#13 - Rebellion versus Rebelution

– by Alex and Joshua Harris, taken from their blog at The Rebelution.com

[Note: (1) As usual, check Worldmag.com for the great weekly editorial cartoons (that I'm not allowed to post here) as well as the link for the "Student" Edition; and (2) Please check my other blog: stanmyonashiro.blogspot.com on Sunday for a special "Letter to the Church." I do hope you will also try to check that blog on Tuesdays and Fridays usually for postings dealing with issues affecting our country.]

One of the most common expectations our society has for teenagers is that we are incurably rebellious. Indeed, it was the “storm and stress” model of young adulthood that served as the foundation for the modern concept of adolescence, sparking the cultural redefinition of the teen years in the first half of the 1900s. But like so many of the culture-shaping psychological studies of the twentieth century, the theory of teenage “storm and stress” was inherently flawed, based primarily on observation of teen psychological patients—hardly a representative sample. No wonder we are taught that the teen years are inevitably filled with emotional turmoil, rebellion, and angst.

Of course, this new way of looking at the teen years didn’t create teenage rebellion, but it normalized it. Suddenly young people had an excuse for indulging in the foolishness the Bible commanded them to flee (2 Timothy 2:22). And what’s more, they were backed by “science.” Rebellion was now an expected thing. These expectations played out primarily in the lives of previous generations (most evidently in the youth of the 60s and 70s) but their residual effects continue to haunt us today. The expectations have not changed, and many rebellious young people remain assured that their behavior is not only normal, it’s healthy. One result of this prevailing attitude, which has occupied my thoughts lately, is the seeming inability (the Bible calls it “pride” and “foolishness”) we teens have to learn from the mistakes or counsel of past generations, particularly our parents. We have to “get burned” before we learn, or so it goes.

As Christian young people, as rebelutionaries, we must wage war against that mindset. We do ourselves an incalculable disservice by ignoring the means of grace God has given us in the form of our parents, grandparents, and the other godly men and women in our lives. My reason for saying this stems from a paragraph in a recent Newsweek cover story on Billy Graham, where the 87-year-old evangelist shared his regrets:

'If he had his life to live over again, Graham says he would spend more time immersed in Scripture and theology. He never went to seminary, and his lack of a graduate education is something that still gives him a twinge. “The greatest regret that I have is that I didn’t study more and read more,” he says. “I regret it, because now I feel at times I am empty of what I would like to have been. I have friends that have memorized great portions of the Bible. They can quote [so much], and that would mean a lot to me now.”'

When I first read those words I was struck at the great privilege it is for me, as a young Christian man, to hear and learn from the regrets of an old Christian man, one who has lived such a long and full life. It inspired me to study, medidate and memorize the truths of Scripture with greater dedication. And yet, as I continued to think about this, I began to be keenly aware of many other older (i.e. less young than me) Christian men and women I know and respect, and of whom I had never even thought to ask the question, “What do you regret?” What godly wisdom we could gain if we would only make asking that question a habit. How many regrets could be avoided? How much joy could be attained? As we are told in Proverbs 16:16, “How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.”

Here is what I would like you all to do: Over the next few weeks (really for the rest of your life, but the next few weeks particularly) look for opportunities to speak with your parents and grandparents, as well as other godly men and women you know and respect, and ask them to tell you what they regret, what they wish they had understood when they were your age, and how they would use their teen years if they were you. When you have done that, ... [share the answers you received at this blog site]. Finally, let us act. With God’s Word as our guide and foundation, let us put what we learn into practice and throw off the expectations our culture holds for us. As followers of Christ, as rebelutionaries, let us “rebel against rebellion.”

#12 – Back to School Challenges

[Note: I hope that you will eventually watch the movie “Saint Ralph” because, as posting #11 should tell you, it has a LOT to speak to you about as a Christian.]

I can just hear you – “Wow, 3 months of summer vacation is over – already!” I’m afraid so. Now, as you get yourself ready for the start of another school year, I’d like to ask you to consider again what I’ve said in previous postings. As a Christian, whether you acknowledge or not, YOU are a STUDENT-MISSIONARY. YOU have an opportunity during your years at school to make an eternal impact on many lives and leave a legacy that will stand in eternity. You can do this by (1) the example you are of one who seeks to do his/her school work with excellence (which may or may not be shown by the grades you earn) , (2) the kind of person you are – whether you are someone who shows he/she truly cares about others – not just those in your clique (this means not just hanging out with your Christian friends or just those you have a connection with and are comfortable being around, but the new kids, the ones who are trying to fit in, those struggling with their schoolwork, those who tend to look and act weird or just different from others; and whether you are a person of integrity, someone who stands up for what is right, even if its not popular and even in the face of hostile opposition, and (3) being available for any opportunity God gives you to share Christ with another student, teacher, or other school personnel. An important thing to keep in mind is that, as much as possible, the first time you discuss spiritual things with someone, be patient to LISTEN carefully to what and why the other person believes as they do. Not only will this earn you the right to share afterwards what and why you believe what you do (which you should be certain about and can clearly express) but it will also help you to understand if the beliefs held by the other person are heart-felt or are just those of the person’s family’s religion.

As you start the school year, I’d like to challenge you with 2 things:
(1) If you have not yet done so, I hope that you will give thought to what I shared in posting #10 about doing a PRAYERWALK at your school. If you are unable to do it at the school before the first day of school, consider doing it (with as many friends as you can gather) on the first day of school, either arriving just a half hour before classes start OR staying after school to do it. Again, don’t fail to underestimate just the powerful effect that “inviting God into your school” can do to see supernatural things happen.

(2) Make a commitment to pray for at least one other student (and the teacher) in each of your classes before every class begins. If you don’t know their name, make a point to introduce yourself as soon as possible.) You might pray something like this:


“Heavenly Father, I pray for _______. I pray that you will help him (or her) to be able to learn much and do excellent work in this class during the year ahead. But more importantly, I pray that if they do NOT know you as their Savior and Lord, that during the coming school year you will open their heart to hearing the message of the gospel, either from me or through someone else, such as at a Christian outreach event. If they ARE a believer, please help me to learn this as soon as possible so that we can encourage each other. I trust you to do this, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”


If you did this – praying for just one student (and the teacher) in each class every day, you should be able to pray for each student several times each year. If the student is not a believer – and there is a good chance the student is not – then YOU might be the only person who has ever prayed for him or her. By your prayers, you invite God into that person’s life to work to bring that person into the Kingdom of God in a way that might not be possible otherwise. In a future posting, I’ll share with you in detail how I miraculously ended up hearing the gospel but of how it was all proceeded, I believe, by a group of people I'd never met who prayed for me just months before. Trust me, YOUR prayers can prepare the way for someone’s life to be changed FOREVER.

I realize that praying for every student in all your classes regularly might seem overwhelming. But remember, I’m just asking you to pray for ONE student before every class period. And, if every Christian student did this, there is a good chance EVERY student at your school would be prayed for numerous times during the school year. Don’t you think God would honor those prayers and cause many to hear the gospel before the school year is over? Just like “Saint Ralph,” we just need to believe God for a miracle and put things in place to see it happen, and I believe we will see the supernatural happen in life after life at your school this coming school year.

#11 - Life Truths from the movie “Saint Ralph”

Haven’t seen a good movie lately? Then try watching “Saint Ralph,” which was released several years ago. This movie, while not a Christian movie as such, makes many life truths for Christians to embrace. What follows are just the ones I’ve discovered so far. I discover something new almost every time I see this movie, which has been more times than any other I can remember. As you reflect on this movie afterwards, I wouldn't be surprised if God reveals other life truths to you. I would appreciate your sharing them with me so that I can add them to this list.

[Warnings: (1) It is best NOT to read the following until AFTER you have seen the movie. Some statements refers to scenes in the movie AND the statements will make more sense if you’ve seen the movie first; (2) When you see the film, be sure to advance it when it gets to the swimming pool scene. It’s enough to know that Ralph sees a girl showering and experiences a “wet dream” that results in the entire pool being emptied and cleaned. Funny scene but a certain stumbling block.]; and (3) but if you truly want to make this a family friendly movie, just start the movie at the scene where Father Fitzgerald is speaking to Ralph after the swimming pool incident. You could just summarize the movie until then if you wanted to. Note though, that Ralph and Chester do swear several times and there are two brief sexual references which should hardly be noticed.)]

1. Even the “religious,” such as Catholic/Christian guys do struggle with “raging hormones.” It’s possible that even quiet, studious, and unathletic guys with glasses also struggle. (Remember why Chester wanted to go to the swimming pool?)Struggling with sin should not make you question whether you really are a Christian. Despite what you may think, there are NO Super Christians who always have their act together. The very fact that we struggle is proof that we are God’s forgiven child because only a believer would engage in struggle. It’s the unbeliever who easily surrenders to his/her fleshly self because he/she does not have a new nature that wants to conform him/her into the image of Christ.

2. (Relationships) If you’re attracted to a girl, it’s okay to be shy, even somewhat intimidated but be sure to stay bold. Better to make your self and your feelings known than to live to always wonder what would have happened if. (Remember Ralph not so much asking for but MAKING a date with Claire.)

3.(In the first scene with Father Fitzgerald, Ralph say, “I’m destined for greatness.” Father Fitzgerald replies, “You’re 14 years old, greatness is not an option.” This is one of the most outrageous statements in the movie.) I Timothy 4:6 says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” If you meet an adult who questions your ability or your faith because you are just a teen, either don’t have anything to do with them or just ignore them. Mary, Daniel, and David were among the many teens who achieved greatness in the Bible. Before the last 100 years in America, many achieved great things when they were very young. Today, too many adults expect too little from youth and insult them by failing to challenge them and to believe in them to do great things. Yes, even if you are in middle school , a preteen, or even younger, with God’s power especially, you can accomplish a whole lot more than you or most adults realize if you’ll just “attempt great things for God.” (C.T. Studd)

4. Difficult/impossible situations (such as Ralph’s Mom going into a coma) will often lead us to seek God in ways we might not otherwise (as Ralph did in trying to secure a miracle for his Mom).

5. You can sometimes discover just by accident what you are great at doing and enjoy doing, how God has gifted you – such as to do marathon running.

6. When you ask and believe God to do the miraculous, you need to put yourself in a place where He can make it happen. (Ralph not only became disciplined in running, but he studied the subject, adapted the suggested diet and training methods of past marathon winners, and even sought to practice spiritual disciplines he believed earned God’s favor.)

7. While practicing spiritual disciplines– such as praying and confessing sins – is a good thing to do, we need to avoid extreme, ascetic practices(such as touching and praying over dead bodies rubbing your knees with sandpaper).

8. Be discerning about what you are taught, as teachers will sometimes have an agenda that is not in line with truth but is biased. (Father Fitzgerald WAS correct in forbidding Father Hibbert’s promotion of the teachings of Nietzsche, an anti-God atheist who influenced the Nazis.)

9. When you step out in faith and attempt something that seems impossible, expect to face ridicule from some (Ralph’s classmates) and opposition,hostile at times, even from those from whom you would least expect it, such as spiritual elders and leaders (the elder priest, Father Fitzpatrick). (Matthew 23:31)

10. A person’s spiritual title or authority may not indicate spiritual maturity or greatness. Even those “closest to God” (as Ralph called Father Fitzpatrick) can be Pharisaic, or legalistic in wanting rules obeyed rather than the individual blessed. The gospels are filled with examples of when Jesus’ miracles met the condemnation of the Pharisees.

11. Be where you can exercise and develop your strengths and gifts, and not be in those places that discourage you from doing so. (The younger priest, Father Hibbert) wrongly submitted to those who asked him to disregard his giftedness – running. ) When God honors you with a talent or gift, honor Him by displaying it and bringing Him glory.

12. (Relationships) You may like someone and they may like you in return but it never mean they will always respond in ways that indicate that or that even make sense. (Consider the first time Ralph was swept away by Claire during a Mass.)

13. God is honored by our best efforts and our seeking to live right before Him. But doing none of these things REQUIRE God to answer our prayers the way we want Him to. (God was not obligated to heal Ralph’s Mom just because of all the things Ralph did. He acted according to His choosing and His timetable and not Ralph’s.)

14. In trusting God (say, for a miracle), you may face circumstances (such as your house burning, physical injury, etc.) as well as opposition and ridicule that make you want to give up. But those are the times especially that you must step out in even greater faith in pursuing your faith goal.

15. Don’t be bothered by those who don’t believe in you; its just not worth being bothered by their opinions. Choose to be with those who stand by you. Above all, remember that as a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit as your constant Helper, whose referred to as your “parekletos” or “one who comes along beside you.”

16. (In the scene where Father Hibbert tells Father Fitzgerald that he is going to Boston to support Ralph, he talks about how we all will be asked by God if we’ve ever just “put in on the line.”) God wants to do great things in us and through us if we are just willing to give Him the opportunity. Every day, we need to tell God, “Father, though I struggle to walk with and to become more like Jesus, I believe you still want to give me an opportunity to see you work in and through my life. I make myself available to see you do just that; use me however you choose to make an impact for the Kingdom of God in some way. I ask this in the name of your beloved Son and my Savior and Lord Jesus, Amen.”

17 . If you are blessed, you will have friends who will risk their own best interests to stand up for you (such as by hijacking a public address system (Chester) or risking their job to be there for you (Father Hibbert). But then again, this is what true friends and mentors do.

18. (Relationships) Men (and women) of character and faith are attractive people. (Remember Claire’s reaction when Ralph prays by his Mom’s bedside before the marathon.)

19. (After Father Fitzgerald tells him that he threatens him about the consequences of not going to Boston, and then Father Hibbert tells him that he cannot go and that he will no longer coach him, and then Chester expresses his lack of faith that he can win Boston, Ralph desperately tries to waken his mother and realizes he is unable to do so, he goes into despair and gets drunk while burning pictures of his family.) When we listen to those who either refuse to support us or friends who even abandon us, and we forget our originally calling from God (looking like Santa Claus to Ralph), we open ourselves up to questioning God and losing hope. Those are the times that test our faith and commitment but through which we can be made stronger if we realize more than ever that we can do great things for God only in His power and not simply through our own efforts.

20. Even though we will at times fail to reach our goals (whether it is winning a marathon or just getting the grade we want in a class), we are called to seek to do things with excellence, confident that whatever the results we have done our best. It is not our accomplishments/victories that bring God glory, but our doing things in a way that bring honor to Him.

21. You may fail to reach your faith goal, but your faithfulness will often win you the respect of others and may inspire them to believe God for their own faith goals. (Recall especially the respect Ralph received from his once ridiculing classmates when he entered the lunchroom after the marathon. Also, note how (1) Father Hibbert was inspired to not only revive his interest/gift for running but to even stand up against Father Fitzgerald; and (2) Chester was inspired to "lay it on the line" for Ralph.)

22. (As you recall what happened when Ralph walked into the school lunchroom after the marathon…) Remember that as a believer, one day you will walk into the Great Banquet Hall in Heaven for the Great Feast. On that day, do not be surprised if the people assembled do not stand up and applaud as you do. Be sure that their applause will not be because of your great accomplishments on earth but simply because you chose to live your life in a way to bring God the greatest glory and honor. And don’t be surprised that leading that ovation will be none other than the Savior Himself. (This will be in great contrast to Father Fitzgerald, the one Ralph called “closest to God,” failing to join in the ovation for Ralph.)

23. The theme of the movie is stated by Father Hibbert in the final scene of the movie: “If you’re not chasing after miracles, what’s the use?” We need to live our lives always looking for opportunities to step out in faith, to exercise our faith muscles and believe God to do the supernatural in and through our lives. To do anything less is to live a life that fails to honor God and one in which we will never fully realize all that God has for us to enjoy in this life. And, in so doing, we deprive those around us of seeing God work and deprive God of greater glory.

I hope that this movie motivates you to watch movies that not only entertain but which have great truths to teach. And I hope this movie illustrates how we can discover or be reminded of great truths not just in “Christian” movies. All well told stories, I believe, tell part of God’s story and things He wants to teach us. Sometimes, those truths may not be evident at first but will become clear as we take time to reflect on what we have viewed. Of course, reflecting on God’s Word has even more to teach us than reflecting on movies, if, as with movies, we’ll just take the time to do so.

* If you watch this with a group of people, here are some questions you might enjoy discussing afterwards:

Discussion Questions: (note specific incidents involving the individual)
1. What things can you learn from Ralph’s example?
2. What can you learn from the character of Father Fitzgerald?
3. What can you learn from the person of Father Hibbert?
4. What can you learn from the character of Chester?
5. What would you say is the theme of the movie?

[To a youth leader: In fact, you could take almost any of the 23 points above and lead a very good discussion for any youth group meeting.]

#10 - Inviting God to Your School

[Note #1: Praise God, after almost 3 weeks, I’m back at maintaining this blog. Three weeks ago this Thursday, lightning here in Orlando blew out several fuses to my phone connection. It not only took out my phones but also my computer modem. It wasn’t until last Wed. that a modem was finally delivered and it wasn’t until last night, thanks to the help of my good friend, Dan Lum, I was able to get the modem to work correctly. (Thanks again, Dan. I’m blessed to have friends like you to be there when I need them.)]

[Note #2: Please be sure to check my other blog. Tuesday and tomorrow will have articles about the health care reform being proposed by the President. Also, be sure to check the latest editorial cartoons on the right side of the title page for Worldmag.com]

PrayerWalk

Please forgive me for not sharing with you about this earlier this summer. I know that there are only several weeks left before the school year restarts (vacations really go by quickly, don’t they?) but I think its really important that you make some attempt to do this, even if it is just you and a few friends going down to your school. OR, if your church body happens to meet at a middle school or high school, you could see if some adults would want to join you and other youth at your church to do this (EVEN IF it is not at YOUR school).

The Larger VISION. You might recall my sharing in an earlier posting that YOU are NOT a student at the school you are attending Before time began, our sovereign God planned for YOU to attend THAT school at this time in history. Your assignment –whether you choose to accept it or not - is not just to be a student who seeks to do excellent work and always does his or her best. As a Christian student, YOU are sent as an ambassador (2 Cor. 17-20, esp. verse 20) to a mission field that is your school. YOU are one of a select group (Christian students) who will be at your school to be a witness for Christ by your life, and as opportunity permits, by your words. YOU have been given the unique calling to make a difference in the lives of those at your school, not just for NOW, but for ETERNITY. One day, all else that others gain from being at your school – including the teachers, administrators, and other school workers – will mean little compared to whether they leave having heard and made a decision to place their trust in Christ. Yes, YOU can leave a legacy of changed lives at your school when you leave. NOTHING is as important.

The MODEL and the IDEA. When you look at going to school in this way, you can appreciate how every time you are at school you can go with the anticipation of seeing what God might do through YOU to touch the lives of others. Realize also that your efforts will face opposition FOR SURE in the spiritual world. But realize, too, that you have EVERY spiritual blessing God has to offer in Christ (Eph. 1:3) and that a key blessing is that of intercessory prayer. Recall that God commanded Joshua to walk around the city of Jericho (Joshua 5:13-6:21) every day for seven days in order to conquer it. In a similar way, we need to “exercise” our faith by walking around our school campuses and committing it – with prayer- to God and asking Him to bring about a great moving of His Spirit there in the year ahead.

My Suggestion. (1) Determine the layout of the school campus. Note as many key locations as you can: such as the bus loop, the athletic field, the administration offices, the teacher’s lounge, the classrooms, and others. (2) Think of something to pray about related to each key location. For instance, (a) The bus loop: Prayer could be said for the driver, for the behavior of the student-passengers, safe travel, and opportunities for Christian students to meet non-Christian and non-Christian students they would build a relationship with, (b) The athletic field: Prayer could be said for the safety of the athletes, the athletes to be competitive with excellent play without unnecessary swagger, and the testimony of the Christian athletes on and off the field. (c) The administration offices: prayer for the wisdom of the principal and his/her staff in giving direction and making decisions for the betterment of the school; for the school counselors; for the school nurses, etc. (d) The teacher’s lounge: Pray for the teachers to have wisdom and patience in helping and challenging each student to do their very best, to teach truths and not a particular worldview, for non-Christians to be open to consider the claims of Christ and Christians to be protected from doubt and fear to be salt and light to their students, to other teachers, and to all others at the school; and (e) The classrooms: Pray that the students will have discernment as they get information from the internet, textbooks, other materials, and yes, even their teachers, that they will each seek to do their best and seek not just to past tests or to do assignments but to truly learn and to develop a thirst for learning as a lifestyle.

(3) Send at least two people to each of these locations to pray the suggested prayers. Then, those at each location could go on to pray for other things such as the school board and critical issues being considered; other support staff (such as custodians, aides, and cafeteria workers); special education programs and their students; students who experience rejection; students who are suicidal; students who are chronically failing; students who are suffering from abuse, neglect, bullying or are from homes of divorce, violence; students with emotional problems; new students trying to fit in; that the influence of those who mean to harm others would be broken; that all practices of witchcraft, divination, and the occult would be stopped; and finally, that there would always be an open door to Christian based programs and groups being made available to make the gospel available to as many at the school as possible. And (4) Re-gather everyone after a time for closing prayer. [Of course, in all the prayers, anytime the specific names of people can be mentioned the better.]

Will this all make a difference? A great writer on prayer, O. Hallesby taught that prayer was inviting God into our need. I’ve always liked that. Can you imagine what an all-powerful God could do in any situation or do to change any hardened heart? We may never know this side of Heaven what a prayer walk did to see good things happen in any circumstance. But, oh, the fun it will be to find out when we get there.

P.S. – For those of you heading for college, you will probably have to adapt these suggestions to the unique nature of the college campus. But with the especially hostile anti-Christian views that await you, is there any reason you would not want to do something, anything, to bring God into the spiritual battles that are bound to take place in and out of the classrooms of your campus in the year ahead? Go ahead, invite God to your university and see if He doesn’t do something supernatural.