focus of today: we have courage by our belief in god. we
TRANSCRIPT
SCRIPTURE FOUNDATION
Ephesians 6:10-18New Revised Standard Version
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his
power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you
may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For
our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh,
but against the rulers, against the authorities, against
the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against
the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you
may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having
done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and
fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on
the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your
feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim
the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield
of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the
flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of
salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the
word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and
supplication. To that end keep alert and always
persevere in supplication for all the saints.
FOCUS OF TODAY:
We have courage by our belief in God. We give
others courage by acknowledging God’s gifts in
them.
BEFORE SUNDAY
Read 1 Samuel 17 (the whole chapter) which is
the account of David and Goliath
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Trunk or Treat on Wednesday, October 26. Youth Council will host a trunk!
We need Men’s Shelter volunteers for Friday evening, November 11. Join us!
BRING TOGETHER: (Led by a HS Student) Announcements, Attendance
GAME TO BEGIN: Birthday Line-up
Have the students line up in order of their birthdays (month and day, year isn't necessary). The trick is, they CAN NOT TALK AT ALL. You'll find they resort to sign language, nudges, someone might try to start directing, etc. When things are difficult, we tend to get creative and think out of the box.
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Three “David and Goliath” moments, to warm us up for
the big story: [you can choose one]
https://youtu.be/aJBgFvbod2I?t=2m45s Stephen
Curry 2008 NCAA run with Davidson
https://youtu.be/uuBrRzAXiVo Top 10 biggest upsets
https://youtu.be/mkCOgwJ_dMY Disney’s Movie:
Miracle
David and Goliath stories are all around –
ASK
How many of you know the story of David and Goliath?
How familiar would most of the people at your school
be with the basic outline of the story?
When did you first hear about it?
Explain that since this is such a common story, it is
likely that it has been used to make a lot of points
about living as God’s person.
Remind the group that you don’t want to take a lot of
time today rehearsing lessons from the story that they
have already heard, and so you want to start the class
by collecting all the “David and Goliath Lessons” they
can remember.
Using one of the easels, collect lesson ideas. Explain
that the idea is to try to remember every application of
the story they have ever heard, for example, “It’s not
how big you are, but how big your faith is that
matters.”
If you’ve got a group that is slow to start talking, have
them each write down one lesson they have heard (or
might make up) from the story of David and Goliath.
Remind them that the “lesson” doesn’t need to be
something they agree with.
Collect the Lesson Ideas on the butcher paper
Process Questions
How many of you think there is any other possible
application we might gain from this story that
seems so familiar?
How likely do you think it is that you’ll be able to
walk out of here thinking about this story in a
whole new way?
The Will to Prepare
Ask how many of the group has ever heard the old saying, “The desire to win is not nearly as important as the desire to prepare to win.”
Process Questions
Do you agree with that idea?
Do you think David had ever picked up five smooth stones and used them with his slingshot before?
How many times do you think he had done this?
What kinds of things do you think David was doing as a shepherd boy the sheep that prepared him to face Goliath (He was becoming a disciplined musician; he was becoming an excellent marksman with the slingshot; he protecting his sheep and experiencing God protecting him against the lion and the bear)?
How important do you think it was that David had most of his training in trusting God during times when no one else was around?
What kinds of things do you think we can do to grow in our love for God when no one is looking?
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Most folks grow up with a desire to make a difference, to make their lives count for something, but most are not willing to pay the price of preparation for that to happen. But David was. David wasn’t enrolled in an official “make a difference in the world” training school. He was simply using the opportunities where he was to prepare him to be used by God.
Did David know he would eventually face Goliath?
Can you prepare for something, even when you don’t know what it is?
If someone in our group wanted to know what they could do in their lives to prepare to be the kind of person who really makes a difference, what kinds of habits do you think they should have?
Which do you think our group is more like—David or the Israelite soldiers? Why?
If we wanted to train our group to be Davids—Christians who trusted God to do the impossible through the -- what changes would we need to make in the way we do things?
Can you think of any wild, risky challenge that God is calling our group to, one that is big enough that most people would say, “There’s no way you could ever do that!”?
BEFORE DISMISSAL
Have a bowl of smooth stones in the front of the room. Ask the group if they remember what “five smooth stones” have to do with David’s story. Explain that these are the “smooth stones of preparation,” reminders of the habits of preparation folks in the group want to
make regular in their lives. Explain that these habits might be something like praying, studying the Scripture, and meeting with a Christian mentor, even approaching your sports or musical activities as service to God.
Ask the group to think silently about what habits of preparation they would like to build and continue in their lives. Explain that after a minute of silence, you will close the group in prayer. Explain that after the prayer, you would like for them to pick up as many stones as they have “habits of preparation” (up to five
stones each). Ask them to keep a stone with them as a daily reminder of their choice to prepare to face whatever Goliath’s may be in their future.
Provide them with a minute of silence, allowing them to write their habits of preparation if they like.
End with Prayer, Hope and Wonders
Give this time in your group some thought before you begin
your time together. How might you like to end your time
together. How might you close with prayer?