The "B" Word

I need to share something.Rant is more like it.

I hear it and I'm sure you have lately... another student is being bullied OR is bullying others.

The term "bullying" is thrown around and communicated today as if it's a new idea. But bullying has existed long before the term. Bullying began with the first brothers, Cain and Abel. After sin entered the world, the first family to ever exist resulted in the ultimate bullying, murder.

While there are serious threats made to students every day, most of what is going on in public schools today has gone on forever.

#1 Everything is not bullying. We are in a time of hyper-sensitivity. Social media has portrayed the desire to be noticed. When we are not noticed or our picture on Instagram isn't liked as much as others, some become angry. Angry enough to hold grudges towards other people who receive more "likes" than them. Crazy right? It is actually the norm in student culture (and I hope not parents!)

#2 Bullying is at the heart of man. At the center of human life is the desire for self. It is the "me-monster" gene I like to call it. We are born with an innate desire for what we want, when we want it and how we want it. Bullying is evil, disrespectful, hateful, prideful, mean, and egocentric.

#3 God has called us to live differently towards bullies and those hurt by bullies.

To the one who is being bullied: Jesus taught us to love our ENEMIES and not seek revenge. When people insult you, He taught us to pray for them.

We live in a culture of blame. It is natural to be selfish. We have a choice to make in our student ministries, families and personal lives. Conform to the culture of selfishness or... live the alternative of living selflessly.

To the bully: You are acting out your own insecurity.

When someone picks on another person, it reveals their identity. You show me a student who bullies and I can usually pinpoint a broken heart, abuse or hurt that triggers their behavior. What I truly believe is that students who feel the need to bully need Jesus just as much as the one being bullied.

Wait a minute, Josh. Seriously?

Yes, Jesus had a lot to say about "bullying." He was bullied a lot. Jesus was not even welcome in His hometown. His closest companions left Him the night before He was to die on the cross. He was denied by one of his closest friends, Peter. He was spit upon and called a blasphemer by the crowd. The pharisees wanted to crucify Him over a murderer because of the hate they had towards Him.

Notice what Jesus said in Matthew 5:43-47: “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.

True Christ-like love is directed towards enemies. Love that matters is the type that causes us to dig deep into God in order to give it out.

"She didn't talk to me." "I wanted to do what I wanted to do but could not do it!"  "They made fun of me." "He told me I was ugly."

Have you heard these statements before from students? It is a continual part of student ministry. Let's face it. People can be mean, especially those who don't know Jesus.

Our goal should be to guide our students to live selflessly in a selfish world. If we are not focused, we can create a generation of selfishness masked inside of the hypersensitivity to everyone treating each other perfectly.

We should ALWAYS defend students that are being bullied and hurt. Our ministries and families should be safe places for students.

But at the same time, let's prepare students to know how to respond and not react to being bullied. It will happen no matter how hard we as student pastors and parents try to avoid it.

What will be your response? Will it include comfort that God gives AND prayer for the person who hurt you?

Source SM Recap: Volume #47

Series: Old SchoolTitle: “Abraham and Isaac” The Word: Genesis 22:1-10, Hebrews 10:10, 2 Corinthians 5:21 Main Thought: We will never know how to build our faith until we trust God and take the next step.

Message Explanation: The story of Abraham and Isaac is a story of faith. Abraham followed God although everything seemed to be falling apart. Abraham knew he could trust God because of who God is. Even when we do not understand life, God is faithful.

Have you ever had to sacrifice something that you really liked? How did that go for you.

That word “sacrifice” is pretty powerful when you really think about it, isn’t it?  It means putting something aside or behind you for the sake of something more worthy of your time and attention.  But that definition is way more simplistic than what sacrifice REALLY is.  Sacrifice is tough, it requires thought, meaningful weighing of pros and cons, and often times, major pain as we depart from something that used to be important to us. But the beauty of sacrifice is that it ends up being worth it.

 We are called to trust God with every step we take. How much of your life are you trusting God for?

This is why the story of Abraham and Isaac is such a powerful one – it cost SO much.

Faith is more important than how we feel…..

1. Trust in God’s Purpose for your life.

Abraham left quickly to go to the mountain: “The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son Isaac. Then he chopped wood to build a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place where God had told him to go.” Genesis 22:3

2. Be prepared to SACRIFICE for God

Abraham put the wood on the altar and the two of them were there together. 

So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together, ⁷ Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” "God will provide a lamb, my son," Abraham answered. And they both went on together.” Genesis 22:6-8

When they arrived at the place where God had told Abraham to go, he built an altar and placed the wood on it. Then he tied Isaac up and laid him on the altar over the wood. And Abraham took the knife and lifted it up to kill his son as a sacrifice to the LORD

Genesis 22:9-10.

¹¹ At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!” ¹² “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.” ¹³ Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son.” Genesis 22:11-13.

The story of Abraham and Isaac is direct story that relates to our Heavenly Father and Jesus. God sacrifice His only Son on the cross for you and me. God offers himself as the sacrifice for our sin.

Hebrews 10:10 – “And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

Jesus took your place and mine on the cross. HE is my substitution.

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” 2 Corinthians 5:21

 We will never know how to build our faith until we trust God and take the next step.

- Have you trusted in Jesus’ sacrifice in your place? - What will your faith cost you?

Element of Fun: The students played the game, “Stack Attack.” It was a fun game to watch!

Music: Sweetness of Freedom, Forever Reign, Give Me Faith, One Thing Remains (closing)

Favorite Moment: Hearing good stories from the Villages campus that kicked off their Wednesday night gathering at the same time as the Ocala campus! God is up to something special. I'm grateful to see it.

What’s Next: We are beginning a new series called, "Love Is" in September as we talk about how should we understand and show love..

Video: I showed, "The Fatal Place" during the teaching (My brother Justin helped Elevation Church make this video). It captures the essence of the Abraham and Isaac story. Powerful!

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

Download the Source Student Ministry App!

I'm excited to launch our SourceSM app! One of my students had the vision of creating an app that people can use to stay connected to the ministry and use it as a tool to partner with the family! My student has a website that creates apps. Check him out if you need an app created!

This generation is amazing at leveraging technology for the kingdom of God!

The App includes: - About Source - The Source Experience - Message Videos - Message Notes - Upcoming Events - ParentLink Newsletter - Directions -  Links to Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Download the iOS App Download the Android App

Here is a layout of the app!