SERMON: PHILIPPIANS 1:27-30, GODLY JOY THROUGH PERSECUTION

PHILIPPIANS 1:27-30

Godly Joy Through Persecution

DO NOT FORGET

Our God is a God who calls us to remember the great things he has done.

In Esther 9 the Jews were to remember the deliverance they experienced from their enemies.  This deliverance was celebrated in the Feast of Purim and every generation after was commanded to celebrate.

Job 36:14 calls the reader to "remember to extol his work, of which men have sung."

In Psalm 105 God's people are to remember the works of God, his miracles and his judgments."  One of the ways they remember the works of God is to pass on the stories of God's awesomeness through song.

In the life of a church, it's extremely important to remember the things God does in our midst.  It was about this time last year that the elders and I began to talk about stepping up and doing more for our junior high and high school students.  Our mid-week youth meeting needed an adrenaline shot to the proverbial arm.  We began to dream a little and envision what a vibrate student ministry would look like.  The idea was proposed that we use the upstairs loft at our old facility as a room for our young people.  We thought we could turn it into a cool place to hang out and disciple them.  As it turned out, city codes and laws prohibited us from doing what we wanted to do. So the idea got pushed back, but not buried or forgotten.  We had to go back to the drawing board but we seemed to be out of paper, so to speak.

Well, a few months later, we found out that we'd be needing to move soon because our old landlord was raising the rent.  So in the back of my mind, I just kept thinking that maybe we'd find a place where could realize our dream.  It wasn't long after this that the few teenagers we had were in need of leadership for their mid-week meeting.  That's when my awesome wife privately said to me, "You should consider leading the students."  I was taken back for a minute because we had refrained from being involved with our students because our daughter was a teen and we wanted other godly men and women to have an influence her life as well. But I listened to my wife and we talked with our daughter and she was cool with it.  So I told the other elders that I wanted to assume full leadership of the student ministry.

It had been 11 years since I had done anything that resembled student ministry, but as I began to dream and pray and envision what a healthy student ministry would look like, my heart was set ablaze and reinvigorated for student ministry.  Not knowing where our church was going to move, I laid out some tentative plans for what our student ministry would look like for discipleship and outreach. This was around March/April of 2018.  And during the first meeting we had with our students I shared with them the dream.  There were about 4 girls in that first meeting, three of which were pastor's kids, plus my wife and Jeff De La Rosa.  I remember sharing the dream and simultaneously thinking, "I bit off more than I can chew.  I should have started with a smaller dream.  I'm not sure I can do this anymore. I'm gonna fail in front of everyone."  Then I remembered what I always knew: that it wasn't about me, but about God's glory. Of course I knew that the whole time, but we were basically started a student ministry from scratch. It's one thing to build a student ministry when you have 30 or 40 students already. It's another thing when no structure or vision has been cast...and you have very few teens to work with.

In a nutshell, the dream was this: to make fully devoted followers and worshippers of Christ.  We would do this by (1). teaching Scripture from a Christ-centered perspective and (2). creating opportunities for our young people to reach their friends with the gospel.   The first part I was confident we would have down because Jeff and I would be doing the teaching.  The second part would take some creativity, vision casting and most of all, help from God. The help from God came in the form of quite a few generous givers outside of the church and some from inside the church.  Christine Evelyn did the hard work of figuring out how to set up accounts with Paypal and GoFundMe so that people who didn't know our church could give with confidence that we were a legitimate non-profit entity. With the funds given, we've been able to start progress on our youth center which seemed like a doomed project about a year ago.  So even though it seemed like a dead-in-the-water-dream about a year ago, God was faithful to provide when we had no place to do this or resources to do such a thing.  So for a moment I want to remember where we were in relation to where we are...and I want to give thanks to God.

Even though things are starting off with a bang, we still have a ways to go, believe it or not.  Part of this outreach dream is to provide community students with free music lessons and after school programs.  We aren't there yet, but that is part of the long-term vision of showing love our community students in order to reach them with the gospel. In the future I'll be on the hunt for musicians in the church to volunteer their time to help.  In the future I'll be on the hunt for adults to help with after school tutoring.  For now, we're just trying to help our teens be mindful that we need to reach the lost. So we're starting out with a night on Wednesday in which they are encouraged to bring their non-Christian friends to hear the gospel.  And it is quite possible that we fail at first from outward appearances, but the ultimate goal is to reach the lost and to shape the hearts of our students into those who care about lost souls.  So we are thinking long-term even though we have short-term goals.

But for a moment I really just have to slow down and reflect, recall and remember where we were...and where God has taken us. What exactly has God done?  Well, he's put proper leadership over our church that supports God-glorifying dreams and goals.  He took an old-retired youth pastor and brought him out of retirement.  He provided resources to create an environment where students can interact with their peers and godly leaders.  He sent more leaders our way to help.  He is stirring the hearts of our youth and their parents.  And I'm praying that this all leads to God reaching the lost with the gospel.  He's gotta start with us is that is ever going to happen. I believe and pray that God reaches the youth of this high desert. And if we are willing to obey God, I believe he'll bring in a harvest. 

It's been quite a ride this past year.  From the rough summer of 2017 to a summer that saw the beginnings of what we pray is a vibrant student ministry that pleases God.  You guys are seeing God unfold all of it before your very eyes. Our students are knowing God better and are excited about all that is going on. And I ask that you pray for this part of our church.  Remember with me, please.  Recall what God has done and give praise to him.

And while we are remembering something God has done recently in our church, let us never forget what God has done for all eternity.  He has given us his Son as a redeeming sacrifice for our sins so that we'd be united to God forevermore.  So when we partake of communion every week, we are remembering the Lord's death until the risen Lord comes again. And when we hear the Word of God preaching, we are hearing of the great things God has done...and we are remembering the great things God has promised to do.  So remember...do not forget. Extol his work. Sing of the great things he has done.