Addendum: "Youth Groups..."

By Joe Harrison

I would like to point out something that I should have said in the previous post, "The Dangers of Youth Groups". And that's the intentions of said Youth Leaders. I want you, the reader, to know that I understand that these Youth Leaders have good intentions. I really believe that. But to quote my man Dr. Alan Grant from Jurassic Park III:

"Some of the worst things imaginable have been done with the best intentions."

And I believe this quote to be entirely true. Now, you know me, I... well... hate is too harsh a term... but I really dislike all the cheesy slogans that Christians come up with these days. "Let go and let God". "No God, No Peace. Know God, Know Peace." And a bajillion other silly ones that may be true, but they still make me cringe. Anyway, so if you know me you know I really dislike Christian slogans. But I have to take a step away from that and come up with one of my own. You ready for it?

Things should not be done with good intentions, they should be done with God intentions.

There. Major cheese-factor, I know, but true. God intentions. As in letting the Holy Spirit guide you in God's Will. Not what you think is the best thing. What God knows is the best thing. Once again, this is one of our biggest problems. We are trying to teach teenagers about God with our own strength. But we need to do it through/with God's Strength. Otherwise it becomes empty and fruitless.

Now I do apologize if, in the previous post, I sounded a bit harsh. My concern is for the unsaved and newly Born Again teenagers out there. My concern is not to bash Youth Leaders. But it often comes out that way. It often sounds like I'm more out to kill all the Youth Leaders rather than wanting to help the teen generation. And I apologize if it came off that way.

I am just so concerned, so worried about where Christianity is and where it is heading today. It devastates me to see so many of my brothers and sisters in Christ being swept away by the false doctrines of modernizing the Gospel to make it more acceptable when this is the exact opposite of what we should be doing. If any of you were hurt by the blogpost, I ask for your forgiveness, but once again I also ask that you not dismiss what I said, but think about it and pray about it.

Please. The teen generation does not need cool Youth Leaders and cool entertainment and a cool atmosphere. The teen generation needs to know Who God is.

The Dangers of Youth Group

Blogger: Joe Harrison

Youth Group. Young Life. Teen Gathering. Young Adults on Fire. Whatever you want to call it, almost instantly it sends a shiver of discomfort down my spine. Youth Group can be a very dangerous thing for the young kids out there who are either new Christians or not Christians at all. Why, you ask? Because Youth Groups that actually teach the words of God, the lessons of Christ, and so on, are far and few in between.

I have been to a number of different Youth Groups; I can count at least six. And of those six only two were Bible-teaching Youth Groups (my thanks goes out to Josh & Lisa Hatthaway back in the SJCC days and Mr. & Mrs. Farrow back in the CRBC days for being those two groups). Two in Five. That's about 35% Bible-Teaching Youth Groups, leaving 65% out in the dark.

Here's the problem I saw with those 65%: What I saw was a group of Christian Leaders who were worried about being relevant to today's teenagers. Worried about being acceptable to today's teenagers. Worried about being cool to today's teenagers. And it was all of this combined that led to 58 Minutes of worldy entertainment. Games, secular movies, games, jokes, stand-up comedy, more games, and so on. 58 minutes. Leaving a miserable and ridiculous two minutes at the end for a quick prayer.

Youth Groups are more in a danger of turning to the Emerging Church movement than Churches are. I have been to some Youth Groups where they sing secular songs from popular bands that maybe just happen to mention God or Angels or Heaven. This is one of the trademarks of the Emerging Church movement. They teach about life experiences, feelings, and thoughts, unrelated to what the Bible says. Another trademark of the Emerging Church movement. They teach you to be a "Good Person", nevermind bringing the Gospel message into it; and when they do, it becomes a "Accept God because He is the 'Happy Pill'" gospel message. Another trademark of the Emerging Church movement.

Get the picture?

Now, let's examine the Why. Let's jump back up to what I said a couple paragraphs above. I said:

...Christian Leaders who were worried about being relevant to today's teenagers. Worried about being acceptable to today's teenagers. Worried about being cool to today's teenagers.

All three of these things are true, but they stem from one main root. And it's the same root problem of all the Christians out there who think we need to update the Gospel message to make it more relevant and acceptable. The root problem is: they are putting too much work on their shoulders and off of the Holy Spirit's. Understand that it is the Holy Spirit Who prepares people to hear the Gospel. It is the Holy Spirit Who convicts. It is the Holy Spirit Who leads someone to Christ. We the Christians are but the vessel of the Holy Spirit. We share the Gospel, the Holy Spirit does the work. When we worry about the Gospel message's relevance and think we need to change it, that's us starting to think that we have something to do with a person coming to Christ. Don't get me wrong, we do in some way, but it is the Holy Spirit through us Who does most of the work. He works through us, as in we should still share the Gospel. I say that because I could see some readers thinking I meant that we don't need to evangelize because we can just let the Holy Spirit do it. That's not what I'm saying at all. While, certainly, He doesn't need a vessel, the Holy Spirit works best when using us as a vessel to reach the Lost.

But this is why we do not need to change the Gospel. This is why we do not need to become relevant to teenagers. Teach the Truth for what it is. But you may say:

"But then we will lose some attendance!"

First off, God is not concerned with the numbers as much as He is concerned with the Truth being declared. Secondly, look to the Flagship Verse of Evangelism:

"So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11 (NKJV)

I mean, do I even really need to continue this point any further than that verse? It seems pretty crystal-clear to me. Declare God's Truth for what it is, because it will not return to Him void! What we tend to fail to understand is that we may share the Gospel with someone, with a teenager, and that person leaves and never comes back again... but the Truth that you revealed to him/her is now in his/her mind. It is in his/her memory. He/she will remember it. They have been exposed to the awesome revelation of Christ! You have done your part, now the ball is in the Holy Spirit's court.

But when we waste time being relevant, playing games with the teenagers, singing strange secular songs with them, watching secular (and usually dirty) movies with them, we are only "callusing" them to the work of the Holy Spirit. Why are we taking 58 minutes to share with these kids what they already get when they are out in the World? Why are we not sharing with them something new and exciting like the reality of Christ? I think another part of it is that Youth Leaders get stuck in the idea of "Well, if we preach about Christ than that means we have to talk about Sin and Hell all the time." NO! No, sir. You do not understand. God isn't just about Sin and Hell and Punishment and Death. God is far beyond our wonders, beyond anything we could ever imagine, He is so glorious and wonderful, and there are a boat-load of stories in the Bible that show us how incredibly magnificent God is. So preach the Gospel, but also teach Who God is!

If you are a Youth Leader and you are reading this, I beg you, if I knew you personally and knew where you lived I would drive over to your house right now and fall to the ground wrapping my arms around your legs in a desperate plea: TEACH THE TRUTH TO THE TEENAGERS. And regardless of whether they come back or not, LET THE HOLY SPIRIT WORK. They have been exposed to the revelation of Christ. And they will not soon forget it. And also think about it as preparation. You share the Gospel and teach from the Bible to the teenagers, and they never return again. But maybe a few days, weeks, months, or years down the road they come face-to-face with someone else who is preaching the Truth. Instantly their minds will jump back to when they were first exposed to It. That first time hearing it has prepared them; they have already been exposed to It, now when they come face-to-face with it again, they are familiar with it.

Please. Teach from the Bible. And teach the Gospel.

Now I have nothing against games and fun per se, but taking 90% of the time to play the games and leaving only 10% for the Bible is just completely and utterly ridiculous. If anything it should be reversed. Games have their time and place, but they should certainly never override the Bible. I would go as far as to say that it shouldn't even be balanced at 50/50. Bible-teaching should always have a higher percentage than games, etc.

Remember. You are the vessel of the Holy Spirit. Do your job, and He will do His. Don't damage today's generation even more than it already is. Do that which you have been sent into the World to do.

(Look for a future episode of Christianese Radio that will be taking this subject further)

Show Delayed

Much apologies, this week's episode of Christianese Radio will be delayed. Nothing bad has happened as much as it is just that I feel like a weekload of exhaustion that has been held back has suddenly been dumped on me. Lord-willing there will be a show this week, possibly Tuesday or Wednesday. I definitely have a lot I want to talk about and share, so I'm excited about being able to do it. It's just a matter of "when".

But until whenever it happens happens, the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

"Christianese Radio" Delayed

This week's episode of Christianese Radio will be delayed until Tuesday. Sorry about the short-notice, but be sure to check back on Tuesday (27th) morning.


http://tinyurl.com/chrradio

10-26-09 Episode Preview

(Sorry, I know it's been a while) Half-Hour 1: Discussion on interesting events involving criminals being stopped by prayer twice in the same week, as well as comments on the current Bi-Weekly Poll question. And finally a quick review of the film The Visitation based on the novel by Frank Peretti.

Half-Hour 2

Some of us have a huge problem of seeing what God wants us to do, but either by fear or by pride we turn away and run in the opposite direction. Somewhat a part two to the episode from three weeks ago about being Christ's Representatives, we look at this scenario of turning away from what God may be calling us to do as His Representatives.

Visit Christianese Radio: tinyurl.com/chrradio

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"Christianese Radio" and Lion's Mouth Entertainment are for non-profit use only and copyright © 2009 by Joe Harrison. All blogposts herein are permitted to be shared and distributed freely. For more information visit Lion's Mouth Entertainment online at starwarsfanworks.com/lionsmouth.

Get Out of Hell, Free!

Blogger: Joe Harrison

Don't pretend like you have never done it before, because we are all guilty of doing this at least once (but probably more than once) in our lives. We treat the Salvation given to us by Jesus Christ as a "Get Out Of Jail, FREE" Card. Now, right away, I may have people jumping on me and saying that this analogy is correct because we can't work our way into Heaven and the gift of Salvation is free. Well, I have no dispute there. But that's not all it's about.

First of all, think about the card in general. Think about its use. Notice the smaller set of words underneath:

THIS CARD MAY BE KEPT UNTIL NEEDED OR SOLD

And here's where the problem comes. We look to Christ's Salvation only when we think we need it. But until then, we continue to "walk in darkness" (as John talks about). Maybe you have friends who are not Christians, and you give no indication that you are a Christian. You use foul language, you laugh at their crude (sometimes even God-mocking) jokes, sometimes you even add a few jokes of your own. THEN, something bad happens in your life and you go running to God with your little "Get Out Of Jail, Free" card and start begging Him to help you. OR, maybe your friends know you're a Christian, but you've purposefully told them a number of times "Well, I'm not really strict" or "I'm a loose Christian", and you proceed to let words and jokes come out of your mouth that are grieving the Holy Spirit Who dwells in you. Do you understand that? We Christians really do take that for granted. The Holy Spirit is within us. And when we sin, we are grieving Him, and I think, in a lot of ways, it may be worse for this Member of the Trinity because He is seeing us commit these sins firsthand.

As mentioned above, John tells us in his first epistle:

"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the Truth." 1 John 1:6 (NKJV)

It is not enough to just have Salvation. If we profess to be Christians but treat Salvation as a monopoly card, in other words not taking advantage of Salvation until the very End, thereby letting us live our lives however we want, then we are walking in darkness; a.k.a. Satan's Territory. A place where Satan (and anyone else for that matter) pretty much has the right to call us his "children" because if we're in Satan's Territory it means we're acting like Devils, and as that old saying goes: "Like father, like son."

The Apostle John's letter was written (including the above verse) largely to a dangerous heresy called Gnosticism. Now Gnostics held to many heretical beliefs, but among their beliefs was the idea that they could do whatever they wanted to their bodies because sins committed could not affect the spirit. So even if they led the most sinful life in the history of the world, they would still get to Heaven. Now we look at that and say "That's terrible!" But in actuality... we have to admit that that doctrine is what many of us practice. Christ's Salvation is our "Get Out Of Jail, FREE" Card, so it doesn't matter what kind of life we live. In the End when we stand before God, we simply give Him the card and He opens the gateway of Heaven for us, saying "Well done, good and faithful servant."

I hope you're seeing something wrong with this picture. Notice what God says to us: "Well done, good and faithful servant." We are to serve God with our lives. Now while works do not get us into Heaven, they do play an important part in our service to God. James tells us:

"Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." James 2:17 (NKJV)

Work for the Kingdom. Serve God. Start acting like His children! Otherwise, Paul tells us:

"He himself will be saved, but only as one barely escaping the flames." 1 Corinthians 3:15 (NIV)

Doesn't that sound awful? I mean it's great that this person would still be Saved... but I don't know about you, I don't want to just barely escape the flames. I want to be as far away from them as possible! So all this is not to necessarily say that you are not Saved, but you are clearly in a lot of danger. You are exactly at the reaching-distance of the Devil, and believe you me, he will grab you and pull you down lower.

Throw out that "Get Out Of Jail, FREE" Card. Don't just apply Christ's Salvation at the End. Apply it to your life now. And let the Holy Spirit begin the Sanctification process as you stop walking in darkness.

"But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin." 1 John 1:7 (NKJV)

The Role of the Holy Spirit

Blogger: Joe Harrison

For several years I am ashamed to admit that I have profoundly neglected the Holy Spirit, though I professed to be a believer in the Trinity. I rarely ever gave Him any thought! And when I did, I often referred to Him as an "it". But this year I have really begun to turn around and see Him for Who He truly is. And in this blogpost were taking a look at the role of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the third member of the Trinity; a Person, not a thing. And on the note of Masculinity, Jesus Himself refers to the Spirit as "He" in the Gospel of John:

"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you." John 14:16-17 (NKJV)

Furthermore, we know that the Holy Spirit has personality (if that quote from Jesus Himself is not enough to convince you). Paul talks about the Mind (Rom. 8:27) and Will of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 12:11). Luke also tells us in Acts 13:4 that Barnabas and Saul (Paul) were "sent out by the Holy Spirit". Ephesians 4:30 and Isaiah 63:10 talk about grieving the Holy Spirit. Luke 10:21 and 1 Thessalonians 1:6 talk about the Holy Spirit giving joy.

There are numerous texts in the Bible that are clear indications that the Holy Spirit is a Person, referred to as a Man, and equal with God the Father and Jesus the Son. In one of the most popular passages in Christendom, the Great Commission (Luke 24:44-47) Jesus commissions us to baptize "in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit". If the Holy Spirit were not equal with God, it seems a little strange to me that Jesus would hold Him up to such a high level of importance with His name and God's Name. Simultaneously, notice that Jesus says "the NAME". He does not say "the Names". The Holy Spirit is the third member of the Trinity.

The Hebrew word used for the Holy Spirit is ruah, which means "breath", "air", or "wind". Many Antitrinitarians (or Nontrinitarians) use this as "proof" that the Holy Spirit is a thing, not a Person. But, just was with Yahweh (God the Father) and Yeshua (Jesus the Son), Ruah describes Who the Spirit is and what His role is. Case in point: Yahweh basically means "I Am what I Am"--God is Eternal, and eternally there for us. Yeshua means "Salvation", Jesus is our Savior or Rescuer, because He has (and will) rescue us. Ruah means "Breath", "Air", or "Wind", because He is God's Breath, but also He is our Breath of Life, He sustains us and sanctifies us, bringing us fresh air and releasing the bad air (just as our normal breathing process works).

So the Holy Spirit is God's Breath. Surely now you are beginning to recall some Bible passages that talk about God breathing. Paul tells Timothy "all Scripture is God-breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16). But here's something interesting. Turn back to the very beginning, in Genesis.... How did God bring life to Adam and Eve? The Bible tells us He breathed into them! So could that possibly mean that the Spirit was responsible for bringing us to life? It seems to make sense, and we see why by taking a look at the overall role of the Holy Spirit.

The overall role of the Holy Spirit is to focus us on Jesus Christ. Almost everything the Spirit does results in Jesus Christ being glorified/focused on. He is called by Jesus the Spirit of Truth, because He holds the Truth (Jesus Christ, John 14:6). The Holy Spirit is prominent in evangelism because He, as with Barnabas and Paul, sends us out to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ; it is He Who gives us the courage to do so. When we share the Gospel, it is the Spirit Who convicts, Who leads the convicted to Christ. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us throughout our lives so that we may praise Christ. Now look at the Bible. The Bible is God-breathed; the Spirit wrote it. Why? So that we may know the Truth and glorify our Savior! Now, once again turning to the beginning, if it was, indeed, the Spirit Who brought us to life (as mentioned in the previous paragraph) then this makes sense because we are given life so that we may turn to (and glorify) Christ!

Without breath we could not speak. We need our breath in order to speak (and speak loudly). And keeping that in mind, here's an interesting way of looking at the Spirit's role:  you're a little kid who's gone with your dad to the supermarket. Then it happens... one wrong turn and you are separated and lost. You wander around alone... when suddenly you hear a voice calling out to you. What happens next? You follow the sound of the voice, which can be difficult. But eventually, the sound of the voice leads you back to your dad.

Make sense? The breath/voice of your dad led you to find him. The Holy Spirit leads you to Christ, or if you're already with Christ, when the Holy Spirit 'speaks', you focus on Christ, just as whenever someone in the same room as you speaks, you (usually) turn to look at the person.

The Role of the Holy Spirit is to focus us on Jesus Christ.

(Note: Be on the lookout for an upcoming episode of Christianese Radio where we talk, once again, about the Holy Spirit. For previous show discussions, see the 05-04-09 episode: "The Trinity" - links to Podcast Archive)