This just in…apparently there are a few college campuses where there is more than just studying going on. No seriously – I’ve heard rumors that there might even be partying!

I know, I know – you probably imagined college life as going to classes, studying, and occasionally playing Wii with friends, right? But after seeing the ABC Family (ahem) show called GREEK, I think there’s just a little more than academic pursuit happening.

It almost seems as though the studious side of college is just a bothersome requirement that is getting in the way of elevated blood alcohol and “I’m not sure what happened last night” experiences.

So yeah, none of this is probably news to you… In fact, you probably have heard of or know people who are experiencing a mini-version of the ‘partay’ environment right now – which for Christians brings up an interesting dilemma. On the one hand, you’ve found peace, hope, and purpose in your relationship with Jesus, which is why you aren’t looking for it in a bottle or warm body. You’ve been freed from the destructive lie that getting drunk, using drugs, and having sex will somehow bring you happiness and help you escape from your frustrations and stress. That’s why believers who “get it” should not be into the alcohol, drugs and sex party scene.

But that’s also where the problem is. In my opinion, the folks who do partake in the drug-induced festivities are also the ones who are the most desperate to hear the gospel!  They are looking and searching and hurting… But if they have little-to-no relationship with any Christians, how will they ever hear the incredible news that there’s another way to live life that is not only guilt-free, but also freedom-driven???

Did you know that there were Greeks back in Jesus’ day?  I know – duh – the people from Greece, right?  Well, yes – but there was also a Frat-type crowd that was partying long before America was even a nation.

And Jesus reached out to them. Here’s the account:

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.

Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners.  But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”

When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor – sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners” (Matthew 9:9-13).

Did you know that Jesus was accused of hanging out with people of questionable reputation? No, not because he got drunk and lived an immoral lifestyle. It was because He spent time with people whose lives were messed up by bad behavior choices and offered them hope and forgiveness. As you read in the passage above, the religious leaders of the time were shocked that someone claiming to be God would spend His time with the ones who seemed to be rebelling against Him the most.

But Jesus didn’t hang with them to party… He was with them to build relationships.  He wanted to be in their lives so that when the party was over and the emptiness, pain, loneliness, and isolation returned with the force of an emotional freight train, they had somewhere to turn.  That’s why He told the religious folks this:

For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.

What did He mean when He said He came to “call” those who know they are sinners?  If you look at Jesus’ life while He walked this earth, He called sinners to respond to the amazing message of the gospel – to discover the forgiveness, acceptance, and purpose that could be found only in Him.

And isn’t that what we are supposed to be doing as well?  If we are Christ followers, then we should follow His example and reach out to those who don’t have their act together and their lives cleaned up! And not in a judgmental “If you stop drinking, Christ will love you” kind of way. Rather, we need to share with them the true message of the gospel: that we are all sinners, undeserving of God’s grace and in desperate need of a Savior. Out of love for us, God sent His Son, Jesus, to earth to live a perfect life, die in our place, pay for our sins, and rise again, so that we could have an abundant life with Him now and an eternal life with Him in heaven.

So am I saying that we should go out and party with the best of them?  NO – but neither should we build a “Christian friends ghetto.” Get to know those who are trying to escape through partying and be there for them when the reality sets in that all the lies they believed about sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll are a short trip to depression and disillusionment.

Who are the Greeks in your life that need the message of eternal life?

I’ve really enjoyed posting and blogging about different current events and how a Christian Perspective can be called for these items. As the summer is over and Youth Group is starting, I feel it is especially important to continue these blogs. Each Wednesday around noon EST I will be posting a post similar to what I have been releasing. The post will be announced on my Facebook and Twitter automatically as it has been, and you can subscribe to the RSS. These posts will not be the same discussion as what was discussed at Youth Group, I am still not sure how I wish to continue Youth Group discussion, but I imagine I will be using a separate website to achieve that goal. As time permits I will attempt to blog more often, but I can only guarantee a blog once a week for now. As always I’d love to talk to you in the chatroom (http://www.ryancourtade.com/chat).

God Bless,

Ryan

So who didn’t play with G.I. Joe when he was a kid?  At least when I was growing up, the plan was set: little soldiers for boys and Barbies for girls, right?  Nothing wrong of course with little girls occasionally staging battles with the green army men and little boys sporadically visiting the Barbie beach house (as Ken, right?) to check out the latest shopping spree.  But in general – soldiers for boys and dolls for girls back in the day.

I guess the ‘day’ has changed over the years.  Suddenly somehow G.I. Joe became the bad guys in some circles, and the attempted G.I. Jane (military Barbie) didn’t go over so well – must’ve intimidated Ken too much?

But wait!  Hitting the big time screen with big time actors/actresses is none other than G.I. Joe!  Apparently there has been enough interest to dump millions of dollars into a theatrical interpretation of the scenarios we used to play out in the backyard and on the living room floor.

And even if you weren’t into all that military stuff, you have to admit that there is something compelling about people fighting for a cause, no matter what the cost.

In other words, I believe we are hard-wired to be a ‘soldier’ in the sense of anyone fighting for something worth, well, fighting for.  There are soldiers for sports for victory on the field.  There are soldiers for academics for the triumph of scholarships and admittance into great schools. And there are soldiers who go to work and take care of kids every day just to make the world a better place.

But wait a minute…where did the G.I. Christians go? Nothing wrong with other causes, but if no one ever told you, when you trusted Christ, you enlisted in a branch of service.  Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul as he writes to his friend Timothy:

Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them (2 Timothy 2:3-4).

Fairly straightforward, wouldn’t you agree?  As Christians, we are clearly called soldiers because we were definitely ‘enlisted’ or recruited by Jesus Christ.  In other words, when we signed up for salvation, we were inducted into a lifetime of service for His cause.

Oh, we can choose to be lousy soldiers.  I’ve seen plenty.  During my military service in the Army, I knew lots of folks who gave lip service to their commitment, but on the inside they were about as much a soldier as Ken in the beach house.  They weren’t serious about the threat and the importance of the cause, and they were very lucky that no serious battles came their way.

How about you?  Are you getting ‘tied up’ in the affairs of civilian life?  Paul says that there are Christians who forget that all the stuff and the drama of day-to-day life is just that: stuff and drama.  It detracts and distracts us from our real purpose, which is to fight the spiritual battles and champion the spiritual causes that come our way every day. 

You know people that need to be prayed for…are you praying?  You have friends who might spend an eternity apart from Christ…are you sharing the gospel?  You have an enemy who is firing round after round of depression, anxiety, despair, and destructive temptation your way…are you putting on the protective gear for your soul?

Perhaps you’ve never thought of yourself as a G.I. Christian and you wouldn’t be the only one.  But I hope now that you take your recruitment and calling seriously, because if those who don’t are missing a seriously amazing opportunity to be victors, overcomers, and champions for the Lord Jesus Christ.

So how can we be a good soldier for the One the Bible calls ‘the Captain of our salvation’? (Hebrews 2:10).  That will mean different things for different people, but as a former soldier, I can say there are three very key elements:

First, be ready for the fight at any time.  During my service in the Army, I had a bag packed at all times sitting in my closet, because at any time I could be called anywhere in the world if stuff went down.  Now, my ‘bag’ is a readiness for a spiritual battle that could escalate without warning.

Second, resolve to not be distracted.  Sure, enjoy that full life that Christ has granted you, but don’t let the enemy use that to sidetrack you from being a soldier.  There are real G.I. s in Iraq and Afghanistan right now who are playing soccer with kids or jamming out on iPods, but don’t think for a minute that they aren’t totally focused on what is going on around them.

Finally, a good soldier is of good courage.  He/she refuses to be overtaken by fear and discouragement, because the cause is worth fighting – and even worth dying – for.  As a Christian, you have an unlimited resource of strength through prayer and the pages of the Bible.  And most of all, you have the power of God Himself living inside you through the Holy Spirit.

G.I. Christian…soldier up!