(Talk given to Teens Ministry 2 weeks ago by T.)
Good morning, dear brothers and sisters in Christ. I thank you for having me speak to you today. When I was asked to speak on the topic of "World-Class Christian vs. Worldly Christian", I became very confused.
You mean there are many “kinds” of Christian? Can a Christian choose to be either World-Class or Worldly? Today, I ask for your help to find out the true answer.
Now, what is a World-Class or Worldly Christian? Christian pastor Rick Warren described them like this:
| WORLDLY | WORLD-CLASS |
| Self-Centered Thinking It’s all about how God can fulfill the Worldly Christian’s own goal & purpose. Local Thinking It’s all about putting first the Worldly Christian’s own self, own family, own friends, own community. Here-And-Now Thinking It’s all about satisfying the Worldly Christian’s lusts and desires NOW with worldly things that will not last forever. | Other-Centered Thinking It’s all about what God wants and what others whom He loves need now. Global Thinking It’s all about proclaiming God’s salvation through Christ to ALL people who are not even own friends, maybe even enemies. Eternity Thinking It’s all about hoping in God’s promise to restore us to our inheritance that’s COMING, of eternal life, heavenly treasure and an incorruptible body that last forever. |
So, we have examined each description for a World-Class Christian and a Worldly Christian. We have also put each description to the Holy Bible test of what Jesus says His followers should be.
How many of you now think that the description of a Worldly Christian is actually the description of sinners that Jesus says He reject?
How many of you think that the description of a World-Class Christian is actually the description of true disciples that Jesus says He will acknowledge to our Heavenly Father?
Does it not seem then that true Christians are saved by God for a purpose? They are made by God and saved through Christ for a mission: the mission of telling the world His Good News. (MARK
So, if we say that we are Christians, then we have to prove it by living out our Christian purpose, to tell everyone the good news of Jesus Christ; family, friends, schoolmates, teachers, strangers and even our enemies!
You may ask, “But why must God use us to talk about His Good News? After all, He is the Almighty God and He can do everything and anything! He can make sure the Good News is told to everyone in the world without me, right?”
Do you know the game called “Captain’s Ball”? We have a tougher game called the “Good News Ball”.
May I have 4 volunteers for a team please? Volunteer A will be called the Giver of Good News and will stand far from and facing Volunteer B: B will be called the Needy of Good News but must face away from the Giver. Volunteer C & D are the Passers of The Good News ball. The Good News is this ball.
This is what you need to do:
- Giver and Needy cannot move from where they are. Giver must pass the Good News ball to Needy
- Needy must receive the Good News ball in his hands within 5 seconds or else Needy will “perish”
- Giver can use his Passers of the Good News ball: Passers can move anywhere but when they hold the ball, they must stay still and not move
- Only both hands can touch the Good News ball. If the ball touches any other part of the body or drops to the floor, the ball must start again from the Giver.
Okay, ready? Great, now divide yourselves into teams of 4 and choose who will be the Giver and Needy. Let’s see which team can get their Good News ball to Needy the fastest. Are you ready? Get Set! GO!
5 seconds are up! Very good! Now, we will have a second round and this time we see which team sets the fastest record of passing the Good News ball to Needy. You can discuss for 3 minutes how to be the fastest team.
3 minutes are up. Get into your teams now, Givers and Needys get into positions. Are you ready? Get set? Go! And what a new record!!!
Settle down now. That was great teamwork and effort. You see, God can do everything and anything. But for Needy to truly repent and turn back to face God, Needy needs to have the Good News ball in his hands first; and Needy cannot catch the Good News ball properly if he is facing away from God. We learn in the Bible that we who are Needy for God’s forgiveness cannot turn around on our own to face God because of sin in our lives.
So God uses His saints, prophets, apostles, evangelists and missionaries: these people are the Passers of the Good News on God’s team. When God uses His Passers of Good News, the Good News can be offered to the face of Needy who is still facing away from God. If Needy accepts to take the Good News from the Passers hands, this will then allow Needy to turn away from his sinful life and the world; it will allow Needy to turn his face back towards God, receive eternal life and not perish. (Ephesians 2:4-6; Colossians
If you truly believe in Jesus Christ and are a Christian, you are then on God’s team. As God’s team members, we are all called to be Passers of the Good News. Like other teams in sports, if we do not do what the team captain is doing Himself, then we are not part of the team at all. (John
So if we are not actively passing the Good News to those who need God’s Good News, we are not really on God’s team. If we do not find out if any of our family, friends or schoolmates need God’s Good News of Jesus Christ, then we cannot pass the Good News to them, we are also not on God’s team.
“For ‘Whoever will call on the Name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News of Good Things!” Romans 10:13-15.
Do you want to have beautiful feet? Do you want Jesus to tell you that your feet are beautiful? Then you will need to bring the Good News of Good Things to those who need it.
I am passing out Beautiful Foots and I want you to spend 5 minutes praying to God for a family member, friend, schoolmate or even someone who hardly know, someone you know need the Good News.
If you think you don’t know anyone, then ask God right now to give you a picture or a name of a person He knows who needs to receive the Good News from you.
Write that person’s name down. If you want to decorate the feet to make it “feel” like this person, go ahead.
Ask God, how can you bring the Good News to him so he will hold it in his two hands and turn his face back to God. Then when you’re done, put your Beautiful Foot with your Needy’s name into this Feet For God Box here as your dedication to God to live your life as a way for your Needy to see the Good News in your life, so that Needy will want your Good News and to turn back to God.
Let’s pray.
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