"I made haste, and did not delay to keep Your commandments." - PSALM 119:60
Live for God!
Journey to Holiness…
Practical Strategies for Overcoming Sin
and Bearing More Spiritual Fruit
- - - Ideas for Teachers - - -
Table of Contents
Part One – General Ideas for Teaching the Lessons
Power Point Slides ………………………………………………………………………………….. 1
Memorizing ……..…………………………………………..……………………………… 1
Goal-making ………………………………..……………………………………………….. 2
Part Two – Ideas for Specific Lessons
Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Lesson 1 …………………………………………………………………………………… 4
Lesson 2 …………………………………………………………………………………… 6
Lesson 3 …………………………………………………………………………………… 6
Lesson 4 …………………………………………………………………………………… 7
Lesson 5 …………………………………………………………………………………… 8
Lesson 6 …………………………………………………………………………………… 8
Lesson 7 …………………………………………………………………………………… 9
Lesson 8 ……………………………………………………………………………….… 10
Lesson 9 …………………………………………………………………………………. 10
Lesson 10 ………………………………………………………………………………….. 11
Lesson 11 ……………………………………………………………………………….. 12
Lesson 12 ……………………………………………………………………………….. 12
Addendum ………………………………………………………………………………… 13
Lesson 13 ……………………………………………………………………………….. 14
How to Memorize Easily …………………………………………………………………………………. 15
Page 1
Part One – General Ideas for Teaching the Lessons
1. Power Point Slides
This is the basic format of all my slides – I just change the information in them to suit each lesson. (The slide above goes with the introduction.)
2. Ideas for Memorizing
In these lessons we memorize Eight Specific Strategies that will help us overcome sin, (See list, Lesson 12, Q8).
A. The first strategy is in Psalm 119:24: interact meaningfully with God’s word each day.
In order to motivate students to memorize this verse we make use of:
1. Understanding as an aid to memorization: What are testimonies? What aspect of God’s word does this word emphasize?
2. Understanding the value of memorizing this verse. Why do you think this verse was chosen as a verse to memorize? Is there a verse you feel better describes the importance of God’s word? Perhaps Ps.119:11 or 2 Tim.3:16-17? If so, the student could memorize those verses instead. The point of putting such a verse into our hearts is to encourage us to never lose the habit of interacting with God’s word meaningfully each day.
B. The second strategy is in Acts 8:22. Help the students to memorize this verse by:
1. Understanding Acts 8:22 as an aid to memorization: What exactly was Simon’s wickedness and where did it originate? (See verses 21 & 23.) What did Peter mean by “if perhaps....”? Does God always forgive? See Joel 2:14. We must not take God’s forgiveness for granted! God does not grant repentance to those who feign repentance or whose motives are not godly, e.g. Hosea 7:14, 2 Cor.7:10.
2. Understanding the value of Acts 8:22 as a motivation to memorization: What does following the instruction in Acts 8:22 do for us? (Verse 23 – It quells bitterness and breaks the bonds of iniquity!) Consciously and immediately repenting (and confessing) of sin, as soon as it is committed, each time it is committed, will break the hold that the sin has over us! The strategy contained in Acts 8:22 is an invaluable weapon for every soldier of Christ to have in his arsenal.
3. Repetition as an aid to memorizing Acts 8:22: Write the verse on a chalk board or white board. Erase key words, a few at a time, and get the class to read the verse, filling in the blanks – until the entire board is blank except for the words “and” and “if.” (Obviously, everyone must memorize from the same version. This booklet is based on the NKJV, but we suggest you use the most-widely used version among your students.)
Page 2
C. The Jews had several mnemonic devices (such as acrostic psalms) to help them memorize and to copy Scripture accurately.
You may find it beneficial to use the following sentence about our “Journey to Holiness” to help students memorize Phil.4:8. First give the alphabet letters and let the students fill in the corresponding Bible adjective. Then teach the sentence and let them put the adjectives in order. Then teach this verse (and the rest of the verses) as you did Acts 8:22.
True Noble Just Pure Lovely Good Report Virtue Praiseworthy
This Noble Journey Provides Lots of Good Victories for Pilgrims
D. For ideas on how to retain what you memorize visit: http://growinggodly.com/1/post/2014/09/simplifying-memorizing.html#sthash.LCsOZRCw.dpuf NB. This webpage no longer works. See page 15.
3. Goal-making.
In Lesson 1, Q.5, students are asked to write a specific thing they will DO in the following week. In Lesson 2, Q.9, students are asked to write a specific goal as to where and when they will do personal Bible study. In Lesson 4, Q.16 and in following lessons, students are asked to read verses and find out what God wants them to do or be. The purpose of these exercises is to actually help students make goals for their lives, based on what God has revealed that we should do or be. In your class sessions, you need to help students understand how to make proper goals and encourage them to do them. This is the most valuable aspect of your class.
a. Ask students to turn to 1 Cor.9:24-27 and read it. Discuss the elements of good goal-making, drawing a parallel between running a race and writing good goals.
Notice that the goal (“prize”) at the end of the Christian’s life (“race”) is:
i. Achievable – v.24, not just one of us will receive the prize, although we must run with all the energy, dedication and determination that we would if only one were to receive it!
ii. Measurable (specific) – v.25. We either get the crown or we don’t.
iii. Limited by time – The race is over when we die.
Time management experts also tell us that goals should be written. It’s not so much the writing of the goal that helps the person achieve it, but the thinking that one is forced to do in order to write the goal.
b. Tell the students that you are going to ask some of them to volunteer the area in their lives in which they need to improve, but before you do that, ask them to tell you what is wrong with the following goals.
i. “I want to have more love in my heart.”
This is not achievable because it is not measurable! How will you know if you have “more” love in your heart or not?
ii. “I want to exhibit more love by going to visit sister ______ ,” (who is a shut-in).
This is achievable because it is measurable (specific), but it is not so likely to happen. Why? (No time limit – no specific time was set in which to complete the task.)
c. Ask students to take a few minutes to revise one of the goals they thought of during the past week in order to make them measurable and specific, and give them a time limit – a time limit that will “expire” during the coming week! It may be a good idea for you to start by sharing your goal and asking your students if it is achievable, specific enough to be measurable, and if it has a time limit. It is better for goals to be relatively easy to achieve at first.
Page 3
Our small, simple goal: We recently moved a few months ago from a small town to a large coastal city that has many people in it who live “on the street,” and are involved in drugs. However, there are also many people who are simply poverty-stricken and cannot find jobs. There are beggars at virtually every “robot” (traffic light). Some simply beg, others carry trash bags and invite you to clean out your cars and throw away your trash – and give them a tip for their service. In view of the drug problem, we obviously did not want to give anyone money, so we tried to ignore all the beggars. We spent quite a bit of time trying to justify to ourselves how we could turn a blind eye to the needy – and we didn’t like what was happening to our hearts! Therefore, we made a goal in the area of “love” by buying apples and giving an apple to every beggar. This involved a sub-goal of “We will buy a bag of apples next Wednesday when we do our grocery shopping and keep them in the pouch behind the passenger seat.”
Achievable? Yes.
Measurable? One apple per beggar.
Time limit? By next Wednesday, apples must be bought and in the pouch behind the passenger seat.
We are still doing this, several weeks later – and we enjoy seeing the smiles on the faces of the beggars. It’s now a habitual part of our lives, and so we have moved on to making other goals in order to keep growing. For example, we have had tracts printed which we are also handing out. After all, beggars, (and everyone else we meet), have spiritual needs which are more important to address than physical needs. (Since we moved to the USA we keep protein bars in the car.)
d. Try to make sure each student has a goal of his own that has each of the three elements in it. It must be a goal that he wants to achieve within the coming week. If they have trouble, encourage them to write a different goal and achieve it instead.
e. Making sure that students make and achieve spiritual goals is the most valuable aspect of these lessons!
Page 4
Part 2 -- Additional ideas for specific lessons
The Introduction.
Objective: The students will be motivated and excited to begin a journey towards greater holiness.
Normally before we teach this book, the congregation has already heard a sermon based on the introduction, motivating them to pursue holiness. If that is not going to happen in your congregation, it might be good, time permitting, for the teacher to spend a class period using the information in the introduction to motivate the class. Below are questions based on the introduction that we used to stimulate thinking and class discussion:
1. What causes a person to write a stirring song or poem?
2. The miracles that led to Israel’s freedom, (miracles that demonstrated the power of God over gods of men), moved Israel to sing, “glorious in __________,” Ex 15:11.
3. From this verse do you see the Bible meaning of the word holy?
a. It means __________ between God and gods,
b. It means ______________ from sin.
c. It means ______________ to God.
4. As I enter the waters of baptism I should see God and Jesus as _____, far ______ from the gods of this world: _________,__________,__________,___________. As I rise out of the water I should see myself as ______.
5. What four things was God seeking of Israel? (Ex.19:4-6)
i. That they would be ______ to Him. (v.4)
ii. That they become a ___________ _____________to Him above all _____________. (v.5)
iii. That they become a ____________ of ___________ a ____________nation. (v.6)
6. Who are the two separate “peoples” mentioned in Deut. 4:6?____________ and other _________________, the _________________.
7. How was the conduct of the Jews designed to impact the Gentiles? The Gentiles should say, “Surely. . .”
8. Today how is the holy conduct of the Christian designed to impact the unbeliever? 1 Pet.2:11-12
9 .With which attribute about Himself did God impress Isaiah? Isa.6:3-6. His _________________!
10. How did being reminded of the holiness of God impact Isaiah? He said, “ ______ is me, for I am ___________!” Isa 6:5.
11. In what way was Isaiah “undone”? What sin did he confess to God? His “___________ ________”
Are not many of us long-time Christians just like Isaiah?
12. How did God help Isaiah with his dilemma? A ___________with a ______touched Isaiah’s _______. Thus God could say, “Your _________ is taken away,” v7-8.
13. Like the Israelites of old, if I have crossed through the “RED SEA” of baptism, I am on a journey to holiness. I have been __________________ from the world…. Isa 35:8.
Lesson 1
Objectives:
1. The students will read their Bibles each day. Note: Some of the lessons ask the student to write down specific things they have learned from their daily Bible readings. In a class situation, teachers may want to assign specific readings for those weeks so that the students can more easily discuss what they have learned.
2. Each student will choose one “fruit” of the Spirit, and do something concrete that shows he is bearing that fruit.
Page 5
3. Each student will memorize Psalm 119:24 (or a similar verse that emphasizes daily meaningful interaction with God’s word. (See page 30, Tips for Memorizing, section A.)
During class, the teacher can write each one of the characteristics of a person bearing the fruit of the Spirit on the board. Ask the students for specific things they can do that show that they are bearing that particular fruit. For Q6, p.4, they can list one of these things or something of their own. If you want to assign homework, we suggest something similar to the following handout:
_______________________________________________
Next week in class be prepared to share one thing you did (something you haven’t been doing in the past). The object is to have MORE of these qualities than in the past.
Don’t forget to memorize Psalm 119:24 since it reminds you of your first strategy in your fight against sin: to interact meaningfully with God’s word each day.
If you have not been reading your Bible daily, please exercise the fruit of the Spirit, “self-control,” and begin this week! Read one of the Scriptures each day (except Sunday) and/or write down other Scriptures you have read.
__________________________________________________
You may wish to read or hand out the following essay on the fruit of the Spirit by an unknown author. It may give them some ideas as to specific ways they could fulfil their assignment to bear more spiritual fruit.
My Choices
I choose love… No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness, I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.
I choose joy… I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical…the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.
I choose peace…I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.
I choose patience… I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite him to do so. Rather than complaining that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.
Page 6
I choose kindness… I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone... Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.
I choose goodness… I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.
I choose faithfulness… Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.
I choose gentleness… Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice, may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.
I choose self-control… I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirt will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These I choose. To these I commit my day.
Author Unknown
Lesson 2
Objectives:
1. If the student does not do this already, each student will come up with a specific plan (time & place) to study his Bible and pray daily.
2. Each student will be motivated to write out a commitment in his/her own words as to the fact that he will give all his heart to serve the Lord.
3. Each student will keep Psalm 119:24 in his heart.
If there is time, you may wish to expand on the meaning of the word holy to help your students become more conscious of the word “holy” and its sister words when they are reading their Bibles. (We have sister words in English as well: duo, duet, deuce, dual, duel.)
Hagios: holy, “Be holy for I am holy,”1 Pet.1:14-16.
Hagiazo: sanctify, “Sanctify them by Your truth,” John 17:17.
Hagios: saint, “Now concerning the collection for the saints ...,”1 Cor.16:1.
Hagiazo: hallowed, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name,” Mt.6:9.
Hagnos: pure, “Whatever things are...pure...meditate on these things,” Phil.4:8.
Hagnos: chaste, “That I may present you as a chaste virgin...,”1 Cor.11:2.
Encourage them to:
1. Use these words during the day when they pray, talk, teach, preach, etc.
2. Be conscious of God’s holiness when they approach Him in prayer.
3. Be conscious of being holy themselves in all they do.
You may also wish to make the chart in question 14 into a hand-out that they can turn in to you the following week. Depending on the group, “homework” that gets “handed-in” is quite a good motivator! Don’t forget to motivate them to keep Psalm 119:24 memorized.
Page 7
Lesson 3
Objectives:
1. The students will continue to read their Bibles and pray each day.
2. Each student will find and use encouraging verses to make a specific simple goal to overcome evidence of bad fruit in his life.
Always review any assignments you have given. Ask students if they wrote out their commitments. (Writing things out helps us to consolidate our thoughts and reinforces our commitment.) Ask students if they read their Bibles and prayed each day. If they had trouble doing this, ask them how they can do something different this week so that they will do better in the week ahead.
To open the class, ask for Bible examples of people who bore bad fruit. Ask the class WHY they think they bore bad fruit. Examine the examples to see if there is evidence of a breakdown in their communication/relationship with God. Does the Bible give us any clues as to what was going on in their hearts? (e.g. Joseph’s brothers’ hearts were filled with hate due to envy, Gen.37:4,11. Cain did not value his relationship with God enough to make the sacrifice God wanted, Gen.4:7.)
Before class, look up words in Mark 7:21-23 (Day 3, Q 1) that you think the class may not know the meaning of, such as “lewdness.” What does Mark mean by “foolishness”? What is an “evil eye”? Do Christians have trouble with any of these things?
Ask students what verses they found particularly meaningful and why. (Day 3, Q 9) We are normally more familiar with Matthew’s account of the two builders than Luke’s account. We personally were struck by the words “dug deep” in Luke 6:48.
Lesson 4
Objectives:
1. Each student will understand and memorize Acts 22:30 – the second of eight specific strategies that help us overcome sin. Help students to memorize this verse by following the strategies on page 30, Tips for Memorizing, section B.)
2. Students will have a deeper understanding of what it means to truly repent.
3. In their daily Bible reading, students will look to see what they need to do or be, based on what they have read.
4. When students see that their lives do not “measure up” to God’s will, they will stop making excuses for themselves. They will immediately repent and pray for forgiveness each time they are conscious of having sinned.
Page 8
Lesson 5
Objectives:
1. Students will learn how to properly confess their sins – to God and to others they may have sinned against.
2. In their daily Bible reading, students will look to see what they need to do or be, based on what they have read.
3. Students will repent and confess their sins as soon as they are conscious of them in order to enjoy a clean conscience.
4. Students will be able to say the first two strategies they have learned for overcoming sin, and quote the relevant Scriptures. (See Lesson 12, Question 8.)
After Q7, discuss the conscience, what it is according to Scripture, how it should be trained, and how it can be hardened or seared.
If there is time, read and discuss Daniel 9:3-19 and/or Nehemiah 1:5-11. What are some differences in the way these men confessed, and the way we normally confess? Do we or should we ever confess the sins of our nation?
Lesson 6
Objectives:
1. Students will learn how to replace negative/evil thoughts with positive/pure thoughts.
2. Students will memorize Philippians 4:8-9. These verses contain strategies 3 & 4 in our fight against sin. (See Lesson 12, Question 8.) Verses 6-7 are also wonderful verses to memorize as an antidote to worry.
3. In their daily Bible reading, students will look for things to think on or do that would replace fleshly thoughts/actions.
4. Students will make a conscious effort to change an impure/negative thought they tend to have and come to class prepared to share specific verses/thoughts/actions they found helpful.
After doing question 4, the exercise to match the definitions of the words found in Phil.4:9, give the students these problems to solve:
1. I am worrying about what might happen. I need to replace those worrying thoughts with that which is ___________________________ .
2. I am replaying in my mind something hurtful that someone has done for me. I need to replace those thoughts with that which is ________________________ .
3. I am thinking about all the negative things the government is doing. I need to replace those thoughts with that which is ______________________________ .
4. I am thinking about a dirty joke that someone told me. I need to replace that thought with that which is ___________________________ .
5. I like to watch programs on my TV/device, (or read a certain author’s books) and I find myself thinking about the different immoral things the characters are involved in. I need to replace those thoughts (and the media which causes those thoughts!) with that which is _______________ .
6. I complain (in my head) about certain things family members do. I need to replace those thoughts with that which is _____________________________ .
Page 9
There are many “right” answers, but here are some suggestions:
1. (true -- that which might happen is not truth. What is true is that God is in control of the future and He will do what is best and give me the strength to handle it.)
2. (good report or lovely – good things the person has done for me in the past + noble – the fair and right way to approach the person and resolve the problem.)
3. (praiseworthy – think instead of all the good things that people in your community are doing.)
4. (pure – a clean joke you could tell others instead.)
5. (virtue – I need to stop watching programs / reading books full of immorality and instead replace them with programs/books where the characters exhibit moral goodness so that I think on those things instead.)
6. (good report or lovely or praiseworthy thoughts about my loved ones. If I start verbalizing those thoughts, there is no telling what wonderful things might happen in my family!)
Do you see how practical and valuable the word of God is?
This exercise should help each student to be able write a goal to replace one sinful recurring thought they tend to have with a godly thought instead, Lesson 6, Q.10.
Lesson 7
Objectives:
1. The students will learn what to do when they don’t feel like doing what they know to be right.
2. The students will learn that if we force ourselves to do right, our emotions will follow.
3. Students will memorize Gen.4:6-7 which makes use of our fifth strategy in overcoming sin: to use the “will” part of our hearts to force ourselves to do what is right, even when we do not feel like it.
4. The student will make use of this strategy at least once during the week and write it in their books. Some may wish to share their experiences with the class.
5. In their daily Bible reading, students will find ways they need to exercise their will to force themselves to do what is right.
At the beginning of class ask students to give Scriptures that prove that the intellect, emotions and will are all part of the Bible “heart.” Some verses you may use are Dan.1:8, Prov.23:7 and Prov.15:13.
Leave quite a bit of time at the end of the lesson to ask students to give examples of times when they know what the right thing is to do, but they don’t feel like doing it; for example: coming to worship when tired, making time to read the Bible when busy, controlling the tongue when angry, speaking to acquaintances about the gospel when fearful, etc. For each thing listed, see if the class can come up with Scripture that would strengthen the intellect part of their hearts and make it stronger so that it will give extra power to the “will” to overcome their negative emotions. For example, a person who is angry does not feel like listening to the person who angers him, but rather wishes to verbally abuse him. James 1:19-20 lets us know that if we give in to our emotion, “the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” Surely, each one of us wants God on our side in any conflict! If the class cannot come up with a scripture for each scenario, assign it for homework. Perhaps you could also assign the daily Bible reading so that it naturally contains commands that we generally need to “will” ourselves to accomplish.
Page 10
Lesson 8
Objectives:
1. Students will learn to make their hearts stronger against sin by replacing fleshly or neutral activities with spiritual activities.
2. Students will memorize Gal.5:16-17, which contains the sixth strategy for overcoming sin: replace something fleshly with something spiritual.
3. Each student choose an area of their lives where they will permanently replace something fleshly or neutral with something spiritual – and do it.
Lesson 8 gives us Strategy 6: Feed the spirit and starve the flesh. Get students to draw a picture of the heart in Lesson 8. Get them to draw a second picture of a heart where the “line of battle” has moved over to the left. What will the “spirit dog” then look like? (small and scrawny) Get them to draw it. What will the “flesh dog” then look like? (big and brawny) Get them to draw it. Then get them to draw a third heart that is just the opposite: where the “line of battle” has moved far over to the right. Draw the powerful-looking “spirit dog” and the nearly powerless “flesh dog.” Hopefully this illustration will bring home to the students’ minds the importance of following through on this lesson and keep on making goals to improve their “spirit dog’s” chances of victory. We are generally good to replace fleshly movies, books and other entertainment with neutral movies, books and entertainment, but that only moves the “line of battle” to the centre of our hearts where we could still so easily lose the war. We NEED to go the extra mile to replace several of these neutral activities with spiritual. We forget that we (and our children) need to FEED our “spirit dogs,” as well as starve our “flesh dogs.”
Lesson 9
Objectives:
1. Students will learn and implement a seventh strategy to overcoming sin: Each day consciously remember what Christ has done for you and your commitment to be His slave, Rom.6:13.
2. Students will examine their lives during the past week to see where they have acted in a way that shows they are conformed to the selfless image of Christ – and where they have been more self-focussed than Christ-focussed. They will make a plan to improve.
3. Students will review the aims of past lessons (Qs.13-22), and will hopefully be encouraged to further victories by the victories God has helped them accomplish already.
4. For homework, students will practice finding specific admonitions in Scripture to “put off _____ and replace with ______.” This is to prepare them for interacting meaningfully with God’s word on their own once this series of lessons is completed.
At the beginning of class it would be a good idea to have the students complete a small quiz where they “fill in the blanks” of the 6 strategies they have learned so far and the Scriptures that they have memorized. Or perhaps the strategies and scriptures could be gone over orally. In whatever way you wish, the strategies and scriptures need to be reviewed each week from now on so that the students do not forget them.
If there is time, it might be a good idea to break the class into groups and have them practice finding “replace _______ with ________” in specific verses, e.g. Rom.12:9-21. Then it will be easier for students to do it on their own at home.
Page 11
Lesson 10
Objectives:
1. Students will list as many attributes of God as they can and be motivated to praise God for those attributes.
2. From now on, students will include praise as a component of every prayer they make.
3. Students will praise God to others in their daily speech.
4. Students will memorize Rom.6:13 to remind themselves of their daily commitment to Christ.
The word for “praise” in 1 Pet.2:9 (Q.10), is only used 5 times in the NT and means excellence. It is translated “virtue” in 2 Pet.1:3, 5(twice) and Phil.4:8. The word “proclaim” means to “show forth.” This verse is saying that our lives should show the world how excellent or praiseworthy God is. Our lives must match our speech!
Get the class to think how they could respond to common conversational phrases by giving praise to God that could possibly open doors for the gospel.
1. Someone asks how you are.
I am well, thanks. Health is such a wonderful blessing from God, isn’t it?
2. Someone tells you they are not well.
I am so sorry to hear that, would you like me to pray with/for you?
3. Someone compliments you or your children.
Thank you. I’m really trying hard to live according to God’s wisdom in the Bible and find it really helps me.
4. Someone tells you about a problem they are facing.
I’m so sorry to hear that, did you know that in the Bible God gives us wisdom on how to cope?
5. Your children tell you that they did well on a test.
I’m so pleased with you – you studied hard and the Lord helped you. Let’s give a prayer of thanks to God who gave you the ability to do well.
Assign the homework (Q.10 & 11) and then close with the following activity:
In Africa, one never walks into a shop or phones a company and immediately states his business. First a person must greet and inquire after the other person’s health. Only then can he get down to business. We tend to “get right down to business” with God in our prayers, failing to first greet – to take some time to humble ourselves before our great and holy God and give Him the praise, honour and glory that is due to Him. We also tend to become vainly repetitious in our praises. Therefore we think it a good idea to get the class to practice praising God in prayer. Assign each person in the class a few verses from Psalms such as 111 or 18 (especially as applied to our spiritual battles), or 145-147, etc. Give the class a few minutes so that each person can study his/her verses and write a prayer or an outline of a prayer. Then let each person take it in turns to PRAY, while the rest of us who listen to that prayer focus our hearts on the meaning of the words of praise spoken and truly make each prayer our own as it is prayed. (It would be good if men and women could do this separately so that the women could also practice this.)
Page 12
Lesson 11
Objectives:
1. Students will reflect on the blessings of having a close relationship with God and use those blessings to motivate them to continue forward on their journey to holiness.
2. For homework, in their daily Bible reading, students will look for commands to be obeyed as well as how and why to obey these commands. This is to prepare them for interacting meaningfully with God’s word on their own once this series of lessons is completed.
After completing/discussing Q1 with the class, read what the prophet Isaiah says about the kind of person with whom God wishes to have a close relationship: Isaiah 66:1-2; 57:15. Discuss these verses in light of question 1 and in light of the prophecy in chapter 35, tying it in to our theme: Journey to Holiness, Isa.35:8. Perhaps a few class members could share how their journey has helped them to feel closer to God. By now students should be experiencing a real change in their behaviour – which in turn should make them feel closer to God. Yes, feelings can be deceptive, but the feeling of acceptance when we do well, Genesis 4:6-7, is a God-given feeling that we should rejoice in and praise God for!
Lesson 12
Objectives:
1. Students will learn the eighth strategy for overcoming sin: To praise and thank God daily.
2. Students will improve their communication with God by praising and thanking Him each day.
3. Students will make a prayer list.
4. Students will begin doing their own personal daily devotions.
What is the GOAL of Bible study? Help the students to come up with the idea that praising and thanking God evokes more love for Him in our hearts. Applying what we read in the Bible to our lives and doing it is how we “keep” His word. If we delight in God’s commands and use them as our counsellors, (Ps.119:24) what will happen to us? Will we not become more like God? More conformed to the image of His Son? More holy?
Loving God and keeping His word causes us to develop a deep and close relationship with God, (John 14:23, Lesson 11, Q.1) In turn, this leads to better relationships with others, (1 Jn.3:10)! This is our goal!
Discuss prayer with the class. What are some specific things learned in these lessons that should help improve their communication with God? Everyone should be praising and thanking God more as well as confessing their sins as soon as they are conscious of them. Supplication is also a part of prayer, and making a prayer list, Q.7, should help them remember the things they need to pray about. You may also wish to discuss other hindrances to prayer and ways to overcome these such as making time to pray, losing focus when praying, etc.
Especially encourage students to do their homework, Q 9. If you are tied to a 13-week quarter, having them complete this homework will enable you to spend the next week helping them to overcome any problems they had in doing their own personal devotions. This is your goal: to help your students interact meaningfully with God and His word each day, whether they receive outside help or not.
If you are not tied down to a 13-week quarter, you may want to spend two class periods on Lesson 13 and Addendum 2, p.30. In that case, do not assign the homework in Question 9. Rather assign the prayer list only.
Page 13
Addendum 2
Objective:
1. Students will be trained to do their own personal daily devotions.
How to Train Someone in Six Steps. (Read 2 Tim.2:2 for the Bible definition of “train.” It is when the person you teach/train is able to teach/train others also.)
1. Show students what to do while they observe you do it.
2. Do what you want to train your students to do, together with your students.
3. Let your students do it themselves, while you watch and give input.
4. Let your students do it independently (as in a “homework assignment”). Check, praise, and correct if necessary.
5. Students begin to do it habitually without your input – they are self-motivated.
6. Students teach others to do it – and then they are “trained” according to 2 Tim.2:2!
You will strive to achieve steps 1-4 in the next two class sessions, and hopefully the students will carry on steps 5-6 after the class is over.
1) Show students what to do while they observe you do it. Addendum 2 is “showing” them what to do in written form. Go through Addendum 2 in their books and explain it. Answer any questions they may have.
2) Do what you want to train your students to do, together with your students. Go through steps 1-7 of Addendum 2 again, using1 Peter 1:3-5. (The paragraph actually goes through verse 9, but it will be easier and less time-consuming to just do a few verses at a time.) This time have the students give their input and do it together as a class. For example:
Steps 2-3: The word “blessed” actually means, “to praise for good done.” The specific good God has done in these verses is to beget us again to a living hope: an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, unfading and reserved for us in heaven. God is also to be blessed for keeping us through His power through faith. Stop and ask someone to praise and thank God for these things, or ask students to write out a prayer on a separate sheet of paper.
Step 4: There is no direct command in 1 Peter 1:3-5 but there is a direct statement: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…” (God is to be blessed by whom?) Some students might first find things God has done and then find things they need to be or do from meditating on what God has done such as “appreciate God’s abundant mercy,” “be thankful for our hope,” “have faith,” etc. (Different students will come up with different things due to the fact that they are struggling with different issues in their lives.)
Step 6: Students need to express, based on what said in these verses, why or how they should “bless God,” “appreciate His mercy,” “have faith,” etc. (There are many reasons why we should bless God, but in these verses it is because He has begotten us again to a living hope. There are many reasons why we need to have faith, but in these verses it is because God’s keeping us for the salvation ready to be revealed in the last time is dependent on our faith.)
Step 7: Based on what they are reminded of in these verses, the students may come up with many other things to bless God for and many other reasons why they should do this.
3) Let your students do it themselves, while you watch and give input. Break your students up into groups and have them go through 1 Peter 1:6-9. If there is time, also go through 1 Peter 1:10-12. This paragraph (1 Pet.1:10-12) is more informational than directive, but if you meditate on it, you will think of some things that you should be doing. For example, the prophets searched the Scriptures carefully – we should also follow their example!
Page 14
4) Let your students do it independently (as in a “homework assignment”). Check, praise, and correct if necessary. Assign your students Lesson 12, Q 9 to do at home. Then, next week, in Lesson 13’s session you will give them an opportunity to share what they have learned. You can then check, praise, and correct if necessary.
5) Students begin to do it habitually without your input – they are self-motivated. (Your goal for when the class is over.)
6) Students teach others to do it – and then they are “trained” according to 2 Tim.2:2!
Lesson 13
1. Review the Eight Strategies for Overcoming Sin – being more holy – becoming more conformed to the image of God’s Son. Also review the verses that go with them.
2. Get feedback from students about their ability to do the personal daily devotions.
3. If they had trouble, use 1 Peter 2:11ff to go through some more paragraphs, emphasizing the things students had most trouble with. Make sure that a PLAN gets made for each paragraph – something specific that they are motivated to do because of what they have read.
4. Get feedback from the students about their feelings towards the devotions. Did they feel they were having meaningful interaction with God’s Word and with God Himself? Are they discovering things about God’s character that make an impact on them? Do they feel they are growing in understanding? Are they moving forward on their journey to holiness? Do they feel competent to interact with God and His word on their own? Are they motivated to do this? If you, as a teacher, have managed to train some of your students to do this, you have fulfilled God’s plan for the growth of His body, as outlined in 2 Tim.2:2.
5. Go through lesson 13 in class. Hopefully your students will be greatly encouraged by how far they have come on their journey. But the journey has only just begun!
6. Exhort your students to continue to grow in holiness. (Use the exhortation at the end of the book or, better still, give your own personal exhortation). Perhaps even schedule a “check-up” class every once in a while to keep everyone (including the teacher) going!
We pray that you and your students have been blessed through this study.
Page 15
HOW TO MEMORIZE EASILY – AND NOT FORGET
“And these words which I command you this day shall be in your heart.” Dt.6:6
1. Buy a small box that will hold 3x5 or 4x6 cards (your choice of size), plus a set of cards to go in it. Also buy packs of dividers until you have at least 40.
2. Turn your dividers over, or cover whatever is on them with small pieces of masking tape or blank self-stick labels. Mark them as follows: Current, Odd, Even, Sun., Mon., Tues., Wed., Thurs., Fri., Sat., 1, 2, 3, … 30.
3. Choose a time of day when you can work on memorizing consistently without skipping days. Les and I do it together. If you have children, we suggest you do it as a family with those of your children who are able to cope.
4. Choose a verse to memorize. We suggest choosing a verse that is practical and that will encourage you/your children to do what is right in circumstances that you/they are facing. (You may want to memorize a few verses together that complete a thought.)
5. Write your verse’s reference on the top line of a card, and write out the verse(s) underneath it. Then stick it in front of the “current” tab. Try to memorize a phrase or two each day – however much is easy for you – by repeating the phrases a few times at the beginning and end of your memorizing session. Some may memorize faster than others. Be patient until all have mastered the verse(s).
6. When you feel you have it memorized, move it in front of the “odd” tab. Choose a new verse(s), write it(them) on a different card, and stick it in front of the “current” tab.
7. Each time you finish memorizing a verse, move it to the “odd” tab, move whatever is in the “odd” tab back to the “even” tab, whatever is in the “even” tab back to the “Sunday” tab, etc. When you get to the days of the month, you do not need to keep moving the monthly verses backwards, just stick whatever you had in Saturday’s tab into the next available monthly slot. When you have filled all the monthly slots, then start adding a second verse to your monthly slots.
8. Each day work on learning your current verse, and review any verses you have already memorized that are in the “odd” or “even” tabs, depending on if it is an odd or even day of the month. Then review the verse that is in the relevant day of the week, and then review the verse(s) that is in the relevant day of the month. For example, on Wednesday, November 7, 2018, you would try to recite the current verse, the “odd” verse, the “Wednesday” verse, and the “7” verse(s).
9. If you get off-track, don’t get discouraged, just review and get yourself back on track. This has happened to us a few times, especially when travelling. Once, when travelling in Zimbabwe, we never reviewed our verses for 2 months. We were amazed at how quickly we were able to retrieve all the verses again. This method really does work! (It is not something we came up with ourselves, but read online at a website which is no longer working.)