youth group(s) during the summer pt. 2

This is going to be my final post on youth groups for a while (I think). So you can now sit and enjoy the final one. Here we go.

The devil never takes a break from evil, why do we take breaks from God? Are we letting the devil do better than us in his work? While he always causes evil, we decide to postpone Bible studies for a while. Every youth group I have gone to has taken a "summer break". I feel sad that I have not been able to go to a youth group that has a lesson every week. That's probably why I keep having "discussions" with my youth group about summer. And no matter how much we argue with each other, no one agrees with the other. I won't be satisfied that they don't have lessons every week and they don't want to have a lesson every week. I long for the day that we will be in heaven and all we want to do is worship God, I wish we could do that on earth, but I know it is impossible, I will still try though. I pray that God would change the minds of my youth leaders and let us go through the whole year with Bible studies.

My youth leaders and their daughter say they are Calvinists. The daughter said to me "But I think that one of the reasons that we do more fun stuff in the summer is it's a lot easier to get someone who isn't a Chirstian to come and get to know everyone while doing fun things. Then after getting to know everyone they might stick around for the more in depth times during the school year...we're only Jr. High/High school group. We can't get that deep or we would loose some of the people in our group." here's my answer to that.

If you're a Calvinist then you know that God has already predestined and chosen us from before time even began. Knowing this, we should be able to preach the Word, even deeply without worrying about offending others. We preach the Word, and those who leave, leave. Like Paul said in 1Corinthians 3:6 "I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth." We are the ones who plant and water, but it is God who causes the growth. Don't think that just because someone walks away means that they wont be saved. You may have planted a seed in their hearts and if God allows it someone else will water that seed and God will save them. Don't try and make God, church, or the bible seem more exciting by doing your "fun stuff" instead of studying the Bible, do your "fun stuff" on different days than the usual youth group meetings. Don't try and impose on God's plan and works, just do your part and teach and let God work in other peoples lives. If He allows it they will be saved, if not, fine. God is God and you're not. (my Sunday school teacher says that a lot and I really like it.) God is the one who does the saving and those that He saves and chooses will go to Him and will accept Him, and they will not and can not be able to leave Him. (John 6:36,37,44 and 10:25-29)

You say the activities are to draw people to the group, I say do the Bible study and let God do that part. The Bible tells who God is and what He is like, not the games. Let's show people who God is instead of showing them how much fun we can be. Here's something that came to my mind the other day, most of the time when people try and make friends they just be themselves, they don't act differently and don't try to make themselves fit in or seem funner. i say if someone likes me because of who I am, Great! I just made another friend! If, on the other hand I have to change myself, then those people probably wont be very good friends. Let's show people who God is and not try to change Him. Let God do the pulling of people and you do the teaching, not the other way around.
1 Corinthians 9:24-25 "Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable." We are all running in a race, and we need to run as though we were going to win. We need to have the endurance and the discipline it takes to be in the Word constantly, meaning everyweek and everyday, no breaks. the more breaks we take, the farther behind we get. When you're in the middle of a race you don't take a break to play chess or something, you run so you can win. Don't give up the race or even take a break, you only have one life, so spend it telling others about Jesus Christ and what he did for us.

I would now like to say that I don't have am problem with the youth group doing the fun activities on days other than the regular youth group days that should be reserved for a Bible study, but when you replace that with the "fun activities" I've got a problem, and I won't back down.

Why is it the quiet one who wants more Bible?

This time I'm just going to respond to something one of the people at my youth group told me while we were chatting online. I copied her comment and have been thinking about it, and now I will respond to it....................here. First, here is her comment.

"just nobody knows what to think of what you've said on the forum, I guess it is really hard to voice your opinion about what we're reading, I know it is for me at least, but people just don't get it when one of the quiet kinds speaks up online about not getting enough Bible time when he's only spoke up during the lessons once or twice"

I can speak up at youth group about me not liking the summer activities we do, but I thought it might be better if I did it online.

First to clear one thing up for those of you who read my blog. I'm not the type who can speak up as much as I do over the internet. I might be able to, but I never do. I'm still working on speaking up more often. Though I must admit, it has been hard since we haven't had a Bible study for a while.

Why don't people get it when I ask for more and deeper lessons, even when I don't speak up during the lessons? Speaking up isn't what gives you the Bible time. Sure it makes it more interesting when people talk and have discussions, but that's not what gives you your Bible time. It's when the person that's teaching does the teaching. It's how deep they get into the Word, it's how much the lesson affects you and makes you think. when you're in the middle of the Church service you don't just start voicing your opinion on whatever the pastor is preaching on. You just let the Preacher preach, and the Holy Spirit move. I can sit at youth group and listen to what the youth pastor is saying and still get as much out of the lesson as those who are doing the talking. And I can do that by just listening.

That's the end of my post, sorry for it being so short. I would like to say one more thing though, I am not saying that you shouldn't ever speak up. That's important also, I'm just saying that speaking up doesn't always give you more of the Word than it does others.

Purple!!

I've decided that purple is my new favorite color! it is so awsome! I've got a purple shirt and a purple bandanna and I want to paint my room PURPLE!!!!!!!