Strengthening Spiritual Decisions

by Cary Schmidt





As promised, here are a few short thoughts about how to respond to your teenager after teen camp, especially in regards to their spiritual decisions.

Begin with the long-term perspective—our view of spiritual decisions is often just too short. Every good decision of life begins with short term challenges, but also bears long term results at a “core-values” level. Even if a teen struggles with a decision in the few weeks after camp, that doesn’t negate the fact that a long-term value was established. The key is, encourage your teen to take the long term view that they might not get discouraged with short-term struggles. For example: Let’s say a teenager decided to start walking with God personally. We all know that teen will struggle with keeping that decision every single day. But the long term value of walking with God has been established. If that teen can take the long view, and not get discouraged when a day or two is missed, he might still be walking with God twenty years from now. 2Peter 3:18 says, “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” Growth is always a long-term proposition.


Recognize what real spiritual victory looks like—with many of our spiritual struggles, the victory is in the battle—it’s in staying in the fight. For example, just because I decided to have good spirit toward my parents doesn’t mean I won’t ever have a struggle with them again. It means that I’ve decided to engage in the fight to maintain a good spirit or to restore one when I fail. Staying in the fight is the most important part of long-term victory. Many Christians give up too soon. It is for this reason that 1 Timothy 6:12 says, ”Fight the good fight of faith” and Ephesians 6:13-14 says, “…having done all, to stand. Stand therefore…” Spiritual victory in this life involves staying in the fight no matter what.

Make decisions public and share with family—if you haven’t already, carve out some time to sit down and ask your teenager what God is doing in his life. Too often, parents are convicted by their teens decisions and actually criticize them or belittle them. Phrases like, “Well, we’ll see how long that lasts…” or “We’ll see if you really mean it” are discouraging. Sometimes within moments of getting back from a camp or retreat, family members start tearing down what God did in the heart. Hebrews 10:24 teaches us, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:” Be thankful if your teenager is taking a higher road than you. In fact, join them on the journey. You really won’t miss your bad music, rotten TV shows, or bad spirit. Usually teen camp decisions are good for the whole family.

Encourage each other in godly decisions—To make a spiritual decision is to step onto a battle field. Nobody wants to go to war alone. If someone you love has chosen to fight a spiritual battle, fight with them. Pray, encourage, strengthen, and support them. 1 Peter 1:22 teaches us that we need fervent love in fighting the battle for purity, “Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:”

Renew decisions when you fail—It’s easy to spot failure. Within days of making a decision, often the Devil has succeeded at getting us to fail. His ultimate goal is that we might give up. We really only lose when we quit fighting altogether. For this reason, remember the importance of getting back up. Any decision worth making is worth fighting for, and worth getting back up after failure. Proverbs 24:16 challenges us, “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again…”

I started going to camp when I was nine years old. For the past 31 years, I’ve been to camp nearly every year. Every year I’ve made decisions. And every year I’ve struggled to keep them. Over three decades, my life is much different than it would have been. The decisions held more than short-term value. The weeks of camp were more than just short-term spiritual pep rallies. No, they shaped me. They formed my future. They instilled passion. They infused courage to embrace big, direction setting values. The short term struggles of whether I kept a decision for a week or two is massively overshadowed by the collective value of deciding many times over to continue doing right and living for God. Each decision was another choice to stay in the fight.

Don’t’ be discouraged if you struggle to keep spiritual decisions. Just keep making them. Keep fighting the battle. You can never go wrong making a spiritual decision—even if you make it many times over! Teen camp results should really be measured in decades, not weeks. Maybe you’ve already struggled with a recent decision and the Devil has started discouraging you. Now would be a great time to get back up and stay in the fight!

What A Concept!

Whoa! What in the world is happening with our kids today?

Let's see...I think it started when Madelyn Murray O'Hair complained that she didn't want any prayer in our schools, and we said OK.

Then someone said you had better not read the Bible in school- the Bible that says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said, OK.

Remember Dr. Benjamin Spock, who said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem? And we said, OK, we won't spank them.

Then someone said that teachers and principals better not discipline our children when they misbehave. And our administrators said whoa, no one in this school better touch a student when they misbehave because we don't want any bad publicity, and we surely don't want to be sued.

Then someone said, let's let our daughters have abortions if they want, and we won't even have to tell their parents. And we said, that's a grand idea.

Then someone else said, let's give our sons all the condoms they want, so they can have all the "fun" they desire, and we won't have to tell their parents. And we said, that's another great idea.

And then some of our top officials said that it doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs. And we said, as long as I have a job and the economy is good, it doesn't matter to me what anyone does in private.

So now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out.
I think it has a great deal to do with "we reap what we sow".

Whoa! What a concept!

The 5 Deadly Sins of Worship Services | ChurchCentral.com

The 5 Deadly Sins of Worship Services | ChurchCentral.com


O.K., I've got my "mad" on today. Just indulge me, dear friends. Here's my personal list of the 5 Deadly Sins in Worship. I bet you could write your own list. Do it, and send it to me!


State the obvious

It's oh so tempting to tell a really attractive person that YOU think they're attractive—as though they hadn't noticed it themselves. Complimenting, after all, is just a form of showing affection and an expression of affirmation—nothing wrong with that. But, it can also be used to manipulate and imply, in some kind of naive way, that you have control over that person—that your impression "seals" their identity.

If I tell you how handsome or beautiful you are, I am calibrating (I believe) the standard by which you will be perceived by others. I feel powerful and, maybe, handsome myself—by proximity.

In countless church services, I have seen the same principle apply. If a pastor says, "What a beautiful solo," he/she gets a piece of the action. Their opinion of it elevates them inappropriately, not the musical expression of faith.

I once (horrors) closed out a service by saying, "Wasn't that an incredible call to action!" The congregation jumped to their feet to affirm the message, its delivery, and the messenger who brought it. Good, right? No, it was not a good idea and it meant a long, soulful talk with our fearless leader. He said that I had completely obliterated the application part of his sermon. By affirming the message, the messenger, and the nobleness of his sermon, I had undone the challenge he was giving. I stated the obvious. Bad idea!

Surprise the players (most particularly the pastor)

Some platform people think it will be o.k. if they insert "a little something" into the service that has not been discussed prior. How has this backfired—let me count the ways. No one and I mean no one wants to be surprised by a loose canon in a service of worship!

That doesn't mean you have to script everything in advance, but pastors should never have to hide a grimace because one of their colleagues decides to have an impromptu slideshow of the pastor's early years (oh yes, this happens all the time to celebrate the pastor's tenure). In one case, the pastor had to completely scrap the sermon because of time. He ended up being embarrassed and humiliated by his bear skin rug shot, and much more. I have learned the hard way to never surprise people on the platform.

Go overtime

I conducted thousands of rehearsals with various ensembles over the years. I had one basic rule—start on time and end on time. I think this should be a rule for worship services as well. O.K., here's where you rail against me about the Holy Spirit being in charge of how long worship services should go. I agree, and if you can honestly say the lack of punctuality in closing the service was because the Holy Spirit spoke to you—go for it.

Most often, we are late because we were sloppy in execution. Congregants know the difference. Holy Spirit vs. bad planning—they know! Those dear folks are holding us responsible to keep other church-scheduled events in sequence. Rightly so. Heaven knows the average church has enough activities on any given Sunday to more than fill a dance card.

Respecting people's time is a way of defining the orderliness of God's love and thoughts about us. Respect is, in many ways, at the heart of faith. At least that's true for me.

Announce in worship

The reason churches often make announcements after the service has begun, is that they want everyone to hear them, and lots of people walk in late. If you personally and honestly believe that you have appropriate justification for announcing the potluck dinner on Wednesday directly after the prayer of confession—again, go for it.

Entertain

I don't like long pauses in conversations. They make me uncomfortable, edgy, and restless. I'm getting over it the more I learn to listen. I no longer fill in every gap in every conversation as I was once wont to do.

Church services are often planned in the same nervous manor of the awkward conversational pause. Certainly we should move services with intentionality and good pacing, but trying to fill every space with jolly used car salesman misdirected enthusiasm, can kill the the very thing we seek most—Holy dialogue with our Creator.

In The Wood

And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand. And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood.

(1 Samuel 23:14-15)


David was in the wilderness of Ziph, a rugged terrain near Carmel that was removed from any real settlement. He had no bed to sleep in, no table or chairs, no recliner, no comforts of home. He was on the run—again. King Saul was determined to eliminate his perceived enemy at any cost. The text records that Saul sought him every day. These were desperate times for David.

It was also a very frustrating time for David because he had done nothing to harm Saul. He had fought valiantly for the armies of Israel, he had behaved himself wisely, God had even used him to soothe Saul’s troubled spirit by his skilful playing on the harp. He had been loyal—he was the king’s son-in-law no less! But none of that mattered to Saul. Moved by his own paranoid jealously, Saul chased ruthlessly after the young man and his followers. And so David found himself in the wilderness, “in a wood.”

There comes a time (probably many a time) when we will find ourselves in the wilderness, “in a wood.” Circumstances in life take a turn for the worst. They are dealt a blow of unfairness, or critical enemies show up when there should be no enemies at all. It is frustrating, discouraging, and disappointing in this wood. They don’t belong there and yet, there doesn’t seem to be much of a way out. I am sure that all this time in the wilderness was wearying to David. All he wanted was to get on with his life. Leave me alone! And then, something wonderful happened:

And Jonathan Saul’s son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God. (1 Samuel 23:16)

David’s friend Jonathan took a big risk on his own life and wellbeing to visit David “in the wood.” What a refreshing sight it must have been for David to see his friend!

David and Jonathan didn’t sit around and complain about the unfairness of it all. They didn’t talk of revenge. Jonathan sought to encourage and strengthen David’s hand in God. Jonathan wanted David to keep his eyes on the Lord, keep relying upon Jehovah, and keep walking with the Lord. In essence Jonathan said, “David, keep your faith; God has brought you through many things; He hasn’t changed; He has a plan in all this.”

It is a true friend who will strengthen you in the Lord—point you to the Saviour and undergird your faith with theirs.

I don’t know where you might be in your life right now. Maybe you are in the wood and could use a friend—I trust that you will let someone know where you are. But maybe you are in the place where you could be a Jonathan. Your friend doesn’t need to re-hash the ugly details of the wood nor does he need empty pious phrases. What he needs is someone to find him in the wood and minister to him—remind him of the greatness of God, and that he is not alone.

10 Ways To Help Your Pastor

If you want to be an obedient Christian, you have one of two choices: be the pastor of a Bible-preaching, Bible-practicing church or help someone who is the pastor of a Bible-preaching, Bible-practicing church. According to the Word of God, you need your pastor and he needs you! Here are some ways that you can be a tremendous help and blessing to your pastor.

1. Pray for Him and His Family
…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16)

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

Praying for your pastor daily will help him, and it will keep you tender toward his leadership.

2. Show up for the Preaching of God’s Word
The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; (1Peter 5:1-2)

Pastors are commanded to feed the flock. However, they are not commanded to make “home delivery” of the feed. Your pastor cannot feed you if you do not show up for the meal.

Dr. Lee Roberson often said, “Every Christian needs three to thrive: Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night.”

3. Pick a Ministry (a Job) and Be Faithful
Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him . . . (Deuteronomy 6:12-13)

Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you. (1Samuel 12:24)

If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. (John 12:26)

Jesus taught that the primary attribute for His followers was faithfulness. Rare is the church member today who can always be counted on for serving faithfully.

4. Obey the Lord in Your Stewardship
But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)

The church needs your offerings for the Lord’s work. More importantly, you need to be obedient to the Lord and give it. If every church member were obedient about giving, churches would be looking for more good ways to use the Lord’s money. Missionaries would go to the field in weeks instead of years.

5. Teach Your Children to Respect Their Pastor
Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. (Hebrews 13:7, 17)

Honor, respect, and obey your pastor whomever he happens to be. He may not be your “ideal pastor.” He certainly will not be perfect, but God has placed him in the office of pastor and that office is worthy of respect and honor.

6. Envision a Great Future for Your Church
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. (Proverbs 29:18)

Focus on the wonderful opportunity you have to see people saved, baptized, growing in the Lord, and serving in the church. Get excited about the events, outreach efforts, and special meetings of the church.

7. Take an Active Part in Making That Vision a Reality
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. (James 1: 22-25)

8. Increase Your Love for Your Church Family
Jesus taught that the world would recognize us as His followers by the love that we have for each other.

Be faithful in prayer for one another.

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16)

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (Ephesians 6:18)

Be aware of those who are struggling and look for ways to help.

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:12-13)

Extend personal care to each other—function as the body of Christ.

Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)

9. Share Christ and Your Church With Others
And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. (Luke 14:23)

Andrew brought Peter to Jesus. This is the first step in becoming a soulwinner. Bringing people to church with you is the “entry level” of soulwinning. Anyone and everyone can do it.

10. Keep a Positive Spirit
Determine to focus on the good things in life and the good things about your church. Anybody can criticize. Critics are a dime a dozen.

Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: (Psalm 146:5)

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. (1John 5:4)

Encourage your pastor by sharing his vision for your church.

Amazing Factoids About Facebook

The current issue of Time magazine has a cover article on Facebook, plus coverage of several other social media. Here are some facts about the size, scope and influence of these innovations:


- Began 6 years ago in dorm room of Harvard undergraduate Mark Zuckenberg as a way for Ivy League students to keep tabs on one another

- Will officially log its 500 millionth active citizen in next few weeks.

- If the website were granted terra firma, it would be the world’s third largest country by population.

- The site had 117 million unique visitors in the U.S. in March, since some 70% of its users are in other countries (the Facebook site has been translated into 70 languages so far)

- More than 1 in 4 people who browse the Internet not only have a Facebook account but also have returned to the site within the past 30 days.

- It’s fastest growing demographic is users over 34, who now represent 28%.

- Users share more than 25 billion pieces of information with Facebook each month

- Through the photos people share, Facebook collects nearly 1 billion unique images a week.

- With 48 billion unique images, Facebook houses the world’s largest photo collection.

- Facebook is free to users, making money through its robust ad system flashing 176 billion banner ads at users in the first 3 months of this year, more than any other website

- In first month of its new Open Graph feature (enabling users to flag content on web pages), Facebook almost reached the point where it will process 100 million unique clicks of a Like button each day.

- Searches for “how to delete Facebook” on Google have nearly doubled in volume since the start of this year.

- “What people want isn’t complete privacy. It isn’t that they want secrecy. It’s that they want control over what they share and what they don’t.” – Mark Zuckenberg, Facebook CEO and billionaire, age 26 today.



Social Media Comparisons

- Facebook had 117 million visitors in March in the United States

- MySpace had 42 million

- Twitter had 20 million

- LinkedIn had 14 million


YouTube:

- Only five years old: the beta launch occurred May 2005 (featuring a 19-second shot of co-founder at San Diego zoo).

- The world’s third most visited website after Google and Facebook.

- Users now clock more than 2 billion views every single day.

- Today more video is uploaded to YouTube in 60 days than all three U.S. television networks have created in 60 years.