Our Identity Series focused on a great Application this past Wednesday. Three elements can help us shape and understand our personal Mission connected to the life calling given to us as we follow Jesus Christ.
Mission Failed: The truth is that when we are NOT built up in the TRUTH that God created us and said we are “very good,” the TRUTH that we are created as “His Masterpiece,” in order to do good works, or the TRUTH that in His book are written “all the days of our life,” we may find ourselves living a life feeling like we have already failed the mission. Our fear of failure keeps us from moving forward. We take ourselves out of the game and really don’t pursue the coach to ask for play time. We find our lives filled up with distractions and might think that this pursuit of Christ is just a set of rules we tip toe around and hope we don’t get caught, get struck down, or get out of line.
I have to leave my passion: The risk factor of following Jesus seems to be coupled with a subtraction of what we enjoy. We end up thinking “If I dedicate all I am to Jesus, I will probably have to stop playing my team sport, stop spending time on that activity I enjoy, or spend all my time following around that Pastor that seems to not work much.” The TRUTH is that God wants to meet us where we are, shine through us, and use us as His vessels to be ambassadors for the Kingdom of God.
BURDEN + PASSION + VISION: With the three elements of Mission combined, we find that we can join together beyond the walls of the church to care for our BURDEN, while pursuing our PASSIONS that God created us to live, all wrapped in the VISION that our Father has for us as we live here on Earth. The freedom from feeling like a failure and the pursuit of the MISSION gives us the ability to rise from living a defeated life in Christ to find a personal calling that lines us up with our hearts desire for life and satisfaction.
SO WHAT IS YOUR MISSION? Taking a look at the image above, what three elements lead to a MISSION for your life? What would it look like if you decided to give up the fear of failure and sign on to a MISSION given to you from GOD? Jesus sent out the disciples in Matthew 10 to preach that “The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand.” What if you could join in with the Kingdom of Heaven and make an impact for eternity? I know that in my personal life, when I come back to these elements in my life, I feel the wind in my sails. I walk away from an event, a ministry, a serve project, or my family and think, “I could do that for the rest of my life.”
This Series has created a safe place for our Middle Schoolers to ask BIG QUESTIONS and think about how Science and Faith can actually work together, rather than being AT ODDS with one another.
THINK ABOUT THIS:
At Odds is a three-week series designed to navigate the relationship between two important subjects: science and faith.
A conversation like this is so important at this point in your middle schooler’s development. They’re just now learning to think for themselves and ask deeper questions, and this series will help them exercise both of those skills regarding science and faith.
DRIVE TIME:
Your kids are learning that asking questions about God can actually grow their faith. So this week, make a point to share a question you’ve had about God with your middle schooler. Talk to them about how that specific question actually strengthened your relationship with Him, even if you didn’t find the answer!
Lee Strobel makes the case for the existence of an intelligent designer.
A former atheist, Lee Strobel is now a well-known apologist for the Christian faith. He is also a popular public speaker and an award-winning, New York Times best-selling author of more than 20 books including The Case for Christ,The Case for Faith and his newest release, The Case for Miracles. Educated at the University of Missouri and Yale Law School, Lee worked …More by Lee Strobel
THE ISSUE: Does current scientific data support the theory that the universe was created with intelligent design?
WHAT SKEPTICS SAY: Belief in an intelligent designer is a religious theory that has no basis in science. Scientific data supports evolutionary theory, and everyone knows it.
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Psalm 19:1).
THE DESIGN HYPOTHESIS
“A big, fundamental question, like belief in God (or disbelief), is not settled by a single argument,” said physicist-turned-theologian John Polkinghorne in Quarks, Chaos, and Christianity. “It’s too complicated for that. What one has to do is to consider lots of different issues and see whether or not the answers one gets add up to a total picture that makes sense.”
That’s the approach I took in my investigation. I probed six different scientific disciplines to see whether they point toward or away from the existence of an intelligent designer.
When I opened my mind to the possibility of an explanation beyond naturalism, the theory denying any supernatural existence in the universe, I found that the design hypothesis — that says there is a purposeful, intelligent, created order to the universe — most clearly accounted for the evidence of science. Consider some of the facts from my investigation:
The Evidence of Cosmology
Thanks to scientific discoveries of the last 50 years, the ancient kalam cosmological argument has taken on a powerful and persuasive new force. As described by William Lane Craig, the argument is simple yet elegant: First, whatever begins to exist has a cause.
Second, the universe had a beginning. Based on the data, virtually all cosmologists now agree the universe began in the Big Bang at some specific point in the past. Craig stressed that even alternate theories for the origin of the universe require a beginning.
The conclusion then follows from the two premises: Therefore, the universe has a cause. Even once-agnostic astronomer Robert Jastrow conceded the essential elements of Christianity and modern cosmology are the same: “The chain of events leading to man commenced suddenly and sharply, at a definite moment in time, in a flash of light and energy.”
The Evidence of Physics
One of the most striking discoveries of modern science has been that the laws and constants of physics unexpectedly conspire in an extraordinary way to make the universe habitable for life. For instance, said physicist-philosopher Robin Collins, gravity is fine-tuned to one part in a hundred million billion billion billion billion billion.
The cosmological constant, which represents the energy density of space, is as precise as throwing a dart from space and hitting a bull’s-eye just a trillionth of a trillionth of an inch in diameter on Earth. One expert said there are more than 30 physical or cosmological parameters that require precise calibration in order to produce a universe that can sustain life.
The Evidence of Astronomy
Similar to the fine-tuning of physics, Earth’s position in the universe and its intricately choreographed geological and chemical processes work together with exquisite efficiency to create a safe place for humans to live.
For example, astronomer Guillermo Gonzalez and science philosopher Jay Wesley Richards said it would take a star with the highly unusual properties of our sun — the right mass, the right light, the right age, the right distance, the right orbit, the right galaxy, the right location — to nurture living organisms on a circling planet. Numerous factors make our solar system and our location in the universe just right for a habitable environment.
What’s more, the exceptional conditions that make life possible also happen to make our planet strangely well-suited for viewing and analyzing the universe and our environment. All of this suggests our planet may be rare, if not unique, and that the Creator wanted us to be able to explore the cosmos.
“If the universe had not been made with the most exacting precision, we could never have come into existence,” said Harvard-educated astrophysicist John A. O’Keefe of NASA. “It is my view that these circumstances indicate the universe was created for man to live in.”
The Evidence of Biochemistry
Darwin said, “If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.” Biochemist Michael Behe has demonstrated exactly that through his description of “irreducibly complex” molecular machines.
These complicated, microscopic contraptions, such as cilia and bacterial flagella, are extremely unlikely to have been built piece-by-piece through Darwinian processes, because they had to be fully present in order to function. Other examples include the incredible system of transporting proteins within cells and the intricate process of blood clotting.
More than just a devastating challenge to Darwinism, these amazing biological systems which far exceed the capacity of human technology point toward a transcendent Creator. “My conclusion,” said Behe, “can be summed up in a single word: design. I say that based on science. I believe that irreducibly complex systems are strong evidence of a purposeful, intentional design by an intelligent agent.”
The Evidence of Biological Information
The six feet of DNA coiled inside every one of our body’s one hundred trillion cells contain a four-letter chemical alphabet that spells out precise assembly instructions for all the proteins from which our bodies are made. Cambridge-educated Stephen Meyer demonstrated that no hypothesis has come close to explaining how information got into biological matter by naturalistic means.
On the contrary, he said that whenever we find a sequential arrangement that’s complex and corresponds to an independent pattern or function such as books and computer code, this kind of information is always the product of intelligence.
“Information is the hallmark of a mind,” Meyer said. “And purely from the evidence of genetics and biology, we can infer the existence of a mind that’s far greater than our own — a conscious, purposeful, rational, intelligent designer who’s amazingly creative.”
The Evidence of Consciousness
Many scientists are concluding that the laws of chemistry and physics cannot explain our experience of consciousness. Professor J.P. Moreland defined consciousness as our introspection, sensations, thoughts, emotions, desires, beliefs and free choices that make us alive and aware. The “soul” contains our consciousness and animates our body.
According to a researcher who showed that consciousness can continue after a person’s brain has stopped functioning, current scientific findings “would support the view that ‘mind,’ ‘consciousness,’ or the ‘soul’ is a separate entity from the brain.”
As Moreland said, “You can’t get something from nothing.” If the universe began with dead matter having no conscious, “how, then, do you get something totally different — consciousness, living, thinking, feeling, believing creatures — from materials that don’t have that?” But if everything started with the mind of God, he said, “we don’t have a problem with explaining the origin of our mind.”
Science and Faith Don’t have to be AT ODDS with one another.
Students are praying all across America and the world. Millions have prayed for their schools at See You At The Pole. Many of these same students continue to pray through the year in groups on campus and at their church. Educators, youth leaders and parents are praying, including 100,000 mothers meeting regularly with Moms In Prayer groups.
Campus ministry begins with prayer. Through prayer God opens hearts, brings blessing to schools and changes lives. Prayer will literally transform the atmosphere on a campus. This generation of students will be reached with God’s love and truth as we pray.
Here are some ways to pray for your school:
Pray For Students…
Praise God for all that he is doing on campuses through Christian students.
Ask that Christian students will be strengthened in their faith in Christ, that they would be wise and serve others around them.
Ask that all students at your school would be protected and safe.
Pray that Christian students and teachers will minister to students who have physical, emotional and family needs.
Pray for unity on the campus among Christians and that together they will reach out to their school.
Pray that everyone on campus would have the opportunity to hear the gospel and clearly understand how to put his or her trust in Jesus.
Ask that students would come to know Christ personally and a spiritual movement would grow on the campus.
Pray for an atmosphere of respect and unity on campus, socially and racially.
Idea – pray for every student in your school by name. Simply take a yearbook and go through the classes, praying for each student. Make copies of the pages and share them with others in your prayer group. Pray for them often.
Pray For Educators…
Thank God for the many educators who honor God with their lives and faith.
Ask that God would give wisdom to the administrators, teachers and school board members, making God honoring decisions.
Pray that all school staff including teacher assistants, cooks, bus drivers and maintenance personnel would be encouraged in their work.
Pray that your school educators will experience the love and concern of Christ through Christian students and adults.
Ask that educators would come to know Christ personally and follow Him.
Idea – pray for every teacher, coach and administrator by name using your yearbook to remind you of who they are and what they do at the school.
Pray For Youth Leaders And Parents…
Praise God for parents who are praying for their children, and youth leaders who are investing daily in teens across America and the world.
Pray that families in your community would be restored by putting their faith in Jesus Christ.
Pray for wisdom for parents as they raise and guide their children.
Pray that youth leaders will be faithful and fruitful in the good work they do with youth.
Ask that youth leaders from churches and organizations will unite and reach out to every student by praying, caring and advancing the good news of Jesus.
Idea – make a list of all the youth leaders and pastors in your community and pray for them in your prayer group.
For more help, check out these resources:
Students go Claim Your Campus to begin a prayer group at your school.
Mom’s join with a Mom’s In Prayer group in your area, or begin one.
Internationally recognized praise band Planetshakers releases Rain Part 2 globally April 12 from Venture3Media (V3M). Available to preorder beginning today (April 5) at iTunes and Google Play, and to stream April 12 from Spotify, Apple Music and more, the new five-song digital EP from Planetshakers was recorded at Planetshakers Conferences in the Philippines and Malaysia in January and features over 29-minutes of music.
Beginning today (April 5), Planetshakers also releases the single “I Choose You” from Rain Part 2 to iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play and more digital and streaming outlets everywhere. The song, which is led by Joth Hunt (who also produced and mixed the EP), declares that God is the one to look to, no matter what the circumstances.
This theme is further carried in the Hunt-led “Only Way” single, which released last month, is featured on the new EP and became an encouragement to this multi-talented worship leader through his battle with cancer.
“God had me write that song a week before I knew this was going to happen. It was the perfect tool God helped me to use to declare victory over the situation,” says Joth, adding, “It’s easy to sing these songs week-to-week, but when you are actually going through it, these lyrics become more…they become an anthem.”
Forming for the first Planetshakers Conference in 1997, Australian Christian Worship band, Planetshakers is passionate to see generations worldwide unite together to worship God. Their heart is to see people encounter God, be transformed by his presence and empowered to make a difference in their world.
Hailing originally from Adelaide, the Planetshakers Band is now based in Melbourne at Planetshakers Church, under the leadership of Senior Pastors Russell and Sam Evans.
With over 20 internationally acclaimed albums, the band tours annually to the USA, UK, Europe, South Africa, South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Mission Trip to Medina Children’s Home in Medina, TX~ $115 Early Bird Registration – Must be paid in full by May 8, 2019 | $150 – Regular Registration – Closes on June 12, 2019 | $200 – Late registration – Closes on June 19, 2019
“Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12 NLT
WEEK ONE:
Because of the way middle schoolers’ brains are wired, it’s easier for them to see something outside of themselves than it is to see it inside of themselves. For example, it’s much easier for them to talk about the way they see others being underestimated than to actually share the ways in which they may be feeling or experiencing the same.
WEEK TWO:
For many kids in this phase, the struggle is not only to overcome those who underestimate them; it’s to overcome the ways in which they underestimate themselves as well! Middle schoolers are often paralyzed by fear of failure or embarrassment, causing them to hesitate in trying new things because they underestimate their ability to succeed.
WEEK THREE:
Having an older, wiser voice speak into the life of your middle schooler is a big deal. As they may tend to tune out your voice more and more as they move through middle school, they’ll be tuning their ears to other voices around them, making who they spend time with all the more important in this phase.
Parent Resources 