High School / Calvary Church

This week we will see that obeying Jesus means loving others. When we abide in Jesus, we will naturally begin to love others, in the same way that Jesus loved us! We want students to walk away inspired by God’s love for them, and then bear spiritual fruit in their lives in love.

Throughout the book of John, Jesus makes 7 I Am statements. Each one of these gives us a glimpse into who he was and how we relate to him. In John 15, Jesus uses a metaphor of Vines and Branches to emphasize our need for dependence on him. The vine is the source and sustenance of life for the branches, and the branches must abide in the vine to live and bear fruit.

As we wrap up our series Counterfeit Christmas we read about the wise men and shepherds' role in Christ’s birth. There are so many misconceptions surrounding the nativity sconce. Our main takeaway from this series as we move into the year 2020. Where do we find truth? How can we distinguish the lies from the truth? Let’s look at God’s word to determine truth.

This week we see how a young, unmarried couple handles the news that Mary is pregnant with the messiah! How will Joseph react? How will they tell their parents? What will their friends say? Have you ever wondered why God would choose this way to send his chosen son into the world? As we put ourselves in this young couple's shoes, we will see God work in incredible ways to bring life out of difficult circumstances, that no situation is too broken for God to save and redeem for His glory.

With social media, pressure from school, extra-curricular activities, college choices and work, there is no wonder why anxiety is on the rise in our students. Studies show that 25% of high school students experience anxiety during their high school years and many think those numbers are much higher. In Philippians 4:2-9, Paul addressee anxiety head-on, giving us biblical tools to help us deal with our anxiety. When we struggle with worry and anxiety in our lives, we can rest on who God is and what He has done for us. Scripture: Philippians 4:2-8

The idea of grace - receiving something we don’t deserve - is such a hard thing for us to understand. Paul shares that we’re to live in the shadow of what Jesus has accomplished for us. We do not want to simply follow a religion, but live in the reality of our relationships with God, pushing forward and taking the next steps in our faith. Scripture: Philippians 3:1 - 4:1

Having called the Philippian church to unity with Christlike selflessness, servanthood, and sacrifice and having commanded them to work out their salvation, Paul now gives two model servants who exemplify the very ideals he has encouraged. Timothy and Epaphroditus are models for the Philippian church and all of us on how to live out the Gospel. Scripture: Philippians 2:12-30

There is a popular phrase that tells us, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” Paul wants us to imitate the very nature of Jesus Christ in humility. This means having concern for the well-being of others and thinking of others before ourselves. We will also receive encouragement and joy from serving others and living a humble life as Jesus demonstrated. Scripture: Philippians 2:1-11

In this part of the letter, Paul tells the church at Philippi he’s torn by the present and future dilemma. On one hand, Paul was excited to stay on earth to represent and present Jesus. On the other side, Paul was getting ready to “depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body” (Philippians 1:23). Paul would die for his faith and he knows just how important it is to live a life worthy of the Gospel. Scripture: Philippians 1:12-30

Paul begins Philippians much as he does his other letters: a quick salutation, an expression of thankfulness, and a prayer. Within Philippians 1:1–11 there are hints of what’s to come in the rest of the epistle. Paul celebrates God’s genuine work of grace in the Philippians, warmly thanking them for their partnership in the gospel, and praying for their future growth in the faith. As we start our 7 week series in Philippians we will look at how God works in us, to save us and change us. Passage: Philippians 1:1-11

Once we have been made alive spiritually, God wants to give us a new life, a life dedicated to Him. You might say that you are a Christian, but are you really alive for Christ? What does your heart beat for? We want our lives and our hearts to align with God, that is truly living.

Only the life, death and resurrection of Jesus on the cross can bring us from death to life. God is the great I Am, he has always been and always will be. That is so important to understand because only God can forgive us of everything we have, are and will do. So how should we respond to what God has done? In true repentance!

Before we can speak about life, we need to talk about death. The bible describes our spiritual state before we come to know Jesus as dead. That is a serious diagnosis. Only when we understand what it means for us to be dead in our sins, can we understand what it means to be alive in Christ.

As we wrap up our Friends series, we want to recap all that we have spoken about these last three weeks and see how that applies to our student's lives. We want students to know the importance of biblical friendship right now in high school as well as what that will look like after they graduate. This week we will hear from former CSM students as they tell us what they have learned about friendship since graduating and what they wish they knew when they were in high school.

Every relationship between two people will have conflict, it is the reality of living in a broken world. Sometimes conflict with a friend is more hurtful, but how should we respond when friends fight? Proverbs 17:9 says, “He who covers and forgives an offense seeks love, but he who repeats or harps on a matter separates even close friends.” When conflict arises, we want students to learn to choose love and forgiveness. How can we be peacemakers in our relationships, seeking reconciliation in our broken relationships and helping others be reconciled to God?

Nowadays the term friendship, or the label friendship, it is thrown around to almost anybody. If there’s anybody we like or we feel like has a nice smile or warm personality we’re quick to label that person a friend. Last week we spoke about the need for finding good friends in our lives, but what about us? Are we being the kind of friend we need to others? What does the Bible say that biblical friendship should look like?

Could you imagine being defined by a single moment in your life? Just one conversation and that’s your nickname forever! This was true of Jesus’ disciple Thomas, or Doubting Thomas as he is famously known. After the death of Jesus, Thomas had a hard time believing the radical claim that Jesus could be resurrected, he needed to see it to believe. Jesus graciously comes to Thomas in his doubt and challenges us to believe even when we can not see.

What would you do if a complete stranger came up to and told you your deepest darkest secret? What would you think? What would you do? What would you think about that person? In our second week looking at Conversations with Jesus in the book of John, we overhear Jesus’ conversation with the women at the well in John 4. Jesus turns what starts as a theological discussion to dig deeper into this Samaritan woman’s heart and despite knowing her sin, Jesus offers her mercy, grace and living water. After this life-changing conversation, she can’t help but tell everyone around her about this man who knew all her brokenness but loved her the same.

What would you do if a complete stranger came up to and told you your deepest darkest secret? What would you think? What would you do? What would you think about that person? In our second week looking at Conversations with Jesus in the book of John, we overhear Jesus’ conversation with the women at the well in John 4. Jesus turns what starts as a theological discussion to dig deeper into this Samaritan woman’s heart and despite knowing her sin, Jesus offers her mercy, grace and living water. After this life-changing conversation, she can’t help but tell everyone around her about this man who knew all her brokenness but loved her the same.

Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a group of religious and political leaders that were often Jesus’ greatest opponents. Nicodemus seems truly interested in who Jesus is and what Jesus has to say, but is confused by what it means to be "born again”, a term that is often confusing in our culture today! As Jesus has this conversation, he will reveal to us fundamental truths about the new birth, who is it for, what does it do and how does it come?