A Challenge

A Challenge

Last night in Wednesday Night Live, I took a leap of faith (of sorts) by sharing with my students that 2014 was a particularly difficult year for me in terms of my faith because of doubts that seemed to resurface often and assail what had been to that point an unchallenged belief in God's existence and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Some might find such a confession to be unwise, but I feel like it was actually the scriptural thing to do. Indeed, a hallmark of incarnational ministry - especially to teens - is living one's life with the highest level of vulnerability and honesty because these qualities help those being led to trust and identify with their leader and understand that, like them, he is flesh and blood, quite imperfect and has to wade through the same mires and wildernesses that they do - maybe even more. Additionally, a consistent indictment against the Church (and one that is quite justified) is that Christians mask their doubts/struggles with smiles and "positive thinking" rather than actually dealing with them in the context of their belief. I don't want that quality to characterize the Branch. To me, that isn't faith; it's fear. Christians should not be satisfied with a life devoid of the divine experience. In fact, lack of experiencing God produces a lack of faith, which makes one wonder exactly what people who lack the divine experience actually believe in (Pascal's Wager just won't do!). Saint Augustine himself said, "Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe." Scripture is brimming with exhortations to know, experience and love the living God - a real, live person. These verbs strongly indicate that faith is an act that begets reciprocity, and to live/think any other way is to fall short of a standard for experiencing God that the Bible itself establishes.

So on to the challenge. In the wake of these frequent moments when I've struggled with resurfacing doubts, I've found it helpful to recall past moments where I felt like I had a particularly strong experience or encounter that adequately displayed not only God's existence, but His love toward me. Consequently, these moments confirmed what I believed to be true about God. So how is it then that, after my faith has been confirmed by these powerful moments, doubt resurfaces? I think that that can honestly be chalked up to a very human tendency to live life so presently that we forget to think on those past moments that have made us who we are - good or bad. But isn't it interesting that it's much easier to be defined by negative past events, but forget positive ones? I digress. What has become increasingly clear to me now is that, in light of my forgetfulness, I should begin recording moments when I've had a particularly powerful instance of the divine experience. And then, when the days of doubt come, I can refer back to those moments and perhaps reflect more sharply on why I believe (and whether I still should).

My challenge to you, then, is two-fold:

1) Begin to journal down or record somehow the moments in which you've experienced God in a particularly powerful way, especially if they seem to be beyond coincidence or reproach (though this isn't always possible). Then, when you go through a rough patch that really tests your faith, read what you recorded and reflect on why you believe what you believe.

2) Share. I mean that specifically and generally. Specifically, I'd love it if you shared a story right here on this blog post in the comments section. But in general, we strengthen and encourage each others faith whenever we share our testimonies. So perhaps we should learn to cultivate the practice of sharing with others stories in which we've had a particularly meaningful instance of the divine experience.

Grace & Peace

sray

Change We Can Believe In

Actions Speak Louder: the Book of James
Week 1: Introduction and Overview

You probably recognized the title of this blog as the 2008 campaign slogan of Barack Obama.  In reality, however, it's a principle that we find continuously throughout the book of James, this idea that real change in thought and words results in real change in our actions.  In fact, to James, faith without works is....dead.  

Yesterday in WNL, we jumped into our fall 2014 series Actions Speak Louder: the Book of James.  For twelve weeks, we'll dive into James verse by verse and pull out theology that we can apply to our lives.  I'm pretty excited.  This first week we just covered some background and I gave the students an overview of the book's main principles.  Next week, we'll hit the ground running.  If you like, you can take a look at the sermon schedule and my first week's outline here.

Just a few minutes ago, I posted the following paragraph to the blog that the students read (the one on the app):

• Contemporary Christians:
• Focus on thoughts and words instead of actions.
• Use grace as an excuse to remain complacent and unfruitful.
• End up being way less fruitful than they have the potential to be.  

So - that's pretty much us, right?  We love to talk the talk, but not walk the talk, as we used to say back on the day.  Sad, right? Think about all that potential that never really gets realized.  It kind of reminds me of presidential elections every four years.  These candidates spend MILLIONS of bucks convincing America that they are the men for the job.  They even have these awesome slogans.  Obama's 2008 campaign slogan was "Yes We Can" and "Change We Can Believe In".  George Bush's 2004 campaign slogan was "A Safer World and a More Hopeful America".  Clinton's 1996 slogan was "Building a Bridge to the 21st Century".  Heck, by the time these guys finish giving speeches and making promises, and everyone's cheering, we've all bought into the hype, convinced that great days are coming.  Then, bang - life.  I feel like that's how we can be as Christians.  We get emotional and excited about the potential of our faith (and we should), make a bunch of promises to God and each other (meh), then, bang - return to the same old life with no lasting change (tragic).  So what do we do?

My primary goal for this series is to show our students that the decision to follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior isn't merely something that stays in your head.  No, it descends into the heart, then the hands and feet.  In other words, faith without works is dead.  The proof of what we believe is confirmed by the change that happens in us!  So here are some questions that will help you get dialogue started with your kiddos:

• How do you think modern Christians do when it comes to actually practicing their faith?
• Do you think that we as a family do a good job of living out what we believe?  Give some examples for why or why not?
• What can we do to become better at letting our belief evolve into action?

I hope that you have a great weekend!

sray

Christianity 101: Theology for Teens

Branch Parents

We have begun our spring series Christianity 101: Theology for Teens in Wednesday Night Live. It was exciting to begin a series that will be mostly academic in the sense that there will be a lot of information for students and families to learn, contemplate and act on.  It isn't, however, my desire that we have a bunch of pundits walking around the youth floor waxing philosophical on theological issues day and night (boy, wouldn't that be a chance).  What I do want to see is families who begin to think critically about truth and - more importantly - who let affects their lives, renew the minds, and change their hearts.   

The first session - Introduction to Theology - was last night and focused on five questions:

1) What is theology?
2) How do I form theology?
3) What affects the formation of theology?
4) Why should I be aware of my worldview?
5) What's the point of Christianity 101?

If you would like to see the full outline for last night, click here.  We hashed out all of these questions in detail, but the big thing that we really focused on last night was how our individual worldviews can greatly influence how we form theology and what theology we end up forming.  For example, if I highly value tolerance and compassion in my worldview, I'm going to really have a hard time with a passage like 1 Samuel 15:2-3, where God commands Israel to destroy the Amalekites - men, women, children, infants, cattle, goats - everything!  See, the difficulty that I have reconciling my worldview with an apparent characteristic of God (namely, that he visits His wrath on people sometimes) might affect how I form a theological belief about God's wrath as well as what belief I form. 

Accordingly, the thing that we really have to ask ourselves is "What presuppositions am I bringing to the table?".  And at the end of the day, I need to ask myself, "Is my theology actually a reflection of biblical truth? Or is it merely a reflection of my worldview and personal opinions?". Here are some questions that will help you follow up with your teen:

1) What are some of the things that influence the development of your worldview?
2) What values and beliefs are part of your worldview?  
3) Are there any parts of your worldview that seem incompatible with scripture?
4) How do you reconcile times when scripture really challenges something that is an important part of your worldview?
5) What part should God play in determining your worldview?

Back to the Basics
Week 3: The Habit of Meditation 

The students did a pretty good job of applying this last week's habit - reading scripture.  Only one, however, could say that he actually applied the habit daily.  Most were somewhere around three or four days out of seven.  I reminded the students that we all made a commitment to each other - but more importantly to God - to truly seek God's face.  I encourage you parents to really encourage your children to apply the steps we're taking as a youth ministry to grow closer to God.  Let us remember the words of James 4:8 - "Come near to God, and He will come near to you...".  Hopefully, we'll see better effort this next week. 

This past week in WNL, we tackled the habit of meditation (sermon outline here).  As usual, I began by giving students a biblical foundation of the habit, then developed why it's important to practice the habit.  Take a look at the sermon outline.  Here's how we'll apply this week's habit:

Application

• Begin by finding a place away from visual, auditory, and olfactory distractions.  No phone, iPod, no nothing.  Just you and God.
• Sit down in a chair and sit up straight with your feet firmly placed on the ground.  Put your hands on your legs with your palms facing upward.
• Begin taking slow, deep breaths by inhaling through your nose and exhaling out of your mouth.  Continue this for several minutes.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate your mind as you seek to hear God's voice.
• Begin reflecting on God's love for you.
• Recall times where you've experienced God's presence in a powerful way (ie. camp, retreats, life, etc.) and replay those experiences in your mind, all the while trying to remember how you felt then.
• Make a mental list of all the good things in your life.  Reflect on each thing on the list, thinking about how your life would be if that thing were taken away. 
• Imagine yourself as a bystander at Christ's crucifixion and resurrection.  Even if it's graphic, recall in your mind how difficult the experience is to watch, especially knowing you're part of the reason Christ is there in the first place.  Let that anguish increase your awareness of how much God must love you in order to subject Christ to that on your behalf.
• Conclude your meditation with a short prayer thanking God for speaking to you through your thoughts, as well as for giving you strength to react appropriately in reciprocal love.

All the best!

sray
 

  

Back to the Basics
Week 2: The Habit of Reading Scripture

This past week in WNL (April 17), we talked about the idea of reading scripture as a habit that shows us who God is and how he interacts with humanity.  Remember that the whole point of the Back to the Basics series is establishing habits that help us grow in our relationship with God.  It is the Bible, then, that is the the highest and most trustworthy authority when it comes to what we need to know about God (and humanity).  

One of the things that I really tried to get across to students is that we tend to understand God in ways that are really erroneous.  Unfortunately, most people (perhaps even most Christians) don't think of God in terms of a person.  He think of him more like an active force, almost devoid of personality or feelings.  But God is a person.  He thinks.  He feels.  He loves.  He relates.  And He lives, just like you and me.  How do we know this?  Because we possess all these things, and the Bible says we were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), not to mention the scores of scripture that give us a clear picture of God's character and personality.  So - when we read about Him in scripture, we're reading about someone who is real and can be experienced in personal relationship that is just as present as what we can experience with one another.  And this is just what we've been invited to do.

Each week, after giving the kids a biblical foundation for the habit, we also provide them with a practical plan for putting the habit into practice over the next several days.  The students have committed to this, but they need your help and encouragement!  


Application

1. Ask the Holy Spirit to be with you, illuminate the passage to you, and show you how you can apply it to your life.
2. Slowly read the passage to yourself two times.
3. Slowly read the passage out loud once.
4. Close your eyes for a moment and sit in silence.
5. Answer these questions on a separate sheet of paper or in a journal.
1. Through whom did God write this?
2. What would the passage have meant to the original audience?
3. Is this a stand-alone passage or is it part of a larger story?
4. What things do you notice about the passage?
5. What does this passage reveal about God?
6. What is the main idea of this passage?
7. Considering the previous two questions, what is one way you can apply this passage practically in your life?
6. Slowly read the passage out loud one final time.
7. Ask God to continually help you apply this passage in your life.

Parents, remember.  Walk through this with them and encourage (even compel) them to carry it out.  Holler at me if you have any questions.  If you'd like to see the entire sermon outline, click here.

Back to the Basics: Week 1

Back to the Basics

Week 1: The Goal of the Gospel

Parents

We began the Back to the Basics series yesterday.  The point of this series is to encourage and help students to establish biblical habits that will bring them closer to God.  Here is the series outline:

• April 17 - Knowing God: The Habit of Reading Scripture
• April 24 - Hearing God : The Habit of Meditation
• May 1 - Talking w/ God: The Habit of Prayer
• May 8 - Christian Home Week - No Mid-Week Services at WBC
• May 15 - Serving God: The Habit of Service
• May 22 - Worshiping God: The Habit of Praise
• May 29 - Spreading God: The Habit of Discipleship 

Each week, students will receive both a biblical justification for each habit and practical instructions on how to implement each habit daily in an accessible and engaging way.  So here's the question: why is it important to establish these habits?  Well, to answer that question, allow me to ask you another.   

What is the Goal of the Gospel?

Why did God send Christ to die on the cross for us?  Why did Christ rise from the grave?  To redeem for us from our sinfulness, right?  Right.  Easy.  But once we're redeemed from our sins, then what?  What are we redeemed for?  So then we can live however we want?  So we can go to church twice a week?  So we can read our Bibles?  No.  

God redeemed us from our sins so that we could fulfill the original purpose for which we were created in the first place.  And what is that purpose?  The 1647 Westminster Shorter Catechism says it best:

What is the chief end of man?  Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.   

In other words, we created to experience the fullness of God in reciprocating, loving relationship.  Unfortunately, few of us even realize that this is the whole point of our faith - knowing and loving God.  Even fewer actually take consistent advantage of this incredible, gracious offer to be redeemed by God so that we can come to be in dynamic, passionate relationship with Him.

What do we do instead?  Basically, we use our redemption as an opportunity to define happiness/holiness on our own terms, live the lives we want to live, and convince ourselves that we're okay with God because we go to church and fulfill other religious duties.  And I hope that doesn't come off judgmentally - because I'm just as guilty of it as you are.  Indeed, we've traded in dynamic relationship for stagnant religion....and then we wonder why we have no desire to get up for church on Sunday mornings or read the Bible....long story short: we were created to love God and be loved by God in active relationship.  To do anything else is to fall sadly short of our purpose.   So let me caution you here: these habits are only going to work for the person who has truly made the decision in his or her heart to pursue and love God above all other things.  If you put these into practice but aren't really interested in growing in the knowledge and love of God, then they will only serve as burdens in your life.  In fact, I've found that religious duty (apart from a heart that seeks to love God) tends to make one resent God - not love Him (think of the older brother in the Prodigal Son story).

Accordingly, in WNL last night, we actually did the music last because I wanted to really give the students a time of reflection to really decide whether or not they would commit to this - that is, the place one has to be in heart before setting out on this kind of journey  I'm happy to say that almost all the students did.

So as parents, what can you do to help your children really get the most out of this?  

Keep Them Accountable To Their "Homework"
Each week, I will give the students practical instructions to follow in order to implement that week's respective habit.  I will provide a copy for you as well.  Please ask them daily about it.  Help them find the time.  Be on them like you'd be on them about homework or studying for an upcoming test.  

Set The Example
Why not walk through this with them?  Isn't is easier to say, "Do as I do" rather than "Do as I say"?  We all find it easier to follow people who practice what they preach.  Is it any different for teenagers?  Let's walk through this together as a youth family.

Pray For Your Children
I realize that you probably do this anyway, but please keep your children in prayer as they embark on what could become the foundation for knowing and loving God passionately for years to come.

Ask Them About Their Progress / Share Your Wisdom 
From time to time, ask your children about what they've learned or how they've experienced God throughout the series as they're implementing habits.  "Recognizing" God and how we live in relationship with Him is really only something that comes with consistent practice (like any other relationship).  Share your wisdom and experience with your children (ie. times where you've experienced God's presence or love in an especially intimate and special way) so that they don't get discouraged if they feel like God is being silent.

I'm praying for you, Branch Family.  I'm excited about this journey.  I hope you are, too.

sray
 

Torn Apart: Week 3 (I John 2:1-6)

Branch Parents

I hope that this week's blog post finds you each doing well.  We are continuing the really wonderful trend of having great attendance in WNL as we're averaging about 45 students per week now.  Holy cow, that's pretty incredible considering that the average hovered around 20 when I first came to Westbury.  In addition to that, we have 58 students signed up for the Fall Retreat in November!  God is blessing this ministry and seemingly adding to our number every week.  Amen.

Before I launch into the Word for this week, I just want to tell you that I think your children are phenomenal.  Here's why: I've watched the videos for the past two weeks of WNL and have come to notice that I'm pretty long-winded (surprised?).  Both sermons have been around 53 or so minutes...whew!  However, some of this is due to the fact that my sermons are composed of dialogue and not merely monologue.  In any case, I said that to say this: your students do a wonderful job of staying engaged and focused - much better than I would have done at their age.  They are forming the valuable character trait of being able to remain focused on something without needing a lot of bells and whistles.  And as a youth minister who is serious about the Word, that makes me very happy.  Great job, parents.  Here is the link to Branch's video page, where you'll find this past week's sermon and outline:

Branch Youth Ministry Video Page

These are the primary truths that I wanted your students to take home with them after WNL:

• Christ took on Himself the punishment that our sins deserved so that we could be free to experience the fullness of God.
• Christians should not be comfortable with sin; it doesn't make since to be saved from sin in order to return to it.
• Forgiveness of sin is only the first step in a Christian's salvation; God then works through our obedience to make us more like Christ.
• Our love for God is perfected by our obedience.

 Here are some questions for discussion and reflection:

• Other than simply not going to Heaven, what would happen if Jesus didn't die on the cross for our sins?
• What causes Christians to be comfortable with sin?
• How can we work to not be comfortable with sin?
• Do you show that you trust and love God through continual obedience or empty, short-lived promises.
• If God changes our hearts through our continued obedience, then what happens when we don't obey?
• Why do you think most Christians feel like, once they've been "saved", there isn't much more to the Christian except to die and go to Heaven?
• Was your salvation about you or about God?
• Do you think that God intends for our relationship with Him to be boring? Obligational?
• Do you enjoy God?  I mean for real...

Alright parents, good luck.  I don't know about you, but I think these questions are great not only for discussion with your knuckleheads, but for self-reflection too.  God's Word is a double-edged sword, and I have a few deep lacerations in my hands right now!

sray

Torn Apart: Week 2 (I John 1:5-10)

Parents

We moved on this week to I John 1:5-10.  I am so pleased about how the kids are connecting with the truth of God's Word.  I'm also excited about how wonderful attendance has been in Wednesday Night Live for past several Wednesdays.  Alright, so let's dive in.

In our scripture passage for the week, John points out the primary beliefs of his opponents and shows why those beliefs don't hold up in the light of the Gospel (go back a couple of posts if you want to know what all these opponents believed).  Again, we start with this truth: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all (I John 1:5). 

Now, take a look at the sermon and sermon outline here:
http://www.branchyouthministry.com/media.php?pageID=27

These are a few truths that we were trying to get across to your kids:

• Christ’s death and resurrection wipes our sins away and initiates regeneration. Claiming to not have sin (or that you haven’t sinned) is basically saying you don’t need Jesus, not to mention it's calling God a liar.
• People have always tried to avoid the reality of their sinfulness or sins, generally by either redefining sin, using their salvation as moral license, or outright denying it.  Almost every time, it’s so that they can continue in sin.
• Acknowledging sinfulness (as well as specific sins) can be really uncomfortable – maybe even painful. However, God calls us to do so because it’s the first step in being forgiven and changed.

Ok, now for a few discussion questions:

• Why is it dangerous to deny sinfulness?
• What makes talking about sin so unpopular?
• In what different have you ever tried to avoid the fact that you're sinful or have sinned?
• Is confession for you or for God?
• How do you feel after you've confessed something?
• Why do you think focus a lot on forgiveness but not on regeneration (change)?
• Confession to others is also important for accountability (James 5:16); who do you confess sin to in your life?
• How are you committing to the process of regeneration that God is trying to bring about in you?

Good luck, parents.  Remember, you need to be just as transparent as you expect them to be.  You need to know that it's okay for your kid to know that you've made mistakes, too.  It's a great example in their learning how to open and confess their shortcomings.  God bless.

sray

Torn Apart: Week 1 (I John 1:1-5)

Parents:

Last week at Wednesday Night Live, we began the Torn Apart series in I John.  Unfortunately, our CD burner had a malfunction so I wasn't able to catch any of the recording for you.  But, hopefully this blog post will explain things pretty adequately.  Get your Bible out! 

Remember the background: John is writing this letter to churches he has planted in and around Ephesus.  He is confronting some false teaching that is being spread by people who were formerly leaders or influential members in some of these churches (for more on what they believed, see the previous post).  John jumps right into the body of the letter without even including the standard greetings that letters from that time normally included (check out any of Paul's letters, which all fall into this format: Author, Position, Recipient, Greeting, Body).

Now, on Wednesday, we did verses 1-5 of chapter one.  This is really the gist of what John is communicating to his churches:

Jesus has always co-existed with the Father.
Notice the very first thing John says in verse 1 - "that which was from the beginning".  And then in verse 2, he says the eternal life (Jesus) was "with the Father and made manifest to us".
  
Eyewitness testimony is superior to "Special Revelation"
As one of the twelve disciples, John's proclamation of the Gospel was based on his own personal experience with Jesus.  Over and over in the first three verses he says something like "which we have heard...which we have seen...which we have looked at...which we have touched with our hands".  By contrast, the group John is writing against claimed that their belief came from a special revelation given to them by God.

The Gospel doesn't exclude; it includes.  
John wants to make it clear that the heart of the Gospel is inclusion.  Check out verse 3 - "that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed, our fellowship is with God the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ".  John's opponents felt that their alleged "special knowledge" made them better than everyone else.  Accordingly, they actually separated themselves from the churches.

Living out the Gospel results in joy - joy that you'll want to share.
John's writing of this letter has a goal in sight: that those who read it will solidify their hope in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and experience the joy that comes with doing so.  In verse 4, John writes, "And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete".  To John, the joy that a person receives from living out the Gospel is magnified that much more when that person spreads it and others, too, come to experience that same joy.

God is the standard of holiness and does not tolerate/co-exist with sin.  
John wants to communicate to his churches that God is holy and righteousness and does not / will not co-habitate with sin or sinful people.  For those of us who have trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior, this isn't a problem since Jesus died on the cross as the payment for our sins and we are - in Him - a new creation.  But John's opponents denied their sinfulness in the first place and deliberately continued to sin because they believed that their "special knowledge" was proof that God has saved them (remember, they also believed that the soul was innately good and the body was innately evil and therefore what a person did with his/her body didn't matter because it couldn't affect his/her soul).            

So here's the deal.  From the start of the letter, John wants his churches to know that the Gospel is trustworthy.  Why is it trustworthy?  Because it's based on Jesus, who has always been with the Father.  And also because it's based on eyewitness testimony, not some unverifiable "special knowledge".  John is also claiming the Gospel's superiority over His opponent's belief because it includes people and results in joy that you want to share - not some special knowledge that excludes people and results in conceit.  Lastly, John wants his followers to know that God is holy and righteous.  Therefore, people who have been redeemed by their faith in Christ are called to pursue God and forsake sin - not continue to live in it.

Here's what I really wanted the kids to take home from this:

1.) It is important to have good theology (right belief). What we believe forms the foundation of authentic faith in Christ Jesus - which saves us.  But if the belief is wrong, then it's possible that faith is being put in something other than Christ....and only Christ can save.

2.) The Gospel as revealed in the Bible is trustworthy because, though it was written down by the hands of men and women, those men and women were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write what God knew would provide people with an accurate picture of who He is and His love for them expressed in the Gospel.

3.) The result of a truly living out the Gospel is joy and a deep desire to see others experience the same joy.  If you aren't compelled to share the Gospel with others, then you're probably not experiencing the joy you were meant to experience.  And if you're not experiencing the joy you were meant to experience, something is really wrong and needs to changed. 

Parents, here are some questions that can serve as conversation-starters with your kids.  Just a thought: you might spend some time answering these yourself before you chat with you kids about 'em.  Be honest with yourself AND with your kids when you talk with them.  Let these questions serve as a great opportunity for self-reflection, transparency, and - possibly - realization of the need for change.  Amen!

• There are all kinds of religious claims out there.  How do we Christians know that we're right?
• Even inside Christianity, there are a lot of variances of belief.  How can a person arrive at the right beliefs?
• Why is it so important to have correct belief?
• The Bible is old and has some really crazy stuff in it.  How can you trust it and know it's true?
• What's wrong with the picture of a person who claims to believe in the Gospel but has no joy?
• Do you think it's possible for a person to authentically believe in the Gospel but not experience joy (and love, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness....)?
• Do you think you're really living the joyful life that God meant for you?
• If you consider yourself a Christian, but haven't really experienced any of the things that the Bible says Christians are supposed to experience (Galatians 5:22-23 for starters), then what should you do?
• If you have experienced those things, then are you telling other about Jesus?  Why?  Why not?
• What can I do to keep you accountable to spending time in God's Word or in prayer?
• How can I be praying for you?

Happy hunting, parents.  Y'all da man!

sray

Torn Apart: the WNL Fall Series

Branch Parents

Tomorrow night, we will begin Torn Apart: a Study of First John, the sermons series that I'll be preaching through for the entire fall semester.  I am very excited about the series because I believe that your kids will really get a lot out of it in terms of knowledge and application.  In each part of the series, we will comb through the verses for that session and then discuss the truths presented in those verses.  Then, we'll talk about the similarities between our circumstances and the circumstances of those to whom the letter was written.  Lastly, we'll get into how the truths can be practically applied in our lives.  Allow me to give you a little background:

Tradition tells us that I John was written by John the Apostle, one of the original 12 disciples of Jesus Christ.  Toward the end of his life, John lived in a city in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey) called Ephesus.  John had probably planted several churches in and around Ephesus.  Not long after these churches were established, several influential members from these churches began to proclaim a new belief system.  They believed that they possessed special spiritual insight and knowledge that "normal" believers were incapable of understanding.  Unfortunately, many of these beliefs were clearly contrary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ that was the foundation of the churches in the first place.  Therefore, John writes this letter in order to confront this dangerous belief system (and the people proclaiming it) that is popping up in his churches - an issue that is putting the very salvation of people's souls at stake.


What exactly is this new belief system?  Well, we can tell a lot from what John writes (not to mention other historical sources that confirm what we know from John).  This new belief is probably an early form of Gnosticism, a system of belief that held that only certain people were able to receive this special knowledge (gnosis = "knowledge" in Greek).  Gnostics believed in a moral separation between the physical and the spiritual - everything that is spiritual was good; everything that is physical was evil.  Under the inspiration of this "enlightenment", these influential church members asserted several false beliefs.  I've summarized them for you:

1.) They couldn't sin (I John 1:8).  The fact that they had received this special knowledge was proof to them that God did not regard them as sinful, but rather perfect - like Him.  Therefore, they did not possess the ability to sin.

2.) They didn't sin (I John 1:10).  Since the only thing that really mattered to God was the soul (because the body - which is physical - was inherently evil), then it didn't really matter what you did with your body.  So...SIN PARTY!!!  WHOOO HOOOO!!!

3.) They were better than others ( I John 1:9-10).  Since they alone possessed this knowledge, what was the point of hanging out with a bunch non-enlightened chowder heads?

4.) Jesus didn't actually come in the flesh (I John 4:2-3).  If the body was evil because it was physical, then it is impossible that Jesus (who is God and, therefore, perfect and good) actually came in the flesh.  He likely only "appeared" to come in the flesh (this philosophy is known as Docetism, by the way).

Now, here's the question: why would I choose I John for a sermon series?  Answer: because the world our teens are growing up in is a LOT like the world of the Christians John was writing to!  The more I read through this book, the more I realized how much humanity hasn't really changed.  Still - 2,000 years later - our kids are surrounded by a culture that constantly downplays its sinfulness (and consequently, its need for Christ), considers the Gospel to be archaic and "old news" rather than the good news, and doesn't really believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God who came in flesh.

More to the point, our teens are growing up in a world that pressures them to accept a belief system that is more tolerant, more fun, more pleasurable, and more centered on self.  And honestly, it's way easier to accept that belief system than it is to accept the "Good News" of the Gospel - which sometimes seems like a death sentence for real life, to be honest.  However, in the end, the truth is that these new systems of belief are all the same: they are temporarily fun, ultimately empty, and cannot save.

Only Christ can save.

My hope and prayer is that, through this sermon series, our teens will:

...trust in the Gospel by recognizing their sinfulness and consequent need for Jesus Christ.
...identify and resist beliefs and philosophies that can't stand up to the Gospel.
...not abandon the truth of the Gospel because it's hard to hear/live sometimes.
...realize that real life in Christ is infinitely better than anything the world can ever give them.
...know that God is the embodiment of love.
...learn that loving God results in loving people.

I can't even express how excited I am, and I hope that you will join me in praying for your children and staying up to date with me as I continue to dialogue continually with you over the next several weeks about the important fruit that God's Word will bear in the lives of our teens.

Two thing you need to know:

1.) Each week, I'll provide you with a summary of what was taught as well as specific questions that you can ask your teens to initiate and encourage discussion.

2.) I'll also record the sermon for each WNL so that you can listen to it on your own time and hear exactly what your students heard if you desire.  I will post the sermons to the "MEDIA" section of the Branch website under "video".

Feel free to comment on this post or email me with any questions, suggestions, or comments.

in Him

sray

Our Teens in a Post-Christian World

Parents

A few weeks ago I attended the annual youth ministry conference "Conclave".  It's pretty amazing, really.  It features some of the most compelling Evangelical communicators in the country, as well as mini-conferences on various issues related to teenagers and youth ministries and an exhibition hall full of vendors who provide services targeted specifically for youth ministries and teenagers.

The first night, I was able to hear one of the most impactful sermons I've ever heard (if you would like to listen, follow this link: http://www.wbcthebranch.org/sites/default/files/podcasts/02%20G2%20-%20Monday%20Evening.mp3).  It came from J.R. Vassar.  Vassar is a Texas native who now pastors Apostles Church in Manhattan, New York.  

He began his sermon by making the assertion that contemporary culture is experiencing a shift from a world of Christendom to a world that is largely post-Christian.  Let me explain a bit further.  As you probably know, the writers of the New Testament wrote to Christians who lived in various locations within the Roman Empire, a world that tolerated many different belief systems, even though Roman mythology and emperor worship were the official beliefs sanctioned by Rome.  In Christianity's infancy, its followers were seen as a group of strange people who adhered to beliefs that were completely outside of the established norm.  However, under the control of the Emperor Nero, Christians were seen not just as a weird group of people but also as a threat.  Thus broke out a state-sanctioned, brutal persecution of Christians led and championed by Nero himself.  This was largely the case even after Nero's death and lasted up until 313AD, when the emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which removed the legal penalties for confessing Christianity and declared Christianity to be a legitimate religion among all of the others.  This was the beginning of Christendom or Constantianism.  From this point on in history, Christianity would enjoy a place of privilege in the world.  Although its influence on secular culture has waxed and waned over the past millennium and a half or so, it has always been a respected voice in the discussion about how people should live their lives - especially in America.

Now, that is starting to not be the case any longer.  Rather, the culture is changing in a way that will probably look more pre-Christian (the era before Constantine) than Christian.  Indeed, it seems that our world is becoming more and more hostile to the biblical principles that Christians hold to be true and good.  In fact, you can already see this transition at work in many ways.  Vassar, in his sermon, mentions that there is a case wherein New York City has banned churches from using schools as meeting places.  The case has been lost twice by the church that initiated it, and sits before the Supreme Court on appeal.  We are in a time now where, if a Christian believes same-sex relations to be outside of God's design for humanity, he is branded a "bigot".  Lest you believe that this cultural change hasn't reached good ol' Texas, the mission church that Westbury is sponsoring has been removed from two different community centers because of concerns over separation of church and state.  

The simple truth is this: the culture in which we live is changing from a world that used to value the Christian voice to a world that ignores or expresses hostility toward what we have to say.  Personally, I am okay with this because Christianity historically seems to be much more authentic and numerically explosive when it exists in a context of suffering rather than influence.  However, it does change the way that we minister to our teenagers when we understand that we are no longer rearing them in a world wherein their beliefs are accepted and embraced, but rather one wherein their beliefs are rejected and abhorred.  

Parents, here are my questions for you:

1.) In what practical ways can we prepare our teens for life in a world that will reject them and what they believe?

2.) What does this mean in terms of how youth ministries should approach ministering to teenagers?

3.) What does the Bible have to say about living life in a context of persecution and suffering rather than prosperity and privilege?

I look forward to your replies and discussion.

sray

Kickoff Post

Parents of Branch Teens

Welcome to the Branch Youth Ministry Parents page. Bookmark this thing!  This page was created in order to give parents of Branch students, adult leaders and myself a forum for discussing ideas, concerns, and issues related to parenting teenagers in the context of growing in their Christian faith.  From time to time, I will post something to this page for the specific purpose of discussion among of all us.  Therefore, I highly encourage you to comment on every post.  The great thing about something like this is that it gives all of us the opportunity to share with each other our experiences and knowledge related to parenting.  We can share our fears.  We can share our concerns.  We can even share our disagreements.  However, in the end, I think that a forum like this really helps us to have a consistent dialogue regarding the most important calling that we all share - parenting.  First post coming soon.  Please feel free to subscribe to this page so that you'll be notified via email when the page is updated with a new post.