What Bible should I give to my son or daughter?

This is a quick series on "What version...?" recommendations. It's not an in-depth study or anything like that. Very informal.

I recommend the New Living Translation for students and new believers who are unfamiliar with the Bible. If one is extremely unfamiliar with the Bible and would not call themselves "a good reader," then start off with The Message Re-Mix (a paraphrase). From there advance to NLT and then once proficient add NASB or ESV into the mix.

 

A great Christmas/Easter/Birthday/Graduation/Confirmation gift is a NLT Life Application Study Bible.

What version of the Bible should I study from?

This is a quick series on "What version...?" recommendations. It's not an in-depth study or anything like that. Very informal.

So, you're a preacher just getting started in the world of exegesis and hermeneutics and you're wanting to eschew prooftexting and eisegesis. Wonderful. You wonder "What version of the Bible should I study from?"

 

The answer is: multiple Bibles. I recommend using a good literal translation (NASB, ESV) or an interlinear (Greek/Hebrew + English) in order to be able to look up the words and their possible definitions (using Strong's Concordance). You see, in the interlinear Bible, you will see numbers above each Hebrew or Greek word. This number corresponds to a number in Strong's Concordance. Look up that number in Strong's and you'll have a list of other occurrences of that exact word.

 

Then you can look that word up (helpfully, by number) in a lexicon. The lexicon is like a dictionary of possible definitions and uses of the original word.

 

From their, you are able to assemble your notes and thoughts on what the original text meant.

 

In addition to the literal translation, I recommend using a version of the Bible that is in language you can understand easily, such as the New Living Translation, New International Version, or even the Message (a paraphrase). Use these in combination with the NASB or ESV.

My Rough Conclusions on Rob Bell's "Love Wins"

“And God let heretics vex His Church so as to arouse the mind by conflict, and to lead it to search God's Word.” – Abraham Kuyper, The Work of the Holy Spirit

Having read Rob Bell’s previous works, “Velvet Elvis,” “Jesus Wants to Save Christians,” his many Nooma short-films, and even my familiarity with his preaching, I looked forward to what would be revealed about his doctrine and theology in his new book, “Love Wins.” The phrase, “Love Wins,” is years-old and apparently on bumper stickers adorning vehicles all over the Grand Rapids, Michigan, area, where Bell is the pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church. With all of that being noted, this will not be a dissection and exegesis of the book. Read the book, or don’t, but as with any teaching, discern it carefully. I hold the strong belief that if you are going to judge the book, then you should first read it. This mitigates the need for backpedaling, apologies, blog updates, flux capacitors, forget-me-now amnesia pills, the proverbial eating of proverbial birds, and the subtle proverbial sweeping of things under proverbial rugs (that being said, I will update this as is necessary). It is okay to be informed. This is a brief version of my review and conclusions.

"I can't worship on Sunday mornings like I do [at youth gathering]! My mom is there!"

This statement is simultaneously hilarious, sad, and true. Over the last three years, my heart has been blessed by the progress made and depth of worship attained by the students at our youth gathering. The truth is, if there was some sort of meeting scheduled on Thursday night that had some sort of time machine (with or without flux capacitor, I don't want to get technical), that would take our students now back to then(three years ago), we would have quite the discussion afterward.  Granted, most of that discussion would be regarding how cool it was to time travel, and wondering why we didn't make bets on how great the Yankees would do in the World Series in 2009 (world champs), but eventually we would be able to really talk about the differences we noticed.

So what changed?  Hearts changed.  We elevated the Word of God, and more deliberately preached from scripture about what it means to worship.  I remember it well-- we preached a series on "Resisting The Devil," which included a message on the occult and a message on what it means to worship.  The frustrated worship leader had left for another congregation where he felt he be utilized more to God's purpose.  We practiced worshiping scripturally.  We exercised those muscles that caused us to kneel, lay prostrate, and raise our hands.  That month of May, three years ago, saw the first sparks of real Spirit-breathed life in worship from the community of believers who were gathered.

What else happened? There were some kids who attended so intermittently that when they showed up a few weeks later, they were stunned.  They were behind the curve, and they didn't understand what was happening.  Some of them immediately responded to the new, Spiritual and expressive dynamic, but some bucked against that.  They essentially said, "I don't know what's happening, and I don't want to know."  Three years later, and these students still have a chip on their shoulder around their peers.  It was a chip that was there before this watershed experience, but that has persisted, despite the attempts to reach out to them.

And now, so many years later, the younger kids (6th, 7th, 8th) are able to look at the examples of appropriate and passionate worship that the older students are living; examples that those older kids didn't have.  We're building on foundations, and it's exciting! What example are the older students setting at your student ministry? Are they bringing the younger ones up along side them? Are they belittling their efforts? Have they forgotten where they came from (Deut 5:15)?

Before	Now
Like pulling teeth to explain that worship is not just singing songs-- it's about attitude	Able to ignore outside distractions and focus on Jesus
Just singing songs, goofing around	Giving themselves to God in worship
No physical posture of worship	Laying prostrate, raising hands, kneeling
No response to God's revelation	Immediate and obedient responses to God's revelation and prompting
"Worship" meant "Christian Songs"	Worship means the heart and attitude we have when we approach God. Just because it's "Christian-themed" doesn't mean it's worship
Only worship when feeling like it	We worship because God commands it, and his revelation to us requires nothing less
Leaving the same as arrived	Allowing God to transform through worship. Leaving better than arrived.
Only singing songs that are good, or make me feel good, or that I like	Slowly incorporating hymns of our Christian heritage and songs that come from scripture and doctrine-- not just "feel good" songs that you might hear on pop radio.

But Sunday mornings, it's a different story.  The students sit in the front rows of the congregation, but they don't "enter in" to worship like I know they do.  They are oppressed by fear.  I challenged them about this, and the response that came back to me was, "I can't worship on Sunday mornings like I do [at youth gathering]!  My mom is there!"  I don't believe that they're afraid of their parents watching them worship-- I think it's more about the car ride home and the conversations that they are trying to avoid. They seem to want to worship God, but don't want to deal with the embarrassment of being noticed by their parents doing it!

This is the desire to remain anonymous; to avoid attention from parents. If only we could help them realize that most of their parents will be thrilled by seeing such dedication and passion. God would be pleased with their sacrifice and praise. And the example that they set in what they teach, the way they live, their love, their faith, and their purity will free others to worship God as freely (1 Tim 4:12).

On Their Own

The question may come to a youth pastor or leader, the shepherd, of "when to let go?"  When has discipleship set in?  When are the training wheels off?  If it is a matter of sooner or later, I would say later, not sooner.

 

The Importance of Retreats - Recap

Retreats, camps, meetings, lock-ins, advances... Call them what you want, but these times are highly important for community development.

This series outlines just some of the importance of retreats for student ministry.

• The Importance of Retreats
• Road Trip
• Shared Tribe Experiences
• A New/Different Voice
• Opportunities
• Testimonies
• Retreat Tips
• Coming Home

Retreats - Coming Home

Coming home

Here are a few things to avoid when coming home from the retreat or camp.  The first is with parents.  Give the parents a heads up on what to expect when kids come home.  Teenagers are already moody.  When kids are picked up or dropped off back home, well-meaning and loving parents are going to want to re-connect with their kids.  That is great!  However, these kids may have pushed themselves to the limits of what their bodies will handle when it comes to sleep. Staying up late and waking up early combined with caffeine and emotional experiences at the altar can yield really cranky teenagers.  Really cranky teenagers and a will-intentioned parent can end up in a car ride filled with fights.

 

The best advice I can give is to proactively cut this off.  Welcome them home, pray for them, and be warned that they may have a lot of energy to burn at the onset.  They're going to be excited to see you too, and may just start talking.  Parents should welcome, but not expect, immediate conversations about how great things were.  Don't dive right into all the things that the student needs to get accomplished when they get home.  Give them a chance for a nap if they want it.

 

After a week of camp, it's really easy for a student to rationalize (even some adult leaders will do this--guilty as charged) not going attending church on the subsequent Sunday.  "I was just at church for a week-- that's like ten weeks of regular church!"  Challenge them to not skip.  Show up and lead by examples of their faith and commitment.  Along with that, talk deliberately to a few students to see who are willing to share their testimony from camp.  Even better-- record it, and make a montage of testimony clips-- and share these with the larger congregation.

 

Despite the concept of "church night" being a dying concept, most youth gatherings meet on Wednesday nights.  Ours does not.  We meet on Sundays.  If you do meet on Sundays, and you are coming off of a weekend retreat, do not cancel your gathering.  Make it known that you are going to gather-- it is on, and it is time!  This gives the immediate opportunity for them to continue the worship and depth that they had while they were at camp, and to bring that energy and enthusiasm for God back.  This is a living testimony to those who did not or could not attend.  Furthermore, it shows that "camp experiences" -- those things that are done when away -- aren't limited to those places.  God is not bound by geography.

 

Conclusion

Retreats, lock-ins, camps, and conferences can be an experience, with students and leaders immersed in a culture of spiritual development and movements of God.  While they can be physically exhausting, they are simultaneously restorative as an experience.  While not revolving a student ministry around camps and retreats, these are excellent support to what you're already doing.

Retreat Tips

Retreat Tips

Don't avoid retreats.  It's very easy for a pastor or a church to become self-involved.  It is important to look up and out to meet with other believers and fellowship, worship God together, and pray for each other.  When at the retreat, contrive ways for your tribe to mix it up and mingle with other tribes in attendance.  Challenge them to sit in different spots for each chapel service.  Challenge them to sit with other groups during at least one meal.  Challenge the older students to "adopt" a younger student for the event, having them look out for the younger ones and encourage them.

Update Twitter/Facebook with blurbs and pictures of what's going on so that parents at home have some connection.  Use this ability to solicit prayers so that the greater congregation has a connection to the students.

As the leader, take advantage of the time with other leaders.  Ask about their gatherings.  Talk about books you are reading or podcasts you listen to.  Talk about fundraisers, outreaches, gathering formats.  What are your students studying?  You might learn a great idea of how to accomplish something that has been a challenge for you.  It's really easy to start spouting off all of your great ideas.  Instead, really work on your listening.  Let God pour into you through others.

As the leader, set the example for your tribe.  When something needs to be done (chairs moved, garbage picked up, etc.), be one of the first people to jump up and do it.  If you bring other leaders from your tribe, require them to do that same.  These are the examples of being servants that build credibility.  If there are option breakout sessions, make them required for your leaders and students.  If there are no breakout sessions scheduled, have your leaders put together something for a daily meeting with your students.


Continued...

The Importance of Retreats - Testimonies

Testimonies

This is key.  Do not forget this part.  Once back at your usual gathering, take the time for the students to share their testimonies with the tribe.  This time of sharing is scriptural (Revelation 12:11) and helpful.  Those who attended can share what they learned and what God is doing in them with everyone, including those who could not attend for one reason or another.  This can help solidify the experience as well.  As weeks go on, perhaps invite others to share again, now they have had time to implement what they have learned and committed to.


Continued...

The Importance of Retreats - Opportunities

Opportunities

There are several opportunities to "bring something back" to your gathering.  The first is to implement good and scriptural techniques that would help your tribe engage more deeply with God.  At worst, there are new discussion points as you may have to scramble to perform damage control due to an over-zealous but under-informed/-educated/-prepared preacher poor self-restraint and lack of a governor between brain and mouth.  In any case, when retreats hand out lemons as part of the registration fee, do not neglect the opportunity to make lemonade.

Continued...

The Importance of Retreats - A New/Different Voice

A New/Different Voice

It doesn't matter if you are one of the best preachers around, there is a good chance that at some point your students will desire (either consciously or sub-consciously) a break from your teaching.  And that's okay.  A retreat is a perfect opportunity for that (unless you're the preacher there too).  At some conferences the attendees are exposed to a dozen or more speakers.  Some there are just one or two.  Either way, that exposure is good.

Continued...

The Importance of Retreats - Shared Tribe Experiences

Shared Tribe Experiences

The community that is built in 48 hours of immersion as a community at a retreat is worth more than 12 weeks of 2-hour meetings.  The depth of community that happens as students worship together for hours and hours over the course of a weekend is unobtainable through the normal youth gathering structure, and it is not to be ignored.

New Friends

The friendships that are formed not just within the tribe but with other students from the area are great to see.  It's a subtle encouragement that says, This is not limited to you.  God is moving all over the place!  You are not alone.

Witness

At retreats and camps, students are able to witness several things.

1. Other people worshiping God
2. Other ways people worship
3. God moving in others
4. God moving in their friends

Continued...

The Importance of Retreats - Road Trip

Road Trip

A weekend retreat or a week-long camp are a different type of experience.  They may travel together, yielding great road trip stories.  I was at a retreat this weekend.  One carload told me how their GPS navigation setup had failed them in the backwoods, with them turning onto a snowmobile trail, and ending up with the nose of their car vertically in the air and puppy-chow spilled everywhere as they hoped they wouldn't tip over.  Nice.

In the comments section, tell us about your tribe's hilarious road trip stories!


Continued...

The Importance of Retreats

Retreats, camps, lock-ins, and conferences are a staple of student ministry.  While many of my articles up until this point have been toppling sacred cows (games, music, etc.), this is one with which I agree.  The benefits are myriad.

Depending on your geography, it's possible that the students in your tribe only meet once or twice a week for a couple of hours.  Your kids may be congregating and converging from many different schools, and the only shared experiences they have involve circling their chairs, playing an ice breaker, singing songs, sitting quietly and listening to a sermon, and praying.  Those are good, but they are incomplete.  It's a 90 minute or 2-hour stint, and then nothing for another 7 days.

Continued...

Music at Youth Gathering - part 5

Purpose of Songs

Every song that was ever written served a purpose.  It is just as important when selecting a song for a gathering that we do it with purpose.  We should take into account the purpose the writer had when writing the song.  There is the occasional and controversial trend of worship bands leading a secular song.  While this can be effective as part of an overall theme, care should be taken considering such a course of action.  For example, a sermon or series on lust should probably not be branded with "I Want Your Sex" as sung by the same people who are anointed to lead us in engaging our maker.  Does that mean the song itself should be outlawed?  Not necessarily.  Why are you using the song?  Why that song?  Is there an alternative that is as effective in communicating the theme without relying on shock value?  If not, find someone else who knows more about music.

 

We should also take into account what purpose the song will serve during our own gathering.

 

Call to worship.  A call to worship is a song which invites the congregation to begin worship.  They declare what our intention is and what we're about to do, while simultaneously doing it.  "We're going to sing a song to you, God."  In some fellowships, it's the first song played which lets everyone know it's time to grab your coffee and sit down (don't even get me started).  Examples: We've Come to Declare; Come, Now is the Time to Worship; How Great is Our God; Mighty to Stand.

 

Vertical worship.  Vertical worship are songs sung to God, not just about God.  These songs are most appropriate for a worship gathering.  These songs use phrases such as "You are" (upward).  Examples include: Here I Am to Worship; Blessed Be Your Name; Draw Me Close; Better is One Day; Lift It.

 

Declaration/Anthem.  Declaration or Anthemic songs are songs sung about God.  These can be very emotionally inspirational and uniting of the community.  They can be a great way to conclude a gathering.  These songs will often say what we believe or what we will do.  These songs use phrases such as "God is", "He is", "we will", or some call to action like, "Tell the world that...".  Examples include: Our God is a Great God; How Great is Our God; Ancient of Days; Awesome God; Tell the World; Mighty to Stand.

 

Didactic/Teaching.  These songs teach something about doctrine or theology.  They are different from declaration or anthems in that they are designed to be informative.  A lot of children's songs are of this type, but also so many hymns.  Examples: Jesus Loves Me.

 

Prayer/Offering.  These are prayers that are sung.  These are great as special music, times of contemplation, or as a way to conclude a gathering.  Examples: You Said; Lift It.

Music at Youth Gathering - part 4

IOUD

Inward. Inward songs are focused on us and our relationship to God. These songs have a lot of "I" in them. "I want to know You, I want to hear Your voice," etc. The lyrics lend themselves to intimate time with God and what.

Outward. Outward songs are focused on telling each other and the world about what we believe and what we will do. These songs have a lot of "we" in them. "We want to see Jesus lifted high," for example.

Upward. Upward songs are directed to God. There are a lot of "You" (big Y) in these songs.

Downward. Downward songs have lyrics that seem to be from the perspective of God to us. There are a lot of "you" (little y) in these songs. These are probably best done as special or supporting music, rather than a congregational song.

Now, get ready to have your brain wrinkled: some songs can be multiple combinations of the above mentioned types. For example, the song "You Said" both quotes God, "Ask and I'll give the nations to you," and has us, his people, responding to God, "That's the cry of my heart!"

Continued

Music at Youth Gathering - part 3

Purposeful Types of Worship Songs

There are many types of worship songs, and this list is not all inclusive.  This is designed to get your mind thinking about the purpose behind song selections.  This is not meant to limit God or the Holy Spirit.

Personal and Corporate

Michael Clary's blog talks about two types: personal and corporate.  Essentially, personal tend to be the "Jesus is my boyfriend" type of songs-- very intimate and ... personal.  As the author of that blog points out, "These may be great to listen to in the car or in one's own time with God, but are not appropriate for the gathered body."  Corporate are the songs that are designed to sing corporately (duh).  I shouldn't have to explain these further, and you can check out the resource article if you want more context.

Continued

Music at Youth Gathering - part 2

Sacred versus Christian

I have been trying to deliberately stop using the phrase "Christian Music."  That's really a marketing term, anyway.  Let's talk about sacred versus secular.  Sacred is the term that I have used to replace "Christian" when it comes to music.  I ask myself, "Is this music set apart to worship and lead into worship as engaging God and glorifying Him?"  Secular has a negative connotation about it, but it shouldn't.  To me, secular is just a broad term to describe music that was not written for the purpose of leading worship.  A lot of Christians have sung the song "Jesus Take the Wheel."  We could say that this is a "Christian" song, because it talks about Jesus.  But would we say that his is a sacred song that we should sing as part of our glorification and honoring God during our gatherings?  In most cases, the answer is no.

I listen to so-called "Christian radio" that plays CCM (Contemporary Christian Music).  These are positive songs that sing about God, but are not sung to God.  They're declarative in purpose, but fall short when it comes to directing focus on who God is.

Continued

Music at Youth Gathering - part 1

Stop the Music

As with all other aspects of a youth gathering, the music should serve a purpose. Music, however, is only a part of the overall gathering, and only a part of worship. Worship is the attitude with which one engages God. This series will not be a discussion about music style, so you won't find a rant about the Led Zepplin meets leprauchan style of "We Will Dance" (at least not in this series). Style is cultural. Worship is not.

It is important to worship with purpose. The music is not there merely to fill time or entertain. In fact, if the music at your youth gathering is there only to fill time or entertain, then stop the music. Don't let your musical worship time be merely a "song service." A song service is more performance oriented; singing songs without the expressed purpose of worship. It's easy to fall into the trap of wanting to bait students with popular songs. Don't get caught in that mindset! Even though a song is played on CCM radio doesn't mean it's a worship song.

First and foremost, make sure that the songs that are sung are theocentric (God-focused). Not all Christian or Gospel songs are designed for bringing focus to God. Some Christian artists just have good positive music, but the lyrical content is so watered down that the songs are not catalysts to engaging our creator.

Continued...

The Importance of Biblical Literacy

Biblical literacy to the modern Church is extremely important. As Bible-believing followers of Christ we have an obligation to know the Word upon which our faith is based. First we must define biblical literacy. Biblical literacy is being literate of the Bible, which not only is being able to read the Word at face value, but also being able to determine historical and cultural contexts and inter-contextual connections.

Nothing irritates me more than hearing some Christian thump someone on the head with their dazzling lack of Biblical knowledge in a heated argument. I hate to say it but many times this comes about from new Christians trying to hold fast to their new found faith. The idea is good; the execution of that idea is bad. Or, it commonly comes flying out of the mouth of pompous Christians trying to prove some sort of political or moral point based on a single piece of scripture taken entirely out of context.

I have bore witness to the most ridiculous arguments in the past between two such Christians. The idea of Christians quarreling like that is a completely separate rant. This argument was over whether or not the consumption of any alcohol was sin. One person was throwing out the idea that the body is the temple of God (1 Cor. 6:19-20) and we shouldn’t desecrate it with sin water. The other person’s argument was simply stating that Jesus made wine as his first miracle at a wedding (John 2:1-11) so it clearly wasn’t wrong. Both foundations of each individual’s arguments are true, so how can both arguments be right? Can both be wrong?

Questions Lead to Questions
Questions like these lead to further questions. In the original language of the New Testament, Greek, how was the word ‘wine’ used? What is Paul’s original context for saying that the body is the Temple of God? All of these questions can be answered with solid knowledge of biblical literacy.

In an effort to further illustrate this idea of the importance of biblical literacy, here’s an interesting thought; the prophecy of Emmanuel was fulfilled for the first time long before the birth of Christ. It is important here to note that the literal interpretation of Emmanuel is ‘God with us.’ The characteristics of the child Emmanuel are described in Isaiah 9:6-7. Traditional Christian beliefs hold that Jesus of Nazareth is the fulfillment of these descriptions. This is true, of course, so don’t get upset with me, but the first fulfillment happened before Jesus’ birth.

Matthew is the New Testament connection that claims Jesus is the fulfillment, or rather a re-fulfillment of the Emmanuel prophecy. Matthew’s gospel is written for a Jewish audience, knowing this he makes every effort to make sure that the reader has an assurance that Jesus of Nazareth is a sign that ‘God is with us’ (or Emmanuel) and the Messiah. He lets readers know this in Matthew 1:23 and he also quotes the famed passage of Isaiah 7:14 to really drive the point home.

A traditional Jewish audience would view that the prophecy of Emmanuel written in Isaiah would have already been fulfilled. Jewish readers understand the passages in Isaiah literally. The prophecy is therefore, referring to a child born during the reign of king Ahaz. King Ahaz was the initial receiver of the prophecy and does not consider the verses to be connected with the forthcoming Messiah. They would interpret the verse as referring to a son of Isaiah, Maher-shalal-hash-baz, who is called Emmanuel in Isaiah 8. With the birth of Maher-shalal-hash-baz comes the destruction of Damascus and Samaria, as Isaiah 7 predicts would accompany the birth of Emmanuel.

In this briefest of examples I hope that you will be able to see the importance of knowing the historical and cultural contexts of scripture as well as scriptural connections. It is importance for us not only to know scripture, but also to know its purpose, its authors, its cultures, and its contexts.

Having a grasp of biblical literacy on the topic of Emmanuel not only clues us in as to what the Word is saying, but also alludes to an aspect of the nature of prophecy, in that; a prophecy can be interpreted to be fulfilled more than once. Prophecy is, indeed, a delicate complexity. The Church often uses the prophetic to predict God’s impending doom or set forth a pre-determined course of action for something (or if you have or will ever attend a Bible college you will probably either be dumped or asked out based on a prophecy or leading). These are both true aspects of prophecy; however, it is not the whole of prophecy. A prophecy can still be a true prophecy even if it doesn’t ever occur. We learn this from the story of Jonah. Jonah once released from the whale makes his way to Nineveh and prophecies the city’s impending doom because of how they have been. We see that the city, to the odd discouragement of Jonah, repents and is saved. The gloomy prophecy is not fulfilled. Does that make it less from the Lord? Prophecy, in some cases, can serve as a warning and save people, thus preventing the actual fulfillment.

Let Your Faith Increase
It can be concluded that from a solid biblical literary standpoint that the prophetic doesn’t necessarily have to occur or merely be fulfilled once to be a true prophecy. The stipulation for prophecy is that it is from God. We also see in scripture that people can affect the outcome of prophecy in some instances. That, my friends, is mind-boggling.


Biblical literacy is an exceedingly important foundation of a Bible-believing faith. The next time you decide to sit down and let the Bible answer some questions of faith and life pick up a corresponding commentary and concordance and really have at it. Get lost in the scriptures and let them show you things you have never even thought of before. Let your faith increase!