All Or Nothing: YOLO

The acronym YOLO (you only live once) is used all over social media. We use it in a joking way most of the time, but if you really stop to think about it, this is a very sobering statement. “YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE!” We have got one life. One opportunity. One shot at not wasting our lives.

Nobody wants to come to the end of their life and say, “I wasted it.” We all want our lives to count for something. We want to live a meaningful life, not a meaningless one. So what, then, qualifies a life as meaningful? What are the criteria for a life well lived; a life not wasted?

Well, according to the world, the goal in life is to succeed at a career, have a family, retire with enough money to live comfortably, and maybe go a vacation now and then. As soon as someone graduates high school they begin to climb the ladder of “success.” Despite what the world tells us, this is not a life well lived, this is a life wasted.

 If we look at people who the Bible says were successful, we see people who didn’t know where their next meal was going to come from. We see people who were thrown in prison, killed, and persecuted for living for Christ. Christ himself never had money. The Word says that “the Son of Man had no place to lay his head.” He didn’t even know where he was going to sleep every night. The world will tell you that unless you gain wealth and prestige, you will never live a meaningful life, but that is not what makes a great life.

Devoted Generation

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Youth Need Apologetics

   We came across this great article published by Apologetics Canada and wanted to share it with you guys.  It shares a great testimony about the importance of young people knowing the proofs for Christianity. You can find the original publication at http://www.apologeticscanada.com/2012/06/15/youth-need-apologetics/

      I remember taking a couple youth out for lunch one day, as I had not seen them for a while, and just wanted an opportunity to reconnect.  Although it was an enjoyable experience just to be able to sit and catch up on life, I was there for more than a casual visit; I wanted to understand the reason behind the lengthy departure from our youth group. 

      As I subtly probed them with questions, I was greeted with a few outstanding thoughts that they presented concerning not just their own Christian walk, but Christianity in general.  They began to describe for me situations they found themselves in at school where they were questioned on what they believed.  Unable to find sufficient answers to not only subdue the attackers with their hostile questions, but also convince themselves of what they believed, they soon found themselves discouraged about their faith.

“These youth were not only unaware

that it is reasonable to believe in God,

but they were convinced it was more

reasonable not to.“

      They admittedly suggested that they had to believe “blindly” in God, and that there is so much more “proof” against the existence of God.  This was hard for me to hear coming from two dedicated youth.  The feeling, however, only intensified when I realized that most of the youth in my group had adopted the same belief.

      Although this is my personal experience with youth in my own group, I do not believe it would be too bold to suggest that this situation exists in youth groups and schools everywhere.  I believe that youth are constantly being challenged in their schools, not just by their peers, but also by their teachers.  Youth are finding themselves, out-numbered and ill-equipped to deal with questions that not only challenge their faith, but their ethical beliefs as well.  With the rise of the new-atheist movement, Christians have been painted in a negative limelight as hateful towards peoples like, Homosexuals and Pro-choice abortionists.  Youth have felt the pressure of this and feel that calling themselves Christians can single them out as “haters” so to speak, which becomes particularly daunting in a school full of “accepting” people.

      This all may seem very sad and discouraging to know, but I say with enthusiasm, there is hope! Youth are hungry for answers, much more than we would begin to think.  In fact, the very idea that there is information out there that exists to support the existence of God, seems surprising to many of them.   Many of my own youth have responded positively when informed that their faith is reasonable, and it leaves them wanting more.  Not only that, but it appears to excite them and boost their confidence when talking about their faith with others.  Apologetics has become more and more relevant over the years, and is now becoming necessary.  The amount of opposition that Christians face, especially in High School and University, is ever increasing; to the point where it is more than just a good idea to educate individuals on why they believe what they believe.  This is not to suggest that Apologetics is the alpha and omega of all ministry; but rather, it is a necessary part of what Jesus commands us to do that we all too often seem to overlook when reading Mark 12:30 as it says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (my own emphasis).

      I encourage everyone to prayerfully consider equipping young believers with the ability to defend their faith.  It can be done in a number of different ways whether you integrate it into teaching on a youth night, or perhaps just in a casual conversation that arises while spending time with them.  I remember one youth, who was teetering on the fence with his faith, told me that it was a conversation he had with me on the bus about reasonable faith that gave him that little extra nudge he needed.  Perhaps there are youth in our groups right now that just need that extra nudge, or maybe just need that extra encouragement.  No matter the instance, I hope you will partner with me in a journey to better equip a generation to firmly stand for what they believe! 

Article by, Dustin Huguet

All Or Nothing: An Undivided Heart

The ‘All Or Nothing’ message, at its root, begins with an undivided heart. When our worship is not solely devoted to God, we fall into idolatry and lose our ultimate potential. God desires a generation that has an undivided heart; a generation that will give its all… or nothing at all.

We cannot serve two masters. It’s not simply that we should not serve two masters, but that we cannot. Luke 16:13 says, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” When God is not primary, the other things vying for our attention get our allegiance. No one is capable of serving God and serving their own desires; it’s either God or us. Once we choose to make God secondary, God becomes distasteful to us. Before we know it, we don’t want to be around God and we don’t want to talk about Him. Timothy Keller describes idolatry by saying, “When we build our lives on anything but God, that thing – though a good thing – becomes an enslaving addiction, something we have to have in order to be happy.” We were created to worship. As Pastor Matt Chandler states, “We want to worship something. Worship is an innate response. We are wired for it by God himself.” But what we give our worship to is the key.

What exactly is worship? According to Matt Chandler, “Worship is the attribution of ultimate worth to something.” Chandler continues, “When this ultimate worth is attributed to anyone or anything other than the one, true triune God of the universe, it is idolatry.” The Bible says that anything we place above God is an idol. If our sports teams, our friends, music, or anything else becomes more important to us than Jesus Christ, it becomes an idol. The Bible says that King David was a man after God’s own heart. One of the main reasons that this was said about him was because of his burning desire for an undivided heart. David wrote in Psalms 86:11, “Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” Again, in Psalms 51, after David had sinned against God, he cries out for a heart that is purely devoted to Him when he says, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” King David was a man after the heart of God, and that is the type of generation that God wants. He is not looking for perfect people, but people with an undivided heart.

Many times we begin to think, “I have been faithful to God for a long time, I just want to do what I want for a little bit,” but faithfulness doesn’t work like that. It’s is not about the length of your faithfulness, it’s about the day by day. If a couple had been married for fifty years, and the husband had never looked at, thought about, or even entertained a thought about another woman, it would never make it okay for him to begin to flirt with another woman simply because he had been faithful for fifty years. When we give our lives to Christ, we put on a wedding ring; we make a commitment of faithfulness and fidelity. God is looking for daily devoted disciples. He is looking for a generation that will give Him their undivided allegiance, passion, and love day by day. 

A divided heart equals a divided potential. Unless we give God everything we are capable of, we will never reach the potential that God intended for our lives. The catch to this statement is that this is impossible…..on our own. We are not capable of giving all that God requires. Thankfully, God doesn’t ask us to do it alone. He provides the Holy Spirit and His all sufficient grace to help us do what we can’t do on our own. When we surrender he gives us the strength for whatever he calls us to do. As Guillermo Maldonado says, “The only ability God requires is availability.” Unless we surrender everything to Christ, we will never reach the peak of what God has created us to be and do.

A generation that is consumed with the things of the world will never see a great move of God. The generation that will see revival is the generation that is dedicated exclusively to Jesus Christ. God doesn’t ask for perfect people, he gave us a perfect Savior. God asks for a people willing to follow him no matter the cost. He asks for people who give Him their undivided heart. But, we cannot accomplish the task in our own strength; thankfully, God doesn’t ask us to. God provides the grace as we provide the faith. An undivided heart starts with the day by day; it starts with daily devotion to Christ. God is calling this generation to give our all, starting with our hearts.