EPHESIANS | WHOSE WILL WINS?
Message from Pastor Chad Everett
OVERVIEW
Have you ever wanted something your way, even when you knew it wasn’t the right choice?
Maybe you wanted to keep playing instead of obeying your parents. Maybe you wanted to say something mean because someone hurt your feelings. Or maybe you followed what your friends were doing, even though you knew it was wrong.
Every day, we make choices about whose way we will follow!
Pastor Chad taught us about four different wills: God’s will, our own will, Satan’s will, and the will of others. A will is what someone wants, chooses, or plans. Not everyone wants the same thing, but God’s will is greater than anything that comes against us!
In the Bible, a man named Saul tried to stop people from following Jesus. But God had a different plan! One day, while Saul was traveling to a city called Damascus, Jesus spoke to him. That encounter changed Saul’s life!
God wants us to trust Him and choose His ways, too. We don’t have to wait until we’re grown up to follow God’s will. We can choose to obey Him every day!
So here’s the big question: Whose will wins in my life?
HOW TO USE THIS STUDY GUIDE
Read About It → Talk About It → Think About It
Open your Bible and read each passage together.
Use the Talk About It questions to find answers in God’s Word. These questions follow the same Bible truths the adults are studying, so Kidz can be part of the conversation, too!
Then use the Think About It questions to talk about your own choices, attitudes, and actions. Be honest about when you want your own way and how you can choose God’s way instead.
Remember, God wants to help you grow in knowing Him and following His Word!
MEMORY VERSE
“Not as I will, but as You will.” — Matthew 26:39 (NKJV)
BIG WORDS
- Will: What someone wants, chooses, or plans.
- Apostle: Someone Jesus sends out with a message and a job to do.
- Persecution: Hurting or treating people badly because of what they believe.
- Scattered: Spread out into different places, like seeds being planted.
- Surrender: Choosing to give up your own way and follow God’s way.
- Obey: To listen and do what you are told.
- Encounter: Meeting someone or having an experience that changes something.
SECTION 1 — FOUR WILLS: WHOSE WAY WILL I CHOOSE?
BIG IDEA
Paul said he was an apostle of Jesus Christ “by the will of God.” That means God chose Paul and gave him a special job!
Pastor Chad taught us that four different wills can try to influence our lives: God’s will, our own will, Satan’s will, and the will of others.
Sometimes we want our own way. Sometimes friends want us to do what they’re doing. And sometimes the enemy tries to lead us away from God’s truth. But we can choose to follow what God says!
READ ABOUT IT
Ephesians 1:1–2; Galatians 1:10; Matthew 6:9–10
TALK ABOUT IT
- In Ephesians 1:1, what does Paul call himself?
- Who chose Paul to be an apostle?
- In Galatians 1:10, does Paul say he is trying to please people or God?
- What does Paul say about being a servant of Jesus if he is still trying to please people?
- In Matthew 6:10, what does Jesus teach us to pray about God’s will?
THINK ABOUT IT
- Who is really making my choices? When my parents ask me to do something, do I obey or try to get my own way? What do my choices show about whose way I want to follow?
- Do I care more about what my friends think than what God says? If my friends are making fun of someone, cheating, or doing something wrong, do I join them because I want to fit in? What would choosing God’s way look like?
- Do I only want to obey God when it’s easy? What happens when God’s Word tells me to do something I don’t feel like doing? Am I willing to choose His way even when I want something different?
READ MORE
John 6:38
SECTION 2 — GOD’S WILL IS GREATER THAN THE ENEMY’S PLANS
BIG IDEA
Jesus told Peter that Satan wanted to hurt his faith. But Jesus was praying for Peter!
The enemy wanted Peter to fail, but Jesus had a plan for Peter to keep following Him and help others grow stronger.
Sometimes things happen that are hard, scary, or disappointing. But we don’t have to let fear decide what we believe. We can trust Jesus and keep following Him!
READ ABOUT IT
Luke 22:31–32
TALK ABOUT IT
- Who did Jesus say wanted to sift Peter like wheat?
- What did Jesus say He had done for Peter?
- What did Jesus pray would not fail?
- Did Jesus tell Peter that he would never have trouble, or did He tell him what to do afterward?
- What did Jesus tell Peter to do for his brothers after he returned?
THINK ABOUT IT
- Do I let fear make my choices? When I’m afraid of failing, being laughed at, or trying something difficult, do I give up? How can trusting Jesus help me make a different choice?
- Do I keep trusting God when things don’t go my way? When something is hard at school, at home, or with my friends, do I complain and quit, or do I keep praying and following God’s Word?
- Do I help others grow stronger in their faith? When a friend or someone in my family is having a hard time, do I only think about myself, or do I encourage them, pray with them, and remind them of God’s truth?
READ MORE
Matthew 26:39
SECTION 3 — NOTHING CAN STOP GOD’S PURPOSES
BIG IDEA
Saul did not want people to follow Jesus. He tried to hurt Christians and put them in prison!
Because of the persecution, many believers had to leave Jerusalem and travel to other places. But guess what? They didn’t stop telling people about Jesus!
Everywhere they went, they shared God’s Word. Saul wanted to stop the Church, but the good news about Jesus kept spreading!
God’s plans were greater than Saul’s plans.
READ ABOUT IT
Acts 7:54–60; Acts 8:1–4; Mark 4:26
TALK ABOUT IT
- In Acts 7, what did the angry crowd do to Stephen?
- What did Stephen ask God to do for the people who were hurting him?
- In Acts 8:1–3, what happened to the believers, and what was Saul doing to the Church?
- According to Acts 8:4, what did the believers do wherever they went?
- In Mark 4:26, what does Jesus say the Kingdom of God is like? What do seeds being scattered help us understand about the believers sharing God’s Word in new places?
THINK ABOUT IT
- Do I stop doing what’s right when it gets hard? If someone laughs at me for loving Jesus, praying, or telling the truth, do I stop because I want them to like me? Am I willing to follow Jesus even when others don’t?
- Do I look for ways to share Jesus? When I’m at school, playing with friends, or spending time with family, do I look for opportunities to show God’s love and share His truth? Or do I only think about what I want to do?
- Do I let a bad day become an excuse to make bad choices? When I’m disappointed, frustrated, or things don’t go my way, do I decide I don’t have to be kind or obey? How can I still choose God’s way?
READ MORE
Acts 22:20
SECTION 4 — ONE ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING!
BIG IDEA
Saul was on his way to Damascus because he wanted to arrest people who followed Jesus.
But suddenly, a bright light from heaven shone around him! Jesus spoke to Saul and asked why he was persecuting Him.
Saul’s plans were about to change!
Saul had been trying to stop people from following Jesus, but Jesus had a different purpose for his life. Saul’s encounter with Jesus changed everything.
No one is too far away for Jesus to reach. We can believe that Jesus can change people’s lives!
READ ABOUT IT
Acts 9:1–6; John 1:5; Isaiah 48:3
TALK ABOUT IT
- In Acts 9:1–2, what was Saul planning to do to the followers of Jesus?
- What suddenly happened as Saul got close to Damascus?
- Who spoke to Saul from heaven?
- What did Jesus ask Saul, and what did Saul say to Jesus?
- In John 1:5, what does the Bible say about the light shining in darkness? In Isaiah 48:3, what does God say about how His plans happen?
THINK ABOUT IT
- Do I believe Jesus can change anyone? Is there someone who is often mean, makes bad choices, or doesn’t want to know Jesus? Do I believe Jesus can change that person’s life, and am I willing to pray for them?
- Do I trust God even when I can’t see what He’s doing? When I pray about something and nothing seems to change, do I stop believing God can help? What does Saul’s story teach me about what Jesus can do suddenly?
- Am I willing to change when Jesus shows me a better way? When I learn something from God’s Word that shows me I’m making a wrong choice, do I make excuses or obey? What is one thing I know God wants me to change right now?
READ MORE
Acts 8:1–3
SECTION 5 — GOD’S WAY OR MY WAY?
BIG IDEA
Jesus showed us what it means to follow God’s will.
Jesus said He came to do the will of His Father. Even when following God’s plan was very hard, Jesus prayed, “Not as I will, but as You will.”
That means Jesus chose what His Father wanted instead of His own way.
We get to make that choice, too! When we follow Jesus, we can learn to want what God wants and obey Him even when it’s difficult.
God’s will is greater than our own plans, and His ways are always right!
READ ABOUT IT
John 6:38; Matthew 26:39; Matthew 6:9–10; Acts 9:6
TALK ABOUT IT
- According to John 6:38, whose will did Jesus come to do?
- In Matthew 26:39, what did Jesus ask His Father, and whose will did He choose?
- In Matthew 6:10, where did Jesus teach us to pray that God’s will would be done?
- In Acts 9:6, what did Saul ask Jesus, and what did Jesus tell him to do?
- What do Jesus’ words in John 6:38 and Matthew 26:39 teach us about following the Father’s will?
THINK ABOUT IT
- Where am I choosing my way instead of God’s way? Do I argue with my parents, refuse to share, tell lies, hold grudges, or treat someone unkindly because I want my own way? What do I know God wants me to do differently?
- Do I want what God wants, or do I just want God to give me what I want? When I pray, do I only ask God for things I want, or do I also ask Him to help me obey His Word and make the right choices?
- What will I do differently this week? Is there someone I need to forgive, a parent I need to obey, a friend I need to treat better, or something wrong I need to stop doing? What is one choice I will make this week to show that God’s will wins in my life?
READ MORE
Isaiah 48:3
REMEMBER THIS!
Whose will wins? God’s way or my way? I get to choose!
Saul thought he could stop the Church, but God’s purposes were greater than Saul’s plans. One encounter with Jesus changed Saul’s life! And Jesus can change our lives, too.
Every day, we have opportunities to choose God’s way. When we obey our parents, tell the truth, forgive someone, show kindness, and follow God’s Word, our choices show that we want His will to win.
You don’t have to wait until you’re grown up to follow God’s will. Start today!