Calling
Young People to Renewal
BART
BYL
Recovering
Our Lost Focus
“Getting
drunk and stuff once in a while is not wrong. As long as its not all the time
and it doesn’t rule your life and stuff.”
Sound
familiar? That sentiment (candidly expressed by one 14-year-old girl in a recent
survey at a local Christian school) is the creed governing the lifestyles of all
too many of us young people. God,
we think, has no right to be unsatisfied with a little bit of fun.
We’re only human, after all - and really quite decent kids once you get
to know us. As long as you don’t
disagree with the church doctrine or have a kid out of wedlock (the unspoken
assumption is) you’re doing admirably well.
How
radically different is the spirituality of the New Testament!
Look at the saints of the early Church - filled, Peter says, “with a
joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Pet 1:8). Is that our experience?
Who of us can say, even for a moment, “It is no longer I who live, but
Christ who lives in me?” (Gal 2:20).
That’s
the ideal we must pursue. God means us for greater things than this lukewarm and
shallow formalism of ours. Our
generation desperately needs to admit its failure and rededicate itself to
pursuing God. In the end,
nothing else will matter.
This
is a challenge to re-evaluate our goals and really dedicate ourselves to
stimulating our fellow young people to true spiritual growth and reformation.
But also individually, let’s each make it a personal goal to deepen our
faith life. Why be content with
‘religion’ when Christ offers you the power of it - His very self?
If we seek Him sincerely, He will surely find Him (James 4:8).
The
first step is to recognise our spiritual shallowness and inadequacy.
This might be painful - you might even discover you’re not a Christian
at all. Before He shows us the
comfort of the cross, the Spirit first opens our eyes to the incredible depths
of our own misery. Once
we’ve honestly confronted and confessed our guilt, we can turn to God
properly.
If
we’re serious about obtaining a deeper relationship with Him, we’ll have to
work on the three central elements of true spirituality: living
faith, loving fellowship and total
commitment.
Element
#1 - Living Faith
Few
of us really grasp the absolute necessity of faith.
Unconsciously we expect our church membership, correct doctrine, or moral
decency to pull us through. But
these things have no more power to prevent your and my natural plunge into hell
than a spider’s web has to stop a falling boulder.
True
faith goes straight to Jesus. The Christian sees himself for what he really is:
a filthy sinner who has rebelled against the infinitely holy God of the
universe. Despairing in himself, he clutches at the gospel of forgiveness.
He falls at Christ’s feet and entrusts himself to Him. “Jesus died
for me,” he realises,
“even my sins are forgiven.” What
peace! What relief! That God
would show mercy to such an undeserving person amazes and overwhelms him. That is saving faith.
Never rest until its elements - repentance from sin, surrender to Christ,
trust in God’s promises, and joy in your forgiveness - are living realities in
your life.
Faith,
that wondrous gift of the Spirit, eventually comes to govern our whole life -
but not without difficulty and constant struggle.
Many times we have to pray, “I do believe; help me overcome my
unbelief!” (Mark
9:24).
Remember,
though, that while essential to our salvation, faith is only the instrument. Our
confidence is not in our feeble belief (thank God!) but in the power of Jesus’
blood. If we look always to Him, He will never fail us.
Element
#2 - Loving Fellowship
The
very essence of being a Christian is having a vital relationship of love with
God. Without it - as 1 Corinthians 13 demonstrates - the best doctrine and the
holiest lifestyle are worthless. The
strength of our faith is directly connected to our love for Jesus.
That, unfortunately, is where we are so very weak.
Isn’t this the reality: we easily become passionate and excited when
debating changes to the Book of Praise ... but remain cold and unmoved
when contemplating “how wide and long and high and deep is the love of
Christ?” (Eph.
3:18)
Something
is terribly wrong. Why aren’t we
experiencing God’s love and nearness? Why aren’t we consumed by this passion
and this desire for Him?
The
first key to finding God is simple obedience.
Probably the greatest reason we find it hard to be serious about our
faith lives is because of this fundamental element of dishonesty in it.
If we want communion with Jesus, the first thing to do is stop running
away from Him!
Personal devotion is no less important. If you want to know God, go to where He has chosen to reveal Himself - read and meditate on the incredible riches of His Word. The other side of devotion is prayer - not half-hearted generalities but fervent and humble cries from your heart to your Father. When God is thus pursued, He will
become
more to you than an irrelevant doctrine.
Turn from your empty religiosity! Instead, walk in the sunshine of
Jesus’ presence and enjoy the only life that really satisfies.
Element
#3 - Total Commitment
True
faith and love inevitably express themselves in a life totally committed to God.
Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up
his cross and follow me” (Matt 16:24). We
can’t serve both God and our fleshly desires.
If even the tiniest sin is an act of cosmic treason, how about our
private lifestyle of pride and worldliness and lust?
Is
your old, sinful nature hateful to you?
Do you long to crown Jesus King and Lord of every aspect of your life?
Or are you content with just enough religion to make you a respectable
church member ... but not so much that you can’t have fun whenever you want?
Are
you feeling spiritually depressed and unfulfilled?
Somewhere you’re holding back from throwing your whole being into
God’s service.
If you’re resisting Jesus’ call to discipleship in some way, of
course your spirituality will suffer.
But Christ promises that when we forget ourselves and let Him live within
us, we will find “my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt 11:30). The
only true liberty is found in enslaving our wills to God’s.
Achieving
the Impossible
I
feel as though I’m describing some exotic foreign island which I’ve heard
rumours about but never actually visited myself.
Perhaps you feel the same.
But though, our faith is mixed with much doubt, our love is feeble, and
our periods of real commitment all too rare and brief, it is never too late to
turn to the Lord and rededicate ourselves to Him.
I
challenge all young people to confess their failures to God and plead for a
greater filling of His Spirit.
No true child of God can be content with anything less than the best
Jesus has to offer. Are you?
(Editors note: see www.bartbyl.com I recommend this web-site especially to the young)