One 2 One

English: Youth (Ages 10+)

Salvation

Once we were God’s enemies. But we have been brought back to him because his Son has died for us. Now that God has brought us back, we are even more secure. We know that we will be saved because Christ lives. ROMANS 5:10 Words from the Word HEAVEN: a place full of love and joy where we can be with God forever HELL: a place of torment; a fiery furnace; a place with the full wrath of God Salvation: to be saved or rescued from something The Problem: SIN Any thought, word, attitude, behavior, or action that hurts God, whether we think it’s small or big, is called sin. Sin is doing things our way instead of God’s way. Imagine that you did something bad to your best friend and because of it, you became enemies. Would you want to be enemies forever or become best friends again, as if you did not do anything bad? God wants to have a very close friendship with us. In fact, He wants to be our best friend. But our friendship with Him was destroyed because of one big problem. Do you know what that problem is? It is your sins that separate you from your God. He turns away from you when he sees them. Isaiah 59:2 (ERV) Sin creates a space that separates us from God. That space is so huge it cannot be measured. This means that sin separates us from God forever. Because He is holy and we are not, we cannot be with Him. Sin also makes us earn something. Have you ever experienced getting paid by your parents for doing house chores? You earned something because you did something. So when we do our chores, our parents pay us. We deserve to get it because we earned it. The Bible says that when we sin, the pay we earn is death. Death is what we deserve to get. Death means being separated from God forever in hell. Everyone has sinned. No one measures up to God’s glory. Romans 3:23 The Bible says all of us are sinners. Those who do bad things, like crimi- nals, and those who do good things, like teachers, dads and moms, boys and girls, you and I—all of us have sinned against God. It means all of us have disobeyed God. Any time we have lied, stolen, cheated, hurt others, or done something that the Bible says is sin, we destroy our relationship with God, who is holy. Being holy means He is perfect and has done nothing wrong. When you sin, the pay you get is death. Romans 6:23 Some people who feel far away from God think that if they do good things—go to church, read the Bible, give to the poor, or obey their parents—they will be closer to God. They think they can “earn” their friendship with God by doing good things. The Bible says that because of our sin, the only thing we earn is death, and there is nothing we can do to change it. The good news is that God loves us so much. He doesn’t want us to be separated from Him forever. Since there is nothing we can do to solve the problem, God is the one who made the solution. He made a way to bring us close to Him. The Solution: JESUS . . . but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ROMANS 6:23 (ESV) God is a God who does only what is right. Because of this, He had to punish sin. But because He is loving and compassionate, He also does not want all people to be separated from Him forever. To bring us close to God, there is only one way: Jesus. Jesus, God’s only Son, is the only solution. He never sinned. He doesn’t deserve death because He never disobeyed God. That is why only Jesus can pay the penalty for our sin and remove the space that separates us from God. God sent Jesus to receive the punishment we earned. He became the sacriﬁce and paid the price for our sin by dying on the cross. He was willing to do this for us. Christ didn’t have any sin. But God made him become sin for us. So we can be made right with God because of what Christ has done for us. 2 Corinthians 5:21 What exactly happened on the cross? Jesus did two things through His death on the cross. First, He received the punishment that should have been for us. Second, He exchanged His sinless and perfect life for our sinful life. He took the punishment that was for us and He gave us His blessings. Can you imagine that He did that simply because He loves us so much? The Result: SALVATION When Jesus died on the cross, He cancelled our sin. Jesus died on the cross so that we could receive forgiveness for our sins, our relation- ship with God would be restored, and we could live with Him forever. That’s how good our God is! Because of His sinless life, Jesus did not stay dead. On the third day, He became alive again. Jesus won against death. That’s how powerful He is! “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (ESV) Remember In Jesus, we are given a great and precious gift — to live a new life! The Response: FAITH To have faith in God is to believe in Him. We receive salvation when we stop trusting in the good things that we do and put our trust in what Christ did for us on the cross. We receive God’s gift of salvation by faith. It is a free gift! Even if we don’t deserve to get the gift, He gives it to us because He is good. Receiving something from God that we don’t deserve is called grace. JUSTICE Getting punished for doing something bad MERCY Not getting punished for doing something bad GRACE Not getting punished for doing something bad and even getting something good that you don’t deserve We receive God’s grace when we realize our need for Him to save us, turn away from sin, and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, putting our trust in Him alone for salvation. 9Say with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord.” Believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. Then you will be saved. 10With your heart you believe and are made right with God. With your mouth you say what you believe. And so you are saved. Romans 10:9,10 8God’s grace has saved you because of your faith in Christ. Your salvation doesn’t come from anything you do. It is God’s gift. 9It is not based on anything you have done. No one can brag about earning it. Ephesians 2:8,9 PERSONAL APPLICATION Do you want to have a personal relationship with God? Do you understand what sin is, and do you want to stop doing things that hurt God? Will you let Jesus lead you, and will you obey Him for the rest of your life? If your answer is YES, pray and believe this prayer with me! PRAYER FOR SALVATION Heavenly Father, I admit that I have sinned and that my sin separates me from You. I am sorry for my sin. I believe Jesus died on the cross for me so my sin can be forgiven. I believe Jesus rose from the dead and is alive. I receive Jesus as the Lord and Savior of my life. I will obey You and live for You for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. The Salvation Plan from the Book of Romans 23 Everyone has sinned. No one measures up to God’s glory. 24 The free gift of God’s grace makes us right with him. Christ Jesus paid the price to set us free. Romans 3:23,24 But here is how God has shown his love for us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 When you sin, the pay you get is death. But God gives you the gift of eternal life. That’s because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done. Romans 6:23 Say with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord.” Believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. Then you will be saved. Romans 10:9 With your heart you believe and are made right with God. With your mouth you say what you believe. And so you are saved. Romans 10:10 Scripture says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13 Remember Jesus’ death on the cross saved us from sin and gave us a new start. A NEW START Congratulations on getting the most wonderful gift that any person could ever receive! You now have a new start because of what Jesus did. The next six lessons will introduce you to some of the new things that have come.

Lordship

“So be sure of this, all you people of Israel. You nailed Jesus to the cross. But God has made him both Lord and Messiah.” ACTS 2:36 Words from the Word MESSIAH: Savior LORD: Master; Ruler; Savior; Chief Who’s the boss? Who calls the shots? Who makes the decisions? Before, it might have been you. Now, it’s Jesus. Jesus is your new master. When we receive Jesus as the Savior of our lives, we are also making Him the Lord of our lives. It means that He brings us closer to God, and He is now the ruler of our lives. And we obey Him. Have you ever received a pair of shoes and said, “I will only take the right shoe. I will throw the left shoe away.” We do not do that because we need both shoes. In the same way, when we receive Jesus in our lives, we cannot just receive Him as our Savior; we need to receive Him as our Lord as well. What does receiving Jesus as Lord mean? LORDSHIP & SALVATION Jesus is 100% our Savior because He paid for all our sins. He is also 100% Lord. It means that Jesus cannot be 99.9% Lord in our lives. We cannot say, “Jesus, you are the Lord in my life, but I will cheat a little in this test. I will not cheat in my other tests.” If Jesus is not 100% Lord, then He is not at all Lord in our lives. Making Jesus Lord is all or nothing. When we say Jesus is Lord, we should obey Him in everything. That means EVERYTHING. . . . because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ROMANS 10:9 (ESV) The Importance of “Lord” In the Bible, Jesus was called “Lord” 99 times in the book of Acts and 616 times in the whole New Testament. He was called “Savior” only 2 times in Acts and 24 times in the New Testament. LORDSHIP BEGINS IN THE HEART Lordship is obeying the commands of Christ not because we have to, but because we want to. It is not about following a set of rules or a bunch of dos and don’ts. We go to church, we read our Bibles, and we help our classmates, not because we are forced to do so or because we want to make other people happy, but because we love God. Even if you don’t tell your friends the things that you love to do, they will know. Your actions will tell them. If you love to read books, going to the library to read will make you happy. If you love to play soccer, you will play the sport even if it makes you really tired or if you get hurt while playing. No one forces us to do the things we love to do. We do them because we love doing them. The same is true with Lordship. When you decide in your heart to follow Jesus, your actions will show that you obey Him because you love Him. We have seen what God has done for us in saving us. God was willing to send His only Son to save us. Jesus sacriﬁced His life for us so that we may be forgiven and spend eternity with Him in heaven. What God desires is for our good. All God’s commands are for our good. God does not just want us to go to heaven, He wants to save us from the harmful eﬀects of sin while we live here on earth. As we understand the heart of God in His commands, obeying Him becomes a delight. But make sure that in your hearts you honor Christ as Lord. 1 Peter 3:15 LORDSHIP DEMANDS OBEDIENCE If our hearts say that we will follow Jesus, then our thoughts, words, and actions will show that we are obeying Him. When we call ourselves Chris- tians and followers of Jesus, we are expected to do what He says. The way we live should match the things we say. It’s not enough to say “Jesus is my Lord.” We must obey what He tells us completely and right away. For us to know what He is telling us, we need to read the Bible. Do you have a Bible? “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and still don’t do what I say?” Luke 6:46 LORDSHIP IS WALKING WITH GOD EVERY DAY As a follower of Christ, we make Jesus our Lord for the rest of our lives. Following Jesus is not a one-time action but something we do daily. We obey Jesus whenever and wherever we may be, not just in church. For our relationship with God to grow and become stronger, we must obey Him daily. It’s just like how we take care of our bodies. If we want to be strong and healthy, we eat healthy food, take baths, and brush our teeth daily. Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him . . . Colossians 2:6 (ESV) Remember The Lordship of Jesus is all or nothing. PERSONAL APPLICATION Does the way you treat other people (parents, brothers, sisters, classmates, friends, and others) show that you obey God? Does the way you spend your time show that you obey God? Does the way you use your money show that you obey God? Are there areas in your life, like your thoughts, words, or actions, that you need to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus?

Repentance

Peter replied, “All of you must turn away from your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then your sins will be forgiven. You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” ACTS 2:38 Words from the Word REPENTANCE: turning your back on sin and turning to God REGRET: feeling bad because of something you did or didn't do A coin has two sides: the head and the tail. Having new life in Jesus also shows two things—faith and repentance. They are closely connected to each other. You can’t have faith without repentance. Repentance is turning away from sin and faith is turning to God. Because we follow Jesus, we make the decision to repent and move in faith daily. REPENTANCE, SORROW, & CHANGE Turning away from sin begins when we are really sorry for our sins. There are two types of sorrow: godly sorrow and worldly sorrow. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 2 Corinthians 7:10 (NIV) GODLY SORROW -does not give excuses -says “I’m sorry because I disobeyed God by lying” -admits and takes responsibility for his or her actions -results in a changed life WORLDLY SORROW -only gives excuses -says “I’m sorry my mom found out that I was lying, but it really wasn’t my fault” -blames other people or circumstances -results in spiritual death which means being separated from God forever So I confessed my sins and told them all to you. I said, “I’ll tell the Lord each one of my sins.” Then you forgave me and took away my guilt. Psalm 32:5 (CEV) This “godly sorrow” acknowledges that our sin is ﬁrst and foremost against God. Godly sorrow is having a broken heart when we realize we have sinned against a holy God. It produces true repentance and a changed life. On the other hand, “worldly sorrow” only produces excuses. We say things like, “I didn’t know it was wrong,” “everybody’s doing it,” “he hit me ﬁrst,” or “it’s her fault." Godly sorrow means we know that what we did is wrong, so we would not do it again. That is why it causes lives to change. Worldly sorrow means we do not accept that what we did is wrong even if it is really wrong. But we will be more careful the next time we do it, so that we will not get caught. That is why it does not change our lives. It only results in spiritual death. “Live in a way that shows you have turned away from your sins.” Matthew 3:8 REPENTANCE & FORGIVENESS Then Jesus said, “A man had two sons. The younger son said to his father, ‘Give me my share of the property.’ So the father divided the property between his two sons. Then the younger son gathered up all that was his and left.” Luke 15:11 24 (ICB) “He traveled far away to another country. There he wasted his money in foolish living. He spent everything that he had. Soon after that, the land became very dry, and there was no rain. There was not enough food to eat anywhere in the country. The son was hungry and needed money. So he got a job with one of the citizens there.” “The man sent the son into the ﬁelds to feed pigs. The son was so hungry that he was willing to eat the food the pigs were eating. But no one gave him anything.” “The son realized that he had been very foolish. He thought, ‘All of my father’s servants have plenty of food. But I am here, almost dying with hunger. I will leave and return to my father. I’ll say to him: Father, I have sinned against God and against you. I am not good enough to be called your son. But let me be like one of your servants.’ So the son left and went to his father. While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. He felt sorry for his son. So the father ran to him, and hugged and kissed him. The son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against God and against you. I am not good enough to be called your son.’” “But the father said to his servants, ‘Hurry! Bring the best clothes and put them on him. Also, put a ring on his ﬁnger and sandals on his feet. And get our fat calf and kill it. Then we can have a feast and celebrate! My son was dead, but now he is alive again! He was lost, but now he is found!’ So they began to celebrate.” The parable of the prodigal son is a beautiful picture of true repentance. The son claimed his inheritance while his father was still alive, but then spent everything. So he had to get a job feeding pigs. When the son realized his hopeless condition, he turned his back on his foolishness, walked away from his former life of sin and rebellion, and decided to return to his father. His father forgave him for what he did and welcomed him back. In the same way, our Heavenly Father is faithful to forgive us when we turn to Him and repent of our sins. “So turn to God! Give up your sins, and you will be forgiven.” Acts 3:19 (CEV) Some people think that God makes a list of everything that we do wrong. They think that God forgives our sin, but still keeps a record of them. But that is not what happens. When God forgives us, He also erases our record of sins. Imag- ine a sheet of paper full of all the wrong things we did suddenly becoming clean. Everything is erased. It looks as if we had never even sinned. But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins. We can trust God. He does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrongs we have done. 1 John 1:9 (ICB) WHAT DOES GOD DO TO SIN? Here are some images the Bible paints to show us how God forgives us and what He does to our sin: God threw our sins to the bottom of the sea. He doesn’t want us to look at them again (Micah 7:19). God removed our sins away from us, as far as the east is from the west. Our sins can never come near us again (Psalm 103:12). We don’t have to carry our heavy sins. God already carried them on His back (Isaiah 38:17). God chooses to cover our sins so that He would not see them. He knows we sinned, but He is not making us pay for them (Romans 4:7,8). God chooses to erase our sins. He removes them from our record (Isaiah 43:25). God cancelled our sins by taking them to the cross (Colossians 2:14). God forgives our sins and makes us clean (1 John 1:9). NO REGRET Turning away from sin means we stop trusting in the good things we do and start trusting in Jesus alone. Before, we were going in the wrong direction. In Christ, we are now going in the right direction. Before, we were running away from God; now we are walking with Him. This is called repentance, and this is where a new life starts. It means living without regrets. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret . . . 2 Corinthians 7:10 (NIV) Remember Repentance is turning away from sin and turning to God. PERSONAL APPLICATION Are there things you think, say, or do that don’t show obedience to God? Are there sins that you have turned away from, yet you still feel bad about?

Baptism

Peter replied, “All of you must turn away from your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then your sins will be forgiven. You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” ACTS 2:38 Words from the Word BAPTISM: to be totally immersed or submerged in water Your school ID tells people what school you attend. In the same way, baptism is a way of telling people that you believe in Jesus. It’s like wearing an ID that says, “I’m a Christian,” to tell everyone that you’ve decided to follow Christ. When the crowd asked Peter what they should do after all that he said to them, he gave them three answers: turn away from sin, be baptized, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. In this chapter, we will talk about two kinds of baptism: water baptism and the baptism in the Holy Spirit. WATER BAPTISM Baptism doesn’t save us from sin, and we do not do it to go to heaven. Water baptism is something we do in faith and obedience after hearing about Jesus and believing in Him. The Bible uses some examples to help us understand water baptism. One of these is the idea of a burial and resurrection. The Apostle Paul says that baptism is like a burial. In order to be buried, a person must ﬁrst die. Before we get baptized, we must ﬁrst die to sin, by turning away from it. After we are buried in baptism, then we are raised to live a new life. Water baptism shows that we die to our old sinful life, and we live a new life following Christ. In the same way that a dead person cannot respond to smells or tastes, our life that is dead to sin should no longer respond to it. Sin no longer has control over us. What should we say then? Should we keep on sinning so that God’s grace can increase? ²Not at all! As far as sin is concerned, we are dead. So how can we keep on sinning? ³All of us were baptized into Christ Jesus. Don’t you know that we were baptized into his death? ⁴By being baptized, we were buried with Christ into his death. Christ has been raised from the dead by the Father’s glory. And like Christ we also can live a new life. Romans 6:1 4 Remember Water baptism reminds us that, in Christ, we are dead to sin and alive in Him. Now, let’s talk about another kind of baptism. BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT Mobile phones today can do a lot of things. But even if they are really amazing, without power, they remain dead. They need a source of power. In the same way, God has given us a source of power: the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not some spooky, weird ghost or “force” that does not really care about us. The Holy Spirit is God Himself. He is God with us. Before Jesus went back to heaven, He promised His followers that they would not be alone, but that God Himself would be with them. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit already made His home in us. He lives in us. However, God wants to really ﬁll and submerge us with His presence and power. This is what it means to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17even the Spirit of truth . . . John 14:16,17 (ESV) Fun Fact In the Bible, the Holy Spirit is also called our Advocate, Helper, and Counselor. We receive many good things because the Holy Spirit lives in us. One of the most important things He gives is His power. Why is it important? THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVES US POWER TO LIVE A HOLY LIFE To live a holy life means that we obey God and live according to His will. On our own, we will never be able to live a holy life. Whether we are aware that we are doing something bad or not, we still end up hurting God. The Holy Spirit changes us from the inside and gives us the power to live diﬀerently. We will not be perfect, but our hearts will choose to make God happy. Following Jesus is impossible on our own, but with the Holy Spirit giving us a new life, we can live a life that honors God. “The Holy Spirit gives life. The body means nothing at all. The words I have spoken to you are full of the Spirit. They give life.” John 6:63 “But the Father will send the Friend in my name to help you. The Friend is the Holy Spirit. He will teach you all things. He will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:26 FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT Galatians 5:22,23 (ESV) Love, Patience, Faithfulness, Joy, Kindness, Gentleness, Peace, Goodness, Self-Control THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVES US THE POWER TO TELL OTHERS ABOUT JESUS Jesus doesn’t want us to just know Him. He wants us to tell others about Him. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to speak conﬁdently to others about what God has done in our lives. He enables us not only to share what we’ve experienced but also to help us live in a way that matches what we say. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. Then you will tell people about me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria. And you will even tell other people about me from one end of the earth to the other.” Acts 1:8 THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT He teaches us. (John 14:26) He guides us. (John 16:13) He produces the fruit of love. (Galatians 5:22,23) He teaches us to pray. (Romans 8:26,27) He reminds us when we are doing something wrong and brings us back to Him. (John 16:8) He gives us supernatural gifts. (Romans 12:6,7 1 Corinthians 12:8 10 Ephesians 4:12) HOW TO BE BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT To be baptized in the Holy Spirit, all we have to do is ask—and we must ask in faith. “Even though you are evil, you know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more will your Father who is in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Luke 11:13 Many disciples in the New Testament were baptized in the Holy Spirit by asking in faith and as others laid hands on them. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them. And they received the Holy Spirit. Acts 8:17 Remember The Holy Spirit gives us the power to live a holy life and be witnesses for Jesus. PERSONAL APPLICATION Have you been baptized in water since you repented? Would you like to get water baptized? Have you been baptized in the Holy Spirit? Would you like to have someone pray with you to be baptized in the Holy Spirit? How can you start telling others about what Jesus has done in your life?

Devotion

The believers studied what the apostles taught. They shared their lives together. They ate and prayed together. ACTS 2:42 Words from the Word DEVOTION: being sincerely dedicated to something or to someone SCRIPTURE: God’s word; the Bible What made the early disciples strong in their faith was their devotion to God. This means that they loved Jesus so much that He was the most important person to them. They met regularly to listen to His word and pray. The more we spend time with others, the more we get to know them and the stronger our relationship with them becomes. It is the same with our relationship with God. For our relationship to grow, we need to communicate with Him always. The two most important ways to do this are to read the Bible and to pray. When we read the Bible, God talks to us. When we pray, we talk to God about anything we feel or think about. THE WORD The Bible is God’s letter to us. He used men to write His word as they were led by the Holy Spirit. If the Bible is God’s word, then it is completely true and without mistakes. 16God has breathed life into all Scripture. It is useful for teaching us what is true. It is useful for correcting our mistakes. It is useful for making our lives whole again. It is useful for training us to do what is right. 17By using Scripture, the servant of God can be completely prepared to do every good thing. 2 Timothy 3:16,17 Fun Bible Facts Did you know that about 50 Bibles are sold every minute? The Bible has sold more copies than any other book in history! The Bible was originally written in three diﬀerent languages—Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek—in over 1600 years by around 40 men, most of them living hundreds of years apart. Still, they all tell the story of God and His people! Moses wrote the ﬁrst ﬁve books of the Bible. Apostle Paul wrote at least thirteen books. More than 3,000 proverbs may have been written by King Solomon and most of the Psalms by King David. Here’s how the Bible helps strengthen our relationship with God: 1. It helps us know God better. By reading the Bible, we begin to understand who God is. Also, we see His character, His nature, what He can do, and what pleases Him and displeases Him. We begin to understand how much He loves us and how much we can trust Him. The more we know Him, the more we will follow Him. So faith comes from hearing the Good News. And people hear the Good News when someone tells them about Christ. Romans 10:17 (ICB) 2. It helps us grow spiritually. Babies need to drink milk. They depend on the milk to help them become strong and healthy. In the same way, when we live our new life in Jesus, we need to read the Bible the way a baby longs for milk—always looking for it so we can grow strong spiritually. The more we read and obey His word, the stronger our faith will grow. 2Like newborn babies, you should long for the pure milk of God’s word. It will help you grow up as believers. 3You can do this now that you have tasted how good the Lord is. 1 Peter 2:2,3 3. It helps us live the life He wants for us. The Bible contains the many wonderful plans God has for our lives. He also shows us in the Bible the way we should live in order for us to experience the life He wants for us. We need to read the Bible every day and put God’s word into our minds and hearts so that we will not forget God and His ways. We also need to obey His word. ⁹How can a young person live a pure life? By obeying your word. . . 11I study your teachings very carefully so that I will not sin against you. Psalm 119:9,11 (ERV) Remember God’s word helps us grow in our relationship with Him every day. WHAT IS S.O.A.P.? This is a popular way of doing your daily Bible reading and journaling. It stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. This is how to do it! 1. Set a time and place to read the Bible every day. 2. Follow a Bible-reading plan. Set a speciﬁc number of chapters to read every day. 3. Practice S.O.A.P. SCRIPTURE 1 Samuel 17:32-51 1 Samuel 17:47 Read a portion of the Scripture slowly and thoughtfully several times. Choose the verses that spoke to you the most and write them down. OBSERVATION - David was so confident in battle because he knew that God was with him. - He knew that it was God’s battle. Reﬂect on the Scripture. Write down what you think the Scripture says about God and the people in the passage. Ask and answer questions based on the passage: who, what, when, where, why, and how. What ideas and words stand out to you? APPLICATION - God is with me, so I will not be afraid. - I will rely on God because He fights for me. If there is a truth about God that you should believe and remember, an attitude you should change, a sin to turn away from, a promise to claim, an example to follow, or a command to obey, write them down. PRAYER Lord, thank You for always being with me no matter what. Please give me the courage to face hard things. Holy Spirit, please remind me that the battle belongs to the Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen. Respond to God's word in prayer. PRAYER Christianity is more than following a set of rules or a list of dos and dont's. It is a relationship with God. Communication is important in making our relationship with Him stronger. “When you pray, go into your room. Close the door and pray to your Father, who can’t be seen. Your Father will reward you, because he sees what you do secretly.” Matthew 6:6 God talks to us in many ways, but mainly through the Bible. When we read the Bible, we learn to listen to the sound of God’s voice. We talk to Him through prayer. God listens to us when we pray. God answers our prayers according to His best plans for our lives, and we respond to His word through obedience. Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (ESV) Jesus is our example. He told us to pray to the Father, not to anyone else. He also showed us how we are to pray through Jesus because He is the only way to the Father. Remember Prayer is talking to God and knowing Him as our Father. The goal of prayer is not to be seen or heard by others. We are talking to our Father, not putting up a show. Jesus also says we should keep our prayers simple. It doesn’t matter if our prayers are long or short. God knows what is in our hearts and He knows what we mean. Jesus gave us a pattern for praying (Matthew 6:9–13). “Our Father in heaven . . .” God, who is all-powerful, wants to show Himself to us as a loving Father. “. . . may your name be honored.” God is holy. We should have deep respect for Him. “May your kingdom come. May what you want to happen be done on earth as it is done in heaven.” God is our King. We should live according to what He commands. “Give us today our daily bread.” We can trust God to provide what we need daily. “And forgive us our sins, just as we also have forgiven those who sin against us.” God is forgiving. He wants us to receive His forgiveness ﬁrst, and because of that we can forgive other people. “Keep us from sinning when we are tempted. Save us from the evil one.” God is our rescuer. He will keep us from evil and help us know the right thing to do whenever we feel like doing something bad. As we read and obey the word and pray and trust God with our lives, let us not forget that God really answers prayers. PERSONAL APPLICATION When and where do you read the Bible and pray daily? Have you joined a Victory group? Have you forgiven everyone who has hurt you? Begin praying for what God wants for you and your family.

Church

“. . . On this rock I will build my church. . . .” MATTHEW 16:18 Words from the Word CHURCH: God’s people, not a building DISCIPLE: someone who follows Jesus and helps others follow Him What comes to your mind when you think of the word “church”? Did you know that when you search for images of “church” online, you will see buildings, and not people? Usually, when you hear the word “church,” you think of a building. But according to Jesus, church means God’s people, not a place of worship. There are many verses that describe what a church is. Some compare it to the human body. And he is the head of the body, which is the church. . . . Colossians 1:18 All of you together are the body of Christ. Each one of you is a part of that body. 1 Corinthians 12:27 (ERV) As parts of Jesus’ body, we have diﬀerent roles, and each one of us is important. 17If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? If the whole body were an ear, how could it smell? 18God has placed each part in the body just as he wanted it to be. 19If all the parts were the same, how could there be a body? 1 Corinthians 12:17 19 (ERV) The church is strong because Jesus built it. In fact, Jesus told Peter He would build a victorious church that would win over the kingdom of darkness. “. . . The gates of hell will not be strong enough to destroy it.” Matthew 16:18 The 4 Beneﬁts of Being Part of a Church 1. Having Real Friends Real friends. Everyone needs them. The best place to look for a real friend is in church—with the people of God. True friends stay with us through the good and bad times. They never pull us away from God; instead, they bring us closer to Him. A friend loves at all times. They are there to help when trouble comes. Proverbs 17:17 2. Sharing Life Sharing life is important as we grow stronger in our relationship with God. That means spending time and doing things together with His people so we can know Him better. We are like pieces of burning coal, and our ﬁre grows stronger because we are together. If a piece of burning coal is removed from the pile, it will cool oﬀ. If it is put back in the middle of a pile of red-hot coals, it will burn again. In the same way, we grow in our love for God as we stay and grow together. The believers studied what the apostles taught. They shared their lives together. They ate and prayed together. Acts 2:42 Remember As God’s people, we grow together in Him. 3. Worship We are all created to worship God. He is looking for people who worship Him with all their hearts. As a church, this is something we do together. We praise Him because He is awesome, great, and deserving of all the honor and love that we can give, and more. “But a new time is coming. In fact, it is already here. True worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth. They are the kind of worshipers the Father is looking for.” John 4:23 4. Helping Others Follow Jesus The last command Jesus gave His followers before He went to heaven was to go and make disciples, to baptize them, and to teach them to obey God’s word. A disciple is someone who follows Jesus and helps others follow Him. 19“So you must go and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 20Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And you can be sure that I am always with you, to the very end.” Matthew 28:19,20 THE IMAGES OF THE CHURCH Family (Hebrews 2:11) Body (1 Corinthians 12:12) Temple (1 Corinthians 3:16) Bride (Isaiah 62:5) Lampstand (Revelation 1:20) PERSONAL APPLICATION Do you have strong friendships with people in church who help you follow Jesus? Who are they? Are you helping someone follow Jesus? Who?

Discipleship

18Jesus was getting into the boat. The man who had been controlled by demons begged to go with him. 19Jesus did not let him. He said, “Go home to your own people. Tell them how much the Lord has done for you. Tell them how kind he has been to you.” Mark 5:18,19 Words from the Word GOSPEL: the good news that Jesus is God’s solution for sin Have you ever experienced something amazing that you couldn’t stop talking about for weeks? Was it watching a great movie, listening to a nice song, or having a vacation? How did you share it to your friends? If you were excited to share this experience, then you should be even more excited to share something better—what God has done for you! When Jesus called His disciples to ﬁsh for people, He was calling them into a new mission: to build relationships with God and others. Now, let’s focus on the mission. Our mission is to share the good news of God’s solution for sin to our family and friends. Here are some ways we can do this. “Come and follow me,” Jesus said. “I will send you out to fish for people.” Matthew 4:19 SHARE YOUR TESTIMONY A testimony is the story of what Jesus has done for you and how He has changed your life. It is something you can share to others anytime, anywhere. It doesn’t have to be long. We are to tell the truth about what He has done in our lives. The only way we can tell our story to other people is through the Holy Spirit, who gives us the power to bravely share our testimony and preach the gospel. "And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die." Revelation 12:11 (NLT) We can divide our testimony in three parts: 1. Describe your life before you started following Jesus. 2. Explain how you came to put your trust in Jesus and what He did for you. 3. Share how your life has changed since Jesus became your Lord and Savior. PREACH THE GOSPEL We can preach the gospel with conﬁdence because it is the power of God. You can tell your family and friends about the gospel by using two simple verses. I want to preach it because I’m not ashamed of the good news. It is God’s power to save everyone who believes. It is meant first for the Jews. It is meant also for the Gentiles. Romans 1:16 Everyone has sinned. No one measures up to God’s glory. Romans 3:23 Everyone has sinned. Sin is any act of disobedience against God, and the truth is no one on earth has perfectly obeyed God’s commandments. When you sin, the pay you get is death. But God gives you the gift of eternal life. That’s because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done. Romans 6:23 Since all of us have sinned, we deserve death and are separated from God forever. That’s the bad news. The good news is that God is oﬀering us a free gift—salvation. Salvation is God’s solution for sin so we don’t have to be far from Him anymore. It is found in Jesus Christ alone because He died on the cross for us, in our place. We receive this free gift by faith, as we trust in His ﬁnished work on the cross. After you have preached the gospel, lead them in prayer. SUMMARY OF THE GOSPEL “The gospel is the good news that God became man in Jesus Christ. He lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died—in our place. Three days later He rose from the dead, proving that He is the Son of God and oﬀering the gift of salvation and forgiveness of sins to anyone who repents and believes in Him.” Dr. Rice Broocks MAKE DISCIPLES We make disciples as we talk to people about Jesus and teach them how to obey God’s commands. Paul told Timothy to pass on everything he had learned to others who would be able to teach it to others as well. This is discipleship. 19“So you must go and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 20Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And you can be sure that I am always with you, to the very end.” Matthew 28:19,20 You have heard me teach in front of many witnesses. Pass on to people you can trust the things you’ve heard me say. Then they will be able to teach others also. 2 Timothy 2:2 Remember As you follow God, you can help others follow Him, too. PERSONAL APPLICATION Are you a follower of Jesus? Is your life an example that others can follow? Practice talking about the gospel to whoever is going through this booklet with you. Pray for your family and friends who do not know Jesus yet. Believe God for opportunities to preach the gospel to them. Go and make disciples!