Have you noticed how far the world is turning from God? Or how so many Christians are just living life without any real change? There are some shocking statistics about youth and how quickly they leave the faith after getting to college. The Southern Baptist Convention did a survey and found out that only 12% of college students who grew up in church actually returned to church later in life. That study was just done in 2004.
-- 88 percent of the children raised in evangelical homes leave church at the age of 18, never to return.
9 out of 10 students leave the faith after going to college. What does that mean? Why are there so many people do not continue in their faith? Were they actually Christians? Or were they living on their parent’s faith?
God is not calling us to just follow Him when we feel like it, or to just be nominal Christians. He wants us to be passionately in love with Him. So, much so that we will not long for anything else in this world. If it is our goal to get to heaven and hear Jesus say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” what does that take? Is it just saying a prayer and then you are good to go? You now have freedom in Christ to do whatever you want and still get to heaven? That is what many Christians thought at the church in Corinth! They indulged in all sorts of sinful acts because God forgives sin, right?
Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?
Rom 6:2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?
Does that really honor Christ? Can he look at your life right now and say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant?”
We have to be careful here because there is a fine line between being called a faithful servant and simply being busy with a works based faith. That is not what I am saying. You do not have to do a lot of good stuff to be a faithful servant. It is not about everything that you can do or that you will do in your life. You do not earn your salvation. Like we went over last week, it is the gift of God through faith (Romans 3:24). What is important is your passion for God and actually following Him, that you have visible fruit in your life so that others can see you growing towards Christ and taking on more of His attributes.
1 Timothy 4:
1 Tim 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,
1Ti 4:2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,
1Ti 4:3 who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
1Ti 4:4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,
1Ti 4:5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
1Ti 4:6 If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.
1Ti 4:7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;
1Ti 4:8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
1Ti 4:9 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.
1Ti 4:10 For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
1Ti 4:11 Command and teach these things.
1Ti 4:12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.
1Ti 4:13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.
1Ti 4:14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.
1Ti 4:15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.
1Ti 4:16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.
1Ti 4:2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,
1Ti 4:3 who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
1Ti 4:4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,
1Ti 4:5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.
1Ti 4:6 If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.
1Ti 4:7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;
1Ti 4:8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
1Ti 4:9 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.
1Ti 4:10 For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
1Ti 4:11 Command and teach these things.
1Ti 4:12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.
1Ti 4:13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.
1Ti 4:14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.
1Ti 4:15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.
1Ti 4:16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.
I just met up with a good friend of mine yesterday. He is just catching on to what it means to really fall in love with God and to follow Him. The sad thing is that the church tried to derail him from what God wants him to do! He feels that God wants him to lead a missions trip to South America, but he is 21. One person just looked at him and asked who was leading the trip, once he replied, they said, “no, because I don’t think you can do it.” Here is a youth who is being told by the church to not follow what God is telling him to do! He is trying to set the example. We talked for a long time last night and he told me that nothing will get in the way of what God is telling him to do.
That is what we need! That is the attitude you should be taking to your schools and your homes! It is a sort of holy revolution. What we need are students just like you to rise up and change this generation.
You know what is funny, we try to make this faith so complicated, when it is so simple. Jesus said that we should come to him with the faith of a child! That is the most basic, most pure faith that there is. You don’t worry about other things, you just have faith in Christ and follow him where he leads. He provides the rest.
Let me tell you about a guy named George Mueller. His main focus in life was this statement, “What can God do with one life completely devoted to Him?” This man was incredible! He simply followed God and trusted Him to provide for his needs. He never took a salary in the last 68 years of his ministry, but trusted God to put in people's hearts to send him what he needed. He never took out a loan or went into debt. His orphanages provided food and shelter to over 2,000 children! But this is what he said about himself:
Think not, dear reader, that I have the gift of faith, that is, that gift of which we read in 1 Corinthians 12:9, and which is mentioned along with “the gifts of healing,” “the working of miracles,”prophecy,” and that on that account I am able to trust in the Lord. It is true that the faith, which I am enabled to exercise, is altogether God's own gift; it is true that He alone supports it, and that He alone can increase it; it is true that, moment by moment, I depend upon Him for it, and that, if I were only one moment left to myself, my faith would utterly fail; but it is not true that my faith is that gift of faith which is spoken of in 1 Corinthians 12:9
George Muller did not believe himself to have a supernatural gift for faith. He simply saw himself as a follower that trusted in the Lord for everything. Just as a Christian should. It was simple. Just trusting.
Do we really believe what we believe? Is there something actually there? Does God really hear our prayers? Then what are we doing to show it? How is it impacting our lives? I could continue to give you examples of God’s realness and his faithfulness because He is at work. But the best thing about it is that you will not know until you step out. Once He starts to show you who He is, there is no turning back. You know when God says: Phl 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” He really means it. Remove your human ideas about life and start looking through God’s eyes at your situation and the possibilities are completely endless!
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