Salt Training Session 1

Ice-Melter: Text Me

GAME: Text Me is a version of the old “telephone” whisper-in-your-ear game. But instead of whispering a word or phrase, students use their finger to write a word on the arm of the next person.

Organize your students into teams of 8 to 10, with each team forming a separate line. Using the list of words provided below, secretly communicate to the first person in each team’s line the exact same word to pass along via the “arm texting” method of communication. The word gets passed from person to person silently, through the writing motion on each arm. Those on the team who haven’t received the text yet must keep their eyes closed. Absolutely no peeking or whispering allowed—this is tactile communication only. Have the final person in each line shout the word out loud immediately when the message gets to them. Award a point to the first team that finishes with the correct word. Word by word, run the teams simultaneously through the list of words. Tally the cumulative points to determine the winning team.

Work from this word list:

• exercise

• popcorn

• ham

• heat

• pickles

• Doritos

• PB&J

• peanuts

Introducing the Series

After the opening activity, settle your students, gather their attention up front, and open with prayer. Then reread the entire list of words just used in the game.

ASK

Did anyone pick up on a common thread across this list of words that we used when we played our game? (All make you thirsty. But if no one picks up on the common thread, encourage them to think about the question as they watch the video introduction to the Salt series, and then revisit the question.)

EXPLAIN

Let’s take a look at the intro video. It will help give us a feel for our new five-week series.

VIDEO

Play “Introducing Salt.”

EXPLAIN

What was the common thread in our word game? (Things that make you thirsty)

Creating thirst—that’s what this series is about.

ASK

• In Matthew 5:13, Jesus said to His followers, “You are the salt of the earth.”

• Does this seem like a strange thing to say? What was Jesus talking about when He said this?

• What is salt used for? (Brings flavor, makes things taste better, preserves food)

• Is Jesus talking about physical thirst, like you get when you eat lots of salty foods?

EXPLAIN

Here’s The Message paraphrase of Jesus’s statement about us being salt: “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth.”

ASK

• How do followers of Jesus add flavor to things?

EXPLAIN

As believers, we should bring a God-flavor—or you could say, a God-focus—to everything! And our God-focus should improve everything we touch: at our school, in our relationships, our music, our entertainment, our clubs and teams, our job—everything. Everywhere we are, as Christians, Jesus says we’re to add a God-flavor to things—including our conversations.

So for the next five weeks, we’re going to be learning how to be “salt” in our conversations. We’re going to learn how to initiate give-and-take spiritual conversations with others, especially with those who don’t know Jesus.

Each week we’ll be exploring a different spiritual question people often wonder about. For each question, we’ll take a look at a different, thought-provoking clip you can use to get a conversation about Jesus started with your friends.

Trust me. This is not in any way going to be an exercise in shoving your beliefs down someone else’s throat. On the contrary, this series and the clips we’re going to be talking about are designed to help you learn how to engage in real, authentic, relevant, spiritual conversations about topics people care about. And the goal is to awaken a thirst in others that only Jesus—the Living Water—can quench.

This is about inviting people into conversations that matter for all eternity, until everyone around us has the chance to hear the good news of the Gospel from someone they know and trust.

Granted, for some of us, the thought of talking about Jesus with others can feel scary, intimidating, and outside our comfort zone. But don’t worry—that just means there’s more room for God to move in and help you along the way.

So now it’s time to jump into the first topic Salt addresses:

“Have you ever wondered about God?”

Pass out the Salt Week 1 handout and pens/pencils.

Take a minute to respond to the question you see there: What are the first five words that jump into your head when you hear the word “God”?

Pause for a minute to give students time to write down their thoughts, and then ask them to share some of their words.

There are lots of different views of God out there, which is evident from the variety of our responses just here in our own group. And that makes this question particularly intriguing. So let’s take a look at our video now and dig a little deeper.

VIDEO

Play the clip Have You Ever Wondered About God?

ASK

• Why are there so many different views of God?

• What do you think are some of the most commonly held views about God among your friends?

EXPLAIN

It’s fine to exercise our personal preference when we choose our hats, but it’s a whole different thing when we’re talking about God. It’s about more than personal preference—it’s about GOD. Wedon’t determine who He is and what He’s like—God himself determines it.

So let’s take a look at what the Bible has to say to those who “wonder about God” and want to know what He’s like.

[S]earch the Bible

ASK

Can I have a volunteer look up John 14:8-9 in their Bible and read it out loud for us?

THE BIBLE SAYS:

John 14:8-9. Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!”

ASK

• So here we have Philip wondering about God. What does Jesus say to him here?

• Now let’s take a look at the passage in the video. Can I have a volunteer read Colossians 1:15 and 20? You can find these verses on your handout.

THE BIBLE SAYS:

Colossians 1:15, 20. Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation…and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

ASK

• What is the apostle Paul saying in this passage about how to get to know the invisible God?

• The Bible is an amazing source of insight for us when it comes to knowing Jesus. What specific things does this passage we just read tell us about Jesus? I see five things here in just this short passage. Let’s talk it through as a group, and you can write down your own notes in the space provided on your handout. (Preexistent, supreme, reconciler, made peace with everything, sacrificially went to the cross)

• Next, let’s look at the other passage mentioned in the video. Can I have a volunteer read Philippians 3:8-9 out loud for us?

THE BIBLE SAYS:

Philippians 3:8-9. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him.

[A]pply the Truth Personally

EXPLAIN

So what does this mean for us personally? If you want to know who God is, know Jesus.

But we don’t want to just go around spouting religious words to others. We want to apply what we’re learning to our own lives, so we don’t turn into hypocrites who say one thing but do another.

ASK

• What does “knowing Jesus” look like?

• What does “knowing Jesus better than you currently do” look like?

• Is “knowing Jesus” about more than filling your head with facts about Jesus? Why do you think that?

Jesus died for us because He wanted to restore our relationship with Him. That means He considers our relationship with Him immensely important—and we should too!

Two of the primary ways we get to know Him are through prayer and reading the Bible—these help us get to know Him better and better. So here’s a simple example of a way you can get to know Jesus better. I’m going to read through four of Jesus’s “I Am” statements in the book of John— there are more than these four, so if you want to study them sometime, it would be a great way to go even deeper.

As I read these four statements, be thinking about which one attracts you the most, given where you’re at in your relationship with Jesus right now.

Jesus’s “I Am” Statements

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35) (Satisfies my spiritual needs)

“I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8:12) (Shows me how to live)

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) (Restores my relationship with the Father)

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) (Lives in me and empowers me)

EXPLAIN

On the next page of the handout, draw a simple sketch depicting whichever “I am” statement intrigues you most. Place yourself somewhere in the sketch you draw. (OPTIONAL: If time allows, give your students a few minutes to share with a partner what they drew and why.)

[L]isten to Others Deeply

EXPLAIN

So now it’s time to talk about how to use the clip we watched earlier with your friends. Share the video link however you want—on social media or on your phone as you sit next to your friend…whatever fits you best. This week, pray and then share it with at least one person. Then, follow it up with: “I want to know what you think.”

On your handout, you’ll find a few questions that can help you get the conversation going when you follow up. Questions like:

• What did you think of the video?

• What do you think God is like?

• Do you come from a religious background? If so, what was it like?

• Where does your view of God come from?

• Do you think it’s legit to decide what we want God to be like and then believe that about Him?

• Have you ever thought about the God-human connection as a “relationship,” instead of as a “religion”?

[T]alk About the Gospel

EXPLAIN

Once you’ve opened up the conversation and better understand where the other person is coming from, talk about the Gospel.

Say something like:

“Jesus’s Gospel message tells us a lot about what God is like—relational, loving, giving, and forgiving. Has anyone ever explained the Gospel to you?”

Then take them to the cross by talking about John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Next week, we’ll be talking in more detail about the core essentials of how to explain the Gospel to someone. But in the meantime, if you’re not sure what to say, just talk about the cross or try using the Life in 6 Words app

Come back next week prepared to share what happened in your conversations with your friends.

Closing

Close the meeting by allowing time for questions and praying for friends who don’t know Jesus. Also, provide an opportunity for students to trust Christ. Say something like:

Maybe you’re here today, and all of this talk about Jesus is new to you or made sense to you for the very first time. If you’ve never put your trust in Jesus before, I want to invite you to do that right now. Like the Something Amazing video explained, by simply believing, you can receive this free gift of life with Jesus that starts now and lasts forever.

Invite students who decided to trust Christ to see you after the meeting so you can get them some follow-up materials to help them grow. If you need a resource for that, try this free, downloadable seven-week study that a student can go through on their own or with a leader or peers: