Source SM Recap: Volume #53

Series: Home ImprovementWeek 1: “Honor your Parents” The Word: Ephesians 6:1-3, Colossians 3:20 Main Thought: Honor opens the door to relationship with parents

Message Explanation: This series is all about helping improve the relationships in our families, because relationships in our families are two-sided. Today, we are going to talk about how to view and treat your parents. Families are not perfect. Even with all the weirdness happening, one thing that have in common is every family has disagreements and arguments and struggles to know and understand each other!

We all need to see improvement in our relationships in the home. We need to quit fighting AGAINST our parents and start fight FOR the relationship with them!

Ephesians 6:1-3: “Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord,for this is the right thing to do. ² “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: ³ If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.” 

The quality and even the length of our lives is connected to how we treat our parents. The idea behind the series is that relationships are two-sided - and it isn’t your job to just put up with your parents you need to learn to live with and love your parents. The essence of student ministry is to encourage you to become independently dependent on your relationship with Christ. Parents are a big part of this process.

1. Honor your parents in the way you obey

Obedience means to hear and be subject to them.  Obedience is action. Honor leads to long live because obedience builds self-discipline which brings stability and long lasting focus upon God.

Colossians 3:20:  “Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord.

There are no perfect parents and no perfect children.

How do I honor parents who are dishonorable? You are not responsible for the things your parents have done to you, but you are responsible for how you respond to them. If you do not learn to honor your parents and forgive them, you will become like them.

In order to have an alternative to the dysfunction of your family, you must do something different!

The second way to see improvement in your home is to…

 2. Honor your parents with your attitude

Honor carries with it “weight.” It is revealing obedience with your attitude. We appreciate their value in our lives for all that they due but for WHO they are. You place a HIGH VALUE on your parents.

The opposite of honoring in attitude is :

-      Putting them down in front of your friends. -      Yelling at them. -      Ungratefulness

Honor is in how we respond to our parents.

Proverbs 10:1: “A wise child brings joy to a father; a foolish child brings grief to a mother.” Proverbs 1:8-9: “My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck.”

What about if I don’t want to be like my parents? What if they are abusive? Notice things in the family that are not Christ-like and live the alternative. Whatever you focus upon, whether it is good or bad, you are focusing upon it!

Honoring your parents is the same as honoring God.

3. Honoring parents leads you to become more like Jesus

Jesus and his family (Mary and Joseph) were in Jerusalem for the Passover. Passover was a one day feast, followed by a week long “Feast of unleavened bread.” Mary and Joseph left Jesus without being aware of it! They lost Jesus (v. 43-45)

Jesus was consumed with His relationship with God but He obeyed his earthly parents. Luke 2:51-52: “Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart. 52 Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.”

The big question is are you opening the DOOR of relationship to your Parents or closing it? It is all about honor.

Element of Fun: We spent the beginning of Source welcoming our new student ministry worship pastor! We asked some fun questions to get to know him and his calling to serve God.

Music: One Thing Remains, Your Presence is Heaven to Me, How He Loves.

Favorite Moment: Welcome our newest staff addition to Source student ministry! John Strandell recently joined the student ministry as the worship pastor. I look forward to seeing how God continues to use Him!

What’s Next: We continue the series, “Home Improvement” as we talk about communication in the home.

To watch any of the series messages, check out the vimeo page

Source SM Recap: Volume #35

Current Series: Imitate Title: “TAG (Time Alone with God)” The Word: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Joshua 1:7-9, Romans 12:1-2, Psalm 119:105. Main Thought: For students to pause daily to spend TAG and live it.

Message Explanation: Where is there time for a TAG? We need to Pause. We NEED Jesus everyday through His Word to see through the FOG of this world. We are inundated with temptation, struggle, and pain. God’s Word is the light for our lives.

Psalms 119:105: Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path."

 Our time alone with God each day is crucial to learning to imitate Jesus. We need to hit the pause button on our lives and connect to the Power Source. Only when we understand that we cannot live on our own strength do we begin to grow.

 The Bible is the best-selling book of all time. The Bible is in many languages and I’m sure most of us have numerous Bibles at home. It wasn’t always this way before the fifteenth century. John Wycliffe began translating the Bible into languages because he wanted people to be able to read it. Wycliffe and his followers translated the English Bible in the 1380’s for the first time, giving people the opportunity to study the Bible.

 But, don’t we all take the Bible for GRANTED? Why is reading the Bible Important? Every relationship is dependent upon quality time. We need to be in fellowship with Jesus throughout our daily lives. 

2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.”

Every word of the Bible is God’s voice. It is His love letter to you and me. The only way to know God’s heart is to read His Word. The Bible is living and active and is not meant for the bookshelf!

Joshua 1:7-9: "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

How do I build a T.A.G daily? 

1. Hit the PAUSE BUTTON on your life.

    What distractions are causing you to rush through life? What consumes your thoughts right NOW?

We are all busier than ever. As much as technology speeds up it tends to cause each of us to speed up. We live in a culture of multitasking. We have smartphones, game systems, TV, YouTube, friends to hang out with, relationships, sports, church and more. With all that is going on in our lives we can easily miss out on the most important relationship.

Romans 12:2: Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. 

2.  CONNECT to the Power Source. Connect daily. We know God’s Word by reading it. It is that simple. When you disconnect from the power source, you are living on your own power.

How to SOAP daily:

Scripture: Read the Bible until God speaks to you. Observe: Ask the questions about the background of the scripture. Apply: How do you live out what the verse(s) in your personal life? Pray: Write down specific prayer requests about your personal needs.

 3.  Live from God’s Power. God’s Word wasn’t meant for information but transformation.

Read the Bible and obey what you read. Apply it. Live it.

Express to God that you desire a closer relationship with Him. Ask Him what do I need to STOP doing so I can START having a T.A.G.?

Element of Fun: The middle school students played a game called, “Make it or Break it.” It is a video driven game that each grade competes each week for this series!

Music: Running, Our God, Give me Faith, Only to You.

Favorite Moment: Students deciding to commit to spending TAG with God each day to grow to imitate Christ.

What’s Next: We will continue the series, “Imitate” as we talk about the importance of giving.

To watch any of the series messages, check out the vimeo page. 

Source SM Recap: Volume #34

Current Series: Imitate Title: “Pray like Jesus" The Word: Matthew 6:5-13, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Mark 6:45-46 Main Thought: Prayer is acknowledging God’s greatness and aligning our heart to be dependent upon Him.

Message Explanation:  Have you ever had a conversation with someone that was one-sided? Remember what that might feel like? It can seem as if we don’t truly have a relationship does it? The same is true when it comes to a relationship with God. Prayer should be more meaningful than just before we eat. Is prayer more than a few canned prayers we teach children to repeat? Some of us know how to pray but many of us are afraid of prayer. Especially the public kind! As you think about how to IMITATE Jesus, our first week will be about prayer.

Jeremiah 29:12-14a: “In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 14 I will be found by you,” says the Lord.

 One of the most misunderstood passages of the Bible is the “Lord’s prayer.” With the culture around Jesus not understanding prayer… The disciples asked Jesus, “Teach us how to pray.” 

 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. 7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!

People in Jesus’ day would strategically pray at times during the day to be noticed. It was praying with pride! Be humble and find a place to pray secretly.

1. Pray SIMPLY(v. 5-8)

The Lord doesn’t care to be amazed with brilliantly crafted language. He wants us to keep it simple. To be real and authentic with how we communicate with God.

1 Thessalonians 5:17: “Never stop praying.”

Matthew 6:9-13: Jesus said, “Pray like this: Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.11 Give us today the food we need, 12 and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us. 13 And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.”

2. Pray SPECIFICALLY (9-13)

     What we know as “The Lord’s Prayer” is a model of the kind of brief but specific prayers we may offer anytime, anywhere. Jesus never intended it to be the only prayer some people pray. It is not a LITURGY but a MODEL.  

Hebrews 4:15-16: “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”

 Prayer is a relationship of aligning my heart with God’s heart. Prayer should be like breathing for a Christ follower! When we are not breathing in and out by communicating with God, we lose our strength. WE need to PLUG INTO the power of God and only then will we be able to do all that He wants through our lives.

Philippians 4:6-7: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

When you align your heart to the heart of God, life becomes clear. Acknowledging God for WHO He is and trusting Him for our daily needs builds our lives.

What changes need to happen in your prayer life? Do you talk to God out of feeling guilty or for your love for Him?

Element of Fun: The middle school students played a game called, "Make it or Break it." It is a video driven game that each grade competes each week for this series!

Music: Go, Awaken Me, One Thing Remains, Set a Fire.

Favorite Moment: Celebrating all that God did on the Costa Rica mission trip this past week!

What’s Next: We will continue the series, "Imitate" as we talk about how to have a "T.A.G. (Time alone with God) daily.

To watch any of the series messages, check out the vimeo page.