I know it has been awhile since I have posted anything on the blog. Time to shake the cobwebs off, and get back to writing on a myriad of topics for you to consider.
I have been watching God over these last few months begin to awaken the youth that I currently have the privilege and honor to serve. God has been granting me the opportunity to observe students from multiple grades and schools stepping out of their comfort zones and proclaiming the greatest message this world will ever receive. That is, the message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I have seen students share from God's Word before school begins, I have seen a student share the gospel at lunch, I have seen students join hands and pray over their lunch, I have seen students love and serve people at a local nursing home, and the list could continue on.
What has caused this shift in these students over the last few months? God's working through students. The Holy Spirit is moving in the next generation in order to bring glory and a spot light on Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world. When Jesus said, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8), he meant it. The power of the Holy Spirit may be observed within our students right now.
I believe that three spiritual disciplines have led to God working through the students I serve. The spiritual disciplines include:
1) Prayer: I have seen an increase in prayer time with our students. In fact, we have cut out the game that we used to play at the beginning of our Wednesday night worship service, and have taken time for an older student to spend time with a younger student in prayer. I have heard about students getting together over the summer to pray about God moving in their schools. Beware when students begin to cry out to God for his sovereign hand to move in their schools and communities God will work through his Holy Spirit to glorify his name to the ends of the earth. In Acts 4, prayer was essential for the early church "to speak the word of God with boldness" (Acts 4:31).
2) Expository Preaching: People are drawn to God's revealed and inspired truths found in the Bible. The same mentality even remains attractive to students. Expository preaching has allowed the Holy Spirit to convict, challenge, encourage, and equip students to be lights shining in a dark world, and reveal the only hope humanity has for the sin in our lives. Students will gather a healthy biblical and systematic theology as they are taken through the truths of God's Word book by book. They will understand that God has not called them to a life of simplicity and ease, but to a life of suffering and sacrifice. But, students need to be taught the Word of God in a healthy and full dose each week they are gathered together for worship.
3) Sacrificial Serving: Over the last two months, students have gone out into the community and served local residence through song and Scripture. The students have grown in confidence about what sacrificial service looks like in today's society. They give up a Saturday morning to go spend time with residents to love them and serve them with the gospel. The students understand that they can make an impact in the lives of people, and they want to make this impact in the lives of those around them. The students are encouraged, blessed, and have developed a heart to build relationships with all types of people in order to serve like Christ. Jesus Christ decrees, "Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28).
Again, I have observed God working through the lives of the students I am able to serve. God gets all the glory, and I pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to inspire students to step outside of their comfort zones and share the love of Jesus Christ without apology. If you serve students, are in the church, or just reading my blog randomly, beware, God's working through students.
I have been watching God over these last few months begin to awaken the youth that I currently have the privilege and honor to serve. God has been granting me the opportunity to observe students from multiple grades and schools stepping out of their comfort zones and proclaiming the greatest message this world will ever receive. That is, the message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I have seen students share from God's Word before school begins, I have seen a student share the gospel at lunch, I have seen students join hands and pray over their lunch, I have seen students love and serve people at a local nursing home, and the list could continue on.
What has caused this shift in these students over the last few months? God's working through students. The Holy Spirit is moving in the next generation in order to bring glory and a spot light on Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world. When Jesus said, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8), he meant it. The power of the Holy Spirit may be observed within our students right now.
I believe that three spiritual disciplines have led to God working through the students I serve. The spiritual disciplines include:
1) Prayer: I have seen an increase in prayer time with our students. In fact, we have cut out the game that we used to play at the beginning of our Wednesday night worship service, and have taken time for an older student to spend time with a younger student in prayer. I have heard about students getting together over the summer to pray about God moving in their schools. Beware when students begin to cry out to God for his sovereign hand to move in their schools and communities God will work through his Holy Spirit to glorify his name to the ends of the earth. In Acts 4, prayer was essential for the early church "to speak the word of God with boldness" (Acts 4:31).
2) Expository Preaching: People are drawn to God's revealed and inspired truths found in the Bible. The same mentality even remains attractive to students. Expository preaching has allowed the Holy Spirit to convict, challenge, encourage, and equip students to be lights shining in a dark world, and reveal the only hope humanity has for the sin in our lives. Students will gather a healthy biblical and systematic theology as they are taken through the truths of God's Word book by book. They will understand that God has not called them to a life of simplicity and ease, but to a life of suffering and sacrifice. But, students need to be taught the Word of God in a healthy and full dose each week they are gathered together for worship.
3) Sacrificial Serving: Over the last two months, students have gone out into the community and served local residence through song and Scripture. The students have grown in confidence about what sacrificial service looks like in today's society. They give up a Saturday morning to go spend time with residents to love them and serve them with the gospel. The students understand that they can make an impact in the lives of people, and they want to make this impact in the lives of those around them. The students are encouraged, blessed, and have developed a heart to build relationships with all types of people in order to serve like Christ. Jesus Christ decrees, "Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28).
Again, I have observed God working through the lives of the students I am able to serve. God gets all the glory, and I pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to inspire students to step outside of their comfort zones and share the love of Jesus Christ without apology. If you serve students, are in the church, or just reading my blog randomly, beware, God's working through students.
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