Bellevue Bright Lights: Mercy

Monday, March 11, 2013

Mercy

What a great meeting this past Sunday on Mercy! I had written my notes up on Saturday, changed them on Sunday morning, and then when the meeting actually came around, the Lord brought up all kinds of things that I hadn't even thought of beforehand...I love it when He does that! Here are the notes:

Bright Lights Set 2 Meeting 3 - MERCY

Define Mercy

(Compassion, pity, tender affection, love, show favor, to be gracious, lovingkindness, to be good or kind)

Opposite of Mercy?

-Bestowed on an inferior.

-A form of love determined by suffering and need - whether or not they be worthy or deserving.

-Forgiveness for offense.

Personal experiences

1. Our desperate need of the Lord’s daily mercy

To cultivate Mercy, we first must recognize how much we’ve been forgiven (Luke 7: 36-50)

2. Importance of having an attitude of mercy and compassion to those who have hurt or offended us. Micah 6:8 (Practical situation that might occur in which it is required to show mercy: family, friends, people at school)

3. Focusing on the needs of the person who has hurt you, rather than on their offense. How to think mercifully toward others, as well as act mercifully.

4. Parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:21-35)

5. If we desire the Lord and others to be merciful to us, then we need to show mercy to others. (Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. Matt. 5:7)

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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.