Fulfilling your potential shalom christian education ministry teen lessons

Fulfilling Your Potential

Scriptural Reference: Mark 11:23; Hearing, Believing, Conceiving, and Releasing

SHALOM CHRISTIAN EDUCATION MINISTRY

April 12, 2012

Authored by: Shalom Christian Education Ministry, 2012

Shalom Christian Education – Teen Bible Study (Spring/Summer 2012) Page 1

Table of Contents Overview – Instructions: ............................................................................................................................... 2

Scriptural Reference – Mark 11:22-25 .......................................................................................................... 2

Biblical Background of the Gospel of Mark: ................................................................................................. 2

Lesson #1: Hearing - (The Word) .................................................................................................................. 4

Lesson Scriptural Reference: ..................................................................................................................... 4

Scriptural Cross References, (NIV) ............................................................................................................ 4

Message: ....................................................................................................................................................... 5

Hands-on Exercise: ........................................................................................................................................ 5

Questions to answer: .................................................................................................................................... 5

Commitment: ................................................................................................................................................ 6

Today:........................................................................................................................................................ 6

Over the next 30 days: .............................................................................................................................. 6

Lesson #2: Believe - (The Heart) ................................................................................................................... 7

Lesson Scriptural Reference: ..................................................................................................................... 7

Scriptural Cross References, (NIV) ............................................................................................................ 7

Message: ....................................................................................................................................................... 8

Hands-on Exercise: ........................................................................................................................................ 8

Questions to answer: .................................................................................................................................... 8

Commitment: ................................................................................................................................................ 9

Today:........................................................................................................................................................ 9

Over the next 30 days: .............................................................................................................................. 9

Lesson #3: Conceiving - (Seeing it as already done) ................................................................................... 10

Lesson #4: Releasing - (Speaking and Acting on It) ..................................................................................... 13

Lesson Scriptural Reference: ................................................................................................................... 13

Psalm 55:22; 1 Peter 5:7; Job 13:15; Psalm 37:4 .................................................................................... 13

Message: ................................................................................................................................................. 13

Hands on Exercise ................................................................................................................................... 14

Discussion................................................................................................................................................ 15


Overview – Instructions: 1. Engage participants in discussion on the Book of Mark, the author, period of writing and key

topics in Mark

2. Rotate reading of the scriptures among student(s)

Scriptural Reference – Mark 11:22-25

11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God

11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed,

and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things

which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye

receive them, and ye shall have them.

11:25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also

which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

Biblical Background of the Gospel of Mark:

John Mark is the author of this Gospel. It is believed that he was the attendant and writer for the

Apostle Peter. This is the same John Mark who traveled as a helper with Paul and Barnabas on their

first missionary journey (Acts 13). John Mark is not one of the 12 disciples.

The Gospel of Mark was written to prove that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. In a dramatic and action-

packed sequence of events, Mark paints a striking image of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Mark

illustrates who Jesus is as a person. The ministry of Jesus is revealed with vivid detail and the

messages of his teaching are presented more through what he did than what he said. The Gospel of

Mark reveals Jesus the Servant.

The Gospel of Mark is the shortest of the four canonical gospels, most biblical scholars regard Mark as

the oldest of the four and a primary source for much of the material contained in Luke and Matthew.

Mark is not, however, a "primitive" gospel despite its age and length. It also isn’t simply a collection of

earlier stories and traditions, even though the narrative style reflects popular storytelling techniques.

The Gospel According to Mark is a theologically complex document that interweaves a number of

important themes in a manner that communicates its theology in both overt and subtle ways. The

word “gospel” comes from Greek and means the “good news” of some important event (like a birth or

a victory). It appears often in Paul’s letters in reference to the significance of the person, life, and

ministry of Jesus.

http://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Bible.show/sVerseID/24665/eVerseID/24665

http://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Bible.show/sVerseID/24666/eVerseID/24666


Some key concepts about Mark:

Mark is not meant to be a historical record of past events; instead, it is a series of events

It is also likely that Mark was intended to be read aloud rather than carefully studied in written

form like a philosophy text

Material only found in Mark: 3:19-21 - Jesus' family tries to restrain him, 4:26-29 - Parable of

the seed growing on its own, 7:31-37 - Jesus heals a deaf man at Decapolis

8:22-26 - Jesus heals a blind man at Bethsaida, 14:51-52 - Naked young man flees after

Jesus' arrest, 16:14-18 - Commissioning of the eleven


Lesson #1: Hearing - (The Word)

Lesson Scriptural Reference:

Romans 10:17, Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through

the word of Christ. (NIV)

Scriptural Cross References, (NIV): (Read, review, and study)

Job 42:5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.

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Galatians 3:2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the

law, or by believing what you heard?

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Galatians 3:5 Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or

because you believe what you heard?

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Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with

all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

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1 Thessalonians 2:13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God,

which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God,

which is at work in you who believe.

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Hebrews 4:2 For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they

heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.


Message: The Bible shows us that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. You can

achieve the potential that God has for you life through the Word.

Hands-on Exercise: Take an empty cola bottle or plastic container and fill it half full of water. Then, take some vegetable oil

and fill it the rest of the way. Then try to shake it with all your might, so it will become all mixed up.

What happens? The moment you stop shaking, it begins to separate from one another, doesn’t it? What

is the moral? The moral is that, by their very nature, oil and water do not mix. The same is true with

Godliness and worldliness. But if that is true, it is true because there is too much world in each of us.

You might say that we live here and we need to be in the world.

Questions to answer:

We might need to be in the world, but does the world have to be in us?

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

Do you have a situational example of when you knew the Word, and the Word is within you and

you were exposed to a “situation” in the World?

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

In EPHESIANS 2:19, we are told that we are citizens and members of God’s household. We are no longer

citizens of this world, and as the song says, “This World is Not My Home, I’m Just a Passing Through.”

And since we belong to God; since we are citizens of heaven working as ambassadors here on earth; we

need to focus more on God and less on the world, but to do so, we need to make sure that we really

believe in God, and not just think we do.

As God’s ambassador, what can you do, as a youth, to fulfill your potential?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________


Commitment:

What does the Bible teach us about commitment? One feature of commitment is making a stand.

Joshua chose to serve the Lord, to make a commitment. Scripture admonishes us to not be wishy-washy,

to choose. Joshua 24:15 tells us "...if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for

yourselves this day..." The Bible reminds us that we need to commit to the spiritual path we have

chosen and not be swayed by those who try to deter us from that path.

To fulfill the potential that God has for you, make a commitment to do or change your behaviors in

three areas:

1) Hearing the Word

2) Living according to the Word

3) Getting more Word into you

My name is __________________________________________, today’s date is _____________

I commit to:

Today: Tomorrow is not promised to us. Accept or renew your commitment to Christ as your personal Savior.

With this acceptance, what do you commit to do or change to Hear the Word, Live according to the

Word, and get more Word in you:

1) _________________________________________________________________

2) _________________________________________________________________

3) _________________________________________________________________

Over the next 30 days: Habits are formed in usually 20-22 days… As human beings, we are creatures of habit… What will you do

every day for the next 30 days to Hear the Word, Live according to the Word, and get more Word into

you?

1) _________________________________________________________________

2) _________________________________________________________________

3) _________________________________________________________________


Lesson #2: Believe - (The Heart)


John 20: 31, But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that

by believing you may have life in his name (NIV)

Scriptural Cross References, (NIV): (Read, review, and study)

Matthew 4:3 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become

bread."

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Luke 1:35 The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will

overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

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John 3:15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

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John 5:24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life

and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

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John 19:35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells

the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.

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1 John 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know

that you have eternal life.


Message: That ye might believe ... - This is a clue to the design which John had in view in writing this gospel. The

whole scope or end of the book is to accomplish two objects:

1. To prove that Jesus was the Messiah; and,

2. That they who looked at the proof might be convinced and have eternal life.

Hands-on Exercise: Take an empty cola bottle or plastic container and fill it half full of water. Then, take some vegetable oil

and fill it the rest of the way. Then try to shake it with all your might, so it will become all mixed up.

What happens? The moment you stop shaking, it begins to separate from one another, doesn’t it? What

is the moral? The moral is that, by their very nature, oil and water do not mix. The same is true with

Godliness and worldliness. But if that is true, it is true because there is too much world in each of us.

You might say that we live here and we need to be in the world.

Questions to answer:

We might need to be in the world, but does the world have to be in us?

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

Do you have a situational example of when you knew the Word, and the Word is within you and

you were exposed to a “situation” in the World?

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

In EPHESIANS 2:19, we are told that we are citizens and members of God’s household. We are no longer

citizens of this world, and as the song says, “This World is Not My Home, I’m Just a Passing Through.”

And since we belong to God; since we are citizens of heaven working as ambassadors here on earth; we

need to focus more on God and less on the world, but to do so, we need to make sure that we really

believe in God, and not just think we do.

As God’s ambassador, what can you do, as a youth, to fulfill your potential?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________


Commitment:

What does the Bible teach us about commitment? One feature of commitment is making a stand.

Joshua chose to serve the Lord, to make a commitment. Scripture admonishes us to not be wishy-washy,

to choose. Joshua 24:15 tells us "...if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for

yourselves this day..." The Bible reminds us that we need to commit to the spiritual path we have

chosen and not be swayed by those who try to deter us from that path.

To fulfill the potential that God has for you, make a commitment to do or change your behaviors in

three areas:

4) Hearing the Word

5) Living according to the Word

6) Getting more Word into you

My name is __________________________________________, today’s date is _____________

I commit to:

Today: Tomorrow is not promised to us. Accept or renew your commitment to Christ as your personal Savior.

With this acceptance, what do you commit to do or change to Hear the Word, Live according to the

Word, and get more Word in you:

4) _________________________________________________________________

5) _________________________________________________________________

6) _________________________________________________________________

Over the next 30 days: Habits are formed in usually 20-22 days… As human beings, we are creatures of habit… What will you do

every day for the next 30 days to Hear the Word, Live according to the Word, and get more Word into

you?

4) _________________________________________________________________

5) _________________________________________________________________

6) _________________________________________________________________


Lesson #3: Conceiving - (Seeing it as

already done)

Instructions:

1) Review Scriptures individually and in a group setting

2) Discuss how they impact your life

3) Select one or two of the scriptures, reflect how you know God knows you and he has a plan for

your life…

4) Select one or two of the scriptures, discuss how these scriptures reveal to you how God has

conceived the plan for your life and how you see it as already done!

GOD KNOWS YOU AND HE HAS A PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE

(Exodus 33:17 NKJV) So the LORD said to Moses, "I will also do this thing that you

have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name."

(2 Chronicles 16:9 NKJV) "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the

whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In

this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars."

(Psalms 34:14-15 NKJV) Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. {15}

The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry.

(Psalms 100:3 NKJV) Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and

not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

(Psalms 139:14-18 NKJV) I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. {15} My frame was not

hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts

of the earth. {16} Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book

they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.

{17} How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!

{18} If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake,

I am still with You.


(Psalms 145:8-10 NKJV) The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger

and great in mercy. {9} The LORD is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all

His works. {10} All Your works shall praise You, O LORD, And Your saints shall bless

You.

(Proverbs 5:21 NKJV) For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He

ponders all his paths.

(Proverbs 15:3 NKJV) The eyes of the LORD are in every place, Keeping watch on the

evil and the good.

(Isaiah 43:1-3 NKJV) But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He

who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your

name; You are Mine. {2} When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And

through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you

shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. {3} For I am the LORD your God,

The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in

your place.

Reflections:

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Lesson #4: Releasing - (Speaking and

Acting on It)


Psalm 55:22; 1 Peter 5:7; Job 13:15; Psalm 37:4

Message:

The bible teaches us to “cast all your cares upon me”….

Realistically, how many of us actually do this “without” trying to fix the situation ourselves? I

would estimate a very low percentage. Learning to “let go” and “let God” is not as easy as it

sounds, however, the bible reassures us to …”Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain

you; he will never let the righteous fall.” Ps 55:22 and “Cast all your anxiety on him because he

cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

For example let’s consider Job’s trials. Job said: “Though he slay

me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before

him.” Job 13:15 KJV

The taunting, “Worry Syndrome”

I pose the question, if you’re in constant turmoil and worrying, why

do you pray? Is it just something you do because it’s tradition? Or,

do you truly seek God for peace and understanding? Forming a “real” relationship with God

provides a sense of security, revelation knowledge and mostly, “a peace that surpasseth all

understanding.”

The bible says to delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart (Ps

37:4) What we should understand mostly from this passage is the fact that there is a process of

learning just how to “delight yourself in God.”


Hands on Exercise

Are you willing to go through the process? If so, here are a few suggestions to get you started on

your blessed journey – Write down your thoughts for each of the steps:

First, pray and sincerely ask the Holy Spirit to order your footsteps as you prepare to read God’s

words and describe your plans to “release”:

1. Clear your mind of all self-thoughts of how you “think” it should be. (As Paul stated to

the Corinthians in 1 Corin 14:36; “Do you think that the knowledge of God’s word

begins and ends with you Corinthians? Well, you are mistaken!”) -

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2. Be prepared to push your way through negative temptations of things like, “I don’t

understand what I’m reading” or “this doesn’t make any sense” or “I don’t have time to

read” or “every time I try to read the bible, I get sleepy” (well, perhaps you do but,

understand that the enemy doesn’t want you to read it, speak boldly and declare the good

works of the Lord that you have already conquered the enemy and you’re on your way to

a victorious life in Jesus Christ!) and continue to read. (Ref: “Watch and pray so that you

will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Matt 26:41)

____________________________________________________________________

3. Make it a point to read at least 3 scriptures per day. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to place

these readings in your spirit so that when it’s time for you to use them, He will bring

them back to remembrance.

____________________________________________________________________

4. Don’t “try” so hard. God knows your heart. A sincere heart towards Him will produce

results.

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5. STOP stressing. When you find yourself going to a place of stress, having tantrums or

rebellious actions – STOP and ask yourself, “what do I look like to God right now?” Did

you know that God knows what are needs are long before we do? Let go and let Him do

what He promises all throughout His message. But, if you feel you must continue through

a tantrum, afterwards, repent (ask for forgiveness), shake the dust and renew your mind

to the will of God. Note: “Discouragement, depression, and self-pity are the result of

problems and adversity for some. For others, problems are a challenge and help bring

about faith, trust and victory.”

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6. Be willing to go through your storm! Pick up your cross and humbly carry it to its

destination! God is able to use us for His glory when we’re willing to pursue the purpose

He intended for us long ago.

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7. Place yourself in environments and with people that are positive and encouraging.

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8. Instead of the “me, oh my” syndrome, with a sincere heart, pray for others.

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9. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not to your own understanding.”

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10. What behavior in your life will you change, so that you can speak and act on “releasing?”

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Discussion

Did you know that doubt and faith couldn’t exist in the same

body?

For example, have you ever found yourself in a conversation

saying, “I know I should be stronger than this, oh yes I have

faith BUT, I’m human too, and sometimes it just gets too

hard.”? The mind can sometimes be our worst weapon against self; however, the fact that we can

dismiss negativity by adding positives allows us to be over comers! It is unwise (and impossible)

to seek the Lord through “worldly” eyes.

God is a spirit and the bible informs that we must seek Him in spirit and in truth. There are more

scriptures that support this biblical principal… identify them in the space provided below:

1. ____________________________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________________________

4. ____________________________________________________________________

5. ____________________________________________________________________

6. ____________________________________________________________________

7. ____________________________________________________________________

8. ____________________________________________________________________

9. ____________________________________________________________________

10. ____________________________________________________________________

Spiritual

Fulfilling your potential shalom christian education ministry teen lessons