#3. The New Calvinism - 10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now - TIME
In 2006-2007 I lived in Hawaii (I was part of a Salvation Army missions and discipleship school, called Revolution Hawaii-- Highly Recommended---, by the way...!) for about 10 months and the Marshall Islands for two summers (summer mission trips). But now I'm back home... I currently work at the Coos Bay, OR Salvation Army After-School Program. We are a little bit like the boys and girls club, except we are Christian-based. I have worked there for two years as the Gymnasium Supervisor, but up until recently evangelizing the children had been at an all-time low. (I never wanted to be the one to evangelize the kids, especially this early on, because I felt I was not ready for it-- but I believe God has thrusted me into the position.) I always worried that I was not ready for such a high calling and responsibility, of having to communicate the gospel message... to children! Especially considering Jesus' words in Matt. 18:3-6 (ESV),"Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
Let's just say it is serious business to work with children...!
Well, to make a long story short, about ten years ago when I was in fifth grade in a Sunday School class, an old man named Mr. Glazener said to everybody, "I am going to take your pictures this week. Next week I will tell you what you are going to be when you grow up." And the following week he came and said, "Adam, you are going to be an evangelist." And, "James, you are going to be an engineer." I forgot about this until about three years ago. I don't know what happened to my buddy James, but I bet you he is an engineer. Well, like Jonah, I had been running from this call to preach the gospel for a long time, but by the grace of God-- I quit running. (Looking back, this is all very strange, considering that Mr. Glazener I do not think is much of a charismatic, and neither am I, and this kind of stuff does not happen very often to me...)
One night while I was wrestling with the call to preach, I realized I had been running from the call. I knew it deep down, but this time I finally realized it, and so I repented. Up until now, I was going to do anything BUT be a preacher. (In fact, I had a scholarship at a local community college and was heading towards becoming an ESL teacher with plans to be a school teacher one day.) Myself needing repentance was not easy to handle, considering that in the past years I had already been sent off as a missionary to the Hawaiian Islands and the Marshall Islands of Micronesia and now have returned back home... I wept uncontrollably that night and God was faithful to grant repentance. It was tough because nobody around me really understood what I was going through... Later when I met with some other local University of Oregon preachers, they understood how I felt when I told them about this... But the fact is, the weight of the calling to preach the gospel is heavy. [Currently, I am considering applying to The North American Reformed Seminary (free seminary!) to go for BA in Biblical Studies and M.of Divinity degrees.]
Preaching is such a humiliating work. I'm reminded of the words of Leonard Ravenhill, "Anyone who chooses to become a preacher is an idiot." It sounds extreme, but it's really true. There is not a more disagreeable job on earth! Also as the Apostle Paul said, "Who is sufficient for these things?" I knew that I was not-- and still, I am not sufficient in myself. "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God" Every time I preach, it feels like death to myself. It is only my prayer that God will by His sovereign grace bring the hearers of the gospel to life through the Word preached. [Don't misunderstand me... by God's grace I am getting better at preaching and public speaking... and kids are the most forgiving listeners ever! But in one sense, I am never able to communicate God's glorious gospel good enough! I always fall short and must depend on God for His strength and grace when preaching...]
About one month ago, as a mark of repentance, my friend Stephan and I began to preach the gospel every week to all of the kids, (approx. 15-30 in number & between 1st-8th grade), who come to our local Salvation Army After-school program. [Please keep in mind that 90% of these kids belong to unsaved parents and are completely unchurched; also about 50% of the kids live in broken homes with a single parent; and also about 75% of them have been diagnosed with ADD, ADHD or whatever... The neighborhood of our afterschool program is some-what of a "ghetto". And Coos County is the most meth infested county in the state of Oregon, which also I believe is the state with the highest meth per capita and the most liberal state in the USA...] We have been preaching through the Gospel of John. We lift up our Lord Jesus Christ high for everybody to see-- the kids and their parents. And I must say, my life has been changed! My prayer life. My personally Bible study. Everything. All of the sudden, now I am forced to stay up late into the night and rise early in the mornings to pray and study the Bible. I am desperate for God and His strength in this endeavor.
Not only have I been changed, but also many of the kids are beginning to demonstrate much interest in Jesus. Now they often will grab the church's Bibles from the library and come to myself or our volunteers and ask us to read it with them. The kids have began to draw pictures of the cross and write things like "I love God" or "I love Jesus". (However, they also write other legalistic things, like, "Do not cuss! Do not punch!" and things of that nature-- it is hard for children to understand abstract things...) Recently, after preaching on John 3, one little girl asked the supervisor, "Do I really need to be born again?" "Yes,..." she replied. But we are not following the typical sinners prayer method, but are trying to avoid that false assurance ideology. We make it clear they all must turn to God in prayer and believe in Jesus and ask to be forgiven for their sins and to save them from sin and hell. We also stress that if they really believe that they will do what Jesus says (obey Him) and that He will help them to do it.
About 3 weeks ago, I gave away 30 ESV Gospel of John's to about 15 kids. One for each child, and one for their parent(s). They were all so happy to receive them!
Also 3 weeks ago, I bought a Jesus StoryBook Bible, which seeks to make Jesus the center of every Bible story from the Bible that has been loosely paraphrased. Now for 3 weeks we have been reading 1-2 stories from the storybook to the kids during snack time EVERY DAY. They are loving it and soaking in all the stories. These stories are BRAND NEW to many of the kids. It is so exciting to see their faces light up at the Bible stories. I believe God is using this to set a foundation in their lives which will enable a greater understanding of the Gospel that is preached each Friday. I highly recommend this storybook "Bible"-- not as a substitute for the real thing, but as a supplement. The illustrations are top notch (for the most part), AND they are similiar to the style used in the stories the kids like to read at school nowadays. The following is an illustration of Christ praying in Gethsemane.
Well, to make a long story short, about ten years ago when I was in fifth grade in a Sunday School class, an old man named Mr. Glazener said to everybody, "I am going to take your pictures this week. Next week I will tell you what you are going to be when you grow up." And the following week he came and said, "Adam, you are going to be an evangelist." And, "James, you are going to be an engineer." I forgot about this until about three years ago. I don't know what happened to my buddy James, but I bet you he is an engineer. Well, like Jonah, I had been running from this call to preach the gospel for a long time, but by the grace of God-- I quit running. (Looking back, this is all very strange, considering that Mr. Glazener I do not think is much of a charismatic, and neither am I, and this kind of stuff does not happen very often to me...)
One night while I was wrestling with the call to preach, I realized I had been running from the call. I knew it deep down, but this time I finally realized it, and so I repented. Up until now, I was going to do anything BUT be a preacher. (In fact, I had a scholarship at a local community college and was heading towards becoming an ESL teacher with plans to be a school teacher one day.) Myself needing repentance was not easy to handle, considering that in the past years I had already been sent off as a missionary to the Hawaiian Islands and the Marshall Islands of Micronesia and now have returned back home... I wept uncontrollably that night and God was faithful to grant repentance. It was tough because nobody around me really understood what I was going through... Later when I met with some other local University of Oregon preachers, they understood how I felt when I told them about this... But the fact is, the weight of the calling to preach the gospel is heavy. [Currently, I am considering applying to The North American Reformed Seminary (free seminary!) to go for BA in Biblical Studies and M.of Divinity degrees.]
Preaching is such a humiliating work. I'm reminded of the words of Leonard Ravenhill, "Anyone who chooses to become a preacher is an idiot." It sounds extreme, but it's really true. There is not a more disagreeable job on earth! Also as the Apostle Paul said, "Who is sufficient for these things?" I knew that I was not-- and still, I am not sufficient in myself. "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God" Every time I preach, it feels like death to myself. It is only my prayer that God will by His sovereign grace bring the hearers of the gospel to life through the Word preached. [Don't misunderstand me... by God's grace I am getting better at preaching and public speaking... and kids are the most forgiving listeners ever! But in one sense, I am never able to communicate God's glorious gospel good enough! I always fall short and must depend on God for His strength and grace when preaching...]
About one month ago, as a mark of repentance, my friend Stephan and I began to preach the gospel every week to all of the kids, (approx. 15-30 in number & between 1st-8th grade), who come to our local Salvation Army After-school program. [Please keep in mind that 90% of these kids belong to unsaved parents and are completely unchurched; also about 50% of the kids live in broken homes with a single parent; and also about 75% of them have been diagnosed with ADD, ADHD or whatever... The neighborhood of our afterschool program is some-what of a "ghetto". And Coos County is the most meth infested county in the state of Oregon, which also I believe is the state with the highest meth per capita and the most liberal state in the USA...] We have been preaching through the Gospel of John. We lift up our Lord Jesus Christ high for everybody to see-- the kids and their parents. And I must say, my life has been changed! My prayer life. My personally Bible study. Everything. All of the sudden, now I am forced to stay up late into the night and rise early in the mornings to pray and study the Bible. I am desperate for God and His strength in this endeavor.
Not only have I been changed, but also many of the kids are beginning to demonstrate much interest in Jesus. Now they often will grab the church's Bibles from the library and come to myself or our volunteers and ask us to read it with them. The kids have began to draw pictures of the cross and write things like "I love God" or "I love Jesus". (However, they also write other legalistic things, like, "Do not cuss! Do not punch!" and things of that nature-- it is hard for children to understand abstract things...) Recently, after preaching on John 3, one little girl asked the supervisor, "Do I really need to be born again?" "Yes,..." she replied. But we are not following the typical sinners prayer method, but are trying to avoid that false assurance ideology. We make it clear they all must turn to God in prayer and believe in Jesus and ask to be forgiven for their sins and to save them from sin and hell. We also stress that if they really believe that they will do what Jesus says (obey Him) and that He will help them to do it.
About 3 weeks ago, I gave away 30 ESV Gospel of John's to about 15 kids. One for each child, and one for their parent(s). They were all so happy to receive them!
Also 3 weeks ago, I bought a Jesus StoryBook Bible, which seeks to make Jesus the center of every Bible story from the Bible that has been loosely paraphrased. Now for 3 weeks we have been reading 1-2 stories from the storybook to the kids during snack time EVERY DAY. They are loving it and soaking in all the stories. These stories are BRAND NEW to many of the kids. It is so exciting to see their faces light up at the Bible stories. I believe God is using this to set a foundation in their lives which will enable a greater understanding of the Gospel that is preached each Friday. I highly recommend this storybook "Bible"-- not as a substitute for the real thing, but as a supplement. The illustrations are top notch (for the most part), AND they are similiar to the style used in the stories the kids like to read at school nowadays. The following is an illustration of Christ praying in Gethsemane.
Now, here's the cool part, around this time I also began to pray that God would provide the money (through our local Salvation Army church, of which the afterschool program is an off-shoot...) to buy each kid their very own Jesus story book Bible. (They are about $11 each.) Well, two weeks ago, my pastor took an offering in the middle of church to do exactly what I prayed for! Here's the clincher... I NEVER asked him to do it! All I did was pray. Our pastor simply felt that previous saturday night as he read the Bible that he should take an offering to pay to get each kid their own storybook Bible! (For the record, though, he already knew that we were excited about using this book every day with the kids and I had in the past told him that I wished I could get this book for every single kid...) Well then, now in my home I have 20 Jesus Storybook Bibles and this upcoming Friday I believe we are going to give them out as a free gift to the kids with no strings attached.
Praise GOD!
Over the past 2 months, we covered the following 15 stories from the Jesus Storybook Bible with the kids at the Afterschool Program thus far:
[Note: The format is that while the children eat their snacks, we read the story from the book to them, then we dialogue about the story (and refresh previous stories), and then finally we close and pray.]
1. The Story & the Song. (We talked about the Bible and how it is not a book of rules, nor a book of heroes to imitate, but is a story-- a story of God and His redemption. God loves His children and comes to rescue them. Jesus is "like the missing piece in a puzzle" and every story whispers His name.)
2. The beginning: a perfect home. (We talked about how God is our creator and made the whole world. And it was good. There was no pain, no suffering, etc...)
3. The terrible lie. (We talked about how Adam & Eve were tempted by the snake (the devil, satan) and sinned and now they were kicked out the garden. Now we all die because of sin. Now life is hard, we work, have pain and suffering. But God already promised he would save them. That's why God gave Adam & Eve clothes made from animal skin and He took away the clothes they made themselves from plant leaves...)
4. A new beginning. (We talked about Noah's ark & God's holiness. God hates sin. But also like God saved Noah from the flood. So Jesus also saves Christians today from their sin, the devil, and hell. God promised never to flood the earth again and gave the rainbow. However, Jesus is coming again to judge the world and this world will be melted, and Christians look forward to a new world, the new heavens and new earth. (wherein righteousness dwells))
5. A giant staircase to heaven. (We talked about the tower of babel and why there are so many languages spoken through the world today. We talked about how the Bible and its' people did not speak english! We had some fun demonstrating the various languages spoken among us (English (duh!), German, Spanish, Marshallese, Tagalog, and Korean were all demonstrated and it was fun! lol.) Most of all, we talked about how we cannot work our way to heaven by doing good things or building towers, but that God must COME DOWN to save us, and He does that in Jesus.)
6. Son of Laughter. (We talked about God's promise to Abraham. That in him (his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, the chosen people, Israel, Christians...) all the nations of the earth would be blessed (because of Jesus). This was hard for old Abraham and Sarah to believe, but it was true... they had isaac, which means son of laughter...
7. The present. (We talked about how Abraham sacrificed Isaac to God (in his heart), and he was about to do it, but God stopped him. It was a test. Abraham obeyed. And he believed that God would raise Isaac back up from the dead, but instead God provided the ram as a substitute, just like Jesus died instead of us, bearing our sin on the cross-- so the ram was sacrificed instead of Isaac and Isaac was saved.
8. The girl no one wanted. (We talked about Jacob, Rachel, and Leah. God chose Leah to be blessed and be the one that the messiah would come from-- even though she was ugly and not the prettiest and not Jacob's favorite. God loved her. God's people don't need to be beautiful for God to love them. God loves ugly people and makes them beautiful.)
9. The forgiving prince. (We talked about Joseph. He was favored by his father. His brothers were jealous and so they sold him into slavery. Joseph ended up telling the Pharaoh what his dreams meant, (with God's help, of course), and so he became a great prince in Egypt. Later there was a famine and Joseph's brothers came to Egypt. Joseph saw them and embraced them and loved them even though his brothers had done all the bad things to him... Even though they meant it for evil, God meant it for good. God is in control!)
10 & 11. God to the rescue. (We talked about Moses, the burning bush, and the exodus over a period of two days. Moses turned aside to see the bush. We all must "turn aside to see", when God calls... God called moses to set his people free from slavery in Egypt. He went and told the Pharaoh to let my people go! ... after all the plagues..., he finally said OK GO. Then he changed his mind again and chased the Israelites... God opened the Red Sea and they all crossed safely, and not one of the pharaohs army survived. The kids love this story!)
12. Ten ways to be perfect. (We talked about the ten commandments & law. We talked about how it is good and right, and I told them that if they want to be perfect, like God requires us to be, then we must keep all of these commandments and not break any of them, from the time we are born to the end of our lives. One kid replied, "But that's impossible!!!" "Yes, RIGHT. I said, and that is why we must all be saved..." from there I briefly talked about that's why Jesus came and died, and the reason we all must turn to Him to be forgiven for our sins, and then He will also help us to keep the commandments and be holy.)
13. The warrior leader. (We talked about Joshua and the walls of Jericho. This day was a brutal day. I do not know why, but the kids were very disrespectful. They did not listen during the story and were disobedient to workers and volunteers all day long at the afterschool program. A friend of mine who works at the boys and girls club also said the kids were "terrible" that same day. It was strange. We talked about how Israel was entering the promised the land, but they didn't have to fight, only they had to walk, and God would fight for them.)
14. The teeny weenie... true king (We talked about David and the story of when Samuel annointed him. The kids were much better listening and enjoyed the story this day... We talked about how God was getting his people ready for an even greater King who was coming. (Jesus!))
15. The young hero and the horrible giant. (David and Goliath! This one was their favorite. David was small, but God used him to do a mighty thing and made him a hero. And all he needed was a rock and a sling because God was with him... But one day God would send his people another young hero to fight for them. And to save them. But this hero would fight the greatest battle the world has ever known... Who would this be? ... they guessed it. Jesus.)
[Note: The format is that while the children eat their snacks, we read the story from the book to them, then we dialogue about the story (and refresh previous stories), and then finally we close and pray.]
1. The Story & the Song. (We talked about the Bible and how it is not a book of rules, nor a book of heroes to imitate, but is a story-- a story of God and His redemption. God loves His children and comes to rescue them. Jesus is "like the missing piece in a puzzle" and every story whispers His name.)
2. The beginning: a perfect home. (We talked about how God is our creator and made the whole world. And it was good. There was no pain, no suffering, etc...)
3. The terrible lie. (We talked about how Adam & Eve were tempted by the snake (the devil, satan) and sinned and now they were kicked out the garden. Now we all die because of sin. Now life is hard, we work, have pain and suffering. But God already promised he would save them. That's why God gave Adam & Eve clothes made from animal skin and He took away the clothes they made themselves from plant leaves...)
4. A new beginning. (We talked about Noah's ark & God's holiness. God hates sin. But also like God saved Noah from the flood. So Jesus also saves Christians today from their sin, the devil, and hell. God promised never to flood the earth again and gave the rainbow. However, Jesus is coming again to judge the world and this world will be melted, and Christians look forward to a new world, the new heavens and new earth. (wherein righteousness dwells))
5. A giant staircase to heaven. (We talked about the tower of babel and why there are so many languages spoken through the world today. We talked about how the Bible and its' people did not speak english! We had some fun demonstrating the various languages spoken among us (English (duh!), German, Spanish, Marshallese, Tagalog, and Korean were all demonstrated and it was fun! lol.) Most of all, we talked about how we cannot work our way to heaven by doing good things or building towers, but that God must COME DOWN to save us, and He does that in Jesus.)
6. Son of Laughter. (We talked about God's promise to Abraham. That in him (his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, the chosen people, Israel, Christians...) all the nations of the earth would be blessed (because of Jesus). This was hard for old Abraham and Sarah to believe, but it was true... they had isaac, which means son of laughter...
7. The present. (We talked about how Abraham sacrificed Isaac to God (in his heart), and he was about to do it, but God stopped him. It was a test. Abraham obeyed. And he believed that God would raise Isaac back up from the dead, but instead God provided the ram as a substitute, just like Jesus died instead of us, bearing our sin on the cross-- so the ram was sacrificed instead of Isaac and Isaac was saved.
8. The girl no one wanted. (We talked about Jacob, Rachel, and Leah. God chose Leah to be blessed and be the one that the messiah would come from-- even though she was ugly and not the prettiest and not Jacob's favorite. God loved her. God's people don't need to be beautiful for God to love them. God loves ugly people and makes them beautiful.)
9. The forgiving prince. (We talked about Joseph. He was favored by his father. His brothers were jealous and so they sold him into slavery. Joseph ended up telling the Pharaoh what his dreams meant, (with God's help, of course), and so he became a great prince in Egypt. Later there was a famine and Joseph's brothers came to Egypt. Joseph saw them and embraced them and loved them even though his brothers had done all the bad things to him... Even though they meant it for evil, God meant it for good. God is in control!)
10 & 11. God to the rescue. (We talked about Moses, the burning bush, and the exodus over a period of two days. Moses turned aside to see the bush. We all must "turn aside to see", when God calls... God called moses to set his people free from slavery in Egypt. He went and told the Pharaoh to let my people go! ... after all the plagues..., he finally said OK GO. Then he changed his mind again and chased the Israelites... God opened the Red Sea and they all crossed safely, and not one of the pharaohs army survived. The kids love this story!)
12. Ten ways to be perfect. (We talked about the ten commandments & law. We talked about how it is good and right, and I told them that if they want to be perfect, like God requires us to be, then we must keep all of these commandments and not break any of them, from the time we are born to the end of our lives. One kid replied, "But that's impossible!!!" "Yes, RIGHT. I said, and that is why we must all be saved..." from there I briefly talked about that's why Jesus came and died, and the reason we all must turn to Him to be forgiven for our sins, and then He will also help us to keep the commandments and be holy.)
13. The warrior leader. (We talked about Joshua and the walls of Jericho. This day was a brutal day. I do not know why, but the kids were very disrespectful. They did not listen during the story and were disobedient to workers and volunteers all day long at the afterschool program. A friend of mine who works at the boys and girls club also said the kids were "terrible" that same day. It was strange. We talked about how Israel was entering the promised the land, but they didn't have to fight, only they had to walk, and God would fight for them.)
14. The teeny weenie... true king (We talked about David and the story of when Samuel annointed him. The kids were much better listening and enjoyed the story this day... We talked about how God was getting his people ready for an even greater King who was coming. (Jesus!))
15. The young hero and the horrible giant. (David and Goliath! This one was their favorite. David was small, but God used him to do a mighty thing and made him a hero. And all he needed was a rock and a sling because God was with him... But one day God would send his people another young hero to fight for them. And to save them. But this hero would fight the greatest battle the world has ever known... Who would this be? ... they guessed it. Jesus.)
Last Friday we watched the Jesus Movie For Children (based on Luke's gospel) and they were all completely awestruck at the movie, especially the crucifixion of Christ. It is my prayer this will help them to better picture the stories and gospel message that we preach each Friday in the future...
[Side note: So far, the kids have memorized the following Scriptures:
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." - Gen. 1:1
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." - John 1:1
"In him was life, and the life was the light of men." - John 1:4
""For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." - John 3:16-18]
Lastly, we have been watching the Torchlighters Voice of the Martyrs Cartoon series on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So far we have watched the story of Jim Elliot (who is from Portland, OR, BTW.) And the kids were impacted and I taught them a little bit about the great commission afterwards and prayed for them before they were dismissed. (These cartoons are powerful, and sometimes even bring a tear to my own eyes as we watch them.) In the future, Lord willing, we will watch the stories of Richard Wurmbrand, Perpetua, Gladys Aylward, William Tyndale, John Bunyan, and Eric Liddel. I also hope to play the story keepers cartoons (easter & christmas editions), and the Chronicles of Narnia is a favorite of ours that I can allude to when preaching.
Please PRAY for the kids' salvation and also for the few kids that insist on rebellion and seek to distract others from the gospel message. Other than school, in some of these kids' lives we are the only stable thing that is available from Mon-Fri at the same time and same place. So please pray for Stephan, Myself, and the other Supervisors & Volunteers at the Salvation Army Afterschool Program in Coos Bay!
God Bless.
Adam
