I've been taking a course for this last term called "Leadership Academy". In it we've done things like, make presentations on a book we read for the class, or writing essays about this book on leadership. One of the big assignments of this course is for two separate teams to organize and run some sort of ministry event. It could be any kind of event, as long as it was ministry/ outreach. And this week was "Mission Week", the week when we're to run our events.
My group did a youth event that we called "United". It was the plan to get multiple youth groups and to bring them together as the Body of Christ. Sadly, we weren't the most organized when it came to advertising so we only had 2 full youth groups come, and a couple of kids who came without a youth group.
The point was to break down the barriers between who goes to which church and possibly denominational barriers as well. But since we didn't have that many youth groups, and I don't know that there were many barriers like that, it turned almost into, what should we as the body of Christ be doing.
The thing that brought the kids in was a giant games night, but I did a short talk in the middle of the night. At first I got really repetitive, trying to gather my thoughts and get my words to make some sort of reasonable concept. I ended up getting some divine creativity (I can't take credit, because my own thoughts definitely weren't making sense) and getting some volunteers to form a chain. I told them each to come up with a dance move(and each was unique), then tap the person on their left. They could only start dancing after they've been tapped. So we ran through this a couple of times, then I took one kid out of the chain at the end.
I told them that a lot of times, as young Christians, we can think that we're the end of the line; that we can just go to church and get all of this wisdom and Jesus, but we don't have to pass anything on. Cuz if we're at the end of the line, then it's not really affecting anybody, right?
I put the kid at the end back in the chain and then took out the second person in the chain. I told the first girl to start dancing and carry on like normal. Of course, with the second person out of the chain, the dancing stopped with the first person. I told the kids that if the disciples had just taken in what Jesus had told them, but didn't share that with anybody, nobody would have Jesus today. I reminded the kids of the "Great Commission" where Jesus tells his disciples to go out and make more disciples and teach them what He had taught them.
I told the kids that they are not at the end of the chain. I told them that as a part of the body of Christ, we have a responsibility to share what we've been told about Jesus, otherwise, the chain really will end with us. I told them that each person has a gift, whether seen or unseen, and it is their responsibility to use their gifts for Christ and that will be used to advance the Kingdom of Heaven and grow the Body of Christ.
I then put the second person back into the chain and told them to start the dance chain again. They continued down the line until it got to the last person. The person on the end was about to stop but I told him "Hey, don't let the Good News stop! Pass it on!" so he tapped me and I then went to the kids in the crowd and tapped them until almost everyone had joined the chain of dancing people; passing on the Good News about Jesus!
It was a powerful example and visual about how we need to continue to share Jesus with people. How we can't let the line end with us just because we didn't feel like sharing, or didn't feel like we could help. Everyone can and should get involved in sharing the Good News about Christ and His love for us! There is no gift or person too small to be used by God. Just as a hundred pennies add up to make a dollar (or pound for my British friends), a hundred people using even just a little of their gifts to serve God can be multiplied. And one thing I've found that it doesn't usually add up like 2 and 2 is 4 in God's Kingdom. It's often 2 and 2 is 6 or even more! God can do incredible things with you; all He needs is your obedience. God told me a while back that we were not created to be idle worshipers. We were made to be ACTIVE in our worship to God. Praise God!
So while the event turned out great and we did get youth groups to get together for a night, I think this message from God was one of my big highlights of the evening. I may have been the one giving the message, but I was only the messenger. I asked God at the beginning of the night to speak what He wants through me, and I truly believe that He did. Praise God!
Please pray that these kids take this message to heart. I believe that a group of 20 kids who are on fire for God and use what they have at their disposal for His purposes can change a nation. We keep praying for revival in Wales, but I think getting out of a place of apathy can be a great first step!
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