Toy Box Christianity (All Show No Go)...

...The Rocking Horse is pretty much a universal toy. It is not limited to any particular country and is the toy with the longest history in our look at Toy Box Christianity. Because it's the most "mature" toy, we can assume it comes with a lot of wisdom.

Think about it for a second...the rocking horse is a lot of work with no production, except maybe a little friction. You can summarize this toy with one simple phrase..."All Show and No Go." This isn't much different than the life of a believer. What about your life? What about your student's life? How are you helping your student's life with Christ be all GO and less SHOW? Tonight we took a hard look at how we can live a life of going.

Read Matthew 25:14-30

• This history of the Rocking Horse goes a little something like this...It all started with the Hobby Horse which is nothing more than a horse head (fake) on the end of a broomstick. You can still find this predecessor of the rocking horse all Wal Mart. This led to the Barrel Horse. Not to be a downer, but this doesn't seem as fun...it's simply a log with wooden legs...no motion at all...what you see is what you get. Now we have the Rocking Horse...some were super elaborate and some were simple, but they all have the same function...rock, rock, rock...
• It moves but it doesn't go anywhere. Discuss what this would look like in the life of a believer...(go to church, go to church, go to church, but no desire to grow with Christ)
• Jesus is looking for practical obedience, but what was it that led the one servant to hide the talent? (Fear)
• The question might arise..."Why did he give more to some and just one to the last one...did he love the last servant the least?" That's not the case at all...the King entrusted the servant with what he believed the servant could handle. You don't give a 1st grader algebra homework...it's the same with this parable.
• Discuss the understanding of entrusting someone with something (it is the handing over to)
• What did Jesus entrust to us? (The Gospel, Love, The Spirit)
• EVERY believer is entrusted with some responsibility...what do we do with it?
• Why is investing a "risky" thing to do? How risky is it when we're investing what Jesus has given to us? It's not that risky when you live by faith.
• Look at the response of the disobedient servant (v24)...it was a 43 word response...but those who obey really required no explanation.
• That's the life of the No Go...so what does the life of a person On The Go look like W/O HESITATION (V16)...GOOD & FAITHFUL (v21)...RECEIVES THE GREATEST REWARD "WELL DONE" (v21)...SHARE IN THE JOY OF CHRIST (v21)
• The life of an obedient servant stands in dramatic contrast to that of one who lives in disobedience.

Spend some time praying as a family...ask God to help you be a family on the go and for the Holy Spirit to reveal the aspects of your family life that may not live up to what God has called you and your family to.

JM