(5–8 minutes, easy set-up)
Learners will discuss how their faith has matured by facing trials.
Provide a dry erase board and marker.
Ask: Who were some of the people in the Bible who experienced trials and temptations even though they were committed to serving God? List responses on the board. (Possible answers: Paul was chased out of towns, persecuted, and imprisoned for his faith; Stephen was killed for preaching the gospel; James, the brother of John, was put to death by King Herod; Daniel faced a den of lions; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walked in a fiery furnace.) Ask: With all of these examples of people who faced trials WHILE they followed God, why should we expect our lives to be free from trials? Point out that James 1:2 urged believers to “count it all joy” when you face trials.
Invite learners to identify some of the trials they have faced because they were living out their faith. List responses on the board. Divide learners into groups of three to four. Encourage each group to pick one of the trials listed on the board, and then invite them to discuss:
After three to four minutes, encourage groups to praying for each other to face the trials of their lives—even those they experience because of their faith—with complete dependence on God to guide them through the trial to a more mature faith.