Why This is for You
Young people, and young at heart, now is your time. Not later, after you’re all grown up, out of school, and ready to do something with your life—but now. Don’t wait to make your life matter. It already matters. You have a purpose that began before you were born.
According to the Barna Research Group, 85% of those interviewed who placed their faith in Jesus did so between the ages of four and fourteen. If you are young, now is your time to help increase God’s kingdom. You are called a spiritual warrior, and these are the days to reach your peers. It can be the most effective period of your life.
Most grown-ups get numb from the cares of this life. Their hearts grow dull. They forget that real life includes so much more than the things of this world. So, it’s up to you to take on the spiritual battle and claim eternal victories. God calls you.
Don’t let others say you are too young or too inexperienced. You already know how messed up this world is. Wars, starving children, broken families, sickness—you can take a stand against all these evils. Your best weapon is prayer.
God loves and listens to children above all others. Use your special relationship with him to pray for our world. Pray alone or in groups. Others are called like you. Find them and band together.
Use whatever unique gifts God has given you—music, dance, math, etc. Like the kids in these novels, find ways to use these skills in Jesus’s power and for God’s glory.
Your precious young life can influence the spiritual curmudgeons around you. You may be the best chance for other people to see who Jesus is.
So, how about it? Do you accept this challenge? Are you ready to be knighted into Kingdom service?
If you are not already a Jesus follower, find a pastor or a friend who can tell you how to accept Jesus. Ask someone who stands on sincere biblical faith, not on human formulas.
Next, dedicate yourself to bringing love and truth into this dark world. Let God’s Spirit guide you on how to join the fight. Remember to hate sin but love sinners. Humility is essential. That’s one of the things God loves most about children. So don’t look down on others. All of us are lost without Christ.
Go now and tell someone else about your commitment. Let the joy of your life in Jesus bubble over to others.
That is your mission.
Alejandra’s Source of Truth
One of the goals of the Middle School Mystery Series is to clarify what is real and what is fantasy. Today’s world, and most teen fiction, blur those lines. Youths are confused about dragons, wizards, demons, ghosts, and fantastical beings. Do any of them exist, and how do they affect our lives?
What we need is accurate source material.
Early in my writing career, the Lord showed me that I should visit the places I write about. I view the settings and meet the people firsthand—my personal experience is my source material.
An example of experiential writing is my five trips to China. There, I learned about Watchman Nee, the father of the world’s largest underground church. When invited to speak at a gathering of believers known to have government spies, Watchman Nee threw a glass on the ground and stomped on it with his boots. His metaphor sent a coded message. The more the government tried to stomp out the church, the more it spread into cell groups.
In Aiden’s story, I used what I learned in China when he stomped on drinking glasses. My source material came from examples of the real persecution of believers.
I also need valid source material for my life. How did the universe come to exist? Why was I born? What comes next? I need a credible source of truth to answer these questions.
Like Alejandra, I rely on the Christian Bible as my source material. After years of investigation, I am confident that the Bible is the most reliable source of information for living. I am cautious about this conclusion because I have staked my life on it.
What is your source material? Is it what your friends say? Does it come from social media? From Hollywood? Or some manmade extra-biblical source?
Does your source material come from traditions, superstitions, teachers, or family?
Be very cautious here. Your source material will determine your worldview—your worldview will determine your choices—and your choices will determine your destiny.
Back to dragons, angels, and ghosts. To understand what is real and make-believe, look to the Christian Bible. Don’t look mindlessly. Study and question the biblical claims. But once you conclude that the Bible is God’s word, use it to understand your life and purpose. If you are new to the Bible, start with the Gospel of John.
Scripture references are in the chapter footnotes in the Middle School Mystery books. They are there because the Bible is the ultimate source material. The footnotes list the passages that inspired various parts of the story. They will help you understand how scripture applies to the story and your life today. More to the point, they will guide you to reliable discernment between all things fantastical and real.
Read Chapter 1 here. Or buy on Amazon
Discussion Questions
1) Did you spot the hidden ananyms (names spelled by reversing the letters of words)?1
2) Why did Aiden and Jackson initially refuse to leave The Game?
3) Can you name some activities that are often addictive?
4) How does Jesus help us fight addictions?
5) Why did Alejandra think The Game was a real spiritual war?
6) Are the dragons and beasts described in the Bible real or symbolic?
7) In what creative ways might God use you to share the gospel and set prisoners free?
8) What do the Bible passages below tell us about angels, demons, wizards, and ghosts?
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things, and when I heard and saw them, I threw myself down to worship at the feet of the angel who was showing them to me. But he said to me, “Do not do this! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets, and with those who obey the words of this book. Worship God!” Revelation 22:8, 9
Then the seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name!” So he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Look, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and on the full force of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you. Luke 10:17-19
There must never be found among you anyone who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, anyone who practices divination, an omen reader, a soothsayer, a sorcerer, one who casts spells, one who conjures up spirits, a practitioner of the occult, or a necromancer. Whoever does these things is abhorrent to the LORD and because of these detestable things the LORD your God is about to drive them out from before you. Deuteronomy 18:10-12
Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us, so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.ʼ Luke 16:26 (Read in context, Luke 16:18-31)
1 Izan-Nazi, Adolph Reltih-Hitler, Joesph Nilats-Stalin, Bonito Inilossum-Mussolini
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