Parents Resource
Welcome to Continue the Conversation. Here you will find info on what your children have been learning in Connection Students. Our hope is that you will find this useful to be able to better garner conversations and relationships with your kids.
Weekly Lessons
Student plans will be loaded below weekly.
Our goal in this scripture is for our kids to see what fellowship with the Lord looks like and how we are called to live.
1 John was written near the end of the 1st century by the apostle John. As the world was starting to come harder and harder against the church, he wrote these letters so they would not be deceived by what the world was saying and would stay focused on walking as God called them to walk. John himself knew what it was like to walk with Jesus personally. He wants us to experience the fellowship he had with God as well as enjoy the fellowship with each other through our experiences. To realize we can have joy on earth, just as we are promised in Heaven. That joy is not found in our circumstance, but through our relationship with an almighty God who wants to you to experience Him here on earth. (v.1:3-4)
Our discussion of the scripture:
- God is light and we are called to walk with Him in it. When we walk in darkness (worldliness) we are going against the will of God.(v. 1:5-7)
- Walking in the light does not mean that we are sinless. But, it is in the light that God reveals our sins and forgives us of them when we confess. In fact, not only does he forgive those we ask, but "all unrighteousness", which includes those we don't even yet see. In fact, the closer we grow to God, the more sins we will find in ourselves as the light shining on us will be even brighter. (Think about seeing all the blemishes on your face you didn't see before when you look into a magnifying mirror with bright lights.) (v.1:8-10)
- We should strive for Christlikeness and do not sin, but understand even if we do we have a father who will always forgive us through Jesus. (v.2:1-2)
- Our obedience and gauge of it for walking in the light is measurable. If we claim to be saved and call Jesus our Lord, but are not following his commands, then we are not telling the truth in the first place. It would be like if you told your kids to clean their room, but they merely heard what you said and did nothing you told them. They would obviously not be respecting or giving you the authority that you hold. (v.2:3-4)
- But, as we know kids grow in this and their maturity and being perfected comes through time and experiences with their maker. (v.2:5-6)
-If we are to claim salvation and oneness with Christ, we have to walk like him. Christ only lives in the light. Are you walking stride for stride with Him and only going where the light is., for Christ can not be present in darkness.(v.2:6)
-We are reminded of one of the greatest commands Jesus gives us and that is to Love our brothers. When we find our heart hardening towards others and unable to show (love is action) blessings of kindness and goodness, this is the world entering your heart. When you are in the light, nothing can cause you to stumble as your joy is from Him. (v.2:7-11)
John continues here showing us how we are to live in fellowship with God.
Our discussion of the scripture:
- In the theme of growth, John compares our relationship of God to that of families. He breaks us down into 3 categories. (v. 2:12-14)
1. little children: brand new Christians who have been forgiven and are learning how to live.
2. young men: those Christians who have been battling and growing fighting the world to be with God. (sounds like teen years fighting desires to please their parents)
3. fathers: mature (spiritually, not physically) Christians who have had little children and young men disciples of their own. They have learned the truth and work to share it with others.
-God calls all of us to grow. We should aspire to be a spiritual parent. Its the natural occurrence. If any of us say a 10 year old that still looked like a baby, we would think there is something wrong with them. The same holds true for us spiritually. (Heb. 5:11-14)
- We are warned that we can't love or be led by things of the world. The world is defined as anything that excludes God's perspective. In addition we are reminded that the world has an expiration date, whereas we are promised eternity in heaven. (v. 2:15-17)
- John reminds us that there is not just one antichrist, but many who are against the ways of God doing the bidding of the dark ruler of the world. He calls out many around us that are false teachers who leave faith of Christ claiming to know truth and trying to tell us. He reminds us that if they really knew the truth, they would not have left, but continued on doing the work God calls us to do. (v. 2:18-21) (ref. John 15:9-10)
- The truth of Jesus is absolute. If you don't believe in who Christ is and what he does, then you have no relationship with God. If you didn't know your best friend had a kid, is he really your best friend? (v. 2:22-23)
-John continues talking about how we should abide (or remain) in Him. So many of us try to go back and forth from the world to God to the world to Jesus, from the world to church. What good is a hot tub when you just step in it and then get back out again. In fact you feel colder and worse before you ever got in it. The intent is to abide in the hot tub so that it can work its job through you. Completing the job it was intending to do. There will be those that lie and say there is no joy or good that can come from abiding in Him, but the truth is they never have, for if they did, as he said earlier, they would have never left. (v. 24-26)
- When we come to know Christ we are gifted with the anointing, or the holy spirit. We have direct access to God. Imagine if God gave you a cell phone, giving you all access to all his information and ability to get messages for all he has to say. We now have a tool to know the truth all the time. Thats the holy spirit. We don't need the world to tell us what to say, how to look, how to live, because we have a direct line from God. Beauty is, just like on on our phones. When we look at social media and we see something that is off, we go and fact check it to find out if its true, we can do the same with God. When we get a message from God, we can fact check it to see if it really came from Him. We can turn to His word. If what he said does not line up with Scripture, then its not true. If it does, there is a good chance it was from him. God will direct our thinking and acting. We have to remember, the best way to get service for Gods phone (annointing) is to remain in his presence (the light). (v. 2:27)
Visual: Telephone Game - Its easiest to hear Gods word directly from him, and its even easier when all the voices of the world aren't drowning him out.
Jesus washes his disciples feet
What an awesome time we had being able to serve at the Bethany Home. While the tenants were a little confused at first and thought we were there to sing, they felt better when we assured them that they did not want to hear these kids try to carry a tune lol! All the kids that went were of course a little timid at first, but everyone warmed up and there was great conversations had all around. People were playing games and hearing good stories. We really feel the kids may have gotten more out of serving than the tenants did. (Isn't that the way it usually works?) Afterwards I even heard the comment that they felt they needed to do it again.
Every student that went earned themselves a Jesus Award this week and get another ticket in the bucket for our May 20th drawing. Students can earn tickets in 5 ways.
1. Bringing their Bible
2. Bringing a friend. (2 times max, friend gets a ticket too.)
3. Winning a game
4. Participation - given out randomly by leaders
5. Jesus Award - Doing something in group or out of group that was noticed as being very Christlike.
Please encourage your kids. We are seeing God move and students get engaged as they work to experience God.
This week we talked through the scripture and looked to the importance that we should be growing in Christ constantly, We recognized that we are never fully complete until He returns. (v. 3:1-2)
The main point of the the evening was looking at whether our actions match our hearts. John says that it will be obvious who is truly in a relationship with God and who is in a relationship with Satan based off the actions of our lives. (v. 3:10)
We see that the heart will lead to the action, but the action will never change the heart.
We looked at how our expectations determine our actions. (If we truly expect to go to Heaven for our acceptance of what Christ has done for us, then we would act a certain way in response.) (v. 3:3)
Our expectations effect our behavior.
The kids were challenged with the question, "What happens when you expect your mom and dad to come home from a night out and they tasked you with cleaning the house before they got back?".
When I was a kid, I would try to figure out what time they were coming to know how long I had until I had to clean up. The kids said that if they didn't know what time you were coming home, they would clean up the house right away.
We do different things in our lives based on the expectations we have coming…
Expect a test
Expect to play a game
Expect a date
Expect to go to a funeral or wedding
Expect to have a big dinner
We took the kids though Matthew 24:36-44 and showed them how just like their parents, we don't know the day or hour that Christ is returning. It is our job to make sure we are remaining in him, remaining in the light now, so we will be prepared for His return.
This takes us to the last half of 1 John 3 where we look at Love in Action. That love is not just words, it is actively doing something for others. It is accepting others. Being there for someone usually means we are sacrificing something from ourselves. Love in Action also means speaking truth in hard situations where people may not be able to see the truth. (I used an example of my sister suffering from an eating disorder a long time ago. She couldn't se the truth in front of her, but in order to save her we had to give her the truth.) (v. 3:11-24)
They were finally challenged with the thought of how many people do they know that don't know Jesus, that are destined for an eternity separated from God? Are they willing to share the truth with friends or even family that can't see the truth for themselves?
As we continue our look at 1 John, we see John reiterating some of his previous statements.
One of the first things we see is that he is addressing little children. If we remember from previous weeks, little children is a reference to new believers who have just recently been saved. Young men and Fathers should already have some better understandings of these things. (V 4:4)
Right from the start he tells us to test our spirits. (V. 4:1)
He goes on to tell us what that means and how to go about testing the spirits. He tells us that we have an internal tester, the Holy Spirit, that can recognize thihngs that are wrong around us. I equated this to being like a home, or car alarm. When someone or something is trying to get in, we have an alarm that goes off letting us know that this person, thought, whatever, is not supposed to be there. Also, as we continue to stay in the light and remain in the Lord, those sensors get stronger and more sensitive.
For me, my alarm system starting noticing some influences first. Language I would use or hear, songs I may listen to, movies I may watch. Every time I heard or saw those things that did not glorify God, it was like a little alarm was going off saying I should not be watching, listening, or saying those things. They were not from God.
Then my alarm grew to notice more of the thoughts I had and some of the things people (even friends) were trying to tell me were wrong.
As you continue to grow this alarm can even help you as God is trying to speak to you. Many of us struggle with trying to figure out if it is God talking to us or it is our own thoughts. As it gets more advanced, the alarm system (Holy Spirit) can even help you determine who it is trying to come in. (Think facial recognition) But this system needs to take time to get to know and understand who it is. Basically, you need to have spent a lot of time with the Lord, understanding and listening to Him to start to be able to instantly recognize His voice from your own.
Think about any twins you may have met in your life. In the beginning it was very difficult to tell them apart. (We are made in the image of God, so there should be some similarities.). The more time we spend with the twins, we start to notice little differences and character traits that make them much more easily discernible. So it is with God. The more time we spend with him, the easier it becomes to recognize the differences between His voice and our own. (V. 4:2-6)
So why does John make it so important that we test these spirits and ensure we know who is who? One of God's greatest desires for us is to be in complete fellowship with him. Complete fellowship with God means we are only letting him in and not the world. It means we are becoming more like Him. As I asked the kids, who wouldn't want to be like God?!
In 2 places we see the line, "God is Love". (V. 4:8, 4:16)
So to be like God, we need to love like God loved.
For god so loved the world... he sent his one and only son so that we may live through Him. In verse 9 we see a close similarity to what John tells us in the popular John 3:16 verse. Only this time it is less about what He did for us, but what we should be doing in response.
For our experience to be complete in the fullness of God, we must love as he loves if we want to experience what its like to be more like God…
…This also means loving without fear - God does not worry, or fear, he desires. To be like God, to continue to grow closer to Christ and live the way we were intended, to be made complete, made full, to get what God wants us to have, we have to have a heart of love towards others always. (V. 4:12)
"We love because he loves." The whole reason he tells us about god loving us first is not just so we would respond in kind to him, but as a demonstration of how so that we would love others. This is a command not a reason. We (need to) love because he loves. In this text, this isn't so much about a response of our love to God because he loves us (which the bible does talk about), but an example given to us and an ability given to us with God in us to be able to love others with the same heart He has. (V. 4:19-21)
One of our biggest problems is we spend too much time looking for God and figuring out where he is and not enough sharing God and showing him to others. When we spend time consistently showing love to others, exactly how God shows us how in His word, John tells us more of Him will be made full and revealed in us.
But, we act how we are taught. Just as our parents, teachers, coaches, etc.. act how they were taught. We love based on the way love was shown to us. We all have the ability to change how we act, but we first have to recognize the areas where we are wrong and were taught wrong.
Where are you learning what love is from? Many of us were not shown God's love our whole lives. Many of us grew up in with lives focused on the world and not the kingdom. We have to identify what we were taught, what we currently believe, and where is the lie.
We have to start treating people differently and living in a state of just loving people, without prejudices, without contingencies, without expectance of things, without offense to others reactions…
You can’t continuously show God to people and not have it start getting reflected back to you eventually.
So how do we break the cycle?
Many of our groups took these 3 questions with them to self analyze.
Who were/are my examples of what love looks like?
Were you shown the love of the bible that Jesus preaches?
How do you relearn what love really is and break the cycle?
As humans, we all have to answer those questions. This is not just for the young, but each one of us. We also need to ask ourselves how are we showing what love is. Are we living how John (the man who arguably spent more time with Jesus than anyone) is telling us Christ wants us to live.
This week we had an opportunity to enjoy a new basketball goal that was donated to the church. Some of yall's kids can shoot! Congrats to Ashton and River for winning our shootout for the boys and Gracie for winning for the girls.
Also a big shout out to Colby for winning the $100 Amazon gift card for getting his name drawn. Colby brings (and uses) his bible every week earning him lots of entries into the drawing. Way to go Colby!!
We finished up 1 John this week before diving into some great conversations in our small groups. Here is our synopsis below.
-When we love God, we love Jesus, and therefore love all children of God (believers). Being full of this love makes it easy (not burdensome) to do what he calls us to do. John uses the word overcome here 3 times. We know that when things are said 3 times, they must be important. While obstacles may become more prevalent when you are walking with Christ, the ease of overcoming them greatly increases. Picture jumping over a 6 foot bar. Now picture a pole vaulter jumping over that same bar. When we have the Holy Spirit, we have something to lean on and launch us over even the greatest obstacles. Things we once thought impossible in our own power are now rarely an issue with the Helper. (Not to mention the more time you spend practicing, the easier it gets and the bigger obstacles you are able to conquer.) With God fully in us, we WILL overcome ALL the challenges of the world. (v. 5:1-3)
-We see Jesus Christ's testimony. It is testified to on behalf of the Spirit, the water, and the blood. What the Spirit tells us from God, what the water shows us in rebirth, and what the blood did for us on the Cross, all point to the truth of the testimony of Christ. That anyone who has faith in Christ, will have eternal life. (v. 5:6-12)
- Finally, if we have faith in Christ, we no longer need to question our salvation. The proof of our salvation is our love of Christ, and that is demonstrated and confirmed in our fruits, 1st of all being how we love others. So with this knowledge, we can have confidence when we approach God. We have confidence that He hears us, but more importantly, that he will respond. When we allow God to align our requests, when His will becomes our will, when His desires are ours, we will always have what we asked of Him. (v. 5:13-15)
-With this gift of salvation, we also go to God on others behalf (supplication). When we see others (who are also in Christ) sin, we can pray for God to pull them back to the light. Not only that we can, but that we should. (v. 5:16-17)
-The victory is won. Once we are saved, Satan no longer has any power over us as he does over the rest of the world. Christ has given us discernment of what is Good and what is not through the gift of the Holy Spirit. (v. 5:18-20)
- Remain in Him always and never freely give power back to Satan. Every time you place idols in your life and you put something of the world over God, Satan will flex his power back over you. You were born of God, not of this world. (v. 5:21)
This week we looked at what it means to encourage one another. After a rousing game of Cheerleader Huddle, we dove into what it means to encourage one another.
We started of talking about times the kids felt really hurt by something someone has said to them, giving them some examples of my own. We recognized how painful that was.
It is a sad reality that there are many people who still carry the scars of words said to them as little children as adults. Words that the person who said them probably doesn’t even remember saying. Our words to one another really do matter more than we can realize.
I then asked each to think about a time when they were really encouraged. We recognized how much more encouragement we need to cover up the words of discouragement.
We read through 1 Thessalonians and saw Paul even said that words really do make a difference, both for good and for bad.
Paul was an apostle of Jesus who spent his adult life encouraging Christians. He wrote letters to the churches saying things like what he said in Colossians 1:3-11.
We recognized the comparison of Paul to the Church as a former teacher to our students. To know that someone who once invested in them is truly rooting for them to succeed and sees new fruit in their lives was quite eye opening.
God made us for community and far too often we forget to encourage and lift one another up. We forget to tell each other that we truly thank God for each other. There is something really powerful that happens when we say or write words with the purpose of encouraging each other. We shouldn't just assume that others know how we feel, but let them know the talents and gifts that we see in them.
As our scripture said, “do this as the day draws near”, which is a way of saying that we never know how much time we may have to bless one another.
Today we took the opportunity today to encourage one another.
We spent the evening writing words of encouragement to each other.
We then asked these questions.
How did it feel to read the words of encouragement on your paper?
Which words stick out to you most?
Why do you think encouraging others is so rare?
Who is someone in your life that you can encourage in this way this week?
I pray that this week you continue to ask these questions to your kids and encourage them to encourage others.
In keeping with the theme of encouragement, I wrote a letter to all the students this week that I am attaching here, because I always want them to be able to look here and remember that they are seen.
This week we got an opportunity to hear one of our student leaders give their testimony for the very first time ever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim that He has redeemed them from the power of the foe
Such an awesome experience to be able to see how God worked in and transformed somebody's life in the hardest of situations. Students got an opportunity to ask three questions.
1. What similarities do you see in his life and yours?
2. Where was God trying to get his attention in his life?
3. Where is he trying to get yours?
Today we discussed a new format we want all of our students to be looking at scripture. It is called the SOAP method. The idea is simple. Before each week we ask all of our students to read the (S)cripture for the week. When the come in Wednesday nights, we first want them to tell us what the (O)bserved from this weeks reading. Will will cover it in further depth during large group and then really try to figure out how to (A)pply it to our lives in small groups. Finally, together we will (P)ray for God's will for us in the scripture we read.
Scripture
Observe
Apply
Pray
-In 2nd John we saw some very good observations. Know the truth, fake teachings, preach to them, and love other (something we have seen throughout all of John)
- In the CSB translation we see it spelled out very clearly in verse 9. "Anyone who does not remain in Christ’s teaching but goes beyond it does not have God."
We asked what does it mean to "go beyond" in teaching. We realized it is when we start putting our own twists on what the truth is. Our own versions. So today we looked at the difference between our truth and Gods truth.
-As Christians, there is always a tug of war going on in our heart of good & evil, sin & Spirit, and our truth & the truth.
- Our truth is relative and often hangs on feelings. For example, I am over 6 feet tall, but if I were at a pro basketball game and said I feel short, it doesn't make the statement of I am short, true. Oftentimes (not always) our truth is base around feelings and does not line up with the word of God.
- Our Truth = “A non-negotiable personal opinion. This is a convenient phrase for avoiding arguments because people can contradict your opinion, but not your truth.”
- That’s actually kind of scary because there’s a generation that can put “my truth” behind whatever they’re feeling in a moment. And as long as it’s their truth, you can’t argue it.
- God's truth is an absolute truth. Irrefutable. His truth was put in place at creation and can not be changed. eg I am male would be an absolute truth.
-Your truth is always going to seek what is the most comfortable thing in the moment. Your truth allows you to stay the same. THE truth requires change. It requires repentance and a heart shift toward Him.
- Jesus tells us "and we will know the truth and the truth will set us free." What we often miss is that Jesus is the truth, therefore the only one who could ever properly say that. It would never work if you said "and we will know (insert your name here) and (insert your name here) will set you free.
- In todays society so many of us are looking for the truth, but don't take time to check to see if what we are hearing is the truth or someone elses truth. Even worse, lies are told with truth so that we don't even bother to question them. The enemy plays this game with us. He says, “Oh you overslept this morning? True.” “Oh you’re not where you want to be in life? True.” “You’re worthless.” All of a sudden that lie seems true because the other two were true.
-As well, we put our trust in people vs taking time to check for ourselves. If someone tells you truth all the time, you have less of a reason to go back and check behind them. This is why we encourage everyone to read the word of God for themselves. Let the Holy Spirit reveal the truths and we merely confirm it.
We get so many encouragements and warnings in such a short message.
What can we pull out of these verses...
V2 Our soul gets well first and our worldliness follows. Not the other way around. God must always come first in our lives. Everything else falls in after that. Our friendships, our jobs, our families, even our health…. our relationship with the Lord must come first.
V3 Your witness brings joy to others. We are encouraging each other. Feeling supported in your plans can make things easier and even make things more enjoyable. Remember you are here for a purpose.
V5-8 Treat all people as if they were your closest friends. Think about how we treat a substitute who comes to speak to the class. They are here to help and have the same goals that we should be aligned to. Why do we treat people differently. H
V9 Pride does not give glory to God. Think if we treated every visiting Pastor the way Diotrephes did. If we refused to listen to anybody else no matter how good their heart or relationship with God. At that point you are making church about you and not God. Its about your goals and not God's mission. Your own pride actually hurts the overwhelming mission of God. "God wants me to be happy" is not in the bible. "God wants me to be in charge" is not in the bible. "Be humble and submit to authority" is in the bible. Look at Jesus and how he led us out of his submission to the Father. We all need to understand that submitting to people in authority is not a bad thing, but a biblical model. Render to Caesar…
13 Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. 14 They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax[b] to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” 16 They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
And they were amazed at him.
We need to show obedience and submit to authority to those here on Earth as long as it is not contradicting God's direction... eg a law that said we were to kill someone.
V9 You have to watch out for those whos actions don’t match their words. They very well could be wolves in sheeps clothing, or at least not spreading the message of the whole truth which will distort what the truth actually is.
V11 What drives us? What do we act like. Think about the quotes we can say and songs we know. We can imitate that, but can we imitate Jesus. Shouldn’t we be spending more time with Him that we are with the world if we are putting Him first?
V11B God draws you closer to him, but if you never take the blinders off or only leave them off in your timetable you will never fully experience who he is. Once you experience him you will know it. How do I describe a color to you? For someone to see the color red and tell you it is green must never have seen that color before, or they are colorblind and are blinded to the truth.
V13 Greet friends by their name, all people should be treated like friends, it's about relationships with people. Remember, love God, love others. How intimate are you with others? Though it may be uncomfortable, it is what we are called to do. We need to let go of these fleshly hangups and allow God's plan to play out.
Look at the Godly things we try to do, then look at how we destroy that witness.
Small Group Discussion points:
We have to work together as a team to achieve the mission of God. Which means all people play different parts for a common goal. They are unified. It is about team glory not personal. (Michael Jordan has more rings…)
This week we asked a few questions about how we go about getting lost, and how we can get people lost.
What are you usually doing when you get lost? You are usually looking for something or somewhere you have never been before. Generally you got directions from someone that either didn't know themselves, weren't clear, or were intentionally trying to deceive you.
On the flip side, have you gotten people lost by not being clear or not having a good understanding.
This applies to our walks with Christ too!
Consider the passage, why did Jesus tell the parable?
The tax collectors and sinners were the lost sheep in search for something and Jesus was making it known that He has come as the one they were searching for.
Originally, the Pharisees and teachers were the ones giving the directions but had just cast them out and away. They didn't really care about the sheep. In true religious spirit, they expected them to be clean before they could approach the pharisees, but Jesus welcomed all.
Repenting comes after you find Jesus. We will change because of the love we have for Him, which results from the love He has for us.
When I was younger, my brother followed me to every job I had, but there was nothing I could offer him. No reward for finding me. I didn't know Jesus. Just a deeper and deeper and darker and darker hole is all I could offer. I tried to be nice and offer support so he could be successful, but it was success at worldly things. The places I led him were still full of people that couldn't fulfill him.
But, as I got older and when i started to follow him at different jobs, he was able to lead me to the one who was able. He led me to Jesus. Still broken, not cleaned up, but to a place where i could just sit and be with him and have a meal together. I was welcomed into his house. There God began to work on my life. I volunteered and did work for the church, which helped me find some value and purpose in my life.
I started learning more of what Gods word says. Guys we have to get this stuff. The winning lottery numbers are right here in God's word, we just need to get them and use them.
The first thing I had to do though, was when I was lost and was given directions, I had to be willing to follow them and come to the table.
If you feel lost, WE are here to be there for you, but you have to be willing to come.
Students can come by after school and we can go through 1 on 1 discipleship. We can go through books of the bible. Were available with tough questions. Anyone of our leaders would be happy to walk through things with any of our students.
Gods plans for you can’t truly start until you are no longer lost and are saved. Its when you start listening to him and following his directions that his plans will start to take shape in your life. Once you accept his directions, salvation, baptism, become his disciple, that is where truth will happen, gifts will happen, purpose will happen, joy will happen, hard things still happen, but you have a king who can move literal mountains with you to come against those hard things.
Through this parable we see the pure joy when we are found by the one who had us in the beginning. We are only lost because of sin. And to be lost, we had to have ben found at some point. Jesus wants us back with Him because we are His.
A large part of today we talked about the hypocritical nature of who we are. James compares a man dressed in rags compared to a man dressed in the finest clothes and how we treat him. He goes on to tell the readers, that while we tend to be kinder to the finely dressed and well off they are also the ones that are usually pulling our eyes off of Jesus. It is the poor who's faith is generally strong and the ones we should be looking to.
We compared this to how we read the bible. There are things in it that it tells us to do that we think make sense. Yet there are also things we don't like because it doesn't line up with our selfish nature. So again hypocritically we do what we like and don't what we don't.
We have to remember that though we feel we are saved by Jesus we will still be judged. So are we acting the way we should be? Are we following the entirity of what the bible says or just what we like?
James then explains how faith and deeds go together. We discussed how when we look at the actions we take in our lives, we can see what is really important to us. When re really believe something we take action to support it. Its inevitable. Faith always leads to action when its true.
In reverse, action doesn't always lead to faith. Quite often we do things begrudgingly because we are told to do them. It doesn't show a faith stemmed out of love, only self preservation.
The apostles faith was so strong that they were willing to die for their faith. Would you? If not, do you really believe that Jesus is who he says he is? Do you really have a faith that saves you?
We compared our motivation as well. When our kids do something nice, like clean their room, there is often a caveat for doing it. They are trying to get something out of us. Its generally not because they love us so much and they want what we want. they have selfish desires they want to see fulfilled and are trying to use deeds to get it. Real faith comes from knowing you will be taken care of fully and having someone who knows more than you do to provide you with better things you could ever imagine. Out kids are not alone. We struggle with fulfilling our selfish desires as well, so I'm sure we can relate when we look at our lives.
Finally, took all of that and used it to look at how we treat each other. Are we hypocrites? Most of us admitted that depending on what group of friends we are with, we may treat another friend or group of friends differently or worse because of how we want to be perceived. As well, most of us have been on the receiving end of it too. It hurts. To treat someone so well and kindly when we are with them, but when we are with the :"cool" kids we treat them like garbage.
How is it any different that Jesus? Many of us say we love him and may even pray or go to church. We may listen to worship songs and sing praises of his name. But, when push comes to shove we dismiss him, ignore him, talk trash about him, break the rules hes given us, and (like Peter) even deny him in front of people that we want to look at us a s=certain way. Thats not love, thats self preservation.
Thats not faith and thats not eternal.
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How do we get friends? How are they chosen?
Jesus chose you because you have value
Plus he's shown the greatest love in dying for you.
A friend will always do something for someone, not because of no questions asked, but because they truly know the other person and what their desires are as they will match up with our own.
We have talked about people acting differently to different groups of friends and really being a different person depending on who they are with. But Jesus never changes.
Jesus is the standard for us. This is why we see relationships change over time. As we grow closer to Jesus we learn more about how we should live. Possibly losing friends or family as we grow.
This is why being equally yoked is so important. You have to start together and go in the same directions. Could you imagine if we didnt start together out there, or how it felt when you went different directions.
CS Lewis, what draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth. They share it.
Friendship takes intentionality and effort. How do the people keep their friendships going? They see each other, they talk to each other. Jesus was with his disciple constantly. Now we have the Holy Spirit to be able to spend time with Him.
Friendships are not always engaging, but Jesus shows us to be available and present. Sometimes my friends and I can just sit on a sofa together not saying a word but be available to one another as needed. Being present allows us to reach out when we need help and encouragement. Look at how Jesus constantly made himself available to his disciples and by now giving us the Holy Spirit.
Jesus humbly served his friends. Washing of feet, died for us…
But it can’t be ill do this for them if they do this for me. That’s transactional not love. Jesus did this for us regardless of our response, only because he loves us and wants us to have everlasting life.
Jesus brought scripture to his friends and shares with you now as he speaks through the Holy Spirit to us.
He encourages us and calls us out when we we are not doing right. But reminds us to ensure we remove the plank out of our own eye before we call out the splinter in someone elses.
Remember the movie Aladdin. Aladdin sacrificed for himself to serve (Genie) the one who was serving him.
Jesus gave us the why. How often do parents or teachers give you the why. Its always because i said so. He shows us how even though he is our lord and savior, he is our friend. A friend tells you why. True friends dont hide anything.
Now we may not be able to see the full plan yet, mostly because we probably wouldnt go through everything we are supposed to if we did, but we know the why
While he is our friend, we need to give him reverence. Jesus is my homie does not sound like your lord nor are you going to treat him that way or display him that way. Your going to do what you want and assume he thinks its okay because you are homies.
Our kids will likely never look at a screen door the same way again. We thoroughly talked about all the attributes of a screen door and how each one applies to the manner in which we find, approach, and talk to God. A couple examples would be that God may be on the other side, but He is always visible to us. (through the screen). There was a lock on the door, but it was on our side. The door is on hinges and was designed to have people come through. It functions for a purpose. We also realized that the only way we can knock on a door is if we are next to it. We must first locate God in our lives, stay in His presence, and then we can knock and begin to talk to HIm.
We also talked about how He answers our prayers and the things He gives us. Understanding that He only gives good gifts. When we receive something different that's what we asked, or don't receive at all, we need to sit by that door and ask him why so we can understand His will. In life sometimes we may be asking for a fish, but He gives us a worm. At first glance it appears he didn't care a thing about us and gave us junk. Through inspection and prayer we can learn he gave us the ability to get abundantly more that what we asked for with the gift he gave us.
What a great week as we each worked on writing our own Lords Prayer in the manner in which Jesus taught us too. Everyone got a chance to write a very personal prayer from them to GOd. Every line was broken down and talked through so everyone would understand what Jesus was trying to teach us in the manner in which we pray. They learned that the Lord's Prayer was not something just given to us to recite, but as a template to help understand the template and nature of how we pray.
Tonight we held court! The entire office was turned into a court house. A bailiff escorted one of our leaders out in shackles while our youth pastor portrayed the Judge God. The entirety of James 4 was spoken through the course of the court hearing. Our hope was that our kids can see that all of our actions have consequences. If we want to get ourselves out of bondage, we have to accept the "conditions" of Christs freedom by following him and doing the things he's called us to do. When we start our lives in bondage, its hard to see what real freedom looks like on the outside. We fight so hard to keep the things in our life. But, if we would lower our guard and trust him, we find a freedom and joy we never thought possible. Below you will find a loose transcript of the evening, prayerfully you will find it beneficial and maybe a little fun!
All rise, Pipe down, court is in session, Honorable Judge God presiding.
(Baliff escorts the defendant in)
Be seated.
(to whole courtroom)I need a court clerk, as ours, Gabriel, did not show up today. He’s off delivering some sort of message again… you know what, how about each of you be our witnesses today. The more witnesses we have the better aint that right Jesus… Jesus?
(to defendant) I assumed you have Jesus Christ of Nazareth as your council today?
Answers negatively
No!? Who do you have?
Answers with no one
No one!? Alright the court will assign you one. I'll pick you someone. Any volunteers. Hmm, do you have anybody you would like to choose? Never let it be said I don’t answer prayers.
(Address appointed lawyer)…If you hear anything wrong or feel you need to object please speak up. (anything said by them will be over ruled as they are not Jesus lol)
Bailiff, please escort the defendant to the stand and swear her in.
(bailiff does so)
So this is an appeals/ parole court hearing. You have been in prison for a while and I understand you are trying to get out.
First thing let's review the charges.
Fighting and quarreling
Murder
What causes you to fight? V1
Answers super crazily
Don't they come from the desires that battle in you? V1
Responds in a whatever type attitude towards everything.
See, I think you desire and don’t have so that’s why you killed! V2
Then you covet and whine and still don't get what you want so you fight some more. Whew… man lady, you're a piece of work. V2
And, you want to know why you’ve been in here this whole time and why you haven’t even gotten any of the desires you have?
Answers with an arrogant :Why!?”
Because you haven't even bothered to ask me for anything.
(pause)
Anyways, you are trying to get pardoned and have some freedom. For what reason should I grant you this?
Answers with all sorts of selfish reasons
You ask with wrong motives… V3
Anyways, what are your plans when you get out?
Answers with even more selfish reasons
Well apparently I need to add an adultery charge to your previous charges.
Answer with an outlandish “Why!?”
(Read scripture V4-6), And I’m going to add a theft charge as I gave you the holy spirit to use, but you refused to use it. The whole point of it was to draw us closer together and you squander it. You have taken for yourself what was meant for both of us.
Is any of this sinking in?
Answers like she is the cock of the walk and she should not have to answer to anybody.
You've definitely got a problem with authority, this is what you are going to need to do… (read scripture 7-8)
Laughs about the whole situation and at the judge
I’m telling you your attitude is writing checks you flesh can’t cash. You think you're in charge, but you're not… which is why you're here in shaclkles in the first place and I’m sitting up here..
Defendant then talks trash about everyone in the room (the students). Point out all their (madeup) flaws and problems. Starts using words like Riz, skibidi, and ohio, confusing any adult in the room… lol. The entire courtroom got riled up causing everyone to start talking smack back.
(read scripture 11-12)
Who are you to judge your neighbors?
Defendant finally answers in a more guilty manner with more humility. Says I’m sorry and that she shouldn’t have been doing that. (conviction finally begins to set in)
I can’t make this any clearer. I am in charge. I created you. I assigned your purpose. I gave you meaning. I am the only one who has always loved you no matter what because I AM.
Do you think you can change your ways and start living with me instead of against me?
Answers very humbled and with understanding. Admits to be willing to change her ways.
Alright so what are you going to do when you get out?
Answers with things that are good things, just not God things. Says she’s moving somewhere, starting a new business, maybe getting some animals with a fenced in yard with a white picket fence where they can play…
(Read V. 13-17)
Is any of this making sense or am I just wasting my time?
Answers that she thinks she’s starting to get it.
Do you love me?
Yes sir
Do you even know that I love you? Can you comprehend the things I have done to show that to you?
I’m trying to
If you ever wonder anything, it's all written down for you here. As well you can listen to that Holy Spirit I placed inside of you.
All I ask is that you show me love in return by your actions. If you truly love me like you say you do, there should be evidence in your life to prove that. Faith without works is dead.
(Address the court)
Court, I need you to all understand something. Every single one of you is going to have to take a turn in the defendant's seat someday. What charges are going to be brought against you?
I've instructed my people to put in writing on numerous occasions in the bible that you will face judgement. You can’t avoid it. It will determine if you get to spend eternity in glory with me, or eternity separated from him in Hell's prison. So ask yourself again, what charges are going to be filed against you, and who is going to be your representative in court.
How is the court going to rule at your hearing?
Defendant has shackles removed by bailiff and read court Matthew 7:21-23. She encourages them not to end up she almost did.
(bailiff) All rise!
(freed defendant and judge leave)
End Scene
James 5 was a unique experience. It is broken up into 3 main sections. A warning to the rich and those who value worldly things over everything else, an encouragement to stay patient in our suffering, and finally a reminder of what to do in our struggles.
This week our kids came in to a shock to find everything removed out of our space. There were no chairs, games, snacks, wall deco, music, and very little light. They had blankets laid out on a cement floor to sit on, candles lit, and some room temp water. All cell phones were collected and students were forced to search through the bibles for things.
The whole point of the 1st part of the evening was to recognize all the luxuries we take for granted here in America. While many of us may struggle to get by, it is still nothing compared to the struggles of much of the rest of the world. Including the luxury we have to freely be able to worship our Lord and Savior. The kids took time to recognize what those riches are in their lives that will not continue on with them into eternity. They were shown that Jesus should be the main focus of their lives. That even their closest friends and family members fall behind Jesus, because without Him they will be left behind in the world also.
In the second part we looked to the flip side of riches, suffering. We identified what it was and how it affects us. The question was posed, if you went without eating for 2 days in order to receive 1 million dollars, would you complain about the hunger? They all agreed no, because they knew what they were getting out of it, just as the farmer knows if he's patient he will get yields from his crops.
From there we looked to what are some actual ways we feel suffering in our own lives, be it physically, emotionally, spiritually, or mentally. From there we gave our kids time to write down the specific ways they face suffering on a daily basis.
Finally we entered the 3rd section of the text. We talked about how important it is to seek out each other when struggling with sin and when we are suffering to go to the elders of the church for prayer. We explained that the bible tells us we don't have to do it alone. While we should be praying to God, we are told to seek out council to pray for us as well.
At the end of the night we took the time to pray specifically and intentionally over each one of your kids. They shared their lists with us as well as some things they may be holding onto they want to let go of. Every child was prayed over in Jesus name tonight calling for relief of these sufferings.
Yearly Christmas message given from a 1st person narrative while enjoying treats and a campfire.
