“You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
— 1 Corinthians 6:19– 20

Everyone belongs to something. We may not think of ourselves as being controlled by anything, but all of us have voices competing for ownership of our lives. Fear tells us where we can and cannot go. Shame tells us who we are. Sin promises freedom while making us slaves. Pride tells us that life is ultimately about us. Even our own desires can become masters when we allow them to determine how we live.

The gospel offers something radically different. Jesus does not simply come into our lives to make us better versions of ourselves. He calls us to die to our old lives and be raised into something new. Scripture repeatedly describes salvation as a movement from death to life, from slavery to freedom, from the old self to the new self, and from belonging to the world to belonging to Christ.

Throughout the week, students will identify the things that once claimed ownership over their lives. Each morning Bible class will address one of these “X’s,” exploring what Scripture says about the things that seek to control us. Each evening sermon will turn the focus toward what we now have because we belong to Christ.

The goal is not simply to teach students how to overcome fear, shame, anger, sin, or selfishness through greater willpower. The goal is to help them understand that Jesus has given them a new identity and a new Master.

We don’t belong to the things that once controlled us. We belong to Jesus.