Thoughts on Youth Ministry

Purpose:
 "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2

You are not in it because of the people (although Christian fellowship can be fun and encouraging). You're not in it for exalting your reputation (as in, "look what I'm doing for the church" and "I have done so much to get this group functioning"). You're not doing it for the money (after all, for many, it's volunteer work). You're not doing it to gain heaven (since we're saved by grace through faith). So ultimately, you're doing it for God--because you love Him and want to serve Him, and he has asked you to love your neighbor (a.k.a. church youth) as yourself. You answer the call to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him.

When serving God, after all, you may not gain selfish social benefits; you may not have an audience that appreciates your labors; and you may not gain financial riches.

However, you can be a true friend and bless others; you can see, by faith, God and the heavenly world cheering you on; and you do gain treasure, not earthly, but souls saved for eternity in the life to come.

Phases:
"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Galatians 6:9

There seems to be phases, at least for me and in some others, that I have observed.

1. Great works are done for God, and persecution increases (praise God that it sanctifies us!). Your sermons and Bible studies have power, your passion and goals for ministry are strong, and you impact many people spiritually.
   ex. 1 Kings 17 - Elijah's prayers cause even droughts to start and end. He performs miracles and demonstrates God's power to the confused Israelites at Mt. Carmel by causing fire to come down from heaven and calling many to return to true worship. Revival and reformation!
2. However, after some time, the persecutions, the hardships, and the sufferings seem to press in more and more. Though we had worked so hard for God, we cannot see much fruitful results, and we feel so alone in this sinful, lost world. We may lose the passion that we once had, and we may go though the motions of ministry without the heartfelt zeal of the earlier days.
   ex. 1 Kings 19:1-4 - Jezebel seeks to kill Elijah, and the servant to God loses hold upon Him and flees for his life. "But [Elijah] went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers." 1 Kings 19:4
3. God understands our weaknesses. We may have been trying to hide "in the cave" for a while. Nevertheless, God plants new seeds in our hearts and feeds us once again with the living bread. Spiritual recharging and renewal of faith begins, and when you are ready, God calls you to work for Him once more. You realize now that you are not alone.
   ex. 1 Kings 19:5-18 - God feeds and strengthens Elijah in his distress, and when He is ready, God visits Elijah's hiding place in a isolated cave. "What doest thou here Elijah?... Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hezael to be king over Syria..." 1 Kings 19:13b, 15 Moreover, the Lord reveals that there are seven thousand others in Israel that had been faithful to God, whom Elijah had not known about (v.18).
4. More or less, we usually go through a combination of the phases above, perhaps multiple to countless times during our life, but, like Elijah, if we continue to be faithful with the talents God has given us, we look forward to that day when we reach the long-awaited heavenly gates to meet our God.
   ex. 2 Kings 2:11 - "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven."

We are human, like Elijah, but let us remember that we have an almighty, unfailing God. :) "And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." 1 John 5:4

How Campmeeting 2012 Was a Blessing to Me

Meet like-minded friends who love Jesus: It was so encouraging to connect with my family group and meet other friends who have a deep relationship with Jesus and hear their testimonies of how God loves them and leads them.

Trusting in the Lord

Our spiritual journey sometimes requires learning old lessons over and over again. "I was so sure I had that one down!" we think, when old struggles resurface out of nowhere. Some time before the Friday testimonies, I was anxious about God's timing and His will for my future. His timing seemed to be never and His will for my future was not revealed in exact details despite years of waiting and prayer, except what I needed to do in ministry right now for God. We know God is sovereign and we know He will guide us, but for how long do we wait after years of waiting? Why are things in the opposite direction of our own personal plans? Are we expected to trust even though it will require self-denial and sacrifice?

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not on thine own understanding, and in all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths" I was repeating this over and over, but that day, my heart could not fully trust. However, hearing all the testimonies of God's love and guidance was such a big encouragement. It was some kind of a break though, that by the time the testimonies time was over, the peace of God thrilled so much inside me, that I couldn't stop smiling. Now the same verse "Trust in the Lord..." was real and I could shout it with enthusiasm (in my mind hehe) because He had given me the grace to trust Him; I could not do it alone.

In other words, He does not always answer prayers our way or reveal everything we want, but one thing is promised: His peace.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:6-7

And wow, that peace is beyond understanding!

Favorite Quotes

A few favorite quotes:

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life" Proverbs 4:23. For me it means that you should take care to keep your heart pure by refusing to absorb the impure messages of the world in the TV, movies, Internet sites, and some novels of today. It also means not placing yourself in situations where compromise is possible. Your heart should be kept protected. If you're single and waiting for God to make His way clear in terms of a future spouse, this quote means to be faithful to that future spouse, and guard your heart, not placing yourself in circumstances where you may be emotionally or physically too intimate with someone, because that person is probably not God's chosen person for you, and most likely they will marry someone else one day. This quote also means to guard your heart from getting ahead of yourself in God's timing. Trust in God, see others as brothers and sisters who will probably be married to someone else one day, back away from unhealthy opposite-gender attention, and wait on God for HIS PERFECT TIMING. :) God blesses obedience.

"A Christian is a mind through which Christ thinks, a heart through which Christ loves, a voice through which Christ speaks, and a hand through which Christ helps." -E.Z. Mckenzie

"There will be provocations to test the temper; it is by meeting these in the right spirit that the Christian graces are developed."
"The love of Christ, manifested in unselfish ministry, will be more effective in reforming the evildoer than the sword or the court of justice."
"To every deed there is an unseen witness. The very motives of his heart are open to divine inspection. Every act, every word, every thought, is as distinctly marked as though there were only one person in the whole world, and the attention of heaven were centered upon him."

"In the humblest of duties and lowliest positions of life, we may walk and work with Jesus." -Steps to Christ

"It is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in dying that we are born to eternal life." -Sir Francis

"No amount of talking penetrates as deeply as example"

"It is in working to spread the good news of salvation that we are brought near to the Savior" -Desire of Ages

"Christ is the Head of this house, the unseen Guest at every meal, the silent Listener to every conversation" I should hang that quote in the dining room! :D

"Love should be seen in the looks and manners and heard in the tones of the voice" Wow, a key in child guidance! :D

"I know that in the long run I will be thankful I have not spent my time giving emotions to men that they did not rightfully own" -Emotional Purity

"When you experience intimacy without commitment, you are playing with the heart of a fellow brother in Christ, and you will violate emotional purity." -Emotional Purity

"Never does a man portray his own character more vividly than in his manner of portraying another" Remember the quote before you're tempted to gossip! :)

"True eloquence consists in saying all that is proper and nothing more" Amen!

Faith to Be Fearless

I just read in ReviveOurHearts.com an article called Faith to Be Fearless
It was about God's deliverance of Israel from Egypt, and how despite the seemingly bleak outlook, God was working on behalf of His people. Even though Pharaoh had decreed that all male babies had to be killed, God was getting a deliverer ready to free the people from slavery. One thing that the author mentions is a quote from John Piper: “In every circumstance and situation of life, God is always doing a thousand different things that we cannot see and we do not know.”


That means your situation right now, and mine. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" Hebrews 11:1 :)

Modesty

"Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." 1 Peter 3:3-4

What exactly is modesty?

True modesty begins with the attitude of the heart. Our hearts must first be clothed with the beauty of selflessness, humility, and discretion, and then it expresses itself naturally in outward adornment. Therefore, as some have put it: "outward adornment is a reflection of inner spirituality." Because we choose to glorify Jesus through every single aspect of our lives, we glorify Him even also in the area of our appearance, having "an eye single to the glory of God." Therefore, we may ask ourselves:

What is my purpose with the way I am adorning myself?
Is it to focus undue attention to me, rather than the beauty of Jesus? (Paul, in the verse above, interestingly points out three ways we can make idols of: our hair, jewelry/accessories, and clothing.)
Is it to lead others to temptation?
What is the overall impression I exude? A reflection of worldliness or a reflection of godliness?
What is the main effect I have on others? Am I loudly proclaiming "me, myself, and my charms"? Or lovingly, quietly leading others to God?

If "yes" to any of those questions, we can ask ourselves: is my first love Jesus? Have I found the wonderful, satisfying love of God? Or am I trying to fill it with something empty and meaningless, and which does not last?


Modesty does not mean trying to be ugly. Rather, our attire should be becoming, neat, and moderate. "Christ has warned us against the pride of life, but not against its grace and natural beauty. He pointed to the flowers of the field, to the lily unfolding in its purity, and said, 'Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.' Matthew 6:29. Thus by the things of nature, Christ illustrates the beauty that heaven values, the modest grace, the simplicity, the purity, the appropriateness, that would make our attire pleasing to Him. The most beautiful dress He bids us wear upon the soul. No outward adorning can compare in value or loveliness with that 'meek and quiet spirit' which in His sight is 'of great price.' " {CT 303.3}


However, it is important to point out that both the heart and the attire must be clothed with modesty. One without the other is incomplete. For example, if I am covered from head to toe with modest clothing, but the way I carry myself has a appearance of evil, or lacks discretion, I am immodest. (Our eyes and body language can say a lot about our hearts.) Also, if I'm dressed modestly but my heart is overflowing with Pharisaical pride of how better dressed I am than those other people, I am immodest! (Remember that the verse says that real modesty is from a meek and quiet spirit.) Also, if my spirit is criticizing or condemning toward others who are immodest, I am also lacking in true beauty. Our aim is that the inside and the outside shines brightly as a refreshing light to others.

Another point to consider is that, generally speaking, a person growing up in our modern culture is going to be largely unaware of these principles. Not meaning any harm, new believers (and even old believers) may dress in excessive, flashy, see-through, short, tight, low-cut, etc. As professing Christians, may we truly love them and show warm understanding, and know that these souls are precious in His sight, and Jesus died for them and longs for them to spend eternity with Him. We do not see each other as we are now, with our faults and imperfections, but as what we shall be when we are transformed by His grace. For us, it is difficult to see (by faith) the soul thirsting for truth inside, and look beyond the sometimes discouraging outside. But since God works inside out, the heart may have been converted, but some time may pass for the outer adornment to catch up to rightly to reflect the heart.

Whether we eat, or drink, or whatever we do, let's do them all for the glory of God! Then, even the smallest aspect of our lives may turn hearts toward Jesus. :)