I Shall Not Be In Want: 012313

I.                     Read Psalm 23

a.       Over the next few weeks we are going to work through this Psalm as a guide for us on how to survive and thrive in the middle.

b.      That is how to hold onto your faith in God and live in a way that changes you and your world for the better.

II.                 Game:  Go and Grab

a.       Student repeatedly goes back and grabs items and returns them, but never stops to enjoy them, they are never content with what they have, but always want more, because what they brought back only gives them temporary joy.

b.      One of the things that will cause you to fail in The Middle is “want”, that is never being content with what you have and seeking after more by yourself.

III.               How To Be Free Of Want

a.       Turn To The One Who Can Provide

                                                               i.      “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:19

                                                             ii.      If you are in need of something the best place to turn is to someone who:

1.      has the ability and power to give you what you need

2.      has the wisdom to know if what you want is good for your or not

3.      cares enough to give you what is best for you

                                                            iii.      Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want”

1.      First and foremost, you have to have Jesus as your shepherd, until he is you will always be in want

2.      Secondly, the verse means we will never have less than what is needed.  It means we shall not lack anything the Shepherd thinks is good for us.

3.      It is not talking about: I want this and this and this and because I am following Jesus he will give it to me, Jesus isn’t a magic credit card, he cares more about possessing you than what possessions you own.

b.      Learn To Be Content

                                                               i.      If you want to survive and thrive in the middle this verse tells us one of the keys is to learn to be content.

                                                             ii.      Allow God to define what you need in order to be content

1.      Philippians 4:11-13 – “¹¹ I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³ I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

2.      What does it say you need?  God’s strength, you need God, nothing else, in order to be content

                                                            iii.      Everything else in this world promises contentment, but really only gives you momentary distraction.  If we have God we can have contentment even when everything else is bad.  But we have to make sure that good times don’t pull us away from God and thus make us loose our contentment

IV.              Application

a.       How many of you want to find contentment?  Let me pray with you.

011613: The Lord is My Shepherd

I.                    Read Psalm 23

a.       Over the next few weeks we are going to work through this Psalm as a guide for us on how to survive and thrive in the middle.

b.      That is how to hold onto your faith in God and live in a way that changes you and your world for the better.

c.       Today we are focusing on v. 1 “The Lord is my Shepherd.”

d.      This is the first action we can take to survive and thrive in the middle.

II.                 The Play

a.       Give a play to 6 people and have them act it out, no speaking except for their lines.

b.      In order for a play to be a success, each actor must know which role is theirs and actually do their part.

c.       In order for us to survive and thrive in the middle each of us as believers must know our role and actually do our part, otherwise it becomes a confusing mess and makes us want to no longer be in the play.

III.               Psalm 23:1

a.       v. 1 gives us our role and God’s role – He is the shepherd, we are the sheep

b.      The role of the shepherd is to lead and protect the sheep.

c.       The role of the sheep is to allow the shepherd to lead and protect them.

                                                              i.      If a sheep leads herself, she’ll get lost and may cause others to be led astray too

                                                            ii.      If a sheep protects himself, he’ll end up dead because he doesn’t have the strength to stand against his attackers.

IV.              Conclusion

a.       God is willing to lead and protect you, but are you willing to let Him?

b.      Letting Him lead and protect means:

                                                              i.      Staying close to Him

                                                            ii.      Trust (His way, not ours is best)

                                                          iii.      Submission, “yielding to his lead” (if he tells you to give up something or to start doing something, you obey even if it is difficult)

c.       Ask if anyone wants to say tonight, “Jesus be my shepherd, help protect and guide me, I give control over to you.”

The Middle #1: 010913

I.                    Themes

a.       Every year I pray and ask God for a theme for our youth group for the year. 

b.      Previous Themes: The complete life, No compromise, It matters, Under the surface, A single drop, Signs, Complicated, Clarity, Markers

c.       This year as I was praying I got the impression that the theme of the year should be, “The middle.”  I was surprised by this and I asked God if maybe he meant, “The center.”  Like we need to be focusing on the center, our relationship with God.  But I was told no, “The middle.”  As I pondered what this mean the first thought that went in my head was that of a baseball game, in which the pitcher would throw the ball down the middle to get a strike, but it was also the point at which the batter had the best chance of hitting the ball for a homerun.  There was risk, but also reward in “the middle.” 

II.                 The Beginning

a.       The beginning is when we get saved.  It is the start of something great.  The beginning is great, there is so much hope and optimism.  We think we can conquer the world.  Our sins are forgiven, our load is lightened, and we are ready to win.  But then we hit the middle.

III.               The Middle

a.       Life is difficult in the middle.  It is a place of danger, hurt, loneliness, grief, and pain.  We often get lost in the middle.  The middle is when we are challenged in our faith, when doubts creep in, when many give up and no longer follow God.  The middle is where bad things happen, where people lose hope.

b.      Yet in the middle, where the greatest risk is, where life may be the worst it can be, that is when the greatest reward is too.  It is in that time when you can grow the most, it is in that time when you can have more faith, it is during that time when you can find the most victory.  But only if we learn to trust, that is the only way we can survive our time in “the middle.”

IV.              Jairus in the Middle

a.       Mark 5: 21-24, 35-36 – “21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet 23 and pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him.  A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 

b.      A woman approaches and touches Jesus at this time, which causes her to be healed, but this takes time with Jesus speaking to her.

V.                 Success in the Middle

a.       35 While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher any more?” 36 Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

b.      In the middle Jairus finds himself with no hope, his daughter is dead.  There is no reason to believe in Jesus any more, there is no reason to trust, there is only despair.  But what does Jesus ask him to do in this situation?  Don’t be afraid, just believe.  He asks for trust, even though there was no real reason to trust.  He asks them to push aside fear, even though that is what they feel.  He goes to the house and raises Jairus’ daughter from the dead.

c.       You see even in the darkness of “the middle” there is light because Jesus is there.  Are you living in “the middle?”  “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

Quantum Leap #3: Water Baptism -- 062012

Tonight we continued our series: Quantum Leap, by leaping back into my past when I was baptized.  Baptism is part of the process of being a Christian (Matthew 28:19-20).  We are called to be saved and become Jesus' disciples and the next step that is mentioned is being baptized in water.  We also see discipleship/spiritual growth and evangelism as part of that process.  In other places we see God calling us to Communion and Baptism in the Holy Spirit as Well.  But Water Baptism is mentioned several times as the next step for christians to take after salvation.  It is a symbolic ritual that reminds us of Jesus' death and resurrection as well as our own spiritual journey of dying to sin and being made alive in Christ.  (Romans 6:3-4).  There are many errors when it comes to ideas of water baptism.  #1.  Don't do it becuase others are.  #2.  Don't do it because you feel guilted into it.  #3.  Baptism won't forgive your sins, it is a sign of what has already taken place in your life, the forgiveness of your sins by Jesus Christ.  #4.  Baptism won't make you perfect, you will still sin and be a mess afterwards but it is part of the process of holiness that God has called us to.  If you are saved and aren't baptized it is time to think about taking this step.  Let me know if you are interested.  We are doing baptisms at Maryhill on August 1st.

I give tonight: B-
Favorite Moment: Wait....Tera's still here?

Quantum Leap #2 -- Influence: 061312

Tonight we continued our series: Quantum Leap as we travel back through my life and use it to change your future for good.

In High School I felt called by Goid to become a pastor and ended up going to Eugene Bible College in 1998.  When I got there I was very shy and didn't know anyone, so I spent a lot of time in the dorms hanging out.  Which mean tthat I was spending time with others who hung out in the dorms.  When I got part of th eway through my sophomore year I realized that the friends I was hanging out with weren't the best influences on me.  They gamed constantly, they eat a lot, they would swear randomly, they would talk about inappropriate things, they weren't really focused on why they were at Bible College.  By spending time with them I was taking on all those same habits.  I felt convicted by God that I need to make a change in my life, but it meant that I had to start hanging out with new people, in a new place, in order to escape that influence that kept dragging me in and away from God.  I had to choose which was more important, those friends or my relationship and call with God.  It was not an easy decision, but I made the change.

Yeast is a funus that spreads under certain circumstances.  It is how we get fluffy bread, but it doesn't tkae a lot of yeast in order to leaven an entire batch of bread.  Galatians 5:7-9 talks about a church who was being influenced by a group that was trying to add works to salvation and they are told that a little yeast works through the whole batch.  We need to careful about who we spend the majority of our lives with, because they will change us to be more like them, if there is a little bad it will work through the whole group.  We need to be careful about what we spend our time watching, reading, and listening to.  They will change us to be more like what they are telling us is true and right.  Whether it is media or people, they will influence us, and if they're influence is a bad one, we will become slowly corrupted and thus turned away from our relationship with God and the destiny he has for us.  So here is my advice looking at my past: Get rid of bad influences, doing it as completely as poosible so they won't drag you back in.  Choose God over friends, his way is more important and has better things for us when we choose him.  Put good influences, both media and people, into your life.  Be a good influence to others.

I give tonight: A-
Favorite Moment: The Return of Cody

Quantum Leap #1 -- Salvation: 060612

Tonight we started a new series entitled Quantum Leap.  In the show the main character bounced through time chaning the past for good.  During this series I want to bounce through my life and use it to change the future for good.  Tonight we read from Luke 15:11-32, the parable of the prodigal son.  Some things to keep in mind when you read this passage: To ask for an inheritance before the death of your fathe would be about the same as saying, "You are useless, I don't need you, I just want your money, and I wish you were dead."  Second, pigs were considered unclean animals, they shouldn't be eatan, they shouldn't even be touched.  Third, runing for old men was conisdered disgraceful and beneath them.  Finally, fatted calves were set aside for special occasions and were very expensive.

I grew up in a Christian House, we went to church all the time, I was fine with God.  My parents liked Him and worshipped Him, so I did too.  My parents read their bibles, so I did too.  But ti was their faith, not my own.  It was June 1990, I was 9 and I lived in a small town in Oregon at the time and my parents took my borther and I to Portland to see a group called the Power Team.  The power team was a group that would break things to show God's power being used through them, at the end they presented a message from Luke 15.  At the end fo the message they asked for anyone that wanted to come forward, just as the son returned home, we were returnign to God, asking him for forgivness. I went forward and prayed, making faith in God my own, not something I did because of my parents.  I started a personal relationship with God that night and all of my sins were forgiven.  I became saved at that moemnt.  I was dead, but had been made alive again, I was lost, but had been found by God.

Do any of you find it amazing that God, represented by the Father in this story, was willing to take his son back home?  Do you find it amazing that he didn't just make his son grovel at his feet begging for forgiveness, but ran out and forgave him instantly?  do you find it amazing that God was willing to forgive everything that son had done.  God is waiting for you to come home.  He wants to forgive you and welcome you back.  All that it takes is you deciding to go to Him, a simple decision that you want to have a relatioship with your Heavenly Father.  And when you make that decision and start heading toward home, when you ask him for forgiveness, he will come running to you, loving you no matter what, forgiving you every thing you have done, not holding it over you, but instead celebrating that his sons and daughters who were dead are live again, who were lost are now found!  Are you ready to go home?

I give tonight: A+
Favorite Moment: Youth getting saved!

Red Shirt #4 -- Good Soil: 052312

Tonight we completed our Red Shirt series by looking at the last type of soil talked about in Luke 8:4-8, 11-15.  This type of soil isn't a red shirt soil, but a gold shirt one.  They are the ones that grow and mature and produce.  It tells us about them in verses 8 and 15.  It says they are seed tha fall on good ground, which means they end up growing and reaching teh full potential that God created them for.  They grow, mature, thrive, and reproduce.  The people described here believe in Jesus, accept him as their Savior, make him their master, and then go out and convert others. 

It tells us that these type of people are defined by doing 5 different things.  #1.  They have a good and noble heart.  This comes by allow God, through His Holy Spirit, to transform us.  Then we resolve to do good and noble things, finding out what is good and noble, and actually acting on it.  #2.  They hear God's word.  This could be by going to church, reading the Bible, praying, reading Christian books, talking with people about God's word, etc...  #3.  They retain God's word.  We can do this by memorization and setting down markers to remind yourself.  #4.  They persevere. No matther what happens they hold onto their faith in God.  They spend time with Him so they can learn trust.  #5.  They produce a crop.  They actually go out and tell other people the good news about Jesus.  These are signs that accompany a mature Christian. 

I give tonight: B+
Favorite Moment: Evoke Video

Red Shirts #3: Thorny Soil -- 051612

We continued our study of Luke 8:4-8, 11-15 and our series entitled Red Shirts.  Tonight we focused on verses 6 and 13.  God's word goes out (as seeds) and lands on the soil (people's hearts) developing faith (plants).  Different people react differently to this gospel.  The type of soil we talked about tonight is thorny ground.  This seed falls in thorny soil, it starts to grow but never reaches its full potential because it is choked out by the thorn bushes that surround it.  The people described here believe in Jesus, accept Him as their Savior, but never really make Him their master.  They don't weed out the thigns that hinder them from growing in maturity and understanding of God.  Because of this their faith is never fully developed.  Theya re the people that you here about when it is said, "Wait, I thought _____(fill in a name) was a Christian but they ________(fill in a sin).  They act like veryone else around them and because of this no one knows they are "Christian" or if they do they think of them as a hypocrite.  They in no way help anyone else either in this life or for eternity.

The thorns represent life's worries, riches, and pleasures.  Each of these things makes us lose focus on the goal of growing our faith, they instead distract us, thus stunting our growth.  They are not all necessarily bad things, but if they are distracting us from focusing on the God and our relationship with Him then they are bad.  These things distract us and keep us from becoming mature, bearing fruit, whether that be good deeds, producing disciples for God, or just following the destiny God has for us. 

In order to avoid this fate we have to continually allow the Holy Spirit to weed our soil (hearts).  This must be done daily (weeds will grow constantly, vigilance is required), completely (therer can't be a par tof your life that is off limits to God, whether an action, an attitude, or a thought), and willingly (you must be willing to change that thing if God point sit out as crippling to your faith).  You can also find a friend that can help oint out those areas that you are not following God completely in and are distracted with. 

I give tonight: A-
Favorite Moment: How many army men were earned last week

Red Shirt #2: Rocky Soil -- 050912

Tonight we continued our seires on Red shirts, those who dont' survive and thrive in their faith.  Tonight we looked at the second type of red shirt talked about in Luke 8:4-8, 11-15 by looking at 6 and 13.  In this part we see seed that is trhown on rocky ground.  Those taht fall there grow up very quickly but just as quickly wilt under the heat of the son because of lack of moisture.  They don't have enough soil to become firmly rooted and bring up the moiusture they need to survive, so they die.  In the same way there are people who get very exciteda bout Jesus and what he means to them, believing very quickly in him, but they never go deeper in their faith.  They have an emotional response to Jesus but never deepen their faith in him  Wehn hard times come they turn their back son him, because following him is no longer easy or fun.

There are a lot of difficult things people have to go through,s oem physical, some emotional, some mental.  When those with no root encounter these difficulties they end up abandoning their faith because it isn't fun anymore, it isn't easy, so like a fat person faced with the choice of a lazyboy or a treadmill they go with the easier fo two options.

Jesus overs a very simple solution of how to avoid becoming a red shirt in this way, become rooted.  It is all about spending time with God and building trust in him.  We must become rooted in Christ.  This can happen by spending time with him, developing trust in him,reading your bible, praying, going to church, talking about him, reading books that have to do with, etc...

Don't Be a Red Shirt!

I give tonight: B+
Favorite Moment: STL Offernig--Give Boldly!

Red Shirts #1: Trampled Dirt -- 050212

Tonight we began our new series: Red Shirts.  Red shirts in Star Trek are the expendable crew members.  They are usually killed off quickly to show the danger of the situation.  They usually are wearing red shirts, thus the name, and have no name.  They are destined to die.  When it comes to churches we have red shirts too.  They are the ones who don't have a faith tht survives and they never end up growing in their relationship with Christ. Don't be a red shirt! 

We read the parable to the sower (or soil if you wish) from Luke 8:4-8, 11-15.  A parable is a story with a point, trying to cmmunicate the point through a comparison.  Jesus used them quite often in order to help those who were listening understand what he was talking about, using fimiliar images.  he also used them so that only true seekers could understand the true meaning of the parables.  This particular parabel can teach us 3 ways we can be red shirts (those that don't survive or grow in their faith).

The seed is God's word, going out through preaching, evangelsim, etc...  This is the gospel, the good news that Jesus died, came back to life, and we can get forgiveness for the bad things (sins) we ahve done through Him so we can havea  good relationship with God now and for eternity in heaven.

The soil is different types of people's hearts and how they respond to the gospel.  Some never grow, some grow but die, some grow but never thrive, and some grow, thrive, and hel others grow.

The Path soil (verses 5 and 12) represents a hardened heart that refuses to ever listen to the gospel.  It is trampled down and hardened.  There is no way the seed can ever get into the ground in order to grow, so instead it lies on top , waiting its fate without ever fulfilling its purpose.  Why is it so hard?  It has been trampled down by others, it has never been softened through plowing.  These are people that have beaten down by those aruond them, they ahve experienced pain and are now bitter and unwilling ot allow anyone in to heal their pain.  Maybe you are this type of person, abused, neglected, hurt by something in your past, bitter against God for allowing theings to happen in your life.  Your heart has become hardened to hearing that God cares for you and wants to heal you, so you never let the message sink in.

The birds that eat up the seed represents the devil, our enemy.  The ultimate fate of the seed on hard soil is to be eaten by the birds.  Satan desires to keep you away from God, so that you, as he is, will be condemned to an eternity in hell.  He watns you to be bitter and in pain and never experiece the freedom that comes through Christ.

You don't have to be a redshirt, you don't have to live in pain and ibtterness any more.  But you hae to allow God to soften your heart, by opening up your pain and bitterness to him, releasing the grip you have had on it and let God have it isntead so he can heal it for you.

I give tonight: B-
Favorite Moment: Group resplit!