GOD VIEW: the Connection Between CONVICTION and God S Character

252 Groups July 2015, Week 3 Small Group, K-1

FOR LEADERS ONLY

GOD VIEW: the connection between CONVICTION and God’s character, as shown through God’s big story

This summer we’ll be spending June and July discovering more about what the Bible has to say about conviction —standing for what’s right, even when others don't.

Lots of people have conviction, but often when they act with conviction they come across as arrogant or smug. But that’s not what conviction is about at all. It’s not about what a person thinks is right because it’s too easy to become convicted about the wrong thing. Conviction has to be rooted in something deeper and more dependable than a personal opinion. It needs to be rooted in Scripture and what God says is right. And often it’s not even just standing for something that’s right; it’s also about standing for something that’s right in the right way. And that takes some practice, especially because standing for what’s right and showing conviction, may not win any popularity contests.

That’s why we’re taking the summer to help kids understand a little bit more about Conviction. Conviction is standing for what’s right, even when others don't. Let’s take Jesus for example.

Even for Jesus, the Son of God, it wasn’t always popular to do the right thing. Sometimes doing the right thing meant hanging out with tax collectors, blessing the little children, or even forgiving someone who had done something wrong. No matter what it was that Jesus needed to do, He did it because it was the right thing to do.

But doing the right thing often made Jesus stand apart from some of the rich and powerful people of His time. They didn’t like what He was doing or saying, but Jesus never let those crowds persuade Him to go against what God, His Father, wanted Him to do. Even when it meant going to the cross to die, Jesus knew that it was the right thing, and He did it.

Jesus was able to live with conviction because He knew the will of His Father, and that gave Him strength and courage. In the same way, God has given us the ability to know what is right and the ability to do it. You see, when we are fueled by God’s character, we will stand up for the things that matter to God.

This week we’re discovering … For week three, we finish up our journey through Daniel’s life with probably his most famous story. That’s right: The Lion’s Den. In Daniel 6, we discover that even in the face of death, Daniel’s habit of praying to God was unbreakable. God came to the rescue and Daniel was saved.

Bottom Line: Get in the habit of standing for what’s right. Kids will learn that the more they stand up for what’s right, the easier it gets. When you have a relationship with God, you realize that He will help you show conviction.

Our memory verse for the month is Ephesians 6:10, “Finally, let the Lord make you strong. Depend on His mighty power.” No matter the situation, God’s power can help you when you need to have conviction.

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I Walk the Lion

Bible Story: Daniel in the Lion’s Den • Daniel 6 Bottom Line: Get in the habit of standing for what’s right. Memory Verse: “Finally, let the Lord make you strong. Depend on his mighty power.” Ephesians 6:10, NIrV Life App: Conviction—standing for what is right even when others don’t. Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.

8:45/10:45 - Plug In: Focus the Energy (Small Groups, 30 minutes) Focus the energy on today’s Bible story in a Small Group setting with an engaging discussion question and an interactive opening activity.

Before kids arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group for the first time. Today’s focus is so applicable in a kid’s world. Pray that God would give your kids the courage and conviction to stand for what’s right, especially when it means standing up for others. Ask God to show kids the opportunities in their lives where they might need to make a choice to stand up for someone else.

1. Early Arriver Idea What You Need: An offering container

What You Do: Greet kids as they arrive and encourage them to place their offerings in the container. Talk about their week. Remind them that conviction is standing for what’s right even when others don’t. Ask kids to share about a time when they did the right thing this week. To get them started, ask if anyone obeyed a parent or teacher this week, even if no one else was obeying. As the kids are sharing, have them begin to glue the yarn around the edge of the sticks for the Bible story review activity.

2. Get in the Habit What You Need: No supplies needed

What You Do: Talk about the word habit. Explain to the group that a habit is any behavior, good or bad, that is regularly repeated. Some habits are good ones and some are bad. Give the kids a few examples: smacking your food or chewing with your mouth open, chewing on a pencil/eraser, brushing your teeth, etc. Quickly divide your space into two sides. One side is for bad habits, one for good habits. Read from the “Habit List” below and instruct the kids to run to one side or the other depending on whether they think it’s a good or bad habit.

©2015 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com 2 If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date). 252 Groups July 2015, Week 3 Small Group, K-1

Habit List Smacking your gum Grinding your teeth Turning off the light as you leave the room Saying, “Please” and “Thank You” Mumbling an answer to your mom Eating your veggies Leaving your wet towel on the floor Putting your clothes in the laundry room Flossing your teeth Saying “Hello” and looking the person in the eye when you greet someone Biting your fingernails Putting your toys away as you finish playing with them Interrupting someone else when they’re talking

What You Say: “Great job, everyone! I think we all pretty much agree on which habits are good and which are bad. [Transition] Let’s head to Large Group and find out about another REALLY important habit we all can agree is a good one."

9:15/11:15 - Lead your group to the Large Group area for worship and today’s Bible Story (30 minutes)

9:45/11:45 - Catch On: Make the Connection (Small Groups, 35-40 minutes) Make the connection of how today’s Bible story applies to real life experiences through interactive activities and discussion questions.

1. Pass the Sticks (review the Bible story / great for active learners/ optional classroom-wide activity) What You Need: Large Popsicle sticks; orange/ red/ black yarn; a small scrap of yellow construction paper; Elmer’s® Glue; Sharpie® pens

What You Do: Pass out the Popsicle sticks and instruct the kids to glue the yarn/construction paper (see below for specifics) around their sticks to create the following characters from today’s story. You can create more than one of each character depending on the number of kids in your group. Allow kids to choose the character they want to create, but make sure you have at least one of each of the following:

 Daniel: black yarn  King Darius: small construction paper crown  2 mean leaders: black yarn  Lions from the lions’ den: orange and red yarn Help the kids in your group use the Sharpie® pens to draw faces on their sticks. Make sure to draw mean faces on the “mean leaders’” faces and to include whiskers on the lions. Once finished, allow the kids to act out the story with their sticks, as you read the following key points below.

©2015 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com 3 If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date). 252 Groups July 2015, Week 3 Small Group, K-1

Key Points 1. Daniel followed and trusted God and was given lots of responsibility by King Darius. 2. The mean leaders were jealous and decided to get Daniel in trouble. 3. The mean leaders convinced King Darius to create a law stating that for 30 days, everyone could only bow down and pray to him. 4. Daniel refused to bow down and pray to the king and continued his normal routine of praying to God three times a day. 5. The mean leaders found him praying and turned him in to the king. 6. The King had no choice but to throw Daniel into the lion’s den. 7. God shut the mouths of the lions and protected Daniel. 8. King Darius recognized that Daniel’s God was the one true God.

What You Say: “What would you have done if you had been in Daniel’s shoes? Would you have refused to pray to the king? (Pause for responses.) That’s exactly what Daniel did. See, Daniel had already been following God long enough to know that he could trust Him in any situation. Because he was in the habit of doing the right thing, he knew that God was on his side.

[Apply] “When you do the right thing, God is always right there with you too, just like He was there with Daniel. And the more you do the right thing, the easier it will be to follow God the next time. So, [Impress] get in the habit of standing for what’s right.”

* 2. Give Me a “C!” (application activity) What You Need: Pipe cleaners; scissors

What You Do: Help kids to wind two of the pipe cleaners together to form the letter “C.” Then help them wind the “Cs” around their shoestrings to attach them to the tops of their shoes. Read the scenarios below and discuss how they can stand with conviction in each of these situations.

Scenarios  Some kids in an older grade start teasing one of your friends on the playground. (Don’t join in; ask them to stop; find an adult you know and ask for their help.)  Two friends are playing when another friend wants to join. But instead of letting him play, they ignore him. (Go play with the friend and then together, ask the other friends if you can join them.)  A friend tells a lie that you know is untrue and wants you to go along with it. (Tell the friend it’s wrong; don't give in to his request.)  When you arrive at a friend’s house, he is playing video games with another friend from the neighborhood. You know you are not allowed to play video games without your mom or dad’s approval. (Call your mom or dad and ask if you can play. If you can’t get permission, ask the friends to play a different game.)

What You Say: “Showing conviction takes practice. The more you get into the habit of standing up for what is right, the easier it will become. [Make it Personal] (Share a time when you stood up for what was right and

©2015 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com 4 If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date). 252 Groups July 2015, Week 3 Small Group, K-1

it led to forming a habit later on. Maybe you intentionally started paying more attention to the speed limit or started to catch yourself when you were exaggerating.)

“Daniel proved over and over again that when you do the right thing, God is with you. Even when he was thrown in the lion’s den, Daniel knew that doing the right thing was always the wise choice. [Apply] As you face situations like the ones we’ve talked about today, take a look at the “C” on your shoelace to remind you to stand with conviction. The more you do the right thing, the easier it will be the next time. [Impress] Get in the habit of standing for what’s right.”

3. ROAR! (memory verse activity) What You Need: No supplies needed

What You Do: Review Ephesians 6:10 together as a group. Ask the group if anyone can say the verse from memory. Try repeating the verse as a group using different voices. Start out by growling the verse like a lion. See how ferocious they can sound as they roar the verse a few times. Then ask your group to try to say the verse with their lips closed, just like when God shut the mouths of the lions.

What You Say: “Wow. You all sound just like a ferocious pack of lions! When Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den, do you think he depended on God’s mighty power? Of course! Daniel knew that he wouldn’t face those lions alone. [Apply] I realize you’ll probably never face a pack of lions when you choose to do the right thing. But you might find yourself in a situation where it’s really hard to do what’s right. In those situations, you can STILL stand with conviction if you remember the promise found in this verse. The Lord will make you strong and you can depend on His mighty power. Always. Especially when you [Impress] get in the habit of standing for what is right.”

10:25/12:25 - Pray and Dismiss What You Need: No supplies needed

What You Do: Ask your group to wrap their arms around their knees and look at the “C’s” on their shoelaces as you pray to remind them to keep up their conviction habits this week.

What You Say: “One really important way to remember that God is with you to help you stand with conviction is to talk to Him. Prayer is a way to praise God, to thank Him for who He is and for all He’s done. Prayer is also our chance to ask for help. As you wear this “C” shoelace this week, I want you to remember that you can ask God to help you do the right thing. And with Him on your side, you can’t go wrong. Let’s pray.

“God, You are awesome. We recognize that there is NO one more powerful than You. Please help us to get in the habit of standing up for what is right. We want to be just like Daniel, trusting that You are with us no matter what we face. Help us to look at the “Cs” on our shoes this week and be reminded that You are with us, always, ready to help us stand with conviction. Thanks for loving us, God. And thanks for always watching out for us. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.”