Letter to an Incomplete, Insecure Teenager; by John Piper

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This letter is a must read for anyone who has ever felt incomplete.  John Piper describes how he was not a “caterpillar” who disappeared into a cocoon only to emerge as beautiful butterflies when the time was right. But he (and all of us) are more like frogs who publicly transform from a tadpole to a frog with all the awkward stages in-between.

In this rare occasion that John Piper speaks to a teenager, we receive a skillful description of the process of sanctification and some real encouragement along the way. Check out the original article here. Read the whole thing, it’s worth it!

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Four years ago a teenager in our church wrote to me for advice about life in general, and identity in particular. Here is what I wrote, with a big dose of autobiography for illustration.

Dear ________,

My experience of coming out of an introverted, insecure, guilty, lustful, self-absorbed adolescent life was more like the emergence of a frog from a tadpole than a butterfly from a larva.

Larvae disappear into their cocoons and privately experience some inexplicable transformation with no one watching (it is probably quite messy in there) and then the cocoon comes off and everyone says oooo, ahhh, beautiful. It did not happen like that for me.

Frogs are born teeny-weeny, fish-like, slimy, back-water-dwellers. They are not on display at Sea World. They might be in some ritzy hotel’s swimming pool if the place has been abandoned for 20 years and there’s only a foot of green water in the deep end.

But little by little, because they are holy frogs by predestination and by spiritual DNA (new birth), they swim around in the green water and start to look more and more like frogs.

First, little feet come out on their side. Weird. At this stage nobody asks them to give a testimony at an Athletes in Action banquet.

Then a couple more legs. Then a humped back. The fish in the pond have already pulled back: “Hmmm,” they say, “this does not look like one of us any more.” A half-developed frog fits nowhere.

But God is good. He has his plan and it is not to make this metamorphosis easy. Just certain. There are a thousand lessons to be learned in the process. Nothing is wasted. Life is not on hold waiting for the great coming-out. That’s what larvae do in the cocoon. But frogs are public all the way though the foolishness of change.

I think the key for me was finding help in the Apostle Paul and C. S. Lewis and my father, all of whom seemed incredibly healthy, precisely because they were so absolutely amazed at everything but themselves.

They showed me that the highest mental health is not liking myself but being joyfully interested in everything but myself. They were the type of people who were so amazed that people had noses—not strange noses, just noses—that walking down any busy street was like a trip to the zoo. O yes, they themselves had noses, but they couldn’t see their own. And why would they want to? Look at all these noses they are free to look at! Amazing.

The capacity of these men for amazement was huge. I marveled and I prayed that I would stop wasting so much time and so much emotional energy thinking about myself. Yuk, I thought. What am I doing? Why should I care what people think about me. I am loved byGod Almighty and he is making a bona fide high-hopping frog out of me.

The most important text on my emergent frogishness became 2 Corinthians 3:18 —

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.

This was one of the greatest secrets I ever discovered: Beholding is becoming.

Introspection must give way to amazement at glory. When it does, becoming happens. If there is any key to maturity it is that. Behold your God in Jesus Christ. Then you will make progress from tadpole to frog. That was a great discovery.

Granted, (so I thought) I will never be able to speak in front of a group, since I am so nervous. And I may never be married, because I have too many pimples. Wheaton girls scare the bejeebies out of me. But God has me in his hand (Philippians 3:12) and he has a plan and it is good and there is a world, seen and unseen, out there to be known and to be amazed at—why would I ruin my life by thinking about myself so much?

Thank God for Paul and Lewis and my dad! It’s all so obvious now. Self is simply too small to satisfy the exploding longings of my heart. I wanted to taste and see something great and wonderful and beautiful and eternal.

It started with seeing nature and ended with seeing God. It started in literature, and ended in Romans and Psalms. It started with walks through the grass and woods and lagoons, and ended in walks through the high plains of theology. Not that nature and literature and grass and woods and lagoons disappeared, but they became more obviously copies and pointers.

The heavens are telling the glory of God. When you move from heavens to the glory of God, the heavens don’t cease to be glorious. But they are un-deified, when you discover what they are saying. They are pointing. “You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy” (Psalm 65:8).

What are the sunrise and sunset shouting about so happily? Their Maker! They are beckoning us to join them. But if I am grunting about the zit on my nose, I won’t even look out the window.

So my advice is: be patient with the way God has planned for you to become a very happy, belly-bumping frog. Don’t settle for being a tadpole or a weird half-frog. But don’t be surprised at the weirdness and slowness of the process either.

How did I become a preacher? How did I get married? God only knows. Incredible. So too will your emergence into what you will be at 34 be incredible. Just stay the course and look. Look, look. There is so much to see. The Bible is inexhaustible. Mainly look there. The other book of God, the unauthoritative one—nature—is also inexhaustible. Look. Look. Look. Beholding the glory of the Lord we are being changed.

I love you and believe God has great froggy things for you. Don’t worry about being only a high-hopping Christlike frog. Your joy comes from what you see.

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

There is another metamorphosis awaiting. It just gets better and better. God is infinite. So there will always be more of his glory for a finite mind to see. There will be no boredom in eternity.

Affectionately,

Pastor John

AMAZING! Analogy of the Church at Work!

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Ok, so this is about the greatest video I’ve seen in a long time.  And that is saying something with the speed of information these days.  (And I can’t believe some innocent guy gets his iPhone BROKE at the end of this epic accomplishment!)

I don’t know about you, but I watched it several times.  (The out-takes at the end are even worth watching:)

Why do I post this?

It is my prayer that this video would be an analogy for how my ministry leaders (and yours) work together for the Gospel.

  • Seemless on Content – Just like the video playing on four screens, our small groups, while independent, are playing the same content (the Gospel) and when seen collectively display a grand picture of the Glory of God.
  • Synced in Method – While “We Are Young” by Fun is probably a one hit wonder, the owners of these phones were synced perfectly with that song.  They choreographed every detail of every movement.  May our ministries be intentional with each movement.  May every event, fellowship, outreach, teaching, be perfectly in sync with the Scriptures. (That’s no one hit wonder!)
  • Smoothly Transferring Hands– In this video the phones changed hands so many times they forgot who’s was who’s!  May our students move from year to year smoothly finding a new small group that loves them and connects with them.  Let each leader receive and pass the lives of students with precision and care.

Are we there yet? No. We have a long way to go, but hey, we are young.

True Success in Student Ministry

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I’ve seen it to many times to count. Going to a camp or conference where youth workers are in full force.  We all get to sit and talk, compare notes with what is working, what is not, to encourage each other, to pray for one another, ect.  But something always slips into the conversation.  Maybe it’s out front, maybe it’s more subtle, but it’s the burning question lurking in the corner of our minds.

 “How many kids are you running in your ministry?”

The numerical data of student ministry appears to be in the driver seat.

  • You want to impress your student worker comrades?
  • You need approval from the budget committee for an increase this year?
  • You need more volunteers on Wednesday nights?
  • You want the respect of your senior pastor and staff?

…Have big numbers…

Among student pastors when the numbers start flying, some feel like MVPs with their impressive headcounts, others feel like total losers who can’t compare.  The lines are drawn and the assumptions take root.

Why is this?  What makes large numbers the definition of success in most student ministries?  I believe it is a strategy of that ole trickster himself.  The devil wants us to compare ourselves to each other and not to the truths of Scripture.  He wants us to measure our effectiveness based on something other than the Gospel’s power.  He wants us to stay distracted, thus losing the opportunity to shape a generation deeply by the power of the cross.

If we define success according to the ministry of Jesus Christ we will find numerical quantity is not the issue, but spiritual quality.

I believe every youth minister, student pastor, small group volunteer, anyone connected to our ministries, should define success in terms of discipleship.  Are you downloading your faith into the life of someone else?  Face to face, knee to knee.  Are you getting into the nitty gritty of life with another individual and showing them the ropes of the Christian life.

Jesus had cycles of ministry. From rock star status, to outcast status.  From huge open air crowds, to intimate upper rooms.  One thing remained consistent through His public ministry.  Jesus continually, intentionally, relationally invested into the lives of His disciples. 

  • Continually – it takes time. Real discipleship is done with time spent together doing real life. Fifteen minutes of GREAT conversation a week won’t make a disciple, but daily hanging out will.  I’ve taken teens with me to dinner at my house, let one watch how I put my kids to bed, had help changing the oil in my car, even (gulp) going Wal-Mart.  In everyday situations we show how to live for the glory of God.  It rubs off with continual exposure.
  • Intentionally – Jesus didn’t do anything on accident.  We need to take advantage of the situations we find ourselves in and use them to train disciples.  What if we knew some things would be hard, but challenged our students to do them anyway?  What if we intentionally tried to develop habits contrary to culture, but conforming to scripture.  We should all have some teenagers under us who know they are explicitly being mentored so they can go and mentor someone next.
  • Relationally – Jesus taught in ways that His disciples could understand.  He helped them along in their faith.  He walked with them even though their immaturity.  In relationships we have our most powerful influence.  Are we taking time to truly shepherd our teens?  Sheep get to know their shepherd.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd and His sheep know His voice.  We get the privilege to be under-shepherds and care for His flock.  Care for them, know them, walk through life with them.  Disciple-making doesn’t come from a pulpit, but from a relationship.

What if youth workers didn’t brag about how packed the room was for extreme goldfish swallowing, but instead bragged about the depths of scripture memorization from their kids.  What if numbers didn’t drive the ministry, but spiritual maturity was the goal?  How different would our student ministries look if we stopped trying to look cool and hip, and really invested in teenagers allowing the Gospel to penetrate to the deepest levels of the heart changing us from the inside out?

True success is measured in spiritual maturity not in impressive headcounts.  Paul understood this when he penned these words in Colossians 1:28. “We proclaim Him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.”

May your ministries be successful in the truest sense of the word.

Your fellow worker in the field, Adam

 

Be Ready for Anything!

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In student ministry we have to be ready for anything! Sprained ankle maybe? Take a look at this picture. This guy has made:

  • a splint,
  • an ice pack,
  • and a snack

all at the same time!  I applaud you sir! Well played.

If you are wanting to become a student pastor, or already are one, you must understand the many hats you wear.

You will be your own secretary, graphic designer, researcher, custodian, medic, and many more at the same time.  Be ready.  The work is hard, but the payoff is worth it.  To be part of changing lives of teenagers is great.  These years are a season when they are setting the trajectory for the rest of their lives!  How important is it to guide them in the ways of the Lord?!?

I’m reminded of Paul saying in 1 Cor. 9:19,22-23, “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them… To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.  I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”

Why do we do what we do?  For the sake of the Gospel!  Paul is reminding us to be willing to change ourselves in any way needed, from pastor to custodian to medic, if it means we can present the unchanged message of the Gospel!

Your fellow worker in the field,  Adam

Student Ministry is NEEDED!

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Student ministry in its current form is a cultural phenomenon.  We need to understand that.  It has not been around forever and we should not think that it is a biblically mandated method.  Yet, raising up young people to know and love God has been going on for centuries.

I just came across a fantastic article titled “Why we need Youth Ministry” written by Paul Martin of “Being Ministry” Blog.  Hit the link and check out the full article.

Martin traces the historical jewish method of raising up children and walks it through to present day.  Great job.  He lists 3 points why our churches need youth ministry departments today.

  1. Youth ministry exists because it is needed.
  2. What worked in the past can work today.
  3. Resistance is futile.

In the article he fleshes these points out nicely.  Asking the question, “where does this leave the church?” he ends with a great perspective.

Youth ministry is a cultural phenomenon, but that does not negate its usefulness. Youth ministry will continue to evolve, but it will be needed as long as young people and their families struggle with bringing them fully into adulthood and spiritual maturity.

So check it out and see if you agree with his affirmation that student ministries are needed in our churches. The question remains, are we doing a good job?

Your fellow worker in the field,  Adam

Legalism: a tendency in Student Ministry

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The full article (linked Here which you should check out), written by Cameron Cole, is the third of four articles addressing the State of Youth Ministry today.  Backed by the Rooted Blog and Gospel Coalition, you can be sure these articles are hard hitting and biblically rooted.  Here we have another great resource that I will encourage all church leadership to read, not just my fellow student pastors. There are great insights into the nuts and bolts behind why things are the way they are.

The first great quote warns youth pastors wanting to see immediate results. We are (generally) products of a culture that inclines us to desire instant gratification.  We want the same from the gas station burrito as from our students spiritual lives; perfection in two minutes or less.  But sanctification does not work that way.

Mark Upton, a former youth worker and current pastor at Hope Community Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, offered these wise words to me when I started youth ministry: “If anyone asks you about your ministry, tell them you will let them know in ten years.”

In an effort to see results faster, the temptation is to focus on the actions rather that the heart.

Wanting validation for their tireless labor, youth ministers occasionally focus on behavior modification as a means of providing tangible proof of the efficacy of their ministry. A kid carrying his or her Bible to school, signing a chastity pledge, or sporting a WWJD bracelet may appear like signs of spiritual progress—the fruit of ministry labor for a youth pastor—but if these actions come out of a student misunderstanding Christianity as a code of behavior rather than heart transformation through the Holy Spirit, then they do not necessarily reflect lasting life change.

I have to call for some clarification to the section entitled “kids are as destructive as nuclear warheads.” While I agree that moralism plus increased pressure to perform results in rebellion, I do not agree that this is a “teenage” issue.  This is a human issue.  You can say the same thing for my 3 year old, whom I am trying to teach not to hit his brother!  You can see this issue rampant among adults in the work place. While adults may learn to be more subtle or crafty, the heart issues are the same.

Very few youth pastors go through a year without the death of a teenager in the community where they serve. Many youth pastors preach moralism over the gospel in order to protect students from self-destruction.

I think that section is simply highlighting that teenagers are acting on their sinful nature just like anyone does apart from the grace of God through the work of Jesus in their heart.  So let’s not just call out the teens on this one, OK?

Cameron Cole follows up right on track when parents are indicted with the moralization of their children, rather than focus of Gospel transformation.

Parents rightly want moral children, as do youth pastors. Sometimes, families view the church exclusively as a vehicle for moral education, rather than spiritually forming them in Christ, and put pressure on youth and senior pastors to moralize their children.

Lastly, I encouraged church leaders to read this article because many student pastors are in great need of mentoring.  As I have experienced and continue to experience, mistakes stink.  I have learned from my mistakes in the past, but have much to learn still.

Many youth ministers are young, both in age and in their faith. Given all of the other responsibilities that adult pastors must juggle, nurturing the theological and spiritual development of the youth pastor can be overlooked. Furthermore, churches often view the youth department as entertainment and relationships but not a serious teaching ministry.

If student ministry can resist the temptation to being simply an entertainment driven, behavior modification system, we may see a generation connect with the life changing power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Your fellow worker in the field,   Adam

Avoiding the Trash

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Tuesdays. Trash day. The bane of cyclists.  Every Tuesday I have to navigate a barrage of city trashcans that line the sidewalks as I ride my bike to work.  I live just far enough away that riding to work saves me some money and gives me a bit of a workout (since I never find time for the gym).  So last week, I was riding to work, dodging those trashcans like a downhill skier, when I approached an obstacle.  Before me stood a large can (the kind with the wheels on it) with just enough room between it and the upcoming mailbox that I could slip through.  I weaved in… just then my front tire slipped off the curb preventing me from weaving back over to avoid the mailbox.  BAM.  I rolled the bike over so I didn’t smash the mailbox (that would be a federal offense you know) or it smashes me (more likely).  Stupid trashcans.  Luckily, I was not hurt, except for my pride as I could imagine the snickers of gawking drivers passing by.

Avoiding the temptations of life can sometimes be just as tricky as my Tuesday morning trek.  Thank the Lord that we have a map to follow. In the scriptures, we see plenty of things to help us as we face temptations everyday. As I read the Word, I continually see that the power against temptation is not in ourselves! Remember this! We cannot do it on our own!

The power against the temptations in this life is not in our strength, but in our submission.

 1.   Submit to God:  We have all heard “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”. That is a false statement when standing alone!  James 4:7 qualifies that statement with a power packed intro. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” In submitting our will to the will of the Father we find strength. Only then does the devil recognize he is outmatched and flee.  Trusting in our own strength, the devil sees easy prey.  First submit your life, dreams, hopes, desires, everything to God, and watch the devil flee in moments of temptation!

2.    Submit to the Word:  When Jesus entered into public ministry He began with the temptation in the wilderness. Matthew 4:1 says, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” In response to all the temptations He faced, what did He do? He quoted scripture! “But He answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matt 4:4)  The Word of God is powerful for defeating the temptations in our lives. Jesus understood this and we need to follow His example.
 So take this practical step: Identify your areas of temptation and MEMORIZE several applicable verses to use in the moment of battle!  Jesus didn’t whip out a scroll! He quoted from memory!  Understand your limitations and submit to the power of scripture in your life.

3.    Submit through Prayer:  In an intense moment of Jesus life, the Garden of Gethsemane, He gave some advise to his closest friends who were there with him. “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14:38)  Unfortunately, these guys were weak.  Jesus knew that through prayer we focus our lives on God’s will.  In prayer, we connect to a strength not in ourselves.  When you know temptation is coming saturate the situation in prayer.  In the middle of temptation, prayer is a key to victory.  Prayer does not change God, but it does change us.  In your prayers, submit to His power in all situations.

4.    Submit to Accountability:  No one is perfect.  We all fail.  We fail more when we try to handle this life alone.  God created us for community and created the church to be fulfillment of that need.  James 5:16 says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”  Our culture is one of isolation and loneliness.  It tells us to hide our sin at all cost.  The Bible tells believers to confess.  In this confession we find brothers and sisters ready to support us in the healing process.  We find freedom to allow the Gospel to penetrate to the deepest parts of us with its message of forgiveness and hope.  With accountability we can tackle the struggles and temptations of this life and have a support system through it all.  Do you have people with whom you can be real and honest?  If not, find some.  Submit your private life to those who will push you closer to Jesus.

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Keep fighting the good fight!  Hang in there.  Let me leave you with one last verse that has sustained me on many occasions. 1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”  It’s a promise. Take it to the bank.

Your fellow worker in the field,  Adam

Going Against the Flow

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While this video is pretty hilarious, sometimes it can feel that way in student ministry as well.

When a large segment of student ministries around our nation may appears to be driven by entertainment and surface-level theology, teaching the Gospel and Truth of scripture seems hard at times.  Don’t give up friends!  If you watched the whole thing, this girl makes it to the top!  In ministry it may feel like we are going the wrong way on the escalator, but Jesus reminds us in Matthew 7 about entering the Kingdom.  “13Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. 14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.”

This journey is worth it!  Hang in there!  Go against the flow!  Teach the Truth!

Student Ministry needs to use REAL bullets!

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In a ministry culture revolving around fun and entertainment, sometimes student ministry forgets to talk seriously about serious matters.

Sin.

Youth workers, we need to be teaching the reality that sin will kill us. Romans 6:23 makes it plain enough.  “The wages of sin is DEATH”.  Does this generation really understand this? Or do they see us wink at sin and sweep it under the rug?

Teaching the truth of the Gospel means using real bullets in this fight!  Bring the heat.  We need to accurately convey the gravity of sin in our lives!  Don’t let teenagers make it through your ministry never deeply thinking about sin in their own lives!  And what should we be doing with this sin?  Paul answers it very succinctly in Romans 8.

Don’t just skip down to verse 31 and following, subtitled “the Believers Triumph” without teaching what we are to be triumphing over.  Verses 1-28 paint a graphic picture of killing sin before it kills you!

Never be scared to bring the heavy weights into a sermon with teenagers.  They can grasp it.  If they are doing calculus and microbiology at school we can get deeper in church too.  Bring in John Owen.  Talk about his book, “Mortification of Sin in Believers”.  (Here is a good summary.)  Teenagers will only glean from the depth of your own study.  So study well.

Read and listen to this series by John Piper, How to Kill Sin.  See how he exposits Romans 8 and gives a great understanding of John Owen.  Use this stuff to teach the next generation the reality of sin and the holiness of God.

Teenagers, young adults, and everyone for that matter, need to be constantly reminded of the depths of our sin and conversely the power of the Gospel.  Preach it to yourself daily; let that overflow in your ministry.

Your fellow worker in the field,   Adam

Big Words for a Big Problem

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MTD – Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.  I believe this article, the second of four about the current state of youth ministry today, is right on target.  (click here for the full article at Gospel Coalition) Brian Cosby recognizes that the Bible is not to be taught as a guide for being more moral in our society, but the redemptive hope for our souls found in the Gospel!

“That a youth ministry “teaches the Bible” does not necessarily mean it teaches the gospel. Many mistake the gospel with moralism—being a good person, reading your Bible, or opening the door for the elderly in order to earn God’s favor. But the gospel is altogether different.”

Most teenagers are skipping (sometimes fumbling) through life without deeply thinking about their worldview framework through which they make assumptions about reality.  With an ambiguous and often contradiction laden framework, many teens can still coast through Student Ministry without challenging these beliefs!

“According to sociologists Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton, most American teenagers believe in something dubbed “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism” (MTD).  Within this MTD “religion,” God is a cosmic therapist and divine butler, ready to help out when needed. He exists but really isn’t a part of our lives. We are supposed to be “good people,” but each person must find what’s right for him or her. Good people will go to heaven, and we shouldn’t be stifled by organized religion where somebody tells us what we should do or what we should believe.”

And this problem is not just in the realm of our student ministries, but it filters into the church at large!

“Moralistic Therapeutic Deism has little to do with God or a sense of divine mission in the world. It offers comfort, bolsters self-esteem, helps solve problems, and lubricates interpersonal relationships by encouraging people to do good, feel good, and keep God at arm’s length.  When this self-help theology is combined with a sola-boot-strapia sermon from TBN, we start having teens singing, “God Is Watching Us from a Distance” while—at the same time—wondering why Jesus isn’t fixing their parents’ marriage or their problems with cutting.  MTD isn’t just the problem of youth ministry; it’s the problem of the church. And American Christianity has become a “generous host” to this low-commitment, entertainment-driven model of youth ministry.”

I love this quote. It hammers home that our theology should drive our methodology!  Not the other way around!  Always keep this in mind student pastors.

“While our theology of the gospel should inform our method, the American church—to a large extent—has practiced just the reverse. The question on many youth leaders’ minds is, “How do we get bored teenagers into the church?” The question should be, “How are we to faithfully plant and water the gospel of Jesus Christ for his glory and our joy in him?”

This article ends with hope for the church.  That hope rests in Jesus Himself.  Jesus will build his church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it!  So we trust Him. We seek Him. We focus our ministries on Him!

I applaud Brian Cosby in this informative and challenging reminder of the dangers this generation and our churches are facing.  May we stand in the gap with a tenacious focus on the Gospel!

Your fellow worker in the field,  Adam