Pastor Bobby - Blog

We live in an era of free-agent Christianity and it is out of control.

No one in the whole wide world of sports plays for themselves.  Athletes have coaches.  Football teams have someone calling the plays.  Baseball teams have someone making the hand-signs.  Even individual sports like golf or tennis have a coach to train and instruct the athletes.

So why do so many Christians today think they can win on their own?  Why do they think they will play better without a coach telling them what to do or other team members helping them out?  It’s like Kobe saying he is going to start his own team.  No more Lakers.  No more Phil Jackson.  Even Kobe knows that no single player has ever won a championship.

Likewise, the Christians who think they don’t need a pastor or a local church can expect one thing: spiritual defeat.

In fact, if you are not under the authority of a pastor as your “spiritual coach” then you are already in sin.

Hebrews 13:17 - Obey your leaders and submit to their authority.  They keep watch over you as men who must give an account.  Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Scripture is clear that as Christians we submit to those who are over us.  Specifically, this verse commands us to put ourselves under those who are going to give an account for our souls.  This begs the obvious question:  Who is watching over you soul?  Who is your pastor?

If you can’t answer this question then how can you say you are obeying this verse?

Every one of us following Christ needs to have a personal shepherd.  This doesn’t mean we just get Bible teaching from popular Christian authors or off the Internet.  It means we are placing ourselves under the spiritual oversight of a man we have some relationship with.  We hear him preach every week.  We follow the ministry structure he has established at his particular congregation.  We seek to develop a personal connection with him or another pastor or ministry leader he has set up for us to be accountable to.  We pray for him constantly and take his words not as suggestions, but as a coach telling us to get in the game.

Here at Compass, we are blessed to have Pastor Mike.  And as this verse says, we need to make sure that his job is a joy as we submit to his spiritual leadership.  Currently, Pastor Mike is teaching us on the issue of parenting.  This is a great example of whether we are going to obey our leader or not.  It is not a battle of opinions.  It’s not a tug-of-war between what Pastor Mike says and what we think.  As our pastor, he is serving us up a slice of God’s Word and he speaks with the authority of Scripture.  He is telling us what we need to hear as an overseer of our souls.  If we do not listen, then we are choosing to disobey God himself.

If you are in our high school ministry, then I am your pastor. And I think you should take me out to Taco Bell.  Not just because I like the food or think it would be fun.  But you need to tell me what is on your soul.  You need to open yourself up to some accountability from your pastor.  And because it is not practical for me to meet with all of the students at True North, we have established a structure of small group leaders you can talk to.  I train the leaders and work closely with them so that you can have spiritual oversight in your life.  As a high school student, you need to make sure you are following those who are spiritually leading you.

God wants his people to have a pastor.  He wants you to be at church and ready to here us preach.  He wants you to embrace us as your very own.  I know we aren’t perfect, but God has commanded you to follow spiritual coaches.  This is his game plan for victory in life.

Just please don’t dump Gatorade on us when we’re done preaching!

I want to see high school students saved by Jesus Christ.  I am talking about genuine, life-changing salvation.  As a youth pastor, helping young people with this is the most important thing I do.  I pray for it constantly.  I preach about it passionately.  I press on each day with the hope that another student will join the number of the redeemed to the great rejoicing of the angels in heaven!

So, you can imagine how exciting it is when a student wants to talk with me about salvation.  I have been waiting for this to happen!  I want to shout, “Yes!” God is drawing this student to himself.  They are feeling the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  They know Jesus is the only way.  And so they come to me asking, “What should I do?”

I wonder, how would you answer this question?

In youth ministry, one of the most popular responses is that of “Asking Jesus into your Heart.” Students are told they will be saved if they pray a prayer and invite Jesus to come live within them.  This idea is so predominant today it would be hard to find a youth group or student ministries camp where this advice is not given.

Here’s the problem with this answer: The Bible never tells us to ask Jesus into our heart.  Not once.  There is not even an example where someone does this.  In Ephesians 3:16-17 there is a reference to Jesus living in our hearts, but it is clear from the context that Paul is writing to people who are already Christians.  In fact, he tells us how Christ comes to dwell within us, through faith.

Faith: Now here is an answer!  We need to tell people to trust in Jesus, in the gospel of what he has done by dying on the cross for our sin and rising again (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).  Some of the most popular Bible verses of all time are simple commands to believe in Jesus (John 3:16, Romans 10:9).  This type of belief isn’t just knowing about him in your head but following him from your heart.

This is really my concern with telling students to ask Jesus into their heart… it makes their response to salvation passive.  In the Scripture we are always told to respond to God actively.  We are told to do something.  Over time, asking Jesus into your heart has become associated with a spur-of-the-moment decision.  You pray and then it is done.  But Jesus is telling us to count the cost.  It’s like he challenges us: Are you ready to commit to a lifestyle of obeying me?

Revelation 3:20 - Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

This verse is commonly used in gospel presentations, implying that Jesus is knocking on your heart so you just need to open the door and ask him to come in.  But where does it say that Jesus is knocking on our heart?  In the context of Revelation 3, Jesus is knocking on the door of the church of Laodicea.  He is saying that they are lukewarm and he wants to vomit them out of his mouth.  Can you imagine this?  Jesus is saying that he is outside of their church, in the parking lot so to speak. He is telling a group of people who think they are Christians that they are not even walking in a relationship with him!  And in the verse before he has already told them what to do:

Revelation 3:19 -  Those who I love I rebuke and discipline.  So be earnest and repent.

Repentance: It means to change your mind, to turn 180 degrees away from sin to God. This is the most common biblical answer to the question “What should I do?”  In the first sermon of the church, Peter tells the responsive crowd to repent (Acts 2:38).  In Luke 3:7-14, John the Baptist answers the question by giving people specific commands of obedience that come from repentance.  Even Jesus, when asked by the rich young ruler how to get eternal life in Matthew 19:16, eventually answers that he needs to sell everything he has and follow him.  Change your life!  Turn around!  Stop living for yourself and start living for Jesus!

When a student asks me what to do to be saved, I answer them with repentance and faith.  Yes, this is more complicated than repeating a simple prayer, but they need to be taught what they are doing.  Unfortunately, some might even go away sad because they are unwilling to obey like the rich young ruler.  But we still need to proclaim this biblical response to God’s saving grace.  We can know this is what Jesus would say because it is what he already said!

My prayer is that everyone who reads this will join me in communicating repentance and faith to the next generation of Christians.  Let’s spread the revival!

In our high school ministry we go evangelizing. I’m talking about walking up to people you don’t know on the street evangelizing. On dark, Saturday nights we approach complete strangers and try to strike up conversations about Jesus Christ.

At first, this type of evangelism seemed scary to the students. Many people don’t want to talk to us. Some cuss or blow smoke in our faces. Sometimes it is even clear that people are not completely in control of their mental faculties because of drugs or alcohol. We talk to many people who have hardness in their hearts to the gospel. It’s like they have closed the door to Jesus Christ.

So, why do we do it? Here’s the reason:

Romans 1:16 - I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

We spread the gospel of Jesus because it is how God saves people!

It is not easy. There is often a negative response. In fact, there is an ever-present temptation to be ashamed and keep quiet. Some might say we should just give up on going up to people we don’t know. Let’s just talk to our family and friends. Yes, we need to evangelize everyone we know. And yes, it is a lot better to build on relationships we already have, but this does not take away the fear of rejection and shame. In fact, evangelizing someone you know might even be more difficult because if they reject the gospel message it could cost you the relationship!

No matter how we evangelize we are going to have to get over our tendency for timidity. Here is what Paul said to Timothy when he was facing the same temptation:

2 Timothy 1:8 - So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God

Paul’s confidence is the power of God! There is something exciting about the Greek word that is used here. It is the word we get dynamite from! Exactly what our favorite TV character pulls out when facing an impossible situation! We need to turn our focus from fearing people to trusting that God’s power can break through the hardest of hearts. Even if someone has put up a spiritual wall in opposition to the gospel, the powerful message of Christ can blast an open door!

A few weeks ago, we were on one of our evangelism nights and someone pointed out a group of high school students on top of a hill. It was pretty clear that they were doing something sketchy up there. But some of our students boldly went straight up the hill to talk with them. When I looked up at how they were doing a few minutes later, our students were the only ones still standing there. All they had done was ask people simple questions about Jesus Christ and they had taken that hill in his name. You see, we aren’t the ones who need to be ashamed. The power of God is with us.

“What exactly do you do?” This is a question I get asked frequently. People know I am a Youth Pastor, but they don’t understand what I am doing on a daily basis. My job description isn’t defined in their mind.

An Internet search of job descriptions for Youth Pastors will only add to the confusion. When looking for young men to pastor their students, churches list things like “a heart for the youth of America.” Or someone “who thinks outside the box.” Hmm. With qualifications like these almost anyone could apply, including most Taco Bell employees. So many job descriptions say things like “working with students” or “working with parents” or “working with the rest of the church staff,” but it is not clear what youth pastors are supposed to be working on.

To be honest, I think that many Youth Pastors are confused about their own job. They don’t know how to organize their time in their office every day. They would tell you ministry is about more than games, knowing the latest trends and getting students excited. But how would they really define what they do?

Fortunately, this is not a question we are left to figure out for ourselves. Scripture is clear on what pastors are supposed to do. Paul tells a young pastor like Timothy (1 Timothy 4:12) exactly how to conduct his ministry in the church. Here’s the context:

1 Timothy 4:11 - Command and teach these things.

1 Timothy 4:13 - Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.

1 Timothy 4:16 - Watch your life and your doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Now, I know that Timothy is the pastor of the whole church, including people who are older than him, but the job description here applies to all pastors: teach the Bible! Or as Paul puts it in 2 Timothy 4:2, “Preach the Word!” Sure, as youth pastors we will direct our preaching towards a younger audience. We will say “dude” more. We will talk about going to high school instead of going to work. We will give illustrations referring to Facebook or text messaging. But why do we completely change the role of pastor just because we put “youth” in front of it?

The first thing that should come to our minds when we hear the phrase “Youth Pastor” is a Bible teacher to teenagers. Youth Pastors should give themselves to the ministry of the word and to prayer (Acts 6:4). They should spend more time studying Scripture in books than the culture of youth through screens. The truth is if youth pastors in America were to think of their job like this we would start a worldwide revival that could not be stopped!

High school is four short years. We can try to provide safe places for students to hang out but they won’t stay long. We can administrate camps and activities but they will soon be forgotten. We can work hard to get students whipped up into an emotional frenzy but this will always fade with time. The Word of God lasts forever. Let’s invest ourselves in getting the Bible into student’s lives. At least then, we will really be doing something.

High school students are known for associating in cliques. They naturally gather in circles of exclusion. They may not even be doing it intentionally, but they often leave others out.  Sadly, sometimes this even happens here at church.

Matthew 5:47 - And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

Jesus is calling us to do more than greet those we already have a relationship with. This verse is in the context of loving our enemies. Non-Christians easily accept people who have already shown acceptance to them. It is distinctly Christian to reach out to someone who offers you nothing in return, someone who may even be against you.

In the previous verses, Jesus talks about how God gives sunshine and rain to both the righteous and the wicked.  Imagine if he only showed love to those who loved him. None of us would even be saved. God loved us when we were his enemies, when we were in sin against him (Romans 5:8). We need to love others like this, looking for ways to take the initiative.

So, when we come to church this weekend, let’s not greet like pagans. Don’t just talk to the people you already consider brothers. Go up to someone you don’t know.  Practice hospitality and try to make them feel at home.  Welcome them in the same way that we have been brought into God’s family. Let them know we are Christians, by showing them the Father’s unconditional love.

Hindu Threat To Christians: Convert or Flee  This headline in today’s newspaper caught my eye when I was at Starbucks this morning. In the country of India, the Hindu majority is persecuting Christians.  The story told of one family who was forced to watch as their Bible and other items were burned in front of them.  They were told to embrace Hinduism or their house would be demolished.  They were threatened to be thrown out of the village or even killed.

As I flipped through the pages to read the rest of the story, I noticed another article about persecuting Christians. This was taking place in Iraq.  Apparently, Christians there have been the target of suicide bombing and other forms of violence.  11 Christians have been killed in the last 10 days in the town of Mosul.  Many of them are now scattering to villages north of the city.

Although I was surprised to read these stories at Starbucks this morning, we should not be surprised to hear of Christians being persecuted.  In fact, we should expect it.  Scripture is clear that this is what will happen to people who stand for Christ.

2 Timothy 3:12 - In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted

We need to make sure that we are not naïve, thinking that most Christians go through life without suffering.  Persecution is normal.  Throughout history and in many places in the world today, this is standard operating procedure for the church.  In fact, this verse makes it clear that if we are living “a godly life in Christ’ we will be persecuted too!

Matthew 5:11-12 - Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

On the day that you and I face persecution, I hope we are expecting it.  I hope we can see it coming and take heart.  Let’s know that our Christian brothers and sisters throughout time and all over the planet have experienced this and it is an honor for us to be in their company.  Let’s see past the present pain into our future reward.  And let’s be ready to lose our home or life or whatever it may be…for the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord!

This was a great summer for our high school ministry. We did an evangelism event with the In-N-Out truck and our largest gathering of high school students yet. We did a Missions Trip with 45 highly committed students to our Spanish church in San Juan. And we did our biggest event ever: Revival 08!

Yet, out of all the memories made this summer, one word stands out to me the most: Maranatha! On the last night of camp I had the privilege of preaching from Philippians 3:20-21 on our citizenship in heaven. This can be a difficult subject for students. They have so much to look forward to in this life it can be hard for them to consider the next. Are high school students really going to be interested in being with Christ compared to the upcoming prospects of college, career and marriage?

The answer on this night was a resounding yes! The students wanted Jesus more! There was a great sense of excitement as we looked at what maranatha meant. It is an Aramaic word transliterated into the Greek and it only appears once in the New Testament. Here it is:

1 Corinthians 16:22 - Come, O Lord!

At the end of his long letter to the Corinthian church, Paul lets out this exclamation of his heart! He wants to see Jesus! He wants it now! He wants it more than everything else this world has to offer! It was so exciting for us to get a sense of this under the tent on the last night of Revival 08. It was a night I will not forget.

In fact, I was reminded of it yesterday as our high school ministry read the last chapter of the Bible together on our Scripture of the Day.

Revelation 22:7 - “Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.”

In this verse Jesus himself tells us that he is coming. And when does he say that he is coming? Soon! As I was scrolling through the comments on Revelation 22 yesterday, it was encouraging to see so many students saying “Maranatha!” They too had not forgotten. As Christians, we always need to keep our desire to depart and be with Christ in the forefront of our thinking. This will give us motivation to live each day for him as we “eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20)!”

If you are committed to praying maranatha every day please leave a comment below and I will get you a free copy of the cd of “The Maranatha Sermon” from the last night of Revival 08.

Come, O Lord!

Here at Compass we have a very straightforward approach to youth ministry: teaching the Bible.  We teach it in a way that is relevant to the student’s lives without dumbing it down.

Now consider the images that come to your mind when you usually hear the words “youth ministry.”  I am going to guess that these two words are not synonymous with “Bible teaching” in your mental thesaurus.  Why does the image of students sticking their faces into a toilet bowl and bobbing for Snickers bars come to mind? The makeup for much of contemporary youth ministry is mostly games and activities with a little bit of Bible thrown in.  The thought is this is all the youth can handle.

1 Timothy 4:12 - Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

This verse says that youth is not an excuse.  Paul is writing to Timothy, who is a young pastor, and tells him not to think that it is okay to be looked down on because of his age.  Rather, Paul challenges Timothy to set the example.  He says that he should live in such a way that people look up to him, even older people.

This same principle applies to teenagers today.  We don’t need to act like we are condescending down to their level.  We need to help them live up to the standards God has set in Scripture.

In fact, throughout the Bible God loves to use young people. He gave Joseph big dreams when he was only seventeen (Genesis 37:2).  He raised Daniel to become an exemplary young man in Babylon (Daniel 1:4).  And consider the words King Saul said to David before he fought Goliath, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth (1 Samuel 17:33).”  Yet God still used him to lead the men of Israel to victory on that day.

Similarly, God is working in the lives of many young people at our church.  Of course we have fun together, but that is not what our ministry is about.  We empower young people through the preaching of God’s Word in an age appropriate way.  Some students have radically changed by repenting of their sins and putting their faith in Christ.  Some are growing to levels of spiritual maturity.  Many are learning to serve the church and evangelize their schools. Let’s stop looking down on our youth and instead praise the Lord for how he uses them for his glory!

And let’s pray that He will do great things in our high school and junior high ministries this year as we continue to teach the Bible to our young people!

The gospel of self-esteem is proudly preached at the high schools of Orange Country. Students are encouraged to look inside, find the good and follow their hearts. The way to greatness, they are told, is in being yourself.

Jesus had something radically different to say. He said the way to greatness wasn’t in regarding yourself highly, but esteeming yourself as a slave.

Matthew 10:26-28 - Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Jesus says that to be first, we must become slaves. I’m trying to think how this line would come across at high school graduation ceremonies in Orange County. Students are incessantly told that everything they need is within them and to spend their life pursuing their own dreams. Instead, Jesus commands a life of servitude.

As Christians, the challenge for us is who are we going to believe: the popular worldly wisdom or the paradoxical truth of Jesus. While it is easy to say Jesus is right, do our lives show a servant’s heart? Do we wake up in the morning thinking about what we want to do that day or how we can help others? Do we walk into a room looking for what we are going to get or what we are going to give? We show that we understand Jesus when we do what he says.

Towards the end of the book of Acts, there is a quote from our Lord Jesus Christ. It is not a quote from any of the gospel books. In fact, I don’t even know when Jesus said it. But as the apostle Paul is talking to the leaders of the church in Ephesus, he quotes Jesus as saying:

Acts 20:35 - “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Jesus was living proof of this. Philippians 2:6-7 says that even though Jesus was by nature God he took on the nature of a slave. He served us by dying on the cross for our sin. Because of this God has now exalted him to the highest place and given him the name above all names. Someday every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Let us follow his example and become slaves ourselves. Let all of us esteem service as the more blessed way to live.

Take a moment right now to think about how you can serve someone today!

This was the last week of school. Students all across Orange County were loosed from the shackles of backpacks, homework and studying for finals. You could see them smiling. You could hear their sighs of relief. On Facebook their collective status was filled with exclamation points. Yes, summer is finally here!

But what are our students going to spend their summer doing? “Nothing.” “Sleeping in.” “Taking a break.” As High School Pastor, these are all answers I have heard. While it is great to have rest from the rigors of school, I would still encourage our students to study, that’s right study! In fact, I encourage all of us here at Compass Bible Church to spend this summer diligently studying God’s Word. Summertime is not a vacation from Scripture!

Proverbs 6:9-11 - How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest- and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.

Proverbs 13:4 - The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.

If we are craving nothing this summer then that is exactly what we will get! We need to make sure that we don’t go the way of the sluggard, sleeping in and being lazy. Diligence is what the Proverbs command! Biblical wisdom is what we should desire! Right now we’ve been reading through this book in the high school ministry and it is the perfect message for our all of us as the season of slacking begins. Don’t waste your summer! Be wise and get into God’s Word!

Proverbs 4:5 - Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them.

Proverbs 4:7 - Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.

I know students sometimes have a hard time staying consistent in their Bible study and so I work hard to keep them accountable. But, I am often surprised by how many of the adults at our church tell me they are behind in their Daily Bible Reading. Yes, life is busy. Yes, it can be challenging to read day after day without a break. But this is why diligence is so important! This is why we have to desire God’s wisdom even if it costs us other things!

The exciting thing is we have an opportunity to read the Scriptures right here on our website! And not only can we read them for ourselves, we can leave comments that will encourage other readers as well. Check out these web pages for all ages:

Adults: Our very own Daily Bible Reading under the leadership of Pastor Mike is now updated on our site every 24 hours! Not only is it a great source of accountability to keep up with the schedule and not fall behind, but you can also comment on what God is teaching you and spur the rest of our church family on!

High Schoolers: Read through the Proverbs with us on Scripture of the Day! There are so many good verses, even in just one chapter, to think about throughout the day and to pass on to others.

Junior Highers: Right now Pastor Lucas is leading his people through the Psalms on Chapter of the Day. What a great way to get to know God and share what you are learning with your friends!

So, who’s ready to commit to reading the Bible all summer long on a daily basis? If you haven’t been reading or are behind, this is the day to get back on track! Just leave me a comment letting me know you are ready to start reading and let’s hold each other accountable! I’ll see you on here…every…single…day!