DISCUSSION GUIDE

JANUARY.07
• WONDER • WORSHIP
• CONNECT • ENCOUNTER

HOW TO USE THE DISCUSSION GUIDE

EACH TOPIC IN THE YW DISCUSSION GUIDE INCLUDES:
• THE BOTTOM LINE
contains the purpose of each week’s meeting. Read this section first. Knowing
the goal will help you adapt the material to meet the needs of your group.
• READ
reveals the biblical perspective on the topic.
• THINK
gives some thought-provoking questions and activities.
• LIVE
recommends ways to apply the lesson.
• OPTION
gives additional ideas to enhance your discussion with students through
activities, music, movie clips, etc.

Have students read the appropriate YW topic during the week after the meeting.
Be prepared for questions about the material in the magazine (which means,
of course, you’ll have to read it yourself ).

To increase your YW order or for customer service inquiries,

call 800-998-0814 or email at wtb@kable.com.

Content written by Jason Carr for Walk Thru the Bible.

© 2007 by Walk Thru the Bible Ministries, Inc. Contents may not be reproduced in any form unless authorized in
writing by the publisher. Printed in the U.S.A. Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION.
© 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

4201 NORTH PEACHTREE ROAD

A ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30341
PRODUCT WWW.WALKTHRU.ORG
ORDERS 800.361.6131
OF PH 770.458.9300
 WONDER
JANUARY.07

the bottom line Creation can give us a fresh perspective on the wonder of who God is.
read Break students into groups between two and five people. Ask each group to read Psalm 19:1-4. Ask each
group take a few moments and ponder what these verses say about creation and our response to it. (Give the
groups between five to ten minutes to do this.)

think Use the following discussion questions however you wish—have one big group discussion, or break into
smaller groups and use these questions as a guide, etc.
• As you read through the verses in Psalm 19, what stuck out to you?
• Tell about a time when something in nature made you stop and think.
• What does it mean to you that God created everything?
• What do you think we can learn about God from nature?
• What are some things you can do this week to take in God’s creation to help give you a fresh perspective
on who He is?

live It’s simple, really. God created us uniquely. The Bible also tells us that He created the oceans, the sand,
and even the rocks. This should cause some sense of wonder in us. Have you ever sat on a beach on a clear night?
You can see the stars, hear the ocean, and feel the breeze. Have you ever visited the mountains and seen how God
has crafted them to a certain height and size? Our God is an amazing craftsman and has left us some unbelievable
things that tell us about who He is.
If possible, take today’s lesson outside. Give each student something to write with and on. Take the next 10-15
minutes to go outside and intentionally look at our heavenly Father’s creation. It’s January, but that’s all the better!
God makes the seasons! Let’s celebrate that today as we take a few moments to observe what He has given us.
After your group comes back say, “For everything you have written down, there is something to be learned
about who God is. Did you know that for every unique snowflake there is, even more so, a unique you? Branches
remind us of the book of John, which tells us about being connected to God. God is everywhere. Don’t ever lose
your sense of wonder. Our amazing God has given us so much in His creation so we can know about Him.”
Close in prayer, here is a sample: “God, thank You for the sunrise and the sunset. Thank You for new mercies
and Your grace. Thank You for the mountains, the beach, the plains, the city, and everywhere in between. Thank
You that You have given us nature so that we can simply be in awe of how amazing You are. I pray that today You
would ignite a spark in our hearts that would cause us to be amazed at what You have created. Thank you, God, for
loving us like You do. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

option (read) Show a slide show of picture of famous places found in nature. Ask your group to name
them.

option (live) Encourage your group that one way we can focus our hearts on the wonder of God is
through music by having a time of musical worship. You can also use this time to read Scripture that focuses
on the majesty and wonder of our heavenly Father.

From YW magazine, © 2007 by Walk Thru the Bible Ministries, Inc. Permission to reproduce this page granted only for use 2
in YW subscriber’s own group. www.ywspace.org.
 CONNECT
JANUARY.07

the bottom line Spiritual disciplines are biblical practices that can help us grow in our
relationship with God.

read Want to go deeper in your relationship with God? Want some ways to press in to know Him more, to
open yourself up for Him to grow you, and to connect with Him on a new level? There are some ways you can
do that—they’re called spiritual disciplines. Spiritual disciplines are practices—like fasting, service, worship,
celebration, simplicity, solitude, study, and meditation—that develop depth in our faith and help increase our
enjoyment and our connectedness with God. Read the following verses and think about this question: “What
does this say about spiritual disciplines?”
Psalm 119:11
John 13:4-17
Ephesians 6:18
Philippians 4:8
James 1:22-25

think Use the following discussion questions however you wish—have one big group discussion or break into
smaller groups and use these questions as a guide, etc.
• Name a few things you would consider to be “spiritual disciplines”? (prayer, Bible study, evangelism,
worship, serving, etc.)
• What do you think about when you hear the word discipline?
• In your daily life, what are some areas you think you are really disciplined at?
• What are some areas you could be more disciplined?
• What do you think prevents you from wanting to improve in this area and taking the action to make
that happen?
• How do you think we can be disciplined when it comes to our faith?

live For many of us, there are times when we can get us lost on our journey with God due to our lack of
spiritual discipline. In our lives there will be many distractions and challenges in our relationship with God, but our
disciplines—scripture memory, Bible study, prayer—will carry us through those times.
Give each student something to write with and on. Ask them to consider the New Year ahead. This is a great
time to really consider and think honestly about our relationship with God. Ask each student to number from 1-5 on
his or her paper. Then ask them to take a few minutes and write down five areas in his or her life that the student
wants to develop more this year when it comes to discipline. (Some can be spiritual and some can be general life
issues.) Once they fill them out, ask them to find a partner and share their answers. Ask each group to pray for
each other and ask for God’s help as they seek to connect with Him in a deeper way in 2007.
Close your time in prayer. Here is a sample: “Dear God, thank You that you have made us all unique. We pray
today that you would help each of us, no matter how we are wired, to be able to deeper connect with You. God,
help us to be more disciplined to do that—no matter what that means. Thank You that we are important to You,
help us to make connecting with You a priority this week. We pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen.”

option (live) If you have a group of mature kids or a group of leaders you want to dive into this
topic more, check out the book, Celebration of Discipline: A Path to Spiritual Growth by Richard J. Foster
(Harper San Francisco).

From YW magazine, © 2007 by Walk Thru the Bible Ministries, Inc. Permission to reproduce this page granted only for use in 3
YW subscriber’s own group. www.ywspace.org.
 WORSHIP
JANUARY.07

the bottom line True worship is giving God His worth.

read We tend to define worship as “praise and worship”—the time we spend in church/youth group/wherever
singing songs to God. We’re right about praise and worship being worship. It is worship. But it’s only part of what
worship is. True worship is giving something its worth, and the One who is most worthy our worship is God.
Read this verse to your group: Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual
act of worship (Romans 12:1).
Then read the same verse in a different translation: So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your
everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an
offering (Romans 12:1 MSG).

think Use the following discussion questions however you wish—have one big group discussion, or break into
smaller groups and use these questions as a guide, etc.
• What does this verse mean to you?
• How would you define the word worship?
• One definition of worship is “giving something its worth.” What does this mean to you?
• How can our everyday lives (sleeping, eating, going to school) be worship?
• What do you think about the statement “everyone worships something”? Give some real life examples of how
and what you’ve seen people worship. (Note: worship doesn’t always mean that a person bows down to
something. It can also mean where someone devotes the majority of her time and talent.)
• How can we give God His worth in our daily lives?
• Why is it a bad thing to be giving something more worth than God?

live For many, the first thing that comes to mind when they hear the word worship is music. But worship is
so much more. Worship is our daily lives. Worship is serving others. It’s countless hours in private prayer.
Worship is helping those in need.
Ask your group to help you come up with a typical week of a teenager—school, homework, sleep, eating,
practice, etc. Write down what they say on something everyone can see. After you fill your week up, go
through each item written down and ask, “How can we give God his worth in this area?” Allow your students
to think through and talk about some ways to worship God in a typical week.
Say: “Let’s get a fresh view on worship. You all walked in today as a worshiper of something. It might be a
store, an iPOD, whatever, but you are worshiping something. Our challenge to you this week is to think about
this in everything you do—how does this give God His worth?”
Close your group in prayer. Here is a sample: “Dear God, thank You that You are worth more than all of us
could imagine together. Help us to leave here today true worshipers of You. God, help us this week to think in
all we do about how we are truly worshiping You with our lives. Forgive us for settling and worshiping other
things, help us to remove those and to place our gaze on You. Thank You for loving us like You do. We pray
this in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

option (live) For some great books on worship, check out Louie Giglio’s Wired; The Air I Breathe; and
I Am Not, But I Know I AM (all from Multnomah).

option (live) Take some time and have your group brainstorm some ideas of how they can worship
God with their lives this week. If you do a groups-based ministry, you can have the groups set goals and keep
each other accountable.

From YW magazine, © 2007 by Walk Thru the Bible Ministries, Inc. Permission to reproduce this page granted only for use in 4
YW subscriber’s own group. www.ywspace.org.
 ENCOUNTER
JANUARY.07

the bottom line An encounter with God can change your entire life.
read This week in YW, we are taking a look at the amazing life of Paul. Before he was known as the
apostle Paul he was known as Saul—a man who was bent on destroying the early church. Let’s take a look at
the account of his journey on the Damascus Road and his encounter with God.
Read Acts 9:1-19. Take a moment and make sure everyone understands what happens in this account.

think Use the following discussion questions however you wish—have one big group discussion or break into
smaller groups and use these questions as a guide, etc.
• Why do you think God arranged this encounter with Saul?
• Do you think God was mad at Saul? Why or why not?
• God changed Paul’s heart and ultimately his life—how has God changed your life?
• Saul (whose name was later changed to Paul) wrote a lot of the New Testament. Knowing where he came
from and how God worked in his life through this encounter, how does that make you feel about what God
can do in your life?
• How is it symbolic that once Paul understood who God is that literally scales fell off his eyes?
• How should Paul’s story give us hope?

live God took someone who was killing His children, redeemed him, and allowed him to become one of the
greatest missionaries this planet has ever seen. In many ways, thanks to God’s grace, we are here due to Paul’s
efforts. We can see from Paul’s life that God uses people that others might call “unusable” and can do some super-
natural things in our lives. Paul had quite a journey. (That’s an understatement)
Give each student something to write with and on. Ask your group to take a few minutes and think about
their journey with God. (This might be hard for some, and they may need your help!) Ask them to chronicle their
journey however they want. They can make a chart, write a story, a poem, whatever they want to chronicle their
journey of their encounters with God. Be sure to have them include the highs and the lows, because they are all
part of the journey.
Give your students about 10 minutes to think about and work on this. Afterwards, ask if any of them would like
to share what they came up with.
To close, say: “The biblical account of Paul should give us hope that God can and will use us in amazing ways if
we would fully give ourselves to Him. Paul experienced the highest highs and the lowest lows in his journey with
the Lord. One thing Paul knew was that no matter what, whether he was in jail or preaching to the masses, God
was always with him. He was right, God was. And God will always be with you. Go with God this week friends and
remember from Paul’s encounter that no matter where you are in your journey, God will always be there.”
Close in prayer. Here is a sample: “Heavenly Father, thank You for the life of Paul. Thank You that You take the
mistakes of our lives and can even turn them into something good for Your glory. I pray for the students in this
room. You have great plans for each of them. Help them to cling to You no matter what comes their way. God, help
our encounters with You shape us to be the people You put us here to be. We pray this in Jesus name, Amen.”

option (live) Have a “story time.” Set up your environment in a way for your group to be able to be
comfortable to sit and share their stories with each other. Using the story of Paul, encourage your students to
think through their lives so far and share their accounts of their encounters with God.

From YW magazine, © 2007 by Walk Thru the Bible Ministries, Inc. Permission to reproduce this page granted only for use in 5
YW subscriber’s own group. www.ywspace.org.