Over the course of the last 5 weeks we have been in a series of studies entitled, "To Save A Life." Shortly, it has been amazing. Not because of me or my eloquence, but because God has shown up and spoken to students and adults alike. I like it very much when that happens.
Iddo prepared workers for the house of God. That is what To Save A Life has been about. Students becoming the hands and feet of THE Living God.
It is amazing to ride the ebbs and flows of a Student Ministry. Teens will ride high for a while and then ebb lower than they have been in a long time. Frustrating? Not really, it is part of the cycle. The end goal is for them to ascend in their lives to look like Jesus. This verse details the process.
“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” Romans 8:29-30
We want them to be prepared and equipped to love the unlovely. Bear the burdens of the broken. Care for those that care little for going on in their life because they see no hope. That is our mission field. We are starting to see some of that happen in our kids. . .and adults.
In week 2 of our series week did an interactive segment that really laid bare some of the things that WE deal with each day. It is easier to deal with the hypothetical; but I was amazed how eager they dealt with the REAL! The adventure was called "Cross the River". I would call out different things, and if they applied to you, then you crossed the 'river'. Some of the issues were;
- You are often stressed out
- Your parents are divorced
- You have felt alone at school
- You have felt alone at church
- You or someone close to you has contemplated or attempted suicide or other self harm
- Guys: You have been pushed to be tougher to ignore physical/emotional pain
- Girls: You have been treated different in the wrong way just because you are a girl
Everyone crossed at some point.
Point: Whatever it is….YOU are NOT alone . . . .
The point to learn: we ALL have stuff that we need loving on for. Therefore, all of us need to learn to be a "Jake" and find our "Jonny" to reach.
Jake is the cool kid in the movie "To Save A Life" that has an awakening to the fact that he can and needs to help those around him that are hopeless. Jonny is snatched from death because Jake listened. We hope the 'charismatic kids with potential' "GET IT" when we teach.
Yesterday, I'm in my office with a guy I am discipling and one of my students pops his head in the door. He's not the charismatic popular kid, but he has a heart for God that is GROWING and I love that! He is a kid that has struggled and "crossed the river" many times that night.
He came to tell me about a kid that he is friends with at school. He invited his friend to the "FEAST" that we are having to honor our student's friends next Wednesday night. The friend is an atheist, but my student invited him anyway. He said YES! My student was pumped and so was I! He gets it. Who needs the charismatic kid! I have the coolest kid already!
I love the unexpected! Most of the time . . . But, here is my dilemma.
I am trying to get myself to the point where the things that God does around me in our students are NOT UNEXPECTED!
He has given us students to raise up as IDDO’s to DO THE WORK OF THE HOUSE OF GOD! So, expect that to happen . . .
Zach, thank you for making my day and I TOAST YOU!
Hey, TSM peeps . . . invite your friends to the feast!
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