Two weeks ago we began a study of the valuable contribution that young people can and are making to the cause of New Testament Christianity and how we as adults should respond to their efforts. Today is post number three.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).
Christians have the distinct responsibility to be different. The way we walk, the way we talk; generally how we live is to be unique, even peculiar (1 Peter 2:9). As the church we are “the called out ones”, called out of darkness and into the marvelous light of Jesus Christ. That call is just as great a challenge now as it ever has been.
But that challenge is one that children of God, young and old alike, must face. So when Paul wrote to let Timothy know how he could gain the respect of his brethren not only in his youth, but also because of his youth, he told him to be an example of the believers in conversation. However, the word “conversation” is much broader than one might typically assume. It refers not only to verbal conversation but active conversation, or our manner of life. In fact, the New King James Version and the English Standard Version both translate this word as “conduct.” It is an all-encompassing term with reference to how we approach living.
It has been said that our lives are the most effective sermons that people will ever hear. Why else would Jesus have issued the command to “let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). People are impacted by what they see. If they see us reflecting the light of true righteousness they will be more likely influenced to do the same. If they see us constantly turn to sin they will be more influenced to live as sinners themselves. Like elders, all Christians need to be blameless and have a good report of others (1 Timothy 3:2,7). This only comes through a commitment to pure living. To this end I offer three suggestions:
- Let God be your guide. Don’t allow yourself to be overly concerned with what everyone around you thinks or what everyone around you does. Be a Christian. Know what is right and what is wrong and in the words of Paul, “prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22).
- Be picky with your peers. It has been said that the great thing about your friends is that you get to pick them. So when you do, do so deliberately. Choose to make friends with other young people who maintain the same values as you. They may or may not be Christians, but if they at least maintain the same strict moral code to which you have been called there should be little to no conflict of interests.
- Stay committed to Christianity. At the end of the day we must all remember that the most important thing in life is our bond with God. Relationships may come and go, moments are fleeting, but our souls will live forever. When we realize that there is no relationship, no experience, and no event that should stand between me and heaven it makes the decision making process for young Christians much, much easier.
That is how we change the world. That is how we preserve the purity of the church. It starts with young people who commit themselves to righteous living who grow into adults committed to righteous living, who then in turn can impact a new generation of younger Christians into righteous living. That is how our profiting can appear to all. We must be an example in conversation.
-Andy Brewer