"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.'"
(Acts 4:12, ESV)
Since January 6, 2016, I have had a very "strange" job. I get to work with Junior High (or J-High, as we call it) students (7th and 8th grade). Now, this may not seem strange to you, but I get some strange reactions when I tell people that I work with 7th and 8th graders, especially "Why?" and "God Bless you!" Honestly, I understand the reason for both of those reactions. However weird the job may seem to be, or however you may think of J-High students, I absolutely love them and love what I get to do every day.
This week, I want to share with you a few lessons I have learned from an often overlooked and marginalized group of people: middle schoolers. Honestly, coming out of quarantine, I feel like we as a society are all doing our best impersonations of middle schoolers! We are re-learning how to talk to one another, we are having to wear normal clothes out in public again, and we are operating with a "don't get too close to me" mentality.
Whether it's in J-High ministry, everyday life, or my reading of the Word, the resounding message I keep encountering is that people need a relationship with Jesus! Like all of us, middle schoolers sin, are separated from our holy God, and need a relationship with Jesus! This truth resonates both with the young student who is just now putting on deodorant for the first time and with the individual who has been on this earth for seventy-five years. We all need a relationship with Jesus!
We must never get over the truth of the Good News of Jesus--the Gospel! We must continuously and constantly have the saving news of Jesus on our lips, our hearts, and our minds. We must constantly be looking for someone to share the Good News of Jesus with. We must be praying for an opportunity to talk to someone about the Good News of Jesus. We must be telling people (middle schoolers, adults, children, anyone who will listen) the Good News of Jesus!
Tell them of how Jesus came to the earth, died on the cross for their sins, rose again on the third day, and wants a relationship with them! Who is someone with whom you can share the Good News of Jesus TODAY?
Take a moment to pray for your day and ask the Holy Spirit for an opportunity to talk to someone about Jesus TODAY!
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