Growing Young: Take Jesus Seriously


The book Growing Young identifies six core commitments of churches that have successfully grown young.  One of them is that they take Jesus seriously.

In Mark 8:27ff, Jesus and his disciples are traveling in the region of Caesarea Philippi.  Jesus drew large crowds, and the people in those crowds believed he was a great person of God.  But they were unsure of who he was.  Jesus quizzed his followers about who people thought he was.  They offered various great persons from Hebrew history.  

Then Jesus asked who they thought he was.  Peter replied with a great confession that he believed Jesus was the Christ, God's Son.

Peter was right, but his understanding of the kind of Christ Jesus would be was wrong.  Jesus accepted Peter's confession, but immediately began to redefine his concept of the Savior.  He told him and his other followers that he would suffer, die, and rise from the dead.

This was difficult for Peter.  He didn't take Jesus' words seriously!  So he took it on himself to rebuke Jesus!  Jesus immediately rebuked him, calling him "Satan."  

Then Jesus told his followers that those who wanted to follow him had to deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow him!  

The church today often has the same problem Peter did.  We don't take Jesus seriously.  We proclaim and live a watered down gospel that reduces following Christ to being good people who follow the Golden Rule.

Emerging adults see this disconnect between us and Jesus.  They see our hypocrisy and long for something more.

To reach these adults, we need to preach a robust gospel that takes Jesus seriously, that calls us to lives of commitment and self-sacrifice.  

We need to demonstrate in our lives what it is to deny yourself, take up your cross, follow Jesus, and gain life!

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