Preteen Porch Growth Group Questions
Check-In and Hangout (6:30-6:45)
Countdown (6:40-6:45)
Welcome/Tickets/ Opening Activity (6:45-6:55)
Worship/ Video (6:55- 7:05)-
Activity (7:05- 7:15)- Application Activity
Small Group (7:15- 7:30)-Talk about God, Bible Story Review, and Discussion Questions
Sermon Summary (7:40-7:50)
Application and Prayer (7:50- 7:55)
Today’s Suggested Schedule—January 2021, Week 1
Today’s Bible Story: Exile (Jesus Tempted in the Desert) • Luke 4:1-13 (Supporting: Matthew 4:1-11)
Today’s Key Question: When is it hard to do the right thing?
Today’s Bottom Line: Be ready to do the right thing.
Monthly Memory Verse: God’s power has given us everything we need to live a godly life. 2 Peter 1:3a (NIrV)
Monthly Life App: Self-control—Choosing to do what you should even when you don’t want to
Basic Truth: I need to make the wise choice.
Theme Loop
Countdown
Theme
Opening Activity
Made to Move: an activity that increases the oxygen in the brain and taps into the energy in the body
What You Need: Ball
What You Do:
What You Say:
“Being ready to respond quickly with the right move was the key to winning in this game. You’d never get through the game by dozing off, checking out, or not thinking about what you were doing. [Transition] Knowing the right thing to do and being ready to do it is good advice for more than an action game. This month, we’re going to take that advice and see what it looks like in our life as we live out our faith and follow Jesus. It’s going to be a great month, so let’s get started.”
OPENER
HOST: “Hey, friends! If you haven’t heard it already, let me be one of the first to tell you Happy New Year! I don't know about you, but 2021 felt like a roller coaster! I’m for sure looking forward to a bigger and brighter 2022!”
“Now, last year wasn’t as crazy as 2020, but boy, there was a lot of figuring things out that I had to do in 2021. Lots of decisions. Lots of choices. Moments that could have had either great outcomes or terrible consequences. And since we’re in the first month of a brand-new year, I thought I’d kick things off with a fun game about exactly that—making choices! I’ll need quite a few volunteers for this one. Who’s up for a little Live Action Memory?”
SLIDE: Game Title
Choose twelve volunteers. Have them come to the stage and introduce them. Continue with the explanation.
“Okay! Here we have our twelve volunteers. Each one will hold a sign. On these signs could be a symbol, a face, or a picture. But first let’s line you up in a grid—three lines of four, first row on their knees, second row sitting in chairs, and third row standing. You’ll each hold your sign face-down, so no one out there can see what’s on them.”
Have 12 volunteers get into place.
“Awesome! Now, we need two more volunteers (Or two teams of two) to play!”
Host chooses two/four volunteers to play the game. If you have a lot of kids, you could also have two sides of the room play against each other. Choose a set of volunteers each round that represent each side of the room.
“Those contestants will take turns each choosing two kids, who will hold up their signs in front of their faces. If they match, you collect the signs and they exit the grid! If they don’t match, they stay and they put their signs back face down.”
“The one (or team) with the most collected pairs at the end of the round wins! Let’s play!”
Hand out the Live Action Memory Game Cards, remind the twelve to keep them face down, and play the game. At the end, count the matches and declare a winner. If time permits, choose others to play the game again.
“Fantastic! Now, let’s make one of the best choices you can make this morning. Let’s stand to sing and worship our amazing God!”
WORSHIP
SLIDE: Theme Background
INTRODUCTION
Hope you’re all doing great today! That opening game was incredible! Like our opening game, self-control is basically about choice, isn’t it? You can choose to keep things locked down and in control, or you can throw that choice out the window and totally lose it. Instead of eating the whole sleeve of Girl Scout cookies, choose control and stop at like four. If on your Mario Odyssey speed run you keep dying when trying to clip through the wall, maybe choose self-control instead of chucking your Joy Cons at the cat.”
“Self-control is choosing to do what you should do even when you don’t want to. It’s all about making the wise choice. And speaking of that, I have some choices for you—and you’ll vote with your feet. I’ll read a scenario and you’ll use your feet to walk to the side of the room which represents the choice you made. But, be wise about your choice because I may ask you to defend why you made it!”
Use the following choices, assigning one side of the room or the other for the answers. At random, choose kids to answer why they picked what they picked. Optional: Feel free to tweak the following scenarios based on the kids who attend your environment.
Scenario 1
You’re losing really badly at a board game with your younger brother. He gets up to get a snack and there’s a way you can cheat without him ever knowing. Do you do it, yes or no?
Scenario 2
Your aunt made her world-famous chocolate chip cookies and they’re sitting on the counter. They’re piled high, and you could take one or two and then rearrange the pile to make it look like none were taken. Do you take them, yes or no?
Scenario 3
You’re invited to a pool party with friends but can’t swim and are secretly super scared of the water. You’re not sure how your friends will react. Do you make up an excuse and stay home or do you risk it and go to be with your friends?
Scenario 4
OK, let’s try a silly one. An alien lands in your backyard, comes out of its spaceship, and offers you a choice. You can either become the most famous person in the world (by being the one who discovers aliens) or be given the knowledge to cure all diseases on planet earth but no one will know it’s you. Which one do you choose?
Scenario 5
You’re out shopping with your family, and when you’re on the way back out to your car, you notice that the case of Coke that was on the bottom of the cart never got scanned. No one paid for it. Do you say anything or just keep it because, hey, free Coke?
Scenario 6
You’re out with friends at the movie theater to see a movie you all have permission to see. On your way in, one of your friends suggests sneaking into a movie you know your mom wouldn’t like you to watch. Do you follow your friends into the new movie or suggest you stick with the movie you all have permission to see?
“It’s interesting when you have to defend your position, right? Sometimes the right choice is harder when no one will find out the wrong choice!”
TENSION
“When faced with choices like these, how do you find the strength to choose? Or, like with frustrating video games or confusing math class or fickle friends, when you’re faced with trying times that make you want to go kick a wall, how do you find the strength to control yourself? How do you know what to do? How do you find the wisdom to make the right choice?”
“What will help you know how to respond?”
“Great questions to think about! A lot of our choices are shaped by the adults in our lives, our friends, or our circumstances. And when it’s left up to us, sometimes making the best choice that shows self-control isn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world. We’ll need some help figuring this out.”
Hold up the Bible.
“We just so happen to have the best resource available on planet Earth—the Bible. This book is full of wisdom, stories, one-liners, knowledge, and all kinds of examples to help us. If we pay attention to what’s in these pages, we can learn a thing or three. Let’s dive in!” With the So and So Show!
SO AND SO SHOW:
APPLICATION
“The devil’s temptations of Jesus are similar to some of the ways he tempts us today. The first temptation had to do with food, right? We often experience this as the ‘just do what feels right’ temptation.”
“There are things that we crave—not just some mac n’ cheese but things that feel good, too—things that might not be the best things for you to do. It is why people get addicted to certain things like drugs or their phones. It’s like they just can’t stop themselves from satisfying that physical side of themselves.”
“In the second temptation, the devil offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world if He would worship him. We don’t face that exact temptation, but we are faced with the temptation to do whatever we can to be recognized, to get fame, to be popular.”
“Everyone wants that, right? Sometimes you want to be liked by your friends, you want to be the first one picked when splitting up the teams, you want to be the one who gets chosen for the lead or the solo—and sometimes getting a laugh or getting the attention involves putting someone else down or cheating your way to get there.”
“The third is when the devil asked Jesus to jump off a building and have His angels save Him. In a way, the devil was trying to get Jesus to test God’s love for Him. For us, this temptation can look more like us questioning God’s love for us. It’s a simple answer, though. You don’t have to prove anything. You don’t have to put God to the test to see if God loves you. God loves you no matter what. Period. End of story.”
“If you’ll remember, Jesus quoted Scripture when the devil tempted Him. But the devil quoted Scripture sometimes, too. Jesus knew the Scriptures, yes. But more importantly, He knew God’s heart behind the Scriptures. So when the devil quoted Scripture in a way that went against God’s heart, Jesus knew what God wanted and didn’t fall for it.”
“Jesus relied on His understanding of who God is and His knowledge of the Scriptures to resist the enemy’s temptations. We can use our understanding of who God is and the truths in the Bible to help us make the wise choice, too!”
SLIDE: Key Question
“When is it hard to do the right thing? Think about some situations you might find yourself in where it’s super tough to make a good decision. And not only that, where can you find the wisdom like Jesus did to have the right answers to those tough situations?
Theme Loop
Discussion Questions
[Talk about God | Bible Story Review]
Made to Connect: an activity that invites kids to share and collaborate with others while growing their understanding
What You Need: No supplies needed
What You Do:
Ask:
Sermon Video:
Sermon Questions:
(You were made for ministry!)
H- Be excellent!
I-Be equipped!
J- Be employable!
Icebreaker 2: What’s the best way to eat a marshmallow?
What are some jobs you’ve had?
What is your current job?
Do you like or dislike your job?
How can you tell if someone hates their job?
Teaser: True or False: Most people take it easy when the boss isn’t around. Why?
Have you ever seen someone slack off while the boss is gone?
How so?
Would people describe how you do your job as excellent?
Why or why not?
How have you been equipped by your pastors to minister to someone at work?
If God put it on your heart to leave your job and work for a church, would you?
Why or why not?
How would your job change if you acted like Jesus was your boss?
Application:
Announcements:
Pray:
Countdown (6:40-6:45)
Welcome/Tickets/ Opening Activity (6:45-6:55)
Worship/ Video (6:55- 7:05)-
Activity (7:05- 7:15)- Application Activity
Small Group (7:15- 7:30)-Talk about God, Bible Story Review, and Discussion Questions
Sermon Summary (7:40-7:50)
Application and Prayer (7:50- 7:55)
Today’s Suggested Schedule—January 2021, Week 1
Today’s Bible Story: Exile (Jesus Tempted in the Desert) • Luke 4:1-13 (Supporting: Matthew 4:1-11)
Today’s Key Question: When is it hard to do the right thing?
Today’s Bottom Line: Be ready to do the right thing.
Monthly Memory Verse: God’s power has given us everything we need to live a godly life. 2 Peter 1:3a (NIrV)
Monthly Life App: Self-control—Choosing to do what you should even when you don’t want to
Basic Truth: I need to make the wise choice.
Theme Loop
Countdown
Theme
Opening Activity
Made to Move: an activity that increases the oxygen in the brain and taps into the energy in the body
What You Need: Ball
What You Do:
- Ask kids to stand in a circle.
- Hand the ball to one of the kids in the circle.
- Tell kids that you’ll call out an action for the kid who is holding the ball to do. The commands will start out slowly then get faster.
- Demonstrate the commands before you begin so kids are clear on the actions that go with them.
- Fast Forward It! (gently toss the ball across the circle)
- Rewind It! (repeat the previous action)
- Pause It! (freeze in place until next action is given)
- Pass It! (pass to the kid on left or right—but not across the circle)
- Smack it! (tap the ball one time)
- Bounce it! (bounce it one time then catch it)
- Spin it! (hold the ball and spin around one time)
- Change or add more actions if desired.
- If someone fails to do the action within two seconds, they’re out.
- Continue until only one player remains.
- Repeat or let kids come up with new actions.
What You Say:
“Being ready to respond quickly with the right move was the key to winning in this game. You’d never get through the game by dozing off, checking out, or not thinking about what you were doing. [Transition] Knowing the right thing to do and being ready to do it is good advice for more than an action game. This month, we’re going to take that advice and see what it looks like in our life as we live out our faith and follow Jesus. It’s going to be a great month, so let’s get started.”
OPENER
HOST: “Hey, friends! If you haven’t heard it already, let me be one of the first to tell you Happy New Year! I don't know about you, but 2021 felt like a roller coaster! I’m for sure looking forward to a bigger and brighter 2022!”
“Now, last year wasn’t as crazy as 2020, but boy, there was a lot of figuring things out that I had to do in 2021. Lots of decisions. Lots of choices. Moments that could have had either great outcomes or terrible consequences. And since we’re in the first month of a brand-new year, I thought I’d kick things off with a fun game about exactly that—making choices! I’ll need quite a few volunteers for this one. Who’s up for a little Live Action Memory?”
SLIDE: Game Title
Choose twelve volunteers. Have them come to the stage and introduce them. Continue with the explanation.
“Okay! Here we have our twelve volunteers. Each one will hold a sign. On these signs could be a symbol, a face, or a picture. But first let’s line you up in a grid—three lines of four, first row on their knees, second row sitting in chairs, and third row standing. You’ll each hold your sign face-down, so no one out there can see what’s on them.”
Have 12 volunteers get into place.
“Awesome! Now, we need two more volunteers (Or two teams of two) to play!”
Host chooses two/four volunteers to play the game. If you have a lot of kids, you could also have two sides of the room play against each other. Choose a set of volunteers each round that represent each side of the room.
“Those contestants will take turns each choosing two kids, who will hold up their signs in front of their faces. If they match, you collect the signs and they exit the grid! If they don’t match, they stay and they put their signs back face down.”
“The one (or team) with the most collected pairs at the end of the round wins! Let’s play!”
Hand out the Live Action Memory Game Cards, remind the twelve to keep them face down, and play the game. At the end, count the matches and declare a winner. If time permits, choose others to play the game again.
“Fantastic! Now, let’s make one of the best choices you can make this morning. Let’s stand to sing and worship our amazing God!”
WORSHIP
SLIDE: Theme Background
INTRODUCTION
Hope you’re all doing great today! That opening game was incredible! Like our opening game, self-control is basically about choice, isn’t it? You can choose to keep things locked down and in control, or you can throw that choice out the window and totally lose it. Instead of eating the whole sleeve of Girl Scout cookies, choose control and stop at like four. If on your Mario Odyssey speed run you keep dying when trying to clip through the wall, maybe choose self-control instead of chucking your Joy Cons at the cat.”
“Self-control is choosing to do what you should do even when you don’t want to. It’s all about making the wise choice. And speaking of that, I have some choices for you—and you’ll vote with your feet. I’ll read a scenario and you’ll use your feet to walk to the side of the room which represents the choice you made. But, be wise about your choice because I may ask you to defend why you made it!”
Use the following choices, assigning one side of the room or the other for the answers. At random, choose kids to answer why they picked what they picked. Optional: Feel free to tweak the following scenarios based on the kids who attend your environment.
Scenario 1
You’re losing really badly at a board game with your younger brother. He gets up to get a snack and there’s a way you can cheat without him ever knowing. Do you do it, yes or no?
Scenario 2
Your aunt made her world-famous chocolate chip cookies and they’re sitting on the counter. They’re piled high, and you could take one or two and then rearrange the pile to make it look like none were taken. Do you take them, yes or no?
Scenario 3
You’re invited to a pool party with friends but can’t swim and are secretly super scared of the water. You’re not sure how your friends will react. Do you make up an excuse and stay home or do you risk it and go to be with your friends?
Scenario 4
OK, let’s try a silly one. An alien lands in your backyard, comes out of its spaceship, and offers you a choice. You can either become the most famous person in the world (by being the one who discovers aliens) or be given the knowledge to cure all diseases on planet earth but no one will know it’s you. Which one do you choose?
Scenario 5
You’re out shopping with your family, and when you’re on the way back out to your car, you notice that the case of Coke that was on the bottom of the cart never got scanned. No one paid for it. Do you say anything or just keep it because, hey, free Coke?
Scenario 6
You’re out with friends at the movie theater to see a movie you all have permission to see. On your way in, one of your friends suggests sneaking into a movie you know your mom wouldn’t like you to watch. Do you follow your friends into the new movie or suggest you stick with the movie you all have permission to see?
“It’s interesting when you have to defend your position, right? Sometimes the right choice is harder when no one will find out the wrong choice!”
TENSION
“When faced with choices like these, how do you find the strength to choose? Or, like with frustrating video games or confusing math class or fickle friends, when you’re faced with trying times that make you want to go kick a wall, how do you find the strength to control yourself? How do you know what to do? How do you find the wisdom to make the right choice?”
“What will help you know how to respond?”
“Great questions to think about! A lot of our choices are shaped by the adults in our lives, our friends, or our circumstances. And when it’s left up to us, sometimes making the best choice that shows self-control isn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world. We’ll need some help figuring this out.”
Hold up the Bible.
“We just so happen to have the best resource available on planet Earth—the Bible. This book is full of wisdom, stories, one-liners, knowledge, and all kinds of examples to help us. If we pay attention to what’s in these pages, we can learn a thing or three. Let’s dive in!” With the So and So Show!
SO AND SO SHOW:
APPLICATION
“The devil’s temptations of Jesus are similar to some of the ways he tempts us today. The first temptation had to do with food, right? We often experience this as the ‘just do what feels right’ temptation.”
“There are things that we crave—not just some mac n’ cheese but things that feel good, too—things that might not be the best things for you to do. It is why people get addicted to certain things like drugs or their phones. It’s like they just can’t stop themselves from satisfying that physical side of themselves.”
“In the second temptation, the devil offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world if He would worship him. We don’t face that exact temptation, but we are faced with the temptation to do whatever we can to be recognized, to get fame, to be popular.”
“Everyone wants that, right? Sometimes you want to be liked by your friends, you want to be the first one picked when splitting up the teams, you want to be the one who gets chosen for the lead or the solo—and sometimes getting a laugh or getting the attention involves putting someone else down or cheating your way to get there.”
“The third is when the devil asked Jesus to jump off a building and have His angels save Him. In a way, the devil was trying to get Jesus to test God’s love for Him. For us, this temptation can look more like us questioning God’s love for us. It’s a simple answer, though. You don’t have to prove anything. You don’t have to put God to the test to see if God loves you. God loves you no matter what. Period. End of story.”
“If you’ll remember, Jesus quoted Scripture when the devil tempted Him. But the devil quoted Scripture sometimes, too. Jesus knew the Scriptures, yes. But more importantly, He knew God’s heart behind the Scriptures. So when the devil quoted Scripture in a way that went against God’s heart, Jesus knew what God wanted and didn’t fall for it.”
“Jesus relied on His understanding of who God is and His knowledge of the Scriptures to resist the enemy’s temptations. We can use our understanding of who God is and the truths in the Bible to help us make the wise choice, too!”
SLIDE: Key Question
“When is it hard to do the right thing? Think about some situations you might find yourself in where it’s super tough to make a good decision. And not only that, where can you find the wisdom like Jesus did to have the right answers to those tough situations?
Theme Loop
Discussion Questions
[Talk about God | Bible Story Review]
Made to Connect: an activity that invites kids to share and collaborate with others while growing their understanding
What You Need: No supplies needed
What You Do:
Ask:
- Do you think it was easier or harder for Jesus to resist temptation than it is for us? Explain.
- How important do you feel is it to resist temptation? Explain.
- How do you know when you’re being tempted?
- How can you tell when you have made a wise choice?
Sermon Video:
Sermon Questions:
(You were made for ministry!)
H- Be excellent!
I-Be equipped!
J- Be employable!
Icebreaker 2: What’s the best way to eat a marshmallow?
What are some jobs you’ve had?
What is your current job?
Do you like or dislike your job?
How can you tell if someone hates their job?
Teaser: True or False: Most people take it easy when the boss isn’t around. Why?
Have you ever seen someone slack off while the boss is gone?
How so?
Would people describe how you do your job as excellent?
Why or why not?
How have you been equipped by your pastors to minister to someone at work?
If God put it on your heart to leave your job and work for a church, would you?
Why or why not?
How would your job change if you acted like Jesus was your boss?
Application:
Announcements:
Pray: