Synergy Youth Group

12/16/2017

12/15/2017

"You have been bought and paid for by Christ. You belong to Jesus. How much does that make you worth? " - 1 Corinthians 7:23

12/10/2017

YOU are welcome to our worship service this morning at 10am in the Sanctuary as we celebrate the second week of advent!

We light a second candle on the second Sunday of Advent to represent the hope of Christ coming to the world.

The word "hope" has two meanings in the Bible. The first, tiqvah, contains the sense of eager anticipation or waiting. The second, elpis. depicts a sense of confident expectation based on certainty. Biblical hope is secured by God's faithfulness to His promises. For the Old Testament leaders, their hope was in the Messiah's arrival. For us, it is the hope of the Messiah's return.

God's plan for humanity unfolded in the town of Bethlehem, the birthplace of the Messiah, joyously fulfilling a long-awaited promise. Today we confidently wait for the Messiah's triumphant return.

ALL are welcome to his church to join in community, fellowship, and celebration. See you at 10!

12/02/2017

Talk about a tough task! Abraham told his servant, “Go to my country and find a wife for my son Isaac.” And so the servant went. When he got there, he stopped by a well and prayed, “O Lord, give me success. The townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, ‘Please may I have a drink,’ she says, ‘Drink and I’ll give water to your animals too.’ By this I will know that this is the one whom you have chosen for Isaac.”(Genesis 24:12,14).

That prayer might sound a little crazy. But do you know what happened? The Lord answered the prayer! A woman named Rebekah came out and offered him and his animals some water to drink. The trip was a success! Wouldn’t it be great if that’s how it worked for you too? Wouldn’t be great if you prayed, “Lord, please let the person of my dreams come up to me, offer me a drink of water, and then ask me on a date. Then I’ll know that this is the one for me. Amen.” and then it came true?

Don’t underestimate the power of prayer when it comes to your relationships! At the same time, don’t miss the point. The servant looked to the Lord to guide the search. So do we! In fact, the Lord has already given you wonderful guidance for your relationships. He says, “Flee the desires of your youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace.”

It might seem like pursuing righteousness, faith, love, and peace would lead you in four different directions. But if you notice, they all lead back to one very loving God and his very powerful Word. First and foremost, the Lord wants to strengthen you in your relationship with him. That’s the most important relationship you have! The Lord wants you to hear every day in his Word of your Savior’s love for you which has forgiven your sins and filled you with peace that no other relationship can. These are blessings that you carry with you in life, in death, and into all your relationships.

Pursue the Lord in his Word. Speak confidently to him in your prayers. And like Abraham’s servant, rejoice in the blessings and answers that the Lord provides!

12/01/2017

If you could ask for anything in this world, what would it be? If God came and gave you that option and didn’t narrow it down even a little bit, what would you ask for?

A young man had that option. He had just been given a gigantic task and God gave him that option. “Do you want money? Do you want long life? Do you want your enemies to be obliterated? Ask for anything and I’ll give it to you.” But the young man didn’t ask for any of those things. He asked for wisdom. The young man’s name was Solomon, the wisest of the wise.

Solomon asked for wisdom because he looked at who he was and what his job was and thought, “Who can do this? I’m just a child. And God, you’re asking me to rule this great nation.” Solomon was overwhelmed by the task and the job in front of him. He wanted wisdom from God to do it well.

So often we’re overwhelmed by situations in front of us. We’re overwhelmed by the task. We’re overwhelmed by the situation. Fill in the blank for yourself. “I’m overwhelmed by ___________________.”

It’s easy to fill in the blank for God too: “God, I need you to do _____________ for me.” But if we’re filling in the blanks for God, who has become the god?

Solomon knew that he didn’t need to fill in the blank for God. He needed God to fill in the blank for him. He needed wisdom from God so that he could know which way to turn, whether right or left. He needed wisdom from God so that he could know what decisions to make.

That’s the secret. That’s the key. We don’t need to fill in the blank for God and tell him what needs to happen. We need God to fill in the blank for us so that we know which way to turn, what decisions to make, what to do. We need God to give us wisdom.

So do it. Ask God for wisdom and he’ll fill in the blanks for you.

11/30/2017

David had big plans. He wanted to do something big for God. He wanted to build him a house so that all people could see how big God was. But, God said, “No. I don’t want you to do that.”

Many of us have big plans for today or this week. Maybe our plans even go a little bit further. We’re starting to think about summer work, summer travel, college applications. We’re starting to think about classes we’ll take and things to enjoy. We even try to be really godly about it and desire to do big things for God.

What if God says, “No”? What would you do if that happened to you? How would you feel? What would you pray? What do you think David prayed? How do you think he responded?

God told David, “No.” And David said, “God, you’re great. I think it’s amazing and gracious of you that you brought me to this place and purpose in my life. In fact, I can’t believe that you even pay attention to me. More than that I can’t believe you told me what your plans are for my son and my family! Who am I? Who is my family? Wow! You paid attention to us and told us your plans” (You can read the story in 2 Samuel 7).

Who are you that God would care about you and about your plans? Who are you that God has already written your name in his book of life? Who are you that God has plans for you, big plans, that you don’t know anything about?

You’re his child. He’s been working in your life for a long time now and he’s not done yet. Commit your plans to him and watch what he’ll do. It’ll probably be better.

11/29/2017

David was a man after God’s own heart. And he had his moments when you can see it clearly, when he seemed to have figured everything out. He wasn’t afraid of the giant. He picked up a few small stones and took on that giant. With God’s help he defeated the giant.

But then there are those moments when you start thinking, “This was a man after God’s own heart? Really!?!” He had those moments in his life when he seemed to forget who he was and who his God was. He fell far from God. What happened? How could a man after God’s own heart fall so far?

When David was the boy who humbled himself before God, who remembered who God was and what his God could do, David was in a good place. When David was just “little David,” then God was God. And God showed him grace and poured out blessing on him. But when David was the “king,” then David was “god” and David was proud. That’s when he fell.

There’s the secret. As we seek to be people after God’s own heart, it’s good for us to remember who we are. It’s good for us to humble ourselves under God. It’s good for me to be just me, little ole me.

It’s good for me to let God be God. After all, he is the one who created me, who pays attention not just to me but to everything that is going on in this world. He is the one who rules all things for me and for my good. He is the one who wants to use me and pour out his grace on me.

It’s good for me to be me and for God to be my God.

11/28/2017

There is so much pulling on us. There are so many people tugging at us. It’s not so easy to live our life with so much competing for our attention and our affections.

If we’re going to figure out this thing called life, we’ve got to figure out why we’re living and what we’re living for.

Do you stand with Lady Gaga living for applause? Longing for affection and attention? The truth is that kind of applause, that kind of affection and that kind of attention will never really satisfy. The kind that does really satisfy is the applause, the affection and the attention that God gives you. Through Jesus, you’re a loved child of God with whom he is well pleased. Through Jesus, you’re a loved child of God who turns his face toward you with affection to hear your every prayer.

Do you long for life to be a little bit easier, a little bit more comfortable, a little bit more pleasurable, a little bit happier? Longing for your heart and life to be satisfied and satiated? On your own, you’ll never find that life. That’s why it’s called a pursuit. But God promises the blessed life, the contented life to those who sit in his word and walk in his paths.

Do you want a pat on the back and the assurance that you’re doing the right things and taking the right steps? Longing to be validated and highly regarded? You’ll always be chasing that from people. But there is no higher validation than those words from God who says, “I love you with an everlasting love and you mean the world to me.” To the world you may be only one, but in the eyes of your Father you are the only one.

That’s the secret. That’s the key. Set your heart, your affection, your attention on your God who loves you like this, pays attention to you like this, cares about you like this, promises to bless you like this. Love him first. Love him best. Love him most.

11/27/2017

We remember Christ is King of all things and the things that cause sorrow, sadness, grief, or pain don’t enter our lives by mere chance. God never says, “Oops. Didn’t see that coming.” And God doesn’t ever punish us for things that we’ve done wrong; he already punished Jesus for all our sins.

We know that when suffering comes in any form, our Father will provide a way out and make that pain serve for our good. He uses the suffering in our life to purify our faith and draw us closer to him.

God also uses our hurt as an open door or window in our life. He allows it as an opportunity for us to tell others about the hope that we have in Jesus, our Rock, and our Redeemer.

In our passage today, the apostle Paul remembers God’s love to him even as he deals with sorrow, sadness, grief, distress, sickness, and pain. His reaction shouldn’t surprise us. Paul understood the purpose of suffering. Instead, his reaction inspires us. His reaction was one of joy, prayer, and thankfulness. No, he wasn’t delusional—he had Christ, and Christ was enough for him. More than that, he understood that everything in his life was directed and guided by God for his good.

This week, your heart may be broken, and you may have reasons to be sad. But remember that you have Christ and nothing can take him or his love away from you. Remember what you have in Christ. You have forgiveness, security, joy, peace, and eternal life. Remember God’s promises and give thanks to him even as you endure hardship.

Finally, remember a day is coming when all those headaches and aching hearts will disappear. A day is near where sin will be no more and sadness will be a thing of the past. This day is when your King and Savior comes and takes you to be with him.

As God’s children, like Paul, in gladness or sadness, we always have a reason to give thanks through and because of Christ!