Labyrinth One: It’S Not Exclusive

LABYRINTH ONE: IT’S NOT EXCLUSIVE

BOTTOM LINE: WHEN IT COMES TO HEARING GOD, ANYONE AND EVERYONE IS INCLUDED.

INTRODUCTION “Why do they have it all together?” “Why can’t I ‘get it’ like they do?” “How can I be as close to God as they seem to be?” Sometimes we have these kinds of questions when it comes to our faith. And, sometimes, we feel like everyone else has it all together when it WONDER. comes to hearing God and knowing where their life is going. It can DISCOVERY. make us feel excluded from God’s plan and from knowing what that PASSION. plan is for us. But the truth is God does have a plan for you and does want to speak to you and use you. So maybe, when we wonder why WWW.XP3STUDENTS.ORG we can’t seem to connect with God, we need to stop wondering what is wrong with us, and ask ourselves instead, who do we believe God CHIEF EXECUTIVE to be? OFFICER Reggie Joiner

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jared Herd

XP3 STUDENTS TEAM Sarah Anderson Jaime Handley Steve Underwood

GRAPHICS & VIDEO Landon Donoho

ORANGE SPECIALISTS USER AGREEMENT Kristie McCollister Orange gladly grants permission to churches, schools and other Jeremy Zach licensees to tailor XP3TM materials to fit their unique leadership Matt Ivy requirements, locale and format preferences. However, if you wish to edit the content substantively, including teaching scripts, small TECHNICAL & WEB group dialog and any other content in which biblical principles and SUPPORT concepts are presented, you are obligated to do so within the doctrinal Hadley Brandt guidelines we’ve expressed in our Statement of Faith (see page 2). Alex VanRossum

These resources are intended to be downloaded and printed for use CHIEF OPERATING by the subscribing entity only and may not be electronically transferred OFFICER to or duplicated by other non-subscribing entities. Any unauthorized Reggie Goodin reproduction of this material or incorporation into a new work— including podcasts or video of this content—is a direct violation of U.S. copyright laws. ©2011 Orange. All rights reserved. XP3 and the XP3 logo are trademarks of The reThink Group, Inc.

ABOUT GOD God is the one and only true God, yet He exists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. God is the Creator, so everything belongs to Him and is under His control. God is holy, so He is righteous, majestic and loving. God is all knowing and purposeful, so He’s at work to bring about His will. No person, thing or idea compares to God.

ABOUT THE SCRIPTURES God reveals Himself to us through the Bible, and it is 100% accurate, reliable and authoritative.

ABOUT PEOPLE People are made in God’s image and for His pleasure. But everybody falls short of God’s intention, or ideal, for people. In other words, everyone has sinned. As a result, we are all separated from Him, even though He wants an intimate relationship with each of us.

ABOUT SALVATION That’s why Jesus, God’s Son, came and lived on this earth, died and rose again. God offers His free gift of salvation to all who believe in Jesus and accept Him as Savior, the only way to be forgiven and reconciled to God. Anyone who accepts this gift is adopted as a son or daughter into God’s family and will live with Him forever in heaven.

Scripture marked “NIV” is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

We believe that the set, stage, music and everything in your room communicates a message—without you saying a word. That’s why we put together a list of production ideas to help you set the stage for the session and the series. From the music you play when students come in the room to the worship set your band plays, we want to make sure that your room conveys “Labyrinth” in a multi-sensory way. There is a downloadable checklist available in your series downloads that will give you all the elements for this session (and the entire series).

BACKGROUND PLAYLIST FOR LABYRINTH SERIES “Flashing Red Light Means Go” by The Boxer Rebellion (from Union) “End of Me” by Building 429 (from Building 429) “We Are Broken” by Paramore (from Riot!) “This” by Darius Rucker (from Charleston, SC 1966) “Don’t Carry It All” by The Decemberists (from The King Is Dead) “Consider the Ravens” by Dustin Kensrue (from Please Come Home) “Don’t Waste Your Life” by Lecrae (from Rebel) “The Cave” by Mumford & Sons (from The Cave and the Open Sea) “The Outsiders” by NEEDTOBREATHE (from The Outsiders) “Beautiful Ending” by BarlowGirl (from Love & War)

WORSHIP PLAYLIST FOR LABYRINTH SESSION ONE “Save Me from Myself” by Carpark North (from Lost) “You” by Hillsong Live (from A Beautiful Exchange) “Where the Spirit of the Lord Is” by Chris Tomlin (from And If Our God Is for Us, Deluxe Edition) “Live for You” by Connersvine (from Connersvine) “From the Inside Out” by Hillsong Live (from Mighty to Save)

THE SET Obtain three large poster boards or banners to create this set. More creative students can be called upon to draw these mazes or outline them from a projector image. Each poster will have a different maze or labyrinth drawn or printed on it and a new poster will be displayed each week of the series.

Session one will display a poster with a high level of difficulty, a lot of turns and passages that make it time consuming and confusing. This labyrinth will help convey to the students the frustration we face when we try and manage every aspect of life and seek to direct it by our own means. Session two will display the first poster as well as a second poster with a new, more intermediate level maze that will continue to rep- resent what life looks like for us when we begin allowing God to take hold of our decisions. Session three will display the first and second posters, along with a third poster with a maze that can easily be solved to finally illustrate the simplicity of God’s will for our lives—loving Him and loving people while not getting so caught up in the nooks and crannies of life. It’s about getting to the center, the crux of it all, to glorify God.

Below are a visual examples of how this set might look. To cover more space on stage, or if your budget permits, you may also want to hang additional mazes with fishing line in varying sizes and heights to create a fuller back ground or hand out 3X5 cards with a maze printed on them as a take-home visual reminder to students of what they learned during this series. To best communicate this idea of progressing simplicity the speaker may want to take a few minutes during the message to solve the maze.

If you’re drawing these by hand, this link provides a step-by-step guide to creating a labyrinth: http://www.herbsfromthelabyrinth.com/labbox96gif.gif

For images similar to these search “Celtic labyrinth designs.”

SERIES ART Art for PowerPoint backgrounds and for series promotional ads is available as a free download with every series. Visit the XP3 website, log on to your account and download the images to use in your presentation, newsletters and website.

VIDEO A video bumper is available for the Labyrinth series and was created to be used as an intro for all three ses- sions of the Labyrinth series. You can purchase the video by logging into your XP3 account and clicking on the “XP3 videos” link.

The following activities and illustrations will help middle school students connect with the subject matter in ways that engage them physically, mentally, socially and sometimes emotionally. You can also adapt the Labyrinth series for middle school students by using the teaching outline found in this document to edit the teaching script to a 20-minute presentation. In addition, by using the separate middle school small group dialog questions (found in the series downloads) that are geared specifically for sixth to eighth graders, you can make each section more middle-school friendly.

SESSION 1 GAME: TOUCHY FEELY (Play this game as an icebreaker to Session 1.) For this game, you will need five brown paper bags, numbered 1 through 5. You will also need five common household items, such as a remote control, hairbrush, Scotch Tape, etc. (the more oddly shaped, the better). If you have a larger sized group, you may want to find ten items instead of five. Place each of the items in a paper bag. Have your students sit in a circle and then pass the items around, one at a time, for each student to feel. Each person is allowed 15 seconds to hold the bag and then they have to pass the bag to the next person. Each student will need a pen and paper to write down what they think each of the items is. After you have passed the items around and everyone has had a chance to guess what they are, call out the correct answers from each numbered bag. The person with the most correct guesses wins.

SESSION 1 ILLUSTRATION: UNEXPECTED (Use this illustration after of teaching point “G” in the Truth section of the teaching script.) Anyone and everyone can hear from God. That includes you. We count ourselves out. We don’t trust what God says about who we are. We don’t trust what God says about who He is. We think other people are more special. We think we have nothing to offer. But do you know that God can use even the most seemingly unusable people. Pastor 7 Wells is one example of a man who God has used in surprising ways. From a life rooted in crime in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia, Pastor 7 wells came to know Christ by seemingly impossible means and has since allowed God to redeem him and give his life a whole new and awe-inspiring purpose. Here is his story. “Pastor 7 Wells accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior while in solitary confinement at United States Penitentiary Atlanta in 1996. Unable to read or write, he requested a Bible upon his release from solitary confinement and supernaturally began to read. Since the Word of God is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12), the rest is history. Now a completely sold-out, on-fire, uncompromising child of God, he lays his life down daily for those who cannot pay him back. As a homeless runaway since age 10, he had built his life around crime, centered on drugs, firearms, money laundering and the mafia. This lifestyle is the basis of his testimony that God can and will use ANYONE. Having never before felt love, His Father in heaven poured out His love into that solitary confinement cell, where no man could take the credit. With no preacher, no evangelist, no literature and never being raised in the church, God Himself came down and forever changed his heart. Now he shares this love with everyone he meets, especially the homeless in the streets of Atlanta.” http://www.7bridgestorecovery.org/pastor_7.html So the next time you feel like God can’t use you, remember that when you count yourself out, when you write off the possibility of being a participator in the work God is doing, you are saying less about yourself and your mistakes and more about God and what you think He can and cannot do.

The teaching script is divided into five sections.

INTRODUCTION This introduction is intended to connect you, the communicator, to the audience usually through a personal story or observation. We’ve included our stories, but you may want to substitute your own story in this section.

TENSION The tension moves the message from the “me” mentality of the introduction to a “we” mentality. For example, a transition statement might be, “At some point in our lives, we have all been jealous of someone over something.”

TRUTH Once the tension builds, the next logical step is to uncover the truth of what the Bible says about the topic.

APPLICATION At this point, the message moves to a “you” mentality in order to teach the application. The “you” is the student. Take God’s truth and unpack how it relates to each student so that he or she can apply it to everyday life.

LANDING Here it is important to land the message on what each student needs to know and do with what they’ve heard. Just as the message began with a personal story or observation, the message also ends with a “me” mentality. For example, one possible landing statement might be, “I have a greater sense of purpose knowing that God created me in His image.” Leave the students with a clear sense of what all of you should do with what you’ve heard.

LABYRINTH ONE: TEACHING OUTLINE IT’S NOT EXCLUSIVE Pg. 1

BOTTOM LINE: WHEN IT COMES TO HEARING GOD, ANYONE AND EVERYONE IS INCLUDED.

INTRODUCTION Every April, golf fans around the world tune in to watch one of the most highly anticipated golf tournaments in the world: the Masters.

And the message that all of these sports are sending to both the players and the observers is this: You have to be somebody to get here. You don’t get here on accident.

TENSION When we were little and someone asked what we wanted to be when we grew up … we wanted to be the best.

As we have gotten older we have started to understand little by little that the world isn’t really at our fingertips.

Sometimes trying our very hardest just leaves us feeling more discouraged.

Have you ever wondered if there was some kind of exclusive club or exclusive group God was working with when it came to hearing from Him?

TRUTH In the book of the Joshua, we come across the nation of Israel at a really pivotal time.

The land they had been led to believe would be their “home” was already occupied.

Joshua sent two spies into Jericho to investigate.

They went to the house of Rahab, a prostitute.

I know that the LORD has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt . . . When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below (Joshua 2:9-11 NIV).

We don’t know how she ended up as a prostitute.

She knew this God that the Hebrews spoke of was big and powerful and was worth paying attention to.

Then she said this to the spies: “Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will save us from death” (Joshua 2:12-13 NIV).

LABYRINTH ONE: TEACHING OUTLINE IT’S NOT EXCLUSIVE Pg. 2

Rahab the prostitute kept her word by keeping the spies safe, and the spies kept their word by saving Rahab and her family.

Rahab could have very easily counted herself out when it came to being a part of this exclusive calling of the Hebrew people.

But God didn’t count her out.

APPLICATION A lot of you here have counted yourselves out in many different areas in your life.

God isn’t interested in qualifications. God is interested in you.

Are we limiting ourselves because we don’t think we’re worthy when God hasn’t limited us at all?

God is bigger than anything you think is disqualifying you.

His voice is for everybody. His work is for everyone. His plan includes everyone.

LANDING You are a part of the picture. You play a role, but only if you choose to listen.

He will speak to you. He’s just waiting for you to start paying attention.

HOW TO CONTEXTUALIZE A TEACHING SCRIPT The XP3 Students Team wants you to take our work and make it work within the context of your current student ministry. We encourage you to tailor an XP3 Students Teaching Script so that it directly speaks to your current church context, allows for the master teacher’s personality to shine in and through the message and parallels the personal world and community of your students.

HOW TO DETERMINE THE LANDSCAPE OF YOUR YOUTH GROUP • Who are the student clusters in your ministry? Typically a student cluster is a homogeneous group of 5-10 students who act, behave, talk and dress the same. Understand what they love to do, eat, listen to and watch. What type of student clusters gather at your church ( athletes, artistic types, Emo, etc.)? How many different student clusters come to your church? What student clusters will you initially target when you teach?

• Identify your youth ministry distinctive. What makes your youth group different? What does your youth group tend to focus on? What does your youth group do well? What traditions are a part of your youth group ( baptism, communion, weekly dinner)? What makes your youth group remarkable? What does your youth group offer?

HOW CAN EVERY XP3 STUDENTS BOTTOM LINE CONNECT WITH THE MISSION, UNIQUENESS AND VALUES OF YOUR STUDENT MINISTRY?

HOW TO FIND YOUR OWN VOICE: THE MASTER TEACHER’S STYLE 1. Embrace your uniqueness. God made you. Be yourself! Don’t try to pretend to be Andy Stanley or Reggie Joiner or Jared Herd when you teach. Your students need you to be you. 2. Know your strengths and weaknesses as a speaker. Have a few of your adult volunteers give you constructive feedback on your delivery. 3. Tell your own stories. Rely on your experience in order to personalize the message. Allow your students to get to know you through your storytelling. 4. Pray and be confident. Thankfully God gave us His Holy Spirit to empower all ministers of the gospel. God doesn’t leave His communicators alone on stage.

HOW TO SPEAK TO THE STUDENTS’ REAL NEEDS: THE STUDENTS’ SOCIAL SCENE 1. Define the top issues that are transpiring in your student ministry. a) Think through the five social areas students live in: family, school, church, friends and extracurricular activities (sports, theater, clubs, band, etc.). b) Observe, talk to and survey students. They will tell you their needs. c) Feel free to cruise social media in order to gain an understanding of their world. 2. Directly speak to students’ needs by adapting the Application and Landing sections of the teaching script. It may be more productive to deal contextually with your students’ needs rather than sticking to the script verbatim. Granted, your students will deal with application in small group, but it is helpful to at least speak to their real needs from the stage. Speaking generally about their issues helps them process faster when asked in small group. 3. Highlight top issues in the Tension section of the teaching script. It can be helpful to add to the tension by using current issues your youth ministry is experiencing.

BOTTOM LINE: WHEN IT COMES TO HEARING GOD, ANYONE AND EVERYONE IS INCLUDED.

INTRODUCTION A. Every April, golf fans around the world tune in to watch one of the most highly anticipated golf tournaments in the world: the Masters. If you aren’t a golf fan, you probably dread this event, because golf coverage takes over the TV for the entire weekend. And golf coverage is slightly less exciting than, say, football, basketball or even baseball. Golf tournaments are notorious for uptight rules, polite applause and preppy attire. So why, why, why would anyone care about this sport—and this tournament in particular?

B. Well, for one, this tournament is exclusive. To get into the Masters, to be allowed to play in this particular tournament, you have to be invited. Not just anyone can play. But actually it is even more exclusive than that. To attend the Masters you have to have tickets, and tickets aren’t exactly easy to come by. Tickets run in the family. In other words, a family will generally inherit season tickets to the Masters and then pass down these season tickets through the generations. So if you are just an average joe who wants to watch some good golf in person, you are out of luck. Sometimes people will lend out their tickets. But if someone is caught breaking the rules—like bringing a cell phone on the grounds—not only is that person kicked out, the tickets are confiscated and the family loses them—forever.

C. So, yes, the Masters is an exclusive event. Certain people play. Certain people attend. And that’s just the way it goes. The World Series is like that, as is the Super Bowl or any other world championship. And the message that all of these sports are sending to both the players and the observers is this: You have to be somebody to get here. You don’t get here on accident. And you don’t get here just by wanting it really badly. You get here because you were chosen to be part of an exclusive club.

TENSION A. Many of us have dreams about participating in this sort of exclusive event—or at least attending one. And while we may not be as willing to admit it now, when we were little and someone asked what we wanted to be when we grew up, we may have said a basketball player, a racecar driver or a baseball player. Or for little girls, maybe it was a ballerina. And not just an average one—we wanted to be the best.

Then we got realistic, or our parents tried to talk some sense into us. Nice job dreaming big, but it doesn’t work that way. Let’s get serious. Let’s get practical. And so while the world may have seemed to be at our fingertips with anything being possible when we were younger, as we have gotten older we have started to understand little by little that the world isn’t really at our fingertips. Not everything is possible and attainable. When we try our very hardest we don’t always make the team, make the grade and get the date.

B. Sometimes trying our very hardest just leaves us feeling more discouraged, more inept and more lacking than before we ever tried at all. And the truth is, while we all can relate to this to some degree or another when it comes to sports or academics or even getting the guy or girl we like to go out with us, if we are honest, sometimes we ask the same sort of questions when it comes to our faith.

C. We look at people who seem to have it together spiritually and we wonder how they got into that exclusive club. We see how they live with such determination and clarity about who they are and what they want to do, and we wonder what they are getting from God and their time reading the Bible that we aren’t. And maybe we even start to wonder, “What do I need to do, who do I need to know, who do I need to be to get the right connection to God—to get on the right track, to have it all together, to get some direction, to get some insight, to get some guidance on what to do with my life?”

D. Have you ever asked those kinds of questions before? Have you ever wondered if there was some kind of exclusive club or exclusive group God was working with when it came to hearing from Him or understanding Him or just plain getting Him enough to know what to do with your life? Or maybe you have wondered if there is any kind of potential for greatness when it comes to you. You don’t have the best grades. You aren’t taking any advanced classes. In fact, maybe you even repeated third grade. You don’t have plans every Friday night. You don’t have plans most Friday nights. You aren’t that athletic. You are generally picked last for dodge ball. And maybe you are wondering if life, if your life, is just destined for mediocrity—nothing special, nothing that great. Or maybe you would be completely happy with mediocrity and just blending in. Maybe you are sitting here listening to this talk about greatness, and you decided two minutes in that this wasn’t for you. Greatness is a far cry from your life. You have messed up more times than you can count. You have been suspended from school, kicked off the team, let everyone around you down or been let down yourself by other people. So for you, the question isn’t greatness; the question is, “Will I ever be more than my mistakes and circumstances?”

TRUTH A. See, I think if we got honest with ourselves we would admit that a part of us wonders if we are cut out for great things, or at least better things. But I also think we would say, looking at ourselves just the way we are, exactly as we are, we have a long way to go. God may be able to use me someday—but not today. Or, maybe you would even say: I want God to use me, I want to feel like I’m a part of this club, but I don’t have all that much going for me. In fact, I actually have a lot going against me. So, yeah, it sounds nice. But it isn’t likely.

If you have had those thoughts while trying to fall asleep at night, while sitting alone on the bus, while sitting at home on a Saturday with nowhere to go and nothing to do, while going through the long list of things you have gotten wrong, then this is for you. If you are tired of hearing everyone talk about all of the people who have gotten it right all of the time, this is for you. And Scripture has something to say to you about it.

B. One of the more interesting things about Scripture is how not child-friendly it is. Spend enough time turn- ing the pages, especially in the Old Testament, and you may be surprised by how many stories you have to skip over if there is a kid around. It could make for a pretty uncomfortable situation. And the story we are going to look at today falls into this category.

C. In the book of the Joshua, found in the Old Testament, we come across the nation of Israel at a really pivotal time. Their leader, Moses, who had rescued and delivered them from slavery in Egypt, had just died. And after 40 years of wandering, 40 years of tried patience, frustration and a rather limited diet of quail and unidentifiable bread, this wandering tribe was ready to get home—wherever home was. The problem was that the land they had been led to believe would be their “home” was already occupied by big, powerful, quite content people who had no intention of leaving. And this left their new leader, Joshua, in a bit of a tight spot. God had said this would be His people’s home. But God seemed to have forgotten to mention there might be a problem with having to remove others from this patch of land before they would be able to claim it for themselves.

D. So, in order to try to figure out just what exactly the Hebrews were getting themselves into, Joshua sent two spies across the Jordan River into Jericho to investigate. Once there, they went to the house of Rahab, a prostitute. See what I mean? Not exactly kid-friendly. But there it is. Right in Scripture. The spies for God head to the house of a prostitute and stay there. While there, the king of Jericho contacts Rahab. “I hear there are some men staying with you,” he says. “Men who have interest in the land—my land. So if you know what’s good for you, you should bring these men to me.” So what does Rahab do? Well, she doesn’t obey the king. She doesn’t make the spies leave. She doesn’t tell the king where the men are. No, she hides the spies, and when they are safe on her roof, she tells them this: I know that the LORD has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt . . . When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below (Joshua 2:9-11 NIV).

E. Scripture doesn’t give us a whole lot of background on Rahab. We don’t know how she ended up as a prostitute. We don’t know if she chose it or if her family made her do it to earn money. We don’t know if she hated her life or if she didn’t mind it so much because she made a good living. We don’t know if she went to sleep at night wondering what her future would hold or if she simply went to sleep settled in an understanding that this would just be the way things were for her. She would live alone—separate and cast aside as a prostitute—and never have the family she wanted, the respect and honor she craved, the future she dreamt of. We don’t know what Rahab was like except from what we learn of her in this story. And the story tells us that she may not have had the best lifestyle, she may have been looked down on, she may have done a few things wrong to get in the position she was in, but there was one thing she knew for sure. She knew this God that the Hebrews spoke of, this God that the spies were risking their lives for, was big and powerful and was worth paying attention to.

F. See, word had spread. Forty years after it had happened, people all over were still talking about what this God of the Hebrews had done: rescued His people, dried up the Sea and destroyed an Egyptian army. This God had gotten people talking, and while Rahab may have thought her lifestyle choices, background and nationality disqualified her from being associated with this great God, she knew there was something she could do. She could provide a place for God’s people to hide. She could put her life on the line for the sake of these spies.

G. And what Rahab understood was that there was something special about this God and something special about these people. So she risked her life. She gave them a place to stay—believing that while she may not be as “good” as them, she would do what she could to be a part of God’s plan. Then she said this to the spies: “Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will save us from death” (Joshua 2:12-13 NIV).

H. And the crazy thing is, Rahab the prostitute kept her word by keeping the spies safe, and the spies kept their word by saving Rahab and her family. Not exactly a likely pairing. Rahab could have very easily counted herself out when it came to being a part of this exclusive calling of the Hebrew people. It wasn’t like she naturally fit in. But God didn’t count her out. God used a prostitute to accomplish His purposes. God spoke to a woman, and by choosing her, by selecting her, He communicated a message much stronger than exclusivity, worthiness and accomplishments ever could. By using Rahab, by speaking to Rahab, by calling Rahab, God was saying, “Anyone can be used by Me. Anyone can hear My voice. Anyone can be called by Me. The only limits are the ones you put on yourself. Don’t count yourself out, Rahab. You may be considered an unlikely candidate by everyone else’s standards, but not by Mine.”

APPLICATION A. A lot of you here have counted yourselves out in many different areas in your life. You counted yourself out when it came to making good enough grades. You counted yourself out when it came to making the varsity team, getting into your first-choice college, winning class president or getting the date. And maybe you have counted yourself out when it comes to being the “type of person” you think God could use. Maybe you have even had conversations in your head about why you aren’t a good candidate for this “exclusive” club. You think God could never use you because of what you have done, because of what you have thought, because of where you have been or because of who you are. God couldn’t possibly speak to you, use you or include you in anything. But then we discover a story like Rahab’s, and thankfully we find out that just the opposite is true. God isn’t interested in qualifications. God is interested in you. And if you are willing, like Rahab, to participate with Him, than you can be used. You will be used.

B. There is no exclusive club to be a part of when it comes to hearing God, to being used by God, to knowing God. God includes anyone and everyone. You don’t have to do anything special to be a part, and you don’t have to have a perfect record or personality. Rahab didn’t have any credentials that made her worthy of participating with God in a beautiful act of redemption. She was simply willing.

C. This raises a good question that we need to ask ourselves: Is it possible that we are the ones limiting our involvement with God when it comes to His work and His activity? Are we holding ourselves back? Are we limiting ourselves because we don’t think we’re worthy when God hasn’t limited us at all? Do you think maybe it is possible God wants to use us, God wants to speak to us and God wants us to be involved in His activity, but because we have counted ourselves out, we are missing out on something big?

Rahab had heard of the God of the Hebrews. Her people trembled in fear at the power they knew this God had. But Rahab didn’t look at her circumstances or her past or her mistakes and say, “I know this God is big and powerful, so He couldn’t possibly have a place for me.” No, Rahab said, “I know this God is big and powerful, and I will do what I can to be involved in what He is doing. Whatever He does, I want to be a part—whatever that looks like. If He is willing to use me, I am willing to be used.”

D. But what about us? What are we saying when it comes to God’s activity? Are we willing to be used? Be- cause the truth is, when you count yourself out, when you write off the possibility of being a participator in the work God is doing, you are saying less about yourself and your mistakes and more about God and what you think He can and cannot do. Your view of your past, of your circumstances, of your place does not limit God. And if you think that it does, your god is too small.

It could be that the thing we need to understand today before we leave here is that God is bigger than anything you think is limiting you or holding you back. God is bigger than anything you think is disqualifying you. Don’t give yourself so much credit that you think your mistakes are bigger and more detrimental than anyone else’s and that those mistakes keep God down. God cannot and will not be contained by what you have or don’t have to offer and what you have or have not done.

E. So what is it in your past or your present that you think is keeping you from being used by God? What about your circumstances do you think disqualifies you? And do you think it is possible that you are disqualifying yourself? Do you think it is possible that God hasn’t written you off at all, but that you have written yourself off? God speaks. God is working. We can hear Him, and we can join Him. His voice is for everybody. His work is for everyone. His plan includes everyone.

LANDING A. You are a part of the picture. You play a role, but only if you choose to listen. Only if you choose to participate. So forget what you think is keeping you from hearing and doing. Forget what you think is keeping you from being a part. Simply listen and look for God. He will use you. He will speak to you. He’s just waiting for you to start paying attention.

[TRANSITION INTO SMALL GROUPS]