Why LEARN?

This past Sunday, our Pastor shared with us more about the growth area LEARN. Early in his sermon, he made a statement about this growth area--that it was fundamental in our growth as Christians. Basically, a growing Christian must be a learning Christian. LEARN helps us equip ourselves for each other growth area: LOVE, OBEY, TRUST, SHARE, WORSHIP. When DW made that statement, I made a mental note of it--one that stuck with me. And God began to reveal to me its truth.

Remember the video from Sunday--the testimony about transformation? There's always a back story. I want to share some of that with you, and focus on the couple of kids who led that young man to Christ for a moment.
1.LEARN -- Those kids were nourished in the WORD. When words and reason and difficult questions came about, they had hearts and heads full of the knowledge of Scripture -- the revealed WORD -- and could share effectively.
2. SHARE--This was a natural extension of learning for them, even though it wasn't necessarily the "cool" thing for a 16 year old to do.
3. TRUST -- When he got off the phone after sharing that first verse, the youth asked his Dad -- "Dad, did I say the right thing?" His dad reassured him. This kid was a good steward of what he had been given. He was able to trust God to grow the seed that was planted, and God was able to trust him, because they were in relationship with one another, and the kid had been faithful in his walk with the Lord.
4. LOVE (& SHARE) -- Another youth (along with the first one) spent years loving on this kid--before and after sharing that initial verse. If you'll remember in the video, it took a year and a half before that kid fully accepted Christ. But it wasn't a year and a half without significant spiritual conversations. It was built on a lifetime of friendship, so when it came time to have that conversation and others it came naturally. It was a relationship built between people, a respect, so that an invitation to camp could be extended, and accepted.
5. OBEY-- As I mentioned earlier, sharing came easy because the kids were nourished in the WORD and practiced their faith. Remember, this kid didn't just see them with their church clothes on. He saw them everyday at school. If they'd been living disingenuous lives, he'd never have listened to a word they said.
6. WORSHIP -- Before that kid went to camp (this wasn't in the video, but he told me this), he came and checked out High Tide, the Wednesday night youth worship. Watching his friends from school authentically and passionately worship God affected him. He went home, and called another lost friend and said, "Dude, I think I'm going to camp for God..." Through the worship of others, he was directed to the Living God!

What these youth had LEARNed through relationship with Christ provided the foundation for each of these other areas of growth and for the contribution to another's story of transformation.

One quick Abby story and I'm done...

Two weeks ago, Abby was late getting to the car after school. I wasn't paying much attention because I was on a phone call, had had a terrible day, and she was not my focus. She got in the car and waited for me to get off the phone. She was so excited. She said, "Mom, do you want to know why I'm late?" I looked at the clock...the first time I realized that she actually was late...like I said, I was in my own little world. She said, "I think I had the opportunity to touch someone's heart for God today." I can tell you, I immediately put the phone down, and she had my entire focus.

She was late because she was sharing with another little girl. Abby had taken her Bible Drill memory cards to school. They are like flash cards. During their independent study time, she took them out and was memorizing them. A little girl, who is unchurched, saw them and asked Abby about them after school. Abby pulled them out and shared some of the verses with her. The girl didn't know anything about the Bible, but she thought it looked like a "cool game." She asked Abby, "Could you get ME some cards so I can learn about the Bible, too?" Of course, Abby couldn't wait to get the cards and share them with her friend.

WOW! God will use us if we just daily live in relationship with Him and follow Him. He will reveal Himself to us through His WORD and through being in relationship with Him.

The verse that the youth in Sunday's video shared was 2 Corinthians 4:18, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." After he said that verse, we sang "Hosanna" by Brooke Frasier which contains the line, "Heal my heart and make it clean. Open up my eyes to the things unseen. Show me how to love like You have loved me." That's my prayer for us this week--that He will open our eyes to the things unseen and show us how to grow daily in His love as we reach this world for Christ! Who knows who's transformation story WE could be a part of this week?!