Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, "children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation". Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky. Philippians 2:14-16
Tonight, after discussing the Scripture passages taught by Pastor Mike on Sunday, we focused on a few that we could all use a lesson in....Philippians 2:14-16. To give the kids a visual, we did a little science experiment most of them were already familiar with.
We began with a pitcher full of "joy" (water actually). We exampled to the kids what happens to their joy and the joy of those around them every time they complain or argue by asking them to name some common things they complain about and then pouring a little of the "joy" down the sink with each complaint. They quickly discovered how joyless their lives and the lives of those around them can become with much complaining and arguing.
Next, I showed the kids a clear drinking glass that represents their lives. When we receive Jesus as our Savior, He comes to live in us by His Spirit. I poured water into the glass to represent the fact that God's forgiveness has washed away our sins and their punishment and we now have new life.
I had a cup labeled "Problems and Troubles" and filled with vinegar. Vinegar is an acetic acid. It's a weak acid that can be eaten and does not harm your body, but it does add a sour taste to your food. Just because we've received Jesus doesn't mean that we'll no longer have problems. Yet even though vinegar has a sour taste, it can add a good flavor to food. God uses problems and trouble in our lives to teach us to rely on Him so He gets our praise. When problems come, we may feel like complaining and arguing. I poured the vinegar into the glass of water. These bad attitudes and feelings can not only rob us of our joy, but they can ruin our testimony to the outside world watching our reactions to those problems and troubles.
There are things we can do to combat those bad attitudes and feelings. I poured a cup with some water in it named "Pray" into the glass next. When problems come, one of the first things we can do is pray. We can tell God how we feel and thank Him that He's right there beside us as we work through this problem or go through this trouble. Jeremiah 33:3 - "Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known."
Next, we have to trust and believe that God will give us a solution to our problem or get us through our troubles. I poured another cup of water named "Believe" into the glass then. Jesus said, "And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith" (Matthew 21:22). Having faith means to believe, to have confidence that God will do what He says.
You have just talked to God. Now it's time to listen for God to talk to you. I poured another cup of water that had "Bible" written on it into the glass. Spend time reading God's Word and allow Him to speak to you. The book of Psalms has a lot to say about praising God during troubles. Psalm 56:2-4 says, "my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly. When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. In God, whose Word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?"
When you pray, believe, and read the Bible, God's Spirit living in you will begin to change your thoughts and attitudes about the trouble or problem you are facing. Through His Spirit, God will give you His joy and strength to handle problems. Nehemiah 8:10 says, "Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."
Next, I poured a cup of baking soda marked "Holy Spirit" into our glass. When God's Spirit is controlling your thoughts and attitudes, then the fruit of joy will overflow in your life and consequently, into the lives of those around you. Your witness will be like "shining stars in a warped and crooked generation".
We ended tonight's lesson with an inspirational video clip from Nick Vujicic, who is a Christian motivational speaker to youth around the world. Some of our kids actually saw him speak at Acquire the Fire a few years back. Let's just say it put the things they complain about on a daily basis into perspective!
Let your light so shine!!
