Securing the Future of the Church
Debbie Sanders
IN GENESIS 6 NOAH WAS given the blueprint to save the world. What he prepared at the given instructions of God would be the vehicle or the means of the salvation of the world. And yet in Genesis 9:19 the Word says, “These are the three sons of Noah . . . and of them was the whole earth overspread.” It was the plan of God that the continuing of the human race come through Noah’s three sons. From them did humanity continue. Through them was the whole earth blessed.
Noah was found faithful in the eyes of God and he faithfully carried out the plan of God. But what if Noah’s three boys had not followed? Who would have carried on after the flood? Who would have started the population again in the new world? Noah and his wife were, no doubt, past the child bearing stage by the time of the flood.
We have the goods. We have salvation to offer the world (hope, truth, life). But if we have no one to carry out what we have been given, then we ultimately have failed in the true plan of God.
Noah and his wife did something right with their three boys in that they would follow their parents into the ark with no sign of rain in sight . . . and sit! And they believed it so strongly they convinced their wives to do the same, leaving their own families behind. They nurtured within them an incredible faith in their God. But Noah’s mandate was not just to build a boat. He had to also accomplish the task of getting his children on that boat.
In dealing with our children-our youth-not all will just “get it.” Not all will just follow you and board the boat when there is no rain in sight. Their love, trust, and faith in God must be cultivated, fed, nourished, and grown. Some will need convincing that this is the only way. Some will be like the prodigal son who kept looking out of the window at what seemed to be a better life. Not all will be Ruth and say, “I don’t know this God of yours very well, but I’ll just go with you to do whatever it is that you do in allegiance to Him.” Some will be like the prodigal who said, “I don’t need this. There’s more out there for me.” They may want to try their wings without God. It takes a patient heavenly Father, godly parents, and perhaps a loving youth leader, and a lady they admire who will say, “I believe in you. I’m here for you.” They won’t all be like Isaac and say, “Oh! I thought we were coming here to sacrifice a lamb. It’s me you want to kill? Let me climb up on the altar. Go ahead and. . . . Boy, I sure hope that lamb shows up soon!”
Some of our girls are Esthers and when the time comes and the moment is just right, there’s a watchful adult, a Mordecai if you will, who is on the side saying, “Go ahead, you can do it. Now’s your chance. This is the moment I’ve trained you for. You’ve got this!” And they step forth, have an audience with the King, and change their world! That’s our girls; that’s your girls the girls in your home, in your churches, and in your youth group. The seeds of greatness lie dormant within them waiting to be discovered and nurtured and when given the time to blossom, they will shine and change their world.
And you can make that difference. You can be the hands that dig the earth around the little plant, cultivating, watering, feeding, and giving hope to the possibility of greatness, discovering the potential that lies within each and every one of them. Your fingerprints in their lives could be the same to them as the fingerprints of God.
Today’s Christian Girl is a club-type program that focuses on girls ages ten through eighteen. Ladies Ministries began this program with the desire to bring our girls together once or twice a month for godly fun and fellowship as well as instruction, with the purpose of strengthening their walk with God and their understanding of God. Young ladies in this age group are considered the new target age for many television shows, electronic and clothing sales, even prostitution in some countries.
This ministry does not consist only of a devotion and a snack. Our desire is to provide a place where the girls can have fun, build relationships, and engage in fun activities, while exposing them to a deeper relationship with God. We try to address issues facing our girls today, using topics such as:
* Relationships/friendships-forging those within the church and being careful of how close they get to friends in the world,
* Self-esteem–helping them discover who they are in Christ,
* Fashion-teaching them they can be fashionable and still be holy,
* Ministry-helping them find their place in God’s kingdom,
* Talents-helping them discover and develop their God-given talents,
* Community service-challenging them to clean a park or volunteer at a humane society.
Not all meetings have to be spiritual. Some clubs have gone hiking, tried a new foreign restaurant together after a missionary visited their church, painted a house, and learned how to cook a meal. It gives the girls something positive to do and somewhere safe to learn, teaching them that living for God is fun. It is the only life really worth living.
Our Today’s Christian Girl motto is “Livin’ right and lovin’ life!” Our goal is to teach our girls that when we live “right”-according to the principles of the Word of God-we will love our life. The world is vying for our girls’ attention. If we, as the church, step in and help to cultivate within them a deep love for this truth, then we have ultimately secured the future of the church.
For more information, check us out on the web at www.todayschristiangirl.com or contact Debbie Sanders at DSandersHawaii@aol.com
Debbie Sanders lives in Kapolei, Hawaii, with her husband, Jonathan. They, along with Tyrel and Kenda Butler, pastor The Rock churches in Honolulu, Kaneohe, and Kapolei, and the Pentecostals of Maui. Debbie is the Hawaii District Ladies’ Ministries president and the director for Today’s Christian Girl.
The above article, “Securing the Future of the Church” was written by Debbie Sanders. The article was excerpted from the Apostolic Herald. September 2016.
The material is copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes.
