The other day I was purchasing some items at the store from a guy I’ll call "Jeff." I asked him if he went to church, and he said, “No, I don’t.” I followed up with I’ve got a great church just for you. He replied that he wasn’t religious. I said, “It isn’t about religion. It’s about our relationship with God.” His response set me back in my tracks. “I don’t care about God,” he said.
How do you respond to someone with that view? Jeff was polite and probably a genuinely nice guy. I believe one day, if things don’t change, he will wish he did care about God. After our short conversation I thought a lot about the few things he said. One thing I keep thinking about is what must have happened in his life that brought him to this point. I find myself wishing we could do lunch. I wouldn’t preach. I wouldn’t promote my agenda. I would ask questions about his journey thus far and try to understand where he’s coming from. I doubt it will happen, but there are more "Jeff's" out there.
At the end of our brief time I told him, “God cares about you.” I handed him an invitation that said “HOPE” on the front. I told him I didn’t want to “sell” him anything, just to invite him to explore what we are about. And that was the end. I’m praying that one word, HOPE, will gnaw on his mind, and he will seek why God cares so much about Jeff that Jesus sacrificed His life for him. Not just to buy him a ticket to heaven, but to free Jeff from all the chains that led him to the point where he doesn’t care about the One who created him and loves him to death. Literally.
-Ken Erickson, Tech Director
We really do all have "Jeffs" in our life. My biggest "Jeff" is my nephew. Even though he knows all about God, he chooses to walk a different path. I would love to see some kind of youth program at our church. It was a big part of the reason I came back to God in adult life because I missed what I had as a teenager in church growing up. I see a lot of adults I knew then as teens who also walked away but because of their experience in a youth group are now looking to get back to God. Hope doesn't have to die. Is there anything the church members can do?
ReplyDeleteFirst, pray. If you are at BCF, we don't have any leadership at this time to start and build a ministry for students. So pray that God will lead the right people to us, or us to them. Also ask God to give you a dream that He can accomplish through you. Like a big brother/sister type ministry or some other way to get into student's lives.
ReplyDeleteSecond, if you have a heart for students, a good place to start is to develop a small group for students. Again, if you are at BCF, call the church office (956-544-4248) and see how you can participate in this.
But praying and getting involved in student's lives is the easiest and most effective thing anyone can do.