Young Christian Leaders' Alliance

R. Josiah Magnuson

Sometimes Aesop’s fables are misrepresented.  In probably one of the most famous, the tortoise challenges the hare to a race.  The hare sees the possibility as ridiculous, but goes along for the fun.  The hare is so confident of his ability to win the race that after running within sight of the finish line, he lays down and goes to sleep.  However, the tortoise slowly inches past the hare and steps over the finish line, just as the hare wakes up to realize his mistake.  “Slow and steady wins the race.”

Many times this story is applied to say that a slow approach will triumph over a fast one.  Yet, does slowness always win?  While it is true that we need to be careful and not try to achieve things too fast, the more important issue is not to lose focus.  Whether one is quick or slow, the “steady” is the bigger part of the equation.

In Scripture, we see countless examples of individuals who God called on to fulfill a mission.  Sometimes He asked them to go slowly and wait, and sometimes He asked them to achieve a goal immediately.  The common factor among those who were successful – those who endured to finish the task – was a steady focus on God’s will.

Paul emphasized, “Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”  (Phil. 3:13-14)

The Bible often compares the Christian life to a race.  It is like a marathon in which the runners must put all their strength into competing and overcoming if they are to win.  How can we have this kind of focus?  What should most carefully receive our attention?

Faith in God – Hebrews 12:1 tells us to put aside everything that weighs us down, especially the sin of unbelief which “so easily besets us.”  We need to daily renew a true faith in God.  As Heb. 11:6 states earlier, “He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”  Our Creator is alive!  He will reward us if we are committed to Him. 

The best way to gain faith is to read and meditate on Scripture (Rom. 10:17).  The Bible tells us we will have good success if we immerse ourselves in it day and night (Josh. 1:7-8, Psalm 1:2-3).  Every step we take in the race of life must be illumined by God's Word.  With light from Scripture, and the faith that results from it, we can have a proper focus in our day-to-day decisions (Psalm 119:105, Prov. 4:25-27).

Fellowship with Christ – The “mark” Paul states he is pressing towards in Philippians 3:14 is described in verses 8 through 11.  Paul’s goal is to “win Christ, and be found in Him.”  His reason is “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” 

As believers, we are dead and our lives are “hid with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3-4).  It should be our purpose to have close fellowship with Christ – even in His sufferings and death – so that we can join in the power of His resurrection!  When we view life from this perspective, we gain a right attitude and can thus have true joy.  Peter expounds on this point, telling us that we are called to have endurance, suffering patiently, because Christ also suffered for us.  In His likeness, we will be glorified! (I Peter 2:19-14)

Finish Line – The end of the race awaits us.  We must finish the course faithfully, for those who love Christ will be awarded a crown of righteousness from the Righteous Judge (II Tim. 4:7-8)!  Our focus should be on eternity.  Our vision should be to bear fruit that lasts, not of this world where it will decay, but in the kingdom of our Heavenly Father.  True endurance – in which we do not “run in vain” (Phil. 2:16) – requires uniting with other believers to hold forth the Word of life to a dark and perverse society around us.  When we remember that our value does not stem from this life, but from treasure in the next, we are inspired to fight for the prize and succeed for God’s glory.  (I Cor. 9:22-27)

The race we are running is a war.  Endurance, by definition, involves struggle.  Spiritual attacks – and even physical ones – will come to the bold soldier of Christ.  But boldness in Christ’s example is boldness in a history-long celestial campaign for the honor of our God, fought in the hearts of men.  That campaign cannot fail.

The Apostle James told us, “Behold, we count them happy which endure.” (James 5:11)  If we remain steadily focused, enduring to the end, we will have the privilege of joining in Christ’s triumph. We will have the joy of laying our crowns at His feet.

Will you finish the race as a tortoise or a hare?

R. Josiah Magnuson

“That’s your truth. I have mine.” This is the fundamental assertion of a post-modernist. Postmodernism claims there is no absolute truth – no reality basic to all people. Rather, it holds that every person creates their own reality from their own experiences and perceptions.

A post-modernist may accept that Christ is the Savior for some people, but will reject the need for Christ as the only Savior for all humanity. Is there a way to defeat this philosophy?

First, God’s Word is the starting point to defeat post-modernism. Christ told us, “If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32) God’s worldview is the basis for knowledge. Unless we start with His perspective, we cannot understand existence, or even know existence is real. The Bible states, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). The Bible also indicates in numerous places that God cannot lie or contradict Himself. Thus, reality (as God’s creation) is valid and concretely definable. However, if we start with any other premise, we become irrational since we cannot trust our own minds. The big question for post-modernism is, “How do you know?”

Second, logic defeats post-modernism. A postmodernist asserts, “There is no absolute truth.” This statement is actually an absolute truth in itself. Thus, if that statement is true, then it is false. Something cannot be both true and false. In response, a post-modernist may assert that he does not agree; he does not believe in the law of noncontradiction. Your reply would be, “Thus you do believe in the law of non-contradiction?” to which he would reply, “No, I just told you I didn’t.” By making such a statement, he is demonstrating that he in fact does believe in the law of noncontradiction, because he believes in the existence of falsehood.

Third, love must be the foundation of our effort. It is the Holy Spirit who must make alive the hearts of those we speak to. The Spirit works through love in the actions and attitudes of believers. Our materialistic culture has bred pride, bitterness, and covetousness, which hinders people from accepting absolutes. It follows that it must be our purpose to reach out humbly, forgivingly, and sacrificially for others. We must “take up our cross daily” to serve Christ in serving those around us.

It is important to recognize that the post-modernist will not be won by logic, although logic is a help along the way.  It may also be that the Bible solely as a book of principles will not win the post-modernist. The post-modernist will be drawn to Christ through the love of God’s people, and the work of the Spirit, as he experiences the adventure of God’s living words!

Post-modernism ends in irrationality since under this way of thinking, the world might simply be our imagination. Presenting the wonderful stories of Scripture is the basis to breaking irrationality (John 20:31), because the hearing of Scripture brings faith (Romans 10:17). Further, as faithful brothers and sisters, our lives corroborate the truth of God’s family (John 13:55).

What would your life tell a post-modernist? Does your life conform to the truth of Scripture? Are you a disciple of the Person of Truth, Jesus Christ, or are you wandering on paths of peril?

Danielle A.

"Defeating Post-Modernism" Assignments!

Just firing off an update from the Strategy Group meeting this morning. We discussed preparations for the exciting upcoming event on November 5th, "Defeating Post-Modernism" which will be at Roper Mountain Baptist Church.

The event begins at 7:00 p.m. and although scheduled to run through until 10 p.m., likely won't be that long. There will be fellowship, valuable information, and delicious pizza afterwards.

I would like to note that certain assignments have been given to various YCLA members, and are such as follows:

- David Killinger shall bring beverages
- Justin Summerlin is in charge of plateware and ice
- Matt Wally will be picking up the pizza and leading music - I think the songs we chose were "The Bible Stands", "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" and "A New Life in Christ"
- The Goulds will be in charge of some cookies for dessert
- Josiah Magnuson will create the program for the evening.

More info can be found at the public Facebook Event page!

Ten Commandments Series

It should be noted that the Ten Commandments study series will begin in two weeks. Remember when you picked which commandment you'd like to study and talk about? This is that assignment! You'll be teaching a mini-lecture for about 5-10 minutes, so study up - you never know if someone may have a question about your topic afterward!

Krispy Kreme Fundraiser Dues

On a final note - YCLA members, this is important!

The Creation Museum was a blast. Please remember that if you owe anything or have not sold your certificates for Krispy Kreme doughnuts, you need to do so ASAP so we can pay David back for his generous investment. He spent $500.00 to buy all the doughnuts and certificates and not all of it has been returned to him via profit, leaving him in the red. Don't settle for debt - if you can't sell the certs to others, consider buying them yourself  (hey, they're fantastic Christmas gifts for local loved ones!) or donating a set amount of money to the YCLA to help pay off the costs. We appreciate your cooperation!

I think that's all for now. Keep tuned for more meeting and event updates from yours truly and the other awesome bloggers.

God bless~

One of the newest elements of the YCLA involves the idea of mentorships. Think about someone you know who shows maturity in the Lord, who you would enjoy learning from, and ask them if they would be willing to meet with you every so often for the next few months. In addition, if you find God allows you to do so, find someone who would benefit from your leadership and ask them to do the same. The goal is to further edify and encourage each other in the Lord in a more personal context. It will also enable an increase in outreach as each partnership develops a shared focus in action for Christ.

We're reading through the Bible in 2011!  This year marks the 400th anniversary of the King James Version of Scripture.  Join us on New Years' Eve to kick off this project with our IcePickNic.  Also, please view our new page for the Pure River Project.  It provides the strategy for the coming year.  It also answers the question, "Why use the KJV?"

Are you discouraged with pointless political campaigns?  Are you tired of electing people who promise change and then fall in with the Capitol crowd for one agenda or another?  Are you ready to learn how to act and make a difference?  If you can say "Yes" to any of these questions, and you are a young person in South Carolina who loves freedom, you are hereby declared a part of the SC Young Constitutional Activists!  You can join us on Facebook, and view more about the group here.  

In reality, the greatest power is not in the polls.  The power is in holding our representatives accountable, and telling them what legislation we want!  On the state level, a lot can happen.  The time is right to bring together a group to make a principled, positive impact.

Watch closely for upcoming events!  We plan on heading to Columbia (our state capital) several times in the next legislative session.  We also are planning other events with state legislators, and other activists.  We have the experience and connections - we just need you and your friends!  Let's see if we can make history once again for our state.  Call my personal number at (864) 420-7933 with any questions.

-Josiah

If you’ve been to a YCLA “Lead the Lemon” event, you’ve probably heard of the leadership acronym with the all-important word “L.O.V.E.”  This acronym stands for Look out for others, Organize to meet their needs, Visualize success, and Enter action.  However, this acronym does not give an applicable leadership model for everyday influence and service.  How does one actually practice servant-leadership? 

The quick answer is that servant-leadership is more a spirit or attitude than a set of actions.  The best goal is simply to exemplify character qualities such as meekness, wisdom, diligence, and yes, compassion and love.  While this answer is correct, the YCLA realizes that actual actions will result from such an attitude.  Thus, we have put together the acronym S.E.R.V.E. to help you remember how to face leadership issues in your everyday life. It is as follows: 

1. See a problem that needs to be fulfilled. 

2. Envision a solution to the problem. 

3. Respond to the problem with appropriate action. 

4. Verify the results of your response. 

5. Equip others to do the same thing.  

Look for more detail on this newly formulated “cycle” of service principles in future YCLA resources!

Find out more about YCLA church/school events like Lead the Lemon

Subscribe to the YCLA newsletter

The YCLA is currently looking for people who would like to publish brief essays, stories, original poems, or simple research articles relevant to our mission of training, equipping, and motivating others to proclaim Christ.  We would be interested in content having to do with America's Godly heritage, leadership issues, Biblical studies especially regarding creation science, current opportunities for action, and more.  If you have ideas or contributions you would like to make in this area, please contact me as soon as possible. 

Beginning this fall, the YCLA would like to begin creating our newsletter in four-page format.  At the same time, however, I will be beginning law college next week, so I will not be able to do near as much on these kinds of long-term projects as I could previously.  Any amount of help would be greatly appreciated.  You can email the YCLA anytime at yclalliance@gmail.com. Thanks!  :-)

In Christ,

R. Josiah Magnuson

YCLA President

The YCLA is happy to announce a new strategic emphasis for the year 2010. Our theme beginning in January will be “Core Communities.” The emphasis of the Core Communities theme will be to build on our individual contacts already in existence nationwide, to create or identify entire centres of principled young people. We will thus be focusing on reaching entire groups, as well as continuing our previous concentration on gaining new individual contacts and members.  The goal is to establish numerous bases of support which can be networked for political, social, and evangelistic action.

One way this goal can be accomplished is through YCLA training events such as Lead the Lemon.  Lead the Lemon is an example of an exciting and fun yet simple event which demonstrates how to “be an example” of Christ (I Tim. 4:12) in “sour” situations. It consists primarily of a round of mini-golf with lemons as the golf balls, followed by a brief presentation, and then lemonade making and refreshments!  Through this and other events, the YCLA will take a broad yet personal approach to growing our network. (You can find out more about the Lead the Lemon opportunity online at www.YoungChristianLeaders.org/lemons.aspx!)  

Operation Pi and BEAMS will also contribute to the Core Communities theme. Operation Pi, an effort to see prayer groups started in schools, will continue to create new centres of young people who are connected with God and who have a heart for serving Christ. BEAMS, an acronym for Becoming Energetic And Mobilized Servants, is an educational option for leadership–minded youth. It, too, has great potential to begin creating a network for principle as groups begin using its challenging rank advancements and Handbook.

The ultimate goal of the YCLA is to unite likeminded young people to serve in reclaiming the culture. For example, thousands of Bible-believing churches have youth groups, but many take\ little time to integrate moral efforts into their activities. Still fewer ever interact with other youth groups, because of a lack of the common ground created by action for common principles. The YCLA will seek to provide ways for these groups to come together in support of the Biblical worldview.  Ultimately, success depends on God’s working and our individual contacts spreading the word.

Will you help us build the network?