Leader Guide

Objective
Students will discover that they can be the start of something that will bring many people to faith in Jesus.

Warm Up
Explain that back when their grandparents were teenagers, a little church out in the bean fields of southern California became the epicenter of a phenomenon now known as The Jesus Movement. A band called LoveSong was a big part of that movement of people coming to Christ. They were at the forefront of something that has grown to become known as Contemporary Christian Music. Could what happened over 50 years ago happen again? Show the five-minute trailer of the upcoming LoveSong documentary. You can find it here: https://youtu.be/nypzRFrNmGg.

• Have you heard of this band before?
• What made them so influential?
• What was different about this band?

The Song
LoveSong started as a ministry with no plans to become famous. They were just a part of a church that seemed to be doing something extraordinary. That church was so unusual they wanted to explain the phenomenon in a song.
Let’s listen to how they described their little country church.

Play “Little Country Church” by LoveSong.

Transition
Hand out the Student Guides. Read through the following lyrics and discuss them with your group.

Preacher isn’t talkin’ ’bout religion no more, he just wants to praise the Lord

• What’s wrong with talking about religion?
• How does this line relate to the old “walk the walk before you talk the talk” saying?

People aren’t as stuffy as they were before, they just want to praise the Lord

• Describe someone who is “stuffy.”
• Describe someone who isn’t “stuffy.”

Workin’ with each other for the common good

• What is “the common good?”
• Have you participated in a project to benefit others?

Long hair, short hair, some coats and ties

• Back then, long hair was a way for teenage guys to show their difference from their parent’s generation. So, what would be today’s version of “long hair?”

Lookin’ past the hair and straight into the eyes

• How can we get better at looking past someone’s appearance and seeing the real person they are?

Bible Study
Read Acts 2:42-47
Use this outline to compare the Little Country Church and the first group of believers in the passage.

The Fellowship (v.42-43, 46) They couldn’t get enough of the apostles’ teaching. Remember, the apostles were not educated teachers – they were former fishermen, tax collectors, and ordinary citizens. Yet, they had been with Jesus and could communicate what He did and said to these new believers. Also, notice that they were devoted to THE fellowship. That references some type of specific gathering. Included were sharing meals and concentrating on praying together.

• You can tell that those people really wanted to be together. Would you describe this youth ministry the same way? Why or why not?
• Which of these descriptions fit this youth ministry? Which ones don’t apply to this group at all?

The Common Good (v. 44-45) These verses aren’t telling us that we should practice “Christian communism” but a voluntary sharing of some possessions on an as-need basis. While having “all things in common” worked for this baby church in this one city, it wasn’t practiced anywhere else (that we know of.) It tells us that those people were so concerned about each other that they would cash out some of what they owned to help meet the needs of others.

• How do you show your concern for and support for others?
• Is there something we can do as a group to mirror the attitude of this little church in Jerusalem so long ago?

The Result (v. 47) This enthusiastic group of believers loved getting together so much that they “went to church” (so to speak) daily. Everyone who encountered them thought highly of them. And, each day, they welcomed new believers into their group. Notice that “the Lord” was the one bringing in new people. And notice that they were “added” to their number. Later in Acts, when these people start moving out of Jerusalem, we see their numbers multiplying, not just being added.

• What do you think most people outside of our group think of us?
• How long has it been since someone new has been added to this group?

Wrap Up
Summarize the ideas generated during this meeting, and see if your students can start implementing them this week. Close in prayer.

Playlist
This song is featured on “The Linc: Revival” Spotify playlist – which is the perfect way to remind your students what you’ve taught them in this session. To share it with them, click the live link on the web version of this study.