It's that time of the year, in just a few weeks our Student Ministry will be going to camp. Student Ministry has many more joys in it than it does frustrations. Seeing life change, whether at camp or one of our Wednesday nights is the biggest joy in Student Ministry.
As we prepare for camp, I have thought about the biggest frustration in Student Ministry. Many students salvation becomes superficial because of their experience with how they became "saved." It's the student who gets "saved" every year at every big event and we're just praying that it's truly genuine this time.
After reading a book Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart by J.D. Greear, I have come up with 5 Reasons "Salvation" Can Be Superficial.
- We are often driven by emotion, not conviction. It's not a bad thing to have emotions, Jesus had emotions. Jesus wept over Lazarus (John 11:35), He was troubled (John 13:21) and He was compassionate to children (Mark 9:36-37). The problem we run into is a our human emotions often replace biblical conviction. Just because someone is weeping doesn't mean they are sincerely convicted. J.D Greear mentions "Our tears do not wash away our sins, only Jesus' blood does (58)." Conviction is the work of the Holy Spirit where a person is able to see themselves as God would desire: guilty, defiled, totally depraved, and unable to save himself. If there is merely emotion and no conviction then nothing will change inside of them. This does not mean we negate emotions, but rather remind people of "And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteous and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you will see me no longer, concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged" (John 16:8-11).
- Many salvations are based on a "sinners prayer". So many people have asked Jesus into their heart several times by repeating the sinners prayer. What scares me as a Student Pastor is where Jesus says "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you, depart from me, you workers of lawlessness" (Matthew 7:21-23). Saying a prayer does not mean you'll march you way into heaven. Salvation is superficial for you if you do not maintain the confession of faith you've made with Christ.
- We have had a lack of understanding of true repentance. J.D. Greear says "salvation is a posture of repentance and faith that you begin in a moment and maintain for the rest of your life (57)." Repentance is recognizing, acknowledging, and turning away from the wickedness and deprave sinful heart that we have and turn to Christ Jesus completely to take our sins away and make him ruler of our lives. In too many churches repentance is merely feeling sorry for our sin, but that doesn't get to the point, because we can feel sorry for anything but not act on. Repentance is an action, and unless you actively pursue repentance your salvation has become superficial. Proverbs 27:16 says "A righteous man may fall seven times, and rise gain." Constantly getting back up, and pursing true repentance from God.
- We try to simplify the gospel, thus we get the gospel wrong. Some argue the way the gospel is presented is too aggressive. Maybe it's aggressive or maybe it's just the truth (the gospel). If we truly love one another as we are called (1 Corinthians 13), then the truth of God's message must be central. Trying to to soften up the words of Jesus doesn't just mess up the gospel, but gives people and students a superficial gospel. I want our ministry and church to built on the rock (Matthew 7:24) so when the rain comes that my church does not fall. Many Student Pastors will say things like "that message is too rough for students," and my thinking is if it's the gospel, then it's critical we get the message clearly correct and accurate if we want their salvation to not be superficial.
- There is a lack of discipleship. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) is often used as only an evangelism strategy, but it's just as much a discipleship calling. When someone claims to have made a decision, we often just move on to the next person. There is a need and a calling that we disciple those who come to the faith, build community with them and have them walking with other believers. As we do that we will be able to recognize if they are a healthy tree that bears fruit or a dead tree that needs to be cut off (Matthew 7:15-20). This will help establish true genuine faith.
The key is we must let the gospel be the driving force of everything we do and say, and allow the gospel to change lives. If anything else is trying to change lives (sinners prayer, emotions, feeling sorry) then we'll miss the mark every time. Let's raise up a generation of young people who love the gospel for what it is, a life saving decision.
For His Glory,
Joe Mayes
