1. If you could change three things about your body, what would you like to change and why?
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2. What two personality traits would you like to change and why?
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3. What was Paul like before he became a Christian? Both good and bad?
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Acts Chapter 22:3-16 "I am a Jew, born and raised in the city of Tarsus in Cilicia. I was a student of Gamaliel and was taught to follow every single law of our ancestors. In fact, I was just as eager to obey God as any of you are today.
4I made trouble for everyone who followed the Lord's Way, and I even had some of them killed. I had others arrested and put in jail. I didn't care if they were men or women. 5The high priest and all the council members can tell you that this is true. They even gave me letters to the Jewish leaders in Damascus, so that I could arrest people there and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.
6One day about midday I was getting close to Damascus, when a bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around. 7I fell to the ground and heard a voice asking me, "Saul, Saul, why are you so cruel to me?"
8"Who are you?" I answered.
The Lord replied, "I am Jesus from Nazareth! I am the one you are so cruel to." 9The men who were travelling with me saw the light, but did not hear the voice.
10I asked, "Lord, what do you want me to do?"
Then he told me, "Get up and go to Damascus. When you get there, you will be told what to do." 11The light had been so bright that I couldn't see. And the other men had to lead me by the hand to Damascus.
12In that city there was a man named Ananias, who faithfully obeyed the Law of Moses and was well liked by all the Jewish people living there. 13He came to me and said, "Saul, my friend, you can now see again!"
At once I could see. 14Then Ananias told me, "The God that our ancestors worshipped has chosen you to know what he wants done. He has chosen you to see the One who obeys God and to hear his voice. 15You must tell everyone what you have seen and heard. 16What are you waiting for? Get up! Be baptised, and wash away your sins by praying to the Lord."

4. Why do you think Paul wanted to kill and arrest Christians?
5. When Paul was blinded, he thought that
 a. he was going to die.   b. God was going to hate him forever.
 c. God would heal him.   d. he should have been wearing sunglasses.

6. How would you have felt if you were Paul? Why?
7. What was Paul chosen to do?
8. In the story who are you like
 a. Paul hating Christians   b. Paul searching for God but not finding him.
 c. Paul being totally committed to Jesus. d. Other.        (If so, please explain)

Design your Own Hero Hair:   Black, blonde, red, brown, green, none
Shape:  Slim, round, fat, square, a skeleton, wall to wall muscle
Intelligence:  Wombat, average, good, excellent, computer brain
Height:  Midget, short, average, tall, head in the clouds
Education:  Failed finger painting, average, University, Worlds' best
Nationality:  Australian, American, European, African, Asian, Martian
Finances:  Poor, well off, own a gold mine, own a country

1. Would you like to be a hero and why?
2. What would be good about being a hero?
3. What would be bad about being a hero?

The Apostle Paul had an excellent background before he became a Christian. Read the list below and write in a modern equivalent for each item.
1. Circumcised    Religious   ____________________________
2. Israeli    God's Chosen People ____________________________
3. Tribe of Benjamin   The Elite Tribe  ____________________________
4.  I am a true Hebrew  Right Heritage  ____________________________
5. A Pharisee    Exclusive religious Group ____________________________
6. I strictly obeyed the Law  Morally good   ____________________________
7. Trained in the School of Gamaliel Best education  ____________________________
8. A Roman Citizen   The World Rulers  ____________________________

Phillippians 3:4-12 "We don't brag about what we have done, 4although I could. Others may brag about themselves, but I have more reason to brag than anyone else. 5I was circumcised when I was eight days old and I am from the nation of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin. I am a true Hebrew. As a Pharisee, I strictly obeyed the Law of Moses. 6And I was so eager that I even made trouble for the church. I did everything the Law demands in order to please God.
7But Christ has shown me that what I once thought was valuable is worthless. 8Nothing is as wonderful as knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have given up everything else and count it all as garbage. All I want is Christ 9and to know that I belong to him. I could not make myself acceptable to God by obeying the Law of Moses. God accepted me simply because of my faith in Christ. 10All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him to life. I want to suffer and die as he did, 11so that somehow I also may be raised to life.12I have not yet reached my goal, and I am not perfect. But Christ has taken hold of me. So I keep on running and struggling to take hold of the prize."

4. What was Paul's attitude to his past status symbols? Why?
5. What changed Paul's attitudes?
6. What attitudes do you have that God would like you to change?
7. What was Paul's desire now?
8. What do you hope to achieve for God in your life?

2. What stops you from being happy?
_______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________

3. If you could have one thing to make you totally happy, what would it be?
_______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________

4. How long would it take to get sick of it? Why?
_______________________________________________________________________________

Paul had life tough! Read the following passage on some hardships he faced.
2 Corinthians 12:23-31 "I have worked harder and have been put in jail more times. I have been beaten with whips more and have been in danger of death more often.
24Five times the Jews gave me thirty-nine lashes with a whip. 25Three times the Romans beat me with a big stick, and once my enemies stoned me. I have been shipwrecked three times, and I even had to spend a night and a day in the sea. 26During my many travels, I have been in danger from rivers, robbers, Jews, and foreigners. My life has been in danger in cities, in deserts, at sea, and with people who only pretended to be the Lord's followers.
27I have worked and struggled and spent many sleepless nights. I have gone hungry and thirsty and often had nothing to eat. I have been cold from not having enough clothes to keep me warm. 28Besides everything else, each day I am burdened down, worrying about all the churches. 29When others are weak, I am weak too. When others are tricked into sin, I get angry.
30If I have to brag, I will brag about how weak I am. 31God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, knows I am not lying. And God is to be praised for ever!"

5. List seven hardships that Paul faced.
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Paul knew the struggles of a hard life but also knew the secret of living

Phillippians 4:11-13 "1I am not complaining about having too little. I have learnt to be satisfied with whatever I have. 12I know what it is to be poor or to have plenty, and I have lived under all kinds of conditions. I know what it means to be full or to be hungry, to have too much or too little. 13Christ gives me the strength to face anything."

6. What was his secret for living?  Being your own best friend

1. Write down four  things that you like about yourself?
_______________________________________________ _______________________________________________

2. Write down five things that you would like to change about yourself?
_______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________

Put  an "x" beside things that you can never change; "?" beside what can be changed;
"*" beside what you want to change the most.

3. How could you improve those items with a "?" beside them?
_______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________

The way we view our problems, plays a big part, in how we deal with them.

Phillippians 4:4-9 "4Always be glad because of the Lord! I will say it again: Be glad. 5Always be gentle with others. The Lord will soon be here. 6Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. 7Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.
8Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don't ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. 9You know the teachings I gave you, and you know what you heard me say and saw me do. So follow my example. And God, who gives peace, will be with you. "

2 Corinthians 1:3-9 "3Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! The Father is a merciful God, who always gives us comfort. 4He comforts us when we are in trouble, so that we can share that same comfort with others in trouble. 5We share in the terrible sufferings of Christ, but also in the wonderful comfort that he gives. 6We suffer in the hope that you will be comforted and saved. And because we are comforted, you will also be comforted, as you patiently endure suffering like ours. 7You never disappoint us. You suffered as much as we did, and we know that you will be comforted as we were.
8My friends, I want you to know what a hard time we had in Asia. Our sufferings were so horrible and so unbearable that death seemed certain. 9In fact, we felt sure that we were going to die. But this made us stop trusting in ourselves and start trusting God, who raises the dead to life."

4. What are some problems that Paul had to face?

5. How did Paul view his problems?

6. Where did Paul turn to for help?

5Don't be controlled by your body. Kill every desire for the wrong kind of sex. Don't be immoral or indecent or have evil thoughts. Don't be greedy, which is the same as worshipping idols. 6God is angry with people who disobey him by doing these things. 7And that is exactly what you did, when you lived among people who behaved in this way. 8But now you must stop doing such things. You must quit being angry, hateful, and evil. You must no longer say insulting or cruel things about others. 9And stop lying to each other. You have given up your old way of life with all its habits.
10Each of you is now a new person. You are becoming more and more like your Creator, and you will understand him better. 11It doesn't matter if you are a Greek or a Jew, or if you are circumcised or not. You may even be a barbarian or a Scythian, and you may be a slave or a free person. Yet Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.
12God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient. 13Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you. 14Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together.
15Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace. So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts. And be grateful.
16Let the message about Christ completely fill your lives, while you use all your wisdom to teach and instruct each other. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 17Whatever you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks to God the Father because of him."
 

 1. Rate yourself. (0 is "no worries" to 5 "major problem")
 a. Sexual Immorality  Lust, immoral movies etc.   0 1 2 3 4 5
 b. Anger   Rage, rudeness, writing off other people 0 1 2 3 4 5
 c. Filthy Language  Dirty jokes, swearing, being foul  0 1 2 3 4 5
 d. Lying   Slander, spreading rumours   0 1 2 3 4 5

2. What does  11It doesn't matter if you are a Greek or a Jew, or if you are circumcised or not. You may even be a barbarian or a Scythian, and you may be a slave or a free person. Yet Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us." Mean?

3. Rate yourself on the following. I need to improve on
 a. Loving  0 1 2 3 4 5
 b. Caring  0 1 2 3 4 5
 c. Humble  0 1 2 3 4 5
 d. Patient  0 1 2 3 4 5
 e. Forgiving  0 1 2 3 4 5

4. What are four things that can help Christians to grow?

5. This week I am going to ask God to help me with...?

1. When I argue with my parents it is about

a. Going out   0 1 2 3 4 5
b. Bedtime   0 1 2 3 4 5
c. Time to be home by 0 1 2 3 4 5
d. Where I go out to  0 1 2 3 4 5
e. Fighting with family 0 1 2 3 4 5
f. Cleaning my room  0 1 2 3 4 5
g. What I watch on TV 0 1 2 3 4 5
h. Being late home  0 1 2 3 4 5
i. My friends   0 1 2 3 4 5
j. Doing my homework 0 1 2 3 4 5

2. Why do you think parents have different attitudes to children?

ROLE PLAY
Act out a drama based on one of the above situations. The parents and children to act the opposite to what normally happens in life?

Discuss
3. Was what the parents wanted realistic?
4. Was what the children expected realistic?
5. How did the parents feel in the situation?
6. How did the children feel in the situation?

Ephesians 6:1-4 "Children, you belong to the Lord, and you do the right thing when you obey your parents. The first commandment with a promise says, 2"Obey your father and your mother, 3and you will have a long and happy life."
4Parents, don't be hard on your children. Raise them properly. Teach them and instruct them about the Lord."

7. What does God expect from children?
8. What does God expect from parents?
9. How old should you be, before you stop obeying your parents? How did you choose when?
10. In what ways can parents be"hard" on children?

James 3:13-18 "13Are any of you wise or sensible? Then show it by living right and by being humble and wise in everything you do. 14But if your heart is full of bitter jealousy and selfishness, don't brag or lie to cover up the truth. 15That kind of wisdom doesn't come from above. It is earthly and selfish and comes from the devil himself. 16Whenever people are jealous or selfish, they cause trouble and do all sorts of cruel things. 17But the wisdom that comes from above leads us to be pure, friendly, gentle, sensible, kind, helpful, genuine, and sincere. 18When peacemakers plant seeds of peace, they will harvest justice."
 

11.  How should you act according top God?
12. In what ways could you be a better to your parents?
13. How could improve your relationship with your mum?
14. How could you improve your relationship with your dad?

1. Who are you willing to die for?
1. Money     2. Headmaster     3. A teacher
4.Country     5. Mum or Dad     6. A stranger
7. Best friend 8. Prime Minister    9. No one
10. Other  _________________________

ATOMIC BOMB
During the making of one of the atomic bombs, in World War Two, a workman dropped a spanner into the starting mechanism. One of the key scientists instantly put his hand into the radioactive material and recovered the spanner. If he had not, the bomb would have gone off. Because of the radiation, he died a few days later. He gave his life to save those who were around him, and the city in which the bomb was being built.

2. If he had not taken the spanner out what would have happened?
3. Do you think he knew that he was going to die? Why?
4. Why do you think that he gave his life?
5. Would you have done the same as the scientist? Why?

Romans 5:1-11 " By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, because of our Lord Jesus Christ, we live at peace with God. 2Christ has also introduced us to God's kindness on which we take our stand. So we are happy, as we look forward to sharing in the glory of God. 3But that's not all! We gladly suffer, because we know that suffering helps us to endure. 4And endurance builds character, which gives us a hope 5that will never disappoint us. All of this happens because God has given us the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with his love.
6Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful. 7No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. 8But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.
9But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life's blood, we will also be kept safe from God's anger. 10Even when we were God's enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by his Son's life. 11And in addition to everything else, we are happy because God sent our Lord Jesus Christ to make peace with us."

6. What type of person did Jesus die for?
7. What was the reason for Jesus dying?
8. How does a person become a friend of Jesus?
9. Write a prayer that someone would say to become a Christian?

_______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________

1. Rate the difficulty of the following. (O easy; 5 very hard)

 a. Praying    0 1 2 3 4 5
 b. Reading the Bible   0 1 2 3 4 5
 c. Going to Church   0 1 2 3 4 5
 d. Giving to Christian ministry 0 1 2 3 4 5
 e. Telling others about Jesus  0 1 2 3 4 5
 f.  Being holy    0 1 2 3 4 5
 g. Doing things God's way  0 1 2 3 4 5

Romans 8:1-4 "If you belong to Christ Jesus, you won't be punished. 2The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death. 3The Law of Moses cannot do this, because our selfish desires make the Law weak. But God set you free when he sent his own Son to be like us sinners and to be a sacrifice for our sin. God used Christ's body to condemn sin. 4He did this, so that we would do what the Law commands by obeying the Spirit instead of our own desires. 5People who are ruled by their desires think only of themselves. Everyone who is ruled by the Holy Spirit thinks about spiritual things."

2. Which of the following statements are right
 a. We are put right with God by obeying the Ten Commandments.
 b. Jesus tops up the difference between or goodness and God's standard.
 c. God forgives us, but it is up to us to get our own way to Heaven.
 d. God is more concerned about our relationship with Him than how good we are.
 e. You can keep all the Ten Commandments.

 Romans 8:28-30  28We know that God is always at work for the good of everyone who loves him. They are the ones God has chosen for his purpose, 29and he has always known who his chosen ones would be. He had decided to let them become like his own Son, so that his Son would be the first of many children. 30God then accepted the people he had already decided to choose, and he has shared his glory with them.

3. If a person becomes a Christian, does that mean that nothing will go wrong? Discuss.

Romans 8:31-39 "31What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? 32God did not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won't he freely give us everything else? 33If God says his chosen ones are acceptable to him, can anyone bring charges against them? 34Or can anyone condemn them? No indeed! Christ died and was raised to life, and now he is at God's right side speaking to him for us. 35Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death? 36It is exactly as the Scriptures say,
"For you we face death all day long. We are like sheep on their way to the butcher."
37In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. 38I am sure that nothing can separate us from God's love - not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, 39and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!"

4. Who can separate you from God?
5. Is our relationship to God based on us or God?
6. What are four things that stop people from staying Christians?
7. How can you keep your faith strong?
8. What can you do if your faith grows cold?

1. What are some different views that people have of God?
______________________________________________ ______________________________________________
2. What does Paul say about God in the following passage?
_______________________________________________________________________________

Acts 17:22-31 " 22So Paul stood up in front of the council and said:
People of Athens, I see that you are very religious. 23As I was going through your city and looking at the things you worship, I found an altar with the words, "To an Unknown God." You worship this God, but you don't really know him. So I want to tell you about him. 24This God made the world and everything in it. He is Lord of heaven and earth, and he doesn't live in temples built by human hands. 25He doesn't need help from anyone. He gives life, breath, and everything else to all people. 26From one person God made all nations who live on earth, and he decided when and where every nation would be.
27God has done all this, so that we will look for him and reach out and find him. He is not far from any of us, 28and he gives us the power to live, to move, and to be who we are. "We are his children," just as some of your poets have said.
29Since we are God's children, we must not think that he is like an idol made out of gold or silver or stone. He is not like anything that humans have thought up and made. 30In the past God forgave all this because people did not know what they were doing. But now he says that everyone everywhere must turn to him. 31He has set a day when he will judge all the world's people with fairness. And he has chosen the man Jesus to do the judging for him. God has given proof of this to all of us by raising Jesus from death."

3. What are four things that God controls?
_______________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________

4. How does some one turn to God?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

5. If you had to explain to some one how to become a Christian, what would you say?

6. If you had to rate your relationship to God which would you be?
 a. Don't believe in God and don't care.
 b. Don't believe in God but am interested.
 c. Believe in God and don't care.
 d. Believe in God, but I am uncertain.
 e. Believe in God, but haven't chosen to follow Him.
 f.  Believe in God, but don't know how to become a Christian.
 g. Believe in God and I think I maybe a Christian.
 h. Believe in God, and know that I am a Christian.

2. Write a death notice about what type of person you are?
_________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________

3. If you knew that you were about to die who would you like to be able to write a letter to? Why?

4. What are three important things that you have leant in your life?
_________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________

Paul was a key Christian in the early church and wrote his last letter to a close friend called Timothy. Read the following verses and circle any ideas that are important to Paul.

2 Timothy
Chapter One "8Don't be ashamed to speak for our Lord. And don't be ashamed of me, just because I am in goal for serving him. Use the power that comes from God and join with me in suffering for telling the good news.
9 God saved us and chose us to be his holy people.
 We did nothing to deserve this,
 but God planned it because he is so kind.
 Even before time began
 God planned for Christ Jesus to show kindness to us.
10 Now Christ Jesus has come to show us the kindness of God.
 Christ our Saviour defeated death
 and brought us the good news.
 It shines like a light and offers life that never ends.
11My work is to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher. 12That's why I suffer. But I am not ashamed! I know the one I have faith in, and I am sure that he can guard until the last day what he has trusted me with. 13Now follow the example of the correct teaching I gave you, and let the faith and love of Christ Jesus be your model. 14You have been trusted with a wonderful treasure. Guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit, who lives within you."
Chapter Two "3As a good soldier of Christ Jesus you must endure your share of suffering. 4Soldiers on duty don't work at outside jobs. They try only to please their commanding officer. 5No one wins an athletic contest without obeying the rules. 6And farmers who work hard are the first to eat what grows in their field. 7If you keep in mind what I have told you, the Lord will help you understand completely."

5. Do you ever get ashamed to talk about Jesus with friends; or let people know that you go to a Christian group?
6. What was the most important message that Paul wanted Timothy to tell others?
7. If you were to describe an occupation that represented your Christian life what would it be?
8. What are some things, that Paul would write to you, about your relationship to God?
9.  What would you like to learn more about, to help you grow as a Christian?