BEAT THE SYSTEM
PART 2
“Me Good, You Bad”
Review:
Okay, last week we launched this series off by covering the first step to beating the church system. It’s so easy: Don’t have enough guts to go “all in” with anything you do.
Basically, live on the fence and try to live the best of both worlds in church…and in the world. In other words, just learn how to play the church game…and learn how to jump through all the hoops that will keep your parents, pastor, and leaders happy! Of course, we learnt that this NEVER works, so I threw you a counter-point: Live what you believe. You’re not going to be perfect, but you can be honest. So put your heart into your faith!
Message:
Let’s remember that the definition of a “church teen” is someone who has gone to church for a long time, but only ACTS like a Christian to serve their purposes. These people are actually classified as “manipulators”, and people who are living in rebellion, and the Bible tells us that manipulation and rebellion is actually a form of witchcraft (Revelation 22:15 / I Samuel 15:23)!!! It’s when you try to make your parents, coaches, teachers, and others in authority think that you are fine with God…when you really aren’t!
Proverbs 5:14 (NKJV) - I was on the verge of total ruin, in the midst of the assembly and congregation.
Proverbs 5:14 (The Message) - Why didn't I listen to my mentors, or take my teachers seriously? My life is ruined! I haven't one blessed thing to show for my life!
You can show up at Exelerate, play the church game, jump through the hoops, and still have a hellish mess of a life! This stuff happens all the time. I can tell you story after story…
And this is exactly what the BEAT THE SYSTEM series is all about!
How To Beat The Church System:
2. Think that your “mistake” is not as bad as someone else’s sin.
Ever been over to someone else’s house, loaded up your plate with chips and a few snacks, walked across the living room floor and dropped your food? When you picked it up, there were a few specks of carpet, dust, maybe even a little dirt. Let me ask you this…did you eat it or did you go get yourself a new plate? My guess is you dumped the food and got yourself a new plate.
Well, what about when that same thing happens to you at your house. You load up your bowl with popcorn and chips, then walk across the room and spill the whole thing. Do you throw the food away or do you brush it off and eat it? If you’re like most people, you probably brush off the food and start munching away.
Now at your friend’s house, you dumped the whole thing, but at your place you didn’t give it a second thought. Why? What is the difference? Why did you eat your dirty food and not your friends? Well, at your house, it was your dirt, and your dirt is not as bad as your friends! Weird, isn’t it?
That is the way a lot of “church teens” are. For some reason they think, because they are a good kid and go to church that their dirt is not as bad as someone else’s.
They may talk crude….but unsaved teens sleep around. They may lust in their thought life, but at least they don’t get drunk. They may watch bad movies from time to time, but at least they have never stolen anything….or at least not got caught.
You see the bottom line is dirt is dirt and sin is sin. Sleeping around, getting drunk, cussing like a sailor, treating people like junk or stealing are all sins no matter who is committing them. I think that is something we all need to remember. Lust is sin too, and so is cheating, and lying, and disobeying…
How To Be Real:
2. Know that sin is all the same.
Romans 3:23 (NJKV) - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
We are all the same…no one is innocent of sin and only makes “mistakes”!
Romans 6:23 (NKJV) - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
As a Christian teenager, you are who you are today by the grace of God! So there is no such things as “me good, you bad”… (stories)
Posted on
Fri, September 11, 2009
by Garrett Johnson