God's Plans for Young People

 In many churches, we see almost only older people or perhaps a few children. Where are the young adults?

Many are walking away from God, some as teenagers and others in their 20s.

This is nothing new. Jesus told us about the prodigal son.

As a grandfather, I sometimes wonder what I have done wrong.

In the parable of the prodigal son, the father was perfectly loving and unblemished, like God Himself, but I must acknowledge with shame that I am not a perfect saint.

When my children were young, I was often legalistic or overwhelmed by my personal problems.

Step by step, I had to learn to recognise my mistakes and understand God's ways better, but in the meantime, my children were often frustrated by my mistakes.

Thank God I am teachable and my adult children now realise this.

If you want teachable teenagers or adult children, you must be teachable yourself.
Nothing is more off-putting to teenagers than parents and older people who are opinionated and inflexible.

In the old Christian culture, the priests, pastors and parents were always supposed to be unquestionably right. Right was right and wrong was wrong. Preachers and parents were supposed to know everything and always understand everything better.

But this tradition no longer works.
The world has changed drastically. People with old ways of thinking can no longer cope with the new reality.

Should we simply throw holiness and justice overboard? Many do, but God has not changed.

Jesus is our guide and is always ready to solve our problems.
How does Jesus appear in the Bible?

The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Jn 1:17 NRSV

God's truth is eternal. Jesus himself is God's truth.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Jn 14:6 NRSV

God's truth is indispensable, but Jesus first revealed grace and only then the truth. Jesus appeared as an itinerant preacher who demonstrated God's grace through kindness and miraculous healings.

Only later did he reveal his true identity, that he is the Son of God.

We need God's grace and wisdom so that we can understand how to apply God's truth in new situations.

If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. Jas 1:5 NRSV

But God himself is at work. A recent survey in Germany showed that the young age group, i.e. those under 30, are more faithful than older age groups.

But we older Christians must learn to accept a different Christian culture, because God himself expresses himself differently to young people than he does to us.

Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old.

I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Is 43:18–19 NRSV

For many older Christians, today's culture seems like a desert where nothing can flourish, but God has wonderful plans for the new generation.

End Time Miracles

 In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Acts 2:17 NRSV

When did this happen? ‘In the last days.’ What does that mean? In the last days of the ancient Jewish nation.

But this expression also has another meaning. We are now living in the last days just before the return of the Lord Jesus, the time when the last of all terrible world rulers will appear.

I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. Acts 2:19 NIV

Peter quotes the prophet Joel.

I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.

And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, even among the survivors whom the LORD calls. Joel 2:30–32 NIV

Some Reformed Christians believe that prophecy, signs and wonders were only for Bible times, but Martin Luther and John Knox communicated prophecies that were fulfilled.

In 1909, some conservative Christians in Berlin declared that the signs and wonders in the Charismatic movement came from below.

The Pharisees made exactly the same mistake when they declared the miracles of Jesus to be diabolical.

We see so many miracles in our time. I know a Christian in Germany whose young son played with his guardian angel.

I know a woman in Australia who visited heaven during an operation.

I spoke to a Persian woman in Germany who saw Jesus in a dream when she was a Muslim. Eight years later she converted to Jesus.

A woman I know very well escaped certain death by God saving her from a collision.

It was too late to brake. She could not avoid a collision. Then she felt a terrible heat. The vehicle drove through her car without making any noise, without causing any damage. It was like something out of a fantasy film.

The sensation of heat lasted for several days.

The extreme proliferation of signs and wonders in our time are a problem for many conservative Christians.

Not all stories are true and not all supernatural phenomena come from God.

We need to test revelations, but if we condemn all strange events as counterfeit, we will also reject the miracles of God.

Maybe you come from a conservative background. You find these dramatic testimonies dubious, but you're not sure.

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. Jas 1:5 NIV

Don't stay where you are. A true disciple is one who always wants to learn from God himself.

C. Peter Wagner was a conservative lecturer at a Bible school in America. He heard amazing testimonies of miracles in Argentina and Brazil.

He attended meetings where poor people received new teeth or gold fillings. He was then convinced that it was not a deception.

Who is the Lord of your Life?

 Who is at the helm of your life. As Christians, we must hand over the leadership of our lives to Jesus. Jesus died to save us from our self-centredness.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Mt 7:21 NIV

Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” Jn 14:21 NIV

If you love Jesus with all your heart, you will hand over the leadership of your life to Him.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Gal 2:20 NIV

Imagine your life is a car. Who should be at the wheel, you or Jesus? Jesus, of course. But really?

Imagine Jesus is at the wheel and you are just a passenger. Is that true?

God doesn't want passengers, or puppets or robots, but disciples.

If God controls and accomplishes everything, we don't need wisdom. A passenger doesn't need wisdom and neither does a puppet.

Who is a disciple? Someone who is always learning something new throughout their life. Jesus is our teacher who always wants to teach us. As our Creator, He has given abilities, and He gives us the freedom to exercise our abilities creatively.

Where do we find this truth in the Bible?

Before the Fall, we see God's purpose for us.

Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. Gen 2:19 NIV

Wow! That is radical. Not God, but man gave the animals their names. Adam was not a robot, but a person, the image of God. God makes free creative decisions and man also makes free creative decisions!

We do not see a spiritual robot, but someone who makes important decisions with God's guidance. God wants to have sons and daughters who learn to make good decisions with wisdom from God and also to learn from their mistakes.

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. Jas 1:5 NIV

We see the same teaching in the parable of the talents.

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man travelling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.
And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.

Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.

And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. Mt 25:14–17 NKJV

God wants us to hand over the leadership of our lives to Him, but this new life requires initiative and creativity, active partnership with the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is your Guide

 When Mary became pregnant, her fiancé Joseph was shocked because he was not the father. An angel of the Lord visited him in a dream and explained God's plans to him.

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). Mt 1:23 NIV

The Father was actually God Himself! We are familiar with this now, but imagine how staggering this was for Joseph! But Joseph believed God.

How often does God Himself intervene in this world, but devout Bible-believing Christians assume it must be from below? Conservative unbelief is a major obstacle for God in our generation, just as it was in the New Testament when the Pharisees questioned everything.

How can we distinguish between what comes from God and what does not? Bible knowledge is important, but the Pharisees in the New Testament were the world champions in Bible knowledge.

In the New Testament, lepers, corrupt officials and prostitutes recognised Jesus as the Son of God, but most Bible experts misinterpreted everything.

The Word of God is our standard in everything, but how we understand God's Word can often be miles away from God's wisdom.

We cling tightly to certain proof texts that confirm our beliefs, but why are we always so sure that our beliefs are always 100% flawlessly correct?

No one is flawless in this life. Is your faith based on the teachings of the Reformers? We find considerable disagreement among the leaders of the Reformation.

Calvin claimed that the supernatural gifts of the Spirit in the New Testament were only for biblical times. Many Reformed Christians believed the gift of prophecy was not intended for later generations.

The leader of the Reformation in Scotland was John Knox. His doctrine of salvation was exactly like Calvin's, but he was recognised as a prophet, and so was Luther.

Many Reformed Christians in our time do not believe in miraculous healings. Martin Luther didn't believe in it at first either, but later he prayed for miraculous healings and God healed.

If we cling inflexibly to doctrines, we can often be wrong.

God sent his Son from heaven to die for our sins and open the way to eternal life.

But before his death on the cross, Jesus was Immanuel, God with us. The Bible experts of his time had spread many erroneous doctrines, but Jesus rejected their faulty theology.

Then Jesus promised that after his ascension, God would still be with us.

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. Jn 16:13 NIV

This refers to the inspiration of the writers of the New Testament but not only that. The same Holy Spirit inspires all believers in all generations. We all need the Holy Spirit to help us understand what God is saying to us in prayer and in our reading of the Bible.

The Holy Spirit helped the Reformers and later theologians, but they, like us, were not flawless. Each of us needs the personal guidance of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you don’t need anyone to teach you. Instead, his anointing teaches you about all things and is true and is not a lie; just as it has taught you, remain in him. 1 Jn 2:27 CSB

So should we ignore all Bible teachers and reject all theology? No. We must be teachable, but each of us must be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, just like Joseph, who experienced a visitation by God's angel in a dream and he obeyed.

Ministering Truth with Love and Gentleness

 In Tolkien's ‘’The Lord of the Rings‘’, ATHELAS is a powerful healing herb. The true king is also a true healer, and he applies the herb ATHELAS to terrible wounds.
This is a Christian allegory.

In the Bible, ATHELAS is the Greek word that means TRUTH.
In the New Testament, the true king is Jesus, but his true identity is veiled because Jesus lives an ordinary life among ordinary people, just like Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings.

In the Lord of the Rings, two heroic characters are stabbed to death with blades empowered by demonic witchcraft, namely Frodo and Eowyn. Aragorn, the king in exile, places the ATHELAS herb in hot, steaming water and applies the medicine to the fatal wounds.
When people are traumatised by dark and terrible experiences, only the truth can heal them.

Many Christians have some understanding of this, but lack the deep wisdom and love to apply the truth in a healing way.

In ‘’The Lord of the Rings‘’, it is the king himself who applies the healing herb gently and with healing skill.

It is not enough to explain the truth about the king to traumatised people. We must bring them with gentleness into the presence of the King himself.

Some severely damaged people can only tolerate medicine in very small doses. Sometimes we need to administer very small doses of truth with much love and patience.

In the New Testament, Jesus did not explain the full truth of who he is to the crowd when they came for healing. He healed the sick and he spoke in parables.

Timing is also crucial. Even with his chosen twelve apostles, Jesus did not begin by telling them that he was the eternal God who came down from heaven. He waited for the Father to reveal it to them.

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. Mt 16:13–17 NRSV

A young woman goes to church in search of God. She was abused as a child and became a prostitute. She feels more like a victim than a sinner and is very confused. How can we help her with love and truth?

The pastor confronts the issue of her sin, but shows little compassion for her as a suffering victim.

Timing!

We need to know when and how to give truth to hurting people.

To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: Ec 3:1 NKJV

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Gal 6:1 NIV

Remember, truth must always come with grace and love. Truth without love often makes wounds worse, not better.

There is also a time for confronting sin and for strong preaching, but we must be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and the needs of the people we want to reach.

Ultimately, God will judge the world with truth and condemn anyone who has rejected Jesus, but we must never forget that we are not judges. Only God is the judge.

Mission to Offenders, Saving from Darkness

The apostle Paul was not a good man before his conversion.

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 1 Ti 1:15 NIV

It pained Paul to think of his crimes before his conversion when he had Christians murdered.

There was a chaplain in the American army after the war who spoke good German. He was given an unwanted assignment. He was to serve as chaplain to the worst Nazis in Nuremberg.

Some just wanted to stay bad. Hermann Göring did not want to stand trial. He committed suicide with a vial of poison.

But some criminals were different. Hitler's foreign minister, Von Ribbentrop, was executed, but before he died he begged his wife to bring up their children as Christians.

Jesus taught us to love our enemies. We never know who will be converted.
But be careful. Wolves are dangerous.

A convicted sex offender visited a church. A good Christian woman gave him shelter, and the pastor wanted to help him.

One night a young woman in the church went missing. In fact, the man had taken her away, but she was found and rescued.

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Mt 10:16 NIV

It is not always easy to love the predators and at the same time protect our wives and children. We must not allow potential victims to be unprotected.

They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 2 Ti 3:6 NIV
 
But God's saving love requires us to reach out to people in bad places.

A small group of Christian women visited brothels. They were not aggressive evangelists. They were simply friendly.

One prostitute wanted to attend a meeting. In the middle of the service, she stood up and shouted loudly.

Now I believe in Jesus! Now I want to be baptised!

Grace before Law

 God has given us a conscience to warn us against sin. Without a conscience, we are lost in darkness.

But without the truth in the Bible, our conscience can be twisted by our culture. There are religious people who murder their daughters because they have supposedly sinned. A twisted conscience can even justify murder.

God gave us his laws because our conscience needs to be trained.

God wanted to teach us that we should not marry our close relatives. That's what we read in the Torah, the laws that Moses received from God.

But before the law came God's grace.

Abraham married his half-sister, but God blessed her.

Moses' parents were close relatives.

Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years. Exodus 6:20 NIV84

Before the law, this was not a sin. Before the law, we see the grace of God.

When missionaries went around the world, they found married couples who were brother and sister. Sometimes these couples were forced to annul their marriage.

Sarah was the half-sister of Abraham. Were the missionaries right?

Of course everyone should learn to obey God's rules about marriage, but should already established marriages be broken up? That is another question.

God's commandments are a light that enables us to see God's justice.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105 NIV84

On the other hand we can try to obey God's Word, but fail again and again. We need not only God's written word, but also an open heart to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4 NIV84

I was once gripped by resentment.

I used to be in a church where the pastor was very authoritarian over everything and everyone. He had tried to solve problems in my family, but he had been very bossy and manipulative.

I felt helpless and angry because the pastor had disrespectfully controlled me and my family.

I played a kind of video drama in my imagination, in which I firmly contradicted the pastor.

This was repeated over and over again. Each time I repented because I knew I had to forgive.

But my repeated prayers of confession did not change anything. My wounded feelings were not healed.

Finally, I talked openly to God.

"Dear God. You see all my thoughts. What do you think about it?"

Immediately the answer from God came to my mind.

"You cannot forgive this man because you have not forgiven yourself. You should have resisted then, and you blame yourself for your weak submission."

I saw immediately that God was on my side. I forgave myself and I felt truly liberated.  

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. Galatians 5:1 NLT

Wisdom from God

 Solomon was young and inexperienced. He was sincere and loved God. He was very intelligent, yet humble.

There are many people who inherit wealth and power, who are proud, and do not want to accept instructions from God or men.

But Solomon was not like that. As a young and inexperienced king, he was aware of his responsibility and his own inadequacy.

He wanted to be a good and righteous king for his people.  

God saw his heart and He visited him in a dream.

At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night. God said, “Ask. What should I give you?” 1 Kings 3:5 CSB

If you are like Solomon, if you want to live faithfully and responsibly, you must be aware of your inadequacy.

Solomon had a task from God. So do you and so do I.

If you think your knowledge, competence and intelligence are enough to fulfil your calling from God, then you have no idea. You need to recognise your inadequacy.

God saw Solomon’s heart, and He sees your heart. He wants to speak to you and help you.

How did Solomon answer?

Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of my father David, but I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 1 Kings 3:7 NKJV

He realised that his experience and competence were so limited that he did not even understand how to begin.

Many people try to get ahead with their own talents and only ask for God's help when they go horribly wrong, but Solomon understood better.

If you want to live a blessed and fulfilled life, you must involve God as your companion and guide at the very beginning of everything you do.

God wants to help you with your whole life, not just rescue you when you fall over.

Trust GOD from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. 

Listen for GOD’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Proverbs 3:5–6 The Message

HOW TO ACCESS GOD'S WISDOM

Jn 9:1-2 (NKJV)  Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

The disciples expected Jesus to explain why the man was blind but Jesus did not directly answer the question or give the explanation they expected.

Jn 9:3 (NKJV)  Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.

God teaches us many things but if we expect Him to explain everything, we will be disappointed. 

• It is good to want to understand more but God’s thoughts are often very different from ours.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJV)   "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

In spite of this we often expect our pastors to understand and explain everything. How foolish, when we consider that even God does not explain everything on the spot.

Pastors are often tempted to appear that they know everything. I love this story from a well known preacher.

A pastor answers a difficult question. Then the Heavenly Father turns to Jesus and says: “It was very interesting what that pastor just said. I never thought of that. Jesus, did you tell him that?”

In many churches, pastors claim to teach divine truth but in reality the people are being fed with human ideas.

That is very dangerous if a Bible believing pastor has excellent Bible knowledge and gives the impression that he understands everything, so he must always be right.

In Pentecostal churches, many preachers may have good Bible knowledge and also prophetic gifts. The people may be tempted to expect him to always have a word directly from God. 

God often gives a word of revelation but not always. 

• If the prophetic preacher makes a mistake and the people do not know how to seek God for discernment and confirmation, they can be misled. 

• Even a true word of prophecy can be unhelpful if people to not learn how to hear from God themselves and seek wisdom from God to apply his revealed truth.

We need to hear from prophetic people, but we also need to hear from God ourselves.

Jesus understood these dangers very well. 

Many Jewish Rabbis were looked up to as infallible sources of divine truth but Jesus warned against this.

Matthew 23:8-10 (NKJV)  But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. 

• Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.

• And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.

This still applies to us now. It make no difference whether the preacher is called “Rabbi” or “Pastor.”

In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit was WITH the Jewish people. He spoke to the people through the written Word and also through prophets, priests and kings, who had more direct access to God.

But when Jesus died, rose from the dead and then poured out His Holy Spirit on all believers, everything changed.

James 1:5 (NIV)  If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

Now every believer has direct access to the wisdom of God to guide him in his life. Wisdom comes through faith in God Himself. 

We should not despise preachers and leaders and there are times when it is good to seek wise counsel from others, not necessarily from pastors. 

But the most important source of wisdom is God Himself.

Isaiah 55:6-7 (NKJV) Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.

• Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.

The two key essentials for growing in wisdom are faith in God and a willingness to obey Him.