Sunday Night Reflections

went to youth church tonight. no, it isn't youth group. it is a church service that is aimed at reaching young people for Christ. we are the most powerful generation to reach in this day and age. and youth church is trying to reach us. the majority of people who attend youth church are between the ages of 16 and 25. it is amazing. the worship music makes me feel like i am at a tfk (thousand foot krutch) concert or something of that nature. and the message always makes me think. tonight was no exception.

we were studying from luke 15 tonight. the chapter is three parables that all teach the same lesson. it is the parable of the lost sheep. [a shepherd has 100 sheep and he loses one. he leaves the 99 in the open country (in peril of wolves) to find the one he has lost]. the second parable is that of the lost coin. [a woman has 10 coins and she loses one. she turns her house upside down looking for it] and the last parable is that of the prodigal son. [a father has two sons. one son demands his inheritance and then takes off. squandering his money on gambling and prostitutes. when he gets to the point of starvation he returns home, only to find his father waiting for him, with open arms, all debts forgiven]. all three of these parables, according to the speaker, are about how God looks at the lost. the people who have yet to turn to him. if everyone in the world believed in Jesus and ONE person still didn't know who he was, or was a follower, he would scour the entire earth for this person just to bring them back to Him.

He would do the same for you or me. if we were to stray from him, he would pursue us. night and day, until we returned to Him. each of these stories also ended in a celebration, celebrating the fact that the thing, or person that was lost was returned to its rightful place. the speaker said that when we finally turn to God after straying from Him there is much rejoicing in heaven. because there is more to celebrate when a sinner turns to Him than those of us who are already in His presence.

i really liked this message because it reminded me that i shouldn't take my salvation for granted. in the story of the prodigal son, the son who remained loyal to his father and did not squander his inheritance was jealous of the fact that his father threw a huge celebration for the other brother upon his return. he told his father that he had remained loyal, yet his father had never thrown him a celebration. yet the father explained that because he had stayed faithful everything that the father owned belonged to him, yet they should still celebrate the other brothers return because he had been 'dead' and was 'alive'. in the same way, those of us who are faithful in our faith are equal inheritors of Christ's kingdom, yet we should still rejoice when 'sinners' come to faith. for these people were dead in their sins and now they are alive.

another reason that this message was particularly powerful was the imagery that God is relentlessly pursuing those who are 'lost'. like the woman in the lost coin parable, Jesus will turn lives and circumstances upside down if it will mean that someone will come to know him. and like the father in the prodigal son parable, he is waiting with open arms for you. as soon as you make the decision to return to him (or follow him for the first time), as soon as you take that first step, he will see you and begin running towards you ready to receive you into his arms.

another thing we talked about was that we who are already followers of Christ need to help in this pursuit. we should be seeing those who are lost and trying to help them find a relationship with the God who created them. because he wants all those who are lost to be found and join in his kingdom, and he will not stop his pursuit until they are all found.

it was definitely something for me to think about. if you look at luke 15 in my Bible i now have much of the passage underlined and notes in the margin. so now every time i look at this passage i can remember this message.

another thing from tonight that stuck with me was some of the songs that we sang. i will list a couple.

take it all --- hillsong united

mighty to save --- hillsong united

and then they sang remain by starfield. it was the first time i had heard it, but it struck a chord in me. the gist of the song is that no matter what happens, whatever troubles or tribulations come my way, Jesus's love remains the same. He will never change. He will always be faithful.

here are the lyrics:

Defender of this heart
You loved me from the start
You never change

Through the highs and lows
As seasons come and go
You never fail

Day after day
Your love will remain
Faithful and true
You are good

[Chorus:]
You are God with us
You're victorious
You are strong and mighty to save
For Your word stands true
There is none like You
And when all else fades
You remain

When troubles come my way
You guide and You sustain
Lead me, I pray

Forever You will be
The great eternal King
Now and always

Day after day
Your love will remain
Faithful and true
You are good, you are good

[Chorus]

When all else fades
You remain

[Chorus 3x]

You remain

Cause' day after day
You never change
Day after day
You are the same
Day after day
You remain

He will always be waiting for you, looking for you to come to Him. He isn't going to give up. so why don't you run to him. show Him that you have heard his voice. enter his arms of love.

it feels so good when you do.