Cradled Compromise
This topic has been on my mind for quite a while now. I’ve been thinking about it and going to the scripture about it. No Compromise is a way of life that I believe God’s Word demands of all Christians. There is a standard that God desires his people to live. I think that many have become confused and walked away from God’s true standard. Although this teaching can be applied to everyone personally, I would like to place this challenge on the Youth Ministries of our nation. Let’s lay some scriptural foundation first.
Psalms 119:1-3, “Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths.” (NLT)
2 Corinthians 6:17, “So leave the corruption and compromise, leave it for good,’ says God. ‘Don’t link up with those who will pollute you. I want you all for myself.” (Message)
Romans 12:2, “Don’t copy the behaviors and customs of this world” (NLT)
Ephesians 4:11-14, “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about every wind of new teaching. We will no longer be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.” (NLT)
2 Corinthians 10:12, “..But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant!” (NLT)
Hebrews 4:12, “For the Word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” (NLT)
Recently I was at a regional youth event promoting abstenence of sex until marriage. The major theme of this year’s event was encouraging young people to “do it the right way.” So apparently, they wanted to communicate the message that it isn’t just about not having sex. True love waiting is more than that. I thought to myself, this is pretty good. I agree with that. Then a video was played of two young people who decided to “do it the right way.” These two 16 year old teens who were dating described how they were “keeping God first” in their relationship. Video clips of them walking romantically holding hands and gazing into each others eyes romantically played in the background. They described how they did devotions together and only went into each others bed rooms to hang out if they kept the door OPEN!…blah blah blah. My heart sank deep into my chest as I watched the message being preached to 1000 teens at this event. I watched. I listened. I observed the youth watching and listening and the youth pastors watching and smiling in approval of their success in preaching this message of compromise. It hit me like a ton of bricks.
God’s Word has challenged us, especially those entrusted with 5-fold ministry calling, to hold up the high standard of God’s Word; to set ourselves apart from the world, to operate in a different set of standards and values than the rest of the world lives, to challenge youth to live for God and not for themselves or the world, to achieve their destiny and to preach a message that echoes these very aspects. But we have failed! Either through our impotent, heretical, non-Biblically based, two-inch deep theology or through our lack of communicating God’s Word at all, we have sinned by missing the mark.
Many youth ministries of America need to get on their knees and repent. Ask for God’s mercy and forgiveness for preaching and teaching generations to Cradle their Compromise. Instead of No Compromise, we have preached Compromise Management. Instead of communicating clearly what God’s Word says, we have taught generations of youth how to keep God first in the midst of their compromise. God’s Word does not challenge us to keep God first in our compromise but to “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). We cannot simply teach youth to sprinkle some weak principles of God’s Word on whatever world and life philosophy they have chosen to live.
4 Priorities of Healthy Youth Ministries:
- Prayer – make it a part of what is seen and unseen in your youth ministry; in your services, meetings, sermon preparation & delivery, team building, leadership, personal life, counseling, etc…
- God’s Word – The Bible. Surprisingly, the vast majority of youth ministries do not even preach the Bible or use the Bible in a given week. Stories, games, fun, positive messages, activities, retreats do not change lives and claim destinies. Only God’s Word will give life and produce good fruit. One powerful scripture in proper context will do more than 1000 great stories about good living. If you want to see fruit in your youth ministry, then plant seeds with God’s Word.
- Preach & Teach- whenever you come together preach & teach the Word of God. Do something that will produce eternal fruit. Why don’t youth stop sinning? They just don’t seem to get better and you are getting frustrated. Then preach the Word. Watch God work. If you don’t know how to preach then find someone who can or talk to your senior pastor and ask. If you do nothing else, give them one powerful scripture. Let the Holy Spirit work with something.
- Praise & Worship – John 4:23,24 tells us that God is actively searching for true worshipers who worship God in spirit and in truth. As a youth pastor or leader you need to know what it means to worship God this way. Teach young people how to worship corporately even if you have to put a Hillsong United DVD on to watch. Worship is a lifestyle and not a service but something prophetic and powerful takes place when young people learn how to actively worship together.
What’s missing from this list in your mind? Games, activities, retreats, skiing, skating, basketball, fundraisers, small groups, outreach, cook-outs, theme nights, etc…All these things are great but without those 4 Priorities nothing else matters. If you have these 4 Priorities down, then everything else you do will be great and will be icing on the cake. Go for it. I’m all about games, small groups, fun, retreats, camps, outreaches, campuses, and basketball. But if we are not (as youth pastors and leaders) praying, communicating God’s Word, Preaching & Teaching, and Praise & Worshiping God then we might as well go home. We can no longer teach this generation to Cradle Compromise.
You can do it. NO COMPROMISE! Let all your streams (ideas, creativity, vision, passion, and standards) be found in our God. Psalms 87:7 (Shout out to Pastor Donna!)
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PC, that is such a good word man! I only hope that we can get all of the youth in the world on board with such an idea and an undertaking. Ultimately, our goal should be to change the world one young person at a time. May the Spirit be with us.
YES YES YES!!! Was that unclear in any way? Geez O’Pete, Pastor Craig! Does it count to shout “Amen!” at my computer screen? I appreciate your bold stand for God’s concept of purity! I’m trying to do my part as a parent, both of my young teens have read through that book on “avoiding emotional promiscuity”; and they’re aware they are absorbing not-so-popular truth!
Craig, it seems that the difference between those who take the Bible seriously and those who take the watered-down version (like the teenage couple holding hands in the video you described) is that the former are living for God with 100% of themselves, while the latter is playing both fields, trying to gain favor with their youth pastors for technically abstaining from sex until marriage, but pretty much secretly wanting premarital sex all the while!
You are totally right!
Hi Pastor Craig! Its nice to have you writing, its almost like having you here preaching to us.
We miss you tons!
Remember that purity series you did in the power house almost forever ago? It will always stick in my mind… I had just come into youth (I think) and having this be the first thing given to me made a huge impact in my life. (thanks)
You have a heart for what you preach. You believe firmly in it and you preach it in a way that really feeds kids and that sticks with them. You are awesome, and pretty crazy too.
Kendall
This is a Great message Pastor Craig! I remember when we had the youth camp on No Compromise. It was my most memorable youth camp! and it stuck with me forever!
Miss you!
Thank you!
I have read a few of the articles on your website now, and I really like your style of blogging. I added it to my favorites weblog list and will be checking back soon. Please check out my site as well and let me know what you think.
Great article 9/10! Bookmarked