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© 2019 Randall House. May be reproduced for classroom or Bible study use only www.RandallHouse.com (800-877-7030).NT Unit: Christ: Above All Others, Lesson 1 Teaching Outline:

“No One Higher”DATE: September 1, 2019STUDY TEXT: Colossians 1:9-23FAMILY THEME: Lordship of Christ

CONNECT:Display the FTE 1-1 (“Christ: Above All Others”) poster.

OPTION 1: Begin by asking and discussing the following:• What are some things people do in order to please someone they care

about?• What kinds of things make us want to please someone?

OPTION 2: Write the following on the marker board: Why is Jesus worthy of first place over everything? Ask your group members to respond and then discuss their answers.

TRANSITION: Human beings tend to want to please those they care about. Today we will see why Jesus is worthy of first place in everything and how we can live to please Him.

LEARN:Pass out the student outline, FTE 1-3.

1. Our Lives Should Be Marked by Faithful and Fruitful Living (Colossians 1:9-14)Paul wanted the Colossians’ lives to be worthy of the Lord and the great sacrifice He had invested on their (our) behalf. We live for Him and His glory out of love and appreciation for all He has done for us.

APPLY: Keep growing in the knowledge of God and His will, bearing fruit and pleasing Him.

• What does it mean to live in a manner worthy of the Lord? What does that look like?

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• What are some blessings God has given us that motivate us to live worthy of the Lord? Some are found in this passage of Scripture.

2. We Love and Serve the One Who Is Preeminent Over All (Colossians 1:15-20)Christ has rights over all creation because He created it all! All of God’s fullness dwells in Him.

APPLY: Establish Christ as preeminent over every area of your life.• What is the difference between a prominent Jesus and a preeminent

Jesus?• In what ways (if any) do you still need to surrender to Christ as

preeminent Lord?

3. The Preeminent Christ Reconciled Us to God by His Death (Colossians 1:21-23)Our reconciliation through Christ accomplishes something wonderful: God sees us in a brand new way. He sees us as holy, blemish free, and beyond accusation. In God’s sight, Christ’s merits have become ours. We are clothed in His right-eousness.

APPLY: Keep walking with Christ, standing firm in your faith.• How well does how we see one another match up with how God sees

us?• What can help us continue stable and steadfast in our faith?

RESPOND:Use FTE 1-4 (“Let’s Talk About the Lordship of Christ”) for discussion.

OPTION 1: Use FTE 1-5 to help your group members think about how they can live in a manner worthy of the Lord Jesus and what He has done for them. Distribute copies of the handout, give group members time to complete it, and then discuss it together. Encourage them to put into practice this week at least one way they can grow in the knowledge of God’s will, please God, or bear more fruit for God.

OPTION 2: Discuss continuing in the faith. Lead the group in discussing the following items:

• What are some actions, practices, and behaviors that demonstrate a person is continuing in faith?

• What behaviors would demonstrate a person is not continuing in faith?• What are some thoughts and attitudes that demonstrate a person is

continuing in faith?

• What thoughts and attitudes would demonstrate a person is not continuing in fait h?

• What thought, attitude, or behavior could you build into your life this week to help you continue strong and stable in your faith?

Encourage the parents in your group to use Home Connection (FTE 1-6) this week.

Encourage your group members to complete this week’s devotions in FUSION or FUSIONext devotional study guide.

OPTION 3: Use the following questions to help your group members think about how to put the principles of this lesson into action:

• What is one thing I could do this week to help me walk worthy of Christ and what He has done for me? How could I grow in the knowledge of God’s will and bear fruit for Him?

• What area of my life could I more fully surrender to Christ to demonstrate His preeminence? What could I do this week to demonstrate to others what Christ is like, just as He demonstrated what God the Father is like?

• What could I do this week to help me continue strong and stable in my faith?

Give a copy of FTE 1-7 (What’s Up?) to all parents of teens.

NT Unit: Christ: Above All Others, Lesson 2 Teaching Outline:

“From Death to Life”DATE: September 8, 2019STUDY TEXT: Colossians 2:6-23FAMILY THEME: Alive in Christ

CONNECT:OPTION 1: Begin the session by writing the word Process on the top left portion of the marker board and the words One-time event on the top right portion. Then ask your group members to give examples of things that happen by process and things that are one-time events. List their examples under the appropriate heading on the board. After several examples of each are listed, ask which Christian experiences are parts of a process and which are one-time events.

OPTION 2: Begin by asking your group members to give examples of man-made rules, philosophies, and traditions that some people claim are necessary in order to be right with God. List their responses on the marker board. Ask how these can sometimes cause confusion and keep people from growing in true faith and knowledge of God.

TRANSITION: Paul understood that those who receive Christ go from spiritually dead to alive in Christ. Today we will see how the Christian experience is more than a one-time event; it’s a life-long process as we continue to trust in Christ.


1. The Christian Experience Is a Life-Long Process, Not a One-Time Event (Colossians 2:6-8)Paul recognized that although the Colossians had received Jesus Christ as Lord, that was not the end of the matter. They needed to continue to live in submission to Him. Their faith should keep them from wavering from the truth they had been taught.

APPLY: Continue to live according to the truth about Christ as Lord.• What can we do to help us be rooted and built up in Christ?• In what ways do we see people in our culture taken captive by false,

worldly philosophies?

2. God Gives Us Forgiveness and Spiritual Life In and Through Christ Who Is Fully God and Fully Man (Colossians 2:9-15)Jesus gives salvation and fullness to all who trust in Him. The Bible teaches that Jesus was fully God, yet fully human.

APPLY: Praise God for all He has given us through Christ.• Besides Christ, what do people in our culture look to trying to find

fullness, purpose, and salvation?• What are some blessings God has bestowed upon us in Christ?

3. True Spiritual Life Is Found in Christ, Not in Human Philosophy or Tradition (Colossians 2:16-23)The people of Christ have no need for extensive lists of prohibitions (Don’t handle, don’t taste, don’t touch!). Those are principles of this world, not principles of the kingdom of God. As with all human commandments, they fall short of their goal in real life. Indeed, they appear to be spiritual, but they are of no use before God.

APPLY: Trust in Christ, not in man-made religion and works, for right standing with God.

• What are some of the more common religious works people engage in today trying to earn favor with God?

• In what way is the Old Testament Law a “shadow,” and Christ is the substance or reality?

RESPOND:Use FTE 1-10 (“Let’s Talk About Being Alive in Christ”) as a discussion starter.

OPTION 1: Use FTE 1-11 (“Walking in Christ the Lord”) to help your group members think about how they can continue to live for and submit to Christ as Lord rather than get side-tracked by human philosophy and tradition. Give them time to complete the handout and then discuss it together. Encourage them to more fully submit to Christ’s lordship this week in some area of their lives.


OPTION 2: Ask and discuss the following:• What does it mean that believers have been filled or made complete in

Christ?• What does it mean that believers have been circumcised by the

circumcision of Christ?• What does it mean that believers have been buried with Christ in

baptism and raised with Him through God’s power?• What does it mean that believers were once dead, but have been made

alive with Christ?

OPTION 3: Use one or more of the following questions to help your group members think about how to put the truths of this lesson into practice.

• What does it mean that the Christian experience is a life-long process rather than a one-time event? How can we stay involved in this process as long as we live?

• How does God give us forgiveness and spiritual life in and through Christ? What should be our response to what God has done for us through Christ?

• Why is true spiritual life found in Christ rather than in human philosophy or tradition? What are some human philosophies and traditions that some claim we must hold to in order to be right with God?



“APPROPRIATELY DRESSED”DATE: September 15, 2019STUDY TEXT: Colossians 3:1-17FAMILY THEME: New in Christ

CONNECT:OPTION 1: Ask your group members to share about a time when they lost interest in one thing and became interested in another. What did they lose interest in? What did they become interested in? How did this change of interest demonstrate itself in their lives?

OPTION 2: Ask your group members to share what they wear to work and what they change into when they get home from work. Do they have a dress code at work? Do they wear a uniform? What do they like to wear around the house? How does it feel to take the work clothes off and put on what they like to wear around the house?

TRANSITION: The Bible tells us we start a new life when we receive Christ as Savior and Lord. Today we will see how we are to take off old habits and ways of thinking and put on new ones that are pleasing to God. Our mindsets and actions change.


Display the FTE 1-15 poster to reinforce the principles of this lesson.

1. Our Relationship With Christ Changes Our Focus (Colossians 3:1-4)Persons raised with Christ need no longer focus on that which we leave behind. We do not focus on the things of this earthly life. We look past them to the everlasting things of God.

APPLY: We should keep our focus on the eternal things of God and not on temporary, worldly things.

• What does it mean to focus on or to set our minds on things above?• What are some of those things above?

2. We Must Decisively Cast Aside the Attitudes and Actions That Belong to Our Sinful Nature (Colossians 3:5-9)

Improper appetites (lust, gluttony, greed, gambling addiction, and much more) are no longer a problem for those who have died. Paul wants us to see an important result of our “death” in Christ: we can and must put to death those earthly things that so captured our attention before Christ.

APPLY: Confess and repent of any sin keeping you from wholehearted pursuit of Christ.

• What are some practical steps or actions we can take to help us put to death attitudes and actions that belong to our sinful nature?

• What should motivate us to set aside sinful attitudes and actions?

3. We Should Take On and Live Out Godly Actions and Attitudes (Colossians 3:10-17)The negative action of the previous topic (leaving behind the old self) works hand in hand with a positive action: putting on the new self. Verse 12 begins an extensive description of how we ought to be as God’s chosen people. Paul used the metaphor of putting on the traits of Jesus as clothing.

APPLY: Be learning and applying God’s Word and modeling Christlike attitudes and actions.

• Why is love so important in the lives of believers?• What does it mean to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly?

RESPOND:Use FTE 1-16 (“Let’s Talk About Being New in Christ”) for discussion.

OPTION 1: Use FUSION Teaching Essential 1-17 (“Things Above”) to help your group members consider where their focus lies and how they might focus more attention on the Lord and His priorities. Give them time to complete the handout, and then discuss it together. Encourage them to take steps this week to give more focus and attention to one of the Lord’s priorities.

OPTION 2: Clothe yourselves—Ask and discuss the following:• What does it mean to put on or be clothed in compassion, or patience,

or any of the other virtues Paul mentioned in this passage? How do we do this?

• Among the characteristics Paul referred to, which one could I more fully put on or clothe myself in (verses 12-16)?

• What will I do this week to “wear” more of that virtue?Pray for one another as we seek to display the virtues of Christ in life outside the church.



• Where has my focus been lately—above with Christ or here below? What can I do this week to focus more on God’s priorities?

• What is some attitude or action that I need to more fully cast aside in order to wholeheartedly pursue Christ? How will I do that this week?

• What godly attitude, action, or virtue do I need to “put on” this week? How will I do so?



“RELATING GOD’S WAY”DATE: September 22, 2019STUDY TEXT: Colossians 3:18—4:6FAMILY THEME: Submission in Christ

CONNECT:OPTION 1: Ask your group members to give examples of how the roles of husbands, wives, and children are portrayed on television and in movies. What are some examples (past or present) that demonstrate God’s design for family roles and relationships? What are some examples that contradict God’s design for family roles and relationships?

OPTION 2: Ask your group members to give examples of Christian coworkers they have known whose integrity and work ethic set them apart and reinforced their witness for Christ. What set them apart from other workers or bosses? How did other employees view them? How did bosses and supervisors view them?

TRANSITION: Paul understood the importance of how Christians’ behavior, at home and at work, either strengthens or weakens their witness for Christ. Today we will see some of what the Bible says about how we should live as examples before the world around us.

LEARN:Pass out the student outline, FTE 1-20

1. Christian Family Relationships Should Submit to God’s Design (Colossians 3:18-21)Humility calls for believers—wives or husbands, children or parents—to embrace the roles and responsibilities to which God has called them. All are equal participants in their God-given roles in building loving, harmonious Christian homes.

APPLY: Glorify Christ by following God’s design for family relationships.• What are some elements of the role God has assigned to me in my

current family/household setting?• What are some of the difficulties for me when it comes to embracing

this role or these responsibilities?• How does knowing that it pleases God when we embrace these roles

and responsibilities help us do so?

2. Our Workplace Conduct Should Bring Honor to Christ (Colossians 3:22—4:1)Paul’s instructions to slaves and masters can be applied to our work relationships. Employees and employers should operate as fellow servants of their Master—God. He advised sincere obedience, not mere compliance only when the boss was around. Indeed, he went even further, insisting that whatever kind of work they were assigned, to do it as something they could offer unto God.

APPLY: Glorify Christ by modeling hard work and integrity before your employer and fellow employees.

• How should the quality of my work reflect what I believe about Jesus?• How would my recent work reflect on my witness for Christ?

3. Prayer and Wise Living Help Us Influence Unbelievers (Colossians 4:2-6)Paul wanted the Colossians to pray for him so the message of Christ could spread. We can pray for the lost and for those sharing the gospel (including us) and we can live in a way that makes unbelievers thirsty to know more about the gospel.

APPLY: Glorify Christ by being careful how we live and speak when interacting with the lost.

• What are some ways we can conduct ourselves wisely with those who do not know Christ?

• In what settings do I react fearfully, and thereby squander opportunities?

RESPOND:Use FTE 1-21 (“Let’s Talk About Submission in Christ”) for discussion.

OPTION 1: Use FUSION Teaching Essential 1-22 (“Countercultural Home Life”) to help your group members think about God’s instructions for our family roles. Give them time to complete the handout and then discuss it together. Encourage them to take any steps necessary to fully submit to God’s instructions and to be ready to explain to others why we submit to these countercultural commands.

OPTION 2: Lead the group to think about how our conduct in the workplace can serve as a witness to those around us and please the Lord. Ask the following:

• According to Paul, what are some ways we can set ourselves apart as Christians in the workplace?

• What happens when we do our work as if we were doing it for the Lord?• What might I change or improve about my work, competence, or

integrity this week to better follow God’s Word and reinforce my witness for Christ?



• In what way could you more fully obey God’s design for you within the family? Why does this please the Lord?

• What is one way you could more fully do your work as if doing it for the Lord? How might that reinforce your witness for Christ?

• How could you increase your prayers for your pastor, other church leaders, and missionaries? What does it mean to walk in wisdom toward outsiders? In what way could you do that this week?



“WELCOME BACK”DATE: September 29, 2019STUDY TEXT: Philemon 1:1-22FAMILY THEME: Reconciled Through Christ

CONNECT:OPTION 1: Ask your group members to share about a time when they wronged someone and needed to ask for forgiveness. What had they done? How did the person respond? Why is it sometimes difficult to ask for forgiveness?

OPTION 2: Write the following on the marker board: I may forgive, but I will never forget! Ask people to comment on this statement. What does it mean to grant someone forgiveness? Is it possible to forgive, even though we are not able to truly forget what the person did to us? What does this look like in daily life?

TRANSITION: Becoming a Christian changes the way we interact and respond to others, especially others who have wronged us. Today we will see how our faith helps us to forgive and reconcile with one another.


1. Our Faithfulness to Christ Encourages Others (Philemon 1:1-7)Paul was thankful for Philemon, and what God was doing in his life. What made Paul thankful was not merely good memories of what a friend Philemon had been. What encouraged Paul even more was all he had heard about the growth in Philemon’s Christian life since then, and how he was a blessing to others.

APPLY: Encourage others by walking closely with Christ.• What do you see in others that encourages you in your walk with the

Lord?• If a perfect encourager is a 10, and a perfect discourager is a 1, where

would you place yourself on the scale?

2. Reconciliation With God Leads to Reconciliation With Others (Philemon 1:8-16)God had been working behind the scenes. God had transformed a

temporary separation from a rebellious slave named Onesimus into a permanent reunion with an obedient brother in Christ.

APPLY: Be willing to forgive a brother or sister in Christ who has wronged you.

• What kinds of offenses are difficult for people to forgive?• What about our Christian faith helps us forgive others?

3. Reconciliation Requires a Forgiving, Compassionate Heart (Philemon 1:17-22)Forgiveness and reconciliation are not merely nice sounding words. They are realities. First, they exist in our relationship with God. Yet, their existence cannot remain bottled up internally. If they exist between God and us, then they will insist on breaking out into our relationships with others.

APPLY: Let compassion guide your treatment of others.• In what situations is it hardest for us to show compassion? (When

someone is in a tough situation of their own doing; when someone has failed to show compassion to others.)

• To whom could you grant forgiveness and compassion?

RESPOND:Use FTE 1-26 (“Let’s Talk About Being Reconciled Through Christ”) as a discussion starter.

OPTION 1: Use FUSION Teaching Essential 1-27 (“How Refreshing!”) to help your group members think about how they can refresh and encourage someone this week. Give them time to complete the handout individually or in small groups, and then discuss it together. Encourage your group members to take specific steps this week to refresh and encourage someone who needs it.

OPTION 2: Focus on forgiveness and reconciliation. Ask and discuss the following:

• What is a situation in which you need either to give or to ask for forgiveness?

• What specific actions could you take to try to remedy the situation? (Urge your group members to make their responses as concrete as possible. Instead of “patch things up with Linda,” go for something like “call Linda and ask her to meet for an apology coffee next Thursday.”)

• What is a current situation in your life that calls for reconciliation?• What specific steps could you take to try to bring about reconciliation?

Describe what the situation will “look like” when that has been accomplished.



• Our Faithfulness to Christ Encourages Others: How refreshing and encouraging would my family, coworkers, neighbors, and church family members say I am? What could I do this week to refresh and encourage someone around me?

• Reconciliation With God Leads to Reconciliation With Others: What does it mean to reconcile with someone? What could I do this week to try to reconcile with someone I am at odds with?

• Reconciliation Requires a Forgiving, Compassionate Heart: What does it mean to have compassion for others? To whom could I show compassion this week? How could I do so?


OT Unit: God’s Heart for Sinners, Lesson 1 Teaching Outline:

“NO PLACE TO HIDE”DATE: October 6, 2019STUDY TEXT: Jonah 1:1-17FAMILY THEME: God Pursues the Disobedient

CONNECT:Display the FTE 2-1 (“God's Heart for Sinners”) poster.

OPTION 1: Begin this week’s session by asking and discussing the following:• When has God asked you to do something you did not want to do?• How did you respond, and what happened?

OPTION 2: Ask your group members to share a time when they saw one person’s disobedience to God cause pain and problems for others around him or her. What was the situation? How did it affect the people around him or her? How did the situation work out?

TRANSITION: As children, most of us learned to play “Hide and Seek.” We sought out the best places to hide and learned how to find others, even in their best hiding places. Today we will see that trying to run away and hide from God in disobedience is never a good idea.


1. Running From God’s Will Is Never a Good Idea (Jonah 1:1-6)God’s desire that all come to repentance caused Him to direct Jonah to preach to the wicked people of Nineveh. Jonah’s apparent hatred for the people of Nineveh caused him to disobey and flee. God didn’t move on without him, however, and used a storm to get his attention.

APPLY: Obey God even when it is difficult to do so.• From your experience, what are some things that hinder believers today

from being obedient to the Lord, His calling, and His Word?• Share a time when you ran from the Lord’s purposes and disobeyed

Him. What did God use to “wake you up”?

2. Our Disobedience Affects Those Around Us (Jonah 1:7-10)Jonah’s disobedience affected more than just him. Those around him suffered because of his choice to disobey. We should be honest with

ourselves and with others and repent when our disobedience causes difficulty for us and for those around us.

APPLY: Obey God for the sake of those around us.• Share a time in which you were challenged to do right because of seeing

someone else doing right.• When have you seen one person’s disobedience affect others?

3. God Disciplines Us With Grace When We Disobey (Jonah 1:11-17)Jonah realized that the storm was his fault. The Lord was disciplining him. The only way to stop the storm was to be thrown overboard, since he was the guilty one. Jonah’s experience in the belly of the great fish, however, was a miracle of God’s grace.

APPLY: Repent of disobedience and take responsibility for the problems our disobedience causes others.

• What happens when we take responsibility for our disobedience and repent?

• How is Jonah’s sin and his response to it similar to Adam and Eve’s sin in Genesis 3? (They were both blatant disobedience; each tried to hide or run from God.)

RESPOND:Use FTE 2-4 (“Let’s Talk About How God Pursues the Disobedient”) for discussion.

OPTION 1: Use FUSION Teaching Essential 2-5 (“You Can Run but You Can’t Hide”) to help your group members think about the fact that it is impossible for us to run away and hide from God. Give them time to complete the handout and then discuss it together. Encourage them to memorize one of the Scripture references this week and to make sure there is no area in which they are running or hiding from God.

OPTION 2: Ask and discuss the following:• Why is it difficult to obey some of the commands or directions God gives

us?• Why is running from God in disobedience never a good idea?• What do I need to do this week in order to do what God has commanded

or directed me to do?


OPTION 3: Close this session in a time of prayer. Time permitting, allow group members the opportunity to share specific ways in which God is leading them or currently speaking to them. Pray for them, by name, that they would be obedient to God in this area and that they would not be guilty of trying to hide from God, as was Jonah.



“OUR GOD HEARS”DATE: October 13, 2019STUDY TEXT: Jonah 2:1-10FAMILY THEME: God Answers Prayer

CONNECT:OPTION 1: Begin by showing the video found at the following website:(https://bit.ly/2F5XELE). Ask the following questions:

• How would you describe the kids’ understanding of prayer at this point?• What is one lesson or take-away regarding prayer that can be learned

from the discussion about prayer with the kids?

OPTION 2: Begin this week’s session by asking your group members the following:

• What are some examples of how God answered urgent prayer needs or situations in the Bible?

• What are some of the most urgent needs or situations people pray for today?

• What is an urgent need or situation you are presently praying for?

TRANSITION: Though often underestimated, prayer is one of the most valuable tools in the arsenal of the Christian. It is to be practiced, it is to be diligent, and it is to be personal. Today we will see how God answered Jonah’s urgent prayer in Jonah chapter 2.


Display the FTE 2-9 (“God Hears and Answers”) poster to reinforce the truth of this lesson.

1. God Hears and Answers the Humble Prayers of His People (Jonah 2:1-2)Jonah wrote that he had cried out to his God for help after the sailors threw him into the sea during the storm. In distress and at death’s door, he cried out to God, and God heard and answered him.

APPLY: Pray with confidence knowing God hears our humble and repentant prayers, even after disobedience.

• Why do we tend to run from God rather than to Him when we are

disobedient?• How important is gratitude to our prayers? Why?

2. God Hears and Answers Prayers When We Acknowledge We Need Him (Jonah 2:3-7)At the point in which Jonah’s life was fainting away, he remembered the Lord and responded by calling out to God in prayer. God heard his cries for help and answered in a most unlikely way—by sending a very large fish.

APPLY: Pray as someone who desperately needs God, no matter your circumstances.

• In what ways do we need God?• Share a time when you remember praying as if God was your only hope.

What was that experience of prayer like?

3. Thanksgiving, Worship, and Obedience Are Proper Responses When God Answers Prayers (Jonah 2:8-10)Jonah ended this prayer by stating he would respond to God’s deliverance with worship and obedience from a thankful heart. He recognized that salvation comes from our gracious God.

APPLY: Respond to answered prayer with worship, obedience, and thanksgiving.

• What might it look like to respond to God with worship, obedience, and thanksgiving when He answers our prayers? Give some examples.

• Often, prayers such as Jonah’s in chapter 2 are considered to be “jail-cell” or “death-bed” prayers and as a result, their sincerity is often questioned. How can someone demonstrate (as did Jonah) that these prayers are sincere?

RESPOND:Use FTE 2-10 (“Let’s Talk About How God Answers Prayer”) for discussion.

OPTION 1: Use FUSION Teaching Essential 2-11 (“Prayer Principles”) to help your group members learn biblical principles about prayer that they can put into practice this week as they pray for some specific issues or needs they are burdened to pray for. Give them time to complete the handout, and then discuss it together. Encourage your group members to memorize one of the passages this week and to pray about an issue or need each day this week.

OPTION 2: Ask and discuss the following:• Name a way God has answered a prayer of yours.

• How could you respond to this answered prayer with worship?• In what way could you respond to this answered prayer with obedience?• How could you respond to this answered prayer with thanksgiving?

Give God worship, obedience, and thanksgiving this week in response to Hisanswering your prayer.


OPTION 3: Divide the group into smaller groups of three or four each. Ask them, in these smaller groups, to share pressing needs with one another and to spend the last few moments in prayer, praying specifically for the needs mentioned. Finally, challenge them to faithfully pray this week for one another and the requests that were shared in these small groups.



“FINDING FORGIVENESS”DATE: October 20, 2019STUDY TEXT: Jonah 3:1-10FAMILY THEME: God Forgives the Repentant

CONNECT:OPTION 1: Begin this week’s session by asking your group members to think about a time when someone told them something that really got their attention and caused them to think about their lives or make changes. What was the message they were told? Who told them this message? What affect did this message have on them? How did they respond?

OPTION 2: Begin the session by writing the word Repent on the marker board, and then ask and discuss the following questions:

• What was your first impression when you saw the word Repent?• What does it mean to repent?• Why is repentance so important?

TRANSITION: Turning away from sin is necessary for anyone who wants to be saved and right with God. Today we will see how some very evil people repented when Jonah warned them that their sin was going to lead to judgment if they did not turn away from it.


1. Lost People Need To Hear The Message In Order To Repent (Jonah 3:1-4)God didn’t send Jonah to Nineveh just to live a good life in front of them, although that is an important part of an effective witness. He sent him to proclaim the message. The people needed someone to share the message with them before they could repent.

APPLY: Share the message of the gospel at every opportunity.• What are some hindrances that sometimes keep us from sharing the

gospel with others?• What are some common opportunities we might have in which to share

the gospel?

2. Repentance Begins With Conviction and Sorrow Over Sin (Jonah

3:5-8a)The Ninevites believed God’s message. This, of course, came in response to the preaching of the prophet Jonah. The Ninevites outwardly displayed their inner conviction and sorrow over their sins. They fasted and put on sackcloth and sat in ashes, and everyone from greatest to least mourned their sin.

APPLY: Mourn our own sin and pray for God to convict the lost who hear the message.

• What, or who, do you think of when you think of mourning over sin? Why?

• Why is God most apt to use us when we acknowledge and mourn over our own sin?

3. God Forgives Those Who Confess and Turn From Their Sin (Jonah 3:8b-10)God spared the Ninevites on the basis of their response to the message of Jonah. This was God’s desire all along. God, in His grace and sovereignty, allows humans the chance to repent of their sins and avert impending judgment.

APPLY: Confess and repent of all sin and lead the lost to do the same.• Why do you think humanity has always had a tendency to hide and

cover sin instead of acknowledging and confessing it?• What can believers do to help bring others to the point of repentance?

RESPOND:Use FTE 2-15 (“Let’s Talk About How God Forgives the Repentant”) for discussion.

OPTION 1: Use FUSION Teaching Essential 2-16 (“Share the Message”) to help your group members think through and write out the message the lost need to hear, and one or two people they know who need to hear that message. Encourage them to make the message as concise as possible. Give them time to write the message and then let some share the message they wrote. Encourage them to plan how they will share the message this week with the people they listed.


• What does it mean to repent of sin?• What was going to happen to Nineveh if the people did not repent of

their sins?

• What does that tell us about the severity of unconfessed sin in our lives?• Is there any sin you need to confess and repent of? If so, how will you do

so?


OPTION 3: Conclude this session by speaking of the need for more individuals like Jonah to share the message of Jesus with a lost world. Spend time praying for a specific country or people group, a particular city in your nation, and specific missionaries that are currently serving on a mission field today. In this prayer, pray for God to raise up more servants who are willing to go and for Him to call more individuals or families into His service.



“EVEN THE WICKED”DATE: October 27, 2019STUDY TEXT: Jonah 4:1-11FAMILY THEME: God Shows Compassion

CONNECT:OPTION 1: Begin by asking and discussing the following questions:

• Who are some individuals or groups of people whom we would consider to be hostile to or opposed to Christianity?

• How do these people demonstrate their opposition to our faith?• How do we tend to feel about these types of people?What would it take for us to develop compassion for these people?

OPTION 2: Begin by asking and discussing the following questions:• What are some common ways people deceive each other in our culture?• What are some ways Satan deceives people in our world?• Why is it so dangerous to be deceived by Satan?• How would it help us to remember that those who are lost have been

deceived by Satan?

TRANSITION: Sometimes it is easy for us to consider some people as unworthy of God’s love and salvation because they do evil things or are antagonistic toward our faith. Today we will see how Jonah struggled with the same feelings and how God taught him about having compassion for the lost who have been deceived by Satan.


1. God Cares About Those Whom We Would Consider to Be Worthy of Judgment (Jonah 4:1-3)God had compassion on the Ninevites when they repented and did not bring judgment upon them immediately. Jonah, however, felt it was wrong that the Lord would spare Nineveh.

APPLY: See even the wicked as people whom God loves and wants to save.• Name a recent news story or event that you believe illustrates the sinful

condition of mankind today. What is your initial reaction to stories such as this?

• How can we keep ourselves from becoming so selfish and prideful that we view ourselves and God’s love for us as more deserving than others?

2. God Wants To Teach Us Compassion For The Lost (Jonah 4:4-10)Jonah’s concern for himself and his lack of concern for Nineveh were, at their core, selfish. The Lord confronted Jonah because Jonah cared about the plant and mourned for it and expected God not to do so for the Ninevites, whom God had created, sustained, loved, and valued.

APPLY: Ask God to give you His heart for the lost.• Share a specific time or event in which your eyes were opened to the

spiritual needs of individuals or groups of people. How did this affect you?

• What sometimes keeps believers from being aware of the spiritual needs of others?

3. God Has Compassion For The Lost Because They Are Spiritually Ignorant And Deceived (Jonah 4:11)God said the Ninevites did not know their right hand from their left. This expression was likely included to speak of those who have no knowledge of God. In other words, morally and spiritually, the Ninevites were blinded and ignorant of the truth.

APPLY: Have compassion for the lost because they have been deceived.• What are some ways people today have been deceived and look for

fulfillment and peace in the wrong places?• What are some practical ways we can show compassion to unbelievers

today?

RESPOND:Use FTE 2-20 (“Let’s Talk About How God Shows Compassion”) for discussion.

OPTION 1: Use FTE 2-21 (“What’s the Point”) to help your group members think through the main lesson God was teaching Jonah. Break into small groups of 4 to 5 people and give them time to complete the handout. Come back together and discuss their answers. Encourage your group members to ask God to help them have His heart of compassion for the lost, even those we have a hard time seeing as worthy of God’s love and salvation. How could we reach out to people like that with the gospel?

OPTION 2: Ask and discuss the following:• Who are some individuals or groups we might have a hard time seeing

as worthy of God’s love and salvation?• Why does God have love and compassion for all people, no matter their

lifestyle or background?• To whom could I reach out this week with the good news of Christ?

Encourage your group members to ask God to give them His heart for the lost and to give them an opportunity to share the love of Christ this week with someone who needs to hear it.


OPTION 3: Conclude this session by spending some time in prayer. Ask your group members to consider what specific lessons God has taught them through this book detailing the account of this hard-headed prophet. Discuss these lessons and then pray that you and your group members would be sensitive to the lessons God may be teaching and that you will be obedient to His purposes.


ST Unit: Links in the Chain, Lesson 1 Teaching Outline:

“A DAILY PURSUIT”DATE: November 3, 2019STUDY TEXT: Deuteronomy 6:1-9; Luke 9:23FAMILY THEME: Everyday Discipleship

CONNECT:Display the FTE 3-1 (“Links in the Chain”) unit poster.

OPTION 1: We all have things we mean to do each day. Some are related to hygiene, habit, health, hunger, human needs, and more. Ask:

• What are some things you mean to do every day?• What daily activities are different for men and women or adults and

children?• What kinds of things do we teach our children to do every day?• When you were a child, did you skip some daily tasks?

OPTION 2: Habits can be difficult to change. Some people say it takes 21 days to start a new habit or break a bad habit. Ask:

• What are some common bad habits that people try to stop doing? Some of these may be sins, but others are just things that are not good for us.

• What are some good habits that you have tried to add to your life?

TRANSITION: We all have certain routines and habits we go through each day. Some of those habits are good, but some may be bad. Today we will see how we can build certain habits into our lives that will help us grow each day as disciples of Christ.


1. Discipleship is Learning How to Please God (Deuteronomy 6:1-3)Discipleship is more than just Bible study; it is a way of life that models Christianity to those around us. We grow in Christ and help others grow (especially our children). Biblical discipleship includes inviting Christ into our daily lives and learning from Him.

APPLY: As a follower of Christ, I am a disciple and I am to make other disciples.

• What are the best ways for us to learn the truths of God’s Word?

• What are the best ways for us to share the Lord’s teaching with our children, or with others?

2. Spiritual Growth Is Part of Life Each Day (Luke 9:23)Some people compartmentalize their faith. They talk and act like Christians on Sunday at church, but their faith has little or no bearing on the rest of their lives. This is not a healthy mind-set. It is important to know that following Christ is an everyday thing. We are to be as much of a Christian Monday through Saturday as we are on Sundays.

APPLY: My walk with Christ is a daily thing, not just a Sunday thing.• What daily habits work well in your life to keep you focused on Christ

throughout the week?• What tips can you share with the group on how to be consistent?• We mentioned a few spiritual disciplines. Are there other good habits

that you find helpful in your daily walk with Christ? What are they?

3. It Is the Privilege and Duty of Parents to Teach Their Children to Love and Follow Christ (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)This passage is a command from the Creator for parents to teach their children about Him in multiple ways, multiple places, and multiple times. Parents are to teach the Lord’s commandments at home, along the road, in the morning and the evening, and whenever else the opportunity arises.

APPLY: Parents and grandparents can use every teachable moment to pass the faith to the next generation.

• If having spiritual conversations is not common in a family, what is a good way to start?

• What are some teachable moments parents can take advantage of to talk with their children about God’s Word and ways?

RESPOND:Use FTE 3-4 (“Let’s Talk About Everyday Discipleship”) for discussion.

OPTION 1: Use FTE 3-5 (“As You Go”) to help your group members think of ways parents can disciple their children in the everyday routines of life. Give them time to complete the handout and then discuss their ideas. Remember, we are not trying to add to people’s daily or weekly schedules. The principle shared in Deuteronomy 6 is to invite Christ into the things you are already doing.

OPTION 2: Ask and discuss the following:

• What are some good habits you want to build into your daily life to help you grow in your relationship with God and walk with Him?

• What bad habits would you like to set aside so they don’t hinder your walk with God?

Encourage your group members to make SMART goals: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based. For example: instead of writing “I am going to read the Bible more.” we would write “I will read the entire New Testament in three months by reading three chapters of the New Testament each morning using the Bible App.”


OPTION 3: Ask and discuss the following:• How would you define the term “discipleship”?• What could you do to help yourself grow in your relationship with God?• What could you do to help someone else (children, friend, neighbor,

etc.) grow in his or her relationship with God?



“THE WORD OF LIFE”DATE: November 10, 2019STUDY TEXT: Nehemiah 8:1-18FAMILY THEME: Honoring God’s Word

CONNECT:OPTION 1: Ask: Does anyone own a Bible that is very special to you? Maybe a Bible that belonged to a loved one or one that was given to you at a special time? Show them a Bible that is special to you and tell them about it. Explain what it means to you. Throughout history God’s Word has been treasured, especially when we have a family connection to Scripture.

OPTION 2: Ask: Can someone share a time when Scripture really came alive to you? It may have been on a spiritual retreat or through someone’s teaching. All believers have these “Aha! Moments” when reading the Bible or hearing it taught. Sometimes we will read a passage or story and see something we have never seen before.

TRANSITION: Many of us treasure a Bible that was passed down from a family member or one that we used during a unique season of life. When we look back at our spiritual journeys, the Word of God plays a central role. Today’s lesson shares a true story about a generation of God’s people who experienced the Word of God for the first time.


Display the FTE 3-9 (“God’s Inspired Word”) poster to reinforce the truths of this lesson.

1. God’s Word Should Be Respected and Read (Nehemiah 8:1-6)In Nehemiah 8, we see the priest and scribe Ezra bring out and read the Book of the Law in a beautiful and powerful ceremony. Men, women, and children participated and demonstrated great respect for God’s Word. Entire families stood for several hours and attentively listened as the Scriptures were read and explained.

APPLY: Read the Bible each day, respecting it as Holy Scripture.• Why is it important for believers to read their Bibles daily?• What are some ways we can help other people experience the Word of

God, both locally and internationally?

2. God’s Word Should Be Taught and Studied (Nehemiah 8:7-8, 12)Ezra answered the challenge to teach the Word of God to his people. As this new generation was hearing the Law for the first time, the Levites were helping them understand and interpret the text. The Word of God is powerful, but it needs to be clearly understood and applied to our lives.

APPLY: Study the Bible for yourself and listen as gifted teachers explain its meaning. Teach others if that is your gift.

• What tools have you used to effectively study the Bible?• Do you think teaching is a spiritual gift, or a skill that can be learned . . .

or both? How can a person know if he or she is called to teach the Bible?

3. God’s Word Should be Obeyed and Celebrated (Nehemiah 8:9-18)When Ezra read the Law and the Levites explained it, the people mourned because they realized they were living in disobedience. The Jewish leaders urged them not to focus on past disobedience, but to rejoice that they now had God’s Word to guide them. After the leaders and the heads of the households understood God’s command, they immediately obeyed.

APPLY: Put the Bible into practice doing exactly what God says to do.• What are some biblical teachings that some in our culture, and even

some churches, either ignore or explain away?• What is it that sometimes makes it difficult for us to obey God’s Word?

RESPOND:Use FTE 3-10 (“Let’s Talk About Honoring God’s Word”) for discussion.

OPTION 1: Use FTE 3-11 (“A Daily Habit”) to help your group members get in the habit of daily Bible reading and study. The handout helps them set a goal to read the Bible every day for 30 days. It suggests things to look for as they read, and gives them a place to write the passage they read each day and how God speaks to them.

OPTION 2: Have someone look up and read James 1:22, and then ask and discuss the following:

• What are some commands in the Bible that are sometimes difficult to fully obey?

• In what way could you more fully obey God’s Word this week?Encourage your group members to memorize James 1:22 this week.


OPTION 3: There are many missionary organizations that focus on translating, printing, recording, and distributing the Bible to different people groups around the world. Some of these include Wycliff, SIL International, United Bible Societies, along with Faith Comes By Hearing, The Jesus Film, Bibles.org, YouVersion, Scripture Earth, Gideons, and others (See http://www.wycliffe.net/statistics). How can you, your Bible study group, or church actively help these efforts of providing the Word of God to people who do not have it?

OPTION 4: Distribute copies of FTE 3-13 (“Heirloom Bible”). This handout gives ideas for how to hand down heirloom Bibles to children and grandchildren.



“FAMILY 101”DATE: November 17, 2019STUDY TEXT: Ephesians 6:1-4FAMILY THEME: Nurturing Family Faith

CONNECT:OPTION 1: Begin by asking your group members to name television shows about families. After listing several shows, ask: How do the families in these shows compare to God’s model for the family?

OPTION 2: Begin by asking: In addition to housebreaking, what are some other things you can train a dog to do? Some dogs can do amazing tricks and have wonderful trainers. Ask: How is this different from training our children in the Lord? Which is more difficult?

TRANSITION: The family is God’s design, and each member of the family has certain responsibilities. Today we will see some examples of how God designed the family to function and pass the faith along.LEARN:

Pass out the student outline, FTE 3-15.

1. Children Should Obey Their Parents Because It Is Right and Pleases the Lord (Ephesians 6:1)When children obey their parents, it brings glory to God. Obeying parents is the right thing to do and also teaches children to submit to the instructions God has given us—including the things we honestly do not want to do. Parents and grandparents should model obedience to God and do their best to teach their children to obey.

APPLY: Consistently teach our children and grandchildren to obey their parents and the Lord.

• Why is it difficult for parents to be consistent in the discipline and training of their children?

• Does this passage apply to adult children? Should adult children still obey our parents?

2. Honoring Our Parents Will Bring Blessings (Ephesians 6:2-3)This Scripture provides a life principle. Things go better when children listen to and honor their parents. They can avoid temptations to sin and dangers to their emotional and physical health. Doing so can, indeed, lead to a longer life, but also a better life of more peace and success.

APPLY: Show respect and honor to our parents even when we no longer live in their household.

• What are some specific ways adult children can honor their parents? Is this also true in reverse? In what ways can parents of adult children respect them?

• What are some ways we can honor our parents in their old age?

3. Train Your Children Instead of Provoking Them (Ephesians 6:4)The primary responsibility of all parents, step-parents, and grandparents is to train their children and grandchildren in the instruction of the Lord. We should lovingly train and discipline them, and not discourage or exasperate our children with unreasonable rules, demands, and inconsistencies.

APPLY: Follow Christ’s teaching and example and teach our children to do the same.

• As parents, what can we do daily to disciple our children? What are some practical ways we can regularly nourish our children spiritually?

• How can parents keep from frustrating their children when it comes to discipline and training?

RESPOND:Use FTE 3-16 (“Let’s Talk About Nurturing Family Faith”) for discussion.

OPTION 1: If your church uses D6 curriculum for all age groups, then all members of the family studied this same topic today. It is the perfect week to have a sit down conversation with children about family responsibilities and obedience. Use FTE 3-17 (“Family Meeting”) to help your group members plan for a family meeting to talk about family member’s roles in Ephesians 6:1-4. Encourage your group members to lovingly lead their families in this discussion and to lead the family in memorizing this passage of Scripture this week.

OPTION 2: Ask and discuss the following:• What are some specific ways adult children can honor their parents?• What are some ways we can honor our parents in their old age?• The Thanksgiving Holiday is next week in the US. What is something you

could do to honor your parents or grandparents this holiday?


OPTION 3: As our children grow older, our parenting roles change. Share a variation of the following: In their children’s infant and toddler years, parents are the caregivers; when children are elementary ages, the parents are teachers, bosses, or cops; as children become teenagers, parents are more like coaches or counselors to help them transition from dependence to independence; and when our children become adults, parents are consultants and friends. Ask: What stage are you in with each of your children? What can you do to help communicate your role better? Encourage your group members to do an Internet search for “Four stages of parenting.” There are some good articles and videos by Christian leaders that will help them. Another good resource is How You Always Meant to Parent by Brian Housman (Randall House, Nashville, 2015).



“LEARN IT, LIVE IT, AND TEACH IT”DATE: November 24, 2019STUDY TEXT: Titus 2:1-15FAMILY THEME: Modeling the Faith

CONNECT:OPTION 1: Ask for volunteers to tell the group about an older person who took time to teach them something about life or God. It could be a family member, a Sunday School teacher, a neighbor, or a teacher from school. What was special about him or her? What did this person teach you?

OPTION 2: Ask your group members to name an older person they really respect as a believer. Ask and discuss the following:

• What characteristics and qualities cause you to respect this person?• In what ways has this person affected your life?• What have you learned from this person that you have tried to put into

practice in your own life?

TRANSITION: There are some people in our lives that we will always treasure. They are truly a gift from God and have helped us grow in our faith. Today we will see how we can be a blessing to other believers by modeling the faith and teaching others to do the same.


1. Discipleship Is a Way of Life (Titus 2:1-8)Discipleship is more than just Bible study, prayer, serving, and going to church. God is concerned about the way we live our daily lives. Our daily behavior is a reflection of what we believe.

APPLY: God is concerned with how I live my daily life.• What teachings and behaviors of Christians seem foreign, wrong, or

even crazy to unbelievers today? How can we explain our obedience to Scripture as something we love to do because Jesus saved us and has offered a better way to live?

• What are the dangers of compartmentalizing our Christian faith as just a spiritual experience or set of beliefs separate from our daily lives?

2. People of All Ages Should Willingly Accept Instruction (Titus 2:2-4, 6, 9)Our text addresses older men, older women, younger men, younger women, and bondservants. Some of the specific issues may have been for the church in Crete where Titus served as pastor, but good Bible interpretation and knowledge of modern day church culture shows us that the instructions laid out in the book of Titus apply to us today.

APPLY: No matter my age, God wants to teach me and use me.• What are some ways we can continue to learn and grow in our faith, no

matter our age?• From whom could you learn in your Christian walk? Whom could you

encourage and help grow in his or her Christian walk?

3. Believers Have the Authority to Teach and Correct Each Other (Titus 2:1, 4, 6, 15)Paul reminded Titus it was his duty as a pastor to teach all believers, both young and old. He also had authority to correct them in the way they lived their lives. Teaching and rebuking are not limited to spiritual leaders, however. All believers are to lovingly teach and correct one another.

APPLY: God has placed people in my life to learn from and to teach.• What does this Scripture passage teach us about the importance of

being involved in close relationships with other believers?• What is the best way to approach someone about a sin or concern in his

or her life? What should we say? What should we avoid?

RESPOND:Use FTE 3-21 (“Let’s talk About Modeling the Faith”) for discussion.

OPTION 1: Ask and discuss the following:• List characteristics from Titus 2 that Paul said believers of various ages,

genders, and circumstances should exhibit.• How well am I conforming to those godly characteristics in my daily life?• Which ones do I need to grow in?• In what ways could I more fully exhibit these characteristics in my daily

life?What will I do this week in order to grow in one of these characteristics?

OPTION 2: Use FTE 3-22 (“Never Stop Learning and Serving”) to help your group members think about how they can keep learning and serving in their relationship with the Lord. Allow time to complete the handout and then

discuss it together. Encourage them to pick a biblical topic or truth to learn more about this week and to see what the Bible says about that truth. Also encourage them to talk to someone in their church about ways they could serve if they are not already doing so.


OPTION 3: Write the term Mentor on the marker board, and then ask and discuss the following:

• What is a mentor?• In what way could a mentor help you in your walk with the Lord?• Who could be a spiritual mentor for you?• In what ways could you mentor someone else and help them grow in

their walk with the Lord?• Who in the church might benefit by having you as a mentor?


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