YOUTH CAN TEACH youth lessons and activities on topics: Church Unity, Wisdom & God’s Work, and Chastity

Discussing the first few chapters of 1 Corinthians may be an opportunity to build greater unity among ward members. You could start by asking class members to talk about a club, group, team, or other organization they belonged to that had a great sense of unity. Why did this group feel so united? You could then explore some of Paul’s teachings on unity in 1 Corinthians 1:10–13; 3:1–11. What do these verses, along with our experiences, teach about what helps create unity and what threatens it? What sacrifices do we have to make in order to achieve unity? What blessings come to those who are united? See also Sister Sharon Eubank’s analogy in “Additional Resources.”

Paul uses the image of a building to encourage unity in 1 Corinthians 3:9–17. How could this analogy help your class better understand unity? For example, after reading these verses together, you could give each class member a block and let them work together to build something. In what sense are we “God’s building”? (1 Corinthians 3:9). How is God building us individually? What are we building together as fellow Saints? What can we do as a unified ward that we wouldn’t be able to do as individuals?

Here’s an idea to help your class rely on God: Divide class members into groups and ask them to scan 1 Corinthians 1:17–31; 2; or 3:18–20 searching for words like wise and foolish. Then they could share in their groups what these verses teach about being wise in the Lord’s work. What are things about the gospel that might seem foolish to some people? How do these things demonstrate the wisdom of God? Perhaps class members could also share experiences in which they trusted in God’s wisdom, rather than their own, to accomplish His work.

To begin a discussion about these verses, you might write on the board questions like the following: How does the Lord want us to view our bodies? How is this different from the way Satan wants us to think of our bodies? What does it mean that our bodies are temples of the Holy Ghost? Invite class members to find answers to these questions in 1 Corinthians 6:9–20 (see also Doctrine and Covenants 88:15; Moses 6:8–9).

Your discussion about the sanctity of our bodies could include a conversation about the law of chastity. Perhaps you could ask your class members what they learn from Paul—as well as from other Church resources—that could help them explain to others why chastity is important. Some of these resources may include those listed in “Additional Resources.”