Youthgroup

I’m going back to the days of highschool…I’m going back to youth group! Wooohoooo! I am teaching biblestudy the next two weeks for the church I went to when I was in youth group. This is the same group I did the senior weekend with. Hope it goes well. The group includes high school and middle school…kinda a broad age range…so I’ve picked my target and hope the rest follow along

Tonight we are going to look at Ephesians 2:11-22…wondering where you have seen this recently…yeah, it is the passage that I just did my Greek exegetical paper on…gotta double dip! I’m calling the study “The Forgotten Truth of the Cross.” Main idea: the cross is more than getting us out of Hell, it is about someone, and it is about a relationship that is reconciled.

The winner is….

…study 1: Romans 12

 Apparently my audience was asleep or snuck out when the lights were turned down I am excited about the study, which will focus on motivating the seniors to be true disciples, living their lives “sold out to Jesus”, as “dedicated Christians”, or not as “casual Christians.” I actually hope to stay away from these Christian pop phrases, but you get the idea. I think the parting challenge will be from verse 1, offering their lives/bodies as living sacrifices: life as a Christian without a decision as to who is lord of their lives, is not a Christian life. Salvation is not in question, but meaningfull/full/abundant life in Christ is. I agree with Dad’s comment, “until people make a lordship decision, a living sacrifice commitment, other stuff is just theory.” I think I may steal Chip Ingram’s metaphor for the verse (though it may not be original to him, he is the latest one I have heard use it). Verse 1 is like giving God a blank, signed check to your life…maybe I can print blank checks for the group as a physical demonstration of an internal decision.

I’ll give a report on the other side…

I’d like to use a lifeline…

I’d like to use a lifeline…poll the audience.

Okay, I am teaching bible study for a high school senior retreat weekend and I have 2 ideas for topics. I would like to poll the audience (that is you…the one reading this right now) for their opinion on the better topic. Naturally, it is still early and so details are not all worked out, but feel free to ask.

STUDY 1
Teach about what it looks like to be a disciple of Christ. Base passage will be Romans 12, but will include some more NT passages (maybe Heb 11 – faith, Ephesians 2 – alive only in Christ, etc ). Idea is to challenge departing seniors to walk by faith, realize that “spiritual giants” are ordinary people who give their lives as sacrifices to God, walking by faith includes others in body of Christ, etc. This to prepare for what they will face outside of parent’s home. This is inspired by Chip Ingram and his ministry of a Roman’s 12 Christian.

STUDY 2
Teach about Christian community/fellowship. I believe we lack this focus of teaching in our individualized culture and that this can/will be a saving lifeline to these seniors as they go off to college/job world.  Many NT passages, but some are Philippians 1 & 2, Ephesians 4, Matt 5, etc. Focus is what is community, triune God and us…this is who we are. Challenge here is that I do not want to teach this without having the Lord’s Supper (not sure how this would be taken by adults there, and/or how to do it since could be many there that are not believers)

VITAL STATS
Group: ~25 high school seniors; mixed group of believers and non-believers
Trip: 3 day trip; 2 bible study times and 1 devotional (all should tie together); goal is to leave group with a challenge; 2 bible study time will have significant time for sharing by group

So, share your thoughts…suggest a different topic, whatever. Oh yeah, and realize that whatever you say could have no value whatsoever if God does not use you to help select a topic!! That should be encouraging, right?