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Read John 3 :1- 21. Nicodemus was a Pharisee and an educated man. He knew God’s laws in his head, yet we learn from this encounter he

had with Jesus in John 3, that this was not enough. Nicodemus didn’t fully understand God’s law. He had watched Jesus perform His miracles and heard Him teaching. He knew there was something different about Him and so he set out one evening to have an audience with Jesus.

For a lot of us, we can know God’s Word in our heads but not in our heart. Many people think that because they go to church, are brought up in a Christian family and volunteer in church that this makes them a Christian. Yet the Bible is clear in John 3:16 that it is believing in Jesus that we receive eternal life. The girls will learn this week what it means to be a disciple of Jesus and what they need to do in order to be saved.

Background Notes• Nicodemus went to the house at night because he was curious about Jesus, having heard so much about Him. He had heard Jesus speak and was impressed with the message He taught. He was coming to assess Jesus and he was courteously welcomed. Nicodemus was keen to learn.

• Due to the fact he knew the Scriptures inside out, he would have known that there was no one who had performed the miracles Jesus was performing.

• Jesus and Nicodemus had a discusssion and Jesus did not hold back in what He was saying. He showed Nicodemus that he and his Pharisee friends did not really understand what they needed to do in order to be changed and renewed. All we know is that this encounter had a profound impact upon him.

• Later in John 19:39, when Nicodemus went with Joseph of Arimathea to claim the body of Jesus, he was really putting his neck on the line. He would havecomeunderfireforbeingassociatedwithJesus, whether He was alive or dead. We are told thatheboughtseventyfivepoundsofmyrrhandaloes, an enormous amount-enough for a King! His encounter with Jesus must really had an impact on him.

• The New Birth-The Bible teaches us that ‘all have sinned’, there are no exceptions. The Bible also teaches that because of our sinful nature we are spiritually dead and as such are unable to repent of our sin and believe in Jesus for Salvation. This is the the very things we must do if we are to have eternal life. This is where the ‘New birth’ or ‘being born again’ comes in. God by His Holy Spirit brings spiritual life to those who are spiritually dead and in this way we are enabled to repent and believe. This is something God does, only God can do and as Jesus taught Nicodemus, God must do if a person is

to see the Kingdom of God. The new birth enables us to turn away from sin and back to God.

As You PrepareGod’s Word tells us in Joshua 1:8 ‘Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.’ Very often we don’t feel we have completed our daily time with God unless we have read X amount of verses in the Bible. However as God’s Word is living and active, He can teach us many lessons from just one verse.

This week as you prepare please read John 3:16 ‘For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ You may already know it well, but do take time this week to intentionally think about this verse and what it means to you. Perhaps think about what it has meant to you in the past. Ask God to reveal Himself to you through this verse. What does He want to say to you through it? TakefiveminutesandlistentowhatHeissayingtoyou. Pray and ask God to speak to the girls through this verse.

Pray that the girls would be really challenged this week if they have never made a commitment to Jesus before. Ask God to help those girls fully understand what it means to be a Christian and convict them to make that step. Pray God would speak to those girls who are followers of Jesus. Ask Him to challenge them to live their faith out and to be bold enough to share with others.

Leader’s prayer

Our Plan

John 3 :1- 21

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Break the Ice (5 mins)You need two volunteers. Ask one to stand side on to the main group, and the other to stand about 3 feetbehindher,facingthesameway.Thefirstgirlisto let herself fall backwards, trusting that the second girl will catch her. Repeat this with as many pairs as are willing to have a go.

This should demonstrate what it means to believe in someone. Explain to the girls that in this week’s Bible class they will be learning about someone who put their trust in Jesus - his name was Nicodemus.

Reading the Bible (15 mins)Read John 3: 1-21 together.

Ask the girls to answer the following questions on page 11 of the journals.

1. What do we learn about Nicodemus from reading this passage?

We are told he was a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish council. The Pharisees were religious leaders who were jealous of Jesus because of His authority and the way people listened to Him. They were also not happy that He challenged their teaching. They were intelligent, well-educated men. We also learn that Nicodemus was curious and wanted to learn more about Jesus and His teachings. He was clearly searching and knew there was something missing in his life.

2. Why do you think he came to visit Jesus at night?

Nicodemus wanted to have a personal encounter with Jesus. Perhaps he was afraid of what the other Pharisees would think of him or indeed do to him for going and talking to Jesus. He wanted this time with Jesus in private so he went at night.

3. Read John 3:16. What does this verse mean to you? How can it impact someone’s life?

This is perhaps one of the most well known verses in the Bible. For that reason, very often we switch off when we read/hear it. Read it slowly to the girls as they contemplate what it means. This verse sums up the message of the Gospel. God loves us so much that He gave His only Son to pay the price for our sins. He took on our punishment and then from that offers us life should we put our trust in Him and believe in Him.

This verse can impact our lives if we believe Jesus is our Saviour. It gives us purpose and hope. Believing and trusting Jesus also brings us security, peace and the beginning of eternal life. It will truly transform our lives.

4. Many people have different ideas of what it means to be a Christian. What do you think it means?

Allow the girls time to write down their own views in the space provided. Discuss the answers with the girls and gently challenge any unbiblical principles.

Journals (15 mins)There are a few scenarios written out in the girls’ journals this week. These are designed to encourage discussion/debate amongst the girls. Either get the girls to discuss these in groups and feedback to everyone or you can discuss as one group.

Ask the girls what they would say to each of the girls in the scenarios. Ask them to write their answers on page 11 of the journals.

Scenario 1Jane has been a GB member since she was 3 years old. Both her parents are Christians and she goes to church and GB every week. She has no real urgency to become a Christian, but believes she will go to heaven anyway as her parents believe and she wins the Scripture cup every year, so she obviously knows her Bible really well.

As we learned from Nicodemus’ story, it is not enough to know the Bible in our heads, we need to believe and accept Jesus as the Lord of our lives. We also cannot rely on the Salvation of our family members: just because our parents or family members are Christians does not mean our Salvation is secure. You could also discuss with the girls here the urgency of becoming a Christian. If they are not a Christian what is stopping them? Why wait? When we hold off making that decision we are missing out, as Jesus promises us life in abundance starting now.

Scenario 2Natasha is a Brigader in her local GB company. She loves GB and really enjoys Bible class. When she was a Junior she accepted Jesus as her Lord and Saviour. However she gets frustrated as she can’t help slipping up time and time again. So just to make sure she is actually a Christian, every year she says the sinner’s prayer again.

Talk to the girls about the fact that once we turn awayfromoursinsandacceptJesus’sacrificeonthe cross that we are immediately rescued and saved. We can be sure that God has forgiven us and received that eternal life He has promised. This is a gift given to us by God. However as humans we do mess up and sin. We shouldn’t be content with this though; we need to strive for a life of godliness and holiness. How can we achieve this? By spending time with our Heavenly Father, getting to know Him and His ways. When we spend time with Him we start to think like Him and become more like

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Jesus and therefore are less likely to sin. Talk to them about the necessity of repenting when we do sin and asking God to help us not to do it again.

Scenario 3Joanna loves Jesus and has been a Christian for as long as she can remember. She has been really challenged by what God has been speaking to her about in her daily Bible readings and about telling her friends about Jesus. She was really brave and told her best friend about what she had been learning in Bible class at GB. Her friend has now texted to say she would like to know more about what it means to be a Christian.

Ask the girls what are their thoughts on this? What would they tell someone who would like to be a Christian? You could talk to them about the steps we have given you on page 49 of these notes which gives guidance on how to lead a girl to the Lord.

Scenario 4Julie is a Christian and attends church, GB and Bible class as well. She always gets full marks in her GB Scripture exam. Everyone knows she is a Christian but sometimes the way she behaves doesnt really reflect Jesus. She is really cheeky to the teachers in school, she talks about other girls behind their backs and her language is bad. She knows how she behaves is wrong but she decides to do it anyway after all God will forgive her.

Ask the girls how they think we as Christians should live. Does it matter if we keep on living the way we always have or do we need to be different? Talk to them about being a follower of Jesus and how the fruits of the Spirit which the Bible talks about in Galatians 5:22 - 23 should be evident in our lives. God’s grace means that there is nothing we can do to make God love us any more and nothing we can do to make Him love us any less. However, God will not be mocked. He knows when we are taking advantage of Him and His forgiveness. This is therefore something we should not do.

Finishing Off (5 mins)Remind the girls that although it is essential as followers of Jesus that we know God’s Word, this is not what makes us Christians. In the encounter Jesus had with Nicodemus it is abundantly clear that we need to believe in Jesus (John 3:16). Point out this verse that is illustrated on page 14 of their journals and is also a suggested memory verse for the year. This guarantees our Salvation and a lifetime of being in God’s presence. Although being a Christian means we have eternal life, it doesnt stop there. Our eternal life begins when we make that commitment to God. He wants us to serve Him and He wants to change us now so we can be more like Jesus. This is so others will come to know Him. Explain that as the course progresses they will hear that being a Christain allows us freedom and, if

we stay close to God and listen to His voice we can have a life better than we ever dreamed of here and now.

Creative Prayer (2.45 mins)Write or print John 3:16 on a bigger page in a poster format, making some words bigger than others in order to highlight what the verse means. As you come to see its meaning more clearly, bow in prayer and thank God for this truth. Ask Him to help you appreciate it more.

This should help the girls focus clearly on the One they are called to believe in.

Internet Clips (5 mins)Title: The Rizers. John 3:16

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2iHNzNJkJw

This is a fun clip that could help the girls take John 3:16 to heart.

Challenge (5 mins)Take time to think about whether you are a disciple of Jesus or not, and why you are/aren’t.

This brings the girls attention to the vital question of whether they have become a disciple or not, and hopefully the content of the lesson will help them to answer this question accurately and honestly.

Extra Ideas

Lesson Plan

Heavenly Father, thank You for what we can learn from this week’s Bible story. Help us to believe in Jesus and to put our complete trust in Him, so that we can have life in all its fullness and spend eternity with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Girls’ prayer

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