Outreach is important. We need to be reaching those far from God, but if that is our primary focus, it can have some unexpected consequences on our youth.
Conversion is the beginning point, not the end goal of our faith. It is when we are united with Christ and become a new creation that the real mission starts. That mission is to work with Jesus as he establishes the Kingdom of God. But what does that mean?
The Kingdom of God is the rule of God over the earth. We enter the Kingdom through faith in Jesus. We express the Kingdom by living the life that God intended for us from the beginning. The Kingdom is expressed to God through thankfulness, praise and obedience. The Kingdom is expressed to the world through love, service, justice and truth. We treat those in spiritual bondage in such a way that they may gain freedom and life.
Jesus commands us to love and lay down our lives for the world. We are not to judge (that is God's privilege), but to hold out the light of life to a crooked and depraved generation. Paul saw this as the great adventure of the Christian life. He formed his life around it. He was willing to change the way he lived his life and his own comforts so that Jesus could be exalted in new lives.
We are to bring inspiration to both the hopeless and the dreamers. Don't forget the dreamers. They will shape the world. If we can't spark their imagination with a vision greater than anything the world can offer, then we are finished.
Too much of what we hear from Christians in the public arena is about fear and self-protection. Do we really believe the rules have changed? Do we believe the enemy is stronger than the Spirit of God? Do we think politics and legislation are ever the answer over the inspiration and life changing power of the Spirit? Today it seems that we are turning to politicians and political pundits before we support and do the work of missionaries. It seems like many Christians are listening to TV and radio gurus more than they are to Scripture and godly teachers. Perfect love casts out fear, but fear has overcome God's wisdom and vision in too many instances (I will have more to write about this later).
Why do I care about inspiring the dreamers? Because youth are the dreamers. They are just waking up to life and beginning to move beyond themselves. This is an important moment in anyone's life. During these years lives are molded. People can become lovers and life-bringers, or they can become jaded, angry, greedy, disillusioned adults. The enemy wants the latter. He wants spirits to be crushed during adolescence. It is our job to give youth something better, bigger, and nourishing. A vision that can steer a life. One that includes the real suffering and pain in the world while still bringing change and hope.
Conversion is the doorway. The Kingdom of God is where we are invited to live. From there we are invited to heal a wounded and dying world. Youth without vision will perish, but Jesus' dream for us will feed us forever. So teach youth to dream with Jesus.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
New Testament Origins
We believe that the Bible is important, but you would never know it from the education most of our students get in church. On the other hand, the Enemy knows just how important it is and how to use students' ignorance to his advantage.
Attacks against Scripture are nothing new, but today there are creative new twists to contend with. Conspiracy theories are the flavor of the day. Power hungry church leaders suppressed the true Biblical documents; Paul recreated Jesus to fit his agenda; the early church councils decided to make Jesus into a God while suppressing Jesus' Hindu teachings on reincarnation. These are just a few of the teachings students are presented on campus and in the media. While some of these ideas are certainly creative, they lack any real support. Yet, they have great power when students have not been armed with the truth.
A couple of years ago The Di Vinci Code made quite a splash. I was asked to do evangelistic talks on the book around the country. I was shocked by what I learned from my audiences. First, most preChristians were unaffected by the book. Most understood it as fiction and did not take it any more seriously than Raiders Of The Ark. Those that were already opposed to God, used it as ammunition for their disbelief (no surprise there). The surprise was the students who were most effected by the book: Christian students.
I met a large number of Christians who were shaken to their core by The Di Vinci Code. Why? They knew nothing about where the New Testament came from and so they were susceptible to Dan Brown's abysmal scholarship. A quick search through Wikipedia would have corrected all of Dan Brown's mistakes, but a little historical knowledge from their home church would have done wonders.
In many cases we have taken education out of Christian education. Students need more than merely an emotional commitment to the truth. They actually need the truth. It is disingenuous for us to complain about the effect of our culture's lies on students if we have not first supplied them with the truth.
A couple of weeks ago, we had an extended Chi Alpha meeting on campus. Some of our students were taking a class on the Bible that argued it did not reflect Jesus' life and teachings at all. Since this professor was an authority figure presenting "evidence," our students were confused and questioning the validity of their faith. They brought their questions, and we went through them all. It was a great time. None of the challenges were especially difficult and there were many assumptions (as opposed to facts) that had to be dealt with. The truth is powerful, and it trumped the authority of the professor. More to the point, these students are now able to successfully navigate this challenge to their faith. They are stronger now.
Students need to have the origins of the New Testament presented to them several times during their middle school and high school years. If not, they will most likely fall to the world's attacks, and it will be our fault. They need to know who wrote what books when. They need to know what happened in the early church councils since these are often distorted and used to undermine the gospel. Most of this information can be found in a good Bible handbook and in encyclopedias. Two very helpful books are The New Testament Documents Are They Reliable? by F. F. Bruce and How to Read The Bible Book By Book, by Gordon Fee. The best book I have found on the authority of Scripture is N. T. Wright's, The Last Word.
Attacks against Scripture are nothing new, but today there are creative new twists to contend with. Conspiracy theories are the flavor of the day. Power hungry church leaders suppressed the true Biblical documents; Paul recreated Jesus to fit his agenda; the early church councils decided to make Jesus into a God while suppressing Jesus' Hindu teachings on reincarnation. These are just a few of the teachings students are presented on campus and in the media. While some of these ideas are certainly creative, they lack any real support. Yet, they have great power when students have not been armed with the truth.
A couple of years ago The Di Vinci Code made quite a splash. I was asked to do evangelistic talks on the book around the country. I was shocked by what I learned from my audiences. First, most preChristians were unaffected by the book. Most understood it as fiction and did not take it any more seriously than Raiders Of The Ark. Those that were already opposed to God, used it as ammunition for their disbelief (no surprise there). The surprise was the students who were most effected by the book: Christian students.
I met a large number of Christians who were shaken to their core by The Di Vinci Code. Why? They knew nothing about where the New Testament came from and so they were susceptible to Dan Brown's abysmal scholarship. A quick search through Wikipedia would have corrected all of Dan Brown's mistakes, but a little historical knowledge from their home church would have done wonders.
In many cases we have taken education out of Christian education. Students need more than merely an emotional commitment to the truth. They actually need the truth. It is disingenuous for us to complain about the effect of our culture's lies on students if we have not first supplied them with the truth.
A couple of weeks ago, we had an extended Chi Alpha meeting on campus. Some of our students were taking a class on the Bible that argued it did not reflect Jesus' life and teachings at all. Since this professor was an authority figure presenting "evidence," our students were confused and questioning the validity of their faith. They brought their questions, and we went through them all. It was a great time. None of the challenges were especially difficult and there were many assumptions (as opposed to facts) that had to be dealt with. The truth is powerful, and it trumped the authority of the professor. More to the point, these students are now able to successfully navigate this challenge to their faith. They are stronger now.
Students need to have the origins of the New Testament presented to them several times during their middle school and high school years. If not, they will most likely fall to the world's attacks, and it will be our fault. They need to know who wrote what books when. They need to know what happened in the early church councils since these are often distorted and used to undermine the gospel. Most of this information can be found in a good Bible handbook and in encyclopedias. Two very helpful books are The New Testament Documents Are They Reliable? by F. F. Bruce and How to Read The Bible Book By Book, by Gordon Fee. The best book I have found on the authority of Scripture is N. T. Wright's, The Last Word.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
No More Jargon Or "Personal Relationship with Christ" is the New "Born Again"
"I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue." (1 Corinthians 14:18-19) We all know this passage concerning the gift of tongues, but I think the spirit of the passage applies to jargon as well. We allow the dangers of jargon when sharing with preChristians. Words like justification, sanctification, and even sin need to be defined. This same concern should be foremost in our mind as we explain the faith within the church. Our shorthand is full of assumed knowledge, and assumed knowledge equals missed knowledge for our youth.
Jargon is our shorthand for shared truth, but it is dangerous in Christian education. Christian education is where we share the teachings and conveyors that later become our shorthand. If the long version is not shared and shared regularly, then the jargon loses its meaning. We then think we are sharing significant truth.
There is a second problem when we use jargon. It can easily be misunderstood. When we talk about "not being religious" many people today think we are not into "organized religion." For some us, that would be okay since we define "organized religion" as a bureaucratic institution that has lost track of people and God. Yet, most people would define "organized religion" as going to church, listening to a pastor, tithing, and Sunday school. Without explanation, our statement of "not being religious" could be seen as a recommendation to sleep in on Sundays.
When we speak of having a relationship with God, we confuse many people. The have relationships with their dogs, their spouses, and the IRS. What do we mean by the word? Our students and the preChristian world need these ideas unpacked repeatedly before we can trust our shorthand jargon to be useful.
I want to stress repeatedly. During the middle school and high school years students are beginning to learn how to use abstract thought and how to synthesize knowledge. This development is partially biological as the brain develops. It happens at different rates in different people. The result is that not all your students can understand what you are teaching at the same time or at the same rate. You need to present these ideas for the early bloomers (women tend to develop intellectually before men) so they don't get bored and tune out. Then you need to repeat the same information over time as more students develop. You also need to address the material superficially to build familiarity and then return to the topic to develop depth and breadth of knowledge. The idea that you can cover the subject matter once and go on will not develop faith.
Students tend to gravitate toward a strong, well-developed worldview. God has delivered that to us, but if it not unpacked and explained to the next generation, then the Christian faith appears weak and superficial. Overused slogans and jargon will be of little use when faith is challenged.
Jargon is our shorthand for shared truth, but it is dangerous in Christian education. Christian education is where we share the teachings and conveyors that later become our shorthand. If the long version is not shared and shared regularly, then the jargon loses its meaning. We then think we are sharing significant truth.
There is a second problem when we use jargon. It can easily be misunderstood. When we talk about "not being religious" many people today think we are not into "organized religion." For some us, that would be okay since we define "organized religion" as a bureaucratic institution that has lost track of people and God. Yet, most people would define "organized religion" as going to church, listening to a pastor, tithing, and Sunday school. Without explanation, our statement of "not being religious" could be seen as a recommendation to sleep in on Sundays.
When we speak of having a relationship with God, we confuse many people. The have relationships with their dogs, their spouses, and the IRS. What do we mean by the word? Our students and the preChristian world need these ideas unpacked repeatedly before we can trust our shorthand jargon to be useful.
I want to stress repeatedly. During the middle school and high school years students are beginning to learn how to use abstract thought and how to synthesize knowledge. This development is partially biological as the brain develops. It happens at different rates in different people. The result is that not all your students can understand what you are teaching at the same time or at the same rate. You need to present these ideas for the early bloomers (women tend to develop intellectually before men) so they don't get bored and tune out. Then you need to repeat the same information over time as more students develop. You also need to address the material superficially to build familiarity and then return to the topic to develop depth and breadth of knowledge. The idea that you can cover the subject matter once and go on will not develop faith.
Students tend to gravitate toward a strong, well-developed worldview. God has delivered that to us, but if it not unpacked and explained to the next generation, then the Christian faith appears weak and superficial. Overused slogans and jargon will be of little use when faith is challenged.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Why Target 15 to Twenty-Somethings?
During the decade after high school most people decide what they will live their life for. Certainly there are opportunities for change and conversion later in life, but most people chart their course during these times. These are the years that people choose their occupations, find a spouse, start a family, and find that they are now fully responsible for their own choices.
It is during this time that people try to figure out how the world "works." They develop their worldview. If the worldview they have been exposed to by their family and their church does not address and explain the world they find themselves in, then they will look elsewhere. This is why theology is so important during the middle school and high school years. A Christian worldview has to be more developed and richer than the competing worldviews. But, most of all, it has to exist in the first place. As one college professor put it, "One reason students are not getting reasons to defend the Faith is that they are not getting the Faith to defend."
Our Sunday mornings and Christian education need to be planned with twenty-somethings in mind. I find the questions they have are fairly basic and universal. They are the issues that will bring preChristians back to your services and will prepare middle schoolers and high schoolers for the future.
But let's be honest. They will help our youth with the present. My daughter and son are currently in high school, and I know the issues they face. They are interacting with and ministering to fellow students who are confused about their sexual identity. They are being presented with ill-informed caricatures of their faith by well-meaning but misinformed teachers. If we can't meaningfully deal with these issues to their satisfaction on Sundays, then don't expect them to still be there after high school.
One answer has been to protect our youth from all these issues, but if you do that, then you assist in their failure. They will have to deal with these issues someday. If they are not ready, they will fall. Besides, where do you want them working out their ethics-in the lunch room or at church?
This emphasis doesn't mean we neglect the rest of our congregation. You will find that many have the same questions and concerns. In addition, the entire congregation should be thinking missionally. As the body of Christ, we should be looking beyond ourselves and participating in God's work within our youth, our community, and throughout the world.
If we cannot reach and hold twenty-somethings, then we have no future. The twenty-somethings that we lost over the last two decades are the thirty and forty-somethings of today. The corner needs to be turned. The hemorrhaging needs to stop and headway needs to be made. God once again calls us to think differently and to trade our old wineskins in for new ones. After all, we should all thirst for God's new wine. Otherwise, we are just traditionalists and not really Pentecostal.
It is during this time that people try to figure out how the world "works." They develop their worldview. If the worldview they have been exposed to by their family and their church does not address and explain the world they find themselves in, then they will look elsewhere. This is why theology is so important during the middle school and high school years. A Christian worldview has to be more developed and richer than the competing worldviews. But, most of all, it has to exist in the first place. As one college professor put it, "One reason students are not getting reasons to defend the Faith is that they are not getting the Faith to defend."
Our Sunday mornings and Christian education need to be planned with twenty-somethings in mind. I find the questions they have are fairly basic and universal. They are the issues that will bring preChristians back to your services and will prepare middle schoolers and high schoolers for the future.
But let's be honest. They will help our youth with the present. My daughter and son are currently in high school, and I know the issues they face. They are interacting with and ministering to fellow students who are confused about their sexual identity. They are being presented with ill-informed caricatures of their faith by well-meaning but misinformed teachers. If we can't meaningfully deal with these issues to their satisfaction on Sundays, then don't expect them to still be there after high school.
One answer has been to protect our youth from all these issues, but if you do that, then you assist in their failure. They will have to deal with these issues someday. If they are not ready, they will fall. Besides, where do you want them working out their ethics-in the lunch room or at church?
This emphasis doesn't mean we neglect the rest of our congregation. You will find that many have the same questions and concerns. In addition, the entire congregation should be thinking missionally. As the body of Christ, we should be looking beyond ourselves and participating in God's work within our youth, our community, and throughout the world.
If we cannot reach and hold twenty-somethings, then we have no future. The twenty-somethings that we lost over the last two decades are the thirty and forty-somethings of today. The corner needs to be turned. The hemorrhaging needs to stop and headway needs to be made. God once again calls us to think differently and to trade our old wineskins in for new ones. After all, we should all thirst for God's new wine. Otherwise, we are just traditionalists and not really Pentecostal.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Past Time for Change
I have a lot of history with natural disasters. I was five years old when I experienced the Alaskan, Good Friday earthquake, the largest earthquake recorded in U. S. history. It was followed by a 27 foot tsunami. My parents then moved to Longview, Washington, not far from Mount St. Helens. You get the picture.
These are these types of disasters that are hard to ignore and fairly easy to respond to. Creeping disasters, the kind that build up over time are often harder to recognize and take seriously until it's too late. We are in the middle of one of those right now.
For over a decade, we have been losing our youth. They seem to do okay up through high school, but then a change takes place. Well over half of our youth (67%) don't make the transition into adulthood with their faith intact. We have been alerted to this fact by our leadership and by fact finding organizations such as the Barna Institute. Some Baptists estimate that they are losing 80% of their youth in the transition to adulthood. This is a new phenomenon. It has not been unusual in the past for young adults to leave the church for a short time, but they always returned within three to five years. For a decade and a half they have not been coming back.
What will the future look like if we continue to lose 67% of the next generation of church goers? Current outreach is not seeing a return anywhere near those numbers. If a third of your church today is not made up of 15 to 29 year olds, what does that say about your future?
The problem with creeping disasters is that we think things will just sort themselves out eventually. When an earthquake hits, everything changes. We had no power, no water, limited food supplies. Everyone's place of employment was gone. The community rallied together. Old grudges were forgotten. The National Guard was called in. Life changed until the problem was solved.
In Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, we know the struggles and challenges that emerging adults face. We know what our students need to be prepared to face and flourish into adulthood. We will share what we have learned here. But the problem is bigger than just college outreach. I will be honest, it is easier to be a Christian on campus today than it was twenty years ago. The attacks are not nearly intense as they were in the past. But our students are less prepared for adulthood than they were twenty years ago. The world has changed to be sure, but so have we. It is hard to defend a faith that is not there to begin with. Most of our students don't know enough factual information about their faith. Biblical illiteracy is at an all-time high in the U. S. They know little apologetics, and they haven't frankly worked through the tough issues of life. The world has changed, but so have we.
The question now is are we going to take the situation seriously? We have heard the facts for over decade and only cosmetic changes have been made. The situation calls for more. If this were an earthquake, we would take it seriously. Aren't the lives and souls of the next generation as important? In this blog we will share about the transition into adulthood, about the challenges and questions that our youth are facing, and about how to address them. We will work hard to keep and save our youth in college-that is our purpose and pledge-but the preparation needs to begin during their middle school and high school years. Our goal here is to help you with that task.
These are these types of disasters that are hard to ignore and fairly easy to respond to. Creeping disasters, the kind that build up over time are often harder to recognize and take seriously until it's too late. We are in the middle of one of those right now.
For over a decade, we have been losing our youth. They seem to do okay up through high school, but then a change takes place. Well over half of our youth (67%) don't make the transition into adulthood with their faith intact. We have been alerted to this fact by our leadership and by fact finding organizations such as the Barna Institute. Some Baptists estimate that they are losing 80% of their youth in the transition to adulthood. This is a new phenomenon. It has not been unusual in the past for young adults to leave the church for a short time, but they always returned within three to five years. For a decade and a half they have not been coming back.
What will the future look like if we continue to lose 67% of the next generation of church goers? Current outreach is not seeing a return anywhere near those numbers. If a third of your church today is not made up of 15 to 29 year olds, what does that say about your future?
The problem with creeping disasters is that we think things will just sort themselves out eventually. When an earthquake hits, everything changes. We had no power, no water, limited food supplies. Everyone's place of employment was gone. The community rallied together. Old grudges were forgotten. The National Guard was called in. Life changed until the problem was solved.
In Chi Alpha Campus Ministries, we know the struggles and challenges that emerging adults face. We know what our students need to be prepared to face and flourish into adulthood. We will share what we have learned here. But the problem is bigger than just college outreach. I will be honest, it is easier to be a Christian on campus today than it was twenty years ago. The attacks are not nearly intense as they were in the past. But our students are less prepared for adulthood than they were twenty years ago. The world has changed to be sure, but so have we. It is hard to defend a faith that is not there to begin with. Most of our students don't know enough factual information about their faith. Biblical illiteracy is at an all-time high in the U. S. They know little apologetics, and they haven't frankly worked through the tough issues of life. The world has changed, but so have we.
The question now is are we going to take the situation seriously? We have heard the facts for over decade and only cosmetic changes have been made. The situation calls for more. If this were an earthquake, we would take it seriously. Aren't the lives and souls of the next generation as important? In this blog we will share about the transition into adulthood, about the challenges and questions that our youth are facing, and about how to address them. We will work hard to keep and save our youth in college-that is our purpose and pledge-but the preparation needs to begin during their middle school and high school years. Our goal here is to help you with that task.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Assume Nothing
My church experience was limited, but when my parents went to church it was a Lutheran church. When I entered junior high school, I was sent to confirmation classes. I will admit it was not a priority for me, and I got out of almost a year of classes by taking guitar lessons at the same time. Still, I was there for many classes. We went through the Apostles' Creed and Luther's small catechism. Not only did I not emerge from the class as a Christian, I was surprised to learn years later that Jesus was God.
How could that happen? That pastor was a good, Spirit-filled man. He would later speak the first prophetic word into my life. He cared for us, but yet I emerged from his class without a basic knowledge of Christ. How could that be?
I think the reason it happened was because the knowledge I needed was so basic. When we see youth grow up in a church, it's easy to assume that they have the basics covered. We can sometimes become embarrassed covering the basics again because we are afraid the youth will think we are talking down to them. The result is that we assume knowledge that is not there.
Biblical illiteracy is almost as big a problem inside the church as it is outside. A faith with major holes in its knowledge will not survive. Most of the Christian students I work with, even those from AG backgrounds know little about their faith. They are trying to survive on emotions and fellowship. Stress and peer pressure destroy that kind of faith. They need truth for a strong foundation.
It is best that we assume nothing. That guarantees that crucial knowledge will not be missed. It also take seriously the fact that we need to hear the truth many times before it's implications sink in. Everyone matures at a different rate. One person may be ready to understand a significant truth at thirteen while another is not ready for until sixteen. As long as we don't share the truth in a condescending way, youth will not feel talked down to when we repeat the basics.
The more basic the information, the more likely we are to assume people know more than they do and gloss over it. In the end, a little, occasional boredom is better than missing the truth altogether.
How could that happen? That pastor was a good, Spirit-filled man. He would later speak the first prophetic word into my life. He cared for us, but yet I emerged from his class without a basic knowledge of Christ. How could that be?
I think the reason it happened was because the knowledge I needed was so basic. When we see youth grow up in a church, it's easy to assume that they have the basics covered. We can sometimes become embarrassed covering the basics again because we are afraid the youth will think we are talking down to them. The result is that we assume knowledge that is not there.
Biblical illiteracy is almost as big a problem inside the church as it is outside. A faith with major holes in its knowledge will not survive. Most of the Christian students I work with, even those from AG backgrounds know little about their faith. They are trying to survive on emotions and fellowship. Stress and peer pressure destroy that kind of faith. They need truth for a strong foundation.
It is best that we assume nothing. That guarantees that crucial knowledge will not be missed. It also take seriously the fact that we need to hear the truth many times before it's implications sink in. Everyone matures at a different rate. One person may be ready to understand a significant truth at thirteen while another is not ready for until sixteen. As long as we don't share the truth in a condescending way, youth will not feel talked down to when we repeat the basics.
The more basic the information, the more likely we are to assume people know more than they do and gloss over it. In the end, a little, occasional boredom is better than missing the truth altogether.
Monday, November 1, 2010
A Safe Place to Ask Questions
"He told me, 'It wasn't good to ask too many questions. I should just have faith.' That's when I decided Christianity wasn't for me."
I have heard this from students far too often. Growing up is a time for questioning, and those questions are important, even the ones we might think are silly. When a young person finds themselves in an environment where questions are not welcomed and explored, they assume the resistance is hiding the fact that faith has no answers for the real issues of life. It's no wonder they begin to check out.
Creating a safe place for questions is intimidating. It means being open to say, "I don't know." Those three words can inspire a great deal of respect. No one expects you to know everything. If you claim to, then people think you are making things up as you go. The words, "I don't know", gain even more strength when followed by, "But I think I know where to find the answers."
It also takes more work to create an atmosphere where students feel free to ask questions. It requires study time to search out the answers to questions. It requires love to sacrifice the time to research questions you might not care that much about but a student does. And it requires patience to stick with a student as he or she struggles through every objection.
That struggle is often more important than we realize. The questions and objections students' raise may seem theoretical to us, but they often reflect the challenges they encounter every day.
In the end, if a student can't bring their questions to us, if we don't build a place for their questions, then they will go somewhere else to find their answers. The enemy knows that, and he has built far too many places where it's safe to bring your questions. The result is that it seems the agents of the enemy know more and care more than God's people do, and that's a tragic illusion.
Next Time: How Do I Encourage Questions?
I have heard this from students far too often. Growing up is a time for questioning, and those questions are important, even the ones we might think are silly. When a young person finds themselves in an environment where questions are not welcomed and explored, they assume the resistance is hiding the fact that faith has no answers for the real issues of life. It's no wonder they begin to check out.
Creating a safe place for questions is intimidating. It means being open to say, "I don't know." Those three words can inspire a great deal of respect. No one expects you to know everything. If you claim to, then people think you are making things up as you go. The words, "I don't know", gain even more strength when followed by, "But I think I know where to find the answers."
It also takes more work to create an atmosphere where students feel free to ask questions. It requires study time to search out the answers to questions. It requires love to sacrifice the time to research questions you might not care that much about but a student does. And it requires patience to stick with a student as he or she struggles through every objection.
That struggle is often more important than we realize. The questions and objections students' raise may seem theoretical to us, but they often reflect the challenges they encounter every day.
In the end, if a student can't bring their questions to us, if we don't build a place for their questions, then they will go somewhere else to find their answers. The enemy knows that, and he has built far too many places where it's safe to bring your questions. The result is that it seems the agents of the enemy know more and care more than God's people do, and that's a tragic illusion.
Next Time: How Do I Encourage Questions?
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