Last night, in our 7 Star Teen meeting, I preached about standards. In a nutshell (a very small nutshell) here is what I preached.
What is a standard? Christian standards are rules, that have been based upon Biblical prinicples, which guide our conduct.
Are standards necessary? While we all would agree with and understand the fact that a person's spirituality is not determined by the outward conformity to a standard or a rule, standards are still a very necessary part of the Christian life.
Why are standards necessary? (Before continuing, take the time to read 1 Peter 1:13-16 and 2 Timothy 3:13-14) I gave the teenagers 3 Biblical reasons why standards are necessary.
- Because God is holy.
- Because God commands us to be holy.
- Because the world is getting worse.
The issue of standards, whether standards that a parent sets for their children or the standards that a church youth group sets, really go back to a person's attitude. (2 Corinthians 7:1, "...perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord.") As I travelled for Pensacola Christian College, most of the questions that teenagers would ask me dealt with the rules that PCC had or that the teenagers "heard" that PCC had. My normal response to those questions was, "If your attitude toward authority is right and your heart's desire is to please God than you will not have a problem with the rules."
Last night we played a game called, "Potato Fencing." Enjoy the pictures!
