Woman @ The Well

This past wednesday at the Blue House I spoke to our students on John 4:7-14,39-42. This passage is known as "The Woman At The Well." It's nothing new, but as we were going through a three wee summer series on Jesus I felt God laying this passage heavy on my heart. I don't think I preached anything revolutionary about the passage but, I do feel as though it was so timely for our students and also for myself. One thing I learned early in ministry training is to always internalize my message before I expect others to listen to it. I always strive to do this and this week it's been constantly on my heart & mind. Because of that I thought this week I would share some notes from "The Woman At The Well."

John 4:7-14,39-42 

I think there are 3 things we can learn from Jesus in this passage: 

1.) Jesus started the Conversation (V. 7-9). 

It's no surprise the Jews and the Samaritans didn't get along.

It would have been so easy for Jesus to choose to ignore this woman.

He could have put His head down, made up an excuse, said she wasn't good enough.

He could have said she was a terrible person (All the men in her life).

She's not worthy.

Etc.

Any one of those excuses would be good enough for us.
- They go to a different school
- He does drugs
- She sleeps around
- He's been arrested
- Their clothes aren't as nice as mine.

We would do anything to not have to talk to someone that is different than us.

Put our head down, walk right by, pretend like we never saw them.

No harm, no foul.

Surely, Jesus doesn't want me to share with them....

Jesus, sets the perfect example for us.

He doesn't ignore this woman. But, instead reaches out, makes the first move, starts the conversation.

2.) Jesus used His Surroundings to share God's love (V. 10-14). 

At this point Jesus really steers the conversation.

He begins to share with her what He is all about.

The great thing about it all is that Jesus doesn't use fancy language. He doesn't tell her this amazing or jaw dropping story. He doesn't use a special tool or tract to share. (Nothing wrong with those.)

But, instead He just simply uses whats available to him.

He tells her, "If you knew who was asking you for a drink you would have asked me, and I would give you living water." (Translation mine)

Jesus shows us that we don't always have to use BIG words. We don't have to remember every illustration we've ever heard the Pastor say. We don't have to have the greatest testimony on the earth.

We just need to be willing to use what God has given us.

It could be: 
- Sports
- Work
- Movies
- Art
- Music
- Hobbies
- Coffee
- Etc.

When God presents you with an opportunity to share the Gospel, don't over complicate things. Just use whats in front of you. Use what the person can understand and relate to, to share Jesus.

3.) Jesus changed a City (V. 39-42) . 

After some more conversation this woman heads back into town. When she gets there, she can't stop talking about Jesus.

She had her life changed by Him, and could not stop telling people. She was so excited that people in her city had to see what He was all about.

They came out and invited Jesus to stay for a few days.

The Bible tells us that He stayed for 2 days and that many more in that city believed.

This should be a HUGE encouragement to us.

It's not always easy to share our faith, but it is so worth it! If we will start the conversation, and share Jesus with just one person, who knows what will happen next. In this case a city was changed because Jesus shared with one woman.

Obviously we aren't Jesus, but if we will share Him, the Kingdom possibilities are endless.

Because you share Jesus you could change your:
- School
- Team
- Work Place
- Family
- Friends
- City
- Youth Group

The Gospel changes people! Share it when you get the chance!

Shine On,
Chase

Follow Up!

One of the hardest and most frustrating things about youth ministry can be follow up. (Because of course we want every student that visits to keep coming back) A new student walks into your weekly Wednesday night worship service. It's all new to them, they walk in almost like a deer in the headlights, not sure if they should stay or leave. As a youth pastor I always try to be the first person to greet them. You introduce yourself, you ask a few simple questions to get to know them, but not too many to where you freak them out. My next move is taking them to our Café counter where we have students who introduce themselves and have them fill out a 'Guest Card.'

Then all teens are different, some will find someone they know (maybe the person who invited them?), Some will find a nice safe quite place, others will become the center of attention. You go through your service, you make sure you say, "Bye, hope to see you again soon" on their way out the door. But, the next step is where either, great things or frustration can set in.

Some youth pastors: 
- Call
- Text
- Tweet
- Instagram
- FB
- Personal Visit
- Letter
- Etc.

I think it's different for everyone and every situation. Every youth pastor is different in their personality and therefore how they connect with students. Also, every student we come in contact with is different. What works with one student will not always work with another. But, the thing we need to remember is being intentional is a choice. We get to chose if we are proactive in seeking the lost and hurting of our community. We get to chose if we reach out in any form or fashion, or if we simply let them "hopefully grace our door way again."

I've been every youth pastor that I listed above. I've tried every which way to follow up on visitors. Some ways have worked, others have gotten teens mad at me. But, I know that I have to continue to reach out. This year at the Blue House we decided to try a new approach and it's worked quite nicely. Of the 13 visitors we've had since January, 4 have come back to see us multiple times on Wednesdays, Sundays, Events & Retreats.

Postagram is a cool new app that allows you to add contacts address and send them a postcard. These postcards are completely created on your smartphone or tablet. They include to slots for pictures, one of which pops out. (We use our youth's logo, with our meeting times over it.) You are also able to write a custom message. We use this area to welcome them back & give them our social media names, so they can see whats going on. These cards are great & they only cost $0.99!

I'm not here to promote a product. But, I am here to let other youth pastors and leaders know that, this is a very cool, very easy tool to use, to follow up and invite students back to your youth group. With the way our culture continues to change, why not try something new to reach lost teens in your community?

"Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible."

- 1 Corinthians 9:19

We've got to become ALL things to ALL people, so that hopefully we can reach some for Jesus. Sometimes that means trying new approaches. Just a thought...

Shine On,
Chase

Partnering...

This past weekend we had the privilege of hosting Beachside Baptist Church's youth group. This group of 14 teens and their awesome leaders had a great week of camp up in Cherokee, NC then stopped to see us on their way back through to New Symrna. They stayed the night in the Blue House and on Sunday morning did a GREAT job of leading our congregation in Worship through songs and scripture.

There are a few things that I have taken from this experience that I know have encouraged me and I pray will encourage you as well:





1.) When churches come together, you realize your not very different from each other.

Having grown up going to New Symrna Beach and having now lived in Orangeburg for 2 years I can tell you honestly that the two towns could not be more different! What would make a group of beach kids want to stop on their way home from camp in the middle of South Carolina? Nothing but, JESUS! That's the great thing about the ever reaching love of Christ. When your a Christian you will do whatever it takes to share Jesus. & when we look at each other as children of God, instead of the Florida group and the South Carolina group we realize we are so much alike! Because we share a Heavenly Father.

2.) When churches come together, you are left feeling refreshed, encouraged and ready to God's work!

I pray I speak for the rest of my church family as well as the believers at Beachside, but I have come out of this past weekend with a renewal in my spirit. Connecting with other God fearing churches pushes us. It encourages us. It spurs us on to do what God has called us to do. It makes us feel like spiritual giants that can take on anything Satan throws our way! We live out 1 Thessalonians 5:11! What a great thing that is! = Not to mention that they cleaned our kitchen (a MUCH overdue task) and left the Blue House cleaner than they found it.

3.) When churches come together GREATER things are accomplished.

"We can do far more together, than we could ever do by ourselves." or "Two is better than one." Those quotes are so true when it comes to the kingdom. Different experiences, approaches and skill sets are just a few of the things that aid in reaching people for Christ. The more Christ followers you have working together for the cause of Christ the better the result your going to have. When we as churches, as Christians, partner greater things are accomplished! (On so many levels)


I'm sure that there are many other awesome reasons to partner with churches that I could share, but I just wanted to point these out. It has been a EPIC summer so far in Orangeburg. I know God is moving and that this is just the beginning of GREATER things to come in our city. Pray, that God continues to move in the lives of those in our community & if your ever passing through come join us as we are doing, "Doing Whatever It Takes To Share Jesus To Teens In Orangeburg."

Shine On, 
Chase Allen

Ain't Nobody Mad But The Devil...

Summer has been in full swing for me for 7 solid weeks already! As a youth pastor my summer is filled with awesome stuff like:
- Movie Nights
- Camps
- Pizza
- Afternoon group building times
- Outreach
- Sports tournaments
- Pizza
- And so much more.

One of the things I have noticed this summer is that Summer is Satan's least favorite season. While we could argue that it's is favorite (since it's so hot) I think there are 3 very specific reasons why summer gets Satan so heated...



1.) Teens are spending more time at Church/Youth.

When this summer is all said and done the majority of our teens will have spend approximately 171 hours of their summer either at the Church or on Church trips. 171 hours! I don't know about you but, during the school year we see our students maybe about 5 hours a week. If you feel like Satan is coming after you this summer, he is. For obvious reasons we are creating an environment where our students are constantly where the Love of Jesus is & I love it! So even if it seems like its too simple to be effective, do it! Some of the best times of our summer is what we call our "Team Build Tuesday." Every Tuesday from 2-4 teens come to the church and we spend the next 2 hours playing games, laughing, joking, encouraging, making new friends & being the Church.


2.) Teens are building friendships with other Christians.

I don't say that to mean that youth don't seek and carry out Christian friendships throughout the school year but, there is just something special about what happens in the summer. I specifically plan our Summer Camp for the second week of June. The one BIG reason why is that once we return from camp, the relationships that are built there, FLOURISH! At camp and ALL summer long I see students become friends and build relationships with people who I never would have imagined! The great thing about it is, it challenges our teens in new ways. They are getting out of their comfort zone. They are getting to know new people & in the process growing as a young person. Within those new friendships your teens begin to see Christ through the lens of their friends and it helps them all grow.


3.) Teens are getting more serious about their relationship with Christ.

Everyone knows about the dreaded "Mountain Top Experience." Your teens go to camp, they encounter Jesus, their life is changed! Then, they come back home and suddenly jobs, sports, social calendars and snap chat get in the way. If there is one thing I have found to be true in my ministry it is this. If you give your teens constant encouragement, resources and opportunities to grow in their relationship with Christ, they will! (This has to come from Pastors & parents)I truly believe that the teens of this generation want something more than what they see at school and TV. But, if we as the Church aren't there to show them that Jesus wants so much more for their lives than the world, they will falter. Thats another reason I love summer, students regularly stop by, text or FB me questions, good questions about the next step in their faith. No, wonder Satan is mad.


I recently heard a song where the lyrics simply say this, "Ain't nobody mad but the devil." I think that is the greatest!

It's my prayer that the things youth ministries across the world do this summer make the devil so mad! I pray that lives are changed, the love of Jesus is shared and all Satan can do is sit in the corner & pout! Let's make this summer the best & do everything in our power to make sure that its Satan's least favorite season.