Youth Bible Lessons covering Discernment, Counterfeits, and Legalism in the Church.
“You wouldn’t believe what the pastor said in his sermon today.” Well, maybe you would. Everyone else seemed to be buying it just fine. I’m starting to wonder if discernment is dead in the church today. Paul foretold of this age in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”
Discernment has been defined by some as “the ability to decide (right or wrong, true or false) concerning a testament or statement.” Some have mistakenly thought that discernment is a Spiritual Gift bestowed only on chosen individuals. However, the only place discernment…read the rest in my blog.
These youth Bible lessons will help the teens in your Christian youth group become aware that false-teachers and false-doctrines are prevalent in the Christian church today. These Sunday school lessons will encourage teens to take their faith seriously. My experience has been that once kids understand the importance of being able to judge what they hear they are willing to buckle down and read their Bibles in order to make right judgments.
The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment
By Tim Challies / Crossway
Discernment – we all need it, it is much sought-after, but not many seem to want to go through the steps to get it. Much of the time this is because discernment is misunderstood. Tim Challies grapples with this problem head-on, and simplifies the process for those looking for a clear definition of what biblical discernment truly is.
Beginning with the clear scriptural mandate to be discerning, Challies encourages Christians to focus on what discernment is, what it means to committed Christians, and the consequences of not acquiring a mature ability to discern between right and wrong. In a world where truth is downplayed and ambiguity is embraced, discernment is indispensable to an active and engaged Christian faith.
Challies pulls no punches in outlining this defining characteristic of all mature Christians, giving its biblical basis and reasons for developing it. But he goes further to warn against the abuse or misuse of discernment – speaking the truth without love, elevating disputable doctrine to the level of critical doctrine, assigning guilt (or honor) by association, etc. – as well as giving a practical way to implement discernment. Concise, comprehensive and challenging, The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment will serve as a standard text on this subject for many Christians.
Discernment:
The goal of this lesson is instill a willingness in kids to become good at discernment: judging what they hear and deciding
the truthfulness. Children, for the most part, have grown up trusting adults. In the secular world bullies, abuses of power, and the news, will quickly teach them not to trust politicians, people who purport themselves to be their friends, and even police. But evidently it seems like church goers will swallow anything a preacher or the latest Christian book tells them without considering it’s validity against the Scriptures.
This is a one-page youth Bible lesson with a pre-lesson game and leaders guide.
Alternative activity: Make pancakes. Bring real Maple syrup and imitation Maple syrup. See if the kids can tell the two apart in a blind taste test.
Here is a YouTube® video about Starbucks® coffee tasters. The taster has some excellent parallels between how to be a good coffee taster and how we can have more Biblical discernment around the two minute mark:
These lessons are free to use but if you would like to support our ministry you may make a donation using this button. Thank you for your support. More information about donations.
Fool’s Gold?: Discerning Truth in an Age of Error
By Edited by John MacArthur / Crossway
It’s easy to be dazzled by new Christian books, music, and trends—but God’s Word makes it clear that all that glitters isn’t gold! MacArthur and others urge believers to stop and pray before jumping on the latest bandwagon. Learn to develop a sense of biblical discernment and avoid doctrinal error, using Scripture as your guide. Order from Christian Book.com by clicking on the book.
False teaching is at every turn, and the temptation to embrace it is great. As God’s people we are called to sift through the overwhelming number of traditions and trends and use the truth of Scripture to determine which are the true treasures-and which are “fool’s gold.”
Spotting Counterfeits:
The goal of this teen Bible study lesson is alert kids to the fact that false teachers exist. They should not take for grated that
what every “Christian” teacher, preacher, or speaker says is automatically true simply because they are “Christian”. They need to become good judges of what they hear.
The lesson uses the example of Cat Tails which are edible and another plant that looks alike but is poisonous. There is also a pre-lesson activity suggested if you can get arrange.
It is a two page youth Bible lesson plan with pre-lesson activity and leaders guide. The activity will need some preparation but the lesson can be taught without it to eliminate prep time.
These lessons are free to use but if you would like to support our ministry you may make a donation using this button. Thank you for your support. More information about donations.
Be Alert (2 Peter, 2 & 3 John, Jude)
By Warren Wiersbe / David C Cook
The study guide for life’s true or false questions.
The world is filled with counterfeits. And the church is not immune, as false ideas and doctrines can infect believers and congregations. So when it comes to spiritual teachers, messages, and movements, how can we tell fact from fiction? The answers are found in 2 Peter, 2 & 3 John, and Jude, where the apostles provide practical insights for discerning truth.
Dr. Wiersbe shares how to spot spiritual errors and fallacies. You’ll discover foundational principles from God’s word that will help you determine the true from the false.
Judging v.s. Judgmental also known as “Hippo-grits“
Many kids have heard the excuse “the church is full of hypocrites” leveled by their friends who don’t attend. Sometimes, in 
order to counteract looking hypocritical, a Christian will choose to suspend making any judgments at all. This Christian is easy prey to false teachers because they neglected to “judge” what they are hearing against the Word of Truth.
This is a good follow up lesson to “The Beauty Inside” where we talked about judging others on inner beauty or outward appearances. The kids
asked to look into this subject of judging in more detail.
This is a one page Bible study lesson plan with leaders guide and “Hippo-grits” sign. You’ll have to prepare ahead of time to make grits.
These lessons are free to use but if you would like to support our ministry you may make a donation using this button. Thank you for your support. More information about donations.
A word about “Legalism”:
If the pendulum swings from not judging anything to judging everything there is a risk that a Christian might fall into the trap of legalism. If a person takes a serious look at their inner selves compared to the laws and rules given throughout the Bible they will become very aware of their failure to keep the law. In this uncomfortable situation one might construct a sets of rules they can keep and thus restore a sense of self-righteousness and good conscience before God. Therefore, as good teachers we must make sure that the Gospel Of Grace is kept foremost in the mind of believers.
