A Sense of Urgency

When it comes to youth ministry, time is not on your side.  To be clear, time does bring experience, which is hugely important.  After having just completed my 20th year in youth ministry, I have learned a lot in that time.  However, with most of this mission field, I have only seven years, at best, to minister to these young people.  That alone leaves me and my leadership team with a unique sense of urgency to our ministry.

However, there is another sense of urgency for students that affects the body of Christ as a whole, but especially the parents of these students.  Pick just about any area of teen life and you will find a growing darkness gaining more and more ground.  

Take schools.  Are these typically beacons of hopefulness?  Not hardly.  Decades of teaching that we are cosmic accidents whose morality is whatever the wind brings that day has taken its toll.  Confusion and purposelessness abound.  Not to mention that we are selling a rat-race life to students that most of us don't really believe in ourselves - you have to get good grades so that you get into a good college, so that you can get a good job, so that you can list that on a resume for your next job (repeat as needed), so that eventually, you can retire, so that hopefully you are financially independent enough to do something you actually enjoy.  Who could be depressed?

Ok, but for young people, they have their whole life in front of them.  True, but look at what life has offered them over the past 1/6th to 1/9th of their lives.  A global pandemic gorging on fear; a divisive, country-wide vitriol that makes even the most civic minded of us sick to our stomach; a government, a media, and a business world where the ends always justify the means; an economic roller-coaster ride that doesn't seem to have an exit station.  The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades 😎.

But at least teens have their friends, right?  Well, yeah, but social interaction has "evolved" to require a small, bright screen.  Social media, which can be more addictive than narcotics, has created psuedo-friendships that typically take more than they give.  Likes, streaks, and followers fuel society more than relational nourishment.  How much emotional support can you get from an emoji anyhow 🤗?

Teens should have their families to fill these gaps.  But we all know how measurable the breakdown of the family is.  Even with a strong Christian foundation and a solid parental marriage, every one of us parents knows we are busier than we'd like to be to provide the added support.  We often aren't even taking care of our own needs well enough.

The Church can be a final bulwark against this onslaught.  It can and often is, but the statistics of young adults giving up on the Church are staggering (that does include churches that aren't preaching the Word so not, in those cases, eh 🤷‍♂️).  The Church won't be important to teens without concrete intentionality.

Kids will be the first to tell you how much harder they have it than their parents.  And even though this thought is foolish, ignorant narcissism, it actually is supported by the facts.  However, if it's good for the goose, then it's good for the gander.  We, parents, then have a harder job mothering and fathering than previous generations.  And while that brings little comfort, it hopefully brings a sense of urgency.  Our kids need Jesus.  Well, first we need Jesus.  Then, we need to need our kids to need Jesus.  And, by God's grace, with much prayer and hard work, our kids will need Jesus.

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."

Proverbs 22:6 ESV

So, if you are a parent, you have a tough but amazingly important job ahead of you.  And if you aren't a parent, you know people who are that would appreciate your encouragement and patience.  There is a sense of urgency as the formative years evaporate faster than our ability to perceive it.  But, God knows the best investment strategies.  He said to invest the Word of God in our young people and to do it as often as possible.

"You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."

Deuteronomy 6:7 ESV

Redeem the mundane.  Reap eternal consequences from temporal moments.  It is the desire of the Arrow Student Ministry Leadership team to partner with parents to train and teach these students.  

"Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth."

Psalm 127:4 ESV

We want to help parents to shape these arrows so they fly a straight and narrow path when you launch them into the world.  

So, to leave you with a final sense of urgency and my call to action, every student associated with Harvest Bible Chapel needs to be at the Fall Retreat this November 5-7th.  They will hear the gospel preached boldly and urgently.  They will have the opportunity to be impacted eternally.  They will be shown in word and deed how the student small group (Arrow) can measurably affect their walk with Christ (including beginning that walk).  I've seen this happen over and over for the students who go on this retreat.  There is no event we do at Arrow that is more important than this weekend.  

If you are a student - your job is to come to this retreat. To come prepared to listen and be changed.  Register here.

If you are a parent, relative, or friend of a student - your job is to get that student to come to this retreat.  Beg, bride, or demand.  Take away the excuses.  Find a way to get them there, and you will not be disappointed.  We cannot have the same impact on the students who don't go.  Register here.

If you are either of these or anyone else - your job is to pray that God would accomplish His purposes through the preaching of His Word.  That barriers to attending would be demolished.  And that lives would be changed.  

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."

Romans 1:16 ESV

I appeal to this church with a sense of urgency.  Because who knows if Jesus will return before next year's retreat?  I'm certainly praying that He does.

Dan Thompson

-Arrow Youth Ministry Leader
arrow@harvestpittsburghnorth.org

Pastor Appreciation Month! (Blog Entry.)

For Pastor Appreciation month, here's a little tribute to my pastor. 

Pastor Bob Huber went to glory on July 4 this year, or to put it as he referred to a believer's death: he graduated. And while I can say so much about his impact on me with his teaching, I think more of his impact was felt through things I observed. 

For example…

One particular snowy Wednesday night at North Street Christian Church, many many years ago, one of his grandsons (who shall remain unnamed, I'll call him “Abe”) got into a bit of trouble. I guess if “Preachers' Kids” are notoriously mischievous, “Preachers' Grandkids” must be worse...? We were holding our weekly kids' program and Abe (who must have been around 5-7 years old) was wondering the halls of the church. He asked his teacher for a restroom break, but told any adult who stopped him in the halls that “his class took a field trip walking to the park without him”. (Not likely, it was snowy, dark, and about 12 degrees outside.) So he basically blew off most of the evening by lying to both sides. 

After the classes dismissed and people were slowly filtering out of the church, I was walking by Abe being “disciplined” by Pastor Bob: “You have to stay in your class, you can't be lying to people and wondering around by yourself...” - trying to sound as stern and serious as possible. 

Abe listened, and while Pastor Bob was still talking, Abe put his little hands on Pastor Bob's cheeks and squished them together, essentially giving Pastor Bob “fish lips”, and Abe just very calmly and sweetly said, “Awwww. You are such a cutey-pie.”

I could see Pastor Bob breaking. Then he was stifling his laughter – discipline time was officially ineffective... and over. 

What did this anecdote teach me? Nothing ultra profound or deep, but a reminder of something that will change your life if you let it: you don't always have to take yourself so seriously. 

I'm still learning. Miss you, PB. 

jeff

-not a cutie-pie, in the traditional sense

Cutting room floor: In the beginning...

This was part of the first sermon (He Has Made Himself Known) that didn’t make it to the final cut that I thought was pretty interesting.

John’s gospel starts with “In the beginning” – does that sound familiar? That's how the Bible begins with Genesis 1:1. In the beginning, God created. The first thing He created was light. And the story begins with a man named Adam, the first human being.

John's Gospel starts in the beginning, also talks about creation, and talks about Jesus Christ, who the Bible calls the true light and the second Adam (Romans 5). The first Adam brought sin and death into the world, the second brought salvation and life. 

So John, in telling us how Jesus revealed Himself, draws many parallel truths from Genesis. One more reason that I personally believe that Genesis is literal history!

Satan's Meeting.

This was passed on to me from a friend. Good food for thought as we are focused on “Walking Wisely” at HBCPN! You are loved!

Satan called a worldwide convention of demons. In his opening address he said, "We can't keep Christians from going to church." "We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth." "We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their savior." "Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken." "So let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish dinners, but steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ." "This is what I want you to do", said the devil:

Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!" "How shall we do this?" his demons shouted. "Keep them busy in the essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered. "Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow." "Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their pretty lifestyles."

"Keep them from spending time with their children." "As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!" "Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice." "Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive." "To keep the TV, VCR, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly."

"This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ." "Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers." "Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day." "Invade their driving moments with billboards." "Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services and false hopes."

"Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so their husbands will believe that outward beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives." "Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night." "Give them headaches too!"

"If they don't give their husbands the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere." "That will fragment their families quickly!" "Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas." "Give them an Easter bunny so they won't talk about his resurrection and power over sin and death." "Even in their recreation, let them be excessive." "Have them return from their recreation exhausted." "Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God's creation."

"Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies instead." "Keep them busy, busy, busy!" "And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences." "Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Jesus." "Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause."

"It will work!" "It will work!" It was quite a plan! The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get more busy and more rushed, going here and there. Having little time for their God or their families. Having no time to tell others about the power of Jesus to change lives. I guess the question is, has the devil been successful at his scheme?

You be the judge! Does "busy" mean: B-eing U-nder S-atan's Y-olk?