A Lesson from 1 Hesitations
As I was making a flyer to invite parents of our students to a Bible study, I found myself doing something rather disturbing.
I hesitated to mention Jesus.
I mentioned, of course, that we would be studying the Gospel; however, when it came to mentioning my Savior by name, I hesitated. Mentioning that it would allow them to see what their kids were learning at church? Fine. Pointing out that it'll provide an activity they can do together and conversations they can continue afterward? Great. Pushing the fact that they would meet other parents who have students in our youth group? Awesome.
But when it came to what was most important--mentioning that we hope this points them to Christ--I found it difficult to word things in a manner that I thought would be received well.
See, this part came easy:
This part? Not so much.
I hesitated to mention Jesus.
I mentioned, of course, that we would be studying the Gospel; however, when it came to mentioning my Savior by name, I hesitated. Mentioning that it would allow them to see what their kids were learning at church? Fine. Pointing out that it'll provide an activity they can do together and conversations they can continue afterward? Great. Pushing the fact that they would meet other parents who have students in our youth group? Awesome.
But when it came to what was most important--mentioning that we hope this points them to Christ--I found it difficult to word things in a manner that I thought would be received well.
See, this part came easy:
Parenting a teen isn't easy. We would love to provide encouragement and support, as well as connect you with other parents.
This part? Not so much.
Most importantly, we'd like to help you get to know the One who can make all the difference in navigating the years ahead--Jesus Christ.I had to realize two things:
- I was acting crazy. I've been a Christian for 75 percent of my life, and I found it difficult to mention Jesus on a flyer that tells people about a Bible study! Jesus is expected at church. Yet I was allowing the fact that most of my students' parents are not actively involved in our church to dictate how I presented this study. And that's just wrong. Not to mention ridiculously silly.
- Timidity doesn't tend to accomplish anything when it comes to the Gospel. 2 Timothy 1:7 makes it quite clear that a spirit of fear or timidity does not come from God. As Jimmy Needham so eloquently expresses in his song Part the Clouds, "This living water will not quench us if it's watered down. It's not our place to hide again this treasure that we've found." As I mentioned in the first point, hopefully Jesus is expected to be part of what we do at our church. Hopefully He's not a surprise to anyone. Besides, Jesus is my treasure! The last thing I want to do is hide Him. Additionally, a watered down Gospel doesn't quench anyone's thirst; it is not effective.
So, please join me in praying that a clear, direct representation of Jesus--who our church is all about--will draw in parents of our students. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will begin working now to make hearts receptive to our invitation. Also, please pray that hearts will be receptive to the Gospel and ultimately to submission to Christ and the transformation that follows.
Today, I was reminded that I'm sometimes (okay, frequently) bad at being a Christian. Have you done anything similar lately? Or is it just me?
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