These questions were used in small group discussion on Sunday 8 May.
Launch Questions
Have you ever experienced “joy unspeakable”, where you heart was completely full, and you could not have imagined being any more happy/content? What made you feel this way?
Discussion Questions
Do most people think they are going to heaven? What would be their reasons?
Do you think many people have a misconception of heaven, i.e. they think heaven will be completely different to what the Bible says about heaven? Why or why not?
Have you seen any movies or television programmes that have portrayed heaven? What was heaven like?
Before tonight, what did you think heaven was going to be like?
From the description in Revelation 21, what is most attractive about heaven? What is least attractive about heaven? Why do you think this?
Why is dwelling with God such a significant part of heaven?
How did people in the Bible react when they were in the presence of God? Why was this? How do you think you would react if God visited you tonight?
How can Christians look forward to heaven?
How can knowing what heaven’s really like help us talk to others about Jesus?
The following are questions asked during YF small groups on Sunday 1 May. We would encourage parents to talk about these questions with their teenagers.
Launch Questions
Can you think of a movie, book, or television show that portrayed hell or the devil? What happened? Was it serious or poking fun at hell?
Do know of any preachers or Christians who abuse the topic of hell?
On the other hand, why is it dangerous for pastors to never preach on hell?
Discussion Questions – Luke 16:19-31
In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, why do you think the rich man went to hell and Lazarus, the poor man, went to heaven? What did wealth have anything to do with their condition?
What was the basis of the rich man’s hope, i.e. what was he trusting in? What are the consequences of misplaced trust?
The rich man became the beggar. What did he ask of Abraham? Why didn’t Abraham fulfil his request(s)?
Do you ever think about death? Are you ever scared of what may happen?
Do you think the majority of people believe in a literal hell? Why or why not?
Is God just in condemning unrepentant sinners to hell? Explain.
Is hell something of which we should be scared? Why or why not? Is it possible to be scared into believing in Jesus, i.e. trusting in him because one is afraid of hell?
Why do you think Jesus spoke so much on the topic of hell?
Why do Christians not have to face the torment of hell?
Why is this text relevant for Christians if they are secure from the dangers of hell?
Walt Mueller is one of the most respected commentators on today’s youth culture. He was a youth minister for a number of years but, according to his website, he has “spent the last 20 years studying, writing, and speaking about youth culture with a great group of folks at the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding.” He is also an adjunct professor of youth ministry at Evangelical Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania. I strongly recommend Walt to you:
The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding – “Founded in 1990 by Walt Mueller, CPYU has developed an international reputation as a voice providing cutting-edge information, resources and analysis on today’s youth culture.”
An article in the New York Times came out over the weekend telling the harrowing story of a 14-year-old girl, Margarite. Here is a summary of the article:
“One day last winter Margarite posed naked before her bathroom mirror, held up her cellphone and took a picture. Then she sent the full-length frontal photo to Isaiah, her new boyfriend.
“Both were in eighth grade.
“They broke up soon after. A few weeks later, Isaiah forwarded the photo to another eighth-grade girl, once a friend of Margarite’s. Around 11 o’clock at night, that girl slapped a text message on it… Then she clicked open the long list of contacts on her phone and pressed ’send.’
“In less than 24 hours, the effect was as if Margarite, 14, had sauntered naked down the hallways of the four middle schools… Hundreds, possibly thousands, of students had received her photo and forwarded it.”
“Sexting”, or sending nude or nearly nude photos via text message or email, has become very common amongst many people groups, including teenagers. According to an internet poll in 2009, an astounding 24% of 14- to 17-year-olds had engaged in “some type of naked sexting”. And, though sexting affects both girls and boys, girls are more likely to be receive negative attention from sexting. The article says, “While a boy caught sending a picture of himself may be regarded as a fool or even a boastful stud, girls, regardless of their bravado, are castigated as sluts. Photos of girls tend to go viral more often, because boys and girls will circulate girls’ photos in part to shame them….”
As Denny Burk has pointed out, parents must be very careful to shepherd their children. I don’t want to sound repetitive, but I cannot stress this enough — parents have every right to monitor their children’s internet and phone use. The Lord has given us authority over them, and we are responsible to God for them.
There are a few difficulties, though. For one, it is nearly impossible to monitor all internet/phone use at all times. Teenagers will find ways to access technology. While we don’t need to implant tracking devices in our children, we must do whatever we can to guard their hearts. That includes talking about what’s going on in their lives, meeting and getting to know their friends, having a time each day for family worship, and spending quality time with them. It also includes educating them about sex and the dangers of other sexual behavior like sexting (a great resource for teenage boys is Sexual Detox by Tim Challies).
Another difficulty is that, as parents, we really want our children to like us. We want them to see us as their friend, someone they can trust and confide in and joke around with. This is a good thing, and there’s nothing wrong with this. However, we often fail to oversee their activities or even discipline them, because we don’t want them to think we’re “prying” into their lives. We don’t want them to see us as the bad guys. But, as long as they are under our care and protection, wemust do whatever it takes to guide them in holiness and protect them from evil.
It’s not easy. And I don’t have all the answers. But God has given us wisdom in his Word and the Holy Spirit to guide us as we parent our children. Let’s seek him for the answers and for grace and forgiveness when we fail.
I loved this post from Thomas Weaver and The Resurgence:
1. Make sure your faith is only something you live out in public
Go to church… at least most of the time. Make sure you agree with what you hear the preacher say, and affirm on the way home what was said especially when it has to do with your kids obeying, but let it stop there. Don’t read your Bible at home. The pastor will say everything you need to hear on Sundays. Don’t engage your children in questions they have concerning Jesus and God. Live like you want to live during the week so that your kids can see that duplicity is ok.
2. Pray only in front of people
The only times you need to pray are when your family is over, holiday meals, when someone is sick, and when you want something. Besides that, don’t bother. Your kids will see you pray when other people are watching, no need to do it with them in private.
Read the other three ways to make your kids hate church here.
Okay, so maybe this isn’t breaking news, but a study was recently conducted on how people use social networking websites like Facebook. According to the study, “The women who had the largest social networks and posted more photos of themselves were more highly vested in their appearance.”
In contrast, “The people who tended to base their self worth on things like academic competence, family love and support, and being a virtuous or moral person spent less time online and showed less interest in attention-seeking through social media.”
As I said in a previous post, there are many advantages to Facebook and using the internet to connect with people. However, there are still many dangers that must be addressed. Are you someone who spends a large amount of time on the internet (on the computer and on your phone), specifically Facebook, MSN, and other social networking sites and applications? Do you post loads of pictures of yourself? What do you think this says about yourself?
While women struggle with this, there are obviously men who struggle with their appearance as well. And what makes things worse is when young men and women are constantly being bombarded with the message that they must focus on improving their self worth and self esteem. In the Bible, the message is quite different — our worth and esteem must be found in the Lord, not in ourselves.
Many of you will know the verse in the Bible that says, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.” It isn’t as if God cares nothing about the outward appearance. After all, he’s the one who created us! So my point is not that we should just completely forget about our appearance. There’s nothing wrong with dressing nicely and looking smart. But when we begin to find our identity and worth in how we look, rather than being identified with Christ and finding worth in him, we become consumed with ourselves and, ultimately, make ourselves into idols.
This study doesn’t prove that posting loads of photos of yourself on Facebook automatically makes you vain and conceited. But it certainly should make us think about why we post so many photos and place so much value in our social network. How does this reflect the state of our heart?
Even though my daughter is not even one year old yet, I still would like to get into the discipline of having family worship each day. The truth is that I’m already finding that it’s not easy! With the hustle and bustle of life and the (seemingly) lack of minutes in the day, family worship can easily be forgotten.
Part of what we want to do as a Youth Fellowship is encourage families to worship together. It seems like there has been a resurgence in emphasis on family worship, so I will point you in the direction of great articles whenever I come across them.
Few of us grew up in homes that practiced family worship. So let’s look at a few practical helps that may aid our families in this new journey.
He then goes on to give a list of encouragements for family worship.
1. Find the Best Time
2. Meet at the Same Time
3. Meet in the Same Place
4. Start Slow
5. Make it Brief
6. Make it a Priority
7. Be Flexible
8. Model the Right Attitude
9. Persevere
When I first moved to Scotland, Bebo was still the big social networking site amongst teens and young adults in the UK. But the phenomenon that is Facebook hit the UK with such force that, just two and a half years later, Bebo is never even mentioned by this same age group. Many have either abandoned or deleted their Bebo accounts in favour of Facebook. (My American friends will most likely have never even heard of Bebo.)
Facebook has permeated our culture and affected the lives of millions, both young and old, throughout the world. This video explains it well:
Facebook is great for a number of reasons, including the fact that you can re-connect with friends and acquaintances who you may have lost touch with over the years. But I have noticed there are a number of dangers that come with Facebook and other social networking sites. I have also noticed that many people, especially teenagers, are much more careless on Facebook than they would be in real life. Many have been stripped by Facebook. They have exposed everything about themselves to the world with just a few clicks of the mouse.
When I took my driving course in high school, I had to go through a section on alcohol. The instructor emphasized that judgment is the first thing you lose when you drink. So the more you drink, the more open and carefree you become. You could certainly say this is how many teenagers act on Facebook, and they divulge everything — personal feelings and emotions, dodgy photos, and harsh language. Facebook has also become a new forum for bullying. After all, it’s dead easy to make fun of someone in a comment thread on Facebook than to their face at school.
I’m not saying that we must completely shut off our computers and hide in the closet, but I also want to give a few words of advice and encouragement.
Teenagers
1. Make sure your privacy settings ensure that your information is completely private to only your friends and not open to the public. To do this, go to your Facebook homepage. In the upper right-hand corner, select “Account”. Click on “Privacy Settings”. Under “Sharing on Facebook”, make sure “Friends Only” is selected. Then, below that, click on “Edit Settings” under “Apps and Websites”. Make sure “Game and App Activity” is set to “Friends Only”. Then click on “Edit Settings” in “Instant Personalization”. Make sure the box is unchecked.
2. Don’t share any information, even with friends, that you wouldn’t share face-to-face with someone.
3. Don’t post photos that are suggestive or sexy.
4. Think before you update your status or comment on someone else’s status or photos. Remember that everyone you are connected with on Facebook can view these updates.
5. Bullying isn’t cool in real life, and it’s not cool on Facebook. Resist the urge to either make fun of someone or join in with someone else who is bullying. Stand up for those who are being treated unfairly.
Parents
1. Monitor your teenager’s activity on Facebook. This doesn’t mean you need to look over their shoulder every day or even sign up for your own account. But hold them accountable for what they type and post.
2. Remember, your teenager can access Facebook on their phone if they have a data plan.
Sometimes it is hard to get our teens to listen to the sermons, let alone understand them. However, it is important that they learn how to properly engage with what they are hearing each week, because sermons are more than just “thoughts for the day” or “pep talks” for the week.
The weekend is quickly approaching, and I’m getting very excited about our weekend away to Arbroath. In case you missed the email or weren’t able to pick up a hard copy, you can download the itinerary and pack list for the weekend by clicking here.
Okay, so maybe this isn’t breaking news, but 