moving to the email newsletter!

I wanted to let you all know that if you regularly follow this blog, which for the most part is the lesson loop, I am going to be moving this information to the synergy email newsletter which goes out every 2 weeks. I will have a section which will recap the lessons for the last two weeks, as well as a sidebar where you can access the recent lesson mp3's. As always, if you ever desire more detailed info on a lesson, please let me know and I will send you my notes.

I really want to make this stuff available for you as parents so you know what is going on. Some weeks you may read it. Some weeks you may not. But at least you know it is there. I would encourage you to glance at these things every 2 weeks when the newsletter goes out.

Let me know if you have any questions, and look next week for the next edition of the synergy newsletter.

lesson loop 5.20.16

Middle School - "Follow Me"
We began a brand new series this past Tuesday which will help students understand exactly what it means to follow Jesus. It is more than a prayer, and it requires all of us.

Big Idea: Following Jesus means obedience, change and relationship.

We began by talking about how people follow trends, especially teenagers. It is important when it comes to following Jesus, we are following Him not because it is trendy at our youth group, but because each of us personally have committed to Him.

We read Matthew 4:18-22

Following Jesus means obedience

• We looked at 2 key words in this passage that show obedience -
• "immediately" - do we obey Jesus right away? (we know we struggle with obeying our parents immediately. ;-)
• "follow" - This word had the idea of walking directly behind a teacher, doing what they did and obeying them.
• If we are truly following Jesus, obedience should be our heartbeat (obviously we mess up all the time, but we really truly desire to obey Him.
• We talked about how much commitment these fishermen had to drop everything, say goodbye to their families, and immediately start living with and following Jesus. Amazing!

Following Jesus means change

• Change in Identity - When Jesus saves us and we follow Him, we have a changed identity. We spent a little time talking about how hard it is to find your identity in Middle School. There are so many things that we might be known for, and whether they are true or not, when we are in Jesus there are some things that are more central to our identity than anything else. We considered the following:
• If you are in Christ, then you have a new name! (we don’t even know it)
• If you are in Christ, you are an adopted son/daughter of God
• If you are in Christ, you have a new family - with brothers and sisters!
• If you are in Christ, you are washed clean, and forgiven!
• If you are in Christ, you are God’s workmanship, which God is painting!
• If you are in Christ, you are called a friend of God
• Change in Direction - This is really just repentance. When we commit to following Jesus, it means we go where He wants us to, not just where we want to go.

Following Jesus means relationship…

• It is important to remember that Jesus said, "Follow ME". This is commitment to a person, not just a set of rules or a particular behavior. We actually have a friendship with Jesus!!!

High School - 1 John 1:1-4 ("The Real Jesus")

This was the beginning of our brand new series in 1 John. I am excited to see how God is going to use this book of 1 John to bolster the confidence of our students, and push them to be reflective and evaluate the fruit in their life that comes as a result of God's gracious work in their heart.

We mentioned off the bat that the book of 1 John gives us 3 primary tests to evaluate our life -

1. Doctrinal Test (Truth.)
2. Moral Test (Light.)
3. Relational Test (Love.)

Throughout the book, we will be coming back to these again and again.

I also made sure the students understood an important clarification:

Our salvation is not based on our performance, but on Christ’s work alone. And yet the “corroborating evidence” of Christ’s work in our life is truth, light and love.

We also talked about a little background for the book:

Author: Apostle John (son of Zebedee)

Date: between 90 - 100 A.D.

Recipients: churches around Ephesus (maybe the same churches in Rev. 2-3  Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, etc...)

Purpose: to bolster the confidence of the believers in these churches. They had recently gone through a confusing time, and they weren’t sure about their faith anymore.

Big Idea: Jesus is real and we can experience a personal relationship with Him that brings joy

Jesus is real and He is life (v. 1-2)

• He is eternal - "from the beginning"
• He became flesh
• sense perception (John really, really knew Jesus)
• "heard"
• "seen"
• "touched"
• "made manifest"
• He rose again and is alive today!

We can have a personal relationship with Jesus

• John's personal relationship
• Early believers (Johannine Christians) - they had been confused by false teachers and now needed to be encouraged and emboldened by John
• Us - Our relationship with God; sometimes we need confidence (encouraged the students that they may feel this way and 1 John will help)

A relationship with Jesus connects us with other Christians

• Koinonia - We talked about the richness of this word, and how it can only happen between believers. You can't experience this with an unbelieving boyfriend/girlfriend or marriage partner, or a good friend. This can only happen between believers who share Christ.

A relationship with Jesus brings real joy!

• Joy found in a person, not in an experience (this was a needed clarification since the believes had been influenced by some Gnostic-type false teaching)
• Joy that is full!
• Joy that is eternal! (assurance of salvation)
• Joy that is shared

lesson loop 5.12.16

Middle and High School - "What makes a good relationship?" (SALT final week)

We started with an icebreaker where students had to guess which movie famous pairs came from. The point that we were showing was that almost every movie has relationships at its center, because relationships are central to life as humans.

The students discussed the following questions:

• Why do you think relationships are so important to us?
• What do you think a healthy relationship looks like?
• What kinds of things nurture our relationships?

Then we considered what love looks like. Different people have different ideas of what love really is, and different people like to be loved differently. In a perfect world we would always love people just as they want to be loved, and our love would be perfect. But... we don't live in a perfect world. Sin has marred every relationships, and because of sin we face many challenges in our relationships.

We then watched the video which focused on the brokenness that happens in every other relationships except a relationship with God made possible through Jesus Christ.

Students then considered the following:

• Is it true that at some point every human relationship will let you down?
• Do you think that deep down, every person wants unconditional love?
• Why is it so hard for us to love unconditionally?

We talked about the 3 main Greek words for love in the NT:

• Eros - erotic love
• Phileo - brotherly love
• Agape - self-sacrificing love (God's love)

We then turned to 1 Corinthians 13 and Romans 5:8, and we considered the kind of love that God has. While 1 Cor. 13 passage is most often applied to marriage (and it certainly does apply to marriage),we considered how this passage points to the love that God has for His children. Students were challenged to replace the word "love" with the word "God", and then meditate on the passage. They had an opportunity to journal a prayer or thought to God after pondering His agape love. 

I finished by highlighting the gospel - encouraging anyone who does not know what it means to have a relationship with God to talk to their growth group leader.

lesson loop 4.28.16

HS & MS - SALT Evangelism Series ("Why does God let bad things happen?")

This past Tuesday we addressed an extremely difficult topic that we all struggle with to some degree. Why does God let bad things happen to us? There is no easy answer to this question, but we addressed this topic with some Scripture and a video from Dare 2 Share.

KEY SCRIPTURE: JOHN 16:33, 2 PETER 3:9, 1 COR. 13:12, 2 COR. 1:3-4

After the video and some discussion, we split into Growth Groups and we considered the following questions:

• Tonight’s video discussed the question - “why does God let bad things happen”? Do you struggle with this? Do any of your unsaved friends struggle with that question?
• Are we ever going to be able to completely figure this out? Why or why not?
• What are some ways you think God could “redeem” the difficult things that happen in our life?
• Do you have any struggles right now that you want to ask prayer for? Something that you are questioning God about?
• If you have time, spend it in prayer for your unsaved friends - those who you plan to share the video with.

The video that students are sharing with their friends this week can be found here: http://www.somethingamazing.net/why

Some of the questions they were encouraged to ask their friends after they watch the video are:
• What did you think of the video?
• Have you ever wondered about this question before?
• What’s your theory about why the world is so messed up?
• Why doesn’t God just wipe away everything bad?
• I’ve heard it said that if God wiped away all evil, we would all be wiped away too. Do you agree
or disagree? Why?
• Have you ever been mad at God?
• Do you have the kind of relationship with God that you can go to Him with your anger or pain?

Ask your kids who they plan to (or already did) share the video with. Then pray with them for that friend.

lesson loop 4.1.16

HS & MS - SALT Evangelism Series ("Have you ever wondered about God?")

We began our new evangelism series this past Tuesday, which includes a helpful video that lays out some Scripture which relates to the video that students are to share with their friends.

KEY SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 5:13, COLOSSIANS 1:15, PHILIPPIANS 3: 8-9

We began by considering Matt. 5:13 when Jesus said to His followers, "You are the salt of the earth."

We talked about how this means that we bring flavor and preservation to this world which is in desperate need of "God-flavor". We are to bring "God-flavor" to everything we do - sports, academics, relationships, etc...

Students wrote down in their books the first 5 words that came to their head when they heard the word "God". Then, they shared some of them. It is interesting to hear how many different thoughts people have of God, which further emphasizes the need to discuss with people what they think about God.

After the video, the students answered several questions that I asked related to the video:

• Do you agree that people pick and choose their view of God like they pick and choose their hats? Why do you think that?
• What do you think are some of the most commonly held views about God among your friends?
• Are some of the different views of God contradictory to each other? Can all the different views of God be right? Why or why not?

It is fine to choose according to our preference when it comes to food or clothing, but not when it comes to our belief about God. God is who He is, and we cannot fashion our own image of God.

In fact, God has already shown us exactly what He is like in Jesus Christ, the perfect image of God! (John 14:8-9)

We looked at Colossians 1:15 and 20 and saw a couple aspects of God's nature based on Jesus Christ.

Philippians 3:8-9 teaches us that nothing could be more important than knowing Jesus Christ. He is God, and knowing Him is knowing God.

2 of the primary ways we get to know God is through reading His Scriptures and through prayer.

We then did an exercise with looking through a few of the "I am" statements in the book of John to see what we can learn about God. Students were challenged to choose the I am statement that meant the most to them based on where they are right now with their relationship with God.

• “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger. And whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35 ESV) (Satisfies my spiritual needs)

• “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12 ESV) (Shows me how to live)

• “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6 ESV) (Establishes my relationship with the Father)

• “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5 ESV) (Lives in me and empowers me)

The students sketched a picture of whichever of the statements they chose.

We finished by encouraging students to share the video with a friend and follow up with them. If they weren't sure where to take the conversation, they should point to the cross and John 3:16.

Finally, we split into GG and discussed some questions related to sharing our faith and our views on God.

lesson loop 3.26.16

Family Night - "Simplified Wisdom" (Ecclesiastes 12:9-14)

We ended the HS study of Ecclesiastes at our Family Night this past Tuesday. It was a great way to cap it off, with parents and family members with us. What an awesome end to the book, where the author boils down for us what wisdom really means.

Big Idea: Wisdom can be simplified as fearing and obeying God.

Before we looked at those 2 simple directions, we considered first from the texts how valuable wisdom really is!

Wisdom is precious

• v. 9 - Wisdom (in Scripture) was included by God carefully & purposefully
• v. 10 - Wisdom presents truth in a pleasant way
• v. 11 - Wisdom presents truth that is painful -  correction (like a goad); being corrected by God or even our parents is not fun, but it is an important part of learning.
• v. 11 - Wisdom comes through knowledge of a Person - “The Shepherd”; our goal in youth ministry and parenting is to teach the Person of God through Scripture, not just Biblical facts.
• v. 11 - Wisdom (of God’s Word) is inspired by Him (His very words)
• v. 12 - Wisdom (of God’s Word) is sufficient.; be careful about eclectic wisdom out there (especially online!)

All the wisdom in Ecclesiastes can be boiled down to 2 simple instructions...

• Fear GOD (apparently, the fear of the Lord is the beginning and end of wisdom!)
• He is Omnipotent
• He is Sovereign
• He is Judge - don't forget however that if we are in Christ, we will never be condemned, we are clothed in Jesus' righteousness.

Fearing God allows us to obey Him (keep His commands); important - obedience flows from worship

Keeping God’s commandments demonstrates that we love and fear God!

• Keep His COMMANDS
• Obedience brings wisdom, knowledge and joy!; obeying God actually grants wisdom which helps in further obedience!!
• Obedience is best for us (even when it seems like it isn’t)
• Obedience = real holiness (not self-righteousness or self-indulgence)

We closed by recognizing that many do not agree with the thesis of Ecclesiastes - and they believe life's meaning is found in things other than God, or there is no meaning at all. We want to hold out the hope of the gospel and a meaningful life in Christ constantly to a lost world!

“Thou hast made us for thyself, and our heart is restless till it rests in thee.”

St. Augustine

lesson loop 3.19.16

Middle and High School - Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:8 (Do Something Now!)

Since we are in between units with the MS students, we also went through the Ecclesiastes passage this past Tuesday. It seemed appropriate given the youth emphasis in the text.

Big Idea: Now is the perfect time to do something for your Creator!

Do something! (11:1-6)

• The "casting your bread" thing is a bit confusing, but it seems to indicate giving with a risk.
• Do something risky - We challenged to students to consider when the last time was that they did something risky? (for the Lord)?
• Do something generous - "give a portion" refers to being generous with food
• There is a lot of uncertainty!
• There is a lot that we don't know!
• About how life works - i.e. how a baby grows in the womb
• About God's specific will for our life (there are a lot of things teenagers wish they knew about the future, but God does not reveal them to us)
• The best way to respond to uncertainty is to make the most of the time - both morning and evening (v. 6)!
• There is a spiritual work to be done; a spiritual harvest! (seed of the gospel)
• Many of us tend to procrastinate, but that is dangerous. God wants us to get involved.
• We challenged the students to think about where they can serve in the church or in youth group. God can use them now!!

Make the most of your youth! (11:7-12:8)

• Enjoy life!
• Joy is not permitted. It is commanded!! (11:9-10)
• Enjoy life for the Lord!
• “Know that God will bring you into judgment” 11:9b
• “Remember your Creator!” 12:1
• Points to life before us
• Points to life above us
• Points to life beyond life “under the sun”
• “Remember” - more than simply a memory; “passionate loyalty”
• A vital part of true joy is pleasing God
• Part of finding true joy is in committing our heart and body to God - 11:10
• Here and other places in Scripture - the eyes can either lead to worship in the heart, or sin (jealousy, lust, anger)
• Enjoy life for the Lord while you are young!
• Before you are old
• poetry - old age described as...
• an impending storm
• a house in decline
• While you still have life
• life is a valuable but fragile work of art

There are no guarantees. Life is fragile. And even a full life is shorter than you realize. (“Seize the Day” for God’s glory!!)

Enjoy life. For the Lord. While you are young.

• (Make the most of your youth!)
• Do something!!

lesson loop 3.13.16

Middle School - "Following Up"
This was the final lesson in our series on "Sharing our Faith". It also concludes the bigger unit on being a "Community of Believers"

Big Idea: Before, during and after sharing the gospel... it is important to show love.

Before

• “Pre-evangelism” - just treating others in a respectful way (“Love your neighbor”)

During

• Watch out for being forceful, demeaning, angry, etc…

After

• How do we respond...
• when someone accepts the gospel?
• when someone rejects the gospel?

What does it look like to show someone love after we have shared the gospel?
(from 1 Cor. 13)

Love is patient and kind

• patient
• μακρο-θυμία - literally "takes a long time to boil over"
• kind
• God's kindness leads us to repentance. Perhaps our kindness could lead those who have said no to the gospel to a place of repentance
• we need to be patient and kind to those who are "baby Christians" as well

Love does not envy or boast

• envy
• boast
• It's not about us. We should not boast about anything except Jesus Christ!

Love is not arrogant or rude

• arrogant - literally means "puffed up".
• rude - Christians are often accused of being rude. We want to make sure this is not our attitude or behavior whether someone accepts Christ or not.

Love does not insist on its own way - this is the heart of love!!!

Love is not irritable or resentful

• irritable - We should not be miserable as Christians
• resentful - keeps no record of wrongs!!
• we cannot be angry when people reject Christ - God has forgiven us for all of our disobedience
• we cannot keep a record of how baby Christians fail - God doesn't do that with us - Psalm 130:3

Love rejoices not with sin but with truth

• We should never glorify sin

Love bears, believes, hopes and endures (all things)

• bear - cover, support, protect
• believes - not suspicious or cynical
• hopes - we can never give up hope that God will save

We finished by encouraging the students to substitute the name of Jesus for love in 1 Cor. 13. After that, they should substitute their own name in the place of love, asking - is this how I love others?

High School - Ecclesiastes 10:2-20 ("Living Wisely Under Foolish Rulers")

The relationship of Christians to politics is a tricky issue!

Big Idea: We should live wisely regardless of how wise our leaders are.

Wisdom & Folly are traced to the heart

Prov. 4:23

Wisdom protects us (v. 1-11)

• from rulers (v. 4)
• angry rulers
• foolish rulers - God is in control and He will take care of them
• time and chance (ch. 9) cause unlikely things to happen - the foolish succeed and rule; wisdom is cast aside
• from ourselves (v. 8-11)
• we are our own worst enemy
• wisdom allows us to be effective - like sharpening a tool

Wisdom produces discernment of speech (v. 12-15)

Sooner or later, wisdom literature will address the tongue - acid test of wisdom

• v. 12) wise speech brings favor (word = grace)
• v. 12) foolish speech eats you alive
• v. 13) foolish speech is a snowball - begins in the heart
• v. 14) less can be more (with words)

Wisdom promotes respect for authority (v. 16-20)

• Tough!!, because sometimes our leaders are…
• immature (v.16)
• inappropriate (v. 16)
• indulgent (v. 17)
• indolent (v. 18) - lazy

We must be respectful to leaders (even when they don't deserve respect). We must be respectful...

• in thoughts - sinful words start first in the heart and mind. This is going to be really hard, so we need to pray much, asking God to change our heart towards that individual
• in words - how do you talk about your leaders? about the president?

We finished with John Piper's "Prayer for the Election". You can find that here: http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/a-prayer-for-the-election