Bellevue Bright Lights: February 2013

Monday, February 11, 2013

Set II Meeting 2 - Presenting the Gospel

Our meeting topic yesterday was Presenting the Gospel, the second meeting of Set II Having Your Pictcher Full of Living Water. A big thank you to the adults who gave personal testimonies of times where they've shared their faith with others and some outcomes. The Lord really dovetailed all of their stories together with the material that was later presented in the meeting. I LOVE how He does that!

After testimonies I had the girls watch a fantastic video on one way to share the Gospel using Romans 6:23;

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

We talked about the fact that many people think they're 'good people' and will make it into heaven based on that, as if God grades on a curve...so, we took the Good Person test online and saw the truth of our spiritual condition. While the girls and I had a fun time laughing at how miserably we failed every commandment...it really pointed out our desperate need for a Saviour.

We talked about how we've heard many people say that "there are many paths to God", but Jesus states clearly in John 14: "I am the way and the truth and they life, no one comes to the Father except through me."

We've also heard it said how 'narrow minded Christians are', and in this case, it's true! We understand what scripture means when it says in Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." We took the opportunity to pray a prayer of salvation for anyone who had doubts on that score.

Using copies of the same drawing used in the video, we went over the bridge illustration again and then broke out into groups of Believers and Non Believers to practice witnessing to each other. The jars contained slips of paper on which were written the parts they were to play...for example, a Believer was intstructed to share the gospel using their own testimony, or the bridge illustration in our drawing. A Non Believer's response may have been to be interested with lots of questions, or someone who was completely resistant to the truth.

Our craft today was making orgami hearts, inside of which was tucked a slip of paper with John 3:16...a great way to witness either by handing out to people, or by leaving in places for people to find. Perfectly timed since Valentine's Day is right around the corner :)

As a side note...we celebrated a birthday today. I keep my eyes open for neat little things on sale, and then pick them up for our birthday cache - the girls pick which one they want when their turn comes around.

I aquired 3 new china tea cup sets for the tea table! We now have a full set and a unique, beautiful piece of art for each girl to sip her tea from...

What is a Bright Light?

It is a girl who has given her life to Jesus Christ, trusting in Him alone for salvation and for the grace to live each day according to His will. It is a girl who knows how to respond "just right" to people and circumstances, demonstrating godliness in her actions and attitudes. It is a girl who has Biblical convictions and commitments (holiness), and is able to go through her teenage years strong for the Lord without stumbling as many do. It is a girl who touches the lives of others by her servant’s spirit, her radiant countenance, and the message of eternal life through Jesus Christ (testimony). God wants bright lights! There is a great need for more of them in this generation of darkness.

What does a typical meeting look like?

What is a Typical Meeting Like? If you were to attend a Bright Lights meeting, what would it be like? At each meeting the leader shares a lesson covering important topics that are essential for girls in order for them to be strong for the Lord in their youth, such as:

Developing a Close Relationship with Parents
Gaining a Clear Conscience
Spending Time in God’s Word Everyday
Keeping Yourself Pure from Polluting Influences
Accepting the Way God Created You
Choosing Wise Friends
Contentment
Sensitivity
Humility
Self-control

The lesson is reinforced by testimonies from older girls in the group. At Bright Lights meetings, we also enjoy singing, fellowshipping with likeminded young ladies, listening to biographies of great Christians from history, preparing for future ministry opportunities, enjoying other activities together, and snacks (often with tea in china tea cups).

Each girl receives a Bright Lights binder that she brings with her to the meetings each week. After each lesson, she receives a new handout to add to her binder. The Bright Lights curriculum is organized into eight sets which you can view here.

Statement of Faith

1. Everyone has sinned and broken God’s laws. Because the penalty for sin is death, each of us deserve to spend eternity in hell in separation from God. We are totally incapable of achieving heaven on our own. There is no way we can be good enough to attain forgiveness from sin or achieve eternal life by our own works.
2. God so loved the world that He gave His only son, Jesus Christ, to rescue us from our sin. Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and rose again on the third day. He paid the penalty for our sin and took the punishment that we deserved.
3. Forgiveness and the free gift of eternal life is offered to anyone who will repent of their sin, and believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior. Redemption is wholly by the blood of Christ, and salvation is by grace, through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
4. The Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God, and the final authority for our lives. It is literal, historical, and infallible.
5. There is one God, eternally existent in three Persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
6. The Lord Jesus Christ is fully God, born of a virgin, sinlessly perfect. His sacrifice is substitutionary and representative. He rose bodily from the dead and ascended to His Father’s right hand, where He now ministers as our Great High Priest.
7. Jesus Christ is coming again to rapture His church, and subsequently to return and reign over the earth.
8. God created the universe ex nihilo (out of nothing) by His spoken word in six literal days as the Bible states.
9. There will be a resurrection of both the saved and the lost to either eternal life or eternal judgment.
10. A true child of God who is justified by the blood of Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit is safe and exempt from God’s judgment and thus secure for eternity.