Purpose: The purpose of this one-night study is to familiarize your youth group with the theme of the Newsboys album, Step Up To The Microphone and the heartbeat behind the upcoming tour, and to encourage them to become WorldChangers.
Theme: To know Him and to make Him known.
Objective: By the end of this study your youth should feel compelled to do something this summer to change the world.
Introduction: Have a lip sync/air band contest to Step Up To The Microphone with your youth. Make sure to give them advance notice and be sure to have a great prize (like CDs, T-shirts, or other cool stuff) for the winners. This way, they will not only have enjoyed watching their friends perform, but will have heard the song several times before we get into the meat of the Bible study.
Bible Study Part 1: "Believe"
a.Play the song (read the lyrics)
b.Share 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."
c.Explain to them that the power of the Gospel is that these things are true and they have power to change our lives. When you take that first step and begin to believe, He changes your life. It's like the man who says to a young lady, "I really believe you are the one for me and I want to marry you." And he asks her to marry him. The next year he comes back and says, "I really believe you are the one for me," but they are still engaged. Three years later, "I really believe you are the one for me," but they are still engaged. Finally, that young lady is going to say, 'If you really believe I am the one for you, then I want you to commit." It is the same kind of belief that God wants. Not just a casual belief but a belief so strong that we commit our lives to Him. Once we do that, the truth of the message changes your life and you are never the same.
Bible Study Part 2: "Step Up To The Microphone"
a.Play the song (read the lyrics)
b.Read Peter Furler's testimony about his first mission trip and the band's story about when they went to Panama.
c.Share Matthew 5:14-15. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
d.Wrap up by saying, "If you really believe this thing and it has really changed your life, a natural result of that is to step up to the microphone. The light is burning so brightly inside you just cannot keep it to yourself." Explain that though it may be hard for us to imagine, many people have never even heard the Gospel one time. In fact, 1.3 billion people in the world have never had chance to hear about Jesus. There is no Christian radio or TV, no Bibles, tracts, preachers or missionaries. Nothing. No way for them to find out about Jesus. It is time for us as a youth group to let our light shine in the darkest parts of the world that have never had a chance to hear about Jesus.
Wrap Up: Jesus commanded His disciples, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations" (Matthew 28:16). You may not feel like you know how to preach, but if you really believe Jesus has changed your life, then you have the answer. The Great Commission is not just for older people, it is for everybody, specifically young people.
Challenge: The challenge is for every youth group to send at least two people from their group on a short-term missions trip this summer. This is the summer that teenage America steps up to the microphone, makes their mark on the world, and sets the pace for a whole new millennium. If you do not know where to go, your youth group does not have a missions trip, or you do not know how to plan one, please call Teen Mania. They will be glad to assist you in any way they can.