This includes: 1. Leader Preparation 2. Lesson Guide

1. LEADER PREPARATION

LESSON OVERVIEWWhen we talk about worship, most people naturally think “music.” This lesson is designed to expose your students to a fuller understanding of worship and to help them discover what it means to love God with our heart, soul, and strength. We can choose to worship anyone or anything, but only God is worthy of our praise and devotion.

LESSON OBJECTIVES1. WHAT: Only God is worthy of our devotion, praise, and appreciation.2. WHY: When we daily surrender our hearts to God and give him our very best, we begin to see our lives unfold according to God’s plan and what he knows is best for us.3. HOW: Students will be encouraged to let go of whatever they have placed at the center of their lives and to put God in that position instead.

PRIMARY SCRIPTUREDeuteronomy 6:1-9

SECONDARY SCRIPTUREPsalm 138:1-8

TEACHING PREP

Read Deuteronomy 6:1-9.

This passage reveals God’s desire for his followers—people whose lives would be defined by full commitment and devotion to him. In verse 5, we learn that God wants us to love him with all of our heart and all of our soul and all of our mind—every part of who

worship Week 1:It’s All About God

The short overview below is designed to help you prepare for your lesson. While you may not want to

convey this information word-for-word with your teenagers, you’ll definitely want to refer to it as you

lead your lesson.

we are. This passage is full of the type of love and passion that we can have for the God who created us. The words are powerful and meaningful and truly explain the meaning of worship: putting God in the center of our lives and putting God first in our soul, our mind, and our heart.

Worship is about committing ourselves fully to God and living each day excited to see where he is going to lead us. It’s about choosing God and letting him be our compass as we navigate life. It’s about honoring God with every part of who we are.

Understanding the biblical definition of worship starts with putting God in the center of our lives. When we can learn to incorporate the truths from this passage into the way we live our lives, we will begin to experience the incredible life God has for us.

THE BEFORE & AFTER [optional]

Text Message Questions

We’ve provided a couple of different text message questions to send out to your students prior

to your meeting. Feel free to use one or both of the questions below. As with the rest of the

curriculum, edit these questions to fit the needs of your ministry.

•Isitpossibletoworshipachocolatecake?Cometosmallgrouptonightfor the answer!

•WhatdoesitmeantoloveGodwithyourheart,soul,andstrength?Let’sget some answers tonight at small group.

Parent Email

We’ve provided you with an email below that you can send to your parents following the lesson.

Our hope is to encourage parents to continue the conversation at home. Feel free to edit and

customize the email to fit your ministry needs.

Dear parents,

Our small groups have begun a two-week series on the topic of worship, and this first lesson focused on placing God at the center of our lives because he is the only one worth of worship and adoration.

Our students examined Deuteronomy 6:1-9, a passage that reveals God’s desire for his followers—people whose lives would be defined by full commitment and devotion

to him. In verse 5, we learn that God wants us to love him with all of our heart and all of our soul and all of our mind—every part of who we are. This passage is full of the type of love and passion that we can have for the God who created us. The words are powerful and meaningful and truly explain the meaning of worship: putting God in the center of our lives and putting God first in our soul, our mind, and our heart.

Here are some questions you might want to use this week as you talk with your teenager about our lesson:

•HowdoyouthinkGodfeelsifwechoosetoworshipsomethingorsomeone else,insteadofworshippinghim? •WhataresomecommonobstaclesteenagersfacetoobeyingGodandloving Godfully? •WhataresomewaysyoucanshowGodyourdevotionthisweek—including throughyourattitudesandactionstowardotherpeople?

I pray that this is a blessed week for you and your family!

2. LEsson guide

GETTING THINGS STARTED [optional]

Considerbringingsomerich,decadentfoodtoyoursmallgroup—somethinglikeabig chocolate cake.

Welcome your students and invite them into your meeting area. Open in prayer, and then SAY

SOMETHING LIKE:

If you’ve grown up in church, you’re probably very familiar with the word “worship,” but you may not always be clear about what that word really means. Did you know that it’s possible to worship anyone or anything? I can worship my favorite sports team or a musician or my computer or a friend—or even this chocolate cake! [NOTE: Or other decadent food item that you brought.]

ASK:• So, how is it possible for me to worship this chocolate cake? [NOTE: If the

cake is the most important thing in your life, you’ve made the choice to worship it. Your students may joke about singing songs to the cake or kneeling before it, but the real issue is what place it holds at the center of your life.]• If “worship” means we treat something or someone as the most important

thing or person in our lives, what are some of the things or people that teenagers worship?• How do you think God feels if we choose to worship something or someone

else, instead of worshipping him?

SAY SOMETHING LIKE: There are a few words and phrases that define worship: devotion, admiration, deep respect, loving without question, honor, and reverence. Only God is worthy of our true worship. God created us, loves us despite our flaws, wants to help and comfort us when we are sad or happy or angry, wants to know us, wants to help us navigate the ups and downs of life, and wants the best for us at every moment. God simply asks that we put him above everything else in our lives.

Considersharingthechocolatecakewithyourstudentsasyoumoveintoyourdis-cussion, or just wait until the end of the lesson—or eat it in front of them without

worship Week 1:It’s All About God

sharing and see what they do (that could be funny, but maybe not the best way to start your time).

TEACHING POINTS

SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Let’s spend a few minutes discovering what it means to truly worship God and put him first—and how we can make this happen in our lives.

1. Decide to put God first

ASK:• We talk about worship being the act of “putting God in the center of life.”

What are some other ways you might describe worship?• How can obedience to God’s instructions in these verses keep God in first

place in your life?

Activity [optional]Play Tug O’ War with your students. You will need a rope or a bed sheet or something else that you can be tugged by the two teams. If your group meets in a home, you’ll probably want to play this activity outdoors.

Divide your group in half. Identify one side of the rope as “worldly stuff” and the other side of the rope as “God first.” Explain to your students that you’re going to dosomethingunexpectedoncetheconteststarts.Counttothreeandbeginthe

Read Deuteronomy 6:1-9 together as a group. Consider allowing one or more of the teenagers

to read the text.

Remember: All throughout these lessons, it’s up to you to choose (1) how many questions you

use, and (2) the wording of the main points—keep ours, or change the wording to make it

clearer for your audience.

The goal of the Teaching Points is to help students capture the essence of each lesson with

more discussion and less lecture-style teaching. The main points we have chosen here are

(1) Decide to put God first, (2) Identify what stands between you and God, and (3) Choose to

give God your best.

If you came up with an opening activity, movie clip, or game that worked well with your group,

and you’d like to share it with other youth workers, please email us at

ideas@simplyyouthministry.com.

competition. After about 15 to 30 seconds, remove one person from the “worldly stuff”side.Continueremovingmembersofthatteamuntil“Godfirst”wins.Thereshould be a clear winner—unless you have some freakishly strong junior higher on the “worldly stuff” side!

ASK:• Notice how easy it became for the “God first” side to win once there were

fewer “worldly stuff” competitors. What if the exercise were reversed—how easy would it be for the “worldly stuff” side to win if people were removed from the “God first” side?• What does this activity teach you about how your choices and priorities

affect your life?

SAY SOMETHING LIKE: By putting God first, we are communicating that he is more important and valuable to us than anyone or anything else in life. We are in control of who or what we choose to worship. As followers of Christ, we need to learn to choose God daily and be willing to put to him first above all else. That’s really what it means to worship God. God has so much to offer us; he simply asks for our devotion and love.

2. Identify what stands between you and God

SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Before we can truly put God first, we have to take the steps to remove the sin and the distractions that come between God and us. We need to let go of everything else that has our attention and creates barriers with God.

Activity [optional]You will need a bunch of small pieces of paper, pens, and a trash can for this activity. Give each student three or four small pieces of paper and a pen. Ask students to be quiet as they do this next exercise. Have your students write down either sins they want to release or ask God to forgive, or an obstacle that stands between them and full devotion to God. Once they have written on the pieces of paper, if they are ready to surrender those areas and give them back to God, have your students crumple it up the paper and throw it away in the trash.

ASK: •InthepassagefromDeuteronomy6,wereadthatGodwantshispeople to remember his commands and obey them. What are some common obstacles teenagers face to obeying God and loving God fully?

•ArethereanyobstaclesthatusedtoaffectyourfriendshipwithGodbut don’t anymore? If so, would you be willing to tell us how God helped you overcome these obstacles?

3. Choose to give God your best

ASK:• LookagainatDeuteronomy6:5.WhatdoesitmeantoyoutogiveGodthe

best of your heart?• What does it mean to you to give God the best of your mind or soul?• What does it mean to you to give God the best of your strength?• Is it hard to put God first in those three areas? Why or why not?

SAY SOMETHING LIKE: When we put God in the center of our lives and surrender everything to him, worship becomes a part of who we are and not something we try to accomplish as a religious duty. When we give God the best of everything we have, we will receive the best of everything he has. We begin to see our lives unfold according to God’s plan and what he knows is best for us. That doesn’t mean the journey of faith is always easy, but it does begin to become more natural to worship and praise God for anything and everything.

ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION [optional]

ASK:• Read Psalm 138:1-8. Which statements reveal David’s full commitment to

love God and place God at the center of his life?

• Which statements reveal attitudes that you could pray for God to develop in your life?

• Which statements reveal choices and actions that you could pray for God to help you develop as a follower of Jesus?

APPLICATION

ASK:• What are some ways you can show God your devotion this week—including

through your attitudes and actions toward other people?

• What choices might you make this week to remove more obstacles in your friendship with God?

SAY SOMETHING LIKE: I want to challenge you to read Psalm 138:1-8 this week at least once—read it daily if you can. Think about what the words say, and make this a prayer that you pray to God.

SUMMARY

FOR KEEPS [MEMORY VERSE]

“And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength”(Deuteronomy6:5).

Encourage and/or challenge your teenagers to memorize the verse below.

End your small group lesson here. Provide your teenagers with a quick summary or take-home

challenge based on (1) the content of this lesson, (2) the dialogue that took place during the

lesson, (3) your understanding of the issues and struggles your teenagers are facing, and (4) the

big picture of your youth ministry and what your leadership team wants accomplished with the

teaching and discussion time.