Sunday 19th July, 2020
This week was groundbreaking in our Zoom meeting with Zone as we were able to successfully share a video with good sound and visual quality! Check out the video with Laura from Youth for Christ.
We then spent some time considering what activities we fill our time with in the week-we seem to get quite busy even in lockdown. We went into break out rooms to discuss further what ways we may try to try to come closer to Jesus.
Psalms 51 v 15-17
Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.
Sacrifices for sin and offerings for different things were required in the law of Moses. David would have been bringing things like bulls, goats etc. for the priests to sacrifice on his behalf before God. But he knew he could not cover up his sin, he knew that just following and conforming to the rules would not make him right with God. He knew God could see his heart and God wanted him to repent. Because God wants our love, he wants all that we have to offer, because he created us. He is not fooled by ritual and routine-he sees our hearts desires.
Others may be fooled by our rituals or routines, we may look good to those around us-“Oh they have read their Bible today, they must be walking closely with God. They attended a prayer meeting, they must be walking closely with God”. These things are great, don’t get me wrong, but they are not the “thing”.
The thing is a friendship with Jesus, a desire to know him, to grow in his ways, to be obedient. The thing, as the woman at the Well discovers is Jesus-his presence, the Holy spirit who will give life giving water. A transformation, being born again.
John 4 account happens really soon after John 3 v5-7 (read) where Jesus has a conversation with Nicodemus about being born again-being born of spirit and water. It’s not a coincidence that the account of the woman at the well follows in the next chapter. The writer is trying to help us to connect this altogether, this new understanding.
Take a look at John 15 “The vine and branches” explains it a bit more about this connected relationship with Jesus, the father and holy spirit.
Response time: turn off videos, sit quietly, listen to this song “Nothing Else”. Ask God to speak with you during this song. Afterwards if there is anything you want to share about what the experience was like, did you hear God say anything to you that you want to share you can unmute or add in the chat.
Homework task: record activity and opportunities you have had with God in the week
Sunday 17rd May, 2020
Faith over Feelings: Guilt and Shame
Qu: What thoughts or images come to mind when we hear the word guilt? Or the word shame?
Responses included: doing wrong, punishment, sickness feeling in stomach, head hung low and looking at the floor.
Guilt and shame are powerful emotions that can prevent us from moving forward in life. Guilt is associated with something we have done wrong. There are things in the Bible which God says are wrong and these are called sin. So if we were to think about the 10 commandments in Exodus there are clear things that God wants us to do. If we don’t do them, we are disobeying God and disobedience is a sin. So I am guessing there are many of us who have sinned, actually I know all of us have because in the Bible it says “All have sinned, and all have fallen short of the glory of God” Romans 3 v 23.
On the whiteboard use the “text” and write things which you may have done that you know are wrong (Sin). No one is going to know who has written what.
Qu: How did you know that what you had done was wrong? There was some discussion about moral consciousness and cultural norms,
Qu: Was there ever an occasion that you needed to be told that something you had done was wrong because you hadn’t known it was wrong? I wonder whether the Hebrews, when God gave them the 10 commandments knew these things were wrong already, or they had to be told?
Guilt is a right response to doing something wrong. It is an emotion that lets us know we are out of line and we need to do something to make it better. However, we don’t always choose to make it better; especially if it means being honest with someone. We may be worried what they may think of us. We may feel really ashamed of what we have done; and believe we are a bad person. We may be worried about any punishment there may be and we don’t want to face that. We may believe that we can’t ever make it right no matter what we do. So sometimes we have funny ways of trying to make it better and that might involve more sin, such as lying or trying to cover stuff up. Do you know what? We can get ourselves into all sorts of mess trying to cover up the original thing we did wrong, and then get deeper and deeper into wrong things, feeling more guilt and then feeling more shame. These things can lead to us feeling very unhappy with ourselves and the relationships/friendships we are in.
We can spend a lot of time thinking about the bad stuff we have done, we may feel bad about it, we may then go on to have more bad thoughts about ourselves, drag up dim and distant memories of things we may have done in the past and struggle to change our focus of attention. Before long we can end up feeling pretty rubbish about ourselves.
Visual representation-Helen Found then did some stunning acting about carrying bags full of stuff around; things that felt comfortable, bad habits, stuff that she may not even realise is in the bags but they weigh her down.
Qu: what do you think Helen needs to do to be able to get the things that she wants/longs for? (she needs to get rid of the bags, she can’t carry it all)
In the Old Testament there was a system put in place to deal with sin and wrong doing; sacrifices needed to be made so that forgiveness was available. These sacrifices always required an offering which involved the shedding of blood. It was the priests job to slaughter an animal and then there were clear instructions on what happened with it’s blood-Sprinkled towards the alter and then poured out at the foot of the alter (You could read more in Leviticus about this).
This system in the Old Testament allowed the people to put some of their bags down, as it were, thinking back to Helen’s great acting! But the people were never truly free of sin and guilt. But God had a plan. In the New Testament we read about a perfect sacrifice which would be made once and for all; for ALL sin, FOREVER. The sacrifice of Jesus dying on the cross means we can put our bags down forever-we don’t need to keep carrying even a little bit of the sin, not even memories of the sin. Read more about this power in Hebrews 8 v11-15 & 9 v 24-28
Psalm 103 v 12
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our sins from us”.
Fiona Abbott from Deal Community Church shared this thought in April:
“How often are you reminded of your past and struggle with guilt, regret or the inability to forgive yourself? Our past can be likened to an elastic band, holding us back and preventing us from being released into the purposes of God; the life he has waiting for us to live.
Have you ever considered how far the east is from the west? I had always presumed this was somewhat measurable. The Earth is believed to be 24,901 miles at the equator, but to arrive at the East, the distance from your starting point would be 12,450.5 miles away. Imagine you are going east, and travel halfway around the world, and you keep walking, you are still going east. If you keep walking another halfway, you go all the way around the world, you are still going east. If you travel far enough north, eventually, you will arrive at the north pole and be heading back down the other side of the world and be travelling south.
So in a nutshell, if you travel south forever, you’ll eventually go north. But if you go east forever, you will never go west. Or if you travel west forever, you will just keep going west and will never start heading east. Eastward and westward travel will simply continue and are without end.
God never said: ‘As far as the north is from the south, so far have I removed your sins from you’. The north and south distance limits the distance our sin could be removed from us.
That’s measurable. Instead, God said: ‘As far as the east is from the west, I have removed your sins from you’. This demonstrates how he put an infinite distance, the greatest distance possible, between us and our sin. That is immeasurable”.
Let’s take time to Pray:
Dear Father God, we give to you the things which make us feel guilty or full of shame. (I will pause for a few moments for you to say these things to God). We are sorry for the things we have done. We thank you that you love us and that you sent your son to die for our sins and take these things away from us. Thank you that your forgiveness allows us to be totally free. Amen!
Zone on Zoom!
Sunday 3rd May, 2020
Lucy and Caroline
Recap on last week’s challenge. What was their theme? Can they remember?!
Aim To think about jealousy and the effect it has on us. To explore different ways how we can overcome jealousy in our lives
Description: We are continuing our series by looking at the emotion of jealousy. Have one of these thoughts or questions ever crossed your mind – “Why can’t I have that?” “How come theirs is better?” “I wish I could look like that!” “That is not fair.” Jealousy causes us to compare and compete with others in an unhealthy way. We are never going to become the people God wants us to be if we are always going to look over our shoulders at someone else. This session will help us to think about how we can let go of jealousy by practising gratitude in our lives, seeing ourselves with the eyes of God and learning how to love others.
Game – Lucy (5 mins)
Choose a volunteer who picks an emotion in their heard (in love, happy, scared, bored, annoyed etc.) Ask another person to choose an everyday situation (e.g. cleaning teeth, frying an egg or eating dinner etc.) that the volunteer needs to act out the emotion While the volunteer is acting out the emotion, everyone else is trying to guess Feel free to do this as many times as you want.
Jealousy story – Caroline
Share/discuss times we’ve had to deal with jealousy
‘We all have stories in our lives when jealousy took over. Sometimes when we look back, we wish we would have reacted differently to certain situations.’
Be Content (5 mins)
The very first thing we can do to overcome jealousy is to be content. God has blessed us and given us so much. Let’s be more grateful. There is a quote that says: “Jealousy is when you count someone else’s blessings instead of your own”.
Qu: Are you content with your life and things in it? Why or why not?
Qu: Do you think you would be less jealous if you were content with yourself and life?
Qu: Why do we feel the need to look to other’s people’s lives and compare?
Take a moment to reflect on everything that God has given you and blessed you with. Encourage each young person to say one thing they are grateful for. When you focus on being thankful for what you have, it’s harder to be jealous of others. When you are jealous of other people lives, it’s almost like you are telling God that your life is not good enough. How do you think it makes Him feel? We often see other people’s lives on social media and wish we could have what they have. Let me tell you something - social media makes people’s lives look perfect and flawless. It’s mainly fake. It’s just a small snapshot of someone’s life. People are showing the best parts of their lives.
Be Happy for Others – Lucy
The third thing we can do to overcome jealousy is to be happy for others and celebrate with others. Imagine that one of your friends achieved an ‘A’ in a Math test, but you achieved a ‘C’, but both of you work very hard. What is your first reaction? Are you filled with jealousy or are you happy for your friend and do you let them know that? Or maybe you have been asking something from God for a long time, but you see that God has answered someone else’s prayer. How does that make you feel?
Romans 12:15 says: “Be happy with those who are happy and weep with those who weep”.
Qu: What do you think this means?
Qu: Do you find it hard or easy to always be happy for others? Do you sometimes feel like it’s unfair on you when things don’t go the way you want to in your life, but they do in someone else’s?
In what ways we can be happy for others? Say Jesus in the Bible commands us to love our neighbour as ourselves. We need to choose to be happy for others and celebrate their victories, their successes. An encouragement or a compliment can go far. Is there anything that you have been praying for a long time? If God hasn’t answered your prayers yet, it might be because you are not ready yet. Don’t compare your journey of faith with someone else’s. God’s timing is always perfect, and He is always at work in your life.
Wrapping up and prayer
Challenge: A verse to memorize Numbers 6: 24-26. Check out this Youtube Clip of these verses being sung as a blessing to the nation
Zone Sunday 24th April
Faith over feelings; Fear (led by Jonny and Emma)
Q: What is fear?
A: an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm.
Q: Tell me one irrational fear (something that you're afraid of that's ridiculous)?
Some ridiculous fears I researched:
- fear of bald people
- peanut butter in the roof of your mouth
- somewhere and somehow a duck is always watching you
- the phobia of being afraid phobias
However, today we're not looking at irrational fears, but our deep fears that can really impact our day to day or stop us growing in God.
Activity 1:
So the first thing I want you all to do is write down your fears. It can be long term fears or new more recent ones.
My fear: that I'll mess up and it will cost someone. For example, my school, students, my children, marriage, etc. This fear comes up from time to time. Similar to this I'm afraid of not being able to look after the ones I love, to provide and protect.
Read: Matthew chapter 8 v23 - 27
Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
Q: What do you think the disciples were afraid of?
A: The storm, storms could come out of no where in the the sea of Galilee and be treacherous, capsizing boats and causing death.
Q: What do they do because of their fear?
A: They turn to Jesus.
Q: What does Jesus do?
A: He calms the storm
Q: What is Jesus' response to the disciples when they go to him and why is that odd?
A: He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. Matthew 8:26 NIV. Surely it's a good thing to go to Jesus when you're afraid?
Of course it is a good thing to go to Jesus's when you're afraid, but actually Jesus wants us to rely and trust Him that we don't even have to fear.
Fear of things, besides fearing God, is not of God, because fear shows lack of trust. If you say God's got everything in hand and then worry, then you don't truly believe God has everything at hand.
Think of the exercise where someone stands behind you and you fall back and they are meant to catch you. Now three things come into play here:
- One, that you don't trust the person and they will let you drop,
- two, the person messes up and accidently drops you
- three, you mess up and get hurt because of your mistake.
These are the same three elements that come into play with trusting God:
- Do you trust Him?
- Do you think He will mess it up?
- Do you think You will mess it up?
Q: Now which out of those three could happen?
A: we mess up.
Q: Do you think God has the capability to deal with things when we mess up?
A: yes.
Then to conquer fear, you need to trust God no matter what comes.
This week at my work there was a conversation about the future of my job and that there was discussion about letting me go. I was afraid, because it triggered my fear that I couldn't provide/look after my family. However after a short panic I remembered this:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”. Romans 8:28 NIV
That no matter what happens God has a purpose and a plan that work for the good of those that love Him.
Q: How do you think you can get into a place where you trust God with your fears? Let's say you're afraid right now, what could you do to trust God with that? What could you do to trust God before issues even come?
My Answer: Wait on Him. Worship Him. Speak verses from the Bible that declare His promises over your life.
Re-cap
- Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm, either coming or has happened before.
- Write down your fears and lay them before God
Why not look through some of these Bible Verses which encourage us not to be fearful and choose to pray some of these into your own fears?
Zone Sunday 19th April
What’s next? We did a quick quiz on the screen “what comes next”. Theo answered most the quickest!
Some next steps are logical. We see patterns in things and we can predict or plan what to do next. Mostly our lives are characterised by patterns, routines and habits. However, there are some occasions when we are surprised by something and don’t know what to do next. Sometimes we may choose to do something completely new, which will take a lot of courage and feel exciting and brave. Other times we may go back to an old way of doing something; there can be comfort and familiarity in past habits.
We are going to look at a few scriptures about Simon Peter in the Bible. Firstly we will look at Luke 5 v 1-11 a story of when Peter first encounters Jesus.
Questions: What was Simon Peter’s job? What was Jesus' instruction and why did Simon Peter initially seem reluctant to follow it? What was Simon Peter’s response to Jesus by the end of the verses? What else can you tell me about Simon Peter in the Gospels?
So meeting Jesus changed Simon Peter’s life (and also the name he was known by). Peter went on to follow Jesus, live with him, eat with him, watch him perform miracles and teach to many different people. It must have been exciting times. He also was with Jesus at the last supper, in the garden of Gethsemane, following from a distance in the courtyard during Jesus’ questioning and trial. These times were scary and Peter was afraid. And then Jesus was killed, dying on a cross, and buried in a tomb. Dark, sad and confusing times. What would be next? In 2 of the gospels Peter goes to the tomb on the Sunday morning and sees that Jesus’ body is not there. What would be next? Jesus presents himself to the disciples as they gather together in a locked room (Luke 24 v 36). What would be next? We read that 8 days later Jesus appears again (John 20 v26), this time to all of the disciples. We don’t read what the disciples did in those 8 days, we can only wonder what might have been going through their minds about the future and what would happen next. The disciples are instructed to go to Galilee and that is where Jesus would meet them (Matt 28 v 7, John 21 v 1) Perhaps in Capernaum, where their journey had begun.
It’s been a demanding few weeks for Peter. He has shared in the triumphant entry into Jerusalem, the teachings during the last supper. Then the stark contrast of the crucifixion of Jesus, his body being gone from the tomb, then seeing Jesus’ resurrected body. Wow! What a lot of emotions he must have experienced.
Now it seemed that Peter was back where he started. On the shores of lake Galilee.
What next? Peter decided to go fishing. It was what he knew, it was where this had all started for him. Let’s read about it in John 21 v 1-14
Qu: I wonder what was going through Peter’s mind as he didn’t catch any fish?
I wonder what was going through Peter’s mind after the stranger on the shore instructed him to throw his nets again? I wonder what Peter thought would happen next?
We continue to read in John 21 v 15-19. There are some clear next steps here. There is a beautiful restoring of relationship between Peter and Jesus. Did you notice that Jesus asks Peter 3 times “do you love me”? Jesus gives Peter clear direction that he will become like a shepherd, as Jesus had previously spoken of himself as “The Good Shepherd”. He also gives Peter a hint of the suffering and hardship he would endure. This part of the conversation finishes with Jesus simply saying “follow me”.
After this encounter with Jesus, Peter knew there was more for him to do. In Matthew 28 v 16-20 there is clear direction for all the disciples on “What next”. I don’t want us to miss this opportunity to think about “what next” for us. We are in a unique situation; no school, no meeting up with friends and family, no holidays away, limited shops open. This unique situation has given us more time than we could have imagined in this fast paced busy world. Let’s not waste this time, but let’s use it to seek God, to really listen to him about what is next for you and me. We don’t know when things will change, but they will. Will you be changed and ready for what God may have you do next? Or might it be tempting to go back to the way things were; because that seems safe, predictable and after all we are creatures of habit?
I encourage you to spend time each day with no distractions; just you and God. Talk to Him, ask him about what he has made you for, how he might use your skills to bring glory to himself. Ask him how you will be used to reach others with the good news of Jesus dying on the cross for the sins of ALL people and being raised to life; to give us ALL hope of eternal life.
Jeremiah 33 v 3
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
Zone Sunday 12th April
“Tiktok styleeeee Zone Challenge”
Zone Sunday 5th April
Unexpected Times and Places
Qu: Have you ever found yourself in a place you weren’t expecting to be? Were you due to go somewhere and then circumstances meant you couldn’t get there? What happened? How did you manage?
We will be thinking about how we were perhaps not expecting to be Socially Isolating-have you really thought or heard about this term before the Coronavirus outbreak? We will be thinking about how do we mange in these different times.
I sent 2 short video clips this week for you to watch and have some thought about. In the first clip the woman spoke about trying to find helpful rhythms to stay healthy during isolation-using your brains, taking time to be by yourself, time to be with others and time to come close to God
Qu: what new habits/routines are you doing?
Qu: What have you found helpful that perhaps others may want to try?
Challenge: This week try one thing that one of your friends in Zone has suggested.
The second video clip was about feeling a bit panicked to find yourself in unexpected places, or feeling lost (the woman told a story about being lost in a multi-story car park) and not knowing what to do. The scripture from Proverbs 3 v 5-12 was shared from The Message version of the bible. These verses encourage us to not always think we have to work things out on our own, but to take time to seek God, listen to his voice and follow. There was a suggested prayer activity with this that involved a balloon-helping with breathing techniques to calm our bodies when we are panicked as well as what we could pray.
I want us to look at a story in the Bible which involves the prophet Elijah. In 1 Kings 18 we hear about a contest. Elijah challenges the prophets of Baal to show once and for all that the Lord of Israel is the only Lord. Tell me what you know about this contest. How does it end?
So you could be forgiven if you thought that Elijah must be feeling great, elated; he had just been used by the God of Israel in a dramatic show down! He had been obedient to God, and seen God perform a mighty miracle, and send the rain which would end a drought of over 3 years. EVERYTHING had gone to plan. However, Elijah was then threatened with death by the King’s wife-this really scared him. He ran and he ran, and in 1 Kings 19 we read that he says to the Lord “I’ve had enough, take my life”! Elijah finds himself in the middle of no-where, feeling desperate and wanting to die. I guess this was quite an unexpected turn of events.
But we read that God doesn’t leave him there to die. God sends the angel of The Lord to give him food, to give him water, encourage him to rest and prepare for where he will go next. Elijah then journeys to Mount Sinai and here he talks to God to tell him how he is feeling and why he thinks it’s all gone wrong. God’s response is not to be angry, not to have a go at Elijah, but to reveal even more of himself to Elijah. In verses 11-13, these are famous verses. Elijah is instructed to stand on the mountain and wait for God to pass. There is a strong wind that rips rock from the mountain, then there is an earthquake, then there is fire and after the fire a gentle whisper. God was in the gentle whisper. Elijah covers his face and steps out onto the mountainside before God. Again God asks him “What are you doing here, what’s this all about”. Elijah repeats himself to God and then God responds with instruction for what he is going to do next.
There is still a plan for Elijah, he can still serve God, he will anoint future kings and his successor. Even in this unexpected place God was with Elijah, revealing himself in an unexpected way.
Re-read Proverbs 3 v 5-7.
I thought this story would be helpful for us to consider. Even in the unexpected circumstances we are in now, we are not alone. God can be found, and his plans will still come about.
We may have been thinking at the beginning of March “EVERYTHING is going to plan”. Onechurch beginning to feel more sorted, Oneyouth having regular meetings and social times, planning towards “Intense” and then BOOM. Things are different. However, God has been drawing people close in these times, his people are interacting differently with each other, more of his word is getting out to others via social media etc. Let’s focus on the words from Proverbs 3, let’s not try to work it all out on our own, let’s seek God and find him in this time.
Qu: Can anyone tell me what special day this is in the church calendar?
Yep, Palm Sunday. We remember this as the day that Jesus enters Jerusalem, one of the events which happen in the lead up to his death on the cross and then him being raised to Life. None of the events we read about in this final week of Jesus’ life is unexpected to him. There are plenty of surprises for his disciples, the crowds, the Pharisees and the Romans. Lots of events happened in a short space of time. But all of this was planned, all of this was foretold, all of it had purpose.
I want to challenge you to read about Jesus’ last week in the each of the Gospels. What will God reveal to you this week, how will this Easter change you, in this unexpected time?
Zone Sunday 29nd March
Zone Sunday 29th March 2020
Since last Sunday a lot has happened in response to the Coronavirus. The UK is now on “lockdown”, we are now not to go out (unless once a day for exercise), mix with friends or family, most shops are shut now etc. I’ve heard frequently-“the whole world has changed”.
Qu: How have your thoughts/feelings changed since last Sunday when we met?
Qu: Are you ever surprised by your emotions?
No matter what you are feeling, no matter what you are thinking, God knows. He knows you and He sees you (Psalm 139). He doesn’t think less of you for your thoughts and emotions. However, He does want to come close and help you to understand them, to not be overwhelmed by them.
Fear and anxiety are normal responses. People throughout the bible experienced these emotions, otherwise God would not have had to offer reassurance frequently such as “Do not be afraid”. This phrase and similar phrases appear at least 145 times throughout the Bible!
In Luke chapter 1 verses 26-38, the angel Gabriel appears to Mary to say “Do not be afraid” and then gave her LIFE changing news! News that would change the whole course of her life, news that would change the life of everyone who would ever walk the earth. News which would bring fulfilment of prophecy, news of the Saviour of the world. I don’t think the “do not be afraid” instruction was just about an angelic being suddenly appearing, but about what future experiences she would face too.
Qu: Think over the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus. What experiences do you think she may have needed courage for; to “not be afraid”?
When we read stories in the Bible we see Characters time and time again face many difficult situations.
Qu: What other Bible Characters come to mind who may have had to face difficult situations? Tell us a little about what happened
Responses from Zone: Daniel, Noah, Joseph, David, Jesus
Sometimes there are stories where God intervenes and changes the difficult situations, other times He strengthens people, encourages them, promises to be with them and gives them specific instruction. The difficult situations are not removed, yet the characters are not overwhelmed. And they are recorded in The Bible for the way they trusted God, exercised faith, and did things that seemed crazy just because they believed God said to.
We can pray and ask God to help us with our feelings, to take away fear and anxiety. He can do that, he can replace fear with faith, or peace or courage.
John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”.
We may still need to face a difficult situation though. We may not be removed from whatever we think is too hard, but we can have assurance that God is there with us.
Definition of Faith –Hebrews 11 v 1:
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see”.
Video clip from Youth For Christ session 2
Psalms is a book of poetry in the Bible. Here we read very honest accounts of people’s responses to different situations. There is a real honesty in these writings. People were not afraid to be honest with God about their emotions. Let’s be like these people, let’s be willing to be available and honest before God about how we feel, even if we are unsure how to do with friends or family.
Challenge: choose a psalm and write it out, highlight important verses, decorate or re-write them. As you do this activity use it as an opportunity to speak honestly to God about how you are feeling. Allow there to be time when you are open to listen to any responses he may give.
There are Many other helpful and hopeful scriptures. This one was mentioned in the Youth For Christ Clip
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-6
I have a beautiful colouring page with this verse (I have paid for the licence to distribute). If you would like a copy to download and colour and reflect on please click here to send an email to request it.
Opportunity to pray:
In a time where people may struggle to know what to “do" to help others why not use the gift of prayer which God has given to each of us. Prayer is a “doing" word in my mind. Because we are actively engaged in coming into God's presence, speaking to him about our needs and importantly the needs of others. Whenever the thought crosses your mind “I'm bored", “or what can I do to help others"? Why not pray to God. You could use some of the prompts below:
Pray about people you know affected by the Coronavirus – their mental health, general health, home situations, work etc.
Pray for God to show you ways you can be a carrier of Hope and Light in this time.
Pray for God to help you not to give in to fear and panic, but to have a heart full of peace.
Why not record the answers to prayer you notice over the week and share with us in Zone next week.
I just want to end with this Bible verse
“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you”. 2 Thessalonians 3 v 17
Zone Sunday 22nd March
Qu: If you were to sum up in one word how you feel right now, what would it be?
My word is optimistic.
Qu: What do plan to do with your time off school/are any of you still having to go to school?
J: One of the first things that helped me during this time was realizing how fortunate I am in comparison to others. Take for example my grandad (my mum's dad-recently lost his wife) and my nan (my dad's mum-alone due to husband being in respite). They're all alone at this time and I'm fortunate to not be on my own.
Qu: What do you feel fortunate about at this time?
J: The second thing that helped me was structure and focus. Beth and I are now putting focus into homeschooling our children and having a routine. On top of this we have other things that we have prioritized as a focus.
Qu: what are/could you focus on?
What sealed the deal when it came to helping me was reading lots of verses from the Bible. For example:
Philippians 4:4 – Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Numbers 6:24 – The Lord bless you and keep you
Colossians 3:2 – Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Qu: Have you guys had any verses that you have read that helped?
If not here is a list:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/ministry-to-children.com/bible-memory-verses/amp/
J: Now I feel the stages will repeat. That I will often have to remember how fortunate I am, have a focus and read scripture regularly. But from doing this I have got myself to a stage where I want to focus on helping others and spending time with God. Where I feel optimistic in growing closer to God in this time.
J: Trust me, nothing helps more than thinking and helping others. So I have made sure I call my grandparents. I'm emailing students encouragement. We're helping our elderly neighbours get supplies.
Qu: How are/could you help?
J: Don't waste this time playing computer games, TV or even just school work, though the last part is important. Seek this time to grow close to God.
These verses are from Matthew c6 v25 to 34. This was the first ever bible study I ever did and one of the areas of life I struggle with least because when I read it, I believed it 100%.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life ? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:25-34 NIV
Q: What are these verses saying?
Ans: God tells us not to worry because it is ultimately useless. Remember He is always in control.
Re-cap
- remember how fortunate you are
- have a focus
- read scripture regularly
- God tells us not to worry because it is ultimately useless. He will have control.