Get Along With Leaders

8/13/2019 Get Along With Leaders

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Getting Along With Your Leaders

Session I: Living Within Boundariesand Liking It!

PUPS": BY #$" "%& ' #$IS ("SSAG") I WA%# (Y S#U&"%#S # PUPS"

I% #$"I $"A#S # *$""'ULLY SUB(I# # #$"I AU#$I#I"S+

$ints ,or tea-hers: Our purpose is to melt the hearts of our rebels and to guard others from

choosing a rebellious path. You cant accomplish this by simply proving that disobedience is

wrong and destructive. Some rebels are so blinded that even the prospect of meeting a violent

death holds a special allure.

Reflect on the various students in your group. So.e have a heart ,or Godbut dont realize that

their faith should impact their relationship with their authorities. Expose these to the Scriptures

below and theyll respond. thers dee/l0 hate all authorit0+erhaps cold and selfish authority

figures have colored their opinion of all authorities. !hese need more than a "ible lesson. !hey

need to see you and other significant adults as examples of compassionate# sincere authorities.

Still others live in outright re1ellion+$hen they see a movie of a rebel li%e &im 'orrison# theydont see a tragedy and a warning. !hey see a role model. !hey need more than the $ord and a

positive role model. !hey need the power of prayer to brea% through the lies of the enemy ())

*orinthians +,-#+. /ltimately our war is with principalities and powers that blind the eyes of our

students (Ephesians 0,12ff. $ithout fervent prayer# our most diligent preparation pales beforethe power of the evil one. 3ight spiritual battles with spiritual weapons and cry out to 4od to melt

even the hardest hearts.

Introdu-tion

ILLUSTRATION:In Part One of the Back to the Future trilogy, Michael J. Fox plays Marty

McFly, a cool and talented student who is surrounded by goofy authority figures. ow !any of

you saw the !o"ie# is dad is a geek who is controlled by Marty$s !o!. is principal is a

clueless disciplinarian who see!s to en%oy re!inding Marty that he$s a &slacker,' who, like hisfather, won$t a!ount to anything.

5ow many of you thin% that this is typical of the way authority figures are presented in youthmovies6 $hat other movies or !7 shows can you thin% of that present authority figures as either

unsympathetic# clueless# or worse6 (!he principal in 'atilda# 8dam Sandlers father in "ig

9addy# Rug Rats arents# parodies of presidents in *omedy *entral# parents in Small Soldiers#

etc.

$hile the media often presents authority figures as hypocritical gee%s who students delight in

defying# the bible presents a totally different view. )n fact# this will be so revolutionary to some of

Idea: (se a couple of clipsfro! the !o"ie, such as the first

ti!e we !eet Marty$s !o! and

geeky dad, and a couple of

encounters with the principal.

1


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you that your initial gut reaction may be to turn this off. 8ll ) as% is that you allow 4od to spea%

to your heart through 5is $ord.

PAY"

I+ Who Are ur Authorities2

BIBL" S"A*$, 9ivide into small groups# ta%e these verses# and list some of the authorities

that the "ible spea%s of.

"./lo0ers() eter :,1;# *olossians -,::4od established authorities.

!hus# rebels against authority are rebelling against 4od. Rebels bring Budgment and

punishment upon themselves. 8>Rebels live in fear of authorities. ?>8uthorities are 4ods

servants. @>Rebels struggle with a bad conscience.C

Dets loo% at a few of these reasons in more depth.

$e1+ 78:7 !he 4ree% word forFsubmitG means literally to Fyield#G

or figuratively Fto give wayG or

Fsubmit to ones authority.G (84

:


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7 e1els are reall0 de,0ing God. (Romans 1-,1#:? cr. r. :1,1

&/he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what *od has instituted/'

How some of you are thin%ing# &old on now0 1ait a !inute0' $hat are some of your problems

with this teaching6

Objection:My authorities are not Christians.

Answer:Neither were au!"s and eter"s# but they sti!! be!ie$ed that God was in contro!.

(Romans 1-,1ff.# ) et. :,1-


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< e1els -an get into serioustrou1le+ (roverbs -2,1=? rov. :@,1? cr.9eut. :1,1;ff? Rom. 1,-2? Eph. 0,:#-? )) eter :,@,::#:-?rov. 0,1>? 1-,1;?

1>,12

&+he eye that !ocks a father, that scorns obedience to a !other, will be pecked out by the ra"ens

of the "alley, will be eaten by the "ultures.' 4Pr. ; !an who re!ains stiff3necked after !any rebukes will suddenly be destroyed ? without

re!edy.' 4Pr. 8@:65

4od is patient ()) eter -,@ with us# but 5e wont watch us rebel forever. 8nd 5e wont give us acountdown to our final chance. Some people must imagine that 4od wor%s li%e our parents#

saying# FO%ay# )ve warned you through your parents and your teachers over and over to get away

from that crowd# so )m giving you till !hursday and thats it.G Ho. !he end of serious rebelsoften comes suddenly# without warning.

)n our present culture# it seems li%e no big deal to roll our eyes when our parents spea%# tal% bac%

to them# or Bust ignore their instructions (wait till theyve as%ed you three times before you start

cleaning up the room. 'aybe youve even begun to relish the&on the edge'feeling you get

when you tell your parents youre spending the night at one house# actually go to a party at

another house# and spray breath freshener in your mouth as you wal% up your driveway to hide

the liJuor or smo%e.

)n fact# lots of voices today applaud this lifestyle# Bustifying it as &being your own person'or&being authentic.'"ut according to these verses# are these attitudes and actions Bust harmless

teen fun6 Read these astonishing verses one more time.

Prov+ 8:7, FMock#G can alsomean Fderide.G FAcorns

obedienceG can mean FdespiseG orFhold as insignificant.G (!$O!

Keil says that the verse refers to a

fearful and dishonorable end#

where the scorner dies a violent

death and his body becomes the

prey of birds.o.+ 7:8 Someone writing

verses 1;


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ILLUSTRATION:+hey were three of the brightest stars of the ll three are rock legends,

their na!es fore"er etched in the Cock and Coll all of Fa!e. Many today still consider)i&i

*endri+the greatest guitarist who e"er li"ed. is creati"e inno"ations indelibly i!pacted the

future of rock.)i& Morrison, lead singer of +he oors, had a brilliant, creati"e !ind andpublished poetry that so!e consider world class.)anis )o,!inwas so popular as to be hailed

&the first goddess of rock.'

>ll three sold !illions of albu!s. >ll three perfor!ed before thousands of adoring fans. +heir

biographies ha"e sold !illions of copies. But all three died tragic, sudden deaths in chilling

testi!ony to the truth of these "erses. Dou see, although these artists had incredible talent and

charis!a, they li"ed way out on the edge, ignoring the warnings of both their authorities and

those who lo"ed the! !ost. >nd while searching for freedo!, all three found the!sel"es

ensla"ed to their destructi"e passions.

Aee!ingly in the !idst of great careers, %ust like the Pro"erb said, they were suddenly gone.

endrix was in the !idst of recording a new albu! when he o"erdosed on barbituates, choking

to death on his own "o!it. (pon hearing of his death, Joplin cursed and la!ented that he$d

beaten her to it. +wo weeks later, when she had al!ost co!pleted recording an albu!, she shotup so!e unusually pure heroin in her hotel roo!, went down to the lobby to purchase so!e

cigarettes, returned to her roo!, and fell down dead. 1ithin a year, while Morrison was working

on !aterial for a new albu!, he sank into a deep depression and was found dead in his bathtub

of a heart attack.

Just as Aolo!on had warned thousands of years ago, they refused to change when they were

warned. >nd they fell suddenly, without re!edy. Incredibly, they all died at the young age of 8=.

4Aources: 2o One *ets Out of ere >li"e, by Jerry opkins and anny Auger!an, plus "arious

internet sites.5

8 e1els .iss out on GodCs 1lessing+ (Ephesians 0,1


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life# but so that we can fully enBoy life. !o illustrate this# let me introduce you to a rebel who

changed.

ILLUSTRATION:)ohn Newton"sgodly !o! taught hi! the Bible fro! an early age. But

during his teen years he decided to turn against *od, beco!e a sailor, and take charge of hisown life. e beca!e an atheist and threw away all the !orals his !o! had taught hi!. >t first, it

see!ed so freeing. e could say anything he wanted to, e"en in"enting new ways to blasphe!e*od. e had no sexual restrictions. e treated people the way he wanted to treat the!.

But no one can li"e that way without conse-uences. 1hat looks like the ulti!ate freedo! -uickly

turns into the ulti!ate bondage. )"entually, so!e of the people he treated poorly beca!e his

authorities and treated hi! !ercilessly. e was traded to a sla"er in >frica who e"entually

treated hi! like a sla"e. In fact, 2ewton sunk so low that he beca!e a despised ser"ant of sla"es.

e once found hi!self on his hands and knees digging up roots to ha"e enough to eat. It was the

&Prodigal Aon' story all o"er again0

2ewton !anaged to escape >frica, only to find hi!self desperately bailing water off a stor!3

tossed ship at sea. +hey barely sur"i"ed the stor!, but found the!sel"es drifting dangerously

northward with no wind to take the! back to )ngland. +he weather grew colder and their foodsupply dwindled. >nd %ust when he !ust ha"e wondered what else could possibly go wrong, the

captain began to draw a parallel between their trials and the story of Jonah. +he captain

sur!ised that John, with his blasphe!ies and rebellion, was %ust like rebellious Jonah, who was

the cause of his troubled ship at sea.

John shuddered. e knew where the captain was going with the story. +he Old +esta!ent sea!en

threw Jonah o"erboard in order to sa"e their ship. By the grace of *od, the winds shifted,

2ewton !ade it ho!e ali"e, was sa"ed and beca!e a preacher, but not until he had reaped the

horrible conse-uences of what originally looked like the ulti!ate freedo!. Only then could he

understand the grace of *od to sa"e such a rebellious wretch, and write the song >!a7ing

*race, which would beco!e a one of the !ost3lo"ed hy!ns of the church. +hink about 2ewton$s

life the next ti!e you sing it. EAource: >!a7ing *race, 4+he ra!atic 9ife Atory of John2ewton5, by John Pollock, arper and Cow, [email protected]

!housands of students live out a similar story day after day. !hey rebel against their authorities

and go for the ultimate freedom through drugs# drin%ing# and free sex. !hey end up in the

ultimate bondage with sexual diseases# drug addiction# bro%en relationships and often

imprisonment.

&IS*USSI%: $hy do you thin% students often rebel against authorities6 ()deas, 1 !heres a

thrill that comes with brea%ing rules. : 8uthorities restrict us from some things that are fun. -

9efying authority gets respect from a certain group of students. + $hen parents relish indefying authority# their children often model their behavior. > Some students were physically or

emotionally abused by their parents and other authorities. How they despise all authorities. 0 !hey are blinded by the Enemy.

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ILLUS#A#I%:)ohn Newton"sbackground

!ay tell us so!ething about his rebellion. e had a

lo"ing !o!, but she died before his =thbirthday.

is dad was a ship captain who ran his fa!ily the

sa!e way he ran his ships. e expected John to%u!p at his e"ery order and ne"er showed any

affection. John couldn$t e"en laugh in his father$spresence unless his father laughed first. e feared

his dad. is other authority figures were also

negati"e. 1hen his father re!arried and left for

sea, he left John with a step!o! who didn$t lo"e

hi!. Achool was no better than ho!e. is

head!aster was a tyrant. 4Aource, >!a7ing *race,

opt. cite5

)n the light of &ohns bad experiences with authorities# its no shoc% that he rebelled.

Heither is it surprising that he enBoyed cursing 4od# the ultimate authority. 8 recent study

found that many atheists had poor relationships with their father# which they transferred

over to a hate for 4od the 3ather. (Faith of the Fatherless# by Hew Yor% /niversity

psychology professor aul7itz

*on-lusion

3or some of you# so many authority figures have let you down so badly that you despise all

authority# including 4od. 8nd when someone challenges you to submit to 4ods authority# yourgut reaction is to resist. You cant really believe that 4od could love you and want the best for

you.

3or some of you# this is hard to believe. "ut theres a heavenly 3ather who really loves you. 5e

didnt Bust say it with words# but proved 5is love by sending 5is Son to die on the cross for you

(Romans >,;. )f 5e loved you enough to die for you# dont be

deceived into thin%ing that if you bow your %nee to 5im# 5e

will ma%e you miserable. Someone read a powerful statement

that 4od made in the Old !estament,

-or I 'now the ,!ans I ha$e /or you#0 dec!ares the LOR1# -,!ans to ,ros,er you and not to

har& you# ,!ans to (i$e you ho,e and a /uture.0 (&eremiah :@,11? cr. 9euteronomy 12,1-? &ohn

12,12? s. -+,12? ;+,11? -=,+

I&"A:lay a clip from the

movie#Big addy# where 8dam

Sandler has a heatedconversation with his father on

the phone and explains the

situation to the child over whichhe is custodian. Sandler calls to

a nearby young man whose

appearance would turn off any

father. 5e tells him that he

%nows he hates his father. !he

man tells Sandler to mind his

own business. Sandler replies

and the man admits as he wal%s

away# &I hate !y father0'8

great example of how many

rebel because of a poor father

figure.

3ere.iah


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)n your own words# what is 4od saying here6 3or &anis

&oplin# &imi 5endrix# &im 'orrison# and &ohn Hewton# their

freedom from authority started out with great fun# which

Juic%ly turned to misery# slavery and despair. !hats

exactly what 4od told us would happen# thousands of yearsagoI "ut the good news for all of us is that 4od loves

rebels. !hats what 4ods amazing grace is all about. &ustas the father waited for the return of the prodigal son# 4od

patiently waits with open arms for rebels to come home.

&ohn Hewton heard his fathers call# left his rebellion

behind and came home. "ut even 4ods patience has its

limits. !he others lived on the edge till it was too late.

!oday some of you need to ma%e a decision. Youve ignored 4od and gone your own way. 3ace

it. Some rebels do drugs# some dont. 8 rebel is simply someone who ignores 4od and ma%es 5is

own decisions. Dets bow our heads. 4ods not going to force you to follow. "ut 5es standing

with 5is arms outstretched# inviting you to leave your on


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Lesson II

Be0ond 1edien-e: $o5 to #reat Authorities

PUPS": BY #$" "%& ' #$IS L"SS%) I WA%# (Y S#U&"%#S # "SP"*#)L"A% '( A%& LE" #$"I AU#$I#I"S+

Introdu-tion

Dast wee% we began a series entitled &*etting >long 1ith Dour 9eaders,'where we triedto get 4ods view on how to treat our parents# teachers# and other authority figures in our

lives. )ll warn you again that were dealing with a topic that challenges our cultures

view of authority. So dont be surprised if your gut feeling cries out at some point# F+hisis cra7y0 +here$s no way I$! doing that0'8ll ) as% is that you hear me out and open your

heart to what 4od wants to say to you. So lets pray that 4od will spea% during this time.

Pra0er

Dast wee% we saw that 4od wor%s through our authorities# even if they arent *hristians. So# to

rebel against even non


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&onor your father and !other/'

9oes it say to honor them only when they do and say the right things6 Ho. $e honor them

because of theirposition# not Bust because we thin% they deser"eour respect. $e are to honorthem because they are our parents and teachers. eriod. ) %now this sounds weird# because our

culture doesnt thin% this way.

SOM3ON3 4*O LI531 IT:+o see how this "iew should affect our actions, let$s turn to >cts

8;:63H, where we find the a,ost!e au!in custody 4%ust another day for Paul05 facing -uestions

about his teachings. >s he testifies, so!eone orders those near Paul to hit hi! on the !outh. Ao

Paul puts hi! in his place by calling hi! a whitewashed wall, so!eone who looks good on the

outside but stinks in the inside. Aounds like a %ustifiable response. >fter all, the guy had it co!ing

to hi!. But so!eone near Paul says, &Dou dare to insult *od$s high priest#'

2ow put yourself in Paul$s place. 1hat would you ha"e replied to the guy# Probably so!ething

like, &+he big oaf was %ust asking to be put in his place. Ao!eone needed to set that po!pous

hypocrite straight0'

Instead, Paul responded,

-%rothers# I did not rea!i6e that he was the hi(h ,riest7 /or it is written: 81o not s,ea' e$i!

about the ru!er o/ your ,eo,!e."0

Dou see, the priest$s position de!anded respect, regardless of whether the priest$s character

deser"ed it.

*+ Learn 'ro. #he.6Prover1s ?:7; $e1re5s 78:)7; -r+ #itus

-Listen# &y sons# to a /ather"s instruction7 ,ay attention and (ain understandin(.09ro$erbs

:;lthough so!eone ob%ected that this would be

unkind to his parents, he wouldn$t budge.

>s I said last week, his re%ection of all authority didn$t bring freedo!. e beca!e ensla"ed to his

appetites. is drinking got so out of control that the band had to hire baby sitters to acco!pany

!he apostle eter described

'orrisons character in )) eter

:,12#1;#1@, &/those who follow

the corrupt desire of the sinful

nature and despise authority/.

+hey pro!ise/ freedo!, while

they the!sel"es are sla"es of

depra"ity ? for a !an is a sla"e towhate"er has !astered hi!.'

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hi! to ensure he would show for their concerts. >t the age of 8=, his abused body finally ga"e up

and he was found dead in his bathtub.4Aource: 2o One *ets Out of ere >li"e, by Jerry opkins

and anny Auger!an5

SOM3ON3 4*O LI531 IT:1hile Morrison despised his authorities, Basketball superstar

Michae! )ordan learned fro! his. >fter his hu!iliating cut fro! the high school tea! as a

Aopho!ore, he could ha"e grown bitter toward the authorities who cut hi!. Instead, he beganwaking up at :


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concert to see hi!, he refused to e"en !eet with the!. )"entually, he stopped keeping in touch

altogether and told his !anagers that he didn$t want to e"er talk to her again.

SOM3ON3 4*O LI531 IT:&+erry' couldn$t stand a church ad!inistrator who would

interrupt his class e"ery week to tell the! it was about ti!e to close up. &+erry' wanted to lashout at the guy. But the Apirit redirected his thoughts. &>lthough he$s going about it the wrong

way, at least he$s tryin(to do so!ething right.' Ao +erry pulled the !an aside and told hi! thathe really appreciated his diligence. +he ad!inistrator recei"ed the co!pli!ent like a football

player at su!!er ca!p recei"es a cold drink. e ad!itted that he was so discouraged that he

was about to -uit. > little lo"e sol"ed the proble! and started a relationship.

*%*LUSI% A%& A*#I% PI%#S

9o you see your parents as Bust roadbloc%s to the life you want. You %now# your parents are

people too. !hey get pushed around at wor% and tired of their chores at home. !hey get

discouraged when they realize theyre not always the parents they should be.

Sure# your parents and teachers dont always love and encourage you the way they should. "utthe challenge today from 4ods $ord is this, 1hat are you doing to lo"e and encourage your

parents and teachers#)m not as%ing if you emotionally love them. I$! asking what ha"e you

done this week to de!onstrate lo"e to the!#

CLOSING ACTI5IT:8s we close# lets brea% up into small groups and come up with some

special ways we could show love to our parents. )ll give you five minutes to come up with some

specific ideas. 8ppoint a secretary to write these down. $hen you finish# appoint a spo%esperson

to share the results with the entire group.

)ll give you a couple of minutes to write down the ideas that you feel 4od would have you start

applying when you see your parents today.

PAY"


Session III

IC. ut #o *hange (0 World

PUPS": BY #$" "%& ' #$IS S"SSI%) I WA%# (Y S#U&"%#S #

U%&"S#A%& $W # I%'LU"%*" AU#$I#I"S A%& S#A%& ' G& W$"%

AU#$I#I"S A%& LAWS &"'Y G&+

S$AP"%I%G YUC" A

What Hind , Students &o You Want #o Produ-e2

Six months ago ) read an article entitled# &o you really want your children to be like Jesus#'

)m still reflecting on it. )t challenges the entire concept of where we are trying to ta%e our

students. ) thin% most parents and many youth ministers would identify with the parent who#

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during my senior year in high school said to another parent#&I want !y kids to be religious, but

not a radical like Ate"e Miller.' )f we get really honest# some of us realize that wed love to lead

a huge group of students who were every parents dream clean cut# welllong 1ith Dour 9eaders. *an some of you

who attended these sessions help us review what weve covered for those who missed6

!his wee% were coming from a different direction. )m concerned that some of you may get the

wrong impression from those two lessons. You could easily conclude that &esus wants 5is

followers to be the ultimate conformists# people


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So# submitting to authorities doesnt mean that we never challenge our authorities. 8nd it

certainly doesnt mean that *hristians are conformists. aul put it to us straight when he wrote#

-1o not con/or& any !on(er to the ,attern o/ this wor!d2.06o.ans 7,1;!bition

orCocketownby 'ichael $.

Smith#. 2ot of this 1orld orha!eleon,by etra. 8ll these

songs picture either how &esus

didnt fit in# or how we

shouldnt fit in.

1>


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- Other NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

You Bust read a hilarious Bo%e that po%es fun at your current president. Should you

1 ass it on to your friends and have a good laugh.

: Keep a collection of the Bo%es so you can publish one day.

- Refuse to repeat it since it doesnt show respect for an authority.+ Other NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

!he speed limit is +> mph# but you promised youre parents youd be home by @,22 and

youll never ma%e it if you %eep the speed limit.

1 ut the pedal to the metal and %eep your promise.

: Stay within the limit and apologize to your parents for being late.

- Set your watch bac% ten minutes so youll have an excuse.

+ Other NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

How# %eep those stic%y situations in mind as we discuss how to challenge and change your

authorities and your world. (Student sheet is reproduced after the FoverheadsG pages.

"+ *hallenge and *hange #he. 6A-ts @:

-eter and the other a,ost!es re,!ied: -4e &ust obey God rather than &enB0

Bi1le Sear-h:'any times in your life# for some of you perhaps even when you get home today#

you will find yourself facing authorities who are buc%ing 4od. 5ow do we respond6 Dets go to4ods $ord to find out. $ho will volunteer to read verses6 (5and out verses. How read the

verses out loud to the group# one at a time# and ) want the other students to decide what this has to

do with those times when we need to challenge our world or our authorities.

Be,ore 0ou re1el against 0our authorities

Pra0 ,or #he.() !imothy :,1#:? roverbs :1,1? cr.:1,-2

-I ur(e# then# /irst o/ a!!# that reuests# ,rayers# intercession and than's(i$in( be &ade /or

e$eryone D /or 'in(s and a!! those in authority# that we &ay !i$e ,eace/u! and uiet !i$es in a!!

(od!iness and ho!iness.0

-The 'in("s heart is in the hand o/ the LOR17 he directs it !i'e a watercourse where$er he

,!eases.0

Sometimes we bristle when authorities get haughty or throw around their authority. "ut when we

remember that 4ods ultimately in control# we can relax. 4ods not up there pulling 5is hair in

frustration# saying# FRatsI )f her parents would only loosen up# ) could give her a great lifeIG You

see# if 4od wants you to be able to attend an event# or spend time with a certain person# 5e can

roverbs :1,1 FeartG

FmindG. (!oy Firects it

like a watercourseG pictures

irrigation canals under the

farmers control. (Kidner

10


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easily change your parents heart. ray that 4od will wor% on your authorities hearts. !hen

relaxI

Build a 'oundation o, Love and es/e-t. (Du%e 0,:=#:;

-2Lo$e your ene&ies# do (ood to those who hate you# b!ess those who curse you# ,ray /or

those who &istreat you.0

'ost people can love people who love them. "ut the mar% of the *hristian is that# li%e our

heavenly 3ather# we love the unlovely# even those who hate us. So# even if our parents and

teachers curse us and mistreat us# we are still responsible to love them. 8nd whether or not you

feellove for your authorities# go ahead and do the doingpart of these verses. 9o good to them#bless them# and pray for them. !hen 4od Bust might help you with your feelings. 8nd remember#

the more we treat our authorities with %indness# the more li%ely they are to give us a brea% when

we need one.

&o an attitude -he-k+(roverbs 10,=

Some of you here may get excited about this *hristian rebelMcounter cultureMrighteous rebellion

idea. Youd relish standing before some authority and defiantly saying# F)m serving 4od rather

than a man. So thereIG )f that appeals to you# be careful.

ILLUSTRATION:One student caught fire for hrist and ca!e to youth group reporting that

so!e students had beat hi! up for his faith. 1e really respected hi! for his stand for hrist. But

when he ca!e back e"ery week with new stories of ill treat!ent, we began to reali7e that people

weren$t roughing hi! up for his faith. +hey picked on hi! because he was obnoxious about his

faith. e relished contro"ersy.

!he "ible says# -4hen a &an"s ways are ,!easin( to the LOR1# he &a'es e$en his ene&ies

!i$e at ,eace with hi&.0

So remember# -2!o$e is 'ind209I Cor. ;>:


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Work to5ard a -reative alternative+(9aniel 1,;

Eating the %ings food may have

symbolized a covenant or

agreement with the heathen %ing.

1;


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-I/ your brother sins a(ainst you# (o and show hi& his /au!t# just between the two o/ you. I/ he

!istens to you# you ha$e won your brother o$er.0

Work to5ard a Pea-e,ul Solution.

-%!essed are the ,eace&a'ers# /or they wi!! be ca!!ed sons o/ God.0('atthew >,@

ILLUS#A#I%:On January 6=th, >!erica celebrates Martin 9uther Ling ay, honoring a

!an who stood against the un%ust laws which put down blacks in >!erica. uring Ling$s day,

!any localities barred blacks fro! sitting in the sa!e section with whites in busses. e could

ha"e used his forceful speeches to incite "iolence against the authorities who had sub%ugated his

people. Instead, he awakened the public conscious by peaceful !eans, stood for *od$s law o"er!an$s law, sa"ed !any li"es that a "iolent re"olution would ha"e taken, and ulti!atelyo"erturned the un%ust laws.

Get 5ise -ounsel. (roverbs 1>,::

-!ans /ai! /or !ac' o/ counse!# but a &an o/ understandin( 'ee,s a strai(ht course.0

Give God ti.e to 5ork+() *orinthians 1-,+

-Lo$e is ,atient2.0

*on-lusion

ILLUSTRATION:In the !o"ie, +he Matrix, a co!puter whi7 na!ed 2eal 4also called 2eo5,

played by Leenu Cee"es, found that there was !ore to this world than !et the eye. e was

brought before a !an na!ed Morpheous, who offered hi! two pills. e held out has hand and

said, you can take the red pill or the blue pill. +he red pill opens up your eyes to the truth and all

that goes with it and the other that allows you to go back to your old life and %ust fit into the

world as you see it.

!onight ) offer you three pills.

(t+ @:D:eacema%ers

Fstriving to use every

opportunity open to them to

effect reconciliation between

others who are at variance.G(!as%er

1@


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!a%e the#he Blue Pill to become the ultimate *on,or.ist+You Bust go home# try to forget

everything that we said today# and go through life trying to balance pleasing everyone with

getting all you can out of this life. Reassure yourself that this life is all all there is and that the

next boyfriend or car or set of clothes will fill the emptiness you feel inside. !hats the blue pill.

Swallow theYello5 Pill to become a %on9-on,or.ist Against God+ "e a present day &im'orrison# who rebels against all authority who gets in his way# including 4od. &ust remember

that ) warned you of the conseJuences. "ut thats the yellow pill.

) challenge you to ta%e thered /ill and becomea%on9-on,or.ist ,or God+You become a

stranger and alien to this world. You %eep your eyes on eternity as you drift through time. You

love those around you and see% peace. "ut when your faith is challenged# you ta%e your stand. )f

it costs a friendship or your life# youre prepared to face the conseJuences# because youre a rebel

for 4od.

9ont choose now. ut them in your poc%et and thin% it over when you get home.

PAY"

I&"AS:1 !o ma%e the choice

more dramatic# hold three# different

colored pills in your hand.

8dditionally# you could find

enough candies in those colored

wrappers (or wrap them yourself ifyou have a small group so that

each student has the three colored

FpillsG to ta%e with him and

decide. : *onsider showing the

clip from the movie.

:2


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Overhead


Session I: Living Within Boundariesand Liking It!

Authorities in the (edia

I+ Who Are (0 Authorities2

"./lo0ers 6I Peter


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-or I 'now the ,!ans I ha$e /or you#0 dec!ares the LOR1# -,!ans to ,ros,er you and

not to har& you# ,!ans to (i$e you ho,e and a /uture.0 9)ere&iah =?:;;7 cr. )n. ;F:;F

S#U&"%# $A%&U#


Lesson II

Be0ond 1edien-e: $o5 to #reat Authorities

B+ JJJJJJJJJJJJ #he.6"/hesians =:


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8>

E"$"A&


Lesson III


Brainstor.: Are *hristians to 1e -on,or.ists or non-on,or.ists2


Be,ore You e1el

Pra0 'or #he. 6I #i.oth0


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Yello5 Pill: -NonKCon/or&ist A(ainst God0

ed Pill: -NonKCon/or&ist or God0

Student Sheet


Lesson III


Brainstor.: Are *hristians to 1e -on,or.ists or non-on,or.ists2


Be,ore You e1el

JJJJJJJJ 'or #he. 6I #i.oth0


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Blue Pill: -The U!ti&ate Con/or&ist0

Yello5 Pill: -NonKCon/or&ist A(ainst God0

ed Pill: -NonKCon/or&ist or God0

STU13NT 4ORS*33T

4hat 4ou!d ou 1oH

Your parents are not *hristians and wont allow you to attend your churchs $ednesday

Hight youth meeting. 9o youL

1 'a%e regular plans to go to a friends house that night# so that you can go to the youth

meeting without your parents %nowing. 8fter all# 4od commands us to not forsa%e theassembling of ourselves together.

: Submit to your parents and stay home.


Your school teacher assigned your class a boo% to read that is pornographic in nature.

1 Refuse to read the boo% since 4od doesnt want us reading porno.

: Read the boo% since we %now 4od wants us to submit to our authorities. !rust 4od to %eep

your mind pure.


Your school set a policy of no witnessing on the school campus.

1 $itness anyway.

: Keep your witnessing to after and before school hours.


You Bust read a hilarious Bo%e that po%es fun at your current president. Should you

1 ass it on to your friends and have a good laugh.

: Keep a collection of the Bo%es so you can publish one day.

- Refuse to repeat it since it doesnt show respect for an authority.

+ Other NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

You have a car and are old enough to drive. !he speed limit is +> mph# but you promised

your parents youd be home by @,22 and youll never ma%e it if you %eep the speed limit.

1 ut the pedal to the metal and %eep your promise.

: Stay within the limit and apologize to your parents for being late.

- Set your watch bac% ten minutes so youll have an excuse.

+ Other NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

:=


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