"CORINTHIANS" SERMON SERIES
WEEK 1: BE UNIFIED.
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Ask your Preschool-Elementary Kids:Today we are talking about unity. Ask your kiddos if they always agree about everything with their friends, siblings or parents.
Explain that it is normal to disagree with other people, but we have to push past those differences and be unified. It is good to have people on your side when you need help. Like Pastor Bill said, "Unity is the ability to be for one another in spite of our differences." |
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Ask your Middle and High Schoolers:Pastor Bill talked about the importance of the Church being unified, or being for one another in spite of our differences.
Do you think the Church does this well? Do you think your friends and peers view the the Christian Church in a positive way? Why or why not? Help your students by sharing your story and perspective. Let them know the great things you have seen the Church do and even the times it has fallen short. Unity is best accomplished when we are willing to acknowledge not only our successes but our shortcomings as well. |
WEEK 2: BE SPIRIT-FILLED.
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Ask your Preschool-Elementary Kids:This week we talked about being filled with the Holy Spirit. The story we focused on was about the Pentecost and how 3,000 people were baptized and came to know Jesus. WOW, that is amazing!
As a family, take time to discuss ways we are able to be Jesus to the people around you. What are some small things you can do to make people say “That was really nice of them. I wonder why they are so giving like that?” (Some examples: letting someone go ahead of you in line, talking to someone at school or work you do not normally talk to, or helping someone in need.) |
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Ask your Middle and High Schoolers:Pastor Bill talked about being filled with the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit is one of the most important, supernatural parts of the life of a Christian.
With that in mind, what experiences have you had with the Holy Spirit? What role have you learned the Holy Spirit plays in the life of a believer? Parents, sharing always helps! Share your experiences and knowledge of the Holy Spirit with your students. |
WEEK 3: BE WISE.
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Ask your Preschool-Elementary Kids:Ask your kiddos if they have ever built a sandcastle. Then ask them if they have ever built a castle using legos? Talk about which was stronger and stayed put together longer.
Today Pastor Bill talked about foundations. Jesus is like legos: He is a good foundation for our faith. He can hold us up. When we are making decisions, we need to rely on Him and His word to help us be wise. |
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Ask your Middle and High Schoolers:Pastor Bill said, “God freely offers us everything we need to know in order to live the life that He wants us to live.”
We all want answers to some difficult questions in life. Where are some safe places you can go for those answers? Is there a chance that we won’t have all the answers to some questions? Parents, share the big questions you have had in life. Let your student know how God did or did not answer those questions. |
WEEK 4: BE ACCOUNTABLE.
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Ask your Preschool-Elementary Kids:This week pastor Bill talks about being accountable. Ask your kiddos how they feel when you tell them they did something wrong.
It can be hard to listen when people correct behavior. Talk to your kids about when we have a parent there to help us grow and be do the things God wants us to do, it makes a difference. |
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Ask your Middle and High Schoolers:Pastor Bill talked about being accountable. He said our next step was to “identify one Christ-follower that you see almost weekly, and ask them to keep you accountable.
Do you think accountability actually helps us to act or be a certain way? How could it help us look more like Jesus? Who could be that person for you? Parents, answer those questions alongside of your students. Now share how you have you seen accountability benefit different areas of your life? Who are you going to invite in as your accountability partner? |
WEEK 5: BE PURE.
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Ask your Preschool-Elementary Kids:This week Pastor Bill talks about being pure. The verse we focused on in Grove Kids was 1 Corinthians 6:12. Grab a Bible and read that verse as a family.
Talk about what that verse means to you. Paul is using this verse to tell us that we always have a choice: we can choose to do things we know are wrong or we can choose the path God has set for us. Doing the wrong thing can be tempting, but as Christ followers we have to find strength and guidance in Jesus to do the right thing. Talk with your kids about what is something that is hard for them to say no to. Share about a time you were tempted, the choice you made, and how it affected you. |
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Ask your Middle and High Schoolers:This week Pastor Bill talked about purity. He said, “Purity is embracing God’s best for me though my own flesh and the world around me offers something cheaper."
With this in mind, ask your students these questions: Why does God care about our purity? What is God offering that is different than the world? What do you think happens when we stick to God’s plans rather than our own? |
WEEK 6: BE CONTENT.
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Ask your Preschool-Elementary Kids:Today Pastor Bill talked about being content. He made this statement, because it is how the apostle Paul lived his life: “ Be content in your current circumstances because the Lord is returning soon.”
As a family, how does that statement make you all feel? What is something you have maybe put off that you need to start pursuing today? God has created all of us uniquely, and you never know how God will use you. Stay focused on Him and be content in who you are. |
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Ask your Middle and High Schoolers:Pastor Bill said, “We have our eyes fixed more on our circumstances than on our coming Lord."
Ask your students these questions: How does this relate to us being content? Why should the return of Jesus make us more content? How does our focus change our contentment? Parents, answer these questions alongside your students so they can learn from you. Talk about your focus on the Lord, and where you find contentment in life. |
WEEK 7: BE CONSCIENTIOUS.
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Ask your Preschool-Elementary Kids:This week Pastor Bill talks about how to be conscientious. That is a big word for kiddos and can be confusing. It might help to replace it with dedicated or diligent.
Ask your kiddos this question: Have you ever thought you could help your friends who also believe in Jesus stay on the right path? Talk with them about not tempting their friends to make mistakes and looking for ways to help those around them deepen their relationship with Jesus. |
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Ask your Middle and High Schoolers:Pastor Bill preached on being conscientious today. More specifically he talked about the idea of us not doing certain things, not because they are a problem for us, but because they might be a “stumbling block” for those around us.
What are some examples of stumbling blocks that you know of? What are some of the benefits of avoiding those things? Is there anything that you know you could avoid today to help others around you see Jesus more clearly? Parents, give examples of the things you should avoid, currently avoid, or have avoided in the past and why. |
WEEK 8: BE SELF-CONTROLLED.
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Ask your Preschool-Elementary Kids:Today Pastor Bill talks about having self-control. I encourage your family to get some ice cream and after dinner sit down and talk about how to avoid self-sabotage. Ice cream is delicious but eating too much or too fast will make you have upset stomach or headache.
Here are some questions to talk through: Have you ever won a race? What was that feeling like? Did you know that everyday you are running a race and the prize is eternal salvation with Jesus? That is why it is important to wake up everyday and make good choices. We have to use kind words, be honest, and focus on Jesus. That is just as important as eating right and exercise, our bodies need it. If we do those things we will win the best race ever! |
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Ask your Middle and High Schoolers:Pastor Bill preached on self-control today. He said to “trade a current compulsion for a better future outcome”.
With that in mind, what kind of person do you think God wants you to become? What decisions or sacrifices can you make to be that person today? Parents, talk to your students about examples of this working out in your life. Share your successes and failures with your student so they can see how self-control has benefited your life as well. |
WEEK 9: BE FREE.
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Ask your Preschool-Elementary Kids:This week Pastor Bill was teaching us how to BE FREE, open up a conversation with your kiddos by asking a few questions:
What comes to your mind when you think of being free? If you were able to do whatever you wanted, what is one thing you would do? Have you ever thought that just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should? What are some things that are not good to do? How can Jesus help us not do the things we may want to but are not good for us? |
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Ask your Middle and High Schoolers:Pastor Bill talked a lot about freedom this week. With that in mind, what does freedom mean to you? What images come to mind when you think about freedom?
Our freedom shouldn’t be used just to make our lives more comfortable, it should be used to honor God and help others. What are some ways you can use your freedom in these ways? |
WEEK 10: BE MISSIONAL.
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Ask your Preschool-Elementary Kids:Pastor Bill talked about something I have heard my whole life: "Don’t judge a book by its cover." Take some time to discuss this with your kiddos.
Have you ever not wanted to be friends with someone because they dressed differently than other people? Do you think God only wants people who dress a certain way in heaven with him? Talk with your kids about loving others and not letting things like clothes or hairstyle being a barrier to helping them know Jesus. |
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Ask your Middle and High Schoolers:Pastor Bill talked about being missional, or being willing to remove all unnecessary barriers between others and Jesus.
What do you think are barriers for people around you? How do those things specifically keep those people from Jesus? What have been barriers for you before? Are they still? If not, how have those barriers been broken down? Parents, answer this week's questions with your students. See how you all can relate with each other and see how things differ for you as well. It is important to know what we let stand in the way of Jesus so we can better serve others. |
WEEK 11: BE A PART.
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Ask your Preschool-Elementary Kids:Pastor Bill talked how we can all be a part of the church. We all have been given special talents by God. Take some time as a family and list gifts God has given each of you and then discuss the questions below as a family:
It is important to remember that no gift is better than the rest. We all come together as a church just like all parts of the body come together to work as a whole. To not use your gift God has given you is a sin. We all have so much to give, we just have to figure out how to use our gift wisely. |
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Ask your Middle and High Schoolers:Pastor Bill said that “God has given every believer a vital part to play in the body of Christ."
What do you think this means? Why is it important that we all play different roles as believers? What do you think your role might be? Parents, share with your students what you see in them. What spiritual gifts do you see in them and what do you believe your own gifts are? |
WEEK 12: BE LOVING.
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Ask your Preschool-Elementary Kids:This week Pastor Bill talks about how to be loving. This word is used a ton in our world today.
Take a moment and ask your kids about what they love. You will probably hear things like food, sports, games, and family members. There is nothing wrong with loving those things, but I encourage you to talk with your kids about how they show love. Remind them that love is more than words...it requires determination, intentionality, selflessness, and sacrifice. Ask your kiddos how they can love others the way God wants them to. Talk with them about the things that let them know they are loved. |
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Ask your Middle and High Schoolers:Pastor Bill said, “When we love others like Jesus, it COULD change them, and it WILL change us.”
What do you think it looks like to love others like Jesus? Why? How could it change others? How will it change us? Parents, what are the ways you have seen love change yourself or others? |
WEEK 13: BE ORDERLY.
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Ask your Preschool-Elementary Kids:Pastor Bill said something this week that we should all keep in the front of our minds: “I exist for the family of God…for building it up…and adding to it!”
I encourage you to walk your kids back a couple of chapters. Remind them that we have been reading 1 Corinthians written by Paul to the people in Corinth who were making some bad choices. Paul teaches us that we all need to be reminded that we have been given gifts from God, but we need to use them to glorify Him, not to make ourselves feel good. We are called to love others the way God loves us and we do all this to build God's family. Talk as a family and ask this question: How are we adding to God’s family? |
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Ask your Middle and High Schoolers:Today Pastor Bill said, “HE > WE > ME”.
Why is it important that we put God first in everything we do? Do you think the Church does this well? How do we do this in our own lives? Parents, explain the changes you have seen in your life as you have put God and others before yourself. |
WEEK 14: BE ALIVE.
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Ask your Preschool-Elementary Kids:This week Pastor Bill was teaching us about Being Alive and how important the resurrection of Jesus is. Talk to your kids about the Easter story.
How does it feel to know Jesus died on the cross to save us? Jesus ascended to Heaven after he rose from the grave and has prepared a place for us to spend forever with Him. As a family, talk about what heaven will be like and ways to get everyone we know and love to accept Jesus so they can be with us in heaven too. |
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Ask your Middle and High Schoolers:This Easter, Pastor Bill talked about what it meant to be “alive”.
What do you think it means to be “fully alive” in Christ? What is the difference between life and life in Christ? Parents, if you have given your life to Christ, explain how it has changed the way you view your life. If you haven’t, reflect on what Pastor Bill said about the gospel alongside of your student this morning! |