A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
Dear Pastor,
I want to thank you for taking the time to teach the Pray21 principles of Believe, Belong, Become, and Be from your pulpit during the next few weeks. As a pastor myself, I know how dedicated you are to accurately teaching God’s Word, so I have worked hard to make sure these outlines are biblically correct and culturally relevant to the battle your church faces today. At the same time, I admit that I do not know your congregation, so please make adjustments as needed to feed the flock entrusted to your care.
There are a couple points I would like to discuss with you briefly that are crucial. Honestly, I didn’t know how to address them in the outlines without having an intimate knowledge of your congregation. I was concerned that if I made these points, I might weaken the primary purpose of the four messages; therefore, I simply want to highlight them for your prayerful consideration and implementation.
You are going to find that Pray21 sermons deal primarily with the young people and youth ministry in your church. These messages place the emphasis on adults learning to see youth differently; but truthfully, many of the adults in your church are going to see themselves in the content and context of Pray21. This campaign is about helping followers of Jesus Christ (regardless of age) find their place in his cause and their role in his church. You know as well as I do that too many believers still do not know who they are even after decades of being in the church. Pray21 is an opportunity for the church to help youth and adults recognize and respond to God’s voice in their life.
While it is my fervent hope that your congregation will learn to see young people in a new light and embrace the mentality of youth in ministry, there is mutual benefit for all ages from this mission. As you and the adults in your church begin to believe in young people, they will begin to believe in themselves. At the same time, adults are going to be learning more about themselves. Be prepared to make this point in each sermon.
The need is great and the time is now. Take the time to make these messages personal to all ages. I already believe they are, but again, I want to leave those additional teaching points to your prayerful discernment and pastoral discretion. Apply this message to all generations – everyone is looking for a breakthrough.
Because of Jesus,
Timothy Eldred
Executive Director
Christian Endeavor International
Feel free to call me personally. I can’t wait to hear your wisdom! 800-260-3234.
Pray21 Week 2: Belong
Message: When a young person has something to give, we should accept it, bless it, and immediately begin to look for a significant role in the church for them.
Notes:
1. Focus – Jesus is looking for followers, not “fully formed and perfect non-sinner types!” He is just waiting for us to take our first step.
2. Main point – we must learn to affirm the first steps we see young people take in the right direction. We must give Jesus time to shape the lives of people who come into our Christian fellowship—including those born into it.
3. The Pray21 Discovery Guide gives many examples that can be used for the sermon. Read and choose the one or two examples from Part 2 that speak the most to your heart to use in the message.
4. Combine these with examples from your life of how you found out you belonged to God and how you found your role in his church.
5. Have others give similar short testimonies—both youth and adults.
6. Leave time for prayer with the young people in the service. Break into small groups and pray with youth by name.
Outline:
1. The first signs of spring.
a. You have been praying for God to do something in the life of young people and yourself. He will. Be patient.
b. It’s like looking for the first signs of spring. Everything may still be covered in snow, but when the first blossom appears or the trees start budding, you can be certain that change is happening and more is coming.
c. The first signs of spring in young people are when they begin asking how they can help, or how they can be a part, or giving ideas for how to do church better. Even if they are angry at the church, anger is a sure sign of caring. Don’t run from youthful anger. Embrace it. It’s a sure sign of spring. (Can you think of other signs of spring?)
d. The first change may be small indeed. No worries. Like the coming of summer, they will slowly warm as they see God at work in our lives and increasingly in their own lives.
e. Our first reaction needs changing, or we will miss seeing the buds.
f. Look at the parable of the feeding of the five thousand. This kid believed Jesus needed his help. His little gift of a sack lunch became an amazing example of God’s power, but the pull to follow came before he believed. He just wanted to help when he was asked to do something significant.
g. The surest sign that we belong is when people start asking us to do important things.
h. If you never have anything important for the young people to do, they may never feel like they belong and they may never take steps.
i. Take time here for testimonies of those who have found a significant role in the cause of Christ and how it came about that they discovered they belong.
2. What went wrong with the Great Commission?
a. Have we messed up the order of the Great Commission? Take a minute to read it together and look CLOSELY at the order.
b. Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and 1) make disciples of all the nations, 2) baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 3) Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20, NLT)
i. Make disciples.
ii. Baptize them.
iii. Teach them to obey all the commands.
iv. Wait? What? Read it again. Underline it in red. When do we teach obedience? AFTER becoming a disciple!
v. This busts the formula of most churches who try to do it this way:
1. Obedience,
2. Baptism,
3. Call ourselves disciples.
vi. A lot of churches want people to be the obedient follower BEFORE considering someone a disciple or candidate for baptism.
vii. Look even closer and you will see that Jesus’ example of baptism comes even before he has taught his disciples to obey all his commands.
viii. The real order:
1. Disciple first,
2. Then baptize,
3. Then teach them to obey everything,
4. And become friends. (“I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me” (John 15:15, NLT).)
3. What the order of the Great Commission means:
a. Disciple just means ‘student.’ Jesus was a Rabbi, which means ‘teacher.’ The disciples were his students.
b. As Christians, we are meant to take on STUDENTS, like Jesus did.
c. The prerequisite for discipleship is a show of willingness to follow. It does not require belief. If it did, Jesus would not have been asking his DISCIPLES, right up to the point of his death, if they BELIEVED. Discipleship begins when someone says, “I want to learn more.”
d. Jesus recruited all of his disciples.
i. He didn’t ask, “Do you want to accept me as Lord and Savior and pray the sinner’s prayer?”
ii. Jesus recruited his twelve by saying things like, “You want to learn how to catch men?” “You want to follow me?”
iii. We are to recruit students by asking if they would like to learn more about Jesus.
iv. Jesus shows us that we need to make room in our church for our young people to learn and fail with our support before we send them out on their own.
e. The Ethiopian reading scripture was actually a disciple. He was trying to follow, but he didn’t understand. Once he did, he was baptized ON THE SPOT.
f. Baptism is the disciple’s way of saying, “I want to belong to God.” It happens after the disciple has begun following, after the disciple has understood the meaning of following Jesus, and is ready to go all the way with God.
g. NOW it’s time to pray the sinner’s prayer, or any other prayer that confirms a person’s willingness to go all the way with God and be forgiven for his/her sins.
h. NOW baptism.
i. After baptism, the student is ready to learn everything.
j. Sometime after baptism (and that can be immediately or take a while) the Holy Spirit takes over. That’s when it gets really cool. And it’s the sure sign that the teacher’s job is done. Now you are friends.
k. That is the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
l. The Great Commission broken down in steps:
i. Make a disciple. (student)
1. Ask someone if they want to learn more about Jesus.
2. Answer their questions and share Scriptures to help them believe in God and his call on their life.
3. Show them, using Scripture, how they now can belong to his family.
4. Ask them if they want to go all the way with God.
5. When they say yes, show them how to give their life to Jesus. A prayer like the ‘sinner’s prayer’ is a good start.
ii. Baptize them.
1. This could be seen as a friendly ‘hazing’ ceremony.
2. Baptism is symbolic of drowning, dying to the old way and coming up clean—ready for new life.
iii. Teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded.
1. Once your student is clean, you help them learn how to stay clean and help others get clean.
2. One day, your student will experience the Holy Spirit transform them from timid student into a teacher, like you. Like Jesus, like Peter, your student will step into their true calling one day and make disciples, too. GC complete!
3. No need to hurry. Pray and Listen. Listen and Pray. Act upon what God says. Like at Pentecost—it will become irresistibly clear. Then, look out world!
4. Conclusion and prayer with youth.
a. Confirm for them that you need them in your church.
b. Ask God to lead them from belief to belonging.
c. Ask God to reveal their unique role.
d. Ask God to help you be ready when he does!
e. If anyone has decided to follow Jesus, give them a chance to show their desire now in some way that is appropriate in your church. Welcome them with applause and make sure you meet them right after the service and begin a dialogue.
