Metro Youth Network

Saturday, July 18
Read: Acts 3

Four important events happen in this chapter.

First, Peter and John, on their way to the Temple, see a man in need. They claim to not have money but Peter offers him something worth more than that.

Second, the man is healed in the name of Jesus.

Third, the man praises God by walking and leaping and jumping. He recognizes what has just happened. He has a heart full of praise for God because he knew it was only by God’s power that he was healed. Peter addresses the crowd giving glory to God.

And fourth, the message to repent is preached.

Everything we do should be done in the name and glorification of Jesus. Peter and John were simply obeying Jesus by going daily to the Temple to pray, and just like Jesus had stopped because they saw someone in need. They were confident in the power of the Holy Spirit that was at work within them.

They see a need, they meet the need, God is praised and given glory and the message of repentance is preached. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20 and Acts 1:8) is started. They don’t linger around for a while before getting to work, they don’t hide in their shells but they boldly carry and proclaim the name of Jesus not timid to rebuke those that sent him to his death.

How many times on your way to church, or anywhere for that matter, have you seen someone in need? How many times do you feel prompted to help that person? How many times do you shy away from doing so out of fear or because of the hurry you’re in? Take note that Peter is still human. A human open to the Holy Spirit’s prompting. Jesus, on his way anywhere, would always take time to be with people. In the gospel of John when he stops at the well in the Samaritan town just for a short break he ends up staying there three days teaching the people. He was never in a hurry.

As bearers of Christ’s name we must be a good example of the name. God calls us to “the least of these” and too many times do we miss out on the blessing of sharing the gospel with others because of our selfishness, fear and doubt. The name of Jesus is the most powerful name in the world. With it come healing, salvations, miracles, joy, peace and comfort. With it comes the power to change things. Don’t be afraid to use it.

Process:

- Have you ever had the opportunity share Christ’s love with someone but chose not to? What stopped you?

- When we are actively seeking God and the Holy Spirit we are going to start seeing the need and the Spirit is going to prompt us to act. We can choose to ignore it or we can obey it and start to see a change in this world. What do you want to see: people continue to sin and cry out or a nation turned upside down and praising the Lord for his mighty deeds?

- Through the Holy Spirit you have the power to change your neighborhoods, schools, state and country. Pray against fear and doubt and that you would be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Sunday, July 19
Read: Acts 4

Luke 4 is an amazing chapter that shows the power of sharing the story of Jesus to others. Peter and John were aware of the dangers that came with speaking about Christ, yet they did so anyways. There are a few important things to point out about sharing the word of God.

First of all, speaking about Christ must be lead by the Holy Spirit. After being arrested, Peter and John were brought amongst people of high authority to be questioned. Before answering from where they get their power, Peter is filled with the Holy Spirit. The spirit of God is what guides us. We must remain in the spirit so that when we share Christ with others, it will actually be the words of God through us that are being spoken.

The second thing is that it takes courage to share the word of Jesus Christ. Peter and John knew that the authorities opposed their viewpoints. These were the men that have just arrested them for healing a crippled man. Imagine what must have been going through their heads when they brought before the officials. They knew full well severe consequences that may be taken on them for speaking about Jesus. But the boldness and courage of Peter and John astonished them!

The final aspect to point out is that sharing the word of God has the overwhelming power to convict. When the religious leaders saw the courage of Peter and John, they came to the realization ordinary people compared to these men of Christ. They “took note that these men had been with Jesus” (v. 13). If that is not conviction, I don’t know what is!

Peter and John both new that by spreading the word of God they were bringing about the revolution of Christ. But when have you ever heard of a revolution happening through silent, boring and overly polite people? Nowhere! Christ’s overwhelming victory over sin has been completed. We are called to share that victory with the rest of the world!

We must not be timid when we share the word of Christ to others. When we speak of Jesus we must remember these three things that are evident with Peter and John speaking about their faith. You have learned many things through the month and have experienced something very spiritual. Now is the time to prepare yourself to enter back into your normal routine with the spirit of God upon you.
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7).

Process:

We must prepare our hearts to be placed back at the corps at home. It is important to remember to remain in the Spirit of God in all that we do in the church. Take this time to pray for each individual’s corps. Bring certain needs of the church before God.

Then spend time praying each other. If there are any certain areas that God can strengthen you, lift that up in prayer before God. Pray that God will equip you with the spirit and strengthen you for the ministry back at home.

Friday, July 17
Read: Acts 2

Act two has to be one of the most epic moments in the Bible! Christ has already died for the sins of mankind; his resurrection has given us victory over sin and an eternal life in the kingdom of heaven! Now we have the last segment of Jesus’ promise being fulfill, the coming of the Holy Spirit. The blowing of a violent wind (v. 2) is the Holy Spirit descending upon the earth. It was described as tongues of fire. Remember the prophecy that John the Baptist gave in Luke 3?
“I baptize you with water, but the one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Luke 3:15-16)

With the Gift of the Holy Spirit we have the start of the church (v. 42-47). God initiated the church through Holy Spirit. In these versus we are given the example of the first church body in complete community. They shared everything with each other and devoted their spiritual lives in fellowship. The beautiful thing here is that in unity God added them in their numbers. Their church was a growing church!

We are called to be a unified body of Christ, a church of the kingdom of God. Here we are given an example of how the first church lived in community. They found joy in their community with “glad and sincere hearts” (v.46). In no way are Christians called to live a life of faith alone. We are to have community with our church with the same focus on Christ in our hearts. Though we are different, God blesses us in our church.

Now these people of the church in Acts 2 were very different. At first they all spoke various languages. But the Spirit broke those barriers and brought them together. There are no barriers in this world that can restrict Christians from being unified in Christ. God does not call us to all be the same, but to be unified through God. Unity isn’t about uniformity. Unity is about a bunch of different people coming together and being able to work together for one purpose. God made each one of us differently. He has chosen each of us for a specific purpose. In the body of Christ all parts are needed to accomplish the will of God and the kingdom of heaven.

Through the Salvation Army we are blessed with what an amazing family this church has become and what a community of love there is amongst us. But let us not forget the other churches of Christ. The Salvation Army is only of one part of a much larger body. Let us not forget how vast the body of the church truly extends to.

Process:

- Are we spending enough time with our church families? It is easy to get caught up in the routine of Sunday worship. But how much time is devoted to the community of the church?

- Remember, the church community extends beyond the walls of a building. The community is built up on the people and not a building. We can enjoy fellowship with our congregations in settings in various locations.

- Verse 44 says “all the believes were together…” Are there any barriers in our corps that create segregation amongst the community? Are there any barriers between you and the people of your church? How can we better unify the church body, despite these obstacles?

Thursday, July 16
Read: Acts 1

There are over 1 billion Christians in the world leaving over 5 billion people untouched or unaffected by the gospel. If you think about it though that’s pretty amazing considering that the church started with only 120 members (v. 15) just over 2,000 years ago.

After Jesus’ resurrection he appears to the disciples many times continuing to teach them. It is here, in the beginning of Acts, that the apostles are given their last mandate from Jesus until His return. The disciples are told to wait in Jerusalem and they will receive the Holy Spirit to be his witnesses through all Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

This one statement entailed so much. Jesus was telling them that they had a job to do; they were to take everything he taught them and share it with the world. He promises the Holy Spirit will give them the power, strength, courage and boldness to do such a task.

This mandate is still in force today. We are part of the church that started in these first few chapters of Acts. The message Jesus gave them is still the message He gives us today. All who have heard and believed the apostles teachings have become witnesses and in consequence becomes a member of the missional church.

As Jesus ascends into Heaven the apostles just kind of stand there, bewildered. In return they are rebuked by two angels reminding them that Jesus will come back, but in the meantime there is work to be done.

In the world today we have what is called the 10/40 window. The world’s most unreached people groups live in places stretching across the maps of northern Africa and Asia. Two-thirds of the world’s population, more than 3.2 billion people, live in the 10/40 Window.

*Here are some staggering statistics involving this part of the world.

• 95% of the people living in the 10/40 Window are unevangelized. Many have never heard the Gospel message even once
• Eighty-five percent of those living in the 10/40 window are the poorest of the world’s poor.
• Half of the world’s least evangelized cities are in this window.

In addition to the 10/40 window here are some more general facts about the world’s most unevangelized people groups.

- 865 million unreached Muslims or Islamic followers in 3330 cultural sub-groupings
- 550 million unreached Hindus in 1660 cultural sub-groups
- 150 million unreached Chinese in 830 groups
- 275 million unreached Buddhists in 900 groups
- Forming a smaller — though important — unreached group are the 17 million Jews scattered across 134 countries
- 2550 unreached tribal groups with a total population of 140 million

Process:

- What do you think it must have been like for the apostles to have to wait in the room for something they were unsure of? What do you think they were going through?

- Does it come as a shock to you that you are called to evangelize? Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the thought that once we become Christians we’re good. But Jesus gave us a specific mission. How are you fulfilling that mission? By now we have all done some intense evangelization, how has this experience challenged you? How have you grown?

- Notice that their ministry started in Jerusalem and then expanded form there. Mission work and evangelization don’t just pertain to overseas, but starts in your hometown. So if you are too young to go overseas yet, start at home, maybe with your family, your neighbors and your friends.

- Prayer is powerful! Know that your prayers are heard by God and he will always respond to our prayers. There is so much going on in the world that sometimes it is too overwhelming and seems hopeless. Your prayers are effective. Pray for the unreached people groups in this world and that the gospel will be accepted among them. Pray for the missionaries hard at work and who are in perilous conditions. Pray that the gospel would be spread and accepted