Hearing the Shepard's Voice

This Scripture has been ringing in my ears from John 10:27 : "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." It's when we hear the voice of God that our lives our changed. Every young person has been given the ability to hear from God - to have Him speak to their heart in a very real way - and that happens when we are in a place of personal prayer. In order to truly know God, we need to hear Him speak to us first. There is nothing more exhilirating. This is where the supernatural Christian life takes place.

Pastor's voice can't replace the voice of the Shepard Himself. Great podcasts and messages can't replace His voice. It's that voice that speaks to us in our quiet place of prayer that brings change and transformation to our lives.... and it's that voice that I believe can change a generation if we will have ears to hear. "God, give us listening ears to hear you. We are desperate for you to speak to us. We want to know you deeper. We open our hearts to hear and obey what you speak to us. We love you. In Jesus name, amen!"

Loosed from Entanglement

It's so easy to get tripped up in the business of life without developing a lifestyle that is passionate for God. Paul tells his spiritual son, Timothy in 2 Tim 2:44 - "No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier." Paul is warning Timothy to not get caught up in life's affairs. A good soldier knows his mission and assignment and is bent on fulfilling it, IN ORDER THAT HE MAY PLEASE THE ONE WHO ENLISTED HIM! For this to happen, a soldier has to keep his mind engaged on his mission and on pleasing his operating Commander - Jesus.

This summer, let's not allow the affairs of every day life to consume our thoughts and drain our passion. Let's have fun this summer, but keep our focus on pleasing our God and drawing near to Him and hearing His voice and loving Him by loving others. The Bible promises us that if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. Life is at it's fullest when we are seeking Him and coming to know Christ more fully. He is the ultimate Treasure worth pursuing!

Father, forgive us for when we've allowed our jobs, our activities, our lifestlyes to drown out our time with you and distract us from our mission. We need you desperately to ignite our hearts again with your presence. We don't want to get entangled in the business of life. We want to be immersed in the wonder of knowing and loving you.

In Jesus Name, Amen!

Conquer without compromising

The assignment was clear: God was going to give the people of Israel the land of Canaan to conquer as their inheritance. There was only one major requirement. God told the people to not take on their false forms of worship. Or, put another way, they were to not allow the people's false worship or values to be subtely imposed upon them.

Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to invade the world for the glory of God - public schools, goverment, education, businesss, medicine - every area of society. However, God's requirement is that we influence others for the kingdom of God WITHOUT allowing sin or worldly values to dominate our thinking. In other words, to be pure in the midst of a corrupt world. To reveal God's love, His grace, His power without becoming stained by the sin of our society. This means to love lost people without approving or compromising our own lifestyle to reach them. It means to take time to invest in a relationship with someone that doesn't know God without getting pulled into sin ourselves.

With Christ, we can accomplish this mission, advancing His cause by helping enlist others into His army by loving them the way Jesus does.

"The Devoted Warrior" - Complete Devotion

I polled our students last Wednesday to find out the status of the Christian believers on their public school campuses. I asked them if Christians on campus were: 1. Radical, completely devoted to Jesus Christians 2. Somewhat Christian or 3. Barely saved. I was suprised by the response... the majority of the students said the believers on campus were "barely saved." I asked them if they wanted to be that sort of a Christian, which led us to Deu. 6:4-9, where the command is given to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. What does this mean? How do we love God with our money, our time, our family, our relationships, our authority figures, etc.?

I believe God has called us and youth ministries to develop radical, WHOLE-HEARTED Christians that live, breathe and move for Jesus. We aren't satisfied with a form of religion, but one that denies the power of God. I believe these students can be change-agents on their campuses, which will happen when change occurs first in us. God doesn't require perfection, but He loves to be pursued by a generation that's hungry for Him.

What area do we need to surrender completely in order to love Jesus more fully?

3 of Youth's Prominent Cravings

We all were designed to crave 3 things in our soul: MEANING, DESINY, AND INTIMACY. Our hearts were meant to understand that our lives have meaning, that there is a purpose or destiny designed by God for us and only us to fulfill, and that our ultimate satisfaction is intended to come from an intimate relationship with Jesus.

These 3 things have been the topic of our recent discussions at GC. We've come to the understanding that if these "soul cravings" are not met in God, we will search and seek for them in other means. For example, meaning gets redefined by how much money we make, destiny gets defined by our status in society, and intimacy becomes a selfish form of love.

Young people need to be taught that these 3 cravings of our soul are found in a personal relationship with Jesus. There is no greater joy than letting Him meet the cravings of our heart.

Scriptures to think about:

Jeremiah 1:4-10 - On destiny

John 15:12-14 - On intimacy

Psalm 139:13-14 - on meaning

Week 5 - Jesus The Revolutioinary

When Jesus was born, the life of a revolutionary began. The amazing thing is that His brith was not part of Mary and Joseph's plan. It did not at all fit into their idea of a perfect engagement and marriage. This lesson will show those in your family that sometimes God will interruupt our plans with His plans.

Read Luke 2:6-7. 21-23. 25-27, 33-35

The entire wold needed Jesus, but no one in the world made room for Him when He was born. The sad reality is that revolution comes, not when it is wanted the most, but often times when it is wanted the least and needed the most. The reason is that revoultuion not olnly threatens those it will conquer, but also those it helps. IF you are going to be a part of a revolution, it is going to cost you something. For this reason, many people that need revolution do not fight for it, because they are comfortable in their captivity.

There are three C's found in the second chapter of Luke that will help you overcome your captivity and fight for revolution. The first is found in Luke 2:21-23, and it is CONSECRATION. Compromise is the carbon monoxide of the Spirit. You may not always be able to sense it when it is there, but it will kill you if you are not careful. The way you fight compromise is by dedicating everything you are and do to the Lord. The second "C" is found in Luke 2:25-27. Here we see a man of God who was COMMITTED to the Holy Spirit. Revolution will not be complete until someone says, "I am absolutely committed to seeing this happen in my lifetime." It is time to stop planting seed, and start reaping a harvest. The final "C" we find is the CROSS. The Cross is the place where everything that is "you" dies, and everything that is revolutionary is born. You cannot conquer the world until you first conquer yourself.

Week 4 - The Enemies of a Revolution

We have been studying the blueprint of revolution that God left us through the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. This lesson deals with those things that keep youth from living a revolutionary Christian lifestyle.

Read Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43. It has been said that if you know neither yourself or your enemy, you have no chance of victory. If you know yourself but not your enemy, you will win half your battles, but if you know yourself and your enemy victory is certain. As we unleash this all out attack and declare revolution over our world, it is important for us to know what we are up against. There are two types of enemies you will fight as you live revolutionary. The first are those on the battlefield of the world, and the second are the spies who have crept into to the church.

The biggest enemy you will face outside of the church is discouragement. The most dangerous thing for the enemy would be for the church to grasp a revelation of its identity. It is time for us to stop going to church and to start being the church. The most decisive moment in our battle as a revolutionary will most likely be a secret one. It will be the enemy discouraging you to fight before you even begin.

The two biggest spies in the church are religion and compromise. Both use the law of God incorrectly. One uses it to justify their pride and the other uses it to justify thir sin. Neither understands God's grace. Religious people do not want revolution because it threatens their position, while those in compromise don't want revolution because it threatens their comfort.

Are there any of these enemies present in your life or church and how can you overcome them?