ANNOUNCEMENTS
Saturdays: On Saturdays at 10am we have our Band of Brothers Bible study. We usually do workouts and play football, soccer, basketball, or ultimate frisbee, then have a Bible study. This is a ton of fun and a great way for your son to build camaraderie through Christian friendships.
Sundays: We have now moved the 6pm Sunday youth service to Sunday mornings at 11am. Once a month we will be having a fun event at 6pm on Sundays.
Sunday, February 3rd: Bowling Canceled!!! Super Bowl party in youth hall from 5pm to half time.
THE MESSAGE
In Exodus 3:1-4 Moses is a runaway murderer taking care of his father-in-law’s sheep in the desert. As he is tending the flock he notices something in the mountains that catches his attention. He sees a bush on fire (normal in the desert) but what captures his sense of wonder is that the bush was not burning out (not normal): “So Moses thought, ‘I will go over and see this strange sight—why this bush does not burn up” (v.4). A few moments later Moses encountered the presence of God in the burning bush and his life was transformed forever.
God has called YOU to be the burning bush. Think of it this way: put “your name” in place of “burning bush.” “So Moses thought, ‘I will go over and see this strange sight—why Derek does not burn up. Why Daniel is still on fire for God.”
What does the burning bush accomplish? In Exodus 3:5 Moses takes off his sandals because the ground around the bush is holy. The ground around the bush was changed. When you are a burning bush that doesn’t burn out you will change the very atmosphere around you. When you walk into a classroom people will feel love. They will feel joy and excitement. They may not be able to explain what they feel but they will know that something is different about you. Do you change the ground around you? When youth is boring do you bring excitement? Do you bring a fear of God in your school when there is none?
In Exodus 4:12 God tells Moses to go and set his people free. Moses, in other words, catches on fire to be Israel’s burning bush. Therefore, the second thing the burning bush accomplishes is it lights others on fire. When you are the burning bush that attracts the world your friends (Moseses) become burning bushes that attract other Moseses and those Moseses become burning bushes and the world begins to change.
How do you be a burning bush that attracts the world? In Exodus 3:1-4 Moses says, “I will go see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” The first thing that caught Moses’s attention was that the bush did not burn up. In Texas burning bushes are normal because of dry lighting (lightning with no rain), but a bush that doesn’t burn up is abnormal. The world is looking for something different. They are looking for uncompromising, consistent followers of Christ. Consistency is long, hard devotion in the same direction. It’s getting up morning after morning reading the Bible. It’s praying for your friends day after day, even if it is boring. Even if you don’t feel like it, are tired, or have no time. Imagine, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why Kelli does not burn up. Why Jon has still not compromised, why Blair is still on fire for God.”
The second characteristic of a burning bush is that it is centered on God. Exodus 3:4 says that God’s voice spoke “from within the bush.” When your life is centered on God—your words, your actions, your thoughts, people see, hear and feel Jesus when they are in your presence. The world (friends, teachers, etc.) turn to look at unending fire and God speaks from within you: “Kyle! Kyle!”
If you ever go to the town of Timisoara located in Romania you will see a big rectangular courtyard surrounded by shops with apartments on top of those shops. On one of the green patches of grass near the center of this large rectangle is a cross surrounded by candles, flowers and photos that stand as Shrine for the people who lost their lives in 1989. Just a few blocks away from this square is the Hungarian Protestant Church. On the stone walls of this church is written in four languages: “Here began a revolution that felled a dictator.” Visit Timisoara today and you will notice all this for Timisoara in no ordinary town. This is where the Romanian Revolution began…with just a few candles in the darkness.
During WWII Russia took over Romania. In 1944 there were only 750 Communists in the entire country. In 1970 a new leader by the name of Nicolae Ceusescu became president and the communists multiplied. Under Ceusescu’s leadership the communists began starving Romania. They soon forced churches to adhere to communist’s ways by taking away Bibles and hymn books and forcing them to sing praise songs of communists. Pastors were forced to teach communism. Pastor after pastor gave in to the persecution but one pastor did not give in.
Pastor Laszlo Tokes decided to fight the communists. He began by bringing hymn books and Bibles back into the church. Due to persecution the church had shrunk to 50 people by the time Tokes arrived. Within 2 years under Tokes the church had grown to 5000 people. Tokes took the fight a step further and began protesting on radio and T.V. against the communists.
Tokes soon became a serious threat to the communists giving them the incentive to kill Tokes. But because of Tokes’ rising fame the communists decided to exile him rather than make him a martyr. Tokes received word of his exile and on Sunday announced his eviction to his congregation.
Five days later on December 15, 1989 the communists came to pick up Pastor Tokes at the church but were stopped. Forming a semicircle around the entrance of the church were hundreds of people. The people refused to let the enemy in. One of the people in the crowd was a pastor by the name of Peter. A student of Pastor Peter’s church by the name of Daniel Gavra came up to Pastor Peter, “Look at this pastor!” (pulling out a brown bag from his jacket). Pastor Peter, thinking Daniel had a gun, found that he was holding a dozen candles.
A few hours went by and the communists still were blocked. It was 1am as Tokes was getting ready for bed when he looked out the window one last time to be blinded by light. Hundreds of people were standing with lit candles. People began chanting “Freedom, liberty!” “Awake, Romania!” “Down with communism!”
The communists couldn’t take it any longer. Just before dawn the communists police arrived and broke through the line beating Pastor Tokes and taking him away. The people did not give up, though. Hundreds of people moved to the city square and more people came with them as they told their friends. The people continued to protest all day and into the night. Daniel Gavra was back on the scene handing out candles. One by one hundreds of candles were being lit. The square was filled with hundreds of candle bearers.
The communists soon surrounded the people with tanks and soldiers. Doing what they normally did to fix something the communists began opening fire on the citizens. One by one people were shot but people held their ground with their candles lifted high.
Word of this act had reached the nations and a couple of weeks later the result of the stand was shown. On Christmas 1989 Romania was declared a free country. Communism was removed.
A few days later after Christmas Pastor Peter came to visit Daniel Gavra at the hospital. As he entered his room he found that Daniel had lost his leg in all the chaos. Pastor Peter asked how Daniel was doing with everything. “Pastor” Daniel responded, “I don’t mind so much the loss of my leg. After all, it was I who lit the first candle.” (Story From The Body, Chuck Colson)
Are you willing to be the burning bush that God created you to be?
Ryan Austin
Element Youth Leader
