A youth group discussion starter on money and wealth.
Young people are bombarded with TV images, advertising and celebrity lifestyles, all presenting similar messages about the acquisition and ‘power’ of money, the trappings of wealth and the next ‘must have’ thing.
Against this culture, does the Bible have anything to say about money, the pursuit of wealth and our attitude to possessions?
Begin by writing the words SUCCESS IS… on a flip chart or whiteboard. Ask your group to suggest words that would show that someone had succeeded in life. Write them up. Is there a common theme?
Provide a number of copies of popular ‘teen’ magazines, lifestyle magazines and ‘celebrity’ news magazines. Ask the young people to get into small groups and choose 3 or 4 articles or adverts that they think make the biggest impact on them. Each group then briefly shares their choices with everyone.
Using a sheet of flipchart paper or wallpaper, ask the group to paste or tape pictures from the articles and adverts to create a montage of images. Leave a black space at the bottom of the paper for the final summary.
Discuss together what the pictures and adverts say about money, wealth, image and success? Summarise the comments made by the group and close with the thought that becoming aware of the impact of messages and influences around us is an important step in helping us to develop a Christian lifestyle.
'Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.’ Romans 12:2
Does the bible have anything to say about money, or our attitude to wealth and possessions? Prepare another sheet of flipchart paper with the Bible verses (below) written randomly across the paper. Ask the young people to divide into pairs and using their Bibles, begin searching for the verses written on the paper. Ask them to discover what the verses tell us about money, wealth and different attitudes to riches. Then invite them to write an important phrase from the verse or passage onto the flipchart paper, using a marker pen. Leave a blank space at the bottom of the paper for the final summary.
- Luke 12: 15
- Luke 12: 21
- Luke 12: 34
- Matthew 19: 23-24
- Romans 12: 6-8
- Proverbs 11: 24
- Proverbs 21: 26
- Proverbs 22: 9
- Proverbs 28: 25
- 1 John 3: 17
- Genesis 24: 34-35
- Genesis 26: 12-14
- Hebrews 13: 5
- 1 Timothy 6: 10
- 1 Timothy 6: 17-19
Place the two sheets of flipchart paper in a position where the whole group can see them. Ask the group to sum-up, in one or two sentences, what the world of TV, media and celebrity say, and what the Bible says about money, wealth and possessions. Write the summaries in the blank sections at the bottom of each paper.
YOU’VE GOT TO SERVE SOMEBODY
Divide into small groups of 3 and ask the group to look at Matthew 6: 19-33. From the passage ask them to list questions of things they would like clarified, answered or have the opportunity to discuss. After 15 minutes each group reports back and their questions are written on a board or flip chart for all to see. If there are lots of questions, vote on the five most popular for discussion.
Encourage the group to discuss the questions together and respond with their own thoughts, until they find satisfactory answers to their questions. As you move through the passage take time to explain the background, give more information and provide clear teaching where appropriate. If you need additional questions to help the group discussion, here are a few:
- What is Jesus talking about when he says ‘store up treasure in heaven’ (v20)?
- What does Jesus means when he says ‘no-one can serve two masters’ (v24)?
- How do we feel if others have a lot and we have a little?
- How do we feel when we see others with a lot less than us?
- Is any amount of wealth ever enough?
- Why does Jesus tell us not to worry?
- What does it mean to ‘seek the kingdom of God above all else’ (v33)?
Storing treasures in heaven is not just limited to giving. It is achieved by all our acts of obedience in fulfilling God’s purposes for our lives and all we do.
We live in a materialistic society where many people serve money. They spend all their lives collecting and storing it, only to die and leave it behind. How can we know if God or money is our master? One test is to ask ourselves which one occupies more of our thoughts, time and effort.
Jesus says we can only have one master. He contrasted heavenly values with earthly values, teaching that our first responsibility should be to things which don’t fade, can’t be stolen, used up or wear out. Jesus calls for a decision that allows us to live contentedly with whatever we have because we have chosen what is eternal and lasting.
MORE DISCUSSION STARTERS
For more click on discussion starters in the category list on the sidebar.
SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE
Each month I add more youth ministry resources and personal reflections on youth ministry and leadership. May I encourage you to subscribe to INSIGHT and you won't miss a thing.
‘Living in a material world’ is taken from a series of discussion starters on money, wealth, debt, Christian giving and stewardship written by myself for red2black, a UK based campaign to encourage and support churches in tackling debt issues in their congregation and community.