Alien Youth: The Invasion has Begun
Pastor Jeff Williams
Daniel 1-3
It really all started back in 1938 when Orson Wells threw the nation into hysteria with his all-too-real radio broadcast of an alien invasion called, “The War of the Worlds.” Visitors from other worlds have always had a place on our small screens. T.V. shows such as “My Favorite Martian”, “Mork and Mindy”, “ALF”, and “Third Rock from the Sun” used comedy to explore the philosophical implications of alien visitation. Within the last twenty-five years, Hollywood has capitalized on this growing interest and continued this tradition with movies such as “Aliens” ,“Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, “E.T.: The Extraterritorial”, “Men in Black”, “K-Pax”, and just recently with a feisty blue alien critter that loves to imitate Elvis in “Lilo and Stitch.”
While our fascination with these fictitious aliens goes back many decades, do you realize that an invisible invasion began in 1984? This invasion was imperceptible to the normal human but slowly their numbers have grown. There are now twenty-two million of these aliens living in the United States alone. There is a good possibility you may actually know one. You may have one living in your house. Please use extreme caution when trying to communicate with these strange beings. They are not like you and me…
They think Jay Leno has always been the host of the “Tonight Show.” They have never heard of 45s or Henry Kissinger. They have never known a world without microwaves, cell phones, and video games. They have also never known a world without AIDS, car-jackings, child abductions, gang wars, and internet pornography. When you asked them for their address it often ends in “dot com.” They have PDAs to organize their day, MP3s to organize their music, and they still can not keep their room clean. They spend hours developing relationships, dating, breaking up, and getting back together, (sometimes all in the same day), while sitting in their PJs in front of a computer screen. They consider music from the nineties “old” and buy their pants three sizes too big. They have access to more information than anyone in the history of the world and yet many of them can not find Iraq on a map. The invasion has begun, the alien youth have landed and their goal is to take over the world!
The challenges of reaching this generation for Christ are enormous but well worth the energy and effort. Many of us who work with youth believe strongly that these students are the revival generation. Keeping this in mind let me introduce you to the mission statement of the student ministry.
PBC’s student ministry exists to IMPACT students with the truth of the Gospel and to EQUIP them to be ever-developing and fully devoted disciples of Jesus Christ.
You may notice that we call it a “student ministry” as opposed to a “youth group.” A student ministry gives students the opportunities to have ownership in the church. We have students that play in the band, do announcements, lead junior high chat rooms, and run the sound board. While some churches would describe the youth as the future of the church, I am glad that Pontiac Bible Church’s attitude toward our youth is dramatically different. They are not the future of the church…THEY ARE THE CHURCH!
This morning, we would like to accomplish three things:
• Using the Biblical example of four bold Hebrew teenagers, we will give you a picture of a student ministry team is passionately devoted to teaching and reaching your students.
• We want you to meet some of our students and hear first hand what God is doing in and through them in on their campuses.
• We’ll give you practical ways to encourage and support our students and the student ministry team as they minister to some of the most incredible kids you will ever meet.
Turn with me to chapter one of the Old Testament book of Daniel. A little background is helpful so travel with me back 2,600 years ago to the country of Judah.
A little background
The year is 605 B.C. and the world is in chaos. The Egyptians have attempted to invade Babylon. A young prince, by the name of Nebuchadnezzar, soundly defeated the Egyptians at Carchemish. Not satisfied with his victory, he pursued the Egyptian army all the way down the Sinai peninsula. Along the way he conquered the city of Jerusalem, who had been loyal to Pharaoh instead of trusting in their God. Israel had been conquered by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. and now Judah is subdued by these Babylonian blasphemers. God is allowing these foreign countries to conquer his prized possession as a consequence for their disobedience. The inhabitants of Jerusalem must have felt completely abandoned by God as they watched the Babylonian army walk right into their temple and take the articles used to worship their God. The ultimate blow came as the officers rounded up the best and brightest of the Jews and marched them right out of Jerusalem and back to Babylon.
Four of these deportees were teenagers. They were to be trained in the Babylonian arts, literature, and culture. Their names were changed. This was significant because all four of them had names that honored God. That is why I will be using only their Hebrew names today. The goal was total indoctrination so they would forget that they were Hebrew and soon talk, walk, and speak like a Babylonian. There was one problem though. The Babylonians sorely underestimated these four teenagers. They were the original “alien youth.” Living in a foreign land, fifteen hundred miles away from family and anything familiar, these four students stood out, stood together, and stood up for God and, in the end, provide us a shining example of no matter how young a person is God can use them to change the world.
They stood out
Daniel, Hanniah, Mishael, and Azariah were living in the king’s palace and had the opportunity to enjoy all the enticements of royalty. In particular, the food was wonderful. They were offered an expensive bottle of wine and a steak and shrimp dinner every night. The other Hebrews lined up to eat. To them, it just wasn’t that big a deal. To Daniel, it was a matter of loyalty to God. We are told that Daniel:
• “He purposed in his heart not to defile himself with the royal food and wine.” (V. 8) This was a decision made beforehand out of a strong conviction. The food being offered was not kosher and had, most likely, been offered to idols. This was a no-brainer. There was no way he was going to defile himself before God.
• He proposed a compromise. (V. 9-10) He approached the head official and politely explained the situation. Because of their deeply held religious convictions they would not be able to eat the royal food. While the official felt for Daniel and his friends, he was not willing to put his neck on the line by changing their diet. So Daniel proposes a compromise to the guy that actually brings the meals to their rooms. Give us veggies for ten days and then see how we look, and “treat your servants according to what you see.” This is the original vegi-tale. Daniel proved you can be contrary to the world without being contrary with the world!
• They prospered physically and socially. (V. 15-20) While the rest of the good Jewish boys were eating hamburgers and oysters on the half-shell, our four Hebrew heroes were munching on broccoli , cauliflower, and a variety of grains. By day ten, the rest of the group looked in need of a personal trainer. But Daniel, Hanniah, Mishael, and Azariah proved your mother right – eating your vegetables does make you healthy. Not only did they prosper physically but God blessed them with wisdom ten times greater than any of the wise men in Babylon.
Application:
Our students live in a world very similar to Babylon. Although God makes it clear in His Word that each of them is made on purpose, with a purpose, for a purpose, the world system in which they live attempts to change their identities. Their culture contends that they are nothing more than a product of random chance; the final equation in a cosmic freak accident. There is no meaning or purpose to life other than to eat, drink, and be merry…then die. There is no right or wrong. Truth is relative and defined individually.
Many students are not bothered at all by these notions and willingly delight themselves in all the world has to offer. But, then there are the aliens among us.
There is a group of students who have totally surrendered their whole lives to Christ. Because of this, they stand out big time. We have students who proudly display their purity rings, a symbol of not only their decision to wait for sex until marriage but of devotion to a God that loves them and has a better plan for their lives. Their decisions to honor God in the way they talk, especially among our student-athletes, make them stand out. And their openness with their love for Jesus Christ, makes them stand out in a culture that that teaches students to be tolerant of most any belief system except for Christianity. These aliens are worthy of our prayers and support as they live in the king’s palace (this culture), resist this world’s best offerings and live out loud for the glory of God!
I want to introduce you to one of many of these students. Blake Carley is a multi-talented sophomore at Pontiac High School who is on the swim team and has a heart that beats for God. Blake has made a number of decisions in his life that affect the way he approaches relationships and the future.
• Blake can you explain how you view your relationships at this point in your life?
• How does this make you stand out among your peers?
• On a lighter note, you are known as the “Christian t-shirt guy” at Pontiac High School. How has your choice of dress helped you to stand out for Jesus?
Let’s continue and look closely at chapter two.
They stood together
Have you ever had a dream that you couldn’t quite remember but you know it was bad? In chapter two of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar has a troubling dream and summoned the “magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers” to the palace. This was a regular psychic hotline convention. What takes place next is a sad comment on the real powers of these supposed wise men.
The king not only wants the interpretation of the dream but the contents of the dream itself. They ultimately agree that the job is too difficult for a mere man to do and they are stumped. Nebuchadnezzer pitched a temper tantrum and signs an execution order for all the wise men in the entire province of Babylon.
Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, is put in charge of this ridiculous assignment and heads out to kill all of these wise men. He is met by Daniel, one of the guys on his hit list. Daniel doesn’t freak out.
• He calmly asks for more time. (V. 14-16) Scripture says that Daniel spoke to Arioch with wisdom and tact. He went a step farther and actually approaches the king and asked for more time. Daniel knew God was in charge and would give him the ability to know the king’s dream.
• He urgently requested prayer from his Hebrew comrades. (V. 17-18) It was literally a matter of life and death. The four of them had an all night prayer meeting to plead for mercy and for God to reveal the mystery of the dream to Daniel. God answered their prayer and Daniel received a vision in the night concerning the dream.
• He gratefully poured out his praise to God. (V. 19-23). Daniel grabbed his guitar and began to sing of God’s greatness and wisdom. Hanniah, Mishael, and Azariah collapse exhausted but joyful into their beds while Daniel hurries off to the palace to interpret the dream for the king and save all their lives.
Application
Our students live in a culture that is marked by its individualistic spirit. But the aliens among them know that we were designed to best operate in community. When students stand together, it is an awesome and holy sight.
Recently, we took twenty-seven high school students and seventeen junior high students to Cedar Lake Winter Bible Conference. During both conferences, I watched students minister to other students. I saw students join hands and pray or wrap their arms around each other and cry. I sat stunned as our high school group missed most of a recreation time because they were standing together as a group and passionately interceding for their friends and family. When students are huddled together, on their knees, weeping, asking God for miracles, a holy hush sweeps through the place.
There is a student led prayer group that meets before school at Pontiac that exists for the purpose of standing together in a community of faith.
A great example of this principle is the alien activities of four of our junior high students. I would like to introduce you to Cara Sledgister, Kelsey Carley, Joy Henrichs, and Melissa Lee. These four girls, who are eighth grade students at Pontiac Christian School, made me cry like a baby back in September. When they found out that Pontiac Junior High School was not going to have a “See You at the Pole” rally, they decided to take matters into their own hands.
• What made you decide to step out of your comfort zone and lead “See You at the Pole” at the Junior High School?
• What were you feeling as you arrived and saw the pole for the first time?
• Tell us what happened while you were prayer around the pole?
• What did you learn from this event?
They not only stood out, and stood together, but as well see in chapter three they stood up for what they believed in.
They stood up
In chapter three, Nebuchadnezzar’s ego has run amuck. He erected a ninety foot gold plated statue on the plain of Dura of himself. He invited all the dignitaries of Babylon to the opening ceremony. Interestingly, Daniel was not present and may have been out of the country on official business. Nebuchadnezzar made the crowd an offer they could not refuse. They had a choice between bowing down to the statue and being thrown into a blazing furnace. This was an easy choice for most.
Estimates place about two million people on the plain that day. When the music blasted, 1, 999, 997 people hit their faces to the dirt. The Hebrew actually says “as soon as they were hearing they wear falling down.” But, in the back, those three Jewish rebels were at it again. They stood up. While other Jewish exiles were on their faces thinking of excuses why their actions were not blatant idolatry, Hanniah, Mishael, and Azariah stood tall. After being spotted, they are brought before the king and he explained the whole thing to them again. He gave them a second chance. Their response to the king is one of the boldest declarations of trust in God in the whole of Scripture.
Read Daniel 16-18.
• They would not bow. (V. 8-12) As little children, these teenagers were taught the Ten Commandments and the admonition to not make or worship idols was drilled into their heads. Now the choice is clear. There is no way, after all that God had done for them, that they would give their worship to anyone or anything else.
• They would not bend. (V. 16) When given a second chance, they did not fall victim to doubt or waver in their faith. They felt no need to defend their selves in this matter. The king could threaten all he wanted to; they were resolute in their stand.
• They understood “but, if not.” (V. 17-18) They depended on God’s omnipotence (He could save them) but trusted in His sovereignty (He may chose not to). Whether God saved them from the fire or not was irrelevant. They were not your normal, run-of-the-mill youth. They were aliens. They had different priorities and feared God more than the king. This combination, as the Christian rock group Pillar sings, made them “Fireproof.”
Application
Our students live in a world that worships rock stars, athletes, and actors and actresses. They are asked to bow down to the latest fad or trend and if they don’t then they just aren’t cool. Guess what? Many of these aliens don’t care that much about being cool. Several of our students wear t-shirts to school that read “I’m a DORK” on the front. On the back is this bold proclamation, “Disciple of a Righteous King.” We encourage them that if they do not stand for something they will fall for anything. We have students standing up for their faith, respectfully, by engaging their class in discussions about the Bible and Christianity.
David Dean, our speaker at the high school retreat, challenged our students to “get off the fence.” So many students ride that fence between “angel on Sunday” and “devil on Friday night.” Our students got it. One of them really got it. God captured her heart and, in her own words, she got off the fence that night. She has not been able to stay quiet about it since! I want to introduce you to Casey Hitch. She is a freshman at Pontiac High School and has been involved in the student ministry for two years now. She plays percussion and sings in the Barefoot worship band. She is a very gifted poet and loves the Lord Jesus Christ with a fresh, innocent kind of love.
• What was it that David Dean said that really affected you?
• Could you tell us about how you shared your experience with others?
This ministry exists for students like Casey. God is using her mightily. We encouraged her to read the book of John. Two weeks later she came back and said she was finished. She is almost done with I Corinthians and has started asking deep theological questions. We are so proud of her.
Well, let’s look at the rest of the story. So far, our Jewish teenagers have stood out, stood together, and stood up. Now, in one of the most intense miracles in the Bible, Jesus stands with them in the midst of the fire.
Jesus will stand with you
Hanniah, Mishael, and Azariah’s defiance caused the king’s “attitude to change.” In fact, in a fit of rage Nebuchadnezzer ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter and had the three teens bound and thrown into the fire. The fire was so hot the guards were immediately incinerated. That was that. “No young whipper-snappers are going to openly defy me in front of two million people and live to tell about it”, thought Nebuchadnezzer. He peered into the furnace, through the flames, and saw something that made him “leap to his feet in amazement.”
Read verses 24-27.
Hanniah, Mishael, and Azariah were taking a stroll around the furnace! They were alive. Impossible! Nebuchadnezzer shook his head and looked again. He saw four men in the fire and one looked like the “son of the gods.” Even the king, in all his “glory”, recognized a miracle when he saw it. All the people gathered around the furnace must have been asking the same question, “Who is the fourth guy in the fire?”
An entire sermon could be preached on this one verse. Some have suggested the angel Gabriel as the possible companion of our main characters. I think it was obvious to all that this was more than an angel. Most commentators agree that this is a pre-incarnation of the Lord Jesus. These three had stood out, stood together, and stood up in the name of the God of the Universe. Now the God who became the Savior stands with them in the very fire of their greatest trial.
Application
• Jesus will stand with you whatever you are going through. (V. 25) We minister to students who are struggling with severe family problems that include divorce and abuse. We put our arms around students who are stressed out to the point of thinking about suicide. We talk to students whose friends are pregnant or experimenting with drugs. We stand with students as they go through the pain of relationship breakdowns and school difficulties. Underneath many of their smiles lie pain and uncertainty. It is our incredible privilege to share the hope of the Gospel story. We get to tell them that Jesus will stand with them whatever they are going through. He will never leave them nor forsake them. In a generation reeling from the pain of parental abandonment, these promises are like water to a wilting rose. With time and love, these students can grow and learn to trust again.
I just described many of our students. I would like to introduce you to one student who has learned to trust that Jesus will be with her through the worst of the worst. This is Emily Melvin. She is a senior at Pontiac High School and a very talented athlete. She has been a part of our student ministry for about two years. She has a heart for students and is planning to attend Olivet Nazarene University this fall.
Emily’s testimony.
Action Steps
After hearing these stories, you may be sitting on the edge of your seat asking how you can get involved with the Student Ministry team. Well, I’m going to tell you in just a minute. First, let’s not miss the lessons God may want to apply to your heart this morning from the book of Daniel.
• When is the last time you really took a stand for your faith in Christ?
• Has your passion for Jesus caused to you stand out or do you blend in to the culture at large? Are you riding the fence? Are you an example of chameleon Christianity? Remember, peer pressure doesn’t stop when you reach adulthood.
• Do you have people around you to stand with you through tough times? God designed the church to be community of faith that stands together.
• Perhaps, this morning you are going through a really hard time. You put on your Sunday smile for everyone else but God knows your heart is breaking. Jesus is with you and will carry you through this time and lead you to “quiet waters where He will restore your soul.”
• It is possible that you have never have surrendered your life to Jesus. Listen to Romans 10:9. Whether you are teenager or one at heart, Jesus loves you and deeply desires a relationship with you.
Now to the student ministry. Here are several action steps:
1. You are never too old to work with students. Some of you may have thought to yourself something like this, “I don’t know what students talk about, their music sounds like cats in a garbage can, and I am too old to keep up with them.” Listen to me carefully, you do not have to be hip to hang out with students. You just have to remember what is its like to be teenager. They live in a completely different culture but they still struggle with self-esteem and mood swings just like you did when you were their age.
Kathy Marley recently served as one of our adult leaders at Cedar Lake Winter Bible Conference. She held a Bible student with the junior high girls after the first session. One of our students said that she was a little worried that Mrs. Marley wouldn’t be cool because she was older. (You have to remember, they think I’m old!). Instead, she was surprised to find out that Mrs. Marley understood a lot of the things she was going through. Kathy received one of the highest compliments that our students bestow upon adults. Several of the junior high girls exclaimed: “Mrs. Marley rocks our faces off!”
2. Pray that God would change hearts and lives. The student ministry team is committed to loving, serving, training, and equipping students. But we also recognize that only God can bring them into a saving relationship with Himself. We have a student prayer list that is being updated by Melody Sledgister weekly. Pray for this team as we seek God’s heart for the future and direction of our student ministry.
3. If you know of a youth without a spiritual home send them our way.
- Our high school students meet on Sunday nights for “Cross Training” from 6:30 to about 9:00. On average, about sixty students gather for worship, teaching and small group discussions.
- Our junior ministry (about thirty students) meets on Wednesday nights for “Cross Roads” from 7:00 to 8:30. Everything you have heard about the gross games is absolutely true.
- On Sunday morning, students are invited to the E.D.G.E. (Evangelism + Discipleship=Godly Examples) for donuts and practical Bible study.
- We have several events throughout the year that we call “safe ministry.” These fun, non-threatening activities are designed to allow a student to check us out anonymously. The Super Bowl party, the fifth quarter fellowship, and the infamous Mud Bowl are examples of these easy access events.
4. Get involved. Some of you just got nervous. Let me give you some ideas for involvement in the student ministry.
- Something as simple as a plate of cookies (butterscotch-oatmeal please), a note to a student, a hug, or loan us a fifteen passenger van with CD player (like Becky and Mike Anderson do) would link you to our students and our team for life.
- There are some of you that have a heart for students and are able to get involved on a ministry level. We are in need of spiritual mentors and small group discussion leaders on Wednesday and Sunday nights.
- Perhaps you are not able to be here consistently to minister at our outreach events but you are able to open your home and lead a small group bible study. Currently, we have one junior high bible study for girls led by Chrissy Clayton. We also have a high school boys Bible study on the book of Proverbs led by Kenny Hinds, when he is not snow-boarding off his roof! We would like to start at least two more small groups. As we get larger, we must get smaller. God calls us to disciple these students and equip them to be passionate followers of Jesus. God may be calling you to just such as task. Seeing life change take place in these students is the greatest rush in the world.
Conclusion
Last spring, Milt Hanson and I attended a Son Life student ministry training in Bloomington. The speaker was Bill Allison. By the way, Bill will be our guest speaker at our April OUTREACH (April 27) and we invite you to come and watch Bill share the Gospel with our students. Bill and his team were interested in how many volunteers were at the training. About half the room stood and Bill started asking how many years they had been involved. One year? Two years? Five years? Once he got to ten years, all but three were left standing. After twelve years, there was only one – Milt. Bill Allison’s eyes got wider and wider. Fifteen years? Seventeen years? Milt Hanson has been working with students at Pontiac Bible Church for over eighteen years! The group gave Milt a round of applause. Let’s give him a well-deserved hand as he comes to close our service. Milt is my friend and a mentor. And his success isn’t just because he drives a Harley or plays the bongos. Milt and Michele truly love students and countless lives have been changed because of their sacrificial service to our teens. I am going to ask Milt to come forward and give us a long-term perspective on the student ministry then he will pray and bring our service to a close.
