Anti-Bullying

Connect: Introduce myself

Great to see you all here today

I grew up here in CP now a highland resident - 46307 to 46322

Read:

Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Express: When you see the value in others, you behave in ways that solve the problem of bullying

Pray

Ask: How many of you know about the Mona Lisa?

How many of you want to guess how much the Mona Lisa is worth?

Answer: $1 Billion

In fact, they don’t risk the Mona Lisa getting deteriorated or ruined because of its value, so they put the painting behind bullet proof glass. It’s considered a masterpiece

Tell: This tells us something important about things that are considered masterpieces, Masterpieces, deserve the best care

And I think what you need to understand about yourself and about others is that you are a masterpiece.

Paul was one of Jesus’ first followers. He was a writer, and a devoted Christian. He was someone who knew what it meant to treat others poorly, but he also knows what it was like to be treated poorly.

He wrote the passage we just read, and I want to read it again for you.

Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

God is saying something you need to hear today. That the design for His children is to view each other as valuable and treat each other as valuable too.

If this is God’s design why is it more natural for us to treat each other like trash?

We say things to hurt others and mask it by saying, “it was just a joke” Someone told me this before, the root of all jokes and sarcasm is truth.

So if it was a joke, why was it said in the first place?

How many of you are familiar with this phrase: Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me

I don’t know about you but this phrase is a lie. Sticks and stones hurt, but the reality is, words hurt a lot more than physical damage.

But this has become the normal.

Think about your own actions and words towards others and consider this thought:

What are some things we’ve gotten used to that are just mean?

There are three ways all of us have, are, or will experience bullying

Bullying others - this looks like gossip, pushing, saying hurtful things, cracking jokes at someone about their appearance or life.

Being bullied by others - This might be present in your life. Maybe you’ve been the butt of the joke, removed from a group of people, hurt by someone for no reason. Maybe you feel misunderstood and devalued. You don’t feel like a masterpiece.

Being a bystander - This looks like watching something take place. Listening to gossip, laughing at a joke someone made at someone’s expense. And it’s easy to just let it happen to someone else than take the chance of it happening to you.

What do we do about this? Do we leave this as normal or can we do something about this?

I want to read a section of the Bible to you guys. Paul wrote this part too.

What I want you to do is raise your hand when you catch Paul saying something about how we should view or treat other people.

Romans 12

12 And so, dear brothers and sisters,[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.[b] 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

3 Because of the privilege and authority[c] God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.[d] 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection,[e] and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.[f] 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

“I will take revenge; I will pay them back,”[g] says the Lord.

20 Instead,

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”[h]

21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

How are we feeling?

I’m gonna have us do something now. I'm going to have a few statements put up and I want you to think about your response quietly for at least a minute at a time.

Where have you seen bullying but have felt powerless to change it?

When have been some times that you have participated in something that looks like bullying

What holds you back from living in a way that is in line with what Paul talked about in what we just read?

How can you begin to overcome the evil of bullying by doing good this week?

Listen to me, if you’re behaving like a bullying, I want to say to you that you are invited to a different way of treating others. Choose to start behaving in ways that align with the value you have and that others have. And one thing you can do to start is by apologizing to anyone you have hurt in the past.

If you are being bullied, I want you to know you are not alone, and it is brutal. But I want you to hear me now, What you are going through does not reflect the value you have.

The first step I think you need to take is to tell someone, and if one of you becomes the trusted person that is told, you have a responsibility to act.

No matter where you find yourself on this topic, I want you to begin to decide that now is the time to take a different approach.

As a Masterpiece, you add value to the world. And you are meant to treat other masterpieces in a way that reflects their value. You were designed by God, You were created with a purpose. And all of this you have because of Jesus Christ.

He died for you, to give you a new life and a new name. To give you a relationship with the one who created you. To help you in this life and to help you make it better for others.

Remember: When you see value in others, you behave in ways that solve the problem of bullying