A Generation Enslaved

I'm more concerned today than I believe I have ever been about the views of Christianity by students. The more I talk and spend time with these teenagers, the more my heart breaks. The reason today's students are struggling so much with salvation is because they do not understand the work of Jesus on the cross. Everyone I talk to expresses his/her desire to stop sinning. Which is great news but we can't stop sinning. It's our nature. It's ingrained into the deepest part of our being. It takes Christ overcoming us, changing our desires, and transforming our hearts. Today's person tries to work for salvation or to not do things to be saved when that is not what Christ has asked us to do. Salvation is more than just not doing things against God's will...it's Him coming into our lives and becoming our Master, our Savior, our Lord. It's His desires becoming our desires. I can't explain how it happens. It's more than a feeling. It's more than a one night experience. It's God radically transforming you. How as a youth pastor can I communicate this message. We, sinners, are saved by grace, unearned favor from our God, through faith, belief in Jesus Christ. I do nothing to earn it. I deserve hell. I deserve God's wrath. I deserve eternal separation, but through Christ I receive this ridiculous free gift of an eternity with Christ because He loved me enough to pay for my sins with His blood. I want to see students, adults, senior citizens become so freaking saturated with the love of Christ that the thought of surface Christianity makes us sick. We can't do anything, but Christ can. Allow Him to change you. Meditate on the price Christ paid for you. He died. Philippians 2:1-11 tells us that not only did He die, but He left His Father in Heaven and all the glory to become a lowly man. To humbly die the worst death any person could ever know just for ME!! Just for YOU!! Don't you see He is worth it. He pulled me out of the pit. I can do nothing to repay Him for what He did. I can only give Him my life and be obedient to his every call. Examine yourself today...Are you working to try and earn His favor? You can't. It's all about Him and what He did.