Thursday June 6, 2013

Read 1 Thessalonians 1:6. Hebrews 6:12, 13:7. 3 John 11. Ephesians 5:1.

 

Imitation is the best form of flattery isn’t it? Not really. It all depends on who you are imitating! Think for a moment about the young adults and youth in world and more particularly in our churches. They are imitating the world and the artists of the world. That’s a scary thing.

Nicky Minaj wants to be the “Va Va Voom” for the man she meets in a bar. Salena Gomez proudly proclaims, ‘I'm not too shy to show I love you, I got no regrets. So baby whenever you're ready…’

 

Not to be outdone, Icona Pop is giving our young generation driving lessons as she sings, ‘I got this feeling on the summer day when you were gone. I crashed my car into the bridge. I watched, I let it burn.
I threw your sh*t into a bag and pushed it down the stairs. I crashed my car into the bridge.’

 

And Lady Gaga seems to have gone all gaa gaa with her lyrics, ‘A little gambling is fun when you're with me, I love it. Russian Roulette is not the same without a gun.’

 

And MGMT have hit the highlife as they sing, ‘I'm feeling rough, I'm feeling raw, I'm in the prime of my life. Let's make some music, make some money, find some models for wives. I'll move to Paris, shoot some heroin, and *&^% with the stars… This is our decision, to live fast and die young. We've got the vision, now let's have some fun…Forget about our mothers and our friends… We'll choke on our vomit and that will be the end’ .

 

Now if that’s what the younger generation are hearing and imitating then we are in big trouble.

 

Where are the role models in the church? Where are the godly men and women standing up and showing our younger generations what it means to serve God and to live lives that are pure and holy? If our younger generation can’t see the light of Christ in us, they’ll certainly look for meaning and value elsewhere.

 

God wants us to be imitators of others who are godly and worth imitating. Paul would often call people to imitate himself but only as he was imitating Christ.

The reality is that you and I are to be worthy role models for others to imitate. It means that we must examine our lives and allow God, as a skilful surgeon to cut out any sinful cancer we find in our lives. God wants us to be so pure and holy that our lives are attractive and worth imitating.

 

Prayer:

Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.

 

Adoration:

 

Confession:

 

Thanks:

 

Supplication:

V Pray that your church would be filled with believers whose lives count for eternity and project a lifestyle worth imitating. Pray that each and every single believer would be involved in a mentoring relationship. Pray that the elder and more experienced Christians in your church would be actively mentoring the younger believers.

V Pray that the elders of your church would be men of God who take the Word seriously and live it out in their lives first and foremost. Pray that they would be wise and discerning in their pastoral care over the flock.

 

Discussion Questions For Families and Groups

1.  What is involved in a mentoring relationship from the perspective of the mentor and the mentored?

2. Why should every believer be in such a relationship?

3. What benefits can you see from being in such a relationship?