Fusion 4:12 Summary- September 25th

Tonight we will be talking about what it looks like to sacrificially love others. We are continuing our talk in 1 Timothy 4:12. We are currently on Paul's command to Timothy to "be an example for all believers in.... love". This is not a romantic kind of love, but a sacrificial one. We will be referencing John 15:12-14 and John 13:34-35 in our discussion tonight. Both of these verses talk about Jesus' command to love others like He loved us: all the way to death on the cross. 

Below are the discussion questions from tonight:

Discussion Questions 1

-         How could we “die” for one another without actually dying?

-         What are some specific examples of sacrificial love that we could do for each other?

-         Read John 13:34-35

o   What are some ways that we have ruined our witness by not loving one another?

o   How can something as simple as loving one another sacrificially be a clue to others that you are a believer?

Discussion Questions 2

-         What are some ways that you have noticed people need to be shown love?

-         Why do you think we make ourselves so busy all the time?

-         What does being available for others look like for you? Do you need to give up something? Do you need to switch some priorities around?

Fusion 4:12 Summary- September 18, 2013

Tonight we will be jumping into our 3rd lesson on 1 Timothy 4:12. We will be discussing what it looks like to live our "life" as an example for all believers. We will be in 1 Peter 3:8-16 as our text and will be focusing on what godly character looks like. We will discuss that true character is what you do behind closed doors, not the facade that you can put on for others. Lastly, we will end discussing how Christ can help us gain godly character and get rid of those parts that are no good.

Here are the discussion questions your students will be discussing tonight:

-      - Which of the things that Peter lists would be most difficult for you to do and why?

-      - It sounds like Peter is telling the Christians to allow people to walk all over them. Is this true? Why or why not? How does this relate to the last part of verse 16?

-       - What does keeping a clear conscience mean?

-      - How do the things that Peter lists help us live in such a way, “that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander?”

-      - Are you a different person depending on where you are at or are you the same person?

-      - What are some of the reasons that we sometimes “change our character” for people?

-      - When might it not be beneficial to show people our real character? Why? How can we use this to identify what needs to change in our character?

-      - Can we change our character? If so, how?

Fusion 4:12 Summary- September 11th, 2013

This weeks lesson continues in our series in 1 Timothy 4:12. We will be talking about our need to be examples in our speech. We will focus on 2 sections of Scripture: Matthew 12:34-37 and Ephesians 4:29. In addition, the students will discuss some Proverbs about the wise and foolish use of words. We will begin by looking at Matthew 12 and WHY it is important for us to be examples in our speech and then we will move on to Ephesians 4 and discuss HOW we should be examples. A big part of our discussion tonight is going to focus on our use of social media and how we are so careless about what we post and say. Your teens should leave tonight's lesson not only understanding the weight of the words that they say and post, but also understanding how they need to carefully craft and think about what they say before they say it.

The following are the discussion questions we will discuss tonight:

Discussion Questions on Proverbs

-     Read the following Proverbs and discuss what each Proverb says about the power of our words and the effects they have: Proverbs 15:1,2 and 28; Proverbs 16:23-24; Proverbs 18:6,7,8, 21 

Discussion Questions on Ephesians 4:29

-         What is unwholesome talk?
-      What are some examples of how we could “build others up according to their needs”?
-      “That it may benefit those who listen”. What do you think this phrase means?
-       In what ways does the world influence our speech?
-       How does Christ help us overcome those influences?

Fusion 4:12- September 4th, 2013

Parents,

Tonight we will be starting our 6 week series on 1 Timothy 4:12. This is the verse that we get the 4:12 from in Fusion 4:12 so I thought it would be good if we went over it! Tonight we are talking about our need to be examples. We will be looking at the life of Timothy briefly and how he was a leader in the church at such a young age. We will talk about how each of us can be examples for all people even at our young ages and how important it is that we are examples. We will focus on how Paul instructed Timothy to earn respect and leadership not by force but by being a godly young man of God who was above reproach. We will also dive into chapter 5 verse 1-2 and look at how we are to treat older and younger men and women as it pertains to us being examples for all people. In the coming weeks, we will address each area of life that Paul instructed Timothy to be an example in: Speech, Life, Love, Faith and Purity. If you have any questions, please feel free to let me know!

The following are the questions that the students discussed in their groups tonight:

-          What are some areas of life that you feel you are looked down on because of age?

-          How might this have affected Timothy and his leadership?

-          What can we learn from our elders?

-          What is the difference between how Paul commands Timothy to earn respect and how the world tells us to earn respect?

-          Do we have to be in charge to be examples? Why or why not?

o   How can we be examples to those who are older than us?

-          How could it be frustrating for someone older to be led by someone a lot younger than them?

o   Why is it important for us to understand this?