Shalom christian education curriculum nov thru dec 2010

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2010

Shalom Christian Education Ministry Dr. Florida Morehead, Pastor Tanya Pelcher-Herring, Ph.D. Director, Christian Education

[SHALOM CHRISTIAN EDUCATION – BATTLEFIELD OF THE MINDS]

The Christian Education Ministry materials within this document has been designed for periods November 2010 thru December 2010 for Shalom Ministries

(Age Appropriate: Youth (Grades 5th/ / 6th thru 12th), Young Adult & Adult)

SHALOM CHRISTIAN EDUCATION – BATTLEFIELD OF THE MINDS

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Table of Contents

Resource Page & Planned Schedule .......................................................................................................... 3

How to use this Material? ........................................................................................................................... 4

Lesson 1— What is Worldliness? .............................................................................................................. 5

Lesson 2—Is This Verse in Your Bible? .............................................................................................. 12

Lesson 3—Media Consumption ............................................................................................................... 19

Lesson 4—What about Music? ................................................................................................................ 26

Lesson 5—Put Media and Music in Place ............................................................................................... 33

Lesson 6—Stuff ......................................................................................................................................... 41

Lesson 7—Take Out the Trash ................................................................................................................ 49


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Resource Page & Planned Schedule

The curriculum contents of this Christian Education Material were obtained from the free-domain source

noted below and/or written directly by the Director, Shalom Christian Education Ministries.

(This guide can be used in electronic format, simply follow the hyperlinks.)

Youth Bible Study Material – Source: http://einquisitive.com/youth-bible-study-lessons/exegetical/jonah/

This collection of Bible Study Lessons covers all that today‘s youth need to know about living in

this world, without being subject to it and focuses on the Battlefield of the Mind, Shalom

Christian Education‘s focus topic. The below listed is a planned/projected schedule and maybe

subject to change. Additionally, each lesson is written to be covered in two learning events to

optimize the learner center approach of teaching.

Lesson Topic Planned Schedule Date

Lesson 1—What is Worldliness? Nov 3, Session A / Nov 7, Session B

Lesson 2—Is This Verse in Your Bible? Nov 10, Session A / Nov 14, Session B

Lesson 3—Media Consumption Nov 17, Session A / Nov 21, Session B

Lesson 4—What about Music? Nov 28, Session A/ Dec 1, Session B

Lesson 5—Put Media and Music in Place Dec 5, Session A/ Dec 8, Session B

Lesson 6—Stuff Dec 12, Session A/Dec 15 Session B

Lesson 7—Take Out the Trash Dec 19, Session A/Dec 29 Session B

Weekly Study Scriptures – Book of Jonah (coincides with Youth Ages K-4th/5th Grade Curriculum)

Jonah 1.1-4—Freedom of the Will November Week 3 thru 14

Jonah 1.5-16—God Desires All Mankind November Week 27 - 21

Jonah 1.16-2.10—Discipline and Deliverance November 28 thru Dec 8

Jonah 3.1-10—Serving in Weakness December 12 thru Dec 15

Jonah 4.1-11—Submit to God‘s Plan: The Conclusion of Jonah December 19 - 29

http://einquisitive.com/youth-bible-study-lessons/exegetical/jonah/

http://einquisitive.com/resources/bible-study-lessons/

http://einquisitive.com/youth-bible-study-lessons/topical/worldliness/lesson-1/







http://einquisitive.com/youth-bible-study-lessons/exegetical/jonah/1-1-4/


http://einquisitive.com/youth-bible-study-lessons/exegetical/jonah/1-16-2-10/




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How to use this Material?

Design – This curriculum is designed to be comprehensive, yet simplistic enough to convey the Lord‘s

Word to any age group. Each lesson is structured to be taught in two sessions. Splitting the lessons into

two sessions accomplishes a three-fold purpose:

First, it presents a topic and provides a methodology to reinforce it. Secondly, it spreads the material over

a period of time and allows the learner time to absorb the material without ―skipping‖ to another topic.

Thirdly, in most Christian Education environments, the learner does not always attend ―each‖ learning

event, e.g. Church School, Bible Study, etc. Hence, the learner still has an opportunity to recapture the

context of the material, without ―missing‖ the overarching scope of the planned lessons. Next, the teacher

must coordinate the use of the lesson with the accompanying worksheets. The worksheets may or may

not be age appropriate. Therefore, if the lesson is used for adults, then the worksheets may not be

applicable, in all instances. However, if it is used for youth, the teacher may find all of the worksheets

age appropriate. Remember, the teacher brings the lesson to life. Any worksheet, chart, or resource item

is just that… a resource item.

How you should present the Lessons:

1) The Main Topic (Transmission and Emergence quadrants of the Learning Domain – refer to

Teacher Resource Guide for use) is to be repeated at both Sessions

2) Session A (Emergence and Acquisition quadrant of the Learning Domain – Refer to Teacher

Resource Guide for use) should be the focus for the first segment of the lesson

3) Session B (Emergence and Acquisition quadrant of the Learning Domain – Refer to Teacher

Resource Guide for use) should be the focus for the second segment of the lesson

4) Discussion (Acquisition quadrant of the Learning Domain – Refer to Teacher Resource Guide for

use) questions can be weaved into both Session A and Session B and adjusted for each age group

5) Worksheets (Acquisition and Accretion quadrants of the Learning Domain – Refer to Teacher

Resource Guide for use) are to be weaved into the respective lessons as an activity. Copy

worksheets, share them with the learner. Use them as an activity to drive home the focus point of

the lessons. (Do not copy the lessons for each youth learner, only the worksheets.)

Lastly, and more importantly, a lesson plan template follows each lesson. Ensure you prepare a lesson

plan to accompany each lesson. *Note Age Appropriateness – each term/vocabulary word used in this

curriculum has been researched to ensure that the term/vocabulary word is appropriate for Grades 5th

and up. If a youth member does not understand a term/vocabulary word – take the opportunity to make it

a teaching moment.


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Lesson 1— What is Worldliness?

MAIN TOPIC

You have heard it said that there is a battle going on between heaven and hell. When Satan

defied God, there was a division created in heaven. The Angels would have to choose whether

to stay with God and do His work, or to side with Satan and be cast out of heaven. One third of

the Angels made the very poor decision to side with Satan and were cast out of heaven and will

suffer for eternity. This same division has been carried into this world, which is where Satan has

been banished to. We can decide to side with Satan and with the evils in this world or we can

choose to side with God. Like in heaven, there was no middle ground or alternative which the

angels could have chose. We are either following God or we are following the world. We call

this division godliness and worldliness. In order to define worldliness more, we will look at

Romans 12.1-2.

1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God‘s mercy, to offer your bodies as living

sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

2Do not conform any

longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you

will be able to test and approve what God‘s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

SESSION A

LIVING SACRIFICE

Blood sacrifice is the method of atonement for sin. Before Christ, the Israelites offered sacrifice

to God as symbolic acknowledgment that the Christ (the Messiah) would come, providing the

necessary payment. The sacrifice itself was not the payment; it was the sacrament required in

order to acknowledge the mercy of God which would come through Jesus Christ.

Similarly, our sacrifices today—worship—do not actually provide atonement for sins; it is

Christ‘s death on the cross that provided the atonement. ―…we have been sanctified through

the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all‖ (Heb 10.10 NAS). Once and for all means

all past, all current and all future sins, including the sins of the faithful in Israel as well as the

faithful today and in the future.

IN VIEW

Therefore, it is in view of God‘s mercy, the sacrifice that did atone for sins, that we offer our

bodies as living sacrifices to God. This means that since Jesus died for our sins, we will submit

to His will as the acknowledgment that our sins have been paid for. If we are not willing to

demonstrate our faith by offering our lives as living sacrifices to God, then we have to ask

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ourselves if we have indeed surrendered our lives to Him; do we really believe that Christ died

for our sins?

THE PATTERN

Worldliness is conformity to the patterns of this world. Conformity to the pattern of this world is

a difficult concept. On one hand we have the example of Christ; He came as man in order to

relate to man. He didn‘t come as a 20th

century man, He didn‘t come as a 20th

century BC man,

He came as a 1st century man. He also did not come to the Jews as an African, an Asian or an

American. Jesus came as a Jew and adapted to the culture of the Jews in order to relate to the

Jews.

Conformity isn‘t about the culture! It is not saying that we are not to be a part of the culture; so

much as the culture does not cause us to sin. This means that the cloths we wear, the shows we

watch, the music we listen to are not explicitly worldly. They can be, however.

The pattern of the world is sin. When you are born, you do not have the Spirit of God within you.

This means that the only thing you know is your own flesh. Because of this, every thought and

every action is rooted in fulfillment of pleasures of the flesh. As a baby, you demand

sustenance for yourself, with no concern for the sustenance of others. This pattern does not

change as you grow. It is the habit of all men to please the flesh, selfishness.

When you accept Christ and commit yourself to following Him, to doing His work, you receive

the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will lead you to act as Jesus Christ does. The Holy Spirit will tell

you how to offer your body as a living sacrifice. One problem though: your habit is to please the

flesh not God. So even if the Holy Spirit challenges you to do something, your tendency will be

to suppress that challenge and to act in accordance with the flesh. Your pattern is conformity to

the pattern of the world.

I see it this way. We are born into habitual sin. Everything we do as a child is self-centered. We

spend years forming selfish habits. Then one day, we recognize our depravity and come to

Christ. He commands us to be different, but the habit of our flesh, which we have spent X years

developing is drawing us to the world. We are already conformed to the world when we come

to Christ. The command is to abandon conformity to the world in exchange for conformity to

the Spirit. It means changing our selfish habits and forming spiritual habits.

This change from selfish or fleshly habits to spiritual habits is referred to as ―the renewing of

your mind.‖ It is as simple as this. When you are confronted with a situation, that instead of

acting in accordance with your natural desire, which is to please the flesh, you act in accordance

with the Spirit. It is training your mind to say, ―WWJD—What would Jesus do?‖


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SESSION B

WHO CARES—GOD’S WILL?

Non-conformity to the world will result in the ability to test and approve what God‘s will is.

Everyone wants to know God‘s will for their own lives. The interesting thing is that is a worldly

desire because it is self-centered. It is ―What is God going to do for me?‖ That‘s often what we

want to know when we seek God‘s will. Instead we should ask, ―What am I suppose to do for

God?‖ We should desire to know the will of God so that we can make the conscious choice to be

a part of His work here on earth.

We want to act in accordance with God‘s will because it is good and pleasing and perfect. These

are simple terms. God‘s will is good. It is good for us. It is pleasing to do God‘s work. This

doesn‘t mean it isn‘t hard, but serving our merciful creator brings joy. Finally, God‘s will is

perfect. There is no reason to do anything else if we have knowledge of the perfect plan of God.

Only a foolish man would choose to follow his own broken understanding, when we are offered

the perfect wisdom of God.

My challenge is that all of you will search yourselves. Do you really believe that Jesus died for

your sins and that the penalty of your sins is paid for? If so, have you really made a commitment

to abandon the sinful habits of the world and embraced the work of the Spirit of God in your

life? Maybe you have never considered these things. If so, talk to me about it. Salvation is by

faith in Jesus Christ alone and by no other method. Satan believes these things and will perish

because he refused to submit to God. We should not do the same.

DISCUSSION – SESSION A & B

In what ways do you find yourself conforming to the culture?

In what ways do you find yourself conforming to the world?

Do you have sin which needs to be confessed?

Have you considered what God wants you to do with your life?

Have you considered what God wants you to do today?

Have you made a commitment to following Christ? If so, are you acting by faith in keeping that

commitment?

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Shalom Ministries, Christian Education Lesson Plan Template – Lesson #1

Date: Learning Event:

Teacher Name: Theme:

1. Topic-

2. Content-

3. Goals: Aims/Outcomes-

1.

2.

3.

4. Objectives-

1.

2.

3.

5. Materials and Aids-

6. Procedures/Methods-

Shalom Christian Education Lesson Plan Template – Page 1 of 4


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Shalom Ministries, Christian Education Lesson Plan Template

A. Introduction- (Transmission Domain) 5-10 min.

1.

2.

3.

B. Development- (Emergence Domain) 15-20 min.

1.

2.

3.

C. Practice- (Acquisition Domain) – (included w/Section C, D, E) 15 – 20 min.

1.

2.

3.

D. Independent Practice- (included w/Section C, D, E) 15-20 min.

1.

2.

3.

E. Accommodations (Differentiated Instruction)- (included w/Section C, D, E) 15-20 min

1.

2.

3.

F. Checking for understanding (Accretion) 10-15 min.

1.

2.

Shalom Ministries, Christian Education Lesson Plan Template – Page 2 of 4


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G. Closure-

1.

2.

7. Evaluation- (always ask the participant for feedback)

1.

2.

8. Teacher Reflection- (Lessons learned; tips for future sessions)



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Use this diagram as your guide - Follow Outline on 2 and 3:

Domain Focus Timeline – Approximately 1 hour

Transmissions: Section A 5-10 min

Emergence: Section B 10-15 min

Acquisition: Section C, D, E 15-20 min

Accretion: Section F, G 10-15 min



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Lesson 2—Is This Verse in Your Bible?

MAIN TOPIC

Hunched over his desk, pen knife in hand, Thomas Jefferson sliced carefully at the pages of the

Holy scripture, excising select passages and pasting them together to create a Bible more to his

liking. The ―Jefferson Bible‖ a book he could feel comfortable with.

What didn‘t make it into the Jefferson Bible was anything that conflicted with his personal world

view. Hell? It can‘t be. The supernatural? Not even worth considering. God‘s wrath against sin? I

don‘t think so. The very words of God, regarded as leftover scraps. (C.J. Mahaney, Worldliness)

This is a bit of an extreme example of how many Christians will deliberately reject the word of

God. It is unlikely that most will do this so deliberately as Jefferson did, but the point is there. A

second poignant example is argued in many theological circles today. Many Bible scholars reject

the book of James. Let‘s take a look at why. Here is a passage from James 2 (vv. 14-18):

What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save

him?

If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them,

―Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,‖ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their

body, what use is that?

Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

But someone may well say, ―You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the

works, and I will show you my faith by my works.‖

The entire New Testament teaches salvation by faith alone. James, some argue, is saying that to

claim faith is not merely enough, but that you must have works as well. The accusation is that

James is inconsistent with the whole of cannon and therefore must be removed from cannon.

Anyone who believes that only has a superficial understanding of the text.

What James is doing is recognizing the heart of the man claiming faith. He is saying that the man

who has true faith will desire to glorify God and will therefore produce good works. That is why

he says, ―I will show you my faith by my works.‖ This is proved even more by the analogy of the

brother or sister without clothing. If someone has a need of food and I have food to give, if I

simply send them off with words of encouragement and do not feed them, then I have only

demonstrated my own selfishness by my lack of works. I have only demonstrated that I probably

do not have a heart like Christ. In short, James is not saying that anything is required in addition

to faith, merely that faith without works is not really faith. Real faith produces works.



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Those who want to remove this book from the Bible are scholars aren‘t they? Why the

disagreement about this seemingly simple passage? It is because they have food to give, but are

not willing to give it. And we too, if we reject honest exposition of scripture. That is, we

demonstrate our selfishness and worldliness when we reject the truth of scripture even if we are

not guilty of the extreme that Jefferson went to.

SESSION A

Put Away the Scissors

―All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in

righteousness,‖ the latter in direct opposition to worldliness (2 Tim 3.16). If all scripture is of

God and is to be used to train in righteousness—to train not to be worldly—then there is nothing

in scripture that we can take so lightly as to remove it or ignore it. If we do then we are

exhibiting worldliness.

1 John 2.15 says, ―Do not love the world nor the things in the world.‖ In light of 2 Tim 3.16 this

is a huge challenge. How are we to refrain from love for the things of the world?

Let‘s look at this practically. Does this mean no more TV or movies? What if there is no

violence or you fast forward the bad parts? Can I listen to rap and hip hop or maybe just

rock and country? How much time spent on video games and the internet is actually biblical?

Can I dress stylishly or do I need to dress in rags? Exactly how short can my skirt be and how

many brand logos can I have? Can I have a nice car? Can I have a big house?

In short, how do I know if I am worldly because of the things I do? For this answer we simply

can go back to the last lesson. We are worldly if we conform to the pattern of the world, which is

selfishness or self-centeredness. When we watch TV, movies or whatever we do, we simply must

look at our motives to determine if it is worldly.

SESSION B

Is There a Difference?

Look at the world and look at Christians—and at yourself. Have the lines been blurred? Is there

an apparent difference? In other words, have I ignored, rejected or dismissed so much of the

Bible that I appear more like the world than like Christ? Remember I‘m talking about following

Christ and not necessarily physical appearance. If we answer yes to this question, then we are no

different than Jefferson or the scholars that want to remove the book of James from cannon so

that they can be at peace living self-centered lives.

One final thought. ―You are looking at things as they are outwardly. If anyone is confident in

himself that he is Christ‘s, let him consider this again within himself, that just as he is Christ‘s,

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so also are we‖ (2 Corinthians 10.7). Don‘t look simply at the outward appearance of things.

Look at your heart and at your motives, that you would be firmly convicted that you belong to

Jesus Christ and not to the world.


In what ways do people ‗cut passages out of their Bibles?‘

Are there any Biblical standards which you are ignoring?

In what ways does your faith produce works?

In what ways do you see the church as a whole differing from the world?

In what ways do you see yourself differing from the world?


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Lesson 3—Media Consumption

MAIN TOPIC

IDENTIFYING MEDIA PROBLEMS IN THE HEART

Media most commonly refers to technologically assisted forms of communication; that is, the

vessel used to communicate such as radio or television. There was a time when the only media

was a pen and paper, but today we have many forms of media—so much so that many people

spend their entire day in contact with some form of media or another. Some examples of media

in my life are my cell phone, Facebook, Yahoo Instant Messenger, text messaging, radio,

Netflix, email and I am sure I could go on.

In fact, I think that I probably come into contact with some form of media more often in my day-

to-day life than I do with anything or anyone else, often including Jesus Christ. Why is that? Is it

the same for you?

SESSION A

WATCHING WITHOUT WATCHING

Most people think that as long as they are not watching something that is horrifically immoral

like NC-17 movies, that they are doing OK. Most of us will agree that God has a place in our

lives and in the choices we make, but when it comes to our media consumption, we put God off

to the side. In a sense, we watch without watching. Unless some major form of immorality

comes across the TV screen or the radio DJ starts shouting profanities, we don‘t even notice

because where we are looking and listening, we are not really watching. We are absorbing the

world without even knowing it.

What we need is deliberate evaluation. As we watch or listen to, whatever we watch or listen to,

we must be aware of what we are really watching or listening to, constantly evaluating and

discerning the value of it. ―The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise

seek it out‖ (Proverbs 18.15). In order to properly discern the value of media, we must filter it

through our knowledge of God. Then when we watch or listen, we will know if it is of value or if

it is worthless and should be cast aside. Remember there is no gray area. Everything we watch is

out of godly ambition or worldly ambition.

WATCHING WITH IMMUNITY

Another common approach to media for Christians is, ―It doesn‘t influence me.‖ I can watch

whatever I want because it won‘t cause me to sin. I have confidence that this person is lying to

themselves. When Jesus went to the garden at Gethsemane to pray, he told the disciples to

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―Watch and pray so that [you] will not fall into temptation.‖ The reason is that ―The spirit is

willing, but the body is weak‖ (Mark 14.38). Our bodies are simply too weak. We can‘t look at a

chocolate pie and not consider eating it; in essence, lusting after it. If we involve ourselves in

media with the idea that we are somehow immune to the temptation, my fear is that we enjoy the

temptation and fear that if we acknowledge our weakness to it, we will have to give it up. It is

that we think we can taste sin and it is somehow OK. It is still sin.

Let me tell you a story. John is a 48 year old man living in Wisconsin. He has a wife, three

children and two dogs. About three years ago, John bought five lottery tickets. To his amazement

he won the jackpot with one of them. Over a twenty-five year period, John will receive the sum

of thirty-seven million dollars. John paid off all of his debts. He bought a new house and

two new cars. His oldest daughter is starting college and it is already paid for. John has even

been able to help family and friends as well as give to charity.

OK, when I read that story, how many of you thought about winning the lottery? Who thought

about something they would buy? And who came to church today hoping to lust after money?

See, our flesh causes us to desire these things. There is simply no way to watch and listen to

anything without being influenced in some way or another.

SESSION B

LIVING BEFORE GOD

To live before God is to live as if every moment God were watching your every move…and in

fact He is. It is like we talked about before. Would you be comfortable with God monitoring

your Facebook or your text messages or your TV habits? King David said, ―You know my

folly, O God; my guilt is not hidden from you‖ (Psalm 69.5). God knows when we sin in secret.

He knows when we have wrong motives. He knows if we lust after money even if we don‘t say it

out loud. He knows what we are giving up when we spend too much time on Facebook. He

knows why we are watching what we are watching and He knows why we are listening to

whatever we are listening to. Why do we live as if we can somehow fool God?

OBEDIENCE MOTIVATED BY GRACE

There is really only one solution to our problem with media. It is obedience which is motivated

by grace. This is as opposed to legalistic obedience which only results in self-righteousness.

Obedience by grace is saying, ‗because I am a sinner and deserving of death, and Jesus died, so

that I can live, I will follow in His ways.‘ Knowing full well that we can never make up for

Jesus‘ sacrifice, we follow, because of the sacrifice He made, so that we can live in eternity with

Him.

I have one further thought in closing. Consider this passage from Ephesians.

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But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or

of greed, because these are improper for God‘s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity,

foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can

be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance

in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of

such things God‘s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with

them. (Ephesians 5.3-7)

If we hold on to these things which media so readily provides—impurity, greed, immorality,

obscenity, coarse joking—then we are idolaters. We have idolized media and made media our

god. And because of this, it says, we would have no ―inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of

God‖ (v. 5). If we have truly given our lives to Christ and are truly saved by His grace, then we

will walk in His ways. We are to be partners with Christ and not partners with media and with

the world.


What ways do you use media?

Do you make a conscious effort to filter?

In what ways have you experienced media tempting you to sin?

Do you do things in secret which you are ashamed of?

After this study, do you feel that you have idolized media?

How can we overcome the sin which is caused by media?


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1. Topic-

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G. Closure-

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Lesson 4—What about Music?

MAIN TOPIC

MUSIC IS GOD’S IDEA

Music is part of creation. Many even believe that before the fall of man that music was actually

a part of the atmosphere. There are various reasons for this. At any rate, it was definitely

invented by God and was designed to bring Him glory. Here are a few passages that support this

statement.

Asaph was the chief, Zechariah second, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab,

Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. They were to play the lyres and harps, Asaph was to sound the

cymbals, and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the

ark of the covenant of God. That day David first committed to Asaph and his associates this

psalm of thanks to the LORD :

(1 Chronicles 16.5-7).

Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him (Psalms 33.1).

When they [Jesus and the disciples] had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives

(Matthew 26.30).

Like so many of God‘s blessings, mankind has chosen to change it, to make it a part of our own

selfish creation, taking away from God‘s ordinance over it. And like all other sin, God allows us

to do it, so that through atonement, He will be glorified. There is really only one way that we are

commanded to use music. We are to ―Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this

be known to all the world‖ (Isaiah 12.5).

Our song is to be praise to God for all that He has done. This is not to say that we cannot use

music in other ways without it being sin, but we have to know what to look for.

SESSION A

MUSICAL CONTENT

This is probably the most obvious area of worldliness in music. The content is the upfront

message, the lyrics. We have to be careful what we are listening to because of the influence it

can have on us.


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Listen, for I have worthy things to say; I open my lips to speak what is right. My mouth speaks

what is true, for my lips detest wickedness (Proverbs 8.6,7).

This passage is not in direct context of music, but it is contrasting the good things of the world

with wickedness. It is saying that we ought to listen to God and not to the world, for God‘s

words detest wickedness. If the music we are listening to has words which are wickedness, then

God detests that music.

For this reason, I almost exclusively listen to Christian music. This is so that the message of the

world is not what I am filling my life with. In most cases, what we listen to will be a true

reflection of our hearts, so to listen to music with a sinful message would be a reflection of a

hearts desire for sin.

MUSICAL CONTEXT

The context of music is the things which we associate with music: places, events, people, etc.

For example, a certain band might remind you of a friend and the memories you have with

them. Context has to do primarily with our memories and emotions.

Where context becomes a concern is if we are glorifying sin in our minds. I think we all do this

to a certain extent. Here is an example:

When Joe was in high school he liked listening to Metalica and Smashing Pumpkins while

smoking pot with his friends. Joe began to follow Jesus so he stopped hanging out with his

friends that smoke pot and he stopped smoking himself. When he is in fellowship with Christians

it is easy for Joe to focus on God. But, when Metalica or Smashing Pumpkins comes on the

radio, he remembers the ‗good ol days‘ of hanging out with his friends and smoking pot.

It is not a sin to remember the past, in fact it is what is commanded of us when Jesus said that we

should be a witness of Christ, that is telling others of the changes in our lives because of Christ.

It becomes dangerous, however, for us to think of these things all the time, as it can become a

temptation to sin. Often times what can happen is you will listen to the music to remember the

sin and to experience it without actually committing it. Jesus teaches that sin in your mind is just

as bad as the sin itself. Jesus said that to anger is to be guilty of murder and to lust is to be guilty

of adultery (Matthew 5.21-30), therefore for Joe, to listen to Metalica and Smashing Pumpkins

and think about smoking pot is to be guilty of actually doing it.

SESSION B

MUSICAL CULTURE

Musical culture is probably the most inconspicuous element of worldliness in music. Musical

culture is the ways which we relate to others because of music. I think of punk or metal or even


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country music. In all cases, there is a traditional ‗look‘ for these styles of music. It is deeper than

clothing though. It usually goes deeper into lifestyle and attitude.

It is easy enough to identify a punker or a metal head and make an assumption about their

musical choices. This means that others are making assumptions about our musical choices by

the way that we identify with culture and are therefore making assumptions about our lifestyle

and our attitudes. We need to be careful that we are not identifying with sin through our musical

culture.

THE EFFECT OF IGNORANCE: COMPROMISE

As much as we hate to admit it, not considering these things—content, context and culture—is

ignorance. If we are not weighing the value of music against these, then there is no value in what

we are doing.

…he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who

do so will bring judgment on themselves (Romans 13.2).

If we rebel against God‘s authority by ignoring the lyrical, contextual and cultural effects of

music, we are allying ourselves with Satan and will be judged for it. We must make a conscious

effort to evaluate the value of music. In the next session, we will take a close look at God‘s

standard for all media including music.

DISCUSSION SESSION A & B

In what ways do you see God‘s hand in music?

Can you identify music in your collection that conveys a direct sinful message?

Do you have songs, bands or styles of music that cause you to think about sin or cause you to

get involved in sin?

Do you identify with a specific genre of music to the point that the world can make assumptions

about your lifestyle?

Have you been challenged to form some standards with the music that you listen to? Or, have

you already done this?


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Lesson 5—Put Media and Music in Place

We have talked extensively about music and media in the past couple sections. You should be

able at this point to identify the heart problem with music and media. Today we are going to talk

about how exactly we go about doing that. What does the Bible actually say about media

consumption? We are going to have to draw some lines. There are three areas that must be taken

into consideration, our time, our heart and the actual content.

SESSION A

TIME

There are a lot of ways we can attack the subject of time. I am referring to the amount of time

which is spent on media and music. The best way to look at this is to prioritize time into our

schedules. The Bible has a lot to say about how to arrange your schedule and the beauty of it

is that everyone‘s priorities are going to be a little different even if they are biblical priorities.

Some priorities look like this.

1.God

2.Marriage

3.Parenting

4..…

5..…

6..…

7..…

8..…

9..…

10.Music and Media

Where this appears biblical at first glance, God does not call us to make Him first in our lives,

He calls us to make Him everything in our lines; that is, first in every area of our lives. A better

standard would be this.


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1.God in Marriage

2.My Wife in Marriage

3.My Self in Marriage

4.God in Parenting

5.Education in Parenting

6..…

7..…

8..…

9..…

10.God in Media and Music

11.Entertainment in Media and Music

12.Relaxation in Media and Music

Here‘s what this looks like. If I am going to watch a movie, I need to make God first in that

movie. And I am talking about time, so immediately consider the following things which are

commanded of us.

―Do not let the law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be

careful to do everything written in it‖ (Joshua 1.8). This is taken slightly out of context as Joshua

was a leader of the people, but the principle is there, that we should be daily in the Word so that

we will know it and follow it. If we have not spent time in God‘s word, truly seeking His

wisdom, we are simply wasting time on media and music.

In Daniel 6.10, we learn that Daniel would go to his upper room and three times a day, get down

on his knees and pray to God. To get on your knees is to show submission. When was the last

time you were so humbled by God that you were moved to pray on your knees. How many days

do you go without saying a genuine prayer at all? God desires that we seek a relationship with

him, not a relationship with the world.

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―They devoted themselves to the apostles‘ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of

bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs

were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common.

Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they

continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate

together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.

And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.‖ (Acts 2.42-47)

Notice the way the early church dealt with fellowship. Being an active part of the lives of fellow

believers was part of day to day life. In many ways, media can actually help fellowship, but the

most valuable fellowship is actually attained in direct human contact like what is described here.

Are you sacrificing fellowship for media and music?

Are there any other things that you have been commanded by God to do, that you simply are not

doing because of an overexposure to media and music?

SESSION B

HEART

We talked about the heart in pretty explicit detail before hand. The important thing to

remember is to look at your heart and ask yourself why you are exposing yourself to the

specific type of media. ―The LORD searches every heart and understands every motive…if you

forsake Him, you will be rejected forever (1 Chronicles 28.9). God knows your motives and you

will be judged according to your motives. Make sure you understand the motives of your heart.

CONTENT

There are lots of reasons to be concerned about content. Ephesians 4.3 says, ―among you there

should not be even a hint of…immorality.‖ Colossians 3.5 says to ―put to death…whatever

belongs to your earthly nature.‖ Understand that if when you accept Christ, you simply move sin

from your actions and put it into your mind instead, that you have not conquered the sin. Jesus

wants your mind and emotions, not just your will, your actions.

Let‘s return to the idea of priorities. Not only should we be concerned about the time that is

involved, but we must prioritize our reasons and our motives (our hearts) as well. If we are not

putting God first, then that is where you draw the line. I hope you can see at this point how

everyone‘s line will be in a little bit different spot, but based on these biblical standards, we

should all be in about the same ball park and we should all be able to form biblical convictions

on the matter.

At this point, if anyone is not sure on what a healthy level of media is, talk to me about it and we

will see if we can‘t identify the motives.

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What do you do with most of your time? Would you consider these things to be high priorities?

Do you sacrifice time meant for God for media and music usage? Are you regularly in the word?

Are you regularly in prayer? Are you regularly in fellowship?

If God were to come down right now and reveal all of our hearts, how much sin would He find in

media?

Spend some time setting up a biblical list of priorities.


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Lesson 6—Stuff

MAIN TOPIC

Several years ago, there was a building on the corner near our church. It‘s gone now. The place

had a wall made out of plywood. Inside were numerous sheds and a quite large, albeit

dilapidated, house. Inside the house lived one old man. After he died, the family decided to have

an estate sale to clear the place out. I went because word was that he had lots of musical

instruments; and did he ever. Every room was filled with various different things. One was

full of typewriters, another full of TV‘s and another, musical instruments. Outside, all the sheds

will packed with machinery of all kinds for wood working and metal working. And when I say

full, I mean that they had to drag stuff out into the open just to make enough room to walk

through the ‗stuff‘. This guy had a lot of stuff and had clearly been collecting it his entire life.

When someone has this much stuff, it is safe to say that they do not need it all, because there is

no way that he was possibly using it all. Not even close. Who needs one typewriter, never mind

seventeen? This guy‘s life was dedicated to his stuff and for what? For a glorified garage

sale? Jesus said, ―…a man‘s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions‖ (Luke

12.15). The Contemporary English Version translates it this way, ―Owning a lot of things won‘t

make your life safe.‖ And isn‘t this what we do? We want to be safe, satiated, provided for, so

we get all the right ‗stuff‘.

SESSION A

STUFF IN THE WORLD

Here is the world view of stuff. J. Paul Getty, ―The best things in life…are things.‖ The idea here

is that the world only knows how to please itself through what the world has to offer. We can

only try to meet this need for safety and provision with stuff. But the Bible calls this desire for

stuff coveting. Coveting is desiring for the purpose of provision, safety or joy which comes from

stuff.

We are going to talk about the Biblical way of provision, safety and even joy, but first we have

to talk about why we can‘t live for our stuff. ―No one can serve two masters…you will be more

loyal to one than to the other. You cannot serve God and money.‖ (Luke 16.13). Check this

out. The word here used for money is ‗mammon‘ which actually means ‗material wealth‘, not

specifically cash. It is our stuff, our hoard of TV‘s and typewriters, if you will. We are

explicitly forbidden by Jesus to serve our stuff. Not only that, but mammon is also used to

personify our desire for stuff; sometimes as an evil spirit. It is personified in order to point out

the very direct idolatry that takes place. We are, in a sense, serving the spirit of materialism and

consumerism instead of God and we have a jealous God. We are commanded to ―have no other

gods before‖ Him (Exodus 20.3).

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THE VANITY OF WORLDLY RICHES

And he told them this parable: ―The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He

thought to himself, ‗What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.‘

―Then he said, ‗This is what I‘ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I

will store all my grain and my goods. And I‘ll say to myself, ―You have plenty of good things

laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.‖‗

―But God said to him, ‗You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then

who will get what you have prepared for yourself?‘

―This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.‖

(Luke 13.16-21)

There is so much to talk about here, but we are going to hit a few major key points. First of all,

the man decided to stockpile his ‗stuff‘ and then pursue laziness and gluttony and foolishness

until his stuff ran out. How often do we think in this way; if I just had that new car, that new

computer, that game, that movie, then I will be content. I actually used to work this way. I

would get a job for a while and save up money so I could quit and do nothing for a while. It‘s

ridiculous.

Not only that, but the parable is saying, ―So what!‖ Even if you succeed in accomplishing your

goal of gathering enough stuff to make you happy, the moment it happens, you could easily die

and what then? Will there be a garage sale where your stuff is sold too? See, to be rich by the

worlds standards is in vain and anyone who is rich according to the world is NOT rich towards

God.

*** A quick note: This does not mean that anyone who has an abundance of stuff is not rich

toward God, but anyone who pursues material wealth for provision, safety and joy instead of

God.

WHERE DOES MY PROVISION COME FROM?

Then Jesus said to his disciples: ―Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you

will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than

clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God

feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a

single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest

―Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all

his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which

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is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you

of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For

the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek

his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

(Luke 13.22-31)

Now the way for our provision, safety and joy. God takes care of the birds and the lilies. The

point is that if God takes care of them, then how much more as the most beloved creation will he

take care of us? The principle is simple. Don‘t worry about your life. Just do what God calls you

to do and nothing more. All the other things will be given to you. Seriously, isn‘t God faithful?

Why should we seek after ‗stuff‘? Seek the kingdom and if God decides to bring you joy,

provision and safety through stuff, then great.

SESSION B

DOES THIS MEAN THAT WE CAN‘T HAVE STUFF?

No, but there is a right way. Here are 4 lies that we tell ourselves about our stuff.

My stuff makes me happy

Deuteronomy 16.15—There is a principle here, which we will not uncover, but ultimately the

truth is that if you are obedient to do what has been commanded, ―your joy will be complete.‖ ,

Psalms 4.7—―You [God] have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new

wine abound.‖ The greatest, most complete and eternal joy comes from God and nowhere else.

Even when we have everything we want, God‘s joy is far better.

My stuff makes me important

1 John 2.16—―For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and

the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.‖ Look

how prideful we have become! We boast in what the world provides, which is meaningless. It

doesn‘t come from God at all. Our addiction to ‗stuff‘ is not godly, it is worldly and it is sin.

My stuff makes me secure

Matthew 6.34—This is a parallel account from what we just talked about in Luke. We have no

security in our stuff. We could die tomorrow and it will not save us, no matter how much stuff

we have. Our salvation comes only from doing the work from which we are called to in Jesus

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My stuff makes me ‗rich‘

Genesis 14.21-23—―The king of Sodom said to Abram, ―Give me the people and keep the

goods for yourself.‖ But Abram said to the king of Sodom, ―I have raised my hand to the LORD,

God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath that I will accept nothing

belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say,

‗I made Abram rich.‘‖ The king of Sodom has just submitted to Abram and now pleads for his

men, that Abram would allow him to keep them, rather than take them into slavery. He offers

Abram all of his riches. Abram, however, trusts God for his provision, safety and joy, so he

refuses to accept anything, so that only God can have the glory for the blessing which would

come upon him.


Why do you have stuff?

Do you find yourself longing after stuff?

Who provides your needs and desires?

Do you have stuff that makes you happy? Is there something out there which you think will

make you happy?

Is your desire for stuff because of social status?


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Lesson 7—Take Out the Trash

MAIN TOPIC

I think we have thoroughly explored the heart problem behind our stuff in the last section. Now

let‘s talk about what to do about it.

…men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of

God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful…My

conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore

judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is

hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men‘s hearts. At that time each will receive

his praise from God. (1 Cor 4.1-5)

SESSION A

Like all the other facets of worldliness, combating our stuff is going to require that we reflect on

our motives. It is Jesus who will judge the motives of our hearts. It is required that we prove to

be faithful if we wish to receive the praise from God which is mentioned here.

…who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And

if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? Already you have all you want!

Already you have become rich! You have become kings—and that without us! How I wish that

you really had become kings so that we might be kings with you! (1 Cor 4.7,8)

Paul is questioning us here to get us to reveal the motives of our hearts. Let‘s think about our

stuff. Did we really earn it? If God has blessed us (or our parents) with good jobs so that we

can actually afford stuff, then why should we boast as if we received it ourselves? He implies

that we act as if we are kings, but we really are not kings at all.

For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men

condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to

angels as well as to men. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak,

but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry and

thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own

hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are

slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the

refuse of the world. (1 Cor 4.9-13)

Notice the things that the apostles went through because of their persistence to be bound to

Christ and not to the world. Many of them are ‗stuff‘ related. They are homeless, hungry, thirsty,

dressed in rags. It says that they are the ‗refuse of the world.‘ And I want to ask you something.


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If worldly is the opposite of godly, are you willing to be the refuse of the world in order to be

godly? Or would you rather be refuse to God so that you can remain worldly?

I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you, as my dear children. (1 Cor 4.14)

So often we ignore our worldliness because it brings shame on us. We are ashamed to admit that

we are more attached to the world than we are to Christ; and maybe that just scares us a little too.

We are not called to be kings by worldly standards, but by spiritual standards.

SESSION B

Let‘s look at some practicals of overcoming our stuff.

First, know that your true riches are in heaven. ―For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus

Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his

poverty might become rich‖ (2 Cor 8.9). Jesus became poor by worldly standards so that we

could be rich by godly standards. It is only through Christ that we attain true riches in heaven.

Second, confess and repent. ―If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our

sins and purify us from all unrighteousness‖ (1 John 1.9). If we truly come before God with a

changed heart, then our sins will be forgiven. Repentance is the fruit of a changed heart. When

we cease collecting ‗stuff‘ and come before God for forgiveness, we will be forgiven.

Third, express gratitude. ―Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is God‘s will for you in Christ Jesus‖ (1 Thes 5.16-18). We should be continually coming

before God as we go through our days simply thanking Him as He provides for us. The most

common way we do this is when we eat, we give thanks. But, what about when we get in the

car? God provided that. What about when we watch TV. God provided that. There is nothing in

this life which God has not allowed us to have and we should be in a constant state of

thankfulness, always joyful for the blessings that God has given to us.

Fourth, de-materialize your life. ―Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be

generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm

foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life‖ (1 Tim

6.18,19). In order to truly have a firm foundation for the coming age, which is heaven, we must

be generous. De-materializing your life means getting rid of all the excess ‗stuff.‘ If you don‘t

need it, then why do you have it? Share that blessing with others.

Lastly, give generously. ―Few things kill the coveting heart quicker than depriving it of stuff.

Few things reflect the heart of God more than giving graciously‖ (Worldliness by C.J. Mahaney).

The idea is that we can deprive ourselves of the excess stuff, but how much more are we

expressing the character of Christ if we give, not just out of abundance, but out of what we

need and trust God to continue to provide.

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This brings me into a challenge for the week. I want to ask you to de-materialize and to give

away something that you need or really love, but I‘m not going to. Don‘t get me wrong, if you do

those things, then great. But, I want to get at the heart. So, this week do not use your most time

consuming possession, that you use all of the time. That might by the TV or your ipod or

whatever. Instead read your bible and pray. Do this for two days and see what you have been

missing. This exercise should really help you to understand you heart. Then you can make the

changes that need to be made.

DISCUSSION - SESSION A & B

Are you making an effort to become ‗rich‘ in heaven?

Are you willing to repent of your attachment to your stuff? Are you willing to give up the world

for Christ? Why or why not?

In what ways does God provide for you? Do you ever forget that He is providing?

Do you have ‗stuff‘ which someone else needs?

Do you have the faith to give in abundance and allow God to provide for you?

What is your most prized possession? What would life really be like without it?



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Shalom christian education curriculum nov thru dec 2010

Education

Transcript of Shalom christian education curriculum nov thru dec 2010