InWord Resources

Teaching the Loose Grip

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Nostalgia is a big thing.

 

In youth ministry we can leverage it, counting on students to recall positive emotions about an event as motivation to sign up when the event comes back around on the calendar.

 

But can nostalgia also be a hinderance? Can it cause us to hold tighter to things than God might intend? This may sound counterintuitive, but perhaps one of the greatest temptations to overcome in a spiritual journey is the temptation to hold tightly to those things in our lives that have had a positive spiritual influence: a Bible epiphany, a worshipful song, a spiritual high point. Those things are good, but as noted throughout Scripture, God is a new song kind of God and He may have something new for us just around the corner.

 

In Philippians 3 we see a famous teaching that gives us critical insight into the type of grip Paul had on those things that identified him spiritually. In the opening of the chapter, Paul gave a monster list of his spiritual achievements and pedigree. And then he called out those achievements and pedigree for what they were:

 

Philippians 3:7-9

7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ.

 

Obviously, Paul was making a point that the pedigree and achievements he received under the Law were flesh accomplishments and thus meaningless compared to the pedigree he received through faith in Christ. While the church doesn’t have issues with the Law these days, we do have issues with our flesh accomplishments—those things in our lives that we use to define our spiritual identify (family heritage, education, job experience, talents, strengths, abilities, positions of church leadership, and so forth).

 

So how can we give ourselves a grip check? How can we hold to these things as God intended, which may be more like a fragile egg than a white-knuckled grasp? Try these simple steps. The first three are for personal application. Step Four applies to ministry. Step Five contains a couple other tools you may find helpful.

  1. See things for what they are:

Let’s play Paul’s game for a moment. Take a minute to think about, or even list, all the reasons why you could put your spiritual confidence in the flesh. As a thought starter, use those things I just mentioned: family heritage, education, job experience, talents, strengths, abilities, positions of church leadership, and so forth. Another way to think about it: How do you define yourself spiritually?

 

  1. Step away from these things:

What is jeopardized in your relationship with Christ when you rely—even slightly—on your flesh? To what extent do you find yourself relying on your flesh in ministry, whether you’re a volunteer or a church staff member? According to Scripture (Philippians 3:7-9 above), what do you risk when you rely—even slightly—on your flesh in ministry?

 

  1. Picture life without these things:

Throughout Philippians 3, Paul used phrases like “press on,” “take hold,” and “straining toward” to describe his passionate pursuit of gaining Christ without collecting flesh accomplishments along the way. What adjustments can you make in order to realize “the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ through a righteousness from God that comes by faith” and not by accomplishment?

  1. Teaching the loose grip:

What opportunities do you have to teach students how to hold loosely to their flesh accomplishments and tightly to the pursuit of gaining Christ? Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

 

  • Discussion: Have you had a spiritual “mountain top” experience in your ministry lately such as a retreat or convention? Use that as a teachable moment to illustrate how God used that experience in a mighty way, but He may use something entirely different in the future.

 

  • Exercise: Collect some Play-Doh, enough for each student to have a small batch. Ask students to create something that depicts them—such as their personality, their likes, their interests. After they’ve spent a few minutes creating, ask for students to share what they created and why. Then ask for them to place their creations together (in the middle of a circle if you happen to be circled up). Talk about the creations, giving students a chance to get a bit sentimentally attached to their creations. Then gently begin rolling/smashing all of the creations together. After you have a nice Play-Doh ball, ask for a student to read Philippians 3:1-9 and discuss how the Play-Doh exercise illustrates that passage.

 

  • Planning: As you plan events with your students, look for opportunities to help them distinguish between their their preferences and God’s preferences. They may want to return to the same retreat space because of a deeply moving retreat experience. It may be okay to return, but help them see that God can use any space, not simply a woods or space that they are particularly fond of.

 

  1. Check out these tools!

Free Small-Group Session on Philippians 3 HERE!

Teach your students about a loose grip on our flesh accomplishments through this free session from our study in Philippians, Learning To Be Like Christ. This session includes group guides for middle school, high school, college age, or the coffee shop setting.

 

Three-Minute Vlog on Philippians 3 HERE or below.