January 15 - Middle School
What we’re learning this week:
As we begin our first series of 2025, we will ask an important question: What does it mean to be a Christian? Does being a Christian mean being a nice person, going to church, staying out of trouble, and respecting others? During this teaching, students will be challenged to think bigger about what it means to be a Christian.
Bottom Line: Following Jesus means following Jesus.
Scripture: Matthew 16:21-28
Small Group Time:
New year! As we begin this series, it’s important for you to know this: your goal as a leader should be to encourage, remind, and follow up on the devotional resource, “Walking Like Jesus”. So sure, unpack the teaching and ask questions but if you are going to do ONE THING, encourage students to engage with the guide to walking like Jesus that they will receive tonight!
Let’s do a little exercise to begin our small group time! I will say, “Being a Christian doesn’t just mean…” and you fill in the blank. We will go around and see how many we can think of in the circle!
We talked a lot about what it means to be a Christian tonight – how do you think someone begins their journey of being a Christian?
Read the intro page of the devotional out loud… What time of day will you be able to complete the activities in the guide throughout the week?
For those who went to Snow Camp, did you complete that devotional? What did you learn from it?
Next week preview:
Why does Jesus often seem difficult to find? Why do some people seem to talk about him like he’s a close friend while others struggle to understand who he is and why he matters? Next week, students will learn that Jesus wants to be discovered by them and will be encouraged to continually get to know him in Scripture and prayer.
Extra Info
-
Don’t forget about the Lifeline Leader Toolkit. To learn more about this, check out this information page.
-
If you’d ever like to reference the Lifeline handbook, we have a digital version of that available here on our website.
