Five Truths of Youth Ministry | #3: I'm a Sinner

My name is Benjer, and I'm a sinner. This is a very important fact for me to remember as a youth pastor. It's probably the most uncomfortable post in the series for me to ponder, and perhaps the most uncomfortable to read as well. Why? Wouldn't it sound much better to say, "I'm not perfect" or "God's still working on me"? Those statements are certainly theologically correct, but they take the edge off a bit, don't they?

Here's where I stand. I spent my whole life up until the age of 19 in utter rebellion against God. Then, during my first semester at college, I decided to see what this whole church thing was all about, since it seemed to work pretty well for my best friend in high school. Besides everything else I'd tried up until then--trusting in my own intelligence to give me identity, alcohol, and pretty much being a jerk at every point possible. That first semester, reading the Gospel of John, I encountered a God who loved me enough to come to earth and die for me. And I was hooked.

Of course, I'm still a jerk sometimes. And I still rebel against God. But I'm a pastor.
Aren't pastors supposed to have it a bit more together than I do? Well, maybe. There are certainly things that would disqualify me from being a pastor, but in my heart, that rebellion's still there in many ways. A new leader recently attached a piece of paper to her youth leader application explaining why there was a little asterisk by the line that asks leaders to live a life that is "above reproach." She related a hilarious story about trying to teach her teenage son to drive. Whenever she would point out during a driving lesson that the son was breaking a traffic law, he reminded her that she had broken that same law driving him to school that morning. Thus, she reasoned, she obviously had a long ways to go, because she's a hypocrite for even asking her son to follow traffic laws. She assured me, however, that she would do her best to be a good role model to the students.

And that's where I am today. As I write this, I know that in a little over twelve hours, I'll stand in front of a group of teenagers and try to teach them how to follow Jesus. However, I'll have been awake for three hours when I do, plenty of time for me to get a good morning of rebellion in. Oh, sure, these days my sin is a bit more polished and harder to pick out. But it's there. And for me to believe otherwise is a plain and simple lie. And yet, I will still teach, a blind man leading the blind.

Why do I share all this? We are all in the same boat as the teenagers we serve: we are sinners in need of pardon from our loving God. I was one of those teenagers over a decade ago, and I am only saved by the blood that was spilled by Jesus. I'm no better than anyone else, and I certainly did not become a pastor because I'm such a great guy. Everything I count good in my life--my family, leading these amazing teenagers and their families, and my very breath--is all a gift.

Our students need to hear that message. No, we shouldn't be their peers and relate every terrible decision we've ever made. But they do need to hear that we're in the same rebellion boat as them. That we are saved only by the grace of God, and that we don't deserve that gift more than anybody else. And let us not become proud, but stand in awe (Romans 11:20). If we stop remembering where we came from, then we may forget to rely on God each day. After all, it is he who saved us, and it is he who provides us with grace when we teach, speak, mentor, counsel, and lead. I do not know why God chooses to use me in youth ministry--I am certainly not deserving of it. But I'll go along for the ride as long as he allows.

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
-1 Timothy 1:15-17, ESV

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.
-2 Corinthians 4:7, ESV

For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
-James 2:10, ESV

Other posts in this series:
Five Truths of Youth Ministry (an Introduction)
Five Truths of Youth Ministry | #1: Jesus Saves, Not Me
Five Truths of Youth Ministry | #2: In America, Fewer Youth Are Attending Church
Five Truths of Youth Ministry | #4: Youth Leaders Should Be Missionaries
Five Truths of Youth Ministry | #5: God Desires Faithfulness, Not Numbers

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