Sept 26-27, 2009: Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit (Acts 1)

What's the most amazing thing you've ever seen? When we've seen something amazing, we can't help but want to tell everyone we see.

That's the situation the disciples were in after Jesus visited them after having risen from the dead. The Book of Acts - tells their story.
The book of Acts (written by Luke) is all about...Acts! Theirs, but also God's through his Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is key in the book of Acts - Jesus told them to wait for it before they did anything else in his name.

2 Questions throughout our study of Acts:
What did the Holy Spirit do?
Why did God send it?

The disciples expected that maybe Jesus himself would return soon and restore the kingdom of Israel - then they would reign with Jesus as king! They did not know how much they were going to suffer for his name. Instead - they waited. And waited. They prayed and met together, and they selected a replacement for Judas, who had hung himself after betraying Jesus.

Important verses: 7 & 8 - it's not for them to know the time God is going to act. Sometimes we want God to act on our timetable, and we get impatient when he doesn't act right away or in the manner we want. But, we can be reassured that God has the time set - he knows - we wait.

As we wait...God is making us ready, and he is also building our faith. "Faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1) How can we be certain of something we do not see? Belief in God and waiting on him to act takes faith.

August 22-23: Had a Bad Day?

Movie clip: How to Eat Fried Worms

In this clip, the new kid, Billy, has a bad day, his first day at his new school. He's not accepted. He's late for class. He has to talk in front of everyone. They play a prank on him.

In small groups, discuss these questions:

• Have you ever had a day like Billy? Explain.
• How do you think Billy felt at the end of the day? Explain. How did you feel the last time you had a bad day? Explain.
• What do you do to deal with a bad day? (watch TV, listen to music, pray, ignore it, etc.) Does it make you feel better? Why or why not?
• If you're upset or frustrated, is it better to let it out or just try to ignore it? Why?
• Have you ever been new at school? New at church? New in the neighborhood? How was that for you? How many of you are starting at a new school this fall? What are your feelings about that?

Activity: We stuff balloons into an oversized sweat shirt and pair of sweat pants, then make the person wearing them run around and do exercises. It's difficult. Why? Because the balloons stuffed inside keep us from moving the way we should.

Worries and frustrations are like the balloons. If we stuff them inside and pretend they're not there, they hurt our ability to be at peace with each other, to enjoy our friends, to be positive, to be kind to others...in fact, when we've been hurt or insulted or embarrassed, often we look for someone else to do the same thing to, so we don't have to feel so rotten. This is what bullies do.

Instead, God tells us (1 Peter 5:7) to cast all our cares on him - he cares for us.

1. It's ok to have negative feelings - that's normal to get upset sometimes, or angry, or have hurt feelings.

2. The wrong thing to do is "stuff" them.

3. The right way is to acknowledge when we're hurt, fearful, angry, or whatever, and to give those concerns to God. How? Some people do this by praying - by getting what's on the inside out. Others give it away by journaling - like a prayer, but it's written down, and it's only between you and God. Meditating - in Christianity, meditating is not emptying our mind but filling our mind with thoughts about what is true, and helpful, and reliable (God created me, God is in control of everything, in the midst of rotten days and events, God is working for my good). Solitude - being only with God - and not with TV, computers, homework, toys, other people - reminds us that he's in charge.

Birds were meant to fly. A weight around their neck or a broken wing = a bird is not living like a bird should. You were not meant to be weighed down by worries and disappointments - you were meant to live. Anything that keeps us from having "life to the full" is something God wants to help us handle.

Esther: Right place at the right time

"In the right place at the right time" usually means you were lucky - you were with the right people or caught in a situation that was lucky for you.

In the story of Esther, Esther was put in a position that benefited others. She was a Jew living in exile, that is, away from her homeland, among other conquered peoples.

The story of Esther:

The king, Xerxes, banished the old queen and Esther was chosen as his new queen. She had been warned by her cousin Mordecai not to reveal her Jewish identity. Mordecai is a gatekeeper, and overhears a plot by two of the king's men to assassinate him. Mordecai passes this along to the queen, Esther, and the plan is foiled. The two men are executed and the king is safe.

A man named Haman becomes the king's highest official. Haman hates it, though, that Mordecai will not bow down to him. Knowing that Mordecai is Jewish, he asks the king to issue a decree that all the Jews be killed, since they don't follow the king's orders and are dangerous to his rule.

Mordecai learns of the decree and goes into mourning. He knows only one person can save them - the king - and that Esther is in a position to make that happen. He reasons with her that if she keeps quiet, even she will lose her life, but the Jews will be saved from some other place (we assume God); and he says, "Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for such a time as this?" Esther agrees to speak to the king, even though she can lose her life for going to him without being asked, and says, "If I die, I die."

Esther goes to the king and he agrees to see her. At a banquet, he promises to give her whatever she wishes, even up to half the kingdom. She tells the king and Haman to come to another banquet the next day, when she will tell him what she wants. That night, the king cannot sleep. He asks for the book telling the story of his reign to be read aloud. They read to him about the plot to take his life that was foiled by Mordecai. The king asks why Mordecai has not been honored. He assigns Haman to parade through the streets with Mordecai, honoring him and drawing attention to what he has done. Now Haman hates Mordecai more than ever.

At the banquet the next day, Esther asks that the king spare the life of her people (he does not know that she is Jewish). She says there is a plot to wipe out her and her people. The king asks who would devise such a terrible plot, and Esther says Haman is responsible. Haman is killed by the king for his evil plan. Then the king promotes Mordecai to Haman's high position and issues a new decree, that the Jews are to defend themselves against anyone who tries to kill them. When the day arrives, the Jews are victorious over those who want to take their lives.

The memory of this event is celebrated in the Jewish holiday called "Purim".

Esther is the only book of the Bible that does not contain the word "God". Yet, it is still a story about God because it is about God's people, the Jews, and how God acted through Mordecai and Esther to save his people. Both Mordecai and Esther took risks - Mordecai by reporting the plot and Esther by daring to go to the king without being summoned, but they had to courage to do it or else the Jews would face destruction.

Esther was put in a position where she could serve God and his people - what positions have you been placed in to serve others?

June 7-8: Last Words to a 6th Grader

I still remember - 24 years later - what my pastor said when he retired (I was 12) - be very, very careful about false gods.

To our sixth graders, two messages:
1. It really does matter if God is in your life

There's a difference between knowing about God and actually believing in him (trusting him)

Ex: Like the difference between seeing sunlight through a window and breaking through the window to benefit from the light fully. Behind the glass, you get some benefit, but it isn't until you get surrounded by the light that you derive the full benefit. Likewise, it's OK to know there is a God, but best to actually have God. No one can teach you that - it must come by faith, because you are willing!

2. God wants to save every part of your life.

The Woman at the Well (John 4) - initially it was Jesus asking her for a drink; it ended up with her asking him for living water.

We all like receiving gifts, but most of us settle for gifts that will spoil or fade. God wants to give you gift after gift, but - we don't get the choice of keeping certain parts of our life "off limits" to him. If you let him in, you're letting him into all the parts.

"God doesn't want to be a part of your life...he wants to be a part of all of the parts."

Ex: When you clean underneath your bed, you'll usually find lots of things you'd forgotten were there. When we ask God to "search our hearts", we are giving him permission to bust down the doors to every part of our lives.

May 23-24: We can influence people toward Christ through words and through actions

Consider someone the Bible calls "Lost".
What are some things that person has to do to become a Christian?
1. admit they're a sinner
2. admit their sin keeps them from God
3. want to be with God
4. believe that Jesus died for their sins
5. choose to trust the cross for forgiveness

People will try lots of other things to be forgiven - good works, going to church, praying and reading the Bible; or, they'll "get around" sin by just saying it isn't real and God doesn't exist

Q: Would you share the message about Jesus with someone you didn't know first? Why or why not?
Advantages of knowing who you were sharing with: You might be able to anticipate their questions, they would know you really cared
Advantages of not knowing someone before sharing: It can be less nerve-wracking; what if they think I'm weird??

Jesus commanded: Matt. 28:19-20. How are Christians supposed to spread the gospel message through the whole world? Especially when there are areas of the world with very few Christians living there?

To "Proclaim Christ" - share the story of salvation with someone
To "Practice Christ" - be Christlike to someone

Both are ways of influencing someone toward salvation
But, when is the right time to "proclaim" and the right time to just "be Christ"? Is it ok if I just "Practice Christ" but never speak his name, never tell the other person about him? Is that the same thing??

If I want to influence someone to believe in Jesus…practicing Christ is more likely to do that than proclaiming Christ. Agree or disagree, and why?

You should always practice Christ before proclaiming Christ to someone. Agree or disagree, and why?

Even if you never proclaimed Christ to someone, it's just as good to practice Christ. Agree or disagree, and why?

It's wrong to make friends with someone just so you can proclaim Christ to them. Agree or disagree, and why?

May 9-10: No one can tame the tongue

Guest Speaker: Brian Day, Pastor of Junior High
James 3:1-12
“That flapping piece of meat”

Boating and flying illustration.
Such small adjustments affect so much (controls and instruments).
James seeks to show us how such a small body part can blow it for us too.

1. Do not use the tongue to do BAD
• Vs. 2 – It’s not if we make a mistake with our tongues, but when we do.
• Vs. 3-5 – Are you going to be like these examples…ruled completely by such a small part of your body?
• Vs. 6 – Just one small thing can contaminate your whole witness.
• Vs. 7,8 – You cannot tame the tongue completely. It will bite you again. Are you trying to stop it and what are you going to do when it does?

2. Do not use the tongue to mix BAD and GOOD
• Vs. 9-12 – How can we use our tongues for such good and such evil at the same time?
• Our tongue shows us what’s really inside. If you have Christ inside, Christ like things will come out.
• This is one reason swearing is not healthy or good.

3. Do not use the tongue to do GOOD
• 2:15,16 - Use your tongue to say good things but not to do good things. We must be people of action, not just words.

Action steps:
• Identify what needs to change in your language.
• Identify where it comes from.
• Ask God to take it away and help you to not be ruled by your tongue.

Boating and flying illustration. Let God be the one steering you, not yourself.

He will steer you right to eternal life.

We will always steer ourselves to destruction.

May 2-3: Lost People Need to Hear God's story

2 Corinthians 5:20 - We are Christ's Ambassadors, or official messengers.
So...what's the message? And how do we share it?

Are the following true, false, or absolutely false?
As the phrase is used in the Bible, a lost person is someone who goes on a hike in the mountains and gets lost for ten days without food or water…absolutely false. "Lost" means they are separated from God.
God doesn't start loving people until they become Christians…absolutely false. If God didn't love sinners, there'd be no way for anyone to be saved.
The best thing to do to Lost People is avoid them, because their beliefs might rub off on you…absolutely false. We are Christ's Ambassadors - God wants us to interact and share the message.
When talking to a lost person, the best thing to do is start arguing with them. Give them the top five reasons you're right and they're wrong, and wait for them to hit back…Absolutely False. They will stop listening if you do that. Be gentle, but be firm.
Most of the lost people in the world can be found in Texas and Hollywood...absolutely false. 97% of the world that is not Christian lives in the 10/40 window, between 10 degrees north latitude and 40 degrees north.
God will almost always appear in a dream to people who don't believe in him...false. While it's true Jesus does appear in dreams to some people, most people need to hear the gospel from someone else.

The Bridge Illustration - a way of sharing what we believe
Start by asking what someone believes. If you listen politely, chances are they'll listen when it's your turn.

Show them a person, separated from God by a canyon.
Explain that the Bible says because of sin, we cannot be with God. In fact, sin leads to death.
We need a way across. That way is Jesus.
When Jesus died, his cross made a way for us to avoid death and be with God.
Sending Jesus was God's choice; our choice is whether or not to accept God's gift and trust the cross for our salvation.

Q: What are some reasons we don't share this with people?
A: KNOWLEDGE LEVEL (I can't explain it clearly)
COMFORT LEVEL (I am not comfortable bringing it up with this person)
FEAR LEVEL (I'm afraid of what they might say to me)