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Student Ministry - May 2021

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Dear Church Family,

Is freedom a Christian virtue? Most people would agree that freedom is a good thing that one should strive for and protect. But is freedom something we as Christians should hold as a necessary reality for our lives? You might be surprised to hear that for many people today this is a difficult question to answer. Some might say that freedom is simply a cultural value. Many people of the younger generation are willing to trade freedom for safety. Don’t worry, this is not a political conversation, but because of the reality experienced by many people today (especially the younger generation) we have to ask this question: does Christianity value freedom? 

The answer is an emphatic YES! To be Christian is to be free. Now, this does not mean that people will never try to force us to act against our freedom. It doesn’t mean that we will never suffer for the sake of our freedom. It does mean, however, that while people will push vigorously against our freedom, they can never take away our freedom. But what freedom are we talking about? We know Christians have been imprisoned and enslaved for millennia, so in what way are we immutably free? We are free in the most significant way. We are free to live according to the truth. We are free from things like the fear of man and the fear of failure. We are free from performance driven lives. All of this is true because of the ultimate freedom we have; freedom from sin and the result of sin.

Listen to what Jesus says about the freedom He gives to those who trust in Him in John 8:31-36:
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. 

Here Jesus is telling us that everyone is a slave to sin, and that He is the only one who can give us freedom. This means that freedom isn’t just a virtue of Christianity, but that Christ is in fact the only source of freedom at all. Without Jesus, all other freedoms in life are nullified by mankind’s slavery to sin. We have to understand that real freedom is only attained in Christ. This is true because in Jesus, no weapon can defeat us, and even our own failures have been overcome. Sin is no longer our master, and death itself cannot separate us from our freedom to live.

This means I don’t have to cave to peer pressure. I don’t have to give in to lust. I don’t have to bow down to cultural idols. I don’t have to compete with the Jones family. I don’t need to have the nicest newest things. I am so free that I don’t need anything, because I have what I need the most, Jesus. And in this, we are not isolated and enslaved to selfishness. Paul reminds us that this freedom does not lead back to sin when he says, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Gal. 5:13). In Christ, we are free from only loving and protecting ourselves, and now we can love God and love each other without fear.

This is the freedom that the world needs. We have the key to their freedom. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ. We just need to share this amazing truth and boldly let freedom ring.

Posted by Brian Van Doren with
in Students, Newsletter

Student Ministry - April 2021

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Dear Church Family,

Recently I was asked by one of our students what to think about the fact that their friends say they believe in Jesus, but also affirm the idea that people should be able to live however they want. This is specifically related to the LGBTQ+ lifestyle. This is a normal question that our students and even elementary students have to grapple with at school. It is a question that we cannot avoid. It is a reality that is going to confront Christians at every turn, and has begun attacking Christian schools, universities, and organizations. How should we respond when the world expects us to get in line with its philosophies of gender and sexuality norms?

The answer to that question really depends on a few things. The main thing it depends on is who you want to please. There are only two options to choose from when it comes to being pleasing. You can either be pleasing to men or pleasing to God. You can either serve the world, or you can serve God. They are mutually exclusive. But isn’t that exactly what the world disagrees with? They think you can serve both God and men. But that is not what God says. In James 4:4 He clearly states: “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” So if you want to please men, then all you need to do is agree with them and disagree with God. It is pretty simple, but it has dire consequences.

I think that deep down inside, people know they shouldn’t agree with the philosophies of the world. That is why the decision to adopt an LGBTQ+, or any other sinful lifestyle, usually takes some time and serious consideration. Sometimes, though, it is only a difficult decision because they have a hard time deciding which people to please. But what about people who don’t care about pleasing men, but rather want to please God? How do we respond to the pressure of the world to conform to their ideals? The Bible is really helpful with this (shocker). Romans 12 says to us “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” If you want to please God, the only way to do that is by letting Him transform you by the Word in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We go to Jesus just as we are, sin and all. But Jesus changes us and transforms our thoughts and way of life. This is what the world just can’t stand.

This is not a belligerent take at the LGBTQ+ community or anything like that. This is just where our students live. They are constantly bombarded by these questions, and they need answers. This is simply a statement of non-conformity to the status quo. I’ve been bullied a lot before as I was growing up, and I expect to be pushed around as a Christian adult too. But that is just going to make me more non-conformist and more gospel transformist. If this is where our students live, then we must help them reject and stand up to the bullying of the world. We must help them go to Jesus in the Word and be transformed in their minds. We must help them understand what God says is right versus what people think is right. And we must pray that God would soften their hearts to believe Him and desire to please Him instead of the world. And this we must do all with the right attitude. So my prayer is that God would transform us to be like Jesus. That we would take hard stands against His enemies, all while loving them and desiring them to turn and be saved.

Posted by Brian Van Doren with

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