Where do chickens come from?
Where do eggs come from?
So which came first... the chicken or the egg?
This question is a common way to describe two things or events that completely rely on each other. In the church, the chicken and egg question applies to faith and works. You can't have one without the other. James 2: 14-26 In Genesis 22: 1-9 we read the story of Abraham being asked by God to sacrifice Isaac, the son Abraham never thought he would have. And in Joshua 2 we read the story of a prostitute Rahab that risked her life to hide some men that she knew were sent by God. In both stories we see examples of faith accompanied by actions that show dedication to God and his purpose.
We've talked about John Wesley and his part in forming the Methodist Church. John Wesley traved to Georgia from England to minister to the Native Americans and he struggled with this task. When he returned to England, he felt like a failure and questioned his faith. He met a man named Peter Bohler, a Moravian, after he got back to England and Bohler gave Wesley this advice: "Preach faith until you have it, and then because you have it, preach faith." What did Bohler mean? Simply this: When we act on our faith, even when our faith feels weak or when we have doubts, our faith will grow stronger. What are those ways we act on our faith? Go to worship, celebrate Holy Communion, pray daily, read and study scripture, do acts of mercy and service, meet in small groups. All these things help us become more holy but only with God's help. Practicing these acts of faith provides the opportunity for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. The more we practice, the more and more chance God has to come into our lives.
Some of these acts of faith we can do on our own, but the one way God offers help is through the support and witness of other Christians. The first Methodists in England met in small groups called classes. They would gather to pray and read and study scripture. They made a covenant with one another to avoid sinful behavior, to perform acts of charity, to participate in worship and to grow in God's grace; and they held one another accountable to this covenant. Those who did not hold up to these things were expected to repent and with the help of their small group members, continue striving for perfection in their faith. Matthew 18: 15-20; 1 Thessalonians 5: 10-11
So on Sunday, Feb. 10th we will start a new evening gathering time called DIG (Deeper in God). This will be a time spent in fellowship, devotional, and small group. Small group time will be like your present table time in confirmation class but on a little different scale. It will be a start of the small group that you will have from now until the end of high school. This is a group that will help you grow in your faith and maturity as a Christ follower. Hopefully, the other members of the group will hold you to a higher standard. They will celebrate with you when something good happens, pray with you when you suffer, and call you out and guide you when you've messed up.
Table time:
Students were asked to write their name and phone number and a few prayer requests on pieces of paper and then those names were drawn from a hat so that the students formed prayer partners. Students were then instructed to pray for their prayer partner throughout the week and to also contact them during the week to see how their week is going and to encourage them to come to class and church this Sunday.
Students are also reminded to memorize their verses: John 15: 5; John 13: 34-35
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