7th Meeting
Biblical Reference:
Psalms
37.4 and Acts 16.16-34
Purpose of the meeting:
Teach teenagers that we
should rejoice for having God in our lives
Key verse:
“Take delight in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalms 37.4)
Initiating the meeting:
Start by saying: When you
receive a blessing, it is common for people to thank God for the miracle. But
when the answer seems long, many start to complain and then they become
overwhelmed with doubt, anxiety, negative energy, ready to lose faith. In the
study of today we will talk about two men who delighted in serving God, even in
difficult times; a very strong example in which we will meditate. Listen to the study.
Edifying message:
Happy
with God
“But you will
receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses
in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
(Acts 1.8).
These were the words of the Lord Jesus to the disciples after
the resurrection. Jesus knew it would be necessary to send His Spirit to help
them in preaching the Gospel, it is He who comforts us and gives us the
strength we need to proclaim the Kingdom of God. This passage makes it clear
that when we receive the Holy Spirit, we receive power. But what for? The
answer comes soon after: "... and
you will be my witnesses....” Power to testify about who Jesus is and what
He does. Power to bring the joy of Salvation to the hearts of those who are
lost, and shackled by sin, condemned to eternal death.
After receiving the Holy Spirit, the priority of the disciples
became the preaching of the Gospel and they did that with great joy, regardless
of circumstances. Numerous Biblical passages prove it, and one of them is the
passage where Paul and Silas when releasing a young woman enslaved by a spirit
of divination were accused of disturbing the peace of the city by the employer
of the fortune teller. In fact they were outraged because they lost the profit
they had with the young woman. However, despite being prisoners, Paul and Silas
sang and praised God, for the satisfaction of having released the young woman
was greater than the injustice they were suffering.
In that place, Paul and Silas had the opportunity to preach
the Gospel to the jailer and his whole family, which accepted Jesus and were
saved. God, through both of them, saved an entire family, and do you know why
this was possible? At no time did they mourn the fact of being imprisoned nor were
they concerned about their freedom. The main concern for them, even while in prison,
was still preaching the Gospel. Even in prison, they were still willing to be
an instrument for God to bring freedom to the captives. They were stuck
physically, but their spirit was with God and when they rejoiced, sang and
prayed “…suddenly there was such a
violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all
the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.” (Acts
16.26). God had been pleased of them therefore he saved them.
Conclusion:
Teenagers, we
were saved to save and everyone who is saved has the permanent joy of Salvation
and their main objective is now to bring Salvation to as many people as
possible. He who possesses the Spirit of God, also has a permanent joy that is
independent of circumstances, because it flows from the inside as a river of
living water, overflowing and flooding the hearts of those around you.
Proclaiming Jesus Christ
brings to our heart immeasurable joy, the joy of knowing that when we proclaim
the Gospel we take sinners to repentance and because of that the Angels rejoice. “In the same way, I tell you, there is
rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke
15.10). When we have joy in serving God and pleasing Him, He meets our needs.
Paul and Silas, even in hard times did not give up serving God, neither
complained for what had happened, that’s why God freed them from prison.
Activity for the 7th
Meeting
Meditating
Read careful,justifying your answer.
1. We should be pleased to
serve and do the will of God.
Right (
) - Wrong ( ) Justify:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. The example of Paul and
Silas, faithful servants of God who were unjustly imprisoned, shows us that
it's not worth doing good for others.
Right (
) - Wrong ( ) Justify:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. The Christians today do
not go through any kind of persecution.
Right (
) - Wrong ( ) Justify:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. We learn from the
example of Paul and Silas that we can only be used by God in the Church.
Right (
) - Wrong ( ) Justify:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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