My good friend Ronald Long wrote a Bible study highlighting what Jesus said about hypocrites or "fakers." One of the main questions of the book is for those without Christ asking the question, “Why should I become a Christian? All I see are a bunch of hypocrites!”
I think this is a huge question to answer. Students will learn a lot of important aspects of cutting through the truth of living an authentic life for Christ. It is a part of being human beings. We struggle with being fake. It takes a heart change that only Jesus can begin through His power.
If you are looking for a resource to lead your students, this is a good 5 week study.
Here is an overview of the Bible study:
Chapter One: Fakers Love Easy.
It is easy to be fake. The first chapter helps set up the need for a change in how we view God and others with the story of the Good Samaritan.
Chapter Two: Fakers Polish Exteriors.
Fakers are all about the outward appearance. This chapter talks mainly about the pharisees cleaning on the outside. God wants to clean us up on the inside which will in turn result in how we live.
Chapter Three: Fakers Have Hard Hearts
Our true character will eventually come out in the open. The humble heart is open to God's leading. This chapter explains the importance of living for Christ and not becoming selfish towards others.
Chapter Four: Fakers Satisfy Themselves.
Fakers seek to find satisfaction in what they want in life. A follower of Christ seeks to be satisfied in Jesus. This chapter lays down the truth and the heart of serving Christ.
Chapter Five: Fakers Build Houses
This chapter lays down the truth on what foundation we use to build our lives upon. Are we seeking to build it on the sand or the rock? Fakers build a house but followers of Christ survive the storm through Him.
The devotional guides and small group discussion that follow each chapter are great follow-up to the teaching. If we only teach students then it can go in their ears and not stick in their minds. It is a great resource to have to give students to grow on their own.
Overall, this is a solid book resource for your ministry. Ronald has a heart to help students grow into mature followers of Christ. I look forward to all that he will continue to do for Christ!
Current Series: Imitate
Title: “Pray like Jesus"
The Word: Matthew 6:5-13, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Mark 6:45-46
Main Thought: Prayer is acknowledging God’s greatness and aligning our heart to be dependent upon Him.
Message Explanation: Have you ever had a conversation with someone that was one-sided? Remember what that might feel like? It can seem as if we don’t truly have a relationship does it? The same is true when it comes to a relationship with God. Prayer should be more meaningful than just before we eat. Is prayer more than a few canned prayers we teach children to repeat? Some of us know how to pray but many of us are afraid of prayer. Especially the public kind! As you think about how to IMITATE Jesus, our first week will be about prayer.
Jeremiah 29:12-14a: “In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 14 I will be found by you,” says the Lord.
One of the most misunderstood passages of the Bible is the “Lord’s prayer.” With the culture around Jesus not understanding prayer… The disciples asked Jesus, “Teach us how to pray.”
“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. 7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!
People in Jesus’ day would strategically pray at times during the day to be noticed. It was praying with pride! Be humble and find a place to pray secretly.
1. Pray SIMPLY(v. 5-8)
The Lord doesn’t care to be amazed with brilliantly crafted language. He wants us to keep it simple. To be real and authentic with how we communicate with God.
1 Thessalonians 5:17: “Never stop praying.”
Matthew 6:9-13: Jesus said, “Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.10 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.11 Give us today the food we need, 12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. 13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.”
2. Pray SPECIFICALLY (9-13)
What we know as “The Lord’s Prayer” is a model of the kind of brief but specific prayers we may offer anytime, anywhere. Jesus never intended it to be the only prayer some people pray. It is not a LITURGY but a MODEL.
Hebrews 4:15-16: “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
Prayer is a relationship of aligning my heart with God’s heart. Prayer should be like breathing for a Christ follower! When we are not breathing in and out by communicating with God, we lose our strength. WE need to PLUG INTO the power of God and only then will we be able to do all that He wants through our lives.
Philippians 4:6-7: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
When you align your heart to the heart of God, life becomes clear. Acknowledging God for WHO He is and trusting Him for our daily needs builds our lives.
What changes need to happen in your prayer life?
Do you talk to God out of feeling guilty or for your love for Him?
Element of Fun: The middle school students played a game called, "Make it or Break it." It is a video driven game that each grade competes each week for this series!
Music: Go, Awaken Me, One Thing Remains, Set a Fire.
Favorite Moment: Celebrating all that God did on the Costa Rica mission trip this past week!
What’s Next: We will continue the series, "Imitate" as we talk about how to have a "T.A.G. (Time alone with God) daily.
To watch any of the series messages, check out the vimeo page.
I enjoy planning. I get excited about looking forward to the future. How do we build a student ministry of vision?
What I mean by vision is that everything we do has a purpose. When I started in student ministry, my planning approach to planning was to throw events at a calendar and print it. Now after a few years to learn from trial and error I have learned a few ways to plan with a strategy.
1) Vision is the source of the planning process. Vision is the "why and what." What is the vision of the ministry? Ask a lot of questions to get to the heart of what the vision entails.
2) Strategy is how we fulfill the vision. How do we achieve the vision? You first need to know where you are going and then work your way backwards to how you will reach your goal. This is basically the "how" of ministry.
3) Feedback keeps the vision at the center of the planning. Keep the main vision in front of the ministry and refuse to become stuck in the busyness of ministry. If we don't continually cast vision that is as big as God, we can easily sink the mission. Many ministries become focused upon one area of discipleship and become silos instead of channels of God's vision.
What do you think about how vision impacts planning in student ministry? How important is vision?
Current Series: Imitate
Title: “Pray like Jesus"
The Word: Matthew 6:5-13, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Mark 6:45-46
Main Thought: Prayer is acknowledging God’s greatness and aligning our heart to be dependent upon Him.