"Get Up"

The other day I was reading from Luke and I came across the passage where Jesus went to the Mount of Olives to pray before He was taken away to be crucified.  As I was reading the part where Jesus had to go back to the disciples and tell them to Get Up and pray so that they don't fall into temptation stood out for some reason.  You see the night before I read this was Youth Group and I was standing in the back listening to our Student Band play and I noticed that the students looked blah and asleep.  I know that in all ministries they have seasons like this but I don't think it would be right of me to let this go by.  It's like the disciples who were with Jesus at the Mount of Olives, when they should have been praying they were sleeping.  How many times do we fall asleep spiritually in life.  We let everything else in life suck the energy out of us and we fall asleep.  Well in the passage Jesus looks at His disciples and tell them to "Get Up!"  Sometimes I think God is telling us to "GET UP!" because we are asleep.  

For the next couple of weeks we are going to be in a series called, "GET UP!"  I want us to GET UP for God and stop being tired when we worship Him,  I want us to GET UP for God when we are talking to our Friends, I want us to GET UP for God when we are letting life cripple us and keep us from His purpose for our lives.  Do you hear it, listen closely, THAT'S GOD TELLING US TO GET UP!  What must we do to crawl out of our spiritual bed we have grown so comfortable with in order to Get Up for God?

Week 1

John 5:1-15

My senior year of high school was one of the years in my life where I feel asleep.  I laid down in my walk with God and became ineffective for God.  I let all the stuff in life keep me from being who God wanted me to be.  I used any excuse I could to get out of church and for the most part it worked.  This is probably the reason I ended up where I did the next four years after H.S. the interesting thing is that while I laid there spiritually I let all of life's junk weigh me down, I was like the invalid who lay in his own stuff not getting any better.  One day God asked me if I wanted to get better and I said yes.  He told me to GET UP and start living for Him and that is what I have been trying to do ever since that day.  The interesting thing is every now and then I start to take a nap and I hear that voice telling me to GET UP sometimes it's loud sometimes it's soft depending on how long I have been napping.

How long do you plan on laying in your junk?

vs. 1-5

Is there even a desire to GET UP?

vs. 6-7

Now is the time to GET UP!

vs. 8-9

When we Get Up we will: be obedient - walk with God

My Warning!

Don't get caught up in the distractions but continue to be obedient!

vs. 10-11

Small Group Questions

What excuses, stuff, events are you laying in that is keeping you from getting up for God?

What do you desire in life?  Do you even have a desire to Get Up for Christ or are you comfortable napping right now?  Explain 

What are you struggling with?  Obedience and/or Your Walk

What distractions are keeping you from Getting Up?  What can we do as small group leaders to help you?