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Student Ministry - July 2022

How does one change the world? Most people I know would say that they hope their life and work makes an impact on the world. They want to make the world a better place. Even people with extremely divergent opinions on most matters in life have the common desire to make things better. But how one goes about doing that and what “better” really means is where the difficulty lies. As Christians, how would we answer that question? How does a Christian change the world and make it better?

As we read scripture, we see that Jesus came into the world because He knew it was broken and in need of fixing. Sin is the ultimate cause of this brokenness, and its symptoms are wide and varied. Some words that scripture uses to describe the brokenness Jesus saw are “distressed and dispirited” (Matt. 9:36). People are still distressed and dispirited in the world today. They are oppressed and crushed by the sins of others as well as their own sins. They are lost without a shepherd, and many think they don’t need one. Jesus’ response is what we need to consider as Christians. Jesus responded with compassion and a commission (Matt. 9:37-38, 28:18-20, John 4:34-38). He feels for the lost in this world (something for which we should all be personally thankful), and He told His disciples to do something about it!

Of course, we know that His life, death, and resurrection is what saves us from our sins and the disappointments of this world. The Bible calls this the gospel. Surprisingly, Jesus has chosen to make this news known to people through His disciples. If you call yourself a Christian, then that means you! You are someone He has called to go into the field of the world, sow the seed of the gospel, and reap the harvest of souls coming to know Him as their personal Savior. We must remember what Jesus said about this call so we can faithfully fulfill His command.

Here are 4 things Jesus tells us about the task we have been given:

1) A lot of people need the gospel (Matt. 9:37). The harvest is large. There are a lot of people who need to hear the gospel and be saved from their sins and the  disappointments of this world (what an understatement!). Do we know this and feel this?

2) A lot of people are ready for the gospel (John 4:35). The harvest is ripe. There are many people who are ready and eager to hear the message of the gospel and be saved from their sins and disappointments of this world. Do we believe this?

3) We need more people to proclaim the gospel (Matt. 9:37-38). There are not a lot of harvesters. There were not many people ready and able to proclaim the gospel and point people to Christ in that day. And by comparison of the numbers of people living now, there are still not very many people ready and able to proclaim the gospel and point people to Christ to be saved from their sins and the disappointments of this world. Are we moved by this?

4) We need to be faithful to the work of the gospel (John 4:36-38). Working in the field of the harvest means sometimes you reap, sometimes you sow. Sometimes you are just telling people the gospel and they couldn’t care less. Sometimes you are telling people the gospel and they receive and believe immediately. You don’t know what part of God’s work in that person’s heart you are playing, but it doesn’t matter. It is all God’s harvest for God’s glory. How amazing is it that we get to be a part! Will we faithfully obey?

My prayer is that every genuine disciple of Christ would take what our Savior said to heart and respond with a desire to live in loving and faithful obedience to Him who first loved us! We have a job to do and a world to change. All we need to do is live and share the gospel and encourage and equip others to do the same. Let’s get to it!

Student Ministry - June 2022

June is one of my favorite months of the year. It is the beginning of the summer, so there is much excitement and expectation that comes with it. June means school is out, good times are here, and vacation is probably just around the corner! For the church it means that we are in the final preparation for camps, VBS, and mission trips. Either way you look at it, June marks a huge change in the year. And while many things change in the month of June, one thing that should never change is our prioritization of God and His people.

So how do you prioritize God and His people when you are at the beach, on the lake, in the mountains, at the ballfield, dropping kids off for camp? …the list goes on. This can feel a little overwhelming. I hope to simplify things by giving you four goals to help you keep God and His people at the top of your priority list:

#1 Plan with church in mind. Vacations are great! If you are able to go on vacation, then praise the Lord and go enjoy yourself! But don’t forget about your church family or the fact that you are still living your vacation for the Lord. It is not wrong to miss a Sunday at church, but the question is do you have to miss it, and how many do you have to miss? Maybe vacation doesn’t have to take you away from church for several weeks. Maybe it does! The main thing is just to think and pray about it before you impulsively book the trip. And if you are away from your home church, plan to visit a church where you are vacationing. It can be a great blessing to visit a Bible-believing church away from home.

#2 Make time for God. When you are busy with all the activities of the summer, it can be easy for time with God to take a back seat. But there is no real reason spending time with God has to stop when you are on vacation or running from one fun event to another. We just have to make sure to take into account the summer rhythms of life and plan time with God into them. One of my favorite memories is doing family Bible study together at the beach. It didn’t take long, and I actually felt like I appreciated the beauty of where we were after spending time with the One who created it. To do this you must literally make time with God a part of your itinerary, and you will see just how fulfilling the summer can truly be.

#3 Look for teaching moments. There are countless interactions you will have with your kids or grandkids during the summer. Not every single moment has to be forced into a lecture, but there will be some moments on which we simply must capitalize. So, look for those moments. Be ready while you are fishing, driving, packing, playing… you never know when a meaningful conversation will take place. Most often the best conversations are unplanned and happen at the most random times.

#4 Slow down. Summer does not have to be as busy as we make it. So often people claim to love the summer months, but do we even slow down enough to enjoy them? Don’t misunderstand me. We should make the most of the time we’ve been given. But trying to cram too much into that time can be wasteful as well. Let’s try to take it a little easier and actually enjoy this summer. Less really can be more.

These four goals really come down to one simple truth. All we have to do is continue to keep God first and think of others before ourselves. If we can do that, then we will have a fulfilling summer… and a fulfilling life!