Student Ministry September 2017
Dear Church Family,
In my last article I mentioned that one of the Student Ministry’s main goals is to create an atmosphere that promotes Christian unity and discipleship. I want to talk a little about one way that that goal will be accomplished as we move forward as a youth group and as a church. I believe that when people think about unity they tend to picture a group of people who genuinely enjoy spending time together. They see a jovial, inclusive, and intimate group of friends. They see like-minded people having animated conversations concerning the thing about which they are like-minded. They see sober-minded individuals helping carry the heavy burdens of their downtrodden friends. They see outcasts being invited into the middle of the conversation. What is all of this that we imagine when we think of unity? I think we tend to call that love.
This we know is a good thing and something that we ought to encourage. But what about discipleship? What do we think of when we hear that word? Some might think of a dirty dry-erase board with verses written on it. Others may think of lectures and slideshows. Many think of open Bibles, a hot cup of coffee, and good conversations. Yet others imagine embarrassing conversations about accountability. I think what we ought to see is what the Bible shows us from the life of Jesus. We ought to see a group of people spending time together talking about God’s word and how it applies to their specific lives. Our imaginations ought to envision men meeting together for breakfast to discuss their Bible readings for that week. We should visualize younger ladies asking older ladies to meet with them to grow as godly women. We should see small groups with open Bibles asking questions about how Jesus can guide them through what’s going on in their lives at that present time. And there are many other ways we can imagine discipleship, including dry-erase boards and sermons. But when we look at all of those things, I think the common denominator of them all would have to be what we tend to call the Truth. That is, the Christian message of the gospel being applied to our lives. That is definitely something that we ought to encourage as well as love.
So, if our desire is to have an atmosphere that promotes unity and discipleship, it seems to me that we must be a group of people who cherish love and truth above all things. It is important to note that truth (the gospel of Jesus Christ) is what leads to genuine love. This is because it is through the gospel that we come to know the love of God (John 3:16; 1John 2:4-6, 3:16, 4:9-10). Therefore, we need to be people who are obsessed with the Truth and love. It is through an obsession to walk according to the Truth (not just know it, but walk in it), and be changed by it into a people who love completely and unconditionally, that we will be a unified and Christlike people.
Our Student Ministry needs to be one that is completely governed by truth and love. Think of what that would mean for students today who are surrounded by deception and selfishness. I think a place defined by truth and love is exactly what students are looking for in this world, and I want our church and Student Ministry to continue to be a place where they can find it. I hope this is your desire as well! I think that it probably is. If so, please pray for our ministry and our students. We need that above all else. But maybe you would like to be actively a part of making this goal more of a reality. I would love to talk with you about that! Please call or email me if you would like to talk about how to help promote the Truth in love.
Sincerely,
Brian