Risk Taking Mission & Service
Extravagant Generousity
Recap the series....
Radical Hospitality
Passionate Worship
Intentional Faith Development
Risk Taking Mission & Service, Extravagant Generosity = Service
I. Don't Waste Your Life [video] "It's Not Too Late"
- Do any of you think that it is too late to do something? Or maybe you are the opposite, maybe you think it isn't time for you to do anything. Maybe you think that being a teenager is all about video games, friends and school. Where does that thinking come from? Do you hear it from parents? or teachers? or other friends you hang out with?
Let's take a poll [Poll Everywhere slide]
? What's the most important thing you do all day?
Video Games
Facebook/Texting/Friends
School Work
Spending time with Family
I don't do anything important
Many of us just live life as it comes to us. We go to school, we do homework. We are part of a team, we practice, we play, we go home. We do what our parents say (most of the time). Most of our days are just filled with life. We don't think beyond ourselves. We have things we do and we get them done. Some of you are incredibly busy with almost every waking hour taken up. Some of you have incredibly boring lives where you pretty much don't do anything.
[Maybe use With Honors example???]
Are we wasting our lives? Are we allowing life to live us, rather than us living a life? Are we allowing the world around us to define what a real life looks like? Do we see the movie stars, the sports stars and think, I wish I could be like that. They always seem to have it together. We tend sometimes to put people in the media on these pedestals that in reality, are virtually impossible for anyone to live up to and then if something does happen, we can't believe that it happened. We watch movies, TV and look at magazines of people similar to us and wonder why their life seems so glamorous compared to ours.
The two guys in the skit were at the end of their life, wondering why they didn't do things different. They were wondering if their life mattered in the grand scheme of things. What do we need to do to have a life that matters? What is it that we can do that people are going to sit up and say, "wow, I can't believe they did that?" There is a book called "Do Hard Things" by Alex and Brett Harris from Australia. I had the chance to see these guys talk, and I was loving it. Here is the official book description, "The next generation stands on the brink of a "rebelution."
With over 16 million hits to their website TheRebelution.com, Alex and Brett Harris are leading the charge in a growing movement of Christian young people who are rebelling against the low expectations of their culture by choosing to "do hard things" for the glory of God.
Written when they were 18 years old, Do Hard Things is the Harris twins' revolutionary message in its purest and most compelling form, giving readers a tangible glimpse of what is possible for teens who actively resist cultural lies that limit their potential.
Combating the idea of adolescence as a vacation from responsibility, the authors weave together biblical insights, history, and modern examples to redefine the teen years as the launching pad of life and map a clear trajectory for long-term fulfillment and eternal impact.
Written by teens for teens, Do Hard Things is packed with humorous personal anecdotes, practical examples, and stories of real-life rebelutionaries in action. This rallying cry from the heart of revolution already in progress challenges the next generation to lay claim to a brighter future, starting today."
What can we do in our lives, in our youth group, in our church, in our community to start a Rebelution? One of the cool things about the Harris brothers is that they point to other teenagers who are making a difference in their world. Zach Hunter decided that slavery was still a problem and decided to do something about it. When he was 12 years old, he launched Loose Change to Loosen Chains, a student-led effort to raise awareness and funds to end slavery. In March 2008, the students at Saddleback church in California decided that having shoes was something that everyone in the world needed. So the Jr High and Sr High ministries collected over 50,000 pairs of shoes to give to people in the US and around the world.
In order to leave a legacy behind you and have people be in awe of your life, you need to give it away. You need to break out of any shell the world has you in and break free, Do Hard Things...
Small Group
What are some stories you know of where students did something extraordinary?
Do you think it is important to do something important?
What is something you can do to "Do Hard Things" in your own life?
Some of you might think that Doing Hard Things is beyond you. You might have bought into the lie that students are just supposed to sit around, play video games, text and live life. God doesn't see it that way. God has given each of us the ability to Do Hard Things. To take a step out of our comfort zone, and make a difference in our world.
Matthew 25:14-30 "14 “It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. 15 To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. 16 Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master’s investment. 17 The second did the same. 18 But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master’s money. 19 “After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. 20 The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. 21 His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’ 22 “The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master’s investment. 23 His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’ 24 “The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. 25 I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’ 26 “The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? 27 The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest. 28 “‘Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. 30 Throw him out into utter darkness."
In this story, each servant is giving a piece of his masters wealth and told to take care of it. While they each had different amounts, the responsibility was the same. Two of them did something with their responsibility, the third servant did nothing. And because of this, what was given to him was taken away and given to someone else. Jesus was telling his followers this story, the same that He is telling us today. Each of us have been given gifts and talents. Each of us, has been given the ability to Do Hard Things. For some of us, that means being up here on stage leading worship, or doing a drama. For some of you, it means helping the neighbor next store bring in groceries or vising a retirement community and talking with some of the residences. Others may be gifted at working with children, maybe you can babysit for a single mother who needs a rest. There is no limit to what we can all do. You may have a gift that I could never think of.
I remember the first mission trip I went on. Ironically, it was to my own home town. In 1992, Hurricane Andrew destroyed the town I grew up in and lived for 18 years. Andrew was a category 5 (the biggest at the time) and had winds over 200 miles per hour. The college I was at was hosting a mission trip down there to help clear some of the debris and garbage that was all over the place. I can remember driving down and as we got closer and started to see some of the damage, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The whole place was flat. Almost every tree had been either ripped up or blown over. As we go closer to my home church, I would lose track of where we were because so much had changed. We spent the weekend cleaning out houses, removing brush and stocking shelves in trailers. It was an incredible thing to see and to be connected to the families and people who had been affected.
Doing Hard Things is possible for all of us. Each of us can live a life that mattes to God. Each of us can live a life that makes a lasting impression on those around us. We don't need to be content with just living life, but we need to take a stand and live the life that God has called us to. It won't be easy. It won't always been exciting but in the end, it will be worth it.
This weekend we have a chance to change someone's life. Starting on Friday after your lunch hour, we will be fasting for 30 hours. This means that we will not eat for a whole day. During these 30 Hours together, we will be learning about what it means to live the way half the world lives, in hunger and we will have the opportunity to help others by working with Hillcrest ministries in their thrift shop and apartments. Not only does this help us to understand what it means to be hungry but also gives us the opportunity to raise money to help those who need it. For every $1 raised, you will be feeding a child for One Day. $1 a day, that is less than most of us spend on soda's. Watch this short video... [30 Hour Famine Video]
As you leave here tonight, think how you can Do Hard Things. What drives you? What gifts do you feel God has given you that can be used to help others.
