1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity

Compiled By:
Durham Area Youth Workers Network
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Welcome to Metamorphosis 2.0!
For those of you have been a part of Metamorphosis in years past, you may
already know what this is all about. For those of you who are experiencing
it for the first time, you may be wondering, “what is it”? Twenty years ago a
man had a vision for reaching and teaching students about Jesus Christ. He
had been involved as a leader in a Disciple Now weekend at another church
and saw the power of this kind of event. He envisioned this being a great
event for building new friendships, building fun memories, and building
faith in the lives of students. It also had the added bonus of building bridges
between older and younger generations when this event is embraced by the
entire church. He chose to call it Metamorphosis because of the
transformation that can take place as a result of the weekend. So this
weekend, we ask that you put distractions aside and enjoy Metamorphosis
and watch lives be transformed around you, better yet, watch the Lord
transform your life as well.
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Friday, March 20
4:15 pm
Leaders arrive at offices—Briefed on weekend
5:15 pm
Leaders arrive at host homes
5:30 pm
Students arrive at host homes, meet/greet, ice breaker, rules,
pass out shirts, Session 1
7:30 pm
Worship at Ebenezer Baptist Church
9:30 pm
Rally ends
10:00 pm
Bowling at Buffaloe Lanes in Mebane
12:00 am
Head home and try to sleep
Saturday, March 21
8:00 am
Breakfast/Session 2
9:30 am
Worship at Ebenezer Baptist Church
11:30 am
Lunch at Ebenezer North Campus
12:30 pm
Crosslink Host Home Challenge at Ebenezer North Campus
2:00 pm
Ministry Project in Crosslink offices
4:00 pm
Host home/Free Time
5:30 pm
Dinner at host home
7:00 pm
Worship at Ebenezer
9:00 pm
Return to host homes/Session 3
12:00 am
Try to get some sleep
Sunday, March 22
7:30 am
Session 4, pack-up stuff, go to church for breakfast at Cafe
11:00 am
Sunday Service
12:00 pm
Get picked up at Gravelly Hills after church
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Session 1: Relationship with God
Romans 1
Opening
Back in 2004, an event took place that radically transformed the lives of millions, if not
billions, of people around the world. It all started with a collision; a rather large collision.
Two tectonic plates collided under the Indian Ocean. This collision lifted the ocean floor,
displacing the waters above it and created a series of large tsunamis that crashed into the
lives of millions of people. In an instant, people, who were going about their normal
routines of life, were suddenly catapulted into a devastating wave of chaos and confusion.
Hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives and many others lost everything they
had. People literally watched as their families were torn apart by the raging waters.
Everything transformed in a matter of moments.
Just like those people on the beach in India, there will be moments in our lives, both bad
and good, that will transform us. It may be a natural disaster like a Tsunami, it may be a
break-up in a relationship, it may be meeting the man or woman of your dreams, it may
be a car accident that takes a loved one, it may be getting the dream job you have always
wanted, it may be moving to a new community and saying goodbye to friends and family,
or it may be the opportunity to explore a new country, or receiving news about having a
rare disease. These types of moments will transform us from the person we were and into
someone new.
Icebreaker
1) Are there any events in your life that have personally transformed you?
2) In your opinion, which of these events transformed the world the most?
a. The ability to control fire
b. The invention of the printing press
c. The invention of the first computer
As big as the tsunami event was, or the time when man first tamed fire, or the creation of
the printing press and computer, these all pale in comparison to the event where a Holy
God and an imperfect human race collided at a cross on Calvary. This collision was so
colossal that its aftershocks are still being felt and transforming lives everyday. That
collision, the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ has without a doubt
transformed more lives than any other event in the history of the world. Think about it,
our calendar system reflects his life and death, numerous holidays celebrate His life and
ministry, empires have risen and fallen, families strengthened and torn apart in His name,
and millions have called Him more valuable than life itself, and have been brutally
murdered in His name. So why was this event necessary? Why did Jesus have to come to
earth? Is it really that important for us? Today, we will recognize that this event had to
take place to transform our relationship with almighty God.
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Problem
We have a problem with our relationship with God. When God created us, He did so in
order that we would worship Him through obedience and reproducing more worshippers
for His glory. But as we know, sin entered the world through Adam and Eve and since
then our relationship with God has never been the same. Our relationship with Him has
gone from one of friendship and peace to one of conflict and strain.
As a group read Romans 1:18-32
According to this passage, what does God do for us that is intended for our good?
According to this passage, what all has mankind done wrong?
According to this passage, because of mankind’s mistakes, what has God done for us?
Illustration
Read this quote from Jonathan Edwards and his sermon, “Sinners in the Hand of an
Angry God.”
“The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider or some
loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you and is dreadfully provoked. His wrath
towards you burns like a fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to
be cast into the fire; he is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in his sight; you
are ten thousand times more abominable in his eyes, than the most hateful
venomous serpent is in ours. You have offended him infinitely more than ever a
stubborn rebel did his prince. And yet it is nothing but his hand that holds you
from falling into the fire every moment.”
Solution
Although God is perfectly just in allowing us to live in our sin and to ultimately drop
each and every one of us into hell, His hand still holds us and He still comes to our
rescue. God has been promising us our rescue since Adam and Eve first sinned. The
promise is seen through scripture and it came to fruition at the cross. The death, burial,
and resurrection of Jesus Christ saves those who believe from this awful fate. This is the
event that transformed the history of our world and restored our relationship with God.
The Gospel is the solution to our problem.
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Read Romans 5:8-11
Does God love us? _________________________________________________
What does God save us from? ________________________________________
What do we receive? _______________________________________________
What is Reconciliation? _____________________________________________
Illustration
In Africa, the Middle East, and both South and Central America, people for generations
have been struggling with onchocerciasis, a disease that is also known as river blindness.
This disease begins when little black flies, which breed in fast-flowing rivers, bite people
and unleash larvae that can grow into large worms that live within the person. People
who have these worms can suffer from sever itching, bumps on skin, eye problems and in
extreme cases blindness. Millions of people suffered from this disease every year. Back
in the 1987, a pharmaceutical company, Merck and Company, found the cure for this
disease, but they faced a dilemma. The people who needed the drug would never be able
to afford it and Merck couldn’t just give it away for free without it costing them a lot of
money.
What would you do if you were faced with this dilemma?
Merck’s Decision: They decided that since they had the cure for this disease and the
people with this disease could have their lives transformed with it, they would pay the
cost and give the drug as a free gift to the affected people in those countries.
End Application
Romans 6:23 says, “that the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Our God loves us so much that He too is willing to pay the cost
for all of our rebellion and sin so that we could be reconciled back to Him. He
transformed our relationship with Him out of the graciousness and kindness from His
heart. The transformation had nothing to do with what we did or could have done. It all
depended upon Him and He is giving it to us as a free gift that we can never repay. There
has never been another way to transform our relationship with God except by God’s
faithfulness to fulfill His promise, a promise that he fulfilled through Jesus at the cross.
Now the question for us is this, “What do we do now?” We can either choose to follow
Christ or continue to live in God’s wrath. Which way will you choose to go? For those of
you who choose to follow God, we will later look at how are transformed lives will look
compared to the world around us.
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Lesson Two: Relationship with the World
1 John 2:15-17
Opening Question
What do you currently see in your life that could be considered idolatry or worldliness?
Icebreaker: “What If”
Conflict problem
We live in an age of materialism. The accumulation of goods is the highest priority for
most of the people around us, perhaps even of ourselves. Houses, cars, boats, campers,
and clothes are a measure of success and, to a limited extent, provide joy in life. When
we say we love these things, we usually don’t mean that we love them more than our
family and friends, but it can get that way. For Sesame Street’s Bert, the need to find his
favorite green paper clip sometimes causes him to ignore the serious personal needs of
Ernie or other friends. When this happens, because of the ludicrousness of loving
something like a paper clip, we easily see that Bert has gone beyond harmless
idiosyncrasy. Certainly, there are worse things in the world to love than a paper clip, but
putting things above people is wrong—no matter what the “things.” Loving things above
loving people is tragic and does inexplicable damage.
Read 1 John 2:15-17. Read together and then discuss what these verses are saying.
Look at the commentary supplied to you.
John makes a point very much like this, but he puts it in more spiritual terms. He
appeals to his readers not to be enticed by the sins that the materialistic, human society
offers. After a command to this effect, he offers a reason: because loving both the world
and God are mutually exclusive (1 John 2:15). He then explains why this is so (1 John
2:16) and offers a second reason for not loving the world: because the world is temporary
and moving ever closer to extinction (1 John 2:17).
When John says, “Do not love the world” (1 John 2:15), we first need to be sure we
understand that he does not mean the earth or its people. Unlike our language, Greek does
not treat the two different words, world and earth, as synonyms. World, related to the
word from which we get cosmetics, sometimes refers to the decoration with which God
adorned the earth: creation of plants, animals, and people. We understand John 3:16,
“God so loved the world,” in this general way, although focused on people. Heavily in
the New Testament and in John, world has an entirely negative meaning referring to the
evil distortions man has made of God’s good. It includes everything in human society
that opposes God and pulls man away from Him. John clarifies that this is what he means
when he adds, “or anything in the world.”
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In light of these verses how can you have a relationship with God and live in the
world?
Illustration
Solution
When looking at the resolution or solution for us, we need to see the importance of
loving the World and non-believers, but also see how we should not fall in love with the
present world like Demas did in 2 Tim 4:10.
John, then, challenges his readers to see that love of the world and love of the Father
are polar extremes. Attaching oneself to the things of the world means that one is not
drawing toward God. John challenges his readers to examine themselves in this way, but
especially to look at the life-styles of John’s opponents. There his readers will see clear
evidence that his opponents’ ideas about getting to know God must be wrong. They can’t
know God if they live in ways that reveal they love the world.
In 1 John 2:16, John amplifies what he means. The “cravings of sinful man” is, more
literally, the “desire of the flesh.” Our physical body demands food, drink, exercise, and
sex; and the demand can become insatiable when our spiritual needs are ignored. The
“lust of the eyes,” literally, is the “desire of the eyes,” repeating the same word from the
first phrase. With no spiritual glasses, our eyes become attracted to the superficial. The
evil and material of the world enchant us. The “boasting of what he has and does” is,
literally, the “pride of life.” Without God, we become overconfident in our secular life.
We believe in ourselves and our destiny but repress the nagging, spiritual void.
John, then, is not requiring that we hate the world or run away from society. He calls
us away from worldliness, away from attachment to things, away from a secular
worldview. A healthy spiritual dimension will infuse our lives with the ability to enjoy
the world God has created for us without distorting it into evil.
John then supplies his second reason for not loving the world. Quite simply, the world
will not survive into the permanent future (1 John 2:17). Even now, “the world and its
desires pass away.” They move ever closer to destruction. Their death knell was struck on
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the cross and in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The spiritual battle against evil is won.
Note that Paul says something very similar in 1 Corinthians 7:31. Only the last acts of the
universe must be played out. Those of us who live out our lives in “the will of God,”
exercising spiritual vivacity against the secular will carry over into the realm that lasts
“forever.”
Secularism can creep into our lives so easily. As Christians, we must post a guard to
check its progress. We must be vigilant to keep a spiritual perspective forefront in our
lives. We must stop ourselves from becoming overly attached to the things of this world.
We must put our stock in eternity. Each of us needs to identify the materialism that has
crept into our lives and expel it. New spiritual development will result.
Secularism is the principle of the separation of government institutions and persons
mandated to represent the state from religious institutions and religious dignitaries.
How can secularism creep into someone who has a relationship with Christ?
What negatives can secularism have on a persons Christian Worldview?
Illustration
Application
Ultimately, our worldview determines how we live. That’s why it’s critical that these
beliefs align with scripture, for only there do we find God’s take on our lives, on this
world, indeed on reality itself. The Bible sets forth the contours of our existence,
answering fundamental questions about our identity, our environment, our relationships,
and our very purpose of life. -CJ Mahaney
*Credit given to Danny Akin for His commentary on 1 John 2.
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Lesson 3: Relationship with Yourself
Romans 12:3-8
Opening
The story is told of two ducks and a frog who lived happily together in a farm pond. The
best of friends, the three would amuse themselves and play together in their waterhole.
When the hot summer days came, however, the pond began to dry up, and soon it was
evident they would have to move. This was no problem for the ducks, who could easily
fly to another pond. But the frog was stuck. So it was decided that they would put a stick
in the bill of each duck that the frog could hang onto with his mouth as they flew to
another pond. The plan worked well--so well, in fact, that as they were flying along a
farmer looked up in admiration and mused, "Well, isn't that a clever idea! I wonder who
thought of it?" The frog said, "I did..."
Have you ever been around someone that always talks about themselves?
How does being around prideful people make you feel?
C. H. Spurgeon once said, "Be not proud of race, face, place, or grace."
What could Spurgeon have meant when he said that?
What are some dangers for Christians who adopt a prideful attitude?
In this lesson we will focus on the dangers of pride; as well as, understanding that as
Christians, we are a part of the body of Christ and we each have a place to humbly serve.
Icebreaker “I have…Have you?”
Problem
Read Romans 12:3
As we look at ourselves, what might Romans 12:3 be saying to us?
Simply put, “Pride is a sin that is bred in the bone of all of us, and we have therefore each
of us, need to be cautioned and armed against it.”
That’s why Paul says, “not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think.”
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The problem is we are sinners. Often times, instead of promoting God, we promote
ourselves. That’s why David said in Psalm 51:5, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from
the time my mother conceived me.” According to John 3:19-20, "...the light has come
into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were
evil…”
When our sinful nature drives our attitudes and actions, we “cannot please God.”
Read Romans 7:5 & Romans 8:5-8
What are these verses saying about the state of our flesh without Christ?
Illustration
Have you ever been on a team and the best player on the team gets a big ego?
Listen to these quotes about teamwork:
-"You don't win with the best talent - you win with the five players who are able to play
well together."
-“There’s no “I” in team.”
-"T.E.A.M. = Together Everyone Achieves More!"
-"Teamwork is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results."
God has called us all to serve him! Not just Pastors & those in the church. He has called
us all together to “Go therefore and make disciples.”
Solution
Read Romans 12: 4-8
The solution can be found in God’s Grace. Grace could be defined as: the acceptance of,
and goodness toward, those who cannot earn, or do not deserve, such gain. Like in the
Old Testament, “Finding favor in the presence of God” means that God has an attitude of
kindness toward someone, and wishes to prosper them. Being highly favored highlights
God’s decision to bless and use that person for his good purpose.
Key Point: Because of God’s Grace, we can cross over from flesh to spirit.
What is Paul saying about himself in verse 3 when he says, “For by the grace given to
me…”? Think about his life before Christ as you answer this.
Part 1 The Body
Read Romans 12: 4-5 & 1 Corinthians 12:12-27
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The body is made up of many parts. When talking about the body of believers, it goes far
beyond anything that can limit us (Jews, Greeks, slaves, free). The body of Christ goes
far beyond North Carolina… it goes beyond Israel; the body of Christ is made up of those
who have a relationship with Christ.
Part 2 The Gifts
Read Romans 12:6-8
Did you notice that Paul uses the word “grace” again?
Look at verse 6, it says: “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.”
Think about this: Genuine service controls pride.
Do you think this is a true statement? Explain your answer.
What might each of those gifts look like if enabled by believers? Look at verses 6-8
ProphecyServiceTeachersExhortationGivingLeaderActs of mercyILLUSTRATION
Can you imagine a church in which all of its members are in the choir? Or, can you
imagine a church whose worship band all played drums? Or, can you imagine a baseball
team that was composed of only 3rd basemen on the team? Of course you can’t…because
that is stupid! Think about this list we just walked through, Think about Spiritual gifts
and how God did not intend for all of us to have the same gift; but, He does expect us to
exercise our gifts to help take the gospel to those who don’t have a relationship with
Christ.
Have you ever experienced a time where you and a team worked together for the greater
good?
Application:!How!Can!you!apply!Romans 12:3-8 to your life?
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Lesson Four: Relationship with Believers
Romans 12:9-13
Opening
Lee Iacocca once asked legendary football coach Vince Lombardi what it took to make a
winning team. The book entitled Iacocca records Lombardi's answer.
There are a lot of coaches with good ball clubs who know the fundamentals and have
plenty of discipline but still don't win the game. Then you come to the third ingredient: if
you're going to play together as a team, you've got to care for one another. You've got to
love each other. Each player has to be thinking about the next guy and saying to himself:
If I don't block that man, Paul is going to get his legs broken. I have to do my job well in
order that he can do his.
"The difference between mediocrity and greatness," Lombardi said that night, "is the
feeling those guys have for each other."
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where it was necessary to work as a team in
order to accomplish a task?
What are ways that believers must work together?
In this lesson we will learn that in a healthy church, each Christian must learn to care for
one another. When we take seriously Jesus' command to love one another, we contribute
to a winning team.
Icebreaker: Back to Back
Problem
As we continue to look into Romans 12, we come to our fourth key relationship as a
follower of Christ. It seems that this relationship would be an easy one, yet it often can
be the contrary. One would think that living in harmony with another genuine believer
would always be enjoyable and would require little effort. Often times in our attempt to
serve Christ, we can easily neglect the need to love and serve our brothers and sisters in
Christ.
Paul here speaks of love using the Greek word philia which means a “brotherly love.”
He exhorts believers to live lives that exhibit genuine love to others.
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As a group read Romans 12:9-13
With what type of actions does Paul encourage believers to show?
We live in a world that is full of fakes and deception, and we as believers must break the
mold by being genuine. This sincere love should be one of true desire. Not only should
we be genuine and cling to what is right but we must do so with devotion to one another.
Paul understood clearly that we all come from different backgrounds. Prior to his
conversion experience on Damascus Road, Paul then known as Saul persecuted believers
of Christ. Paul even went so far as to share his former resume in Philippians 3 as he was
“of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the
law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness,
faultless” (Philippians 3:5-6, NIV).
Even with the worldly qualifications and accomplishments that Paul held, he made it
clear that these things he now “…consider[ed] a loss compared to the surpassing
greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I
consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a
righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in
Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith” (Philippians 3:8-9, NIV).
We must understand that as each one of us has been uniquely created and brings a variety
of experiences to the table, this can often create a problem as our focus is shifted from
Christ to self. The focus on self will often times prevent us from being devoted to one
another and honoring one another as Jesus desires us to do.
When we become so focused on ourselves, what other actions will be difficult for us to
show?
Illustration
Has there ever been a time in your life when you were awarded or honored with an
achievement? If so, what was it?
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Was your accomplishment something that you could have done on your own or did it
require the assistance of others? Perhaps someone taught you how to play an instrument
or how to read so that you would know the lyrics to the song. The point I am trying to
make is that there is always someone who helps us to accomplish all that we have
achieved. Even when it comes to something we think we did all ourselves, we must
recognize that Christ enables us to do all that we have ever achieved.
Solution
When we become a part of the body of believers, we bring a variety of former lives and
personalities into the mix, but even then we, like Paul, must recognize it is Christ who is
our focus. We are no longer black or white, rich or poor, educated or uneducated. We
are now the redeemed who have been made righteous through our faith in Christ.
We must be devoted to one another in brotherly love, as an act of devotion to our risen
King. We understand through our sinful nature that it is not always easy to love and
serve with others, but that as believers we have been called to love our brothers and
sisters in Christ Jesus. We must encourage one another as we face this difficult world we
find ourselves in. We must exhort one another to live in truth, guided by God’s Word.
We must exhibit grace and mercy toward one another, as we ultimately experience
Christ’s grace and mercy in our own lives.
Application
1. What can I do to devote myself better to fellow believers in Christ Jesus?
2. Have I become so focused on myself that I am missing out on service with other
believers?
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Notes for the Friday Night Worship Service
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Notes for the Saturday Morning Worship Service
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Notes for the Saturday Night Worship Service
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Random Space for Extra Notes, Doodles, Thoughts, Etc.
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Random Space for Extra Notes, Doodles, Thoughts, Etc.
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