Middle School
Posts tagged living loud
Living Loud | Memory Verses
Aug 3rd
God’s word is the loudest voice in the history of the world. God spoke this world into creation. God’s word continues working today through the Bible. The power of God’s word should motivate us to “live loud”, which is why during this series we have encouraged the kids to memorize verses to go along with each message. Here is a quick recap of the messages we during the “Living Loud” series, and the memory verses that went with them.
Moses
We began our series by speaking on the commission of Moses. God called Moses to go an deliver His people from their oppression in Egypt. Moses was afraid that his deficiencies would prevent him from being successful. God reminded him that He would be with Moses.
“Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”
—Exodus 4:12
Elijah
Elijah was severely outnumbered. He lived in a land where almost everyone worshiped pagan gods, and he was commissioned to speak God’s judgment on Israel. Because of this, the king sought to put Elijah to death. Despite all of this, Elijah remained obedient to the Lord and continued to be His mouthpiece to the people of Israel. The result was that God gave him the power to do great things, and many people would then see God’s power and glory.
“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”
— Philippians 2:13
“Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
—2 Timothy 2:22
John the Baptist
John the Baptizer lived a tough life. He lived in the wilderness, preached God’s word, and ended up being thrown in prison and beheaded. But Jesus called him the greatest man that had ever lived. Why? Because he had the fear of the Lord and prepared the way for the Messiah.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
— Proverbs 9:10
Nehemiah
In our attempt to “live loud” for God, we will come across opposition. Nehemiah was a prime example of this. As he attempted to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, people attempted to distract him and prevent him from fulfilling his role in God’s work. Nehemiah remained focused and remember his appointment by God, and accomplished great things.
“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.”
—1st Peter 5:8-9a
Philip
Philip preached the gospel wherever he went. He was prepared to share his faith. He had a passion for Jesus and wanted everyone to worship Him.
“Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.”
—1st Peter 3:15
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
Elijah Lives Loud
Jun 29th
This last Sunday we continued in our series, Live Loud, by looking at the life of Elijah found in 1 Kings 18. God called Elijah to go and speak to the king of Israel, Ahab, who had led the people in to worship of pagan Gods, including Baal. God was upset with the idolatry, and sought to bring judgment on Israel, and Elijah was prophet to proclaim God’s message. Elijah confronted Ahab, stating that there would be a drought in Israel until he said rain would come. Elijah departs, the rain stops falling, and almost three years pass.
You could imagine how Ahab was feeling. No rain meant no crops. No crops meant no food for the animals. No food for the animals meant no food for the people. No food or water for the people makes for an angry nation for the king. Ahab was furious with Elijah, blaming him for the the drought and famine. This anger lead to Ahab desiring to kill Elijah.
It would make sense then, for Elijah to avoid the king, but at this time the Lord told Elijah to confront Ahab again. When Elijah meets Ahab, he states the the drought was Ahab’s fault because he had turned to the worship of Baal. Then he calls for a showdown.
Now most of us know the story. Hundreds of prophets of Baal gather to go against Elijah, the prophet of the Lord. They each have an opportunity to petition their god to light their altar and offering on fire. The prophet’s of Baal dance, sing, even cut themselves and spill their own blood to get Baal’s attention. They do this for an entire day! The result? Nothing happens! Elijah mocks them, then requests that his altar be completely drenched in water, prays to the Lord, and immediately fire came down from heaven, incinerating the altar.
The Israelites marveled at the power of the Lord and acknowledged him as God, while Elijah had the prophets of Baal gathered and executed for their sins.
So what’s the point? Elijah had many reasons why he should not follow God’s call. He could have been killed. He was outnumbered. Nobody else seemed to care about the Lord. Still, this did not stop him from being to the Lord, and living loud. The result was that God used him in an extraordinary way to reach His people.
The same goes for us. We have excuses and reasons to not follow the Lord. But when we are obedient to Him, He will use us in extraordinary ways!
LIVING LOUD| On Mission in a Hostile World
Jun 22nd
Hey everyone,
This last week, Pastor Jeff opened our series “Living Loud” by talking about Moses, and how he answered God’s call. Despite all of his weaknesses, Moses made himself available to God, and God used him to extraordinary things.
This upcoming week, I have the opportunity to continue our series by speaking on another life that made noise for the Lord. The prophet Elijah lived in a time where the kingdom of Israel was hostile against the Lord. King Ahab and his wife Jezebel established worship of pagan gods, such as Baal. Because Israel had turned away from Him, the Lord sent Elijah to Ahab to pronounce a drought on the land. The rain stopped falling, and the waters dried up.
Three years later, and still no rain, God sends Elijah back to face Ahab. You can imagine how the king felt about Elijah considering that water and food had become so scarce. Ahab desired to kill Elijah, the man he blamed for the drought, but Elijah had a message, one that would proclaim the supremacy of God.
Whats was Elijah’s message? What point was Elijah trying to make? Why did God want Elijah to return to Ahab, the man that wanted to kill him? Read 1 Kings 18 with your student to find out, and we’ll talk about it on Sunday.
In Him,
Ben
Live Loud
Jun 16th
Hey y’all
Last Sunday we finished up our series INHABIT in which we looked at the life of Daniel to see how God was able to work through him. Daniel inhabited a spirit that was faithful to the Lord, and for this reason he was able to have influence on all of Babylon for God’s glory.
As the summer continues, we will introduce a new 6-week series entitled “LIVING LOUD.” The purpose of this series is to educate the students on how their lives can have an impact for God’s kingdom. Everything we do, no matter how big or small, has an impact in this world somehow. How can we make it so that our lives impact it in a way to spread God’s word?
In this series we’ll take a look at 6 different people in the Bible and how they worked for God’s mission. We’ll begin this Sunday as Pastor Jeff teaches us on how God called Moses and he surrendered his life to the mission.
In week 2 we’ll look at Elijah’s life on mission in a hostile world.
Week 3 will have us looking at John the Baptist, and how he was on mission despite having to pay the ultimate price.
Nehemiah rising to the challenge, despite naysayers will be the focus of week 4.
In the penultimate session, we’ll take a look at Philip, and how he lived his life to be open to God’s ministry at anytime and anyplace.
Finally, we will conclude the series with a look at Barnabas, who humbly supported God’s mission without seeking glory for himself.
We hope that as we look in this series that you will follow along with your student and join in on God’s mission.
In Him,
Ben
Andrew Martin