Hello, everyone. Welcome to this week’s online lesson. Catch up with previous lessons here.
We’ll start off this week by For King and Country’s song “Together”
Sally Sheets will soon be starting her radiation treatments. Please remember the Sheets family in prayer as they begin the next stage of Sally’s treatment regimen. Also, Pastor Paul’s brother’s online memorial service is this Friday evening. He has shared an invitation on Sunday for those who would like to log in for the service. It runs 7-8:30 p.m. at www.rememberingdavidsheets.com
Ricky Murphy, who provided a powerful music ministry to our youth at family camp, recently spent time at the hospital, received a CAT scan and is home now dealing with pain issues.
Trina Eia and her family are in the midst of some trying moments and decisions need to be made. Her most recent update with the details of her situation:
Prayer warriors, I need you to please intercede for me. We know that the Lord grants wisdom to those who ask. I am asking for wisdom. Shane and I just got off the phone with my lung doctor. She said since my right lung is no longer functioning and even though my left lung is functioning well, the tumor around my trachea continues to grow and has caused it to be restricted to about half the size it should be. Which is why I have been really struggling to breathe lately and coughing a lot. She said she needs to know by Thursday if I want to have surgery to get a stent put in my trachea. This could give me a couple more months, but with it comes a crazy amount of work I need to do each day to keep it open. The surgery itself would be high risk. I would love a second opinion, not sure that could happen before Thursday.
I am on blood thinning medicine because I have a blood clot in my jugular in my neck, 2 additional blood clots in my arm, and my superior vena cava is completely blocked. However now I am getting some blood out of my chest tube.
My family is under a lot of stress, husband, children, parents, ect.
Part of me wants to do all I can to live by following what doctors say. Another part of me says just stop fighting, enjoy life, and trust in God. He has the final say anyway.
I am so grateful to be the Lord’s daughter! He has blessed my life tremendously. His body the church is a beautiful body which I am humbled to be a part of.
Also please be praying for upcoming events for our youth group and greater church. Among them are:
Feb. 28: Our Sunday morning service will include special guest speaker Dennis Gaugler, a local Gideon, about the Gideon Bible movement starting at 10 a.m.
March 6: Our youth group’s final Burkholder family night of the winter from 6-9 p.m. This is a great opportunity to invite new youth and friends for a night of fun, food and fellowship. Volleyball, basketball, gaga ball, board games and snacks. Bring a snack to share, a friend and your family.
March 7: Trumpet-playing evangelist Chiz Rider and his son will share their musical ministry and message during the Sunday morning service starting at 10 a.m.
March 27: Our church’s More Than an Egg Hunt annual community ministry brings in many families throughout the local region. It is slated for 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Please plan on helping by being there … also, Robin Kratzer needs plastic eggs filled with sweet treats beforehand (deadline March 14). You can get eggs at the church.
April 4: Easter morning service will feature special speaker Dr. Matthew Pickering, the district superintendent, who shared during worship service at family camp.
April 24: Our annual spring youth benefit yard sale runs from 8 a.m. until around 3 p.m. — with cleanup from 3-5 p.m. We need all hands on deck for this event — setting up will happen on Friday, April 23 well into the night. We will need help during the sale, especially in running the food stand. We will need the most help during cleanup from 3-5 p.m. on April 24. Please let us know if you have items to donate to the sale itself or food items (hot dogs, burgers, buns, baked goods, chips, drinks (20 oz bottles of soda, water, etc.) and maybe a roaster or two of soup. This will be our primary fundraiser for summer events.
July 11-14: District youth camp at Camp Harmony. It starts at 6:30 p.m. Sunday the 11th and everyone returns home on Wednesday the 14th … a three-ish day event this year. Cost is $150 if registered by April 1 (not far away) or $175 after that. The theme is “More” inspired by verses from Ephesians 3:14-20.
July 18-25: Family camp week at the Central PA Wesleyan Campground near New Columbia. The actual dates are not finalized — it may only be a five-day session from like the Wednesday to Sunday of that week. As soon as we know the details, we will work up pricing and plan things out. Michelle and I are again heading up the youth program during the family camp time. Worship in evenings will be led by Dr. Matthew Pickering (the district superintendent who shared the message last year) and musical worship for the evening services will again be led by Ryan Brosius from Christ Wesleyan. Again, more details will be coming soon.
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Before we get into the lesson for this week, a funny video interlude:
Some interesting excuses … and some of them actually aren’t too far off from the truth.
After a year of crazy pandemics, our youth group has endured quite an up-and-down roller coaster of attendance. There was a long period where no one could come because we were shut down due to restrictions. Then, we started back up and we have seen the numbers slowly improve.
Before the pandemic, we were averaging 15-20 youth a week. Over the past month or so, it has been around 10 a week. We understand. Things are awkward, COVID and social distancing is still a thing and the grind of the uncertainty of school from day to day makes things more anxiety-ridden than ever.
There have been times it would have been easier on our family to just cancel youth group, but we’ve felt led by the feedback of some in the group that having in-person youth opportunities provides important structure and something “normal” to look forward to. With so many online lessons to pull from in our growing library — and online services from churches all over the area — it may seem like there is little purpose to come out to in-person youth group sessions.
For us as a family, there is value in meeting in person and sharing our highs and lows, our prayer needs and praises with other Christians. I personally look forward to each week’s youth lesson simply because God can use each of those to move us in ways we didn’t expect or couldn’t fully appreciate if we weren’t there.
One of those moments came just last week, as our youth vice president, Claire, shared some of the struggle on her heart concerning classmates of her younger sister. In Claire’s experiences, students in general seem to have been going downhill as a group with more vindictiveness and bullying and ugliness toward each other. Obviously, satan is looking for his opportunities to turn young people away from God, and Claire sees this within these circles.
The question, then, is how can our youth group help change the culture and help other young people rise up against satan and for God? The answers are not as easy to come by … but before we can really help others, we need to make sure we are ready within. Why should people come to youth group? What is the importance of Christian community among youth people?
Consider the messages from each of the following verses. The first come from Acts 2:42-47 (NKJV) and give us a picture of what the early church looked like:
42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added [d]to the church daily those who were being saved.
The unity of those early believers was a key reason for the success of their in-person ministries, as we learn later in Acts 4:32-35 (NKJV):
32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. 34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.
There is great power in unity. The Bible provides many examples and object lessons for why people, together, are stronger than people divided. Consider the message found in Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NKJV):
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up. 11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
There are a few references to the body of Christ being similar to the body of a human … multiple parts with different responsibilities working together for the common good, as shared in Romans 12:4-5 (NKJV):
4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
Plus, when we are together, we can help each other through some of the major trials of life — some of those were enhanced during the past year’s pandemic. Perhaps your presence at youth group leads to a moment where God uses you to help another overcome adversity. From Proverbs 17:7 (NKJV):
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
This leads to the key verse of this lesson — and really one of the main reasons to come together as one youth group with a common goal of learning more about God and sharing His message with others. From Hebrews 10:24-25 (NKJV):
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Let’s re-read the first seven words of verse 25 above: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.” In the NIV version, it is worded: “Not giving up meeting together.” In the Message version of the Bible: “Not avoiding worshipping together.”
For us to make an impact within our local community — such as the student body Claire felt led to share about — we need to make sure we, as a youth group, are unified and on the same page. This reminds me of the newest Casting Crowns song, “Start Right Here.”
If we can make sure we are whole and right in our focus on God as a youth group, we will have a much bigger impact on others as we invite friends and others to events like our Burkholders night. They can see us have fun together while worshipping and honoring God, and maybe a seed can be planted that will lead to a life-changing decision.
As we become more comfortable together, it allows us to have more real conversations and share important truths about ourselves and our walks with God that can really make an impact. Our testimonies are critical tools in reaching others, such as students at school, so the next step in our lessons will focus on personal testimony.
Homework for next week is to watch the following video of various teen testimonies, and draft one of your own to bring back next Wednesday, March 3.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRiMRzz8P-Y
