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Resisting Youthful Expectations Pt. 2

The last post was on the first clause of 1 Timothy 4:12: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young,” (NIV); this post examines the second part of that verse: “but set an example for the believers speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity” (NIV).

In recent years, as society has progressed, the expectations and responsibilities placed on youth have steadily regressed.

This, of course, is not without its consequences.

As there has been a decrease in expectations, there has been a corresponding decrease in credibility. The expectations and responsibilities placed on a person are often dictated by that person’s perceived capabilities. If I believe you are capable of much, I am going to expect much of you. If our generation is being given low expectations, we should not be surprised when people assume we are capable of little. As Christians, we are called not to conform to these worldly expectations but to shatter them. When we do, our actions lend credence to our words and our testimony. Continue Reading...

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Resisting Youthful Expectations Pt. 1

Youth who are trying to stand faithfully on the Gospel will likely, at some point, be the target of an accusation that uses their youthfulness and lack of experience to discredit not only their opinion but also their witness and argument for Christ. In 1 Timothy, Paul wrote to a young Timothy to encourage him to stand strong in his ministry, despite his young age: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12 NIV). We will take the next two weeks to analyze this verse for application among today’s youth, starting with the first clause: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young.” Continue Reading...

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The Struggle of The Seed Pt. 1

     Sometimes one of the most frustrating things about living out the Great Commission is when we share the Gospel but don’t see it take root. This is something that I, personally, struggle with; I guess this can fall under the prayer for patience. I hate seeing when someone just doesn’t seem to grasp it. They respond with real, genuine thoughts so you know they are processing it, it just feels like, based on (re)actions, the words are falling on deaf ears. So what do we do when this happens? What does the Bible say about it?      One of the things that I constantly have to remind myself of is that it is a marathon, not a sprint. However, another good example is the germination process of a seed. Midterms are over so I’ll do my best to give the basic gist of the analogy. In case you didn’t know, germination is the process of the plant growing from sapling to full bloom. Here is a basic overview according to Study.com,
  “First the seed grows a root to access water underground. Next, the shoots, or growth above ground, begin to appear. The seed sends a shoot towards the surface, where it will grow leaves to harvest energy from the sun. The leaves continue to grow towards the light source in a process called photomorphogenesis. Below is a seed emerging from the ground during germination.”
     There is no need to get any more technical with the process as long as the idea remains. My reference passage is 1 Corinthians 3:5-8,

  “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.”
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