Lesson Followup // October 3

Grades 9-12 | Dating & Relationships

We’re continuing our series on relationships. In our first week we studied Jesus’ definition of love and saw how it contrasts with our common cultural understanding of that word. We also discovered that the Bible presents love as a sacrificial act, seen most clearly through Jesus’ death on the cross.

​This week we plunged into the topic of dating and relationships. We emphasized that dating should never be done without prayer, a high level of intentionality, and wise counsel—especially from you! Because dating relationships often move toward greater levels of intimacy, young people should seek Jesus’ guidance in all their dating decisions.

Consider asking your teenager some of the following questions this week:

• How do most of your peers feel about dating? How have those attitudes affected your own?
• In your opinion, what are some of the most important things to look for in a date?
• Why is it important to pray and seek wise counsel before moving forward in a relationship?

Grades 6-8 | God the Holy Spirit--Our Guide

We’ve wrapped up our series titled “Who Is God?” We finished by discussing God the Holy Spirit. While the Bible describes the Holy Spirit as having many roles, we mostly focused on the Holy Spirit’s role as a guide, our source for power, and our source for truth.

Our kids are surrounded by temptation, and many struggle to make decisions that honor Jesus. The Holy Spirit is our helper, and he leads us toward making right choices. God has given us a guide and offers power to live a Jesus-centered life because he knows we need help along the way—and the more we’re familiar with God’s truth, the more we benefit from the Holy Spirit’s guidance and power.

This week, I encourage you to spend a few minutes talking with your teenager about our conversation. Consider fueling your discussion with these questions:

• Why do followers of Jesus need the Holy Spirit for guidance? Why can’t we just figure it all out on our own?
• Give me some examples of the ways our culture values truth—or ways our culture doesn’t value truth.
• When do you find it easier to listen to the lies of this world instead of listening to the truth of the Holy Spirit?
  

​It’s a joy and honor to partner with you in the spiritual development of your teenager! I’m praying for you and your family as you continue to pursue Jesus and discover what it means to be one of his followers! Have an awesome week!