Last week was our first Fall discipleship class. This will be our 4th semester of discipleship classes. That is incredibly hard to believe given the amount of prayer, time, and planning that occurred years before the first class ever started. It's hard to believe that Michael and I have already been at Gainsville 3 years and are now standing on this side of the whole debate on Discipleship classes.
With all that to said, this semester I'm finally getting the chance to lead a girls Bible study that ranges from girls in middle school to girls who are in their later years of college (and a some older) :-) Saying that I'm totally excited and grateful these girls have come would be an understatement! In previous semesters, I have had the privilege to teach children - how to study the Bible and who God is! What an awesome opportunity it has been to teach them; however, my God-given desire is for girls and to see them turn radically to Christ and find Him as their all-sufficient Savior!
Last week in our introduction, we looked at what the culture defines as wild and wise. We looked at the hottest and latest fashion/teen magazines for "guidance". To say the very least, our culture is full of selling wild and foolishness disguised as wisdom. As I thumbed through the magazines, I wish I could say that it shocked me, but sadly, this was not the case. For some of the younger girls, they were somewhat shocked, but my high schoolers were not phased in the least. Don't get me wrong, they knew it was foolish and, thankfully, none of my girls dress like the examples we saw, but still...As a matter of fact, I face it everyday as I look at my students and other students walking in the hallways. What are they thinking? I wish I could grab hold of them and shake them. I want to wake them up! I want them to see that their path leads to destruction.
What keeps me from shaking them and asking them, "Why do you dress like that?" or "Why are you hugging and kissing all over that guy one day and another one the next?" or "Why are you using that kind of language?" The questions could go on and on, couldn't they?
What keeps me from doing that?
Their heart.
It is dead.
I weep as I write those words. O God, save them. I hear Paul's word through God's inspiration echo "And you were dead....dead...in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world."
Those apart from Christ are dead. I was dead. When we are dead, what do we do? According to Scripture, we walk following the course of this world. We cannot expect non-Christians to suddenly act like Christians apart from being in Christ. Likewise, we SHOULD not expect or tolerate Christians who "follow the course of this world." The Bible identifies that as sin.
Now before you think that I'm suddenly going to start a whole think on hypocrisy, I'm not. As I challenged the girls on Sunday night, we looked at Ephesians 5. Our primary focus was on Ephesians 5:15, "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise." I asked our girls to look back at verse 1. "Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children." We looked at what "therefore'' was there for. In light of the Gospel - God, in his grace, sending Jesus to die on account for our sins and fully taking on the wrath of God that was rightfully due to us, taking it upon Himself and exchanging our sin for His righteousness so that we could fellowship with Christ - now, in light of that - "Be imitators of God and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us." In the following verse Paul outlines things that believers, true followers of Christ, should not do. This is not a checklist that Christians should do this and not do this, but it all rests in verse 1 - be imitators of God. That is what true followers of Christ are to be - Imitators! With all my heart I desire to be an imitator of God. With all my heart I desire for our students - the girls sitting in this Bible study to be imitators of God. Please pray that we would be faithful followers and imitators of our Most Holy God. After all God Himself said, "Be holy, for I am holy" (Lev. 11:44; 1 Peter 1:15)
In closing, I know that some of you reading this are and have been praying for our bible study and for that, I'm incredibly grateful for. I desperately covet your prayers - I need them as I am unable to faithfully teach them apart from the Spirit's work and for them, as only God in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit can change their hearts. I sense the Spirit eager to work and that causes my heart to fill like it will explode!
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