For the Sake of the Gospel

Note to the Teacher

The key idea in the scriptures for this lesson is “for the sake of the gospel.” The icebreaker invites youth to answer questions while being distracted. The discussion encourages students to consider what it means to gain the whole world but lose their soul. The activity builds on this premise, encouraging students to evaluate what they look at with earthly eyes versus eternal eyes. Times are based on a fifty-five-minute lesson period but may be adjusted.

Question Fire (15 minutes)

Separate the students into grades. Bring one person from each grade to the front to answer a round of questions. Whoever can answer at least ten questions in ninety seconds wins. Students may “pass” an unlimited number of times. Those who are not guessers can be distractors. When the questions are being asked, other teens may distract them by yelling, making faces, making animal noises, and so on. If you do not have a student from each grade, simply ask for volunteers and ensure that youth have an opportunity to be both a guesser and a distractor. They are not allowed to get into the guessers’ faces or touch them in any way.

You may substitute other questions that would be easier or more challenging for your context.

Questions for Contestant 1:

1. What name does Mulan use while she is in disguise? (Ping)
2. What is it called when caterpillars turn into butterflies? (Metamorphosis)
3. How many ounces are in a gallon? (8 oz)
4. What letter comes after “N”? (O)
5. How many lives do cats have? (1)
6. In what sport is “love” a score? (Tennis)
7. How many noses does a slug have? (4)
8. What is the largest planet in the solar system? (Jupiter)
9. What letter is not included in any of the 50 U.S. State names? (Q)
10. Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? (SpongeBob SquarePants)
11. What did Jesus call his followers? (Disciples)
12. How many brothers does Prince Hans of the Southern Isles have in Frozen? (12)
13. What does Hakuna Matata mean? (No worries)
14. What is the most popular topping on popcorn? (Butter)

Questions for Contestant 2

1. How many disciples did Jesus have? (12)
2. What branch of the military uses submarines? (Navy)
3. How long was the genie stuck in the lamp before Aladdin found him? (10,000 years)
4. Which Disney princess attended Elsa’s coronation day in Arendelle? (Rapunzel)
5. What colors are the stars on an American Flag? (White)
6. What ocean is off the California coast? (Pacific)
7. How many pairs of wings do bees have? (2)
8. Where is the Great Pyramid of Giza? (Egypt)
9. How many minutes are in a year? (525,600)
10. Who wrote Hamlet? (William Shakespeare)
11. What color are Smurfs? (Blue)
12. How old is Crush in Finding Nemo? (150 years)
13. Emperor Kuzco turns into what animal in The Emperor’s New Groove? (Llama)
14. What color is your youth pastor’s car?

Questions for Contestant 3

1. An _________ a day keeps the doctor away. (Apple)
2. What is perfect vision? (20/20)
3. Who sewed the first American Flag (Betsy Ross)
4. Who is Batman’s crime-fighting partner? (Robin)
5. Why do things fall when you drop them? (Gravity)
6. What is the tallest animal in the world? (Giraffe)
7. A scientist who studies rocks is called a _________? (Geologist)
8. What food do pandas eat? (Bamboo)
9. Pongo and Perdita originally had how many puppies in 101 Dalmatians? (15)
10. What is the name of Rapunzel’s chameleon in Tangled? (Pascal)
11. Which Disney character sings “Kiss the Girl” (Sebastian)
12. What is the capital of Louisiana? (Baton Rouge)
13. How many continents are in the world? (7)
14. How many bones do sharks have? (Zero)

Questions for Contestant 4

1. How many books are in the Bible? (66)
2. What color is the stem of a red rose? (Green)
3. What disease can you get from a deer tick? (Lyme disease)
4. In what country were the Olympic Games invented? (Greece)
5. The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the U.S. from what country? (France)
6. What famous ocean liner sank on its first voyage in 1912? (Titanic)
7. Which Monster’s Inc character is “always watching”? (Roz)
8. “We don’t talk about _______” from Encanto. (Bruno)
9. In what country was Justin Bieber born? (Canada)
10. Where was the Declaration of Independence signed? (Philadelphia)
11. How many times does Santa “check his list”? (Twice)
12. What blood type is known as the universal donor? (O negative)
13. What is the only sport that has been played on the moon? (Golf)
14. T ’Challa is the king of what fictional country? (Wakanda)

Read Scripture (5 minutes)

Our scripture reading today suggests how we should do things for the “sake of the gospel.”

Read Mark 8:31-38, 9:2-9.

Discussion (15 minutes)

• What in this scripture encouraged you, challenged you, or stuck out to you? Why?
• How do you know when you need to change your thoughts?
• What do you think it means to have an eternal perspective?
• Who in your life do you think has more of an eternal perspective? Why?

Activity and Discussion (20 minutes)

Get enough Play-Doh or clay for groups of four to work on. Have all students sit in a circle and give every fourth person a lump of clay on a plate. When you say “go,” tell them an object to create. Give them a few seconds to begin creating. Randomly call out “left” or “right. When you call the directions, the makers must pass the clay to the person on the left or right. After several switches, tell the next person to destroy the creation and come up with something new.

Points for discussion:

1. The scripture says that if we try to hang onto our life, we lose it. Did you want to hold on to any of the creations? Why or why not?
2. What distracts you from keeping an eternal perspective?
3. What kinds of things should we “give up” so that we can follow Christ?

TOTAL TIME: 55 minutes.

NEEDED RESOURCES:

• Clay or Play-Doh
• Plates