The youth group I help out at is composed of over a hundred kids. In the beginning of the year, the youth pastor moved, but the number of kids hasn't gone down at all. With a crowd that big, there is a wide range of different levels of understanding among them. I'm convinced that many of them do not understand the foundational principles of the Bible and may not be born again. The other day, I wrote down some questions to conduct my own survey of the kids to see what kind of thinɡs they understand and where there are holes in their understanding. I approached a kid that I knew a little and asked if he wanted to answer some questions for a survey. He agreed and I began asking questions, while my girlfriend took notes on his responses. The questions included things like: where did sin come from? What is the purpose of the law? How many good things do you have to do to be written in the book of life? I was amazed that he was familiar with some of the Biblical stories, but saddened that he wasn’t sure if he could believe some of the things in the Bible. He accepted the 10 commandments and Jesus, but was unsure about a lot of the rest. When I pointed out that it was not consistent to believe only part of the Bible, he admitted, “Well then I guess I’m saying I don’t believe any of it.” This whole incident reinforces my belief that many of these kids are in desperate need of truth and need to know there is good reason for faith in the Bible.
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“Do you have an answer to that question?” he asked. He and another man had been dialoguing about the end times and things they thought they had heard about it from the Bible. I had been sitting there quietly listening to their conversation. Suddenly one of them turned to me and said, “We should probably ask you about it, since you studied this stuff.” I began explaining the chronology of events, as I see them in Scripture – the rapture, the thousand year reign of Christ, and the Great White Throne Judgment. I seized the opportunity to ask what determined whether someone was thrown into the lake of fire or got to spend eternity with God. They answered in a typical fashion, mentioning at least a belief in God, then focusing on the way someone has to conduct himself.
This ushered in my final question. “How many good things do you have to do to be accepted?” Only one man was paying attention now, and he indicated he didn’t know. “How many bad things can someone do before they get thrown into the lake of fire?” Again, he didn’t know. He mentioned that he was about to go smoke a cigarette, and as he was about to stand up, he turned to me and said, “Wait…do you have an answer to that question?” “I believe so,” I said. He sank back down into the chair as I explained to him God taking on flesh and paying the just penalty for our sins. He understood the idea of sin being passed down from Adam, but now he was faced with a new idea – getting to spend eternity with God has nothing to do with our works, but it has everything to do with Christ’s work. Pray for this man and others like him as they ponder on questions of such vital importance. |
AuthorWe are normal people who believe that God would have us serve Him in Brazil. We are saddened by the existence of people who do not have access to the gospel due to their location and language. We want to live among such a people group and plant a church among them, shepherding the believers as they grow to maturity. Archives
November 2019
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