Hi all,

Its the last Sunday of the year. I am guessing its a good time to MAKE(FORCE) the youths think and reflect about the past year and new resolutions they want to make for the new year ahead.

Reflections

1. Relationship with God

Thanksgiving (Faithful God, Schoolwork, Family etc.)
QT?
Prayer plays an important role in communicating with God
Grown in maturity?
Any sin hindering the blessings from flowing?

2. Relationships/Friendships

Confessions
Grudges
Hatred
Disrespect / Dishonoring parents
Bullied/ Mistreated
etc...

Thank God for being a merciful and gracious God. Pray that God will continue to empower you and fill you up with the Holy Spirit.

Pray for God's strength to forgive and let go. If bullied or mistreated, remember that God will judge them when the time comes. We are not in the position to judge them (Romans 2:1-3 , James 4:11-12).

3. School (not that impt i think)

Anything to share? Up to you all

Resolutions (Yesss..this is the serious and most sian part but try to not make it so sian)

Pen it down. Pin it up somewhere..

Can use the same 3 headers as reflections.
(Point 1 is the most impt) -- Make the youths make a pact with God on the various things they wanna improve in this area. We as leaders can be their accountable to them and encourage them along the way.

Pray for God's strength to remain disciplined in changing for the better. Definitely there will be times where we may stumble but just know that God will never leave you nor forsake you. He will always be there in times of trials and tribulations.

Pray for the new phase in life too..moving on to JC, Poly or maybe sec 5..

Hi all.. we will not be starting on TE tmr. Instead we will have a short intro to this whole evangelism series that the church is doing.

Firstly, maybe we can ask them to share a high and a low abt their week. Could be exams (prolly the most common sharing) so ask them to share something else besides this as well. Like how they experienced God the past week thru exams. Some will not be comfortable in opening up and sharing more than the basic sharings they share weekly.

Secondly, ask them what are several fears that makes them hesitate and not evangelise to their friends. Ask them also what do they not like about  evangelism as well.

Finally, we can explain the theme verse of this series (1 corinthians 3:6). Evangelism is not a man-centred but a Christ-centred thing. Team evangelism is also different from solo-based evangelism. Maybe you can ask them what are the various differences. The main reasons why we want to cultivate team evangelism is to equip everyone in relational evangelism. 5 reasons why we wanna reach out as a small grp
1) small group is non threatening. Many pre believers feel intimidated by church buildings or large scale church events. Rather we can invite them to a small grp outing for pure enjoyment and company sake.
2) small grp provides intimacy. We are able to relate to them in a more personal level.
3) Support for grp members. Every member in the team will have different personalities(we will learn it in the weeks to come) and these different strengths we have can balance out our weaknesses.
4) small group is where pre believers can discover more. A small group environment can be a place where pre believers can experience more abt God's love and know more abt our christian faith.
5) Small group is the place to nurture new believers naturally. After the pre believer receives Christ, the small group will naturally become a support group for new believers in spiritual growth.

Thats abt it for now. There is alot to say but I shall take it slow. Sorry its a bit late. I really didnt lnow what to prepare so here is the best summmary I can give yall. Cya tmr!

God Bless,
Rayner

Hello Peeps,

We will be starting on a new series on Team Evangelism this week onward. All of you should have the book and the Leader's Manual (some photocopied booklet). If you all don't have it then you can approach me to get a copy of it.

I believe the material is sufficient for your weekly preparations for the lesson so i don't think its necessary to upload any lesson plan for now. Trust that you all will read it through at least the day before as there are some questions that require some reflection so in case the youths have nothing to say you have some points to spark their lazy brains. If there is anything you all wanna share to all the leaders you can put on the whatsapp group and I can put it on the blog.

For this Sunday, since the youths are in the midst of their O Levels, the lesson don't need to be too in depth and draggy. Set aside time for sharing and prayer for the new week of exams and also to thank God for the past week and to commit the results into His hands. Thats all. Bye

God Bless,
Rayner

Greetings,

Ignore the previous posting..i have never blogged in my life so I was just testing out how to use this.

Anyways, just to update for tmr's lesson, we will take a break from John for a while as the youths are facing their O Levels (N levels are over already). I suggest we dedicate tmr's session to prayer and sharing. I think for this time round, its up to the leaders to lead their individual small groups. But some suggestions to pray/share about would be 1) Time management 2) Exam stress 3) Sufficient Rest 4) Committing their fears and troubles to God 5) Distractions.

We all know that prayer is impt and the best way to communicate to God. So best is to ask the kids to be specific and precise in their sharings.

Some verses:

Encouragement: Psalm 55:22, Psalm 46:1-3, Matthew 11:28-29

Stress: Psalm 86:7, 2 Thessalonians 3:16

Mugging: 1 Corinthians 15:58, Colossians 3:23-24, Philippians 4:13

Worry: Philippians 4:6-7, Deuteronomy 31:8

Okay that is about it. Be a positive influence during this intensive period!

God Bless,
Rayner

test test

Heyyy all!!!

It’s a super summary all the way until John 16: 5-15. J

Feel free to cut the lesson short to spend time praying with the youths (the lesson is quite long. I apologize). I can imagine their stress and worry levels to be TOO DARN HIGH right about now.

In fact, let them list down their goals and hopes on a piece of paper and pray with each of them for each and every individual subject if possible. We should support them with prayer, as I firmly believe that grades are really God’s grace (seriously). Teaching them to entrust everything to God and really let go is something I hope the youths will learn during this time.


Key point of today’s lesson (John 16:5-15) -
3 Ministries of the Spirit
(Conviction of the world, Enlightenment, Glorification of Jesus)
Lesson adapted and paraphrased from Dr Constable’s notes


John 15:18-26

Recap + Summary of John 15

Jesus had discussed the Father’s unity with the Son, the Son’s unity with His disciples, and the disciples unity with one another earlier.

In v18-26, He addresses the disciples’ relationship to the world. In sum-

1) He warns the disciples that they will be hated by the world. Why? Because the world is evil (John 7:7) and because they choose to follow Jesus, who is not of this world and whom the world rejects. The disciples have been called to live out God’s will and purpose and not live for themselves.

2) Jesus promises the Spirit of truth, which will bear witness that Jesus is the Son of God (which came on the day of Pentecost). This spirit empowers the disciples to testify their long association and intimate knowledge of Jesus. And we are called to do likewise.
John 16

v1-4

Understand that John 15, especially towards the end was kind of like a warning to prepare His disciples. Jesus then explains in v1-4 the reasons why He was telling the disciples these things.

1) To keep us strong in the Faith, that the events won’t take us by surprise (v1)
2) Rejection from the world, even among those who “love God” but never really knew God or Jesus (v2-3)
3) Though the disciples might not understand it now, but when the time comes, they will remember and take heart.

John 16: 5-15
Finally we move out of super summary and head to our focus =D It might help to read the whole thing through once, then read the chunks of verses again as we go through them.

V5-7

The disciples were sad that Jesus was leaving them. Jesus was actually telling them that they don’t know how “good” it would be that He leaves. Well you know the story after that. Plus His death (John 3:16) would also mean the indwelling presence of God’s Spirit (Jer 31:33-34)

V8-9

Here Jesus describes the conviction of the Holy Spirit of sin, God’s righteousness and judgement. Before Pentecost, this conviction comes from the OT and John the Baptist and Jesus and his disciples.


What does “convict” mean?
- Showing someone his or her sin with a view to securing repentance


The Spirit does not just accuse people of sin, but stresses the need for God upon them. This acknowledgement of our sinful nature and understanding of our need for God and Jesus is a prerequisite for salvation (John 3:16). This sin of unbelief is what separates the Christians from the Non-Christians, separates belief in Jesus and the unbelievers.

V10

Righteousness here refers to truly righteous conduct and standing before God, hence “God’s”. Once again, it is different from the inferior standard the world has. The Spirit would convict the world of its false “righteousness” and move them to instead seek out the true righteousness that Jesus provides- the standard for God’s acceptance.

V11

Satan had been judged at the Cross (John 12:31). Since the ruler of the world stands condemned, his children can expect the same treatment unless they believe in Jesus.

V12-13

Well, just understand that the Spirit of Truth is our guide. His words come from the Father, just like Jesus.

V14-15

Interestingly here the Spirit is revealed as the one who will “unpack” the significances of what Jesus had taught and done. Thus the Spirit is the one that reveals the secrets of Jesus’ word and the Bible to us. He convicts us of our sins, guides us on the paths we should walk and also teaches and works in our minds to perceive, understand and teach about the Savior. Think this way- the Spirit is like our tuition teacher, bringing us more indepth into the lessons that our teacher (Jesus) taught and going beyond the syllabus (what is plainly written) to help us understand the subject better. (what a painful analogy. Haha..) But also, the Spirit glorifies Jesus and points people to Jesus.

Therefore, in summary, the Spirit has 3 ministries-
1) Convict the world (v8-11), enlighten the disciples (and also us) (v12-13), and to glorify Jesus (v14-15).

John 15:1-17
Overview: A center piece of Chirst’s Teaching in his ministry. Jesus outlines the core of our faith:
Jesus, His Love and God’s Glory, and what it means to be a Christian.

(Read the text once before going into the details?)
Exposition:
v.1-4: Jesus contrasts the outcome of His followers against those that are not. Distinguishing them as the ones who “remain/abide in [him]” and “bear fruit”. While some of us may be familiar with the idea of Jesus abiding in us as the word abiding in our hearts, note that in v.4, the call is for us to remain in him, not that we help him to remain in us.

Why the fuss? You may ask, while we may be clearer as to what it means to have Christ abide in us, I believe that the rest of this narrative goes on to outline what it means for us to remain in Jesus. So the open question right now is: What does it mean to abide in Jesus?

v.5-6: A repetition of v.1-2 (remember that repetition is the Greek replacement for !s), Jesus fills in the details he mentioned in v.3-4 into the analogy used in v.1-2. That unless we remain in Jesus, we cannot bear fruit, “for apart from me you can do nothing (v.5)”. Therefore, anyone who does not abide in him (will be unable to bear fruit) and is thrown away … (v.6).

v.7: “perks” of being Jesus’ disciple (there’s a lot more to this, but we’ll come back to this later)

v.8: Important haha: The Glory of God is that we bear much fruit and so prove to be His disciple. The very nature of God, the purpose of our being, the divine mystery is being revealed here. That to Glorify God is to bear fruit.

v.9-10: Jesus brings us back to the question in v4, so what does it mean to “abide in his love (v.9)”? The answer flows naturally in v.10 keep his commandments. We’ll be examining the commandments later.

v.11: Before he outlines his commandments, Jesus reveals to us that not only is the above discussion important for our salvation (thrown into the fire or not), but it is also important for our joy, that we may be above to receive from the vine a full portion of joy.

v.12-13: The answer to the question in v8. The command needs not further explanation, except maybe to highlight that the love here is agape. Yet if we begin to put the pieces together, we’ll realize that we are all pretty much doomed. To love one another unconditionally and to lay our lives down for one another is a tall order, an impossible one at that.

v.14-16: As we read of the elevation of our status in 14-15, we can’t help but to be focused on the predicament we’re stuck on in v.12-13. It is my hope and my prayer that v.16 is the conviction and affirmation that you need. That Jesus, the lamb that was slain, the alpha and omega, have appointed us to go bear fruit – not fruits that will perish away, but fruit that will last/abide. So that whatever you ask the Father in Jesus’ Name, it may be granted. I hope you can see that the promise in v.7 is not just a perk from being Jesus’ disciple, but rather that it is integral and necessary for us to bear fruit. That without this promise, we will never live up to the standards in v.12-13. That v.7 is the source of our peace too.

v.17: These things I commanded you (these commands that outlines what it means to abide in Jesus), so that you will love one other (that we may bear much fruit, to love one another abundantly, to have the full portion of joy and to have the peace that comes from assurance from God).


Summary:

Yes the centerpiece of this passage is that the Glory of God, the Path to Salvation, the Source of Joy is that we submit to Jesus’ commandment in v.12-13, to love (agape) one another unconditionally. Before we write off this passage as “just another call to love one another”, what we need to realize is how impossible it is for us to do that. That without the promise in v.7 (the promise of divine intervention), we are pretty much doomed to destruction by fire.

Yet to claim the promise in v.7 needs the faith to believe, the courage to hope, that we may finally produce the love that we so desperately lack. For sharing, we can share about the ones we find difficult to love in our lives, why is it particularly difficult and commit all these in prayer, claiming the promise in v.7. That promise of God is greater than our hatred and apathy, that we will love not just for one another but because it brings Glory to God.


God Bless,
Zhan Feng

Before we start on the Chapter proper, we have to go back to Chapter 13 verses 36 to 38 where Simon Peter said to Him, ‘ Lord, where are you going’, because Jesus has just told them He is going to a place where they cannot follow. In fact, look at verse 33, “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for Me, and just as I told the Jews, now I also say to you, Where I am going you cannot come.” Imagine being a disciple then and listening to what Jesus had just said. Being a disciple, they had totally cast their lot with Him for approximately the last 3.5 years. What was Jesus saying? Besides this, the disciples were also more interested in listening to Jesus talk about the Kingdom but they could not comprehend when Jesus talked about the suffering He was going to go through in the near future. Something was terribly wrong and ominous but the disciples could not fully understand what was Jesus talking about. It is no wonder why the hearts of the disciples were so troubled. We move on to Chapter 14 nownow.

There are 6 assurances that can be brought out of this chapter.
1. Assurance of Heaven
2. Assurance of knowing the Father
3. Assurance of Prayer
4. Assurance of the Holy Spirit
5. Assurance of the Father’s Love
6. Assurance of God’s peace in this world
Ill combine the 6 points into 3. (Rayner‘s edition).

1) Assurance of Heaven

Verses 1 to 4

Heaven in the bible is known as :
Eternal Kingdom - 2 peter 1:11
inheritance - 1 peter 1:4
A better country / City - hebrews 11:16
Home - John 14:12

We must be reminded that earth is not our home. Therefore must not be too comfortable at this present moment. We know Christ therefore we are no longer a citizen of this world. according to the scriptures we are a 'exile', a 'sojourner', a 'stranger'. Therefore we should walk with anticipation and realise that there should only be 2 days in our calender and it should be today and the day we meet Jesus. However we do not know when that day will come. This means that our today ought to be lived in the light of that day. So, instead of saying that we are so heavenly-minded that we are of no earthly good, actually, the more heavenly-minded we are, the more we relish and cherish the opportunities of this present time. God may provide you with situations you never know what it will
look like. It could be a friend who wants to know more about Christianity after observing how you live your life or even struggles faced in life. These become opportunity times. In Revelation 21: 4-5, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. And He who sits on the throne says, ‘Behold, I am making all things new’. He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true’.” Therefore, there is the assurance that our Home is where all our problems shall fade away.

2) Assurance of knowing the Father and the Assurance of prayer
Verses 5 – 14
#Verse 6 is the verse that everybody talks about so I trust the youths know it well enough. I shall focus more on other aspects of this segment.
Verse 8 shows Philip’s response to what Jesus had said. It shows his desire to know the Father. Do we have that same burning passion to know Him more each day or are we too busy and carried away with our hectic schedules and social lives?
There are 4 levels of ‘knowing’ in the Gospel. The first level of knowing is just knowing the basic facts. The second level of knowing is understanding the truth behind that fact. The third level of knowing is believing in a person. The fourth level of knowing is the one that John stresses and the one Paul had in mind when he said, “That I may know Him in the power of His resurrection.” It is also what Jesus had in mind in our verses 19 through 23 which will be covered later. This whole segment can be summarised in 1 statement- The better we know Jesus, the better we know the Father.
The assurance of prayer can also be found in this segment. Verses 12 – 14. Especially v13, 14 – “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” Prayer is basically a mode of communication to God but it is also a way to commune with God in our deepest selves, and it is an opportunity for us to really know Him. Besides this, we are able to commit to God whatever anxiety or hardships we face in our lives. Refer to Philippians 4:6-7. Worrying is never a solution during such times.

3) Assurance of the Holy Spirit/ Assurance of the Father’s love/ Assurance of God’s peace in this world

a) Assurance of the Holy Spirit
Verses 15-21
God gave us the Spirit of Truth. Refer to 1st Corinthians 6:19-20. It tells us that our body is now the temple of the Holy Spirit. In other words, our spirit is communing with His Spirit. Therefore, do not harm your body by smoking, heavy drinking, drugs, sexual immorality etc etc as it is dishonouring to God.


b) Assurance of the Father’s love
Verses 23-24
v21 is a very powerful verse. What we can take home form this verse is that if we love Jesus, we will do what He asks us to do. If we know Jesus, we will know that what He asks us to do is to the best of our interests. Notice in verse 23, notice Jesus uses the ‘We’ instead of He. The ‘We’ here refers to the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

c) Assurance of God’s peace in this world
Verses 25 – 31
Verses 26 is a promise of inscripturation. Verse 26 talks about 2 kinds of peace. The worldly kind of peace and the spiritual peace. The world bases its peace on resources and the absence of trouble. However the spiritual peace is based on relationships. Spiritual peace is also experienced through trials because of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Verse28, 29, Jesus clearly knew what was going to happen to Him and what He had to fulfil on earth. Verse 30,31 - Jesus describes 2 enemies. The devil and the world in which Jesus had overcame. Therefore we must be vigilant and believe in the truth (Bible) and that it is only in Christ alone that we can yield true peace in this world.
The End

#Covering until John 14, we realise that Jesus was actually talking about His love, His joy and His peace in which the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to give us.

Done by: Rayner

Jesus the servant leader

Takeaway Point: Jesus modeled the way for us to live, he had full knowledge of his worth in God and because of that he came down from the heavens to serve and love us all.

Jesus's Farewell Message to His disciples. He added the most important "action section" to His message when he washed his disciple's feet.

Read 13:1-17 Humility, Jesus and the Father (v1-5)

Background: We can read this in Matt 21-25. Jesus entered Jerusalem on Sunday and had cleansed the temple on Monday. Tuesday was a day of conflict as the religious leaders sought to trip him up to get evidence to arrest him. Wednesday was probably a day of rest and on Thursday he met with his disciples in the upper room to observe passover.

The emphasis in v1-3 was what the Lord knew and in 3-5 was what the Lord did. Jesus knew specifically that "the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father." Jesus was very specific about time and more specifically about "the hour" it began as he talked about 2:4 "Mine hour is not yet come" and later 12:23 "The hour has come that the Son of man should be glorified" and here 13:1 "the hour had come for him". This specific hour pointed to the time in which he would be glorified through his death, resurrection and ascension.

 v3 "Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God" this knowledge helped to determine the things he did in v4-5.

How do we know that?
Keyword here in v4 is "so" v4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.This indicated that it was an act that followed from the knowledge Jesus had in v3.

As aforementioned, Jesus knew that his time on earth was running out and yet out of all the things he could have done he chose to wash the feet of his disciples. Let us take a moment to think about the gravity of this act and how important it must have been! Get the youths to also ponder about this and ask them why they think that this was so significant and what they thought Jesus was trying to show or achieve by this act? 

Background: Walking in sandals on the filthy roads of Palestine in the first century made it imperative that feet be washed before a communal meal, especially since people reclined at a low table and feet were very much in evidence. When Jesus rose from the table and began to wash the feet of the disciples, He was actually doing the work of the lowliest of servants. Even Jewish servants at that time might not wash the feet of their masters, only perhaps the Gentiles slaves might do so. Jesus was a Jew, He was also their Lord and Master!

The disciples must have been stunned at this act of humility, that Christ, their Lord and master, should wash the feet of His disciples, when it was their proper work to have washed His. But then again we should not be surprised because when Jesus came to earth the first time, He came not as a conquering King, instead he came as the suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. As He revealed in Matt 20:28 He came “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The humility expressed by His act with towel and basin foreshadowed His ultimate act of humility and love on the cross.

Jesus also knew that there was this competitive spirit in the hearts of His disciples.We know this because they had just been recently arguing among themselves as to which of them was the greatest in Luke 22:24. It would never have occurred to them to wash one another’s feet as they found themselves so caught up in trying to prove their worth. When the Lord Himself stooped to this lowly task, they were stunned.He gave them an unforgettable lesson in humility and by His actions he rebuked their selfishness and pride. The more you think about this scene and Jesus's act of humility the more meaningful it gets. We see that Paul also referenced this imagery when he was talking about humility, in Phil 2:1-16 and also in 1 Peter 5:5.

Often we might confuse the poor in spirit (Matt 5:23) with the poor-spirited and true humility with inferiority and timidity. This is aptly described in The Screwtape Letters by C.S Lewis, where Screwtape is trying to get his nephew Wordwood to fix in the patient's mind that humility consists in trying to believe those talents to be less valuable than he believes. Then we remember the source of Christ's humility, that it was not out of poverty but from the riches that God had given him in v3 and also seen in 2 Cor 8:9. A Malay proverb says, “The fuller the ear is of rice-grain, the lower it bends.”

It is remarkable how the Gospel of John reveals the humility of our Lord even while magnifying His deity: “The Son can do nothing of Himself” (John 5:19, 30). “For I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will” (John 6:38). “My doctrine is not Mine” (John 7:16). “And I seek not Mine own glory” (John 8:50). “The word which ye hear is not Mine” (John 14:24). His ultimate expression of humility was His death on the cross.

We must always remember that Jesus was the Sovereign, yet He took the place of a servant. He had all things in His hands, yet He picked up a towel. He was Lord and Master, yet He served His followers.True humility grows out of our relationship with the Father. If our desire is to know and do the Father’s will so that we might glorify His name, then we will experience the joy of following Christ’s example and serving others.

We today, just like the disciples that night, desperately need this lesson on humility. The church is filled with a worldly spirit of competition and criticism as believers vie with one another to see who is the greatest in various aspects of worship, prayer and even service! We might be growing in knowledge, but not in grace (2 Peter 3:18). “Humility is the only soil in which the graces root,” wrote Andrew Murray. “The lack of humility is the sufficient explanation of every defect and failure.” Jesus served His disciples because of His humility and because of His love. Contrast John 13:1 with 1:11 and 3:16: Jesus came “unto His own [world], and His own [people] received him not.” “For God so loved the world.” In the Upper Room, Jesus ministered in love to His own disciples, and they received Him and what He had to say. The Greek text says, “He loved them to the uttermost.”

I guess as leaders, it is also good for us to reflect on how we as leaders have model after Christ in the way we lead our youths. If we say we love them like Christ said he loved us, how then are we acting upon this declaration of love? I hope that you guys would be able to think and pray about ways in which God has placed upon your heart to show love to your youths. I pray that God would use this simple act of obedience to further his kingdom and glorify his name.

 As for the youths, get them to think of their identity in Christ. Do they believe what Christ believed in v3 that we belong solely to the Father and that we are returning to be with him when Christ comes again? From that what are some action steps in which they can take in the following week/month/year? Get them to share in a smaller group with a leader(facilitate them to share) and then pair them up to pray for one another. Have a blessed week ahead!

 Are we crafting our week in such a way that we are living breathing eating and studying for the Lord? May the spirit fill us so that it would be an overflow from the relationship that we have with Father God.

Hey Leaders,

I was thinking about what to do this sunday for lesson time. Cause we have finished the current book of John.  One option is games (its a logical choice cause all the other levels have outings and games) Another option is to allow some groups to finish the lessons they are lagging behind in.

As i was thinking. I asked myself what is the one thing we should be focusing on, in this ministry. I came to the conclusion that it is about us as a community experiencing God together. How we are always praying and sharing the joy that God has placed in our hearts to our kids. Not cause we are leaders, but rather cause we are also children of God and we want our kids to experience that same joy that we feel as well.

This week God has shown me, break through after break through of how he will release people from the underlying hurts, chains of sin and walls of pride. As such that they can come to enjoy him. I think many of our youths are still admiring God and do not know that they can both admire and enjoy him. I dont know how many of them enjoy their time with the Lord.

Sooo it is my hope and prayer that we should always be pressing towards that goal. That one day, our kids will experience way more (abundantly more) than what we enjoy today. Oh ofcourse that we dont be contented with what we have and greedily ask God for more intimacy with him.


This is the flow im thinking of.

1) worship (10 mins) (3 songs)

2) personal time with the lord. They can go where ever they want in acjc. Material will be given ( 30 mins)

3) Sharing and praying for one another.  The youths will be paired together (15 mins) (no leaders)

4) praying for individuals, leaders will pray for the youths (10 mins)

5) Close in worship (2 songs)

6) Pizza at the canteen, more sharing about the materials and the youths' lives with the leaders.

Sounds good?

1. God might work contrary to ways we expect but we must still acknowledge His is the sovereign Lord that knows all things.
2. We must choose to fear God and not men and remain faithful as workers.

v6 Note to how Judas feigned caring for the poor. Judas cared for no one but himself and used the poor to cover his greed. Selfishness and pride are most evil sins. Judas loved the world and the things of the world.
Hence we are clearly told to do otherwise in (1 John 2:15)


Jesus’s response to Judas: Philip's name was Greek and he was from Galilee the area of Israel where Greek culture prevailed and their language spoken. These were Gentiles who believed God and surely had studied the Old Testament. They too knew of the promises concerning the Messiah and the promised kingdom. They came wanting to inquire of Jesus personally about His being the Messiah. Philip told Andrew of the Greeks inquiry and they both went to Jesus.  Jesus' response revealed what was about to happen. He responded with the illustration of a grain of wheat, stating if the seed did not fall into the ground and die it would not produce fruit. Clearly, He was speaking of Himself. The Greeks may have, like the Jews, thought that Jesus was presenting Himself as the civil Redeemer of Israel who would conquer the Romans. However, Jesus did not speak of His forming an army or beginning a great civil conquest, but rather that He would soon die. Those that would follow and serve Him, He said if they loved their life they would lose it, and if they lost their life for His sake they would find it. 


What does it mean for us then?
As children of God we are all like seeds. They might seem small and insignificant but they have life in them, God’s life. However, that life cannot be fulfilled unless we yield ourselves to him and permit him to “plant” us. In order to do that we must first die to ourselves and live unto Him (Gal 2:20). Jesus is therefore challenging us to surrender our lives to him today so that we can be used mightily by our master.
 
Read John 12:37-50


NLT version:
The Unbelief of the People
³⁷ But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in him. ³⁸ This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted:
“Lord, who has believed our message?
    To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?”^[a]
39 But the people couldn’t believe, for as Isaiah also said,
⁴⁰ “The Lord has blinded their eyes
    and hardened their hearts—
so that their eyes cannot see,
    and their hearts cannot understand,
and they cannot turn to me
    and have me heal them.”^[b]
41 Isaiah was referring to Jesus when he said this, because he saw the future and spoke of the Messiah’s glory. ⁴² Many people did believe in him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. ⁴³ For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.
Footnotes:

So do you personally believe that Jesus is the Messiah? How would you respond to your friends / family / co workers who are skeptical about your experience with God? 


Even Jesus had to deal with skeptics, despite the fact that he had performed many miracles some people would not believe that he was the messiah. But as John writes, Isaiah predicted that people would not believe. This is hard to imagine since Jesus had just performed one of the most amazing miracles in the previous chapter which was raising Lazarus from the dead. We have to understand that there would just be some people who would never believe even though the facts might be undeniable. 


So as we know that skepticism towards Jesus’s identity has always been the rule and not the exception. Most people that we speak to might not believe our witness about Christ. But does that mean we should not speak about him? Did Jesus stop preaching to the people or healing when they did not think he was the Messiah and was criticizing him in all that he was doing? In the same way, we must learn to be like him, to be faithful to the task his father set out for him regardless how the people responded.