Fostering Spiritual Formation in our Young People

An interesting article here on teens becoming "fake Christians".

I think there are some very valid points made in the story, but I fear the premise upon which the story, and the book Almost Christian may focus is faulty. While I have not read the book, I intend to at some point in the near future and reflect further.

But as I read this story linked above, it feels like the author is sucking the audience along in the assumption that our young people should emerge from their high school years with a significant and fully formed faith.  Based on my own experience and my observation in others, I'm just not certain that this assumption (which I'll dub the fully formed adolescent faith (FFAF)) is accurate.

First, I should describe by what I mean by FFAF.

Next, I want to probe why I believe FFAF is a false assumption.

Finally, I want to discuss the implications on ministry and parenting working on my assumption that FFAF is false.

Fully Formed Adolescent Faith (FFAF)
FFAF is the assumption that a common American Christian teen-ager is able to form a mature, critical understanding of their Christian faith and an ability to integrate this understanding into a permanently rooted lifestyle that looks and feels likes evangelical Christianity.  In other words, it's an assumption that we should expect a "finished-product" by the time a young person comes around to the age of 18.

FFAF is A False Assumption

There are always exceptional cases, but I think for the average young person on a faith journey, 18 isn't the finish line, it's prime growing season!  If we're expecting a finished product, as parents or as ministers, we should consider that we may be setting the bar far higher than it should be set. I believe this is culturally entrenched in us and that our disagreement with this notion may be based in expectations that have been built by culture rather than the experience being lived out by our young people.

I'm not saying that an 18 year old is incapable of deep spiritual understanding and living. I am saying that it isn't the norm, given how our culture develops the young person.

Speaking purely from personal experience, I did not begin to develop a deep hunger and thirst for spiritual things until my late teens and early twenties. I was raised in a committed evangelical Christian home. Faith was the center of our home. I went to church every Sunday. I was taught the Bible stories and memory verses. I developed an initial understanding of concepts like salvation, grace, and sanctification. 

While there was some transformation happening in my teen years, most of the process was informational.  In other words, I was learning the language of Christianity, but I wasn't close to becoming fluent.  

There is much good that happened during my adolescent and late teen years spiritually. But I had not come close to FFAF. As I look at my own children, they have made great informational progress and have demonstrated significant signs of "transformational" progress in their faith.  But despite all the exposure to knowledge and their own "practice" of their faith, I would gather to say that FFAF isn't going to happen by 18, nor should I expect it to be.  

Implications for Christian Parenting
From a parenting perspective, I really don't believe it is realistic to expect for my sons to attain FFAF by the time they graduate from high school. It would be wonderful if that were the case, but if this my approach to parenting, I feel I may be missing a huge opportunity.

As parents, we need to see the opportunity to help foster an even deeper faith journey in our teens as they emerge from high school.  Our young people are on a long spiritual journey as much as any of us adults are.  We should be cautious about building an unrealistic expectation that they should attain FFAF by the time they graduate.

If anything, we should understand that graduation from high school is a key moment of searching, exploration and faith crisis for our young people.  Instead of pushing them out the door, spiritually speaking, we need to be looking for opportunities to foster a deeper faith journey.

In other words, the job isn't finished at graduation! It's just beginning.  And the hard part about this phase of the job is that it is no longer about "information."  This is where the dialogue and the ministry has to become more and more about "transformation."  When they were smaller, we had more control of the situation. We controlled the faith-building process. We took them to church an intentionally exposed them to the doctrine and heritage we chose.  At this older stage, however, we as parents have less control of their formative process.  Our role becomes less about "control" and more and more about "influence".

Rather than view our emerging young adults as FFAF, we need to grasp the importance of continuing to "influence" their spiritual formation.

This, I would argue, is where we must focus on the power of the village.

Implications for Ministry
Ideally, I want to raise children so they are equipped to become fully functioning in their faith (FFF).  I'm not expecting FFF to be accomplished by the time they leave my home at adult. But I do have a responsibility as a parent to make certain I've done everything in my power to set them on the right path. I also continually need to understand that I need to depend on the Holy Spirit to play a role. I can set the stage, but I can't force a choice and I can't replace the power of the Holy Spirit in the process.

In my mind, there are two important influences that need significant consideration for our young adults to be able to stay on the path and develop into FFF's.

The first is a strong emphasis on young adult ministry in the local church.  The second is strong consideration for Christian higher educational institutions.

Young adult ministry is probably one of the most strategic ministry areas for any church.  Church's that neglect young adult ministry are leaving a gaping hole in their ability to grow and retain young people.  We spend so much effort in children's ministry, youth ministry, and ministry for adults age 25 and over.  We cannot under-estimate the importance of a deep formative ministry for the 18-25 age group.  These are the MOST important years for spiritual formation.  These are the years where the opportunity for FFF occur.  And research shows that if it doesn't happen here, it's not likely to happen later.  If we miss the opportunity to influence our young people during this time, all our efforts in those earlier years are, many times, for naught.  And let's not sell our young people short here.  Many of them hunger to continue in their journey toward FFF.  And they vote with their feet finding congregations that have deployed to fill this need.

Another crucial piece of the puzzle is consideration of Christian higher education.  How many times do we see the story play out?  Junior is raised in a Christian home, from childhood through high school, making significant "faith strides" along the way.  Then junior goes to a secular university, gets a great education, but falls away from faith, never to return to the path toward FFF.  That story is all too common.

For young adults who choose secular higher education institutions, we as parents need to encourage them to continue to engage in their faith-journey by finding a church with a strong young adult-based ministry (as mentioned above).  But Christian higher education is also an important potential influence.

From my own experience, choosing to go to a Christian university provided not only a sound education upon which to build a good career, but it also provided an atmosphere that kept me focused on my faith journey. It was life-changing. I made huge spiritual commitments during my time in college--commitments I'm not certain I would have pursued in a secular environment.

The point
The main point in all of this is that we need to make sure we aren't setting unrealistic expectations for the spiritual formation of our young people.  This also entails making certain that parents and the church understand the opportunity to continue to encourage spiritual formation in our young people at such a critical time in their lives--namely from 18 to 25.

The young adult years are fertile ground for spiritual formation.  Are we poised to take advantage of the opportunity? Or are we pre-maturely washing our hands and contributing to the production of "fake Christians?"

My thinking continues to evolve on this. What do you think?

Out of Whack

I’ve been learning first hand lately about the importance of balance and how the seemingly smallest thing can throw our entire lives out of whack.

It all started on afternoon in early May while I was at a business lunch.  I sat down with my colleagues and everything was fine, but as we waited on our meal to be served, my head started feeling funny and I knew something wasn’t right.  It was all I could do just to stay seated upright in the booth at the restaurant until final the spell cleared just a bit.

Knowing when to cut my losses, I quickly excused myself from the meal and headed for home, continuing to get struck with dizzy spells along the way.  After a quick trip to the doctor, we identified the apparent problem--an ear infection.

An ear infection? I’ve never had one in my life, but apparently I was now the proud owner and little did I know how much it would change my life over a short period of time.

While the infection went away, I continued to have “vertigo”. If you’ve never experienced this wonderful feeling, consider your self highly fortunate.  For about six weeks, the residual effects and a return of the ear infection threw me for a loop.  I couldn’t maintain my balance. I couldn’t even sit still in a chair without getting so dizzy that it made my stomach churn.

This lingering “vertigo” affected my life in all dimensions--at work, at home, at church. You name it, my energy and effectiveness level plummeted.

Fortunately, I’m on the mend. But I’ve learned a few things.

First, when our lives are out of balance, we’re not able to live up to our full potential.  I think it is true physically, but I also believe there is a spiritual truth here also. When we have imbalances in our lives caused by unresolved sin or other issues, it affects our ability to become the people God meant for us to be.

Second, the smallest things can create havoc in our lives. If you would have told me an ear infection would so significantly lower my quality of life for such a long time, I would have laughed.  Sin works the same way in our spiritual walk. Even little matters of sin, left unresolved, can throw our entire spiritual life out of whack. It can make us ineffective in pursuing our personal calling. It can sap our energy and motivation to serve.  Satan would love for us to just sweep it under the rug, but the real cure is in confession and redemption.

Finally, when we lose our balance, we compensate in ways that can lead to other problems. I found myself doing all sorts of crazy things to compensate for the physical lack of balance. I’ve been doing so many crazy things with my neck and head to regain balance, I think I need to visit Dr. Hatfield. Unresolved sin can also cause us to do crazy things to compensate. And those other actions don’t really fix the problem. They just create new ones.

Just like I needed to get the right treatment for my “vertigo”, we need to seek the right spiritual treatment to make sure we don’t have sin creating imbalances in our spiritual lives. This means daily submitting ourselves to Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us to keep us balanced spiritually.

My doctor said my “vertigo” would likely fade away over time, but it may recur. Rest assured, if it hits me again, I will definitely be prepared to pursue the proper treatment--and quickly.

Jesus not only offers us redemption and atonement for sin, but ultimately, He offers us balance--balance to realize our full potential. Let’s resolve to not let sin throw our lives out of whack.

Let’s get treatment--and quickly.

What's It To You?

We all know the story of how Peter is reinstated by Jesus in John 21 to become a pastor and to lead in the building of the church.

You know the story. Peter had denied Jesus three times and, poetically, Jesus asks Peter three times in this episode if Peter loves him.

While most Bible studies on this passage may focus on the three "Do you love me?" questions, I think it is compelling to consider that the most important question Jesus poses to Peter isn't the first, second, or third question, but rather the fourth.

Fourth?

Yes. Jesus most certainly is making an important point with Peter regarding the trifecta "Do you love me?" query. Perhaps, however, an equally vital spiritual issue for Peter is embedded in this fourth inquiry by Christ.

Question #4 is found embedded in John 21: 19-22:

"Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"  ²⁰Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is going to betray you?") ²¹When Peter saw him, he asked, "Lord, what about him?"  ²²Jesus answered, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me."


As Jesus provides direction and focus to rehabilitate this fisherman, we get a glimpse at a "heart issue" that plagues Peter and so many of us in our spiritual journey.

I would argue that Peter's issue isn't that he failed to love Jesus.  No, Peter deeply loved his Rabbi, teacher and friend. Peter, like many believers, falters because he fails to focus on the right thing.

Jesus simply commands Peter to "Follow me!" This command is an echo dating all the way back to Christ's initial calling of the original disciples: "Come, follow me."  "Obey my commands."

Instead of maintaining a singular focus on Jesus' command, Peter instead is focused on competing with John. "Lord, what about him?"  Peter totally misses the point. He's supposed to focus on following Jesus, not how he stacks up with others.

We are naturally competitive critters, we humans. And as citizens of Liberty, we're conditioned for equal or better treatment. We want our fair share. And to make sure we maintain our social standing, we're constantly working to "keep up with the Jones'".

When we focus on jockeying for position, comparing if we're getting dealt a better hand in life, or subtly working to accumulate more toys than our neighbor, how can we possibly maintain a singular focus on following Jesus? The simple answer? We can't.

Peter's issue wasn't his love for Jesus. Nor is ours, much of the time. Peter's issue was taking his focus off of Christ and placing it on less important things.

And you know what? Jesus calls him to the carpet. "What's that to you, Peter!? You must follow me!"

The next time we're tempted compare our situation to others, to make a power play or to keep up with those pesky Jones', we need to question our motives. Will this help me focus on following Jesus or is it a distraction?

The answer to that question could be life changing.  It was for Peter, and consequently, for all of Christendom.

"That Were I am You May Also Be"--Jesus

When Jesus was sharing with his diciples in the upper room in John 14, he was comforting them as he shared the fact that he was going to be going away for a while.

He said he was going away to prepare rooms for them in his Father's House.

He also promised that he would be back for the disciples so that he could bring them to where he was at.

I don't know about you, but the comfort in this passage doesn't come from the fact that Jesus is preparing a home for me in Heaven.  The comfort--for me--comes from the fact that Jesus is coming back for those who believe and we'll be able to be with Him.

Give me a mansion without Jesus and I give you an empty mansion.

Give me a shantee with Jesus and I'd say "that's paradise!"

Sermon on the Mount

This week in class we began a journey through the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7. Over the next few months, we'll be taking an in-depth look at what is the closest thing to a manifesto that Jesus laid out for his disciples.

A few key points as you study the Sermon on the Mount over the next few week:

• Read and study through the eyes of the disciples to whom Jesus preached this Sermon.  They were living in a time and culture where the Pharisee's defined and enforced their own brand of righteousness.  This sermon from Jesus was radical to them.  To us it is so familiar that we forget just how radical Jesus' teachings were.
  
• Read and study through the lens of Matthew 4:17: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!" Matthew Henry states that this passage is the text of the Sermon on the Mount. If that's the case, then this sermon is all about what living a life of repentance looks like.  How does your life stack up to these Scriptures? Read and mediate, evaluating how well these words fit yourself.
  
• Realize that the Sermon on the Mount is preached in the context of meeting the peoples physical needs. Doing so not only gave Jesus credibility, but by meeting their physical needs, the people were able to become more aware of their spiritual needs as well. Do we miss this opportunity to open doors today to the Gospel?
  
• Reflect on what "righteousness" is to you as your read the Sermon.  The Pharisee's had developed a special set of rules to define righteousness, but their rules had become a heavy weight around the necks of the people. Are we guilty of the same mistake today, with our own special rules?
  

Our "book" for this study is the Scripture itself.  Take some time this week to linger in the Sermon on the Mount.  

One writer I read recently states that our familiarity with this sermon inoculates us from its power.  We can breeze through it, without being changed at all because we know it like the back of our hands.  Discipline yourself.  Prayerfully meditate on these passages and be prepared to share in class new insights the Spirit is revealing in your life.

Our New Study Focus: Resurrection

We've been spending a lot of time studying what the Bible has to say about suffering and pain.

Hope is the one thing that keeps us moving forward through the bad times, isn't it?

Our hope is based in the real Resurrection of Jesus Christ! It's not just a story! It's history! It really happened and the power and hope available because of this historical event is life-changing.

My goal over the next few weeks is to simply get you to focus on and mediate about the reality of the Resurrection and the power of Resurrection in your life! If we acheive only that we will succeed.

For homework: read the Resurrection accounts in Scripture (all four). You read one on Sunday, if you were in class.

Focus on the details of each eyewitness account.

How did each person in each story react to the Resurrection of Jesus in the moment?

Write out your answers and mediate on them.

How do you react to the Resurrection in everyday life?

For other musings on Resurrection, click here....

What a Great Revival!!!

To be blessed, you must be blessable!!

To receive the blessing of the Holy Spirit, remove the lid from your barrell!

Do you have any Isaac's you need to deal with?

There is a healing balm in Gilead!

Holiness is to be Christ-like!!

Thank you Dr. Dabydeen for you obedience during revival this week!