MS - Encountering Jesus - Week 3

We’ve spent the last couple weeks talking about what happens when people have an encounter with Jesus. An encounter is an unexpected meeting of at least two people. So far, we’ve learned that when people encounter Jesus, the results are always unexpected. Two weeks ago we learned about a man who had been possessed by demons for a very long time. He was rejected by his friends, his family, and everyone who lived around him. Then Jesus came. And through this encounter, Jesus sent the thousands of demons into a herd of pigs so that this man would be healed. Last week, we looked at not one, but ten people who were healed by Jesus. Today, we'll see some friends who would do anything to help one of their friends have an encounter with Jesus.

Watch http://youtu.be/iokmg2fkL-c and read Luke 5:17-26

  

For this story to make sense, you have to understand the location. Jesus was teaching from someone's home. Most likely a home in Capernaum would have had room for about 50 people standing. So there was definitely a crowd of people filling this home to capacity. You have these men who come bringing their friend - who is paralyzed - to be healed. Sometimes you learn the difference between people who say they are your friends and those who really are true friends. These guys don't give up. The house is full. They can't get to Jesus. Some might have said, "Sorry man. We did the best we could."

Look at Luke 5:19, "So they went up to the roof...” Just stop right there. In most of our homes, this would be crazy. It's hard for a normal person to get on the roof. But somehow get up and drag your paralyzed friend up too? But the homes in Capernaum were different than ours. The homes had flat roofs. You could access the roof from an outside staircase. It could be used like a patio or porch that you might have outside your home today—it’s just that your patio is next to the house instead of on top of it.

So, now the story is strange, but makes more sense. We picture the friends carrying their paralyzed friend on a mat up the staircase to the top of the house. But it wasn't like there was a big screen up there where they could watch and listen to Jesus' teaching. What did they plan to do? The whole point was for Jesus to heal their friend, not just hear Jesus teach. That's where the strange gets stranger and we read about the unexpected happening in the rest of that verse.

"So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles.”  What?! Did you get that? They were removing a person's roof! Can you imagine the distraction for the fifty-plus people in the home while Jesus was teaching as the roof opens up? And that wasn't enough! It wasn't just to see Jesus or get his attention. The friends wanted to get their friend to Jesus and they were persistent and creative enough to find a way. They carried their friend to the roof. They made a hole in the roof.

And again, in verse 19, more unexpected happens: "Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus." I'm super impressed that they found just the right spot to lower their friend right in front of Jesus. But that's not the point here. The friends did whatever they could, even if it was super crazy in the eyes of everyone around them, so their friend could have this encounter—this unexpected meeting—with Jesus.

So what was Jesus’ response? Look at verse 20. "Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, 'Young man, your sins are forgiven." Okay, now I'm impressed and confused. Jesus can see the faith of this man's friends because they went to extraordinary measures to get their friend to Jesus. But wouldn't their goal have been for him to be healed? To be able to walk? And Jesus says, "Your sins are forgiven.” We know that's more important, but not the expected result.

However, the story doesn't end there. (And remember, this is a TRUE STORY!) Now, the next scene is a heated exchange between the religious leaders and Jesus. That's good for another lesson.

But we're going to skip to verse 24. "Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, 'Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!'  Wow! So now the friend has been forgiven and healed!

Luke 5:25, "And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up...”

He didn't just get up. He jumped up! Everyone, right where you are, jump up as high as you can on 3.  1, 2, 3! That's what a man did who had been paralyzed! He hadn't been able to walk. Now he jumps! (And remember, this is all recorded by Luke—the doctor!)

Luke 5:25 continues, "...picked up his mat...” That's right. The same mat he had been laying on paralyzed, when his friends carried his weak body up the stairs to the roof of the house, where they made a hole and lowered him down right in front of Jesus—that mat. “(He) picked up his mat, and went home praising God." We know how this man's life was changed from this encounter with Jesus. He was healed and forgiven. No wonder he went home praising God!

But how did this affect those around him who witnessed this? Our last verse for today, Luke 5:26, "Everyone was gripped with great WONDER and AWE, and they PRAISED GOD, exclaiming, "We have seen AMAZING things today!"

Yeah, that nice visit to the house to hear Jesus teach turned into a crazy experience witnessing the faith of some friends and both the healing and forgiving powers of Jesus! Sometimes, life is better when things don't go as planned.  But in your small groups today, let's really focus not so much on the demolition to the house, but on the commitment of the friends and how they truly did everything they could to help their friend meet with Jesus.

Small Group Questions 

• What's the craziest thing you have done for your friends?
• What's the craziest thing your friends have done for you? 

Do any of you read this story and think, "Someone's going to be in big trouble for tearing up that roof?” That's probably true. The friends probably either helped repair it or had to pay to have it repaired. 

• Are you willing to be that kind of friend who helps your friend out, no matter what trouble you might get in or what it might cost you? 

In a number of recent surveys, 8 out of 10 people said they would go to church if someone just invited them. 

• Are you really trying your hardest to make friends with people who don't know Jesus and invite them to church?
• In today's world, there usually won't be property damage with someone getting to know Jesus. However, what kind of challenges or obstacles do you run into trying to get your friends to church? To youth group or student service? Or even to meet Jesus?

HS - Foundations - Final Week

Read Luke 6:46-49

In the final part of our Foundations series, we will see why it is so important to build your life on the right foundation. There are two possible outcomes of your life. First of all, you can have:

A Life that Is Secure & Enduring – In the last part of v.48 we read that in spite of the storm the house did not fall, “…for it was founded on the rock.” The wise man is inside his house sitting in comfort and security, even during the storm. Has anyone ever stayed at the beach to ride out a hurricane? I’ve heard of a few that have, and they said they would never do it again. Those who do stay in such a storm do so only because they have confidence that their house is well-built.

The spiritual application here is that true faith will endure the test of time. There is nothing that lasts but God. The one who has built his life on the solid foundation of Christ rests peacefully upon Him. Troubles come one after another, but they do not sweep him away. And even the flood of great devastation cannot rob the Christian of peace and security. On the other hand, look at the other outcome.

A Life that Is Insecure & Ends in Tragic Loss – In the last of v.49 we see that when the storm came to the house built on sand, “…immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” The furious rush of waters ate away at the sand underneath the house and undermined the whole house. And notice the result: “the ruin of that house was great.” This means that the whole structure fell so that the ruin was complete. Nothing was left standing.

Too many professing Christian have fallen away from following Christ. Many have fallen to temptation, & great was their fall. Others have fallen because of trials. This great fall will also describe many who find out too late that their life was not built upon the true foundation.

We have seen two builders, two buildings with two foundations, and two outcomes. The difference is not in the men who build; or in the materials with which they build; but in the foundation on which they build. All through the days of summer the buildings both appear to be the same.

This speaks so clearly of our character. On the outside things can look so good, so put together as if we have everything in life is going your way. But just wait. When the storms of temptation, trials, and hardships come, what will the two houses look like then? (Romans 8:31-39)

Build your life upon Christ and His Word, and no storm can wreck your life!

This is why the Bible is the most dangerous book on the earth. It is nothing like a novel, or entertainment weekly or USA Today. It does not just give you information but it holds you in to account. You will be judged by it words. When you are in the Word you hear truth and that truth can set you free and change your life. But if you simply listen and do not obey something happens to us inside. You develop a calloused heart. You harden your heart so much that the words come in and just bounce off.

Read Matthew 23:25-28

Things are not always as they seem. On the outside marriages can look good. Our relationships can look good and even when are in front of others it is easy to put our best foot forward making it seem that we have it all put together. But when the trials and storms come they reveal the foundation which we have built upon. So examine your life.

Do you desire, more than anything else, to obey the Word of Christ or do you live in disobedience and try to justify yourself? The validation of your foundation and the security of your foundation is found in a life of obedience.

*Adapted from TEAMeffort summer missions curriculum.

HS - Foundations - Week 3

This week our high school youth continued discussion on what it means to build with Christ as our foundation. The main focus of this week was the storms we face and why having a strong foundation helps us withstand the trials.

Read Luke 6:48-49

In v.48 we read, “And when the flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it.” Then we see in v.49 the same stream the same storm breaks against that house as well! There is no difference in the storm. In both cases Jesus is describing one of those terrific storms which come up from the Mediterranean Sea. From above, the rain comes down to beat on the roof, the wind rages round the walls, the flood comes swirling round the base of the walls from beneath.

Just as both builders faced the same storm, even so both true Christians & non-Christians will face the same kinds of storms. (Matt. 5:43-45) Don’t think for a moment that becoming a Christian will cause all your troubles to go away. You will still face the storms of life. They will often come unexpectedly. And these storms will put our lives to the test. Both houses stand well during the calm, dry summer. It is only when the rains and the storms come that the difference is manifest.

Let’s look at some of the storms of life that can put you to the test, and reveal what kind of foundation you have:

Temptations – You can be sure that the devil & others will tempt you to do what is wrong. The world is full of temptations. The question is, how well will you stand against these temptations. In Matt. 4, Jesus resisted temptation because His foundation was in the Word of God. He not only knew the Word of God, but He was able to apply Scripture to temptation. With every temptation, He was able to quote an appropriate verse to resist that temptation. When you face the test of temptation, do you stand strong, or do you easily fall to temptation?

You can only obtain this kind of foundation in the Word by doing the work of the Wise man. Digging deep beneath the surface and having the foresight to know you are going to need these truths one day in your battle against the storm of temptations.

Troubles of Various Kinds – Adversity is just a part of life. At times your body will be sick. You may face trouble as you watch your parent’s marriage struggle, or trouble in other friendships. You may lose your job, or suffer some other financial loss. You may lose a loved one through death. So what would you do when storms like these come your way?

If you have not built on the foundation of faith & obedience to Christ, you will likely respond with fear, worry, anger, resentment or depression. Many people have professed faith in Christ, only to deny their faith when life became difficult. But where there is a good foundation, trials will do no harm, but only make us stronger.

This is why James says… “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him (1:12) and Paul writes… “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:3-4) The storm will reveal the truth. The storm will reveal what our life is built on. If our life is built on the right foundation, we will respond with faith & hope.

True Christians are like cheese. You can shred cheese, and it taste good that way. You can slice cheese, and it taste good that way. You can even add heat to the cheese & melt it, and it really tastes good that way! When your life is built on the foundation of Christ & obedience to His Word, the trials of life do not make you bitter, but better. I have learned to respond with faith in a God who loves me, and is bigger than any problem I face. Christ gives me hope, and by faith I can see a glimmer of light in the darkness. God has brought me through many a trial in life.

Questions to Consider

• Have you ever seen two people react differently to the same storm? Are there people you know who surprise, impress, or disappoint you in the way they react to storms? Why? What do they do?
• What storms have hit you recently in life? How has this affected the way you live today?
• What or who do you turn to when storms hit you? What does this reveal about your foundation?
• Would you react differently if your foundation was completely on Christ? How? Would it be better? What would it look like?
• If it would be better, then how do we secure our foundation in Christ now so that we will be ready when the storms hit? 

*Adapted from TeamEFFORT Summer missions curriculum

HS - Foundations - Week 2

Sorry for being a little late on this post! This past week with our high school youth, we continued our series about building on a strong foundation. 

Read Luke 6:46-49

Now the first and most important rule of construction work is securing a proper foundation. Without a proper foundation, all the rest that you do will not matter very much. The first foundation that people build their lives on that Jesus speaks of is that of the Wise Man that Builds on a Foundation of Rock – Jesus says in v.47-48 “Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.”

“Rock” is from petra, a “rock bed.” (Petros refers to a stone). A wise man has foresight, & builds accordingly. Context: You see, from about May to October in Palestine, it rains very little, if at all. But when the rainy season begins, floods often result. Any house built upon a sandy, low area will easily wash away. What looks like a wonderful place to build in the summer may become a raging river in the winter.

He knows that the rains & the floods will come during the rainy season. So considering what would likely happen in the future, he digs deep & builds his foundation upon the rock.

So what spiritual truth is this part of the story illustrating? Christ gives the explanation. If you are wise, you too will consider what will happen in the future, and build your life accordingly. Jesus says in v.47 that the wise man is the one who “hears My sayings and does them….” Many people hear Christ’s teaching, but it’s those who obey His teaching that get into the kingdom. There is little point in going to a doctor, unless we are prepared to do the things we hear him say to us.Furthermore, the one who will be ready for the algebra test is not the one who has only been listening in class, but the one who has been listening and doing his algebra homework. How many times have you heard a sermon, been convicted that you ought to do something, and yet you made no changes in your life! If so, you are not being wise. Jesus makes an amazing claim that the well-being of all men depends upon how they respond to His teaching. The claim is tremendous. Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 3:11, “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” The rock is Christ. When we are building our lives upon the rock, holiness of life and true faith should follow.

Yet there is another foundation that people build their lives upon: The Foolish Man Builds on Sand – So here is a guy who builds in an area that is subject to flooding. Yet he doesn’t bother to build on a foundation of rock, but builds directly on the sand. The foolish man only considers present conditions, and lives for the present. He lacks foresight.

Now spiritually speaking, what do his actions represent? Merely hearing the Word is insufficient – Jesus says in v.49, “But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently: and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” Some people are deceived into believing they are Christians and have a truly solid foundation because they know the teachings of Christ. Others believe they are Christians because they can talk the talk of Christianity. In some ways they appear to be a Christian. They may attend church services and hear sermons and songs. But if there is no heart of obedience in their lives, then that fact reveals that they have built a life that rests on sand and is subject to devastation.  If you do not obey the Word of Christ you are like the foolish man without foresight. Also merely Hearing the Word Is the Easy Way – It is easy to build on sand because you don’t have to dig!

The foolish builder looks at the wise man working so hard digging a foundation down to the rock, and laughs. He takes the easy way, & builds directly on the sandy surface. The problem is the foundation because they both look good on the outside and so it is with the lives of many people. They look good on the outside and even have some pretty good things going on. The difference is the foundation. One is attached and built on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ and one is not.

It is the cut flower syndrome. Think of how we cut flowers from the garden and place them in a vase with water. The flowers look beautiful and can fill a room with an awesome aroma. The flowers can even bloom and survive for quite some time but there comes a point when the pedals begin to fall. The flower wilts and loses its brilliants…why…because although it was placed in water and could survive for a time and even bloom in that state it withers and dies because it is not rooted as it should be. It does not have the proper foundation to sustain it. This is what happens to us when we find ourselves cut off from our moral and spiritual roots. What is the difference in reality? It’s the difference between knowing about Jesus and truly knowing Jesus. We can know about someone without really knowing them. Someone we know about will have less impact on our lives than someone we know. We don’t care for a lot of the people we just know about, but the people we know mean something to us. Their words matter. Jesus needs to be someone we know, not just know about. If a person hears truth and simply nods his head but never puts them into practice he has a house without a foundation.

Small Group Questions

• When choosing how we spend our time, do we think about how it will affect us weeks and months later? When making spiritual choices, like reading the Bible or going to Church, is it because it feels right in the moment or because we are thinking about our future and growth in Jesus?
• Do you know Christ or just know about Him? Or is it a mixture?
• How is knowing Christ different than just knowing about Christ? How can you tell the difference?
• What are things you can do to know Christ better? How are you going to put these things into practice now?
• What actions do knowing Christ and making him our foundation cause us to take?

*Adapted from TeamEFFORT summer missions curriculum

MS - Encountering Jesus - Week 2

This week at Middle School Youth Group, we continued the Encounter series where we looked at what happened when people had an encounter with Jesus. As we discussed last week, an encounter is an unexpected meeting of at least two people. And when people encounter Jesus, unexpected things happen. Last week we saw a crazy man in a cemetery whose life was saved by the death of 2,000 pigs!

Read Luke 17:11–19.

Leprosy was a contagious skin disease. Similar to the crazy man from last week's lesson, people with leprosy were outcasts. They were not allowed to live with their family or friends. They had to live outside the community, usually in a designated "leper colony." They could not touch anyone for fear of spreading the disease (See Leviticus 13). They were usually either mocked or ignored. No one stopped to speak to them or to help them in any way. The bottom line is they were lonely and rejected. They no longer were able to feel a high five or a hug. No one wanted to be around them. Their own bodies were falling apart. It was a gross, sad, miserable life. Then along comes Jesus. I don't know what they knew or expected. I really doubt they woke up that day and thought, "Today we're going to meet Jesus and be healed!”

Luke notes that Jesus enters a village on the border of Galilee and Samaria. This is significant because the Jews had serious issues with people from Samaria. It was worse than a rivalry. It was the kind of hatred racist people today show just because of a person's nationality, skin color, or language. The Jews looked down on Samaritans. Keep this in mind as we process what happened.

The ten lepers stood at a distance, as they were supposed to because of their disease. However, they shouted to Jesus, "Master, have mercy on us!" This phrase had the understanding that if he showed mercy to them, they would be healed.

The next part is doubly unexpected. Jesus looks at them. This is significant because so many people had ignored them. Leprosy deformed their bodies. Their faces had open sores, and parts would have rotted off. No one desired to look at them.

Side note: It's interesting that often when ministries who work with homeless people ask what bothers them the most, it is this lack of eye contact. They feel like people won't even acknowledge that a human being is there. They don't mind if you don't give them money. But there heart breaks every time someone won't even give them a moment's glance, recognizing their humanness.

Beyond the look, Jesus tells them, "Go show yourselves to the priests." (Luke 17:14) (see Leviticus 14:2–32.) This may sound weird. The short version of why he does this is to obey the Bible. The Jews had rules for all kinds of things.

But the weird, unexpected part is how the men responded. They left. They obeyed Jesus. But they had not been healed yet!!! How do we know this? One little important phrase in verse 14: "as they went." They were not healed when Jesus saw them. They were not even healed when Jesus spoke the words. Luke was the writer of this account. He was a doctor and would have been the perfect eyewitness to record these details. He writes very clearly "as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy.” (Luke 17:14) So in simply trusting Jesus, they were shown the mercy they asked for. In going to do what anyone would do once they were healed, they were healed as they went! And once again, just when you think you've had enough unexpected stuff, there's more.

One of them, "when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus..." (Luke 17:15) Not only did he come back, but he also made a scene of showing how he felt. He came back to Jesus shouting, “'Praise God!'  He fell to the ground at Jesus' feet, thanking him for what he had done.” (Luke 17:15–16)One? Jesus asks the same thing I did when I first read this: "Didn't I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?” I don't think Jesus demanded people to say "thank you.” However, life was so bad for these lepers. They had been begging for mercy. They finally receive it, and only one puts on hold the ritual at the temple to thank the God who healed him? It's a bit ironic or unexpected. While the other nine raced off to do what needed to be done so they could worship God in the temple, the one actually stopped and worshipped God in person!

And the final unexpected punch here comes in a couple little notes that don't get our attention but would have freaked out those who read it originally. Look at the end of verse 16: "This man was a Samaritan.” And verse 18: "Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"

As we said earlier, Jews could not stand Samaritans. They likely would have picked a Samaritan to be a villain or a victim, but never the good guy—the one to do the right thing, the best thing in the story. The assumption was that the other nine lepers were all Jews. Lepers were so despised that they had to give up the prejudices they held so closely when they were healthy because everyone rejected them. They had just been lepers.

Now they are healed, and the nine people who the Jews would have picked to come back and thank Jesus were the ones who went straight to the temple, focused on the rules. The one they would have picked to remain sick was the one who bowed at the feet of God and praises Jesus for what he has done. He shows his thankful heart to his merciful God in Jesus!

Small Groups Questions

In the Old Testament, it was commanded that anyone with a defiling skin disease be declared unclean be placed outside of camp. They had to wear torn cloths, leave their hair unkempt , cover their faces and cry out “unclean, unclean”

• Do you understand why people were so freaked out if someone had this disease? What diseases do people react like that about today?
• How many believe you would have been the one to go back and thank Jesus for what he did? How many of you who say that have taken time this week to thank God for at least one of the many blessings he has given you?

If we back up a bit, we notice that all ten had enough faith in Jesus to follow his command, even though they had not yet been healed. 

• Do you know anyone who shows this kind of faith today?
• What kinds of people in our community or kids at your school are the modern-day lepers? Who does no one want to hang around? What makes a kid in your school or community a loner? 

You may not be able to heal someone like Jesus did, but you can cure them of one thing: loneliness. It's hard to be lonely when someone genuinely cares about you and spends time with you. So, who can you cure of loneliness this week, not because it's a church project, but because it's the way Jesus wants you to live your everyday life?

Closing - Bandages

Lepers would have wrapped their limbs because of the severity of their disease. In a moment, I'm going to give each of you a simple, modern bandage. I want you to pick one day this week and wear this bandage. People may not say anything. That's okay. The main job is to remind you to seek out someone you can cure of loneliness. If people do ask about your bandage, you can say "It's to remind me how Jesus shows his love to unexpected people in unexpected ways,” or simply, "It has to do with having an encounter with Jesus.” Who knows, you just might interest someone in coming to know Jesus and being saved from their sins, and all because of your faithful obedience. (When it happens, be sure to thank Jesus!)

Hello!

Wow! It's been a long time since anything has been posted here and we passed 1,000 views. That's fun! We have had an incredible summer and I'm so excited to be kicking off the school year with you all. We have had all of our kick-off events and it's great to see all of your faces again.  I know God has an incredible plan for us this upcoming year and I'm so glad to be a part of his work. The blog needs a little refreshing, but for those of you who don't know, the blog is going to be a place where you will find out what we are learning at youth group. For youth, this is a great place to be reminded of what we talked about in case you fell asleep, were eating Cheetos, or if you want to share what you learned with a friend. Parents, this is a great way to participate with your youth by using these lessons as a discussion starting for faith conversations at home. Sometimes I may post a random picture/video or other ramblings that may be entertaining or thought provoking or both.

Just to catch up with the past week, we are in two different series for our high school and middle school groups.In the future, these will be separate posts, but here's the first week of lessons, enjoy!

High School - Foundations - Week 1

School is beginning again. Each school year begins with a transition – new school, new teachers, new sports or activities, maybe even new friends. These transitions require us to readjust - we have to get used to our new surroundings, new communities, and new schedules.

• What are some transitions you are experiencing right now?

These outward transitions sometimes cause us to make some personal transitions as well, like who we hang out with, what clothes we wear or how we act in front of other people. In the midst of all this change, we can sometimes put faith on the backburner. We can get into the rhythm and routine of life without consideration for the ways God might want to use us. I thought it would be good to kick off the school year with a focus on what really matters before all the other stuff gets in the way. Our relationship with God is the most important thing in our lives whether we realize it or not. Jesus made that clear in Matthew 7 when he said:

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

• What is your initial reaction to Jesus’ words?
• What do you think he is trying to communicate?

In Jesus day many were doing good works in his name. By outward appearance, they were doing God’s will, but their hearts weren’t in the right place. They were seeking their own fame. Jesus saw through their outward appearance and knew they weren’t truly following him. A lot of us appear to believe in God or to be following him, but what matters is our hearts. To connect it back to the beginning, what does our schedule look like? Is there a place for God in our lives? It’s not just making time for church and youth group, does your life reflect a relationship with him? 

Luke tells this same story in different words:

⁴⁶ “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? ⁴⁷ Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and ^[a]acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: ⁴⁸ he is like a man building a house, who ^[b]dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the ^[c]torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. ⁴⁹ But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the ^[d]torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

By outward appearance, these individuals may not be that different:

• They were both builders
• Both wanted to build a house, probably used similar materials
• The structures they built would probably look exactly the same. You probably wouldn’t even notice. The only difference is one has a foundation and one doesn’t. No big deal, until the storm comes.

The next four weeks, we will discuss what Jesus means in this passage, but the imagery here is clear. Jesus calls one of this builders wise and the other foolish. We can wear the outward appearance of a Christian – go to church and youth group, even share our faith at school, but without a true foundation we are fools. Jesus said “Why do you call me Lord, Lord and not do what I say?” Verbal commitment without a lifestyle. We can speak the truth of God with our lips, but if we don’t live it, we are fools. We are fools to think that we can go about our lives without acknowledging God and still enter the kingdom of heaven. You have an opportunity as you start this school year to make a decision. Are you going to build on the rock, which is Christ, or the sand of what your peers will think? 

*Adapted from TeamEFFORT summer mission curriculum

Middle School - Encounters with Jesus - Week 1

This week we began a series about what happened when people had an encounter with Jesus. An encounter is an unexpected meeting of at least two people. In this series, some of the encounters and some of the results are definitely not what you would expect. At least, many of these encounters are not what people expect when they think about God, Jesus and church. We will learn that encounters with God rarely go as people expect them to go.

Read Mark 5:1–20 

• What do you think of when you hear the word "cemetery"?

In Jesus' day, it was common to bury bodies in small caves. That would have been as common as our in-ground burials are today. This man lived among those caves. A person who lives in a cemetery is strange whether it happens today or 2,000 years ago. But there’s more to this man’s story than his encounter with Jesus. At one point, it sounded like they had restrained him with chains. Now he has become too strong, crazy, powerful, etc. for the restraints.

Look at Mark 5:4, "Whenever he was put into chains and shackles— as he often was—he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him."

Wow! So he's crazy enough that he lives in a cemetery. And now he has Incredible Hulk-like strength that allows him to snap apart any chains they put on him. What does a guy like this do all day? In the next verse, Mark tells us. "He wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones." (Mark 5:5) Twilight fans might be getting excited right now thinking we have a werewolf on our hands.

And once we have the scene all set up with these descriptions, his actions towards Jesus don't seem to fit. Do you remember what he did? Mark tells us in Mark 5:6, "When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him, and bowed low before him"

Can you imagine being Jesus? This crazy man who acts like a werewolf and lives in the cemetery comes running towards him… and then he bows! Then we see what is going on. There is a demon—no, lots of demons—who have taken control of this man. They are the reason he cuts himself and lives such a crazy, sad life, alone, in the cemetery, probably wishing he were dead instead of suffering so much. Jesus and the demons have a little conversation. Just when you think this true story couldn't get any weirder, it does. Remember what happens next?

Mark records in Mark 5:11, "There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby.” Jews did not like pigs. Why would Mark mention them? - Because the demons noticed them. In verse 12, they begged Jesus, "Send us into those pigs. Let us enter them."

Back in verse 8 we read that Jesus had commanded the demons to leave the man. Now, he allows them to enter a herd of pigs—2,000 pigs, Mark tells us in verse 13. And then what happens? That's right! All 2,000 pigs "plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned in the water." (Mark 5:13) Wow! What a visual image for the destruction that Satan wants to do in the world. And prior to this, they were doing this kind of destruction to one man!

So, who wasn't excited about the casting out of demons and healing that Jesus had just done? That's right. The guys in charge of the pigs!

They ran to town and told everyone what happened. The people came to see what happened. In verse 17 they begged him to leave! Those who did this But, in doing so, they missed the power of God that had just saved the life of a man because they were only concerned about the pigs! Now, we are supposed to care for animals and not abuse them. But here is an example of how much more valuable people are to God than any other animal in creation. This man was worth at least 2,000 pigs. That's how many had to die so he could be healed. (Not much later, God would give the ultimate sign of His love when the one and only Son he had—Jesus—would die so that all of us could receive the gift of salvation and be forgiven for all of our sins! That story may be more familiar to you than this one. But think about the "unfairness" of Jesus' death vs. the pigs' death.)

So, what about the cemetery man? What happened with him after his encounter with Jesus? His life was radically changed! In verses 3–5, Mark says he was out-of-control, wandering the cemetery caves, howling and cutting himself. In verse 15, "He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane.” After this encounter, he wanted to hang out and follow Jesus. Verse 18 says he actually begged Jesus to go with him. But Jesus had a mission for this man. Who better to show others the power of God than one everyone knew had been seriously messed up, but now was "perfectly sane.”

Mark 5:19, "Jesus said, 'No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.'" What was the result? He went and did as Jesus said. "He began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him.” And the result of that? "Everyone was amazed at what he told them."

 Small Group Questions

•  Without being mean or insensitive, describe one of the craziest or strangest people you have actually seen. What did they look like? What did they do? (Wait for responses) Did you show God’s love to them or just ignore them and walk away?
• Without naming names, what might an "outcast" in your middle school look or act like? In other words, in your community or school, what kind of student would not be popular, accepted or seen as normal? Is it easy or hard to share God's love with that kind of person? Why?

Jesus seemed drawn to love on and help the outcasts. Can the same be said of you?

• Thinking back to the story, why do you believe so many people in the town wanted Jesus to leave?
• Can you imagine being one of the man's brothers or sisters? What would it have been like to finally hug the man who had been so scary and out of control for so long?
• Now imagine being this man. What would it have been like to finally get to have dinner with your family? To hug your mom and dad? To finally be normal?

Many people in that area might have assumed Jesus was some kind of magician. Jesus sent the man to tell everyone "what the Lord has done" to clarify that God did this with His power through Jesus.

• What do you see in the world and people around you that is clearly God's work, but other people or things get credit? (luck, Mother Nature, etc.)
• Have you or someone you know ever had an encounter with Jesus that changed the way you/they viewed the world or thought about your/their life?

*From juniorrhighministry.org