Jason Jimenez encourages parents and youth leaders at our Reality Student Apologetics Conference to remain steadfast and model unshaken hope in the Lord and in the students they shepherd.
Transcript
I know a lot of you guys are feeling pain and disappointment and letdown. But here at Stand to Reason, what we want to share with you guys is the second term that Paul conveys to the Corinthians in [1 Corinthians 1] verse 7 about hope. Is it about hope? Notice what he says in verse 7: “Our hope for you is…” what? “Unshaken.”
Isn’t it sad when we in ministry sometimes start becoming hopeless rather than hopeful in the kids and the families that we’ve been tasked to lead? When we start losing sight of that, when we start doubting them, we become critical. Don’t we? But notice he says, “Our hope for you is unshaken. For we know that as you share in…” what? “Our sufferings.”
Can I ask you a second question? First one was, Did you ask for prayer to be here? For people to surround you in the Spirit? And two, do you share in the sufferings with the people around you? Do they know, maybe, some struggles or issues that you’re going through?
The Greek word here for hope [firmly grounded] is bebaia. It’s in the predicate adjective, and it literally describes hope as being reliable and trustworthy. So, here’s the amazing thing in Christianity. What I was sharing with your students—and they did an awesome job, by the way, being attentive. When I was looking around that large audience, I didn’t see a lot of them messing around, laughing. So, you know, we applaud you guys because I know how difficult that is sometimes, trying to keep them paying attention. But this word here is that when you don’t lose the reliability or the trustworthiness. So, we have the trustworthiness of Scripture, but as Christians who follow God’s Word, there’s a trustworthiness here. Are you seeing that in your ministry? Are you seeing, just as Paul said to Timothy, that you, likewise, in 2 Timothy 2, train up reliable men? Do you have hope in the people—not just in your ministry—but do you have hope in the people that you’re shepherding?
How many of you guys are disappointed right now? You’re disappointed in the budget. You’re disappointed in the direction. You’re disappointed in the lack of leadership. You’re disappointed in the vision. You’re disappointed in the turnout. You wanted to have more students here, and, at the last minute, you know, kids were pulled because they had to go in a tournament or something. Whatever. You know what I mean? Like, something happens. You’re disappointed in that. I understand that. I’ve been there with you, and it’s hard sometimes. But what we have to look past and have to understand and dwell here is that, even though we are suffering or we have disappointment, we remain hopeful in the people that God has given us. I get it. If you have 100 students, good luck having maybe 30 of them being very faithful and grounded. But are you hopeful in that 30? Are you hopeful in that 30 to impact the 70? Are you trusting in some of these young students now to step it up and to speak and share their testimony and to lead, and you can be right there to support them? Or is there such this disappointment?
I’ve been doing this long enough to where I don’t want to bring negativity. We could talk about Gen Z-ers, millennials, snowflakes. What good does that do? Doesn’t do a whole lot. Paul brings hope. He expresses his belief that, despite facing hardship of their faith in Christ, the Corinthians would continue to stand firm in their beliefs. I pray—we pray as a ministry team with you guys, trying to encourage you this morning, this afternoon—that your example, by showing the relentless hope that you have in Christ and in them, is going to change them.
Guys, just recently I ran into a student that I haven’t seen in 20 years, married, and they said, “We were just talking about you and your wife.” We were telling our kids, who are now entering middle school. And I got emotional. He’s like, “Thank you for being there for me.” You know what I mean? This grown guy. And I’m just like, “Man, what a blessing to have those few years with this guy who didn’t forget it.” That was 20 years ago. I’m like, “Who are you again?” No. Well, some of them, you’re like, “What? You, 30 pounds later with a beard?” I’m like, “Oh, you’re that kid that always farted on the bus. Amen.” You’re the only one who’s always lost your socks. But what a blessing. You know what I mean? It’s just one of those constant reminders of, like, you didn’t lose hope in them.
So, I encourage you guys, as you’re being comforted by God and comforted by one another, as you comfort people, remain hopeful. I know it can be discouraging when you’re seeing a lot of the ruins and brokenness and wokeism and inclusivity and abandonment of doctrine and a lot of the rudeness that comes with a lot of these kids and these appeasements that come from their parents. But be an example. Look to the Lord as they look to you.