PREPARE WEEK
STUDENT GUIDE
WELCOME & OPEN PRAYER
[Host] Hey everyone! Welcome to First Priority. We’re glad you’re here. Today [insert name] is going to talk about showing kindness to people we’d usually avoid and by sharing our faith story, they can see that Jesus is the reason. Before we start, let’s take a second to pray and ask God to help us do what feels impossible on our own. Let’s pray.
Sample prayer: God, thank You for bringing each of us here today. Help us to see the people we struggle with the way You see them. Speak through [insert name] today and help something change in our hearts so that we carry this with us outside of this room. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
THE CONVERSATION
[Speaker] Hi everyone! Thanks for being here today. So far, we’ve talked about what it means to love our enemies. We started by praying for them using our TAKE 5 cards. Last week we talked about what it looks like to greet our enemies, even just saying hi or being kind in small ways. Would anyone like to share how it is going living out your faith by loving your enemies? (Allow students to respond and share your own experience.)
Today we’re going to look at what it means to do good to those who may not treat us well. Let’s read what Paul wrote in Romans chapter 12 verses 20 and 21, “…if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink… Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.”
That sounds simple enough, right? No! Our natural response is not to help them. But God says the best way to handle hate or mistreatment isn’t to fight back, it’s to show kindness instead. Even earlier in verse 19, Paul says: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’” This means we don’t have to “get even.” God sees what’s happening and promises to take care of it. Our job is to trust Him and choose what’s good.
By offering kindness instead of fighting back, we are overcoming evil with good. It is like the Golden Rule says, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” So, how do we overcome evil with good?
- Maybe it’s helping someone who hasn’t been kind to you.
- Maybe it’s choosing to stay calm instead of clapping back.
- Maybe it’s just showing up for someone who doesn’t expect it from you.
When we act this way, we’re doing what Jesus did. Loving even when it’s hard, even when it’s not returned and when we do that, people notice. It shows them what real faith looks like.
One of the kindest things we can do is share what Jesus has done in our own lives. If we have a relationship with Him, we treat people differently. If they knew our faith story and how Jesus changed us, they might understand why we respond the way we do. How will they know unless someone tells them?
FAITH STORY – MY FAITH STORY
[Speaker] Let’s finish up our club “me writing out our faith story so that we can share what Jesus has done in our life and why we act and respond differently now.
We have an outline that will help us. If you don’t have a faith story, that’s okay. You can sit and listen as others share their stories, or you can talk to a student leader about beginning your own faith story today. (Have student leaders pass out the Faith Story Worksheet and go over each section together.)
Part One: BEFORE YOU MET JESUS – Choose a few keywords that describe your life before you began a rela!onship with Jesus. Circle two or three words that best describe how you felt. You are not limited to this list, so feel free to choose your own words. Write down what your life was like before you asked Jesus to save you. This helps others relate to your story. (Have a few students share what they wrote.)
Part Two: WHEN YOU MET JESUS – Write down when you realized you had sinned against God and needed Jesus. Were you at church camp, youth group, or First Priority? Share what you prayed. This part shows others how personal your encounter with Jesus is. (Have a few students share what they wrote.)
Part Three: SINCE YOU MET JESUS – Write down how Jesus has changed your life since you got saved and how that has impacted those around you. This part gives others the hope they are looking for and can only be found in Jesus. (Have a few students share what they wrote.)
Now that we have written our faith story, we need to practice saying it so that we can share it with those that we have been praying for the last few weeks. How will they know unless someone tells them? This is one of the kindest things we can do.
(Have the student host come back up and give the CHALLENGE and PRAY.)
CHALLENGE & PRAY
[Host] Our challenge for this week is to share our Faith Story with one of the people we wrote down on our TAKE 5 card. We’ve been praying for them. We’ve been asking God to help us see them the way He does. Now it’s time to take the next step and tell them what Jesus has done in our life. Our story might be exactly what they need to hear to take their next step toward Jesus. Let’s pray.
Sample prayer: God, thank You for writing a story in our life that’s worth sharing. Even the messy parts. I pray for the people on our TAKE 5 cards right now. You know what’s going on in their hearts. Help us to be brave enough to share our faith story with them this week and point them to You. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
GAME TIME – Optional
[Host & Mentor] (See the Game Time tab for options.)
