First Step Leader Guide part 3 (revise)

LEADER’S DISCUSSION GUIDE

BOOK 3 : DAY 21-30

21

The Eraser of Confession

(pages 44-45)

Lesson Objective:

To guide the members to understand that when we confess our sins, God is faithful and just, and He will forgive us and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Scripture Reading:

1 John 1:5-10, Psalm 16:2, John 14:6, 1 John 4:8, 16, Hebrews 13:8, Hebrews 9:14 and 1 Peter 1:1-2

1. Answer for Question 1

The metaphors “light” and “darkness” represent goodness and evil.

• “God is light” means that God is good.

• This does not simply mean that God has goodness as an attribute, but rather that God is goodness itself. It is not that God’s character is defined as being good, but rather that goodness itself is defined by who God is.

• In other words, God is the greatest Good or the ultimate Good, and the source of all goodness. Apart from God, there is no good thing (Psalm 16:2).

• So when we say that something is “good”, that means that it comes from God’s hand or that it is like Him in some way.

• For example, it is good to tell the truth because God is the Truth (John 14:6); it is good to love one another, and even our enemies, because God is Love (1 John 4:8, 16).

• Conversely, evil is whatever goes against who God is and what God does.

(pages 44-45)

2. Answer for Question 2

To “walk in the light” means to live and act in ways that are good, in ways that are in alignment with who God is and what God wants to do in and through me.

• The metaphor of walking contains within it the idea of movement, which is very appropriate because as we live, we are always moving forward through time.

• And just as walking is directional – you are always walking towards something, heading home or going to school or some other place – so also, the choices and decisions which we make in life are always leading us towards a final destination.

• We are either moving towards God, becoming more and more like Him (which is also what it means to “walk in the light”), or away from Him, turning into a twisted and broken caricature of the person He intends us to be (which is what it means to “walk in the darkness”). Walking in the light goes hand-in-hand or is directly correlated with having a relationship with God or knowing Him.

• Our relationship with God is foundational.

• At the core of your being, you are not just your parent’s son or daughter, or a student in your school, or a person who is good at playing the piano/ doing maths/ athletics or whatever other skills and talents you may have and take pride in.

• Those things are roles that we play and they may be an important part of who we are, but they are not the core of our identity.

• If you believe in Jesus, then at the core of your being, the most important thing that defines who you are is

DAY 21

The Eraser of Confession

(pages 44-45)

that you are a beloved child of God.

• So, then, our “walking in the light,” the ways in which we live and act, the choices and decisions that we make in life, the kind of person that we are becoming, all of that flows out of our relationship with God.

3. Answer for Question 3

Confessing our sins means admitting that we have done wrong.

• It means submitting to God’s standard of righteousness and agreeing with Him that what we did went against that standard.

• Confession also carries an element of repentance – turning away from our wrongdoing and reorienting ourselves towards God once again.

o It would be meaningless to admit that we have done wrong and yet insist that we want to continue doing it.

o Therefore, when we confess our sins we are also saying “I’m sorry,” to God and asking Him to help us change for the better.

In verse 9, the promise is that if we confess our sins, God will surely forgive us and purify us from all unrighteousness.

• This is a certainty because it is based on God’s character, His faithfulness and justice, and God’s goodness can be relied on to be constant and unchanging (Hebrews 13:8).

We are purified from all sin and unrighteousness by being cleansed by the blood of Jesus that was shed for us on the cross (Hebrews 9:14).

• We are also purified from all sin and unrighteousness

The Eraser of Confession

(pages 44-45)

by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in us (1 Peter 1:1-2).

• We talked about sanctification in Devo Day 3, Question 1 as well as Devo Day 9, Question 3. It is the process of becoming more and more like Jesus, of gaining freedom from the power of sin in our lives.

• 1 Peter 1:1-2 says that it is through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit that we are chosen to be obedient to Christ and sprinkled by His blood.

• Some of your members may find that they struggle with certain besetting sins. These could be like addictions, where they keep falling into sin again and again and they cannot seem to stop the pattern of behaviour.

• Give them hope that even in that process of struggle, of falling and repenting and confessing and falling again and repenting again and confessing again and again and again, the Spirit is working within them to help them.

• They are learning to see sin as it truly isnot as something attractive and enticing, as we so often perceive it to be when we are tempted; but as an abomination before God, a hateful and evil thing which would keep them in bondage and lead them to despair and death.

• Encourage them to persevere. Even if they feel that they are not making any spiritual progress, going round and round, encourage them that they are moving forward.

• Illustration:

o Imagine a road which goes up around a steep mountain. - 4 -

The Eraser of Confession

(pages 44-45)

o As it goes around the mountain, each time it reaches the same point that has been passed before, the view is almost the same.

o The traveller might feel like they have hardly made any progress for all the effort and all the distance that they have gone; but they are, in fact, slowly making their way up the mountain, and they will make it to the top if they just persevere.

• Also encourage them to go deeper with the Spirit.

o Often, these types of besetting sins or addictions are symptoms of some deeper brokenness or woundedness.

o An addiction to pornography and masturbation, for example, might be caused by a deep need and desire for intimacy and love which has not been met.

o The addiction is then a kind of counterfeit which the addict uses to try and medicate themselves, but of course it does not really heal the wound.

o In fact, it often makes things worse because it brings feelings of shame and guilt, and it can become so bad that it affects the addict’s ability to function properly in the world.

The Eraser of Confession

(pages 44-45)

o If any of your members face this kind of problem, they really need to go deeper with the Spirit, to find out what the root of the matter is and to gain spiritual healing.

• If you are able and willing to journey with your members in this, then do so.

o If not, if they are willing (such matters cannot be forced, the person has to desire healing and transformation), offer to connect them with someone who can –perhaps a pastor or a Christian counsellor who will be able to help them.

• This kind of deep healing is also part of the cleansing work of Jesus’ blood and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in us, to purify us from all sin and unrighteousness.

Lesson Objective:

To guide the members to understand that they need to repent from their sins and sin no more.

Scripture Reading:

Luke 22:54-62, Luke 22:31, Luke 22:33, Luke 22:34, Psalm 139:23-24 and Romans 8:1.

1. Answer for Question 1

Peter was wrong to lie. He said that he didn’t know Jesus, which was not true.

• This was worse than a normal lie, because it was not just an untruth; it was a denial of Jesus.

• Peter had been following Jesus for three years, walking with Him, talking with Him, hearing His teachings, and seeing His miracles.

• By denying Jesus, Peter negated all that. Although physically he was there, and his whole purpose in following the mob to the High Priest’s house was out of concern for Jesus and in hopes of seeing what would happen to Jesus, Peter’s words were a declaration of abandonment and betrayal towards his Rabbi (teacher) and his Lord.

• Peter was also wrong to break his word to Jesus, for he had promised Jesus that he was willing to suffer imprisonment and death with Jesus (Luke 22:33), which was what prompted the prediction that he would deny Jesus (Luke 22:34).

• And this wrongdoing, this denial, did not only happen once. As Jesus predicted, Peter denied Him three times (v.57, v.58, and v.60).

2. Answer for Question 2

This question is entirely speculative. All the text says is that, “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.” It says nothing about the kind of look that was on Jesus’ face, so we cannot know the answer to that with any certainty, and all we can do is guess. Caution your BB members that we cannot know for sure, and that what we can know, should know, and need to know, God has revealed explicitly in the words of the Bible. As far as guesses go, though, here are some possible answers.

• Maybe Jesus’ face had a “knowing” look.

o This is the kind of look that says non-verbally, “Aha, I know what you just did!” or “I told you so, Peter, I told you that you would deny me.”

• Maybe Jesus’ face had a sad look.

o Possibly, Jesus was saddened by Peter’s denial and his verbal declaration that he did now know Jesus.

• Maybe Jesus’ face had an angry look.

o Possibly, Jesus was angered by Peter’s cowardice and his failure to speak the truth.

• Maybe Jesus’ face had a forgiving look.

o Jesus already knew beforehand that Peter would deny Him, and had already prayed for him that he would not lose faith and that he would turn back and strengthen the other disciples (Luke 22:31).

o So, Jesus was ready for what Peter did and had already forgiven him, even before he committed the offence.

• There may be other possible answers that your members may think of and share. Accept their answers if they make sense.

• Of the answers given above, I think that the look of anger is the least likely and the look of forgiveness is the most likely, but the other two are fair possibilities. Peter wept bitterly because Jesus’ look, whatever it was that Peter may have seen on His face, pierced Peter’s heart.

• Peter suddenly realised just how far he had fallen from the ideal that he had declared to Jesus earlier: “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”

(Luke 22:33)

• He became acutely aware of how he had failed to defend Jesus and stand up for Him, and how he had abandoned and betrayed his Lord.

• This realisation filled him with shame and sorrow, and that is why he wept bitterly.

3. Answer for Question 3

Give the boys some time, maybe five minutes, to examine their lives before God.

• Ask them to invite the Holy Spirit to search their hearts and reveal to them if there is anything they need to confess to Him (Psalm 139:23-24).

• Tell them to write down anything the Holy Spirit brings to their mind; anything that they are struggling with or that they are trying to hide from God.

• They don’t have to show anyone what they have written, but the act of writing it down helps them to get a grip on what the problem is and articulate it in a meaningful way.

• Invite them to quietly bring the things they have written down before God, confessing them to Him, saying sorry, and asking for forgiveness.

22

What’s Next? (pages 46-47)

• Remind them about the promise we talked about in Devo Day 21, Question 3 – that if we confess our sins, God will surely forgive us and purify us from all unrighteousness.

• Once they have confessed their sins to God, debrief them.

• Ask: “How do you feel?”

o They should feel better now that they have cleared these matters before God.

o Any guilt or shame that they were carrying with them should no longer be present, and if they were bearing a heavy burden of guilt and shame before, they should feel a great freedom and joy.

o If they still feel guilty for one reason or another, remind them that God’s Word promises that He forgives them. They no longer have any reason to feel guilty for what they have done.

o Share with them Romans 8:1 – “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

o Encourage them to think whether they need to make restitution in any way. Perhaps they need to apologise to someone for something they said, or repay someone for something they stole, etc.

o Encourage them to continue spending time with God, asking Him to align their heart with His, so that they will not suffer unnecessarily from false guilt.

• Ask: “Would any of you like to share with the group about what you confessed to God?”

o This is simply an open invitation and there should be no pressure to share, as such sins and struggles

can be intensely personal.

o If anyone is willing to share, let them do so. Commend them for their courage and encourage them to continue fighting the good fight against sin and temptation.

o If no one is willing to share (or once everyone who is willing to share has done so), close in prayer.

o Thank God for revealing to us the hidden sins and struggles in our hearts, and for giving us the courage to confess them before Him. Thank Him for His forgiveness, and that because of the Cross, we are no longer slaves to sin and no longer bound by guilt and shame. With His help, we can resist temptation and stand firm against Satan’s lies. Pray that we will continue to walk in the joy and freedom of forgiveness and honesty before God.

Day 23

Start with One Step (pages 48-49)

Lesson Objective:

To guide the members to understand that Christians have to walk closely to God and be holy for God is holy.

Scripture Reading:

1 Peter 1:10-16, Leviticus 11:44, John 13:35, 1 John 3:3, 2 Timothy 2:22, Matthew 4:1-11, Matthew 5:29, Ephesians

4:26-27 and Luke 9:23.

1. Answer for Question 1

The thing that we now possess that the prophets had carefully and intently searched for is God’s grace (v.10), given to us through Jesus’s death and resurrection (v.11).

2. Answer for Question 2

The word “holy” in 1 Peter 1:15 is translated from the Greek word hagios, which means to be different, separate from the rest, and set apart by or for God.

• “Be holy, because I am holy” is a quotation from Leviticus 11:44, as mentioned in the first paragraph of the write-up on page 49.

o The word “holy” there is translated from the Hebrew word kadosh, which has the same meaning of being separated out and set apart.

o Kadosh has linguistic connections to our Malay word “kudus”, as in Roh Kudus (Holy Spirit).

• So “holiness” is the condition of being different, not just for the sake of being different, but because we belong to God.

o He has chosen us and called us to be His own people.

Start with One Step (pages 48-49)

o As such, we are set apart, in a separate category from the rest of the world which does not belong to Him.

o There are certain moral obligations and markers that will clearly show that “set-apartness.” For example, Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35) God is set apart and in His own category, separate from everything else, in the following ways:

• He alone is the Creator; whereas everything else is created.

• He alone is self-existent, existing independently of any other beings or causes; whereas everything else depends on outside causes for their existence (for example, the painting exists because of the artist, you exist because of your parents, and so on).

• He alone is eternally existent, having always existed; whereas everything else began to exist at some point in time (for example, the painting began to exist when the artist painted it, you began to exist when your parents conceived you, and so on).

• He alone is omnipotent or all-powerful; whereas every other being has limited powers or abilities.

• He alone is omniscient or all-knowing; whereas every other being has limited knowledge.

• He alone is morally perfect, the very standard and source of goodness; whereas every other being falls short of that standard of perfection.

o This is the sense in which we are called to be holy, as it is the only attribute of God which we can imitate. The other attributes of God listed above are

for Him alone and cannot be imitated.

• There may be other possible answers that your members may think of and share. Accept their answers if they make sense.

3. Answer for Question 3

We must be holy because it is commanded in God’s Word.

• Because God is holy, so since we belong to Him, we too must be holy.

Some practical ways for us to be holy in all we do are:

• Understand that because Jesus bore our sins on the Cross, God already sees us as righteous and holy.

o When He looks at us, He does not see our sin; He sees the righteousness of Jesus.

o While this is conceptual, it is also practical, because without this fundamental understanding of God’s holiness imparted to us by His grace through the Cross, we will end up striving and working hard to meet a standard of Divine perfection that we can never meet.

o That kind of striving and effort can only lead to two possible outcomes, and both of them are negative. o The first possible outcome is that we will fail again and again and again until we give up in despair.

o The second possible outcome is that we will think we succeed, and therefore become prideful, legalistic, and judgmental towards others.

o The middle path that avoids these two pitfalls is the way of grace – we are already holy because of what Jesus has done for us, and all our efforts to be holy are now done in gratitude and worship towards our

Start with One Step

God who has saved us.

• Understand also that the day will surely come when we will finally be made perfect, when we will truly be holy as God is holy, for we will see Jesus face to face and we will be like Him (1 John 3:2).

o Again, this understanding is a practical help for us in being holy, for it puts before us a guarantee that our efforts will bear fruit one day.

o See the logical outcome in 1 John 3:3 – “All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.”

o So, then, the great truths of justification (God already sees us as holy) and glorification (we will be made truly holy one day) help us greatly on the way as we undergo sanctification (we are presently in the process of learning to be holy in all that we do).

- Note: We discussed these three aspects of salvation in Devo Day 4, Question 1.

o Surely it gives us great strength and courage in the struggle; fighting the battle for holiness against the flesh, the world, and the devil; to know that the victory is already won (for we are justified) and that soon we will enjoy the victory celebration (for we will be glorified).

• Spend time with God daily.

o As the write-up on page 49 says, in the second last paragraph, “The more time you spend with Him, the more you will become like Him.

• Attend Church, Youth Fellowship, BB Parades, and small group bible studies regularly.

o It is hard to struggle for holiness on your own.

Start with One Step

Having a group of friends who will grow together in holiness and encourage each other in the faith will help you to “be holy in all you do.”

• Learn to be attentive to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

o Regularly practising the spiritual disciplines of silence and solitude will help you do this (we talked about these disciplines in Devo Day 15, Question2).

o We often enter into situations where we will face temptation.

- For example, maybe you’re working at your computer, and you think, “I’ve been working pretty hard for a long time, I should take a break.” And that can be dangerous in terms of temptation, because all kinds of websites can be accessible to you at the click of your mouse.

- Or you’re going to sit for an exam, and you may be tempted to copy your friend’s answers.

- Or you’re assigned to group work with a classmate who is very annoying, and you may be tempted to lose your temper at them.

- Or you’re on a date with your significant other and you can choose to go somewhere public that is fun and safe or somewhere private where you may be tempted to express your feelings for one another in inappropriate ways.

o Often, the Holy Spirit will give us a warning when we’re entering such situations. He will raise a red flag to make us aware that we may be about to face temptation.

o So then it is good for us to learn to be sensitive to the Spirit’s prompting and take appropriate action.

- This may be to remove ourselves from the situation if possible (2 Timothy 2:22).

- Or if the situation is unavoidable, such as the exam or group work above, then we should prepare ourselves mentally and spiritually to resist the temptation we are about to face. As the saying goes, “forewarned is forearmed.”

• Follow Jesus’ example in resisting temptation.

o You can read about how Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness in Matthew 4:1-11.

o You will notice there that each time Jesus was tempted, He fought back against Satan by quoting Scripture, saying, “it is written…” (Matthew 4:4, 7, and 10).

o Therefore, one way to combat temptation is to memorise a verse or two that speaks directly against that particular temptation. For example:

- If you are tempted to look at pornography, Matthew 5:29 reminds you how seriously we should avoid allowing our eyes to lead us astray (please do not take it literally and do not harm yourself, but understand the seriousness of sin and turn away from it).

- If you are tempted to lose your temper, Ephesians 4:26-27 reminds you not to allow your anger to lead you to sin.

- If you are tempted to overindulge in food or tempted to gluttony, Luke 9:23 reminds you that part of following Jesus is learning to deny yourself.

o Your BB members might need help to find a verse that is relevant to their particular temptation.

- Invite them to discuss it personally with you if they need to.

- Assure them that you won’t judge them and that they have nothing to be ashamed of. In fact it is commendable that they want to take steps to resist temptation like Jesus did, and they should be pleased with themselves.

Lesson Objective:

To guide the members to understand that we are not to become slaves to sin again after we believe in Christ, but become slaves to righteousness.

Scripture Reading:

Romans 6:1-18, Psalm 22:1, Mark 15:34, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 2 Timothy 2:22 and Philippians 2:12-13

1. Answer for Question 1

There are so many references to death in this passage because it is an apt and appropriate description of the things that Paul was trying to describe and explain to the Church in Rome.

• Death is separation.

o Physical death is when a person’s immortal spirit is separated from the shell or husk of their physical body.

o Spiritual death is when a person is separated from God.

• So death describes the Christian’s relationship to sin (v.2, vv.6-7, vv.11-13), because we are now separated from our sin. Our sin has been paid for and it no longer has any power over us.

o Note: This answers the second part of Question 1, about how Christ’s death and resurrection affects our relationship to sin.

• Death also describes Christian baptism (v.3-5).

o Baptism is a public declaration of faith, proclaiming to the world, “I believe in Jesus and I belong to Him!”

Feeding the Wolf

o As such, baptism marks a separation between our old lives, in which we were lost, far away from God, and subject to sin and death; and our new lives, in which we have been found, drawn near to God, and share in Jesus’ victory over sin and death. o Baptism was mentioned in Devo Day 4, Question 3, as one of the good things that could be done to show that one is now a believer in Jesus Christ.

o Gently encourage your members, if they are Christians but have not yet been baptised, to consider taking this next step in their journey of faith.

o This would involve approaching their pastor or a leader of the church to enquire as to the procedures and prerequisites. Most churches would require a baptismal candidate to go through some classes beforehand to ensure that they understand the meaning and seriousness of the commitment they are making to God and to the church.

o If you have a BB member who wants to be baptised but is from a non-Christian home, that can be tricky.

- If their parents are happy for them to be a Christian, then encourage them to ask their parents for permission, and to go ahead if they allow it.

- But if their parents are not happy about them choosing to follow Jesus and they seem antagonistic, it may be better not to ask for permission at the present time and to wait first for their parents’ hearts to be softened.

- In either case, if parental permission is not granted, then they should not go ahead with the baptism,

especially if they are below 18 years of age.

- Once they are above 18 years of age, they can legally be baptised without their parents’ permission, but they may still want to wait out of respect, filial piety, and in order to keep the peace and harmony of the family.

- By the time they are young adults, say above 21 years of age, they should be able to make their own decision even if their parents disagree. But this is a personal decision and should not be forced upon them in any way.

• Death describes what Jesus went through on the Cross, and is a prerequisite for resurrection (v.3-5).

o When Jesus died on the Cross, His spirit was separated from His physical body.

o While He was not actually separated from the Father (for they are One and their union cannot be broken), He did experience the agony of separation from the Father as He bore the sins of humanity, and suffered the Father’s wrath against those sins (see how Jesus quoted the cry of dereliction from Psalm 22:1, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” in Mark 15:34).

o It is only after Jesus suffered death on the Cross that He could be resurrected, conquering sin and death forever (vv.9-10).

• Death describes our condition before we came to believe in Jesus (v.13).

o At that time, we were separated from God by our sins, and all our efforts to be good could not repair that separation. We were spiritually dead.

Feeding the Wolf (pages 50-51) Day 24

o But now, we “have been brought from death to life”!

o Death describes the ultimate destination of slavery to sin (v.16).

o As mentioned above, sin separates us from God, and that is the definition of spiritual death.

o If a person remains a slave to sin, then, they will end up separated from God forever in hell, and that is eternal death.

2. Answer for Question 2

We must not become slaves to sin again because Jesus paid the ultimate price and died on the cross in order to purchase our freedom from sin.

• We have discussed this divine exchange – Jesus’ life given up in exchange for our lives, our sins being imparted to Him whilst His righteousness is imparted to us (2 Corinthians 5:21) – in Devo Day 8, Question 1, Subpoint 3.

• So since Jesus bore our sins and died to pay their penalty, effectively, the one who sinned – described in v.6 as “our old self” – was crucified with Him and has also died.

• Therefore, considering the magnitude of Jesus’ overwhelmingly great love for us and the indescribably precious gift of redemption and freedom from sin that He gave us, it should be impossible for us to return again to being slaves to sin.

• The person who would have made such a ridiculously terrible choice because they were bound, tied up, and in bondage to sin; that person has died with Christ. Sin becomes our master when we choose to obey it, when we choose to give in to temptation and indulge in actions

that we know are wrong and sinful.

• One mistake made in a moment of weakness, if repeated, becomes a pattern of behaviour; if it continues, this becomes a habit; and then it becomes part of your character.

• So it starts with our choice to sin or to give in to temptation, but as the process outlined above progresses, it becomes harder and harder to make any other choice, because we have allowed those sinful actions to become part of our character.

• If there is a good thing that you cannot bring yourself to do – for example, some people just can’t read the Bible; they will fall asleep, or get a headache, or be distracted by something else, etc. – or if there is a bad thing that you cannot stop yourself from doing – for example, in the case of addictions – that is a red flag that informs you that you are under bondage.

• At that point, you have made sin your master and yourself a slave to sin, and you need to seek help in order to be delivered from bondage and regain freedom.

• You can begin that process by calling on the name of Jesus and walking with Him.

o However, if you find yourself struggling, do not struggle alone.

o Do not hesitate to seek help from your pastor, youth

pastor, BB captain or officers, or any other older Christian whom you can trust and respect.

• Sometimes it is simply impossible for you to overcome such spiritual bondages or addictions on your own, and you really need someone (or maybe even a community)

Feeding the Wolf (pages 50-51)

to come alongside you, journey with you, encourage you, keep you accountable, pray with you, and work together with you towards deliverance and freedom in Christ.

3. Answer for Question 3

To show that “you have been set free from sin and have become a slave to righteousness,” each time we are tempted or faced with a choice between sin and righteousness, we must choose to turn away from sin and choose to do what is right.

• As the write-up on page 51 describes it, we make every effort to “starve the bad wolf” and “feed the good wolf” in us.

• We do this knowing that we are already saved and that we are beloved children of God.

o Standing on that solid ground, the firm foundation of who Jesus is and what He has done for us, our striving against sin and for righteousness is not out of desperation to be saved, but out of gratitude and a desire to please our loving heavenly Father.

• We do this knowing that Jesus has already won the victory over sin on the cross, and that He has given us His righteousness and taken away our sin.

o So, then, all our efforts to resist temptation and do the right thing are part of the process of enforcing that victory in our lives, translating what is already a spiritual fact and spiritual reality (that Jesus has set us free from sin and made us righteous) into our daily lived experience.

• As mentioned in Devo Day 23, Question 3, some other things we can do in order to turn away from sin and

turn to righteousness are:

o Spend time with God daily.

o Attend Church, Youth Fellowship, BB Parades, and small group bible studies regularly.

o Learn to be attentive to the voice of the Holy Spirit, to heed His warnings when you are about to enter a situation where you may face temptation.

o When you face temptation, if possible, remove yourself from the situation; as 2 Timothy 2:22 says, “Flee the evil desires of youth.”

o If it isn’t possible to remove yourself from the situation, prepare your heart and mind to resist temptation by following Jesus’ example of hearing, reading, studying, meditating upon, and memorising God’s Word.

- Arm yourself with one or two scripture passages which speak directly to the particular temptation that you are prone to.

• Apart from resisting temptation and rejecting sin, sometimes you may struggle with choosing to do what is right.

o Sometimes you know what is good and right for you to do, but it is just so difficult to make yourself do it.

o The task seems too big, too overwhelming.

o In such situations, break the “good thing” that you want to do into smaller, more manageable tasks and then try to do one of those, step by step.

o For example, maybe you know you should clean your room, but it’s so messy you just feel like giving up. Some sub-tasks that you could try starting with are:

Feeding the Wolf (pages 50-51) Day 24

- If there are dirty clothes strewn around on the floor or the bed, pick them up and put them in the laundry basket.

- If there is rubbish on the floor – food wrappers, waste paper, etc. – pick them up and throw them into the rubbish bin.

- Clear the floor of things so that it can be swept or vacuumed.

- Sweep or vacuum the floor.

- Change the bed sheet and pillowcases. In all your efforts to “starve the bad wolf” and “feed the good wolf,” remember that Jesus is always with you, the Holy Spirit is always empowering you, and you are always depending on God’s grace.

o You are not struggling alone, and you should not be trying to do it by your own efforts and willpower alone.

o As Philippians 2:12-13 says, you should “work out your salvation with fear and trembling”, and that is your part to do and your role to play; but at the same time, remember that “it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose.”

Lesson Objective:

To guide the members to follow Jesus’ example of showing kindness and serving people.

Scripture Reading: John 13: 3-15

1. Answer for Question 1

Jesus washed His disciples’ feet. According to the custom of that day, the lowliest servant in the household should have done it.

• At that time, cars had not yet been invented.

• Only the rich could afford to ride a horse or a donkey.

• So, the main mode of transport for most people was walking.

• And tarred roads had also not yet been invented, which meant that roads were often dusty on dry days and muddy on wet days.

• All this helps us understand that washing people’s feet was quite a yucky and disgusting job; their feet would be really sweaty, smelly, and dirty.

• Because of that, it was not only the job of a servant to wash people’s feet; it was the job of the lowliest servant, the one with the lowest position in the hierarchy of servants.

2. Answer for Question 2

Jesus washed His disciple’s feet because:

• He knew who He was and the power God had given Him, that God was the One who had sent Him into our world and that He would soon be with God again after suffering the Cross (v.3).

• This knowledge of His identity, His origins, and His destiny formed the basis and foundation from which Jesus took this action (v.4, “so He got up…”)

o Similarly, we need to know who we are in Christ (our identity), that we were created by God for His good purposes (our origins), and that we are headed for Heaven (our destiny) before we start serving.

o If we do not have this foundational knowledge, we may refuse to serve because we feel that we’re “not good enough.”

o Or we may think of ourselves too highly and refuse to serve because we feel that certain menial tasks are beneath us.

o Or we may serve with wrong motives, trying to earn God’s favour and win a place in Heaven when those things can only be received as free gifts of God’s grace.

• Also, knowing that He was going to leave the disciples soon and return to God (v.3), Jesus wanted to teach them something important (v.12 – this is the verse referred to in the question) before His time with them ended.

o So, Jesus washed His disciple’s feet as an example to them to follow (vv. 14-15).

o They were to love one another and serve one another, considering the other’s needs more important than their own reluctance to serve or their own sense of status and position.

o They were to lead by example, as servant leaders.

3. Answer for Question 3

The equivalent of foot-washing today could be any menial task that most people would rather not do if they had a choice.

Scattered Fruit (pages 52-53) Day 25

• These can be simple tasks that are not obvious and do not garner attention but occur behind the scenes.

• Some examples might be:

o Arranging chairs and tables before a meeting starts.

o Handling the PA system (public address – mics, mixer volumes, etc.) or AV system (audio-visual – clicking on the PowerPoint, making sure videos can be presented and audio can be heard, etc.) during a meeting.

o Washing the dishes after a meal. o Cleaning the floor.

o Cleaning the toilet.

o Etc.

We can imitate Christ by joyfully taking up tasks like this –tasks which are difficult, disgusting, menial, and mundane

– being glad for an opportunity to serve others, and without reluctance, complaining, or grumbling.

Day 26

Lesson Objective:

To guide the members to develop the fruit of Spirit and do what they promise to do.

Scripture Reading:

Galatians 5: 16-26, Matthew 5:28, Matthew 5:43-44, Mark

3:5, Ephesians 4:26, Matthew 5:22, Psalm 139:23-24, 1 John

1:9, Ephesians 4:15 and John 15:1-6

1. Answer for Question 1

By living by the Spirit (v.16), being led by the Spirit (v.18), and keeping in step with the Spirit (v.25), Paul means that:

• We should be attuned to the Holy Spirit.

o If we believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells or lives in us.

o The question is, are we listening to Him?

o In order to live by the Spirit we must hear His voice, we must be sensitive to His leadings and His promptings.

o Practicing the spiritual disciplines of silence and solitude (Devo Day 15, Question 2) will help us to “tune in” to the voice of the Spirit.

• We should obey the Holy Spirit.

o There is no point listening and hearing the Spirit’s voice if we do not intend to obey Him.

o If He puts on our heart that we should pray for someone, or talk to someone, or make a contribution to some worthy cause, or remove ourselves from a spiritually dangerous situation, or any other action, then we should obey Him immediately.

o Take note that the Holy Spirit will never lead us in

contradiction to God’s Word.

i. If you feel that you are hearing Him tell you to do something which is wrong or against what is written in Scripture, you are mishearing Him.

ii. Either that, or what you are hearing is not the Spirit’s voice at all.

iii. It could be the inner voice of your own thoughts and ideas.

iv. Or, it could be the voice of the world, with its culture and the messages carried in its movies, music, and other media.

v. Or, it could be the voice of the devil, who seeks to tempt us away from the way of the Spirit, and who always seeks to steal, kill, and destroy.

o If you are unsure whether you are hearing the Spirit correctly, consult an older Christian whom you respect and trust. There is wisdom in collective discernment.

o Once you are sure that the Spirit is leading you in a certain direction or telling you to take a certain action, obey Him courageously.

2. Answer for Question 2

The acts of the sinful nature listed here are:

• Sexual sins:

o Sexual immorality – This refers to any sexual activity outside of marriage, which is a life-long commitment between a man and a woman.

o Impurity – This is a more general form of sexual sin, which includes impure thoughts and fantasies. Jesus

spoke about this in Matthew 5:28 when he said, “…anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

o Debauchery – The English word refers to excessive indulgence in sex, alcohol, and drugs. The Greek word, aselgeia, has similar connotations with an added aspect of lawlessness, the rejection of restraint and the rules of public decency.

• Sins particularly against God:

o Idolatry – The ancient Greeks and Romans literally worshipped idols; they worshipped false gods such as Zeus, Poseidon, and so on.

i. For us, an “idol” can be anything that has become more important to us than God, anything that we have given a higher priority or have pursued with greater devotion than the priority and devotion that we have given to Him.

ii. We have discussed the sin of idolatry in Devo Day 14, Question 2.

o Witchcraft – The sin of witchcraft is basically that of trying to use spells, rituals, or demonic pacts to wrest power and control over our own lives and the lives of others; power and control that belongs to God alone.

i. For us, we may not use spells, rituals, and so on, but any attempt to usurp God’s place and grasp power and control that is not rightfully ours is similar to this sin.

• Relational sins:

o Hatred – This is an intense dislike of someone to the extent that one harbours hostile thoughts may even take harmful actions against them.

i. This is a sin because we are called to love even our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:43-44).

ii. We cannot help disliking some people – perhaps our personalities clash, or we just have such opposing opinions that we cannot help having that feeling of dislike. However, we can stop dislike from developing into hatred.

o Discord – This English word means sharp disagreement or lack of harmony, but the Greek word eris has connotations of quarrelsomeness.

- There is no sin in disagreeing with others, but there is sin in doing so in a disagreeable or quarrelsome way.

o Jealousy – This is a strong emotion in which one burns with desire to overcome and be better than the person one is jealous of.

o Fits of rage – This is anger rampaging out of control.

i. It is not wrong to feel anger – that is part of being human, and Jesus also experienced this emotion (see, for example, Mark 3:5).

ii. However, if it is not handled or managed correctly, anger can easily lead us into sin – hence, Paul’s warning: “In your anger do not sin’: do not let the sun go down while you are still angry…” (Ephesians 4:26).

iii. Jesus also warned: “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.” (Matthew 5:22).

iv. So if anger itself is so dangerous, anger lashing out without control in fits of rage is definitely sinful.

o Selfish ambition – This is a desire to better oneself or one’s own position without any regard for the needs or wants of others.

o Dissensions and factions – These two are taken together because one leads to another.

i. In English, “dissension” refers to disagreement which leads to discord (which we briefly discussed above).

- It is translated from the Greek word dichostasia, from dicha, “separately” and stasis, “stand or stance”.

- This “standing apart” refers to divisions which wrongly separate people into pointless factions.

ii. Which lead us to factions – smaller groups which disagree with each other within a larger group.

- This is translated from the Greek word hairesis, which means a strong, personal, subjective opinion or choice.

- This is also the word from which the English word “heresy,” that is, wrong or false teachings, is derived.

iii. So while disagreements are inevitable in any large group that works together, we need to take care for it not do turn into dissension, in which the whole group becomes fragmented or broken up into disagreeing factions who are hostile to one another.

iv. In our Company, for example, or in our NCO Council, or within our squads, whenever there is a disagreement of opinion, we need to keep

firmly in mind the things that unite us.

vi. We may disagree, for example, about the best venue for a certain event, or the best way to train new recruits, or about any number of other topics or issues.

vii. But even as we disagree, let us remember that we are all on the same side. We all want to see the Company grow, we all want to see more recruits come in, we all want to see our members develop into successful young men and women who will make great contributions to society, and we all want to do our best to glorify and honour our great Captain, Jesus Christ.

viii. This unity of vision and purpose will help to keep us away from the sin of dissensions and factions.

o Envy – This is a feeling of ill-will, of feeling unhappy when someone else has something good and wishing evil upon them.

i. We sometimes find it difficult to differentiate jealousy (discussed briefly above) and envy.

ii. Whereas jealousy contains a desire to raise ourselves to the same level or higher than the other person (as mentioned above, “to overcome or be better than” them), envy contains a desire to bring the other person down to the same level as ourselves or even lower.

• Sins of addiction and loss of control:

o Drunkenness – This refers to the loss of self-control that occurs when one drinks too much alcohol.

i. By extension, we can think of other addictions to

things (like social media, online games, pornography, and so on) and substances (like drugs) which can also cause us to lose control of ourselves.

o Orgies – This refers to group sex, where four or more people (three people “doing it” are considered a “threesome” rather than an orgy, but it’s really just as bad) have intercourse with one another.

i. This is like the extreme development of the sexual sins listed above (sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery), and perhaps it is listed in this category because once a person reaches this stage of sexual sin, it has really gotten totally out of control.

ii. I am not sure whether it is necessary to explain this particular word to your members.

iii. Perhaps if they do not ask about it, and you feel it is not necessary to explain, you can just leave it alone.

iv. But if your members are curious and ask about it, it is good to have an answer ready for them.

v. Also, it may seem strange if you explain every other word in the list but leave this one out.

vi. So, I leave it to you as the facilitator to decide how you would like to handle this list of sinful acts and discuss them with your members.

• And others.

o The list ends with the words, “and the like.”

o This means that it is not exhaustive – there are other acts of the sinful nature that have not been listed here.

The second part of the question is a personal question which prompts your members to examine themselves to see if there is evidence of these sins in their lives.

• Give them some time to pray, asking the Holy Spirit to search their hearts (Psalm 139:23-24).

• It is very important for them to ask the Holy Spirit to lead this time of self-examination, because if they do it on their own they may remain pridefully blind to their own faults or end up wallowing in guilt and selfloathing.

• If the Holy Spirit brings to their mind any evidence of these acts of the sinful nature, invite them to confess those things to God and ask for His forgiveness.

• Remind them about the promise of 1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (We talked about this in Devo Day 21, Question 3).

• Invite them to share their answers with the group if they are willing to, but do not put any pressure on them to share if they are not ready, as this can be quite a personal and private matter.

3. Answer for Question 3

The fruit of the Spirit is:

• Love – This means desiring the best for the other person and acting in their best interests even if it is at your own expense.

o It is not a fuzzy, sentimental feeling; it is a choice, a commitment, and is expressed in action.

• Joy – This is a sense that things are right and good that can be sustained even in spite of negative circumstances.

o Happiness is short-lived and fleeting, and it depends on positive situations and outcomes.

o Joy, on the other hand, is constant and unwavering, and it flows out of faith in God’s sovereignty and trust that He will fulfil His promises to us.

• Peace – This is inner calmness and tranquillity; it comes from being in a right relationship to God, to ourselves, and to others.

• Patience – This is the ability to wait for something we want or the ability to bear difficult or painful circumstances without grumbling, complaining, or losing our temper.

• Kindness – This is thinking of, speaking to, and acting towards others in positive, good, and helpful ways.

• Goodness – This means doing what is morally right; having integrity, honesty, and righteousness.

o In some ways, kindness (discussed above) is a subset of goodness; but not always.

o For example, if someone has done something wrong, speaking the truth to them may seem unkind. They may cry and feel hurt. But it is good and right to do so (as lovingly as possible, of course – see Ephesians 4:15).

• Faithfulness – This means persevering in doing what is right, and being dependable, responsible, and trustworthy.

o This is the aspect of the fruit of the Spirit which is highlighted in the write-up on page 55.

• Gentleness – This is power or strength under control.

o For example, someone insults you.

o You have the capacity to insult them back, or even

to escalate to physical retaliation. You could beat them and humiliate them verbally or physically and teach them a lesson.

o But you hold yourself back from that and just reply politely, “That’s not true,” or, “That’s a mean thing to say.”

o That is gentleness.

• Self-control – This is being aware of our actions and doing them intentionally and purposefully.

o In other words, not just mindlessly going with the flow.

o It also means not allowing ourselves to be controlled by things like bad temper or addictions. The next two questions under Question 3 (“What fruit is growing?” and “What fruit is lacking?”) are personal questions.

• Your BB members will have to consider and examine their own lives to evaluate how they are doing in terms of growing the fruit of the Spirit.

• Encourage them to share their answers with the group. In order to be fruitful, we need to abide or remain in Jesus (John 15:1-6).

• The fruit of the Spirit cannot be grown out of our own striving or effort.

o Think of a durian tree. Does it have to “try hard” to bear fruit?

o No! It happens naturally, when the tree is healthy and mature enough.

• So all we need to do, like the branch in John 15:1-6, is to abide in Jesus – to stay connected to Him by spending time with Him daily, praying, reading the

Day 26

Tried and True

Bible, worshipping Him, and so on.

o Just like in any other relationship – you get to know one another and get closer to one another by spending time together, talking, and doing things together. It’s the same with your relationship with Jesus.

• As you follow Jesus and stay connected to Him, you will grow and change. You will become more and more like Him, and you will see the fruit of the Spirit growing in your life.

Why Go to Church?

Lesson Objective:

To motivate the members to grow in Christ together, be in the Christian community, and keep going to church.

Scripture Reading:

Hebrews 10: 19-25

1. Answer for Question 1

The blood of Christ (v.19) cleanses me from sin, taking away the barrier that my rebellion against God had raised between Him and me.

• Because of that, I have been reconciled with God. Before this, I was His enemy, because I chose to disobey Him and go against Him; but because of Christ’s blood, I am now a friend of God.

• This gives me the right and the confidence to worship God.

The priesthood of Christ (v.21) means that He represents me before God (we talked about this in Devo Day 19, Questions 1 and 2).

• He speaks on my behalf; He mediates between God and I; and He has made the perfect sacrifice of Himself to atone for my sins so that I can stand in God’s presence.

• I know that Jesus is with me, on my side; that He understands my failures and weaknesses because He is fully human; and that God will surely listen to Him because He is God’s beloved Son.

• This gives me the right and the confidence to worship God.

2. Answer for Question 2

The four “let us” statements in verses 22-25 are:

• “Let us draw near to God…” (v.22). How do we do this?

o With a sincere heart.

i. We can be honest and take off our masks before God, because He already knows us through and through, and He loves us.

o In full assurance of faith.

o With hearts already sprinkled with Jesus’ blood, cleansing us from a guilty conscience.

o With our bodies already washed with pure water.

i. This may be a reference to baptism, which we have talked about in Devo Day 24, Question 1.

ii. However, assure your members who are not baptised that they can still draw near to God.

iii. Baptism is an outward sign or symbol of an inward transformation; it is a public declaration of a faith that one already possesses.

iv. Even if they have not yet or cannot yet undergo the external ritual for various reasons (not ready yet, parents disapprove, etc.), if they believe in Jesus, they already belong to Him and can already draw near to God.

o This statement tells us to grow in our relationship with God, to become increasingly closer and more intimate with Him.

• “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess…” (v.23). Why do we do this?

o Because our hope is in God and His promises; and He is faithful, so we can be sure that our hope will

Why Go to Church?

not be disappointed.

o This statement tells us to persevere, to hold on to hope even when the world around us seems dark and full of troubles.

• “Let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds.” (v.24).

o This statement tells us to motivate each other to do good and show Christ’s love to those around us, and to keep one another accountable.

• “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing…” (v.25) Why must we keep meeting together?

o To encourage one another. o Because the Day is approaching.

i. “The Day” refers to Jesus’ second coming.

ii. When Jesus comes again, we will all be together in Heaven.

iii. There will no longer be any need for us to purposely meet together to worship and encourage one another as we do now, because we will then already be together worshipping Him in His presence forever.

o This statement tells us to keep meeting together in Church, youth fellowships, cell groups, The Boys’ Brigade parades, and so on; to take every opportunity to help one another and build one another up before Jesus comes back to take us Home.

3. Answer for Question 3

There are many things your members could do to spur one

another on “towards love and good deeds” (v.24). Accept any answers that make sense. Some possible answers are:

• Show love towards others in practical ways as an example to one another.

o For example, helping a friend with homework; sharing food with someone who needs it; giving a listening ear to a friend who needs to share their problems with someone; praying for a friend’s needs, etc.

• Verbally suggest and propose such actions to individuals and groups (For The Boys’ Brigade members: your squad, your company, etc.).

• Give affirming words to those who undertake such actions.

o For example, “Thanks for being so helpful! I really appreciate it,” “I saw what you did to help that guy, well done,” and so on.

If we do not meet together, we end up drifting apart, isolated and alone.

• By meeting together, we can share our lives together.

• Simply by our presence, we encourage others to also be present and to take part in worship, fellowship, bible study, or whatever good and beneficial activity or programme is being run.

• When we meet together, we will have opportunities to interact with one another, and it is in such interactions that we can speak words of encouragement and affirmation to one another.

• Also, when we meet together, there will be opportunities to express and show love to one another, which is greatly encouraging.

• Meeting together can also give a platform for the whole group to work together (this requires some planning and preparation, of course) to express and show love to others outside the group. In the process, they will encourage one another as well as those whom they are blessing.

Lesson Objective:

To guide the members to be the salt and light of the world that reflect the glory of God.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 5: 11-16 and John 10:10.

1. Answer for Question 1

It is a blessing when I am insulted or persecuted for being a follower of Christ (v.11-12) because that is an indication that I am on the right path.

• After all, the prophets who spoke God’s word to the people of Israel were persecuted too.

• Therefore, I can rejoice and be glad even if I must suffer for following Jesus, because I can look ahead to the end of my path, to my great reward in Heaven.

2. Answer for Question 2

This question requires your BB members to examine themselves and evaluate how well they shine the light of Christ’s goodness and love into others’ lives through their words and deeds.

• Give them some time to examine themselves.

• Invite them to share whether they are a 100W bulb, a 50W bulb, or a night-light, and why.

• Commend them for shining for Jesus in all the ways that they are doing so.

• Affirm those who feel like they are only a night-light that at least they are shining, even if it is only a little, and encourage them to persevere in displaying Christ’s light to others and grow to do so more and more.

3. Answer for Question 3

This question invites your members to apply God’s Word into their personal lives. Give them some time to think about it, and then encourage them to share their ideas of how they can be the salt of the earth.

• As salt can be used to keep food from going bad (think of ham yu, salted fish), they are to function as moral preservative, stopping moral decay and corruption in our world. Some ways they might do this are:

o Choosing to do what is right even when everyone else is doing wrong; for example, all their friends are cheating in an exam, but they refuse to do so.

o Choosing to stand up and speak up for what is right; for example, confronting bullies and asking them to stop victimising younger, weaker, more vulnerable students.

o And so on.

• As salt gives food flavour, your members are to function to bring joy and meaning to the lives of others, introducing them to the abundant life that only Jesus can give (John 10:10). Some ways they might do this are:

o People who lack joy and meaning in life are often looking for someone with whom they can share their woes. Your members can be there for them, give a listening ear to their story, and share with them about Jesus and how He has helped them in their time of trouble.

o Your members can also do this simply by living authentically joyful lives as followers of Jesus.

i. William Lane Craig, one of the foremost Christian apologists today, has on multiple occasions shared that he was an angsty, nihilistic teen when he asked a joyful classmate, “Why are you so happy all the time, anyway?” And she said, “Why, because I have Jesus living in me!” And that conversation started him on the road to faith in Jesus.

o They could also choose to always speak and act with kindness and compassion.

o And so on.

Lesson Objective:

To guide the members to know that if we truly love God, we will want others to love Him too.

Scripture Reading:

Mark 12:28-34, Genesis 2:7, Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Leviticus 19:18, Galatians 5:22-23, and 1 Corinthians 6:18.

1. Answer for Question 1

The two most important commandments are:

• To love God with our entire being: our choices (heart), our feelings (soul), our thoughts (mind), and our actions (strength).

o In English, we tend to think of the heart as the seat of our emotions, and of the soul as the generally non-physical parts of us, namely our emotion (same as heart), mind, and volition (ability to make decisions).

o Looking at the original languages of the Bible, however, this distinction does not hold up.

o In Greek, kardia (heart) and psyche (soul) are almost interchangeable, both having to do with spiritual life; a person’s thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, and endeavours.

o Since Jesus was quoting from the Old Testament, we could also check the Hebrew. Here, there is a bit more distinction between the two.

i. Lebab (heart) refers to the inner man, including the mind, emotions, and will. Decisions are made in one’s heart.

ii. Nephesh (soul) refers to the breath of life that

Do You Love God?

God breathed into Adam (Genesis 2:7). It also includes the emotions, but especially one’s appetites and desires.

o So based on this word study, in the main point above, loving God with our heart focusses on the choices we make and loving God with our soul focusses on our feelings.

• To love the people around us (our neighbours) as we love ourselves.

These are the most important commandments because they summarise or encapsulate perfectly all the laws and statutes given by God.

• In the ten commandments, for example, the first four (no other gods, no idols, don’t take God’s name in vain, and remember the Sabbath) have to do with loving God.

• The other six (honour your parents, don’t kill, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, and don’t covet) have to do with loving your neighbour.

2. Answer for Question 2

For this question, your BB members have to think about which love deserves a higher or lower priority according to the verses Jesus quoted from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (about loving God) and Leviticus 19:18 (about loving our neighbour).

• Give them some time to rate the loves, then invite them to share.

• Love for God should be rated the highest, as that is the most important commandment.

• Love for others and self should be rated below love for God, as that is the second most important commandment.

• Some of your members may give love for others and self the same rating, if they consider the connecting word, “as” to imply equal importance and priority.

• On the other hand, others may give love for others a higher rating than love for self, because we should love selflessly and self-sacrificially, like Jesus did.

• Yet others may give love for self a higher rating than love for others, because self-love is the yardstick or standard by which love for others should be measured or calibrated, and it is therefore conceptually more important than love for others.

• I don’t think there is a black-and-white right or wrong answer for this question, so accept all answers and explanations which make sense.

3. Answer for Question 3

This question invites your BB members to apply God’s Word into their personal lives. Give them some time to think about it, and then encourage them to share their ideas of how they can practically love God with their whole being.

• Some ways that they could love God with their whole heart (their choices) are:

o Firstly, make the choice of fully submitting their whole heart and entire life under the Lordship of Jesus.

o Choose to do what is right and good rather than what is easy whenever they are faced with a morally significant choice.

o Choose to resist temptation and turn away from sin

Do You Love God? (pages 60-61)

(we discussed about this in Devo Day 23, Question 3 and Devo Day 24, Question 3).

o And so on.

• Some ways that they could love God with their whole soul (their feelings) are:

o Allow themselves to express their emotions of love and adoration to Him in singing, music, and prayer.

o Learn to regulate their emotions – to be in control

of themselves (this is an aspect of the fruit of the spirit, Galatians 5:22-23) and not let their emotions control them.

o Learn to release negative emotions like anger, hatred, bitterness, resentment and so on to God, and not hold on to them.

o Align their appetites and desires with God’s will.

o And so on.

• Some ways that they could love God with their whole mind (their intellect) are:

o Read and study the Bible so that they can grasp and understand the whole counsel of God’s Word.

o Read good Christian books that will help them to grow and mature spiritually.

o Not ignore or suppress doubts and questions but seek for reasonable, meaningful answers and solutions so that they will know and be able to clearly articulate what they believe and why they believe it.

o And so on.

• Some ways that they could love God with their whole strength (their body) are:

Day 29

Do You Love God? (pages 60-61)

o Follow-through on the good choices made by the heart above.

o Keep themselves pure from sexual immorality, the only sin that is against one’s own body (1 Corinthians 6:18).

o Do their best to be excellent in all that they do – in sports, studies, extra-curricular activities, and others;

not out of selfish ambition, but to glorify God and

fulfil the potential that He has placed within them.

o And so on.

Lesson Objective:

To guide the members to understand that those who love God will love their neighbour.

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 4:29-32 and Matthew 18:21-35.

1. Answer for Question 1

“Unwholesome talk” is anything that does not build up or benefit others. Some examples of unwholesome talk might include:

• Insults (“stupid,” “useless,” “idiot,” etc.)

• Gossip (maliciously talking bad about someone behind their back)

• Bad jokes (racist jokes, dirty jokes, jokes intended to hurt a person or a group of people)

o I think some leeway can be given for freedom of expression. It’s hard to be funny or make jokes with too many restrictions on what can or cannot be said.

o Nevertheless, some jokes clearly cross the line into “unwholesome” territory, for example the joke made by Singaporean comic Jocelyn Chia about MH370, which went viral in June 2023.

• Sarcasm (some sarcasm is witty and funny, and that’s alright. But the kind which is unwholesome is cutting and brutal.)

o Sarcasm is basically saying one thing while meaning the opposite, and conveying that through tone of voice and facial expression.

o An example of sarcasm which is neutral is selfdeprecatory sarcasm. For example, someone leaves

something they needed at home and remarks, “Wow, I’ve got such a great memory!”

o Another example of sarcasm which is alright is when it describes a situation rather than being targeted at a person. For example, I had a friend who had to bathe in a cold river during a mission trip to an orang asli kampung. When he came back home, he reported to us that, “The water was nice and warm… For a penguin!”

o An example of sarcasm which is unwholesome is when it might hurt the other person. For example, someone has done something wrong, and their friend says, “Very good, well done. I couldn’t have made it worse if I tried.”

o This kind of thing is a little bit subjective. Some people are more sensitive and easily hurt, others will just laugh along with the sarcastic remark.

o I don’t think your BB members need to totally avoid sarcasm, but they need to know that it can cross a line into being hurtful, and be self-aware enough to be careful not to cross that line.

• Taking God’s name in vain (using “Jesus Christ!” or “Oh my God!” as an expression of shock or surprise)

• Curse words and profanities (the F-word, the S-word, the C-word, and so on. And of course there are many others in other languages and dialects.)

• Spreading rumours and fake news

• Any other examples that your BB members may think of.

2. Answer for Question 2

The two goals of our speech should be to build others up according to their needs and to benefit those who listen.

• Obviously, it is difficult to interact naturally with others

if you have to filter every word you say before you say it.

• Nevertheless, there are times when it would be good for us to examine ourselves and check the motivations of our hearts before we speak.

• Ask yourself, “Why do I want to say this? Will it help this person? Will it build them up and benefit them?”

• If the answer is no, it may be better to keep silent or say something else.

• If we do this often enough, it will eventually become part of our character instead of something we have to force ourselves to do.

• Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit – at times, He may raise a red flag or remind you to think before you speak.

3. Answer for Question 3

“Forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you,” means just what it says. I should forgive those who have wronged me as well as receive forgiveness from those I have wronged, because all of us have been forgiven so much more by God.

• We have talked at length about forgiveness, what it means and doesn’t mean, in Devo Day 12, Question 2.

• We have also talked about why it is that forgiving others seems to be a prerequisite for receiving God’s forgiveness in Devo Day 20, Question 2.

• To add to that, if you have the time, you can read through the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35) with your members.

o Ask: “How many times does Jesus command us to forgive?”

- He says, “seventy-seven times”, or some versions say “seventy times seven times.”

- But surely that doesn’t mean that we should count how many times we are forgiving, and refuse to

forgive once we hit the 78th time or the 491st time.

- No, it means that we should keep on forgiving the person who hurts us without limit.

- But as previously discussed, this does not mean condoning the other person’s wrongdoing, nor does it mean that we should allow them to keep hurting us.

- It simply means that we should release all our negative emotions about that person to God, and leave it to God to deal with them justly.

- We may seek justice – for example, so that they will not be allowed to go and hurt others the same way but we do not seek vengeance upon them.

o Note: This is a command.

- Forgiveness can be a difficult struggle, especially if you have been deeply hurt by someone.

- But Jesus would not command us to do something that we cannot do – that would be unfair.

- Because Jesus commands it, it is something that we have the capacity to do and we should do it to obey Him as well as for our own spiritual and emotional wellbeing.

- It may be a long and difficult process, but we can persevere in choosing forgiveness again and again until we have truly forgiven those who have hurt us.

o Ask: “Why do you think the unforgiving servant threw his fellow servant into prison for a mere 100 silver coins when the King had cancelled his huge debt of 10,000 bags of gold?”

- Perhaps the reason why he was so mean to his fellow servant was that he still felt that he had to pay back his debt to the King.

- Therefore he demanded repayment because he still wanted to collect whatever resources he had in an attempt to settle the debt that had actually already been cancelled.

- Of course, this is somewhat speculative as the text does not say that this was what was in his heart.

- But if he had truly understood that his debt was cancelled, he should have been full of joy and been able to extend the same generosity to his fellow servant.

- The only reason I can think of to explain his incredibly mean and cruel behaviour is that on some level, deep in his heart, he still felt that he had to repay the King. He had not really received the forgiveness that the King had extended to him.

- So this highlights once again the connection between being forgiven and forgiving others.

- We can forgive others because we have received God’s forgiveness, (“just as in Christ, God forgave

you.” – Ephesians 4:32).

- And when we refuse to forgive others, it shows that we have not really received God’s forgiveness and it blocks us from receiving his forgiveness. Some kind and loving acts which your BB members could do this week are:

• Give a listening ear to a friend who needs to vent.

• Help a friend with their homework (not let them copy the homework, but actually teach them how to do it so that they can understand the necessary concepts and the steps that need to be taken).

• Do some chores around the house – wash the dishes, take out the trash, clean your room, etc. – without being told to do so.

• Set aside a portion of their allowance (if they have more than enough) to give to an NGO that helps the poor and needy like Malaysian Care, Worldvision, Crest, and so on.

• Speak a word of encouragement to a friend.

• Any other kind and loving acts which your BB members could think of.

Acknowledgment

Writers:

Dave Branon, Anne M. Cetas, Dennis J. DeHaan, Mart DeHaan, Richard W. DeHaan, David C. Egner, Vernon C. Grounds, Cindy Hess

Kasper, David C. McCasland, Haddon W. Robinson, David H. Roper, Herb VanderLugt, Joanie Yoder

Study Guide: Sim Kay Tee

Graphic Design: Tham Mary, Sam Goh

Cover Photo: Alex Soh

Interior Photography: Alex Soh, Stock.xchng

Scripture taken from the New International Version, copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, by Zondervan Publishers, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Questions, answers, and notes written by Kiew Sieh Jin.

© 2023 Our Daily Bread Ministries. All rights reserved.