1 Timothy 4:12 - Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
Here is the description of the website and blog authors:
ALEX AND BRETT HARRIS (r-l) are Christian teenagers with a passion for God and for their generation. At the age of 16 they founded what has now become one of the fastest growing Christian teen sites on the web today: TheRebelution.com. They are frequent authors for Focus On The Family's online publication, Boundless Webzine and main speakers for The Rebelution Tour.
Alex and Brett have grown up in a ministry household. Their father, Gregg Harris, is a well-known homeschool author and speaker, teaching elder at Household of Faith Community Church and director of Noble Institute for Leadership Development. Their mother, Sono Harris, is an accomplished speaker and successful speech coach. Their older brother, Joshua Harris, is senior pastor of Covenant Life Church and bestselling author of, "I Kissed Dating Goodbye," "Boy Meets Girl," and "Sex is Not the Problem."
Following in the footsteps of their family members, 18-year-old Alex and Brett are speaking out for God with a message to their own generation. Recipients of six national championships in high school speech and debate Alex & Brett are applying their gifts in communication to the challenge of exhorting their peers to stop wasting the teen years and to rebel against the low expectations of an ungodly culture.
I love that last line!
"...exhorting their peers to stop wasting the teen years and to rebel against the low expectations of an ungodly culture."
That's beautifully stated!
In the comment section at the blog, one commenter had some questions:
matthew Says:My comment there is currently awaiting moderation:
January 13th, 2008 at 9:42 am
why can’t a person like Jason feel inspired and motivated without thinking that “God has a plan” for him? why can’t he make a plan for himself, or a plan that benefits the people close to him?
it is clear that Mary Slessor achieved the things she did because _she_ motivated _herself_ to get out of Scotland. Why isn’t her perseverance in Africa a testament to her own will and good nature, instead of a result of the influence of Jesus?
these comments are not put to you as an attack, i hope they will be seriously answered.
thank you.
Alex & Brett,
I found your website and blog via WorldNetDaily today. What a breath of fresh air to find two wonderful young Christian men asserting themselves in such a positive and productive way! Jesus is smiling down from heaven!
If I may, I’d like to address Matthew’s questions.
Matthew wrote:
“why can’t a person like Jason feel inspired and motivated without thinking that “God has a plan” for him? why can’t he make a plan for himself, or a plan that benefits the people close to him?
The following verses may help explain why Christians give all the glory to God; especially for the proper direction that he gives us throughout our lives on this earth:
Rom 8:27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. (NLT)
Rom 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (NLT)
When our will lines up with God’s will, it is then that we discover our gifts and how to use them in sharing the gospel of Christ as well as the advancement of God’s kingdom on earth.
You wrote:
“it is clear that Mary Slessor achieved the things she did because _she_ motivated _herself_ to get out of Scotland. Why isn’t her perseverance in Africa a testament to her own will and good nature, instead of a result of the influence of Jesus?”
There is a verse in Isaiah that humbles every Christian:
Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Here is the NLT version of that verse:
Isa 64:6 We are all infected and impure with sin. When we proudly display our righteous deeds, we find they are but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall. And our sins, like the wind, sweep us away.
Because of what Jesus Christ did for us at the cross, we give all the glory to Him. He is righteous. We are not. It is only through repentance for our sin and believing in Christ that our sins are washed away and we are reconciled back to God.
Despite the fact that I am not perfect and make mistakes, it is when I turn to His strength, not my own, where evidence of the Holy Spirit working and guiding me in my life becomes apparent.
What I have found in my own personal walk with Christ is that when I line up my will through doing things that are pleasing to Him; it is not for my glory. It only belongs to Him and is for His glory. I have found that whenever I do things for Him and others that line up with His will for our lives (which can be found in Christ’s words and the entire Bible), rather than for myself, it is then that I experience the greatest satisfaction in life.
How awesome that they are involving teens. I remember at 18 and 19 being completely ignored and not allowed to take part in a discussion in Church. It didn't cause me to turn my back on God or anything like that, but it certainly left me disenfranchised with Church. It was quite a few years before I even bothered trying to get involved again. How many other teens, who may have some really valuable stuff to contribute, are being ignored pushed away by adults who think "kids" have nothing to offer.
ReplyDeleteMatt W.
I have attended several churches that had youth programs. However, most teens tend to be followers and not take the initiative to lead like these two young men are doing.
ReplyDeleteIt can be understandable when teens choose to keep their faith to themselves. Peer pressure to "fit in" is so enormous these days that it is difficult, I'm sure, in this ungodly culture, to stand up so boldly for Christ. Especially at their young ages.
How sad that their good news story doesn't get as much MSM news coverage as the ad nauseum coverage of Britney Spears...whose lifestyle is the polar opposite of these teens.