Last week we did something in Deeper that I really believe resonated in all of our hearts. The last 15 or so minutes of service we all got alone with God. We handed out some journals and bibles and just gave students the opportunity to connect with God on their own. I hope that you guys took time throughout the week to keep that going.
Your relationship with God is the single most important relationship that you will ever have in your life. It’s more important than your relationship with you girlfriend/boyfriend, anyone in your family, anyone at all. I know that in my life I have most certainly taken that relationship for granted. I don’t want to do that any more, I want Deeper to be about deepening our relationship with God.
Let me ask you a question. Have you ever had to do something that seemed inconvenient at the time, but once you were finished with it, you were glad you took care of it. Maybe homework falls into that category, at the time, you wanted to watch Monday Night Football, or you wanted to hang out with your friends. But once the homework was done, once the grades were in and you got a good grade on your report card, you were really glad that you bit the bullet and got it done.
Sometimes our walk with God can seem inconvenient, but what we miss so often is that what we’re prioritizing over God has very little importance, not only to our life as a whole, but really to our own interests at all. Sometimes we’re just doing things because we’re told that’s what we need to do. A weekly commitment is a big deal. Many of you guys don’t just show up here on Wednesday, but you’re here Sunday and even some other days of the week as well.
Why is church and God part of my life?
Why do my parents place such a high priority on this?
Am I prioritizing God the way I should be or am I going through the motions?
Before we get into the nuts and bolts of this message, I want you to know something right up front. And really this doesn’t just go for the students, this goes for leaders as well. YOU MATTER. You matter to God, you matter to this church, you matter to everyone in this circle. Let me explain what i’m talking about in scripture…
Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. 3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Galatians 6:2-3 NLT
We’re in this together! You cannot share each others burdens if you’re not in community. What I mean by that is if we isolate ourselves to the point where we don’t have followers of Jesus around us, then we’re not doing what we’re supposed to be doing. Church is biblical because church offers (should offer) community. This group should be more than just a random collection of teenagers who parents attend Woodward Church. Sure, it may have started that way, and that’s fine, but it should evolve into much much more than that.
Jesus is calling us to care about one another. If one of us is hurting, then we should all hurt.
If one of us in happy then we should all be happy. We’re a family.
Here’s the thing, Not only do you need Deeper, Deeper needs you! Let me read to you 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, I lot of verses but it helps us understand who we are in the Body of Christ.
12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 28 Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church:
How many of you have ever struggled with fitting in. Let me just tell you, my ear has never really fit in with the rest of my body. Its all bendy and weird, it gets all nasty sometimes, I get like these crazy long hairs that grow on the side. They really just don’t fit in with the rest of my body…. Except they sort of play a pivotal role, because without my ears, I couldn’t hear anything.
What about my little toe, I mean that’s the most jacked up toe of all, the nail is all half way not even there. In fact little dude causes a ton of pain because hes always the one who get in the way of the side table and gets all stubbed up and hurt…Except our pinky toe is crucial in helping us maintain our balance, without it we would have a harder time walking, running or doing other physical activities
It’s easy to struggle feeling like you’re not sure where you fit in, and that’s okay. In fact that’s very normal. But the fact is, you do fit in, and you do matter, and you do have a place in the Body of Christ. That’s why one of our Pillars is EVERY STUDENT because every student has a role in the church body.
So tonight our 3 big takeaways
Get plugged in, don’t miss out because we might feel like its inconvenient, Our walk with God is very important
There is a place for me in the Body of Christ
Bear one another’s burdens.
Look at Romans 15:1-3,
We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves. 2 We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. 3 For even Christ didn’t live to please himself. As the Scriptures say, “The insults of those who insult you, O God, have fallen on me.”
You might be in the room tonight thinking this message isn’t really for me, its for someone who is feeling like they’re an outcast or struggling with finding their grove in life. But its really not, its a message for all of us no matter what place in life we find ourselves in.
You Belong
Others Belong as well
Let’s work together and do our best to live the way Jesus wants us to live. In friendship and harmony with one another!