To Be Continued...

     We all know these words.  "To Be Continued" are debatably the 3 worst words in modern America.  Nothing crushes a great TV episode quite like a mandatory waiting period.  

     TV shows nowadays have a way of getting you to form theories, predict endings, and heighten your hopes like never before.  You have a big "plan" of sorts for how you think it may end, only to be left with these three resounding words echoing in mysterious despair.  

     Why am I going on about TV shows, you ask?  There is actually a very good reason (and it's not just because I like TV...).  Just like an audience watching an episode of their favorite show, God looks down on humanity, waiting - hoping earnestly - for His own plan to be fulfilled.  Except unlike an audience, God has power over the outcome.

     God looks down on the lives of His children, piecing together every one of our problems to evolve into a magnificent climax that could make even a grown man shed a tear or two in delight.*  

     But where does this "To Be Continued" phrase come into play?  As God watches and guides our lives, sometimes we don't see His big plan.  Sometimes we want to put the brakes on things and say "Wait a minute God, can we just stop here and come back a little later?"  

     The problem is, we push things off without realizing that God is piecing it all together into His wonderful plan.  We need to stop trying to force our own twists into God's holy "plot", and just allow the great Director of our life's film to piece together the ending that will blow our minds.

     Don't label God's plan with a simple "To Be Continued."  No one likes those words.  And remember this: neither does He.

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     *"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

The Power of Silence

Romans 14:22b, NKJV

     It's been said that "Actions speak louder than words."  And in a way, this is true.  Just saying we'll do something but not sticking to our word does not say much good about our character.  Actions certainly do speak.  But words do as well.  Have you ever considered, though, how much power is in our silence?  That is the topic of this week's post.

     As I've learned about leadership, one of the best sayings I've heard is "Silence is acceptance."  This holds so much truth.  No one truly knows our opinion unless we speak our mind.  Otherwise the opinion of the majority will rule.

     So what if we don't speak our mind?  What if we stay silent about our faith or convictions?  What does that say?  Quite understandably, it says nothing.  In the sight of bystanders, we've just proved our faith to be, well... we haven't really proved our faith to be anything!  But that's the point.  Our silence does not prove anything about our faith.

     In the presence of sinful conversation, action, or overall environment, what does silence do?  It does nothing.  In fact, this goes a step further: silence shows that we are completely comfortable with the situation. Our silence "approves" what's going on, which is just what Romans 14:22 mentions.

     Are you condemning yourself in what you approve?  Is your silence showing others that you're content with sin?  This is something that I struggle with often.

    Silence is acceptance.  What are you accepting?

There's More to the Story

Romans 14:8-9, NKJV

     If asked what Jesus did for you, what would you say?  Most people would say that He died for them.  And what a humbling statement to think that He would die for us - unworthy, dirty sinners!  The problem is, though, many times we just stop there.  We don't see that there was much more than just a death needed to save us.  We don't see the big picture.

     Now in no way am I minimizing the death of Christ.  When He died, He took our sins forever to be labelled as His.  I can never ignore that!  But what made His death so powerful?  Thousands of people have died for the uplifting of God's kingdom.  What made this so special?

     You see, if Satan can't use us for his evil purposes, he might as well try to take us off the earth so we can't do any good.*  So wouldn't that make Jesus's death a victory for Satan?  The answer is a strong and resounding no.  

     Just after the fall in Genesis 3, God curses Satan, saying "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."  Satan certainly got his punch in, but Jesus's was yet to come.

     The part of the story we most leave out is this: Jesus rose from the dead!  He conquered death, so it couldn't have dominion on us!  Without that piece of the puzzle, we'd just be serving a dead god.

     So how does all this relate to Romans 14:8-9?  This verse emphasizes Jesus's reign over both the living and the dead.  Without His resurrection, we would have no hope!  Now, however, nothing (not even death) can separate us from Christ's love.  

      If you're living, Christ is Lord.  If you're not, Christ is still Lord.**  Jesus is Lord of all!  "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ... For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:35, 38-39).

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     *Despite this fact, God will sustain those for which He still has a use on earth.  It's the reason you're here!  For a purpose.  If you didn't have one, you wouldn't be here on earth.  (But that's another post topic entirely)

     **Of course now that I think about it, I guess zombies are a little out of luck...     

A Letter to the Future You

Sometimes we wish we could have a conversation with ourselves once in a while.  A talk, heart-to-heart, where we could be completely and brutally honest - where we could talk about our deepest struggles, pains, longings, sings, and more.  That would be great, wouldn't it?

Last year, at a Family Bible Camp at Camp Yolijwa in PA, our Senior High leader had us write a letter to ourselves.  He collected them, each completely sealed, and then mailed them back to us a few months later for us to reflect upon our own words.

This experience had an incredible impact.  It was the first chance I had ever been given to have a true conversation with myself, and every time I read the letter, I am humbled over and over again.  This is a more generalized version of my letter (the original is quite specific and personal), but I hope that you could be blessed by it - and maybe inspired to write one of these yourself.

"Dear Nathan,

Many times you might not take the time to think of where God has brought from.  The struggles you had years ago may not be the same ones you have now.  Take the time today to think of just how far Christ has brought you - and how insignificant you still are compared to all that He did.   

You don't struggle with the same vices that you did before, but I know that there are deeper things that lie within you that tear you apart even more.  Be honest with yourself.  You've compromised your morals, tried to "fit in" and "measure up", you've had sinful thoughts and a bad attitude with your parents, and most of all a deeply rooted pride.  

Don't think that just because you know more than others, don't do everything they do, and do extra good things that they don't, that you somehow don't need God as much as others.  You need Him just as much as they do - and even more.

 I know that you have plans for your future - going to Bible college, finding the woman whom you will marry, and eventually starting a family of your own.  But don't forget that before you can do any of these things, you must first love God with all of your heart and continue growing ever closer to Him.   

You're already reading scripture daily - great!  But don't let it end there.  Don't read it just to get it over with and checked off a list.  Ask God and beg Him to show you things that you've never seen before.  Plead daily that God will mold your heart to be closer to His and to make you broken before Him, to have a heart yearning for others to know Him better, and to think of yourself less - but God more.  

Don't let your feelings for one girl obstruct your desire for the perfect wife.  Feelings pass away - you're seen it before.  Just watch others' actions and their heart before thinking any more of them.  Be patient and trust in Christ for Him to find the right one.  

Stay strong in the Lord and keep growing closer to Him in all you do.

His blessings,

Nathan. 

Share Your Input

     I'll apologize right now: this isn't really a legitimate post.  I'm sorry I haven't been posting as often as I'd like!  Unfortunately, I won't be able to get to writing a post until after this weekend.  But until then, I'd like to direct you to a new page of the blog: Share Your Input.

     This page allows you to share your thoughts about Not Just a Teen, about life as a Christian; about anything, really!  Well... within reason, I suppose.

     If you have any comments to share, questions that you'd like to pose to other Christian teens, or any other feedback, this is your chance to share!  You can recommend future posts or simply share your thoughts.  You can suggest changes or improvements, share what you've been learning in your walk with Christ lately, share new ideas, or anything else you have on your mind!

     I invite you to check out the new page and share your input.  I'd love to hear from you!

     Nathan.

     P.S.  The Rebelution, my favorite site (by far) for Christian teens, has recently re-vamped their website.  There are many more possibilities and opportunities for you to share and receive ideas for doing hard things, plus countless other articles and videos for your encouragement.  Check them out!

Freed from the Law, Bound to Grace

     It's what most of us resented when we were kids.  It's what we can't live without now.  It's what many think that Christianity is based upon, but others think Christianity freed us from.  What is it?  Rules.

     In the Bible, these "rules" were written in the form of the Law.  The Law, in our modern Christian culture, seems like an outdated and even slightly cynical concept.  I mean, Christ came to save us from legalism, right?  True.  But if we don't view the Law in the right perspective, we'll miss God's timeless plan.  The Law did (and still does) have a purpose.  God didn't create something just because He wanted to free us from it.  He wanted to free us from sin, and the Law was simply a part of His plan to do so.

     Our perspective of the Law starts all the way at the beginning.  Just after God creates humanity, He tells them, "You shall not".  He establishes obedience by... guess what?  A rule.  Had He not given them this commandment, how would they know what was wrong and what was right?  This was the role of the Law.  Romans 5:13 says "for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law."  Before the law, nothing was officially established as right or wrong.  The King James Version explains it like this: "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." (Galatians 3:24, emphasis added).  The Law was our teacher.  It taught us right from wrong.  Because before God could free us from sin, we had to know what it was we were being freed from!  If we hadn't had the law, Christ's death would have been in vain, because we wouldn't have known the reason.  

     Now that we see the relevance of the Law, what is its relevance today?  Since we're freed from the Law, we don't need to follow it, right?  So we don't have to worry about getting tattoos (Leviticus 19:28) or sacrificing lambs (Leviticus 4, 23, Numbers 7, etc)?  Not exactly.  You see, God's law wasn't just a list of do's and don't's.  It was His will.  The Law showed the deepest desires of the Lord: to be glorified, to be worshiped  and for us to sacrifice to Him.  God's desires have never changed.  We aren't required to keep the law because Christ has set us free.  We live in grace.  But still, the concepts of the law show what God desires.  You can do what you like, but God has already given us His will.  As 1 Corinthians 10:23 says, "'All things are lawful,' but not all things are helpful. 'All things are lawful,' but not all things build up."  

     Because of God's grace, we can always be forgiven.  But that does not mean we should live in sin.  "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?" (Romans 6:1-2).  Live in the grace of Christ, but keep His Word ever close to your heart.  

     Next time you talk to God, thank Him for the Law.  Thank Him for showing us what sin is.  But thank Him all the more for His saving grace.  Thank Him that we are no longer held to the Law; that He accepts us just as we are.  And thank Him for His awe-inspiring plan of salvation.

More than a Set of Pews

     What is your concept of the church?  What value does it have to you?  Many of these kinds of questions have been left unanswered by today's youth; and if they have been answered, too often the answers are shaped by a worldly view.  The topic of whether or not the church is necessary in Christian life is becoming increasingly controversial in our culture.  Teens, even at young ages, are leaving the church in hoards.  Some argue that the church is only meant to convert non-believers and isn't required for those who are Christians, or that it's too judgmental, legalistic, or simply that they "aren't supposed to be there."  While the reasons for youth leaving the church vary quite a bit, I believe it is our mindset that first needs to change.

     If you think the church is simply an organization or a spiritual recharge station, you're wrong.  The church is not an organization, it was instituted by God.  If He commanded and established the church, how could we possibly brush it off as a mere formality?  Ephesians 5:25-30 tells us of God's incredible passion for the church.  He gave Himself for her, He cleansed her, and most of all He cherishes her.  Knowing this, how could we possibly think the church is just another organization?

     More than this, the church is much more than a spiritual recharge station.  Now you might say, "But that's basically what the church is, isn't it?  We come to get filled up, right?"  Well, yes and no.  The church is certainly a place where we can (or at least should) be able to get encouragement and get pumped up to pursue righteousness in our lives.  But if we come just for this, we're missing the entire point.  A "spiritual recharge station" implies that it's all about what we're getting.

     The early church is the greatest example of what our modern churches should look like.  In the entire book of Acts, every Christian was so fired up for Christ that they met in people's homes, gave everything they could to the ministry, and spread the news like a raging wildfire.  Unfortunately, it seems that we have lost this passion.

     It's not our job to sit in the pews and just hear the Word, it's our job to go out and do it.  Christ intends for the church to lead the ministry, but how can it if no one steps up?  Even as young people (especially as young people), we need to step into the ministries of the church.  Our generation needs to see youth who are passionate about the role of the church, and who are right there fulfilling their calling, not just sitting in the pews.

     What do you think is wrong with the church today?  What can you do in your own church that will inspire other youth to step up?  I'd love to hear your comments!