Be with Jesus

Eric Tomeo

The Movement • Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

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Notes

Transcript

Handout

Countdown

Something fun (eg. Game, video, etc.). It is not necessary for this to have a tie in to the lesson, but it can.

Introductions

This is culture

Basic Opening Statement: We are glad that you are here with us at bcsm. Now remember that stands for bridgetown church student movement now. That changed last week. This is a movement that seeks to turn the world upside down, by turning our lives upside down for other people. What hasn’t changed though is.

You have community. You have purpose. You have a mission. You have truth.

I am _______________ and before we start, let me pray.”

*Pray for God to use what you have to say to move someone further along in their journey towards Jesus.*

Story Time

Tell a quick story that introduces the message

So I just wanted to share with you a piece of my history and my background. I grew up in a place called Munster, IN. Munster sits right in the corner of Indiana about 20 miles outside of Chicago. So here is actual footage of my dad’s friends discussing some football when the Bears still had Mike Ditka as their head coach.

Show Da Super Fans video

The Chicago accent is on full display there. Do I have a Chicago accent?

Do you have an accent?

How does one acquire an accent?

Catch Up

Where we have been in the series. Where we are going.

Over the next year we are going to be exploring our new name. the movement. What does it mean to be a movement not a ministry. How do we actually turn the world upside down? How do we live into that mission of turning our lives upside down for other people? How do we model community among ourselves? How do we invite other people into that community? How do we explore our purpose? How do we latch onto that truth that everything we do is predicated on: God wants to have a relationship with you.

Now last week we said that this movement sits on top of a community of disciples or maybe a less-churchy word could be apprentices to Jesus. An apprentice spends time with the teacher, becomes like the teacher and then goes out and does what the teacher does. They in some sense become the teacher to other disciples. So before we get fully into the Movement side of things, we have to explore the community side of things. And before we really get into the community stuff, we have to explore the individuals that make up the community. You see there is like a three level thing happening here. The community can not exist without the individuals and the movement can not exist without the community. So we are starting with you.

So the question we are wrestling with, really, is how do we individually get to the point where we are doing what Jesus did, where we are turning our lives upside down for other people?

How do we become like Jesus?

Well, how do we learn to talk like our parents talked? How do we get an accent? How do we acquire similar mannerisms as out parents or or friends?

Scripture

Read or summarize main Scripture with a little surrounding context. Ask a couple of questions to about the text.

Acts 4:13 (ESV)

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

How do you think they could tell that Peter and John had spent time with Jesus?

John 15:4–5 (ESV)

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

What do you think the word Abide means?

Tension/ Main Point

What is the rub? Create some questions and feeling in the minds of your students around the main point of the lesson.

When I was growing up I am sure my Chicago accent was much stronger than it is now. No one told me Bears is pronounced Berss. But because I was surrounded by people who spoke like the guys on the video, I know that I had some sort of an accent. I probably sound a whole lot more like a Cincinnatian now that I have been here for over 20 years. When you spend time with people, you just naturally become like them and you naturally start to do the things they do.

That was the whole idea behind apprenticeship and that is the whole idea behind discipleship. It all starts with an individual spending time with Jesus.

But how does someone “spend time” with Jesus?

Reading the Bible. Praying. Those are good ways to spend time with Jesus.

Now here’s what I want you to do. Close your eyes. This is a moment of honesty. I am the only one in the room with my eyes open. I want to see your honest answer. I am not here to judge you or anything. Just who here read your Bible this week on your own? Raise your hand. Don’t open your eyes. Now who here prayed on your own this week, not at dinner with your family, by yourself? Just you and God?

You can open your eyes.

Some of you have done those things. But not all of you have. If we want to learn to be like Jesus, if we want people to meet us and say, “Hm, that guy or that girl must have been with Jesus,” if we want to acquire a Jesus accent, if you will, we have to spend time with him.

And I know that can be difficult. I love reading the Bible, but to be honest, I am not a good prayer. My mind just goes a million different directions and it is hard for me to focus. I have tried everything. I always feel like I am repeating myself.

But here is the thing. It is ok to repeat yourself. How many times has your mom told you she loves you? Probably a million times, right? Does it mean less because she has said it so many times? No. In fact it probably means more. It means she is with you. It means she is for you. Even now. After all of the heartache you have caused her.

The point is this.Even when it is hard to focus. Even when you don’t want to. Even when you are tired. Even when you want to play a video game instead. Even when you have a show you need to binge, you have to spend time with Jesus. As an disciple of Jesus, you have to spend time with the teacher. Or you are not a disciple. You will never become like the teacher. You will never do the things the teacher does.

We want to turn the world upside down, but without Jesus that is impossible. Without disciples of Jesus that is impossible. This community will never produce a movement that turns the world upside down for other people because apart from Jesus we can do nothing.

Response

We respond every week with an invitation to baptism and communion.

So what is it going to take?

Do you need to put it in your school planner? Do you need to wake up early with an alarm clock? What will it take for you to commit to spending time with Jesus, reading the Bible and praying, every day this week?

Every week we put together daily devotions. They don’t take long, maybe 15 minutes. It is just reading a short scripture, answering some questions in your head and then talking to God. This week, this is your challenge, do the daily devotion every day. Carve 15 minutes out somewhere.

Now this week will be a busy week. School is starting up. New schedules. New routines. Do not let that stop you.

We have a mission here. We are here to turn the world upside down. The world is not right and we have access to the power that can make it right. We just have to spend time with the teacher. So under your seat is a small card. Pick that up.

Right now, we are going to take communion together. This is a small bit of our service where we remind ourselves of waht Jesus did to give us access. This is a time to remember that Jesus came to be with us, he is called Immanuel God with us. He died and rose again to give us life. The juice represents his blood, the bread his body.

He did all of that so we could spend time with him. so we could become like him and do the things he would do. So we could turn the world upside down by turning our lives upside down for other people.

As this song plays a couple of things will be happening. 1. You can grab communion. 2. That card represents a commitment to do what it takes to spend time with Jesus this week. If you want to commit yourself to that goal this week, write your name on it, rip it in half and put the side with your name in the basket here. You can put the other half in your pocket or your purse to remind you to keep your commitment. It also has the website address so you can access the daily devotions we will be putting up this week. You don’t have to use those devotions, but spend at least 15 minutes every day reading the Bible and praying. Those daily devotions are just a good place to start if you are not sure what to do. 3. If you need prayer this week, or if you want to declare your intention to be a true disciple of Jesus by being baptized, come see one of the adults. We would love to talk with you. Now, if you don’t want to move and just want to listen to the lyrics of the song, or pray, or read the Bible you can do that as well. This is your time to spend with Jesus.

Song

Pick a song that centers around the main theme of the lesson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUCVJFwwns8

I’m Desperate For You- Red Rocks Worship

Discussion

With school starting this week, what are you nervous about? What are you excited about?

Try the Impossible Flap Challenge

Debrief

This is your community. Part of being a community is caring fo one another and one way we can do that is by praying for each other. Does anyone have something we can celebrate with you this week? What is heavy for you this week?

Pray together

If you spent 15 minutes with Jesus every day this week, how do you think that would impact your life? Positively or Negatively.

What keeps you from praying or reading your Bible?

What has helped you in the past to spend consistent time with Jesus?

Family Worship

Hey, welcome to Family Worship.

This week we challenged our students to spend 15 minutes every day reading the Bible and praying.

How much time do you spend reading the Bible and praying every day?

For some of us that is a hard question to answer because the time is inconsistent or you don’t really keep track or (maybe you don’t really spend much time at all on a daily basis). Last week, in family worship, we talked about how absolutely essential spending time with Jesus is (Jesus says without spending time with Him we can do nothing) and yet so many of us, including myself, have a hard time making it as high a priority as it should be. I think the reason is that it is hard to spend time with Jesus for lots of different reasons. But what happens when we do, is that we become like Jesus and we can start to do the things Jesus would do. It’s kind of like you get a Jesus accent or something.

Read

Read Acts 4:13

Understand

What are the things that makes Peter and John stand out?

How could they tell Peter and John had been with Jesus?

Apply

Why do you think becoming like Jesus and doing things that Jesus would do rely so heavily on spending time with Jesus?

How can you make spending time with Jesus a habit?

We at bcsm believe that with the Holy Spirit’s help we can turn our schools, workplaces and families upside down by turning our lives upside down for other people. But that turn the world upside down movement, rests on the shoulders of a community of apprentices to Jesus who are committed to spending time with the Teacher

Read Mark 14:32

Understand

Even in one of Jesus’ darkest times he turns to prayer. How can you make prayer your first response?

Apply

You are well on your way to forming new habits, but you have to keep it going. Look at next week and carve out a time every day to spend time with Jesus. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow to finish out the week strong.

Pray

Practice

Put away your phone for 10 minutes and settle in a nice quiet place.

For most people, sitting with your back straight, shoulders relaxed, legs on the floor is a good start. Others do better lying on their back in a relaxed position.

Close your eyes. Take long, deep, slow breaths (if you want, count 4 seconds in, 4 seconds wait, 4 seconds out, repeat). Inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth. Start to pay attention to your breathing. Just “watch” your breath go in and out. Release the constant chatter in your mind. Let each thought go as quickly as it comes, and just focus on your breathing. Your mind will seize this opportunity to run wild with thoughts, feelings, memories, to do’s, and distractions. That’s okay. Don’t judge yourself, feel bad, give up, or worry. When you notice your mind start to wander, just recenter with a quick prayer, like, “Father…” and come back to your breathing. Do this for about 1 minute.

Spend a few minutes “abiding in the vine”

Transition from your breathing prayer to “the practice of the presence of God.” Notice God’s presence all around you, in you. For some people it’s helpful to imagine the Father is sitting in the chair across from you or on a throne. Welcome his love, joy, and peace from the Holy Spirit. If you want, open your mind and imagination to listen for God’s voice, or get something off your chest in prayer. But the main goal here is simply to “be with Jesus.” Don’t feel like you have to “do” anything. Just relax and enjoy his presence.

Close in a prayer of gratitude and commit the rest of your day to the Father

A few things to note:

You can’t “succeed” or “fail” at this practice. All you can do is show up. Be patient. This takes some people years to master. Resist the urge to say, “I’m bad at this” or “This isn’t for me.” Don’t judge yourself, especially if you’re an overachiever type.

If sitting still is just death for you, you might want to try this while doing a stretching exercise or going on a walk somewhere quiet and distraction free (like a park or short hike). Apply the same idea to a walking prayer, and just focus on your walking instead of your breathing.