Jeremiah told God, “I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” Sound familiar? Have you been saying, “I don’t have what it takes?” God told Jeremiah, “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you” (v7-8). When actors audition for a part, the director conducts what are known as “callbacks.” At the point the actor either gets the part or it goes to somebody else. But when an actor is experienced and well-known, sometimes the director offers them the part without them even auditioning for it. Understand this: God doesn’t do auditions and callbacks! That’s because He’s already designed a role for you that nobody else could fill. Even if others were to study you endlessly, they still couldn’t be you. When God says, “I know you by name and you have found favor with me” (Ex 33:12). Be careful about responding to any other call except the one that comes from Him. Since God designed you with all the built-in qualifications you need, you don’t have to compromise your convictions, manipulate, drop names or do special favors. The part is yours! And don’t be jealous or intimidated by anybody else no matter how talented they are. In God’s eyes there are no other contenders; you’re it! You’re the only one who can fill the slot because He created it with you in mind. When you feel insecure and unqualified, remind yourself of that.

In Christ,

Pastor Frankie J Tyson

Big Idea: “You & Me, We Agree, We Can Work In Unity!”

This morning we learned about the MERGE sign and how it means that two lanes of traffic are coming together into one. If we want to avoid a total crash, we have to work together and MERGE into one line together. What if someone in the lane says, “I am more important than you! I don’t have to let you into the lane.” And then, he or she refuses to let anyone in front of them? That’s right! There will be a major crash! Just like this, Christians have to work together as a team to help reach the world for Jesus.

Remember Moses in the Bible? He was a powerful man of God, wasn’t he? He led God’s people out of slavery in Egypt. But, did you know that he didn’t do it alone? His brother, Aaron, was his partner. By looking at the partnership of Moses and Aaron, we can learn a few lessons about how to MERGE with one another and work as partners for God.

Moses knew that he could never go before Pharaoh all by himself. God tells Moses to go before Pharaoh and tell him to “let God’s people go!” Moses tells God, “God, I cannot do it by myself. I am not a good speaker.” Moses did not try to act better than he really was. We can learn a lesson from Moses. In order to MERGE we must:

1. Be Humble!

Romans12:3 tells us, “Don’t think you are better than you really are.” That’s the first thing you must do if you want to MERGE with others. Be Humble! Moses knew that he needed someone else to help him. He admitted that he couldn’t do it alone.

But, it wasn’t enough just to be humble and admit he needed help. Moses found his brother Aaron and told him that he needed his help. Together they went before Pharoah. Moses allowed Aaron to be the speaker before Pharoah. It would have been easy for Moses to say, “Hey, wait a minute! I’m the one God came to first. Let ME be the one to talk to Pharoah.” But, he didn’t do that. He allowed Aaron to be the one to speak. This is the second lesson we can learn from Moses. If you want to MERGE, you must also:

2. Put Others First!

Many times we want to take all the glory for ourselves. We want to be in the spotlight. We
want to be selfish and take all the credit ourselves. That’s not what someone who wants to MERGE does. On the highway, we have to allow others to go in front of us or else we will crash. In life, we must also put others first and, “Honor one another above yourselves…” as it says in Romans 12:10. That’s an important part of learning to MERGE.

There’s a final lesson we can learn from the partnership of Moses and Aaron. Moses knew
that he needed Aaron to speak for him. He was humble and admitted it. Then, he honored Aaron by allowing him to be the one to speak to Pharoah instead of insisting that Aaron let HIM be the star. Then, they worked together to convince Pharoah that he needed to let God’s people go. Aaron did the speaking, and Moses performed miraculous signs to convince Pharoah that it was God who sent them. Aaron spoke, Moses did the miracles. They worked as a team TOGETHER. If we are going to MERGE, then we must:

3. Work Together!

Moses and Aaron worked together. We have to work together in order to do what God wants us to do: reach the world for Jesus. We need each other in order to do that. Romans 12:16 says, “Live in harmony with each other…” That means we don’t fight with one another, we help each other. TOGETHER we can do big things for God.

Let me show you an example of what I mean. (choose a volunteer and hand them the comb; tell them they have to comb their hair WITHOUT bending their elbows; it’s impossible to do it; then, bring up another volunteer and hand them the comb; tell them that they can’t bend their elbows either—BUT they are to comb the original volunteers hair; suddenly what couldn’t be done alone CAN be done TOGETHER; have the volunteers sit down) Did you notice that when the first volunteer tried to comb their hair without bending their elbows they couldn’t do it. But, when they used a partner, they could get it done. It’s the same thing with being a Christian. God has gifted us all with different talents and abilities. What one person can’t do, another person can. What that person can’t do, another person can. If we work TOGETHER and MERGE, then we will be able to do big things for God.

Today’s BIG IDEA: “Slow down, Wait a minute, Listen to the Holy Spirit”

We had an outstanding morning this morning with the kids. We learned about Yielding to the Holy Spirit and how it is like a GPS. A GPS can be used to navigate us a thousand miles away without getting lost along the way. Much like a GPS, the Holy Spirit guides us down the highway of life. He tells us where to go and what to do. We need to listen to His still small voice in our hearts and always obey what He tells us. Why? Because The Holy Spirit IS God! God is made up of God the Father (the Creator), God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. So, if the Holy Spirit IS God, then we know the Holy Spirit knows so much more than us! He knows EVERYTHING! So, why wouldn’t we listen and obey what the Holy Spirit tells us. Why would we ever think we know better than the Holy Spirit does? The Holy Spirit wants God’s BEST for us! How many of you would say you definitely want to YIELD to the Holy Spirit in order to receive God’s BEST for your life? Of course we do! But how? Sometimes it is difficult to hear the Holy Spirit speaking to us because life is moving so fast and there are so many other voices in our lives. We need to slow down, wait patiently, and listen to the Holy Spirit speaking to our hearts. When we hear Him, we should obey Him. He knows more than us and He wants God’s best for our lives.

Practice listening to the Holy Spirit this week as you travel down the highway of life. Next week we will be talking about the MERGE sign and how we have to merge together into one lane. Be in Children’s Church next week to find out more and what mess Zip has gotten himself into.