LESSON 5: LISTEN AND RESPOND
THEME: HEARING GOD’S VOICE – PART 1
VERSES:
- John 8:47: “Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”
- Jeremiah 33:3: “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”
VOCABULARY: possible, strong relationship, merely, guidance, doubted
STORY: There is a woman. Her name is Monica. She is 35 years old. She has a friend named Sebas. Sebas is 34 years old and has a strong relationship with the Lord. Sebas told Monica one day how he hears from the Lord. Monica could not believe him. She did not believe that it was actually possible to hear from the Lord. Monica believed in the Lord but she did not have a strong relationship with the Lord. Her friend Sebas has been trying to get her to have a stronger relationship with the Lord. He explained to her that the Lord says in John 8:47; “Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” Sebas explained to Monica that we cannot merely believe in God, but that every person should have a personal relationship with the Lord. Monica did not fully understand what Sebas meant but she spent time seeking the Lord and asking Him for guidance. Monica spent a lot of time in the Word and one verse always stuck out to her. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” This verse really spoke to Monica. She realized that although she had been a Christian her whole life, she had never really sought out the Lord. She started seeking the Lord in everything she did. She gradually started hearing responses from the Lord. He started speaking to her through other people, through his Word and through dreams. Monica no longer doubted when people talked about hearing from the Lord. She even started sharing her experiences with her friends.
STORY WITH QUESTIONS: There is a woman. (Is there a man or a woman?) Her name is Monica. (What is her name?) She is 35 years old. (How old is she?) She has a friend named Sebas. (What is her friend’s name?) Sebas is 34 years old and has a strong relationship with the Lord. (Who does Sebas have a relationship with?) Sebas told Monica one day how he hears from the Lord. (What can Sebas do?) Monica could not believe him. (Did Monica believe Sebas?) She did not believe that it was actually possible to hear from the Lord. (Does she think it’s possible to hear from the Lord?) Monica believed in the Lord but she did not have a strong relationship with the Lord. (Does Monica believe in the Lord?) Her friend Sebas has been trying to get her to have a stronger relationship with the Lord. (What does Sebas want for Monica?) He explained to her that the Lord says in John 8:47; “Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” Sebas explained to Monica that we cannot merely believe in God, but that every person should have a personal relationship with the Lord. (What is Sebas trying to teach Monica? What does the verse show?) Monica did not fully understand what Sebas meant but she spent time seeking the Lord and asking Him for guidance. (What did Monica do?) Monica spent a lot of time in the Word and one verse always stuck out to her. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” This verse really spoke to Monica. (Why do you think this verse stuck out to Monica?) She realized that although she had been a Christian her whole life, she had never really sought out the Lord. (What did Monica realize?) She started seeking the Lord in everything she did. (What did she start doing?) She gradually started hearing responses from the Lord. (What did she start doing?) He started speaking to her through other people, through his Word and through dreams. (How did He start speaking to her?) Monica no longer doubted when people talked about hearing from the Lord. (Did she continue to doubt?) She even started sharing her experiences with her friends. (What did she start doing?)
ACTIVITIES:
- Review the vocabulary words. Listen to the Vocabulary File for pronunciation. Look up the meaning of any words you don’t know.
- Listen to Audio 1 as you read through the story.
- Listen to Audio 2 – Story with Questions as you read through the story and answer the questions.
- Discuss the following questions as a class:
- How do we hear from the Lord?
- Why is it important to hear from the Lord?
- How can we learn to hear more from the Lord?
- End the class with prayer.