Spiritual Growth

OBJECTIVE

To help children realize the connections between Christian living and God's presence. To provide practical teaching on how to become closer to Christ and to live in a manner that reflects His image. Students will learn that spiritual growth is the process of becoming more like Jesus, and how it shapes and refines our character and moral development.

INTRODUCTION & HOOK - 5 Minutes

As an icebreaker for this series, have students do the following activity:

Students will respond to a series of statements, by either standing up if the statement applies to them, or remain sitting if it doesn't. The following statements are suggestions, and you may want to add some of your own. The object is for the students to quickly get to know each other better by learning what they might have in common.

After reading each statement, allow sufficient time for everyone to respond and look around to see who has something in common with them. This works for those sitting as well as those standing.

  • I have an older brother or sister
  • My favorite Bible story is in the Old Testament
  • My favorite saint is a martyr
  • Sometimes I forget to brush my teeth
  • I "love" cats
  • My favorite feast is Nativity
  • I never had an anchovy pizza
  • I'm taller than one of my parents
  • I really like broccoli
  • I like listening to hymns in Coptic
  • My favorite color is green
  • I am the youngest child in our family

Explain to the students that this series will focus on Morality. Ask them what they think the term "Morality" refers to. After gathering answers, explain that we can define Christian morality as living our life based on the standards and principles taught in scripture.

This lesson will focus on how we can grow spiritually, how that growth impacts us, and how it is important for our salvation.

HOLY SCRIPTURE - 5 Minutes

Memory Verse - Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4

CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 35 Minutes

How Can We Grow Spiritually?

Spiritual Growth involves first knowing that God is near, followed by spiritual discipline, and surrounding ourselves with Christian community.

Knowing that God is Near

Have the students read Psalm 145:18 and discuss the following:

  • What four words do you think make this whole passage stand out? (allow students to guess first. THE LORD IS NEAR)
  • Do we compartmentalize God into a "box" or do we experience His nearness throughout our lives?
  • Is there ever a time when God is not around? If not, how should that shape the choices we make?

Jesus is here with us. His Holy Spirit is inside those of us who are Baptised and Chrismated. His presence is in our midst. God cannot only see everything that we do, He also knows our every thought. In order to experience God's nearness to us, we have to recognize that we rely on Him instead of relying on ourselves.

Spiritual Discipline

Just like we spend time with our friends, and build our relationships with them, it is necessary to invest time and effort into growing our relationship with God.

  • What do you think of, when you think of discipline?
  • How is discipline good?
  • How is it unpleasant? (Good because it helps you grow or develop abilities, unpleasant because it takes work.)

When we talk about spiritual disciplines, we are talking about things that we do on purpose in order to grow spiritually. When you hear the word "discipline," at first you may think of punishment, but that is something very different. Discipline always has growth in mind. Practicing spiritual disciplines are like doing your homework: it may not always be the most fun thing, but you don't learn as quickly without it.

Spiritual discipline is like going to the gym: the more we get in it, the more it shapes our lives. If we only engage once a week, it will take a long time to see results. Our love for Jesus should compel us to grow in our knowledge and understanding of Him, so we can become more like Him.

Christian Community

  • Why is surrounding ourselves with a Christian community important for spiritual growth? (To help encourage and support one another)

Being surrounded by a Christian community (i.e., the Church) makes growing in spiritual discipline easier when there are others around us striving towards the same goal. Similar to how members of a sports team work together to win a game, our Church community works together by praying for each other and providing support.

How Does Spiritual Growth Impact Us

Shapes Our Moral Development

Imagine the following scenario:

It is the beginning of the school year and you are starting a new math class. On the first day of class, the teacher passes out a test You are worried and look at the page and are not able to understand or answer any of the questions, so you just do your best to fill in anything you can and then turn in your exam.

Weeks and months go by in the class and you attend each lesson and do all the assignments. Then, on the last day of class, your teacher hands out your final exam and it is the same test that you were given on the first day. Suddenly, the test that once felt so challenging and confusing now felt simple because you knew what to expect and had the required knowledge to be able to answer each question.

In this scenario, the math class represents our spiritual growth and journey. Just like the more work we put into a math class, we are able to do better on an exam, the more we grow spiritually, the easier it is to make wise decisions when we face real challenges in life.

DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 10 Minutes

See discussion questions embedded in the Content section above.

LIFE APPLICATION - 10 Minutes

Challenge yourself to participate in a spiritual discipline this week, and be prepared to share your experience next week. The Lord is near, and we can experience His nearness more fully through action. See some examples below (the students can use one of the following or come up with their own with guidance)

  • Keep a daily journal of a time during the day/week that they experienced God's presence with them
  • Participate in a fast, not just from food, but from things that affect your thoughts. Fast from music: Avoid music that fills your mind with impure, dishonest thoughts. Fast from movies and television: Don't watch any television for a set amount of time, at least a week. Fast from Social Media or the internet in general: chatting, posting, surfing etc
  • Set up an appointment with your father of confession. Ask him for guidance in your spiritual growth journey.
  • Practice saying the Jesus Prayer throughout the day.
    • "My Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me; my Lord Jesus Christ, help me; I praise you my Lord Jesus Christ."
    • Shortened version: My Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.

PARENTS CORNER/HOMEWORK

See Life Application section above.