There is a crisis today in many families, churches, and teens; to a significant degree the crisis is due to a lack of quality, grace-based, Bible study lessons. It is believed this crisis may be averted, to some degree, by making the needed Bible study helps available, now! Such study helps must express the Word in a way that relates to a teen’s daily life and must present sound teaching which gets beyond the “fluff” often seen in teen lessons. Exposed to doctrinally sound, evangelical, Bible study lessons is one way to help teens who are at a crossroad in their life.
Grace 4 You Ministries, Inc., was founded by Dr. Steve Shober, former director of Growing Up in Grace (Sunday School Program). The impetus behind forming a new ministry lies in the absolute necessity to make quality Bible study lessons available for high school students as quickly as possible.
G4U’s desire is to see teens grounded in the Word and with a strong faith in Jesus Christ.
Purpose
The purpose of Grace 4 You Ministries (G4U) is to explore God’s Word through Bible study lessons and booklets. Our desire is to help people understand the Bible and apply it to daily life.
Who We Are
G4U is a new ministry that is designed to reach teens and adults via the internet (perhaps through printed material in the future). We are an independent ministry with an evangelistic approach, i.e., a desire to see people saved by placing their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. After salvation, it is important to teach that God continues to work in a person’s life and for people to know what lies ahead in God’s plan for those who believe in Him.
What We Offer
G4U offers Bible lessons suitable for teens:
- Sunday school classes, youth groups, youth clubs, Bible camps, etc.
- Family and individual study
- Devotional guides
- Home schools
- Faith-based and mission organizations
The first lessons will be targeted for high school-aged youth. Then, as the Lord leads, we trust to have adult Bible Study lessons and/or booklets.
The lesson for high school are designed for class instruction and for teens to study on their own, as a personal Bible study aide. They can also be readily adapted to older individuals/groups, since they are written at a level generally used for adults in many churches today.
Lesson Goals
Our lessons endeavor to keep first things first, that is, they concentrate on eternal principles and teachings which apply to daily life. The lesson do not get bogged-down in minor matters nor do they get sidetracked with non-essentials.
The G4U lessons are designed to address these critical requirements:
- Provide lessons that create interest and enthusiasm in students.
- Foster a desire to know more from the Word (because it provides truth for today).
- Provide lessons with depth that are doctrinally sound and grace oriented.
- Help assure that teens will be strong in their faith with a desire to honor the Lord their entire lives.
- Present biblical truth that ministers to each of our three aspects: spirit, soul (mind), and body.
- Encourage, build-up, and respect students in their faith, while trying to meet their needs.
- Teach Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery.1
- Assure a balance and a breadth in teaching, as revealed in the entire Word of God.
- Address sensitive issues honestly and with respective for alternative, legitimate views.
Systematic Approach
Sunday schools, youth groups, mission organizations, and those seeking His Truth can readily benefit from the organizational approach of the lessons. The lessons present a logical flow to reveal what the Bible has to say on topics of critical importance. The first lessons provide a systematic approach to Bible study.
- Who Is God – two lessons are used to establish the very basics of who God is and why faith is important.
- The Word of God – three lessons are used to verify that the Bible is true, reliable, and accurate. It is the Word of God which connects the mind of God to the heart of mankind.
- God’s Design of Humans – three lessons reveal how God designed humans with three parts (body, soul, and spirit). He has a plan for each part (glorification, transformation, and salvation, respectively).
- A Personal Relationship with God –two lessons discuss the need to establish a personal relationship with God, not just have a knowledge that He exists. That relationship is based upon His love and grace and our faith in Jesus Christ.
- Time Traveling with God – two lessons are used to create interest in God’s overall plan, from beginning to end, as presented in the Bible. God has a plan for all mankind and getting to know that plan is very rewarding. It helps create confidence in what the Lord is doing today and what He clearly says is going to happen in the future.
- Being Misunderstood – three lessons are used to help teens recognize that many of God’s people have been terribly misunderstood, as many teens experience today. In spite of what humans thought of them, God used those misunderstood people in marvelous ways.
There is a change in lesson topics every one to four lessons. This is done in order to provide variation and to peak interest. There is so much in the Word, and so much to which a teen needs exposure, that it is necessary to have a wide variety of topics. In addition, teens have indicated they do not want to study any one topic for too long. This change in topics is intentional and purposeful, it is designed to hold interest and to address the whole counsel of God.
1 The mystery refers to the fact our present Age of Grace (often called the Church Age) was a secret, hidden in God, until revealed by the risen Lord Jesus Christ. The mystery basically is this: all people are equal before God, we are all saved by His grace through faith in Him alone, all believers are joined into one spiritual body, and all this is accomplished by God alone (Eph. 3:2-10).
About the G4U Director, Steve Shober
Steve was raised in a Christian home in Wisconsin (USA) and placed his faith in Jesus Christ at an early age. He has a bachelors’ degree in civil engineering, a master’s degree in structural engineering, and a doctorate in naturopathy (natural health). He served in the US Army in the late 1960’s. He is married to Ruth and they have three daughters and three grandchildren. A considerable number of secular and faith-based publications have been authored by Steve. He has served on numerous engineering-scientific committees, national research boards, National Academy of Sciences, and so forth. He has served on church and Bible society boards, as Sunday School Superintendent, Bible teacher, and as guest speaker at various churches and conferences. Ruth and he have had a Bible study in their home since the 1970’s.
After retiring as an engineer in 2000, he worked as a natural health doctor, then as the Director of Growing Up in Grace (a Sunday school ministry). In 2012 he felt the need to create a new ministry, Grace 4 You Ministries, to offer free Bible lessons for teens and adults around the world. Grace 4 You offers also offers low priced eBooks on important Christian topics (available at www.grace4you.com and Amazon). Grace Publications is working toward publishing the books in hard copy.
All the literature from Grace 4 You is biblically sound, grace-oriented, and designed to help believers grow in Christ and for non believers to learn of the love of God. The literature is designed to lead the reader into new and clear perspectives on the Word, and to enhance a person’s relationship with Jesus Christ. The Age of Grace (our Age) is important to understand properly, so that a person knows what God is, and is not, doing today. There is much confusion in Christendom today because the truth for our Age is presented in a confusing manner; thus, Steve feels compelled to present the Word, clearly and concisely.
