Giving youth pastors the tools they need to make and shape disciples.

Action Figures Not Funko Pops

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One of the hardest things to do is get a teenager to go from apathy to action. Usually somewhere in between there, we’re trying all kinds of methodology.

Parents, teachers, youth pastors, try everything, right? And I’ve done it. I have three grown children. It’s hard to get them from action, from apathy to action. You try guilt, bribery, and there’s, and a multitude of things that happen in between to get them to take action

And I can tell you this, that in my 35 years of youth ministry, I have done probably all of those things with my own students, at some point, because I wanted them to take action, particularly on their faith.

The things that the Bible tells them, the things that God created them to be. We want them to take action on those things because we understand the benefits of taking action. We understand the fruit of action. And I find that, at least with the students that I’ve worked with, I want them to act NOW, because we know something that they don’t know, yet, faith works.

The problem is, We just want them to act. We don’t build any kind of foundation for them to act, for them to move. “Why should I move from apathy to action?” they say, and the issue is we have to teach them why, which is long an exhausting, but when they finally do act, it’s like watching a rocket you built take off into space.

How long did it take you to received the gospel? An instant, right? But you didn’t understand the gospel probably for many months, maybe many years after you made that decision. I know this for a fact in my own life, that when I received Christ, when I was 13 years old, I certainly didn’t understand the impact of it.

All I knew is that I was different and what good youth pastors did for me is they built a foundation of why, why is this important? Why should I do this? Why should I share my faith? Why should youI to church? Why should I read my Bible?

And in all these cases, I knew that these things were true, but to move me from apathy, or inaction, to action, I required a foundation as to why I’d want to do that and that’s what my youth pastors did for me and that’s I’ve tried to do with my students,

I want my students to take action. So I’ve built, and always building foundations for them to stand on and runaways to take off and that’s why I created a 6 week series called A.C.T.I.O.N Figures.

We, as Christians, are action figures. We are meant to take action. We are meant to do good in the world. We’re made by God, made for good. And the main scripture for this series is

“for we are God’s handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 10.

Action Figure or Funko Pop?

Here’s part of the foundation I lay at the beginning of the series,

Do you want to be a Funko Pop that sits on the shelf, like in a social media video, just there for decoration? You were not made to sit on shelf in someone else’s story, you were made to be an action figure that plays a central role in sharing the message of Jesus.

A week before the lesson started, I ordered some boxes and filled with

Nick Klasson, of Hybrid Youth Ministry gave me this idea as he described how he did ministry with guests and his own students during covid.

The A.C.T.I.O.N Devotion for students (included in this resource)

An action figure (bought from the dollar store)

Post card of A.C.T.I.O.N steps with scripture (include in this resource)

Action stickers

A domino (to remind them of the domino effect, part of one of the messages)

A QR code, (taped to the inside of the box) to a video of me explaining what’s in the box. Watch it here.

Bag of Sour Patch Kids (because, ya know, food)

Here’s a picture of the box

I think preparing sermons is important but I think preparing students for the sermon is equally important. I believe Jesus, over 3 years, was constantly preparing the disciples for the greatest sermon Jesus would every preach, his death and resurrection on the cross. Consider this passage,

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

and this one

They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it. Mark 9:30-32

All the way up the The Last Supper, Jesus prepared them. Jesus built a 3 year runway for this very important truth. We, through our messages, are also building a runway, a runway for students to take action. I am laying a six week runway with the hopes that students will take off with the truth, “Made by God, Made For Good”.

I kicked of the series with ACTION Night (included in the series) and we played a few games and I set the tone for the next six weeks.

There are some of your students that are ready to take action and they just need the word go.They just need the opportunity, right? Most of my students require a foundation be built.

Here’s my outline for my first lesson.

If you’d like this lesson, with slides and graphics, for free, just sign up for my newsletter)

Main Verse


If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Galatians 5:25

Activity: Opposite Obstacle Course


Goal: For the blindfold student to hit all the obstacles.


Set up an “obstacle” course. Place as many paper plates out as you wish to represent the “obstacles” but do not place them too close together.


Write on one side of each of the paper plates a need, “a man asking for money”, “someone with a broken down car”, “someone crying or sad”, “someone who is sick”, “someone who is lonely”, “someone who is lost”, etc.


Get a couple of pairs of students to volunteer. One student will be blindfolded and the other will give them instructions on how to navigate the “obstacles’ in front of them.


The goal is for the person with the blindfold to hit/touch all the “obstacles” or good deeds. The person without the blindfold will direct them with their words.


Extra: Let a student try to navigate the course blindfolded, alone. Allow the student to look over the obstacle course for a minute and then have them put on their blindfold and try to touch each of the obstacles. Give them a minute to hit all the obstacles. Once they discover how hard it is to do alone, allow them to choose a partner to verbally guide them.


Transition Questions


How easy/hard was it to try this task on your own?
How much easier or harder was it with someone guiding you?
Normally, you are expected to avoid obstacles but in this case you were supposed to run right to it. Was that weird? Why?


Note: On each one of these “obstacles” be sure to write something on them, like
“a man asking for money”, “someone with a broken down car”, “someone crying or sad”, “someone who is sick”, “someone who is lonely”, “someone who is spiritually lost”

Deeper Questions


Do people, in general, see people with needs like this as obstacles or opportunities? Why or why not?
Do you seek to avoid these people or run to them? Why or why not? What would God have you do?


Bible Study


Read: Galatians 5:25, Luke 10:25-37, Ephesians 2:10

Who is my neighbor?


In the story of the good Samaritan why was the man asking, “Who is my neighbor?” The big question we have to ask is, “Who is not worthy of our action?”Everyone has value, even if they are not like us or disagree with us.

Obstacle or Opportunities?


Jesus tells the story of a man attacked by robbers and left for dead and a Priest and a Levite, both Jews, did not stop to help likely for laws they knew about how touching a dead body would make them impure.


Both passed on the other side of the man to avoid being “contaminated” and therefore have to go through a purification ritual at the temple.


Both of these men passed by seeing this man as an obstacle to their day.
How often do you, when you see someone in need, try to avoid them? Why do we do this? (Because it will mess up our day, it’s complicated, etc.)


God guides us to do good


The Samaritan, whom the Jews did not like, stopped and took pity on him, someone, possibly, not like him, possibly a Jew, someone who hated him, and did good by binding up his wounds and making sure he found a safe place for him to heal up.


By using a Samaritan as example of doing good, what point was Jesus trying to make to the one who asked, “Who is my neighbor?”

The question is, how flexible is your heart to the moving of God’s Spirit? Can you be lead? Or is your heart filled with justification or excuses? “I’d do this God, but…”

God has prepared moments for us, all throughout our day, to do good. Galatians says that we should be led by the Holy Spirit, but to do what?


Avoid people who will complicate our day? Avoid serving others?


No, Just like the Holy Spirit guides us away from sin, He also guides us into doing good and we, as believers should listen and respond,
even if it’s an in convenience
even if the person is different from us
even if the person disagree with us


Closing: Read Ephesians 2:10


Illustration: Have an action figure still in the package.


Do you know someone who collects things but never opens the package to enjoy them?
There are people who collect action figures but never open the box, so they do not us their value. There are people who purchase comics which are sealed in plastic and will never be read, so they never lose their value.


For us to be valuable to the world around us, we must get out of the package. We must get out of the box, called the church, and engage in good works.


You were made by God for good. The things that you see as obstacles are opportunities for you to do good. If you see a need you could be the one to fill it or you can pass on on the other side of the road and say, “I’m too busy, too holy or too lazy to do it.


Look at others as an opportunity to be Jesus not an obstacle you need to avoid.


Close in prayer


If you are looking for more series to help lay a foundation of truth, check out the resources in my store.

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