Here’s something I tell parents and youth workers all the time: “There are three basic questions every child and teen is on a quest to answer. . . sometimes consciously, but usually unconsciously. We might call them ‘the developmental questions’ or ‘tasks’.
So, what are they? First, ‘Who am I?’ This is the task of identity formation. Second, ‘What do I believe?‘ This is the task of worldview formation. And third, ‘Where do I belong?‘ This is the task of relational formation. However a kid answers these questions – consciously or unconsciously – will shape their beliefs and behaviors for the rest of their lives.”
This morning, I was prompted to get thinking about another question. . . one that to me, seems to be foundational to the other three. How we answer this fourth question will determine how the other three are answered. That makes this fourth question primary and foundational. And there’s a sense in which how we answer those other three questions will determine how we answer this fourth question. In other words, our answer to this fourth question flows both into and out of those other three questions.
Sounds complex, doesn’t it? But this is the conclusion that I’ve come to this morning: All four of these questions need to actively be asked each and every day, not only when we are young and going through childhood and adolescence, but until the day we die.
So, what is that fourth question? It’s this: “Am I of the world, or am I not?” And as I answer this question, I need to not only choose a yes or no answer based on what I believe, but I have to look at how I am behaving to really determine what my lifestyle tells me my answer really is.
So what prompted all this introspection this morning?
I’ve been spending time each morning reading an entry from the Martyn Lloyd-Jones daily devotional book, Walking With God Day By Day. The book features provocative daily reflections pulled from the sermons and writings of this great 20th century preacher. For several days now the entries have been from his book Safe In the World, one of four books filled with his sermons on the high priestly prayer of Jesus in John 17. This morning, Lloyd-Jones invites readers to consider “The Character of the Christian”, with a focus on John 17:16 – “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”
The words of Lloyd-Jones this morning are good words for all of us. And so, I’m sharing an excerpt from this morning’s reading here as it speaks loudly about the will of the Father (that’s what Jesus prayed, isn’t it) for His followers as they navigate today’s culture. Consider these words this morning. . . and think about how you might work to convey the message to the kids you know, love, and lead. They’re at the most vulnerable stage of life and they need guidance and direction on which narrative they will choose to live within. . . the cultural narrative on life, or the narrative of God’s redemptive work in the world.
“It is vital that we should ask ourselves the question, am I of the world or am I not? That is the fundamental distinction that runs through the Bible from beginning to end. There are only two groups of people in the world today – those whoa re of the world and those who belong to Christ. In the last analysis there is no other division or distinction that has the slightest importance or relevance. That si why most of us are defeated by life in this world – we recognize other distinctions that are quite unimportant. But when we all come to die, does it make the slightest difference which political party we belong to? Does it matter whether we are rich or poor, learned or otherwise? There is only fundamental distinction, and that is whether we belong to the world or to Christ.”