Discovering True Peace

This is kind of a long lesson on peace. It includes several activities with reflection questions afterwards. This might work best for a lock-in.

Lesson Aims

In this active Bible lesson,

1. Students will identify the elements that Paul teaches that lead to peace;
2. Students will discern the extent to which God’s peace is present in their own lives;
3. Students will identify which of Paul’s elements needed for peace are weak in their own lives, and make a plan to incorporate them in their daily lives.

Scripture:

Philippians 4:4-9

• This text comes near the end of Paul’s letter to the Philippians
• The theme of the book is joy in all situations
• Paul’s writing this letter from prison
• This passage is part of an exhortation from Paul to the Philippians church. It reflects his hope for and command to the church for their further growth and the growth of the Gospel among them.

Materials Needed:

• Bibles (always!)
• Eggs
• Paper
• Something to write with
• Chalk & chalkboard (or whiteboard)
• Ladder or chair to stand on
• A tile floor (easy to clean)
• Enough for each student (or team to have):
  • 5 pieces of paper
  • 10 toothpicks
  • 2 rubber bands
  • 4 Popsicle sticks

Activity #1: “Egg Drop”

Give each student (or team):

• 1 egg
• 10 toothpicks
• 4 Popsicle sticks
• 5 pieces of scrap paper
• 2 rubber bands

Give them 5 minutes to secure their egg so that it can be dropped from the top of the ladder and land on the floor without breaking. Have 1 leader drop the egg, one at a time, from an equal height. If more than 1 egg survives the first fall, drop the remaining eggs from a higher level. Keep going until you have a winner.

Reflect:

1. How did you feel when it came time to test your egg protector?
2. Which person did the best job to create a secure environment for their egg? Why?
3. What situations in life do you feel as vulnerable as an egg?
4. What do we do to feel safe?

Read Philippians 4:4-9

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God,which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Study Activity: “Paul’s Commandments”

Go up to the board and ask the students to begin listing the things that Paul tells the Philippians to do (about 6 things).

Next, ask them to tell you why they were commanded to do these things (what’s the reason or benefit?). List these next to each command.

Discussion

1. What was Paul’s concern for the Philippians?
2. What does it mean to present your requests to God?
3. What’s the result of God’s peace in this passage?
4. What different ways does Paul suggest we use our minds in this passage?

“Now let’s try to summarize exactly what Paul wanted them to know.”

Interpretation Activity: “Headline”

Ask the students to read through the passage one more time, but this time, they should look at it as an article in your church’s newsletter or blog. Their job is to come up with a headline for the article (passage). Have the students each share their headlines and explain why they chose the headlines they did.

Discussion Questions:

1. What is Paul’s main hope for the Philippians in this passage? How does he expect them to reach this hope?
2. What’s the process that leads to peace in this passage? What parts of that process are God’s responsibilities? What parts are ours?
3. How have you seen the pattern of verses 8-9 in your own life or in the lives of others?

Transition

God’s peace is a gift that He wants to give to us when we’re in a relationship with Him. It comes as a result of prayer, training our minds, and serving Him. Let’s look at what we’re doing and what we need to do in order to experience more of God’s peace in our lives.

Application Questions:

1. Which of the activities that leads to peace are you strong in?
2. Which of these activities are you weak in?
3. What can you do in order to improve in those areas?

Application Activity: “Peace Promises”

Have the students write on a piece of paper those areas that they nee to work on and what they’re going to do in order to improve those areas. Encourage them to keep this pledge by their bed and reflect on them during their times alone with God.

Closing Prayer

Take prayer requests from the students. Encourage them to pray for each other in the areas in which they want to work as well as other requests the students may have. (If the students are comfortable with praying aloud, I also like to ask each to pray for the person on their right or left as we go around the circle)