Fabulous Life of a Teenager-A Commitment

 

When the pilot of a giant airline is speeding down the runway; there is a certain point where it staying on the ground is no longer an option.  When he crosses that line, he is committed to the air, he will take off or a disastrous crash is imminent.  The pilot can no longer change his mind he is committed.  This past Sunday, we continued the "Fabulous Life of a Teenager."  Our focus was on commitment, more importantly the commitment to Christ.  There is of course a difference between a decision and a commitment. 

The same can be said about people in the church today.  They made a decision about Christ, but have not made a commitment to Christ.  They have been sitting there gunning their engines, making noise but getting nowhere.  They have been planning on it, meaning to, wanting to, trying to, going to, aiming to, hoping to. But tragedy of tragedies, they have never got off the ground.  My last post, I ended it with Romans 12:1-2 where Paul writes,

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

It is impossible to be "sort of committed."  You are either committed or you are not committed.  To commit ourselves to God means that we are to yield ourselves to him, surrender to him, abandon ourselves to him, entrust ourselves to him and place ourselves at his disposal.

There are two clear calls to commitment that every believer has to face.

1.  Commitment to Personal Growth-we are called to commit ourselves as disciples.  Disciples are learners.  Make a commitment to continue to grow spiritually.  Start a Bible reading plan, set aside time each day to pray, read good Christian literature, and find yourself a small group or Bible study.  Never give up learning.

2.   Commitment to the Local Body-the local church gathers for worship, teaching, and fellowship to gain power to carry out the ministry as we scatter to the various places of responsibility in the world.  It is getting involved in the life of the church.  Get involved by serving somewhere in the church.

God Bless,

Billy

Fabulous Life of a Teenager-Peer Pressure

I began a study this past Sunday entitled, "Fabulous Life of a Teenager."  Over the next several weeks we will look at the things that impact the lives of today's teenager.  One of the biggest challenges for today's teen is peer pressure.  Even though everyone deals with some kind of peer pressure, I wanted to focus in on the things that teenagers are pressured into. Teenagers are pressured in the clothes they wear, the things they do, and the friends they have.  Everyone wants to feel that they belong, the sad part is that teenagers will do things that they know is wrong just to receive acceptance from a group of their peers.  In the weeks to come our student ministry will look at Scripture to see what God says to us.  Parents, the good news is that, you are the biggest influence on your teen when they are dealing with peer pressure.  My prayer is that God is the focus during some hard conversations that you have with your teenager. 

 Scripture gives us the answer to dealing with the things of the world, in Romans 12:1-2 is says,

 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Billy Edwards
Student Pastor
Eastside Community Church

Fabulous Life of a Teenager

Over the next several weeks, the Fusion Student Ministries, will be covering a topic that NO student can say, "that doesn't apply to me and my life."  During our Fusion service on Sundays @ 11am, we will be looking at the struggles of today's teenagers and the responsibility that God has given to each of His children, even teenagers.  One thing that I have discovered during my research for this study, there are things that today's teen has to deal with that I didn't when I was their age.  Each week, I will be posting information and thoughts about the subject that we focused on the previous Sunday. 

Please be in prayer for this series and for the students that will hear it.  That God will work in the lives and hearts of Eastside's teenagers. 

God Bless,
Billy Edwards