The Movement Begins

Countdown

Something fun (eg. Game, video, etc.). It is not necessary for this to have a tie in to the lesson, but it can.

Introductions

This is culture

Basic Opening Statement: Today is the day. We are so glad that you are here with us today.

So a couple of months ago we changed our name from Bridgetown Church Student Ministry to Bridgetown Student Movement. We want to create a movement made up of students that are here and students that are not here that will turn the world upside down, by turning our lives upside down for other people.

Here in this movement, you have community. You have purpose. You have a mission. You have truth.

I am _______________ and before we really get into it, let me pray.”

*Pray for God to use what you have to say to move someone further along in their journey towards Jesus.*

Story Time

Tell a quick story that introduces the message

The civil rights movement was a struggle for social justice that took place mainly during the 1950s and 1960s for Black Americans to gain equal rights under the law in the United States. The Civil War had officially abolished slavery, but it didn’t end discrimination against Black people. Right?

So as far as you understand it, how did it come about?

Catch Up

Where we have been in the series. Where we are going.

I would say that the goals of that movement have not been fully met, yet. Right? But the movement towards justice that were started back then are still having an effect on our world today.

But my point here is that in order for a movement to start, it requires people moving. We have said several times over the past few months that we are starting a movement here in bcsm that seeks to turn the world upside down by turning our lives upside down for other people. This is a huge goal.

You see we believe that the world was created to be good. That is what the beginning of the Bible tells us. God put humans here to fill the earth and cultivate it. To continue the goodness of his work. To spread his blessing beyond the garden. We know that we failed that mission which separated even God’s people from the goodness of the Garden. It was a complete inversion of the way things were supposed to be.

So that act started a current that continues to this day where humans are filled with fear and anxiety and shame which causes them to spread injustice and violence and sadness to all those around them. That current is the opposite of God’s Garden-Kingdom ideal.

So our goal is to stop the current and where we can turn it on its head, to turn the world right again. To turn the world upside down means we champion justice, truth, beauty, love, joy, peace, humility, etc.

Where do we get this idea?

Scripture

Read or summarize main Scripture with a little surrounding context. Ask a couple of questions to about the text.

Well, one of the early criticisms of the church recorded in Acts 17 was that they were turning the world upside down. That idea combined with Jesus’ prayer that God’s Kingdom, that looks upside down to us, invade the earth, that His Will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.

What if the world you lived in every day looked a little more like heaven? What would that look like?

I think a lot of times we think of heaven as angels playing harps on clouds. Strike that image from your mind. That is not what we are talking about here. Heaven, the Kingdom of God, is God Space. Wherever God dwells, there is perfect Truth and Beauty and Joy and all the good things.

So if we were able to turn the world upside down, the world we live in would look more like God space. And the more we see that, the more we will spread it. And the more other people see it, the more they will want in on the movement.

What would this look like in your school? or at work? or at home? or here?

Tension/ Main Point

What is the rub? Create some questions and feeling in the minds of your students around the main point of the lesson.

But that is unrealistic, Eric. That could not happen at my school. That is impossible.

You are right. Without Jesus none of this is possible. That is part of the reason we need his Holy Spirit to dwell within us. If he didn’t we would not have access to God space at all. But as it is, God space dwells within us… so wherever we are, the Kingdom of God is there. That is part of being an apprentice. Spending time with Jesus, Becoming like him, doing the things he did.

That is why we need to build this movement on a community that is constantly building one another up, prodding the other Jesus followers to love and good works.

So how do we start a movement?

In order for a movement to start, it requires people moving.

So here is how this movement starts. You start moving.

Part of my goal as your pastor or your minister is to equip you to do what Jesus is calling you to do. So that is my plan. I am equipping you with lapel pins.

What do these lapel pins have to do with Jesus?

Look the movement we are trying to start, the community we are building here, that stuff is worth dying for. The lapel pins are a way to start.

Response

We respond every week with an invitation to baptism and communion.

Here is the plan. Each of you gets a jackalope pin to wear, or put on your backpack, or something so that it is always with you at school. This identifies you as a part of the bcsm, the bridgetown church student movement. You also get a card with an extra jackalope on it. This is to hand out. Once you hand yours out, you can grab another one the following Sunday.

So you can just give these away to your friends, but they will work the best when you hand them to someone with a reason and you make sure they know it. Give them to someone who you have seen turn the world upside down in some way shape or form.

SO that would look something like this ...

“Hey, I noticed you helped so and so pick up her books when she dropped them so I wanted to give you this.”

You hand them the card with the pin on it and you walk away.

The card explains that you are a part of a movement to turn the world upside down and that they can be a part of it too. What are the requirements? Wear the pin, look for opportunities to make the world a little more right and take them upon yourself.

There is some information about thebcsm.com on the card for if they want to know more about who we are and why we want to turn the world upside down.

But here’s the important thing. If you wear the pin you are identifying yourself as a part of the movement. So you need to also reflect the values of the movement. Wear the pin, look for opportunities to make the world a little more right and take them upon yourself.

To start a movement, people have to move. So this is the start. This is how we begin to move. This is not the end all be all. Remember, this movement is built on top of a community of apprentices to Jesus. And in order for it to be effective Jesus needs to be in it.

This is a tool. I believe this will help you see how much of an impact a small community of apprentices can have on the world around them. This tool will help you learn to point out when people are doing the work of the Kingdom, whether they know it or not. This tool will help remind us of what we are called to do as Jesus followers. To turn the world upside down by turning our lives upside down for other people. But most of all, this is a tool to help us start moving. To help us start a movement. But it all has to be built on the one who can do the impossible.

Each week we take some time to remind ourselves of how Jesus turned the world upside down. He literally laid down his life to give us the Kingdom of heaven, to give us the ability to take that and share it with people around us. We do all of that by eating a piece of bread and drinking a little juice. Jesus died a criminal’s death, not because he was a criminal, but just because he had a habit of turning people’s preconceived notions and ideas on their head. Like we have said over and over. An apprentice eventually does what the Teacher did. So that is our job. to lay down our lives, to turn people’s preconceived notions on their head, to show them what the Kingdom actually looks like.

As this song plays you can grab communion.

Now If you need prayer this week, or if you want to declare your intention to be a true disciple of Jesus by being baptized, come see one of the adults. Today is a baptism Sunday. So if that is you, let’s do it. But, if you don’t want to move and just want to listen to the lyrics of the song, or pray, or read the Bible you can do that as well.

This song talks about the kinds of things God can do.

Song

Pick a song that centers around the main theme of the lesson.

Unstoppable God

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gbd_8a8S3M

Discussion

What are some movements that are going strong in your school?

Play Spot the Leader. Send one person from your group out of the room. The rest of you pick someone to be the leader. Then call your spotter back into the room. Everyone must do whatever the leader does . The spotter will try to guess the leader.

IN order to start a movement, someone has to move. But what happens when the movement is strong, it becomes its own thing. The leader kind of just becomes another part of the movement. SO it will take some courage on your part to step out and start moving if you don’t see others around you moving. How does that make you feel?

This is your community. Part of being a community is caring for one another and one way we can do that is by praying for each other. Does anyone have something we can celebrate with you this week? What is heavy for you this week?

Pray together

What do you think will happen when you start to hand out these pins? Good things? Bad things?

Do you feel like the pins will help you start moving? Why or why not?

Who will you hand your first pin to?

Family Worship

Hey, welcome to Family Worship.

This week we launched the movement we have been talking about for the past couple of months. And we handed out these little jackalope buttons.

Talk about one things that you have heard about this movement that you like.

In order to start a movement you have to start moving, That is what these little buttons are for. When you see someone doing the work of the movement, Someone turning the world upside down by turning their lives upside down for other people, you can let them know that they are a part of something bigger. The hope is as we tell people about the movement, they will join us in spreading the upside down kingdom throughout our schools, homes and workplaces. And as the community of Jesus apprentices continues to spend time with Jesus and become like Jesus, they will start to do what Jesus did and create more apprentices. We can, with Jesus’ help, build a movement that turns the world upside down. But it all starts with the first step.

Read

Matthew 28:18-20

Understand

What does jesus want us to do?

This is one of the last things Jesus says to his disciples after 3 years of teaching them. Why is when he told them this important?

Apply

What do you see as your personal role in helping spread the news about Christ?

Who are yougoing to give your first Jackalope pin out to?

Connect to the Vision

Now here are your challenges for the week. Commit, as a family to doing at least one of these challenges this week.

Challenges

Fun: In order to start a movement, you have to move. Play Spot the Leader. Send one person from your family out of the room. The rest of you pick someone to be the leader. Then call your spotter back into the room. Everyone must do whatever the leader does . The spotter will try to guess the leader.

Practice: Discuss ways you and your family can turn your lives upside down for another person this week and make a plan to accomplish it.

Do: If you got a jackalope pin, hand it out. If you didn’t, identify someone who is turning the world upside down by turning their lives upside down for other people, and let them know that you noticed.

Daily Devotions

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Spiritual Discipline of the week