The ABC’s & D’s of Young Adult Relationships

Lesson 1: Authenticity

Byline
By Kasper Haughton Jr.

PROGRAM AIM AND PREPARATION

This lesson is designed with discussion in mind. The goal is not to
lecture on the topic, but to foster an atmosphere of dialogue and
discovery among your young adults.

SCRIPTURE
Romans 7:25

MUSIC
"North American Division Sabbath School Theme song and
Cheer"(www.myleadmagazine.com) is an option one could choose.
A more relevant option would be “Mighty to Save” (Hillsong).

ICEBREAKER
Ask your group:
“On a 1-10 scale, do you agree with this: “It is always
important for Christians to keep no aspect of their lives hidden
from others, including their sin.” Mark starting and ending
points where you meet. Then ask your group to line up
between the two points based on the number of their reaction.
Fold the line so that the 1’s are talking to the 10’s (and so on),
and have them share their opinions.

PROGRAM:
[I strongly encourage leaders to read the praxis paper prepared by
Dr. A. Allan Martin (available on my blog: http://bit.ly/bIZcjd) in order
to gain an understanding of the purpose for this four part series on
young adult relationship values.]

The Big IDEA: Authenticity

I. Introduction
Read
Matthew 23:27-28.
Then begin:
“We’re living in a world where true authenticity is
hard to come by. We’ve gotten used to expecting
people to put on a front trying to give us the best
 impression of themselves. Whether it’s putting on
a smile at church even when you’re devastated
inside, uploading that perfect picture of yourself to
your Facebook profile, or crafting your resume
with ‘power’ words, we’re used to trying to put our
best face forward. The questions we’re going to
face today are: What does it mean to be an
authentic person and create an atmosphere of
authenticity around you?”
D. Discussion
[This next part works off an assumption of the group’s
familiarity with the life and work of the apostle Paul.
You may need to provide additional context for your
group. Also, a whiteboard will be helpful through this
program.]
Ask:
How many remember what we’ve studied on the
life of Paul? Based on what you know, what
words would you use to describe his occupation;
accomplishments; writings; ministry?
Write:
[As group members are sharing their responses,
you can start drawing out a scale of 1-10 on your
whiteboard (other options are available if you
don’t have one available)]
On a scale of 1-10: how would you rate Paul as a
role-model Christian? Why?
Read:
Acts 22:2-7; Romans 7:14-8:2
Ask:
How does it feel to hear Paul, a church leader
and spiritual role-model, openly admit to his
struggles and failures?
E. Explanation
Ask:
Based on what you know from Paul’s life and
what we’ve just read, what did it mean for Paul to
be an authentic person?
In his openness, Paul shared mistakes and
feelings. How did Paul keep from glorifying the
sin in his life, while remaining honest with others
that he wasn’t perfect?
How do you define authenticity?
 A. Application
Say:
At the beginning of our discussion we read some
very strong words from Jesus to religious people
living in-authentic lives. We might tend to think
that what he said applied specifically to the
Pharisees of his time. But it has meaning for us
today.
Recent research from the book UnChristian
shows that: 85% of non-Christian young adults
believe Christians are hypocritical, 47% of
Christian young adults believe Christians to be
hypocritical (Kinnaman & Lyons, 2007).
Ask:
How can we foster authenticity practically in our
lives, right now? What would our church look like
if it had an atmosphere of authenticity?

Reference
Kinnaman, D. & Lyons, G. (2007). UnChristian: What a new
generation thinks about Christianity…And why it matters.
Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

Bio Sketch: Previously serving as a worship leader and youth pastor in

the South Pacific and North American Division, Kasper Haughton, Jr. is
currently a graduate student at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological
Seminary, Andrews University. You can follow his new blog at
kasperjr.wordpress.com.