THE 12: PART 1 (A Simple Introduction)

This week we launched a series called "THE 12" where we're going to take a closer look at the lives and stories of people who walked and talked with Jesus- his twelve disciples. What were their lives like before they met Jesus? How did Jesus change their lives? What twists and turns did their lives take? What impact did they have on the world?

This week, our focus was on two of Jesus' lesser-known disciples, Andrew and Philip. These guys aren't really famous. They didn't write any Books of the Bible, and they're barely mentioned in its pages! In fact, both of the combined have less than 6 sentences recorded in the whole Bible! While, at first glance, these two might seem like minor characters, they actually ended up having a huge impact on the world!

In John 1:35-50, we see the moments when they first met Jesus. These encounters with Jesus changed their lives, and even after spending a short time with him, they believed that he wasn't just some ordinary dude. Andrew calls Jesus "the Messiah", the Saviour, the one who would rescue people from sin. Philip calls Jesus "the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about"! Yes, these guys were convinced. So, what did they do?

1. Andrew and Philip both introduced people they cared about to Jesus.
Right after meeting Jesus, Andrew went to find his brother Simon and brought him along so that he could meet Jesus for himself. Philip ran to find his friend Nathanael, and told him all about Jesus. Nathanael was a little doubtful, but Philip simply said to him, "Come and see for yourself".

One of the things we can learn from these two guys is that they were open and honest with their friends and family about what they believed and invited them to meet Jesus for themselves! This is a simple reminder to us that we need to be open and honest about what we believe with people around us and should look for opportunities to invite a friend to join us at church or at youth group.

 2. Something so simple had a HUGE impact!
It was such a simple thing they did, but when Simon and Nathanael met Jesus for themselves, their lives were changed. They became disciples too! Simon, in particular, was given a new name by Jesus-- Peter-- which means "the rock". Jesus told Peter that the entire church would be built and strengthened because of his life! Peter went on to share the good news of God's love with THOUSANDS of people! He even wrote some of the books of the Bible! Lives were changed and are still being changed today, just because Andrew simply introduced his brother to Jesus.

When we are open and honest about what we believe, when we tell people what we did on Friday or on Sunday, and don't keep our faith hidden, and when we simply invite a friend along with us to youth or to church, you're creating an opportunity for them to get to know Jesus for themselves. Maybe they have spiritual questions or want to learn more about what the Bible says? A simple invitation might change their lives for the better-- and you never know what kind of impact that might have on the world. Andrew simply brought his brother to meet Jesus-- and through Peter, thousands more experienced God's love and forgiveness. How cool is that?

Discussion:
1. Talk to your teen about where some of their friends are at spiritually. Do some of their friends make terrible, even destructive, choices? Do some of them feel far from God or are even hostile when your teen bring up things that they believe? Take time this week to pray for those friends--either together, or that your teen would do so on their own-- that God would use your teen to be a positive influence on the lives of their friends and that they would come to know Jesus.

2. Encourage your teen to invite a friend to join them at CATALYST sometime in the next few weeks. Let your teen know that you can even help out by giving them a ride. A great first-time introduction to our youth group is our SLIDEJAM sledding event happening on January 22nd. Talk to Pastor Ben to get a permission form for their friend.