Important Announcements & Whose Righteousness Do You Trust?

This week in Student Ministries we studied Jesus’s parable in Luke 18 about the Pharisee and the tax collector, focusing on the central question: Whose righteousness do we trust? The students were challenged to see that every person is trusting in either their own righteousness or in Christ’s righteousness, and that the difference between the two is the critical distinction at work in salvation by faith alone in Christ alone. We touched on key biblical concepts like righteousness, justification, and propitiation, showing that God does not accept us because we are “better than others” or meet a standard of righteousness on our own or because of religious behavior, but only because Jesus took our place and satisfied God’s righteous judgment and imputes His perfect righteousness to those who call on Him. The tax collector, who knew he had nothing to offer God, went home justified because he depended entirely on God’s mercy, while the outwardly religious Pharisee trusted in himself and went home unchanged, unrighteous, and unreconciled to God.

A helpful way of following up at home is to help your student see where they might be trusting in their own righteousness or to encourage them to more completely trust in Christ's righteousness alone. The cry of the Christian isn't "I cleaned myself up" or. "I'm better than another" but rather, "God, be merciful (propitious) to me, a sinner." Listen for how your kids talk about being “good,” comparing themselves to others, or assuming God is pleased with them because of behavior, church involvement, or family background. Gently redirect those moments toward the gospel by reinforcing that Christians don’t come to God cleaned up, but honest, dependent, and trusting wholly in Jesus’s righteousness, not their own. Encourage open conversations about sin, repentance, and faith.

The message can be found at our website. Our discussion guide to help in discussion groups and to help parents interact with this can be found here. 

This Sunday we will be back together and working in discussion groups through verses to help the students better understand what the Bible teaches about salvation. So please join us this Sunday at 6-7:30 pm. 

Camp
As a reminder, camp registration ends this week. Please sign up today. If finances are a challenge, please know that we have individuals in the body who want to help make sure that no students who want to go to camp are left out due to the price. So sign up anyway and indicate that you need financial help or reach out to [email protected]. Camp will be February 20-22nd in Prescott.

Upcoming Schedule
For your planning here is the upcoming Student Ministry schedule

Thank you for this privilege of coming alongside you in evangelizing and discipling you students.

You servant for His glory, 
  -Jacob