It’s been an interesting past week and a half spiritually. God is really getting ready to do some great things in our youth group, and we need to prepare for it!!!
Last night while Pastor Tyler and I were riding in my car, we had a good conversation about how I am doing spiritually, and also about the current state of affairs in the youth group. Satan has been really coming against me over the last week and a half, and I’ll admit that I haven’t done the best job in resisting him as the Bible says to do. Not that I went out and committed some grave sin or something but I just let the devil play with my mind a little more than he needs to. After I told him this, he said that if I ever needed help spiritually, to just let him know and he will do what he can to help, pray, etc.
This was a huge encouragement for me. It spoke of something that, for me, had been lacking severely in the youth group — accountability. People we need to be accountable to one another, bear one another’s burdens as the Bible says to do in Galatians 6:2, pray for each other, and minister to each other so that we can become stronger in the faith.
All of the above requires an intense amount of commitment, prayer, courage and especially getting out of our comfort zones. It’s not easy to admit to your peers that you’re struggling, and it definitely wasn’t easy for me to tell Tyler last night. But that is where God expects each of us to step out of where we’re comfortable and minister to one another. Accountability is key…if we have no one checking up on how we’re doing spiritually on occasion, we tend to falter and struggle in our faith.
Another thing that has been laid on my heart is the fact that we have lost many people who were a core part of our youth group at one time. It’s their choice not to attend, but it’s our fault for letting them go and not keeping in touch with them. As the church and part of the body of Christ, it is the bare minimum requirement for us to simply stay in touch with those who are not with us physically. Many of us have not been doing that and we need to once again get out of our comfort zone, and minister to our hurting fellow youth. So many of us are set back by petty personal issues that we refuse to join our brothers and sisters at the place we need to be the most. It’s high time that we let go and let God fight our battles for us…life is MUCH easier when we do.
Notice a recurring theme? I’ve repeatedly used the phrase “step out of our comfort zone” throughout this post. It sounds cliche, but if we don’t go where we are uncomfortable and reach out to others, our faith can grow stagnant because we’re not doing anything that challenges us. We miss opportunites to genuinely reach out and be Jesus to our peers. We suffer every time we walk through the church doors because we go home the same way we came in. Jesus wants so much more from us, and it’s time we lived up to what he expects and desires! We’re all in this together.
As an example, when I was in Iraq on a mission in central Baghdad, we heard a thunderous boom not far away…a car bomb had exploded, killing and injuring many in the street and shops nearby. Reports that we read and watched later said that the suicide bomber was a Muslim extremist, killing himself and meeting his eternal destiny because he was so passionate about the belief that Allah wanted him to kill infidels and take him to “heaven.” That instantly got me to thinking, if these terrorists are so passionate about their faith, they put most Christians to shame.
It’s true. These people will give their lives, sadly, for a cause that is less than honorable, yet many of us are scared to proclaim the name of Jesus to the very people we hang out with. It boggles my mind and I’m sure it hurts the Father’s heart to know that we aren’t going about His business with everything that we have within us.
So I offer this challenge…let’s be “Christian extremists.” Let’s be so bold with our faith that people can’t help but notice. Let’s get our youth group clicking on all cylinders, and let’s make the song we sing “I took back what the devil stole from me” more than just simple words we repeat over and over. Each one of us is an integral part of the ministry, the new beginnings at Lakeside Church. Let’s catch the vision in our youth group and go places we’ve never gone before!!!
Folks I am tired of seeing my friends struggling as Christians, and it’s high time that we all
Hey, Chris:
Here are my observations - my 2 cents as it were! You cannot hold someone accountable that does not want to be transparent. Those that want accountability tend to come on a fairly regular basis, and when they cannot it is not because they just chose not to. In other words, they want to be around the things of God and are willing to be transparent with others. God alone knows the heart reason, and I don’t want to make that my business in the least! You don’t have to be there every time the door is opened to be committed and going about the Father’s business. However, the accountability truly starts with people who want to be held accountable. I have approached people that I feel very close to, to attempt to talk about their spiritual walk and hit a brick wall. Not only that, but you get the “God and me are great, I’m in my Bible every day and praying every day,” and all along I know it’s highly unlikely because there is no evidence of the Word working in their lives. You have to want to be held accountable to do it. I have poked, prodded, called, e-mailed, dropped off cards and letters to those that have left, and largely to no avail. While I will continue to keep up with some of them, I am not chasing people down any longer. My passion is not quite as heavy with those that choose not to serve the Lord any longer, or who want to be judgmental about the church and say they are doing this wrong or doing that wrong, and that is why I am not plugged in any more. God knows if that is what I based my spiritual walk on, I wouldn’t have one because there is always something lacking depending on who is doing the scrutinizing. I, for one, have tremendous accountability with those at Life Group because they see all my vulnerabilities and transparencies. They don’t judge me, and I feel like I am on a level playing field with anyone digging into the Word. So the accountability is there, people just have to show up and want to be held accountable. There is a group of youth that HAS banded together, that is fervently praying for others (went through a list on Sunday night!) They/we are and have been attempting to hold people accountable, and I believe “are going about the Father’s business (and have been for many months) with everything that we have within us.” My passion is growing for those that don’t know Jesus at all. I DO know that both groups are important, and will continue to do what I can. As passionate as I am about Jesus and his living Word, I know there are people that will not hop onto that wagon unless they are willing to let the Holy Spirit into a crack in the wall. It sounds like you have your passion back, Chris! Romans 12:2 - Le’ts keep allowing the Word to transform our minds - what a journey!!!!!
Thanks for the reply Barbara!!! Very good points.
I agree with your viewpoint about contacting the youth. As leaders in the church, we can call and try to get them to come back until we are blue in the face, but I told Tyler last night and I stand by this, that it’s going to have to be the youth themselves that welcome those who are lost back into the fold. You also hit it right on the head…we can’t base our spiritual walk on what others do or circumstances around us. The Word says, and thanks to Donna Daniels for bringing this up in a conversation I had with her the other day, that we need to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. That means it’s between us and God…so many youth don’t realize that and rely on their friendships and relationships to define God’s goodness for them. It’s so sad.
I guess I should sorta rephrase my accountability quote. I would like to see individual, one on one accountability. It’s very easy to be accountable to one another in a group environment where the focus is on the Lord, but from my experience, it’s so much tougher (yet somewhat more rewarding in a lot of instances) than in a group. I think the Lord’s calling us all to serve Him especially in places where it’s not easy. We’re getting there and it’s great to see.
P.S. Let’s get the church to purchase some video equipment. It’s time to make some videos.
Man, I would love to put out some videos - how would we market it, or (I’m not even knowledgeable enough to know what to ask!), I guess I mean, how would we get it out to our impact group? PS: You are 100% right in that some rely on their friendships and relationships to define God’s goodness for them. Then when they don’t have the friendship any more than all of a sudden God gets blasted or left behind. Ugh! At that point the “men are separated from the boys,” and they either start digging into their relationship with God themselves or realize it takes effort and they stop and call it quits. Very frustrating!
I see what you are saying about accountibility chris, John and Barbara, I have asked barb if I can be accountable to her (one on one) I was trying to jumpstart my spiritual walk and then Barb gave me the devotional bible reading guide, she would start asking me at church if I had been reading and i would tell her, then as I started reading, I would start thinking about what I was reading and wanted a place to put them down and that’s how by the lake side got started, at first i was gonna name it my accountibility report. But the whole purpose was to get people talking. There was a reason that you were concerned about the youth not being there, because inside your spirit christ is concerned about it. Like I told you if you see a need or God gives you an idea, Don’t wait for someone else to do it, you step up to the plate, Tell tyler or pastor Rick your ideas and if they give the go ahead you get er dun!!!
John…see, it’s the fault of those who have left in part because they have turned their backs on the Lord and the church. But it’s also our fault for not making a greater effort to bring them back without judging them or condemning them. I see us making progress in that instance though, and we will continue to get better with the Lord’s help.
Donna, great thoughts as well. Another thought with the accountability thing is that we can NOT be so scared to offend our brothers and sisters, that we do not Biblically rebuke them and show them what is wrong according to the Word, then admonish them and build them up such as Christ did. We can correct and help along our brothers and sisters in Christ without passing judgment, there is a fine line between judging someone and simply correcting them in love according to the Spirit.
How timely that this was brought up on Jude 2 today…
“______ said that he didn’t go to church anymore because people there were mean. (Well, cruel is actually the word he used.)
I told him that was simply an excuse. He doesn’t go because he doesn’t want to go.
In pastoring I have learned this simple fact. People that don’t go to church will use this excuse because it places the wrong in not going on someone other than themselves. “It’s the people, pastor, leadership, praise and worship team, fill in the blank, that keep me from going.”
This is hogwash and this pastor’s wife is fed up with the excuse. Not all church people are mean. I have found some of the most caring people in the world in church. They love me and treat me better than members of my own family. I have heard testimony after testimony how church people have become family to people.
To say, I don’t go because people are mean is lame and ludicrous.
People are mean at the grocery store, but I still shop there. I need the food.
People are mean at work, but I still put my time in there. I need the paycheck.
People are mean at Wal-Mart, but I still know the greeter’s face by heart. I need shampoo and toothpaste.
People are mean in my family, but I still attend weddings, funerals, and reunions. I need the reality check.
People are mean in the world, but I still go out and play. I like to live.
Yes, people are mean in church because people in general are mean, but I still go. I need the food, the blessings, the energy, the sermons, the singing, the children’s voices as they quote the scriptures, the fellowship, and the love.
People being mean does not stop me from doing what I want to do.
What I do is about who I am, not about who others are.”
Chris, I said this on my blog site before and Pastor Rick taught on it. Yes it is great to have friends at church,and for a time help the weak christians and new brothers/sisters in christ, but after a time, they have to start learning to walk on their own, they can’t be carried their whole lives, it happened to me, I rode on the coat tails of my best friend my mentor, my spiritual father. Yea I have some great memories of williamsburg Penacostal Church and I did pick up some things along the way. But, when I moved to va. and a new church Yes lakeside is love, But, lakeside taught me I need to start walking, I was getting to big to be carried and when i started learning about Jesus for myself instead of what everyone else was spoon feeding me. It became more of an adventure(one that has just actually started) so see I did it for most of my christian walk yea the feeling is great. But, it’s more fun now to find out who Jesus is myself.
Debbie–
I have to agree more with the reply made by another poster on the same Jude 2 topic concerning not going to church because of people being mean, and this hits it squarely on the head…
There are people who have stopped getting their groceries and toothpaste at certain stores.
There are churches I would not go to for various reasons– doctrines, and yes mean snotty judgemental attitudes would keep me away.
Meanness at church is different from meaness in rhe world. Church should be a love center while the world is the province of the father of lies and hatred.
What was said maybe an excuse by some, but it may be a reason for others. I have known people who stopped going to a church or almost any church, because of the hurt and continued judgement they received. I have seen times, I think I would have made the same decision they did.
There have also been times when it was concerning doctrinal issues. They seemed to me to have a choice–leave or get in a debate fight.
I will say again, I think your basic premise is good. However, when the pain of attending church is greater than the joy, it is hard to want to go. Some are strong enough to overcome, some are even strong enough to have singing, prayer, worship, ect at home are among a net work of people who do love them. That brings up the question of what is a church?
Some people just do not want to carry the hurt anymore and are trying to cope by something called disassociation. It does not work, because God remains married to them, and the church is body. The hand needs the eye.
Wow Chris this really touched me!! Do you mind if I share this down the road? It may be just the gateway to opening up an avenue for God to come in and heal some hearts.
Yeah go for it man. That’s why I titled it an “open letter.”
Yep, that was a good response too, Chris (and so is Brenda’s in response to that one). I’m not sure what he is saying here: “Some people just do not want to carry the hurt anymore and are trying to cope by something called disassociation. It does not work, because God remains married to them, and the church is body. The hand needs the eye.” Is he saying it’s okay not to attend church because God is going to be with him anyway? If you’ve done all you can with God’s help to get over the offense and restoration is impossible, then maybe God wants you to go to a different church. He may need you to do a work elsewhere. And I also think there will be “mean” people in the next church. All of this is no excuse for Christians to be the cause of offenses either. We need to pray daily that we are not the ones causing offenses and for God to convict us when we do, so we will know to go and make things right with our brother or sister. I think the other posts here are correct, too, and sometimes it won’t matter what you do - people are going to be offended in whatever church they go to and they need to grow up and stop waiting for everyone to beg them to come to church. (Now that’s carnal) I still don’t think it will cut it in the end if you totally give up on church. Granted, there may be a time in between finding a new one where you are having a wilderness experience, but I think if you are a true Christian, you’ll be back in church. Can you hear God asking on judgment day, “So why didn’t you attend church and worship me with my children?” Do you think a response of “Because So and So did this” or “So and So did that” will cut it? I don’t think so; we are each accountable for ourselves. Okay, I’m done now.
This is such a great discussion. I think we’re all in agreement on two points: just like Debbie said it, and hit it right on the head…we as Christians should not cause offenses to anyone in the church, yet people who are part of the church should not be so offended if something happens, that they forsake the church altogether.
Now what about accountability??? How does iron sharpen iron and we all get stronger??? Not talking about in a group, but I’m talking one-on-one, heart to heart.
Okay, I’ll post the 13th comment…
ACCOUNTABILITY??? ONE ON ONE??? HEART TO HEART??? Guess that killed this discussion…we must need a mediator! Too often, even as christians, we aren’t willing to do that. It is written somewhere “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall”. Isn’t that what happens when we don’t follow the Holy Spirit and make things right? Proverbs 16 is excellent instruction.