My youth group recently attended Momentum National Youth Conference. This year’s theme was based on Kyle Idleman’s book Not a Fan. Each speaker challenged us to not just be a fan of Jesus, but to follow him with everything we are. It’s such a simple concept, yet each and every one of us seems to struggle with it.
Some things I learned from the week:
- I need to define my relationship with Christ. Do I exclusively belong to Jesus?
- Have I been raised in the Church or in Christ?
- What did I have to say no to, to say yes to Jesus?
- “Good behavior” should not be my goal, but the result of loving God more deeply.
- You can’t clean a fish before you catch it.
- “I need to be willing to do crazy, stupid stuff to share Jesus with people.” – Greg Stier
- “When you stand before the God of the universe, what good is your personal resume going to be?” – Trip Lee
- A lot of people have the right destination [Heaven] in their GPS, but don’t follow the instructions to get there. The Bible is our roadmap and following Jesus is the only way to Heaven.
- God’s absolutes are absolutely good.
- I can trust the Word of God because the Word of God died for me.
- I can follow the Truth, because I know who gave it.
- “Before you jump over a fence, ask why it was put there.” – Keith Minier
- “Maybe you have a hard time listening to God’s Word because you don’t know God.” – Keith Minier
- Take up your cross daily. It’s a continuous struggle.
- “A Christian out of God’s will is like a fish out of water. He’s going to struggle until you put him back in the water.” – Afshin Ziafat
- The remedy for loneliness is to serve.
- “It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” (1 Peter 3:17)
It’s easy to just let the week be a spiritual high and return to our everyday lives, but it’s more than a spiritual high. It’s the difference between being a fan of Jesus and a follower of Jesus. Momentum doesn’t end when you get home. Continue to live on mission.
Luke 9:23
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
Some things I learned from the week:
- I need to define my relationship with Christ. Do I exclusively belong to Jesus?
- Have I been raised in the Church or in Christ?
- What did I have to say no to, to say yes to Jesus?
- “Good behavior” should not be my goal, but the result of loving God more deeply.
- You can’t clean a fish before you catch it.
- “I need to be willing to do crazy, stupid stuff to share Jesus with people.” – Greg Stier
- “When you stand before the God of the universe, what good is your personal resume going to be?” – Trip Lee
- A lot of people have the right destination [Heaven] in their GPS, but don’t follow the instructions to get there. The Bible is our roadmap and following Jesus is the only way to Heaven.
- God’s absolutes are absolutely good.
- I can trust the Word of God because the Word of God died for me.
- I can follow the Truth, because I know who gave it.
- “Before you jump over a fence, ask why it was put there.” – Keith Minier
- “Maybe you have a hard time listening to God’s Word because you don’t know God.” – Keith Minier
- Take up your cross daily. It’s a continuous struggle.
- “A Christian out of God’s will is like a fish out of water. He’s going to struggle until you put him back in the water.” – Afshin Ziafat
- The remedy for loneliness is to serve.
- “It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” (1 Peter 3:17)
It’s easy to just let the week be a spiritual high and return to our everyday lives, but it’s more than a spiritual high. It’s the difference between being a fan of Jesus and a follower of Jesus. Momentum doesn’t end when you get home. Continue to live on mission.
Luke 9:23
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”