Was reading my Youth book last night and the Chapter was on Teaching. I came across a saying that said that Youth learn more from what is "Caught, and not what is taught." It said that, even when you don't think anybody is watching, youth are.
In Matthew 23 Jesus talks about saying and not doing. Jesus speaks on how the Pharisees preach but do not practice. I was thinking about how I am acting around the Middle School group and hope that I am always acting in a honorable way. I pray that the group sees the best in me and that I am always acting on what I teach.
When I read this quote about what the youth "catch" I thought to myself about how much they see and hear from the leaders. How can we be better youth leaders? By what we teach them in Sunday school and in Small groups? NO! The youth will listen to what we teach them and might be able to remember it when a circumstance comes around, but what they learn more from is the way Leaders act in a paticular situation. They learn from example. We need to remember that these kids are always watching us to be a good example to them. They learn what is right and wrong from their spiritual guidance counselors.
I love that I have been given by God the gift of love towards the Middle School group, but it is a HUGE responsibility of any youth leader to remember that wherever you are, whatever you are doing, you are being watched.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Witnessing
"Being an extrovert isn't essential to evangelism...Obedience and love are." -Rebecca Manley Pippert
Today I am reading about the Great Commission. The Great Commission are the last words and instructions of Jesus to His apostles and to us as Christians. As I was reading, a very interesting fact came up. "In the final giving of the Great Commission, Jesus does not tell them what to do (evangelize) but what to be (witness.)
Here is the verse: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the Earth." (Acts 1:8 NKJV)
Jesus never said to go out and evangelize, He said to go out and be witnesses. People often say; "Well, he was speaking to the apostles here, right? I mean, I am just an ordinary person, not a preacher or evangelist." But I like to point out the last point of this verse, and I know Jesus was looking right into our eyes when he said the last part; "...and to the ends of the Earth."
Do you know that in the legal sense, the word witness means "telling what you have seen and heard with consuming passion." It is from the Greek word "martus" which is where we get our word for martyr. We should be delighted and ecstatic on telling the word of God, and go so far as dying to do it. God told us to be witnesses to people. Through our actions, our words, our ways.
Tell what you have heard people. Show people what you have experienced. When you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you might have gone through an emotional experience, or maybe not. Not everybody shows emotion after becoming a Christian, but I do know one thing you experienced...the entering of the Holy Spirit. Everybody feels it when they become a Christian. Why not share this with everybody? Why do we not go out and PROCLAIM from the mountain tops what we have done?
My goal is to be a "witness" for God through my actions and my words. God has called me to be a witness in Acts 1:8 and I want to be obedient to Him.
-James
Today I am reading about the Great Commission. The Great Commission are the last words and instructions of Jesus to His apostles and to us as Christians. As I was reading, a very interesting fact came up. "In the final giving of the Great Commission, Jesus does not tell them what to do (evangelize) but what to be (witness.)
Here is the verse: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the Earth." (Acts 1:8 NKJV)
Jesus never said to go out and evangelize, He said to go out and be witnesses. People often say; "Well, he was speaking to the apostles here, right? I mean, I am just an ordinary person, not a preacher or evangelist." But I like to point out the last point of this verse, and I know Jesus was looking right into our eyes when he said the last part; "...and to the ends of the Earth."
Do you know that in the legal sense, the word witness means "telling what you have seen and heard with consuming passion." It is from the Greek word "martus" which is where we get our word for martyr. We should be delighted and ecstatic on telling the word of God, and go so far as dying to do it. God told us to be witnesses to people. Through our actions, our words, our ways.
Tell what you have heard people. Show people what you have experienced. When you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you might have gone through an emotional experience, or maybe not. Not everybody shows emotion after becoming a Christian, but I do know one thing you experienced...the entering of the Holy Spirit. Everybody feels it when they become a Christian. Why not share this with everybody? Why do we not go out and PROCLAIM from the mountain tops what we have done?
My goal is to be a "witness" for God through my actions and my words. God has called me to be a witness in Acts 1:8 and I want to be obedient to Him.
-James
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
True Happiness
This week I am starting my next 2 classes: Evangelism and Youth Ministry! I am extremely excited to start these next 2 classes, and I am just happy that I don't have to take any more math. One of my assignments for Evangelism is to Witness to a unbeliever and write about the experience and outcome. One of my assignments for Youth is to go to a Youth secular "hot-spot" and write about their interaction and the experience. I am SOOOOO excited to get started with these classes.
While beginning to read through my evangelism course, I read a sentence that says: "Deep happiness never comes through focusing on yourself. It is the result of living a life centered on God and directed toward others." Reading through this I think to myself if I am directing my life toward others. God has placed me in a secular workplace for a reason, and am I placing my direction in the right place or am I doing what I need to do to squeak by?
Also, I am wondering to myself the last time I have led someone to the Lord. It has been such a long time. It is the most awesome feeling when you get to lead someone to the Lord. You feel exhilerated, joyous and excited. The Bible even says in Luke 15:10 that the angels rejoice when one sinner has repented. I want to feel that happiness and rejoicing again.
Where is my focus? What direction am I going and how can I change that direction to better other peoples lives? My prayer is that my focus will change to other people. Less about me and more about the people around me. Where is your focus? Where is your direction?
-James
While beginning to read through my evangelism course, I read a sentence that says: "Deep happiness never comes through focusing on yourself. It is the result of living a life centered on God and directed toward others." Reading through this I think to myself if I am directing my life toward others. God has placed me in a secular workplace for a reason, and am I placing my direction in the right place or am I doing what I need to do to squeak by?
Also, I am wondering to myself the last time I have led someone to the Lord. It has been such a long time. It is the most awesome feeling when you get to lead someone to the Lord. You feel exhilerated, joyous and excited. The Bible even says in Luke 15:10 that the angels rejoice when one sinner has repented. I want to feel that happiness and rejoicing again.
Where is my focus? What direction am I going and how can I change that direction to better other peoples lives? My prayer is that my focus will change to other people. Less about me and more about the people around me. Where is your focus? Where is your direction?
-James
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Dross
As I am reading in my Old Testament Survey book, I come across the story of Ezekiel. Ezekiel and Jeremiah are such sad stories because it tells of the history of the failing Jerusalem. God tries and tries again to have His people repent of their sins, stop worshiping false idols and give themselves to Him, but they don't listen. They even get captured, put into captivity and die before the listen to God's prophets.
I was reading about Ezekiel and right before God's judgement on Judah, he presents 3 oracles to the people. One of those speaks of "dross." Now, for you machine and metal workers, you probably know what this is. Dross is the material that is in metal and floats to the top when you are refining metal, to make the metal pure metal. The dross is all the material that is lighter and unpure, and it floats to the top. It is worth nothing and gets skimmed out and thrown away.
Ezekiel told the people that as God refined His people that he found a lot of spiritual dross in their lives. He would remove it through the fires of judgment. This got me thinking about my own spiritual dross. What are the unpure things in my life that I need to remove and let God throw away in my life?
Unlike that time, God has given us direct access to Him through Jesus Christ. We can come to God, and He will remove the spiritual dross from our lives, as long as we repent and mean it. We need to repent and let God remove all the spiritual dross in our lives so that we can be more pure and serve Him with a pure heart!
Will you let God refine you and remove the spiritual dross in your lives, or will you serve the Lord your God with an unpure heart?
I was reading about Ezekiel and right before God's judgement on Judah, he presents 3 oracles to the people. One of those speaks of "dross." Now, for you machine and metal workers, you probably know what this is. Dross is the material that is in metal and floats to the top when you are refining metal, to make the metal pure metal. The dross is all the material that is lighter and unpure, and it floats to the top. It is worth nothing and gets skimmed out and thrown away.
Ezekiel told the people that as God refined His people that he found a lot of spiritual dross in their lives. He would remove it through the fires of judgment. This got me thinking about my own spiritual dross. What are the unpure things in my life that I need to remove and let God throw away in my life?
Unlike that time, God has given us direct access to Him through Jesus Christ. We can come to God, and He will remove the spiritual dross from our lives, as long as we repent and mean it. We need to repent and let God remove all the spiritual dross in our lives so that we can be more pure and serve Him with a pure heart!
Will you let God refine you and remove the spiritual dross in your lives, or will you serve the Lord your God with an unpure heart?
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