Youth Group Forever!

Youth Group Forever!

Pete (not his real name) is a mature Christian.  He is consistent in his faith, despite struggling through some very difficult situations in his life.  He feeds himself spiritually, strengthening himself by regular practice of spiritual disciplines and communion with God. He does not whine and carries responsibility for the work of God.  Is he a ‘normal’ Christian in these times? No, he’s something of an anomaly.  Many American Christians are rather like perpetual teenagers:  self-centered, inconsistent in faith, demanding attention to keep ‘on track’ in their walk with the Lord.

Christianity Today (June, 2012) features an article by Thomas Bergler written around an interesting thesis: the youth culture has taken over the church.  “Today many Americans of all ages not only accept a Christianizied version of adolescent narcissism, they often celebrate it as authentic spirituality. God, faith, and the church all exist to help me with my problems.”   Think about that!  Much of what we do as ‘church’ is an extension of the youth group in which we grew up.  (This is not about styles of music or preaching.  It is about living out the faith.  Please read to the end before you decide I’m just feeling cranky today.)  

I am parenting teens again.  I forgot how much effort it takes during the decade-long hiatus between the first set and this one.  Yes, it is true! Teens think life is about today, forgetting to plan for tomorrow. They feel entitled, wondering why I would not want to run them to this friend’s house, or pick them up from school when there is a perfectly good bus that comes by our front door. I exist for them; at least, that’s how it appears. Occasional glimpses of maturity give hope that this pre-occupation with themselves will give way to maturity. Bergler interestingly observes that America’s youth culture, which encourages us to hold onto the values of our teen years.  “Older cultural conceptions of adulthood encouraged responsibility, self-denial, and service to others. … More recently, the passage to adulthood has been delayed and rendered more subjective for most middle-class Americans. … the new ‘psychological adulthood’ is centered around personal needs and wants.”

Is your walk with the Lord highly personalized, shaped around Jesus meeting your needs, focused on your personal fulfillment?
Or have you matured in faith, leaving the need for ‘thrills’ and for attention behind as you learn to serve God, instead of thinking He exists to serve you?

The Bible calls us grow up in Christ.  We are urged to develop discernment, insight, and wisdom by processing the Truth of Scripture into our lives; not just the texts that tell us how much God loves us, but the ones that require holiness and commitment, too.  "Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God." (Hebrews 5:11-6:1, NIV)  

We are challenged by the Spirit to learn to stay the course, to overcome the fickle emotions of adolescence as we move into spiritual adulthood.  We read, "Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:4, NIV)

There is a beauty in maturity.  God is not calling us to become mean, miserable, old folks in faith.  He is not asking us to exalt our traditions and to stubbornly defend the values of our generation. Rather He points us to spiritual fruitfulness, to fully developed faith that is centered on Himself.  Like Jesus, those who are mature in faith will recognize the joy of the Cross.  They will willingly ‘die’ that others might live.  Grownup disciples discover the amazing experience of love that flows out of the unity that comes from forgetting Self.  Mature Christians find there is an incredible Kingdom productivity that comes from connecting today’s choices with tomorrow’s results!  They plant the seed of service with faithful expectation of a crop to come.

Bergler’s article concludes with this: “Churches full of people who are building each other up towards spiritual maturity are not only the best antidote for the juvenilization of American Christianity, but also a powerful countercultural witness in a juvenilized society.”  Can I get an Amen?

Expectations - greater than I could imagine

The old joke says, "blessed are those who expect nothing, for they will never be disappointed." True enough, but is that really how anyone wants to live? Is the path to serenity paved with apathy? You might say, "I don't know and I don't care." If you did, you would be among millions of Americans who choose to live without expectations, without passion. Reaching higher does create the possibility of disappointment and it also creates opportunity for fulfillment and joy!

The Scripture offers this counsel about the foundation of our hope:
"Do not trust a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Even with her who lies in your embrace be careful of your words." (Micah 7:5, NIV)
"But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me." (Micah 7:7, NIV)
"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." (1 Timothy 6:17, NIV)

People, even those who are close, may abandon you when you need them most.

Wealth, here today, lost tomorrow, can never provide real security.

But, the Lord gives hope through sickness, war, recession, and even death.

What does it mean to 'put our hope in God?'

We transfer our expectations to His promises - of provision for what we need, not what we want; of love that never fails, for "He is faithful, even when we are faithless;" of eternal life because of Christ's salvation. Even professing Christians sometimes get it wrong, thinking they are hoping in the Lord, when in practice they expect God to grant them all the joys of this present world, with little or no passion for spiritual things.  

Yesterday I heard the terrible news that a friend's baby daughter died suddenly. This woman is a good, godly person, someone who has dedicated herself to serving Christ. My first reaction was to question the Lord. "Why would you allow this to happen to her? She doesn't deserve this." As I prayed for that family, I chose deeper faith, to hope in the Lord. It isn't easy! Faith does not erase the pain of missed expectations. But, it allows real hope to grow, hope that the God of all creation can do something in me, through me, that I cannot even imagine in this moment.

Are you struggling to make sense of life today? Is some disappointment causing you anguish? Have you given up hope, choosing to live in apathy?

Put your hope in God! In faith, take the love of Christ. Simply pray that His love will satisfy your soul's longings. Give your doubts and disappointments to Him in prayer for He is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." (Ephesians 3:20, NIV)

Here's a word from the Word. "We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure." (Hebrews 6:11, NIV) "We who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever." (Hebrews 6:18-20, NIV)

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My hope is built on nothing less,

Than Jesus' blood and righteousness.

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus' Name.

On Christ, the Solid Rock, I stand.

All other ground is sinking sand.

-          Public domain

Blinking Light?

The dash light came one. “Check Engine,” it demanded with a slow amber blink.  The car seemed to be running just fine and money was short, so the light went unheeded. One friend after another pointed it out when they rode in Kyle’s car.  To avoid their questions, he devised a solution. He took a piece of black electrical tape and covered the light!  If he couldn’t see it, he need not worry about.  A few months later, the car quit, leaving him stranded in a parking lot.  (story from Kyle Idleman in his book, Not a Fan. )  So, what do you think when you read that?  “Dumb choice, Kyle” might be one. “I can identify,” could be another.

Any warning lights blinking for you? 

• ·         Your spouse is sending signals about feeling ignored.  “This is crunch time at work,” you tell yourself.  Hey, you’re married, right? He’ll cope.  Next year you will give him more attention.
•           The Holy Spirit is prodding you with a persistent sense of spiritual discomfort about your casual attitude about dealing with that destructive habit. But, hey, a lot of people have the problem. It’s just leftover and unnecessary guilt from your parents old-line religion, you tell yourself.
•       Your 4 year-old son spills a foul word he doesn’t understand. You realize he’s just imitating you. A blinking light flashes in your brain.  “What else is he learning from me?” you wonder to yourself. 
•            A friend dies and you hear people talking about him, about the amazing man he was, and a warning light flashes.  “Selfish,” it signals and you know it’s true. But, you love doing your own thing. So, you promise yourself that things will change when you hit 50.

Paul was imprisoned for preaching.  The king brought him to talk about it. When Felix heard the Gospel a warning light lit up. He "was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” (Acts 24:25, NIV)  But, he never did! An opportunity for salvation and transformation was lost.   “There’s always tomorrow.”  Except, there isn’t.  Today’s opportunities are presented but once.

This is a hard truth. Putting things off is just another way to refuse the will of God. It may seem more polite to tell the Lord, “not right now, come back tomorrow,” but that is really just disobedience dressed up in nice clothes. Every time we say no to the Spirit it gets a little easier the next time. That’s why the Scripture tells us to pay attention to today so we don’t drift away. (Hebrews 2:1)  On the positive side, when we respond with obedience, saying “Yes, Lord,”  we find we’re not alone in the effort. His promise is that He will empower us. "As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness!" (2 Peter 1:3, NLT)

Here’s a word from the Word. Don’t even wait for the warning light!  Live whole and holy today, "Redeeming the time, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:16, KJV)  Buy this day out of the Devil’s grasp.  Another translation says it like this:  "Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days." (Ephesians 5:16, NLT)

A Walk in the Dark?

Just a little light can transform fear to confidence. There are no streetlights near our home so I recently installed a 'dusk to dawn' fixture on the garage. When I come home late in the evening from a meeting it's great to get out of my car and walk to the door without stumbling, without wondering if a skunk is wandering nearby. (Yes, we really do live in the country.) If I awaken during the night, I like looking out and seeing that light spilling over our yard.

Sometimes darkness falls over our life, doesn't it? Sickness comes. Friends abandon. Finances fail. Death calls. An uncertainty can, and often does, arise. We are paralyzed wondering if there is yet another precipice in front of us over which we will tumble if we take even one more step forward. When we walk in the dark, a  sense of personal inadequacy can cause us  to wonder if we are uniquely unprepared or unequipped for life. Do others feel this same fear? Yes, they do!

The Scripture gives us this word of counsel for the dark times. "Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment." (Isaiah 50:10-13, NIV) Trust and rely on the Lord!   Our fear must not cause us to take shortcuts on faith, to abandon the principles of the Spirit for 'solutions' of our own devising. A principled life will be tested. Many will suggest that you 'light your own fire' in the dark, that you create your own way forward. But, the end result of leaving God's Way is not true rest, but a bed in which we feel the torments of regret.

Another prophet, moved by the Spirit to speak to God's people at time of testing and darkness, spoke much the same counsel. "This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, 'We will not walk in it.'" (Jeremiah 6:16, NIV) "Hear, O earth: I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their schemes, because they have not listened to my words." (Jeremiah 6:19, NIV)

The dawn will come, the darkness of the valley will give way to the light in due time. So, we go; steady on, trusting Him! God remains the Lord of all, equally in the dark of midnight and the glory of the noon.

Here is a word from the Word. It is the declaration of the Gospel's triumph, and from it comes my encouragement to stand steady in the dark. May the Spirit use it to encourage you. "My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along. Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels! All this is proceeding along lines planned all along by God and then executed in Christ Jesus. When we trust in him, we're free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go." (Ephesians 3:9-12, The Message)

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Here I Am To Worship

Light of the world

You stepped down into darkness

Opened my eyes let me see

Beauty that made

This heart adore You

Hope of a life spent with You

King of all days

Oh so highly exalted

Glorious in heaven above

Humbly You came

To the earth You created

All for love's sake became poor

So here I am to worship

Here I am to bow down

Here I am to say that You're my God

And You're altogether lovely

Altogether worthy

Altogether wonderful to me

Tim Hughes

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