lesson 1: god gives good gifts - christ in youth€¦ · lesson 1: god gives good gifts overview: 2...

LESSON 1: GOD GIVES GOOD GIFTSOVERVIEW: 2 CORINTHIANS 9:11 (“You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”)

OVERVIEW: As 2 Corinthians 9:11 tells us, God has equipped us with everything we need to be gen-erous to others. Today’s lesson introduces your students to the idea of generosity, helps them to see that all good gifts come from God, and that because of his good gifts they can be Kingdom workers by being generous with the things God has given to them.

MATERIALS:• White board or something to write on in front of students• Access to a computer/screen to display GlobalRichList.com

MAIN IDEA:EVERYTHING COMES FROM GOD; SO PUT WHAT YOU HAVE INTO PERSPECTIVE.

OPENING ACTIVITY: (10 mins)Check out the website globalrichlist.com. It would be good for you to do this on your own before your group time, so that you can familiarize yourself with how it works. Ideally you’ll want to use this live with your students, projecting the website onto a large screen for everyone to see while you do the activity. Before entering any amount into the website, help your students come up with an annual net income that they could reasonably expect to have at their age. It would probably be helpful to have a large white board to list their answers and to display the math that ultimately leads to a final amount, which you will then enter into the website. (Hint: Be conservative with the amounts associated with each item so that the final amount you enter into the website is a fair representation of a Jr. high student’s “wealth.” Ultimately you should try to get to at least $5,000 for the year, or a figure that best represents the average of your group. Some of these may need to be multiplied by 12 to get an annual amount, whereas others are a one-time amount to be added at the end.)

Some suggestions for ways they might receive money throughout the year include:

CHRIST IN YOUTH · 1OPEN CURRICULUM – LESSON 1

SMALL GROUP CURRICULUMJR. HIGH (6TH–8TH GRADES)

FOUR-WEEK LESSON PLAN

• Allowance• New clothes• Birthday/Christmas presents• Lunch money/Eating out• Phone, Gas, other expenses• Odd jobs (mowing/babysitting)

• Doctor or Dentist visit (consider this a “gift” from parents)

• Movies and/or entertainment (con-certs, amusement parks, etc.)

• Expenses associated with their house (A/C, electric, water, etc.)

• Everyday essentials (toothpaste, soap, shampoo, etc.)

• Anything else you can think of (vid-eo games, sports equipment, club dues, vacation ...)

OPENING ACTIVITY CONT ...Once you’ve done this once, it can be fun to explore what other annual amounts look like. Since you started conservative, maybe enter in the higher-end of what “wealth” might be on an annual basis for a Jr. high student. Then try entering in the average salary for an adult. You could even enter extremely high salaries, just for the fun of it (ie: $1 million or higher).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: (7 mins):• Do you think you’re rich? Why or why not?• What responsibility, if any, do we have with the “riches” we are given by God?• What does it mean to be generous?• Read Luke 3:11 and then explain what it means to have an attitude of giving. Explain that

they don’t have to feel bad about what they have, but there is a response to the convic-tion that comes from the Holy Spirit. Explain that over the course of this series you’ll be exploring how they can be generous with their TIME, TALENTS and TREASURE.

• Where does your stuff come from? (Let them give practical answers, but then steer them to the fact that everything we have comes from God. Even the very breath we breathe comes from God. What we

think we own is really on loan, and our attitudes should reflect that.)

• TALKING POINT: Tell your students that as you spend the next month examining what it means to be generous, you’ll always look to an example from Jesus. This week you could point to how Jesus gave us the ultimate gift of Salvation.

• TALKING POINT: Help your students learn this phrase: TO LIVE LIKE JESUS I MUST BE GENEROUS LIKE JESUS.

MAIN SCRIPTURE: (7 mins)2 CORINTHIANS 9:11 (“You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”)

Have one of your students read the above verse out loud to the rest of the group. Then use the following questions or talking points to engage in a conversation:

• How do you know God has given you everything you need for every occasion? • TALKING POINT: Some students won’t be able to see how God has equipped them for

every occasion. Help them to understand that God gives them what they need, and talk through various ways they can be better about seeing those things – such as: being aware of things they get as gifts, putting what they have into perspective compared to others, taking control of their attitudes, etc.

• What’s the difference between a need and a want? What are some examples of needs/wants? (Oxygen vs. ice cream, clothes vs. new shoes, video games vs. drinking water. You could turn this into a game by calling out individual things rapid-fire and letting the students raise a hand or do some-

thing silly for “wants” and “needs.”)

• What are things we have to give? (As students give answers, maybe classify their answers into TIME,

TALENT or TREASURE. It might be helpful to write their answers on a white board).

• TALKING POINT: Encourage your students to think about ways in which they can use the things they have to meet the needs of others. Use this to set up next week’s lesson on how we can be OPEN with our TIME.




#KINGDOMWORKERCHALLENGE: (2 mins):Go say a prayer of “Thank You.” Make a list of things you might have that others might not have. Tell God thanks for each of those things at least once every day over the next week.

WHAT’S NEXT?: (1 mins):Next week you’ll explore ways in which your students can be OPEN to others with their TIME. You’ll discuss what it means to be generous with the extra time they have, and how they can be good stewards of their daily schedules.

PRAYER: (2 mins):Use your wrap-up prayer time to model what a “Thank You” prayer looks like.


LESSON 2: BE OPEN WITH YOUR TIMEVERSE: 1 TIMOTHY 6:17-19 (“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”)

OVERVIEW: Over the course of this series we’ll be talking about how we can be generous with our time, talent and treasure. Each of these things are finite – they have an expiration date. The passage in 1 Timothy 6:17-19 tells us that we should be rich in good deeds – generous and willing to share of our time. By focusing in on what it means to be open with your time, you can help your students understand the limits that the world places on them, the limits that they place upon themselves, and the freedom God offers us when we rely on Him to show us how to be generous with our time.

MATERIALS:• Minute To Win It game supplies (such as a box of tissues, Dixie cups or marshmallows)

MAIN IDEA: HOW YOU SPEND YOUR TIME IS THE BEST EXAMPLE OF THE WAY YOU FOLLOW CHRIST.

OPENING ACTIVITY (10 mins)Before jumping into your activity, ask your students the following question: Time, Talent and Treasure – what do these three have in common? Ultimately help guide them to the realization that all of those things are finite. Today’s activity will give them a practical ex-ample of that.

A Race Against The Clock:Set up a handful of “Minute To Win It” type games where they have to do things to try to beat the clock. Included with this curriculum is a countdown timer that you can display on your screens while you play the game. Feel free to come up with any games or tasks you can think of that can be completed within a minute. (A simple Online search for “Minute To Win It

Games” will bring up hundreds of different ideas).






Here are a couple of suggestions to get you started:• Get all the tissues out of a tissue box using only one hand.• Make a pyramid out of 28 Dixie cups• Finish four campfire marshmallows (All of them must be swallowed to count)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (7 mins)• Did you have fun? Why does it feel so good to beat the clock? What situations in your

daily lives make you feel the same way? (Acts 20:24 is a great Biblical example of why we “race.”)

• What happens when we feel like we don’t have enough time? (Get flustered, get anxious, get nervous, get stressed, get angry, etc.)

• When in your life do you feel like you don’t have enough time, and how do you deal with it? (Always have too much homework, Involved in so many things, Always tired and never get enough

sleep, etc.)

• Break down 24 hours (This step will go better if you have a white board that everyone can see. Write down their answers and break it into a 24-hour grid. We’ve provided some examples below, but it’ll be even more fun to break it down into minutes. Have fun with this, but ultimately you’ll use this as an exam-

ple of what it means to be a good steward of the time we are given by God):

– Sleep for 10 hours (doctor recommended amount of time for a teenager)– School for 6-7 hours– Sports activities for 2-3 hours– Homework for 1-2 hours– Eating for 2 hours– Play (video games, reading, movies, TV, etc.)

• TALKING POINT: In your own words, summarize the story of the woman who grabs Jesus’ robe as an example of how he was generous with his time, even when he was seemingly “busy.” (Luke 8:40-48)

• TALKING POINT: Help your students learn this phrase, which will be repeated over the next four weeks: TO LIVE LIKE JESUS I MUST BE GENEROUS LIKE JESUS.

MAIN SCRIPTURE (10 mins):Matthew 25: 35-40 (Jesus says, “Whatever you did for the least of these ...”)

Have one of your students read the above passage out loud to the rest of the group. Then use the following questions or talking points to engage in a conversation:

• Identify the things in that passage that require time (write them on a white board)

• TALKING POINT: Introduce your students to the idea that time – like money – is some-thing given to us by God that is something for which he expects us to be responsible. We should be good stewards of our time. In fact, how we use our time is one of the best examples of how we follow Christ.

• Having just mapped out how we use the 24 hours in a typical day, how would you sug-gest that you can be more generous with your time? Which of these things from the passage in Matthew help you think of ways to be generous with your time?

• TALKING POINT: Remind the students that all good gifts come from God, and that TIME is a good gift to give.


#KINGDOMWORKERCHALLENGE (2 mins)Whatever you consider to be generous (from the last question of your discussion time), commit to finding a time slot this week to spend time doing that – whether it’s with someone, or do-ing something for someone, or sacrificing time that was otherwise accounted for in order to do something that glorifies God. Maybe it’s cleaning the house for your mom, or spend-ing a few hours at the elderly home with your grandparents, or putting in some work hours at church.***

*** See the Bonus Lesson for details about a generosity campaign your group could organize and participate in.

WHAT’S NEXT? (1 min)Next week you’ll explore ways in which your students can be OPEN to others with their TALENT. You’ll discuss what it means to be generous with the skills and abilities that God has generously given them – the things that make them unique. This will be a fun week for your students as they begin to learn about what it is God made them for and how they can have a purpose within God’s Kingdom.

PRAYER (2 mins)Ask God to help you be a better steward of your time, and to be willing to be generous with it so as to bring glory to Him.





LESSON 3: BE OPEN WITH YOUR TALENTSVERSE: 1 CORINTHIANS 12:4-6 (“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.”)

OVERVIEW: The passage in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 helps us understand the various roles for which God has created us. By focusing in on what it means to be open with your talents, you can help your students understand how God has made each of them unique by giving them special gifts and abilities and wants them to use those for the Kingdom. By being generous with our talents, we not only bring glory to God but act as a blessing to others.

MATERIALS:• Make a talent show slide for your group• White board or something to write on in front of students

MAIN IDEA: THE PURPOSE OF YOUR LIFE IS TO USE THE TALENTS GOD HAS GIVEN YOU IN WAYS THAT BRING HIM GLORY.

OPENING ACTIVITY (10 mins)Talent Show:Take a few minutes to allow some of your students to display any odd or amazing talents. Jr. high students love to show off, so there probably won’t be any shortage of volunteers. You’ll likely want to set some parameters – you’re just looking for quick little tricks, gim-micks or jokes. Maybe one of your students is really good at gymnastics, or one of your students can do some kind of contortion with their arms. Maybe one of your students is a really good poet, or singer, etc. If you want this to go faster – or if you’d like it to feel big-ger – it might be wise to pre-pick students and give them a heads up before they come so that they can have something prepared. You could even let them know the week before.



DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (7 mins)• Of course we couldn’t display all of the gifts and abilities that are in this room during that

talent show – in fact, some talents and abilities are just hard to display. What are some talents or abilities that you guys have that people may not see very often, or that you didn’t get to share during the talent show? (Writing, art, athletics, gaming, technology, encour-

agement, etc.)

• In what ways do the talents you have go along with the things that you like? In other words, how do you use your talents in your life?

• How do you recognize talents and abilities in others? Who is someone famous who you see uses their talents to point people to Jesus? Who are some people in this group that you admire for their talents and abilities? (This could be a good moment to help build community

by leading your students to encourage one another.)



• Identify the things in that passage that are talents (write them on a white board – you might have to help them identify things that are actually talents that they won’t recognize, such as hospitality,

or even making food for people instead of just buying food at a store, etc.).

• TALKING POINT: When we’re given talents from the Spirit by God, there’s an inherent part of us that wants to use them. It’s a desire that we can’t ignore.

• If it’s such a burning desire to use those natural gifts and abilities that God has given us, then what stops us from using them? (Laziness, fear, self-doubt, inexperience, not having identi-

fied what their talent is yet, etc.)

• TALKING POINT: Speak truth to your students. Take a moment to go around the group and encourage each of your students by telling them what you see as their talent and how they could potentially use that in service to God. This can be a powerful moment in which you as their leader help them to identify what it is God has made them for and how they can choose to be generous with their talents.

• TALKING POINT: After talking about individual gifts and abilities, help your students remember that Jesus, too, is unique. He’s the only perfect man to have ever walked the earth. And as God, he’s also got every talent and ability in the book – which he dis-played on multiple occasions. He was an amazing speaker and teacher, he was a healer, he was powerful and calmed storms, he was good with children … there are hundreds of different ways that he was generous with his talents while here on earth.

• TALKING POINT: Help your students learn this phrase, which will be the phrase through-out the entire lesson plan: TO LIVE LIKE JESUS I MUST BE GENEROUS LIKE JESUS.

• TALKING POINT: Remind the students that all good gifts come from God, and that TALENT is a good gift to give. It’s not from them, it’s from God.



#KINGDOMWORKERCHALLENGE (2 mins)Part of the beauty of belonging to God’s Kingdom is that he allows us to be involved in such unique and individual ways. Identify one of the talents that God has gifted you, and come up with a way in which you can use that talent to be generous to someone else this week. If you’re a writer, write someone an encouraging note or an inspiring poem. If you’re an artist, draw someone a picture just for them. If you’re athletic, help someone practice your sport. There are endless possibilities of how we can use our talents to be generous.***


WHAT’S NEXT? (1 min)Next week you’ll explore ways in which your students can be OPEN to others with their TREASURE. You’ll discuss what it means to be generous with the things that he has given them. You’ll help them explore what it means to have treasure, and how God views earthly treasure vs. Heavenly treasure.

PRAYER (2 mins)Ask God to help you be a better steward of your talent, and to be willing to be generous with talent so as to bring glory to Him.

CHRIST IN YOUTH ·1OPEN CURRICULUM – LESSON 4



LESSON 4: BE OPEN WITH YOUR TREASUREVERSE: LUKE 12:34 (“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”)

OVERVIEW: The passage in Luke 12:34 is fairly straightforward, but sometimes we miss the word “where” in that verse in reference to where we keep our treasure. By focusing in on what it means to be open with your treasure you can help your students understand that their earthly treasures mean nothing next to the treasures they can have in Heaven. When God tells us to store up treasures in Heaven, He’s essentially telling us that we should always have a Kingdom focus, and if we keep that focus then that’s where we’ll place our trea-sures and where the focus of our hearts will be.

MATERIALS:• $10 worth of pennies***If you are opting to not do the fifth bonus lesson you could use the included Open film

MAIN IDEA: WHERE YOU PUT YOUR TREASURE IS SO IMPORTANT AS A KINGDOM WORKER FOLLOWING JESUS.

OPENING ACTIVITY (10 mins)Treasure ChasePrior to your group time, gather together $10 worth of pennies. Split your group into two teams and have them go to opposite sides of the room. Give them each a team bucket to use as their designated “Home Base,” then spill all of the pennies onto the floor of your room. Instruct your students that on your signal, they can run and collect as much treasure as they can and store it in their buckets. However, they can only grab one penny at a time and they must return it to their bucket before they can retrieve another penny. You may want to assign adult leaders to be referees.



DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (7 mins)• What are some treasures in life that we chase after? (Video games, clothes, money, etc.)

• What are some things – specifically items or possessions that you have – that you value? Why do you value them?

• Luke 12:34 says “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” What do you think that verse means? (Help your students understand that their focus should always be on Heav-en, and if they focus on the Kingdom then that’s where their hearts will be.)

• TALKING POINT: The ultimate example of being generous with treasure comes from Jesus, who has literally given away everything he has to us. In The Living Bible transla-tion, Romans 8:16-18 says, “For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we really are God’s children. And since we are his children, we will share his treasures – for all God gives to his Son Jesus is now ours too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later.” Emphasize to your students what it means to share in Jesus’ inheritance. (You’ll refer back to this verse later when talking about the “sacrifice” that comes

with being open with our treasures.)

• TALKING POINT: Help your students learn this phrase, which will be the phrase through-out the entire lesson plan: TO LIVE LIKE JESUS I MUST BE GENEROUS LIKE JESUS.



• Identify the things in that passage that are treasures (write them on a white board).• Sometimes it’s hard to give our things away. What’s something you have that would be

hard to give away? Why? (You’re afraid they wouldn’t use that thing the right way, or they might

break it, or you’d never see it again, or it might be the only chance you’ll ever have to use that thing.)

• Would those things be hard to give up if you knew that it would point them to Jesus? Why or why not?

• TALKING POINT: Refer to Romans 8:16-18 – specifically the part that talks about sharing in Jesus’ suffering. Talk with your students about the sacrifice that comes with being open. When we hand something over, we literally have to let go of it. When the rich young ruler asked Jesus how he could have eternal life, Jesus responded that he should go and sell all of his possessions and give the money to the poor. It’s hard to let go of the things we have – especially if we feel like we’ve worked hard to earn those things. But if we want to truly be open and generous like Jesus was, then we have to be willing to let go of everything – even the things we feel like we deserve. If anybody deserved anything, it was Jesus, but he gave up everything for us. That is the ultimate example of being generous in every way.

• TALKING POINT: Remind the students that all good gifts come from God, and that TALENT is a good gift to give. It’s not from them, it’s from God.



#KINGDOMWORKERCHALLENGE (2 mins)Pick one of your treasures – something that you value. Think of a way you can give that treasure away to someone who needs to know Jesus’ love. Don’t just give that treasure away, but use it as a way to help that person learn about Jesus.***


WHAT’S NEXT? (1 min)If you haven’t already done the Celebration of Generosity week, then next week prepare to bring your students’ parents to join in a celebration of all that you learned over the course of this lesson plan, as well as during your group’s Believe experience. If you have already done the Celebration of Generosity week, then this is the end of the lesson plan. However, you can continue to encourage your students to “Be Generous Like Jesus.” If your group decided to participate in the Cans and Coins Campaign, you could consider spending the next week celebrating the success of that.

PRAYER (2 mins)Thank Jesus for his ultimate act of generosity by dying on the cross to forgive us of our sins. And ask God to help you be willing to let go of the things you think you deserve – to change your attitude away from “but I earned it” and more toward “I want to be generous in every way like Jesus.”

CHRIST IN YOUTH ·1OPEN CURRICULUM – BONUS LESSON



BONUS LESSON: A CELEBRATION OF GENEROSITYVERSE: PSALMS 145:13-16 (Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and sat-isfy the desires of every living thing.)

OVERVIEW: RECOMMENDATION: It would be great to invite your parents to attend this week’s celebration. They’ll get the chance to watch the film “Open,” and can have fun alongside your students in a way that helps drive home

the idea of generosity.

This week is a special week you can use to celebrate the experience you had at Believe and encourage your students to take joy in the good gifts that come from God. We recom-mend using your entire hour together for this session, including praise and worship, and not necessarily breaking up into small groups. THIS SESSION IS DESIGNED TO BE USED EITHER AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS LESSON PLAN AS WEEK 1 OR AT THE END OF THIS LESSON PLAN AS WEEK 5.

*If you’d prefer not to have a fifth week, we would recommend showing the “Open” film during Week 4.

MATERIALS:• Cans and Coins promotion • Open film • Scripture slides provided• Kingdom worker PDF to print• Group game included

MAIN IDEA: CELEBRATE THE GOOD GIFTS THAT GOD HAS GIVEN US.

INTRO & TESTIMONIES (10-15 mins)Take some time to share about the experience your students had at Believe. Give an over-view from your perspective of what the students learned and what a Believe experience is like over the course of a weekend. Then give two or three students the opportunity to share their testimonies of how God moved in their lives over the course of the Believe weekend.


CHRIST IN YOUTH · 2OPEN CURRICULUM – BONUS LESSON

PRAISE & WORSHIP (15 mins)Traditional praise and worship time. Below are some suggested worship songs that will pair well with the “OPEN” theme.

• Real Love• Only Wanna Sing• Touch The Sky• When The Fight Calls• Open Up Our Eyes• Overwhelmed

• We Believe• Good Good Father• The Way• Open The Eyes of My Heart• Give Us Clean Hands

“OPEN” FILM (15 mins)Show the “Open” film to your students and any parents in attendance.

BEFORE THE FILM, SAY: What you’re about to watch is a fable produced by CIY. Jesus used stories all the time to open people’s eyes to the truths of God’s Kingdom. With that in mind, let’s watch this together and see what God has to teach us about His Kingdom. And make sure to pay close attention to the details of the film because afterward we’ll test your memory for a prize! (The activity following the film is meant to be played together as a family or in

groups, so consider that when choosing your prizes – maybe a gift card, larger-sized candy, etc.)

GROUP ACTIVITY (10 mins)Following the film, make sure every family or group has an answer sheet and a pencil. Use the slides provided in this curriculum. The team with the highest score wins the prize. If there’s a tie, use a simple tie-breaker, such as choosing a number between 1-100.

MAIN SCRIPTURE (2 mins)(We have provided slides with each of these scriptures for your convenience.)

Have the large group read Psalms 145:13-16 together.13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations.The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.14 The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.


CHRIST IN YOUTH · 3OPEN CURRICULUM – BONUS LESSON

#KINGDOMWORKERCHALLENGE (2 mins)As a family, use the provided #Kingdomworker challenge card(s) to do the following over the course of the next week:• Choose 1 thing to give TIME to (ex: Serve together in the nursery; get up a half hour early

every day and pray together)• Choose 1 thing to give TALENT to (ex: Make a meal for a family/individual who’s having a

tough week; practice hospitality as a family and invite someone over for a game night – someone who needs to see Christ’s love in a fun environment)

• Choose 1 thing to give TREASURE to (ex: Think of a way your family can contribute to “Cans and Coins” (see below), or find a way to give canned goods to your local food bank.)

Take pictures of your experiences and post them on social media using #kingdomworker. We’d love to see how you’re being OPEN with your TIME, TALENT and TREASURE.

WHAT’S NEXT? (1 min)Depending on when you choose to use this week – either at the beginning of the lesson series, or at the end – tease the next week’s lesson, or wrap-up the month’s lessons by encouraging families to embrace the #Kingdom Worker Challenge.

PRAYER (2 mins)Close in prayer.

COINS & CANS CHALLENGEThe COINS & CANS campaign is designed to encourage students to give locally and glob-ally – two different ways to give with one goal of expanding the story of Jesus. Out of the generosity of your group, God will be glorified!

CANS: Allot time (either during your normal meeting time or a special event) for your small groups to walk through nearby neighborhoods to collect canned goods. Make sure there’s an adult leader with each group, and have a vehicle nearby to help with any excess cans. Pre-pare a note to give to homeowners as an ice-breaker for your students. This note should explain what will happen to their donation and highlight your church. Prep students on how to approach a home and what to say (don’t just let the leader do the talking). Keep safely in mind! Note: You might want to have students bring their own cans at the beginning of the night. This helps groups who are unable to collect much from their neighborhoods.

Once groups come back together, allot 10 minutes to use their cans to create a putt-putt golf hole. If you have 10 small groups you would have 10 holes for the group to play through. You’ll need golf clubs and golf balls. Then have fun – either let your groups go through just for the fun of it, or create a competition out of it.

*** Bonus idea: create a canned sculpture of art with all the cans from each group. Ask a panel of inde-pendent “judges” from your church to award a first, second and third place for the most artistic can sculpture. Have your group circle up around the cans and pray for God to use this generous act to point people to Jesus. You can get a group picture next to it and give that picture to the donation center with your donation.


CHRIST IN YOUTH · 4SWITCH CURRICULUM – LESSON 4

COINS: During the series we would suggest having a large, clear can/jar in a central location within your meeting place that you can use to collect coins. Explain to your students that the coins will go to a missionary outside of the U.S. This could be a missionary partner you have as a church, or you could choose to help the Kingdom worker you saw at Believe – Jasper, who is working in Ireland. For more information about Jasper, visit the Believe app (click on “KW Open Challenge”) or ciy.com/believe/kwopenchallenge. This will enable you to do donate your coins to Jasper and his efforts to rebuild God’s Kingdom in Ireland. Though your group could decide to use the coins for any Kingdom-specific cause, we would encourage you to focus on using it for God’s work internationally.

Tips: you can do a competition between small groups, boys vs. girls, set a group goal, have students get others involved at school, challenge the adults to compete with the students at your church, or find someone to match the total raised in coins.

CHRIST IN YOUTH ·1“OPEN” SMALL GROUP EXPERIENCE

JR. HIGH (6TH–8TH GRADES)

SMALL GROUP EXPERIENCEPRE-EVENT QUESTIONS: Use the following questions/activities to engage your students prior to arriving:

• What are you most excited about for Believe?• What’s the best gift you’ve ever given someone?• Create a secret handshake as a small group.

FRIDAY NIGHT: Adult leaders will be given a packet during registration that will include small group materials. The following

is a breakdown of the Friday night small group activity:

• Ring Toss Game (Included in the Small Group Experience Packet you will receive at the event)

• Discussion questions: – What’s one thing that stood out to you from the story? – In what ways do you relate to the beggar? How do you relate to the King? Explain. – What’s a good gift you’ve received? Would you give that away? Why or why not?– Why do you think being open or generous is so difficult sometimes?

• Read or recite from memory John 3:16-17. • Of the four options Believe provided as ways to respond to God’s gift of generosity

through Jesus, which did you choose?– Pointer finger: I don’t have a relationship with Jesus and I want to know more.– Middle finger: I have a relationship with Jesus but I want to recommit.– Ring finger: I have a relationship with Jesus, things are going well, and I want to

pursue ways in which I can be generous to people that give glory to God.– Pinky finger: If you’re uncertain of how to respond, place the ring on your pinky

figure.

SATURDAY LUNCH QUESTIONS/ACTIVITY:• Have an attitude of generosity over lunch and keep your eyes open for small ways in

which you can choose to be generous with someone. (ex: Compliment your server; bring someone a napkin; hold the door open for someone; etc.)

• In what way did that act of generosity point that person to Jesus … or did it?


CHRIST IN YOUTH · 2“OPEN” SMALL GROUP EXPERIENCE

POST-EVENT QUESTIONS: RING RACE GAME: Find a spot on the ground with a long flat surface. Choose a start-ing point and have one of your students place their OPEN ring on it’s side at the starting point. Instruct them to bend down and blow on the ring to make it roll as far as they can without using their hands. When they’re finished, have them leave the ring in the place it stopped. Continue to do this with every student in your group, until everyone has gotten a turn. The furthest ring out is awarded first place, the next furthest second, and so on.

DISCUSSION QUESTION 1:• What was your favorite part about Believe?

READ:Have one of your students read 2 Corinthians 9:11 aloud.

RECAP:• SAY: This weekend at Believe we’ve been talking about the word OPEN and have learned that being OPEN means to be generous in every way. We learned that God is OPEN because GOD GIVES GOOD GIFTS. We see that this is true through the generous gift of His son Jesus on the Cross. Our response to the good gifts God has given us is to GIVE THANKS. We can do this by CHOOSING TO BE OPEN with our EYES, HEARTS, AND HANDS. When we choose to live this way, we generously GIVE GOOD GIFTS to others WITH GOOD NEWS. We become KINGDOM WORKERS – living examples of God’s generosity that points to the life that is available through Jesus.

DISCUSSION QUESTION 2:• Fill in the Blank, “Believe taught me _________.”

KINGDOM WORKER OPEN CHALLENGE:• SAY: I’ve got a challenge for us to take over the next three days. It’s a challenge for us to be Kingdom Workers by being OPEN with three good gifts we ALL have. (Pass out a HAND DECAL to each of your students. Then have one of your students read the instructions on the back of the decal out loud to the group)

Leader note: We would recommend downloading the CIY Believe app in your group and finding the Kingdom Worker Open Challenge in the main menu so students know where to go over the next three days.

• SAY: I’m really excited about this challenge because I believe it could help all of us live out what God has been teaching us this weekend. I’m excited to hear what God has shown each of us through this challenge next time we get together.

PRAY:Thank you God for teaching us about your generosity this weekend. Help us to be OPEN in the same way you have been OPEN to us. As we do, help our generosity point others in your kingdom to Jesus.


CHRIST IN YOUTH · 2“OPEN” SMALL GROUP EXPERIENCE

LEADER FOLLOW-UP:Leader note: Use the following text messages to send to your small group, reminding and encouraging them each day to engage in the Kingdom Worker Open Challenge. We would also encourage you to take the challenge alongside your students.

• Text Message Day 1:There are 86,400 seconds in a day. Take a few of those seconds today to look at and complete the first Kingdom Worker OPEN challenge about being OPEN with your time. ciy.com/believe/kwopenchallenge/time-challenge

• Text Message Day 2:J.K. Rowling said, “I would like to be remembered as someone who did the best she could with the talent she had.” Don’t forget to look at and complete today’s Kingdom Worker OPEN Challenge. It will help you do the best you can with your talents. ciy.com/believe/kwopenchallenge/talent-challenge

• Text Message Day 3:Matthew 6:21 says “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Today is our last Kingdom Worker OPEN challenge to look at and complete. It’s about sharing our treasures. I’m looking forward to hearing stories about what God has been showing you through this challenge.ciy.com/believe/kwopenchallenge/treasure-challenge



CURRICULUM OVERVIEWMAIN THEME: LEARNING TO BE GENEROUS IN EVERY WAY

Over the course of the next five weeks, we’ll be leading your students through a lesson plan that stems directly from our weekend experience at Believe. The curriculum is de-signed in such a way that it will help students who were at Believe expand upon the Bibli-cal lessons they learned while they were there, while also catering to students who didn’t attend Believe by challenging them with new ideas. The following is a brief overview of what your students will be learning:

LESSON 1: God Gives Good GiftsAs 2 Corinthians 9:11 tells us, God has equipped us with everything we need to be generous to others. Today’s lesson introduces your students to the idea of gener-osity, helps them to see that all good gifts come from God, and that because of his good gifts they can be Kingdom workers by being generous with the things God has granted to them.

LESSON 2: Be Open With Your TimeOver the course of this series we’ll be talking about how we can be generous with our time, talent and treasure. Each of these things are finite – they have an expira-tion date. The passage in 1 Timothy 6:17-19 tells us that we should be rich in good deeds – generous and willing to share of our time. By focusing in on what it means to be open with your time, you can help your students understand the limits that the world places on them, the limits that they place upon themselves, and the freedom God offers us when we rely on Him to show us how to be generous with our time.

LESSON 3: Be Open With Your TalentsThe passage in 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 helps us understand the various roles for which God has created us. By focusing in on what it means to be open with your talents, you can help your students understand how God has made each of them unique by giving them specials gifts and abilities and the wants them to use for the Kingdom. By being generous with our talents, we not only bring glory to God but act as a blessing to others.



LESSON 4: Be Open With Your TreasureThe passage in Luke 12:34 is fairly straightforward, but sometimes we miss the word “where” in that verse in reference to where we keep our treasure. By focusing in on what it means to be open with your treasure you can help your students understand that their earthly treasures mean nothing next to the treasures that they can have in Heaven. When God tells us to store up treasures in Heaven, He’s essentially telling us that we should always have a Kingdom focus, and if we keep that focus then that’s where we’ll place our treasures and that’s where the focus of our hearts will be.

A CELEBRATION OF GENEROSITYThis week is a special week we’ll use to celebrate the experience your students had at Believe and encourage your students to take joy in the good gifts that come from God. We want you to join us during this week so that you can join in the celebration with your students. This week will include praise and worship. We’ll also be showing the film “Open” at this session – a film they showed at Believe that will challenge your Jr. high students to live out a life of generosity.

lesson 1: god gives good gifts - christ in youth€¦ · lesson 1: god gives good gifts overview: 2...

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