Distinct Week 3-Serve

Welcome back to Distinct, where we're looking at some things that are different, unique, and . . . well, distinct. Let's see how good you are at noticing the differences between things — like textures.

INSTRUCTIONS: For this activity, you'll need containers that can't be seen through, like paper bags or boxes, and a variety of foods with different textures (like mashed potatoes, bologna, Jell-O, fried chicken, pudding, a kiwi fruit, dry rice, or ice cream). To play, bring at least two students to the front to compete. Without looking, have them put their hand into the container, touch the food inside, and race to see who can be the first to identify it correctly. Have the same players continue with all of the foods or choose new players for each food.

To some of us, food is basically all the same. We're not picky. We'll eat whatever! To others, food is a big deal. If it's not the exact right temperature, consistency, color, or blend of flavors, we don't want it. It's a good thing there's so much variety in the things that are available for us to eat — not just because it's more fun that way, but because every food serves a unique purpose.

Some foods give us essential vitamins and minerals. Other foods give us other essential vitamins and minerals. Some foods give us protein, or fat, or fiber, or energy. If we didn't have a variety of foods to choose from, we wouldn't just be bored. We'd be malnourished too. All food serves a distinct purpose — and the fact that those purposes are different is actually a good thing!

QUESTION | "Have you ever been a member of a team?"

Have you ever been a member of a team? What was your role?

INSTRUCTIONS: Give a few students a chance to respond.

Whether you've been a part of a sports team, debate team, leadership team, or a cast in a play, you know this is true: on a team, everyone has a distinct role to play. But if we're honest, sometimes we're less than thrilled about the roles we're given.

STORY | Talk about a time you weren't happy with a role you were given.

INSTRUCTIONS: Tell a story from your own life (or ask a volunteer or student to tell a story) about a time you were chosen for a role because of your gifts, but weren't happy about it. Try to choose a situation where you were well-suited for the role, but didn't want it. Maybe you were cast for a great part in a play but wanted the lead, or were made the leader of a group project because of your leadership skills but felt self-conscious, or were given an award for a weird thing you were interested in but were afraid people would tease you for it.

Way back about 10 years ago when all y’all were toddlers and I only had 1 child, I was serving as Youth & Worship Pastor in Charleston, WV.

I loved what I did- preaching, going to kid’s games, visiting school cafeterias, hanging out with kids like Sam McMinn and Matt Holstein all the time, and leading worship on Sundays.

But then I inherited a role on our church district called “BLAST” Coordinator… (BLAST is kinda like our TNT events)

I wasn’t asked to take this role on, it was just assumed I would do it after the last guy quit.

Here’s how I found out: I asked our District NYI President who was going to be the new coordinator, and he was like: “Oh, well that would be you.”

Thanks for the heads up chief!

Oh and did I mention that this was 2 months before our district BLAST?

So I had to recruit a team of about 30 people to help with registration, judging, etc… and I had a few weeks to do it.

This was something I REALLY didn’t want to do, I had ZERO experience with this kind of stuff, didn’t know that many people who could fill the roles needed, and I was pretty irritated that I was expected to do it without being asked to do it.

Factor all that in, and I was a nervous WRECK.

So I asked… actually BEGGED for help!

My friends Justin Bailey, Michael Smith and Chris Riggs came to the rescue.

They were the other youth pastors nearby and they knew lots of people who could fill the judging roles and filled me in on how things ran in the past.

And I reached out to some people like Elliot and Kelly in our church to help out with registration.

So we got it done and the event went surprisingly well that year and the following year before I moved here to KY.

The lie we oftentimes believe is that the qualities, skills, and interests that make us distinct aren't the best or most important things. Instead of seeing the value of the unique things we already contribute, we instead wish we could contribute something else. Instead of being content with our unique role, we get jealous of the roles other people play. But what if I told you . . .

The idea that some skills, abilities, or roles are "better" or more "important" than others is a lie? The best role for you to play is the distinct role only you can play? By playing your role to the best of your ability, you could help change the world?

SO WHAT? Why does it matter to God and to us?

SCRIPTURE | I Corinthians 12:1-11

We've been talking about what it means to be "distinct."

First, we talked about how Jesus is distinct because He's unlike anyone else who has ever lived — He's God! Second, we talked about how you and I are made distinct too, because we were made by God. Today I want us to think about what we can actually do with our distinctness, because it's one thing to know we're unique, but it's another thing entirely to act like we believe it. There's a guy named Paul who wrote a lot of the New Testament of the Bible, and he has a lot of helpful things to say about this.

Paul had a pretty unique faith journey. Before He started following Jesus, he was so opposed to Christianity that he chased down Christians, threw them in prison, and even had some of them murdered. But then he had an encounter with Jesus that changed everything. When he realized Jesus really was God, Paul made it his mission to tell everyone who would listen. Paul's distinct mission from God had two parts:

To help spread the good news of Jesus throughout the world so God's family could grow wider. Specifically, Paul's mission was to spread the gospel of Jesus to people who were not Jewish — and thanks to his background and experience, he was equipped to do that. To help the faith communities who were already following Jesus continue to grow deeper. Paul was chosen by God to help lead the early Jesus movement and guide local faith leaders. Here's one of the things Paul wrote to one of those faith communities, the church in Corinth, addressing a few issues that were going on there.

INSTRUCTIONS: Read I Corinthians 12:1-11

In Corinth, it seems as though people were struggling with their roles in the church. There were some distinct gifts, talents, and roles that were being elevated as if they were better than others, leading to jealousy, hurt feelings, and an unnecessary desire for people to have certain roles and gifts — even if those roles and gifts weren't natural fits for them.

But Paul knew God had created everyone with certain things that made them distinct, and it was a tragedy for anyone to ignore their God-given distinctiveness because they didn't think it was good enough. Paul also knew no one person in that community was more important than the other. But because they had elevated certain gifts as more important, they had also begun to elevate certain people as more important. That was a tragedy too. So Paul needed the Corinthians to understand this: each of our unique gifts come from God. Even when it seems random, or the gifts we receive aren't the ones we wish we had, God gave us our gifts on purpose, for a purpose.

SCRIPTURE | I Peter 4:10

So what is that purpose? To answer that question, let's look at what the apostle Peter wrote to another church around the same time Paul wrote to the church at Corinth.

Peter was one of the very first followers of Jesus. He spent over three years walking side-by-side with him. Peter's history with Jesus was an experience Paul didn't have, which means Peter was equipped to lead in ways that were different (but no more or less important) than the ways Paul was equipped to lead. Peter had a history of being pretty outspoken — sometimes even hot-headed. Although this feature of Peter's personality got him into trouble at times, his passion and enthusiasm were also really important tools for the mission God gave him. With that in mind, let's see what Peter had to say about the distinct gifts God gives to each of us. INSTRUCTIONS: Read I Peter 4:10

1 Peter 4:10 NIV

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

Well, this is pretty to-the-point, right? Peter reminds us the gifts God gives us aren't just for fun or to build up our egos. They're not trading cards we collect and keep hidden away in a box. They're meant to be used . . . to serve God and others!

Peter and Paul had very different backgrounds, temperaments, experiences, and areas of expertise. Their differences even resulted in a huge fight when they had a disagreement over each other's leadership. But Paul and Peter were both used by God in significant ways to spread the good news of Jesus all over the world — not despite their distinct gifts, but because of them. Peter and Paul understood that our gifts are all meaningful because they can all be used to help love others and make a difference in the world. Because of our distinct gifts, we can all serve in distinct ways.

NOW WHAT? What does God want us to do about it?

STORY | Share the stories of people serving uniquely in your community.

-GOD’S FOOD PANTRY- MARSHA CORNELL

-OVER MY HEAD WOMEN’S SHELTER

-CROSSROADS CHURCH- CELEBRATE RECOVERY, FEEDING CENTER

So you see, it's not just people like Peter and Paul who can figure this out. It's people like you and me. It's people within our own community!

We can all make a distinct difference in the world . . . Because we can all serve in distinct ways . . . Because we were all created by God with distinct gifts.

REFLECTION | A Map to Serving Distinctly

INSTRUCTIONS: Show the image provided in your Week 3 folder on screen. Before your program, print and cut the handouts provided in your Week 3 folder. Place one under each seat, along with a pen and encourage students to write as you walk through each stop on the map.

If you're still wondering what this might look like in your life, I've got a map that might help us get there. If you want to serve others in distinct ways . . .

FEEL IT:

Start by thinking about your passions. You have a lot of things that are unique about you, after all — so where should you start? Ask the question, "What makes me excited and brings me tons of energy?" That's usually a good place to start. Write it down. And if you're not sure how to answer . . .

Ask God!

If you were created on purpose and for a purpose, then try asking your Creator to point you in the right direction. You may not hear an audible voice, but oftentimes, God brings ideas to us. Ask someone who loves you! I know your friends and family members would love to have a conversation about what they see as your gifts, talents, and ways God has made you distinct. Sometime this week, ask them what they see!

OWN IT:

You have to believe distinct things can happen through your distinct relationship with Jesus and the distinct gifts He has given you. So what do you need to own right now? Do you need to believe your gifts are valuable? That God can use you? That you matter? Write it down.

TRY IT:

If you want to use your gifts to serve others, the solution is often easier than we think it is. You have to try something. Write down one thing (or ten things) you want to try.

The more things you try, the closer you'll get to finding out how your gifts and passions are best used. If you think you have a passion or interest God might want to use, then try it! Get involved. Learn a new skill. Sign up to volunteer somewhere. Just try it. After you try something, you might realize it's not for you. That's okay! Try something else! Did that volunteer role not work out for you? No problem — try a new one. Did you find out you're not actually as good at playing guitar as you thought you would be? Don't worry — if it's not working for you, move on to the next thing. Did that cause you were passionate about recently take a back seat to a new cause you're even more passionate about? Okay! Head that direction instead.

IMPROVE IT:

When you've found something that seems like it's working, dig in deeper and get even better at it. Whether it's a cause you believe in, a ministry or organization you love, a group of people you care about, or a skill you want to master, do everything you can to grow in that area. Write down a few things you could do, like . . .

Learn everything you can about the thing you care about. Get better at the skills that help you contribute. Surround yourself with people who can help you grow in that area.

LIVE IT:

Sometimes we can get so caught up in preparing to do something that we never actually do it. We hide behind our plans and "visions" for our lives, but never get around to living them out. Don't get stuck in that trap. Write down something specific you want to do to serve others with your distinct gifts. Then go do it.

And don't let these ideas never make it past the paper you wrote them on. Share them with the people in this room! Encourage each other! Brainstorm together! Helping each other make these plans a reality might be one of the ways we serve each other. When we respect one another's differences and learn from each person's unique giftings, we become the Church we were meant to be. Remember, we were all made distinct by our Creator, which is why we can all serve in distinct ways.

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