What I've Done

Tonight we looked at the themes of mercy and forgiveness, aided by the hit song "What I've Done" by Linkin Park. The discussion we did was taken from a youth ministry website. You can view that here. I will just summarize some of the questions and thoughts that were brought up.

The music video in itself is very interesting. Throughout the video the band is performing the song out in the open. Interspersed within the performance are images of great human tragedies. Atrocities like war, hunger, racism, some regimes, harming the environment, abortion, drug use, oil spills, etc. The approach Linkin Park takes with these issues is interesting. Although they are not directly to blame for most or any of these issues, who do they blame? (Hint: You don't have to look farther than the title of the song).

Next, we brought it closer to home. In 5 minutes, try writing all the sins you have committed since you were little; as far back as you can remember. No matter how little or many you come up with, the point is that we all have sinned. Romans 3:23 says that. Are there any sins that are on your list that you regret? In the second verse, Linkin Park used the words "cleaned this slate." Do you want a clean slate? A fresh start?

When we realize how much we need mercy and forgiveness, the grace of God can overwhelm us. That's what the pre-chorus talks about. "So let mercy come and wash away what I've done." God can do that! He can remove sins from His memory if we ask for His forgiveness. Psalm 103:12 and Romans 5:8-9 talk about this. I used another song to illustrate this point. Audio Adrenaline (unfortunately just recently retired) came out with a great song called "Ocean Floor". In the song, it talks about how our sins are behind us now, because after God forgives us, He places those sins far away, "on the bottom of the ocean floor."

To close we had personal prayer time. Asking forgiveness with those sins we committed. Symbolically, we cast our sins away by ripping the list of sins we wrote in many pieces and throwing them in the garbage. You should try that sometime. The message comes forth even better when you physically do it also. Be blessed!

improvising?

Seems like a strange topic for a bible study, doesn't it? Yet tonight we're going to look at how God has improvised with biblical figures. And how God doesn't want us to just be with Him at church but at all times. He wants a relationship with us. And just like you want to talk with and spend time with a good friend frequently, so does God with you. Plus, it gives the opportunity to watch some pretty humorous improv comedy!

We watched a video by a group (who unfortunately disbanded a few years ago) called CPR. Very funny group made of three guys who love Jesus and made clean, but hilarious, comedy. Like I said, they unfortunately disbanded, but one of the founders of the group started another group called 321 Improv. In the video you get to see them perform a few improv games, as well as talk about who they are and how they go about performing.

Some biblical stories seem like God is improvising with his people. One of the most well-known examples of this is found in Genesis 18. This is when Abraham pleads with God for Sodom. He keeps talking God down from fifty to forty-five to forty, and on down to ten righteous people in Sodom. If there are ten people, God will not destroy Sodom. Unfortunately, we know the outcome of this story. Genesis 19 describes how Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed.

Another example of what I'm getting at is later in Genesis 32 when Jacob wrestles with God. In the scriptures, it talks more of a physical wrestling. Yet how often does God come up to as an actual person in order to wrestle with us? My guess is not very often. So what does this mean for us today? When there is a problem or any conflict in life, we must give it up to the Lord. What does that mean? Praying, reading God's Word, spending time with God. Like any relationship, growing doesn't occur between two people when no time is spent together. Just had a fight with a friend? Take it to the Lord. Confused or angry with a passage of scripture? Take it to the Lord. Schoolwork seem overwhelming? Take it to the Lord.

seeking wisdom

During our high school class last Sunday (12/30/07) we took a look at I Kings 3. In this chapter, Solomon, who was just appointed king, asks the Lord for wisdom, and is granted it. He also resolves one of his first (maybe the first) dispute during his reign. As in many bible stories, it is important to see the truth in each passage for what it is, and learn how to apply it to our lives today.

Yes, we can note that Solomon doesn't ask specifically for "wisdom". Instead, he asks for a "discerning heart in verses 7-9. The ability to distinguish between right and wrong. Yet we can still say without a doubt that God granted Solomon wisdom to rule. And why? Because God was so pleased at the request. So it was granted atleast during the first years of his reign. This early example of Solomon settling a dispute between two prostitutes shows this.

Verses 16-28: One woman accused the other of killing her son by laying on him while she slept, then exchanging the infants while the first woman slept. But the second woman says that her own is the living one. How does Solomon resolve this? He gives an order to cut the baby in half. One of the woman was filled with compassion for her son and lets the other woman have him while the other woman agrees to cutting so that neither woman shall have the boy. Solomon's deduced that the woman with compassion was the real mother of the baby.

Yes, it seems a bit weird. And what if the two prostitutes responded the same way? Well, obviously Solomon would have had to think of something else to figure out the true mother. This is where we figure out how it applies to us today. Try and think of a tough decision you or someone else had to make. I heard a great example of this on a Relevant Magazine podcast.

That particular week they interviewed author Don Miller, whose most famous work is the book Blue Like Jazz. He said his friend was invited to another state to settle a dispute a church was having with the new Hooters restaurant that recently opened in this conservative community. There were obviously a lot of preconceived notions without any real talking back and forth. So Don Miller's friend went to this community and issued a challenge to both the church and the restaurant- to raise the most amount of money for a certain cause (I can't remember which cause it was specifically). The Hooters restaurant ended up raising more money than the church. So while there may not be good friends between the two sides, it atleast dispelled the preconceived notions and got people to start talking.

What's one area of your life you can start applying more wisdom to? Let's ask the Lord for wisdom and go through life more intelligently.

During our middle school class, we watched the first episode of a great new tween series called Angel Wars. This is for those pre-teens who are into shows like Naruto. But these episodes combine great animated action with biblical principles. The first episode dealt with self-esteem and looks. I encourage you all to check it out. They can be purchased at your local Christian bookstore or online at their website.