SUNDAY NIGHT FELLOWSHIP

Here is some information about the last series that we did with our youth in Sunday Night Fellowship.  Currently, we are on break for the Summer.  We will be back during Summer Nights.  

Pneuma-Doh

A couple weeks ago, we started a new series called Pneuma-Doh based off of the Needoh craze that we are seeing in the schools and you are probably seeing at home. Pneuma is the Hebrew word for Spirit or breath. It's the word that is used to refer to the Holy Spirit. Considering that these Needohs are used as stress relieving toys, then our series is based off what we are turning to in order to relieve our stress. Most students are not turning to the Holy spirit, to Jesus, in order to relieve their stress, they are turning to escapism on their phone or other unhealthy avenues. When stress happens, we should be turning to the Holy Spirit.

Last week, we looked at how students are shaped. What do they allow their ears to hear and their eyes to see. How is it affecting their head and their heart? More than likely, if they are being influenced by the internet or social media, then it is negatively influencing them away from the perfect heart that God has for them.

This week, students made stress balls in the first half hour of youth group. Some of them turned out really great. Others, well, we couldn't quite the mixture right or the glue didn't settle or whatever it was, it was a struggle. But we made it through. Inside each of the stress balls that they made was a little Jesus. This was to remind them that in their stress Jesus is with them.

We also discussed how stress balls and "Needohs" always return back to the shape they started. When we stop turning away from God and going to other things to shape us, we will start to return to the heart that he wants for us. We discussed how many of the stress toys get dirty from the oil on our hands and what we bring to it. And honestly, we probably all need to be cleaned in some way.

2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" If we have asked Jesus into our heart, then the old heart is gone and a new heart in in its place. With this new heart, we also have the Holy Spirit with us.

I tried to be very clear with the gospel message at the end of the night with this whole series coming to a close and with this being our last regular meeting. Our hearts were a mess with sin, dirty from all of the things we have done with our hands. But God loves us, sent his son, Jesus, to die as atonement for our wrong. The wages of our sin, of our wrong, is death and that is rightfully what we deserve. Because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, we can ask God to look to Jesus' sacrifice on the cross instead of our sin. When we ask for the Holy Spirit to be with us, it creates in us a new heart. We need to be careful what we allow into our heart because it shapes us away from God's perfect design for us.

About Sunday Night Fellowship 

Sunday nights are a time for students to interact with other students and learn more about their faith.  Big games, big worship, and a big message to impact their lives as they strive to impact those around them.  At the start of each meeting for games, food, fellowship and worship, we all gather together.  After the lesson, we separate into small groups of middle school and high school for deeper topics. Sunday Night Fellowship does not meet in the summer time due to camps and conferences that students are attending.