This year we've seen some exciting growth in our youth ministry, not only has our group grown considerably but just before Christmas we were blessed with a number of very clear testimonies. Many of these kids have grown up in Christian homes, but despite having heard a lot of teaching from a young age they were somehow unable to connect the dots. Through our systematic teaching through Romans, going back through the chronological story of how God restored the relationship to Man, and then cementing some the principle of justification AND SANCTIFICATION by faith ALONE through a study of Galatians, we've seen many of these kids come to a clear understanding of the gospel. Our focus since has been on the application of these truths in our lives, and how we are responsible to share them with those around us.
A while back we asked the kids to do a little survey amongst their social circle by asking "how can man come to God? Or by what criteria is man accepted by God?" The answers, although predictable, were very sobering. There was no real difference between the various religions, and ALL the people asked listed a number of "works" that man must do....ranging from church attendance to baptism and respecting their parents. Some of the people asked were teachers at Christian schools, others were pastors or seminary students. It's so sad to see how this world has managed to obscure the gospel of complete and utter dependence on what Christ has done for us on the cross. God looked at what Jesus did on the cross, and He was FULLY satisfied (Rom 3:24-25). Man had no part in it at ALL! We got into this mess because of acting independently of God, and now we're daft enough to try to fix it independently of God.
So, that is our challenge. Help the local church reconnect the dots by presenting a "big picture" narrative of scripture and a clear gospel message. And maybe more importantly, disciple those who can more efficiently share this wonderful truth with those who still haven't heard.
A while back we asked the kids to do a little survey amongst their social circle by asking "how can man come to God? Or by what criteria is man accepted by God?" The answers, although predictable, were very sobering. There was no real difference between the various religions, and ALL the people asked listed a number of "works" that man must do....ranging from church attendance to baptism and respecting their parents. Some of the people asked were teachers at Christian schools, others were pastors or seminary students. It's so sad to see how this world has managed to obscure the gospel of complete and utter dependence on what Christ has done for us on the cross. God looked at what Jesus did on the cross, and He was FULLY satisfied (Rom 3:24-25). Man had no part in it at ALL! We got into this mess because of acting independently of God, and now we're daft enough to try to fix it independently of God.
So, that is our challenge. Help the local church reconnect the dots by presenting a "big picture" narrative of scripture and a clear gospel message. And maybe more importantly, disciple those who can more efficiently share this wonderful truth with those who still haven't heard.