Friday, February 18, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Don't Give Up On Struggling Teens
Have you had a student come through your church’s youth group, graduate, and not mature spiritually the way you hoped? It seems no matter how we pray, labor, plan, or serve—there are some that graduate and drift spiritually.
What about trying to help a struggling youth, only to feel like you’re spinning your wheels? Gauging by the immediate response or lack of change, you would guess your influence was zero. Few things in life are more frustrating and discouraging to a youth worker. These experiences make us feel like failures and scream at us to quit.
The same is true for the parents of the kids who struggle—times maybe a million! Feelings of discouragement and disappointment can be overwhelming.
But consider for a moment: How many adults in sound churches who were saved or came back to the Lord in their 20’s or 30’s? How many men surrendered their life to the Lord while they were in the military? How many mature Christians do you know that struggled during their younger years?
The reality is, as long as someone’s heart is beating, there is is still hope for them to stop drifting. When do you give up? NEVER… EVER… EVER.
God has allowed me to have worked with some adults who loved the Lord and became very passionate about living their lives for Him. Years ago these adults were teens who brought about some tearful meetings and discouragement for their parents and others. They were seriously struggling. They struggled with life issues.
Today, they are growing in God’s grace, loving Him. In every case, through their struggles, their spiritual anchor (their parents and pastor) remained in place.
After a season of drifting, many will return to the strong foundation to which you led them in the first place. Keep the big picture in focus—the long term. You might lose the battle now, after all they do have a free will. But the rest of the story hasn’t been told yet. Don’t stop praying, loving, and hoping. In time, some of those who drift will mature and return—and when they do, they should certainly find a friend in you and me!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
What Is Right Here?
5 Aspects of Right Ministry
When a string of setbacks come into our lives we seldom begin with the question, “What is right here?” The typical starting point is, “What is wrong here?” I would be the first to agree that if a series of setbacks presents a trend, then something is wrong. As we relate this to our ministry, we know that God built churches to grow. He is the architect, we are the builders by His grace, and those yet to be reached are both the materials and the beneficent of God’s work. Times like these are profoundly difficult for churches. By that, I’m not referring to the obvious, but the oft overlooked part. Many churches compromise or shift during seasons of duress. As ministry leaders, we can wrack our brains, but let us also be reminded that the basis for legitimately finding what is wrong is to begin with what is right. To meticulously walk through the mine field of growth and transition, you have to know the stepping stones where you’ll find your footing. So—what is right here?
1. Our Message
I’m not referring specifically to preaching, but to the overall thrust of our message. The Gospel is right. Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” This point seems obvious, but the tendency of many during seasons of difficulty is to grow more sensitive to the seeker, or the potential attendee. A pastor’s sensitivity must remain on the emphasis of a biblically correct message, and that begins with the Gospel. Wrapped up in the Gospel is a multitude of additional biblical teachings that work together. Our position should be biblically-based. We must remember that the Great Commission has three parts – Evangelize, Baptize, and Stabilize. All three need to be part of ministry!
2. Our Methods
Over the years, I have sought to employ a methodology that reflects the principles of the New Testament. Much has changed in 2,000 years, but the principles remain the same. Soul-winning, discipleship, teaching, and preaching will never be outmoded. We don’t need a new track in terms of our overall methodology.
3. Our Means
The means by which we do spiritual work is the Holy Spirit, but we must be servant leaders. We must enlist as many people as we possibly can in the Lord’s work because every saint should be a servant and every member should be a minister.
4. Our Motivation
This is a tricky one. We all do spiritual work in an earth suit that is prone to wander. We all want something big to happen in our ministries and to be honest, a lot of our desires are rooted in the flesh. It is simply more fun and more fulfilling when things are going well, but as we search our hearts during hard times, we find that we are driven to our knees seeking for God to work for His glory. As imperfect as we all are in this, that is the motivation that keeps us going. We’d all quit when things got tough were it not for a deeper sense of commitment to God.
5. Our Manner
Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 1:5, “For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.” By “manner” he was talking about the sort of man that he was before them. He dealt with them the right way. He wasn’t overbearing or manipulative. In fact, he cherished those he served as a mother would a young child.
When things are going good we often fail to play to our strengths. We need to get back to the basics. Tactically, there is always much to do and more to learn. But practically, we simply need to do the basics.
We all know that the definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting a different result. That is not what I’m talking about. I’m suggesting that staying true to those things that are right is an uphill battle. The old cliche is, “When all else fails, compromise.” That is our default setting in life. It takes a real commitment to stay focused on the reality that this is God’s work, and His work is to be done His way. As we strive for growth in our ministries, let us remember it all has to begin with a commitment to stick with those things that are right.
When a string of setbacks come into our lives we seldom begin with the question, “What is right here?” The typical starting point is, “What is wrong here?” I would be the first to agree that if a series of setbacks presents a trend, then something is wrong. As we relate this to our ministry, we know that God built churches to grow. He is the architect, we are the builders by His grace, and those yet to be reached are both the materials and the beneficent of God’s work. Times like these are profoundly difficult for churches. By that, I’m not referring to the obvious, but the oft overlooked part. Many churches compromise or shift during seasons of duress. As ministry leaders, we can wrack our brains, but let us also be reminded that the basis for legitimately finding what is wrong is to begin with what is right. To meticulously walk through the mine field of growth and transition, you have to know the stepping stones where you’ll find your footing. So—what is right here?1. Our Message
I’m not referring specifically to preaching, but to the overall thrust of our message. The Gospel is right. Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” This point seems obvious, but the tendency of many during seasons of difficulty is to grow more sensitive to the seeker, or the potential attendee. A pastor’s sensitivity must remain on the emphasis of a biblically correct message, and that begins with the Gospel. Wrapped up in the Gospel is a multitude of additional biblical teachings that work together. Our position should be biblically-based. We must remember that the Great Commission has three parts – Evangelize, Baptize, and Stabilize. All three need to be part of ministry!
2. Our Methods
Over the years, I have sought to employ a methodology that reflects the principles of the New Testament. Much has changed in 2,000 years, but the principles remain the same. Soul-winning, discipleship, teaching, and preaching will never be outmoded. We don’t need a new track in terms of our overall methodology.
3. Our Means
The means by which we do spiritual work is the Holy Spirit, but we must be servant leaders. We must enlist as many people as we possibly can in the Lord’s work because every saint should be a servant and every member should be a minister.
4. Our Motivation
This is a tricky one. We all do spiritual work in an earth suit that is prone to wander. We all want something big to happen in our ministries and to be honest, a lot of our desires are rooted in the flesh. It is simply more fun and more fulfilling when things are going well, but as we search our hearts during hard times, we find that we are driven to our knees seeking for God to work for His glory. As imperfect as we all are in this, that is the motivation that keeps us going. We’d all quit when things got tough were it not for a deeper sense of commitment to God.
5. Our Manner
Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 1:5, “For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.” By “manner” he was talking about the sort of man that he was before them. He dealt with them the right way. He wasn’t overbearing or manipulative. In fact, he cherished those he served as a mother would a young child.
When things are going good we often fail to play to our strengths. We need to get back to the basics. Tactically, there is always much to do and more to learn. But practically, we simply need to do the basics.
We all know that the definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting a different result. That is not what I’m talking about. I’m suggesting that staying true to those things that are right is an uphill battle. The old cliche is, “When all else fails, compromise.” That is our default setting in life. It takes a real commitment to stay focused on the reality that this is God’s work, and His work is to be done His way. As we strive for growth in our ministries, let us remember it all has to begin with a commitment to stick with those things that are right.
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