Can You Do It?
posted by Vaughn Harris, webmaster of justonemore.info and member of CrossPoint Church in Argo, AL
As some of you may know, I love investing time with our students. Understand this: Our youth are NOT the "church of tomorrow"; they're the church of TODAY!! If you study some of the great revivals in history, they started with young people! Folks, let me tell you this: Our students are ON FIRE for GOD!!! They fire me up every time I'm around them. They genuinely weep over their lost friends. They burn with desire to know God in a deep, intimate level. I'm not talking about a short-lived "warm and fuzzy" that takes place on the last night of church camp when everybody cries, hugs each other, and sings "Friends Are Friends Forever". These students take up their cross daily and follow Him and quite frankly, it challenges me to grow deeper in my spiritual walk. This transformation may surprise you especially if you knew the sinful lifestyle of some of these students a year ago. I've heard many first-hand accounts about how within the past year, God has delivered some of our students out of premarital sex, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, etc. I get pumped up just thinking about it!!
The other night at a student home group meeting, I told my group that as leaders, they must be prepared to share the plan of salvation and they must also be able to counsel someone on what to do once that person prays to receive Christ. So many churches share the plan of salvation, but never follow up after someone prays to receive Christ. I was taken aback when I asked who knew how to lead someone through the plan of salvation. No one knew!! I then posed a question that I pretty much knew that answer: Who knows what to tell someone after they pray to receive Christ? These questions immediately prompted one of the leaders of the small group to call a mandatory meeting for all small groups. At this meeting, which had near perfect attendance, out students were trained on how to lead someone through the plan of salvation. They were then trained on how to counsel someone after they pray to receive Christ. In that part of the training, baptism was discussed heavily. So many times we think that our faith in Christ is a personal and private issue when in reality He has called us all to go public, and the main way we go public is through our baptism. I clearly explained to the group that baptism is something done AFTER salvation and that you only need to be water baptized if you have not been baptized since receiving Christ. After the training session our student leaders were spontaneously asked who in that group had not been baptized. Lets put it this way: Very soon there will be 5 or 6 student leaders that will publicly identify themselves with Christ by being immersed in the water grave as a symbol of what Christ did for them on the cross!!
Here's my question: Can you lead someone through the plan of salvation? Can you give someone Godly counsel on the steps to take after they pray to receive Christ? Have you been water baptized by immersion? Some of the students that needed to be baptized in that group were infant baptized in a Catholic church, sprinkled in a Methodist church, and had been baptized prior to assuring their salvation. Can you relate with one of these students? My challenge to you is this: Be ready to share the plan of salvation and also be ready to give steps to help spiritual growth for new believers. Mark 16:16 plainly talks about baptism. Have you been immersed? If not, I challenge you to join some of our students in water baptism at out church-wide picnic on July 29. Let us celebrate with you as you obey Jesus' commandment to be baptized.
The other night at a student home group meeting, I told my group that as leaders, they must be prepared to share the plan of salvation and they must also be able to counsel someone on what to do once that person prays to receive Christ. So many churches share the plan of salvation, but never follow up after someone prays to receive Christ. I was taken aback when I asked who knew how to lead someone through the plan of salvation. No one knew!! I then posed a question that I pretty much knew that answer: Who knows what to tell someone after they pray to receive Christ? These questions immediately prompted one of the leaders of the small group to call a mandatory meeting for all small groups. At this meeting, which had near perfect attendance, out students were trained on how to lead someone through the plan of salvation. They were then trained on how to counsel someone after they pray to receive Christ. In that part of the training, baptism was discussed heavily. So many times we think that our faith in Christ is a personal and private issue when in reality He has called us all to go public, and the main way we go public is through our baptism. I clearly explained to the group that baptism is something done AFTER salvation and that you only need to be water baptized if you have not been baptized since receiving Christ. After the training session our student leaders were spontaneously asked who in that group had not been baptized. Lets put it this way: Very soon there will be 5 or 6 student leaders that will publicly identify themselves with Christ by being immersed in the water grave as a symbol of what Christ did for them on the cross!!
Here's my question: Can you lead someone through the plan of salvation? Can you give someone Godly counsel on the steps to take after they pray to receive Christ? Have you been water baptized by immersion? Some of the students that needed to be baptized in that group were infant baptized in a Catholic church, sprinkled in a Methodist church, and had been baptized prior to assuring their salvation. Can you relate with one of these students? My challenge to you is this: Be ready to share the plan of salvation and also be ready to give steps to help spiritual growth for new believers. Mark 16:16 plainly talks about baptism. Have you been immersed? If not, I challenge you to join some of our students in water baptism at out church-wide picnic on July 29. Let us celebrate with you as you obey Jesus' commandment to be baptized.
1 comment:
Vaughn,
I haven't had much time to comment this week but wanted you to know that I have enjoyed your entries. Your thoughts and questions have caused me to take a closer look at my walk. It is good to be stretched in order to grow!
Thanks again for your words,
Mandi
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