Small Groups Structure

I am very humbled at the emails and phone calls I have received about our "Student Ministry Vision to 2015." It sounds like student pastors and ministries are plugging the vision in some shape or form into their ministry. That is extremely humbling.

I apologize for not blogging - since arriving at First Redeemer Church - I have been inundated with ministry opportunities...plus the birth of our second daughter! Between a 19 month old and our newborn - juggling ministry to over three hundred students - adult leaders and recruiting a middle school pastor - not to mention loving my wife and serving her - some things have fallen by the wayside...blogging is one of them.

Last year we implemented the vision and laid the spiritual foundation. This year we are sticking with the plan (obviously) but breaking our groups down into smaller groups to create more disciplship, mentoring and meaningful connections with adults and peers.

In High School - this is what the organizational structure will look like:



So as you can see - we need a total of 27 adult leaders in place in our high school ministry alone!

I do have 'Job Descriptions' for each of the positions needed. Many thanks to Scott Odom for allowing me to pick his brain about their Bible Fellowship structure. Based on much of my conversation with him, and a few other large student ministries, the following are job descriptions for Fuel leaders, secretary/outreach, and directors.







If you are searching for help - I hope I have helped. As always - if you are able to take anything that I have created and use it in your own ministry - DO IT!

Joaquin Phoenix on Dave Letterman

...and the number one reason to keep teenagers away from drugs:


Sheesh!

Description of Hell: A Sermon for Youth Pastors to Use

Student Ministries have moved away from talking about Hell. None of us want to wag a finger at a teenager and say, "You are going to Hell unless you are saved." (But isn't that the truth?) This sermon is designed to describe what Hell is like – We closed the evening with the worship song, "Mighty to Save." The students came forward to pray specifically for their lost friends…that God would use them to share the gospel with their friends. Use this sermon, make it your own…

Have you ever thought about what Hell is like? Over the next couple of weeks – we are going to be talking about Hell. It is a place. It is real.

Unfortunately for Christians, when we think of Hell we think about our cultures ideas on what Hell is going to be like. Most of those views can be seen with the response when somebody is told "go to hell." They respond, "I have been there and they kicked me out." That one liner suggests that hell is a place of partying, sex, drinking, drugs, rock n roll, and any form of rebelliousness. Hell – to some people with this perception – is not such a bad place after all. They perceive Hell as the cool place to be. A great place to hang out for all of eternity.

VIDEO: Let's watch the screen for a minute. ACDC "Highway to Hell"

The crowd cheers with jubilation and rebellion. Hell is a great place to be. Sadness creeps into my heart as I remember that I too, once thought that hell was the place where we renegades would go. It was a place of community.

The bible disagrees with this view of hell.

It is not my intent to scare you. I do not desire to scare the "hell" out of you so that you would trust Jesus Christ to be your savior. Some of you may indeed trust Christ as your Savior – but I only intend on explaining what Hell is from a biblical perspective, so that you can have a better handle on the topic and be able to challenge the cultural perspective of hell.

The Road to Hell:

We have all been born. We will all die. If we all lived to be 75 years old, by the year 2074, we will all be dead. The bible seems to indicate that there are two periods of hell. While those who have accepted Christ go on to be with the Lord instantly… it seems also clear that those who die without being saved, instantly go to hell and experience great anguish, burning and torment…

• 2 Cor. 5:8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.
  
• 1 John 5:12-13 So whoever has God's Son has life; whoever does not have his Son does not have life.
  
• Luke 16:19-24 Jesus said, "There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed and who lived each day in luxury. [20] At his door lay a diseased beggar named Lazarus. [21] As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man's table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. [22] Finally, the beggar died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, [23] and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Lazarus in the far distance with Abraham.
  

  
  

…and after the return of Christ and on judgment day, they will come out of hell, to kneel down and confess Jesus as Lord:

Rev. 20:11-15 And I saw a great white throne, and I saw the one who was sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. [12] I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God's throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to the things written in the books, according to what they had done. [13] The sea gave up the dead in it, and death and the grave gave up the dead in them. They were all judged according to their deeds. [14] And death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. [15] And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Philip. 2:10-11 …[10] so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

So the journey to hell is easy: A person is born, they trust in Jesus to be their Lord, they die, they go to hell, they face judgment, and they suffer for all eternity.

What is hell really like? God has given us five senses: Sight, taste, touch, smell, hear. We are going to think about hell through our five senses. What would we see in hell? What would we taste? What could we feel? What could we smell? What would we hear?

Jesus described Hell this way:

• Mark 9:43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better to enter heaven with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands.
  

  
  

• Mark 9:48 'where the worm never dies and the fire never goes out.'
  

• Rev. 20:10 Then the Devil, who betrayed them, was thrown into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
  

• Matthew 25:41 "Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, 'Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his demons!
  

  
  

1. The sounds in Hell:
   

• The sound of the body burning forever.
  
  • Mark 9:43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better to enter heaven with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands.
    
  • Mark 9:48 'where the worm never dies and the fire never goes out.'
    
  • Rev. 20:10 Then the Devil, who betrayed them, was thrown into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
    
  • Matthew 25:41 "Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, 'Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his demons!
    
  • Sounds of screaming, weeping and hopelessness:
    
    
    • Matthew 25:30 "Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
      

    If you have ever been to a funeral and witnessed a spouse, parent, or sibling saying goodbye to a loved one. I have been to many funerals and it is not easy. The sobbing from the row they are sitting, the tears, the shrieks, the hurt, the pain. Why? Because they will miss that person deeply. The sound of somebody weeping is enough to move people to pity, to action, to want to lend a shoulder. Now imagine it isn't just that one person, it is the entire congregation, weeping uncontrollably because they miss that one who is dead…
    

  • There will be weeping in hell for two reasons:
    

1. Because of the anguish, torment, pain and punishment. Those in hell will have some form of body that is able to suffer. The pain will be everlasting. Emotional pain, mental anguish, hallucinations, physical torment the flames that NEVER go out…
   
2. Because of the hopelessness of knowing there is no escaping. That no redemption, no second chances. They have seen the Lord Jesus when they knelt down and admitted that he was Lord, and now will never experience peace or forgiveness.
   

   
   

1. The sights in Hell:
   

• It appears that for a period of time, those in hell will be able to see into heaven.
  
  • Luke 16:22-24 Finally, the beggar died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, [23] and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Lazarus in the far distance with Abraham. [24] "The rich man shouted, 'Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish in these flames.'
    
• Darkness. Have you ever been frightened, lost, and in the dark? When my grandmother lived across from me as a young lad, I would sometimes walk back and forth to her house from ours in the dark. The worst things imaginable would begin to chase me and I would run as fast as I could to her porch light. Hell is going to be dark. Have you ever seen those movies where somebody is in total darkness and some creature shows up two inches from their face? They are able to see it…
  
• Those in hell will be able to see others suffering by the illumation of the flames: writhing in agony…they will not be concerned or seek to relieve those individuals. I find it hard to believe that those in hell will have compassion for one another…They will see others suffering forever. Twisted limbs that don't break, burning bodies that never expires…
  
• The Devil and his demonic angels: Matthew 25:41 "Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, 'Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his demons!
  

1. The Smells in Hell:
   

   Rev. 14:9-11 Then a third angel followed them, shouting, "Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or the hand [10] must drink the wine of God's wrath. It is poured out undiluted into God's cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. [11] The smoke of their torment rises forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.
   

   Burning bodies stink. Sulfur stinks. The stench lasts forever.
   

   
   

I can only bear to describe Hell for so long. Like the Passion of the Christ, there is great value when we understand the suffering of Christ. There is great motivation for us to see as many of our friends and loved ones trust Jesus to be their Savior.

Jesus is going to come back. It will be sooner than you think. You and your family will die. We will all have a final destination. God does not desire any of us to suffer for an eternity in Hell.

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent.

Romans 10:9 "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

1 John 5:11-12 "He who has the son has life. He who does not have the son of God does not have life."