Faith focused up.

What does faith up to God mean?

When we think of faith over this three week series I want us to understand the Up, In and Out triangle. Up, how are we walking in devotion to following God, In, how are we walking in faith to love God’s chosen people, Out, How are we reaching the unreached and loving those who are far from God.

This week we are going to look at specifically the Up,

What does it mean that the next genoration is devoted to the Lord when it can be hard to tell if they are? The up is all about that personal relationship with God, how can someone achieve realtionship with God personally.

My quick precusor to this disscusion is that not every person coming up as a youth or young adult right now fits into these categories. I have met with youth would I would say do not fit into this idea of the next genoration and faithfulness, but the major of studies and people that you will meet would fall into this.

Everyone is a Scholar

When we look at the importance of biblical reading in scripture its clear that we are to meditate on the word of God. Ps 1:2 -3

Psalm 1:2–3 NIV

but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.

The psalmist delights in this idea of being focused on the Law and meditate on it. We are called to this idea of meditating on the Law of the Lord, even more we often recceive general revelation from scripture meaning that this is how we can still connect with God.

When it comes tot he next genoration and connecting with God through biblical reading that is where we can see a differnet stance then what was once aparent in the other genorations.

Before people would often journal their readings, write in their bibles or keep some kind of private notes on their studies. However that was the difference in the times as we now are in this technological revolution. It’s incredible easy to find youth and young adults posting their readings or journal notes on their instagram feeds or their soical media. It’s no longer a silent profession of faith but it is a community based event. This is eveniatbly come up as we contiune this class. We must notice that if I am reading through Mark I am going to post my thoughts, my ideas, my synopsis no matter how right or wrong, if I am passionate about it that means that I will post it. We can usually see this through social media feeds, bad theology or misintuerpertations on passages.

Everyone can now be a biblical scholar becuase of the avaliblity of the platform, Everyone is a scholar today even if they have no education in the feild, scary right?

It can be horrifying that someone could read into a passage of 1 John and see God as a universalist God and suddenly they post that for their none Christian friends to see that “oh maybe I do not need Jesus becuase I am already good, I have eternal life”, altought that is a extereme example it still speeks to the idea that with one’s biblical devotions being able to be posted to the world maybe a bad idea.

However its also a great idea that people can post what they are reading in the bible

When we see social media we need to understand them as a tool, they are the medium between our converstations. When I am not with my friends I can use this medium to speak with them until we meet again.