I Don’t Have To Give Up

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Welcome to Summer To The Max at the Movies!

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What are you doing?

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I just took you down, Bowser, with my fireballs.

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I’m not Bowser, and you’re not Mario.

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I beg to differ. If I’m not Mario, then why did I get a headache and throw up when I ate mushrooms I found growing in the woods behind my house?

Host

Because that’s dangerous, and it will make you sick.

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That makes a lot of sense when you put it like that. I guess I’ll give up on my dreams of being Mario.

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Being Mario, yes, but we’ll learn from today’s Big Point that it’s not always the right choice. We need everyone to help us count down from three, and then we’ll read the Big Point.

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Let’s all say it together, I Don’t Have To Give Up! There are times when you might feel like quitting because a situation seems so difficult.

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Do you mean like when a math test is really hard?

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Yes, but even bigger problems like not feeling like you can find friends, your family fighting a lot, or someone you love getting sick. Some people feel like they should quit following Jesus when problems pop up. That’s exactly when we need to remember our Big Point.

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Wait a second! I have a Super Mario-themed game we can play to display that attitude. I have these balloons; some have gold coins, and some don’t. Let’s have two teams of kids work to pop and find as many coins as possible.

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Don’t quit trying for the entire sixty seconds.

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These kids did a great job of not giving up.

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Following Jesus is the best choice, but it doesn’t mean you won’t have problems. Those problems don’t have to stop you from obeying Jesus. If you keep following Him, then you can be sure that God will keep leading you to the right place.

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Let’s say the Big Point again together,

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I Don’t Have To Give Up! Mario was really struggling to make it through that course, but he kept trying.

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Ultimately, he and Luigi defeated Bowser and saved everyone.

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Everyone has to face difficult challenges at some point. There’s no way around it. You can quit, but the better choice is to keep going. The good news is that God helps us when we choose it.

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Let’s see what the Bible says. We need everyone to count down from three, and then we’ll read the verse.

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James 1:3 (NIrV), “Your faith will be tested. You know that when this happens it will produce in you the strength to continue.”

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There’s a word that’s sometimes used to describe this. It’s called grit. That means that you keep going for as long as you need to reach the goal.

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Our goal is to follow Jesus and become more like Him. Along the way, we will face problems. Those challenges build grit inside of you. That test makes you stronger. Let’s choose some friends to help us on stage.

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Each of them is going to use a resistance band. The more you stretch these bands, the harder it becomes to move. That’s resistance or a test.

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Those movements were challenging. If these volunteers decided to quit after the first exercise, would they grow big muscles? Would they get stronger?

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What do they have to do if they want those things to happen? (Pause) You’re right. They have to keep exercising, even when the resistance is hard. Do they have to do it for a short or long time?

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It takes a long time to build. But we know if we don’t give up that we’ll get stronger.

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Don’t look at your problems as opportunities to quit. When something tests your faith, see that as an opportunity to get stronger.

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Ask God to help you choose the right attitude and to give you His strength.

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Peter faced some difficult challenges himself, but he didn’t quit. Let’s see what happened when he faced down an evil king.

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The Christians didn’t stop praying for Peter, and Peter didn’t give up when the king threw him in jail. God rescued Peter. Peter grew stronger and stronger. That wasn’t the only problem he faced, but he never gave up.

Just like Peter had a group of people praying for him, we have friends at church who love us and pray for us. I’m going to invite you to come to the front and pray with one of our Adult Volunteers. Share what’s going on in your life and ask God together for His help.

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You can’t become a more useful and fruitful Christian if you quit when problems pop up. We want to keep going and going and be part of God’s big plan.

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That brings us to this week’s Big Do.

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Pick a challenging task to do as a family, maybe even something outside where it’s hot. Don’t stop until the job is finished.

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Let’s say our Big Point again,

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I Don’t Have To Give Up!

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Let’s connect in our small groups and discuss today’s lesson.

• How did the other Christians show they had not given up on Peter? They continued to pray for Peter while he was in jail.
• How did God help Peter? He sent an angel to rescue Peter from jail.
• Share a time when you didn’t give up doing something hard. (Allow for answers)
• Why is it important to not give up on following God when you face something difficult? Because if we give up, then we’ll miss out on being part of God’s big plan. Giving up too early stops us from growing stronger.
• What can we do to grow stronger even when something challenging happens? We can ask God for help. We can spend time with God. Follow God and obey Him.