RealTimeFaith.net : 1Q Lesson 10: What Stinks?

1 Corinthians 10:12-14 (The Message)

“These are all warning markers—DANGER!—in our history books, written down so that we don't repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel—they at the beginning, we at the end—and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were. Don't be so naive and self-confident. You're not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it's useless. Cultivate God-confidence.

“No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it.

“So, my very dear friends, when you see people reducing God to something they can use or control, get out of their company as fast as you can.

“Throw a pebble into a lake, and a wave is formed, and another; and as they increase the circle widens, until it reaches the very shore. So with our influence. Beyond our knowledge or control it tells upon others in blessing or in cursing.

“No one can live to himself in this world, even if he would. Each one forms a part of the great web of humanity. No man can be independent of his fellow-men; for the well-being of each affects others” (Ellen G. White, The Signs of the Times, October 21, 1903).

WHAT STINKS?

Josh, Gregory, and Seth were in their next-to-the-last year of high school. They were good students. They were also mischievous. They played high-spirited pranks on one another and on their classmates.

Two days before school was out, they had finished their final exams and were feeling restless. Seth said, “We should do something really crazy tomorrow. No one will know it’s us because they will think it’s someone who is graduating.”

“What should we do?” asked Josh.

“Why don’t we put something really stinky in the vents and we’ll stink up the school so badly, we’ll have to get out early,” replied Seth.

“I don’t know,” said Gregory, “That might not be such a good idea.”

“Don’t be such a spoilsport,” said Seth, “No one will ever find out. It will be fun.”

“We won’t hurt anyone.” Said Gregory “Besides, everyone needs a good laugh.

They’re all tense from studying for finals.”

&dquo;Well, I guess, “said Gregory.

“C’mon, Greg,” chided Seth, “You’re not bailing out on us now. It’s almost the last day of school. Even if we get caught—which we won’t—what could they do to us?”

“OK,” said Gregory, “I’ll do it.”

The boys made plans to go to the fish market and get chum, frozen fish scraps. That night they sneaked into the school. Taking their cooler of chum with them, they went all over the school placing pieces of it in desks, lockers, cabinets, vents fans, ceiling tiles, tissue dispensers. Within an hour, it was everywhere.

The next day when they arrived at school, everyone was complaining about the smell, but no one seemed to know where it was coming from. That is until some people opened their lockers and their desks. Their classmates screamed and cried at what they found. Seth, Gregory and Josh just played along, but they were laughing inside.

Things got worse at lunch time. The chum the boys had placed in the celing tiles melted and fell down on a group of students trying to eat their lunch. Everyone lost their appetite. Then as the day got hotter, the smell became worse. Students started gagging and becoming sick to their stomachs.

The headmistress made an announcement asking whoever had played the prank to report to the office. Assuming that the students who were graduating had done it, she sharply criticized them. Still the three said nothing. The smell and fumes became so bad that school was dismissed early.

Word got out about the prank; and suddenly, all the radio stations were talking about it. Seth was listening to the radio as the announcers were discussing who would have done such a thing. Seth got excited and called the station, confessing that he and his friends had done it. He had even thought up a fake name to give if they asked who he was, but he accidentally said his own name. The announcer repeated his name on the air. Seth knew he was in trouble.

The next day as soon as he got to school, Seth was called to the principal’s office. He was encouraged to name his accomplices, but he refused. He was shocked when a few minutes later a police officer arrived. Seth was charged with a crime that went on his record. Although he could have been sent to juvenile jail, he was instead sentenced to helping the janitor clean up the mess. In addition, he had to spend his summer doing community-service projects. And he never did get to the beach or the mountains. To his credit, he took full responsibility for his actions.

Why did Seth take the blame for the actions of all three boys?
What did the boys do that got them into trouble?
What might have happened if one of the boys had resisted peer pressure?

“The strongest bulwark of vice in our world is not the iniquitous life of the abandoned sinner or the degraded outcast; it is that life which otherwise appears virtuous, honorable, noble, but in which one sin is fostered, one vice indulged. To the soul that is struggling against temptation, trembling on the very verge of yielding to evil, such a life is one of the most powerful enticements to sin.

“God calls for strong, brave Christians, whose influence is always exerted for the right. His cause needs men and women whose every word and act draws those around them to Christ, binding them to Him by the persuasive force of loving service. Men and women who commune with God, who, because they co-operate with the heavenly angels, are surrounded by a holy influence, are needed at this time” (Ellen G. White, The Signs of the Times,October 21, 1903).

HERE’S WHAT I THINK

You are at a party with your friends. One of them produces a lighter and a fake cigarette. She “smokes” it. Your other friends try it too and invite you to join them. You hesitate. “It’s fake. It’s not like your smoking a real cigarette,” they say. Do you agree with them? Why or why not? How do you respond?

Log on to http://guidemagazine.org/rtf to post your responses. Be up-front and honest. Say what you think. The lines below are provided as an alternative to posting. You may also wish to record your thoughts to share with your class later.

Tempted and Tried

Find the hidden words within the grid of letters. Words can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal, and backward or forward. Clue: The words are either the names of people who were tempted in the Bible, or some objects or people used to tempt them. After you find the names, write them on the lines below the puzzle and tell what their temptations were. (Key located at end of lesson.)

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“Mutual dependence is a wonderful thing. Reciprocal influence should be carefully studied. We should find out without doubt on what side we are exerting our influence. When placed on the side of right, influence is a power for God; when placed on the side of evil, it is a power for Satan. One human being under Satan's control becomes a means of temptation to another human being. Thus evil grows into immense proportions” (Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, April 16, 1901).

“ ‘Gather up my influence, and bury it with me,’ a man upon his death-bed exclaimed. But could this be done?—No, no! Like the thistle seed carried by the wind, his influence had been borne everywhere, never to be recalled.” {Ellen G. White, The Signs of the Times, October 21, 1903).

SO WHAT?

Peer pressure is that state of being influenced by people in your age or social group. Many Bible characters experienced peer pressure. Think about Samson (Judges 13-16). He hung out with the wrong crowd, the Philistines. His girlfriend was a Philistine. She pressured him into telling the secret of his strength, and he lost not only his strength but his freedom as well. Blind and alone, he started to think about God and his family. In time, God gave him back his strength, and he was able to behave like the warrior of Israel that God had intended him to be.

Peter experienced peer pressure. He was ashamed of being a follower of Christ so he tried to behave like all the other people gathered to watch Jesus’ humiliation during His trial at the high priest’s house (Luke 22:54-62). Later Peter repented and became an awesome force for good and for God. He then exerted positive peer pressure on others. As an agent of God’s kingdom, you are called, in the Spirit’s power, to resist negative peer pressure and to exert positive peer pressure.

How can you “exert positive peer pressure”?
What makes ignoring peer pressure so difficult?
Why is it harder for some people to ignore negative peer pressure?
What are ways that you and your friends can exert positive peer pressure?

Fill in the blanks. Then choose a text from the ones below and memorize it.

“It is ___________ and _______________ when God’s people live together in peace!” (Psalm 133:1, NCV).
“Happy are those who don’t listen to the ___________. He doesn’t go where ____________ go. Who _____________ do what evil people do. (Psalm 1:1, NCV).
“If sinners __________ you, do not give in to them. If they say, ‘_______ ______ _______ ______’,. . . .do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths.” (Proverbs 1:10-15, NIV).
“A friend is ________ _________, and a brother is born to help in _______ of ________.” (Proverbs 17:17, NLT).
“There are ‘_________’ who __________ each other but a _______ friend ______________ closer than a _________.” (Proverbs 18:24, NLT).

Romans 12: 1, 2 (The Message)

“So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”

Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, pp. 91-93

Highlight the sentence that begins, “Let the purpose be sincere and unwavering. . .”
Highlight the paragraph that begins, “Yielding to temptation begins. . .”

If the youth today would stand as Daniel stood, they must put to the stretch every spiritual nerve and muscle. The Lord does not desire that they shall remain novices. He wishes them to reach the highest round of the ladder, that they may step from it into the kingdom of God,” (Child Guidance, p. 167).

“If the youth rightly appreciate this important matter of character building, they will see the necessity of doing their work so that it will stand the test of investigation before God. The humblest and weakest, by persevering effort in resisting temptation and seeking wisdom from above, may reach heights that now seem impossible. These attainments cannot come without a determined purpose to be faithful in the fulfillment of little duties. It requires constant watchfulness that crooked traits shall not be left to strengthen. The young may have moral power, for Jesus came into the world that He might be our example and give to all youth and those of every age divine help.” (Child Guidance, pp. 167, 168).

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?

Peer pressure is a fact of life. Even adults have to deal with it. It never really goes away. The thing you can do about peer pressure is to know how to handle it. One thing you can do is to know exactly how God made you to function best. Then know yourself; know what is important to you, and what you believe in.

Another thing is to know whose you are. You are a child of God and an agent of the kingdom. As such, you have to adhere to a higher standard and be faithful to God and what He asks you to do.

A very practical thing you can do to resist negative peer pressure is to surround yourself with positive people who not only believe as you do, but who also put their beliefs into practice and encourage you to do the same. A final thing you can do is to practice responses to some of the things your peers may ask you to do. It’s easier to say “No” when you’ve done it a number of times—even if it has been in the privacy of your own room!

Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p.93.2-95.1

Highlight the paragraph that begins, “No one can occupy a neutral position. . . .”
Highlight the paragraph that begins, “The strongest bulwark of vice in our world is not. . . .”

“Those who are defective in character, in conduct, in habits and practices, are to take heed to counsel and reproof. This world is God's workshop, and every stone that can be used in the heavenly temple must be hewed and polished, until it is a tried and precious stone, fitted for its place in the Lord's building. But if we refuse to be trained and disciplined, we shall be as stones that will not be hewed and polished, and that are cast aside at last as useless.

“It may be that much work needs to be done in your character building, that you are a rough stone which must be squared and polished before it can fill a place in God's temple. You need not be surprised if with hammer and chisel God cuts away the sharp corners of your character, until you are prepared to fill the place He has for you. No human being can accomplish this work. Only by God can it be done. And be assured that He will not strike one useless blow. His every blow is struck in love, for your eternal happiness. He knows your infirmities, and works to restore, not to destroy” (Child Guidance, p. 168).

“The strongest bulwark of vice”? What does that mean? Please look up the words bulwark and vice, and then explain what that passage in “Today’s Reading” is talking about.
Why does it matter whether or not you “sit on the fence” or as it is mentioned in the reading above “occupy a neutral position” when you are being tempted?
Why does it matter what choices we make when we are tempted?

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Go to a search engine such as Google, type in “peer pressure quiz” and see if you can find one to take just for fun.
According to the anti-drug Web site of the Do It Now Foundation, there are five steps to every decision. The first letter of each step spells out the world IDEAL. Thinking these steps out ahead of time, asking God to give you wisdom, is the ideal way to make positive decisions when you are faced with negative peer pressure. Try it with some situations you know you will probably face.
Identify the problem situation you are faced with.
Describe some possible actions you could take.
Evaluate those ideas. Which one is the best?
Act out the plan you decide on.
Learn for the future.

Try describing IDEAL behavior for the following situations. Remember to include prayer for strength and guidance before, during and after the steps.

Your teammates want you to skip church to play in an exhibition game for charity. The winning team gets to name the amount of money that will go to help children orphaned by AIDS. Your teammates say they can’t win without you; besides, it’s for a good cause.
Your cousin invites you to spend the night at her house. He parents call to say that they will be late returning home from a meeting because they have car trouble. She invites some neighbor boys over, although she knows she isn’t supposed to have guests when her parents aren’t home.
In your home the rule is: No tattoos. No piercings. No jewelry. But your best friend’s sister’s boyfriend’s uncle is a tattoo artist. Your best friend says, “He can sign the permission slips and give us the tattoo or pierce our navels. The tattoo can be really small and it won’t be in a place where anyone will see it. You always cover your stomach anyway, so no one will ever see your navel ring. And my sister will pay for everything. She gets a discount.”

(Key to Tempted and Tried word search: Abraham, bread, Daniel, desert, Eve, food, friends, fruit, idols, lie, Potiphar’s wife, Samson, stones, temple)