HELPING PEOPLE DEVELOP A MEANINGFUL LIFE (part 3)

People are created to be like Christ

Let’s review: Part 1 is: We were planned for God’s pleasure, and that’s called worship. Part 2 is: We Find Meaning in Community, that’s called relationships or fellowship.

Now, there’s a third reason God made us. He created each one of us to be like Christ, and we call that discipleship. God works in our lives to transform us into the likeness of his Son, Jesus Christ.

The Bible says in Romans 8:29 (HCSB)
For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.

We need to have a clear understanding that Jesus was not an accident. His birth and our lives are all part of God’s original plan. God still working the same plan today that He has had from the very beginning of time.

God’s plan needs to become our plan -- immediately! Our goal needs to be to help the people around us to become more and more like Christ. Part of the process is helping them understand how God is going to take them through everything that happens in their life.  Just as Jesus went through joy we too will experience joy. Just like he went through sorrow, we too will experience sorrow.

Was there a time when Jesus was lonely? Yes.
Was there a time when Jesus was tempted? Yes.
Was there a time when Jesus was unpopular? Yes.
Misunderstood? Yes.
Criticized? Yes.
Went without basic needs? Yes.
Was there ever a time in Jesus’ life when things left him uncomfortable? Absolutely.

Our lives are filled with all these problems and too many more to list here. We need to remember God is not only in control, but He is right there with us in our Joys and our sorrows.  Only then can they truly become like Jesus.  Perhaps Corrie Ten Boom said it best when she wrote:

“No pit is so deep that He is not deeper still; with Jesus even in our darkest moments, the best remains and the very best is yet to be.”

The Bible also says that other people are able to see God at work through our own suffering.

“It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. John 9:3 (NLT)

In order to produce the fruit of the Spirit in us, God will place us in difficult situations, surrounded by people who don’t like us, won’t try to understand us and often will treat us unfairly. Our faithfulness through trials will help others to see their problems from God’s
perspective and will help them submit to his sovereign hand as he works to make them more like Christ.

TEEN CRISIS INTERVENTION (part 2)

Three Reasons to Help a Teen in Crisis

Now when Job’s three friends...heard about all this adversity that had happened to him, each of them came from his home. They met together to go and offer sympathy and comfort to him. Job 2:11 (HCSB)

1. When I was hurting God provided someone to help me.

Everyone of us has gone through or is presently going through a time of crisis.  (Personally my teen and college years were one crisis after another.)  Each time we experience a crisis God puts not only one, but usually several people, in our lives to be there for us.  This includes the Holy Spirit!

While I do not recommend the movie Pay it Forward (because of the excessive foul language) I do recommend the philosophy.  Someone was there for me, so I should be there for someone else.

Ignoring a person in crisis is equal to ignoring a person drowning in a pool.  Most people describe their crisis as feeling like they are drowning.  Job was in a crisis greater than most of us can imagine, he lost his property, his children, and his health.  But he still had three good friends who were there for him. 

2. When I needed someone no one but God helped me.

This reason is the opposing cause with the same result as the reason above.  Perhaps you experienced a life crisis alone (this never happens for believers because the Holy Spirit is always with us).  You know how hard it is to survive a crisis.  Surviving a crisis, either alone or with friends, highlights the importance of having a friend(s) to lean on and to provide that extra help to those in crisis.

Choose to be that person for someone else.  Job’s friends weren’t there by accident, even Jesus sought comfort and support from his friends while he was experiencing his crisis in the garden the night before his death (Mt. 26:38).

3. God is giving me an opportunity to participate in HIS work.

Each one of us has been commanded by God to love God and love people (Mt. .  Part of loving God is to love the things HE loves, that includes people.  Part of loving people is helping each other through various crises we experience in life.  There is a word we use for this, it’s discipleship.

God not only directs us, but HE also empowers us to help each other.  THIS DOESN’T MEAN WE ARE TO BECOME "THE SPIRITUAL ANSWER MAN."   I am convinced the best answer to helping those in crisis is, “I don’t know, but lets find out together.” 

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified. Isaiah 61:1-3 (NASB)

TEEN CRISIS INTERVENTION (pt. 1)

 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" And he said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"   Genesis 4:9 (NASB)

(note: For the purposes of this series of posts, the terms parent and step-parent are interchangeable)

    I am convinced the correct answer to Cane’s question is a resounding “YES!”  If we take time to reason out the complete meaning of “Loving God and Loving People” then we conclude that loving God means caring for (Gen. 2:15) God’s creation and loving the things HE loves.  Loving people, means we take an active role in helping and protecting each other.  This brings us to Cane’s question and my response to that question.  When people are in crisis, either physical, spiritual, or emotional, the loving response is to intervene. 

The age group at greatest risk today is that group between the ages of 11 to 25.  The key ingredient in crisis intervention for this age group is loving parents.

Intervention (or in Cane’s words, “becoming my brother’s keeper”) cannot be left up to parents alone.  There are too many angles of attack for parents to handle the battle alone.  A battle that often overwhelms single parents.  The battle against self destruction requires other adults to work along side of parents toward protecting students from the messages of self-destruction that appear to be bombarding teens daily.  In short, crisis intervention involves Christian adults battling the cultural forces that make destructive solutions attractive to troubled teens.

Teens in crisis will only get the intervention they need when adults acknowledge that a crisis exists.