02/17/2025
ᗯᕼO ᗩᗰ I?
Our Awake Youth Group is starting a Q&A series as we prepare to enter the February break. One of the questions we want to tackle in the first week involves looking at who we are in Christ. What an appropriate topic to consider when you’re not in school! Where do we find our meaning? Much of our self-worth and understanding of who we are comes out of school. Who do my friends think I am? Am I popular? Am I a good athlete? Am I a good student? Can I live up to the expectations of those around me?
John 1:12-13 says: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
This verse is interesting in Greek, as there is an unusual grammatical formation where “all who received him” does not fit smoothly into the sentence. By using this, John sets the believers who did receive Jesus in contrast to those who did not. John is in the first chapter of his book, and yet he tells us the story ends with the grace of acceptance rather than the misery of rejection. The Word (Jesus) bestows a status onto those who have accepted Him. When they accept the message of Jesus, they obtain the right to become God’s children. What does it mean to you that you have been accepted into a family beyond anything in this world? What are some privileges that you may experience in a family setting? For example, open communication with your creator, and the power to overcome sin. As you go into your week off of school, spend some time in prayer and in the presence of God as his child. Ask your creator to reveal his purposes for your life to you as you walk with him. We are now allowed to walk with God as one walks with a parent, and your Father wants to hear from you!
Brennen Schiller - Youth Ministry Intern