Welcome

We at national youth ministries thank God for you and your commitment to youth! Thank you for loving and leading students. This monthly e-publication is about you, the youth leader. Every issue aims to encourage excellence and spark ideas in you as you endeavor to “make disciplined-learners (disciples)” of youth for Jesus Christ. We want to help you win, build and send them to fulfill the Great Commission. You are our heroes in this charge. We believe in you! Pray daily. Live like Jesus. Tell the Truth. Serve others. Give generously. You’ve got Momentum! —Jay Mooney, national youth director

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From Leader to Leader

After nearly two decades of successful ministry primarily aimed at teens and young adults, Chilly has responded to the sovereign call of God and has planted a postmodern, multi-cultural church in Hamtramck, Michigan – a city within the inner city of Detroit. His pioneer spirit is demonstrated in the unique approach God is using to launch this ministry. Equipping a team of young adults from across the US and beyond, Chilly is raising up ministers/leaders while at the same time reaching a city entrenched in religious controversy. Hamtramck is one of only 3 cities in America that has the “Islamic Call to Prayer” broadcasted from loud speakers five times each day. In the midst of this ominous backdrop, lives are being transformed daily! His mission is simple: "to inspire today's generation to grasp their destiny and live their lives with reckless abandonment to the purpose of God." Chilly has had the opportunity to share this message with youth leaders, students, fellow ministers and others in churches, conventions, conferences, camps, schools and beyond! His ministry has stretched across the United States and around the world. Chilly is the founder & lead pastor of Real Church, and Xmin Academy. He and his beautiful wife Netta reside right in the heart of the city where they minister and are raising five amazing kids! http://www.iChilly.com Wow, looking back on my “early years” of ministry, I am amazed at God’s grace and anointing on my feeble attempts to be the communicator I thought He wanted me to be. I would labor hours and hours over each sermon, Bible study, devotional – you name it! Concordances, quote books, and other topical “youth issue” manuals littered my desk, car, nightstand, etc… ugh! And this was when I only spoke once or twice a week. As my ministry began to grow, my opportunities to speak/teach/preach increased to four or five times per week – and often times there would be several of the same people at many of these services (so, I couldn’t repeat the same message – gulp)! I stressfully prayed more and more – “God help me – give me something to say!” About this time, the Spirit spoke a simple phrase into my heart…   “Don’t pray for sermons, let sermons come from your prayers.” Yeah, that’s right, God didn’t want to speak through me until He spoke to me. Basic – yet profound. This took the stress out of it for me. If I just spend more time with Him, I’ll always have something for them. Cool. And, now when I speak it is more natural, sincere, pertinent and personal – I’m connected to it. I believe what I’m saying because I have recently applied it (or re-applied it) to my life. Friends, Jesus is so much more relevant than we are – He knows how to reach students – He walks in their culture every day. We need to spend more time with Him than ever (hours not minutes). As I began to preach more and more from my journal, I began to see students keeping journals – writing more, listening to learn, even remaining at the altar longer simply to jot down what God did or said… it became infectious. Smile. God is still speaking – He’s speaking through awesome people like you!

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Ice Breaker (5-10 minutes)

Sorry – never really did them… “whatever it takes to get them is what it takes to keep them.” Our students spent time before service loving kids – catching them doing things right – noticing the little things – remembering their names. LOVE is the crowd breaker and if it doesn’t break the crowd, a sledgehammer won’t either.

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leadership Outline

Note: this could be used for leaders only or the whole group. Before sharing, buy rope and cut into 9-12” pieces that you hand to each who respond to invitation. HOLDING ON Acts 9:23-31 Opening Thoughts: Saul’s become Paul and he’s in BIG trouble. His life is threatened. He must get out of the city of Damascus or be killed. So, in the middle of the night, his new Christian friends put him in a basket and lower him over the city walls to safety. In this story we see a great example of people enabling someone else to do what they themselves cannot do. Putting others first MUST be a priority of our ministry too… Paul was the greatest teacher, preacher and missionary the world has ever known. No one could have taken his place. He could do what no other believer in Damascus could have done. Yet he would be unable to do it if he were caught by the authorities and killed. And He could not get out of the city to continue the great work God had given him without help. IF these believers had not done what they did the ministry of the greatest missionary the world has ever known could’ve ended before it ever got started! Just because you no are not the great missionary doesn’t mean you are useless. The great missionary would never have been able to accomplish the task that God had for him if there hadn’t been some people willing to hold the ropes. What you HOLD, HOLDS YOU! 1 ] THEY HELD THE ROPES OF DARKNESS • We don’t know their names. • We don’t know anything about them. • We don’t know where they came from. • We don’t know their occupations. • What we do know is that they held the ropes for Paul and God’s Word got out!!! *Note: THE GREATEST WAY WE HOLD THE ROPES IS PRAYER! 2 ] THEY HELD THE ROPES OF DANGER • They held the ropes for Paul at a forbidden & unlawful hour • They probably felt like resting but instead they were on top of the city wall • They confronted the risk of danger – holding tight to the task at hand! • They were more concerned with a stranger’s success than their own demise. 3 ] THEY HELD THE ROPES OF DESTINY • Those who held the ropes did so without knowing the future. • They did not know what Paul would accomplish. • They did not he would write almost 2/3 of the New Testament. • They didn’t know that some day he would take the gospel as far away as Rome and Spain. • They had no idea what great things God would use Paul to do, but they held the ropes. • Before grabbing the ropes they did not quiz Paul to make sure he was going to do things just like they would have, they simply grabbed the ropes and held on trusting God for the outcome. 4 ] THEY HELD THE ROPES OF DUTY • They stayed at the task until it was complete. • They didn’t let the basket half way down and drop it. • They stayed with the task until it was complete. • When is our task complete? Refuse to quit. Closing Thoughts: If we are going to move forward winning this community to Christ we must have some faithful rope holders who aren’t concerned if anyone knows their name, who will hold on no matter the cost, who hold on not worrying about the future but trusting a sovereign God to bless their humble efforts, and who will hold on until the task is completed. WILL YOU HOLD THE ROPE?! IF yes, come & recommit yourself to the task – grab this small rope & let it symbolize your calling & purpose!

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For Your Library

The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical Book Summary: This is a book about true, authentic, Christianity. The kind that most of us don’t really want to hear about. It will mess you up. Conviction leads to Confession, which leads to Clarity and ultimately to Christ-likeness. Claiborne is the real deal. He has traveled to Calcutta to work with Mother Teresa, journeyed to Iraq during the heat of the battle and he lives it daily among the homeless in Philadelphia. This book will confront every worldly cell in your body and then release you on a passionate adventure in true New Testament life! Quote from Book: Most of the time...I think that if what we are doing seems radical, then that says more about the apathy of Western Christianity than about the true nature of our discipleship. And this is why "radical" has to be coupled with "ordinary." Our way of life was typical in the days of the early Jesus movement. We are like the Marys and Marthas, and Peter's family -- houses of hospitality, which was the standard call of the early Christians, who abandoned their personal possessions to a new family. This is to say nothing of the countless others who gave up everything and left their homes with no money or food or even sandals to follow Jesus. Christendom seems very unprepared for people who take the gospel that seriously. Get it Online: www.christianbook.com

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From the Field

RUI What is RUI? If you are on a church staff or have a heart to reach college students through a local church and you have limited time, this is your track. You will gain a wealth of understanding of campus ministry while developing specific training for your unique setting. Where will it take place? Reach the U will be held in the facilities of Central Bible College in Springfield , MO. CBC is an Assemblies of God college that exists for the training of ministers and missionaries. How do I register? All registration will be done online at ReachTheU.org. If you have an aversion to online registration, you can print out a form at ReachTheU.org and mail it in ñ it doesnít matter how you do it - it only matters that you do it!

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