Step Up to the Microphone

Step Up to the Microphone Bible Study

Purpose: The purpose of this one-night study is to familiarize your youth group with the theme of the Newsboys album, Step Up To The Microphone and the heartbeat behind the upcoming tour, and to encourage them to become WorldChangers.

Theme: To know Him and to make Him known.

Objective: By the end of this study your youth should feel compelled to do something this summer to change the world.

Introduction: Have a lip sync/air band contest to Step Up To The Microphone with your youth. Make sure to give them advance notice and be sure to have a great prize (like CDs, T-shirts, or other cool stuff) for the winners. This way, they will not only have enjoyed watching their friends perform, but will have heard the song several times before we get into the meat of the Bible study.

Bible Study – Part 1: "Believe"

1. Play the song (read the lyrics)
2. Share John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
3. Explain to them that the power of the Gospel is that these things are true and they have power to change our lives. When you take that first step and begin to believe, He changes your life. It’s like the man who says to a young lady, "I really believe you are the one for me and I want to marry you." And he asks her to marry him. The next year he comes back and says, "I really believe you are the one for me," but they are still engaged. Three years later, "I really believe you are the one for me," but they are still engaged. Finally, that young lady is going to say, ‘If you really believe I am the one for you, then I want you to commit." It is the same kind of belief that God wants. Not just a casual belief but a belief so strong that we commit our lives to Him. Once we do that, the truth of the message changes your life and you are never the same.

Bible Study – Part 2: "Step Up To The Microphone"

1. Play the song (read the lyrics)
2. Read Peter Furler’s testimony about his first mission trip and the band’s story about when they went to Panama.
3. Share Matthew 5:14-15. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Wrap up by saying, "If you really believe this thing and it has really changed your life, a natural result of that is to step up to the microphone. The light is burning so brightly inside you just cannot keep it to yourself." Explain that though it may be hard for us to imagine, many people have never even heard the Gospel one time. In fact, 1.3 billion people in the world have never had chance to hear about Jesus. There is no Christian radio or TV, no Bibles, tracts, preachers or missionaries. Nothing. No way for them to find out about Jesus. It is time for us as a youth group to let our light shine in the darkest parts of the world that have never had a chance to hear about Jesus.

Wrap Up: Jesus commanded His disciples, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations" (Matthew 28:16). You may not feel like you know how to preach, but if you really believe Jesus has changed your life, then you have the answer. The Great Commission is not just for older people, it is for everybody, specifically young people.

Challenge: The challenge is for every youth group to send at least two people from their group on a short-term missions trip this summer. This is the summer that teenage America steps up to the microphone, makes their mark on the world, and sets the pace for a whole new millennium. If you do not know where to go, your youth group does not have a missions trip, or you do not know how to plan one, please call Teen Mania. They will be glad to assist you in any way they can.

If you’d like your youth group to be a part of a Teen Mania missions trip, ask for a show of hands, take down their info and call Teen Mania at 1-800-299-TEEN.
OR to contact Teen Mania Ministries call 1-800-567-9638.

Setting the Stage with the Newsboys

These days everybody seems to be standing for something. We are constantly being bombarded from the left and the right with people who are speaking out for or against something. Amidst this clutter of voices, there’s something to admire. The fact that many of these people know exactly what they believe. And many of them are very effective with how they present their case.

The church is another story. Many Christians have retreated into a life of private faith. A place where there’s probably no chance of offending anyone, or no fear of failure by putting yourself out on the line. Unfortunately, it also means that many people are not going to hear the Truth.

All the world is but a stage. The microphone is on the edge of the stage. The audience is populated with a world of people who need to hear the truth of Christ.

It’s this idea that is intended to stir young people to evaluate their beliefs and learn what is exactly that they believe, and learn how to communicate and live this to another person. This is the mission we have accepted and are dedicated to living out in everything we do.

As a band, we’ve been going through a lot of self-examination. We’ve been thinking about ‘Why did Jesus die on the cross?’ and, more importantly, ‘Why do we believe what we believe?’ ‘Step Up to the Microphone’ obviously means ‘Make your statement,’ but it also means we must ask ourselves, "What is that statement?"

Over the last two years, the band has been doing a lot more reading…things like Francis Schaeffer and C.S. Lewis. We’ve really started to understand more about our faith, which has given birth to the concept of wanting others to understand more about their faith. C.S. Lewis wrote a small book called "A Case For Christianity" which has taken us into the nitty gritty aspects of our faith.

That’s just one piece of the foundation people need. The main thing is to "Seek ye first the kingdom of God"—especially through reading the Bible.

That is what we’ve been going through. While we wish we would’ve had someone encourage us to ask these questions about our faith when we were younger, it’s never too late. And by sharing our journey into a deeper commitment to God we hope to inspire others to do the same. Especially as young people move from high school to college, and then beyond.

It’s getting to be more and more important to know what and why you believe—to build your foundation on the rock, and not on the sand.

Our heart has always been and will continue to be focused on the church. We want to encourage you, together with ourselves, to know the Word better. And to continue to ask God for brilliant ways of imparting God’s truths to the people around us. Maybe it’s the students in your youth group…maybe it’s people you work with…or your family.

It’s time to capture a fresh vision for our faith and how we communicate it to others. It’s time to step up to the microphone.

Parable.com exclusive interview with Peter Furler of the Newsboys

Your album will be coming out soon, are you nervous?
No, not really. To me, we’ve already finished making it. It’s kind of all over for me. I feel fairly confident that we’ve been a band that’s been around for a while, so we have a lot of support, not just from the record label, but also from our fans.

Tell me a little about yourself.
I grew up in Adelaide, Australia and my dad was a pastor and missionary. He traveled a lot.

How did you become a Christian?
It was really through my parents. They not only preached the Gospel, but they also lived it. It wasn’t just through their prayers that I came to Christ, but also through their example. I became a Christian when I was 18. It was really a matter of my own maturity and realizing that these people really believed what they are saying. I went beyond resenting and resisting it and I realized that this is the Living God.

How did you get into music?
My mom played the organ in church and I just took to anything musical. I am one of these people who really learned about music from the radio. I grew up on all types and styles of music. My parents bought me a drum set when I was 10. I didn’t really have any aspiration to being in a band; I was just playing for the love of it. I played in a little band at church, and that was how I stayed involved in church.

How did you get tied up with the Newsboys?
I moved to Queensland, and I had a friend who was in the Air Force and he would come up on the weekends. He was kind of caught between two goals, his career in the Air Force and music. He was a fantastic guitar player. He was an inspiration to me and he is still a great friend. We had this garage that we lined with mattresses so the sound wouldn’t get out and we would play for hours. If you can imagine in the Australian heat we would be in there, just the two of us, sweating and writing songs.

Then we added a bass player, which was kind of hard to find then. We would play any gig we could. I remember our first real gig was my sister’s 16th birthday party. We didn’t really have any singers, none of us could sing. We met up with John James and tried to convince him to play with us. At first he wouldn’t because his girl friend at the time thought rock music was a sin. But they later broke up and he joined us.

How did all of you end up in the U.S.?
We were pretty happy just playing in Australia and were doing pretty well. We would talk big, but back then we didn’t take much seriously, especially ourselves. We didn’t really have any big goals to go to America. We got fairly well known down there.

Then, when White Heart came through Australia, they asked us to open for them to get some of the Australian audience, because they weren’t real well known in Australia. Several of White Heart’s producers saw us play, and three weeks later we were on a plane to New York City with a record contract. That was something.

We had never seen snow before, never seen a Cadillac, or a limousine or freeways like that. We’d never seen buildings that block out the sky. It was so surreal.

It was also strange running into people who claimed they were Christian, but what came out of them was completely opposite. We realized that this was a country that grew up on God, unlike where we came from, but one that had strayed.

Why did John James leave the band?
He’s been on the road for 12 years and that really takes its toll on everybody. I mean on the "Take Me to Your Leader" tour he was really having a great time and we’re still great friends, it was just time.

We have spent almost 10,000 nights on the road, and when you get out on stage you lose perspective on real life. I mean, I’ve stayed in 10,000 hotels, but I don’t know how to check into a hotel. I’ve driven tons of rental cars, but I don’t know how to rent a car. I wrote a check the other day for a guitar and I got it all wrong, because I never have to write checks.

Its that non-reality, people wanting a lot out of you all the time. I think it took a toll, not only on him but on his walk.

I think this is the best decision for him and for his family. They are both from Australia, he and his wife, and they really missed it.

Are you married, and do you suffer some of the same problems?
I am married, and she is very understanding. I couldn’t have found anybody better. We don’t spend more than two and a half weeks at a time away, we’re pretty family oriented that way. I actually think that time away is healthy for us.

There seems to be more spiritual maturity to this new album, why? What has changed?
I would hope we’ve grown, not just as independents, but also as a group. We’re very close friends and when something ignites in one of us, it ignites all of us. I think we all went through our own revival. There were a lot of things that were revealed to us, and the consequences of that come out in our music, I think.

We really came to dwell on the verse "Seek ye first the kingdom of God." We have a lot of people we are accountable to, the Parable stores, our fans, our record label, but above all this we are accountable to God. So we want to make sure that we don’t write a song for AC [adult contemporary] radio but we write a song for God. That’s our focus. We are trying to concentrate, as a band on what is right for the Kingdom.

I’m really excited about it. The reason I think that we keep getting better as a band is because we wake up every morning poor, spiritually poor. We know as a band that we desperately need God. We need not just a knowledge of God’s word, but a love for it.

What is your favorite song on the album?
I think my favorite song would be "Believe" or "Hallelujah" or "Entertaining Angels." I’m sitting in the studio right now and the song list is still up on the board, and I really like them all.

I like "Believe" for what it says and I really felt like it was such a revelation.

I love "Entertaining Angels" because we all really felt like it was a real breakthrough for us, not just lyrically, but also musically.

I think what I like best is that the whole album sounds like Newsboys. There is a lot of originality. It isn’t a Christian version of anything. We really tried to push the envelope, which can be hard for new acts because they have their A&R guys telling them how they should sound. When you get a little older and a little more set in your ways you still take the criticism, but you decide where to put it.

Has your vision for the group changed over the years?
No, it’s still the church. Our vision and our heart has always been for the church. Our heart is with the youth group leaders and the pastors. Our heart is with the Christian family of believers, whether they love our music and are for us, or are against us.

Has it been difficult adding new band members to the mix?
Our line up has really been the same for about 5 years, and we really feel like we’re solid. When John James left we didn’t really add anyone.

We’ve been through a lot of tough times, and we’ve gone through a few band members. When we first started out we would ration $1 a day to eat. We would go to 7-11 and get those $.99 burgers. It stayed that way for quite a while, but we were just happy and grateful to be alive. It was tough going though. But now, with these guys, it just feels right, it feels like a band.

What do you do to keep your energy and excitement up when the going gets tough?
We’re always surrounded by spiritual assets. The people I work with and that surround me are all really sold out brothers in Christ. Without them I would only be half the spiritual man I am, not that I’m anything special, but I wouldn’t be anything without them. I’m really thankful to have these people around me. It really is a matter of iron sharpening iron. That’s what keeps me going.

But overall, it’s a love for God. His love is so exciting.

Why this focus on missions? Is this something new for all of you?
This is one focus that has really become clearer for us. It’s become clear that it’s really our obligation to really send somebody outside of where they are. It’s about getting out of your element, to go to another country and be put way out of your circle, and you get a sort of culture shock. Then you try to share your faith, and in doing that you start asking questions like "Why do I believe what I believe?"

Our motive behind missions is not to change Ecuador or anything; our motives really are to change the visitor. It is to change the church. So we are using what we have to say to a lot of people that this is something important. And this has been something that has been important in our own lives.

Phil is in El Salvador right now with world mission and we’ve taken one trip as a band and two or three trips as individuals. But this is the first time that we have done anything on a large scale.

What is the Newsboys greatest strength?
I think our greatest strength is our knowledge that we’re weak and our knowledge of our need for God.

What are your greatest challenges?
The greatest challenge, I think, is not worrying about what tomorrow brings, to trust totally in God.

As we step up the ladder and start getting gold records and sold out concerts a lot of times you get comfortable up there and then all of a sudden the ladder is pulled out from under you. Our biggest challenge is to "Seek ye first the kingdom of God,"

Where are you going next?
We’re starting our tour of 60 cities in the fall. There’s a lot of work coming up for us. A lot of work in the preparation. We’re going to start practicing for it soon. I can’t wait. I’m excited about the album and translating that into live performances.

Do you get nervous when you’re on stage?
Before I go on stage I’m about an inch off throwing up. I didn’t used to be nervous, it’s just when I have to be out in front singing. But I don’t mind it; it keeps me in check, makes me feel vulnerable and brings something out in me.

We’re already thinking about the next album, and we’ll probably write while we’re on tour. Until then we’ll probably do some side projects.

So there will definitely be another Newsboys album?
Oh yeah, we’re just getting started!

The Newsboys are back, and like any classic, they’re only getting better with age. With their newest album, "Step Up to the Microphone," this dynamic group from Australia has crystallized a surprisingly clear vision of what their sound, and more importantly their mission, as a band is.

"I think we all went through our own revival," said lead sing Peter Furler. "There were a lot of things that were revealed to us, and the consequences of that come out in our music I think." The album that has resulted from this personal revival has a sharper edge and a much deeper spiritual cut than anything that has come from these five musicians before. But it is not just the message that has matured. With this newest offering the Newsboys seem to have come completely into their own sound; a sound that is not necessarily a change from what they had before, but more the rich essence of the music they have always played.

"I think what I like best is that the whole album sounds like Newsboys. There is a lot of originality. It isn’t a Christian version of anything," Peter said.

There’s also a new voice stepping up to the microphone on this album, though it is one that fans are already familiar with. Peter Furler has come out from behind the drum set to take over as lead singer for John James, who left the band after their "Take Me to Your Leader" tour. John left, Peter said, because of the strain of life on road and the toll it was taking on his family. "He’s been on the road for 12 years, and that really takes its toll on everybody," Peter said. "I think this is the best decision for him and for his family. They are both from Australia, he and his wife, and they really missed it."

With the new sound has come new purpose. The Newsboys as a band have dedicated themselves and their upcoming tour to encouraging young people to "Step Up to the Microphone" and go on mission trips. "Our motive behind missions isn’t to change Ecuador or anything, it is to change the visitor," Peter said. "It is to change the church."

Each guy in the band has seen the changing power of a mission trip first hand. Several of them have gone on mission trips of their own, and recently the entire band traveled to Panama to serve God together. "The trip really changed my perspective on life in general," said band member Jeff Frankenstein. "In the end, I think it changed me just as much as anyone our team was able to reach"

All the Newsboys share these personal experiences in a booklet they produced to help youth pastors encourage their youth groups to consider missions. They’ve partnered with Teen Mania, Third Day and The Waiting to put together a powerful message that they will carry to the nation on their 60-city tour this fall.

So what’s next for the Newsboys? Never ones to sit still for long, they transitioned almost immediately from producing their album to practicing for their tour, which will keep them very busy for the next few months. After that Peter said several of them will pursue some individual projects. But not to worry, there are more albums to come from this Aussie band we have all come to know and love. "We’re just getting started," Peter said.

Band member Jeff Frankenstein has had his own mission experience, "I come from a very mission-oriented family. My sister is only 21 and has already been on trips to Albania, Botswana, Bolivia, and Mexico. My dad (a pastor) and mom have been to Russia and Poland many times, teaching music and the Bible to churches that have sprung up through the collapse of religious persecutions. Growing up, I saw the joy they had going to third-world places and sharing with these people, but I never fully understood why they went until we, as a band, went to Panama a couple of years ago on a missions trip. I was taken right out of my comfort zone!! Seeing first-hand the terrible living conditions of the people there, and how they could be fully content in a relationship with Christ while being dirt poor made me feel quite spoiled. The trip really changed my perspective on life in general. In the end, I think it changed me just as much anyone our team was able to reach."

As a teenager, Phil Joel took annual summer missions trips to the beaches of his New Zealand homeland. "It was real hard-core. The whole experience was really quite disturbing to me because with my friends back home we would have a good time quite frequently with no regard to God or anything religious. Then I would take these trips where I came face to face with God and other believers, including non-Christian people who wanted to hear what I believed…and I wasn’t really sure what I believed. I would come home really disturbed because I had to decide which camp I was going to be in. Was I for God or against Him…there was really no middle ground available."

Peter Furler steps up to the microphone every night on stage with Newsboys. Having grown up in Australia as the son of missionary parents, Peter was faced with some unique opportunities to share his faith. He explains:

"I’ve been on various trips with my dad all my life. He’s a missionary and a pastor. The church that he was pastoring was a missions church, so they basically just sent people out. I’ve been up the middle of Australia doing tent revivals—in the hot canvas tents, with people in their safari suits, complete with the church organ lady, a drummer and a trumpet player (I played the drums then). I can remember one trip when I was probably twelve, and having to dress up like a clown with my brother to go into these schools. I was so embarrassed. I wasn’t embarrassed of God, because I loved God even then. I won’t say that I was following him as close as I should’ve been, but I did have a love for God. We would do these stupid clown skits, popping balloons with Bible scriptures in them…I probably didn’t appreciate my dad that much then. When we would come home, he’d then go out by himself and do a week or two in Fiji, New Guinea, or New Caledonia, or someplace in the South Pacific.

About the second or third time he went to Fiji he took me along. When we got to Fiji, which is a bit of a resort place, I probably had my heart more on staying at the resort than the missions part of the trip. We ended up going out to these islands off Fiji—a place where many people aren’t allowed to go. So me, my dad and one other guy went to this island with all native people.

There were a lot of witch doctors and freaky stuff like that going on. Cannibalism had only been gone about 30-40 years. The villages would fight each other and the winners would take people back and tie them to these big poles that were still standing…with dark blood stains all over them. It was really freaky. It was a big culture shock on top of it. You’d get up in the morning and catch bait first to catch fish for dinner and then the women cooked it. At night my dad would have these sort of revival meetings. These people didn’t need money…or anything. They had no need except for Christ. Unless the coconuts didn’t grow that year…which just didn’t happen.

It was probably in these meetings that I saw my dad in a whole new light. I saw him as a man who really believed what he was speaking—he was really living what he believed. He wanted to share Christ with these people. He didn’t get a cent for doing this. He got a letter from someone inviting him to come, so he saved up his own money to go there. There were no hidden motives, this was just the real deal. Seeing my dad in this way was probably the biggest thing that changed me. It was also a big chance to not be around friends who could influence me in a certain way, and stepping out of my whole surroundings of being where I was comfortable—which was actually a fairly godless place.

While I was there my dad asked me to go share with these people through an interpreter. A week before that I was probably out getting drunk with my friends somewhere, and then I was there, spent the week fishing, and talking to a guy who couldn’t speak my language using an interpreter. I said the sinner’s prayer with him. The whole concept of just sharing my simple faith with him blew me away. All I knew was that I believed in God. I believed in Jesus as the Son of God, and that he came and died and rose again. That’s all I believe. It was very simple. Even though it was a big thing to believe what I did, I didn’t really know why I believed it.

I came back definitely changed, but I can’t say that I came back and had my life fixed-up, because I had the same surroundings, and friends, etc. But I went back with a different foundation than when I had left. There was a little bit of the Rock in there. I probably could’ve swung a different way, had it not been for the grace of God and my parent’s prayers…but this trip really got me closer to being on the right path. It was definitely the start of a life-changing thing for me."