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THE SMALL PRINT
Ask someone in the group to read out this week’s passage. Say: at times we can fall out with our parents – but Jesus says if we’re not prepared to hate them then we’re not fit to be his disciples. Sounds a bit harsh, right?
It seemed like Jesus was all about love, forgiveness and grace, but here he’s saying we have to hate our families – so what’s he getting at? Explain the context into which Jesus was speaking. When Luke’s Gospel was first written, Christianity was just emerging. It was a harsh time, with a series of Roman Emperors consistently taking a dislike to Jesus’ followers, while Jews found claims of Christianity blasphemous and offensive. Christianity was a dangerous choice – one that could result in families, friends and communities not just rejecting you, but physically hurting you.
Get the group to look up Acts 7:54-59 and read aloud the following verses which are about Stephen, the earliest Christian martyr. Then tell the stories of Peter, the leader of the early Church, who was said to have been crucified upside down, and Paul who was beheaded.
With this in mind – is Jesus being so harsh? Go back to the section in the passage about building. In this context it seems that Jesus is warning potential followers of what they can expect. There’s no small print in Christianity – Jesus openly tells it like it is; if you chose to follow him you can expect persecution.
Key point #1
Jesus says there is a cost to following him – being a Christian is not easy or passive, it’s a choice that can put us in danger. The question is do we think following him is worth the cost?
Discussion
Split the young people into small groups and ask them to discuss these questions before feeding back to the group:
• Have you ever been able to relate to what Jesus is saying here?
• Are there situations where your choice to follow Jesus has been tough? What happened?
• Can you think of any situations where your faith, values and choices may put you at odds with other people?
• Are there situations where you’re worried about standing up for your faith because of what other people might think or act?
Key Point #2
Just because you are young, it does not mean that God doesn’t want to use you. Sometimes it is precisely because you are different to adults that God can use you in areas which would otherwise be unreached, such as in school.
THE COST
Watch the video of ‘The Cost’, by Rend Collective Experiment from the links section of the Youthwork website.
AROUND THE WORLD
Get a map without the names of countries on, and give out some pins to the young people. Run a quick geography test and see if anyone can put a pin on the following ten countries: North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Maldives, Pakistan, Iran, Yemen.
Explain that these ten countries are ranked the worst places in the world to be a Christian. For example, in North Korea Christianity is completely outlawed; even ownership of a Bible results in imprisonment. People are murdered, imprisoned, tortured, beaten and worse, all because of a simple decision to follow Jesus. Between 100 and 200 million Christians currently live in places where they will face some form of persecution for their faith - that’s about ten per cent of all Christians living today.
MAKING IT REAL
Watch Ahmed’s Story from the links section of the Youthwork website.
APPLYING IT
Ask the group if anyone knows anything about persecution around the world - if so, let them talk about it. Then ask the group why they think Christians face persecution? Encourage the group to think of North Korea – a country with a powerful military and big state ideology. What is it about Christianity that would be so worrying that it has to be outlawed?
As Ahmed’s story shows, and the passage we looked at earlier highlights, the choice to follow Jesus can come at a massive personal cost. Ask: how do the stories of persecuted Christians affect your faith? Are you inspired by their commitment? Does it make you value your faith more? Are you moved to want to help them?
Key Point #3
Following Jesus comes at a cost, but in the West we have freedom to live for Jesus without fear of arrest or beatings. Jesus tells us to expect persecution, and those around the world who experience it and keep following him do so knowing the cost is worth it. The challenge is how we respond – do we use our freedom and live for Jesus like our lives depend on it, or do we take our faith for granted?
PRAYER
Encourage the group to choose a country on the map and pray for it. They don’t need to know much, but pray for the Christians there. Pray for courage, peace, protection and boldness and a relaxation of rules and social attitudes that negatively affect Christians. Pray for the Church to shine its light, even in the darkest of places.
Close by asking God to help us all live with all we have for him. Pray that the group would have the courage and confidence to make a stand for their faith, no matter what the cost, and pray specifically for those who are having a rough time because they are Christians.
