252 Groups
January 2015, Week 2
Small Group, 4-5
Say My Name
Bible Story: Say My Name (who do you say that I am?) • Matthew 16:13-20
Bottom Line: Practice talking about God.
Memory Verse: “Training the body has some value. But being godly has value in every way.”
1 Timothy 4:8a, NIrV
Life App: Commitment—making a plan and putting it into practice.
Basic Truth: I need to make the wise choice.
Plug In: Focus the Energy (Small Groups, 10-15 minutes)
Focus the energy on today’s Bible story in a Small Group setting with an engaging discussion question
and an interactive opening activity.
Before kids arrive, pray for each regular attendee by name. Pray for those who might visit your group
for the first time. Pray that He would use the kids in your group to draw other kids into relationship with
Him. Ask God to give the kids some opportunities to talk with their friends about Him. Pray for
opportunities for kids to talk with both “insiders” and “outsiders” about God. And ask God to give kids
the confidence and boldness to share Christ with their peers.
1. Early Arriver Idea
What You Need: Offering container
What You Do:
Ask the kids in your group to tell you their favorite person’s name. What do they know about that
person? How do they know what they know? Do they ever tell other people about the person? What do
they tell other people about that person? What would people think of that person if the kids in your
group talked about him all the time?
Invite kids to put their offerings in the offering container.
2. Personal Index
What You Need: Index cards, pens or pencils, hat (or other container)
What You Do:
Give each kid an index card. On the card, they will describe themselves, without including their name or
any physical description. They also should not say the names of their closest friends or anything that
would give away who they are. Cards should tell what they are like on the inside. Are they shy or
outgoing? Do they have any pets? What upsets them or makes them happy? What are their favorite
things to do, places to go, experiences they have had? When they are finished, collect the cards in a
hat. Let each kid draw a card out of the hat (making sure not to draw his own name). Allow each one to
read the description aloud and guess whose card they are reading.
©2014 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
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252 Groups
January 2015, Week 2
Small Group, 4-5
What You Say:
“You know, what we know and think about ourselves can often be different than people’s perceptions of
us, but you guessed pretty well. [Transition] Let’s go hear a story about someone else whom
people had all kinds of ideas and guesses about.”
Lead your group to the Large Group area.
Catch On: Make the Connection (Small Groups, 25-30 minutes)
Make the connection of how today’s Bible story applies to real life experiences through interactive
activities and discussion questions.
* 1. Famous People (application activity / review the Bible story)
What You Need: Bibles
What You Do:
Hand out Bibles, and ask kids to open to today’s Bible story. Ask the following questions:
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What is the first question Jesus asked? (v.13)?
What is the second question? (v.15)?
What is the difference between those two questions?
What did Peter say? (v.16)?
How did Jesus respond to Peter’s statement? (vv.17-19)?
Next, ask kids to take turns describing some famous people you will name. Take volunteers and give
them a name of your choice, or use one from the list below. The names should be people some kids in
your group may be able to describe fairly well, but others might be harder to describe. Allow them to
correct each other’s descriptions or to help each other guess.


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Walt Disney: creator of Disneyland; a dad with a very big imagination
Lebron James: plays basketball for the Cleveland Cavaliers; has won two NBA championships
and four NBA MVP awards
Serena Williams: top ranked women’s tennis player from the U.S.; has a sister who also
competes
George Herman Ruth: better known as “Babe,” “The Great Bambino,” or “The Sultan of Swat”;
he hit 714 home runs in his career and is now in the Baseball Hall of Fame
TobyMac: one of the first and best-known Christian rappers; was in the group DC Talk, but is
now a solo artist; hit songs include “Steal My Show,” “City on Our Knees,” and “Speak Life”
Carly Shea: a fictional character from the show iCarly, about a girl who has a Web show, which
she broadcasts with her best friends Freddy and Sam
Abraham Lincoln: 16th President of the U.S., during the Civil War; was responsible for the
Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation; was killed in Ford’s Theater
What You Say:
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If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
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252 Groups
January 2015, Week 2
Small Group, 4-5
“Although the people we just talked about are either very famous or very important, some of them were
hard to describe. It’s hard to talk about something we don’t know very well. Some of them we didn’t
know much about at all. In our Bible story today, people were saying Jesus was somebody great, like
John the Baptist or one of the prophets—the great people of the Jewish faith. But what they didn’t
understand was that Jesus was even greater than these men. He was more than a prophet or a
teacher. He was the Messiah they had all been waiting for their whole lives!
[Apply] “Sometimes our perceptions of people aren’t who they really are. And even what we
read about people in a history book or through a Google search tells us only a little. But this isn’t
so with Jesus. When Peter said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!’ Jesus said, basically,
‘Right!’ And Jesus taught about Himself for three years, little by little letting people know he was the
One sent to save them. From Jesus’ own words (in the Bible), we can learn who He really is, which can
help us [Impress] practice talking about God more easily and accurately.”
If you lead mostly older kids, consider asking these discussion questions:
 What’s the best thing to do before you start talking about something? (Know what you’re talking
about.) Why?
 What do you know about Jesus?
 How can we know that what we’re saying about Jesus is true? (Read the Bible and look at what
Jesus said about Himself.)
2. My Story, God’s Story (application activity) We will provide copies for this activity. On the
back side of this page, we will also include the duct tape wristband instructions for the closing activity.
What You Need: “My Story, God’s Story” Activity Page, pencils, Bibles
What You Do:
Discuss how part of [Impress] practice talking about God begins with our own experience with Him.
Guide the kids to answer the questions on the Activity Page to help them organize their own God story.
For those that feel comfortable, have them share their story with the rest of the Small Group.
What You Say:
[Apply] “Thinking about your ‘God story’ is a good way to begin figuring out how to talk about
what Jesus has done in your life. When you know your own story, it helps you to [Impress]
practice talking about God. Take what you learned about yourself today, and what you wrote, and
practice that. Practice talking about what you know of Jesus in your own life, how you know He’s real,
and what you have seen Him do in your own life or in the lives of others around you. That part is the
part only you can tell!”
[Make It Personal] Tell the kids your own God story, highlighting when Jesus became real in
your own life and what His salvation means to you. Make sure to keep it age-appropriate. If you
have negative experiences that led you to a relationship with Christ, share that, but keep it
vague and only include necessary details.
5-6 Challenge: Eight Statements from Jesus
What You Need: Tear sheet, marker, Bibles
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If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
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252 Groups
January 2015, Week 2
Small Group, 4-5
What You Do:
Put your tear sheet up on the wall. From the following list, choose two or three statements that Jesus
made about Himself. Choose them based on where your kids are in their relationships with Christ, how
many visitors you have today, how engaged your kids usually are during group discussions, etc. Write
the statements you’ve chosen on the tear sheet.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
I am the bread of life. (John 6:35, 6:48)
I am the light of the world. (John 8:12)
Before Abraham was, I Am. (John 8:58)
I am the door. (John 10:9)
I am the good shepherd. (John 10:11, 14)
I am the resurrection and the life. (John 11:25)
I am the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6)
I am the true vine (and you are the branches). (John 15:1, 4-5)
Next, ask them how they would explain these statements to someone who doesn’t know Jesus. What
would they say? How would they personalize their thoughts and make them relevant to their own lives?
On the tear sheet, make notes about their thoughts.
Next, ask what the kids think about and talk about most. What are their primary concerns? What is it
that keeps us from talking about Jesus? Ask kids to pick one thing that you’ve discussed today and
commit to doing it this week. Be sure to follow up with them next week and ask how it went.
3. Velcro® Verse (memory verse activity / great for active learners) Cheryl recommends perhaps
chaning to using sticky notes instead of ping pong balls if you choose this activity.
What You Need: Bibles, prepared ping-pong balls and poster board, tape
What You Do:
Stick the prepared poster board high up on your wall. Look up the memory verse with your group. See if
anyone can say it without looking at their Bibles. Next, give someone a ping-pong ball with a word of
the memory verse, and ask him to jump up and stick the ball to the poster board. The next person
should take a word and do the same, making sure the words are in the right order. One by one, let kids
stick the words onto the poster board. When all the balls are stuck to it, check to make sure the words
are in the correct order. Pull them all down and try again. Do this as many times as your meeting time
allows. Kids should get better at it with practice.
What You Say:
“Wow! That was great, but it wasn’t easy. Still, the more you practiced at it, the better you seemed to
get. That’s true of anything you commit to, right? [Apply] Just as you had to practice jumping up to
get that ping-pong ball up there, and it got easier, so will talking about God take practice but get
easier the more you do it. [Impress] Practice talking about God this week. If you are doing this, and
you’re also doing what we learned in the last two weeks—practice hearing what God says and praying
to Him—then you may be beginning to experience a lot more of God in your lives. That’s exciting!”
©2014 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
4
252 Groups
January 2015, Week 2
Small Group, 4-5
Pray and Dismiss We will have duct tape for each room and an instruction sheet
What You Need: Duct tape, permanent markers, “Wristbands” Activity Pages; tablet, laptop, or
smartphone with Internet access (optional)
What You Do:
Hand out the Activity Pages so all kids can see one. Allow kids to design their own wristbands with the
duct tape and permanent markers. Somewhere on the bracelet they should write, “Who do you say I
am?” Talk about how important it is to know what you believe. We know what the Bible teaches about
Jesus being the Savior. We know what we’ve heard from being at church. But we also know our own
story and what Jesus has done in our own lives. That’s the story we know better than anyone. These
wristbands can represent all of that. Ask kids to put on their wristbands and put their wrists in a circle.
Put your hand on the stack of wrists and pray.
Note: The following website has short videos of each step to make the wristband. If you choose, you
could let kids watch the how-to videos on a smartphone or tablet. http://www.wikihow.com/Make-aDuct-Tape-Wrist-Band
What You Say:
“God, help each one of us tell people about You and talk about You in regular conversation with friends
and family whenever we see the opportunity. Give us a story to tell about You! And remind us all that
talking TO You more often will make us more able to talk ABOUT You, too! We pray this in Jesus’
name, amen!
[Apply] “Wear those wristbands home, and wear them to school. Keep them on for as long as
you can. If people ask you what they are, tell them about Jesus and what He asked Peter. Why
did Peter say Jesus was the Messiah? What is a Messiah (Savior), and why do we still need one?
(Pause for discussion.) Jesus is the Messiah, the One sent to save all of the people, even to save us.
We all have sin that separates us from God. We know we have it. We know that we do wrong
sometimes. But when we have Jesus in our lives, that sin is forgiven, and Jesus brings us back to God!
Every time someone asks you, you will have an opportunity to [Impress] practice talking about God!
Tell them what you learned today. Tell them what I just told you!”
FOR LEADERS ONLY
GOD VIEW: the connection between COMMITMENT and God’s character,
as shown through God’s One Big Story
Have you never had to endure a child learning how to play the clarinet? It’s pretty awful. Sounds more
like a person strangling a duck then anything close to actual music. But that goes with any musical
instrument, doesn’t it? To become great at playing an instrument, you need to practice … to rehearse.
You need to commit to sticking with it even when you don’t feel like it.
This is true for faith. To grow—to mature—takes practice. It takes commitment. Which is why we’re
taking a whole month to discover how commitment can show up in our lives as we practice our faith.
Commitment is making a plan and putting it into practice.
©2014 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
5
252 Groups
January 2015, Week 2
Small Group, 4-5
If we want to know God better, we need to practice our faith. But this isn’t something that comes
naturally to any of us. That’s why we need a plan to put into practice. And the best place to start is with
faith skills.
Every so often we like to come back around and focus on four faith skills that kids can practice to help
them grow in their faith and know God better. We use four words to help us remember these skills:
HEAR. PRAY. TALK. LIVE.
Each week this month, we’ll focus on one of the faith skills as we talk about making a plan and putting it
into practice.
This month, let’s think about how:
(1) God created commitment and exemplifies it in being committed to us.
(2) Commitment is both a reflection of and a response to God’s character. We can demonstrate His
commitment to us as we commit to knowing Him more.
(3) Commitment is how we follow through on the tasks set before us.
This week, we’re discovering:
Talk. We can know God better by talking about Him with others. But this week isn’t just about talking
about Jesus with people who don’t know Him yet. There’s another important element of talking about
God. As kids process their growing faith, they will have questions and doubts. We want kids to know
they can talk about God and work through their question with others who also believe in Jesus. We’ll
spend time in Matthew 16:13-20 and look at the moment when Peter declared what he believed about
Jesus in front of all the disciples.
Our Bottom Line is: Practice talking about God. We can all share our story of faith with confidence
knowing that Jesus is who He said He is.
Our Memory Verse is 1 Timothy 4:8a, “Training the body has some value. But being godly has
value in every way.” (NIrV) When we commit to practicing our faith and follow through on our plan,
we’ll grow in such a big way that it will impact our entire lives.
©2014 The reThink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. • www.ThinkOrange.com
If you change the content of this document, please add to the copyright: Adapted by (your name/organization name/date).
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