Oh 1 Il-Woong Oh Professor Arnold English 1103 14 November 2011 The Mustardseed Church Youth Group: What Makes Christian

Youth Groups Different and Unique? The Mustardseed Church youth group is based on Christianity. The members of this youth group view their world as a world made by God, ruled by God, and conquered and saved by God through His only Son, Jesus Christ. However, this current world, being under the influence of Satan who is also known as 'the devil', is full of sin and evil. Believers of Jesus Christ, such as the Mustardseed Church youth group, grow constantly in God through a continuing love relationship with Him and are revealed to His ways through reading and studying the Scriptures, or the Bible, while struggling to kill their sinful natures and its evil ways; on one of the most difficult struggles is to deny the world's temptations and to live apart from the "fun" norms of society, such as partying, making lots of money for a luxurious life, et cetera- living a life of selfish pleasure. However, this sinful world will not last forever- Jesus Christ will return to this world in order to take with Him His children, or the true believers by heart, and to judge and condemn the wicked and evil. The factors that make Christian youth groups different and unique from many other groups and individuals are their principles and virtues, which all derive from their faith in Jesus Christ, that empower them to sacrifice their lives of selfish pleasures in order to live fully in obedience to the commands of God. The procedural aspects of the youth group meetings consist of discussion, teachings, and prayer. The leader of the youth group discusses and briefly overviews every individual's past

Oh 2 week, such as feelings, thoughts, concerns, questions, et cetera, and how their relationship with God has been. Then, the members review a workbook, Experiencing God, that serves as a guide for the individuals of the youth group, which helps them develop a love relationship with and experience God; this workbook is done daily throughout the week by each member, as there is a separate assignment for each day, every week, for nine weeks. After reviewing the workbook, the youth group discusses any remaining topics of importance. To close and finish the youth group meeting, a volunteered or selected member prays out loud as the rest of the members pray along with that person- this is a type of group prayer. The members of the youth group try to behave, speak, and think in holy and righteous ways, as opposed to the ways of their selfish and sinful natures; they make efforts to be loving, truthful in all cases, prudent, discretionary, gentle, supporting, wise, understanding, peaceful, faithful to God and then to others, meek, patient, self-controlling, and self-disciplined, which can all be done only through God's initiative and grace- even the effort aspect. They always try to speak the truth, as Jesus Christ has instructed all of His followers to always speak the truth. They also think in terms of the present, living their life completely for God through a love relationship with Him, and toward the future, "journeying" to their promised place in the eternal Kingdom of God, Zion, and to be united as one with God forever. The actions and attitudes of the youth group members act as a composed and unified "body". When one member needs something, another provides; this is a general example of the Christian principle of "serving one another". The members act as a united "body", in which each member helps another whenever the opportunity arises, such as getting water during lunch for everyone else or sweeping the floor in the stead of another member; larger tasks, such as clearing all of the garbage from the entire church grounds, are done quickly and efficiently by the whole

Oh 3 "body" instead of only a few individuals- this can be defined as teamwork. While the tasks may be simple, the meaning behind the actions and completions of the tasks is powerful, and these "simple" tasks build strong foundations of the principles of Christianity for each memberexpressing love and obedience towards God, and in turn, love towards others. Also, arguable, these "simple" tasks can be proven to be some of the "hardest" tasks to complete; many people will feel apathetic or that the tasks are menial, and they will refuse to complete the "simple" tasks or to do them thoroughly. Serving God, serving others, and refusing and denying self are key concepts to the Christian youth group. The action and attitudes that pervade the youth group derives from one united purpose- to serve God through a continuing love relationship with Him while placing all of their faith, hope, and love in Jesus Christ, His only Son. The conflicts that pull the community apart consist of overt and hidden conflicts. The overt conflicts include financial issues, physical and mental fatigue, laziness or apathy, aggressive competition amongst members, arguments and disagreements, personal issues, personal lives, et cetera. Hidden conflicts consist of jealousy, secrets, gossip, personal temptations and desires over God, sins, grudges amongst members, et cetera. The youth group, even in the midst of conflicts, constantly prays together about these conflicts to God in hope that He will never abandon them and that He acts only in perfect love to His children. The motives of the youth group are to live this life with love and faith toward God in hope of His promise of Jesus' Second Coming, in which He takes all of His children to be with Him in His Eternal Kingdom, Zion, forever. Also, they look forward to the eternal treasures that God has promised His children for everything that they truly do for Him in this present world. They strive to dedicate and sacrifice their lives to Him completely, to the Almighty God, so that He may rule their lives and guide them to live the kind of life that He create each and every one

Oh 4 of them to live, so that they may be completely fulfilled in Him with His peace and joy; they will then have true life and bear "fruits" of God, which yield to a life full of His righteousness, ways, and holiness. The primary motives and goals of the youth group are to love God first and the most, and then to love others as oneself. The Christian principles and virtues of becoming a complete servant to God, and in turn, serving all of mankind for God's Will, completely sacrificing and wholly yielding one's life to God, denying oneself of self-pleasures and selfish ambitions or goals, and living a love-centered life makes Christian youth groups, such as the Mustardseed Church Youth Group, different and unique when compared to many other groups and individuals.