God revealed the gospel is for all people.
Scripture: Acts 10:1-6,9-16,19-23,25-28
Central Truth
It’s easy to cling to preconceived ideas and to group people into categories, but we all matter to God. We must try to adopt God’s view of people. When we do, we’ll love them and want them to know Christ.
Key Question
Why is it tempting to ignore God’s voice when He leads you to share Christ with someone?
Keep in Mind
As a culture, we’re busy—self-focused. Our schedules and reputations tend to take priority over everything else. Two of the biggest reasons our students ignore God’s leading are because they’re afraid and because they’re more concerned about how others view them. But if we follow God’s leading, then He is with us, guiding us as we obey Him.
Students may also fear saying the wrong thing or being rejected if they share the gospel. Maybe people will make fun of them, or they’ll be labeled as fanatics. They likely fear they won’t be popular. But consider this: None of these things will matter in eternity. We should remind them that we can’t carry popularity or our reputation with us. But we can help build God’s kingdom when we follow His leading to share the gospel with others.
APPLICATION
What steps can you take to get rid of labels and preconceived ideas you have of other people?
THE WIN
FOR THE STUDENT: One of the best ways for us to counter any stereotypes or prejudices we may have is to spend time with the very people we have judged. Many of us are products of what we’ve learned at home or from our culture. But so often, these ideas aren’t grounded in truth.
FOR THE LEADER: When we spend real time with our students, what we more often find is that we’re more alike than not. We find that they, like us, are going through difficult circumstances and are just as in need of a Savior as we are. We find more common ground than we imagined.
Esther Choi says
Hi!! I am Esther Choi, a current youth pastor at a Korean church. I am looking for a youth group curriculum starting in Fall 2024. I was wondering if the Day 1-5 parts in one session are designed to be done by students themselves.
Also, I am very interested in Lifeway and Gospel Project (I’ve used your children’s curriculum since 2020 till 2023) and it’s amazing how each week’s lessons are tied to the gospel and how theologically solid it is.
Are you guys open for any internships or are you hiring for any positions? I graduated from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago as a Biblical Preaching major, and Children and Family Ministry interdisciplinary. And I am going to Trinity Evangelical Divinity School for my M. Div. I am so interested in learning more and wanting to work with you!! Please let me know!!
Alecia Bryant says
Hi Esther! I love your passion for The Gospel Project! That’s so encouraging! I’m the Editor for The Gospel Project for Students. I’m going to place the link where you can get a free preview of what’s coming in the fall when we start back in Genesis. It’s going to be great! Just scroll down and click on “Look Inside a Session.”
The students have their own version of the book, called the Daily Discipleship Guide. In it, they’ll have five days of Bible reading! Reach out to me at [email protected] and I’ll send you a sample of that as well. Thanks so much for reach out to us. We hope you’ll join us in the fall!
https://gospelproject.lifeway.com/students/?link=homepage