You are probably familiar with the idea of life skills – skills that children and teens need to learn to make it easier for them to live independently as adults. Usually this list of skills includes things like the ability to do laundry or cook a simple meal. Although we don’t really talk about it, young people also need Christian life skills – skills that make living the Christian life a little bit easier.
If we were to make a list of God’s expectations and commands for us, we would find that many of them would be easier if we had certain life skills. For example, the command to be generous is easier if we know how to budget our money well so that we can meet our basic living expenses and have money to give instead of spending it on frivolous things for ourselves. Or the command to sin not in our anger would be easier if we knew how to resolve conflicts in calm, effective ways rather than just yelling or calling people names.
In the past, many of these skills were taught in the home – either by parents or extended family. Today, parents assume the schools are teaching skills like money management, while schools are often struggling to teach basic academic skills. The result is that young people often have very few life skills to help them live the Christian life.
At Teach One Reach One Ministries, we have developed a curriculum based around teaching older children and teens not just the biblical commands, but also the Christian life skills needed to obey them more easily. Each lesson takes longer than a normal Bible class lesson to complete. We want to make sure students have a strong understanding of why God wants them to think and behave in certain ways. We also want to take the time to teach and practice the Christian life skills needed to make obedience a bit easier. You may choose to have a longer class time or break each lesson up into two class periods. Some students may even need a bit more time than that to really become proficient at a life skill that is totally unfamiliar to them.
Normally, a curriculum like this would cost hundreds of dollars. Because of our generous donors, we are able to provide the entire curriculum to you for free. Although the last few lessons are still in development, there is enough material already online to last programs that meet weekly several years. Here’s the full link to make it easier to share with others http://teachonereachone.org/living-the-christian-life-teen-curriculum/
Whether you use our curriculum or develop your own, please take the time to teach your young Bible students Christian life skills. Why make living the Christian life harder than it needs to be? Give your students the skills to make it just a little bit easier to obey God.