DUPED Wk1: Don’t Get Duped into Performing your Faith
Counterfeits for full life are as sneaky and as rampant as the best AI-generated media. It gets harder and harder to tell what's real and what's fake at a glance. This four-week series invites students to sharpen their discernment skills when it comes to embracing full life. Dupes are everywhere. We find ourselves chasing fake glory, fake religion, fake love, and fake fulfillment. Jesus reminds us of four truths: we are made in God’s image, a humble posture is better than haughty performance, God actually loves us, and we were made to really live.
BOTTOM LINE
Don’t Get Duped into Performing your Faith
SCRIPTURE
“I am sending you out like sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and as innocent as doves” Matthew 10:16 ESV
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TAKE ATTENDANCE & INTRODUCE YOURSELF (If anyone is new)
FOR FUN: Take some time to catch up.
Ask your students – What’s a funny or creative way you’ve seen someone (or yourself) try to fake something to fit in or look good?
DISCUSS THIS:
1. If you found out a teammate on your sports team or project partner had been completely faking their involvement the whole time, how would you react? What makes being duped by a fake feel so frustrating? (Think about Carlos’ story.)2. What are some of the "perks" or reasons why it’s so easy to fake being a "good Christian student" at school, home, or church?
3. Read Matthew 10:16. What do you think Jesus meant when He told us to be "wise as serpents and innocent as doves"? How does this apply to spot fakes—both in the world and in our own hearts?
4. Jesus warned in Matthew 15:8 about people who "honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." What does performative or "actor-style" faith look like in everyday student life?
5. The lesson asked, "Is this faith actually mine, or am I just borrowing it?" How can you tell the difference between following Jesus because you genuinely love Him versus doing it just because your parents, friends, or leaders expect you to?
6. The message challenged us with the question: Who am I in the dark? What is one practical habit (like prayer, reading the Bible, or confessing mistakes) you can build when no one else is watching?
7. Trying to keep up an act or impress people is exhausting. What is one "mask" or pressure you feel like you need to drop this week so you can live out real faith instead of a performance?
Pray