This Week # 2- 21

We ended our OMG! Series this week looking at some myths and truths about who God is. We had the privilege of having Pastor Joel speak to us on this topic, giving insight to some of the most common myths we here about God

Joel started the by telling us about an incident that occurred to him when he was in the 7^th grade. Joel (or Joey as he was known at the time) was very competitive and his team had just lost a flag football game at recess. Because he lost and because he was so competitive he started to cry. His crying lead to a couple of friends asking him why he was crying and if he was okay, which lead him to get more worked up and cry harder. This in-turn lead to more students asking if he was okay which lead him to cry harder and start to hyperventilating. Again, this lead to the entire class crowding around him and the teacher come to his side saying, “Don’t worry Joey, I’ve called the ambulance.” In the end Joel was in the E.R. with his parents by his side and the doctor saying that everything checked out.

Although this story is hilarious the underlying theme of his adventure is fear. Fear of being made fun of, fear of rejection, fear of failure. At each step of his story he had the opportunity to stop what was going on, tell everyone that it was just because he lost, and end it, but he was afraid.

In the same way we often think, hear and believe that we should follow God because of fear, that the driving force behind obedience and our relationship with God is fear. The three major myths that Joel covered were:

God wants us to be afraid- fear of disapproval

God zaps all who disobey to hell- fear of punishment

God is keeping score and you won’t know if you have done enough until the very end- fear of judgment

After addressing each of these fears Joel read Romans 5:1-5, which clearly rock the foundations of each of these myths. He then read a book titled, “You are Special,” by Max Lucado. Check out the video below to see what this story is all about:

In the end these myths were debunked by the fact that God does not want us to be afraid of him, he loves us and wants us to be part of hide family. In fact he wants us to look to Him for approval and love because it is only in Him that we will be fully satisfied. God also doesn’t zap anyone to hell, but instead allows those who don’t want to live with Him to live without Him and lastly, God doesn’t keep score. The price has been paid, and we can find confidence in Him.

Parents:

Read Romans 5:1-5 together a few times this week and see what new things you notice each time you read it, write down what you have found. At the end of the week re-read all the discoveries and truths you have pulled out of these verses. Discuss with each other what God (as described in these verses) wants for us, for others, for friends, for non-believers. Then ask what that means for us.