think of that signify a friendship with the world?
○
Answer: An exhaustive list would be impossible, but others could include greed, selfishness, pride, and so on.
NEXT, focus on verses 4-5 for a little while. Have someone read them again to the group. That was some intense language
James was using again in this letter. He said that anyone who is a friend of the world is an enemy of God. That’s serious
business right there. Ask the students:
●
Look at verse 5. Do you think James was exaggerating a little bit here just to make a point, or do you think he
meant what he said? What do you think James meant in this verse?
○
●
Answer: James was telling his readers that God is jealous for our love, meaning that He wants the affection
of our hearts to be set on Him and not the things of this world.
We often think of jealousy as a negative thing. Why is it perfectly OK for God to be jealous for our hearts?
○
Answer: God is not like us. God’s jealousy is not like the possessive, mean-spirited, selfish jealousy we
experience. God’s jealousy is perfect. It is a righteous, good jealousy born out of His love for us. As Creator
of us and sustainer of the world, God is right to want our attention to be only on Him. As giver of life, God
does not want to share you with any other object of your affection. This is a perfectly understandable
reaction for God, and one that is perfectly good.
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●
How is there such strong opposition between being a friend of God and a friend of the world? Why can’t you have
the best of both worlds?
○
Answer: Scripture is clear in telling us that if we truly love Christ, we’ll obey His commandments and love
Him above all else. When our hearts are set on the things of this world, we are settling for less than what
God has for us, and we aren’t living for the purpose we were created for.
THEN, explain that one of the great things about this passage is that James gave us some practical steps to get our hearts back
in tune with Christ and have our affection set on Him rather than the world. Have someone read verses 6-10. Have the students
spend some time thinking about these verses and some other ways they can set their hearts’ affection on God rather than the
world. Ask:
●
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, what are the things that pull our hearts closer to God? What is it about God
that draws us near to Him?
Instruct students to write these things on the side of the rope representing “God.”
NEXT, explain that everyone struggles at times with their heart becoming too focused on worldly things. But James helped us
know how to turn back toward God. A possible summary of what James called us to do in verses 6-10 is “humble repentance.”
When he told readers to “grieve, mourn, and wail” in verse 9, he was telling us to grieve and mourn over our sin. Ask the
students:
●
Have your sins ever bothered you enough that you truly grieved over the fact that you were sinning against God?
Why don’t we do this on a consistent basis? Why are we so content with our sin?
○
Answer: Spend some time talking through the students’ answers. When our hearts are focused on worldly
things, we might think for a moment about our sin, but we rarely will grieve over it and repent. Part of this
is simply because we enjoy the things of the world, so we don’t desire to give them up. Another part of the
issue is that when our hearts are set on worldly things, it’s hard for us to realize the issue and repent.
FINALLY, finish this portion of the lesson by driving home the main point James made in verse four: being a friend of the world
means being an enemy of God. Our heart’s affection can’t be split between the two. Explain that we must take our sin seriously
enough to repent and draw near to God.
Bonus Round (Optional Activity)
●
●
●
Title: Two Masters
Goal: The idea is to get students to understand that they can only serve God or the world. Not both.
Set Up: None
FIRST, have students imagine what it would be like if parents didn’t function as a team. Imagine living in a house where a mom
and a dad both operated independently, and both expected their teenager to do what they said. Imagine one minute being told
to take out the trash, while at the next minute being told to go to the store to pick up a few groceries. This kind of arrangement
wouldn’t last very long. Someone would go nuts. It’s the same on an athletic team, or in a band. Try to name a country that has
two presidents. There can only really be one person in charge.
THEN, explain to students that Jesus spoke clearly on this subject in Matthew 6:24. Have a student read this verse. When the
student is finished, explain that the word that is commonly translated “money” at the end of the passage is the Greek of the
Hebrew word for “mammon,” which can refer to both money as well as possessions in general. Ask the students:
●
How did our example about parents illustrate the truth of this passage?
○
Answer: With two masters, it is inevitable that there will be conflict in what we are called to do.
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●
When does the hatred of one master become evident in a person’s life?
○
●
Answer: As we saw in the example, if we try to serve two masters we’re going to come to a crossroads
where we have to choose one master’s instructions over the other. When this happens, our true allegiance
is shown.
What are some ways Christ and the world are in conflict in what they call us to do?
○
Answer: The students should be able to come up with answers to this question easily. Many of their
answers will focus on clear-cut “right and wrong” issues such as lying, drinking, drugs, and premarital sex.
These are obviously good answers, but push a little further. The Matthew passage explicitly refers to
possessions, so talk a little bit about how our stuff can become our master and be in conflict with Christ.
FINALLY, remind students that it is indeed impossible to serve the world and Christ at the same time. One of the relationships
will suffer. As Christ-followers, we are called to seek God and let the ways of this world fade away.
The Last Word
●
●
Title: Get Friendly With God
●
Set Up: Dry erase board/Paper and markers.
Goal: The idea is to encourage students to really consider what it means give their “friendship” to God instead of the
world.
FIRST, remind students that, as you mentioned earlier, the great thing about this passage is that James gave some practical
advice about what to do. The following is a list of things James called us to do. (The students might have written some of these
on the “God” side of the rope on their Student Guides.)
●
●
●
●
●
Submit to God and resist the devil.
Come near to God.
Wash our hands.
Grieve over our sin.
Humble ourselves before God.
NEXT, explain that this is a helpful list, but it can seem a bit abstract. Walk through each of these statements and talk about
how students can practically do each one of these things. Ask:
What are some of the ways we submit to God in our everyday lives? Go down the list asking for students to brainstorm ways
to practically live these things out. If possible, make a list of the students’ answers on the board. This will leave the students
with detailed, practical help on how to turn their hearts’ affection to God rather than the world.
FINALLY, have the students identify one of the areas listed that they really struggle with. If you have time, instruct them to
spend some time writing out a prayer talking to God about their struggles in this area. This doesn’t have to be done a certain
way—just them talking with God about the things they struggle with, repenting of their heart’s affection being drawn to sin and
things of the world, and asking for strength to take steps to set their hearts on God.
Challenge students to think this week about where their friendship lies, with the world or with God.
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Do Something Now Lesson 6: Do Something Now...... and Later
Objective: This lesson’s objective is that your students develop a heightened sense of both God’s leadership in their lives and
His desire for them to submit their plans to His will.
Scripture Focus: James 4:13-17
Overview: One of the great things about teenagers is their idea of possibility. There is so much before them . . . so many
decisions yet to be made. And these decisions will dramatically shape the rest of students’ lives. That is why it is crucial that
they understand the importance of approaching these decisions with God’s character and will in mind. The goal for Christfollowers is not to treat God as a Magic 8 Ball® looking to Him to provide exact answers for every one of life’s questions. The
goal is to consider God’s desires for us, His children, and to seek to live our lives accordingly. If you can help your students grasp
this concept, the decisions they make about their futures will be motivated by a desire to come alongside God and join Him in
the work He is doing. And who doesn’t want that for their students?
Teacher Prep Video
Teacher Prep Videos are short videos designed to help you grasp the main point of the lesson as you prepare to teach.
To access your Vivid Lesson Six Teacher Prep Video, click on the URL below and view the video entitled “Vivid Lesson 6: Future
Focused.”
●
https://www.youthministry360.com/vivid-prep-videos
Bible Background
The Bible Background is a simple and straightforward way to help you prepare to teach the lesson.
The Details
Who wrote James?
James, who was Jesus’ brother and the leader of the Jerusalem Church.
When was it written?
Most people believe the date was sometime in the mid-40s A.D.
What was the purpose for its writing?
James was seemingly writing to a Jewish audience. His message was pretty straightforward throughout the book: don’t let your
faith be one of words only, and live your faith powerfully. It’s a message that James hammered home in direct, easy-to-grasp
language. It’s what makes James such a practical book for all believers.
The Main Point
James 4:13-15
We are all guilty at some point in our lives of holding on to the “steering wheel” too tightly. At some point (maybe you are
doing it now), we have laid out a detailed plan of our next dozen steps, the road map to our next big thing. Sure, we want God
to approve of it, and we’ll say we are living for Him. And maybe in the big picture, we are. But there is a moment when our
planning becomes an ownership issue. Who is in charge of our lives? Us? Or God?
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James spelled this out very clearly in James 4:13-15. James verbalized a statement made by a hypothetical individual, and then
addressed the statement. James was pointedly speaking to the plans people make. The hypothetical individual was planning
where he would go (“this or that city”), for how long (“spend a year there”), what he would do (“carry on business”), and how
successful he would be (“and make money”). James painted the picture of someone who was pretty confident they were in
control of their life. But what James said next should get our attention.
James admonished this way of thinking. In a way, James pointed a blinding spotlight on our finite understanding and on the
severe limits of our humanity. James astutely stated that we have no idea what will happen tomorrow! How can we expect to
orchestrate elaborate plans for the future? James stated that our lives are like a mist; an unpredictable, shifting, and fleeting
cloud, controlled not by its own volition, but at the mercy of the winds. James was putting the life of the “controlling planner”
in proper focus, reminding them that they have very little say-so in the affairs of their future.
Scripture is in no way telling us not to make plans or not to think about the future. One facet of the Bible message that courses
through the Old and New Testaments is the idea of God and His Word as foundational. We can and should be aware of the
future, basing our hopes and plans on God’s Word. James was not addressing that. What James was speaking to was the
individual who holds on to their life so tightly that they do not allow any room for God’s sovereign control over the affairs of
humankind. James was addressing the individual who seats themselves on the throne of his or her life. This, according to James,
is folly.
Wrap Up
Your students are right in the thick of making a lot of decisions about their futures. They are planning for careers, colleges,
where they will live, and so on. It’s important for teenagers to think about their futures, and to think about them in responsible
and realistic ways. You and their parents can play a big role in this. But we have to help teenagers express the kind of trust and
reliance on God that James was advocating here.
The single most important element of any discussion your students have regarding their future is the importance of God’s will.
Students should have the Lord’s will for them (and for the world in general) in mind as they plan their futures, remembering
that their lives are God’s to be used at His pleasure. Any decision about college or career must be filtered through the prayerful
consideration of God’s desire for the lives of His children. With this underpinning, their lives will be lived with purpose and
passion, and ultimately used for God’s glory.
Lesson Plan
The Lesson Plan contains four elements: The Lead In, which is a creative, interactive activity that introduces the theme of the
lesson; The Main Event, which is the heart of the lesson and contains the Bible Study section; The Bonus Round, which is simply
an additional Bible Study activity that supports the main thrust of the lesson, and The Last Word, which focuses on driving
home the application of the lesson’s biblical truth.
The Lead In
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Title: Hoop Dreams
Goal: The idea is to get students to begin to accept that God is ultimately in control of their futures.
Set Up: You’ll need the Do Something Now Media Disc and a way to show the Lesson Six video, such as a DVD player.
Or if you would prefer to drop the video into your presentation software, open the media disc on your computer,
download the .MOV or .MPEG file, and drop it into a slide.
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FIRST, explain to your students that you’re going to watch a video that introduces this lesson’s theme. Also, explain that this is
the last lesson in Do Something Now. Ask your students if they feel like they have a good grasp of the Book of James. You might
want to see if they remember any particular lessons or any concepts that stood out to them.
NEXT, show the video.
THEN, engage your students in a short discussion using the following questions:
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How often do you think about your future?
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What about your thoughts of the future makes you nervous?
When you think about your future and what your life will be, do you ever think about the concept of “purpose”? As
in, will your future life serve a purpose? If so, what is that purpose?
FINALLY, explain that today’s lesson is all about our future and how we are to approach it as Christ-followers.
The Main Event
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Title: Future Focused
Goal: The idea is to get students to begin seeing their future as something God is in ultimate control of.
Set Up: Each student will need a copy of the Student book and something to write with. A dry erase board will also be
useful throughout the lesson. If you wish, arrange to show the PowerPoint slideshow. The slideshow corresponds
with some of the questions, but it’s intentionally sparse so that you can customize it based on how you choose to
teach the lesson.
FIRST, direct students’ attention to the picture of the teenager on their Student book. Explain that while a lot of them probably
don’t consider themselves to be planners, everyone makes plans to some extent, even if it’s just the everyday decisions we all
make. Instruct students to take a moment and use the space around the teenager to list all the things they plan for each day.
After they spend a few moments writing some answers down, ask them the following questions. This might help some of them
realize that they do, in fact, plan and make decisions on a daily basis.
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What sports or other school activities do you participate in? What impact does this have on your planning?
Do you have a job after school? Do you have to wear certain clothes?
How long does it take you to get ready in the morning? What impact does this have on what time you get up?
Explain that it’s fun to talk about how our little decisions affect our lives. But the point of today’s lesson is looking at the big
decisions, the decisions and the planning we make that involve our future.
NEXT, have a student read James 4:13-17. Ask the students:
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Do you think these verses are telling us that all planning is wrong? Why or why not?
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Answer: Take some time to gauge how the students view these verses at first glance. Press them to give the
reason for their answers.
Draw their attention specifically to verse 17. Most of the things we’ve mentioned so far (college, jobs, sports, activities, and so
on) aren’t bad things at all. Ask them:
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Why is it easier for us to ignore God when we aren’t involved in things that aren’t normally considered bad?
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Answer: When we aren’t doing things we normally consider bad or sinful, we can easily think that there’s no
reason for us to think about God’s role in what we’re doing. We too often think He’s only concerned with
our actions if we’re screwing up, when in reality He’s involved in every aspect of our life.
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James said that if we know the right thing to do but fail to do it, we sin. How can our planning be sin even if it
doesn’t involve things we normally consider sin?
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Answer: Sin isn’t merely doing things we shouldn’t do. It also involves ignoring things we should do. So
ignoring God’s desires when it comes to planning our futures and making decisions is sinful. We ignore what
we should be doing even if we aren’t taking part in what’s normally considered sin.
THEN, draw the students’ attention back to the Student book and say that this is actually a good representation of how we
make our decisions. Explain that we often make plans with ourselves at the center and don’t even think about God’s will and
purpose for our lives and this world. We like to think we are in control of our lives, so we make our own plans and decisions.
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How should these verses change our perspective on how we make plans for our future, whether it’s tomorrow or
years down the road?
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Answer: These verses aren’t telling us that all planning is wrong. Presumptuous, “us-centered” planning that
doesn’t take God into account while recognizing His ultimate control is wrong. Planning that seeks God’s will
and recognizes He is in total control over our lives is honoring to Him.
NEXT, remind students that these verses, particularly verse 14, remind us that our lives are tiny in comparison to God. He is the
one who has ultimate control. Ask:
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Why is it so easy for us to lose sight of God’s control over our lives?
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Answer: All the things we have to deal with in life, from family to school to sports and other activities, can
be overwhelming. We get so focused on these things and what we have to do each day that we forget
about God. This leads us to make ourselves the center of our lives and decisions.
FINALLY, explain to students that our sin nature feeds us the lie that we are somehow in control of our lives. Read for the
students the wonderful description Paul made of God in Acts 17:25-27. Explain that here, Paul credited God with giving life and
breath to humankind and everything else. And Paul said that God has determined our lives’ direction, where we will live, and
what we will do. In light of this, how can we in our limited understanding think that we can ever hope to have a future outside
of God’s will? Encourage your students to begin to see their lives and their futures as belonging to God to be used for His glory
and purposes.
Bonus Round (Optional Activity)
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Title: Don’t Worry
Goal: The idea is to get students to re-think how they make their decisions.
Set Up: Provide the Student book and something to write with.
FIRST, explain that it is our self-centeredness and desire for control that lead us to ignore God in our planning and decisionmaking. Have a student read Matthew 6:25-34. Ask:
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How should these verses shape our desire to control our lives?
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Answer: These verses make it clear that it is the Lord who is in control, not us. Ignoring this doesn’t change
its reality. It’s so easy for us to become anxious over our decisions. However, these verses should provide us
with a sense of comfort because we know God is in control and cares for us deeply.
NEXT, have students look at back at the Student book. Ask:
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If this picture represents an approach to decision making and planning that ignores God, what would you draw to
represent a proper, God-honoring approach?
Have the students flip to the blank Student book page and draw this on their page. After you give them a few moments, explain
that a new picture of what our decision-making process should look like would have God in the center. Ask the students:
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What does this initial change represent?
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Answer: This simple change replaces us as the center of our lives and instead puts God as the center.
THEN, ask them:
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The things we’re making decisions about remain the exact same. What is it about the two approaches we’ve looked
at that make them so different?
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Answer: Even though we’re talking about the same issues, one approach has ourselves at the center of our
lives while the other has God as the center of our lives.
How do you think our decisions and planning will vary if God is at the center of our lives rather than our own
desires?
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Answer: There really isn’t a clear-cut answer to this question. Some of our decisions might be drastically
different, and God would open up doors that we never knew existed. On the other hand, some of these
decisions might not change (playing a sport or going to a specific college), but our approach to these things
would be more God-centered. He would receive glory in our decisions because we would understand His
control over our lives.
The Last Word
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Title: Accept the Challenge
Goal: The idea is to encourage students to accept a new way of thinking about their futures.
Set Up: Provide a dry erase board/big sheets of paper and markers.
FIRST, acknowledge that the tough part of this lesson is the “how” question. How do we make decisions and plans that have
God at the center rather than ourselves? Some decisions just involve common sense (such as whether or not you should try to
pull off any of the many “dumb-stunts-gone-wrong” you see on YouTube), while others just aren’t a big deal (such which soft
drink to drink or which fast food restaurant to eat in). However, when it comes to decisions that have a legitimate impact on
our lives and how we honor God with what we do, things get a little harder.
Explain that most of us would prefer God to be like a Magic 8 Ball when it comes to decisions. We’d like to say, “God, should I
go to college here?” and hear Him reply with a clear, “It is definitely so.” Agree with students how easy that would be. Explain
that it doesn’t work that way. Help students see that part of seeking God’s will in our decisions is the faith journey we go on. If
God gave us all the answers, we’d be nothing more than robots. Explain that the process of seeking Gods’ will is just as
important as making the decision.
NEXT, explain to students that you are going to offer them a very easy-to-remember mnemonic device so that they will always
remember how to go about seeking God’s will for decisions they make. If you have a dry erase board, write the word “PLOW” in
a vertical line. Explain that following these steps will help them PLOW (get it?) through the uncertainty of deciding the Lord’s
will for their lives. Write out the following words to complete the PLOW process:
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Prayer
Listening
Others
Word
THEN, flesh out the steps in a short discussion. Ask:
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Prayer is how we talk to God. As you have made decisions before, what kinds of things did you pray for to help you
know which direction to take? (make sure that students understand HOW to PRAY. some may have slipped thru
the cracks, never learning what prayer truly is.)
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If prayer is a conversation with God, you have to listen to what He says back. Why is listening to God so
complicated? How is it different than listening to our parents or friends? (because sitting in silence is one of the
more uncomfortable things we ask students to do this part may need more explanation. Provide examples of ‘how
to listen’. Do they stare at a wall? Do they go for a walk? Can they listen to praise music? Small group leaders
should provide some personal examples of how they have heard from God. MANY students struggle with this one
thing. They need practical answers in listening to God.)
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Answer: God doesn’t always speak in words. He uses Scripture, others, the Holy Spirit’s internal leading, and
even circumstances to speak to us.
Seeking the advice of older, more experienced Christ-followers is huge. Why do we sometimes resist doing this?
What do we stand to gain by seeking advice from others? (what does a ‘more-experienced’ Christian look like? How
does a student choose someone who’s ‘more experienced’. Again, let’s be practical in helping students to carry this
out.)
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Knowing God’s Word is vitally important. In what ways does knowing the Bible help us make God-centered plans
for our futures? (Scriptures for background should point to God’s ability to lead a believer. He is trustworthy. Prov 16:1 To
humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the proper answer of the tongue. 2 All a person’s ways
seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD. 3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish
your plans. 4 The LORD works out everything to its proper end—even the wicked for a day of disaster. Also Prov 3:5-6; 1 Pet
5:7...)
FINALLY, close by challenging your students to remember and apply this little guide for making decisions. It’s a simple way of
making sure your students are diligently seeking God’s will for their decisions.
You can also use some time at the end of this lesson to overview and close DNOW out by having them mention things they
learned or ways God is working in their lives or how they will put what they have learned into action.
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