Related Articles
Table of Contents
RADIANT LIFE (TEACHERS GUIDE) TEENS SUNDAY SCHOOL RESOURCE SEASON 14 date 18 JUNE 2023
Unit 6: MEDIA ALERT SUNDAY, 18TH JUNE, 2023.
THIS SUNDAY
Study 3: VOICE GRIP
Text: Gen 3:1-7; Proverbs 9:13-18; 20:1; 23:29-35: 26:24.28: Eph 5:15-18
Key Verse: Ephesians 5:15-16
Be very careful, then, how you live not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil (NIV).
>>Focus
Rivers of alcohol flow through our culture, and it’s not just adults (people over 21) who are being swept away in the flood. Some teens are also caught in that flow. Some of them do it: secretly, away from the eyes of parents and some other authority figures that would rebuke them. Others get together for drinking at the home of someone whose parents are gone.
Hopefully, your students aren’t engaged in such behaviour, but some of their friends and acquaintances probably are. Temptation and opportunity are readily available, and the different cleverly designed alcohol advertisements and sleek forms in which alcoholic drinks are packaged only add fuel to the fire. You must equip your students to resist such temptations; for researches show that teen brains are more susceptible than their adult counterparts to alcohol-induced toxicity. In fact, alcohol robs teens of their reasoning ability and leads them to make decisions they would never consider in an unimpaired state. And addiction to alcohol and tobacco can be a doorway to a life filled with pain.
As you prepare to teach this study, consider your own successes and failures in confronting these temptations. Stress to teens the right things to do and make sure you model these behaviours on a daily basis.
>>The Basic Message: Explain to students…
• WHATS THE BIG IDEA?
Things that are bad for us sometime look appealing, but God gives us power to resist temptation.
• WHY DOES ITMATTER?
Young people are targets of alcohol and tobacco promotions, and wrong choices during adolescence can lead to lifelong addictions.
• HOW DO I LIVEIT?
Be aware of the media ‘s influence in these areas, and ask God to help you make right decisions when you face temptation.
Activity Option: HOOKED
• What are some examples of things that might look attractive to us but turn out to be harmful?
• Why do these things seem so appealing to many people?
>>Hint: One reason is because of our sinful human nature. We’re tempted to do things that conflict with God’s plans for us. We need God’s help every day to overcome these temptations. A second reason, which is somewhat unique to our modern culture, is the media’s influence. There are people who spend a great deal of time and money thinking of ways to make their products attractive so we’ll be willing to buy them. But not everything that entices us is beneficial.
>>Study Overview: Explain that today’s study will consider:
• How the alcohol and tobacco industries seek to sell their products to young people.
• Why it’s important to resist the temptation associated with these products.
• Some of the consequences of drinking alcohol and using tobacco.
>>Inform and Discuss
a). In Your Face
>>Guide: Read or have a volunteer read Gen 3:1-7. Explain that you might call this the first misleading product endorsement. The serpent sold Eve a lie by telling her the fruit would make her wise and powerful. He didn’t mention the devastating effects it would have on humanity. Both Adam and Eve took that bait. By the time they realized their mistake, it was too late to turn back.
1. How do alcohol and tobacco companies make their products look good? [Hint: They design slick advertisements that appeal to human desires.
2. What hazards do they downplay or fail to mention? [Hint: These products are addictive and can often lead to sickness and death.]
3. Read or have a volunteer read Prov. 9:13-18. To what is folly compared? [Hint: It’s like a voice calling out to the unwise, inviting them to come and take part in forbidden things.]
4. According to these verses, what is the danger of listening to such voices? [(Hint: It ultimately leads to physical and spiritual destruction].
>>Guide: Explain that there are many voices in today’s media that try to entice us to pursue harmful and foolish things. But we don’t have to listen to these messages. We can ask God for the wisdom and boldness to stand up and reject destructive invitations.
b). Sobering Truth
>>Guide: Explain that alcohol abuse is the number one drug problem among young people. Yet, the industry continues to place its ads where young people are likely to see them.
1. List some of the things the alcohol industry ads do not portray. [Hint: They don’t show hangovers, rapes, fatal accidents, arrests, broken homes, domestic abuse, job loss, homelessness, birth defects, liver damage or addiction linked to alcohol use].
2. Read or have a volunteer read Prov. 23:29-35. What are some ways that the Bible portrays those who use alcohol? [Hint: They are shown as sad, pathetic, violent, unhealthy, degraded, demoralized, confused, delusional, disoriented, numb, and enslaved by their addictions.]
>>Guide: Explain that this is obviously a different picture than what is portrayed in the media, not only in ads, but also in many movies and TV programmes. God’s Word delivers the hard truth. The consumption of alcohol is a dangerous and potentially life-controlling habit that God warns His people to reject.
3. Read or have volunteers read and summarize the following passages. Then discuss what each tells us about the way we should view alcohol. RADIANT LIFE (TEACHERS GUIDE) TEENS SUNDAY SCHOOL RESOURCE SEASON 14 date 18 JUNE 2023
• Prov. 20:1- Drinking alcohol is foolish activity. It will lead to humiliation and violence in our lives.
• Eph. 5:15-18 – Alcohol abuse leads to all kinds of sin. We should instead pursue God and seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit. In doing so, we can avoid the destructive consequences of drinking and instead follow God’s plan for our lives.
c). Smoke Mirrors
1. Read or have a volunteer read Prov. 26:24,28. How might these verses relate to tobacco advertisements?
>>Guide: Explain that medical science has proven the devastating effects of tobacco on the body, from cigarettes to smokeless tobacco. Marketers show disregard for the people who will become addicted and sick as a result. Advertisers continue to use deceptive and underhanded tactics to gain new customers, regardless of the huge cost to individuals and society.
2. When is a person most likely to start smoking for the first time? [Hint: Most people start smoking before 18. Very few start later in life.]
>>Guide: Explain that TOBACCO COMPANIES ARE AWARE OF THIS FACT. Their advertising methods – which often appear to target children and teens – have been the subject of several lawsuits in different nations.
For instance in U.S.A, one company has faced lawsuits from 46 state governments for allegedly targeting teens.
3. How does it make you feel to realize that tobacco advertisers may be trying to get you addicted to their products?
>>Involve Them: Discuss why a habit like smoking tobacco is inconsistent with God’s plan for our lives. Emphasize to students that their bodies were designed to honour and serve God, not to be polluted with toxic chemicals. Smoking may look cool in ads, movies, and television shows, but using tobacco is a destructive habit that leads to health problems and even death.
>>Activity Option: Divide students into small groups and have them develop truthful ads for alcohol and tobacco, showing what people who use them are really like or the kinds of problems these vices can bring. Encourage humour and creativity. Allow each group to perform its commercial for the class.
>>Inspire Them: Remind students THE BASIC MESSAGE of this study (Pg.), explaining WHAT the Big Idea behind the study is; WHY it matters; and HOW we can live the lesson captured in this study.
>>Ministry Activity: There may be students in your class who are experimenting with or have even become addicted to alcohol, tobacco, or other destructive substances. Offer to pray with anyone who needs God’s help in escaping addiction or resisting temptations in these areas. Then lead students in prayer for friends, family members, and classmates who are struggling with problems related to drinking or tobacco. RADIANT LIFE (TEACHERS GUIDE) TEENS SUNDAY SCHOOL RESOURCE SEASON 14 date 18 JUNE 2023
>>Teacher Hint: Ask yourself…
1. Do students understand that just because alcohol and tobacco can appear to be appealing, they are actually harmful and even deadly?
2. Can they recognize the various tactics used by advertisers to present their products in a false or misleading way?
3. Can they list the various consequences of long-term use of these products?
4. Do they know that God will help them resist temptation if they ask Him?
Daily Dew Drops
RADIANT LIFE (TEACHERS GUIDE) TEENS SUNDAY SCHOOL RESOURCE SEASON 14 date 18 JUNE 2023
Mon: Faithful High Priest – Heb. 2:14-17
Tues: The Sanctifier and the Sanctified Are One – Heb. 2:10-12
Wed: Tempted In All Things – Heb. 4:14-16
Thurs: Eternal Priesthood – Heb. 7:23-25
Fri: Perfect Forever – Heb. 7:26-28
Sat: Made through and for Him – Col. 1:16-20
RADIANT LIFE (TEACHERS GUIDE) TEENS SUNDAY SCHOOL RESOURCE SEASON 14 date 18 JUNE 2023
