My son attends a pre-youth group youth group
meeting at our church. Two evenings a
month, he gets together with other kids his age and they play a game, do a
service project, and get a Bible lesson.
They call it Adventure Club.
It’s an informal thing; the older youth group students
help facilitate, and for one hour twice a month my son gets to do something loose
and fun that he normally wouldn’t do.
The bonus for him is that he gets to spend those evening hours away from
the prying eyes of parents and siblings; the bonus for us is that he gets a
little Christian education and time hanging out at church, which is also a
bonus for him.
He loves it, and each month he tries to bring
one or more of his friends from school to go along. When Adventure Club day rolls around, I
remind him: Don’t forget you have
Adventure Club tonight. Tell your
friends.
He comes home from school and tells me that so
and so is going, but so and so can’t. I
confirm with parents and arrange to pick up; after all, this is our church and
he’s doing the inviting.
Most weeks, I take the same group of kids that
have always gone with my son to Adventure Club.
The cast of characters that sing along to our car radio and make middle
school jokes that make me laugh every time changes very little.
But then once in a while, a new character is
added. The last time I chauffeured to
Adventure Cub, we had someone new, a friend from school that I knew a little,
but didn’t really know. I called his mom
that evening to introduce myself and explain that we take some kids from school
twice a month to church and they had been talking about it at school and my son
invited her son to go along, and would he like to come?
He would, she said. We chatted for a few minutes and she gave me
her address. Then she remarked, he’s
quite the little missionary, your son.
I laughed and replied, I guess so.
Missionary.
The term brings to mind a noble person who gives his or her life to
serve others. Mother Teresa was a
missionary. So are all the people in Europe
and Africa and Asia who live among native
peoples, and some who live right here in the US but away from family and
friends, to spread the word of God.
As I was sharing this story with a friend, she
said but isn’t that what we are all called to be? As Christians, aren’t we all sort of supposed
to bring others to Christ every way we can?
It’s exactly what we are supposed to do. My son gets it, and I don’t even think he
knows it. All he wants is to hang out
and have fun twice a month with his buddies.
The Bible lesson is extra, but it gets in there somehow. His act of inviting friends to church shows
it.
He’s a missionary. All of us are, if we are living the life that
God intends for us to live.
Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT)
It IS what we are supposed to do and what a blessing that he gets it. I think without knowing we do it makes it easier for others to accept and take part in the blessings :-)
ReplyDeleteYes! When we live according to God's will he opens the doors, and it is the right one every time.
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