A Prayer in Ephesians for You

Take some time now to follow the link to an awesome prayer experience! 

You are God's child and for that very reason you are loved and have the Spirit of Christ within you!

Praise God for His Goodness!!!

Ephesians 3:14-21 Prayer Visual
click here: 
http://dannyray.tv/2012/12/11/a-prayer-that-will-change-your-life-23/#.UMdHPcxkWpg.facebook

Discipleship (Radical Youth Study Ch. 5)

In Ch. 5 of Radical by David Platt he says something that really hits me as a Youth Pastor and should make us all stop and think for a second.

He says, "Disciple making is not about a program or an event but about a relationship. As we share the gospel, we impart life, and this is the essence of making disciples. Sharing the life of Christ." 

However, how often do we truly take the time to share the gospel of Christ with one another? Whether that's here at church, at the Harbor in our small groups or Sunday School. Are we really making the effort to share the gospel with one another? This is a hard question to ask and one I've got to ask myself at times? 

Platt says on pg. 99 that "In our relationships with one another in the body of Christ, we are to be continually teaching one another the Word of Christ." 

Jesus last words to his disciples are found in Matthew 28: 17b-20 and go like this. "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." 

The magnitude of these words speak volumes to how we are to live as Christians. We are to live to be disciple makers...but do we even know what a disciple is let alone how to make one?

These are questions every Christian should ask themselves and today I'm asking you? Do you know what a disciple is? Are you making "disciples of all nations" as Jesus commissions us to do?

Jesus never said it would be easy, but he does say the reward will be great! 

Platt reinforces this idea of how we are all disciples when he says this on pg. 100 of Radical. "If teaching is limited to a select few in the church who are equipped for that, then we will immediately tell this new Christian she needs to sit in a classroom and learn from a teacher. Thus we get the common approach to "discipleship" today--a far cry from the disciple making of Jesus."

He goes on to say this, "Think about it. What would be the most effective way for this new follower of Christ to learn to pray? To sign her up for a one-hour-a-week class on prayer? Or to invite her personally into your quiet time with God to teach her how to pray?

..."Similarly, what would be the most effective way for this new follower of Christ to learn to study the Bible? To register her in the next available course on Bible study? Or to sit down with her and walk her through the steps of how you have learned to study the Bible?"

"This raises the bar of our own Christianity" Platt says and I couldn't agree more. I read the other day that there are over 8.4 million United Methodist in the United States of America and only 44,800 of them are ordained clergy. (The UMC statistics are on a class website I'm taking and couldn't not be linked.)  I hope and pray that we aren't expecting only 44,800 clergy people to disciple the nearly 1/3 of all young people leaving the church today. (http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/10/09/study-one-third-of-adults-under-30-have-no-religious-affiliation/#)

Platt says on pg. 105 of Radical that "When someone asks, 'Where is your church?' we point them to a building or give them an address, and everything centers around what happens at that location." 

However, discipling should look a little different then this.

Platt says that "discipling Christians involves propelling Christians into the world to risk their lives for the sake of others." (pg. 105)

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20 NIV

Questions to get us thinking about tomorrow's lessons: The Great Why of God

Some questions for tomorrow nights study! 

1. What is God's mission in the world?
2. If this is God's purpose in the world, what impact should it have on our lives and how we live?
3. What are some things you spend time learning during the week?
4. How much time could you spend this week discovering more about God's purpose for the world?
5. If we know what God's purpose in the world is, what should we do about gaining a greater understanding of what He's doing around the world?

We start at 6:10pm and end at 7:30pm.

More blog post to come!

Cost of Discipleship (Radical Youth Study Ch. 1)

Last week at Youth Bible Study we discussed the first chapter of the book Radical by David Platt. The book is very challenging and seeks to challenge us with simple principals most of which we already know. Platt in turn helps every day scripture come to live for us and helps show us how we need to live radical lives for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

So here's what the word radical actually means: (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/radical)

rad?i?cal
? ?[rad-i-kuhl] Show IPA
adjective
1.of or going to the root or origin; fundamental: a radical difference.

If we're called to live radical lives for Jesus, then what in our lives do we need to abandon so that we may give our very best to Christ? Isn't that what we're called to do anyway?

Platt says in regard to his own church, "We were settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves (Radical, pg. 7).
What is he talking about? Is he talking about giving up our previous ideas of who Christ is and what Christ commands us to do? I'm confused... Was the Christianity we've followed in the past a Christianity focused more on ourselves then on Christ himself.

Jesus says in Luke 14: 33 "In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple."

If I give up everything I have, I would be broke, without a family, job, friends and everything else. So, what exactly is Jesus saying and David Platt referring to? Is he referring to giving up our old ways of living, the things that draw us into selfishness and sin? Yes, Christ calls us to live radical lives free from anything that leads us away from Him.

David Platt says in his notes the calling of Jesus does not necessarily involve the complete literal abandonment of one's possessions and relationships, but it may. That said, the life of a disciple is one that most certainly requires full surrender to Jesus as Lord. Full commitment to Christ must be without any reservation.

I guess what Jesus is referring to in Luke 14 in such a drastic way is that to follow Him is to give up anything that hinders us from following him. Jesus wants us to be His disciples, not just on Wednesdays and Sundays, but everyday. Jesus is showing us here that to be a committed follower of Christ, we need to "carry the cross" every day and fight that which hinders our relationship with Him at all cost, no matter if that cost is a family member, best friend, prized possession, or life-long goal. If it is hindering us from following Christ, we must rid it from our lives.

Read more about the Cost of Being a Disciple in Luke 14:25-35.