Last year me and my girls read "Radical" by David Platt. This book rocked my world! It left my mind reeling and my heart rolling around the words of Jesus Christ. I love to read books that help weave God's word into my life. I've read lots of books on prayer, fasting, bible study, books written about books of the bible, leadership, etc. No other book besides the bible itself has made such an impact on me. This little book has drastically changed the way I look at the world around me, discipleship, the church, my home, family, friendships, finances, well; everything to tell you the truth.
For more than 7 years I have had these thoughts that I thought were contrary to what I was seeing and at times hearing in the church today. I knew there had to be more to this Christian life than attending a bible believing church, serving, going to revival (which were placed on a calendar a year before?). Can I just say religious routine and at times boring? Really, when you go back and read the gospels and the words of Christ, there is nothing boring about being a disciple of Christ.
Never could put my finger on why I would become angry at leadership when they did things like give away gifts to the students if they could get a set number of youth to an event or things like park a car in our welcome center to be given away to the student who could get the most "unchurched" kids to come to an event at their church. I remember being so deeply angry, so disappointed. I would make comments and no one would seem to be tracking with me; so I thought the problem must be with me! I mean if the pastors see nothing wrong with parking a car in the welcome center or bribing kids with prizes to get people inside the church then why should I?
Oddly enough I never remember Jesus offering such trinkets for following him? I always thought giving a kid an i-pod because he brought 10 kids to church who for the most part already attended their own church, was twisted to say the least...what kind of message are we sending to the future leaders of the next generation? If you commit to serve Jesus, your reward will be a new car, i-pod, lots of money? It flies in the face of the Word's of Jesus. Who according to His Word and according to the book Radical, promised those who would live godly in Christ Jesus would get just the opposite...."will suffer persecution". Jesus promised you would indeed suffer for the sake of the gospel...He promised you would be laughed at, ridiculed, spit on, beaten, flogged, shipwrecked, whipped, made a mockery of and possibly loose your life for picking up your cross and following HIM.
Oddly enough I never remember Jesus offering such trinkets for following him? I always thought giving a kid an i-pod because he brought 10 kids to church who for the most part already attended their own church, was twisted to say the least...what kind of message are we sending to the future leaders of the next generation? If you commit to serve Jesus, your reward will be a new car, i-pod, lots of money? It flies in the face of the Word's of Jesus. Who according to His Word and according to the book Radical, promised those who would live godly in Christ Jesus would get just the opposite...."will suffer persecution". Jesus promised you would indeed suffer for the sake of the gospel...He promised you would be laughed at, ridiculed, spit on, beaten, flogged, shipwrecked, whipped, made a mockery of and possibly loose your life for picking up your cross and following HIM.
We have taught the youth of today to "be good" to "not touch" to be "disinfected" Christians. We have taught them to follow a set of rules and if we do it right, everything will be ok...WRONG! How dare we take such liberty with the Word of God Almighty! We are called to be "disciples" of Christ not just disinfected Christians. I believe every Youth worker and leader needs to read the book Radical. I believe anyone who is working with this generation should read this book.
The first chapter of Radical my eyes filled with tears and my heart ached. I saw through the words of Jesus that we are NOT making disciples in "most" of our youth groups. We are making worldly, carnal Christians all in the name of "salvation". It makes me cringe as I read about the lives of the disciples and church history books of the persecuted church, even today's persecuted church all across the globe; we are doing our youth a HUGE disservice!
Ministry is not "ministry" anymore. True ministry according to the way Jesus did it looked like, getting involved in the lives of the lost, broken-hearted and the hurting. To bind up the wounds. To walk alongside and help others grow in Christ. Not to just bring people to your church event but to bring them into your life and invite them into your home. To help those who actually needed and wanted help (not a hand out) but a hand up!
To be a disciple of Christ is to be His hands and feet and that requires action! It is not always something we can put on a calendar or plan. True ministry is "as we go", it's those divine appointment moments that interrupt our plans in order to fulfill His purpose. Ministry is not a business or an organization. Ministry is to be done by the church (the body of Christ) which is not in a building! We are the church, each of us individually as well as corporately.
Not disinfected from the world but disciples in the world!
To be a disciple of Christ is to be His hands and feet and that requires action! It is not always something we can put on a calendar or plan. True ministry is "as we go", it's those divine appointment moments that interrupt our plans in order to fulfill His purpose. Ministry is not a business or an organization. Ministry is to be done by the church (the body of Christ) which is not in a building! We are the church, each of us individually as well as corporately.
Not disinfected from the world but disciples in the world!
And we wonder why many young pastors are so selective about what they do. They have been brought up that way! Ministry needs to get back to getting our hands dirty. Totally agree.
ReplyDeletethanks for your comment Shanda!
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