Scripture: 2 Kings 21, 2 Chronicles 33, Nahum, Amos
Learning Objectives:
- Students will learn Manasseh was so evil God gave severe earthly consequences to him and the people who followed him.
- Students will learn sin makes God very angry, but He is also quick to forgive when we repent.
- Students will learn God uses the Bible and godly people to warn us when we are involved in sin just like He sent prophets to the people and Kings of Judah.
- Students will participate in an activity to help them understand following people who make bad choices can result in negative consequences for them, too.
Guiding Question: What can happen if we spend our time following/being friends with people who constantly make poor/ungodly choices?
Materials: paper, pens, card stock, and markers
Procedure: Tell students the stories of Manasseh, Nahum and Amos. Point out to students that the people who followed Manasseh also received negative consequences. Explain that it is very important to choose friends who try to follow God and make good choices. Share an example of someone you knew (perhaps yourself) who got in trouble because he or she was with someone when they made a bad choice.
Divide students into two teams. Using the Bible story from today, other Bible stories they remember and real life examples they will have a debate. One side will try to argue it doesn’t matter if your friends make bad choices and the other side will argue that it is important to choose friends who make good choices.
Give students time to prepare their arguments. The “debate” itself can be as formal or as informal as you wish. The object is to get them discussing all of the common arguments young people give for justifying having friends who are a bad influence and the reasons why it isn’t a great idea to have those people for friends. (Be sure to point out, that just because someone is making bad choices, it doesn’t give us an excuse to be ugly to them or to refuse to tell them about God, etc.)
When the debate is over, encourage students to design a poster encouraging kids to make friends who will help them make good choices. Have students share their finished posters. (Some may wish to include other peer pressure advice on their posters.) If any time remains, discuss some good ways to remember to always make choices God would want you to make.