Paint Rock S.W.A.G. 1

So on Friday of last week, we held our first ever Paint Rock S.W.A.G meeting. Which is a student led bible study started by Me and 3 of my friends. I was the first to teach a lesson. I was so nervous, shaky, and scared. I had never taught to more than 2 people at a time. I expected it to be me and the other three girls and maybe 1 or 2 others, I think about 10 kids showed up and there was a group of 5 girls behind us listing in. That was an amazing experience <3 God was there with us and speaking through me.

The first lesson I went over was the Growing as A Christian lesson. Many times when people accept Christ they don't advance any further. This can cause many problems. We have to grow in God. I was taught this lesson shortly after I was saved, and I thought it would be a good beginner to our group. So here it is. (: Enjoy (:

There are six basic components to growing as a christian.
1. Internalize the Word.(Psalm 119:5) (Psalm 119:105) (II Tim. 3:16,17)
2. Prayer (Philippians 4:6,7)
3. Fellowship(Hebrews 10:25)
4. Witness (Acts 1:8)
5. Giving (Luke 3:38)
6. Obedience (John 14:21) (I John 2:3)

1. Internalize the word. This means to do 5 things.
   A. Hear- hear the word of God
   B. Read- we need to read the bible to grow.
   C. Study- We have to study what we read and make sure we understand.
   D. Memorize- Its a good idea to memorize the word so  that you can preach it to others.
   E. Meditate- Meditate on what you have heard, read, studied,and memorized. Reflect and think 'how can I use this in my life.

2. Prayer which falls under 4 categories.
   A. Adoration/Praise- read the psalms for more information.
   B. Confession- (1 John 1:9)- Confess to God your sins. Let him help you and ask for forgiveness.
   C. Thanksgiving- (Eph. 5:20) (I thess. 5:18)- It is easy to pray to God when things are going bad, but we should also pray to him and give thanks to him.
   D. Supplication ( Needs, Requests)
     - Intercession  which is praying for others ( Colossians 13)
     - Petition which is praying for yourself. (1 John 5:14)

3. Fellowship- Fellowship means interaction between believers in which the body of Christ is strengthened. Tell others about God and his grace and beauty. S.W.A.G is fellowship.

4. Witness- In a way that is what I am doing. Witnessing is telling others the word of God. Telling them your story and what God has done in your life.

5. Giving. There are three ways to give back to God.
    A. Time- God wants to spend time with us. He wants for us to confined in him. Giving our time to God is the least we can do.
    B. Talents- which are your gifts. It can be teaching, preaching, music, anything. God gives us each our own unique gift and when we find that gifts we should use it to give back to God.
    C. Money- there is scripture in 2 Corinthians's that tells us we should give a certain amount of our earning to the offering to strengthen the church.

6. Obedience. I feel this is the hardest one to do while Growing as a christian. We have to be obedient to God and his word. We have to do the work and do what he tells us to. We are called to be people of the word. To live in his image and to share his mercy.

                                                 God Bless <3
                                                             Love, 
                                                                Heaven April