I love being a youth pastor, and I love playing exciting, fun games with our teens! But the worst part of any game is going over the rules. Everyone needs to know how to play, but when I first started in youth ministry, I would spend WAY too long going over the rules. Now I do my best to get to the fun part ASAP (even though I have had some teens that make me add some extra “fine print”😏).
Luke 11:37-39 says, “And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat. 38 And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner. 39 And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.”
That wasn’t even a real rule. The Pharisees had made it up. They had added fine print to make themselves feel like better rule-followers, but they rejected the opportunity for a relationship with Jesus.
Christianity is about a relationship, not rules. Our relationship with Jesus should motivate us, inspire us to do whatever Jesus wants us to do. Love, not fear. Get to, not have to.
To learn how you can begin a relationship with Jesus, check out whatdoUwonder com