If you’re short on prep time or just looking for some extra guidance, our weekly Leader Training is designed to help you lead your students through the week’s lesson.
This is the Leader Training for Session 6 of our Winter 2023 study of the Gospel of John, chapters 1–11 (suggested use date: January 8, 2023).
You can also download this week’s leader training in PDF format here.
Session 6: Living Water
Key Text: John 4:9-29
Central Truth:
John 4 recounts a stunning conversation Jesus had with a woman at a well, during which He used physical thirst to reveal her spiritual thirst. This conversation makes it clear: Jesus is the rescue she had longed for, and He is the only one who can offer life-giving water to eternally quench spiritual thirst. Jesus offers living water that saves us from death and satisfies us in life.
Key Question:
What might this woman have longed for? How might her longings have been satisfied by the living water that Jesus offers?
What we know about God can help us understand why the living water that Jesus offers is life-giving and able to satisfy. For a woman who might not have received much compassion in her life, how wonderful it must have been to talk with the One who is known for His compassion! For a woman who had been rejected, how beautiful it must have been to be invited to fellowship with the One who was willing to endure rejection that she might have togetherness!
Keep in Mind:
— The Samaritan woman is famous for having had five husbands. Often, we are quick to view her through our cultural lens and place condemnation upon her. Though her marriages could have been the result of her own sin, cultural differences can lead us to wonder about other possibilities: that she was mistreated quite significantly or suffered great loss. Either way, we need to let Jesus’s compassion inform our thoughts and actions. Invite your students to view her and others with tenderness.
— Condemnation is a tricky topic because it presses into the most tender parts of us. Be on the lookout for students who have endured condemnation from others or who are especially prone to condemn themselves. How can you show them the good news of the gospel?
Application:
What kind of “spiritual thirst” do you notice in yourself?
The Win:
FOR THE STUDENT: Students can begin to use the framework of “spiritual thirst” to help them become aware of what they long for and the God who can save and satisfy them.
FOR THE LEADER: Use the language of “spiritual thirst” to help students process their internal battles. Help them discover what they are longing for and point them to the only One who offers life-giving water.
Additional Helps:
Youth ministry can be lonely work. Collaborate in a caring online community with hundreds of other youth ministers like you—join Youth Ministry Booster!
We believe that parents are called to be the primary disciplers of their children—but those parents need discipling, too! Subscribe to Parent Partner and get invaluable tools for serving the parents in your church and equipping them to disciple their students at home.
Listen to the weekly Lifeway Student Ministry Podcast for fresh perspectives on student ministry in today’s world. Hosted by Ben Trueblood, Director of Student Ministry at Lifeway, and produced by Nathan Howard, Project Coordinator for Lifeway Students.
Read our guide to creating a safer, more engaging environment for online Bible study.
Watch replays of our webinars for group leaders and teachers, hosted by Ken Braddy, Lifeway’s Director of Sunday School. These webinars are designed to help leaders build their confidence, strengthen their groups, and enhance their Bible studies.