Junior High Highlands Community Church

Below is a seven-day bible study for the week of February 29 as part of the application from our current Junior High teaching series, “Forward Motion.” For more resources visit

www.highlandscc.org and follow the links to the Junior High page.

YouVersion Bible Reading Plan: What's Next: Student Edition Follow us on Instagram @HCCStudentMin for daily encouragement

Day 1 God Revealed Sometimes it can be hard to see God, but when you pay attention and look for Him you will see that He reveals himself in many different ways. One way God reveals himself is throughout creation as is mentioned in Romans 1:20. Look at how awesome the world is—the majestic mountains, vast oceans. There is beauty all around us. This is God’s mark— His fingerprint. Another way God reveals himself is though our conscience. Romans 2:15 mentions that we all have a natural internal knowing of what’s right and wrong – that voice in our minds or hearts that we choose to listen to or not. That is God’s leading in our lives. God also reveals himself through sending His son Jesus to us. Jesus says in John 14:9 that who ever has seen Him (Jesus) has seen the Father. Jesus is the image of the invisible God and we can know God through Him. God’s Word is another powerful way we can know God. The Bible reveals who God is and how He interacts throughout Humanity. Through scripture we see God’s character and His grand story unfold throughout time. So how is God revealing Himself to you right now? This week pay attention to all the evidence of God and how He reveals Himself all around you in and through your life. Look Up and Read: Romans 1:20-21

Day 2 Identity of God God is creator of all things, the heavens and the earth and everything in the earth. Everything was created by Him and for Him. But what is so awesome it that God is the grand creator over everything in the entire universe and he also knows every hair on your head. God is love. He knows you and loves you deeply and intimately and wants to have a relationship with you. That’s like Mark Zuckerburg, creator of Facebook, being best friends with and knowing everything about everyone who has a Facebook account. Ok, ok, it doesn’t even compare. But you get the point. God created everything but wants to know you intimately. So start to build your relationship with God. Get to know Him by reading the Bible and spending time in prayer. Look Up and Read: Colossians 1:15-19

Day 3 The Trinity The Trinity is a concept that refers to the persons of God. God is three in one, one in three. God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All are God and God is all three Father, Son, and Spirit. The Father is the overseer of humanity. We see evidence of this in the entire old testament of the Bible. In the New Testament, God came down from heaven in the form of a man as Jesus. This is the Son of God. Jesus, the Son of God, was fully human and fully God. He was responsible for dying on the cross for our sins. The life of Jesus can be found in what is called the gospels (the first four books in the new testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). Then comes the third person of God, the Holy Spirit. When we accept what Jesus did on the cross for us, God the Father gives us the Holy Spirit, which lives inside us. The Holy Spirit is our guide and comforter and intercedes with God on our behalf. After Jesus dies, rises, and goes back to heaven the Holy Spirit is then revealed in the first Church (right after the Gospels in the new testament). This can be a hard concept to understand. God is infinitely big and complex and we will never fully understand Him. Just know this: God the Father looks over you, Jesus died for you, and the Holy Spirit lives in you and directs you. Look Up and Read: Isaiah 63:8-17

Day 4 Omni There are three terms used to describe the main characteristics of God. They all start with Omni, which means “all”. God is Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent. God is omniscient, which means that He is all knowing. He knows your thoughts, motives—He knows what you need more than you do. There is nothing He can’t comprehend, understand, or is unaware of. God knows everything. The Omnipotence of God refers to the fact that God is all-powerful. There is nothing bigger or greater than God. There is nothing that He can’t handle. God is strong enough to handle anything from all the problems of this world, as well as the very struggles you find yourself in. Know that God is bigger than anything you are going though. If you feel like you can’t handle them, know that there is an all-powerful God who can. God is also omnipresent or everywhere. There is nowhere He isn’t. He is always everywhere. There is nowhere His presence doesn’t reach. Anytime you feel alone know that God is right there with you. Look Up and Read: Psalm 147:5-10

Day 5 New Creation—Disciple It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or what you’ve been through. You are, today—right now, a new creation in Christ. Whatever was in your past today is a new day and you are a new person. Be who God is calling you to be now. You’re now a disciple of Christ. So what does it mean to be a disciple? A disciple is a learner, pupil, and follower. As a disciple you need to learn about Jesus and how to live like Him and for Him. Jesus’ disciples impacted history and ultimately the world forever. As a disciple of Christ know that you can change things. Look Up and Read: 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

Day 6 Guilt vs. Conviction Now that you are going to begin to live for God you might notice you feel certain ways after you have done something wrong. This is your spirit becoming more sensitive about what you know is right and wrong, or good and bad. It’s important to know what feelings are from God and what feelings aren’t. In the verses that you read for today, the people had very different responses to God. After Adam and Eve sinned, they hid from God, and separated themselves from Him. After David sinned he went to God, worshiped God, and cried out to God. Adam and Eve felt guilty. David felt conviction. That is the difference between feelings of guilt and feelings of conviction. After you do something wrong that you know you shouldn’t have done, feeling guilty will cause you to try to hid from God and separate yourself from Him. You’ll say things like “I’m not good enough”, “I keep messing up”, or “God’s got to be sick of all this”. But conviction works very different. When you mess up, conviction will draw you nearer to God. Guilt is not from God, He doesn’t want you to be separated from Him. He wants you to be convicted after you’ve messed up which in turn will bring you closer to Him. Look Up and Read: Genesis 3:1-20

Day 7 Life to the fullest Accepting what Jesus did on the cross for you does secure your eternity, but there’s more to it than that. If as Christians we just wait to die so we can go to heaven we are missing the big picture. Having Jesus in your life isn’t just about after you die; it’s about living right now. Jesus said that He came so that we may have life to the fullest. We were intended to live a life that is adventurous, exciting, and full. Being a Christian isn’t about all these things that we shouldn’t do. It’s about having freedom! Jesus wants to use you to change things. You can influence and impact this world as His disciple. The Christian life isn’t boring. Anyone who says it is completely missing it. Let God use you. Do great things. Go and live life to the fullest. Look Up and Read: John 10:10

Based on YouVersion Bible Reading Plan: What's Next: Student Edition All material provided by Switch, a ministry LifeChurch.tv.