The past few weeks at youth group and mission trip meetings we have really been hitting hard the importance of sharing our story with our friends and communities. This past week we wanted to put it all into practice, so we ventured into the Manassas Mall to "pray it up." I hope to be posting stories and photos soon, but for now I want to talk about why we went.
It's easy to talk about living your life as an example for Christ, not leaving your friends behind, and being an everyday missionary, but it's not as easy to live it.
I admitted to the youth before we went that sharing my faith was never an easy thing for me. Growing up, my faith wasn't a big part of my life and the first time I shared my testimony, I talked about all the bad things that happened in my life and cried a lot without giving much glory to God. I was surrounded by a gracious group of people who helped me work through my story and realize the places where God was working. Sharing my story became a little easier as long as I was in relationship with the person I was talking to.
In college I attended a church that would often go into the community to pray for people. They would ask God to reveal something to them that they would then see when they went out. People would see colors or shapes and phrases and then see how God led them. To be honest this made me really uncomfortable and it never worked out for my schedule, so I never participated. Then on last year's mission trip they asked us to do a prayer walk around the local community, praying for what we see and talking to people. We walked around praying, but didn't interact much, but since we are working with the same organization I wanted the youth and I to be prepared for this experience.
So, two weeks back I went into Manassas with Pastor Angel and we prayed for almost every person we saw. It was uncomfortable, but so simple. There wasn't any tricking them into conversation or waving the Bible at them, it was simply entering into a conversation and offering to pray for their needs.
I share all this because the youth and I shared a lot of the same feelings going into this activity, but coming out of it, we shared stories about people we prayed for. It was tangible the way that God was moving through them, showing his power in their place of weakness, and meeting people where they were.
We hear people talk about the importance of relationships but media and technology have put fear in us about talking to people we don't know. We judge them from the moment we see them. When we take the time to ask a few questions, we learn that they have recently lost loved ones, or are recovering from alcoholism, or they are searching for a community. We have the opportunity everyday to share the love of Christ with those around us and it's much simpler than we have made it.
Read 1 Peter 3:13-18.
No harm will come to those who are eager to do good. We have been set free by Christ and his death on the cross, but our story doesn't stop there. Will we step out and be a light for others to follow for the sake of Christ? You don't have to go to the mall and pray for random people...but you could and you can pray for your friends and coworkers and families because it's worth pushing through the awkwardness for His message to be heard and seen through you. So keep praying it up!
I hope to have some stories and pics up soon! Here's a tip on what not to do:
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
An Everday Missionary
This past week Jessi shared with us about being an everyday missionary. So often when we think about mission, we think that it means going somewhere else to help people in need. Those trips are great opportunities to share God's love and provision with others, but it's not always that complicated. As a youth, you look forward to the summer missions trip every year. You get to be with your friends (maybe get a cheese steak), help people, and see God move in awesome ways. You often return from these trips on fire for God and ready to change the world, but after a few months, weeks, maybe even days it wears off. You begin to think that God only moves when you go somewhere else. This week we were challenged to think differently.
In Paul's letter to Timothy, he tells Timothy that first of all, he is capable:
The challenge this week is to consider areas in your life that you can work to set an example in speech, life, love, faith and purity and how will you seek God's guidance in the process as you learn to love him with all your heart, soul, and mind. You can't do this alone and your not meant to. Pray it up! Remember, your mission field is wherever you are standing, because that is where God wants to use you.
In Paul's letter to Timothy, he tells Timothy that first of all, he is capable:
"Command and teach these things. Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity" (1 Tim. 4:11-12)Paul tells Timothy that age doesn't determine your capability to minister to others. Your life can set an example for everyone around you. This is a true challenge, so how do we set an example? It's important to understand understand that God's power is made perfect in our weakness. Just because we feel too young or like we don't know enough about the Bible or we aren't great speakers, doesn't mean God can't use us. Ok, but practically how can we set an example? Joshua encourages some of the Israelite people in this way:
"But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul."(Joshua 22:5)Although we interpret the Great Commission to mean we must go somewhere, Jesus is really emphasizing that we make disciples. This is why we go on mission trips and pray for our schools and encourage each other. Showing people the love of God is what we are called to do and we do this by setting an example everyday, by loving God, obeying his commands, holding fast through trials, and serving others. God is moving among us all the time, not just at youth group and on mission trips. He wants to use you to reach your schools and your families right now.
The challenge this week is to consider areas in your life that you can work to set an example in speech, life, love, faith and purity and how will you seek God's guidance in the process as you learn to love him with all your heart, soul, and mind. You can't do this alone and your not meant to. Pray it up! Remember, your mission field is wherever you are standing, because that is where God wants to use you.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Caught in the Maze
A couple of weeks ago a youth approached me about something they were struggling with and God put a passage on my heart to share: 2 Corinthians 12:1-10. After I shared this with them I realized it was something we all needed to hear. The past few weeks between youth group and the mission trip meetings we have been discussing God's love for us even when we feel like we are lost.
This week we began with an activity where the youth were blindfolded and led into a maze. The only way out of the maze was to ask for help. Otherwise, they would just be going in circles. What unfolded in this activity was really challenging. Some of you made it out fairly quickly, some took a little longer, and one was left wandering alone. It was a powerful image of our interaction with the world.
You see, it's our nature to to want to figure things out on our own. If we know there is a way out of our problems, we want to do it ourselves. We want to solve the puzzle and find the answer. If we ask for help we have to admit that we are incapable. We don't want someone to tutor us in school, because that must mean we are stupid. We don't want to talk to someone about the struggles in our lives because it means there must be something wrong with us. We don't want to cry or show emotion because it's a sign of weakness in the world's eyes.
The Lord tells Paul,“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (v. 8). This blows our minds, because the world tells us that strength is physical or that it is based on outward appearance. Kneeling before God and asking for help is weakness in the world's eye. Jesus knelt down and washed the feet of his disciples and told them to do likewise (John 13:1-17). Christ's shameful death on the cross was weakness to all those around him, but God's power was shown through that weakness. The gospels are full of stories where Jesus is contradicting the world's view of strength.
From the beginning of time we were not meant to go through life alone, but we choose to walk around blindly through the maze because it's easier and others will think we are strong for persevering. Some of you stood on the outside of the maze and laughed when others couldn't figure it out. You didn't think they were strong, you began to think it was easy to get out and couldn't understand why they didn't get it. The truth is that it is often easier to walk in circles because eventually, it becomes comfortable. To get out of the maze requires us to make tough choices, to stop the routine. God has pulled some of us out of the maze, but we have chosen to go back in because it's too hard to change.
Some of you are on the outside of the maze. Initially you laughed because others weren't getting it. Then you hung out with others who were out and forgot about the people that were still trapped. You began to feel desperate because they were alone. This happens in our relationship with God. God has revealed his love to you and freed you from the maze. You depend on him for your source of strength but you are so consumed with making sure that you are ok with God that you forget what he freed you from and that he has called you to help others, to serve him by sharing his love with the world.
The challenge this week is to prayerfully consider where you are in your relationship with God:
Are you stuck in a maze?
Are you going through the same routine and cycles too proud to ask for help?
Are you afraid of the change that will have to happen if you do?
Are you on the outside laughing at others who don't get it?
Are you ignoring others who are trapped, because you got out?
Is there a burning in your heart to be used by God to share the freedom you have been given?
We are praying for all of you this week and encourage you to pray with a family member, mentor, or friend about where you are with God and how he might be able to use you to share his love. Any of the youth leaders are available to pray with you, don't hesitate to ask!
This week we began with an activity where the youth were blindfolded and led into a maze. The only way out of the maze was to ask for help. Otherwise, they would just be going in circles. What unfolded in this activity was really challenging. Some of you made it out fairly quickly, some took a little longer, and one was left wandering alone. It was a powerful image of our interaction with the world.
You see, it's our nature to to want to figure things out on our own. If we know there is a way out of our problems, we want to do it ourselves. We want to solve the puzzle and find the answer. If we ask for help we have to admit that we are incapable. We don't want someone to tutor us in school, because that must mean we are stupid. We don't want to talk to someone about the struggles in our lives because it means there must be something wrong with us. We don't want to cry or show emotion because it's a sign of weakness in the world's eyes.
The Lord tells Paul,“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (v. 8). This blows our minds, because the world tells us that strength is physical or that it is based on outward appearance. Kneeling before God and asking for help is weakness in the world's eye. Jesus knelt down and washed the feet of his disciples and told them to do likewise (John 13:1-17). Christ's shameful death on the cross was weakness to all those around him, but God's power was shown through that weakness. The gospels are full of stories where Jesus is contradicting the world's view of strength.
From the beginning of time we were not meant to go through life alone, but we choose to walk around blindly through the maze because it's easier and others will think we are strong for persevering. Some of you stood on the outside of the maze and laughed when others couldn't figure it out. You didn't think they were strong, you began to think it was easy to get out and couldn't understand why they didn't get it. The truth is that it is often easier to walk in circles because eventually, it becomes comfortable. To get out of the maze requires us to make tough choices, to stop the routine. God has pulled some of us out of the maze, but we have chosen to go back in because it's too hard to change.
Some of you are on the outside of the maze. Initially you laughed because others weren't getting it. Then you hung out with others who were out and forgot about the people that were still trapped. You began to feel desperate because they were alone. This happens in our relationship with God. God has revealed his love to you and freed you from the maze. You depend on him for your source of strength but you are so consumed with making sure that you are ok with God that you forget what he freed you from and that he has called you to help others, to serve him by sharing his love with the world.
The challenge this week is to prayerfully consider where you are in your relationship with God:
Are you stuck in a maze?
Are you going through the same routine and cycles too proud to ask for help?
Are you afraid of the change that will have to happen if you do?
Are you on the outside laughing at others who don't get it?
Are you ignoring others who are trapped, because you got out?
Is there a burning in your heart to be used by God to share the freedom you have been given?
We are praying for all of you this week and encourage you to pray with a family member, mentor, or friend about where you are with God and how he might be able to use you to share his love. Any of the youth leaders are available to pray with you, don't hesitate to ask!
Friday, May 6, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
God's Chisel
Ephesians 2:1-10
God created each one of you to be workers in his kingdom. He has designed each one of you with a purpose. However, each one of us also has a sinful nature inside of us that God is trying to chip away. Don mentioned in church this morning that it is Jesus who initiates our relationship with God. For some of you this happened on a mission trip or through your families, but God has initiated a relationship with each one of you.
As we grow in our relationship with God, He begins to chisel and shape us more into the image of Jesus and it is often painful. The term in the Bible used for this chipping away is sanctification. God knows this is a lifelong process. That’s why in Philippians 2:12-13, Paul tells us that we must “work out” our salvation. The term work out in the Greek usually refers to seeing something through to completion. It means that when we have encountered God in some way through a mission trip or an experience at youth group of through our families, we don’t stop there. Matthew 5:48 says be perfect or made whole or complete like our father in heaven. It can seem daunting but it is a life long process.
Tommy says “I can’t be good,” but God responds I made you good. If you think you are no good, what does that say of God’s workmanship? We would never tell someone that God made them as trash, but we are often quick to put ourselves down or think we aren't good enough for God. He created us in his image to live out His purpose in our lives.
God never meant for you to walk this alone. He is walking with you as he walked with the disciples on Emmaus, revealing himself to you whether you are aware of it or not. He provides us with the tools: his word, the ability to communicate with him through prayer, and the fellowship of suffering. He died for us and asks us to take up the cross, even when it is hard.
Questions:
- If you were as bold as to ask God to “do whatever it takes” to make you into the image of Jesus, what would God chisel first in your life?
- If God asked your parents where they would like the chiseling to start on you how would they answer?
- What do you think would be the most painful or uncomfortable thing about the chiseling process?
- Has there been a time when you felt like God was chiseling on your life?
Challenge:
Ask a parent, friend, or mentor to help you identify areas in your life that God might want to begin “chiseling.” Give them permission to be honest and try not to get defensive.
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