TEEN PATHWAYS
Hi!
I was just doing some Bible study,
and I came across this one text that I think is incredible,
and it says, it's in Matthew 10, and it says:
"Stand up for Me against the world's opinion,
and I'll stand up for you before the Father in heaven.
If you turn tail and run, do you think I'll cover for you?
Don't think I've come to make life cosy,
I've come to cut, to make a sharp knife cut between son and father,
daughter and mother, bride and mother-in-law.
Cut through these cosy domestic arrangements
and free you for God. Well maybe your family memebers
can be your worst ennemies, if you prefer father or mother,
over Me, you don't deserve Me. If you prefer son or daughter,
over Me, you don't deserve Me. If you don't go all the way with
Me, through thick and thin, you don't deserve Me.
If your first concern is to look after yourself,
you'll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself,
and look to Me, you'll find both yourself and Me. "
And I thought that was incredible, because when I first
came into the church, for one I didn't know who I was,
I didn't know who God was, and I looked around,
Well, before I looked around, I first thought of the churchlady
from Saturday night so I knew that I didn't want to be.
And I was so afraid of that but I looked around
and I just kind of imitated people around me.
And so today we are going to cover: "Who are you in Christ?"
And can you stand up? Like it says in here: "Stand up for Me
against the world's opinion. " And so we're going to cover that,
but before we do, I want to introduce everybody.
So, can we start here?
Ok. My name is Sarah Yates, and I'm from St. Louis, Missouri,
And I've lived there all my life.
Hi! My name is Bronson Anderson, I'm also from St. Louis,
Missouri, but I'm originally from Virginia.
Hi! My name is Nicki, I'm from St. Louis and I've lived there
my entire life.
Hi! I'm Amy Oster, I'm currently in St Louis, but I've lived all
over and hopefully I'll be staying in St Louis.
Hi! My name is Dominik, and right now I live in Idaho,
but I was born in Sacramento, California.
My name is A. J. Grant, I'm a pastor here in True Steps,
and originally from Vancoover, British Columbia,
Canada, but now I live in Hermiston, Oregon.
Ok. Welcome! So standing up, against the public opinion
of the world, I think that's an incredible intense saying,
it's like as Christians, who are we as Christians,
and why are we as Christians and all that kind of stuff,
so today we're going to cover some of those things
and our belief about who we are. Does it make a difference?
What are we thinking of God? What are we thinking of my will
in God?And like I said at the beginning of the show
that I didn't want to be the churchlady,
I did not want to be the churchlady,
but I was. All the sudden I came in style of clothes,
that time was this high lace dresses like platter
a pasy kind of flowery thing, that had this higher lace,
and I came from kind of a hip style to all the sudden that,
and it killed me, for one it itches, it's really
uncomfortable, and it itches, but for the next 5 to 7 years
I was that, because I just was afraid that if I was myself,
that maybe God wouldn't like that.
and so what do you think of that? Of who you are in Christ?
For me, growing up in an adventist home,
my parents told me things and I followed them
and I'm glad that they taught me those things,
but as I've grown older and I've had Adventist friends,
and I've had to witness to them, tell them about my religion,
it's made me go back and examine what I believe in.
And from that I've got my own point of view,
and, what my parents told me, it's like a stepping stone,
that after I witness to my friends,
it's like I have my own point of view. I can go back and I
get to know God and I learned what I stand up for in my
religion. I understand why I believe in things now.
It's interesting because I've had an opportunity where somebody
said: "Cheri, what do you think about this?"
And I gave him the pastor's answer and say something
like: where is that? And I don't have clue.
I'm thinking: "Oh, I don't know, I don't know.
And you have to go back and open the Bible
and say: ok, it's right here. And now do I believe it?
And so I agree with what you said, is you have to explore
for yourself.
My friends would ask me questions and we're like:I don't know that
that And if I'm going to call myself Adventist, I should be
able to know that. And so it makes me to go back and realize
myself that I need to have a better relationship with God.
That I would get to know Him and then I can go and tell other
other people about it. And
stand up for what I believe in.
As far as the aspect of clothing and what you wear
and what you should do in church, I'm a person that
started in the Adventist church, I guess 14 years old,
I was already a teenager, I was pretty much on my own
as far as what I thought and what I wore.
And I didn't have much to wear, I wasn't like I had a big
wardrobe.
Why didn't you have much to wear?
We weren't that well off.
So I was thinking: is either that? Or they stood in the
laundry a lot?
That would be nice, but yeah.
To see you well of it's something you didn't have a choice
on how to dress or what to dress.
But I did have a choice of whether I wanted to wear
suit and tie, I had one suit, but I could wear that
and be just like everybody else,
like everybody else wanted to be in the church,
or I could do what I wanted to do and wear any clothes that
I wanted, I mean I want to be respectful
to God, it's His house, but on the other hand I wanted
to be comfortable worshipping Him, I wanted to be comfortable
there and the clothes that I wear,
I don't make Him disrespectful, they're not a tie,
if I'm going to wear a tie, I think I can wear a tie, and I
would, but normally, I like, I'd rather be comfortable,
it's the views that other people have in the church,
like I was wearing a tie,
that's where I have a problem sometimes.
So yours was a little bit different, because mine was
my own view, I had this picture of the churchlady,
the picture of this Christian, so you're saying that the views
of other people,what they fit in those views?
That would affect my understanding and the views
in the church as what the other people in the congregation
And so then that afffects
on how you act.
I think that when you go to church, you shouldn't go to
church to like to dress to please other people,
you go to church to worship God. and God looks not at what
you're wearing, but what's inside in your heart.
That was part of a, a lot complaints I heard at college
from my friends who weren't spiritually committed
what's the point of going to church?
It's one big fashion show. People aren't concerned about
God,that's very well true. I still remember this day,
when a prominent speaker came to our campus and
and the place was just packed and there were some of my friends
who came just after the sermon started, sitting at the back
and just looking at the girl But the issue behind dress
for some of us, is the same principle as when you have your
first day. When you have your first day and you go to an
adventist academy, at the banquet, you get all dressed up,
because you are meeting somebody special, it's a special occasion,
and therefore you put on something that reflects
how important the occasion or the person is.
Every week at the church we're worshipping God.
And part of who we are, is his child.
And so sometimes out of respect, most of it because He looks
at the heart, you dress the same. This is a special occasion,
I respect You God. You're not only just my best friend,
You are my Father and this is your House.
So I want to respect You by bringing my best foot forward
so to speak.
Do you think sometimes it's drawn into you to walk in
a certain way into church,
to wear a suit and tie, for instance, you have to wear
a suit and tie. That drawn into being so susceptible,
that every little element in life, as a teenager,
you think that drawn into your mind, that's what I think.
I think, drawn into the church, from 14,
and then going to...
I kind of hear what you're saying, but when I was
a teenager, I really looked at parents and authority figures
as like: Why don't you guys as get together?
especially parents. If you would only understand me,
and now as I've gotten a bit older,
and I'm looking back, when you're a teenager, your parents really
seem crazy. But as you get older and you start thinking about
I'm going to raise the child, you're like: wow!
It's not like like we come out of the womb with
the a manuel. And so back to the dress thing,
is somehow I've got to teach this child
how to respect God. And teach him principles from an age,
where they were developped. So you've got to start
somewhere. So part of drilling, this is the best I can do,
right now as a parent. I don't know any other way.
You didn't come out with a manual,
maybe this is the way how we were taught,
kind of so it worked for me, I'm going to do it again.
But really and it's primarily for me for the parents,
what they're trying to teach is, and have this hard
appreciation with God, and for God that reflects how you dress.
Let me say one thing and tell me what you think.
So for, and I think, for several years I stayed on the dress
issue. And it looks like it's the dress issue, that outward
appearance, is where we stay for a while. and finally, I think
God said: Cheri! I love you! What about yourself?
What about inside? What about who you are?
And I'm thinking: wait! What about how I look?
And so I think that what I'd like to go for now,
is ok, that for one, for most of us,when we come into the church
come and sit down and worship, when we think about ourselves
as Christians, we think about the outward appearance.
What I'd like to cover today, is who am I inside?
Who watches God? How does God and I relate and who am I
Does it make a difference in the world around me?
Because I see who I am inside and not what I wear.
What do you think?
I think sometimes you, people want to me like
a good person, but with other people sometimes it's hard
to witness to other people, but you just have to pray God
and ask Him to lead you and just speak to you and everything
will be ok.
So in that sense, before you even set out to witnessing,
is it important for me to understand my relationship
to God and who I am in God. Now using an example,
is that I looked at the coolest person I knew in the church,
it was somebody that could tell you exactly what scripture
was where and all that kind of stuff and I can't do that.
And somebody could tell me, what the word says in John 3:16,
I could tell you what that says, but for a long time, for 10 years
I could remember John 3:16, and just where it was.
But I try to be that person. And I think what God said,
is can you just be yourself?
And so today can we talk about who are you in God?
This is what Jesus says as far as who we are in Matthew:
"Then the 11 deciples went to Galilee
to the mountain where Jesustold them to go. When they saw Him,
they worshipped Him. But some of them doubted.
Then Jesus came to them and said: All authority in heaven and earth
has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all
nations, baptising them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son and of the Holly Spirit.
And teaching them to obey everything I've commanded
you. And surely I'm with you always, even untill the very
end of the age. "
So what is important about that text, is, remember when Jesus
says that there is no new testimony,
at that moment. There's not really anything, called
the Church. Everything was under the Jewish synagogue rule system.
From those 11 people, we have our Churches today.
Because those 11 went, preached and teached and made
preached and taught and made disciples and from those
disciples they made disciples. So, part of who we are,
point blank is we're disciples of Jesus Christ.
In this day and age it's kind of hard to worship
worship with people and trying to be disciples.
It's harder now, than it was back then, I mean, going door to door,
it's kind of hard, they open a door and we don't want
any girls or cookies. And that's not what you're there for,
but people don't want you to preach to them.
On the other hand, being a teenager,people look at that,
and say: "maybe we need to listen to this teenager. "
He or she is the future of our country.
What's really interesting to me, is that I think that one of the
first things that I did, I took witnessing class,
because I wasn't raised in any church,
so I took a witnesing class and I people were talking about
how to witness, how to do the disciples and how to be
a disciple and what hit me the hardest, I actually started
crying and I kind of disrupted with the class,
I sort of cried because I thought: now that everybody
had a checklist of what to do, but nobody ever talked about
liking the person that you're talking to.
Or what their comission was, or why they would do it,
and it was more just doing this checklist,
going to the door and sayimg: do you know Christ?
Rather than having a love, or relationship
with people.
I think there's a fineline between reaching to someone,
and sharing your religion with them, because when I started
to speak with someone, I didn't want to sit there and giving them
a sermon and saying: you did this wrong, I did it right,
you should be like me. I want to be enthousiastic about my
religion, I want to be happy about it. Because if someone
sees that I'm happy, they're going to want to try and figure
out why I'm happy like that. Or why am I happy
about this and why I believe in that. So if you're
enthousiastic in what you believe in, they're going to be
interested, you can't sit there and just preach and point out the
differences, the rights and the wrongs, you have to be
happy about what you believe in.
Incredible point!
How about if nobody can speak and nobody can speak,
we all of a sudden became nonverbal,
our gift of speech was removed from us.
Would I be able to tell you that I'm a Christian?
Look at the big smile on my face! I'm happy inside.
Just from your actions, without words,
I mean, so much without words, by the way people act towards
you, act towards other people, you could have an ennemy
without talking, but you could still show love for them,
and that would show that you're a Christian,
in all your reactions.
So you're witnessing sometimes not so much going door to door,
but it's who you are.
Because you never know who's watching you,
what you're seeing or who's seeing you.
So it's not just witnessing in front of people,
that people notice you're a Christian.
It's the little things that make it up for.
Because people will continue to watch you,
like mine I know, say you do these little things,
a nice act of kindness, someone on the street can be
watching them and throughout their whole life,
they'll remember that person, you were a good example,
and their whole life has changed because of that small action.
It's pretty powerful. It's pretty amazing.
Do you see yourself as a disciple?
When you think that the disciples have walked with Christ,
do you see yourself as that?
What you don't realize, is that the smallest things can make
the biggest difference in people. When you show kindness,
to someone who is not of your religion,
then they'll remember that one little act of kindness you
showed to them and will think: her religion must be really
great, she's happy with her religion, she must be in a good
religion. And they'll remember that and it'll make a big
difference that will make an impression on their life.
Show them that you believe in what you believe,
actually, you actually practised what you believe in.
It's not just lips service. I'm not just saying, I actually
believe this.
You're making a difference in their life with what you
believe. You show kindness.
You have to know. Before you can go on witnessing,
you have to be right in your heart with God and know what
you're witnessing about. Otherwise there's no point.
You know what I love about that? Because I think God taught me
that and especially in the way I think about a biblical
character, one of the desciples, Peter, when Peter was like
even before Christ, he said: I'll never leave you.
And Christ says: you don't even know your heart yet.
And so it's like given even for him,
he had to understand his heart and his dependency on God
before he could even be used as a disciple and I think for
myself, is that I am at a place in my life that I want to
understand my heart, who I am, and I want to step out.
I want to step out and say God use me!
Help me to make a difference in someone's life,
because I love you and I depend on You.
I think in my own personal experience,
I ask God every night, or I try to, to give me the strength
the wisdom, or just put the person in my way,
so I can witness to that person. I have a story about a friend
of mine and me, going to pick wild mushroom.
I don't really like mushrooms that much, but he asked me to,
so I said: ok, and we were in a part of the woods
said no trespass, but we went in anyway.
When beholding God, the owner of the land came out and started
talking to us and asked: what are you guys doing?
And I was like: we're picking mushrooms, I had a few in my
hand,he had a few and he goes: oh, ok,
I like those. I forgot the name of the mushroom.
But he said something that stuck me, he said: you guys can do
that, because you guys look like you're good Christian men.
And I was so shocked of that, because I didn't even say
anything to him, to even lead myself into that, to even him
that I was A Christian. I was just like, we were picking
mushrooms.
And I was kind of scared because it had no trespassing,
and he said: you guys can come here any time you want.
And pick mushrooms, because you guys look like you're Christian
men. And after that we came back to his house, he invited us
we had drinks, and we talked about the Bible, he opened
up the Bible with us, and come to find out he was a Christian
looking for God. He had been a Christian for 5 years,
and he was really struggling in his life.
And I got to witness, I don't know that much about
the Bible which I should, I should open it up
and study it, but it really helped me out spiritually,
and I know it helped him out. And I think God put that person
in my life so I can witness and gain a better understanding
of God.
And who you are.
And me and help him.
And I love what you said, is that you said that I didn't
know a lot, but the Bible promice that you just read in Matthew,
said: "know that I'm with you all the time. " so when you don't
know something, and I'm here prompting you and giving you
information and encourage to step out in faith.
So what you found out then, is that it wasn't about what you
wore, what you knew, it was about just who you were,
because somehow He saw Christ in you.
I guess it was my parents, it might have been, God opened up
His heart as A. J. says, his right mind, but to me, I was
able to just look deeper than the outside appearance.
Because we were in trespassing.
The Bible says that we are the light of the world.
We emane God colours in the world. We are that.
And just by walking in a room, if there's a number of
nonchristians, I don't have to just say a thing,
if I am in the right relationship with Christ,
I walk in a room, and the room because of the Holly Spirit
Christ lights up, because we're the light of the world.
That happens, because it's not just that you're
helping someone, but you feel good while you're helping them.
I mean you know that you're doing something for somebody else,
I mean it's like giving a gift. When you get a gift, it's nice,
but you always have this special feeling when you give someone
a gift and they like it. It's very nice.
It's nice to be able to spread the Word of Christ.
Incredible feeling.
It's not only that you're bringing someone to Christ,
it's also that you're getting a reward yourself.
Because you feel good inside.
So it's good all the way round.
Doesn't it make God seem more real?
Yeah, it does, because it's like people see God in you.
Showing people God, going back to the seeing is
believing, people say: I have to see God's will.
Well, you can show God by how you act.
You can show them. So well, see God in me, I'm showing you.
It's exactly what the Bible says, I like the way the message puts
this particular passage, talking about gifts. Because God has
given us all a gift. Listen what it says: "What I want to talk
about now, is the various ways God's spirit, that spirit gets
worth into our lives. This is a complex and optimist understood
but I want you to be informed and knowlegeable.
Remember how you were when you didn't know God?
Led from one phony god to another, never knowing what
you were doing, just doing it, because everybody else
did it? It's different in this life. God wants us to use our
intelligence to seek and to understand as well as we can. "
And then he goes on to say: "God's various gifts are handed
out everywhere. But they all originate in God's Spirit.
God's various ministries are carried out everywhere.
But they all originate in God's Spirit.
God's various expressions of power are in action everywhere,
but God Himself is behind it all. " And this is the part
that's underlined: "Each person is given something to do
that shows who God is. " I just love that.
You see what this text is saying, is that life, each one
of our lives, is like puzzled piece. And God is holding the
cover of the box. And your life as a disciple
is an intricate piece to God's big picture of helping somebody
else in being a disciple.
That's incredible! That is an incredible life! It makes me
think of a time, when I was trying to figure out who I was
in Christ and will I fit in all those kinds of things,
I thought it was a behavioral thing. I really focused on
will I dress and look right holding my Bible
and all those kind of things and I remember going
in the church one time and it was a sermon that really hit
me hard that I wasn't doing enough right.
I just wasn't doing enough and I got home and I remember sitting
there in prayer and this is kind of embarassing,
but I sat there in prayer and I literally started sobbing.
In a kind of crying or sobbing, we're not just flips down.
It was not kind of really cool looking face, I'm like sobbing,
and I'm thinking, God, maybe I'm just crazy,
maybe I don't fit in, maybe you could never love me,
maybe You could never use me, and God gave me a visual
something that happened years ago, and years ago when I was
on the streets and addicted to heroin, I was at the drughouse,
I was overdosed and like died. In the visionthat God gave me in
prayer, I was looking at it, from an outside point of view,
and I saw all these other people in the room, trying to revive me
they were trying to do the CPR and it was kind of ridiculous,
because a bunch of addicts doing CPR. Kind of ridiculous thing.
And they were trying to do CPR and trying to revive me,
and when you die, you throw up and you loose belly and
blood controll,
so it wasn't a pretty picture and in my prayer I'm saying all
these kind of stuff, and they put me in the shower and trying
to revive me, and they were putting icecubes on me
and cold water on me and I finally came back to life,
and as I came out of that visual and I'm back in my prayer,
I'm almost a little angry of God thinking: well I don't feel
better, that didn't help me. And what God said to me, made me just
really fall in love with Him, is He said to me: you know, what
Cheri, I loved you as much when you were laying on the floor,
overdosed on heroine, as I love you right now,
when you try to figure out how to be a Christian
and where you fit in and what your ministries are going to
look like, so please don't make this a behavioral thing.
And it seemed to me about that, is that the reality is,
is that God loves me. Every day I'm going to have to look
at issues, issues about my personal life and what I think
about God and what my response to His love is going to be,
and every day I'm going to be going back and forth with that,
but it's never about His love, it's always about my place
in that bigger picture, my place in that puzzle.
And can I understand my place in that puzzle,
from God's point of view, so that when step into a field,
trust God and that people look at me and say:
you know what? What I see, is a Christian.
What I see is somebody that believes in God,
loves God and has committed her life to the Lord.
And is now discipling, is out there working for God.
There's a lot of places in the Bible that God took me
after that. But one of the things that I prayed for a lot,
is God, make me normal, let me be normal for 15 minutes,
make me perfect, make me so that I can step out and be a desciple
and be perfect. And God even said: Cheri, you'll be perfect
when I come back. When I come back and I'm ready to take you
to heaven, when I'm standing in front of you, you're going
to be perfect. And till then just trust Me!
Untill then I want you to look at Me,
turn your life over Me, and daily I will work out my
plan in your life. And so just trust that.
Open your Bible and see who you are in Christ!
Thanks a lot. See you next time!