Journey of Faith: Leader Guide -2 by Our Daily Bread Ministries

Introduction

Notes:

1. The duration of the devotional sessions is 20-30 minutes.

2. This leader’s guide is suitable for both online and physical discussions.

3. This leader’s guide is suitable for officers and leaders who lead a group or individuals who are not joining any of the discussion groups.

For officers or leaders who conduct the sessions in a group, keep in mind the following:

1. Have a non-judgmental attitude.

a. In the course of the discussion, some members may give answers that you, as the leader, know are wrong.

b. Don’t pounce on the answer or reprimand them – they will not want to continue participating.

c. Value the insight you are gaining into their true thoughts, so that they are able to share what they think openly rather than parroting “right answers” to you.

d. Accept the answer by saying something like, “That’s an interesting point of view. What do the rest of you think?”

2. Encourage participation.

a. Some members are chatty and assertive. Welcome their contribution but remind them to give others a chance to speak.

b. Other members are shy and quiet. Encourage them to share, but if they really don’t want to, don’t force them.

c. Try to give every member a chance to say something.

3. When summarising or concluding, highlight good answers that have been contributed and add insights from the leaders’ guide that the members may have missed.

Day 11: Following the Leader

Lesson/Learning Objective: To commit ourselves to denying self, taking up our cross, and following Jesus.

Preparation:

❖ Bible verse: Read Luke 9:21-24

❖ Context: Jesus’ public ministry can be roughly divided into three phases:

[1] Obscurity, from His baptism (Luke 3:21-22) to the arrest of John the Baptist (Luke 3:18-20). During this time, Jesus was mainly in Judea. He called some disciples to Himself, but there was no formal leadership structure.

[2] Popularity, which continued up to the beheading of John the Baptist (Luke 9:7-9). In this phase, Jesus publicly chose the twelve apostles and drew increasingly large crowds wherever He went.

[3] Rejection, which led up to Passion Week and Jesus’ death (Luke 23:44-46) and resurrection (Luke 24:1-8). In this final stage, Jesus still drew large crowds, but he faced increasing hostility from the scribes and the Pharisees. He also travelled more widely, avoiding the reach of Herod Antipas until finally, He went to Jerusalem and to the Cross.

Today’s reading is near the beginning of Phase [3]. Looking before today’s reading, Jesus had chosen the twelve apostles and now sent them out to preach, heal, and cast out demons (Luke 9:1-6). Herod heard about their exploits, and was perplexed by rumours that these deeds were done by John the Baptist, whom he had beheaded (Luke 9:7-9 - this marked the end of Phase [2] and the beginning of Phase [3]). Right before today’s reading, these rumours about Jesus’ identity prompted Him to ask His disciples who the crowds said He was and who they said He was, which led to Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Messiah (v.18-20).

In today’s reading, Jesus told His disciples to keep His identity secret (v.21). He did this because at the time, people thought the Messiah would be a political leader who would lead the nation of Israel in war to overthrow the rule of the Roman Empire; but that was not Jesus’ mission. Jesus then explains to His disciples what He, the Messiah, really came to do: To suffer rejection and death, and then be resurrected to life again (v.22). Jesus then tells them, in light of who He is, what it means for them to follow Him: self-denial and willingness to give up everything, even their very lives, for His sake (v.23-26).

❖ Materials: Enough space for your members to move around.

Activity:

❖ Instruct your members to line up, all facing the same direction. The person in front will be the leader.

❖ The leader is to move around your meeting-place with all the others following behind them and imitating their gait. He or she may begin by walking normally, and then creatively switch things up by hopping, limping, crawling, jumping, duck-walking, leap-frogging, etc.

❖ Whenever the leader wants to, they can turn back to face the line and say, “Freeze!” and everyone else should immediately stop moving and hold whatever pose they are in.

❖ If the leader sees someone move, that person then goes to the front of the line and becomes the new leader.

❖ You can play this through four or five leaders, or set a time limit for the activity.

❖ After that, debrief them:

➢ What was the main point of this activity? (Following the leader!)

➢ *If you are doing this devotional alone, you can offer your help to someone in your household or around you. But, you cannot tell them that you helped them. This is to obey the Word of God that mentions, “But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:3-4)

❖ In today’s reading, we will learn more about what it means to follow our Leader, our Great Captain, Jesus Christ.

Discussions:

❖ Read the Bible passage and the devotional article with the participants.

❖ Discuss the three questions:

1. Q: What did Jesus instruct His disciples not to tell anyone (Luke 9:20-21)? What reason or reasons might He have to keep this information secret?

A: He told them to keep His identity as the Messiah a secret.

(Note: “Messiah” is Hebrew for “Anointed one.” It is the same word as “Christos” in Greek, from which we get the word Christ. In the Old Testament, kings and priests were anointed with oil before they took office. This points to Jesus’ roles as King of Kings (Revelation 17:14, 19:16) and our Great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16). The term “Messiah” came to signify the promised saviour, who was foretold from the beginning of the Old Testament (Genesis 3:15, the “offspring of the woman”) to its end (Malachi 3:1, 4:5 - the “prophet Elijah” is John the Baptist, and the Lord for whom he “prepares the way” is Jesus).

For the second part, give members a chance to answer. Some may answer correctly, others may only guess. Then, explain the concept back then that the Messiah was expected to be a political leader.

2. Q: What did Jesus come to do (Luke 9:22)? What does this mean for those of us who are Christians, followers of Jesus (Luke 9:23-24)?

A: Jesus came to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. As He predicted, He had to suffer many things, be rejected by the chief priests and teachers of the law, be killed, and rise again.

Note: If you want, you can break the second question into three questions which are more specific:

What does it mean to “deny ourselves”?

Jesus submitted His will to the will of the Father. In His humanity, He would rather have avoided the excruciating pain of the Cross; but in the garden of Gethsemane He prayed, “yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). As His followers, then, we too are called to deny ourselves. This does not mean that we must not eat when we are hungry, or cannot enjoy a good movie, or that we must refuse to allow ourselves to have anything and everything we want. But it does mean that like Jesus, we put the Father’s will and the Father’s agenda first before our own. We deny ourselves in the sense that He is on the throne of our hearts, calling the shots and directing the action, not us. And of course, whenever our will is in conflict with God’s will, we choose to deny ourselves and align ourselves with Him.

What does it mean to “take up our cross”?

The cross was an instrument of torture and death. If you saw someone carrying their cross, you knew that they were about to be executed, about to die. Therefore, to take up our cross is to be willing to lay down our lives for Jesus (Luke 9:24). It means being willing to give up all things to gain Him. The things that we want to keep grasping, we cannot hold on to for long anyway. Pleasure is fleeting; power corrupts; wealth can be lost or stolen; even marriage is only until death parts us. Paradoxically, it is in surrendering our lives to Jesus that we actually gain true life. C.S. Lewis put it this way in ‘Mere Christianity’: “Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end: submit with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.”

What does it mean to follow Jesus?

To follow Jesus means to imitate Him, to be like Him. It means to love others as He loves us (see Day 2), to obey His commission to bear the lasting fruit of Christian character, conduct, and converts (Day 4), to obey His commands to love one another, forgive one another, and even love our enemies (Day 5).

[Note: This is a good time to check if your members have been applying the lessons discussed in Days 2, 4 and 5. Take the opportunity to ask for reports and testimonies, and keep them accountable on commitments made. Commend those who have made efforts to take action. Don’t judge those who have forgotten or who have not done anything out of fear or laziness, but gently encourage them to step out of their comfort zone and do the things that God calls them to do.]

3. Q: What is one thing that God is calling you to do or stop doing this week in order to better obey His call to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him? Will you do it?

A: After talking about commitments they’ve made and actions taken, today we have the opportunity to obey Him once again. Some members may be convicted to stop committing a habitual sin. If this is something of an addictive nature (pornography, masturbation, social media addiction, video game addiction, and so on) it will be difficult for them to overcome on their own. Hopefully this devotion group can also be a support group to encourage and cheer them on through the struggle, the relapses, and so on. Others may be convicted to start doing something they’d not done previously ie. attending church regularly, reading the Bible, praying, and so on. Listen to their answers and encourage them to do it!

Conclusion:

❖ Commend your members for everything they have shared - their past efforts to put what they have learnt into practice, and their most recent commitment to “Follow the Leader” more closely.

❖ Remind them not to try to do this on their own, in their own strength and with their own effort.

❖ Remind them to always abide in Jesus (Day 4) and ask for the Holy Spirit’s help (Day 5).

❖ Remind them also that you are always there for them if they need to talk to someone, and that they can encourage each other and keep each other accountable too.

❖ Close in prayer.

Day 12: Wait

Lesson/Learning Objective: To learn to be patient, to wait for God’s timing when necessary, and trust in His love.

Preparation

 Bible verse: Read 1 Samuel 13:7-14

 Context: For the context of the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, read the first paragraph of the “Context” section of Day 10. In that day’s reading (1 Samuel 15:10-23), we saw God reject Saul as King because he disobeyed God’s command to totally destroy the Amalekites. As mentioned in the answer to Question 2 on Day 10, that was actually the second time Saul disobeyed. In today’s reading, we read about what happened the first time Saul disobeyed.

Just before today’s reading, Saul assembled an army of 3,000 men, with 2,000 under his command and 1,000 under the command of Jonathan, his son. Jonathan took the initiative to attack the Philistine outpost at Geba (the Philistines were one of the main enemies of God’s people at this point in history). Anticipating a counterattack, Saul sounded the alarm and called his army together. Unfortunately, the Philistines gathered an overwhelming force, far larger than Saul’s army. Seeing that they were badly outnumbered and very likely to suffer defeat and death, Saul’s army hid in fear wherever they could take cover (1 Samuel 13:2-6).

Following on in today’s reading, we see that some of these men even ran away to neighbouring territories in Gad and Gilead (v.7). Samuel and Saul had a previous agreement to meet there, in Gilgal, in a week’s time in order to make sacrifices and seek God’s favour before taking further military action. When Samuel was late, Saul saw his men’s morale drop and the number of deserters increase, so he took matters into his own hands and offered the sacrifice on his own. This was wrong of him, for the offering of sacrifice was to be done only by priests (Numbers 18:5-7), prophets such as Samuel, or by one chosen by God at His command (For example, Gideon in Judges 6:25-27). Normal people, including kings, were not allowed to perform this act of mediation between God and humans. Because of Saul’s disobedience, Samuel informed him that his dynasty would not continue, and God would pass the kingship to someone else; a man after His own heart (v.13-14).

After today’s reading, we read that in the time Saul waited for Samuel, his army had dwindled from 3,000 to 600. To make matters worse, they had no swords or spears. In spite of these daunting challenges, Jonathan again took the initiative to attack a Philistine outpost with only his armour-bearer to support him, and God gave him the victory. Jonathan’s courage and faithfulness is thus contrasted with his father’s fearfulness and disobedience to God.

 Materials: Small plastic bowls for each member (share if not enough), small objects like marbles, sweets, or small toys (put three or four in every bowl), water; and a freezer.

Activity:

 This activity requires some preparation a day or a few hours before. (If you are doing this devotional challenge individually, you can also prepare the materials for yourself and do the activity on your own.)

 Put the small objects into the bowls (same number of items in each bowl).

 Fill the bowls with enough water to cover the objects completely.

 Put the bowls in the freezer.

 Take out the frozen bowls and distribute them (one each or one per pair).

 The first person/pair to remove the objects from the ice, without breaking the ice, smashing it, or using any tools, wins.

 After the activity, debrief them:

 What did you find challenging in this activity? (Hands feel very cold, the ice melts very slowly)

 Today’s activity requires patience; waiting for the ice to melt so you can extract the objects from it.

 In today’s reading, we will meet king Saul again (we last saw him on Day 10), and we will see him learn a lesson about having patience and waiting for God’s timing.

Discussions:

 Read the Bible passage and the devotional article with the participants.

 Discuss the three questions:

1. Q: Why did some Hebrews cross the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead, and why were King Saul’s troops quaking with fear (1 Samuel 13:7)?

A: They were very fearful because their army, originally numbering 3,000 men (v.2), was heavily outnumbered by the Philistine army, which had 3,000 chariots, 6,000 charioteers, and thousands of soldiers. Because of that, some went into hiding. They crossed the Jordan to put a barrier between them and the Philistine army headquartered at Michmash. F

2. Q: Why did Saul offer up the burnt offering instead of waiting for Samuel to arrive (1 Samuel 13:8-9,11-12)? Why was he wrong to do that (1 Samuel 13:13-14)?

A: Samuel was late. Saul’s army’s morale was dropping, men were deserting, and their number was dwindling. Considering that their number was so much smaller than that of the Philistines, it was possible (this is not in the text, just a possibility) that Saul wanted to use guerilla tactics against them - strike hard and fast before they’re ready, take them by surprise, and then quickly retreat before they can counterattack. But because he was waiting for Samuel, he wasn’t able to do that; and as the Philistines gathered their forces, he was worried that they would initiate the attack instead. It seemed to Saul that waiting longer would just make things worse, and he needed to do something to bolster his men’s confidence and give legitimacy to the next steps of his strategy. So, he went ahead and offered the sacrifice on his own.

Saul was wrong to do that because it went against God’s command, which came via the prophet Samuel in Samuel 10:8 (note the imperative, “...you must wait…”) Additionally, Saul should have known from Leviticus 17:1-5 that normal people who were not prophets, priests, or explicitly commanded by God to make sacrifices were prohibited from doing so. By doing this, Saul overstepped the boundaries of his powers as King. He was supposed to reign under God’s authority and in obedience to God’s law (Deut 17:18-20). But his action showed that he thought he could do what was best according to his judgement instead of submitting to God and obeying His commands.

3. Q: Imagine having to wait for something you really, really want. What makes waiting easier or harder for you? If you were in Saul’s shoes, would you have made the sacrifice, or would you have waited for Samuel? Why?

A: Various answers are possible for these open-ended questions. Waiting is easier when there is a definite target date to look forward to. This made it more difficult for Saul because the agreed-upon date had already passed. Waiting may also be easier if: there are other tasks or activities to distract you while you wait, if you can understand why there is a delay, if you have adjusted your expectations beforehand to include waiting, if you are sure about what you’re waiting for rather than anxious about it, if you know that what you’re waiting for is worth it, if you are very sure that the person you are waiting for is trustworthy and won’t stand you up, and so on.

Some of your members may admit that they would make the sacrifice too, because the situation was so desperate. Others might say that, with the benefit of the knowledge we have as outside observers, they would not do it. And they may give various reasons for what they would do; accept any answers that make sense.

Conclusion:

 Explain to your members that in their journey with God, there may be times when they have to wait on Him.

 Sometimes they may pray for something and feel like there is no answer. Sometimes this is because the answer is “No;” at other times, it may be because the answer is, “Wait.”

 If you can, share a personal story from your own life where you had to wait for God’s timing.

 For example, when I was in secondary school there was a girl I liked, and I asked God if she could be my girlfriend.

 Unfortunately, when I finally mustered up the courage to ask her, I found out that she already had a boyfriend (both of them were in the same youth fellowship as me, and there were some rumours about them. But they were pretty discreet, so at that time, I didn’t know if the rumours were true. And they are married today with three kids, haha).

 So at that time, I felt rather sad. I thought that God’s answer to my prayer was “No,” and that I would be forever alone.

 Today, though, I understand that God was actually saying, “Wait,” because I met my beautiful wife and the mother of my two children when we attended and served together in our university Christian Fellowship.

 Encourage your members that:

 When God tells you to wait, it is not a passive waiting where you just sit there and wait. It is an active waiting: there are always things that God is calling you to do and learn while you keep your heart and hands open to receive whatever He has in store for you (see Question 3 above: “waiting is easier when there are other tasks for you to do while you wait”).

 Also, they can be 100% sure that God loves them and cares deeply for them (“waiting is easier when the person you’re waiting for is trustworthy”).

 And because He is good, He has good reasons for making you wait (“waiting is easier when you can understand why there is a delay” – you may not understand exactly why, but you can trust in His character and His love).

 Plus, His plans and purposes are ultimately the best for them (“waiting is easier when you know that the wait is worth it”).

❖ Close in prayer.

Day 13: The Real Thing

Lesson/Learning Objective: To be challenged to live as authentic Christians, not just nominal Christians.

Preparation:

❖ Bible verse: Read 1 John 2:3-11

❖ Context: For the context of 1 John 2, see Day 2’s “Context”.

❖ Materials: “Real or Fake” quiz.

Activity:

❖ Print out the “Real or Fake” quiz below or show them on a laptop or projector. (If you are doing this devotional individually, try to answer the quiz questions on your own before checking the answers!)

1. Real or Fake: Obama Fried Chicken?

2. Real or Fake: Pikachu found in real life?

3. Real or Fake: Angolan Witch Spider?

4. Real or Fake: World’s highest tennis court?

5. Real or Fake: Goojje, a Chinese version of Google?

7. Real or Fake: World’s unluckiest man?

❖ Answers are below:

1. Real! See http://www.china.org.cn/china/2011-10/13/content_23611178.htm.

2. Fake! It’s photoshopped.

3. Fake! It’s photoshopped.

4. Real! This tennis court iat a height of 211m on the Burj Al Arab, Dubai.

5. Real! See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goojje

6. Real! As in, the picture is real. It is not possible to verify that this dog is really, literally, the fattest in the world.

7. Fake! See https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trouble-brewing/

❖ After the activity, debrief them:

➢ Was it easy to tell whether the pictures were real or fake? How did you do it?

❖ In today’s reading, we will find out how to tell whether we are real Christians or fake Christians.

6. Real or Fake: World’s fattest dog?

Discussions:

❖ Read the Bible passage and the devotional article with the participants.

❖ Discuss the three questions:

1. Q: What is the first test for Christian authenticity found in 1 John 2:3-6?

A: A real Christian lives an authentic Christian life. He or she keeps Jesus’ commands, obeys God’s Word, and lives as Jesus did.

Some of Jesus’ commands can be found in Day 5 Question 3. Living as Jesus did does not mean imitating His external actions like wearing ancient robes and sandals, not driving a car or using a computer, and so on. It means loving others and having compassion for them like Jesus did, speaking the truth like Jesus did, and so on.

2. Q: What is the second test for Christian authenticity found in 1 John 2:9-11?

A: A real Christian loves his or her fellow Christians and does not hate them.

Remind your members that we talked about this in Day 2 Question 3. Ask them how their journey has been so far, trying to show love to those that they find difficult to love in their squad, company, or circle of friends. acquaintance. Ask them to share stories of what they have done and how the person they were showing love to responded to them. Encourage them to continue loving one another in practical, meaningful ways.

3. Q: Evaluate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 according to these two tests. Are you closer to a real (10/10) or fake (1/10) Christian? How can you become more real and less fake in the coming week?

A: Give your members some time to reflect and evaluate themselves.

Encourage those who give themselves a low score that they are still a work in progress, that God is still at work in them, He is not finished with them. And today, they have a chance to work together with Him, with His help, to increase their “real Christian” score. Commend those who give themselves a high score, but remind them to not to become proud, to keep depending on Jesus and not on their own strength.

Since the first test involves keeping Jesus’ commands, obeying God’s Word, and living as Jesus did, it would be impossible to do those things without first getting to know Jesus’s commands, God’s Word, and the story of Jesus’s life. Therefore one key action to becoming “more real” as a Christian is to take in God’s Word and apply it to our lives, live it out. There are five basic ways we can take in God’s Word:

1. By hearing it (Luke 11:28)

2. By reading it (Deuteronomy 17:19)

3. By studying it (Acts 17:11)

4. By memorising it (Psalm 119:11)

5. By meditating on it (Joshua 1:8)

Members from Christian homes would already be hearing the Word in Church and Youth Fellowship, and all of them are reading it together in this 40-day devotional challenge. Still, even the most devout members could probably benefit from: further study (using the mind to analyse and understand, examining historical context, literary context etc.), memorisation (committing key verses to memory and learning them by heart. The Holy Spirit often uses memorised verses by bringing them to mind when we most need them), and meditation (chewing on the Word; pondering, reflecting, digesting and internalising what it means, how it should change the way we think, feel, and act). Meditation may be the most important aspect of taking in God’s Word, as it works to move all we have heard, read, studied, and memorised from being mere head knowledge to becoming heart knowledge, a part of us, allowing it to transform us from within by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion:

 *Encourage your members to memorise the key verse from today’s reading*, 1 John 2:56, and meditate on it for a few minutes in the coming week. Ask them to come back and report to the group if they gain any deeper insight into the meaning and application of this verse from doing this.

 Encourage your members to form a habit of reading the Bible every day; a habit that will continue beyond these 40 days of devotions together (you can make Our Daily Bread resources or other resources available to them to help them do this).

 Remind your members of the importance of letting God’s Word touch and change their hearts, and the importance of applying it and living it out in the world, and not just keeping it in their brain as head knowledge. Then, with God’s help, they will definitely grow to be real, 10/10 authentic Christians!

❖ Close in prayer.

Day 14: Night Crew

Lesson/Learning Objective: To have the integrity to obey God and do what is right even when no one is watching.

Preparation:

❖ Bible verse: Read Colossians 3:22-25

❖ Context: Colossians was written by the Apostle Paul to the Church in Colossae to fight against wrong teachings in the church and show them that Jesus was all they needed. They didn’t need the special knowledge that false teachers tried to convince them through “fine-sounding arguments” (2:4) and “hollow and deceptive philosophy” (2:8). In Chapter 3, Paul gave the Colossians directions to live good Christian lives, exhorting them to put on their “new self” (3:10-17). He then gave specific instructions for every member of the Colossian household: wives, husbands, children, fathers, slaves, and masters. Today’s reading touches on the section for slaves. After this in Chapter 4, Paul asked the Colossians to pray for him, and exhorted them to share the good news of Jesus with people around them before he gave his final greetings.

[Note: In case the issue of slavery and the evil practice of human trafficking comes up, note that the Bible does not condone slavery. In Genesis 1:26-27, it states that all human beings are created in the image of God; therefore, it is not right for one person to own another person like a piece of property. Furthermore, God delivered the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12:1-51) and gave them the Law, which limited slavery to a maximum of six years (Deuteronomy 15:12) and called for slaves to be treated as hired workers rather than property (Leviticus 25:39-40). In the New Testament, just a few verses before today’s reading, the equality of all human beings is affirmed: Greek or Jews, slave or free, Christ is our all in all (Colossians 3:11).

While it is true that the Old Testament Israelites were allowed to buy slaves from the surrounding nations (Leviticus 25:44-46), this was just a concession to the fact that slavery was prevalent in the ancient world. Much like our reading today (Colossians 3:22-25), the Scripture accepts that this was the way the world was and simply tells masters and slaves the best way to live within their current situation. It neither condones slavery nor clearly calls for its abolishment. Nevertheless, as shown in the previous paragraph, we can see from Scripture that the practice of slavery and human trafficking goes against God’s will and purpose for human beings. It is for this reason that Christians such as William Wilberforce and Abraham Lincoln have historically been at the forefront of the movement to abolish slavery.]

❖ Materials: None needed.

Activity:

❖ Get your members to pair up. If there is an odd number, let the odd one pair with you. (If you are doing this devotional individually, you may have to skip).

❖ Tell them to assign one person to be the “master” and the other to be the “slave”.

❖ The “master” can give three commands to the “slave,” which they must do their best to obey.

❖ Rules: Commands cannot be morally suspect, dangerous or harmful, or anything sexual. “Slaves” must report to you if they feel that these rules are violated. You have, of course, veto power over any commands that are bad or too extreme.

❖ After the three commands are done, switch roles: The “master” now becomes the “slave,” and has to obey three commands in return. Do not tell your members this in advance; it is good for those with the kind of personality which tends to enjoy power to get a slightly shocking taste of what things are like when reversed, and hopefully develop some empathy.

❖ After the activity, debrief them:

➢ How did it feel like to be the master? (powerful, in control, clueless, don’t know what commands to give, etc.)

➢ How did it feel like to be the slave? (powerless, suffering, forced to obey, no freedom, etc.)

❖ *If you are doing this devotional alone, you can follow the commands given here:

1. Say one thing that you’re grateful for today.

2. Do 10 sets of pumping in 30 seconds.

3. Sing a song. Then, reflect on what it feels like to be a slave (powerless, suffering, forced to obey, no freedom, etc.)

❖ In today’s reading, Paul instructs Colossian slaves on how their faith should affect their service.

Discussions:

❖ Read the Bible passage and the devotional article with the participants.

❖ Discuss the three questions:

1. Q: What should Christian slaves do, and when should they do it (Colossians 3:22-23)?

A: They should obey their earthly masters and do their work wholeheartedly. They should do this all the time, not only when their master is watching them.

2. Q: Why should Christian slaves do that (Colossians 3:22-25)? List two reasons.

A: In order to have integrity (“sincerity of heart” - Colossians 3:22). Out of reverence, not to the master, but to Jesus (Colosssians 3:22). Because they are working not only for their master, but for Jesus (Colossians 3:23-24).

Because they will receive an inheritance from Jesus as a reward (Colossians 3:24).

3. Q: We are not slaves. How, then, do these verses apply to us? Is there any area of your life where you, like Pat working the night shift in the supermarket, feel tempted not to apply these verses?

A: Even though we are not slaves, we all have our various kinds of work to do. A businesswoman has to run her business and make a profit; a teacher has to prepare his lessons, deliver them well, mark students’ homework, and so on. For your members, they are secondary school students; their work is to study hard and do their best to learn the knowledge and skills needed to do well in the next stage of their lives. They may also hold leadership roles and responsibilities in church, youth fellowship or BB company.

Therefore, they can apply these verses to themselves by doing all these things well to the best of their ability, not just to please teachers, parents, or other people in authority, but ultimately to please Jesus and glorify Him. Their motivation is also not just to gain popularity, power, a bright future, or a placement in the university course of their choice and a good career. As good as those things may be, they pale in comparison to the hope of receiving their reward from Him.

For the second part of the question, it is up to your members to confess honestly. Some may be quiet, either because they can’t think of anything or because they are shy to admit their weaknesses. Encourage them to share, but don’t force them. For students who are smart but lazy, the temptation may be to just do the bare minimum to score a B rather than putting in the extra effort to score an A. For others, the temptation may be to cut corners in cleaning their room or doing house chores. Whatever it is, encourage them to “work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (Colossians 3:23).

Conclusion:

❖ Ask your members if they have memorised 1 John 2:5-6 (see Day 13), and how have they benefited from meditating on it?

❖ Encourage them to also memorise Colossians 3:23-24 and meditate on it.

❖ Close in prayer.

Day 15: The Upright Thumb

Lesson/Learning Objective: To choose to obey God even if it means standing alone and being different from all our friends.

Preparation:

❖ Bible verse: Read Genesis 6:11-22

❖ Context: The first 11 chapters of Genesis can be divided into four events: Creation, the Fall, the Flood and Babel. After Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden, their son Cain committed the first murder against his brother Abel. There were many generations of descendants after that, almost all of which ended with the phrase, “and then he died” (Genesis 5:3-31); this brings us back to God’s warning to Adam in Genesis 2:17, “when you eat of it you will surely die.” The list of descendants ends with Noah, who is the main character of today’s reading. There, we find that humanity has degenerated morally to the point that God decided to destroy everyone (Genesis 6:11-13).

[Note: Here the question may arise, “Wasn’t it cruel of God to kill everyone? What about the innocent children and babies who died in the flood?” In reply to this, we must understand:

a) This was God’s righteous judgement upon the sin of humanity. One reason why it may seem cruel to us is that we tend to trivialise sin and do not realise what a serious matter it is. Sin, rebellion against God, always eventually leads to suffering, sorrow, despair, and death.

b) Sin is not just an individualistic problem. There is also a communal aspect to sin. It seldom affects only the sinner; negative consequences almost always will affect others around them as well. If a man commits a crime and is sent to prison, for example, his wife and children will suffer without his presence, leadership, and income even though they are quite innocent. In the case of the flood, while the children were innocent, their deaths were a consequence of their parents’ sin.

c) One reason God did this was to let us know how serious sin is and that it is not a simple problem to solve. Some people may ask, “Since the world has gone so wrong, why doesn’t God just press the reset button, destroy everything and start again?” The judgement of the great flood shows us that killing everyone does not solve the problem. Even though God picked a good man to continue the human race, the problem of sin remained. This was why Jesus had to come and die on the cross on our behalf; there was no other way to save us.]

Noah, however, was righteous, blameless, and faithful; we read this description of his character in Chapter 6 (v.9). So God chose him and told him to build a huge boat, an ark through which Noah and his family and the animals would be saved. Today’s reading ends with Noah responding in obedience to God (v.22).

After today’s reading, in Chapter 7, Noah, his family, and the animals entered the ark. As God had warned Noah, the floodwaters fell down from the heavens and burst

out from the underground reservoirs. The rain continued for 40 days and 40 nights until even the mountains were covered, and all the people and animals on the earth were drowned. But because of Noah’s obedience, he, his family, and the animals on the ark were kept safe in the ark

❖ Materials: None needed.

Activity:

❖ Get your members to sit in a circle. Select one person (or ask for a volunteer) to be the guesser; this person will have to exit the room.

❖ Members are to decide among themselves who should be the leader. They should try to do this as quietly as possible so that the guesser, outside the room, cannot eavesdrop to find out who the leader is.

❖ The leader’s role is to do an action (say, patting themselves on the head and rubbing their stomach), and everyone else in the circle is to follow them.

❖ From time to time, the leader will change the action (say, clapping their hands in a certain rhythm) and everyone else in the circle has to change as well.

❖ While the first action is being followed, the guesser can come back into the room. Their job is then to observe what is going on as the actions change and try to guess who the leader is within three tries.

❖ You can play three or four rounds.

❖ After the activity, debrief them:

➢ How did it feel to be the leader? (nerve-wracking, hard to think of new actions)

➢ How did it feel to be the guesser? (difficult to guess, confused)

➢ How did the guesser manage to guess correctly? (He or she had to observe who is the odd one out - the one that everyone is looking at, the one who changes actions before everyone else.)

❖ If you’re doing the devotional alone, say these words backwards:

1. Stressed

2. Evil

3. Knits

4. Raw

5. Smart

6. Sports

7. Slaps

8. Rats

9. Snoops

Hear how the reversed words are odd, yet they have their own meaning. As Christ’s followers, we are called to be the light of the world, to be different from what is wrong. Will you be different for Him today?

❖ In today’s reading, we meet Noah, a man who was willing to be the odd one out in obedience to God.

Discussions:

❖ Read the Bible passage and the devotional article with the participants.

❖ Discuss the three questions:

1. Q: What did God decide to do, and why (Genesis 6:11-14, 17-20)?

A: God decided to destroy all the people and animals on earth through a great flood (v.17). He did this because human beings had become extremely corrupt and violent (v.11-12). Just before today’s reading, the situation is described as, “every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.” (v.5)

[Note: At this point, if the question of whether it was right for God to kill everyone arises, bring up the points in the “Context” section. Even if no one asks, you can still explain as it’s a good way to strengthen their faith and for members to have a ready answer if their friends ask. However, I leave the discernment to the facilitator.]

God also decided to choose Noah, warn him about the coming flood, instruct him to build an ark, establish a covenant with him, and keep him, his family, and all the animals safe on the ark (v.18-20).

[Note: Why did God choose Noah? For further study, you can direct them to Chapter 6:8-9 (Noah found favour in God’s eyes because he was righteous, blameless, and faithful) and Chapter 8:16-17 (so that Noah and his family could repopulate the earth after the flood). Ask them what it tells us about God’s reasons for His decision.]

2. Q: How did Noah respond to God’s warning and instructions (Genesis 6:22)? Do you think it was easy or difficult for him to do this, and why?

A: Noah responded in obedience; he did everything God commanded.

It was not easy for Noah to do this. Firstly, it was a massive construction project. The measurements of the ark were given in cubits (v.15-16), but if you check your Bible’s footnotes, it was equivalent to about 135m x 23m x 14m. For comparison, my double-storey terrace house is about 21.3m x 6.7m x 8.6m; calculating and comparing the volume, you could fit about 35 units of my house into Noah’s ark!

Secondly, for a construction project of this size, it must have taken many years for Noah to build the ark. Building such a huge boat on dry land would probably have appeared ridiculous to everyone around him. Although scripture does not describe it, it is quite likely that Noah was mocked, especially if or when he tried to preach to them (2 Peter 2:5 describes him as “a preacher of righteousness”).

Thirdly, it couldn’t have been easy for Noah to maintain his righteousness in the midst of wicked, evil, corrupt, and violent people (v.5, 11). By obeying God’s

commands, Noah would have stuck out like a sore thumb.

3. Q: In what ways is God commanding you to be different from everyone else around you, like Noah was in his day? How have you responded, or how will you respond to God’s command?

A: There are many answers. For example, Jesus tells us to love one another self-sacrificially, but the world tells us to take care of our own needs first and be selfish. Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for them, but the world tells us to defend ourselves and take revenge, and so on. Some members may have gone through specific experiences, such as everyone else making fun of a classmate, whereas they obeyed God by standing up and protecting their classmate; or everyone else cheating in an exam, whereas they obeyed God by not cheating and just doing their best. Commend them for going against peer pressure and doing what is right. For those who haven’t experienced this, encourage them to make a commitment to obey God if or when they face such a situation.

Conclusion:

❖ Ask your members to think of any specific thing that God is commanding them to do in the next few days that will make them different from their friends.

❖ The idea is not to be different for the sake of being different, but because it is the right thing to do and because God commands it.

❖ Encourage them to stand with God rather than with the crowd.

❖ Close in prayer.

Day 16: Saying Goodbye

Lesson/Learning Objective: To give Jesus the priority in our lives, and follow and obey Him wholeheartedly.

Preparation:

❖ Bible verse: Read Luke 9:57-62.

❖ Context: Luke 9’s context is similar to Day 11. The events described there clarify what it means to be a disciple of Jesus: Not following Him to victory, but to death; not being great like a king, but like a child; not being exclusive, but inclusive; and not having the power to call down destruction, but having the patience to forgive and move on. In today’s reading, Jesus encounters three potential disciples which further clarify the cost of discipleship. Following Jesus means considering Him and His Kingdom agenda more important than comfort and security (Luke 9:57-58), social conventions and expectations (Luke 9:59-60), and relationships with family and loved ones (Luke 9:61-62).

❖ Materials: None needed.

Activity:

❖ Get your members to sit in a circle.

❖ Select one person (or ask for a volunteer) to be “It”.

❖ “It” stands in the middle of the circle. He or she is to select someone in the circle, kneel down in front of them, and say, “Honey, I love you. Can you give me a smile?”

❖ The person selected by “It” has to keep a straight face and reply, “Honey, I love you, but I just can’t smile.” If they successfully do this, “It” has to move on and try asking another person. If they smile or laugh, however, then “It” takes their place in the circle and they become “It” instead.

❖ You can play four or five rounds.

❖ After the activity, debrief them:

➢ How did it feel to be “It”? (difficult, nervous, fearful, etc.)

➢ How did you feel when you were selected by “It”? (hard not to smile; easy, just keep a poker face, etc.)

❖ One of the difficult things about this game is dealing with rejection - giving it or receiving it.

➢ It’s nerve-wracking to be “It” and select people because you know they may reject your request, and you may have to try again many times before you find someone who will “break”.

➢ It can also be difficult to be a selected person and have to reject “It”, especially if you’re the naturally expressive type rather than the stoic type.

❖ If you’re doing the devotional alone, you can play a rejection game with anyone you find at home or around you. But please, do it politely and make sure you’re safe.

➢ Write requests on index cards. Use requests or questions that you are likely to be turned down for, so that you can win more quickly. Some examples are:

● Ask for RM 10 from your parents without telling them why.

● Sell an item to someone for a rather high price.

● Take a picture with someone for no reason.

● Ask your siblings or someone to do your housework.

● Get creative with the requests and questions, but make sure no one or yourself is harmed during the process. Reflect on how you felt when being rejected.

➢ In today’s reading, we will read about Jesus rejecting three potential followers. Why did He do this? Let’s read and find out!

Discussions:

❖ Read the Bible passage and the devotional article with the participants.

❖ Discuss the three questions:

1. Q: What did Jesus say to reject the first potential follower (Luke 9:58)? What might it mean for us today?

A: Jesus said that foxes have dens to live in and birds have nests, but He had nowhere to lay his head. In a way, this was not a direct rejection of the potential follower, but a warning that if he insisted on following Jesus, he was bound to suffer hardship and difficulty.

[Note: “Son of Man” is one of Jesus’ favourite ways of referring to Himself. This phrase is taken from Daniel 7:13-14. There, the prophet describes this mysterious “Son of Man” as one who is separate from God (“he approached the Ancient of Days”) and yet is worthy of worship (“all nations and peoples of every language worshipped him”). Jesus claimed this title for Himself because He is the second person of the Trinity; He is separate and different from God the Father, and yet equal to Him and one with Him in essence and divinity.]

Following Jesus means giving Him the priority over other things in our lives, even basic and necessary things like food, shelter, comfort, and security. This does not mean that, taking food as an example, we should starve ourselves; that is actually a sickness, a psychological disorder called anorexia nervosa. But it does mean that Jesus is more important to us than food, and many Christians choose to fast during Lent (the 40 days leading up to Easter Sunday) or at other times of their choice in order to express their love and devotion to Him. Those things are good, yes, and we do need them. But Jesus is not just good; He is the best, our all in all, our true and greatest treasure.

2. Q: What did Jesus say to reject the second potential follower (Luke 9:60)? What might it mean for us today?

A: Jesus told him, “let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and

proclaim the Kingdom of God.” This sounds rather harsh, especially to us Asians - as filial sons and daughters, we may feel that the man should’ve been allowed to go and bury his father. It was his responsibility. Why was Jesus so harsh to him?

In order to explain this, some commentators have suggested that the man’s father was still alive, and he actually wanted to wait for his father to die and be buried before he would follow Jesus. This could have taken years, and that was why Jesus responded so negatively to him. This is a possible explanation, but there is nothing stated in the text to support this, so it remains a guess.

Possibly, it means that Jesus should be more important to us than social conventions and expectations. One reason it sounds so harsh is because this is expected of a good son or daughter in our culture. These are values passed down and instilled in us by our family and community. They are good values, but the value of Jesus and the good news of His Kingdom is even greater. As important as it is to care for the dead, it is even more important to proclaim the eternal life that Jesus offers.

3. Q: What did Jesus say to reject the third potential follower (Luke 9:62)? What might it mean for us today?

A: Jesus told him, “No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” Again, harsh words to this man who simply wanted to go back to say goodbye to his family.

When a farmer ploughs his land, he usually tries to make straight furrows in order to ensure that all the surface soil is turned over, aerated, and ready for sowing. If he looks back while ploughing, he will almost certainly get off course or end up with a crooked furrow instead of a proper straight line. He must look ahead, not back, and make sure he guides the plough in a straight line. Similarly, when we follow Jesus, we must look ahead, to where He is leading us – to become like Him, growing in the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), sharing the good news of His love – and not look back to the things of the past that we have left behind.

For those of us who are following Jesus today, believing in Him means that we now belong to a new family - the Church, which is the family of God. As important as our biological family is, if there is a conflict between Jesus and family and we have to choose one, we must choose Jesus every time. Note that most of the time, there is no conflict for you as a teen, for honouring and obeying Jesus means honouring and obeying your parents (Ephesians 6:1-3). But if there is one - for example, if your non-Christian parents tell you to stop believing in Jesus - you have to choose Jesus. Respectfully tell them that you will do your best to obey them in every other thing, but you cannot obey them in this.

Conclusion:

❖ These are hard words to chew on, understand and accept. The demands of Jesus are absolute. If we want to follow Him, He must be our priority.

❖ Jesus is not just our “first priority.” The word “first” implies that He is one among many priorities, on the same level but arranged at number one on the list.

❖ Jesus must be our priority – above and beyond everything else, the one thing that is truly needed (Luke 10:42).

❖ Give your members a few minutes of silence to think about these hard words of Jesus and whether they can and will commit themselves to giving Him the priority in their lives and obey Him wholeheartedly.

❖ Encourage them to talk with Him about their decision - whether they are still holding back, or whether they will, from now on, follow closer after Him and never look back.

❖ While Jesus’ words here are harsh, His heart is loving. This is what He demands of us. Even if we cannot or will not comply, He will never stop loving us. The invitation to follow Him is open, and His arms are always stretched wide to welcome us.

❖ Close in prayer.

Day 17: Rejecting Rationalisation

Lesson/Learning Objective: To follow and obey Jesus rather than our traditions or rationalisations.

Preparation:

❖ Bible verse: Read Mark 7:6-13.

❖ Context: In Day 11’s “Context”, we see that Jesus’ public ministry can be categorised into the Obscurity, Popularity and Rejection phases. Today’s reading is near the end of the popularity phase, after Jesus miraculously fed the crowd of 5,000. The Pharisees and teachers of the law now wanted to check out this incredibly popular preacher. Before this, they noticed that Jesus’ disciples did not observe the tradition of washing their hands ceremonially before eating (Mark 7:1-4) and asked Him why they ate with defiled hands. In response, Jesus called them hypocrites, quoting Isaiah 29:13 and accusing them of following their own fallible human traditions instead of God’s commands, such as devoting their resources to God instead of using them to honour their father and mother. After today’s reading, Jesus declared that all foods are clean (Mark 7:14-23).

❖ Materials: A pencil.

Activity:

❖ Distribute this question sheet to members.

❖ Without using Google, match the pictures of these six traditions with their names and descriptions.

● Maslenitsa

● Schultüte

● An outdoor party celebrated under blossoming cherry trees in Japan. The trees’ blossoms only last a week or two. Thousands of people fill parks and hold parties that usually go on until late at night.

● A Catalan Christmas tradition in Spain, in which a piece of cut wood has a face painted on it and is given a hat and covered with a blanket. Children hit it with a stick while singing a song and it poos small gifts.

● Tió de Nadal

● A Mexican festival in which family and friends gather to remember those who have died. People build altars and use colourful calaveras and flowers to honour the dead. They also visit the graves of the deceased, taking them their favourite food and beverages as gifts.

❖ Answers:

● Hanami

● Day of the Dead

● A religious and folk holiday in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus with outdoor celebrations in which people wear traditional clothes. Its traditional symbol is the scarecrow. Sleigh rides are very popular. People make pancakes and crepes to eat and share with friends.

● Guérewol

● An annual courtship ritual competition in Niger, in which men in ornamentation and traditional face painting dance and sing in front of marriageable women. Group singing is accompanied by clapping, stamping and bells.

● A large, decorated, cone-shaped container, usually made of paper, which is filled with toys, chocolates, sweets and school supplies. It is given to German and Austrian children on their first day of school to help calm their nerves.

● Tió de Nadal

● Day of the Dead

● A Mexican festival in which family and friends gather to remember those who have died. People build altars and use colourful calaveras and flowers to honour the dead. They also visit the graves of the deceased, bringing their favourite food and beverages as gifts.

● Schultüte

● Guérewol

● Maslenitsa

● Hanami

❖ In today’s reading, Jesus has something to say about some traditions.

Discussions:

❖ Read the Bible passage and the devotional article with the participants.

❖ Discuss the three questions:

1. Q: What did Jesus call the Pharisees and the teachers of the law (Mark 7:6)? Why did He call them that (Mark 7:6-8)?

A: Jesus called them hypocrites. A hypocrite is someone whose words are inconsistent with their actions; for example, a father who forbids his children from smoking, but is himself a smoker.

Jesus called them that because with their words, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law claimed to obey God’s Law and taught the Jews to do the same; but their actions showed that they actually obeyed their human traditions rather than God’s Law.

2. Q: What was wrong with the traditions of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law (Mark 7:9-13)?

A: Some of their traditions contradicted what God had actually commanded, and rather than changing or abandoning their traditions, they kept them

instead of God’s commandments. Jesus gave the example of their tradition that making an offering to God (“Corban,” a sacrifice; similar-sounding to the Malay word, “korban”) could exempt a person from giving money or help to their parents. This contradicted God’s command to honour and obey our parents.

3. Q: Think about the traditions which you and your family follow. Are they in alignment with God’s commandments? In today’s devotional write-up, “rationalisations” are explanations that we give to justify ourselves when we do wrong. What are one or two rationalisations that you are tempted to give for your bad behaviour?

A: Some traditions are good and are in alignment with God’s commandments; for example, keeping a regular quiet time with God, attending church every Sunday, celebrating Christmas together, and so on. Other traditions may be superstitious, like not sweeping the floor on Chinese New Year, avoiding black cats, and so on. Yet other traditions might go against God’s commandments, like praying to one’s ancestors. And there may also be traditions which are neutral or redeemable. Facilitate discussion with your members as they share and evaluate various traditions that they and their families follow.

As for rationalisations, it really depends on the particular sin that one tries to justify. But some common ones are things like, “Everyone is doing it,” “It doesn’t hurt anyone,” “God will forgive me anyway,” “It’s only natural,” and “It’s just this one time.”

Conclusion:

❖ Now that your members have examined and evaluated some of their traditions, encourage them to modify those which are out of alignment with God’s commands.

❖ Some traditions - like foot-binding in China in the 1900’s, or “sati,” where widows would burn themselves alive on their deceased husband's funeral pyre in India in the 1900’s, are so bad that they have to be abandoned altogether.

❖ It is not easy for people to give up or modify their traditions and this may be a struggle for your members or a stronghold in their lives.

❖ Share 1 John 3:8 with them - “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”

➢ God is at work in every culture and religion to draw people to Himself, and that is why there are glimpses of His truth in them.

➢ But the Enemy is also at work in every culture and religion to keep people in bondage to sin and death.

➢ Encourage them to invite Jesus into their culture and traditions to redeem and transform them, and to destroy anything in them that is the devil’s work.

❖ Also encourage your members to give up their rationalisations and to instead admit fault honestly and confess their sin sincerely before God.

❖ Share 2 Corinthians 10:5 with them and encourage them to take every rationalising thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.

❖ Close in prayer.

Day 18: Like our Great Teacher

Lesson/Learning Objective: To imitate Jesus and be like Him, especially in not condemning or judging others but extending forgiveness to them.

Preparation:

❖ Bible verse: Read Luke 6:37-42

❖ Context: Today’s reading is part of the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:17-49), which has similarities to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:29). Here, Jesus is teaching us not to judge or condemn others, but instead to forgive them. He uses the humorous illustration of a man with a plank in his eye trying to help his friend with a speck in his eye. The message is to judge and deal with our own sins and wrongdoings (our “plank”) before judging others for their wrongdoings (their “speck”). In between these two teachings on judging others, like the meat in a sandwich, is the parable that if we, being sinful people, try to judge and condemn other sinful people, we will be like the blind leading the blind (Luke 6:39). Instead of doing that, we need to be trained by Jesus, our teacher, that we might be like Him (Luke 6:40). Then only will we be able to help others to deal with their spiritual issues and sins.

❖ Materials: A plank, maybe around 2ft x 1 ft; or if you don’t have that, a piece of hard, thick cardboard of the same size; a box of wooden toothpicks; and a basin of water.

Activity:

❖ Fill the basin with water and put the toothpicks into it.

❖ Members take turns to remove one toothpick out of the basin whilst holding the plank or cardboard in front of their eyes or face.

❖ If you want to make it competitive, divide them into two groups, with two basins of water and two planks. See which group can get more toothpicks out in 5 minutes.

❖ Debrief them:

➢ Was it difficult or easy to take a toothpick out of the basin with the plank/cardboard obstructing your vision?

➢ In today’s reading, Jesus advises us to first take out the plank from our eye before trying to remove the speck from someone else’s eye. What was He talking about? Let’s find out!

Discussions:

❖ Read the Bible passage and the devotional article with the participants.

❖ Discuss the three questions:

1. Q: What is the main point that Jesus is making in today’s reading (Luke 6:37)?

A: Jesus’ main point is that we don’t judge or condemn others, but forgive them instead.

2. Q: Jesus gave three reasons to support His main point. Write down two below (Luke 6:38, 39 and 41-42a, as well as 40 and 42b).

A: Firstly, we should refrain from judging others harshly because if we do so, God will judge us with the same level of harshness (6:38).

Secondly, we should not elevate ourselves into the position of a judge over others because we are actually on the same level as them. We are just as sinful as them (like the blind leading the blind, 6:39) and have just as many spiritual problems of equal seriousness to deal with (like the funny metaphor of a plank in our eye, 6:41-42a).

Thirdly, before we can help others to overcome their sins or deal with their spiritual problems, we need to be trained by Jesus to become like Him (6:40). With His help, we need to overcome our own sins and deal with our own spiritual problems first (take out the plank from our eye, 6:42b).

3. Q: “Do not judge” doesn’t mean that we don’t differentiate right and wrong or that we accept or condone evil; for just after today’s reading, Jesus says that “each tree is recognised by its fruit” (Luke 6:44). When you see someone do something wrong, what should you do? How can you handle the situation without judging them?

A: It may be difficult for your members to answer this question if it is too abstract. You can suggest examples, like witnessing a classmate being bullied, or seeing a friend cheat in an exam.

As to how to handle it, Matthew 18:15-17 gives us some guidelines for dealing with sin in a church context. While this may not translate exactly, some principles are transferable. Before that, however, it might be good for your members to say a quick prayer to Jesus. Confronting a peer can be complicated and difficult, and they will definitely need His guidance and training (Luke 6:40).

To start off, they should confront the wrongdoer personally, one-to-one. Pull them aside and talk to them in private, so as not to shame them or embarrass them in front of everyone. Matthew 18:15 says to “point out their fault”; from today’s reading, while doing so they should take care not to communicate judgement or condemnation by their words, facial expressions, or body language. They should be honest and true, but also kind and gentle, making it clear that they speak as one sinner to another, both equally in need of correction and forgiveness. Judgement or condemnation tends to cause the other party to bristle and defend themselves, but if your members can successfully communicate nonjudgmentally, with compassion and empathy, the person they are

confronting is more likely to listen and be willing to receive what they have to say.

If the person won’t listen and wants to continue their bullying, cheating, or other wrongdoing, the next step is for your members to approach them again, this time with one or two others (Matthew 18:16). Before this step, the person should be warned about what is going to happen. Often, the prospect of another, bigger confrontation is sufficient to deter the wrongdoer from persisting. Those invited to intervene could be peers whom the wrongdoer knows and respects, or authority figures like prefects or a teacher.

Once authority figures are involved, the matter is out of your members’ hands. Prefects or teachers would have a standard operating procedure to deal with such matters, and they will handle it accordingly.

Conclusion:

❖ Ask your members to spend some time pondering and evaluating themselves - do they tend to be judgmental and condemning towards others?

❖ Often, those who judge others also judge themselves. So if they answer “Yes,” it is likely that they’d beat themselves up when they make mistakes, and find it difficult to extend grace to themselves or others.

❖ Remind them of Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

❖ Having received grace and forgiveness from God, encourage them to extend the same to themselves and others, as they deal with their “planks” and help others with their “specks”.

❖ Close in prayer.

Day 19: Stand or Go?

Lesson/Learning Objective: To learn to pause, hear from God, and obey Him on the way forward.

Preparation:

❖ Bible verse: Read Exodus 14:5-22.

❖ Context: The book of Exodus tells the famous story of Moses delivering God’s people out of slavery in Egypt. Before today’s reading, God had sent 10 terrible plagues upon Egypt and Pharaoh had agreed to let the Israelites go. But midway in their escape, Pharaoh and his army pursued again, trapping the Israelites between the soldiers and the Red Sea. Here, the Israelites cried out to God and to Moses in terror and fear (v. 10-12). Moses encouraged them to stand firm, trust God, and be still (v.13-14). God then told Moses to lead them forward, saying He will part the Red Sea. In the meantime, the angel of the Lord and the pillars of cloud and fire (mentioned in v.24 which is outside of today’s reading) moved to protect the Israelites and block the soldiers. The plan is executed flawlessly and the Israelites cross the sea safely on dry ground (v.21-22).

❖ Materials: A ping pong ball or rubber ball of similar size, four plastic cups, and a table.

Activity:

❖ Divide your members into two groups and stand on opposite sides of the table.

❖ Members take turns to play. The first player on one side of the table will hold the ball between the bottoms of their group’s two cups. They are to bounce the ball to the player on the other side, and he or she has to catch the ball between the bottom of their two cups. See the illustration below:

❖ If the player fails to catch the ball, they move aside for the next player.

❖ The first group to have all their members successfully catch the ball, wins.

❖ If you are doing this devotional challenge on your own, try sitting at a table and bouncing the ball on it, then catch the ball between the bottoms of two cups on the fifth bounce, then the fourth bounce, and so on until you can catch the ball after only one bounce.

❖ In today’s reading, the Israelites have been delivered from slavery in Egypt. God sent ten terrible plagues upon Egypt until Pharaoh agreed to let them go, and they were finally free!

➢ But then, Pharaoh changed his mind again and decided to pursue them!

➢ So, just like all of you caught the ball in between the bottoms of your cups, we find the people of Israel caught in between the Red Sea and the Egyptian army. How will they escape? Let’s read to find out!

Discussions:

❖ Read the Bible passage and the devotional article with the participants.

❖ Discuss the three questions:

1. Q: Why did Pharaoh change his mind about letting the Israelites go (Exodus 14:5, 8)?

A: Firstly, he and his officials felt the loss of their free slave labour; and secondly, God hardened his heart.

[Note: A theological problem may arise: Wasn’t it cruel for God to harden Pharaoh’s heart, resulting in so many deaths? Why didn’t God soften Pharaoh’s heart instead?

In Exodus, some parts say that Pharaoh’s heart was hard or became hard. This indicates that the natural condition of his heart was hard. Others say God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, meaning He passively allowed Pharaoh to continue in the natural hardness of his heart. At other times, it says that Pharaoh actively hardened his own heart (in today’s reading, he and his officials “changed their minds,” 14:5). On those occasions, God softened his heart and Pharaoh had the opportunity to give in to God if he chose to do so. Instead, Pharaoh chose to harden his own heart.

This shows us that God works in our hearts without ever violating our free will or forcing us to do what He wants. He persuades, He softens our hearts, and sometimes He just allows us to continue doing what we want. But we always have a choice, and we should never accuse God of hardening our hearts and then punishing us for the hardness of heart that He Himself worked in us. That would be unfair and unrighteous, and it is not how God deals with us.]

2. Q: What did Moses tell the Israelites to do (Exodus 14:13-14), and what did God tell Moses to do (Exodus 14:15-16)?

A: Moses told them to not be afraid, to stand firm, trust in God, and be still. God told Moses to stop crying out to Him, tell the Israelites to move on, and raise his staff and stretch his hand over the sea to divide the water.

3. Q: Are there any areas in your life where you feel trapped, stuck, or unsure how to move forward? What are three principles you can learn from God

telling Moses, and Moses telling the Israelites?

A: Some members may not be aware where they feel trapped or stuck. That is alright as they’re still young. Encourage them to discern the 6 principles below so they’ll be prepared when the time comes.

(i) Moses told the Israelites, “Do not be afraid.” The principle here is, as you face a struggle or difficult decision, offer your feelings and emotions to Jesus and invite Him into them. For the Israelites, it was fear; for your members, it could also be worry, anxiety, despair, hopelessness, confusion, uncertainty. It may not be possible to change our emotions, but we can regulate or manage them, and we ask Jesus to help us by offering them to Him and inviting Him into them. Ask Him to shepherd our hearts and help us to love and glorify Him amidst the emotions.

(ii) Moses also told the Israelites, “Stand firm.” The principle here is, be aware of where you are, your position, your strengths and your weaknesses. In the struggle with sin we may feel very disappointed with ourselves and feel like condemning ourselves. But when we “stand firm,” taking stock of who we are in Christ and where we are in our journey with Him, we find that He has won the victory for us on the Cross. In Him, we are not condemned (Romans 8:1) and we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). If we are facing a decision about future studies or career, “standing firm” might involve doing a personality test to see what kinds of fields would be most suitable for us; analysing our strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and so on. To “stand firm” is to know our own position, identity, and abilities. This is essential data we need to have before we can move forward.

(iii) Moses also told the Israelites, “you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring” and “the Lord will fight for you.” The principle here is to trust in the Lord. Amidst our emotions and challenges, we choose to trust in God. We know from Bible stories, fellow believers’ testimonies and our personal experience, that God can and will help us, lead us, and guide us when we are stuck, trapped, or unsure. So we look to Him and choose to depend on Him rather than our own ideas, plans, or abilities to find a way forward.

(iv) Lastly, Moses told the Israelites, “Be still.” The principle here is that once we have dealt with our emotions (which is important because emotions can cloud our judgement); taken stock of who we are, where we are, and what we can do; and put our trust in God; the next thing to do is be still and quiet before God. When we are silent and alone with Him, that is where we can hear and receive from Him. Put aside the “noise” and distractions and focus the ears and eyes of our hearts on Him. God will speak to us, not always immediately; but sometimes later, or the

answer may brew within us over a period of time. He may speak through many mediums - through the Bible; through a friend; a sermon, a song, nature, a still, small voice, an impression or a nudge in your heart. Stay still and listen; you will be able to hear His voice because you are His sheep and you belong to Him (John 10:3-4, 16).

(v) God asked Moses, “Why are you crying out to me?” The principle here is that after God speaks, it is time for us to act boldly in obedience to Him. Don’t succumb to analysis paralysis or keep crying out to God if He has already spoken and it is time to take action. It is good and wise to ask for confirmation if you’re not sure you’ve heard clearly, but once you know what you have to do, don’t dilly-dally any longer.

(vi) God also told Moses, “I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army,” and “The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” The principle here is that God deserves to be glorified and wants to be known. If we’re unsure, we can ask, “Which option will give greater glory to God?” and “What can I do in my situation or decision that will make Him known to the greatest number of people in the most impactful way?”

Conclusion:

❖ On a whiteboard, list down the principles from Question 3’s answers.

❖ Ask your members to look through and choose one to practise in the coming week.

❖ Close in prayer.

Day 20: Not the One

Lesson/Learning Objective: To align ourselves with God’s will even when it is different from ours.

Preparation:

❖ Bible verse: Read 1 Chronicles 17:1-4, 16-25.

❖ Context: 1 and 2 Chronicles retell the history of the kings of Israel, and subsequently Israel and Judah after the nation was split. In today’s reading, we meet David, the second king of Israel. At this point, David had been firmly established as King after defeating the Philistines, and had brought the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem with much rejoicing. David is now settled in his palace, reigning in peace and is now thinking of building God a beautiful temple to house the ark, as it’s left in a tent. The prophet Nathan, without asking God, told David to go ahead with his plans. But that night, God spoke to Nathan and told him that David was not the one to build a house for Him – instead, it would be his son, Solomon. David responds positively to God in prayer, surrendering his own desires to God’s will.

❖ Materials: A packet of straws and two rolls of cellophane tape.

Activity:

❖ Divide your members into two groups and give each group half of the straws and a roll of cellophane tape.

❖ Their task is to build a tower within 5 minutes; the highest tower wins.

❖ Give them 5 minutes to plan and strategise, and then 5 minutes to build.

❖ Debrief them:

➢ Those with the highest tower, how did you do it? How did you feel when you won?

➢ Those with the shortest tower, what went wrong? How did you feel when you lost?

❖ If you are doing this devotional challenge on your own, you can build a tower with straws, sticks or any similar materials taller than you within 5 minutes.

➢ If you made it, how did you do it? How did you feel when you were able to make it?

➢ If you couldn’t make it, what went wrong? How did you feel when you weren’t able to make it?

❖ In today’s reading, we meet king David. The most famous story about him is about how he fought the giant Goliath when he was a shepherd boy (1 Samuel 17). But in today’s reading, many years have passed since that day, and he has now been established as the King of Israel.

➢ Those with the shortest tower, you would know how David feels in today’s reading.

➢ You wanted to build the highest tower, but in the end, what you got was, “No, you are not the one to build the highest tower; the other group is the one!”

➢ Similarly, David wanted to build something for God, but God said, “No, you are not the one to build it for me; your son is the one!”

Discussions:

❖ Read the Bible passage and the devotional article with the participants.

❖ Discuss the three questions:

1. Q: What was David planning to do, and why (1 Chronicles 17:1-4)?

A: He planned to build a temple for God, a permanent building to house the ark of the covenant. He planned to do this because he felt that it wasn’t right for him to stay in a palace made of cedar wood (an expensive, much-sought after wood even today) while the ark of the covenant, where God’s presence dwelt, was housed only in a temporary tent.

2. Q: What did God say to David about this, and how did David respond (1 Chronicles 17:4, 16-25)?

A: God told David that he was not the one to build a temple for Him, reminding him that He had raised David from a shepherd boy to king of Israel. God promised instead to build David’s house, establish his throne forever, and prosper the people of Israel.

In response, David was humbled by God’s favour upon him, speechless with gratitude and wonder. He worshipped God as the only true and living God, and praised Him for all that He has done and would do for His people. Finally, David confirmed and affirmed God’s promises to build and establish David’s house.

3. Q: Have you ever had an experience like David’s, where you wanted to do something good for God, but were rejected? Or you aspired to a certain post or position, but you were not chosen for it? Share your experience with the group, and share how David’s response to God could help you to obey Him in such situations.

A: Some of your members may have wanted to be NCO’s or squad leaders but somehow did not make the cut. In church, they may have auditioned to serve in the worship team, but were not chosen. Perhaps their ideas were also turned down by youth leaders etc.

If you have a personal story, do share it with them. For myself, I took a hard blow when I wasn’t chosen to be in my university CF’s leadership team. I had been president before at my school CF and church youth group. But I consoled myself that I didn’t need an official position to serve and exercise leadership. A few months later, a committee member resigned, and I was nominated to take his place.

Like David, we can look back at how God has led us thus far and how He has shown us favour in the past. Even though we may have

missed this particular position, we can still appreciate how He has led us and used us for His glory before.

Like David, we can look to the true and living God. Whether or not we get what we want, He is still worthy of our praise and worship. We take our eyes off of ourselves and focus instead on what He wants.

Finally, like David, we can look ahead to what God has promised. For David, it was a hard “No,” in terms of building the temple. If God has not given us a hard “No” we can always try again - apply again, practise more, improve and audition again. With David, God had a bigger plan, not just for Solomon to build the physical temple, but for Jesus – David’s biological descendant – to be the living temple (John 2:19) who reigns forever.

Trust that beyond the small, present disappointment of our rejection, God has bigger and better plans for us. The question is, will we wallow in bitterness over what we didn’t get, or will we continue to walk with Him and seize the good things He has in store for us?

Conclusion:

❖ Encourage your members to align their hopes, dreams, and hearts with His will for them.

❖ Close in prayer.