The reality is, the time for drawing a spiritual line in the sand when it comes to disciple making has passed us by. As Christ followers working to lead a generation to faith in Jesus Christ, we are now fighting as spiritual insurgents in a war of moral and spiritual satanic occupation in the USA. The saying, so goes the churches, so goes the culture is true. But so go the pastoral leadership, so go the churches. And ultimately, so goes Biblical education, so goes the leadership...
The fact is, the collective church (defined as millions of believers gathered into thousands of churches led by their pastoral leadership under the lordship of Jesus Christ) has lost its edge on influencing the culture. In that light, most would agree that we must shift from program driven ministries to people and relationship driven ministries that bring about Romans 12:2 life change. In other words, spend time and resources equipping believers in the church to not just share their faith, but to make disciples (the two should go hand in hand). This is a long and arduous process, on that many youth pastors (and pastors) really don’t know how to undertake.
Here is the cold, hard reality. One day, baring Jesus’ return, we will all die; period. At that point, each of us will stand before Jesus and give personal account for our lives. When Jesus asks me to show Him what I did with my talents (Matthew 25), I don’t want to be in the position of having much to say but little to show. Why would I want to present a gift to my King of a multitude of lukewarm church members that Jesus has already promised He would spew out of His mouth anyway?!?!? We are commanded to MAKE DISCIPLES; NOT CONVERTS. How many Christian leaders will stand before Jesus and present to him thousands or millions of lukewarm "converts" who are not worthy of the Kingdom and will ultimately, regardless of their church membership status, spend eternity in Hell?!?!?
I think we can already see a picture of this dreadful day of Judgement in our churces today. Look closely at how many students are falling away from Christ withing two years of high school graduation. Some place that number as high as 70-80 percent. These kids started out on the journey but somehow lost their way when they left the fold. Kids, I would guess, who had strong feeling of love for the Lord but no practical training on how to walk with Jesus for a lifetime.
This is the state of the American Church today; whether observing legacy churches or the emergent church movement; the numbers are nearly equal across the board. That’s why I believe that the vast majority of churches, and by default their leaders, are going to be dismayed and saddened at the Judgment.
We have some serious choices to make in the near future. The question is, what will the result of those choices be? For ourselves? For the church? For the culture? For Christ?
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Discipleship and the Loss of Innocence
Through my nearly 20 years of youth and collegiate experience (and especially since starting Fusion) one of the major issues I continue to run into with youth today is their inability to deal with their loss of innocence. As a result, many kids begin a lifelong struggle with anger, depression, and feelings of worthlessness. Many of those kids will ultimately embark on a life void of true meaning in Christ resulting in a life of self-destructive behavior. As godly parents, leaders, and influencers of this generation it is our responsibility to help our kids deal biblically with their loss of innocence. Remember in Genesis we learn through the sin of Adam that too much information too fast is damaging to say the least (more on that later).
But why is the loss of innocence so important to Biblical Adulthood and what Biblical examples do we have that our loss of innocence is glorifying to the Lord? Allow me to provide two examples for you to consider.
First, look at King David. As a boy, he was not deemed worthy to fight so he was merely able to deliver food to his brothers on the front lines. But the Biblical account in 1 Samuel 17 states that when the boy David saw and heard Goliath taunting the nation of Israel, he burned with a righteous anger that ended with him not only killing another man (major loss of innocence) but even cutting off his head (really major loss of innocence). However, the actions that led to David’s loss of innocence led the nation of Israel to a major victory that day. But how was David prepared for such a traumatic event in his young life? What could cause a boy, not worthy to “fight” to take the lead and be willing to sacrifice all for his nation and God? The answer can be found in David’s answer to King Saul when he said, “…your servant (a boy) has fought and killed the lion and the bear.” A shepherd boy fighting a lion and a bear? The text even records that David literally ripped his lambs from the mouths of these beasts. What were his weapons? A stick? A knife? His bare hands? Additionally, throughout his early life, David had been sleeping outside; He was a shepherd after all. He was rained on and cold. He lived with sheep in blistering heat. He dealt with fears of inadequacy and being alone; fears of failure and fears of death.
But instead of being excuses for failure, these experiences actually built his faith in the one true God. Throughout his childhood the Lord never left David or forsook him. In David’s weakness, the Lord was his strength. When he was fearful and alone, David prayed and cried out to God and he answered his prayers and filled David with His presence. All of these experiences prepared David not only for the day he faced Goliath, but for years of being on the run from Saul, leading men into combat, fighting his many battles, writing Psalms, and ultimately drawing the plans for the future temple. David had his many faults mind you but his upbringing and resulting actions in adulthood were enough for him to be characterized as “a man after God’s own heart. “ His loss of innocence brought glory to the Lord.
But what about losing intellectual or spiritual innocence? The lives of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah provide us with good examples. Here are four boys, opposites of David in many ways. These boys are city kids so to speak, growing up in the upper class with everything a kid could want. But when tragedy strikes (the sacking of Jerusalem, possible murder of their families, and being kidnapped to Babylon-all major losses of innocence) these “softies” stood strong. Though in the care of Babylon’s Royal “DFS”, they did not submit to the pagan culture or give in to worshiping the foreign gods surrounding them. Interestingly, unlike most individuals who became slaves when they were captured after battle, these boys went on to enjoy even more opulence than they had experienced in Jerusalem. They were to be trained to be servants of the king; high government officials with the best of all food, women, and influence (true worldly power).
The biblical record in Daniel Chapter 1 states that there were many boys (hundreds?) from the twelve tribes who were selected for this training and royal treatment but only Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah stood strong against the culture. Beginning with the simplest issue (food) the “fab four” found a way to shrewdly resist and stand against not only culture, but a direct order from the king himself. They did not eat the food (it was not kosher) or drink the wine. Rather they subjected themselves to merely vegetables and drinking water. I would dare say that both leadership and peer pressure against the four was strong; not only was the King’s “program manager” against it, but surely the other Jewish youths who were eating the King’s food were applying pressure (“What are you doing; do you want to get us all killed? Just do it; everyone else is eating--and the food is quite good…”). As we know the story records that these four were successful in their bid to honor the Lord and were even promoted above the others in the royal class. Their personal and collective loss of innocence prepared them to respond in obedience to the Lord when three of them refused to bow to an idol of gold (“…even if the Lord does not rescue us, we will not bow.”) and when Daniel continued to pray to the Lord in spite of a law set expressly against it. Most importantly, the loss of innocence in the lives of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah demonstrate how our young people are to live in a culture completely set against Jehovah God. Their example also shows us how to, not only stand strong in the culture, but how to thrive and become influencers of society for the Glory of Jesus Christ. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah’s loss of innocence provide us with an excellent example of how to prepare today’s youth to live the entirety of their lives in a foreign culture and honor the Lord until their death.
As I write this now I am sitting at a guest house in Entebbe, Uganda. Last week I escorted a Fusion team of 18 year old “kids” into Southern Sudan to a small village bordering DRC for the purpose of sharing the Gospel and ministering to victims of Joseph Koney’s Lord’s Resistance Army; child soldiers who have also lost their innocence with hellish results. This type of work is not for children or adolescents. It is not the mission trip that most churches or BSM’s want to undertake (nor would I recommend). But these young people have been prepared. They spent four months of their lives preparing for this responsibility. They have earned it. Already these young people have won lost Congolese to Christ. Their loss of innocence in this place has only begun; four months in the Devil’s back yard will certainly be a trying-and life changing experience. Similarly, their brothers planting churches in a Muslim province of India are certainly encountering similar circumstances. Can you believe it? There are four eighteen year old church planters led by a 20 year old with the goal of planting a church in four months the heart of militant Islam. But they have been prepared; they have earned the right to be there; even if they fail. Yes I am convinced that we as parents, leaders and influencers of the Most High God must re-examine how we prepare our youth for their inevitable loss of innocence as they journey into adulthood. This is but one aspect of equipping today’s adolescents for a lifetime journey with Jesus, but an important one none the less. As our children lose their innocence at earlier and earlier ages, it is imperative that we guide them through this process and give them some seriously biblical, no nonsense, practical ways to handle this loss. If we don’t, well, just look around you…
I welcome your thoughts and comments.
But why is the loss of innocence so important to Biblical Adulthood and what Biblical examples do we have that our loss of innocence is glorifying to the Lord? Allow me to provide two examples for you to consider.
First, look at King David. As a boy, he was not deemed worthy to fight so he was merely able to deliver food to his brothers on the front lines. But the Biblical account in 1 Samuel 17 states that when the boy David saw and heard Goliath taunting the nation of Israel, he burned with a righteous anger that ended with him not only killing another man (major loss of innocence) but even cutting off his head (really major loss of innocence). However, the actions that led to David’s loss of innocence led the nation of Israel to a major victory that day. But how was David prepared for such a traumatic event in his young life? What could cause a boy, not worthy to “fight” to take the lead and be willing to sacrifice all for his nation and God? The answer can be found in David’s answer to King Saul when he said, “…your servant (a boy) has fought and killed the lion and the bear.” A shepherd boy fighting a lion and a bear? The text even records that David literally ripped his lambs from the mouths of these beasts. What were his weapons? A stick? A knife? His bare hands? Additionally, throughout his early life, David had been sleeping outside; He was a shepherd after all. He was rained on and cold. He lived with sheep in blistering heat. He dealt with fears of inadequacy and being alone; fears of failure and fears of death.
But instead of being excuses for failure, these experiences actually built his faith in the one true God. Throughout his childhood the Lord never left David or forsook him. In David’s weakness, the Lord was his strength. When he was fearful and alone, David prayed and cried out to God and he answered his prayers and filled David with His presence. All of these experiences prepared David not only for the day he faced Goliath, but for years of being on the run from Saul, leading men into combat, fighting his many battles, writing Psalms, and ultimately drawing the plans for the future temple. David had his many faults mind you but his upbringing and resulting actions in adulthood were enough for him to be characterized as “a man after God’s own heart. “ His loss of innocence brought glory to the Lord.
But what about losing intellectual or spiritual innocence? The lives of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah provide us with good examples. Here are four boys, opposites of David in many ways. These boys are city kids so to speak, growing up in the upper class with everything a kid could want. But when tragedy strikes (the sacking of Jerusalem, possible murder of their families, and being kidnapped to Babylon-all major losses of innocence) these “softies” stood strong. Though in the care of Babylon’s Royal “DFS”, they did not submit to the pagan culture or give in to worshiping the foreign gods surrounding them. Interestingly, unlike most individuals who became slaves when they were captured after battle, these boys went on to enjoy even more opulence than they had experienced in Jerusalem. They were to be trained to be servants of the king; high government officials with the best of all food, women, and influence (true worldly power).
The biblical record in Daniel Chapter 1 states that there were many boys (hundreds?) from the twelve tribes who were selected for this training and royal treatment but only Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah stood strong against the culture. Beginning with the simplest issue (food) the “fab four” found a way to shrewdly resist and stand against not only culture, but a direct order from the king himself. They did not eat the food (it was not kosher) or drink the wine. Rather they subjected themselves to merely vegetables and drinking water. I would dare say that both leadership and peer pressure against the four was strong; not only was the King’s “program manager” against it, but surely the other Jewish youths who were eating the King’s food were applying pressure (“What are you doing; do you want to get us all killed? Just do it; everyone else is eating--and the food is quite good…”). As we know the story records that these four were successful in their bid to honor the Lord and were even promoted above the others in the royal class. Their personal and collective loss of innocence prepared them to respond in obedience to the Lord when three of them refused to bow to an idol of gold (“…even if the Lord does not rescue us, we will not bow.”) and when Daniel continued to pray to the Lord in spite of a law set expressly against it. Most importantly, the loss of innocence in the lives of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah demonstrate how our young people are to live in a culture completely set against Jehovah God. Their example also shows us how to, not only stand strong in the culture, but how to thrive and become influencers of society for the Glory of Jesus Christ. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah’s loss of innocence provide us with an excellent example of how to prepare today’s youth to live the entirety of their lives in a foreign culture and honor the Lord until their death.
As I write this now I am sitting at a guest house in Entebbe, Uganda. Last week I escorted a Fusion team of 18 year old “kids” into Southern Sudan to a small village bordering DRC for the purpose of sharing the Gospel and ministering to victims of Joseph Koney’s Lord’s Resistance Army; child soldiers who have also lost their innocence with hellish results. This type of work is not for children or adolescents. It is not the mission trip that most churches or BSM’s want to undertake (nor would I recommend). But these young people have been prepared. They spent four months of their lives preparing for this responsibility. They have earned it. Already these young people have won lost Congolese to Christ. Their loss of innocence in this place has only begun; four months in the Devil’s back yard will certainly be a trying-and life changing experience. Similarly, their brothers planting churches in a Muslim province of India are certainly encountering similar circumstances. Can you believe it? There are four eighteen year old church planters led by a 20 year old with the goal of planting a church in four months the heart of militant Islam. But they have been prepared; they have earned the right to be there; even if they fail. Yes I am convinced that we as parents, leaders and influencers of the Most High God must re-examine how we prepare our youth for their inevitable loss of innocence as they journey into adulthood. This is but one aspect of equipping today’s adolescents for a lifetime journey with Jesus, but an important one none the less. As our children lose their innocence at earlier and earlier ages, it is imperative that we guide them through this process and give them some seriously biblical, no nonsense, practical ways to handle this loss. If we don’t, well, just look around you…
I welcome your thoughts and comments.
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