The Perils of Hipster Christianity and Why Young Evangelicals Reject Churches That Try To Be Cool – WSJ.com

The Perils of Hipster Christianity and Why Young Evangelicals Reject Churches That Try To Be Cool – WSJ.com.

Read and discuss.

What have you been learning lately?

Lessons from God

God seems to be doing great things in all of our lives lately.  Whether it is something you’ve learned from the Mexico mission trip, a book you’ve been reading, youth group/Sunday school, or even from watering your flower seed, take a few minutes to share with us what God has been teaching you “…that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith,” Romans 1:12.

The Growth of a Seed

Last time we met for Bible study, we talked about waiting for God’s timing.  Often it is very difficult to wait for God’s timing when we have different desires and plans for our lives.  It is especially hard for high school girls to wait for things like: a boyfriend, college, a driver’s license, or even to be in the next grade level.  However, we all need to remember that God has a perfect plan for our lives.

To be encouraged in our waiting, we can look at a simple seed that has been planted in the ground or in a pot.  When we plant a seed, we do not see the flower sprout for a while.  Yet, we need to water it, fertilize it, and make sure it gets enough sun in order for the seed to grow into a healthy flower.  It is our job to nurture and to care for that seed, even though all we can see is mud!  The promise is that the seed will one day sprout and it will continue to grow and mature and show us its beauty.  That beauty could not be achieved, however, without first spending a period of time hidden in the dirt.

It is the same with our lives.  God is working in our hearts to mold us, nurture us, and help us mature into Christ-like women.  God has planted many seeds for our lives and as we learn and experience more, those seeds are being fed and nurtured and will one day sprout into the fruit we desire- maybe a boyfriend, maybe going away to college, and maybe even something you haven’t even dreamed of yet!  But, the beauty of becoming more independent, moving out, getting married, and so on, cannot be achieved until we have been made ready for it by God’s work in our lives.

Your time will come.  God has many plans for your life.  Even if it feels like your dreams and desires are so far away in the future, be encouraged by the little, hidden seed in the dirt.  As its roots and leaves and petals are growing, remember that yours are too!

Remember Abraham and Sarah and how long they had to wait for a son?  Yet, God still kept His promise to them.  And, He will keep His promises to you as well.  Take a look at the following Bible passages to see what God has promised for your life:

• Proverbs 3:5-6
• Jeremiah 29:11
• Matthew 6:25-34
• Ephesians 1:11-12
• Philippians 4:6-7

I hope you are encouraged by these passages and that you will remember that God is always working in your life.  If you are anxious or worried about something and are finding it hard to wait for God’s timing, I encourage you to lift it up to God by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving.  Turn it over to God and ask that He will help you submit to His timing.

Reflection Questions:

1. What dreams and desires do you need to give up to God?
2. What has God already done in your life and what is the evident fruit?
3. What can you do in your life to continue to grow and become more mature in your faith?
   

Books

Have you read any good books lately?  Fiction or non-fiction?  Christian or secular?  Post your recommendations here!  (Be sure to give a little description, title, and author, if possible!)

Here’s my recommendations:

• When People are Big and God is Small, by Edward Welch.  This book deals with caring about what people think of you instead of living your life for God.  It’s good for anyone who struggles with impressing, pleasing, getting noticed by, and/or being afraid of other people.
• Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis.  This book explains Christianity in a logical and at times philosophical way.  Lewis uses a lot of metaphors (some of them are a little hard to understand sometimes) to explain how we know there is a God and why we should follow Him.  Some of his metaphors will stick with you for long time!
• The Girl with the Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier.  This is historical fiction based on a painting by the same title, by Johannes Vermeer.  It is the fictional story of how the painting came to be and who the girl is in it.  It follows a girl, who is a servant in Vermeer’s home, as she is growing up, discovering love, and dealing with her place in life as a servant girl.

Please share your recommendations!

Love

"Agape" Sculpture by Jose Ishmael Fernandez

I love this sculptural depiction of agape (sacrificial love) because it gives me a good visual of God’s love for His children.  As Pastor Ted says, we are running away from God, but God reaches out and saves us from eternal destruction.  And He did this through the sacrificing of His son, His perfect, spotless son.  How great is it to know that, though we do not deserve this love, God still snatches us away from our sinfulness and holds us in His hands.  What a loving Father!

The world often gets love really wrong.  Common myths are spread and believed by many people regarding love.  It is common for movies, tv shows, and books to perpetuate these myths.  Some of the myths are:

• Love is something you can choose to believe in.
• Love will solve problems.
• Love is a fairytale and will have a happy ending.
• Love is a feeling.
• Love is fleeting- it can come and go.

On Friday night we had a good discussion about what love really is, according to the Bible.  Here is a recap:

1 Corinthians 13 shows us very plainly what love is.  Isn’t it awesome that we don’t have to wonder, but that God has told us directly what love is and isn’t?

What love is:

4Love is patient, love is kind… [love] rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails.

What love isn’t:

4…It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil…

We also discussed that love is a fruit of the Spirit and a result of our sanctification.  We love because God first loved us and works in us through the Holy Spirit.  Praise God!

The four types of love found in the Bible:

1. Agape- sacrificial
2. Philia- brotherly
3. Storge- family
4. Eros- sexual

The love that 1 Corinthians 13 talks about is Agape.  Agape is also found in 1 John 4:8, where it says “God is love.”  So, all of the attributes of love described in 1 Cor. 13 can also be applied as characteristics of God.  God is patient, kind, does not envy, and so on.

How does the Biblical definition of love apply to “romantic” love?  Well, when we truly love someone, we will act sacrificially toward him.  We will put aside our own wants, needs, and desires to serve his needs.  (And he should do the same for you.)  When you enter into a dating or courtship relationship with a guy, at first your love will be more like a friendship love (Philia- “brotherly love” or a love that exists between friends), but then it will grow.  As the relationship progresses and possibly leads to marriage, the love will grow deeper and the more a relationship grows the more we will sacrifice for one another.  As our love matures, we will understand it better and we will become even more loving and display more of the attributes described in 1 Cor. 13.

Keeping God as the center of a relationship is so important partly because He will help to grow the love between two people.  It is only by His presence in our lives that we can truly love one another.  With Christ as the center of a relationship, you can truly learn to love the other person.  Also, when we love we are getting a glimpse of Heaven (1 Cor. 13:12) and we begin to see more fully the true nature of God.

(Now, there are certain loving actions that are reserved only for marriage.  Sex is the physical culmination of love between a man and a women and it is to be reserved only for marriage.  If we have sex outside of marriage, we are becoming one flesh with someone apart from a marriage covenant.  Sex consummates a marriage, and should not be played around with or experimented with outside of marriage, no matter how much you think you love someone.)

Discussion Questions:

1. What are some ways you can guard your heart?
   
2. How can we avoid falling prey to the lies the world tells us about love?

Q: Why Should we do Good Works?

A:  As Christians, we are no longer bound by the law, but we have been made new by grace.  Since this is true, since we know that our salvation is not dependent upon the works we do, then what is the importance of doing good works?  Why should we try to live according to the Commandments and according to Jesus’ teachings if our sins have been paid for and our salvation is secured?  Well, there are a few reasons that we can find in scripture for following Jesus’ teachings.

1.)  We have been created to do good works, through Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-10)

2.)  Doing good works is pleasing to God (Proverbs 3:1-4) and shows gratitude to God (Colossians 3:1-17, Ephesians 5:15-20).

3.)  Our good works stand as proof of our salvation (John 14:21, 1 John 2:3-6) and help to serve as a witness to non-Christians.

Now, does this mean that we need to focus on doing good works?  Or, does it mean that we have failed as Christians when we stumble and sin?  No!  These good works are not up to us!  We can do no good apart from God.  He works and moves in us to do these good deeds.

All Christians will struggle with sin- no one is perfect.  But, if we are saved, then God will transform our lives in a way that is beyond our control.  Of course we will mess up and not be perfectly obedient, but He will be actively working through us, sustaining us, and preserving us in our faith – which means, God will be moving us to do good works as He transforms our lives.  He will move us to be more loving to our neighbors, to put aside jealousy, hatred, and deceit.  He will sanctify us through the Holy Spirit and we will be transformed to live a life that is honoring to God.

This is why good works are important.  Not so we can earn our salvation, but so we can be proven as fruitful Christians in whom God is working- by the power of Jesus Christ.  We do good works, not to earn God’s favor, but because of God’s work in us.

I encourage you to read through these verses and to study about how to walk in the light as a child of God.

Discussion Questions:

1. In James 1:22-25, what is the story of the man looking in the mirror trying to convey?
2. Also in this passage, how can law give freedom?

James 1:22-25    “²²Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.”

You may post your answers to these questions (or any other related thoughts you have) by leaving a comment.

Music

Here are some of my Christian music recommendations:

Seventh Day Slumber, “Take Everything” – This is a rock band that has other CDs w/ original songs, but this particular CD is all worship songs.  These are recognizable songs w/ a rock sound.

JJ Heller - This singer/songwriter has a wonderful voice and sings really meaningful lyrics.

Keith and Kristyn Getty – They write modern hymns, one of which is “In Christ Alone.”

Switchfoot

Falling Up

• Please share any recommendations you have!