TALK OUTLINE:

I. The Vision

CFC VISION:Families in the Holy Spirit renewing the face of the earth.

YFC has a very ambitious goal. Together with the rest of the CFC Community, it plans to change the world! Imagine this… no more wars, no more crime, no more indifference! It will all be replaced by love. It will do this by introducing everybody to Jesus Christ. It plans to conquer the world.

However, to conquer the world, it needs committed soldiers. What does commitment mean?

II. Three Stories to Help Explain ‘Commitment’

A. Involvement vs. commitment – the Continental Breakfast.

A continental breakfast is made up of bacon and eggs. Two animals are needed to create it – a chicken and a pig. A chicken is ‘involved’ in making the continental breakfast. A pig is ‘committed’. The chicken offers its egg while the pig offers its entire self.

To be truly committed, our call is to be just like the pig; to give our all and to offer everything to God. Commitment is giving our whole lives, heart and mind, to the mission.

B. Perseverance – “Burn your boats.”

In 1519, the conquistador Hernando Cortes set sail for the Americas with 600 Spanish soldier. He landed on the east coast of Mexico, the land of the Aztecs. His men heard stories of

ferocious Indians and asked him to turn back. Instead, he ordered all their ships burned. Left with no means to retreat, his men were forced to conquer, and conquer they did. Hernando Cortes came to be known in history as the greatest conquistador of the Americas.

When we commit, we don’t play safe. We don’t think, “I’ll only stay here while its comfortable, but I’ll get out when its not.” You jump in and fight for the mission until it is achieved, whether it’s fun or not. Commitment is accepting how difficult it may get but still saying yes to the Lord without always looking back.

C. Commitment encourages others to be committed – The Civil War Story

During the American Civil War, the Union army was pinned in a town by Confederate artillery positioned on an overlooking hill. The officers of this Union army decided to send a unit to make a diversionary charge up the hill while the rest of the army would escape. The unit was bound to be completely destroyed – it was a suicide mission. In the middle of the diversionary attack, one man in the unit decided, “If I’m going to die, I might as well make this a real attack.” He charged up the hill for real. The other men in his unit saw him and were encouraged by his act, so they charged up the hill, too. The Confederate forces were weaker than they thought, and upon seeing the charge, thought it was a full-scale attack. The Confederate forces retreated, and the diversionary unit took the hill.

To be committed is to know that you are not alone in this mission and that you have others with you. Our commitment must be an example for others to follow, so that they too will be committed. Our commitment must bring out the commitment of others.

III. Commitment at its fullness.

A. Commitment means truly pursuing the mission and vision of YFC. Here are some examples of commitment:

1. If you are an officer of another organization, does that mean you have to quit being active in YFC? No, on the condition that you can justify that you are pursuing the mission and vision by being an officer in that organization. Are you introducing Jesus to the people you come in contact with in your organization? Are you being a good example?

2. Being committed is letting the officers of YFC know what kind of work you are good at so they know where best to assign you.

3. Being committed is to be able to do work assigned to you even if you’re not in the mood to do it.

4. Being committed is working and bonding with your brothers and sisters whether you get along with them or not.

5. If you are a household leader, being committed means loving your members whether you get along with them or not, and being faithful to conduct your household meetings twice a month. 6. Also, if you are a household leader, it means being willing to be a candidate for elected office. B. Attitudes of a committed person:

1. I will not wait for things to happen. I will make things happen. 2. I will not wait for the work to be exciting. I will make it exciting.

3. I will not wait for somebody to tell me what to do but I will seek what I can do.

5. I do not have to like the people I work with but I can love them nevertheless.

IV. Our response today

Today, we will choose the leaders of this army, this chapter. We believe that if you choose a set of leaders, you must be willing to bleed with them. If you want the privilege of voting for next year’s EXECOM, you must promise to be willing to fight by their side.

V. Sharing and Reflection

After the talk, one or two pre-selected sharers will be asked to share how they experienced commitment. Afterwards, volunteers from the audience may also be allowed to share.

After, participants in the election will be given time to reflect on their commitment to the Lord and the Campus Chapter and if they are ready and willing to be committed and support whomever the Lord chooses to lead the group, whether it’s the person they vote or not.