PREPARE WEEK
MENTOR GUIDE
Purpose: Empower students to share their faith story.
Preparation:
- Give student speaker a Leader Guide for Encounter Week. (Equip them for success.)
- Be ready to help students with their AHA Moment.
Supplies:
- AHA Moment Cards and Pens
- Leader Guides for Encounter Week
LEADER SIGN UP
If there are weeks that you do not have people to lead or serve, this is the !me to sign them up.
RANDOM QUESTION
[All Adults] Who invited you to First Priority?
GET CONNECTED
[Mentor] Before we jump in, let’s use our Get Connected time to think about who we can invite to First Priority next week. There are people all over our school who could really use a place like this. Somewhere to feel seen and heard. So, who’s someone you can bring with you next week? (Allow students to respond.) Let’s welcome our student host for today! [insert name]
WELCOME & OPEN PRAYER
[Host] Hey everyone! Welcome to First Priority. We’re so glad you’re here. Today [insert name] is going to talk about something called an “AHA moment.” It’s one of those times when everything just clicks, especially in our faith. But before we dive in, let’s take a second to pray and ask God to open our hearts. Let’s pray!
Sample prayer: God, thanks for bringing us together today. Help us understand what an AHA moment really means and how we can use our stories to point people to You. Speak through [insert name] and give us the courage to share our faith with the people around us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
THE CONVERSATION
[Speaker] Last week we talked about how hard it is to talk about Jesus with our friends but how important it is to be the “someone” who tells others about Jesus. We were reminded in Romans chapter 10 that people can’t believe in Jesus if they never hear about Him, and they can’t hear unless someone tells them. That “someone” might be you. We talked about being bold and being willing to have those conversations even when it’s hard. Who did you have a Gospel conversation with last week and how did it go? (Allow students to respond and share your own experience.)
This week we’re taking it a step further. I want to talk about something called an AHA Moment. You know, those times when everything just clicks. When you suddenly get it. Maybe you’ve had one of those in math class or while playing a sport. But have you ever had an AHA Moment with God?
What is an AHA Moment with God? It is that moment when you realize this isn’t just your faith. Someone else needs this too! It’s that moment when you realize that God’s been working in your story the whole time. Your struggles might help somebody else. You don’t have to be perfect to point people to Jesus. That’s the moment it hits di”erently. That’s when faith goes from private to purpose.
I am sure we have all heard or read the Bible verse John chapter 3 verse 16, but maybe today it will hit us a little differently. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The word “whoever” sticks out today because it means me. It means you. It means anyone, no matter what they’ve done or where they come from. God loved them so much that He sent Jesus to rescue them, and I can’t keep that to myself. That’s an AHA Moment with God, when we realize that salvation, a relationship with Jesus, is not just for us but for “whoever” believes.
When we share what God has done in our lives, it becomes real to our friends. They see it’s not just something we believe, it’s something that’s changed us. God didn’t make a mistake when He put us in our friend group. He didn’t accidentally give us the story we have. Every AHA moment, every struggle, every joy is all a part of the story He’s writing through us and someone out there needs to hear it.
FAITH STORY – AHA MOMENT
[Speaker] We are going to write out our AHA Moments together. Your AHA Moment might not be the day that you accepted Jesus into your heart, but it might be the day when you knew in your heart that God wanted to use you to reach your friends with the Gospel message.
Maybe that AHA Moment for some of you is today during this club. You realized that salvation isn’t just for you, it is for “whoever” believes. When was your AHA Moment? (Have student leaders pass out the AHA Moment cards.) We are going to use this card to write out our AHA Moment with God.
- When was that moment when you realized others need to hear about God, and He is going to use you to do it?
- How has that moment impacted you to share the Gospel, the Good News, with others?
Let’s take a couple of minutes to write our AHA Moment down. When we are finished, we can practice sharing it with one another. How will they know unless someone tells them? (Give students a few minutes to write theirs down and then have them share.)
(Have the student host come back up and give the CHALLENGE and PRAY.)
CHALLENGE & PRAY
[Host] Our challenge for this week is to practice sharing our AHA Moment and ask God to show us someone who needs to hear it. Maybe it’s with our best friend or someone we’ve never talked about Jesus with before. Let’s be bold enough to start the conversation. Let’s pray!
Sample prayer: God, thank You for loving us so much that You sent Jesus to save us and not just us, but “whoever” believes. Give us courage to share our story, knowing You’ll be with us in every conversation. Use our words, our lives, and our stories to point our friends to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
GAME TIME – Optional
[Host & Mentor] (See the Game Time tab for options.)
