GROUNDED

Thursday, May 31, 2012

I really appreciate the way Tim draws from the story of Pilgrim's Progress and relates it to our walk of faith. We are all prone to wander, to leave the God we love. I pray this article will help us to be on guard and help us discern when our hearts begin to drift.

Mr. B

One of the more interesting sections of dialog in John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress has Christian and Hopeful discussing the danger of backsliding, of falling away from what had the appearance of spiritual life and growth. That dialog, drawn from the tenth stage of Christian’s journey, is important and instructive. Bunyan presupposes that such people have been awakened to their need for salvation by some combination of the fear of God and the danger of hell, but eventually fall back or fall away. Here are four reasons that people backslide:

The conscience is awakened, but the mind is not changed. Therefore, when the guilt and fear of God that motivated this awakening of conscience has passed, their desire for salvation cools and they return to their own ways.

Though the consciences of such men are awakened, yet their minds are not changed: therefore, when the power of guilt weareth away, that which provoked them to be religious ceaseth; wherefore they naturally turn to their own course again; even as we see the dog that is sick of what he hath eaten, so long as his sickness prevails, he vomits and casts up all; not that he doth this of a free mind, (if we may say a dog has a mind,) but because it troubleth his stomach: but now, when his sickness is over, and so his stomach eased, his desires being not at all alienated from his vomit, he turns him about, and licks up all; and so it is true which is written, “The dog is turned to his own vomit again.” 2 Pet. 2:22. Thus, I say, being hot for heaven, by virtue only of the sense and fear of the torments of hell, as their sense and fear of damnation chills and cools, so their desires for heaven and salvation cool also. So then it comes to pass, that when their guilt and fear is gone, their desires for heaven and happiness die, and they return to their course again.

They are overwhelmed by fear of man. For a time the fear of damnation overcomes this fear of other people, but as the sense of danger passes, so too does their boldness.

Another reason is, they have slavish fears that do overmaster them: I speak now of the fears that they have of men; “For the fear of man bringeth a snare.” Prov. 29:25. So then, though they seem to be hot for heaven so long as the flames of hell are about their ears, yet, when that terror is a little over, they betake themselves to second thoughts, namely, that it is good to be wise and not to run (for they know not what) the hazard of losing all, or at least of bringing themselves into unavoidable and unnecessary troubles; and so they fall in with the world again.

They are full of pride, unwilling to face the world-ward shame that comes with the gospel.

The shame that attends religion lies also as a block in their way: they are proud and haughty, and religion in their eye is low and contemptible: therefore when they have lost their sense of hell and the wrath to come, they return again to their former course.

And finally, they refuse to face their own guilt and the danger that will come to them if they do not receive forgiveness for wrongs done.

Guilt, and to meditate terror, are grievous to them; they like not to see their misery before they come into it; though perhaps the sight of at it first, if they loved that sight, might make them fly whither the righteous fly and are safe; but because they do, as I hinted before, even shun the thoughts of guilt and terror, therefore, when once they are rid of their awakenings about the terrors and wrath of God, they harden their hearts gladly, and choose such ways as will harden them more and more.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

I have been very concerned as I read about the number of young people who are leaving the church by their first year of college. With graduation upon us I think this article is very timely and insightful.

Mr. B

Why Youth Stay in Church When They Grow Up

“What do we do about our kids?” The group of parents sat together in my office, wiping their eyes. I’m a high school pastor, but for once, they weren’t talking about 16-year-olds drinking and partying. Each had a story to tell about a “good Christian” child, raised in their home and in our church, who had walked away from the faith during the college years. These children had come through our church’s youth program, gone on short-term mission trips, and served in several different ministries during their teenage years. Now they didn’t want anything to do with it anymore. And, somehow, these mothers’ ideas for our church to send college students “care packages” during their freshman year to help them feel connected to the church didn’t strike me as a solution with quite enough depth.

The daunting statistics about chucchgoing youth keep rolling in. Panic ensues. What are we doing wrong in our churches? In our youth ministries?
It’s hard to sort through the various reports and find the real story. And there is no one easy solution for bringing all of those “lost” kids back into the church, other than continuing to pray for them and speaking the gospel into their lives. However, we can all look at the 20-somethings in our churches who are engaged and involved in ministry. What is it that sets apart the kids who stay in the church? Here are just a few observations I have made about such kids, with a few applications for those of us serving in youth ministry.

1. They are converted.

The apostle Paul, interestingly enough, doesn’t use phrases like “nominal Christian” or “pretty good kid.” The Bible doesn’t seem to mess around with platitudes like: “Yeah, it’s a shame he did that, but he’s got a good heart.” When we listen to the witness of Scripture, particularly on the topic of conversion, we find that there is very little wiggle room. Listen to these words: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17). We youth pastors need to get back to understanding salvation as what it really is: a miracle that comes from the glorious power of God through the working of the Holy Spirit.
We need to stop talking about “good kids.” We need to stop being pleased with attendance at youth group and fun retreats. We need to start getting on our knees and praying that the Holy Spirit will do miraculous saving work in the hearts of our students as the Word of God speaks to them. In short, we need to get back to a focus on conversion. How many of us are preaching to “unconverted evangelicals”? Youth pastors, we need to preach, teach, and talk—all the while praying fervently for the miraculous work of regeneration to occur in the hearts and souls of our students by the power of the Holy Spirit! When that happens—when the “old goes” and the “new comes”—it will not be iffy. We will not be dealing with a group of “nominal Christians.” We will be ready to teach, disciple, and equip a generation of future church leaders—“new creations”!—who are hungry to know and speak God’s Word. It is converted students who go on to love Jesus and serve the church.

2. They have been equipped, not entertained.

Recently we had “man day” with some of the guys in our youth group. We began with an hour of basketball at the local park, moved to an intense game of 16” (“Chicago Style”) softball, and finished the afternoon by gorging ourselves on meaty pizzas and 2-liters of soda. I am not against fun (or gross, depending on your opinion of the afternoon I just described) things in youth ministry. But youth pastors especially need to keep repeating the words of Ephesians 4:11-12 to themselves: “[Christ] gave . . . the teachers to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” Christ gives us—teachers—to the church, not for entertainment, encouragement, examples, or even friendship primarily. He gives us to the church to “equip” the saints to do gospel ministry, in order that the church of Christ may be built up.
If I have not equipped the students in my ministry to share the gospel, disciple a younger believer, and lead a Bible study, then I have not fulfilled my calling to them, no matter how good my sermons have been. We pray for conversion; that is all we can do, for it is entirely a gracious gift of God. But after conversion, it is our Christ-given duty to help fan into flame a faith that serves, leads, teaches, and grows. If our students leave high school without Bible-reading habits, Bible-study skills, and strong examples of discipleship and prayer, we have lost them. We have entertained, not equipped them . . . and it may indeed be time to panic!
Forget your youth programs for a second. Are we sending out from our ministries the kind of students who will show up to college in a different state, join a church, and begin doing the work of gospel ministry there without ever being asked? Are we equipping them to that end, or are we merely giving them a good time while they’re with us? We don't need youth group junkies; we need to be growing churchmen and churchwomen who are equipped to teach, lead, and serve. Put your youth ministry strategies aside as you look at that 16-year-old young man and ask: “How can I spend four years with this kid, helping him become the best church deacon and sixth-grade Sunday school class teacher he can be, ten years down the road?”

3. Their parents preached the gospel to them.

As a youth pastor, I can’t do all this. All this equipping that I’m talking about is utterly beyond my limited capabilities. It is impossible for me to bring conversion, of course, but it is also impossible for me to have an equipping ministry that sends out vibrant churchmen and churchwomen if my ministry is not being reinforced tenfold in the students’ homes. The common thread that binds together almost every ministry-minded 20-something that I know is abundantly clear: a home where the gospel was not peripheral but absolutely central. The 20-somethings who are serving, leading, and driving the ministries at our church were kids whose parents made them go to church. They are kids whose parents punished them and held them accountable when they were rebellious. They are kids whose parents read the Bible around the dinner table every night. And they are kids whose parents were tough, but who ultimately operated from a framework of grace that held up the cross of Jesus as the basis for peace with God and forgiveness toward one another.
This is not a formula! Kids from wonderful gospel-centered homes leave the church; people from messed-up family backgrounds find eternal life in Jesus and have beautiful marriages and families. But it’s also not a crap-shoot. In general, children who are led in their faith during their growing-up years by parents who love Jesus vibrantly, serve their church actively, and saturate their home with the gospel completely, grow up to love Jesus and the church. The words of Proverbs 22:6 do not constitute a formula that is true 100 percent of the time, but they do provide us with a principle that comes from the gracious plan of God, the God who delights to see his gracious Word passed from generation to generation: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Youth pastors, pray with all your might for true conversion; that is God’s work. Equip the saints for the work of the ministry; that is your work. Parents, preach the gospel and live the gospel for your children; our work depends on you.

Jon Nielson is the senior high pastor at College Church in Wheaton, Illinois. He blogs at Something More Sure.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

The two things we got to share in Uganda

We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. 1 Thessalonians 2:8

I'm getting back in the swing of things after my first trip to a third world country. Clay Sterrett, his son Dave Sterrett and I went to Uganda for a week to equip youth leaders. We thought we were going to speak to 300 Ugandans, but we were pleasantly surprised to see over 500 people show up for the conference.

The first thing we got to share was the gospel. Through the scriptures, we were able to engage their minds and their hearts. Our theme was "Being Prepared," with an emphasis on teachers training teachers. Some of the topics we taught on forgiveness, defending the faith, being students of God's word and characteristics of the man of God (faithful, accountable, teachable).

It was inspiring, provoking and motivating as a speaker to see the hungry hearts of the Ugandans. You felt like you weren't just imparting information, but that our words were going to bring about tranformation and conformity to the image of Jesus Christ.

We also got to share our lives. I talked about how I lived a lifestyle of rebellion toward God. My destructive lifestyle bought temporary pleasure, but it was really empty. It just covered up the real need.

Of course, God is as interested in working in our lives as He is in the lives of the Ugandan people. I was convicted by the joy of the Ugandans depsite not having many of the luxuries we enjoy in America.

As I reflect back on my experience, I can honestly say that the brown beans and the pinepapples were off the charts. The Ugandans' willingness to serve us had a profound impact on me. Since being back in the states, I've been contacted by several Ugandan brothers, thanking us sharing the gospel and our lives.

As the youth pastor at CFC, I thought it'd be good to address the role of short-term missions in the local church. Here are some key points.

Before signing up for an overseas missions trip, an indvidual should show his or her willingness to serve in the local church context first.
A good question to ask is, "What is my motive for going?" This shouldn't be seen as a nice vaction idea or a chance to see a different part of the world, but to serve the Lord.
Communicate your heart to serve in this capacity to your parents, your youth pastor and your church leadership.
Once your parents and your church leadership has given you thehir blessings, pray and pursue suitable options.

Of course, it always helps if you can dance like Dave Sterrett in this video here!!!

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Merry Christmas from the Grounded Youth

Advent: God With Us from The Village Church on Vimeo.

Incarnation - The act of God the Son whereby He took to Himself a human nature. "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God." Luke 1:35. Amidst all of the chaos during the Christmas season, it can be hard to keep focused on Christ, the real reason for the season. Here is a link to a great message from Covenant Life pastor Joshua Harris on the Incarnation that will help in your efforts to keep Christ central during the holidays. Click here http://www.covlife.org/resources/2671303-With_Us_to_Save_Us From the Grounded Youth Team O God, take me in spirit to the watchful shepherds, and enlarge my mind; Let me hear good tidings of great joy, and hearing, believe, rejoice, praise, and adore, my conscience bather in an ocean of repose, my eyes uplifted to a reconciled Father; place me with ox, ass, camel, goat, to look with them upon my Redeemer’s face, and in him account myself delivered from sin; let me with Simeon clasp the new-born child to my heart, embrace him with undying faith, exulting that he is mine and I am his. In him thou has given me so much that heaven can give no more. - from The Valley of Vision - Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God, Did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, But made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant Being made in human likeness. Philippians 2:5-7 Here's a great book by author Nancy Guthrie I recommend as well.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Parenting in the Digital Age

Soren Gordhamer provides us with some helpful guidelines in parenting our youth through the digital age. Technology is so prevalent and accessible to our kids that we can't afford to bury our heads in the sand on this issue.

With that being said, we parents must be diligent and proactive in the oversight of how our kids embrace technology.

We're not just trying to caution you about the dangers of technology. We want to help you build a a gospel-centered view of media, which you can transfer down to your kids. By a gospel-centered view, we mean discerning what technology to embrace to advance God's Kingdom, and what to avoid or limit as faithful stewards.

- Larry Barrett -

http://mashable.com/2011/09/14/parenting-tech-children/

1. Technology No Longer Has Boundaries

We first need to recognize that times are extremely different today than in previous generations. Once upon a time there were built-in limitations: Kids played games in arcades or tethered themselves to home devices.
Now, as long as someone in the family has a smartphone, games and other ways of being digitally connected are always an option — whether we’re carpooling, standing in line at the market or sitting at the dinner table. And kids know it. Without fail, they tote along their PSP or cellphone or, like my son, ask to use a parent’s phone.
Furthermore, young people take to technology like no generation before them. According to a Nielson report, adult U.S. mobile users sent an average of 357 texts per month in the second quarter of 2008 versus an average of 204 calls. Teens, however, are sending or receiving an average of 3,339 texts a month, an 8% jump from the previous year.

2. Know When to Cut it Off

New technologies, from computer games to the Xbox, can be a great way for kids to learn strategy and develop hand-eye coordination, but as parents and caregivers, we need to know when enough is enough. According to a University of Bristol study, children who spent more than two hours a day at a screen had a 60% higher risk of psychological problems than children who clocked fewer viewing hours.
Just how much time is appropriate? A 2009 Kaiser study reported that children aged 8-18 engage with media 7.5 hours per day, on average. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises that kids spend no more than 1-2 hours per day in front of a screen. Quite the discrepancy.
While one could argue that kids with too much technological engagement might find themselves unable to pace the work environment of the future, parents nonetheless have the responsibility to determine when too much screen time becomes unhealthy. It’s not that screens are bad, only that they need to be used in moderation. If our children are not getting exercise, face time with friends or other creative stimulation, their screen time will likely be more detrimental than purposeful.

3. The Difference Between Preference and Addiction

There is a huge difference between an addiction and a preference. A kid may prefer spending an evening surfing the Internet, simply because he or she enjoys that activity more than going out with friends or playing sports. This person functions fine without a gadget or device but might prefer it when given the chance.
In addiction, however, the person seemingly cannot live without something and experiences a deep void when it’s unavailable. How many young people today might show signs of addiction, versus simply a preference when it comes to technology? Indeed, 38% of surveyed college students indicated they couldn’t last 10 minutes before switching on some sort of electronic device.
Of course, adults often experience the same challenge. A new study found that 53% feel upset when denied access, and 40% feel lonely when they’re unable to go online, even for a short period of time. One person interviewed indicated that the 24-hour device-less experience was “like having my hand chopped off.”
Despite the attachment, a striking study of young people revealed that about 38% of those 10-18 years old feel overwhelmed by technology. For 25 -to 34-year-olds, it was slightly less at 34%. Essentially, the younger the age, the more one’s relationship with technology feels strained.
The young people in our lives may be more overwhelmed than we think, perhaps even looking to adults to help them define the difference between preference and addiction.

4. Focus on Technology That Truly Connects Us to Our Kids

To what extent are we connecting with our kids? Are we engaged with them, giving them our full attention (whether the activity is online or off), or are we living largely isolated from one another?
Recently, I was shopping at a Whole Foods in Santa Cruz, Calif., when a woman walked briskly by me, her high heels clicking rapidly across the floor. Most surprising was not that she could move that quickly in high heels, but that following close behind her was a child about 6 years old, playing a game on a small computer.
The young boy held the device right up to his face, only glancing up occasionally from the screen to make sure he did not run into his mother. The two sped through one aisle then the next, the child completely immersed in his game, oblivious for the most part to the world around him. Though physically near each other, mentally they lived in two different worlds.
On the other hand, a properly chosen game could just as easily connect, instead of distance, mother and child. As parents, we need to focus on that which unites versus isolates a family.

5. Model the Balance

In recent years, I have built a business largely by making connections with people online. Twitter and Facebook have opened up doors for remarkable engagement, and the next generation will benefit enormously from the increased means of communication available to them. Today’s social channels create ways of connecting with like-minded people — an opportunity our parents never had.
It makes little sense for parents to deny young people access to the amazing technologies of our time. At the same time, kids that can’t last 10 minutes without checking their email is cause for concern. When they can’t engage in a sustained conversation with a friend, enjoy a walk in nature or simply rest under a tree, the dangers of technology can outweigh the benefits.
The path ahead is one of conscious engagement, one in which parents join kids in games and other means of technological engagement, all the while making sure their children connect in other ways as well. The question is not, should people live connected or disconnected lives? Instead ask, how do we live connected in all aspects of our lives, whether online, talking to a family member or taking a walk outside?
The desire to be connected will not go away. But the ways we connect should expand to include more activities. That way, time spent digitally connecting will be one form of many.

Here are are two others resources I highly recommend on the subject.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Youth Ministry Done well for the Benefit of the church!

I couldn't have said this any better than John Nielson in explaining the relationship between the local church youth ministry and local church. - Larry Barrett

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2011/08/18/youth-ministry-done-well-for-the-benefit-of-the-church/

Youth Ministry Done Well for the Benefit of the Church

In my last article, I argued that the family—not youth pastors—must come first as the church seeks to disciple and evangelize its children. Christian fathers and mothers must both be called to these spiritual responsibilities and intentionally equipped by the church to perform them.
One might get the impression, however, based on the family-centered emphasis of this article, that the biological family is a kind of atomistic entity somehow more fundamental and basic than the church family. In other words, one tendency for people who strongly agree with the family-focused idea is to begin seeing the family as the place for one’s fundamental spiritual identity, with the church existing merely to provide some “spiritual tools” as the real work gets done in the home. That is not a correct understanding of the family’s interaction with the church. The primary and most fundamental “family” for a believer in Jesus is the church family. My identity is as a child of God through Jesus, even more than as a child of my father and mother. Indeed, many people come to faith as children in homes where their parents do not know Christ. Their most fundamental “family” becomes the church, the family of God in Christ. The argument made in the previous article is for the primacy of the Christian family’s role in shaping, teaching, and training children, even as those children belong to the family of the church in a far more fundamental and eternal way.
It is my belief that even when wonderful, family-based discipleship and evangelism are happening in the context of the local church, there is still an important place and purpose for a youth ministry program. A church-based youth ministry—done well—can and should contribute to fulfilling the church’s goal to train up and send out life-long followers of Jesus Christ and servants of his church.

Description of a Youth Ministry Done Well

First, I need to clarify what I mean by youth ministry done well. I mean a youth ministry that is:

1. Word-centered

The apostle Paul tells his trainee Timothy that the “sacred writings”—the Word—are “able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:15). A youth ministry that is truly Word-centered does not simply include Bible teaching at various points; it is also dominated and led by God’s Word at every point. A better description than Word-centered might be Word-permeated. We are far from perfect in achieving this goal in our youth ministry at College Church. However, our goal is to let every aspect of our ministry—big group meetings, small group studies, one-on-one discipleship relationships, short-term missions trips, etc.—be permeated, led, and guided by the Word of God. It is only God’s Word that is able to make students “wise for salvation.” In short, a Word-centered youth ministry has this as one of its primary goals: send out students who believe, read, study, and love God’s Word.

2. Church-focused

A church-focused youth ministry has leaders who go out of their way to remind the students (and themselves!) that their youth group is not the church. It is a ministry—a Sunday school group, really—that is included in the local church. Youth groups get into trouble when they take on a life of their own with separate goal or agenda than the wider church body. A youth ministry that is done well encourages participating in corporate worship, equips students for service immediately in the wider life of the church, and intentionally reminds students that they won’t be in a “youth group” for the rest of their lives.

3. Family-oriented

If it is true that the mandate for the discipleship and evangelism of children—from the earliest stages of God’s people—comes first to parents, then a youth ministry done well supports, encourages, and reinforces the primary ministry role of the Christian family in the lives of students. This means a youth pastor views himself as standing in support of godly parents, not in opposition to them. There are, of course, circumstances that may demand confronting parents; abuses of parental authority certainly occur. But, in general, pastors for youth stand with parents—partnering with them, and even equipping them, in order to reinforce the biblical and gospel truths that are being taught in the home. A youth pastor who sees himself only as a “youth” pastor has missed the point. Someone who leads a youth ministry well is really a pastor to families.

Benefits of a Youth Ministry Done Well

When a youth ministry is done well, it has great value to the life of the local church and to the life-long discipleship and church service of Christian students. Here are just a few reasons why.

1. Young people hear voices.

Whether Christian parents like it or not, there comes a point when every young person begins listening to voices other than theirs. Even kids who avoid raunchy television shows and attend Christian schools begin to be influenced by other ways of thinking. A youth ministry that teaches the Bible, engages culture in light of the gospel, and, yes, exposes students to some younger adults in the church who care deeply about their souls can add valuable additional (sometimes even “cool”), truthful voices to their lives. Parents, find other voices that you trust—voices that will reinforce your biblical and gospel training. Your kids are hearing lots of other ones!

2. Young people need to learn to minister the gospel to others.

There are certainlly many opportunities for this in churches that do not have youth ministry programs. But a same-age peer group can provide a wonderful opportunity for students to learn to interact as “independent” churchmen and churchwomen in ways that will prepare them for a life of service to the local church. For example, in the context of a high school Bible study, students have the opportunity to participate in a discussion, study carefully a passage of Scripture, and even learn to lead conversation with a group of their peers. A youth ministry can and should become a context for the formation of one-on-one discipleship relationships. Students begin to find others in the same stage of life with whom they can have honest conversation, prayer, confession, and accountability. A youth ministry can thus become a kind of training ground for service, leadership, and ministry as adults in the church.

3. Young people encourage each other.

The youth group, at its worst, can become an exclusive social club for Christian kids to have fun, see their friends, and play messy games. At its best, though, it can be a place of much-needed mutual spiritual encouragement, as Christian students come together to encourage one another in the gospel as they seek to live for Christ in sin-plagued schools and difficult home situations. Students often share common interests, as well as common struggles; they know what others in their situation are going through. It is hard to live for Jesus in the context of homecoming dances, gossip-filled hallways, and football locker rooms. An age-based church ministry for students provides a wonderful opportunity for gospel support and encouragement, provided that it is guided carefully by God’s Word.

4. Young people will grow up.

When the youth ministry is connected with—and in submission to—the wider church body, it can become an effective mechanism for equipping, training, and ideally, sending students into ministry and service opportunities in the church even during their junior high and high school years. While we are still growing in this in our youth ministry, we currently serve as the main launching point for students who serve in our church’s disability ministry, music ministry, greeting team, vacation Bible school, summer outreach programs, and short-term missions. The key here, of course, is that the youth pastor must never get too “jealous” for his students. He must be committed to actively pushing them into service and ministry opportunities that touch the wider church body. Those activities, along with sound biblical teaching and training, are preparing them to love and serve the body of Christ when they grow up.

5. Young people share the gospel.

Youth ministries often become an extremely important—indeed, unique—avenue for gospel witness in our communities. Our young people often seem to lead the way in evangelism, even by simply bringing a friend to youth group to hear the Bible taught. Students from non-Christian homes often first hear the good news of Jesus Christ in youth group meetings. They are simply more likely to attend youth group with a friend than a corporate worship service on their own. I praise God that, even in our imperfect youth ministry, students who have come to Christ in our midst are then doing something very exciting: taking the gospel home to their families.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Lest They Wander Off

A word from Larry…

As a caution, I want to make parents aware of a new book that was just released recently. The book is called Love Wins, A book about Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived by Rob Bell. I have just finished reading this book, and I have some deep concerns with its content.

I have also been following the blogs of numerous respected Christian leaders who are openly warning the body of Christ about the erroneous teaching in this book. The truth of God’s Word is clearly taken out of context and communicates doctrine that is not in line with the whole counsel of Scripture, nor does it accurately portray God’s character.

This book will most likely be alluring to older teens and young adults because of its emphasis on God’s love and eternal life in heaven, but there is a clear removal of the doctrine of God’s eternal punishment and His wrath. While this is not a new doctrine, the book and its author appeal to searching young people. This is a good example of why our youth must be grounded and rooted in sound doctrine and biblical truth. Scripture warns in 2 Timothy 4:3-4, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will assimilate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

For further information on this book and its erroneous doctrine, I have provided the following resources from the blog of C.J. Mahaney. C.J. leads Sovereign Grace Ministries in its mission to plant and build churches. He blogs on pastoral ministries, Christian living, and much more.

I highly recommend two books, Francis Chan's "Erasing Hell," and Mark Galli's "God Wins," for further reading.