Mythbusters #4 -- I Can Make It On My Own?: September 16th, 2009

Tonight we concluded our mythbusting series with the myth that we can make it on our own. It is true that we can try and make it on our own, but eventually we are going to encounter prlbems that are bigger than ourselves. And when we try to conquer those problems our own our we only end up failing. You need someone else to make it through. The good news is that you don't have to try to make it on your own, there are others ready to lend a helping hand.

This youth group and the church is a place where you can find support for those trying times. We talked about how when you interleave two books together and then try to pull them apart it will take a tank before you will see them budge. in the same way when you have three strands of rope and interweave them, they are stronger than they would be on their own (Ecclesiasties 4:12). Just like the books or the ropes, our power is derived from relying on each other, rather than trying to make it on your own.

Ultimately, our hoep is that you will end up not just relying on people in the church or youth group but turn and fully rely on God, because God will never fail you. He knows all things, sees all things, and has all the power, so he is the best one to help you through hard times.

The myth that we can make it on our own is busted, the truth is we need help. Sometimes we don't ask because we are embarrased, or don't know who we can trust, or because we think we can make it on our own. Don't be ashamed to ask for help, remember you can trust the church and God, and stop thinking you can make it on your own!

I give tonight: D
Favorite moment: Strong people trying to pull apart two small books

Mythbusters #3: Accepting Jesus Is It? -- September 9th, 2009

Today we talked about the myth that accepting Jesus is it. When we accept Jesus we are guaranteed heaven, because he has forgiven our sins, so that part is right. But does that mean after we accept him we just kind of hangout, party, do whatever we want until we die and go to heaven?

It is true that accepting Jesus gives us salvation, it is in no way based on our works. But part of accepting Jesus is making him our Lord/Master/God, which means that we are surrendering to do his will not our own. Salvation is only a starting point of a long journey.

We read from Hebrews 5:12-14, which tells us that when we are first saved that we are babies, and that we should grow over time, but many have not and have remained acting like babies. You are a baby when you get saved, which means you need a lot of noursishment and caref rom God and others Christians, but after a time you are supposed to learn to craw/walk/run/feed yourself,a nd then eventaully care for others as you were cared for. How ridicoulous if in real life we never stopped acting like babies? We just cried and laid their and waited for our parents to move us around/burp us/feed us/change us? It would be silly. Yet many of us continue to act like baby christians after years of being saved, this shouldn't be. So if accepting Jesus is just the starting point what else is there?

Alteration -- which means transformation and purification from the bad things we do
Baptisms -- which means both in water and in the Holy Spirit
Commuion -- which is taking commuion in order to remember what Jesus has done for us
Doing Good Deeds -- whcihs is serving others, loving, and choosing to do the right things
Evangelsim -- which is sharing with others about what Jesus has done for them
Fellowship with Believers -- which is hangout with other christians to encourage in faith
Going after Destiny -- which is finding and doing what God has for our lives

This myth is busted! the truth is: Salvation is the 1st Step

I give tonight: A+
Favorite Moment: (tie) Choose your own adventure or The application envelope time or All babies look like slugs

Mythbusters #2: All Good People Go To Heaven -- September 2nd, 2009

Today we looked at the saying: All Good People Go To Heaven. The Bible teaches there are two places that we can end up when we die (heaven or hell). Many people hold this to be a truth, that if we are good enough we will end up in heaven. So is it true or is it a myth?

Let us supposed for a moment that this statement is true and look at the ramifications of it. How good is good enough? Or how bad is too bad? Do different deeds guarentee an instant ticket to heaven no matter what bad you have done in the past? Do different deeds guarentee an instant ticket to hell no mattter what good you have done in the past? Are different deeds worth more? How man good deeds does it take to make up for a bad deed? Who would determine which were worth how much and keep track of the good and bads you have done? These are some pretty hard questions. I guess that the easiest way to think of it is that there are some deeds that are worth more than others and that they just cancel each one out as you go. So lying to your parents would be worth -10 and helping a cat out of a tree would be worth 5, so you would need to save three cats in order to make it in to heaven. I would also nominate God to keep track of the deeds, since he has all knowledge and ability to track everything about everyone. The problem with this thought track is...we don't know if we will make it to heaven or not until we die and it is too late to chane our path. So you are left with just hoping that you make it.

On the other hand, the bible tells us that we are all sinners and that the punishment for sin is eternal death. So, that means that when we do a bad deed, no matter the type of deed, it would be worth 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 points and every time we do a good deed it would be worth 1. There is no way that we can do enough good deeds to even make up for one bad deed, let alone all the bad things we do. Since we have sin and can't cover it up, the bible tells us that we are destined to go hell, not heaven, after death.

So biblically and logically speaking the statement All Good People Go To Heaven is busted.

No for the good news. God doesn't just leave us with no hope, instead he sent his son, Jesus to this earth to take our punishment upon himself. He lived a perfect life so he could do that. And then he died for our sins and then rose from the dead showing us that he truly was God. All we have to do is believe in Jesus, accept him as our Lord/Savior/God/Master and ask him for forgiveness and he will forgive our sins and make it so that we can go to heaven. And that is some good news. We aren't waiting on the side hoping we make it some day to heaven because of our good deeds, instead we have knowledge that we are guarenteed heaven through Jesus!

I give tonight: A+
Favorite Moment: "All dogs go to heaven, and we all know where cats go" -- Pastor Alex

Mythbusters #1 -- Wednesday, August 26th

Tonight we started our 5 week series called Mythbusters. Our first myth to bust was: I Don't Matter.

Psalm 139:13-16 tells us this:
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

From these verse we learned five things.
1. God created you. God is perfect, which means he makes no errors, mistakes, or accidents. This means he created you arne that you are not a mistake, error, or accident. He wanted you here.
2. God made you wonderful. That doesn't mean without flaw. But it does mean that you were create in just the way he watned you to be. There are 10 to the 2000 different combinatinos between two people when they create a baby. You are 1 in literally billions upon billions. He uses flaws in us and loves us jsut he same. When God look sat you, it isn't with anger and disappointment on how you look or how you are, but instead he looks at you and loves you, he thinks you are wonderful.
3. God knew you before you were born. God had you in mind at creation, knowing you would one day come along. God had you in mind on the cross, knowing you would need salvation. God knew you while you were in the womb and loved you. You might have been a surprise or accident to your parents, but not to God.
4. God had a plan for your life even before conception. You might feel useless and like your life is pointless, but even before birth God had a plan for your life. Things for you to accomplish as you follow him. And it is a good plan and all you have to do is follow him!

The world could go on wihtout you, but it would be incomplete. God doesn't make mistakes and he wanted you here and has a plan for your life. It is a good plan.

I give tonight: B
Favorite moment: The awesome questions "Why are there poor people" "Doesn't God knowing everything cancel out free will", etc...