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 and Student Page, 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.
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.
1 Peter 3:15
As believers, we are called to share the reason for our hope. We celebrate that hope during the Easter season, when we remember the sacrifice Jesus made to take away our shame, guilt, and fear and restore our relationship with God, who is always holy and worthy of honour. This hope changes our lives, both here on earth and in eternity. So, as we celebrate our great hope, should we not be ready to share that hope with others?
Jesus set an example of how, when, and where to share the gospel. Consider each of the ideas below and write down 1 specific way you will do this and where or with whom you will try it.
Pray over your list. Ask the Holy Spirit to bless you with wisdom, discernment, and courage to share about your faith. Ask Him to give you gentle and respectful words that reflect His great love. Then invite others to share your hope this Easter!
Encourage the teens to practice sharing the gospel with their families, if it is appropriate.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Greet the teens as they arrive. Ask each of them 1 of the questions from the list below and listen attentively to their answers. After each student answers, encourage him to ask at least 2 other students the same question.
When you are ready to begin class, share the following:
One of the easiest ways to start a conversation is by asking a question. When you ask a question, you show that you care about the other person and what he has to say. And questions invite answers, which means the other person will likely share one.
Allow 3–4 teens to share their answers for each of the following questions.
Have the teens find partners.
Let’s try that activity again. I will read the list of questions again, and you will ask your partner 1 of the questions. You can ask any of the questions you would like to. Here are the questions:
Give the teens 2 minutes to ask the questions. They can remain with their partners for the rest of the lesson.
A conversation might end after 1 question and 1 answer unless you know how to ask another question and another. You can guide a conversation simply by asking questions, listening carefully to the answers, and then asking the person another question that leads him in the direction you would like to go. In many conversations, this can be useful. It allows you to share your beliefs in friendly ways that do not make the other person feel threatened. It shows honour for the other person and his beliefs and provides an opportunity for you to show kindness and compassion while sharing what you believe to be true.
This is especially important when we share about our faith. We are often very passionate about our spiritual beliefs, and we feel threatened when other people tell us that they disagree with what we believe. But when we ask questions, we can continue the conversation in ways that show care for others while giving us opportunities to share more information about our own beliefs.
You may be wondering what sharing the gospel has to do with Easter. The wonderful news is that the gospel message is the Easter story. It is the story about how Jesus died, how he was buried, how He was resurrected, and how He ascended to heaven to stand at the right hand of God. He did this to forgive our sins—yours and mine and everyone else who repents and believes. He did this to take away our shame, guilt, and fear and to bring us back into relationship with God.
But many people do not know this true story! They do not know the great sacrifice Jesus made for them to make them acceptable to God. And there is nothing more wonderful and more hopeful that sharing that message with someone else!
Have each pair of partners find another pair to work with, so each group now has 4 teens in it. Read the situation and have them discuss their answers with their groups. They can remain in their groups for the rest of the Teaching section.
Let’s try using these tips right now.
Situation: You get on the bus and stand next to a woman with a market bag in her hand. She smiles at you and greets you. She seems friendly, and you think this might be a great opportunity to start a conversation so you might be able to share about your faith. What would you do?
Give the teens 2 minutes to discuss their answers in their groups. Then allow 2–3 groups to share their ideas with the rest of the class.
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, the teens can take notes on their pages to help them to remember what they are learning.
A great way to start a conversation with another person is to ask 1 of the questions I asked you earlier. As a reminder, let me repeat them:
These are good questions to start a conversation. You can use them with someone you know or someone you do not know. They are interesting but not too personal. After you ask 1 of these questions, listen for the answer. If the person seems interested in having a conversation with you, try 1 of these questions next:
These questions are more personal, and someone you do not know might not want to share these kinds of thoughts with you. That is okay. Respond in a polite and friendly way.
If the person seems interested in continuing the conversation, try asking these questions:
If the person says yes, you are ready share the gospel. Let’s learn an easy way to do that. It is called the Gospel in Simple Words.
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, the teens can read the Gospel in Simple Words on their pages.
1. God loves. He created us and loves us more than we can imagine! Listen to what the Bible tells us about this:
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38–39
2. We sin. Sin means choosing to go against what God wants for our lives. The Bible says that we all sin, and the punishment for sin is death and shame. Our sin separates us from God and brings dishonour to His name. Let’s read what the Bible says:
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23
3. Jesus died. God sent His Son, Jesus, to take our place. He took the punishment for our sin by dying on the cross. His death honoured God and restored our honour so we do not have to be ashamed before God.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
4. God forgives. Because Jesus died, God forgives our sins when we ask Him to. This forgiveness is a gift to us. When we accept this forgiveness, our sin and shame no longer separate us from God.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23
5. We accept. We can choose to accept God’s gift of forgiveness and become part of His family, or we can choose to reject His gift.
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9
After you have shared the Gospel in Simple Words, there is only 1 more question left to ask. If you feel comfortable, you can ask the person, “Would you like to accept God’s gift of forgiveness?” If she answers that she would like to accept it, you can pray with her.
Sharing the gospel is an important part of our lives as Christians. We are called to share our faith with others and to be ready to explain why we believe what we believe. Listen to what the Bible teaches us about this:
If you are using the Memory Verse Poster, show it to the students.
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.
1 Peter 3:15
What does this verse tell us about how and why we should share our faith with others?
Allow 2–3 teens to share their ideas. Then guide them to understand that we should always be prepared to explain and defend our faith to others so that others will understand our reason for hope. We should do this with gentleness and respect.
Now that we know how and why to share the gospel, let’s talk about when to share it. If we live as Jesus did, we would share it everywhere we go with everyone we meet! For some of us, this would be a challenge. And, in some situations, it may even be dangerous. We can trust the Holy Spirit to help us to know when and where we should share the gospel message.
We need to look for and even create opportunities to share the gospel and then pray for wisdom in those situations.
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, have the teens refer to their notes on their pages as they practice sharing the gospel.
Pause for the teens to do this.
Pause for the teens to do this.
They are:
Next, share the Gospel in Simple Words. We will do this part together to help you to remember.
What is the last question? Let’s say it together. Would you like to accept God’s gift?
You all did a great job sharing the gospel with each other! If you would like to, pray with your partner. Ask God to give you opportunities to share the gospel with others and wisdom to know when and where He wants you to share. This Easter, celebrate the blessing God has given to you. You have a wonderful story to tell about forgiveness, restoration of honour, and salvation. He has changed your life! Now you have the opportunity to share that blessing with others by telling them your story—and God’s Easter story.
Pause for the teens to do this. Then close with a blessing based on 1 Peter 3:15:
Blessing: May you honour Jesus in your hearts. And may you always be prepared to gently and respectfully share the reason for your hope with others.
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.
