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?