My wife and I have been the Youth Leaders at our church for almost three years. We are a smaller church, so of course or youth group is small. (about 10 kids) I do have to say that I am extremely proud of the kids! We start out with worship, which one or two of the kids lead, and then I talk for about 20 mins. After that we go into ministry.
The Hot Seat:
For ministry, we ask who needs prayer. The kids aren't shy and will ask when they need it. We then move in to position. We seat the one needing prayer in a chair while the rest of us sit around them. We lay hands on their shoulders, feet or hands and start praying. We ask God to show each of us a picture or give us a word for the person in the hot seat. As the words or pictures come to us, we relay the message to the person. My wife usually writes everything down for the person to take back to God and check to see if what we felt we heard was right or not. Every single time we pray, you can feel the presence of God in the room and the one receiving prayer is blessed beyond the struggle they're facing. Many of the kids want prayer just so they can receive a word from The Lord!
Jesus is so faithful and will always speak! The youth have become accustom to hearing His voice and now have the courage to speak what they hear. They often come to youth group with testimonies of how they got to pray for a friend and bless them!
Some people write off the youth as a lazy, distracted group that can't go into the depths of God but thats not the case! These kids show that God speaks to any of us who believe and come to Him! God is good to us!!
You have found something good. Holy Spirit was always with us, ready to do amazing things for God's Glory and because He loves us as members of the Father's family. The reality is the kids you speak of are already mature in their faith! God's Power is made perfect in "weakness". The most "RADICAL" and CRAZY" Christians are the realists! JESUS WAS PRETTY "RADICAL". Holy Spirit will guide this training of young leaders! I want to leave scripture here.
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1Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life.
2I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready,
3for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?
4When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world?
5After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us.
6I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.
7It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow.
8The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.
9For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.
10Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.
11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.
12Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw.
13But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value.
14If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward.
15But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.
16Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in
d you?
17God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
18Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise.
19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say,
“He traps the wise
in the snare of their own cleverness.”
20And again,
“The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise;
he knows they are worthless.”
21So don’t boast about following a particular human leader. For everything belongs to you—
22whether Paul or Apollos or Peter, or the world, or life and death, or the present and the future. Everything belongs to you,
23and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God."
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13When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
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14“Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”
15Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah,
d the Son of the living God.”
17Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.
18Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’),
f and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.
19And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”
20Then he sternly warned the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah."
Peter was known by the world's wisdom for his "little faith" but Jesus loved him so dearly for it. These words did not ONLY apply to Peter because God shows no partiality. He is a God of Justice. They apply to everyone in the family of Christ. Matthew 14:22-34
Lastly, this is why it is written:
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1About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”
2Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them.
3Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.
4So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
5“And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.
6But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.
7“What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.
8So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet.
9And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.
10“Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father."
The cutting off I feel does not reference physical cutting, but separation of members of the entire bodies of Christ and the ill influence they may have on our personal walk of FAITH between US and JESUS. We are united but there is division because we all have a function to perform according to the Corinthians and more elaboration in many other Scriptures.
I will end with this Scripture. "Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path." Psalm 119:105
May you ALL continue to grow as God causes you to grow in the prophetic words and other spiritual gifts that await. Spending time with the Father is the best way so we can share what we have found with others! Matthew 7:7 Double sevens!! Good number in Gods Word!
(Don't allow the world to disqualify what you have found Colossians 2:6-23 they WILL try but it will be in vain). Say Hi to the children for me!
GODSPEED!
