RETREAT iGeneration

TOPIC: Turning off “selfie” mode and focusing on others more than
ourselves in a world where “I” matters most.
TITLE: iGeneration
ABSTRACT:

Question: If a random stranger goes to your profile, what would he see? What would be his
impression of you?

Social Media has become a way of life for people especially the youth. It can be a powerful tool
to communicate and know the latest trends, but when used too much and with the wrong
motives, it feeds insecurities and other issues about one’s identity and self-image. It causes us
to love and focus on ourselves and how we present our identity to the world rather than
focusing and reaching out to other people. It is so powerful that it has started a new culture
and has greatly affected the mold of the current generation.

In this retreat, we will dig deep on how these social media sites affect the way we think, live,
feel about ourselves, and manage our time.

Key verses:

2 Timothy 3:1-2 But mark this, there will be terrible times in the last days. People will be
lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents,
ungrateful, unholy.

Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing in selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind
regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own
personal interests, but also the interest of others”
OBJECTIVES:
1. To reveal personal issues driving us to portray an ideal image to other people.
2. To stop focusing on ourselves and start seeing the need of other people.
3. To help young people glorify God in the way they think, speak and live whether offline
or online.

Notes for the speakers:

- Sessions 1 to 3 will mainly deal about our sinful natures and how it shows in the specific
issues discussed. We hope that by the end of these messages, the listener will have a
sense of “godly grief”, would see their need of a savior, and know that there is hope in
God. These sessions would serve as prelude to the session which will be devoted to the
Gospel.
 - Session 4 would be devoted to the preaching of the Gospel. We hope that by the end
of this message, the listener would understand the gravity and wonder of the grace
that the LORD has shown to a sinful man.
- Session 5 would discuss the life the listener has now that he has come to know God.
We hope that in this session, the lordship of Christ would be presented to the listener.
The LORD has saved us, yes, but He has saved us that we may have life with Him, a life
of obedience and repentance.
- In each session, may the LORD be glorified.

BREAKDOWN OF MESSAGES
SESSION 1 – FRIDAY AM
TOPIC: SELECT AN IMAGE (INSTAGRAM)
PASSAGE: 2 Timothy 3:1-2; Romans 1:18-32; Matthew 16:26; Genesis 1:27
DESCRIPTION:

From picturesque coffee shops and restaurants, to cool outfit-of-the-day posts, #travelgoals
and even #relationshipgoals. We select an image of how we want others to see us. We have
become obsessed with creating an ideal self that is worthy of popularity and approval. The sad
thing is, in this pursuit, we have lost the essence of our identities.

In our first session, we will be talking about how and why our generation has become so
obsessed with ourselves and in gaining the approval of this world. Upon revealing the true
nature of ourselves, there remains One who believes in us and loves us no matter what: God.
Our Heavenly Father who loves us unconditionally.

MAIN ISSUE: IDENTITY

DISCUSSION POINTS:
 How does our current Social Media culture affect the way we see ourselves or build an
image for ourselves?
 Where do we base our identity and why are we basing it on such things?
 What is the original image God meant for us to bear?
OBJECTIVE:

- To reveal personal issues that drive us to portray an ideal image to other people.
- To understand how our sinful natures have affected our identities.
- To know what is the image God meant for us to carry.

PROPOSED SPEAKER: Pastor Marty

SESSION 2 – FRIDAY PM
TOPIC: WHAT’S HAPPENING? (TWITTER)
PASSAGE: Leviticus 19:18; Ephesians 4:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:14-18
DESCRIPTION:

Because everyone has easy access to social media and feel that they are “entitled” to their
opinion, we forget to filter what we say and tend to rant everything online. From complaints
about school works and projects, to being “seen zoned” by our crush; from the inconveniences
brought about by road constructions, to gender and political issues. Wrath and ungratefulness
has plagued our digital space.

In this session, we will discuss how our attitude online reflects not just our character but also
the character of God.

MAIN ISSUE: CONDUCT

DISCUSSION POINTS:
 How does our current Social Media culture affect the way we live our lives both online
and offline?
 What does it mean to have good manners and right conduct? Is it possible to live such
a life?
 What is the life God meant for us to live? How can we live it out?

OBJECTIVE:

- To help young people glorify God in the way they think, speak and live whether offline
or online.
- To learn how to live a spirit-filled life.

PROPOSED SPEAKER: Pastor Ed

SESSION 3 – SATURDAY AM
TOPIC: WHAT’S HOT? (NETFLIX)
PASSAGE: Matthew 6:22-23; 1 John 2:15-17; Psalm 101:3
DESCRIPTION:
A travel guide, a makeup tutorial on your first day to school, the most affordable “Ukay Haul,”
the latest Kpop trend, the hottest TV series—name it, the Internet has it. But the question is,
how beneficial are these to us? Do they help us build a Christ-like character or do they just
corrupt our mind and thought life? Are we still guarded on what we watch? Are we being
responsible? Or are we wasting hours after hours watching videos that do not profit us in the
end?

In this session, we’ll talk about being responsible of what we watch and do online and making
the most out of our God-given time.

NOTES:
- But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22)
- “in our search for entertainment, enjoyment, and relaxation, we often unthinkingly
accept the world’s idea of fun. If we aren’t careful, we can harm ourselves and our
relationship with God. Secular media and activities can be entertaining, educational,
or uplifting. We don’t need to limit ourselves and only watch, read, or listen to things
which are overtly Christian. But we should carefully evaluate what we do for
recreation and entertainment, and how these activities affect us.” – Doug Britton,
MFT

MAIN ISSUE: TIME MANAGEMENT (PRIORITIES)

DISCUSSION POINTS:
 How does our current culture affect the way we prioritize things?
 How does our current culture affect the way we see entertainment?
 How do our priorities eat up our time?
 How does God want us to prioritize? How can we do it?

OBJECTIVE:

- To stop focusing on ourselves and start seeing the needs of other people.
- To be able to identify the right priorities and take the necessary action to place them in
order.
- To help young people glorify God in the way they think, speak and live whether offline
or online.

PROPOSED SPEAKER: Kuya Se

SESSION 4 – SPECIAL NIGHT
TOPIC: RESTORATION
PASSAGES: Genesis 1:27; Romans 5:12-21; Romans 11:36; Romans 12:1-2
DESCRIPTION:

Why on earth do we still have to live? How can we bring back the image and the purpose God
meant for us?

In this session, we will be talking about the identity God meant for us and how He has restored
us to live out the original purpose He determined for us.

MAIN ISSUE: RESTORING RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD / PURPOSE

DISCUSSION POINTS:
 How did God redeem us from our sinful natures? How did He save us?
 Once saved, do we still have to do something?

OBJECTIVE:

- To present the solution God made to free us from our sinful natures and the problems
it presents and restore us to the image He intended for us to bear.
- To learn about the purpose of our lives.
- To know that God loves us unconditionally and gives His Spirit freely to His children.

PROPOSED SPEAKER: Serin Faustino

 SESSION 5 – SUNDAY AM
TOPIC: WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND (FACEBOOK)
PASSAGE: Philippians 4:8; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Isaiah 43:7
DESCRIPTION:

As Christian youths who received the gift of the Holy Spirit, we have the power and the
influence to bless others. However, are we using this influence for the glory of God or are we
one of the many people who are tactless of what we post online? Are we focused on sharing
the Good News or are we too busy spreading “fake news”?

In this session, we will talk about how we can use our social media platforms to make a good
and lasting impact in this digital generation.

NOTES:
- We glorify God when we demonstrate through word and action His glorious character
and deeds. Modeling the character of Jesus is a way to glorify God, because we are
showcasing His attributes. When we glorify God, we bring Him honor. -
Gotquestions.org
- Being mindful of what we share and what we post.

MAIN ISSUE: SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE (LEAVING A LEGACY)

DISCUSSION POINTS:
 How should we live our lives now that we have the Holy Spirit in us?
 How can we make a godly impact to our current culture and influence others?

OBJECTIVE:

- To stop focusing on ourselves and start seeing the needs of other people.
- To help young people glorify God in the way they think, speak and live whether offline
or online.

PROPOSED SPEAKER: Kuya Smack

NO LONGER I, BUT CHRIST

Galatians 2:20 (NLT)
My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I
live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.