DEVELOPING YOUR OWN FAITH

1. You must develop your own faith! Why is this so important? Let's look at some current statistics by church research specialist George Barna:
   1. In America today, only 26% of "born again" Christians read from the Bible at least once a week outside of a regular church service.

   2. Only 87% of all Christians claim to pray to God at least once a day. This means that 13% of today's Christian church admits they spend little or no time in prayer to God.

   3. Only 9% of adult Christians are involved in some form of church leadership. And only 10% have volunteered to teach a class.

   4. Current figures show that in the church today, almost 82% of our young people today, age 18-23, leave the church during this time of their life, many of which never return.

      In order to better prepare for our struggles. I think it is important to discuss why this is such a tough time for teenagers.

      For the first time in your life, your faith will soon be tested unlike any other time in your life. Why is this?

      For the first time in your life, you will make the majority of your life decisions on your own.

      1. Your parents will not be with you at college to make sure that you're up in time for class and for worship.

      2. Your parents will not be there to encourage you to be a part of Sunday and Wednesday night services.

      3. You will decide what your involvement level will be in regard to church services and church activities.

      4. You will decide on your own, unlike ever before, what type of person you will date and what kind of friends you will spend your time with.

      5. You will decide where you will go and what you will do and you will decide when you will come back at night.

      6. You will decide what you will and will not allow to happen on a date.

      7. You will decide what you will watch each night and what you will listen to. It will be your decision. So why are 82% of our young people leaving?

   5. Because they are faced with these daily decisions and they are not sure of their foundation. They are not sure if their faith is theirs or their parents. And when they face these decisions for the first time, they think they are strong enough to try some new things. They think they are strong enough to handle it; that they won't let these bad examples influence them; and 82% of the time, they are wrong.

   6. YOU MUST DEVELOP YOUR OWN FAITH! If you are sure of your faith and your foundation, you will stand by all of your decisions.

   7. You simply must decide now who you will serve, there is no in between. You will either serve God or Satan. (Joshua 24:15; Revelation 3:15-16)

   8. Who is it going to be?

   
   

   "Two Sets of Jones"
   by Big Tent Revival

   This here's a song 'bout two sets of Jones
   Rothchild & Evelyn, Rueben & Sue.
   Just for discussion through random selection
   We've chosen two couples who haven't a clue.

   Rothchild was lucky to marry so wealthy.
   Evelyn bought him a house on the beach.
   Reuben and Sue, they had nothing but Jesus,
   And at night they would pray that He'd care for them each.

   And the rain came down. And it blew the four walls down.
   And the clouds, they rolled away.
   One set of Jones was standing that day!

   Evelyn's daddy was proud of young Rothchild.
   He worked the late hours to be number one.
   But just newlyweds and their marriage got rocky,
   He's flying to Dallas, she's having a son.

   Reuben was holding a Gideon's Bible.
   He screamed, "It's a boy!" so that everyone heard.
   And the guys at the factory took a collection,
   Again, God provided for bills they'd incurred.

   And the rain came down. And it blew the four walls down.
   And the clouds, they rolled away.
   One set of Jones was standing that day!

   So what is the point of this story?
   What am I trying to say?
   Is your life built on the rock of Christ Jesus?
   Or a sandy foundation you've managed to lay?

   Needless to say Evelyn left her husband.
   And sued him for every one penny he had.
   I truly wish that those two would find Jesus,
   Before things get worse than they already have.

   And the rain came down. And it blew the four walls down.
   And the clouds, they rolled away.
   One set of Jones was standing that day!

   And the rain came down. And it blew the four walls down.
   And the clouds, they rolled away.
   One set of Jones was standing that day!

   There's two sets of Jones.
   Which ones will you be?

   
   

2. How do you develop a faith that is your own (Romans 12:1-2)?
   1. We need to recommit our lives to this concept.

   2. We need to remember this commitment that we made on the most important day of our life - our rebirth.

   3. When we make a commitment to Jesus, everything that we do becomes our spiritual service of worship to Him. We need to be prepared to ask ourselves:
      1. Am I committed to God in my dating life?

      2. Am I committed to God in my social life?

      3. Am I committed to God in what I watch and listen to?

   4. Are we committed to God at school, work, and in all areas of our life? If your faith becomes your own, you will take spiritual matters more seriously and many of the things that are destroying young adults today will not be an issue for you. (Philippians 2:1-16, vs. 12; Hebrews 10:19-24)

Brad Pistole

West-Ark Church of Christ, Fort Smith, AR
Morning Sermon, 18 May 1997

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