YouthFIX
Bethany Church, LaPorte, IN
Youth Fix
Who do you love?
Who do you love? There is a title that will get you humming that famous song by Bo Diddley!
But really, who or what DO you love? When asked "Do you love God?" Most Christians immediately say "YES, of course!" But are we being honest in our response? How often do we really put His will (desires) before our own? Are we truly consumed with the desires He has for our lives and not our own? Ask yourself this question:
Do I desire God's will above my own happiness?
Much easier to just say, "I love God", right? To love God is not an emotional feeling like happiness. To love God means to give ourselves over to Him. To set aside our self wants and allowing Him to shine through us from our heart and soul. Matthew 16:24 "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."
Do what Jesus would do!
This is what it means to love God.
Humans really are lacking in their ability to truly love. No one can love like God can love. God gave His Son for you, for me, for us. Yet, even still, Jesus can't get enough of you. Can you imagine that? That He loves you so much. The "take up the cross and follow me" saying has a whole new meaning when you think of what that cross means.
Agape love is a totally selfless love, unconditional, and always giving. That is the love that God gives to us.
As humans, we are no longer centered in agape love, we tend to limit our relationships to what we can get from the other person or what we think the person wants or can take from us. The "If you agree with me, I will love you" philosophy. This type of love ends when someone doesn't get what they want. Since we think of this as love, we often get confused by God-like, agape love. We think that God loves us when we are good, pleasing, acknowledging Him and doing His work. But God just loves us, asking for nothing, giving everything.
The good news is that we are created in His image, therefore, we too are capable of agape love. Try loving others with a little less expectation. It's a start. Then spend some time with God each day. Remember, we talk to those we love and He wants to talk to you!
Rebel like Jesus
One of my favorite songs is "The Rebel Jesus" by Jackson Browne. It is a Christmas season type of song that focuses on the real meaning of Christmas and giving to those truly in need. The song begs us to focus on the real meaning of "the birth of the rebel Jesus". Was Jesus meek and mild? Some of the old hymns and several church Sunday School teachers would like to make it seem that way. Jesus says himself that he is meek in this passage from Matthew 11, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." Yet, think of him talking to prostitutes, healing lepers, rebuking the Pharisees, or pushing the money changers out of the temple. Not actions that seem "meek" and "mild".
The words radical, rebellious and revolutionary are tags often given to disobedient trouble makers. Jesus was radical and revolutionary about reconnecting people with God. he was revolutionary in that he died for our sins. Revolutionary in showing pure love and sacrifice. Not a revolutionary, radical hothead defying all authority. Look at the compassion he showed the woman caught in adultery. Not exactly weak, but not judgmental either.
In your life, how can you "Rebel like Jesus"? Should you rebuke your teachers and disobey your parents? That's not exactly the Jesus way of rebellion. It's more in recognition of thoughtful thinking about what you encounter everyday! Say "lets not talk about them" when your friends are making fun of someone. Don't sneak out of the house because "everyone else is". Refuse to act out in meanness towards a person who is "different" than you.
Standing up can equal Standing out... and Jesus shows us that we can rebel in amazing and POSITIVE ways.
CHAOS
This last weekend we showed a video of David Garibaldi painting Jesus. It's an amazing video. It reminded me of a fellow I watched on PBS while growing up. His name was Bob Ross and his show, The Joy of Painting was always captivating as an amazing piece of artwork would come about from a chaos of colors that at first appeared on the canvas with no apparent order. I love that analogy for our lives. Often we feel swept up in chaos, not recognizing any order. We are left confused, disheartened, and scared. But from that God promises to bring something beautiful. In Isaiah, God's given us a promise of order to come. An order that's glorious and beautiful. We can give thanks as we read the words of God's promise.
[ New Heavens and a New Earth ] "Pay
close attention now: I'm creating new heavens and a new earth. All the earlier
troubles, chaos, and pain are
things of the past, to be forgotten. Look ahead with joy. Anticipate what I'm
creating: I'll create Jerusalem as sheer joy, create my people as pure delight.
I'll take joy in Jerusalem, take delight in my people: No more sounds of
weeping in the city, no cries of anguish; No more babies dying in the cradle,
or old people who don't enjoy a full lifetime; One-hundredth birthdays will be
considered normal— anything less will seem like a cheat. They'll build houses
and move in. They'll plant fields and eat what they grow. No more building a
house that some outsider takes over, No more planting fields that some enemy
confiscates, For my people will be as long-lived as trees, my chosen ones will
have satisfaction in their work. They won't work and have nothing come of it,
they won't have children snatched out from under them. For they themselves are
plantings blessed by God, with their children and grandchildren likewise
God-blessed. Before they call out, I'll answer. Before they've finished
speaking, I'll have heard. Wolf and lamb will graze the same meadow, lion and
ox eat straw from the same trough, but snakes—they'll get a diet of dirt!
Neither animal nor human will hurt or kill anywhere on my Holy Mountain,"
says God.
May you find joy in the future as we all look forward to what God is creating.
Where's Waldo???
I found this picture from the World Records Academy website about the largest gathering of people dressed like Waldo. In this crowd, it's easy to spot the character known so well for hiding. It makes me think of the church. As I was reading in Acts 5 this morning, I found verse 12 which talks of how the believers would meet together and it made me think of this gathering of Waldos.
While the gathering of Waldo's is full of people who look the same, the collection of God's people appear vastly different. In God's kingdom, we find religious leaders like Joseph of Arimathea. But we also find tax collectors, thieves, prostitutes, and other worldly outcasts. Today we find believers in Christ from different races, different socio-economic environments, different ages, different genders, and different cultures.
So, what is the similarity between the Body of Christ and the group of Waldo look-a-likes? The answer is that while God's people look and act so different, they essentially are clothed in the same way. Galatians 3:27 (NIV) says for all you who were baptized in Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. When the body of Christ gathers, we are just as different as every individual in the picture that is dressed as Waldo. For they are all different with various lives they encounter once they step out of the confines of those similarly dressed individuals. We all have different gifts, shortcomings, and approaches. But, when people look at the assembly of believers, what should they see? They should see the group of people gathering, clothed in Christ, and recognized by our faith.
Got Questions
This is really funny. I think that there are many times we are afraid that we're going be asked a bunch of questions like the Vicar in the video. Even worse, some of those questions about our faith we may not be able to quickly answer. But that shouldn't sway us from talking about our faith.
When someone questions us about our faith, it's an opportunity to share. We may not be able to answer all the questions asked, but that's when we can turn to our faith in scripture, open our bible, and look for God's direction. Everything we need to know is in there. It might take some digging or reflecting but given time, the truth in scripture rises to the top.
If you have questions, I recommend you come on Sunday night at 6 pm to Bethany to see if our FUEL service can help provide an answer or at least some comfort to you as you continue to walk in this world.
Focus
My favorite baseball player of all time is Andre Dawson. Over his career, he became known by the nickname, "The Hawk", because of his ability to focus on the ball. In our life, we need to have the eyes of a hawk and stay focused on what's important. In Romans, Paul instructs us that our focus as Christians should be to be conformed into the likeness of his Son (Romans 8:29). Like the batter focuses on the ball, we need to be focused on the call we have to be like Jesus.
Jesus reached out to those in need. Where there were sick, he offered healing. Where there was lack of understanding, he brought enlightenment. Where people were hungry, he provided food (both physically and spiritually). When we encounter those that the world would rather ignore or push aside, we need to stay focused on the call to be like Jesus. Extending all we are in the same spirit that inspired Christ; the spirit of love.
FUEL Service this Sunday
Don't miss out on Sunday night's FUEL Service. Join us at 6 pm to with music
led by the band "The Rescue".
led by the band "The Rescue".
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Why?
As I was thinking back over the lives of children, there is one point in their life where their ability to annoy adults is at it's peak. It's that inquisitive stage where they are constantly asking questions. They are trying so hard to understand the world around them that they harass us asking "why" in response to every answer we can give. And you really can't get mad at them because you know that their heart is longing for answers and their motives pure. I think in our faith life we need to be better at returning to that inquisitive stage and more frequently ask "why" sincerely looking for answers.
In scripture, we have a vision of the Pharisees asking Jesus lots of questions. The difference between them and the child is that while the child sincerely wants an answer, the Pharisees are asking questions simply to find evidence that they can use to rationalize their stance against Jesus. Today, I see many people who ask questions who's motives are more similar to the Pharisees than the child. They ask for the purpose of exploiting someone else or getting the dirt on a situation so they can bend the information to their own advantage.
As we grow in faith, we will be provoked to ask many questions. But, we need to follow the example of the little child and do so earnestly seeking the truth, not trying to drudge up support for what we already think is right. My prayer for you is that you ask the questions and sincerely seek the truth.
God's Work, Our Hands
I purposefully waited to write about Haiti until a few weeks after the tragic earthquakes. I write now because I am afraid that though there are still hundreds of thousands in need, the sentiment is that Haiti is "Old News". That bothers me but does not suprise me. I know we live in a world where fads garner 15 minutes of fame before being replaced by the next big thing. Yet, isn't life more than jumping from fad to fad, waiting until we expire? Maybe this is part of the reason we still have people in Indonesia who haven't recoved from a tsunami that happened in 2004. Or people in New Orleans who are still in disaray following hurricane Katrina in 2005.
As we look at the example of Jesus in scripture, we find someone who was focused and on mission. Jesus' mission was not something to kill time until the next thing came along. Rather Jesus' mission drove him to the cross. For our lives, I'm confident that God has a mission. It's one that is likely to outlast the latest fad. Our job is to discern that mission and then let it direct our paths. So, find your mission, respond to the call, and give glory to God. Only then will we find life that has outgrown the tragedies we face in this world.
