BUILT DIFFERENT: God Is Building Something
Preached to: Middle & High School Students
Speaker: Pastor Amanda Hahn
This summer at Amplify Youth, we're launching our new theme: BUILT DIFFERENT.
Have you ever built something before? A LEGO set, a birdhouse, or maybe even a piece of furniture that somehow ended up with extra screws? One thing every builder knows is this: a strong structure starts with a strong foundation.
That's exactly the message God gave through the prophet Haggai.
The people of Israel had returned home after years of exile and started rebuilding God's Temple. But before long, they got distracted. They focused on their own homes, their own comfort, and their own priorities while God's house remained unfinished.
Haggai challenged them to stop and consider what they were building.
The truth is, every one of us is building something. We're building habits, friendships, character, faith, and our future. Every choice we make lays another brick in the life we're creating.
The problem isn't usually that we don't care about God. More often, it's that God slowly slips from first place to an afterthought. When our priorities become misplaced, our foundation becomes weak.
Jesus said, "Seek first the Kingdom of God" (Matthew 6:33). When God is first, everything else is built on the right foundation.
That's what BUILT DIFFERENT is all about. This summer, we're challenging students to let God build something deeper in them—not just earn points, win competitions, or have fun (although we'll do plenty of that too!).
Students will be part of one of three crews:
🔨 Pickaxe Crew – Dig Deep
Growing deeper in God's Word and developing a stronger faith.
⚒️ Hammer Crew – Build Strong
Strengthening character, convictions, and spiritual foundations.
🔥 Torch Crew – Carry Light
Shining for Jesus at school, work, sports, and everywhere life takes us.
Our prayer is that by the end of the summer, students won't just remember the games they played or the points they earned. We pray they'll remember how God changed them, strengthened their faith, and helped them discover more of His purpose for their lives.
God is building something.
The question is: Will you let Him build it in you?
Keep up with all that’s going on at Amplify Youth, including dates, times, sign-ups, and forms, on our main page.
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Night 1: What Am I Building?
Scripture: Haggai 1:5
"Give careful thought to your ways."
Discussion Starter
If your life was a construction project, what would people say you're currently building?
Questions
What are some things teenagers spend most of their time building or pursuing?
What do you think takes up the most of your time and attention right now?
How can you tell what is most important to someone?
What is one habit you're building that helps your faith?
What is one habit that may be weakening your foundation?
If God asked you today, "Give careful thought to your ways," what area of your life would He point to?
Challenge
Write down one thing you want God to build in your life this summer.
Night 2: Foundation Check
Scripture: Matthew 6:33
"Seek first the Kingdom of God..."
Discussion Starter
What happens when you build a house on a weak foundation?
Questions
Why is it easy to put God second even when we love Him?
What are some things that compete for first place in our lives?
How do social media, sports, school, and entertainment affect our priorities?
What does it practically look like to put God first as a teenager?
What are some warning signs that your spiritual foundation is getting weak?
Who has been a good example of putting God first in your life?
Challenge
Choose one daily habit this week that will help you put God first (Bible reading, prayer, worship, etc.).
Night 3: Built Different
Scripture: Romans 12:2
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world..."
Discussion Starter
What does being "different" usually mean at school?
Questions
What are some ways Christians should look different from the world?
Why is it sometimes difficult to stand out for Jesus?
Can you think of a time when someone else's faith influenced you?
What does it mean to be a light in your school, workplace, or friend group?
How can our words and social media reflect Jesus?
If God could build one new quality in your life this summer, what would you want it to be?
Challenge
Pray for one friend who needs Jesus and look for an opportunity to encourage them this week.
Bonus Family Question:
At the end of the summer, what would make you say, "God really built something new in me"? -
Introduction: Every Builder Starts with a Foundation
Ask: Who has ever built something?
Birdhouse
LEGO set
Furniture from IKEA
Observation:
Plans come first.
Measurements come first.
Foundation comes first.
Principle: What you build doesn't matter if the foundation is weak.
Introduce Summer Theme: BUILT DIFFERENT
Overview of the Minor Prophets:
Hosea – God's faithful love
Joel – Return to God
Amos – Live what you believe
Jonah – Obedience
Micah – Justice, mercy, humility
Haggai – Put God first
Transition: Before God builds something through you, He wants to build something in you.
Read Haggai 1:5-8
Point 1: God Cares About What We Are Building
Truth: Everyone is building something.
What students are building:
Habits
Friendships
Character
Reputation
Faith
Future
Key Thought: The question isn't "Am I building?"
The question is "What am I building?"Illustration: The Wrong Tool
Dad asks for a hammer.
You bring a screwdriver.
Good tool, wrong purpose.
Application: God has provided tools for spiritual growth:
Bible
Prayer
Worship
Church
Christian friendships
Holy Spirit
Contrast: Many students try to build a strong spiritual life using weak tools:
Endless scrolling
Gaming
Entertainment
Takeaway: God gives us the right tools to build something that lasts.
Point 2: Misplaced Priorities Create Weak Foundations
Truth: Haggai wasn't confronting bad people.
He was confronting distracted people.The Problem:
God's people didn't reject Him.
They simply delayed Him.
"We'll get to God later."
Illustration: Foundation Problems
Cracked walls
Sticking doors
Uneven floors
Spiritual Principle: Surface problems often reveal foundation problems.
Common Student Thinking:
Fix my attitude.
Fix my anxiety.
Fix my relationships.
Reality: The deeper issue may be spiritual priorities.
Supporting Scripture: Matthew 6:33
"Seek first the Kingdom of God..."Takeaway: When God becomes secondary, everything else becomes unstable.
Point 3: Being Built Different Starts with Putting God First
Truth: God's instruction was practical.
Haggai 1:8
Go to the mountains.
Bring wood.
Build the house.
Principle: Stop talking about obedience and start practicing it.
Putting God First Looks Like:
How you treat others
How you treat parents
What you watch
What you post
What you listen to
What you do when no one is watching
Definition: Being Built Different isn't about looking different. It's about living different.
Challenge:
Anyone can wear Christian merch.
Anyone can post a Bible verse.Being Built Different means allowing God to shape who you are in private.
Summer Theme & Crew Introduction
⛏️ Pickaxe Crew – Dig Deep
Deep faith
Deep Bible study
Deep relationship with God
🔨 Hammer Crew – Build Strong
Strong convictions
Strong character
Strong faith
🔥 Torch Crew – Carry Light
Shine for Jesus
Influence friends
Share faith
Ways to Earn XP
Attendance
Bible
Visitors
STL
TBQ
Wednesday Services
Forge Fridays
Small Groups
Crew Meetings
Closing Challenge
Imagine What God Could Do This Summer
Not:
More XP
Winning a team competition
Free pizza
But:
God building something in you
Maybe God Wants to Build:
Faith
Character
Confidence
Calling
Relationship with Him
What Will Last?
At the end of the summer:
Someone gets saved
Someone discovers their calling
Someone learns to pray
Someone starts reading their Bible
Someone fully follows Jesus
Final Challenge
Don't spend the summer just earning XP.
Spend the summer letting God build you into the person He created you to be.
God is building something.
The question is: Will you let Him build it in you? -
Haggai 1:5-8 (NLT)
5 This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies says: Look at what's happening to you!
6 You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!
7 This is what the LORD of Heaven's Armies says: Look at what's happening to you!
8 Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the LORD.
Matthew 6:33 (NLT)
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
