CHRIS KINSLEY

LEADER GUIDE

LEADER GUIDE

CHRIS KINSLEYLifeWay Press®

Nashville, Tennessee

ContentsAbout the Writer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

About this Product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Related Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Session 1: King of the Kingdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Session 2: Enemies of the Kingdom . . . . . . . . . . 14

Session 3: Citizens of the Kingdom . . . . . . . . . .22

Session 4: Completion of the Kingdom . . . . . . .30

Session 5: Mission of the Kingdom . . . . . . . . . . .38

Plan of Salvation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

© 2014 LifeWay Press®

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LifeWay Press, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-0144.

ISBN: 978-1-4300-3249-6Item Number: 005647984

Dewey Decimal Classification Number: 231.72Subject Heading: JESUS CHRIST--KINGSHIP \ HEAVEN \ KINGDOM OF GOD

Printed in the United States of America

Student Ministry Publishing LifeWay Church Resources

One LifeWay PlazaNashville, TN 37234-0144

We believe that the Bible has God for its author; salvation for its end; and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter and that all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy.

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All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible® Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers.

Used by permission.

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The Kingdom, Leader Guide The Kingdom, Leader Guide

These sessions are designed to last about 45 minutes. As you move through the material, your goal should be to keep students talking and engaged. There are discussion questions in the leader guide and student book to help with this task. The left-hand page of each session in this leader guide contains the leader material, while the right-hand page reflects the student book material—including answers to fill- in- the-blank activities, as well as to some of the questions that point back to the Scripture passages for that session. In addition, you will find multiple note pages in the back of the student book that can be used for large group messages or as additional space for small group  sessions.

Related Products

Also available: The Kingdom student book (Item Number: 005647985) containing questions and other activities for students to complete during the Bible study sessions, as well as prayer suggestions for follow-up.

Getting Started

In Matthew 6, Jesus shared profound truths with the multitudes gathered to hear His message. In that sermon, Jesus included what has become known as the Lord’s Prayer and modeled what an effective and powerful prayer life should focus on.

“Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. —Matthew 6:10

While the Lord’s Prayer has become a central prayer in the lives of Christians, the kingdom of God concept is one that is often misunderstood. This study will take an in-depth look at what it means to be a part of God’s kingdom and to live our lives with an eternal mind-set!

About the Writer

Chris Kinsley serves as the Communications Director for The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama. He responded in faith to the gospel of Jesus Christ when he was eight-years-old and to a call to ministry when he was seventeen. He is the author of various books, scripts, curriculums, and Bible studies for organizations such as Student Life, WinShape, NavPress, and others. He holds a B.A. in Christian Studies from Mississippi College and a M.Div. from Beeson Divinity School on the campus of Samford University. Prior to his current role, Chris spent 12 years in both church and parachurch student ministry. He and his wife, Liza, make their home in Helena, Alabama, with their daughter, Story, and son, Haven.

About This Product

The “kingdom of God” is found throughout Scripture and is a primary focus of Christ’s teachings. But what does the kingdom of God really mean to us? How do we enter the Kingdom? Is the Kingdom here? Is it coming? This study will help you answer these questions and lead your students to discover glorious truths about the kingdom of God.

This book is designed for use during a discipleship event or small group study. There are five sessions to guide you through your group discussion. Each session has five sections:

1. Get Started will introduce the topic and connect your students to key passages.

2. Think About It will look at specific truths by introducing and discussing relevant Scripture.

3. Diagnose will guide students to consider how well they are currently living out the truths introduced in each session.

4. Move will challenge students to apply these truths to daily life in order to make an impact on others.

5. Pray will help you guide students to talk with God about what they have learned about themselves and God’s love for all of us.

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The Kingdom, Leader Guide

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Session OneKING OF THE KINGDOM

GET STARTED

Direct students to the Get Started activity in Session 1 of the student book. Share that for most children, their favorite stories begin with the phrase, “Once upon a time.” In the space provided, instruct students to write a brief description of their favorite childhood story.

After a few minutes, allow a volunteer to share a one sentence description of their favorite childhood story without giving away the title or the names of the main characters. Challenge the rest of the group to guess what story it is based on that brief description.

▶What makes a story memorable?

Encourage students to think like a storyteller and come up with the first line of a new story. Instead of it beginning with “Once upon a time,” they should begin with “In the beginning.” Instruct them to use the space at the bottom of page 5 in the student book to write that first line — they can write whatever they dream up, as long as it is only one sentence and serves as the initial line of their story.

Create one group story that everyone will contribute to. Instruct students to sit in a circle and call on a volunteer to share his or her “In the beginning” line. Then guide the next person to add one more line to the story by introducing a character or moving the plot forward in some way. Point to the next person to continue adding to the storyline. Allow the story to unfold until each student has contributed at least one line.

Explain that the object of this activity was to get them thinking about how stories begin.

▷We’re going to be talking all about the kingdom of God throughout this study. In this session, we’re going to see how that Kingdom began with, of course, the King.

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The Kingdom, Leader Guide

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THINK ABOUT IT

Divide your group into pairs and refer everyone to the “Kingdom Defined” activity in Session 1 of the student book. Inform teams that they must work together to list as many characteristics of a kingdom as they can think of. Allow everyone a few minutes to do so.

When students are finished, challenge the group to a competition between pairs. One at a time, call on each team to name one of the characteristics of a kingdom they listed. No pair is allowed to name a characteristic that’s already been said by another group. The last pair to be able to name a unique characteristic is the winner.

Since we’re focusing on the kingdom of God, it’s vitally important for students to first understand what it means when we use that phrase. Explain that, while a kingdom consists of things like subjects, land, riches, and a military, for the purpose of this study we’re going to define a kingdom as simply as we can. Read the following definition:

▷At in its most basic form, a kingdom is where a king rules or reigns, where a king is in charge.

Direct students to answer the question under the section entitled “The King Identified.”

▶Who possesses all of the qualities of a perfect King?

Lead students to look up John 1:1-18. Allow them to take turns reading several verses at a time.

▶Who is John referring to when he writes about “the Word”? (Jesus Christ)

Explain that this passage is all about Jesus, then draw the group’s attention to the first verse. Allow students to discuss what they know about Jesus just based on John 1:1.

▷John began his gospel by affirming the fact that Jesus is God. When he called Jesus “the Word,” John pointed to the reality that it was through Jesus that God most fully revealed Himself to humanity.

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The Kingdom, Leader Guide

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Direct students to write Jesus is the perfect King under the characteristics they recorded in “The King Identified” section.

Then, divide students into two groups. Assign one group the section of the student book entitled “The King Is” and the other group the section entitled “The King Does.” Instruct groups to identify things from this passage that fall into their section, either characteristics of Jesus or actions of Jesus. Allow groups some time to record their thoughts in the assigned section.

Once groups have had time to list answers, call everyone back together. Enlist a volunteer from each group to share what they discovered. Encourage students to record answers as the other group presents information from their assigned section.

Lead students to draw a star beside the things they recorded in each section that they believe are the most important to understand when it comes to the Kingdom. Call on a few people to share what they starred and explain why.

▷In this passage we learn that everything that has been made was made through Jesus. That means He has power over everything. Therefore, He rules over everything. So, from the beginning, He has been the King over all. Yet, there have been people who have rejected His kingship, both before and even after He came.

▷For centuries the Israelites awaited the coming of the Messiah, the Promised One who would restore their kingdom and be their king.

▶Do you think these qualities we’ve discussed were what the Israelites had in mind for their king? Why or why not? ▶How did the Israelites react toward Jesus? (many rejected Him) ▶What are some reasons people today still reject Him?

▷The Kingdom has existed from the beginning. However, Jesus revealed it more fully when He came to earth bringing grace and truth. The Kingdom won’t be fully realized until Jesus comes again, and even those who have rejected His grace will no longer be able to deny His kingship. The Kingdom began with the King, with Jesus. So, that’s why our study begins here as well. We can’t hope to learn anything about the Kingdom apart from Him.