Called to Freedom

Note to the Teacher

Students will dive into what true freedom in Christ really means, looking at the difference between what we do on our own and what the Spirit brings into our lives. They'll think about how growing spiritually takes serious effort and a daily choice to let the Spirit lead.

Weeds versus Fruit (15 minutes)

Create two stacks of note cards. One stack has words like jealousy, anger, and selfishness from the "works of the flesh" list, and the other stack has words like love, patience, and kindness from the "fruit of the Spirit" list. Ensure the words you choose are appropriate for your context; some of the “works of the flesh” might set off spirited debates. Lay the cards out randomly on a table or the floor. Get a bucket called "Fruit Basket" and a trash bin named "Weed Pile." Split students into two teams. Students take turns grabbing a card and figuring out if it goes in the "Fruit Basket" (for a Spirit-led life) or the "Weed Pile" (for those not-so-great behaviors). The other team can jump in and challenge the choice if they can back it up with a Bible verse or a real-life reason it belongs where they say. At the end, the team with the most correctly sorted cards wins.

Option 1: Time each team to see how quickly they can sort the words correctly, highlighting how important it is to quickly identify positive and negative behaviors.

Option 2: Students draw a card labeled "Fruit" or "Weed" and must justify why it could be perceived as either a work of the flesh or a fruit of the Spirit. For example, if students draw "anger," they could state, "Anger isn't always negative—Jesus demonstrated righteous anger in the temple.”

Read Scripture (5 minutes)

Our scripture reading today may be familiar to you. Take a breath. Ready yourself to imagine your role in the story.

Galatians 5:1, 13-25.

Discussion (15 minutes)

• Verse 1 says that Christ has set us free so that we can truly be free. But what does it mean to be free in Christ? How is that different from the freedom we see in the world? Do you think these ways of understanding freedom get confused sometimes?
• Why do you think Paul compares the things people get trapped in with the more positive qualities that come from the Spirit? How do these comparisons help us understand the kind of freedom we should seek? In other words, what are the likely outcomes of acting out the “works of the flesh” and the “fruits of the spirit”?
• What might it mean for love to be guided by the Spirit instead of just relying on our own willpower?
• John Wesley mentioned prayer, reading the Bible, taking Communion, fasting, and having accountability as ways to strengthen our faith. Do you have experience with any of those? Which one do you think is the most important to you, and why?
• What’s one simple way we can “surrender daily” to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us?

Note to the teacher: Unless you are prepared and have pastoral leadership in the group, verses 5:18 and 5:19 can easily distract this conversation from the focus on accountability and better understanding the fruits of the spirit. Verse 5:18 is a short way to say that the laws humankind creates generally are to prevent us from causing harm to others or ourselves, and things like love, joy, peace, etc., would probably not have laws preventing their practice. It does not mean that if you are a Christian, you are not subject to the law. Verse 5:19 begins with noting sexual immorality and impurity. The culture of the Church in Galatia is probably quite different from our culture and time, so engaging in conversations about what immorality or impurity might mean can be sensitive issues that require lots of preparation and understanding to lead a conversation.

Activity and Discussion (20 minutes)

Take this lesson to the next level by getting students’ hands and imaginations involved. Help students see and make an effort to grow the qualities of the Spirit in their lives.

Give each student a small paper pot and a seed—maybe a sunflower, bean, or any fast-growing plant. Next, invite them to personalize their pots by writing or drawing symbols that represent a fruit of the Spirit they’d like to nurture in their lives (like a heart for love or a clock for patience). Once they have finished drawing, invite them to add soil to their pot and plant the seed. This will symbolize their commitment to allowing the Spirit to flourish within them. Encourage them to care for their plants in the coming weeks, using this experience as a reminder of their journey of spiritual growth.

Points for discussion:

• Which fruit of the Spirit have you decided to focus on, and what inspired that choice?
• How do you think the journey of planting and nurturing a seed mirrors the work of the Holy Spirit within us?
• What steps can you take this week to support your spiritual growth?

Final Thought: Growing in the Spirit is a transformative journey that demands our focus, nurturing, and daily surrender. Like a plant needing water and sunlight, we thrive through practices such as prayer, studying Scripture, and community connection. By embracing the Spirit's work, we genuinely reflect God's love and freedom.

TOTAL TIME: 55 minutes

NEEDED RESOURCES:

• Note cards
• Buckets
• Trash bin
• Scissors
• Large pieces of paper