The Pause

Session Purpose: To helps students understand the basics of what it means to press pause, and to begin thinking about what's keeping them from doing so. 

Main Scripture: Mark 1:32-38, Mark 6:45-47

Supporting Scripture: Psalm 5:3, Daniel 6:10, Acts 10:9

Session Snapshot: Students are incredibly busy. Multitasking isn’t a gift that some have and others don’t… it is a necessary skill that students need in order to survive in the fast pace of the world. School, band, sports practice, volunteering, jobs, and simply spending time with family and friends all create a tremendous drain on students’ time. When they aren’t doing any of these things, they’re being bombarded by the overwhelming amount of media they have at their fingertips. Even when they’re not busy, they’re not resting. And sadly, most aren’t stopping to spend time in meaningful communion with God. Jesus teaches us that pressing pause in the midst of our busy lives is crucial to staying connected with God. In this lesson, your students will learn that finding their pause button and spending meaningful time alone with God is the key to living the life that God desires them to live.

Session Purpose: To help students grasp the importance of prayer in developing and maintaining a relationship with God, and to teach them Christ’s model for praying to God.

Main Scripture: Matthew 6:9-13

Session Snapshot: Trends and culture will always be changing, but at the end of the day, students will always put a high value on their relationships. Relationships with friends and family are the landscape in which teenagers live. But what about their relationship with God? As with any relationship, it must be cultivated. Students must talk to God to know Him. One of the key elements of finding time to pause is finding time for prayer. Prayer is the most basic form of communication in our relationship with God. Lesson 2 will teach your students the various components of the Lord’s Prayer and how they can use these components as a guide to effectively and relationally talk to God.

Session Purpose: To help students go deeper in their knowledge of God by applying the Bible study techniques learned in this lesson. 

Main Scripture: Psalm 119:97-104 

Supporting Scripture: Romans 8:38-39, Ephesians 2:4-5

Session Snapshot: In a world where students are pushed and pulled in a million different directions—most of them far away from discipleship¾teenagers can be anchored in knowing God and His Word. For students to be in tune with how God is using them to impact the world around them, they must know what God expects of His followers and who He is. This lesson focuses on teaching the importance of knowing the Bible and the crucial role that Bible study plays in pressing pause. In this lesson, your students will learn valuable and repeatable skills that will equip them to do meaningful Bible study on their own long after you’ve taught the lesson.

Session Purpose: To lead students to embrace their mission of being God’s messengers of the reconciliation that Christ offers to all people.

Main Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17-20

Session Snapshot: When you press pause on a movie or show to grab a drink or snack, you eventually press play again, right? Of course. There would be no reason to come back to the couch, plop down, and watch a paused screen. Up to this point, you’ve stressed to your students the importance of pressing pause in their lives. But in this final lesson, you must stress the importance of pressing play. Like a movie, our lives were intended to be experienced “in play.” God expects us to live in such a way that honors Him while focusing on the spiritual needs of others. Pressing pause is the way we prepare for this. Like an athlete practicing for the big game, or a musician for a concert, pressing pause prepares us for an awesome life of purpose. This lesson will challenge your students to embrace God’s call to join Him on His mission.