Alive Youth Church Weekly,
We are in week three of our series “Hear. Know. Do.” A series rooted in the book of James and centered on something simple but challenging:
There is a difference between hearing truth, knowing truth, and living truth.
James 1:22 says:
“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
Notice that word, deceiving.
James doesn’t say uninformed. He says deceived.
It is possible to hear so much truth, so often, that we begin to mistake familiarity for obedience. We think because we know it, we’re living it. But knowing is not the same thing as doing.
Since starting to dream about this series weeks ago, I have been given constant reminders in my own life where this is applicable. Some are simple, but some are utterly profound. About a month ago, the front brakes on my car began to squeak. Adding to the long list of problems happening with my car lately. Bad brakes, bad tires, needing an oil change, the dashboard lights on my car were really beginning to add up.
Growing up in a Christian home, Jesus was always at the center of what we were doing and spoke about. I am incredibly thankful for that. But let's be honest, we have a tendency to repeat ourselves in the church. Not saying this is wrong, my response to the repetition is what was wrong. The bible and its teachings never go out of style because we always need them. But as humans, we have a tendency to tune things out when we think we already know what's being said. Even when that thing is exactly what we need to be doing!
We as believers need to hear, know, and do. Not one without the other. In fact, they are nothing without each other, working in unison.
I've been wrestling with the idea of biblical rest for the last few days. For me, and many other christians im sure, it's one of those things. We hear about it a lot. We are given tools, schedules, and recommendations to help us. We know it's what is best for us, not only because of the outline given to us in scripture, but also because we feel the effects of living without rest. We feel the anxiety creep in, we feel our emotions unbalanced, and our spiritual life begins to decline. We hear the solution, we know the problem, yet we struggle to step into action. We struggle to practice what we hear and know.
What do we do about this?
Sunday nights are truly the best night of the week! And that's because of YOU. I love being together each week and watching you grow in your faith.
Let us know how we can better serve you!
Stay up to date by reading Alive Youth Church Weekly every Tuesday, following our Instagram account @AliveWSFC, and by showing up each week to AYC at 6:30pm.
Exciting news! Student leadership is back! If youre a junior or senior interested in student leadership, talk to a leader, reachout on Instagram, or talk to Isaac. We cannot be more excited for this!
Never hesitate to reach out to a leader or via our Instagram if you have any questions, need prayer, or just someone to say what's up to. We want to hear from you, meet your friends, and seek Jesus together.
Have a great week AYC! Keep reading for a sneak peek into next week's teaching and what the bible says about biblical rest.
Who Knew Rest Could Be So Difficult?
We are in week three of our series “Hear. Know. Do.” A series rooted in the book of James and centered on something simple but challenging:
There is a difference between hearing truth, knowing truth, and living truth.
James 1:22 says:
“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
Notice that word, deceiving.
James doesn’t say uninformed. He says deceived.
It is possible to hear so much truth, so often, that we begin to mistake familiarity for obedience. We think because we know it, we’re living it. But knowing is not the same thing as doing.
Since starting to dream about this series weeks ago, I have been given constant reminders in my own life where this is applicable. Some are simple, but some are utterly profound. About a month ago, the front brakes on my car began to squeak. Adding to the long list of problems happening with my car lately. Bad brakes, bad tires, needing an oil change, the dashboard lights on my car were really beginning to add up.
I hear the problem every single time I drive.
Every sermon I preached about “Hear. Know. Do.” I would get in my car and listen to my brakes squeal all the way home.
Ironic right?
To literally hear it, know what the problem is, delay doing anything about it, all right after speaking on hear, know, do.
Luckily, this clicked for me while driving home, that this is one of those practice what you preach moments. And let's just say that conviction in the car on my way home has led to several car appointments this week, and way more money spent than I had hoped.
But here's the real deal: This is what we do spiritually.
We hear the conviction.
We know what God is nudging us toward.
But we delay obedience.
But here's the real deal: This is what we do spiritually.
We hear the conviction.
We know what God is nudging us toward.
But we delay obedience.
Growing up in a Christian home, Jesus was always at the center of what we were doing and spoke about. I am incredibly thankful for that. But let's be honest, we have a tendency to repeat ourselves in the church. Not saying this is wrong, my response to the repetition is what was wrong. The bible and its teachings never go out of style because we always need them. But as humans, we have a tendency to tune things out when we think we already know what's being said. Even when that thing is exactly what we need to be doing!
I can tune out the sound of my brakes because I've already made up my mind that I'll handle it later.
We resist action and excuse our way into staying the same.
We as believers need to hear, know, and do. Not one without the other. In fact, they are nothing without each other, working in unison.
I've been wrestling with the idea of biblical rest for the last few days. For me, and many other christians im sure, it's one of those things. We hear about it a lot. We are given tools, schedules, and recommendations to help us. We know it's what is best for us, not only because of the outline given to us in scripture, but also because we feel the effects of living without rest. We feel the anxiety creep in, we feel our emotions unbalanced, and our spiritual life begins to decline. We hear the solution, we know the problem, yet we struggle to step into action. We struggle to practice what we hear and know.
What do we do about this?
Here are my thoughts:
I am going to slow down. I am going to be adamant to have less of me and more of Him in my day.
I am going to slow down so that when God tells me it's time to speed up, I'm actually ready to speed up. I'm rested, and I don't mean physically, but instead spiritually rested. Ready for battle, ready for His mission He's calling me to. The problem often is not that I am fighting the wrong battles, but instead that I'm going into battles with a lack of Jesus. I'm going in tired.
I am going to slow down. I am going to be adamant to have less of me and more of Him in my day.
I am going to slow down so that when God tells me it's time to speed up, I'm actually ready to speed up. I'm rested, and I don't mean physically, but instead spiritually rested. Ready for battle, ready for His mission He's calling me to. The problem often is not that I am fighting the wrong battles, but instead that I'm going into battles with a lack of Jesus. I'm going in tired.
Rest in Him, then go with Him.
I'm learning that burnout is not a spiritual gift. It's not as admirable as I once thought. I used to respect the people who were always go, go, go, seemingly never stopping. But now I have the ultimate respect for those who know how to properly rest.
I'm learning that burnout is not a spiritual gift. It's not as admirable as I once thought. I used to respect the people who were always go, go, go, seemingly never stopping. But now I have the ultimate respect for those who know how to properly rest.
Who knew rest could be so difficult?
I think we struggle with this because rest feels like failure. Rest feels like a lack of action. I think we struggle because the world's definition of rest looks a whole lot different than scripture's.
I think of movies depicting a great battle. The leader shouts to his army that they need to retreat and attack again from a place of strength. We need to be attacking from a place of strength. And our only real strength is found in Jesus. Retreat to Him, then go out with Him.
I think we struggle with this because rest feels like failure. Rest feels like a lack of action. I think we struggle because the world's definition of rest looks a whole lot different than scripture's.
I think of movies depicting a great battle. The leader shouts to his army that they need to retreat and attack again from a place of strength. We need to be attacking from a place of strength. And our only real strength is found in Jesus. Retreat to Him, then go out with Him.
Tim Tebow, many of you know the name, some younger readers may not. A legendary Quarterback in the NFL, but not known for Super Bowls, but instead his faith. I thought his take on biblical rest is of note,
He says:
"One of my bigger fears is that my life would end and God would call me home... and I would show up to heaven well-rested. I want to get to heaven exhausted,"
At first, that sounds contradictory. But it’s not. He’s not glorifying burnout; he’s glorifying purpose. That we would be used by and on mission for Jesus, so much so that when it's our time to meet Jesus face to face, we would be out of breath, and he would say good job, my good and faithful servant.
Here’s the key: You can be spiritually rested and missionally exhausted at the same time.
Isaiah 40:31 says:
“Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength.”
Waiting on the Lord is not laziness.
It is refueling and renewing.
Ephesians 6:10 says:
“Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.”
Our strength is not self-generated.
It is sourced from the Lord.
So is it rest or is it action? I'm proposing both are ok, both are needed, and both are biblical. And having one without the other is where we create problems.
He says:
"One of my bigger fears is that my life would end and God would call me home... and I would show up to heaven well-rested. I want to get to heaven exhausted,"
At first, that sounds contradictory. But it’s not. He’s not glorifying burnout; he’s glorifying purpose. That we would be used by and on mission for Jesus, so much so that when it's our time to meet Jesus face to face, we would be out of breath, and he would say good job, my good and faithful servant.
Here’s the key: You can be spiritually rested and missionally exhausted at the same time.
Isaiah 40:31 says:
“Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength.”
Waiting on the Lord is not laziness.
It is refueling and renewing.
Ephesians 6:10 says:
“Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.”
Our strength is not self-generated.
It is sourced from the Lord.
So is it rest or is it action? I'm proposing both are ok, both are needed, and both are biblical. And having one without the other is where we create problems.
Some of us are too rested. We've confused rest with avoidance.
Some of us are addicted to busyness. We've confused activity with obedience.
Both are incomplete.
Rest without mission becomes stagnant.
Mission without rest becomes burnout.
Rest fuels action, and action leads us back to healthy rest.
And both require obedience.
Don't let this be another call to healthy rest, or another call to action, but rather a call for healthy rhythms. Our best example of this is found in scripture:
God created the heavens and the earth, then he rested.
Jesus would minister and heal many, then retreat to pray.
Jesus fed the 5,000, then went up on the mountain alone.
Jesus sent out His disciples and gave them authority to drive out demons, and when they returned, the scripture says they didn't even have time to eat, and Jesus responds to them by saying, "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile".
Countless examples of action and rest in the scripture.
Don't know where to start? Start small and start now. Ask God where and how to start.
James 1:5-6 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him."
Both are incomplete.
Rest without mission becomes stagnant.
Mission without rest becomes burnout.
Rest fuels action, and action leads us back to healthy rest.
And both require obedience.
Don't let this be another call to healthy rest, or another call to action, but rather a call for healthy rhythms. Our best example of this is found in scripture:
God created the heavens and the earth, then he rested.
Jesus would minister and heal many, then retreat to pray.
Jesus fed the 5,000, then went up on the mountain alone.
Jesus sent out His disciples and gave them authority to drive out demons, and when they returned, the scripture says they didn't even have time to eat, and Jesus responds to them by saying, "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile".
Countless examples of action and rest in the scripture.
But look at what they did after they rested.
They acted, they rested, then they acted again.
God's work was not finished after creation. Spoiler alert: creation is the first few pages of the bible, keep reading to see all that he did and still is doing.
Jesus fed the 5,000, rested with His Father, then fed 4,000 more.
If it's good enough for The Father and The Son... It's good enough for me and you.
Rest is needed. We need time with our heavenly Father, but He is not asking you to stay isolated with Him. Go to Him, and then leave with Him. Rest fuels our action, and our action leads us back to healthy rest with Him.
Don't know where to start? Start small and start now. Ask God where and how to start.
James 1:5-6 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him."
Ask Him for wisdom. Take small steps in the direction He's leading you.
If it's to retreat back to renew with Him, begin to focus more on what biblical rest looks like for you each day.
If He's calling you to go, then go. But be ready to return to rest with Him. You're going to need it.
It can be difficult to rest.
It can be difficult to step out and act on a mission.
But the difficulty of obedience does not compare to the exhaustion of trying to live without Jesus.
It can be difficult to rest.
It can be difficult to step out and act on a mission.
But the difficulty of obedience does not compare to the exhaustion of trying to live without Jesus.
Go to Him
Be with Him
Then go with Him
Hear
Know
Do
-Isaac Fehlen
Youth Pastor
-Isaac Fehlen
Youth Pastor
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