Looking for solid Bible topics for youth to study? Then these 10 suggestions will be a great starting point. When leading a Bible study for teens, you’ll need to spend some time preparing on your own. Preparation allows you to teach more effectively and answer students’ questions.
This introduction to Bible topics for youth explores what you can teach the teens in your church or your own kids.
10 Bible Topics for Youth to Know
1. Dealing With Temptation
Everyone deals with temptation (1 Corinthians 10:12-13). Even Jesus was not immune to the devil’s trials (Matthew 4:3-11). When teaching about temptation, remind young people that we all struggle with temptation. But don’t let teens think that just because we all struggle with it that it’s right to obey temptation. Temptation is not sin, but if we yield to the temptation, then we fall into sin.
The Bible teaches the process of temptation and sin in James 1:13-15. It says temptation does not come from God. Temptation comes when our own lusts draw us away. This means each person will be tempted in different ways at different times. What is not a struggle for me can cause someone else to sin. Therefore, we should be sensitive to others and not participate in activities that could cause others to sin. The verses add that when the lust is allowed to mature, it brings sin and ultimately death.
We don’t have to be slaves to the devil’s temptations. By focusing our lives and minds around the Word of God, we are better equipped to fight the battle against temptation.
2. Study on Prayer
Prayer is a lifeline for Christians. It is our way of communicating with God. God gives us His Word so we can see what He wants to communicate with us. Through prayer, we can have a relationship with Him.
The word prayer means to ask, request and even beg. And God invites us to do it. How refreshing! Don’t feel ashamed to go to God and ask Him for what you need (Matthew 7:7-8). He wants to supply our needs, but He wants us to trust in Him. If we spend our time asking friends, family and the government to supply our needs and never ask God, then we are not properly engaged in prayer. God has plenty and will take care of His children, but not if they never look to Him for that supply (Matthew 6:25-34).
A great Bible study on prayer for young people can involve exploring various prayers in the Bible. Jesus spoke about prayer often in the four gospel accounts. So systematically work through His teachings on prayer.
3. How to Read and Study the Bible
Young people need to learn the value of reading the Bible. Often we hear things like, “You shouldn’t read the Bible like any other book.” However, I think we often miss some of the Bible’s power because we don’t read it like a book. God gives us His revelation from the beginning of time to the beginning of eternity. He shows His plan systematically through history. Yet we often teach and read the Bible without regard to when events took place chronologically.
Read the Bible from beginning to end. Find out how God reveals His plan little by little. Don’t teach and read the Bible without considering the context.
Then, of course, we need to study the Bible through individual stories and studies. Many great ways exist to study the Bible. Teaching various Bible study methods helps young people approach the Bible to find answers to their questions.
