W E E K 1

LEARNING FROM
OUR MISTAKES
ESTIMATED TIME
1 HOUR 30 MINUTES

RESOURCES
›› iPad/computer and projector.
›› Slides, posters, printouts and video testimony (see extra material).
TEA CH ER S ’ G U ID E

8
 CONNECT 25 MINUTES

AIMS
›› To understand that there are paths that
lead to abundant life and paths that lead to
spiritual, emotional and physical death.
OBJECTIVES
›› To identify some of the things that can lead
us down the path that veers toward death.
›› To recognize the opportunities that God
wants to give us when we choose the path
that leads to life.
WELCOME
10 MINUTES
ACTIVITY 2
10 MINUTES
›› Divide the students into 2 groups - with group A
on one side, and group B on the other.
›› Ask one volunteer from each group to come
to the front to represent their team.
›› Project the 10 posters for this session (see
extra material) onto the screen. Each poster
should only be shown for a maximum of 10
seconds.
›› The first of the two volunteers to raise their
hand will have the opportunity to define the
concept on the poster in one sentence. The
teacher will judge the quality of the answer
and award a point accordingly.

›› Allow the students to come in and find a seat. ›› If neither of the volunteers knows how to
answer within the allotted time, someone
›› Welcome the students to LifeClass and
from their teams can help them.
spend some time finding out a little about
them, asking them to introduce themselves ›› If no satisfactory answer is given, simply move
onto the next slide.
to each other.
›› The team with the most points wins the game.
ACTIVITY 1
5 MINUTES
››POSTERS
›› Project the slide with the following verse onto • Stubbornness
the screen: “There is a way that seems right • Opportunity
to a man, but its end is the way of death” • Life
(Proverbs 14:12 NASB). • Success
• Change
›› Ask 2 students to explain what they
L IF EC L AS S

• Youth
understand from the verse.
• Encounter
›› Explain that today’s class is a new opportunity • Reconciliation
9
for them to return to the path that leads to • Restoration
life. • Learning
 CONCEIVE 1 HOUR

AIMS
›› To understand that God wants to restore us
and give us His salvation and the opportunity
to have a much better life despite the mistakes
we have made.
›› To reflect on the lives we have been living so
that we can come to a place of choosing the
life God offers us.
OBJECTIVES
›› To recognize the different phases the prodigal
son lived through.
›› To identify the four precious opportunities he
had.
›› To know that the Lord wants to give each of
us those same opportunities.
ACTIVITY 2
15 MINUTES
›› Divide the class into 6 groups.
›› Give each group a number between 1 and 6.
›› Give out the 6 posters (see extra material)
accordingly, one per group. Each poster tells
a different part of the story of the prodigal
son.
›› Each group will have 4 minutes to prepare a
drama for the scene they have been given.
Each drama should last no longer than one
minute.
›› Allow the groups to present their dramas in
the order of the story.

ACTIVITY 3
ACTIVITY 1 20 MINUTES

7 MINUTES Note: Prepare in prayer: ask the Lord to

Show this week’s video testimony. anoint the lesson and enable you to share the
message in a real and relevant way. Use our
suggested points and add your own personal
testimonies. Remember not to spend more
than 20 minutes speaking.
›› Say a short prayer to begin.
›› Using the following message outline,
explain the four opportunities that the new
TEA CH ER S ’ G U ID E

believer has during this course.

10
 INTRODUCTION
LifeClass is:
AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET GOD
As your true Father.
AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE RESTORED
›› Spiritually, personally and in your family
relationships.
›› Show the image of the cross. Explain that
the cross was made of 2 pieces of wood:
one horizontal and the other vertical. God
provided reconciliation on the cross, firstly
with Himself, and then with our neighbor.
God’s heart is that we would live a life of
peace and harmony with everyone as far as
possible (Colossians 1:20).
AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE
›› God wants to make us new and mend what
has been broken in us because of the wrong
decisions we have made.
AN OPPORTUNITY TO FIND PROVISION
›› God longs to give us everything we need:
spiritual, emotional and material provision.
ACTIVITY 4
5 MINUTES
›› Ask the students to reflect on what they think
the difference between living and surviving is.
›› Ask some of the students to share their
opinions.
›› Provide a contrast between the life the world
offers and the life God offers.
WORLD
• Satisfying the desires of the soul (I
want, I think, I feel).
Investing time into pursuing pas-
•
sing pleasures.
• Acting according to our own will,
forgetting about God.
• Ignoring the reality of eternity af-
ter death.
GOD
• Having constant communion with
God, continually nourishing our
spirit.
• Having abundance in all things
(family, emotions, intellect,
personal goals, etc.).
• Doing the will of God in our lives
- His will is always good, pleasing
and perfect.
• Obtaining eternal salvation for
our souls.
“Do not love this world nor the things it
offers you, for when you love the world,
you do not have the love of the Father in
you. For the world offers only a craving for
physical pleasure, a craving for everything
we see, and pride in our achievements and
possessions. These are not from the Father,
but are from this world. And this world is
fading away, along with everything that
people crave. But anyone who does what
pleases God will live forever”
(1 John 2:15-17 NLT).
L IF EC L AS S
›› Explain to your students that:
“Today, God is inviting you to choose the
path that leads to eternal life.” 11
 CREATE
AIMS
›› To decide to receive God’s forgiveness
and restoration through the four precious
opportunities He offers us.
OBJECTIVES
›› To recognize the four precious opportunities
God offers us.
›› To identify which of these we would like to
experience and why.
ACTIVITY 1
10 MINUTES
›› Give each student a printout of the blank
polaroid picture (see extra material).
TEA CH ER S ’ G U ID E
›› Ask the students to write down which one of
the opportunities they would like to experience
(Encounter, Reconciliation, Restoration or
12 Provision) in the space provided under the
polaroid.
15 MINUTES
›› Ask the students to find a photo of themselves
and stick it onto the polaroid frame during
the week.
›› The students should now write down on the
back of the sheet why they want to experience
the opportunity they have chosen.
›› Share some of the students’ answers in next
week’s session.
WEEKLY CHALLENGE
5 MINUTES
›› Encourage the students to go back over their
notes from today’s lesson.
›› Teach the students how to read the student
book (show them that each day has something
for them to read and to do). Set them the
challenge of reading their book every day
and completing the exercises.
›› Encourage them to think about which activity
they enjoy most as they read through the
book during the week so that they can talk
about their experiences in the following class.
PRAYER
5 MINUTES
Lead the students in prayer so that they can:
›› Have a real encounter with Jesus
›› Be restored and made new
›› Access the provision that comes from God.
Note: If necessary, take some extra time to
pray for your students and minister to them.
Be careful not to run over the allocated time of
each class.