Week 2: MOTIVATIONS:

Dear Parents, 

We are now in week two of our Shine…Sharing the Light of the World series. This week’s episode is “Finding Our Motivation.” 

Jesus explained His mission like this: “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost” (Luke 19:10). And after His resurrection He told His followers: “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you” (John 20:21). Isn’t it amazing that Jesus has called every believer to join Him on His desperate search and rescue mission? 

Each of us needs to discover our own unique motivation for sharing the gospel with those who don’t Jesus personally—including your teenager! Finding their own personal, God-given motivation for sharing Jesus’ message will help fuel your student’s faith-sharing efforts in the weeks, months and years ahead.

While there are many different motivations for sharing the gospel, our lesson zeros in on a few of the more common ones. 

1. Love of God (Ephesians 3:17-19)

2. Compassion (Matthew 9:36)

3. Obedience (2 Corinthians 5:10-11)

4. Hell (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)

5. Urgency (2 Corinthians 5:18-20)

This week…

Pray! Ask God to help your student discover what motivates them to share Jesus’ message with others. Ask God to use them to share His light and love with their friends who don’t know Jesus personally.

Engage. As you have a chance to talk with your teenager this week consider asking them…

• What motivates you the most to share Jesus’ message of hope with your friends who don’t know Him personally?

• How can I pray for you?

Thank you for taking the time to pray for and engage with your student about sharing their faith.

CREW Parent Newsletter:

Parents,

Good Morning. As you know this summer we are focusing on evangelism. Every week I will be emailing you an overview of what we learned on Sunday in order to help you with family devotions. I would highly encourage talking with your son or daughter about what they are learning in CREW.

Before the email we have an activity coming up in August:

Camp Snow Hill

August 17-19th

Camping, fishing, lots of fun outdoor activities on Saturday. In the evening we will have worship and I will be preaching three evangelistic sermons.

Cost: $10.

A sign up sheet and forms will be in the youth room

“…Shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.”
                                                                Philippians 2:15b-16 

Dear Parents,

I am so excited that our youth group is launching into a new six-week video series called Shine…Sharing the Light of the World!

In the busyness of life—school, fun, friends, sports and more—our students sometimes lose sight of the truth that they have the message of hope and life that others urgently need. Yet when you stop and really think about it, sharing Jesus’ message with others is the most impacting thing they will ever do with their lives. Because the gospel can change someone’s life at the deepest level—both now and for all eternity. And nothing your teenager could ever offer others could be more powerful and permanent than that!

Learning how to relationally share the message of the gospel is a mysterious, Holy Spirit-inspired mix of prayer, God-infused spiritual power, practical skills and relational sensitivity. It is not a simple three-step formula or a canned presentation—it is a conversation about Jesus, or in many cases, a series of ongoing conversations. Yet there are some very practical skills that your teenager needs if he or she is going to confidently step out and share the gospel with friends. Our Shine series is designed to provide your student with those skills. Together, we’ll be learning how to navigate a gospel conversation from “takeoff to touchdown.”

What can you do to help your teenager get the most out of this series?

·         Pray! Pray! Pray!  Shine includes several practical applications that will challenge our students to share the light of Jesus with others. Please pray for our students’ as they share their faith with their friends! 

·         Engage in Conversations. This week’s episode is called “Facing Our Fears.” We’ll look at 1 Peter 2:9 and 2 Corinthians 4:6-7, and talk about why sharing our faith with our friends can sometimes feel intimidating. As you talk with your teenager this week consider asking them…

o   What’s your own biggest fear when it comes to sharing your faith?

o   How does God help us overcome our fear?

o   How can I pray for you?

Please watch for email updates from me during this six-week series. I’ll be providing you with several quick overviews of what we’re discussing in group. I encourage you to connect with your student about what he or she is learning each week.

May we all let the light of Jesus shine through us as we hold out the word of life to others!