Esperanza and Youth Ministry
I decided to attend a Spanish church named Iglesia Bautista Esperanza, which we shorten to “Esperanza”. It is a very small church, and the people are great! On my first visit, I was invited to attend their men’s camping retreat, and I decided to go. We left last Friday afternoon and returned today. We went up a mountain about 1hr 1/2 from TMC. It was a blessing being there with those guys. The land was beautiful. The weather was awesome (aside from the rain at times). But spending time with the guys, singing songs of adoration to God and listening to teachings from the Bible was the best part. I was reminded (as I am reminded every day), that I am a sinner, in need of a savior. I was reminded that a life apart from God is a life of slavery/bondage to sin, yet God frees us from that bondage and makes us slaves of Christ (which is a blessing, not a curse). And even though as Christians we have been freed from that bondage, we oftentimes live as though we were still in slavery to sin. Thus we need to be in prayer, in God’s Word, and in “fellowship” with other Christians. Truly, every single day–every single minute and second–I recognize my need to saturate my mind with the Gospel of grace, that I would live for God’s glory as a slave of righteousness. There is truly no better joy than being a slave of Christ.
Classes have been good. Busy, as expected, but good. As I said before, I plan to write separately about each class. For now, I shall begin with “Intro to Youth Ministry.” This class is going just fine. I just finished one of the books for that class, which is entitled “Age of Opportunity” by Paul David Tripp. Here is my summary of the book:
The teenage years are an age of opportunity to prepare one’s teen for a wise, God-honoring, God-fearing life driven by biblical conviction rather than worldly culture. It is an age during which parents plant seeds that will result in maturing young adults who love the Lord and His Word. Many parents, however, self-centeredly view the teenage years as a struggle for survival! This is an unbiblical mindset. It is true that teenagers are in a unique season in their life, in which they battle unique temptations. But teens are no different than every other human being: they are sinners, engaged in a spiritual battle, in need of a Savior. Thus, God has established the family to be a learning community, in which the parents are the teachers. As parents humble themselves to change their own sinful attitudes, they can be positioned as God’s instruments of change in the lives of their children. Every moment of family life is a teaching moment, and God’s Word is the foundation of the parents’ teaching. Behavior modification is not enough; the aim is a changed heart, from which a love of God grows, which can only be accomplished with a confident faith in Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Even though I do not have any children, I have greatly benefited from this book, as it draws the readers’ attention to their our lives in need of sanctification.
josueraul
