Buddy The Elf Teaches Us The Gospel?!?

Alive Youth Church Weekly

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If you read this blog, I wanna play a little game before we get into the post. If you see this, next time you see me (Isaac), I want you to say to me the title of the blog "Buddy the Elf teaches us the gospel." You don't have to scream it, just come up and say it. Not only will those who haven't read it get really confused when they hear this, but I'll probably forget I said this to you, and it'll make my whole day. Deal? Ok, ready, set, go!

Let's get into it:

Buddy The Elf Teaches Us the Gospel?!

I do a very similar job to the one my dad had when I was growing up. And it makes me laugh often. The things that I used to notice my dad do, and chuckle at a bit, I now find myself doing. It's been quite the experience for me. As a kid, hearing my dad speak on platforms, I would often joke with him that he repeats his stories a lot. 

"We've all heard this before dad" 

"You said this last sunday"

But wow. I haven't been doing this that long, and I already feel like I'm constantly repeating stories like he did. And you know what? I'm gonna respond the same way he would as well. 

I am gonna tell them anyway.

You have heard me say this before, but church has always been normal to me. I was born into the church. I like to joke that I was literally born in a church building, which is not true, but not far off. I was the kid being passed around from random lady to random lady during services. I often get people telling me they changed my diaper when I was a baby. To entertain myself during the fifth Easter service I've attended that day, I would walk into random kids' classrooms and pretend I was supposed to teach the class that day. I went to youth camps well before I was old enough to. I was at almost every service the church offered. I loved it, and it really was a second home for me. 

And yet I still struggled with the gospel.

I struggled to make it real and apply it to my life.

In simple words, I struggled to believe.

I knew all the right things. I benefited greatly from the church. The community. The teaching. The blessings. The opportunities to serve. The church helped shape who I am.

But I still struggled to understand the truth and the life-changing power of the gospel.

It was hard to fully dive in. Hard to fully trust God. Hard to fully surrender.

I enjoyed life in the church, but I was not secure in the saving power of the gospel. I struggled to believe that I was truly saved by grace. That nothing I could do could earn His love.

I think about this often and ask myself why. Why was it so hard to accept the gospel when everything around me pointed toward it? I was taught it my whole life. I knew the stories. I had the knowledge. I did the right things. I attended. I served. My life looked like what most Christian lives look like.

And still, it took years for Jesus to become real to me. 

The gospel, put in the simplest words I can muster. 

It's good news. The best news. Because of sin, we were separated from God, but God didn’t leave us alone separated from Him. He sent His own son, Jesus. Jesus lived the life we couldn’t live, without sin, perfect. He died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins, and He rose from the dead three days later. Because of Jesus and the price he paid for our sins, we can be forgiven, made new, and brought back into a relationship with God. It’s not something we earn by being good enough; it’s a free gift we receive through Jesus.

This is taught in almost every sermon in one way or another.

So why is it so hard to accept?

Because it had to become real for me. 

And it has to become real for you to.

Have you ever heard of the 18-inch battle? It's one that we all must fight. 18 inches is the average distance between your brain and your heart. It might be 14 for some and 16 for others. The distance doesn't matter at all. But the message matters a whole lot. We must take what we know and let it transform our hearts. The head and the heart. Not one without the other; Both together. I fought this battle for years. For some people, it's even longer. And others lose the battle altogether, never truly letting the gospel transform their hearts.

When I look back at my early years, there is a touch of sadness there. Not because they were bad. They were far from it. They were filled with joy, laughter, and love, and I am thankful for that. But sad because I wish Jesus had become real to me sooner. So many lost years, years of confusion, fear of the unknown, and searching for identity that can only truly be found in Him.

Thinking back on it now. With what I know, have experienced, and what God has done in my life. Looking back on my battle after actually winning it. I have some thoughts on why it took some time. I do not pretend to know or understand God's plan and timing fully; that role is for Him and Him alone. But I do think that I, and many of you, are a product of the time we live in. A time that makes accepting the gospel a whole lot harder. And a time that makes the 18-inch battle immensely more challenging.      Here's why:

It's hard to need Jesus when you've already been told you're perfect.

It's hard to need Jesus when you've already been told that what's in your heart is right.

It's hard to need Jesus when you've already been told that the most important thing is to be happy.

It’s hard to need Jesus when success is measured by followers, likes, and views.

It’s hard to need Jesus when you’ve been told there’s no real truth. Just your truth and my truth.

It's hard to need Jesus when youve already been told that your sin isn't a problem.

It’s hard to need Jesus when comfort is king and sacrifice feels unnecessary.

It’s hard to need Jesus when independence is celebrated, and surrender feels weak.

It’s hard to need Jesus when you’ve been told accountability is toxic, and correction is judgmental.

It’s hard to need Jesus when you’ve been told freedom means doing whatever you want, whenever you want, with no consequences.

It’s hard to need Jesus when you’ve been told you can define your own identity, purpose, and truth without ever submitting to something bigger than yourself.

I could go on. There is no shortage of ways the world is pushing against the Gospel. Against the truth, against the good news. 

One of the most quotable movies ever, Elf features Will Ferrell as a real-life elf, telling a mall Santa, "You sit on a throne of lies," because he himself grew up in the North Pole and knew the real Santa Claus. He knows the truth, so the fake is obvious. Now it may not be a "throne of lies" but we all live in a world filled with lies. And just like Buddy, we know the truth. We are born not of this world, but instead as citizens of heaven, and in Jesus's name, we get to say no to the lies of this world and step into the greater life He has planned for us. 

Elf in late January... I bet you didn't expect that.

But the gospel really does oppose all the lies listed above. The gospel says we aren’t perfect, that our hearts are broken, happiness isn’t enough, truth is real, and that sin is serious. The gospel explains why the world feels so broken. It names the problem we all feel but don’t know how to fix. And then it does something nothing else can do... it offers grace. Real grace. Not the kind that excuses everything, but the kind that forgives, restores, and changes us. The gospel says we don’t climb our way back to God, clean ourselves up, or save ourselves. Jesus steps down into our mess, carries the weight we couldn’t, and does for us what we could never do on our own. And that’s not bad news. That’s not limiting. That’s not oppressive. That’s real freedom. Because it means you don’t have to pretend anymore. You don’t have to be enough. You don’t have to hold your life together by yourself. We don’t save ourselves; Jesus does. He's the real answer we all need and that the world is looking for. 

Jesus is King in a world that tells you that you can be your own ruler. And this world will keep pushing against the gospel, making it harder to see and easier to ignore.

But with every trial, every question, every disappointment, and every empty promise the world offers in place of Jesus, we learn something important. None of it satisfies. None of it lasts.

And instead of pushing us farther from God, those moments can actually draw us closer. They remind us of our need for Jesus. They point us back to the gospel. And in the end, they make the good news even sweeter. Because when everything else fails, Jesus never does.

Be with Jesus this week, Alive Youth Church.

You are loved.

-Isaac Fehlen

Youth Pastor