The Greatest of These

GOAL: To teach the members the value of forgiveness, humility and the healing power of prayer.

DYNAMICS:

1. The talk is meant to lead the members into the prayer-healing session later on. Since the prayer session may take much of the prayer meeting time, it is advisable not to have a game or activity for this assembly.
2. Arrange the seats in a circle wherein everyone is part of the circle. The speaker can move around inside or sit with the group. It would be good for the group to be in this arrangement so that there will be no need to break the momentum and go straight to the healing session.
3. Music can play a big part in this activity. Invite a music team to assist or prepare songs that can help the members into a prayerful mood during the prayer-healing session. Reflection songs may be a big help as well. Also, jubilant praise songs may be played for the mini worship after the prayer-healing session.


SUGGESTED SCHEDULE:

Opening Worship 15 to 20 minutes
Talk proper 40 minutes
Healing session 20 minutes
Closing prayer 5 minutes

TALK OUTLINE

INTRODUCTION
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (RSV 1 Corinthians 13:1-7)


Being in YFC is exciting. You get to meet many different people and travel to different places. You get to learn and do things you have never done before, like perform, model or act. You get to help people and serve your brothers and sisters. But above and beyond all these things, is love. Without love, none of these things we do in YFC means anything.

But, it’s not always easy to love.

a. When we are judged or misunderstood.
- When people criticize you for something that you did, it hurts. You begin to feel alone. You want to hit back.
- We have to remember that hitting back never solved anything. It only makes things worse.
- Realize that we have to forgive just as Christ did when people treated Him wrongly.
b. When the people we depend on disappoint us.
- Your friends, household, even your leaders can disappoint you. It hurts doubly to be put down by someone you rely on and trust. You can get disillusioned and angry and forget to love.
- Understand that people make mistakes. No justification here, just compassion and understanding, just as Christ did.

Realize however that forgiveness is the only way we can ever have peace. No one has ever lived a happy peaceful life in anger and pride.

a. Seek to understand.
- When someone wrongs you, seek first to understand that person’s situation. Give him/her the benefit of the doubt. Rather than indulging in your anger and contaminating everyone else with your anger, go find solutions.
b. Loving and being right
- It is more important to protect your relationships than to have the last say.

Everything you have ever and will ever learn in YFC is as important as learning to love. Loving even when you are hurt, even when the person does not deserve it. Jesus loved us beyond measurement, without limit. Even when we didn’t deserve it.

PRAY OVER

At this point we will take time to pray for each other. Many of us have been judged and hurt, and many of us have judged and hurt others as well. And so we must pray – that the Lord will give us the humility to accept our weaknesses and give us the grace to forgive – to love – and to refresh us to serve anew.

1. After a song that can create the proper environment for prayer, the speaker (or team leader) will lead the participants into a general prayer of healing, forgiveness and the grace to serve in and out of love.
2. After the general prayer, the participants should be encouraged to go around praying-over and ministering to each other. During this time, participants may take the opportunity to repair damaged relationships or resentments by asking to be prayed over or by personally asking for forgiveness if the persons involved are present.

A few reflective songs may be sung by the music team during the pray-over which will end with a time of exuberant worship.