01 | love beyond sickness

MingleLeaders: If you have your own icebreakers, feel free to stick with those. Otherwise, here are some questions you could use.

• If you were going to change your name, what name would you choose and why?

• Would you rather always have to say everything on your mind or never speak again?

• What is your dream travel destination?

IntroThe Salvation Army’s annual Self Denial Appeal raises funds for Salvation Army mission and ministry in countries that are unable to financially support themselves.

It’s called Self Denial because it’s about sacrificing a portion of what we have to give to those in need—it’s a call to live simply, so that others may simply live.

The theme of this year’s appeal is ‘Love Beyond’, which is all about how we can show God’s love beyond sickness, beyond difficult circumstances, beyond differences and beyond isolation. You can also ‘love beyond’ by giving to this year’s appeal, helping to change the lives of those otherwise beyond our reach.

God loves it when we give joyfully and generously

01 | Love Beyond Sicknessfrom what we have. Also, be encouraged that even a small offering from you could be life-changing to someone else.

Over the next few weeks we’ll look at the stories of four people who, with the support of The Salvation Army, have gone above and beyond to share God’s love with those in their communities. We’ll also look at some experiences and teachings of Jesus and discuss what these could mean for us today.

VideoIn this week’s video, we hear from Thema, from the Kingdom of eSwatini, who shows us how love can go beyond disease.

Leaders: Play the Self Denial video, ‘Week 2: eSwatini’. This is available to view and download at selfdenial.info/nzfts.

Video Summary: Over 25 percent of people in the Kingdom of eSwatini have the HIV virus. The Salvation Army shows love beyond sickness in this country by training and equipping volunteers to go from village to village and house to house to find those who are sick, help them get medical help and to simply sit and spend time with people and

love them.

YOUTH BIBLE STUDY | SELF DENIAL 2020

DiscussLeaders: Use these questions to encourage discussion. Feel free to add your own and ask follow-up questions as people share to keep the

discussion flowing.

• How was love shown to others in the video we just watched?

• We saw that Thema visits people who are affected by disease. Can you think of any people in your life who are unwell that you could show love to?

• What are some ways you could do this?

The WordLeaders: Ask someone to read these passages out loud to your group. You could get a couple of people

to read it out if they have different translations.

• Matthew 9:18–26: Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman

• Luke 5:17–26: Jesus Forgives and Heals a

Paralysed Man

DiscussLeaders: Use these questions to encourage discussion. Feel free to add your own and ask follow-up questions as people share to keep the discussion flowing.

• What stood out to you from these passages?

• What do they tell us about Jesus?

• What does it mean for the man in the story to be healed? Is it just physical?

• What does this tell us about how we and others need to be healed?

Throughout the New Testament, God heals many people through the works of Jesus and his followers. God clearly loves us and cares about our physical and spiritual wellbeing, and along with miraculous healings, he also heals through the works of people like doctors and those we saw working in eSwatini in the video. Sometimes he chooses not to physically heal people and to simply walk with people through their illnesses though, and this can be difficult to understand. Disease and death permeate our fallen world, but we still know that God’s love is present

and active in the midst of it. As Paul writes in Romans 8:38–39, ‘And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.’

This WeekThink about the people you know who are unwell and commit to doing something to show love to at least one of them. Commit to praying for them as well, especially if there are people you can’t physically go and spend time with.

You could also decide on an amount you’d like to contribute to this year’s Self Denial Appeal. This could be a personal goal, or you could decide on an amount you want to aim for as a group. Think about what you can afford to give and how you’ll save or earn the money over the next few weeks. Is there something you could give up to help others in need?

PrayLeaders: Spend some time praying together.

• Pray for the volunteers in eSwatini as they show love beyond disease.

• Give thanks for the impact the programme is having on people’s health.

• Pray for healing, physical or otherwise, for those who need it.

• Pray for help with this week’s challenges.

Written by The Salvation Army Territorial Youth Department, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa Territory. For more info, email us at [email protected] or head to firezone.co.nz


• What item that you don’t already have would you most like to own?

• Would you rather be hairy all over or completely bald?

• If you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be and why?

RecapLeaders: Remind the young people that you’re looking at the Self Denial Appeal and ask if they can remember what was discussed last week. Invite people to share how they got on with the challenge for the week.

VideoIn this week’s video we meet Major Iveme (pronounced: Ee-va-may). She works in Papua New Guinea, showing God’s love to people beyond difficult circumstances, such as hospitalisation, being

imprisoned or living in remote locations.

02 | Love Beyond Difficult CircumstancesLeaders: Play the Self Denial video, ‘Week 3: Papua New Guinea’. This is available to view and download at selfdenial.info/nzfts.

Video Summary: There are some very remote places in the world and the Highlands of Papua New Guinea is one of them. The roads are dangerous and hard to use, there is no running water or electricity and it is very hard to be looked after when you are sick. There are over 300 officers who serve the people in Papua New Guinea. Major Iveme Yanderave is one of these officers. She visits people in hospital and brings them sandwiches, she goes to the jail and even walks long distances to visit remote villages so she can tell people about Jesus.


• The video featured people whose lives are pretty

hard. How did it make you feel to see that?

• What were some of the difficult circumstances facing the people of Papua New Guinea?

• Do people face any of the same challenges in our communities?


• Based on this passage, how do you think we should view and treat others?

• What are some things that can make this challenging?

• Can you think of anything you could do to

overcome these challenges?

God calls us to willingly serve the most needy in our

communities, just like Major Iveme is doing in Papua New

Guinea. In Ephesians, Paul also urges us to live like Jesus

and be people who demonstrate his love to those around

us: ‘Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because

you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love,

following the example of Christ’ (Ephesians 5:1–2a).

This WeekThink about the people in your community who are facing difficult circumstances and commit to doing something to show love to one of them this week. Think about what the best way to support them might be, whether it’s just spending time with them, doing some jobs for them around the house, babysitting their kids for a night, etc. Maybe you could ask them what would be most helpful, if you’re not sure.

If you’d like to and haven’t already, you could also decide on an amount you’d like to contribute to this year’s Self Denial Appeal. Think about what you can afford to give and how you’ll save or earn the money over the next few weeks. Is there something you’re willing to give up to help others in need?


• Pray for the officers in Papua New Guinea who go beyond difficult circumstances, like illness, prison and remote villages, to share God’s love with people.

• Thank God for the relationships and communities they are building and the conversations about Jesus that are being had.

• Pray for the people in your communities who are

living with difficult circumstances.


• Iveme’s visits make a huge difference to people: they feel loved and cared for because she spends time listening to them and telling them about Jesus. Can you think of anyone facing difficulties that you

could support and show God’s love to?

The WordLeaders: Ask someone to read this passage out loud to your group. You could get a couple of people to

read it out if they have different translations.

Mark 4:35–41: Jesus Calms the Storm


• What stood out to you from this passage?

• What does it tell us about Jesus?

• It’s not often that we need rescuing from literal storms, but what are some other things that we might consider ‘storms’ in our lives? These could be some of the difficult circumstances you identified from the video.

When we put our trust in Jesus, he is faithful to calm the storms in our lives. That doesn’t mean we won’t face difficult circumstances, but we can be encouraged that we walk through them with the one

whom ‘even the wind and waves obey’.



Matthew 25:31–40: The Sheep and the Goats


• What does this passage tell us about what God values?



• What is your favourite season and why?

• Would you rather have a giant hamster or a tiny rhino?

• What fruit or vegetable best represents you and why?


VideoThis week we are heading to Myanmar, which is located below China. In this story we will meet a village leader and hear about an exciting project that is bringing together people from different religions. These people are showing love beyond differences and saving many lives.

03 | Love Beyond DifferencesLeaders: Play the Self Denial video, ‘Week 4: Myanmar’. This is available to view and download at selfdenial.info/nzfts.

Video Summary: In Myanmar, The Salvation Army opened a corps and asked the local leader how they could help the community. He pointed out that there is no blood bank in Myanmar, and lots of people who get sick, injured in accidents or have complications from birth, die because they cannot get fast enough access to blood that could save their lives. The community leader and the corps officers set up a blood donating group that donates blood when it is needed and helps save many lives. The group is made up of over three hundred members from different religions who all come together in The Salvation Army building to show love to people. The community is being transformed because of this blood donating group.



• John 4:1–30: Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman



Jesus was a Jewish rabbi (teacher) and he stopped to talk to a Samaritan woman. Not only did Jews and Samaritans hate each other, but rabbis didn’t teach women. The fact that Jesus addresses her, and holds the longest private conversation recorded in the New Testament with her is incredible, and explains why his followers were so shocked (v 27).

• What does this tell us about how Jesus views people?

• What do you think this means for the way we should treat people who are different to ourselves?

• Can you think of any times you’ve treated people poorly because of their differences or because of how culture and society says you should?



Here is another story about a Samaritan. This time Jesus is telling a parable to illustrate a point:

• Luke 10:25–37: The Parable of the Good Samaritan


• What do you think the point of the story is?

• According to this passage, what does it mean to be a ‘neighbour’?

• Who are our neighbours?

• Do you think there are there any exceptions to this?

This WeekThink about the people you know who are different to you, especially those you might struggle to love. Look for opportunities to show them love and be Jesus to

them, whether through your words or the way you treat them, etc. Pray that God would reveal himself to them through you and ask him to help you show love and respect to others, understanding that God loves them as much as anyone else.

If you’d like to and haven’t already, you could also decide on an amount you’d like to contribute to this year’s Self Denial Appeal. Think about what you can afford to give and how you’ll save or earn the money over the next few weeks. Is there something you’re willing to give up to help others in need?


• Pray for the blood donation group in Myanmar.

• Thank God for the many lives that have been saved

through their work.

• Pray for your ‘neighbours’ and especially the people in

your communities who are different to you.



MingleLeaders: If you have your own icebreakers, feel free to stick with those. Otherwise, here are some questions you could use:

• If you could choose to be one age forever, what age would you be and why?

• Would you rather never be able to eat hot food or never be able to eat cold food?

• If you were a type of chocolate bar or lolly, what would you be and why?


VideoOur final video will take us to Greenland—a very cold and isolated part of the world. In this video we will see a display of love beyond remoteness and isolation.

Leaders: Play the Self Denial video, ‘Week 5: Greenland’. This is available to view and download at selfdenial.info/nzfts.

04 | Love Beyond IsolationVideo Summary: The Salvation Army opened a corps in the city of Nuuk in Greenland after the government asked them to help with people who were homeless. The centre is open during the week and serves people meals, and they also run a worship service on Sundays. There can be almost one hundred people who come to the centre each day to spend time with others and to be fed. There is a lot of need and it is expensive to feed all the people who come. The officers here say that the work they are doing is important because they love people practically and share the Good News of Jesus with everyone who comes.


• What are some of the ways The Salvation Army centre in Greenland is helping the people it serves?

• One of the issues identified was loneliness, and many people go to the centre for some company. Who are some people in your communities that might be isolated or lonely?

• What are some ways you could help to address this?


each other as well. Human beings naturally long for relationship with others, and we show a love beyond isolation when we include other people and invite them to be part of our lives and communities.

This WeekThink about the people in your communities who may feel lonely or isolated. Think of one way you can commit to helping someone be less lonely this week by making space for them in your life.

Have you been saving up to give to the Self Denial Appeal? Make sure you bring your donation along to church on Self Denial Sunday (or collect it at your next Bible study). If you have some money you could contribute but haven’t decided on an amount yet, spend some time this week thinking and praying about how much you’re going to give.


• Pray for The Salvation Army centre in Greenland that

is providing a place for people who are experiencing

homelessness.

• Thank God for those who have found relationship with

Jesus and the other people at The Salvation Army

centre.

• Pray for those in your communities who may be

isolated or lonely.


• Pray that those who can would give generously to the

Self Denial Appeal and that God would use the money

raised to provide for the people who need it most.



• John 19:25–27: Mary at the Cross


Even though Jesus himself was suffering and dying on the cross, in this passage his thoughts are for his mother and making sure she is taken care of and is connected to a family.

• What does this tell us about Jesus?

• What can we learn from this passage about how we

should treat others?



• Ecclesiastes 4:9–12: Two Are Better Than One


• Can you think of any time someone else has helped you succeed?

• What about times you have helped other people who couldn’t do something by themselves?

• Are there times this has been difficult, or you haven’t helped someone that you could have?

• Can you think of any times you have felt alone or isolated and wished you had someone with you?

The good news is that God is always with us and we can trust him to love us and comfort us when we turn to him. He also created us to live in community with other people and asks us to love and support


01 | love beyond sickness

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