Hi, Passionate Youth Reaching Out, today is Monday, August 8, My name is Grant and this is StartUp, helping you start your day with an upward focus. Today we look at the question, “If God is for us, who is against us?”

Romans 8:31–32 (HCSB)

31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He did not even spare His own Son but offered Him up for us all; how will He not also with Him grant us everything?

Paul is making some remarkable statements about God which give us uncompromising confidence in his ability to carry out his plan of salvation in our life and in the world. The first statement reads, “If God is for us, who is against.” We know that there are still many who are against us, most specifically Satan and his demons. It is the goal of hell to steal, kill and destroy every bit of God’s life in us. What Paul is saying here though is that the forces of evil are no match for God’s power. And if God’s power is on display in our lives, then nothing that comes against us will prosper or succeed. God is too strong and too good to let that happen.

A proof of God’s extreme love and power is how God so generously offered up his own son for us all. The word that “offered” is the same one that is used in the book of Genesis when Abraham was willing to offer up his son in a sacrifice to God. Ultimately, Abraham’s son did not have to die, God provided a better sacrifice. But in the case of God’s own son, Jesus was not spared. Jesus was put to death on our behalf. By God’s power, Jesus was raised to life.

Think about, if God would offer up his own son for us all, will he not grant us every other good thing that he has promised to do? Surely he will, and surely he is able to do everything that he says that he will do.

In the chorus of Chris Tomlin’s song, “Our God” we sing this truth, “And if Our God is for us, then who could ever stop us, And if our God is with us, then what can stand against? Praise God for his power and his love. Our God is greater and stronger than any other force that this world will ever know.

Challenge

My Challenge for you this week is to make a list of the forces that you are aware of that are coming against you in life. Because we know that God is stronger and greater than these forces, go to God in prayer, believing that his power is more than enough to bring about his victory in your life. Then trust it all to him, and whatever the outcome may be, know that God will use it for your good.

Invitation

Our next youth event is this Thursday, August 11 from 6-9 o’clock. We are having a Barbecue, Instagram Scavenger Hunt, and a Water Fight. The cost is $3. Plan to come and invite a friend.

Thanks for listening to today’s StartUp, you can find all of the details about our youth group online at hbcyouth.ca. We are also on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, just search for Hawkwood Youth.

Hi Passionate Youth Reaching Out, today is Friday, August 5, My name is Grant and this is StartUp, helping you start your day with an upward focus. Yesterday we focused on how God prays and intercedes for us, today we look at God’s power in our lives for good.

Romans 8:28–30 (HCSB)

28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified.

All things work together for the good of those who love God. This means that if you have been saved by God’s power, that He is working all things together for your good. This is an incredibly encouraging truth because quite often we don’t see the good that God is doing.

For example, over the past week, my little baby has not been sleeping as good as normal. This has made me quite tired during the day. But in light of this verse, I can respond by saying that I will trust God that he his using it for my good in his special way in my life. I don’t have to see the good, or even understand it, it’s enough for me to have a peace that comes from knowing that God uses all things for the good of those who love him.

God has the advantage of seeing everything from heaven’s point of view. He can see how all sorts of details will work together in ways that our minds simply can’t comprehend. All that we need to know is that our all powerful and all knowing God is at work to make all things work for our good.

Challenge

Next week is our church Vacation Bible School. My challenge for our youth group is to volunteer to help at our VBS. It runs from Monday to Friday and you will need to give up each afternoon if you want to be a part of it. You can sign up by calling or emailing the church.

Invitation

Our next youth event is on Thursday, August 11. We are having a Barbecue, Instagram Scavenger Hunt, and a Water Fight. The cost is $3. Plan to come and invite a friend.

Thanks for listening to today’s StartUp, you can find all of the details about our youth group online at hbcyouth.ca. We are also on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, just search for Hawkwood Youth.

Hi Passionate Youth Reaching Out, today is Thursday, August 4, My name is Grant and this is StartUp, helping you start your day with an upward focus. What does it mean that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with “unspoken groanings?”

Romans 8:26–27 (HCSB)

26 In the same way the Spirit also joins to help in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings. 27 And He who searches the hearts knows the Spirit’s mind-set, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

We are smart if we acknowledge our weakness. We prove ourselves to be in need of God’s help in everything that we do on our own strength. We see one piece of evidence of our weakness here in verse 26, “we do not know what to pray for as we should.” This is saying that without God’s help, our prayers would be misguided and off the mark.

In this area of weakness, God the Holy Spirit helps us to pray by interceding for us. It says that he does this with “unspoken groanings.” The word groaning here means, “approaches or appeals to someone.” God the Holy Spirit is appealing to God the Father on our behalf, and according to God’s will. God the Holy Spirit joins the prayerful intercession of God the Son and we are being lifted by God in prayer to God the Father.

In light of this, I encourage you to pray more and more. Pray because in prayer God will listen to you, pray for you, and stand up for you. Pray because even though we don’t pray as you should, God the Holy Spirit will come along side of you in your weakness and appeal to God the Father on your behalf.

Don’t be afraid about messing up your prayers, because God is here to help you pray. If anything, that should give you confidence to come to God in prayer, knowing that he loves you, wants whats best for you and is delighted in you. God wants to make you right and your prayers are a part of his process of making you right.

Challenge

Next week is our church Vacation Bible School. My challenge for our youth group is to volunteer to help at our VBS. It runs from Monday to Friday and you will need to give up each afternoon if you want to be a part of it. You can sign up by calling or emailing the church.

Invitation

Our next youth event is on Thursday August 11. We are having a Barbecue, Instagram Scavenger Hunt and a Water Fight. The cost is $3. Plan to come and invite a friend.

Thanks for listening to today’s StartUp, you can find all of the details about our youth group online at hbcyouth.ca. We are also on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, just search for Hawkwood Youth.

Hi Passionate Youth Reaching Out, today is Wednesday, August 3, My name is Grant and this is StartUp, helping you start your day with an upward focus. What is the role of hope in the Christian’s life?

Romans 8:24–25 (HCSB)

24 Now in this hope we were saved, yet hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.

Life without God is hopeless.  You can’t save yourself from your sins, or more specifically, the consequences of your sins. You can’t live your life that way that it should be lived.  We have too much pride, wrong motives and destructive ways of thinking to make life make sense.  We are hopeless without God.

But God did not live us in our hopeless state.  Because of His love for us, he came to earth and showed us his love, living the life we should have lived and then dying the death that we should have died.  He did all of this in our place and for us, because we could never do it on our own.  This is why God is our only hope.

But once we accept His gift of salvation, we don’t have to hope for it anymore, we are now saved.  So what is verse 25 talking about when it says, “But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience?”  We are waiting in the confident hope for what God will do with this earth, and with our physical bodies, and with our hearts.  God is making all things right, and all things new.  We eagerly wait in hope for the day when there will be no more tears, no more pain and no more sorrow, because all will have been made right by God.

We know that we have been saved and we know that God will do all that he has promised to do. So now, we have a confident hope for what is to come, and peaceful knowing of what God has already done.

Challenge

Next week is our church Vacation Bible School.  My challenge for our youth group is to volunteer to help at our VBS.  It runs from Monday to Friday and you will need to give up each afternoon if you want to be a part of it.  You can sign up by calling or emailing the church.

Invitation

Our next youth event is on Thursday August 11.  We are having a Barbecue, Instagram Scavenger Hunt and a Water Fight.  The cost is $3.  Plan to come and invite a friend.

Thanks for listening to today’s StartUp, you can find all of the details about our youth group online at hbcyouth.ca.  We are also on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, just search for Hawkwood Youth.

https://www.facebook.com/HawkwoodYouthPYRO/

https://twitter.com/HawkwoodYouth

https://www.instagram.com/hawkwoodyouth/

Hi Passionate Youth Reaching Out, today is Tuesday, August 2, My name is Grant and this is StartUp, helping you start your day with an upward focus. The suffering that we go through now will come to an end.

Romans 8:22–23 (HCSB)

22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. 23 And not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits —we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

This passage has two different groups who are groaning.  Groaning in this passage is talking about deep longings.  The two groups that groaning are God’s creation and God’s people.

As we talked about yesterday, creation has been groaning and waiting for the day when it can once again thrive and flourish.  It is groaning in hopeful anticipation of being released from the curse of sin.

The People of God have a deep longing as we anticipate our adoption into God’s family.  The Bible says that. “to all who receive Jesus, and to those that believe on His name, he gave them the right to become children of God.”  We are taught to pray to God as our Father.  Our future is secure, we are the children of God.  But there is also a lot to play out in that story. We are still living in this fallen bodies.  We are still in a fallen world.  This adoption is not yet fully realized by us, and we can’t wait for the day to happen.

I think that people who are being adopted are waiting for more than just the news that they have a new family, they want to know and experience their new family as well.  We haven’t been able to fully experience being God’s children yet, we have a taste of it, but we haven’t yet looked at his face, and seen the love in his eyes for us.  And I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for that day.  Suffering will be no more, and we will be with God in holy and righteous bodies that belong to be with God.

Challenge

Next week is our church Vacation Bible School.  My challenge for our youth group is to volunteer to help at our VBS.  It runs from Monday to Friday and you will need to give up each afternoon if you want to be a part of it.  You can sign up by calling or emailing the church.

Invitation

Our next youth event is on Thursday, August 11 from 6-9 PM.  We are having a Barbecue, Instagram Scavenger Hunt, and a Water Fight.  The cost is $3.  Plan to come and invite a friend.

Thanks for listening to today’s StartUp, you can find all of the details about our youth group online at hbcyouth.ca.  We are also on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, just search for Hawkwood Youth.

https://www.facebook.com/HawkwoodYouthPYRO/

https://twitter.com/HawkwoodYouth

https://www.instagram.com/hawkwoodyouth/

Have you ever thought about what impact our sin had on God’s creation?

Hi, Passionate Youth Reaching Out, today is Friday, July 29, My name is Grant and this is StartUp, helping you start your day with an upward focus. Today we look at the inheritance that is ours as the Children of God.

Romans 8:15–17 (HCSB)

15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, 17 and if children, also heirs —heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

When God saves you from his son, the way that he wants for you to relate to him is like a Father. Jesus himself taught us to pray, “Our Father who is in heaven.” God doesn’t want us quaking in our boots, scared to do anything wrong that would put us into his bad books. Instead, he wants us to fully embrace his adoption of us. We are the Children of God!

What does it mean to be God’s child, there are many ramifications, and one of them is that there is an inheritance that we will inherit. The way that inheritances work in families, is that it is given to the heir, (that’s h.e.i.r.) Unless there is more than one person receiving the inheritance, then they are called coheirs and the inheritance is given equally to them.

In Psalm 2 we see the promise that Jesus will receive for his inheritance the nations of the world for his inheritance and the ends of the earth for his possession. We, as God’s adopted Children, have been named coheirs in this inheritance, and our future will be ruling with Jesus. But our present means suffering for him. The ways that we suffer for God today are preparing us for our inheritance with him in the future.

Challenge

My challenge for you this week is to use what we are learning from Romans to help you write out your testimony. It’s your story of what God has done in your life. Aim for 3-5 paragraphs and let Paul’s teachings shape how you write. You don’t have to talk like he talked, but use the way that he thinks and explains things to help you think through and explain what God has done in your life. I would love to see your testimony, let me know when you complete this challenge.

Invitation

Sunday, July 31 is special Sunday for us. We have our regular Sunday Morning services at 9:30 and 11, and then we also have booked McMahon Stadium for a Church Sports Night from 5:30 – 7:30. You can get in at the South West Pass Gate which is located near the large scoreboard. I hope to see you in the morning and evening this Sunday.

Thanks for listening to today’s StartUp, you can find all of the details about our youth group online at hbcyouth.ca. We are also on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, just search for Hawkwood Youth.

https://www.facebook.com/HawkwoodYouthPYRO/

https://twitter.com/HawkwoodYouth

https://www.instagram.com/hawkwoodyouth/

Hi Passionate Youth Reaching Out, today is Thursday, July 28, My name is Grant and this is StartUp, helping you start your day with an upward focus. Today I am asking you to imagine if life had an instruction and a destruction manual.  What one would you follow?

Romans 8:12–14 (HCSB)

12 So then, brothers, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, 13 for if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 All those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons.

Imagine that your life came with an instruction manual and a destruction manual.  The instruction manual, if followed, would result in you living your life in the fullest and best way possible.  The destruction manual, if followed, would result in your life being a complete mess that resulted in you hating life altogether.  You can probably guess where this illustration is going, God has given us instructions for how to live our life, and sin has twisted them all around to offer us an option for how to destroy our lives.

What Paul is saying here is that none of us are under any obligation to follow the destruction manual of sin.  And if we do decide to follow it, our lives our going to be a mess.  Paul’s advice is that we put to death the wrong cravings and desires that we have so that we don’t go down that harmful path.

How do we put those things to death?  It takes God’s help and your active obedience.  By using the word active, I mean that you are not just learning about what is right, but that you are doing what is right as well.  When I say that you need God’s help I am referring to all of the hHelp that God has for his people.  We can pray and ask for Help.  We can read our Bibles and have God’s truth help us.  We can talk to Christian friends, we can attend Church, we can confess sin, we can offer forgiveness.  And we can do it all with God the Holy Spirit who is with us all the time.

Challenge

My challenge for you this week is to use what we are learning from Romans to help you write out your testimony.  It’s your story of what God has done in your life.  Aim for 3-5 paragraphs and let Paul’s teachings shape how you write.  You don’t have to talk like he talked, but use the way that he thinks and explains things to help you think through and explain what God has done in your life.  I would love to see your testimony, let me know when you complete this challenge.

Invitation

Sunday, July 31 is special Sunday for us.  We have our regular Sunday Morning services at 9:30 and 11, and then we also have booked McMahon Stadium for a Church Sports Night from 5:30 – 7:30. You can get in at the South West Pass Gate which is located near the large scoreboard. I hope to see you in the morning and evening this Sunday.

Thanks for listening to today’s StartUp, you can find all of the details about our youth group online at hbcyouth.ca.  We are also on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, just search for Hawkwood Youth.

https://www.facebook.com/HawkwoodYouthPYRO/

https://twitter.com/HawkwoodYouth

https://www.instagram.com/hawkwoodyouth/

Hi Passionate Youth Reaching Out, today is Wednesday, July 27.  My name is Grant and this is Start Up, helping you start your day with an upward focus. Today we are looking at the past, present and future of Christians.

Romans 8:9–11 (HCSB)

9 You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God lives in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 10 Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through His Spirit who lives in you.

This is a past, present and future view of Christians who are reading this letter.  In your past, you did not belong to God.  This was obvious because you didn’t have his Holy Spirit living in you, helping you and guiding you.  In your past, you were on your own to face this world on your own.

In your present situation, you have the Spirit of Christ in you, and what does that mean?  For starters it has to mean that your flesh, or your sinful nature, is dead because of sin.  In sin place there is a righteousness living in you that is bringing life to you and those around you.  It is God’s goodness and wisdom on display in your life.  It is characterized by joy, peace, patience, kindness, self control, gentleness, kindness and goodness.

What is your future?  We know that our mortal bodies will die, just as Jesus died.  But we have this sure hope, the same Holy Spirit that rose Jesus from the dead will raise us from the dead as well.  And even as Jesus now lives forever, we will live forever too.

What do we do this information?  The first thing is to ask God to help us fully understand what it all means.  I want to live fully knowing that God’s own spirit is within me, helping me and loving me.  Its a big thought, but if God helps me to understand better, I can live more fully inside of that knowledge.

Challenge

My challenge for you this week is to use what we are learning from Romans to help you write out your testimony.  It’s your story of what God has done in your life.  Aim for 3-5 paragraphs and let Paul’s teachings shape how you write.  You don’t have to talk like he talked, but use the way that he thinks and explains things to help you think through and explain what God has done in your life.  I would love to see your testimony, let me know when you complete this challenge.

Invitation

Sunday, July 31 is special Sunday for us.  We have our regular Sunday Morning services at 9:30 and 11, and then we also have booked McMahon Stadium for a Church Sports Night from 5:30 – 7:30. You can get in at the South West Pass Gate which is located near the large scoreboard. I hope to see you in the morning and evening this Sunday.

Thanks for listening to today’s StartUp, you can find all of the details about our youth group online at hbcyouth.ca.  We are also on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, just search for Hawkwood Youth.

https://www.facebook.com/HawkwoodYouthPYRO/

https://twitter.com/HawkwoodYouth

https://www.instagram.com/hawkwoodyouth/

Hi, Passionate Youth Reaching Out, today is Tuesday, July 26, My name is Grant and this is Start Up, helping you start your day with an upward focus. Today we look at what Paul means when he uses the word, “flesh”.

Romans 8:5–8 (HCSB)

5 For those who live according to the flesh think about the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, about the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind-set of the flesh is death, but the mind-set of the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind-set of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit itself to God’s law, for it is unable to do so. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Have you ever heard of the term, “sinful nature” before? Paul uses the word, “flesh”, but what he is talking about is the sinful nature. That is the part of us that is bent towards sin. Your sinful nature is what tries to convince you to live your life apart from God’s rule.

Let’s use that understanding to guide us through these verses. It starts off by talking about how we think. We can either be thinking about how to go about sinning, or how to go about pleasing God. If we our thoughts tend towards sinning, then those thoughts are going to lead us towards death. But if the way we think is about how can we please God, then those thoughts will lead us to life. Clearly, it won’t be pleasing to God if we are thinking and acting in a way that rejects him.

Your thoughts are incredibly important. The things that you crave and want, you will work at concisely and subconsciously until you see them happen. What we need to do is have the right thoughts, so that we are working towards right things. I find that I need God’s help to think correctly. I do what I can to control my thoughts, but I trust God’s help and power over my own ability to think right, and so should you.

Challenge

My challenge for you this week is to use what we are learning from Romans to help you write out your testimony. It’s your story of what God has done in your life. Aim for 3-5 paragraphs and let Paul’s teachings shape how you write. You don’t have to talk like he talked, but use the way that he thinks and explains things to help you think through and explain what God has done in your life. I would love to see your testimony, let me know when you complete this challenge.

Invitation

Sunday, July 31 is special Sunday for us. We have our regular Sunday Morning services at 9:30 and 11, and then we also have booked McMahon Stadium for a Church Sports Night from 5:30 – 7:30. I hope to see you in the morning and evening this Sunday.

Thanks for listening to today’s StartUp, you can find all of the details about our youth group online at hbcyouth.ca. We are also on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, just search for Hawkwood Youth.

https://www.facebook.com/HawkwoodYouthPYRO/

https://twitter.com/HawkwoodYouth

https://www.instagram.com/hawkwoodyouth/