Where all things concerning the youth at JCM are posted. Expect the summaries for this week's lesson as well any other interesting stuff.
gods of love | Week 3
Nothing can separate us from the love that God has for us! He loved us in our creation and in our salvation, so that we may live with him satisfied.
1 John 4:16 – “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”
C.S. Lewis – “The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.”
Psalm 139:13-14 – “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."
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn – “We always pay dearly for chasing after what is cheap.”
INITIAL QUESTIONS
Name some of today’s popular songs with the word “love” in it [Taylor Swift, anyone?]:
Possible response: "Love Story" by Taylor Swift, etc.
SUMMARY OF VIDEO
Kyle begins by repeating the Greatest Command in Matthew 22:27, which is to love the Lord with all of your being. If we love anything more than God, we commit idolatry and one consequence is that all other loves will be disordered. Today's culture is obsessed with romantic love, and thus love is a "god" that is often worshiped apart from its true God-given meaning.
Shannon Rants tells her story. She experienced sexual abuse as a little girl. As a consequence, she grew up rejecting her gender and wanted to be a boy. She grew up believing that she was a mistake and that she was not valuable. She desired to be loved and so she would sexualize herself to get attention from guys. She also wanted to be accepted by other girls but in doing so she began to be attracted to the same sex. She describes falling into pornography, where she thought she can get love that can satisfy but she realizes that the fantasies "never satisfy". She felt that guys would merely use her, without really caring for her. This only made her feel worse about herself.
Kyle teaches that there is an emptiness that only God can fill. If we try to fill this emptiness with anything other God, we end up seeking "cheap substitutes" that will only leave us even more empty. We see that "love" is worshiped in modern culture by alluding to a movie where the guy says to the girl, "you complete me". This is a lie because were made for God and only he can complete us. Whenever we give ourselves to be loved by other things before God, we betray God's love for us. But he does not walk away from us; he fights for us and he died on the cross to save us.
The turning point in Shannon's life happened when she met a teacher who introduced her to the love of Christ. She realized her need for a Savior that can save her from her mistakes. For the first time, she felt a reason to live and she started to care what God thinks of her. She started to pursue God in her college years. She felt God healing the wounds for her past and her mistakes.
Kyle says that when our relationship with God is right, all other relationships will find its proper place. Nothing is more destructive to our love lives than to love others more than God - no one can take God's place in our hearts.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Genesis 1:27 – “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
- What does it mean to be created “in the image of God”? What does this mean for the value of every person?
Possible response: This means that unlike other animals, man has a special relationship with his Creator in that some characteristics of God are present in man also: intellect, emotions, morality, ability to form relationships, etc. Because of these God-given qualities and a special relationship with the Creator, every person has special value in the eyes of God. - A parent loves their child who is in their “image”. How does our creation in God’s image mean about God’s love for us?
Possible response: If human parents are able to love their children, plan the best for them, and even give their life for them, God our heavenly father is even more so loving towards his children, created in his image. Imperfect, human parents cannot "out-love" God. - How is love “hijacked” in modern society? Think about movies, music, etc.
Possible response: Today's music, movies, etc. say a lot about love and romantic relationships. A quick glance at pop hits show that today's culture views love in predominantly sexual and physical terms (e.g. visual attraction). Culture often views "finding true love" in another person as the ultimate human experience, with the lover as the ultimate source of happiness for the person. - Read Genesis 1:27-28 and 2:24 – who “invented” marriage and sex?
Possible response: God invented marriage and sex. He is thus the only one with the right to define their meaning and boundaries.
Read Ephesians 5:22-32 – what is marriage a reflection of?
Possible response: Marriage between a husband and his wife is a reflection of the loving relationship between Christ and his Church. The husband is the head of the wife because Christ is the head of the Church. Wives ought to submit to their husbands because the Church submits to Christ. Finally, husbands ought to love their wives because Christ loves the Church. Marriage is thus a metaphor that points to God's love for his people.
From the above two passages, and from Matthew 5:27-28 – what are the proper boundaries for sexual relations?
Possible response: From these passages we can learn important points about marriage and sexual relations: a.) Marriage is a God-ordained union of two people of the opposite sex with a purpose for companionship and procreation, b.) Marriage reflects the relationship between Christ and the Church, c.) Lust outside of marriage is equal to adultery.
Thus we can conclude that all sexual activities are to be enjoyed only within the confines of marriage. Any deviation from this ideal is not God's ideal. - In John 4, Jesus says to the woman at the well who has had 5 husbands, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” What is Jesus saying here?
Possible response: Jesus uses man's physical need and thirst for water to illustrate how God alone can satisfy the greatest needs and thirsts of humanity. Only Jesus can give water that can forever satisfy and give eternal life.
READ ROMANS 8:35-39: MEDITATE (AND MEMORIZE)
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Summary: In God we find the purest love (”God is love”) and so all kinds of “love” (in its true meaning) are a reflection of God’s love. God expressed his love for us by creating us in his image, and by sending his Son to free us from our mistakes and our sin, so that we may live with him satisfied. Because of this, we find our truest value from God and God alone, and our truest joy and satisfaction from God and God alone.
gods of pleasure | Week 2
The solution... is not to simply put all our focus on removing the false god; rather we should seek to replace these gods with the One True God who alone can give full and satisfying pleasure and happiness.
St. Augustine – “I was in misery. And misery is the state of every soul overcome by friendship with mortal things.”
St. Augustine – “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”
Psalm 37:4 – “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
INITIAL QUESTION
Give three things, places, people, etc. that gave you comfort as a child or even now, during hard times:
Possible responses: blanket, food, videogames, sleep, mom, friends, etc.
SUMMARY OF VIDEO
Paul Jones' father left him as a child. He and his mother lived together and they were each other's world. His mother would feed him without regard to his health. Food was where he found comfort growing up, and whenever he feels depressed he would eat.
His eating habits got worse after he got divorced from his wife. After many years of struggling with eating, he finally said "I give up" to God and he felt like God said "finally". He found that God was waiting for Paul to finally let go of his life and surrender all of himself to God.
Soon enough, God changed Paul's life by breaking the chains of food addiction. Paul no longer had as much pleasure coming from food. He became physically active, even to the point of running multiple marathons.
During this video, Kyle Idleman also talks about the high incidence of pornography and the popularity of fast food in American culture and how they have caused the destruction of multiple families and lives. These point to pleasure as being a problem (a counterfeit "god") in modern society that seeks to fill-in an empty desire that is left by not having God as our greatest pleasure.
The solution to these problems of pleasure, Kyle says, is not to simply put all our focus on removing the false god; rather we should seek to replace these gods with the One True God who alone can give full and satisfying pleasure and happiness.
DISCUSSION
Paul Jones referred to his painful childhood experiences and their effect on his drive for comfort. How is this true for many people? Does anything about his story resonate with you?
Possible response: Childhood experiences often influence the gods that we worship when we grow older. Ex: a person growing up in a family that is obsessed with wealth and status will result in a person growing up to put money as the center of their life; growing up with friends that value popularity, will result in one putting popularity as their "god"“If it feels good, do it. If you have an itch, scratch it. If you have an appetite, feed it. If you have a passion, fulfill it.” How might this mantra be a good / bad thing?
Possible response: YOLO! This can be good if you can direct your efforts at good things, bad if you direct your efforts at bad things (sins, illegal activities, etc.)Is it wrong to find comfort in things like food, drink, sleep, and other pleasures?
Possible response: Not necessarily, because God himself created pleasurable things and activities in the Garden of Eden, Jesus miracles, etc. Sin arises only when you place the pleasure above God.
READ PSALM 106:20 and PSALM 37:3-4
- "They exchanged the glory of God for an image of an ox which eats grass." Kyle calls that a bad trade. What do you think about it?
Possible response: It is stupid to exchange the Creator of constellations, the Earth, water, etc. for an ox which eats grass. However, sin is exactly that! We constantly exchange God for a lesser thing whenever we sin. What would be the “desires of the heart” for the people of that time? How do we reconcile this with the fact that many dedicated Christians from the earliest disciples have suffered horribly in life and often met miserable deaths? (See Gal. 2:20, 2 Cor. 5:14-15)
Possible response: The desires of one's heart includes peace, livelihood, not getting killed, etc. However, the earliest disciples willing gave up their peace, livelihood, and lives because their desires were changed when they accepted God. God changes the hearts of his followers so that their desires is no longer for their own selves but for the greater glory of God. If God calls a disciple to give his life, then they give it as a matter of desire and "willing obligation".
HYMN: "SHALL MEN PRETEND TO PLEASURE" BY JOHN NEWTON
Note: Final stanza is the most important.
Shall men pretend to pleasure
Who never knew the Lord?
Can all the worldling’s treasure
True peace of mind afford?
They shall obtain this jewel
In what their hearts desire,
When they by adding fuel
Can quench the flame of fire.
Till you can bid the ocean,
When furious tempests roar,
Forget its wonted motion,
And rage, and swell, no more:
In vain your expectation
To find content in sin;
Or freedom from vexation,
While passions reign within.
Come, turn your thoughts to Jesus,
If you would good possess;
‘Tis he alone that frees us
From guilt, and from distress:
While he, by faith, is present,
The sinner’s troubles cease;
His ways are truly pleasant,
And all his paths are peace.
Our pleasure and our duty,
Though opposite before;
Since we have seen his beauty,
Are joined to part no more:
It is our highest pleasure,
No less than duty’s call;
To love him beyond measure,
And serve him with our all.
gods at war | Week 1
The gods at war video series challenges us with the thought that perhaps all sin springs from the same source – IDOLATRY
A.B. Simpson – “As long as you want anything very much, especially more than you want God, it is an idol.”
John Calvin – “Every one of us is, even from his mother’s womb, a master craftsman of idols.”
Exodus 20 – “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them.”
Matthew 22:36-37 – “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
ARE YOU READY FOR WAR
The gods at war video series challenges us with the thought that perhaps all sin springs from the same source – IDOLATRY. While we may not see many “graven images” in our world today, there are still countless gods passionately at war for the throne of our heart. If we put the wrong god on the throne, our lives will be thrown into chaos, and all our efforts at sin management will be futile. Only by recognizing our misplaced worship and by enthroning Jesus can we experience freedom and life.
While there are many gods at war for our hearts, we have chosen to focus on five in particular: gods of pleasure, gods of love, gods of money, gods of power, and the god of me. (…) In these compelling stories, we will see some reflection of ourselves, and recognize the true battle that lies at the heart of all our sin struggles. These stories also point the way to victory as we see the kind of life transforming power that Christ is ready to pour out in our lives as well. (excerpt from Leader’s guide)
BEGINNING QUESTIONS
- As we start this series called gods at war, what are your thoughts or feelings? Any initial reactions / expectations?
(Answers may vary considerably)
- What is your experience with war, whether it comes primarily from watching movies or documentary footage, from hearing the stories of relatives or friends who have been in combat?
Possible responses:
War involves a conflict between different sides. One must choose between one side against the other, like Jesus saying that those who are not for him are against him.
War involves death and sacrifice to achieve one's goals.
READ JOSHUA 24:1-28
- Renewal of Israel's covenant upon entering the promised land
- Important verses: 14-15 – "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve".
Importance:
One must choose for himself whether or not to follow God or some other "god". This decision is not "inherited" from one's parents, friends, or culture but is a decision one has to make for one's self. This decision is not a one time decision but is an every-day decision to follow God over some other sin that seeks to separate us from Him.
Furthermore, Joshua doesn't mention the possibility of not choosing any god at all. This could mean that not worshiping a god is not an option. If one chooses not to worship the One True God, they will inevitably worship a counterfeit god – pleasure, love, money, power and even one's self, etc. This counterfeit god will never satisfy the emptiness left by not putting the True God at the center of one's life.
DIAGNOSTIC QUESTIONS
Sometimes it is difficult to accept that a counterfeit "god" is waging a war for our hearts. These questions can allow us to search our hearts to discover these "gods":
- What has left you most disappointed?
- For what do you sacrifice time and money?
- What do you worry about?
- Where do you go for comfort?
- What makes you mad?
- What do you dream of?
- Whose encouragement means the most to you?
These questions may help us think about what we prioritize or consider important in our lives, thereby revealing if God is truly at the center of our hearts, "for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also".
1. Doctrine of Scripture
"All Scripture is God-breathed" // The Three In's of the Bible
The Doctrine of Scripture
Important Passages
2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
2 Peter 1:19-21: “We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
The Three In's of the Bible
- Inspired – The words of the Bible are the very words of God, such that to disobey or disbelieve any word of Scripture is to disobey or disbelieve God.
- Inerrant – "Being wholly and verbally God-given, Scripture is without error or fault in all its teaching..." (see source). This is a logical consequence of number 1 above.
- Indispensable – Scripture is not given to a select few but to all God's people so as to be "thoroughly equipped for every good work".
JCM Compass Retreat 2015 Highlights
On July 24-26 the Compass Youth of JCM Church went on a weekend retreat at Spruce Lake, Canadensis, PA.
On July 24-26 the Compass Youth of JCM Church went on a weekend retreat at Spruce Lake, Canadensis, PA. We had lots of fun playing "Agawan Base", cooking our own food, hearing messages from the leaders of the youth -- in short, growing as a youth group united to be led by God and to lead others to Him!