Friday 28 February 2020

WORDS- Catalyst Youth- Feb 28, 2020


Do you like spicy food? Have you ever eaten something that was so hot that you were running for milk or tried anything to put out the fire? Tonight, we watched a funny viral video where someone ate one of the spiciest nacho chips on the planet...and IT DIDN'T END WELL. 

This week at CATALYST we talked about our fiery tongues- our ability to cut people down with our words, to hurt or wound people. James 3:5-6 says: “The tongue is a small part of a person’s body. But it’s powerful. Think about how a small spark can set a big forest on fire. The tongue is also a fire.” 

When I was a kid, one of the things little kids would say is “Sticks and stones may break my bones but names (or words) will never hurt me", Guess what? THOSE KIDS WERE ALL DIRTY LIARS. It might not be in the same way, but our words DEFINITELY CAN hurt people! If you've ever had someone spread rumours about you, make fun of you, bully you, or call you names, then you know that WORDS have power. They can affect your mental health. There are even people who kill themselves because they're constantly made to feel worthless by others.

Our words can also get us in trouble. They can hurt our reputation. When I was a teen, I used a lot of sarcasm and I thought my sense of humour was the best part about my personality...until people told me that I had hurt them. They were just jokes! I wasn't intentionally trying to hurt people, but I was.
I also used to be pretty negative. If I didn't like something, I would be the first to voice my opinion about it. But I also ran into problems because my negativity made other people feel bad, and it also spread and affected others.

The Internet can be a pretty nasty place. It's full of trolls (people looking to fight, argue, and spread negativity). People feel more free to say whatever they want, even if they would never say those words to someone's face. What do our posts or online conversations look like? Are our texts full on online words? Do we attack others?

The Bible has a lot... A LOT... to say about our words. God wants us to treat others with love and kindness (even if they don't deserve it). He wants to treat others with respect (even if they don't respect us). He doesn't want us to put a target on people and use our words to attack. This is especially important if you call yourself a Christian (if you've accepted God's love and forgiveness). If that's the case, than our WORDS should reflect our faith. Our words should make him proud!

The Bible says that our words have the ability to HEAL people (Proverbs 16:25), they have the ability to REFRESH people and make others feel good (Proverbs 18:4). Our words can be a help to someone at just the right time (Proverbs 18:20)! Ephesians 4:29 says that God wants only helpful things, things that build others up and benefit them, coming out of our mouths. Proverbs 12:18 says that reckless words are like a sword attack, but "the tongue of the wise brings healing". Do we think before we say things? Do we think about how our words might affect others BEFORE they fly out of our mouths? James 1:26 says that our faith is WORTHLESS if we can't control our tongues. This means that if we really love and follow Jesus, our words will reflect that.


James 3:9-10 says, “Sometimes our tongue praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!” This verse reminds us that God doesn’t want us to by hypocrites, (people who might act one way at church, but another way when we're around our friends or when we're online). James writes that it’s SO WRONG if we’re singing worship songs one minute, and then CUTTING SOMEBODY DOWN right afterwards. This tells us that we’ve got a big problem and that we need God's help.

Is God proud of your WORDS? Do the things you say or the things you type reflect the fact that you love and follow Jesus? Do the things you say HURT or WOUND others, or are your words helpful, and kind, or healing? You can ask God to help you, and if you are growing in your faith (being a part of CATALYST and Church, praying, reading and thinking about the Bible), the Bible says that God will slowly make good things come of out your life (The Fruit of the Spirit- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control).

QUESTIONS FOR HOME

1. In James 3:1-12, he talks about a horse being led around by a very small bit or a huge ship being steered by a tiny rudder. What connection is he trying to make to our tongues/mouths?

2. Ask your teens if they can think of a time when someone said something kind, caring, helpful, or encouraging to them. How did it make them feel? This is the way God wants us to be speaking to others.

3. What are some situations where you find it REALLY hard to use kind/caring/helpful/healing words? What do you think God wants you to do in those situations?

4. Parents, talk to your teens about a time when your tongue got you into trouble or hurt someone. What was the result? What would have happened if you had used wisdom or controlled your tongue? 

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