The Cooties Are Dead

Boys!  Do you suddenly find yourself nervous around girls?  Are you starting to walk with a “cool-like” swagger when they’re in the room?  Do you stop and look every time you walk in front of a mirror?  Are you going through 20 cans of Axe Body Spray a month?

Girls!  Do you find yourself giggling a lot when that boy walks by?  Have you been called on in class and have no idea what’s going on because you were daydreaming about McDreamy?  Are you having more and more “girl-talk” time?  Is your notebook covered with hearts and initials?

It’s not a disease but it won’t go away.  Unfortunately, at some point, the cooties die and you’re left to deal with… the opposite sex!

This year in Sr. High, we’re talking about relationships!  What different kind of relationships exist?  We covered some at our first large group: friendships, parent-child, sibling, dating, and marriage relationships.  But deeper than that, why did God create relationships?  What is really the point of dating?  Marriage?  Sex?

One of our verses for Johnsonburg said, “Whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17).  Does “whatever you do” include relationships?  How do we have relationships “in the name of the Lord Jesus?”  How do we have friendships “in the name of the Lord Jesus?”  How do we date “in the name of the Lord Jesus?”  How do we marry “in the name of the Lord Jesus?”

There are two different types of relationships: ones that can lead you further from God and ones that can lead you toward God.  There are friends, boyfriends/girlfriends, husbands/wives, brothers/sisters, etc. that can help us to see and love God more or they can bring us farther away from Him.  How do we navigate our relationships in a way that not only helps us to get closer to God but helps others to get closer too?

Join us at Youth Group this year and we’ll go deeper into how even our relationships were designed to glorify God!

September 2008 Apostolos

Friendship

The stage was set.  The young shepherd that killed the giant had grown up to become a famous and successful warrior.  As David’s popularity and fame grew, so did King Saul’s jealousy.  “When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with tambourines and lutes.  As they danced, they sang: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.’” (1 Samuel 18:6-7).

Saul became afraid that David would try to take the throne from him.  In his paranoia, Saul attempted to have David killed.  What Saul didn’t know was that his son, Jonathan, was a good friend to David.  So Jonathan ran ahead and warned David, instructing him to “be on your guard tomorrow morning.”

Jonathan spoke to his father to convince him not to kill David.  Although Saul promised his son saying, “As surely as the LORD lives, David will not be put to death,” he went back on his promise and ordered David’s murder behind Jonathan’s back.

Jonathan nevertheless discovered Saul’s plan.  When Saul found out his son had betrayed the family, he tried to kill Jonathan in his anger.  Then the hunt begins: Saul pursues David all over in order to kill him.  David continued battling and making a name for himself and Saul continued his attempts at taking David’s life.

Then one day as the Israelites were in battle, they were overpowered by the Philistine army.  All three of Saul’s sons, including Jonathan, were killed.  In terror of the enclosing army, Saul was wounded by the Philistine archers.  He ordered his servant to “draw [his] sword and run [him] through” but his servant was too afraid.  So, on the battlefield surrounded by his enemies, Saul killed himself to prevent the Philistines from doing it themselves.

When David heard of Saul and Jonathan’s death, he mourned for them saying:

“O daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and finery, who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.  How the mighty have fallen in battle!  Jonathan lies slain on your heights.  I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me.  Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women.  How the mighty have fallen!  The weapons of war have perished!”

Jonathan risked his own life and his relationship with his father and country to protect his friend, David.  After Saul’s death, David went on to be the best king Israel ever had and was a “man after God’s own heart.”  God worked through David and Jonathan’s friendship to fulfill His purpose.  David was an ancestor of Jesus and would not have had any children if Saul’s attempts to kill him had succeeded.

As you get ready to return to school, homework, and friends, remember the loving friendship that David and Jonathan had.  Friendships are important and maintaining Godly friendships is even more important.  “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm” (Proverbs 13:20).

Think of the friendships that you have.  Who among your friends is like Jonathan?  While you’re thinking about the friendships you have, how’s yours going with Jesus?  Would you risk your life and your relationship with everyone else for this one friend?  Jesus told us, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business.  Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15).  That’s pretty cool!