LIVESampler-Integrity - Standing Firm in Tough Times

Series OverviewIntegrity is a virtue that we all support, but we don’t all practice it in our daily lives. Not everyone in our society makes choices based on a sense of right or wrong. As Christians, we’re called to follow God’s standards for living, not our culture’s standards. Daniel provides an example of what can happen when we live with integrity in everything we do.

Webster’s Dictionary defines integrity as “firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values/incorruptibility; an unimpaired condition/soundness; or the quality or state of being complete or undivided/completeness.” This three-week series explores what a life looks like when it’s based on integrity. We will see how Daniel’s life was defined by his integrity. He refused to compromise, even when facing a life-or-death situation. We’ll look at practical steps your teenagers can take to learn how to make choices and live like Daniel did.

Table of ContentsWeek 1: Develop Discipline and a Work Ethic (Daniel 6:1-5)Week 2: Integrity Under Fire (Daniel 6:6-17)Week 3: Integrity Can Lead to Blessing (Daniel 6:18-28)

Series Objectives1. WHAT: God wants us to live our lives with integrity. As Christians, we’re called to be known and respected for our decisions and actions.2. WHY: It’s important to learn to make tough decisions that may seem unpopular; this is the right thing to do.3. HOW: Students will be encouraged to pursue lives of integrity that honor God by placing a healthy, dynamic relationship with God above everything else.

integrity: standing firm in tough times Series Overview for Leaders

A Word About Translations: It is important to choose a readable Bible translation to use in your small groups. You don’t want to add unnecessary confusion or spend all your time mastering pronunciation and trying to define unfamiliar words.

Although there are many great translations on the market (and your own church may have a chosen favorite), we’ve decided to rely on the easy-to-read, teenage-friendly translation called the New Living Translation (NLT). Editors for the NLT have done a great job making God’s Word accurate and understandable.

Regardless of the translation you choose, it may be helpful for your own preparation to read the assigned passage(s) in a few different translations to get a broader depth to the text(s).

A Word About Media Clips: Some of our lessons include clips from movies, TV shows, and other media. Please know that these are put here as suggested options—they aren’t vital for the success of the lesson. If you choose to use them, we strongly encourage you to review each clip prior to group time. We’ve done our best to suggest clips that will generate meaningful conversations, but we understand that using any type of media can be controversial. Because of that, we trust that you understand the dynamics of your congregation better than anyone else and will discern if our media selection will work with your group.

Your Feedback Will be a Gift to Others: This small group curriculum is an evolving work-in-progress that will continue to take shape over many years. We know that together we can continue to make it better—especially with your help. Your ideas and feedback can improve this curriculum for other youth workers using this material in the future. If you have a good idea that would improve it, please send it to us (no matter how small the change/edit/idea might be). We understand that this will require more work on your part, and the team at Simply Youth Ministry would consider your input a gift to your youth ministry co-laborers. Send all thoughts and ideas to [email protected]. Thanks so much!

section descriptions

Each of our lessons has two sections: 1. Leader Preparation 2. Lesson Guide

Let’s explore these in detail.

1. LEADER PREPARATION

The first section—LEADER PREPARATION—is designed to give you, the leader, tools to help prepare for each lesson. To create a meaningful, impacting experience for your teenagers, we encourage you to spend as much time as you can in preparation. No one better understands the value of a youth worker’s time than the team at Simply Youth Ministry. Since day one we have been creating resources that save you time so you can spend more time with teenagers. We’ve designed each lesson to be easy-to-use, but you’ll still benefit from spending some prep time with this curriculum. Actually, your preparation is vital to small group success. For you to be effective with this curriculum, we believe it’s important to do four things:

1. Pray! Ask God to give you his wisdom for facilitating this material.2. Read the LEADER PREPARATION section for each lesson. (10 minutes)3. Choose which teaching points and questions you want to use from the LESSON GUIDE. (10-20 minutes)4. Determine a specific way that you will end the lesson. (10-20 minutes) We don’t tell you how to wrap up each lesson—that’s up to you and/or your youth ministry team.

Below, you will find a brief description of each component in the LEADER PREPARATION section.

Lesson OverviewThis provides a “big-picture” perspective for the lesson. It’s a quick summary that will prepare you for what you’ll be discussing and sharing with your teenagers.

Lesson ObjectivesThere are three objectives for each lesson. •Thefirstobjectiveanswersthe“what”question:What content will my teenagers learn? •Thesecondobjectiveanswersthe“why”question:Why is this content important to teenagers? •Thethirdobjectiveanswersthe“how”question:How might teenagers apply this content when they leave small group?

Primary ScriptureThis will be the main verse or section of Scripture used in each lesson.

Secondary ScripturesThis is a list of other selected Scriptures referenced in the lesson.

Teaching prepWe offer some ideas and insights that might be helpful for each lesson that will help you gain a deeper understanding of the passage. You can pick and choose what you will share with your group. Or you may not share any of it and simply digest it for your own benefit.

the before & after [optional]

These are ideas you can use to get your teenagers thinking about the lesson prior to your meeting and families talking after the small group experience.

Text Message Questions These questions can be sent prior to the small group time to get teenagers thinking about something that will be discussed in small group.

Parent Email This is a short email the youth pastor or small group leader can send to parents after the lesson. It provides an overview of the lesson along with a few questions parents can ask at home to get students talking about what they learned in small group. You’re encouraged to personalize and modify this email to fit the needs of your youth ministry.

2. lesson guide

This is the content part for your small group lesson. Please feel free to (1) personalize the illustrations, (2) rephrase the teaching points, and (3) pick-and-choose what content you feel like you will be able to use during your particular small group time.

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND: We provide more material than you can probably use during your small group time. You will need to be the editor of the content. Don’t try to use all of it. [NOTE: If you’re a volunteer small group leader, we recommend you submit to the teaching strategy/desires of the lead youth worker. He/she may or may not give you the freedom to make changes within the lesson. Please seek unity and support his/her leadership.]

You’ll want to review the LESSON GUIDE before each of your meetings to get a clearer idea of the activities, teaching points, discussion questions, and overall purpose of the lesson. In each LESSON GUIDE you’ll find the following:

Getting Things Started [optional]

This includes a quick illustration, an activity, or a few opening questions to warm up, prepare, and focus your small group time. You understand the dynamics of your teenagers better than we do so please adapt this section, modify it, change it, delete it, or use as is. Some of the ideas require a little extra preparation prior to your small group meeting.

You’ll also notice that the GETTING THINGS STARTED section is not included in every lesson. We’ve only included it when we feel it’s beneficial. Again, if you create an activity of your own, please send it to us at [email protected] so we can evaluate it and potentially include it in future versions of this product to help other youth workers.

Teaching pointsThis part of the lesson provides you with an intentional interactive component. We don’t believe that small groups should be lecture-driven. The best small groups are the ones where the teenagers are talking and the small group leader is facilitating conversation and discovery. When teenagers talk more than adults, that’s a good thing!

Please understand, this material is NOT intended to be lecture. We’ve included several questions designed to generate conversation. You’ll quickly notice that we aren’t fans of closed-ended questions—you know, the ones that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” That’s why we offer questions that should cause students to think, discuss, and debate. We encourage you to insert your own insights during this discussion time as well, but primarily as a facilitator who is challenging teenagers to learn/think. It’s sort of like a dance—let your students lead the discussion a bit by wrestling with the teaching point, then insert your own insights to help get the main teaching point across. There may be times when it’s best NOT to give your own insights. Your small group doesn’t have to be like a sitcom where all the problems are solved in 30 minutes. Most of the questions don’t have right or wrong answers but will serve as a platform to help teenagers learn better.

additional discussion [optional]

This is an opportunity to continue the conversation by asking more open-ended questions about the selected Scripture for this lesson. Or if you have a more spiritually mature group, you could send your teenagers home to think about and/or journal and/or message board their answers to these questions. [NOTE: Most groups won’t have time for more questions since we’ve already provided several during the teaching points.]

applicationWe have provided some “first step” ideas and/or questions that challenge your teenagers to put what was discussed into immediate action (or in the days following). The retention of a lesson will be dramatically increased when students—and you—move into action immediately following the small group.

SUMMARYWe have intentionally designed this curriculum to be so flexible that the summary or the close of each lesson is dependent on the small group facilitator. We believe that good curriculum provides a foundation for healthy dialogue, but that the summary or take-home challenge relies on the insight and wisdom of the facilitator who (1) knows the content, (2) has heard all the dialogue, (3) knows the hearts/issues/struggles of the teenagers involved, and (4) understands the big picture of the youth ministry and what the leadership team wants accomplished with the teaching/discussion time.

THIS IS BIG! We’ve given you a lot of material and questions to ask, but the most important part in all of this is narrowing down the questions you’ll ask to those that best fit your group. This is where the caring, spiritually sensitive, personally growing small group leader really makes a difference in teenagers’ lives. After doing this a couple of times, it becomes easier, and when this curriculum was used in real, live ministry settings, this proved to be the leaders’ favorite part—feeling empowered to figure out a way to close out the session with wisdom, sensitivity, and challenge.

For Keeps [Memory Verse]This is a selected verse that students can be challenged to memorize following the lesson. We encourage you to return to these verses throughout the series to facilitate long-term memorization. We also encourage you to join them in committing the verses to memory. They’ll follow your lead. Again, because this curriculum is adaptable and editable you may choose to have them memorize a different verse—that’s great.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the LIVE Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996,

2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

This includes: 1. Leader Preparation 2. Lesson Guide

1. LEADER PREPARATION

LESSON OVERVIEWNews headlines are filled with stories about noteworthy people who have failed to maintain personal integrity. But our teenagers don’t have to make choices that lead them down the wrong path; they can make a commitment to pursue, develop, and maintain personal integrity. God teaches us in Scripture that as Christians, our lives can be defined by integrity. As we see in this week’s lesson, Daniel offers a clear example of what God can do with an honest, faithful, consistent life.

LESSON OBJECTIVES1. WHAT: Integrity is something you build every day through your choices and habits.2. WHY: Your integrity is a measure of your spiritual maturity in Christ; integrity and intimacy with God are connected.3. HOW: Students will be encouraged to protect their integrity and look for ways they can honor God by developing and displaying integrity in all areas of life.

PRIMARY SCRIPTUREDaniel 6:1-5

SECONDARY SCRIPTUREMatthew 5:13-16

TEACHING PREP

Daniel was a young Hebrew who had been a slave to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. As we learn in Daniel 2, he became known for his interpretation of a dream and gained the king’s favor. This young man served in the government under several leaders, and by the time we see him in Daniel 6, he was probably an older man. King Nebuchadnezzar

Week 1:Develop Discipline and Work Ethic

The short overview below is designed to help you prepare for your lesson. While you may not want to

convey this information word-for-word with your teenagers, you’ll definitely want to refer to it as you

lead your small group lesson.

integrity: standing firm in tough times

had been succeeded by King Belshazzar—who was killed at the end of chapter 5 and succeeded by King Darius the Mede. Daniel devoted his entire life to serving God and building personal integrity; because of this devotion, God was able to work through Daniel’s life in incredible ways.

Read Daniel 6:1-5.

We see here that King Darius had placed Daniel in an important position of responsibility. Daniel and two other men oversaw all the princes of the kingdom, and these three administrators reported directly to the king. Daniel’s continual favor with Darius and the previous kings displays how God can bless people who display godly character through their choices and actions.

Daniel demonstrated the value of working hard. Darius was so impressed by Daniel’s hard work that the king planned to reward him with a promotion, making him higher than all of his co-workers.

In verse 4, we learn that Daniel’s co-workers weren’t happy that he would soon be promoted over them. They unsuccessfully tried to find some fault with his work to prove that he didn’t deserve the promotion. Daniel had chosen to live a life of integrity, and he did what he knew was right. He had proven that his work was above accusation, so his co-workers attempted to get him to compromise his devotion to God.

THE BEFORE & AFTER [optional]

Text Message Questions

We’ve provided a couple of different text message questions to send out to your students prior

to your meeting. Feel free to use one or both of the questions below. As with the rest of the

curriculum, edit these questions to fit the needs of your ministry.

•Areyouknownforyourintegrity?Cometalkaboutittonightatsmallgroup.

•AnyideahowdeeplyDanielfromtheBiblelovedandobeyedGod?Tonight at small group we’re going to get some answers.

Parent Email

We’ve provided you with an email below that you can send to your parents following the lesson.

Our hope is to encourage parents to continue the conversation at home. Feel free to edit and

customize the email to fit your ministry needs.

Dear parents,

This week we started a three-week study in our small groups examining the topic of integrity. News headlines are filled with stories about noteworthy people who have failed to maintain personal integrity. But our teenagers don’t have to make choices that lead them down the wrong path; they can make a commitment to pursue, develop, and maintain personal integrity.

In this first week, our teenagers saw how Daniel 6:1-5 offers a roadmap for becoming people of integrity. We discovered that because of Daniel’s work ethic he was promoted and found favor with the king. We encouraged students to realize that they too can make choices and live with the same integrity that Daniel demonstrated. But it isn’t always easy to live with integrity; Daniel’s co-workers conspired against him and even attacked his faith.

During the week, as the opportunity arises, discuss with your teenager what it might have been like to have been Daniel. Here are some questions that could help launch your discussion: •Inwhatareasofyourlifedoyoustrugglethemostinmaintaining yourintegrity? •Whataresomewaysyou’vegrowninintegrity?Whatchoicesordecisionsor habitshavehelpedyou? •What’ssomethingyoucouldstartdoingdifferentlyatyourjob,onasports team,oratschoolthatwouldcommunicateyourintegrity?

Talk with your teenager about how making a decision to be a person of integrity now will have a huge impact for a lifetime. Have a blessed week!

2. LEsson guide

GETTING THINGS STARTED [optional]

Before your small group meets, conduct some research online or in your local newspaper. Find four or five examples of people who have shown a lack of integrity: business leaders, politicians, celebrities, ordinary people, and so on. Print out or cut out the articles about these individuals, and bring this information to your small group.

As you begin your small group, welcome your students and invite them into your meeting area.

Open in prayer, and then SAY SOMETHING LIKE:

I’ve brought along some news articles, and I’d like you to take a few minutes to read about these individuals.

After your students have had a few minutes to look through the articles, ASK: •Whatismostsurprisingabouttheallegedbehavioroftheseindividuals? •Basedonwhatyouread,whataresomespecificwaystheseindividuals didn’tdisplayintegrity? •Whataresomeofthewaysourculturesendsaninconsistentmessageon theimportanceofhonestyandintegrity? •Whymightsomepeopleinourculturebelievethelawortherulesdon’t applytothem? •HowaretheseexamplessimilartothechallengewefacetofollowGod faithfullyandconsistently?

SAY SOMETHING LIKE:Havingpersonalintegritycanseemtoughtodointoday’sculture.Weseepeopleinthepubliceyesayingonethingbutdoingsomethingelse.Whilesomepeopleinourworldexcusecertainformsoflyinganddishonesty,Godexpectssomethingdifferent.WearecalledtoreflectGodtoaworldthatexperiencesspiritualseparation,sowecanliveasGodwould.Peopleneedtoknowthattheycanbelieveyou.Ifyourintegrityiscompromised,othersmaynotbewillingtotrustyou.

Week 1:Develop Discipline and Work Ethic

integrity: standing firm in tough times

TEACHING GUIDE

SAY SOMETHING LIKE:Let’sspendafewmomentstakingalookattheimportanceof integrity and having a good work ethic.

1. Hard work is rewarded

ASK: •What’sthedifference,ifany,betweenworkinghardbecauseit’stheright thingandworkinghardtogetapromotionorpayraise? •HowexactlydoeshardworkhonorGod? •Whatdifference,ifany,wouldGodwanttonoticebetweensomeoneearning $50anhourandsomeoneearning$8anhour? •Inwhatareasofyourlifedoyoustrugglethemostinmaintaining yourintegrity?

SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Godwantsustodoourbestinallthatwedo,includingourwork.It’sanincredibletestimonywhenaChrist-followerearnsareputationasatrustedandafaithfulemployee.WhenyouseeworkasawaytohonorGod,youremployerwillseeyourcommitment,anditwillbeeasiertorewardyoureffort.Yourworkethicalsowillbeapowerfultestimonytonon-Christians.Thisisreallyimportant

Read Daniel 6:1-5 together as a group. Consider allowing one or more of the teenagers to read

the text.

Remember: All throughout these lessons, it’s up to you to choose (1) how many questions you

use, and (2) the wording of the main points—keep ours, or change the wording to make it

clearer for your audience.

If you came up with an opening activity, movie clip, or game that worked well with your group,

and you’d like to share it with other youth workers, please email us at

[email protected].

The goal of the Teaching Points is to help students capture the essence of each lesson with

more discussion and less lecture-style teaching. The main points we have chosen here are

(1) Hard work is rewarded, (2) Hard work may cause jealousy, and (3) Hard work

builds integrity.

tograspduringyourteenageandyoungadultsyears,whenyoumaybeworkingatminimum-wagejobs.Thesetruthsalsoholdtrueforothercommitmentsyoumake:toathleticteams,tomusicalgroups,toyourclasses,andtootherclubsandorganizations.

2. Hard work may cause jealousy

SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Whenyouworkhardbecauseofyourfaith,noteveryonewill like it. Some co-workers or teammates may become jealous or angry when you excel.Itmightseemeasierattimestogoalongwiththecrowd,butasaChristian,youcansurpassyourleader’sexpectations.Thismeansdoingwhatyouknowisright—despiteanycriticismthatyoumayreceive.

ASK: •Whymightsomeoneelsebecomejealousifyouworkhardatyourjob? Whenhaveyouseenthisinyourjoborothercommitments,orwhenhasa friendencounteredthis? •WhydoyouthinkDaniel’sco-workersdecidedtogoafterhisreligious beliefs?What’syourfirstreactionwhenyoufeel“attacked”foryourfaith? Explain. •Inwhatwayshaveyouhadtoprotectyourintegrityinlife?

3. Hard work builds integrity

ASK: •Howdoyoudefinetheword“integrity”? •Whataresomewaysyou’velearnedintegrityathome,atschool,atwork, andinyourothercommitments? •Whathardchoiceshaveyoumadetogrowinintegrity?Whathardchoices mustyoumaketogrowrightnowinyourintegrity?

SAY SOMETHING LIKE: Beingapersonofintegritymeanslivingconsistentlyandfaithfully, admitting when you make mistakes, and striving to do what’s right in all areasoflife.Whenwedowhatisright,evenwhenitistough,wewillfindfavorwithGod.WecanfollowJesus’examplewhenitcomestomakingtoughdecisions.Jesusdidn’tchoosetodotheeasythingorgiveintothetemptationtoslackoff.Helivedabovereproach,justasDanieldidhundredsofyearsearlier.

additional discussion [optional]

ASK: •WhatdoesDaniel6:3-4teachyouaboutDaniel’scharacterandintegrity?

•WhydoyouthinkDanielhadsuchpersonalintegritywithhisjob?Whodo youknowwhoremindsyouofDaniel,andwhy?

•ReadMatthew5:13-16.Howdoesthisteachingrelatetotheidea ofintegrity?

•Whatisthesignificanceofsaltandlightinthispassage?

•HowmightJesushaveusedDanielasanexampleofsomeonewhowas “salt”and“light”?

applicationASK: •Whataresomeuniquechallengesorattacksonintegrityateenagermight facethatanadultwouldn’texperience?

•Wherearesomeareasinyourlifewhereyouhavetoworkhard?Howwell areyoudoing:Areyouworkinghardordoyouneedtoworkharder?What areyourbiggesthurdlestoworkinghard?

•Howhasyourintegrity,oryourstrugglewithintegrity,affectedthelivesof peoplearoundyou?Howdoeslivingwithintegrityhelpothersseewho Godis?

Pair up with another person in the group for these questions.ASK: •HowareyourightnowlivinglikeDaniellives?Howareyoulivingdifferently thanDaniellived?Sharewitheachotherwaysyoucouldlivein greater integrity.

•Whataresomewaysyoucoulddemonstrateasolidworkethicandstrong integrityatyourjob,onasportsteam,oratschool?

Bring the group back together for this final question.ASK: •Whenallissaidanddone,oneofthefewthingsthatyouhavecontrolofin thislifeisyourpersonalintegrity.Howareyoulivingthisoutdaily?

SUMMARY

FOR KEEPS [MEMORY VERSE]

He[Daniel]wasfaithful,alwaysresponsible,andcompletelytrustworthy(Daniel6:4).

End your small group lesson here. Provide your teenagers with a quick summary or take-home

challenge based on (1) the content of this lesson, (2) the dialogue that took place during the

lesson, (3) your understanding of the issues and struggles your teenagers are facing, and (4) the

big picture of your youth ministry and what your leadership team wants accomplished with the

teaching and discussion time.

Encourage and/or challenge your teenagers to memorize the verse below.

Daniel 6:1-5 (nlt)1Darius the Mede decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces, and he appointed a high officer to rule over each province. 2The king also chose Daniel and two others as administrators to supervise the high officers and protect the king’s interests. 3Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire.

4Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy. 5So they concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.”

matthew 5:13-16 (nlt)13“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

14“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

INTEGRITY: STANDING FIRM IN TOUGH TIMES

Week 1: Develop Discipline and a Work Ethic

Daniel 6:1-5 (nlt)1Darius the Mede decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces, and he appointed a high officer to rule over each province. 2The king also chose Daniel and two others as administrators to supervise the high officers and protect the king’s interests. 3Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire.

4Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy. 5So they concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.”

matthew 5:13-16 (nlt)13“You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

14“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

INTEGRITY: STANDING FIRM IN TOUGH TIMES

Week 1: Develop Discipline and a Work Ethic

Develop Discipline and a Work Ethic

1. Hard work is rewarded

2. Hard work may cause jealousy

3. Hard work builds integrity

for keeps [memory verse]He [Daniel] was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy (Daniel 6:4 NLT).

Develop Discipline and a Work Ethic

1. Hard work is rewarded

2. Hard work may cause jealousy

3. Hard work builds integrity

for keeps [memory verse]He [Daniel] was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy (Daniel 6:4 NLT).