When the Going Gets Tough, the Christian...

When things don't go how you want them to go, do you: A) zone out watching your favorite TV show, B) Put on your iPod or other media player, or C) pray and sing praises to the LORD? If you answered A or B, you're not alone. Most Christians often do many other things to cope with the disappointments and hurts of this life than to bring them to GOD. We see in Acts 16:19-26, that Paul and Silas where falsely accused, beaten, and thrown into a disgusting prison for casting out a spirit from a slave girl. Despite these conditions, we see in verse 25 “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God”. Did you catch that? They prayed and worshiped GOD when most would be crying out, “Why GOD?, Why Me?” We need to understand that despite our circumstances, GOD is in control and we need not worry because Jesus is right there with us. Is there a time when you worshiped GOD in the midst of a trial and something great happened?

Who Gets the Glory

In today's Christian church, there are many people who take all the credit for something God has done. We see in Acts 14 there was a crippled man from birth, who looked at Paul because he wanted to be healed. Verse 11 states: Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian [language], "The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!" and in verse 15, Paul's response: "Men, why are you doing these things?” Paul knew that it was the power of God that healed the crippled man, not his power. How can we remember to give the credit to God? Have you ever taken the glory from God?

Who do you minister to?

Acts 13:2 states, "As they ministered to the Lord and fasted..." Here Luke is referring to worship, however it can also mean serving others. This past Sunday I was overjoyed to see numerous youths joyfully serving the church during the cook out. Did you know that the Lord was blessed as you ministered to others? In Matthew 25:45, Jesus says "inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me." What Jesus is saying is, "If you didn't do it to them, you didn't do it to me." What are some ways we can minister to the Lord as individuals and as a youth group?

Fighting God

In Acts 11:17 "If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?" Have you ever withstood God? We are living in the last days and God is opening doors in many countries as well as our schools and sports teams for us to bring the Gospel to the lost. Sadly, when we are given the order, many of us refuse to go because our living conditions will not be like home, the people live in poverty, or they are in a place that is not friendly to Christians. Is there ever a time to withstand God? If not, why would you?