Summit Student Ministries

Repeated Phrase: It is better to give than to receive. Is it better to give than to receive? What are the pros and the cons of giving in comparison to receiving? GIVING Pros: You feel better, it probably makes other people happy, Cons: You may have to let go of something you rightfully deserve; you may not even enjoy or like the person that you are giving something to; you may not feel that person deserves what you are giving them; the cost of giving can be an issue. RECEIVING Pros: someone thought of you and decided to bless you with an item; you feel cared for; you may get something that you need and were unable to get yourself; it makes you smile Cons: you might receive something you didn't want; you might feel pressure to keep the item that someone gave you even if you dislike it and there might be weird family pressure to put on a show of false gratitude because of family guilt. Jesus asks us to give up our lives for Him. When we give up our lives for Him, He will

Everything Give thanks for everything. Jesus tells us in Scripture to give thanks in all circumstances. This means we are called to give thanks for EVERYTHING. I am going to offend you. Right now. Right here. As soon as you read on. The following words will offend you. Yes. We give thanks when we pass a test. Yes. We give thanks when we find $5 in our pocket. Yes. We give thanks when someone gives us free food. Yes. We give thanks when our teacher annoys us. Yes. We give thanks when our co-worker tells a lie about us to our manager. Yes. We give thanks when we break our leg. Yes. We give thanks when our parents never understand us or let us be ourselves. Yes. We give thanks when we get dumped. Yes. We give thanks when someone we love is sick. Yes. We give thanks when someone we know passes away. Why would He ask us to give thanks for things that do not make sense? Is He in touch with reality? How in the world can He ask us to give thanks? What does giving thanks d

Every/Neuron/Obediently/Understands/God's/Heart 1 John 2:22-27 22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist - denying the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. 24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you will also remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us - eternal life. (VERSE 22) Who are some people in the Bible that denied Jesus? (VERSE 23) Have you ever publicly denied Jesus? (VERSE 24) What does it mean to remain in the Son and the Father?  (VERSE 25) When does eternal life start? Has anyone ever lied about you to someone else? Have you ever felt ignored or denied from your friends or family? When was that and how'd you feel? Prayer requests.

(18) My dear children, these are the last days. You have heard that the enemy of Christ is coming, and now many enemies of Christ are already here. This is how we know that these are the last days. (19) These enemies of Christ were in our fellowship, but they left us. They never really belonged to us; if they had been a part of us, they would have stayed with us. But they left, and this shows that none of them really belonged to us. (20) You have the gift that the Holy One gave you, so you all know the truth. (21) I do not write to you because you do not know the truth because you do know the truth. And you know that no lie comes from the truth. VERSE 18 Christ has many enemies. What are some enemies in your own life? VERSE 19 Have you ever had anyone leave you? What does rejection cause inside of your heart/mind/life/perception? VERSE 20 What is the gift that the Holy One gave you? VERSE 21 What is the truth regarding God's heart for you? How can you practice rejec

Children to Fathers to Young Men. The verses are repeated. The tense goes from present progressive to present tense. Progressive // this shows action, currently moving and advancing in real time, this signifies a process. Present // this show a known fact that is true absolutely in the moment. CHILDREN // Unknown Identity John is speaking to the basic fundamentals of identity: forgiven sins, and knowledge of their Father. FATHERS // Need Reminding of Identity John is reminding the fathers who they already know and what they already know to be true regarding God. YOUNG MEN // Establishing Identity John is calling forth the quality inside each of these young men that it takes to become established in their identity in the Lord. They already know the basics: forgiveness of sins, character of God. Now they get a chance to flex their spiritual muscles and become strong in the Lord, which requires them to overcome the enemy. Activity (VERSES 12-14): Draw a Mountain. Place e

Prophetic Vision: Long white scarf/tag/ribbon/fortune-cookie-paper around each person's neck. It seemed to grow as we worshiped, and kept getting longer and longer. Growth occurred straight out from the person, almost to defy gravity. White // purity. Ownership // the Father placed his seal, signature, ribbon, purchased price. Fortune-cookie- paper // God is continuing to write our story, give us our purpose, reveal our destiny, lead us beside still waters, open our minds to what He has in store. The fortune can only be read when you crack the cookie open and break the hard exterior in half. As we worship Jesus and draw closer to Him and truly seek out His presence in our lives, our hearts are being transformed, and as our hearts break in front of Him, our true purpose calling and destiny are then revealed. If we remain in that place of hardheartedness, our purpose will be locked up inside. If we allow the Lord to break our hearts open (vulnerability) then our call will h

Preparation brings forth freedom. We sweat in preparation so we don't bleed in battle. Great administrators // great systems and structures // this helps the creatives grow and create. Character // Competency // Charisma //Resolve // Chemistry // Capacity Bible Study Questions: 1 John 2:1-6 1. What are specific things that you notice about yourself that you consider to be strengths? 2. How can God use those strengths to bless other people? 3. (VERSE 1) What happens when we sin? 4. (VERSE 2) Looking up the definition for the phrase "atoning sacrifice," talk about what that means. 5. (VERSE 3) How do we know if someone really has come to know Jesus? 6. (VERSE 4) What does the Bible call the person who claims to know Jesus, but then does not do what Jesus commands? 7. (VERSE 5&6) How do we know if we are in him? 8. What have you read in the Bible this week? 9. What are some prayer needs? 10. What do you want to happen in your family? school? this year?

There is a clumping of trees outside the back lot line of the youth fire pit. While standing out side staring at it, I never noticed the overarching shape of the trees as a clump. For the longest time I had not seen the clump as one single isolated clump, but instead my focus had turned towards the bottom part of the branches that were close to the ground and actually affected my personal space. The Lord took my view off of the ground and redirected my gaze to the top of the tree line where the leaves met the sky. My posture felt better, my hope increased, my perspective shifted and the life and magnitude of the trees became real to me. I started to see how small I was in comparison to the trees. I started to sense my annoyance to the low hanging branches diminishing. The beauty of the trees was restored to me and I could now see the trees as a protective covering for our fire pit area. What is the point of this? How does this even remotely relate to anything important to our lives

We are called to be satellite dishes & power cables. Conduits of the power. Transfer mechanisms for the power of the Holy Spirit. Without Connection a satellite dish is a useless piece of metal that takes up space and has no purpose. Our connection is not for ourselves alone. We need connection first, because you can only give as much as you can receive personally. The more you are able to receive love for your self from the Father, the more you are able to dispense to other people. If you are living in self hate and you cannot stand the site of yourself, it is going to be hard for you to love other people genuinely.

Here are the details for our Summer #alphaomegachallenge. The idea : start and end the day with the Word of God. Here are some helpful verses to help encounter and experience the Word of God in a new way. #1 Read it Nehemiah 8:8 #2 Believe It Romans 10:8 #3 Receive it James 1:21 #4 Taste it Proverbs 19:10 #5 Eat it Jeremiah 15:16 #6 Hold it fast Titus 1:9 #7 Hold it forth Philippians 2:16 #8 Preach it 2 Timothy 4:2 #9 Search it John 5:29 #10 Study it 2 Timothy 2:15 #11 Meditate on it Psalm 1:2 #12 Compare it 2 Corinthians 2:13 #13 Rightly Divide it 2 Timothy 2:15 #14 Delight in it Psalm 119:92 Enjoy this tool to help delve into God's word deeper than you might have ever done before.

What's the progression? Removing unwanted emotional and spiritual baggage. Baggage makes you heavier causing you to sink. As Peter was filled with courage, he was enabled to walk on water. When he agreed with fear and doubt, he was instantly weighed down and then began to sink. I picture fear and doubt as weights added to Peter's body spiritually. It says in scripture that "Jesus's yoke is easy and his burden is light." Spring Cleaning: Remove items that are unwanted items that don't fit you anymore items that weigh you down baggage expired items moldy food paper plates under your bed Rewash Spiritual Wind-ex of the Spirit Word of God: washing and regenerating Blood of Jesus Natural  Proper cleansing items Bleach on carpet is a no go Windex on the couch would also not work bed sheets dusting Replace Empty places now need to be filled Matthew 12:43-45 New weather, new clothes Bible Verse: Matthew 14:22 - 36 Peter Walk

The phrase SO THAT appears many times in Scripture. "God gave his only son SO THAT none should perish." John 3:16 "God sent his fire SO THAT people could turn and know him." 1 Kings 18:37 "God saved his people SO THAT they could in turn bless others." John 17 1. What are you called to do SO THAT others can know Christ? 2. What stories stood out to you from the documentary? Why? 3. If you had to put yourself into one scene from the documentary, which one would you want to be a part of? How would you fit in. and what would you want to try? 4. In what ways has God spoken to you? 5. Share a time when you stepped out in faith because you felt it was what God wanted you to do in the moment. 6. Pray. Video Documentary: Holy Ghost Reborn - Darren Wilson

Wildfire & Parallel to Evangelism As you burn, others will burn around you. Benefits to a wild fire: Clears out dead underbrush. Creates a chance for new growth to occur. Destroys dead trees to allow for new trees to grow and receive the sun. Bible: Samson and the Foxes Judges 15:3-5 "Samson said to them, 'This time I have a right to get even with the Philistines. I will really harm them.' So he went out and caught three hundred foxes and tied them tail to tail in pairs. He then fastened a torch to every pair of tails, lit the torches and let the foxes loose in the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned up the shocks and standing grain together with the vineyards and olive groves." 1. This instance in scripture shows fire used as a destructive force. What was Sampson's motivation in starting this fire? 2. In what ways are evangelism and wildfire similar? 3. What are your first impressions after watching the first half of the docum

Vision: water flows to the deepest part. All Consuming Fire. 1 Kings 18: 30-46 Repairing the Altar of the Lord /// Salvation and Jesus repairing our hearts. 12 Stones /// Completeness, God will never do something inside of you that will not last. He takes the time to do it correctly, and with absolute certainty. 12 stones shows completeness as well as stability. Trench around the altar /// Deepest parts of our heart. Wood /// Dead parts in our heart, mind, spirit. Things that we know are not bringing God glory. Bull /// Live parts in our heart, mind, spirit. Things that we know do bring him glory. We need to be able to let go of not only the "bad" things in our life, but also the "good" things in our life. 4 Large Jars of Water. Drenched the Altar 3 Times (12 jars total) /// Maybe this has to do with Baptism? The water signifying life and newness. It also reminds me of Jesus' when he died, there was water that flowed from His side, signifying death. 

Glory to glory, new wine in new wine skins. Salvation, working out your salvation through fear and trembling. At salvation, the start, Jesus turns water to wine. This symbolizes your spirit being transformed into the Holy Spirit. Initial transformation does not require new container.s The Holy Spirit just replaces your sinful spirit as an equal deposit. The jars at the Cana Wedding were full to the brim and then the water turned to wine. When you get salvation, the jar doesn't need to be broken. However as you continue in faith and go from glory to glory, the jar needs to break, the wine skin needs to be replaced with something new that can hold the new wine. There are definite levels of salvation. How do I know? It says continue to "work out" your salvation. What happens when you work out, but only an increase! You gain new muscle, new flexibility, new stamina, new weight, new confidence. The old is gone the new has come. The old things are being removed, and new stre

What's the point of Christianity? Children Having Righteous Intimacy So That Intimacy And Newness Infiltrates Through You HISTORY/Bible Trivia What was the city where the followers of Christ were first called Christians? Prophetic/Vision: Burning ones on my college campus and people with snow on their heads. Light in a dark room. Take what you need poster. What it is NOT Be good / Feel good Religion Set of rules Boring Zombie/robot Jesus is not a drug to help you "get though the tough times" He WILL get you through the tough times, but not by some short, ecstatic High from some foreign substance. He will get you through the tough times through PERMANENT change and a brand new heart.  He will trade your brokenness for his wholeness.  He will trade your ashes for beauty. What it IS: Be God / Feel God Belonging to something bigger than you. Affecting every area, not just church/youth group. Following a person named Jesus What did

Why pray? God already knows what I'm thinking and feeling? God already knows what I need better than I do? Purposely Reaching Asking Yielding. Petition Repent Asking You What's the point of praying? Creating connection to God. Changing your heart. It is not for God, it is for you! How to pray? There's no formula. Literally, praying is just like talking. Analogy of talking to a close friend. Legal things that count as prayer: Thanking, Asking, repenting, complaining, venting, yelling, praising, shouting, sitting silently, singing, reading the Bible out loud,  Yielding? Stopping your plans. Following God's plan. Trusting that God knows what He's doing and that he has the BEST for you. Examples in the Bible Jeremiah 13 Psalm 119 Psalm 141 John 17 Revelation 8:3-5 Revelation 5:8 SONGS regarding prayer: Like Incense - Hillsong