2 Corinthians 3 | More Than Dodgeball

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Mirror

What do you see when you look in the mirror? Ok. Stop and go look before reading. Really look at yourself.

(humming Jeopardy tune)

Ok. Good. You’re back and ready to continue. So, what did you see? Are you being truthful to yourself? I can speak personally that I see a guy who is about to have another birthday, who feels much younger inside than his outward appearance shows, needs to lose some weight, could use a haircut, one eyes seems slightly closed more than the other, looks tired and worn down from chasing a toddler around and investing in the lives of students…you get the drift. What do you see?

Let me ask another question. What do you want to see? I used to want to see a pretty good looking guy with 0-2% body fat who wore the latest fashion and everyone wanted to know. Not anymore! As a side note my flesh still wants that, but I really want to see with my spiritual eyes.

2 Corinthians 3:18 says, So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord–who is the Spirit–makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

Would that not be the coolest thing in the world? To have the veil removed that blocks our vision and spiritually see and reflect the glory of the Lord? How would we live then? I guarantee that we would live with the utmost confident in Christ and I pray that we would remember it’s Him we see, not ourselves.

To do that I believe there are a few things we must adjust in our thinking.

1. Does Jesus know you?
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-just as the Father knows me and I know the Father-and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10:14-15)

If you do not know Jesus, this would be your first step. How can any of us reflect Christ if we have no relationship with Him? You’re right! We can’t. So our first step is to realize we are a sinner, we need help, that you believe Jesus literally died on a cross for your sins and rose again 3 days later to conquer the sting of death, and make the decision to follow Him from this moment forward. (see John 3:16 also)

2. We need to stop believing we are worthless.
Galatians 2:20 says, My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

We are here for a specific purpose. Yes, there is a reason YOU are living right this very second at this very year. God wants to use your for something amazing and it’s only when you are willing that you can move into your true calling. Notice I didn’t say when you are ready. Willing. Willing to climb mountains, jump rivers, swim oceans, walk through fire, jump on crushed glass…make sense? In other words when you are willing to do whatever He tells you to do. It’s not you who live, but Christ who lives in you. So you are NOT worthless since He now lives in you!

3. We need to be ready to do anything, even die.
This life is short compared to eternity and there is only one decision you’ll ever make that effects your eternity. Would you die to tell others about Jesus? In other words, would you be willing to literally sacrifice everything you have for someone else to come to a relationship with Him?

On the flip side, if you don’t know Jesus, would you die to your old self to start a new life with Christ?

For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. (Philippians 1:21)

The simple solution is that we do anything God ask of us and let Him determine the outcome.

4. Mistaken for Jesus
Can you see God reflecting in your life? Is the fruit of the Spirit evident in your life as Galatians 5 talks of?

I can say that I’m failing miserably at reflecting Christ, but I want to desperately be mistaken for Jesus. Yes, mistaken for Jesus. I want Him to radiate through everything I do, everything I touch, and everyone I meet.

Now go look in the mirror again and pray to God to make Him evident in your life. Pray that people see Him in your life and His Spirit reflecting back when others see you. Let’s be mistaken for Jesus and not just when we are alone and looking in the mirror.

Nick Fry blogs at http://morethanscars.comand serves as the youth pastor at Crosspoint Community Church in Huntington, WV.

Add Comment February 10, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: Unleashed by Greg Stier

As you all know, it takes a lot of effort to deliver a stellar outreach meeting, and opinions differ on which of the following are most likely to draw teens in and transform lives:

A worthy, engaging service project
Great pizza
Crazy, fun games
Your skill at juggling flaming poodles

While the argument could be made that any and all of the above have played a role in bringing teens to Christ (maybe not the poodles…), I believe the very best outreach meeting looks entirely different.

That’s because your teens themselves are the very best outreach meeting ever. When you train and equip them to share the gospel with their friends, you unleash them to become a walking, talking outreach meeting everywhere they go!

Check out the Apostle Paul’s effectiveness in multiplying his ministry by pouring into the lives of those in his spiritual care:

You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts (2 Corinthians 3:2-3).

Your teens are a letter from Christ, known and read by everybody.

But do you have a strategy for training and equipping your students to become a powerful and compelling letter from Christ? Do they know how to share the gospel? Have you unleashed them to impact their friends for Jesus? If you have an evangelism training strategy that’s working, GREAT! If you don’t, it’s time to get one!

After all, the average teen has 102 friends. And friends have 100 times more influence on their own friends than a stranger does. By training and equipping your teens to be that outreach meeting every day, you leverage their influence and unleash them for relational evangelism. And friends who would never set foot in a youth group meeting will have the chance to hear the Good News.

When you motivate and mobilize your teens to share their faith, everywhere they go they’ll be unleashed to be the best outreach meeting you’ve ever delivered.

If you want some help with evangelism training we have a conference that has helped thousands of teens become more comfortable sharing their faith. In fact, that is what our evangelism training conferences are all about! Click here for more information on Dare 2 Share or to find if the un. Tour conference is coming to an area near you.

Greg Stier is a husband, a father, a preacher, an author, a twitchy revolutionary and a fanatic for Jesus. His life work is Dare2Share, followed closely by his blog about youth ministry.