Friday 21 November 2014

November 21, 2014, OUT OF HIDING

Tonight, I shared about the story of Peter, one of Jesus' disciples who had witnessed all kinds of miraculous things (even Lazarus being raised from the dead). The Bible makes it pretty clear that Peter believed that Jesus was the Son of God (Matthew 16:16). Peter also told Jesus that "even if all the other disciples desert you, I will NEVER desert you". (Matthew 26:33). When Jesus challenged him about those words, Peter even had the audacity to say, "Even if I have to die with you. I will never deny you!" (Matthew 26:35).

Peter talked a pretty good game, but Matthew 26:69-75 records that, just a few hours after making those brazen statements in front of Jesus and the disciples, after Jesus had been arrested, Peter denied even knowing him THREE times! What's so interesting about this passage is that nowhere does it indicate that the people asking Peter the questions were out for blood. It doesn't appear that they were asking with any amount of hostility. In fact, the questioners were likely people who had heard about Jesus, the things he taught, the miracles he had done, and they were probably a little confused as to why Jesus had been arrested. Peter missed out on an amazing opportunity to tell people about his experience with Jesus, all because he was too afraid of WHY the crowd was asking questions and too afraid of how they might respond if he told them the truth.

If we call ourselves Christians (Jesus-followers) we need to be open and honest with people about what we believe. That doesn't mean we need to preach a sermon in our school hallway, but it could mean something as simple as telling people we were at CATALYST when we're asked what we did on Friday night. There is a lot of temptation to hide our faith and live like we don't know Jesus in order to be accepted by the crowd, but when we keep what we believe hidden, we might be missing HUGE opportunities to point our friends towards the God who loves them like crazy.

Coming in January, we'll be starting YOUTH ALPHA, a video-based series that explores some of the deep questions about faith, life and God. I'm really encouraging teens to bring a friend along with them! It might be a bit scary or intimidating to invite someone to a "church" event, but if we push past that fear, God might do something awesome in our friend's lives as a result!

DISCUSSION:


1. Have you ever let fear get in the way of you doing something that would have been awesome? Do you ever regret being too afraid to do something?

2. Encourage your teens to think and pray about who they can invite with them to ALPHA in January. Take the time to pray with them for those friends....that they would love to come, and that through the questions and discussions, that they would be introduced to Jesus.

2. Challenge your teen to mention the ALPHA series to one of those friends within the next week. Even though it might be a little intimidating or uncomfortable, encourage your teen to push past the fear. It could be as simple as saying, "My youth group is doing a cool video/discussion series that tackles big questions about God and life-- like 'does God exist?' and 'what's the purpose of my life?'. There's also going to be some fun games and free food-- like pizza!" It's going to start in January, would you be interested in coming with me?"

Friday 14 November 2014

Friday, November 14, 2014: ASSEMBLY REQUIRED

Tonight we talked about, arguably, the greatest superhero team-up movie, THE AVENGERS, and how, even heroes like Thor, Hulk and Iron Man need a little help sometimes. The tagline of the first Avengers movie was ASSEMBLY REQUIRED--that there's a need for these superheroes to work together in order to defeat hideous monsters and weird robots.

The Bible says the same thing to us-- that ASSEMBLY IS REQUIRED! That all of us who call ourselves Christians have a mission that requires us to work together as a team. The mission isn't to defeat hideous monsters, but it's to show and tell others that God loves them. Paul uses a pretty funny analogy to describe this kind of teamwork in 1 Corinthians 12. He describes the church (any group of Christians who regularly meet together) as being like a body made up of many different parts, but all of those parts work together as a team.

"Our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part. Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, "I don't need you". The head can't say to the feet, "I don't need you". All of you together are Christ's body, and each of you is a part of it."
1 Corinthians 12:18-21, 27

That passage conveys two important things:

1. You are here for a reason!
Just like our bodies weren't thrown together without any thought, Paul says that all of us are a part of the church for a reason- so that we would grow in our faith and grow tighter with God, but also so that we can plug in and serve in the unique way that only each of us can.

2. Without you, we're missing our arm!
Every part of your body is pretty important. If just one part went missing, life would be a whole lot harder and some tasks would almost be impossible to complete without some help. On the Amazing Race this year, one of the racers is Bethany Hamilton, a Christian surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack when she was a teenager. It is amazing to see what she can do with only one arm, but it's also a lot harder for her to complete tasks that would be relatively simple for us (try tying your shoes or buttoning your pants with only one arm!). Just like every part of our bodies is important, the Bible says that every single one of us has specific gifts, talents and interests that God has wired into us so that we can serve together as a part of the church. In short, we need you!  This youth group needs your involvement! This church (or the one you attend) needs your involvement! Without you, we're missing our arm. Sure, we can accomplish things, but think about how much easier it would be if we had your help! You don't have to wait until you're 37 be a part of "the body".

Discussion:

1. Imagine what life would be like if you were missing an arm like Bethany Hamilton. Think about your morning routine before you went to school. What would be more challenging? How would you brush your teeth? How would you put on your clothes?

2. Just like all our body parts work together as a part of a team, the people who make up the church are important parts of the team. If your teen serves in some aspect of church ministry, ask them what would happen if they just didn't show up. What would be different? Would it be easier for the church to accomplish its mission or harder? (for example, even being the person who cleans the toilets is ESSENTIAL. Without them, our building would stink, people would be disgusted and leave and first-time visitors would NEVER come back!)

3. If your teen doesn't yet serve in some aspect of church ministry (either on Sundays or during the week), encourage them to think about their own skills and interests (things that God has wired into them for a purpose) and ask them how they could help or serve in some way as a part of the team-- as a part of the Body of Christ. Without your teen, it's a lot harder for us to accomplish our mission!

4. Encourage your teen to talk to myself or another pastor (at this church or theirs) to find ways that they can be a part of the team!

Friday 7 November 2014

November 7, 2014: Friend Request Part 3- MIND EACH OTHER'S BUSINESS!

This week, I wrap up our three part "Friend Request" series with a talk called "Mind Each Other's Business".

This week, we looked at one of the strangest (and one of the most disturbing) passages in the Bible, where Paul is writing a letter to the church in Corinth. Corinth was a multicultural city with multiple religions where the prevailing attitude was "If it feels good, do it". In short, it was like Las Vegas--only sleazier. When people first heard about Jesus and formed the church in Corinth, all of a sudden the Christians had to figure out how to follow Jesus while living in such a sin-sick environment. We have the same problem today. As Christians surrounded by people of different religions and values, where temptation is everywhere, following Jesus and living the way God wants us to do can be SUPER HARD.

The church in Corinth was pretty messed up. The Christians were still involved in idol worship, they were getting drunk off communion wine and they had even allowed temple prostitution to creep its way into the church (the pagan religions at the time were known for having sex in church as worship to their gods). In 1 Corinthians 5:1-2, Paul writes about a particular situation he got wind of-- a man in the church was sleeping with his stepmother (yes, the Bible has some racy stuff inside it). While Paul says that this was shameful, he was more shocked at how everybody in the church was minding their own business. Nobody talked to the guy about the way he was living his life, instead they just gossiped about it until the news traveled to Paul (over 500 kilometers away) at a time where there were no phones or Internet. Paul wrote to the church saying, "Shouldn't this break your hearts? Shouldn't it bring you to your knees in tears? Shouldn't this person and his conduct be confronted and dealt with?

The way we can best survive while living in a sin-sick culture is by being a part of a community that really cares for our well-being, where we can surround ourselves with people who look out for us and encourage us. The mark of a true friend is someone willing to confront someone you care about (in a loving way) and to do whatever you can to steer them in the right direction. That's why getting together as the church is so important. That's why a community of Christian teens is important. We need to surround ourselves with friends who ACTUALLY care about us physically and spiritually. Do we have friends like that? Are WE friends like that?

According to the Bible, friendship means minding EACH OTHERS' business. It means looking our for each other. It means having each others' back. What kind of person turns a blind eye to a "friend" who is in need or in trouble? What kind of person stays silent when their "friend" is making destructive choices?

DISCUSSION:

1. Take a look at these Bible verses with your teen and ask them what it means to them:

-Proverbs 27:10-  "Never abandon a friend—either yours or your father’s."

-Proverbs 27:17- "As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend."

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, "Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble."

Proverbs 27:5, "Better is open rebuke than love that is concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend".

Galatians 6:1-2, Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

2. If you had a piece of spinach stuck in your teeth, would you want someone to tell you or stay silent? If you stunk REALLY bad, would you want your "friends" to tell you? What would a REAL friend do in that situation?  Would it be easy or hard? Would you appreciate their help? Remind your teen that, while it might sometimes be awkward, a REAL friend looks out for the people in their life.

3. Does your teen know someone in his/her life who is trouble or is making some really bad choices? Are they worried about a friend? Take the time to pray for that person and encourage your teen to have the guts to confront their friend about it (in a loving way). It might be tough and awkward, but real friends mind each other's business.