Choose Your Entertainment Wisely. AG Teen Sunday School Manual

TEXT: Prov 4:23; 22:24-25; Matt 6:22-23; 15:18-19; 1 Cor 10:31; 15:33

Entertainment is a central focus of our society. Many people get their political opinions, fashion advice, and even religious ideas from people who entertain us. With entertainment playing such important role in the society, the teens in your class are probably well aware of the views of their favourite movie stars, musicians, and sports icons. Though all of those views may not be wrong or bad, many of those in the entertainment industry have ungodly ideas and standards that spill over into the entertainment they sell.

Entertainment is more than just entertaining; it often has an agenda it is trying to communicate, which often is in opposition to Christian morals and ethics. The media has opened many doors to immorality by subtly feeding us tiny tolerable bites at a time until we have a “hook” in our mouths. Your teenagers may be aware of many of the negative messages the media endorses.

But when they are bombarded with these terrible ideas continually, eventually they may begin to accept things the Scripture defines as UNACCEPTABLE. This study will equip you to help your students recognize and reject the indoctrination their entertainment is dishing out.

The Basic Message: Explain to students…

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• WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?

Your entertainment choices matter to God.

• WHY DOES IT MATTER?

The things you choose for entertainment will affect the way you look at God, others, and even your own life.

• HOW DO I LIVE IT?

Examine the standards you use to choose your entertainment, and reject any entertainment that isn’t plea sing to God.

Activity Option: OKAY OR NOT

Read out the following items, and give students time to think about whether or not each of these items is acceptable:

• Listening to a CD that encourages dancing and close physical contact with members of the opposite sex.

• Playing a video game that contains magical creature and the casting of spells.

• Reading a book that contains descriptions of explicit sexual acts.

Guide: Explain that entertainment might seem harmless because it is generally used to fill time or escape from reality. But it can contain messages that can affect even the strongest Christians. That is why we must choose our entertainment carefully, with God’s standards in mind.

Study Overview: Explain that today’s study considers…

• How everything that we do matters to God.

• How our choices of entertainment can and will affect our relationships with friends and with God

• Ways to guard ourselves against bad choices.

Inform and Discuss

a). Entertainment affects our attitudes and values

1. Discuss the following questions:

• Have you ever read a book or watched a movie where someone who would be evil according to the Bible is the “good guy” ?

• How might this kind of entertainment cause confusion about right and wrong?

Guide: Explain that entertaining media can sometimes send a confusing message. Sometimes this message is confusing for pure entertainment value; sometimes it is because the author wants you to rethink your accepted ideas; and sometimes it is because the author wants to convince you of something.

2. Do you think your entertainment can influence your ideas or opinions? Why?

3. Read or have a volunteer read Matt 6:22-23. What do you think the verse means when it says, “The eye is the lamp of the body”? [Hint What you see influences you. Your eyes help you discover the world around you as well as direct you based on the information you see. Therefore, the eye is one of the major senses used for “taking in” the world around you.

Note: If you consistently take in the evil things of the world, you will be filling yourself with the evil and it will eventually affect your decisions negatively; while taking in positive things has the opposite effect.

4. Read or have a volunteer read Prov 4:23. What are some ways we can guard our hearts when it comes to entertainment? [Guide: Explain that we have the power to choose the entertainment in which we engage. Here are a few basic questions that should be asked when choosing entertainment:

• Is this appropriate entertainment? [Hint: Entertainment shouldn’t cause you to see, hear, or do things that the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and your conscience say you shouldn’t.

• Will it affect me positively or negatively? [Hint: Entertainment shouldn’t have an effect on you that influences you to do inappropriate things.

• What else could I be doing? [Hint: There are always choices of entertainment, so you should always Consider if there is another form that would be better for you.

b). Our entertainment choices will impact others

1. Read or have a volunteer read Matt 15:18-19. How do you think our entertainment choices can influence others? [Hint: The negative or positive theme you take in will eventually come out of you and affect those around you.]

2. Read or have volunteers read 1Cor 15:33; Prov 22:23-24. How do you think poor entertainment choices affect your Christian witness? [Hint: When we begin to “spill out” the ungodly things that poor entertainment choices have put into our hearts, our Christianity is often called into question. It can equally cause some people to question whether or not they want anything to do with Christianity.]

Note: People often make decisions about Christianity and God based on our actions. This is why we need to do everything we can to not misrepresent God and the faith, even in our choices of entertainment.

c). Choose entertainment that pleases God

1. Read or have a volunteer read Phil 4:8. How should our entertainment choices be affected by this verse? [Hint: We should choose those entertainments that contain the characteristics of what we want to become.]

2. Read or have a volunteer read 1 Cor 10:31. What great guide is provided in this verse? [Hint: By making wise decisions in picking entertainment that fills you with godly words, ideas, and character, entertainment can be done to glorify God.]

Involve Them: ENTERTAINMENT EXPLORATION

Bring to class a sales paper from store that contains movie, music, and/or video game advertisements. Read appropriate titles and the rating. Then, if they think that particular movie, CD, or game is acceptable entertainment the class is familiar with a given title, allow them to discuss whether or not for a Christian.

Teacher Hint: Be careful to not allow students to be condescending to one another based on what entertainment they accept or don’t accept. Try to keep the discussion focused on the specific movies or games, not on people who endorse or condemn them.

Guide: Just because someone is an incredible actress, sports star, or writer doesn’t mean they’re qualified to tell you how to live your life God gave us His Word and our conscience to help us decide what is best for us, and He expects us to use both. The next time you are making an entertainment decision, try to think less of who the leading actor is; instead think more about the message the story is sending to your heart.

Inspire Them: Remind students “The Basic Message” of this study (pg 82), explain WHAT the Big ldea behind the study is; WHY it matters, and HOW we can live the lesson captured in the study.

Ministry Activity: DISCERNMENT PRAYER

Ask a volunteer to pray that God would give the class the strength to make good decisions when picking entertainment, even though sometimes the good choices aren’t always what they enjoy most. Also, ask the students to pray that God would give the class members discernment to know what entertainment choices are good for them and which ones are not, even if it is difficult at times to know for sure.

Teacher Hint: Ask Yourself…

1. Do students understand that their entertainment choices can affect them positively or negatively?

2. Did they see that their choices of entertainment can flow out of them and possibly hinder the effectiveness of the gospel?

3. Do they realize that God doesn’t limit our entertainment choices because He doesn’t want us to have fun; He does it because it is best for our character development?

Daily Dew Drops

Mon: The Great Appointment – 2 Corinthians 5:9-10

Tue: Don’t Cultivate Sinful Mind- Romans 8:6-8

Wed: Don’t Make a Practice of Sin – Hebrews 10:26, Isaiah 25:1

Thu: Be Careful What You Watch – Psalms 101:3-4

Fri: A Worthy Covenant – Job 31:11

Sat: Don’t Be a Fool – Proverbs 12:15

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PS: I know you might agree with some of the points that I have raised in this article. You might not agree with some of the issues raised. Let me know your views about the topic discussed. We will appreciate it if you could drop your comment. Thanks in anticipation.

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