How Do We Remain Relevant?

Currently I'm staying down in Lexington with the Sawyers and yesterday, John shows me an article which argued for free contraception as opposed to abortion. Now the regular person who think that this article would appear pleasing to Christians because, well, there would be vast decrease in abortion which we Christians are always talking about. However, to this we would respond that it is actually the promiscuous behavior and the sexual intimacy outside of marriage which we are actually opposed to and that free contraception would only promote that behavior even more. You see, in neither situation would we be happy. To outside people, this seems insane, like we cannot be pleased.
               The view which we adopt in this situation is so counter-culture and is why we are criticized for being "out-dated" on our views. You see, only down this line of free contraception, will people see how sexual activity will increase. The age of beginning sexual activity will begin earlier, and this will have disastrous psychological effects on our youth as they experience one meaningless sexual relationship after another. But on the surface level of this article, unborn babies aren't dying because the women will have free contraception and this should surely please. But our problem with this issue goes right to the root. So how do we as Christians show people that our views are not outdated, that sexual relationships belong in a marriage, which according to modern day stats only 50% of marriages actually work out.
               John told me a John Wesley quote which states "what one generation tolerates, the next will embrace". He also led on to say that it will be my generation, our generation, who will deal with these big issues and we will have to show how the Bible still holds relevance and credibility within these situations. We have a huge case on our hands and we need to be prepared. We need to show how the Word is still alive and breathing and can hold relevance even in a culture which tells us it is everything but relevant.
               Dear Generation, we have a huge task ahead of us, and we cannot wait, it doesn't start whenever we have the degree in our hand, the spouse, the house and the 2.5 kids. It begins now, in our homes, in our schools, in our friendship circles.
               How do we show the Bible's relevance you may ask? Well believe me I asked myself the exact same question and this is what I came up with:

1. Actually read your Bible
             Its amazing how long we can go without reading our Bibles. Or how at ease we are at being   totally biblically illiterate. We should do more than merely read it, we should study it. You see, the evil doesn't want us to read it and will do anything to stop us from reading it. The Bible, at its basic, is God speaking to us, why would we not want to read and study it? We so often complain that God isn't directing us on some things, or showing clarity about things, and in so many of these situations turning to the Bible seems the very last thing we want to do.
            I get asked often how we decipher between the voice of good and the voice of evil within our heads. The good voice, God, works in the same way as scripture and if we don't know scripture we may have a hard time in telling which voice we should listen to. Ignorance of the gospel is ignorance of God himself and we should be weary of this.

2. Actually do what the Bible says
            Have you ever wondered how awesome Christianity would be if we actually read the Bible and did what it said? I think we would be unstoppable. So many people see back examples of Christians within our society and it's so sad. We should act in response to what we are studying in the Word, this is when we apply what we are studying. We study the Bible so we can act it out and be able to give people an accurate description of what we believe, and why we believe it.

These two actions are not groundbreaking but the effects of them could be...

The Old Cliche of "Finding Yourself"

                Let me tell you about teenager Vikki. Well I still am a teenager, but younger teenager Vikki. You could say that I knew I would go into ministry at around aged 16...but I did not want to. Not at all. I fought it unbelievably, trying to convince myself into attending art school which is what most people wanted for me. I had a talent there at least, the plan was that I would go and study ceramics, people could put their faith into that career for me.
                You see I was the kid who failed every public speaking assignment throughout high school and was the token person who people would be like "Vikki Smyth? who's that?". I had zero influence in these years so thinking that I could ever have any in the future could not even be imagined. The people around me were also skeptical about this thing I deemed a "calling". In my senior year I had to report to the careers staff about what my plans for college were, I told them that I would be going to America to attend Bible college to study ministry, I can remember the exact way they looked at me as they said "Well, Victoria, I really think you should have a plan B...this might only happen".
                Now, if you know me, at all, you will understand that I am pretty stubborn. To the point where it gets me in trouble all the time. I remember the day I finally told God, "OK, I don't get it... but I'll try it, there's nothing to lose and You always get your own way every time". I started my freshman year and as I started to surrender more, as God broke me more, as He rebuilt me, I began to see a change. Disclaimer: the breaking part, it wasn't nice, but it needed done. You see, I was built on a rocky foundation and the ground I was on was about to be pulled from under me.
                 But I came into my freshman year also holding a place the entire year at a University in Northern Ireland with the option of starting my second year there. I am so incredibly glad that I rejected that offer after my first year. I found a passion I didn't know that I had and I have gotten lost in it. I found the person I am meant to be and have an idea of the person I am striving to be.
                 I am not a finished work yet. And believe me, I still have a long way to go. But through all the hard times, I hold onto the hope that all of it has a purpose in this amazing plan that God has intrinsically designed, a life only I can live. And I could not be more excited about that.
               

Philippians 1:6 "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ"