During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
2 Corinthians 10:3–4
Prejudice is a battleground of hate, and its wounds are deep. Prejudice can cause us to feel defeated, worthless, and alone as it attacks our sense of self-worth. It can cause us to strike back at others with cruelty if we allow it to gain ground in our hearts. It is a powerful foe that shapes the way we feel about ourselves and others. But we are not defenceless. The Bible teaches us that love is a powerful weapon. By love we are chosen, and by love we are saved. Love gives us strength when we lack it, and love brings peace when it seems impossible. God’s love has the power to demolish strongholds of hate, including prejudice.
Think of a time you were wounded as a result of prejudice. How did that experience influence the way you see others? And how did it influence the way you see yourself? Do not stand defeated. Do not allow hate to rule your heart. Instead, take up the powerful weapon God has given you. When you choose love over hate, you can begin to break down the walls that separate you from others. Spend time in God’s presence, allowing His love to wash away the pain and anger. As you trust in the loving power of God, He will heal your wounds. He is the source of all love, and His love conquers all.
Encourage the teens to ask their family members, “What is more powerful than hate?” They can then share that love, gentleness, patience, and compassion are gifts from God, and they are more powerful than the hate of prejudice.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Greet students warmly by name as they arrive. Ask them if they were able to recognize and stop prejudice in themselves or in the community. If you have time, allow a few students to share their stories with the whole group. Remind the students not to use names; they should just describe the situations.
When you are ready to begin class, share the following situation with the students.
Imagine we live in a country where there is enough food for everyone and where everyone has a good job and a comfortable house. Everyone lives peacefully together. We will call this the plentiful country. But in the neighbouring country, a drought creates a famine that spreads across the country. We will call this the famine country. The people in the famine country do not have enough food to eat, so they begin to come to the plentiful country to find food, jobs, and homes. But there is not enough food or work for the additional people. Soon, the people of the plentiful country begin to suffer from hunger and begin to lose their jobs.
How do you think the people of our plentiful country would respond to these newcomers?
How should we respond to them? Why?
Even when we know the right ways to treat others, sometimes we make choices based on fear that cause pain and harm to others. Sometimes we do not even realize that our beliefs and our actions are wrong.
Now imagine we are the people from the famine country. How do you think the people of the peaceful and plentiful country would treat us? Why?
How would their prejudices make us feel?
As we have learned, prejudice can cause serious physical and emotional harm. When people face prejudice, they may experience anger, shame, fear, hurt, and low self-esteem. They may also face violence or abuse, become victims of crime, or suffer from isolation or lack of opportunity.
Prejudice can cause great harm to those who experience it. Let’s talk about the wounds caused by prejudice and how to heal from them.
Prejudice can cause serious emotional wounds. People who have been victims of prejudice can suffer from low self-esteem, depression, stress, anxiety, and other emotional difficulties. Victims of prejudice often have lower expectations of themselves, causing them not to do well at work and at school. They may begin to behave in ways that those who are prejudiced against them expect them to behave. This causes prejudice to increase because people believe that their prejudices are true.
Healing from prejudice is not easy, especially because prejudice usually does not end. While you may feel better about a particular incident or a particular person, you may be treated with prejudice again and again. Often you cannot change the things about you that others are prejudiced against. For example, your appearance, your race, and your gender are part of who you are. You cannot change them. So prejudice continues, causing new wounds.
The early church faced prejudice both within the church and from others outside the church. The early church brought together people from many different places and even from different religions. They were united by their belief in Jesus, but they still had many differences. This often caused tensions in the church as they learned to understand and love one another. Members of the early church also faced prejudice from those who did not follow Jesus.
Because of this, many of the letters in the New Testament address issues of prejudice and persecution. We can learn some helpful ways to heal from prejudice from their example.
Optional: If you are using The NIV Action Study Bible, your students can read more about the situation of the early church in the “God in Action” section at the beginning of the book of Acts.
First, remember who you are. You are created in the image of God, who created the universe and everything in it. He loves you completely, and He created you for good. Listen to what Paul, an apostle of Jesus, wrote to the members of the early church.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10
What does this verse teach us about God’s purpose for our lives?
How can this truth help us to heal from the wounds of prejudice?
Second, offer kindness and help others. Though this does not make your pain go away, it can comfort you to know that you are not alone. Doing something practical and meaningful for others can help you to heal, too. Listen to what the Bible teaches about doing good for others.
And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Hebrews 13:16
What does this verse teach us about being kind and helping others?
How can this truth help us to heal from the wounds of prejudice?
Third, set a positive example. There may be things about your race, gender, religion, or nationality that others are prejudiced toward, but you can continue to set an example with your good character. This helps to break down prejudices. Listen to this encouragement from the Bible.
Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
1 Peter 3:13–17
What does this passage teach us about responding to unkindness?
How can this truth help us to heal from the wounds of prejudice?
Fourth, think about your own prejudices and ask God to help you to overcome them. Most of us have prejudices, and sometimes they are so deep that we do not even recognize them. Realizing that we, too, are prejudiced can help us learn to love and forgive those who have shown prejudice against us. This would be hard to do by ourselves. But God tells us that He will help us to show love to others.
If you are using the Memory Verse Poster, show it to the students.
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
1 John 4:11–12
What does this passage teach us about loving others?
How can this truth help us to heal from the wounds of prejudice?
Finally, pray for those who are prejudiced against you and try to forgive them. This can be very difficult, especially when the prejudice continues. But forgiveness will set your heart free. You can trust God to deal with the other person. Forgiveness helps you to heal and move past the pain. It also helps your emotional wounds to heal. This may not change your situation, but it will change you. In addition, when you respond to unkindness with forgiveness instead of bitterness, you set an example of how to live peacefully. Listen to what the Bible teaches.
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 4:31–32
What does this passage teach us about forgiveness?
How can this truth help us to heal from the wounds of prejudice?
Forgiving others is difficult, especially when the wounds are deep or when we are wounded again and again. But God will help us to forgive and to heal. All we need to do is ask Him.
Even when we do all of these things, we may still experience prejudice. Others will probably still judge us. But that does not change who we are and how much we are loved by God. Our value is not based on what others think of us. It is based on the content of our character. It is based on the
content of our hearts. And, most importantly, it is based on who we truly are, precious creations of God, in whose image we are created.
God’s love has conquered all hate, including the hate that causes prejudice. He sees our value, even when others do not. When we allow His love to replace our hurt and pain, He can heal our hearts.
Prejudice may seem like a never-ending battle. Hate causes more hate, and the wounds caused by prejudice heal slowly. But the Bible teaches us that the battle has already been won. Listen to the powerful weapon God has given us—the only weapon that can defeat prejudice.
For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
2 Corinthians 10:3–4
What do you think the powerful weapons are?
Allow 2–3 students to share their thoughts. Then guide the students to understand that the weapons are love, gentleness, compassion, patience, humility, and other characteristics that lead to right thinking and make us more like Jesus.
How could weapons like this be powerful?
Allow 2–3 students to share their thoughts.
God gives powerful weapons to those who trust and follow Him. As we draw closer to Him and become more like Jesus, He transforms our hearts and minds. He destroys anger, hate, and pain and heals the wounds caused by prejudice. He can replace our hurt with love and forgiveness. He can change us, if we allow Him to.
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, give the teens time to complete the activity on their pages.
The same is true of those who mistreat us due to prejudice. We cannot change them. Only God can. That divine power destroys strongholds of hate, like prejudice. And it changes those whose hearts have been hardened by hate. So take up the weapons God has given you.
Think of a time you saw or experienced prejudice. Think of the emotions you felt. Think about how it changed the way you see yourself and the way you see others. As you think of that experience, clench your fists as tightly as you can and hold your hands out in front of you.
Pause for a minute for the students to do this.
Now think about overcoming the hate with God’s powerful love. Think of God bringing healing to your wounds. As you do, slowly release your fingers with your palms out. Imagine yourself letting go of the pain and anger. Imagine yourself letting go of the shame, fear, and feelings of worthlessness.
Pause for a minute for the students to do this.
With your hands still extended in front of you, ask God to bring you the powerful weapons of love, compassion, gentleness, and patience. Ask Him to destroy the prejudices that exist in your heart. Ask Him for healing from the wounds of prejudice. Ask Him to help you to forgive those who have mistreated you. If you are not ready to do this, think about how you can respond in peaceful ways when you face prejudice.
Pause for about 2 minutes to give the students time to pray. Then close with a blessing based on
1 Corinthians 16:14:
Blessing: May you know that God has armed you with the weapons of love, gentleness, patience, and compassion. May you trust Him to demolish the strongholds of hate in your life and in your community. And may you look to God, the source of all love, to lead you in the battle.
Lead the teens in singing this quarter’s song, if possible.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
