CATALYST Youth- "Get Sneaky...With Kindness!", November 4, 2016

This week, we kicked off a new series called 'GET SNEAKY'. It's all about how we can do small things everyday that can make our world a better place. This week, we kicked things off by talking about kindness. To be "kind" means that you're someone who's friendly, thoughtful, and helpful-- where you don't just think about yourself, but you think about the other people around you-- showing in some way that you care about them.


1. GOD WANTS YOU TO BE KNOWN FOR KINDNESS
It's probably not too hard to think of a recent example where someone was mean or unkind. Whether it's something you notice at school, or even on social media-- there is a lot of mean-ness out there! While ANYONE can (and should) be kind- the Bible specifically tells us that people who love and follow Jesus should ESPECIALLY be known for it. Colossians 3:2 tells us that we should stand out for kindness-- that we should wear it everyday like a t-shirt! Jesus said in John 13:35 that one of the ways people will be able to tell that we love Jesus is by our love for other people. When someone who calls themselves a Christian is unkind, it can turn people off of the faith altogether. Why would anyone want to be a Christian if one of the only Christians they know is a real jerk? Hopefully, that wouldn't be said of any of us.

2. GOD WANTS YOU TO BE KIND TO PEOPLE WHO DON'T DESERVE IT
One of the biggest challenges in the whole Bible is in Luke 6:27 where Jesus says, "Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you." WHAT?!? Jesus goes on to say that it's no big deal to show kindness to people who are kind to you-- but people will be able to tell that you're serious about following God when you love the people who treat you like garbage and when you're kind to those who don't deserve it. I shared a story of how I worked with a guy who was totally in love, but when he broke up with his girlfriend, he said things about her that I wouldn't say to my worst enemy. There are days when we'll encounter people who have hurt us, said mean things about us, or offended us in some way. In those moments, it's tempting to "unleash the beast"- to tear them to shreds with our words and get "sweet revenge". But, Jesus tells us to choose the high road. He challenges us to show love and kindness to the people who don't deserve it.

3. GOD WANTS TO RENOVATE YOU
I used to be a pretty mean guy- I was sarcastic and would make fun of people a lot. I definitely didn't have a reputation for being kind-- BUT when I invited Jesus into my life and asked him to forgive me and clean me up- that's exactly what he did! It didn't happen overnight, but people began to notice that I was a kinder person-- that I actually cared about others and their feelings! In Galatians 5, Paul lists the "fruit of the spirit", which basically means that when you're close to God-- when you're relationship is healthy and strong-- you'll notice positive changes in your life. Some of those changes include being more patient, being slow to anger, being more joyful, and being more KIND. We can ask Jesus to come into our lives and clean us up for the better- to renovate us into the best versions of ourselves- that we would be known for our kindness and love.

QUESTIONS FOR HOME

1. This week, we introduced an interactive card game called "SNEAKY CARDS" where teens have cards that ask them to complete some kind of mission. Some of the missions are silly (like play 'rock, paper, scissors' with someone and, if you win, to give them the card) and some involve caring and kindness (like holding the door open for 10 people in a row and giving the card to the 10th person). Teens will be given 5 cards, with 5 missions they can try to accomplish that week. If they can't do them all, they can bring their cards back the next week to add to the deck. We'll then shuffle them and redistribute them for the next week! The whole point of the game is to show that the small things we can say and do everyday are important and can be meaningful to other people. What's even cooler, is that the cards can be tracked-- so if people who receive the card enter the code at the bottom online, it'll show us on a map where the card has traveled. So, theoretically, our small acts of kindness could be multiplied and travel across the world! Ask your teens to show you their "sneaky cards". Encourage them to complete their missions and help them out if you can (it can be fun for the family too!).

2. We talked about how Jesus wants us to show kindness to people we would consider our enemies. Why is that so hard? What difference might it make if we actually lived like that? Discuss this and pray with your teens- that they would stand out and represent Jesus well-- through their kindness.