Teen Visitation, Mission Trips, Summer Stomp, Bus Ministry. These are just some of the ways you can get involved in our youth group to serve God.
But why do you serve God?
In Zechariah 7:2-13, we see a clear picture of people who served God on the outside. For 70 years the Israelites fasted for two months out of the year (that's 60 days with no food !!!) and put on ashes and sack cloth. On the outside they look religious. They looked like they were close with God. The unfortunate story in the opposite. They really did not care about God or the things of God. They did not serve for the right reasons.
How about you? Are you serving for God or yourself. Are you serving for your friends, parents or just to make yourself look like a Christian. Maybe your parents make you or you just do it because your supposed to (It's your duty). I Corinthian 3:10-15 teaches that the wrong motivation of service does not get reward in heaven. It is all just wood, hay and stubble that get burned with fire.
We need to realize that our service/ministry has nothing to do with us, it is about God and His glory. After all it is God's ministry. It is God's youth group and it is God's church.
Mathew 15:7-9 makes it quite clear. We need young people with all the outward conformity ("the look") of a Christian. Not for a show but with the desire to please and serve God.
Take this simple example.
God says to dress modest. This is a rule. If we decide to ingore this rule then we sin against God. Rules without relationship always leads to rebellion. In this case, rebellion against God.
The problem is that to many young people have a religion but they do not have a relationship with God.
Let's get our relationship with God right and serve for His glory.
