Middle School
Archive for July, 2011
Last Sunday- Philip
Jul 27th
Back when I was in 8th grade, the television show “24″ premiered. From the first episode that I watched, I was hooked. The “real time” format, the action, the cliffhangers so engulfed me in the drama of Jack Bauer’s life that I couldn’t help but tune in week after week. I soon became obsessed.
My obsession overflowed into my friendships as I soon tried to convince all of my friends that they should watch this new show. I was a premiere evangelist of “Jack Bauer’s gospel.” My friends soon found themselves as hooked as I was, and by the time I was a senior in high school, there were probably 25 people in my living room every Monday night to see what new struggle Jack Bauer would face.
We all preach certain “gospels”. Maybe it’s about a sports team, or a brand, or a job. Let’s be honest, we are confronted by different “gospels” every day. The whole point of advertising is to preach the “good news” of whatever product or service that is being presented.
Sadly, the voices of these other “gospels” too often drown out the voice of the true gospel. The greatest news gets lost in a fog of politics, sports, and innumerable other things.
What if our desire was not to convince people the Blazers are the best and the Lakers are the worst thing to happen to humanity?
What if our desire was not to sell people our services?
What if our desire was not convince people that whatever fill-in-the-blank politician is an idiot?
What if our desire was that people met Jesus?
This was Philip’s desire. In Acts 8 we see Philip preaching the good news of Jesus wherever he found himself. It didn’t matter where he was; all Philip wanted to do was tell people about Jesus. Is this our desire? Maybe it is time for us to rethink our priorities.
Live Loud | Philip
Jul 20th
When was the last time you shared the gospel with someone? Not just anyone, but an unbeliever. When was the last time you truly owned your faith and talked with an unbeliever about his or her need for Jesus? For the record, “I’ll just be really nice, and they’ll figure there is something different about me and figure out that I’m a Christian” does not count as sharing the gospel with someone. Let’s be honest, when was the last time someone said to you, “You’re really nice. Tell me about Jesus.”
We live in a culture that is afraid of being open. We live in a culture that views every belief as equal. We live in a culture that needs Jesus.
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. It is not just the pastor’s responsibility to tell people about Jesus. If you call yourself a Christian, it is your responsibility as well. Sadly, many of us neglect this responsibility in our lives. There are a number of reasons for this. We feel that we don’t know how to share the gospel or what to say. We are scared of people’s responses.
The thing is, are fears and doubts don’t abdicate us from our responsibility to share Jesus’ message. In the book of Acts, we see the story of Philip. Don’t confuse this Philip with the apostle Philip. This Philip wasn’t charged with preaching, but he took every opportunity to share with others the message of Jesus Christ. In Acts 8, we see Philip as a model of how to share the gospel. Read through Philip’s story with your student and discuss principles of evangelism for our lives in order to be ready for this Sunday as we continue in our series, “Live Loud”.
In Him,
Ben
Adventure Day is Coming!
Jul 13th
Hey everyone!
Adventure and Fun are just around the corner! Saturday, August 13, we will be trekking down to Salem YWAM to spend the day on their Ropes Course!
Through the experience, we will learn some valuable lessons, such as who is afraid of heights! Just kidding (although I know of at least one leader who is)! Instead we will be learning things like teamwork, perseverance, patience, and communication as the YWAM staff leads us through different challenges and elements both on the ground and in the air! It’s going to be AWESOME!
Here’s what you need to know:
The WHO— Any middle school student!
The WHAT— Adventure and Awesomeness for only $50! This will cover both lunch and dinner, as well as our time at the ropes course!
The WHEN— Saturday, August 13, 8:30 AM – 6:30 PM
The WHERE— Drop off and pick up at Willamette Christian Church
The WHY— Because we love hanging out with middle school students! Welcome all middle schoolers, whether you are entering 8th grade & 7th grade, or begin 6th grade in the Fall.
We hope to see you there!
Signup Here!
LIVING LOUD| On Mission No Matter the Cost
Jul 6th
Hey y’all,
I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend. We are back from camp which means we are back on this Sunday for middle school group. I know that many middle school students sure had a great time hanging out at the beach last week at Young Life’s Breakaway Lodge, but we are all excited to get things started up again.
This weekend we will pick up where we left off in our “Live Loud” series. This Sunday, Jarred will be speaking to us about living loud no matter the cost.
Being a follower of Jesus isn’t always the easiest thing to do. It can be much harder to live a life that screams out Jesus’ glory; it can be costly. Jarred will reflect on John the Baptist. John the Baptist had spent his life serving God by preparing the way for Jesus, but in Mark 6:14-29 we hear where his ministry led him. Despite serving the Lord so faithfully, John the Baptist is ultimately beheaded.
Many of us are afraid to speak out in our faith, even when the cost is low. John the Baptist paid the ultimate price, and his life illustrates that being faithful to the Lord is more important than anything else, even our own lives. Being obedient to God will cost us all something, the question is are you willing to pay the price? We will wrestle with this on Sunday, so take the time to read over this passage with your student and discuss how it may have importance in our lives.
In Him,
Ben
Andrew Martin